The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in James 1:18,
"He [the Father of the heavenly lights] chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created."
As James wrote his letter, one the first of the New Testament writings, he points out that God has begun to populate his kingdom. Those who had received the new birth have become a "kind of first fruits" in the harvest of all that God had created. The Jewish celebration of Shavout or Pentecost was a celebration of the first fruits of the harvest. Here James likens the early believers as the "firstfruits" of God's harvest, being harvested through "the word of truth".
What captures my eye this morning is that James points out God chose to harvest his kingdom through "the word of truth", a reference to the gospel message. A lot of folks have a lot of notions as to what they think about how God reaches out to mankind. The New Testament writers have made it simple and clear. God has provided a message of good news, the "gospel" that he wants taken to all in the world. Paul finds this message to be both precious and powerful: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'" Romans 1:16-17.
So impressed with the gospel message God has crafted, Paul later points out: "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Romans 11:17. It is the gospel message itself that is the grounds upon which our faith in Jesus Christ originates. It provides the opportunity, the context, for that type of faith Abraham embraced God with that has become our model, Romans 4.
God chose to give us a message of invitation to his family. This message cuts through all of the intellectual arguments people arm themselves with. It is a message that pierces the heart and strikes the conscience. It cuts right past all the religious nonsense and do-gooder-ism. It has the ability to awaken the soul of the most depraved among us. The simple message of the gospel is that I am a sinner and Jesus Christ, God's Son, died to pay the penalty for my sin. I will be forgiven it all if I but trust in him. Jesus Christ arose from the dead to prove to mankind the veracity of the gospel message and when I accept this, I enter into God's family. It is just that simple.
"'The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,' that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'" Romans 10:8-11.
How wonderful God has chosen to give us rebirth through the invitation of the gospel!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment