The Power of Scripture

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind,”2 Timothy 1:7. “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,” Ephesians 1:19.

America is facing many problems, and they stem from the erosion of the Bible as the standard for truth in our society. The only other alternative outside the Bible is evolution, and if you choose that over the Bible, you forfeit all hope. Then man is no more than an animal, and cultural norms are the only guide for human morality. Only from the Bible do we know that humanity is created in the image of God; therefore, human life is sacred. The survival of America and freedom will depend on understanding the Bible regarding the sanctity of human life and standing united in preserving it.

America is no longer one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America claims that America is a nation under God. That means God’s word is our guide. Indivisible, which means we are undivided. And last but not least, every human being is to receive fair and equal treatment regardless of race, color, creed, sex, or social standing.

America was founded as a nation under God guided by the power of His word. Some Americans still believe in the Bible and stand by its principles, but many do not, and some of those are elected officials who represent each state in Washington, D.C. President Joe Bidin is the leader and Commander in Chief. The big question for many is, is President Bidin leading America in the right direction? According to poll numbers, 61% of Americans think America is not on the right course.

President Biden promised in his inaugural address to bring unity back to America. Has he brought about unity in the 16 months he has been president? No! America is more divided today than at any other time in my lifetime. And it is mainly because of the president’s policies that lean to the far left.

There is a political and a spiritual side to determining what is best for America. It seems that the political is by far taking the lead in Washington. The spiritual side in all situations depends on its guidance from the Bible, and the political takes its lead from the personal beliefs of those in charge. There would be little division if we took the spiritual road and depended on the Bible for guidance. For instance, three of the most significant dividing factors in America are Abortion, Critical Race Theory, and Gender. Still, a more substantial problem than all three is America’s rejection of the Bible as a guide in all matters.

The abortion dilemma: Roe versus Wade is at the point of being overturned by the Supreme Court; this has caused an uproar. President Biden responded by saying, “The right to choose is fundamental.” In my mind, I ask: Mr. President, does that mean it is alright for a mother to kill an unborn human being as long as it is inside her and not yet born even though it is just as much a human according to science as if it were born? In my opinion, it is murder! Is the right to choose more important than the right to live? The only logical answer to that question is no! Each unborn child should have the guarantee to live under law.

Another person on the Internet responds to overturning Roe versus Wade this way: “Every candidate in 2022, for every office – Senate, House, governor, statewide office, or state legislature – should first have to answer one question: Do you support the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe versus Wade? Yes or No? If your answer is yes, I don’t care if you’re Republican or Democrat. You’re cruel. You’re out of step with the American people. You don’t get my vote.” Wow! So, you are cruel if you want to save the lives of unborn babies. How pathetic can you get? I feel the very opposite. Any candidate who says yes to abortion will never get my vote. Abortion is what is cruel and inhuman! 63,459,781 Babies Have Been Killed by Abortions since Roe v. Wade in 1973.

Let us lay aside personal or political opinions and see what God says in His word. The Bible is quite clear about taking a human life. One of God’s ten commandments says, “Thou shall not kill.” This commandment is about taking a human life, and an unborn baby is a human life; there are only two exceptions to this commandment, war, and capital punishment.

The Critical race theory: This theory has no connection with what the Bible teaches. First, what is critical race theory? CRT presents America’s founding, history, its institutions, and present laws and practices as irredeemably racist. According to CRT, all white Americans enjoy illegitimate “white privilege,” Every problem that people of color, experience today, especially blacks, can be blamed on white people. CRT is unbiblical because it is a hate theory. The second of the ten commandments teach us to love one another. A racist Christian is a contradiction of terms and is against what the Bible commands. If we abode by the Bible, there would be no racism.

According to the Bible, “These are the things you shall do. Speak each man truth with his neighbor: give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; and do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate, says the Lord,” Zechariah 8:16. In the Ephesians, Paul wrote, “Therefore putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” Ephesians 4:25.

When we speak the truth even in love it may hurt, but so do other things we face in life which are for our good. The remedy for hurt is found in the power of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to redeem man from sin and provide him with eternal life. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). This is a promise is for all who will place their faith in Jesus as their personal savior. Some churches today shy away from talking about sin for fear of offending sinners when they are destroying their souls.

The confusion over gender: There was a time when boys were boys and girls were girls, but that is a point of confusion today because many no longer rely on the Bible for truth. Those who hate truth will accuse those who stand for it of being hard-hearted, cruel, harsh, uncaring, ignorant, mean, and guilty of hate speech. Standing on the word of God may be abhorrent to unbelievers; nevertheless, it is our biblical responsibility to do so whatever the results.

In today’s post-biblical environment, gender identification is being manipulated by political correctness. No longer is it politically correct to use terms like he, she, boy, and girl. The new trend is Gender-inclusive language, which is writing and speaking in a manner that does not use gender-based words. Some intuitions require gender-inclusive language on their campuses. God forbid that the church ever falls into such a ridiculous trap. Such actions are part and parcel of the sin-laden world in which we live.

The gender issue and all other accompanying issues are more than just political issues in our post-Christian culture; they have a spiritual nature, which sadly, some churches have refused to address moral issues out of fear of reprisal. God and His Word are rejected, and in their place, man has decided his own rules for dealing with things, and there will be consequences.

God created male and female, and there was no confusion about gender. “In righteousness and true holiness,” He created them,” Ephesians 4:24. Man and woman, in the beginning, were like God, holy, pure, and perfect. The Bible says that God was pleased with His creation and called it good, including His design of man and woman, Genesis 1:31. There was no confusion at that time concerning who they were; male and female; they were created distinctively different, and to this very day, that still holds. Why do some today want to alter their birth identity; is it because they do not like who or what they are and want to be something else? The truth is, it is because of sin and nothing else.

When Adam and Eve inexplicably listened to Satan, who twisted the truth of God’s Word, and then they chose to go their way, there was a departure from their original perfection. The image of God was lost the second they sinned. So, today we see the consequences of sin. Evil cannot be excused because people say they were made the way they are. God did not create sin, nor did He create murderers, thieves, alcoholics, adulterers, addicts, drug abusers, pyromaniacs, homosexuals, lesbians, transgenders, bi-sexual, or any other behavior contrary to His will.

Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, and sin entered the human race. God has the remedy, but it cost Him His only begotten Son, John 3:16. In order to redeem and save fallen humanity, Jesus Christ came into the world to suffer and die on a cross, in ignominious shame, and pay the penalty for our sins. The solution to man’s sinful ways is to accept Jesus as savior. Those caught up in the sins named above can resolve the issues by turning to God for His help spiritually. Also, there are mental and medical professionals who can help. I know that this falls on deaf ears for many, and that is why America is caught up in the dilemma of what is right and what is wrong. Too many today don’t want to hear the truth.

Even in the time of Jesus, the world hated to hear the truth. Jesus always spoke the truth. One day He said to the Jews, “Because I tell you the truth, you do not believe Me” (John 8:45). The Apostle Paul asked the Galatians, “Have I, therefore, become your enemy because I tell you the truth” (Galatians 4:16)? Jesus taught His disciples what it would cost them to preach the truth: “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). We who believe in the truth of God’s word must decide whom we will serve because we cannot serve God and love the world at the same time. We must always speak the truth as our savior did when He was on the earth and be willing to bear the world’s hatred.

We cannot rely on the government, politicians, or the world in general for truth; instead, we must turn to the Bible because it is the accurate word of God. We learn the origin of humanity from the word: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth….” Genesis 1:1. God also created everything else, the creatures of the sea, the animals, and the fowls of the air, but at the top of His creation and His crowning glory was man, which He created in His image. “Then God said, Let us make man in Our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them,” Genesis 1:26-27.

It is a shame today that some Christen churches are turning from the truth of God’s word and buying into the distorted views of society. Rather than speaking the truth and running the risk of offending the world they remain quiet. Some claim it is out of love that they do what they do, but how can it be love when God disapproves. How can the church offer hope to those caught in Satan’s snare of sin when it also has sacrificed the truth of God’s word?