The Sufficient Rule of Both Faith and of Practice

April 9. 2015

The Sufficient Rule of Both Faith and of Practice

They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.

2 Timothy 3:5a

The Apostle Paul envisioned the interval between the birthing of God’s New Creation, the Resurrection of Jesus, and the Final Victory over sin and death, the return of Jesus, as being chaotic. During this period, which Paul did not expect to be a long time, the forces of evil opposing the New Creation are making their last, albeit futile, stand. God’s victory is certain, and cannot be stopped. However, its ultimate reality will come about in God’s time, not ours. Humankind continues to live in this interval, and Paul’s description of people living for themselves has been observed in every generation. The 2008 recession brought on by the gluttony of the financial markets is but one example of what happens when people “only love themselves and their money” (2 Timothy 3:2). The church is not immune from self-centered people. Paul warns there will be people who “love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly” (2 Timothy 3:4-5). To what power is Paul referring?

The answer is in 2 Timothy 3:16 where Paul writes that “all Scripture is inspired by God.” The word translated ‘inspired’ comes from a Latin word that means, ‘in-breathed.’ The Bible was written by people who had their lives shaped by God, and just as God worked through their lives, God is now working through our life as we read the Bible. Many years ago, almost every church relented on the affirmation that the Bible was infallible. Today many churches are relenting on their affirmation that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and the sufficient rule of both faith and of practice.

We are living in a generation where the core of the Christian church is being reshaped to conform to a secular worldview. In their efforts to go along to get along, many churches will fall into the deadly realm Paul described: “They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.” It is a deadly realm because new life in Christ will only come through the Word of God becoming alive in us. I refuse to put any limitations on the grace of God, but I am concerned for those who want to limit how much of themselves they are willing to surrender to God and still expect new life to be birthed into them.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms is available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ is available as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.