In truth, the word of God

Skeptics. Skeptical. Skepticism.

Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary.

skeptic also sceptic (skèp´tîk) noun
1. One who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.
2. One inclined to skepticism in religious matters.
3. Philosophy. a. Often Skeptic . An adherent of a school of skepticism. b. Skeptic. A member of an ancient Greek school of skepticism, especially that of Pyrrho of Elis (360?-272? B.C.).


One who instinctively or habitually doubts...questions...or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.

Do you fall into this category? Are you a skeptic? Do you or others consider you a skeptic? Is it good to be skeptical? Habitually doubting and disagreeing with generally accepted conclusions? A skeptic might doubt the believability of God, while the majority of people in the world believe that He exists and is in charge of things.

Is it safe to say there are more skeptics when it comes to believing in God, or more when it comes to believing Jesus is God's only son, that He was made man and dwelt among us and died for us, only to rise again and live for us?

I believe there are a lot more skeptics when it comes to Jesus. You've the entire Allah worshipping community that only believe that Jesus was a good prophet, not God's Son as well as the entire Jewish community, not to mention the many religions that worship nature as if it created itself, pagans and such as a religion the majority while accepting the validity of God they reject His Son.

Back when Jesus lived among people before His death He did many, many miracles of the like the world had NEVER seen. He did it taking no glory to himself but giving it all to God, His Father. Jesus didn't come to earth to be an earthly King and to be worshipped in the way man tends to worship their earthly kings. He didn't come seeking accolades and blind worship, worship without knowing who exactly you were worshipping. Earthly kings tended to glory in others worshipping them, showing them obeisance, they took accolade after accolade as something worthy of them, something due to them. Jesus gave all the glory to God, all of it.

Not unsurprising, Jesus was put to death, condemned by important religious and secular leaders of the day, allowed to die even though He boasted nothing of Himself, nothing. He was a quiet threat to them because while He didn't seek the worship, others wanted to give it to Him, others were building Him up because of their witness of Him, because of their belief in Him and their belief in His amazing claim to be the Son of God. If He weren't crazy and ready to be locked up in a room with padded walls (uhm did they even have those sorts of rooms? Probably not.) If He weren't ostracized as a lunatic claiming sonship with God, if He weren't accused of being totally mad and deserving more of the care they gave to lunatic, then they had to believe in His claim enough to be scared of its validity. They had to believe just enough that what Jesus claimed might be true and therefore they had to get rid of Him to prove Him a liar. Crazy people can't admit to their craziness, delusional people under the control of the delusions cannot admit to their craziness, how can they? The very face they believe their delusions makes them crazy. So the only way this crazy man thinking He's God's Son could be a threat is if people BELIEVED Him to be what He said He was. Enough people believed that His followers grew in numbers. As He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey he was herald befitting a king! If he quieted the crowd honoring Him even the rocks would have cried out. It was time for the revelations to be made fully and while a lot of people believed, a lot in the high places didn't. The realization to those skeptics wasn't that God's Son was truly among them, but that a MAN claiming to be God's Son and FOOLING many people had gained too large a following, so large it was threatening their authority. Oh yes, the authority God placed on them as priests and such. If a Messiah was going to come, if the Son of God really were going to grace earth with His presence He come from the priests themselves, the priests would have a hand in His arrival and in His upbringing, in His existence. They surely wouldn't be left in the dark about a Son of God, what a claim to glory-- for THEM.

Jesus, Son of God, took no glory to Himself but gave it all to God, the Father.

Listen to this...

1 Thess.
{2:13} For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

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Beautiful isn't it? Read it again.

1 Thess.
{2:13} For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

*

Thanking God without ceasing...why?

Because when the word of God was spoken by them, people heard it and didn't believe it came from man, but of God.

What was that we said earlier-- many people in the world believe Jesus was a good man, a good prophet, but not God's Son, it's true, that's what they believe, really, really believe.

They believed what He said and did was good, but NOT the word of God. They liked what they heard, but gave no power to the words spoken. Powerless words, nice to hear but beyond that they mean little. Good ideas perhaps, a good philosophy but man's philosophy not God's.

Is it any wonder that thanks without ceasing is made when people truly believe? When people believe with their hearts and their minds, truly believe the word they receive is of God how could they not be affected? How could it not be counted towards them as something wonderful. Believing and claiming all the power that God has in the words He's spoken, means claiming the Truth, validating the truth.

In truth the word of God.

Not the word of mere man. Not the word of a very good man. Not the word of the greatest orator, the greatest humanitarian solely a man.

In truth the word of God.

We can take what men say with a grain of salt, but the word of God is something we need to holdfast to, something we need to believe in wholeheartedly.

1 Thess.
{2:13} For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

There is power in the word of God, great power to save, but the power isn't forced on anyone, it must be believed.

Glory be to God! Glory be to the Father and to the Son!

All glory to God and God alone, now and forever. May the power of God in each word of His continue to forever be effective towards those that would believe.

Amen.


“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”- Psalm 1:1-2