A Daily Devotional

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The Folly of Humanism


"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good" (Psalm 14:1).

Despite all their pretense of scientific intellectualism, those who deny the existence of a personal Creator God are, in God's judgment, nothing but fools. The 14th Psalm, the 53rd Psalm, Romans 3, etc., all describe the inner character of all such people--whether they call themselves atheists or humanists or pantheists or whatever. This repeated emphasis indicates how strongly God feels about those who dare to question His reality. It is bad enough to disobey His commandments and to spurn His love; it is utter folly to deny that He even exists!

The Bible describes the awful descent from true creationism into evolutionary pantheistic humanism. "When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. . . . Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator" (Romans 1:21-22,25).

Certain atheists/humanists claim to be moral people, though their criteria of morality are often quite different from those of the Bible. No matter how admirable their humane acts of "righteousness" may seem, however, they are guilty of the sin of unbelief, the greatest sin of all. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is" (Hebrews 11:6). With all the innumerable evidences of God's reality as seen in the creation and throughout history, and then especially in the Person and work of Jesus Christ, it is utter foolishness to plunge blindly into eternity to meet the God whom they deny.

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The Name of David


"Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue" (II Samuel 23:1-2).

The name of David is uniquely important in Scripture. Except for the name of Jesus Christ Himself (of whom David is a remarkable type), no other name (not even Abraham or Moses or Paul) occurs nearly so often in the Bible. In the New Testament--again other than Jesus Christ--David's name is both the first mentioned (Matthew 1:1) and the last mentioned (Revelation 22:16).

As the "sweet psalmist of Israel," David was largely responsible for this longest book in the Bible. As we see in our text, his claim to divine inspiration in the writing of his psalms is perhaps the most meaningful and clear-cut statement on this subject by any of the Biblical authors. It was both "God's Spirit" and "me" who spoke, giving "His word" through "my tongue," said David, in his last words, shortly before he died.

David was not a perfect man. We remember his grievous sin, not only against Uriah the Hittite, but even more against the Lord (II Samuel 12:9-14), thus giving "great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme."

He had to suffer greatly because of this, but his repentance was genuine, and he was graciously restored by God to fellowship and service. The Lord's own testimony concerning him was this: "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will" (Acts 13:22).

It is little wonder that so many loving parents over the many centuries--both Jews and Gentiles--have named their own sons "David," for the very name means "beloved."

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Rebels against the Light


"They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof" (Job 24:13).

A major stumbling block for those who reject Christ is the clear Biblical teaching that salvation is conditioned on believing on Christ as Savior. "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

But what about sincere clean-living people who do not believe in Christ, and especially those who never hear of Christ?

Paul responds thus: "O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus?" (Romans 9:20). God is our Creator, and what He does is right, by definition. No one deserves salvation, for "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23), so God has a perfect right to say: "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy" (Romans 9:15).

But is such arbitrariness just? Does it not go against our God-created sense of fairness? Why should some have full access to hearing the gospel, and others never hear at all?

"But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world" (Romans 10:18). The fact is that all men have received at least some light. The Lord Jesus Himself said: "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light. . . . But he that doeth truth cometh to the light" (John 3:19,21).

Cornelius was such a man. He did not rebel against the light he had, but prayed for more light. Therefore God sent Peter to him (Acts 10), and when he heard, he believed and was saved. Perhaps God will send other "Peters" to any other "Corneliuses" who have believed whatever light they have (in nature, conscience, etc.) with the needed additional light to lead them to Christ.

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Christ Is a Rock


"From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2).

Oftentimes the Scripture draws an analogy between the Lord and a rock. Our text is only one such example from a dozen in the psalms. The attributes of a large rock--immobility, shelter from the elements, a strong foundation, and impenetrable defense--help us better understand the nature of our God. "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust" (Psalm 18:2).

In his famous interpretation of a dream involving a chronology of great empires, Daniel explained how a "stone was cut out without hands" (Daniel 2:34) which would dash all earthly dynasties and then "shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed" (2:44) Here Christ's return and reign are pictured as the ultimate empire at the end of the age.

Moreover, Christ is pictured for us as the Rock in the wilderness: "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ" (I Corinthians 10:4). When the children of Israel were afflicted with thirst in the wilderness, Moses was instructed to "smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink" (Exodus 17:6). It is a beautiful picture of how Christ, being judged on Calvary for our sins, provides the water of life, freely available to all who will ask.

Recalling Isaiah 8:14 Paul wrote, "As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed" (Romans 9:33). Indeed, our Lord is a foundation upon which we can securely build our lives: "Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20).

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Paul and Titus


"To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 1:4).

On the surface, this verse might be considered insignificant and could easily be missed, for it is part of a lengthy greeting to Titus by Paul at the beginning of this very practical book. However, many nuggets are contained therein, and it is well worth our study.

Titus was one of Paul's most trusted companions. He was a faithful worker who had accompanied Paul on a number of his journeys. Late in Paul's life, after years of discipleship, Paul asked Titus to carry on the work he had started in Crete, an island well known for its deplorable moral state. Paul may have been instrumental in Titus' initial conversion, for he calls him "mine own son," literally, "my true child," a very endearing term. The bond of "common faith" gave them a mutual goal, and, of course, it is the same faith which we share today.

Paul greets Titus with "grace, mercy, and peace." Grace is a manifestation of God's love toward undeserving rebels, resulting in forgiveness and blessing. "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). Mercy is the attitude of God toward those who are in distress. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). Peace comes as a result of the restoration of harmony between God and the forgiven one. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).

This threefold blessing comes from both "God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior." What a comfort to recognize both Father and Son as involved in the bestowment of all aspects of our salvation.

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The Beginning of Wisdom


"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endureth for ever" (Psalm 111:10).

This age has rightly been called the "age of information." With multitudes of books and periodicals in every field of study and practice, with billions of dollars devoted to all kinds of research, and now even the "information superhighway" of the internet. It seems everyone and every organization is posting information of some sort on its own website and e-mail. The world is almost drowning in information.

"But where shall wisdom be found and where is the place of understanding?" (Job 28:12). Job's urgent question can never be answered "online," but only in an ancient book. "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding" (Job 28:28).

This spiritual truism is found often in that Book. King Solomon, to whom God had granted special wisdom (I Kings 3:11-12), penned divinely inspired words when he wrote: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" and then "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding" (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10).

If anything is missing in our information age, it is surely the fear of God, at least among most people--even most religious people. But, as our text says: "A good understanding have all they that do His commandments."

From our New Testament perspective, we now know that "In are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). "And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment" (I John 3:23). Herein is true knowledge and understanding and wisdom.

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This Great and Wide Sea


"So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts" (Psalm 104:25).

The oceans of the world are indeed great and wide and comprise essentially one sea, in contrast to the Seas of the pre-Flood world (Genesis 1:10), which were probably relatively narrow, numerous and distributed more or less uniformly around the globe, as inferred from the marine fossil deposits laid down in those basins by the Flood. The present oceans, however, now contain the vast reservoirs of water poured out through the fountains of the great deep--all of which were broken up in one day--plus the torrents coming from the windows of heaven, which were opened that same day (Genesis 7:11).

The Flood not only destroyed everything on the land (Genesis 7:22), but also great numbers of marine organisms. After the Flood, however, with the vastly enlarged oceanic environments available, the surviving marine organisms quickly spread and proliferated, so that the oceans now indeed harbor innumerable creeping things as well as both small and great beasts. Some whales, for example, are even larger than the great dinosaurs, which had mostly been drowned and buried in the waters and sediments eroded by the Flood. Even the fearsome Leviathan (possibly something like a giant plesiosaur or sea serpent) plays there (Psalm 104:26). Those men who now "do business in great waters" do indeed "see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep" (Psalm 107:23-24).

In the coming New Earth, however, there will be "no more sea" (Revelation 21:1). All the innumerable sea creatures will be gone as well. There will still be an abundance of water, however. There will be "a pure river of water of life, . . . proceeding out of the throne of God" and "whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:1,17).

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Faith, Self Defined


"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them" (Hebrews 11:13).

Some have struggled with the word faith, desiring a succinct definition of it, but nowhere in Scripture does a working definition of faith appear. In places, however, the Bible gives a rather indirect definition of faith. Keeping in mind that the words belief and faith are translations of the same Greek word, let us look at several such texts.

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, said of Mary, "And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord" (Luke 1:45).

Paul knew that God intended for him to be brought before Caesar and encouraged his shipmates as they were about to be shipwrecked with the words: "Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me" (Acts 27:25).

Speaking of Abraham's faith that God would give him a son, Paul says that "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform" (Romans 4:20-21).

Of Sarah, Abraham's wife, it is said, "Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised" (Hebrews 11:11).

These verses and the verse in our text give us a working definition of faith. It is, therefore, a firm belief, a conviction, a judgment, that God is both capable and faithful to perform what He has promised, and that there will be such a performance. This kind of faith brings the future into present reality.

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Justified--by Faith or Works?


"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Galatians 2:16).

Some have argued that James contradicts Paul at this point, since James emphasized that both Abraham and Rahab, among others, were justified by works (James 2:21,25). In fact, this seeming conflict between Paul and James has often been cited as one of the "contradictions" of the Bible.

There is no contradiction, however. Neither Abraham nor Rahab could have been justified by the "works of the law," and James never said they were. Abraham lived before God even gave the law to Moses, and Rahab lived in a pagan culture which knew nothing about it. Furthermore, James himself knew that no one could really be saved by the law, for he said that "whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10).

Actually, both Abraham and Rahab were "justified"--which means "seen as righteous"--by faith in God and His provision of salvation (note James 2:23; Hebrews 11:31). The righteousness of Christ, who did keep perfectly the law of God, is imputed to believers by faith (Romans 4:3-5). God sees him or her as "in Christ," and so they are justified (recognized as righteous) solely through faith.

However, other men cannot see our faith, and therefore we must be justified in the sight of men by our works. True saving faith inevitably will manifest itself in works of righteousness. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: . . . For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:8,10).

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Lovingkindness and Tender Mercy


"Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving-kindnesses; for they have been ever of old" (Psalm 25:6).

These beautiful words, "tender mercies" and "loving-kindness," may sound somewhat old-fashioned in today's sophisticated jargon, but the divine attributes they represent have been "ever of old" and will continue to characterize our tender and merciful, kind and loving God of all grace forever. Dropping them from our conversation (even in most newer translations of the Bible) is a sad loss that, to some degree, has impoverished our speech and, perhaps, our souls.

Note some of the rich Scriptural testimonies associated with them: " redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies" (Psalm 103:4). "Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me" (Psalm 40:11). "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions" (Psalm 51:1). "Hear me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good; turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies" (Psalm 69:16).

Other than Proverbs 12:10 ("the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel"), all the occurrences of these two terms, either alone or together, are applied by the translators only to the Lord, never to men (the Hebrew words are rendered by other words in the King James when applied to people). This is beautifully appropriate, for our gracious God is uniquely the God of love and mercy. In spite of the fact that none of us deserve His lovingkindness or tender mercy, "The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works" (Psalm 145:8-9).

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The Peace of Christ


"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).

The peace of Christ is not the peace of the world. If history is any criterion, the search for world peace always will be futile, for there have been wars going on somewhere in the world practically every day throughout history.

But even if the world's leaders could bring peace to the world, it would not be true peace. "My peace," said Jesus, "is not as the world giveth." Peace is internal, not external. "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" (James 4:1).

The true Christian will never be left at peace in the world, even when there are brief respites of peace between the nations of the world. Only in Christ is there real peace. "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

The Lord Jesus Christ alone can give true peace, for only "He is our peace" (Ephesians 2:14). He is the true peacemaker, for He "made peace through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:20). Before there can ever be genuine peace between man and man on Earth, there must be peace between man on Earth and God in heaven.

Once a person has been "justified by faith," however, he has eternal "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Then, for daily peace, he can simply appropriate this truth in his life. "In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

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This Great and Wide Sea


"So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts" (Psalm 104:25).

The oceans of the world are indeed great and wide and comprise essentially one sea, in contrast to the Seas of the pre-Flood world (Genesis 1:10), which were probably relatively narrow, numerous and distributed more or less uniformly around the globe, as inferred from the marine fossil deposits laid down in those basins by the Flood. The present oceans, however, now contain the vast reservoirs of water poured out through the fountains of the great deep--all of which were broken up in one day--plus the torrents coming from the windows of heaven, which were opened that same day (Genesis 7:11).

The Flood not only destroyed everything on the land (Genesis 7:22), but also great numbers of marine organisms. After the Flood, however, with the vastly enlarged oceanic environments available, the surviving marine organisms quickly spread and proliferated, so that the oceans now indeed harbor innumerable creeping things as well as both small and great beasts. Some whales, for example, are even larger than the great dinosaurs, which had mostly been drowned and buried in the waters and sediments eroded by the Flood. Even the fearsome Leviathan (possibly something like a giant plesiosaur or sea serpent) plays there (Psalm 104:26). Those men who now "do business in great waters" do indeed "see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep" (Psalm 107:23-24).

In the coming New Earth, however, there will be "no more sea" (Revelation 21:1). All the innumerable sea creatures will be gone as well. There will still be an abundance of water, however. There will be "a pure river of water of life, . . . proceeding out of the throne of God" and "whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:1,17).

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Sorrow According to God


"And Jesus answering unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32).

In one of the most important passages in the New Testament regarding repentance (II Corinthians 7:9-11), Paul uses essentially the same phrase three times to express what he means by repentance: He rejoices that the Corinthian believers were made "sorry after a godly manner" (v.9), calls it a "godly sorrow" (v.10), claiming that they "sorrowed after a godly sort" (v.11). This phrase could literally be translated "sorrow according to God," which leads to repentance. Such sorrow is contrasted to the "sorrow of the world worketh death" (v.10), which is a mere regret of consequences or remorse of conscience, which does not yield repentance, but only despair and possibly suicide. "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation" (v.10).

Just as godly sorrow leads to repentance, so should the blessings of God. "Despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" (Romans 2:4). God desires repentance on the part of the sinning one and is free to use whatever vehicle He chooses to bring it about.

True repentance involves a recognition of sin as a crime against God and a violation of His holy nature. Our recognition of this fact brings godly sorrow which leads inevitably to a change of mindset toward the sin and a confession of it as sin (I John 1:9), and this brings forgiveness from God.

Christ taught that this "sorrow according to God" brings great joy elsewhere in the universe: "Likewise, I say unto you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10).

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The Earth Made New Again


"And He built His sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which He hath established for ever" (Psalm 78:69).

There are a number of passages in the Bible which state unequivocally that the earth, in some form, is going to continue eternally. "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever" (Ecclesiastes 1:4).

However, this present earth and its atmospheric heavens must first be purged of all the age-long effects of sin and the curse, which now affect the very elements (or "dust of the earth"). Therefore, "the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (II Peter 3:10).

Evidently, this fiery cataclysm is not an annihilation of the earth and its atmosphere, but rather a great exchange of energies. The earth's very elements will probably be converted into sound and heat energies by mass-energy nuclear-conversion processes, in order to burn out the great fossil beds and all other relics of sin and the curse. Then, however, God will reverse the process, converting these and other energies back into matter, thus "renewing" the primeval Earth, which originally had been "very good" (Genesis 1:31). "We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (II Peter 3:13).

It is this new earth (that is, the earth made new) which will then continue forever. "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain" (Isaiah 66:22). "Because the itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:21). Then we shall forever "be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:17).

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Infallible Proofs


"To whom also He shewed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).

To the first Christians, faith in the deity of Christ was not a blind leap into the dark. Only God could defeat death, and they knew--beyond all doubt--that Jesus Christ had risen bodily from the tomb. They had seen Him, touched Him, and eaten with Him, alone and in crowds, in closed rooms, and out in the open.

The term "infallible proofs" translates a Greek word used only this one time, meaning literally, "many criteria of certainty," and it is significant that the inspired Word of God applies it only to the resurrection of Christ. It is not too much to say that Christ's resurrection is the most certain fact in all history, and many large volumes have been published setting forth the evidences thereof. No wonder the apostle Peter could say: "We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty" (II Peter 1:16).

The apostle John testified thus: "The life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us" (I John 1:2). John not only saw Him in His resurrection body, but also in His glorified body, hearing Him say: "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore" (Revelation 1:18).

It is true that we, like the first Christians, must believe on Christ to receive salvation, but this faith is not a credulous faith, a leap into the dark. It is a reasonable faith, based on many infallible proofs, and we can, therefore, trust Him with our eternal souls.