Does Bible Literacy Matter?

 New book out entitled: Truth over Tribe: Pledging allegiance to the lamb instead of the donkey or elephant. 

Not bad title. Wondering if the book lives up to that. Looks promising.

Our nation is dividing into tribes. Sometimes we self-identify. Other times somone puts us in a tribe. Regardless, this makes it easier to divide and conquer. And there are forces at work trying to divide our nation…and the Church. 

As it relates to the Church, unity around the basics of the faith is essential. This requires Bible literacy.

Yes, doctrine matters.

Theology too.

But without the foundation of Bible literacy, we’re not going to have sound doctrine, theology or teaching. It starts and stays with Bible literacy. 

We must listen-to, read, study, memorize and mediate on God’s word daily. This gives us a good five-fingered grip on His word. That’s the foundation. This is essential to staying unified around what really matters.

As Christ-followers:

Q. Do we believe that the Bible is truly God’s word to humanity? 

Q. Do we really believe that the Bible is the inspired words of our Creator?

If you do, then ask yourself: 

Q. Do my actions, words, and thoughts reflect that belief? 

Q. Does my lived life look consistent with the words, ways and works of Jesus?”

Because they should.

Dear Dad, please help your kids get their act together starting with what you’ve already said to us. 

New Discovery Bible Study

Hey, heads up for my blog readers. I’m setting up an online group to study Matthew 5-7 for a few weeks on Zoom. We’ll do it on Facebook. 

This bible study is for those new to the Bible. It is not for those who are comfortable with the Bible or have a lot to say about it going in. It’s more of a process of teaching people how to discover what the Bible says on their own. 

So, if you want in, you need to message me asap with the phrase, “I want in to the DBS” to info@gracetoday.net. I’ll see what I can do. Space is limited.

“But they will not find it”

““The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.”

‭‭Amos‬ ‭8:11-12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://www.bible.com/111/amo.8.11-12.niv

This is a scary thought. 

That you could not find someone who could share with you about the word of God. 

No preachers, no teachers, no Bibles...a terrifying thought. That would mean few believers (if any) around you if you were the only one. 

If this were you in the future, would you have enough of God’s word in your head and in your heart to be able to feed yourself spiritually? Could you teach your own children or grandchildren how to follow Jesus Christ?

This is not as far-fetched as it sounds the way things are going in our land.

Take God at His Word

“What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭4:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬. https://www.bible.com/111/rom.4.3.niv

We are saved by grace through faith alone! (Eph 2:8-9) 

We are not saved by rituals, nor the sacrifices we give, nor by anything that we think is good enough to earn God’s forgiveness. 

The salvation we receive is a gift. We can’t earn it. Nobody can.

The reason the Old Testament saints are saved is because they believed God. That is, they believed all that God said to them in their past and present. 

So when God talked about a future Savior, they took God at his word and believed him. I’m not saying that it was easy for them. But that is what ultimately saved them. 

And it’s what ultimately saves us too. Taking God at his word and believing him.

Thank you God for saving me!