On Faith: Find answers in God’s words

Only God has the answers to the major questions in life. (Or, God’s Word is truth.)

I’m grateful to be given the opportunity to write “On Faith.” By God’s grace I intend to write words which are faithful to His Word, which we call the Bible.

The Bible teaches that there is a spiritual world beyond this physical world. Every single human being is spiritual, therefore every person has spiritual needs. We are told that there are many spiritual truths – one just has to adhere to the truth as they see it. But as a Christian I must unabashedly say that the spiritual truths found in the Bible are the only truths that are actually true for all people of all time.

The truth is that God created the entire universe from nothing in six twenty-four hour days. The truth is that God is love.

The truth is that God created man in His (God’s) own image. The truth is that man rebelled against God. We call that rebellion sin. The truth is that sin changed the whole universe – specifically, our world as we know it was plunged into suffering and death. Those consequences aren’t God’s fault; they are man’s fault. The truth is that God is holy and we are not.

As people blinded by our sin and angered by these truths our first response is to shake our fists at God.

The question asked by every generation is: “If God is a loving God, why are there things like wars and suffering and death?”

But that is actually the wrong question. After four more truth statements we can, by God’s grace, ask the right question.

- The truth is we are all sinners.

- The truth is that we deserve nothing but God’s judgment.

- The truth is that without His merciful and loving intervention we would all be separated from Him forever in hell.

- The truth is that God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins.

Since those four statements are true, the real question to ask is, “How could God love us rebellious, hateful people so much that He would send His own Son to die for the sins that we have committed against Him and against our fellow man?

This truth is the wonder of all wonders – God does love us and that He did send His own Son to rescue all people who would believe in Him alone from their sin and from that eternal separation.

In short, the truth that I am urgently putting before you is that Jesus Christ is this world’s only savior. No doubt this will be seen as exclusive, and offensive. But, as a beloved pastor friend often said, “I didn’t make this up; God tells us these truths in His Word.”

Another writer wrote this closing truth: “And when, finally, we are alone to battle the last enemy, death, there is even then courage and strength in God’s Word: ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me’” (Psalm 23:4). So, even though we are sinners God loves us.

That’s why He took care of our sin for us: He wants us to know that He forgave our sin so that, even in the midst of suffering here on earth, we can have joy.

Then, when we die, He wants us to be alive with Him forever. And that’s the truth.

Pastor Kirk Schield serves Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church in Two Harbors. He can be reached at 834-5345 or kschield@hotmail.com

Tags: two harbors, community, on faith