January 8
Is there a difference between the teaching of Paul and James on whether a person is saved by faith alone or by faith plus works? Paul writes: “If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. What does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Rom 4:2-3). James says: “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?” (Jas 2:21-22). Note the chronology of the events in...
Read MoreJanuary 7
A key Bible word is justification, defined as “to judicially declare right so as to have the force of law.” A person is “justified freely by His grace” (Rom 3:24); “justified by faith” (Rom 3:28); “justified by His blood” (Rom 5:9); “justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:11); and “by works a man is justified” (Jas 2:24). We also read that Christ was “raised again for our justification” (Rom 4:25). We might say that the grace of God is the motive for His providing justification, faith is the human response to His offer, the blood of Christ the price...
Read MoreJanuary 6
“The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls” (Lev 17:11). In his remarkable book, More Than Meets the Eye (p 26), physician Richard Swenson writes: “Red blood cells are tiny but plentiful. We each make over two million RBCs every second…If we took them all out of our body and laid them side by side they would go around the earth at the equator four times. I wonder if God paused when deciding to create red blood cells, realizing that His Son would die by shedding them. How much blood did Christ actually shed? We have no way...
Read MoreJanuary 5
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” (Lk 15:4). A blind woman once came to me and said, “Do you think that my blindness will hinder me from working for the Master?” “Not at all; it may be a great help, for others seeing your blindness may speak to you, and then you will have the opportunity of giving your testimony for Christ and leading them to the Savior.” “That’s not what I want,” she replied. “It seems to me a waste of time when one might be speaking to...
Read MoreJanuary 4
Sir Robert Anderson, head of Scotland Yard from 1888-1901, was one of England’s premiere legal minds. He tells of his encounter with God after hearing a sermon by a preacher named John Hall. Anderson wrote of being captivated by his message of “forgiveness of sins, and eternal life as God’s gift of grace, unreserved and unconditional, to be received by us as we sat in our pews.” But Anderson was not convinced and asked if he could walk the preacher home. At one point, Hall turned to Anderson. “I tell you, as a minister of Christ and in His name, that there is life for you here and now if you...
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