Please join us each Sunday
at 9:30 am in Modular-J, Room 105 for Biblical study of the whole
council of God.
We have begun our new series of study on The Book
of Hebrews so please come join us.
Welcome
to the Word of Truth web site! We hope you will enjoy the material (both
audio and written) and benefit from its content.
It is my aspiration to faithfully proclaim the whole counsel of
God. The thrust of this site is to encourage the study of God’s Word in
depth!
It is our desire to
know God, and I encourage you to
know God! By the phrase know God,
we mean to have first received the gift
of God, which is given by grace alone and received by belief
alone. The gift of God is everlasting life!
Jesus promised everlasting life to everyone who would
believe Him for it when he said, “For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (John
6:47). Jesus described those who have received the gift of God as being “born again of the Spirit of God”
(John 3:3
and 3:6).
Once one is “born again of the Spirit of God” they have
a relationship with God, which
lasts forever! Those who are “born again” are children of God, and
they can never loose that relationship
status with God as one of His children!
After one is “born again,” it is imperative they begin to
grow in the faith and thus, mature as a Christian.
Secondly, to know God as a Christian means to develop deeper fellowship
with the Lord. It is important a distinction be made between relationship
and fellowship. John expressed
the concept of fellowship stating, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye
also may have fellowship with
us and truly our fellowship is
with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we
unto you, that your joy might be full”
(1 John 1:3-4).
God desires deep intimate fellowship with every Christian! It
should be every Christian’s desire to have this same type of fellowship
with God!
Paul described his desire for fellowship
with God by saying, “That I may know him, and the power of his
resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable
unto his death” (Philippians 3:10).
Thus, my desire for you is
the same as the Apostles of our Lord Jesus: that you might have a close
walk with God and your life will be one of joy and praise to God!
Our approach to Bible study and interpretation is simple. We
follow the common sense approach of normal literal
interpretation. If the plain sense makes common sense, seek no other
sense!
This method of literal interpretation is applied to all the content of the Bible. We acknowledge the fact that numerous
portions of scripture are written with figurative
language. The use of figurative
language is a colorful way of presenting the literal truth. Figurative
is not antithetical or opposite to literal;
it is part of it. Figurative
depends on ordinary-literal
language in order for it to be understood.
The focus of this site is
upon the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the coming King, and His coming kingdom
is paramount among all subjects of prophecy in the scriptures.
The first
coming of Jesus Christ (as the suffering Savior) dealt with the
problem of sin. The second coming of Jesus Christ (as King of Kings and Lord
of Lords) will restore what Adam and Eve lost.
The Lord Jesus will be
the ruler of this earth and will be exalted over all mankind and creation. With
reference to His coming kingdom, Jesus told us to “seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added
unto you”
(Matthew 6:33).
Knowing God is a “rewarder of them
that diligently seek Him”
(Hebrews 12:6b), we encourage you to
focus your life and attention upon the risen victorious Savior, the soon
coming King, the Lord Jesus Christ!
The Gift of God:
EVERLASTING LIFE!!!
No greater subject
can be addressed by sinful men and women than salvation from everlasting
death in the Lake of Fire! The Bible addresses this topic with clarity and
precision. After almost committing suicide, the Philippian jailer (a
Gentile) inquired about salvation from two Jewish prisoners, Paul and
Silas. The answer was cogent and simple, “Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved”
(Acts 16:31a).
The simplicity of
the answer and plan of salvation is profound! Paul and Silas revealed to
this man that nothing could be done to earn salvation; he must believe
or rely upon the Lord Jesus Christ for everlasting life. Nothing else was
prescribed for his everlasting rescue!
Salvation is a work of God, by God,
for God, to God. It is not man’s work for God; it is God’s work for
man. Nothing man can do in mind, attitude, or action can add anything to
God’s provision of salvation from everlasting death in the Lake of Fire.
Genesis
chapter 3 reveals the fall of Adam and Eve.
Adam sinned by disobeying God’s command to not eat from the forbidden
tree. Eve’s transgression (1 Timothy 2:14) negatively affected the
entire human race causing separation of man from God.
God is loving, but He is equally
holy and cannot tolerate sin.
God’s holiness demanded restitution or
payment for sin. Because of Adam’s sin and his inability to make
adequate restitution to God, he and the entire human race were condemned
to everlasting death in the Lake of Fire.
“For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is everlasting life through Jesus Christ our
Lord” (Romans 6:23).
However,
God in mercy already had a plan to redeem the human race by means of the
substitutionary death of Himself in the Person of the second member of the
Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ.
According to the Bible, Jesus (The Son
{Lamb} of
God), {God manifest in the flesh} died on the cross, was buried, and
arose
again three days later (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). He took our
place and paid the sin debt so you and I would not have to perish in the Lake of
Fire.
The death of
Jesus
on the cross satisfied the holiness of God with regard to sin.
Truly, “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). Paul teaches
this truth by saying, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Mankind’s salvation from everlasting death in the Lake of Fire is a
result of the grace of God. The medium through which God extends His grace
is faith (belief).
Faith
is belief or reliant trust in someone or something.
In the Biblical sense, faith is being persuaded
or having the inward conviction
that what God says in the Bible is true.
The core of Christianity is the teaching of salvation by grace
through faith, plus nothing, minus nothing!
Jesus said,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”
(John 3:16). This is good news! Without the gift of God (everlasting life)
humanity is doomed to everlasting separation from God by the second death in the Lake of Fire.
To
receive everlasting life, one must simply believe the promise of Jesus,
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath
everlasting life” (John 6:47).
Do you believe? Jesus has the power to grant you everlasting life?
Do you trust Him with your everlasting destiny? He invites you to
believe His promise to give you the gift of God – everlasting life!
If you have believed
God's promise for everlasting life, on the
authority of His Word, you possess everlasting life!!!
Please email me at teacher@wordoftruthclass.org
and let me know you have received this gift or if you have further
questions.
Scott Crawford