Bible League: Living His Word If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.There is the heart of a person and there is the mouth of a person. When it comes to salvation, the two should be in harmony with one another. If you believe in your heart that Jesus is who the Bible says He is, then your mouth should also confess that Jesus is who the Bible says he is. If you do these two things, then our verse for today says you are saved. The belief that we hold about Jesus is said to be held in the heart, not simply in the mind. The belief that Jesus is who the Bible says He is does not come about simply through rational understanding. It is a belief that rises above mere rational belief to the level of belief born of faith. The heart transformed by the Holy Spirit believes in faith what the Bible reveals about Jesus. But the belief is just the beginning. There is also the confession. A person whose heart has been truly transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit will quite naturally confess out loud what is held in the heart. If not, then something is amiss with the belief. Jesus said, '"Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.'" (Matthew 10:32). What we say about what we believe, then, is very important. Although Paul doesn't explicitly say it in this context, the Bible teaches that the person whose heart truly believes and whose mouth truly confesses will also start down the road towards a Christ-like life. It was James who explicitly made this point. He said, "What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?" (James 2:14). Indeed, Jesus himself said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me'" (Matthew 16:24). The heart full of faith in Jesus will confess that faith and will begin, however imperfectly, to walk in that faith. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 99-102 Psalm 99 -- The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 100 -- Shout for joy to the Lord, all you lands! NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 101 -- I will sing of loving kindness and justice. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 102 -- Hear my prayer, O Lord! Let my cry come to you. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Romans 13 Romans 13 -- Submit to the Authorities; Love fulfills the Law NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”Insight This is a significant statement about judging others. Because Jesus upheld the legal penalty for adultery, stoning, he could not be accused of being against the law. But by saying that only a sinless person could throw the first stone, he highlighted the importance of compassion and forgiveness. Challenge When others are caught in sin, are you quick to pass judgment? To do so is to act as though you have never sinned. It is God's role to judge, not ours. Our role is to show forgiveness and compassion. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 92:4 Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work.Do you believe that your sins are forgiven, and that Christ has made a full atonement for them? Then what a joyful Christian you ought to be! How you should live above the common trials and troubles of the world! Since sin is forgiven, can it matter what happens to you now? Luther said, "Smite, Lord, smite, for my sin is forgiven; if thou hast but forgiven me, smite as hard as thou wilt;" and in a similar spirit you may say, "Send sickness, poverty, losses, crosses, persecution, what thou wilt, thou hast forgiven me, and my soul is glad." Christian, if thou art thus saved, whilst thou art glad, be grateful and loving. Cling to that cross which took thy sin away; serve thou him who served thee. "I beseech you therefore, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Let not your zeal evaporate in some little ebullition of song. Show your love in expressive tokens. Love the brethren of him who loved you. If there be a Mephibosheth anywhere who is lame or halt, help him for Jonathan's sake. If there be a poor tried believer, weep with him, and bear his cross for the sake of him who wept for thee and carried thy sins. Since thou art thus forgiven freely for Christ's sake, go and tell to others the joyful news of pardoning mercy. Be not contented with this unspeakable blessing for thyself alone, but publish abroad the story of the cross. Holy gladness and holy boldness will make you a good preacher, and all the world will be a pulpit for you to preach in. Cheerful holiness is the most forcible of sermons, but the Lord must give it you. Seek it this morning before you go into the world. When it is the Lord's work in which we rejoice, we need not be afraid of being too glad. Daily Light on the Daily Path Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, "Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."Isaiah 49:13 Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people And will have compassion on His afflicted. Isaiah 12:2 "Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation." Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him. Isaiah 61:10 I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Romans 15:17 Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God. Romans 5:11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Habakkuk 3:18 Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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