Tuesday 28 January 2014

TFTD - 28 January 2014 - Thoughts from Today's Bible Readings

28 January 2014

Genesis 46; 47
Psalms 50
Romans 3; 4

"HIS INVISIBLE ATTRIBUTES"

Yesterday, we started reading Paul's letter to the Romans. It contains so much that is relevant to life today. Paul writes of how humans, "claiming to be wise, they became fools" [Romans 1:22] He says, "what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them" [Romans 1:19] He says, "his invisible attributes … have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made" [Romans 1:20] In other words, although God himself cannot be seen by human eyes, the evidence of his existence should be plain to humans through all the remarkable things which he has created. Paul continues, "they became futile in their thinking and their foolish heart was darkened." [Romans 1:21] The foolishness of those days, which still continues among some nations, is to believe God is represented in animals, such as elephants, and to worship them.

But today, throughout what we call the Western world, "claiming to be wise" many believe there is no God of any kind, that everything that exists kind of created itself. This came about, they reason, given enough millions and billions of years, through an endless series of "accidents."

Yet the more man discovers the wonders of the world in which he lives, the more incredible he finds it to be, all the wonders of DNA being one of the latest examples. As a result, the more foolish their claims to be wise appear to be! Marvellous designs - but no designer!

The tragedy is that, having convinced themselves there is no God, the words of Paul which follow are more true today than ever before. He wrote "and since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice … haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless …" [Romans 1:28-31]

It is becoming clearer that there is no middle road, we either believe or we do not - and if we believe, we must not be half hearted about it.
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- DC


Thought for the Day

28 January 2014

"I believed, and therefore have I spoken; I was greatly afflicted." It was true of Christ, and true afterwards of the apostles, who quoted it of their own labours: "We also believe, and therefore speak," says Paul. And now it has come down to us, not with the power of inspiration, but through the power of the writings of inspiration, we also believe, and therefore speak."

- C.C. Walker
Exhortation (1921)

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