Weekly Devotional 9-16-24 The True Path of Salvation
God said to Judah, (the Southern Kingdom of divided Israel) through Isaiah His prophet, “10 as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 11So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).
The passage is a quote from a larger text that has to do with Judah’s restoration after a coming captivity in Babylon (100 some years into her future at the time of the prophecy), but the principle is the same and is applicable to this consideration. God’s word (His declarations) will not return unto Him void but will accomplish that which He intends. In the case of a person who reads God’s word, the Bible, it will accomplish this purpose. It will either bring conviction and commitment or it will harden an already hardened heart, as in the case of Pharaoh. The one who receives and believes God’s word will be blessed with eternal life. The one whose heart is hard and non-receptive of it will be forever damned to eternal punishment. God’s word therefore has a purpose. It is the unveiling of who He is to a lost world with the intent of drawing many back to Himself, and the alerting of condemnation to the others.
We read in Genesis, the Book of Beginnings, that God created man as a manifestation of His glory (He created man in His image—Genesis 1:26), but when tempted man chose (represented in Adam) to seek that which was not permitted, to know—experience evil as well as good. (Genesis 3:1-5). Following through on that choice, man died toward God (as God said he would—Genesis 2:16-17) and God separated Himself from sinful man (Genesis 3:8-19). Man from that point on sought to satisfy the desires of his fallen nature, his flesh. Man had become his own god, as suggested by the tempter, Satan.
To quit here would have meant failure for God, but in that God cannot fail, and knowing what man would do when tempted, long before He created the world He made provision for man’s restoration. Revelation 13:8 speaks of that provision as being a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. In the gospel that bears his name, this same John identifies this Lamb as Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 1:29). In the Revelation 13:8 passage, John informs us that in the mind and plan of God, Jesus Christ–the Lamb of God was slain for those whose names are written in the Book of Life before the creation of the world. It has always been God’s plan therefore to bring salvation and restoration to fallen man.
The Bible is the revelation of that salvation and restoration. In truth, the Bible is the only proclamation of God in relation to those things. Read it, study it, and believe it and forever be blessed by it, reject it, and forever be condemned.
“12Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—13(For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) 18Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:12-19). Steve