The apostle Paul, in his first pastoral letter to Timothy, writes regarding the church that it is “the pillar and foundation of the truth”. While there are many different views and interpretations on what God’s redemptive Word is communicating, we must all admit that different views and interpretations cannot be the result of a Word that is unclear, but the differences lie with the readers and hearers alone. That said, any church worth its pillar and foundation must declare, defend and confess what it believes with a confident and unwavering Sola Scriptura view.
We are now living in a time where Christians have an abundance of opportunities to bear witness to the Gospel of Christ. It’s the best way possible to redeem the time you have. At the expense of sounding old school, I believe it’s true that in this present evil age, the world is becoming increasingly wicked and sinful. Of all the great and true doctrines taught in the Holy Writ, the sinfulness of man is easily empirically measured. Watch the news if you can bear it, see what is presented on internet news sources. The world is exceedingly wicked, and it’s not just eye-popping events. As the world forges ahead to remove God from the public square and build a God of its own and to its own liking, it’s possible that some churches are following suit. Maybe we still have our Bibles, still sing songs, and still pray, but what is the center of our conversation? If it’s not that God the Father offered up Jesus Christ as a substitute for our sins, and that guides what we think and how we accordingly live, then we are missing the mark. Christianity is not first and foremost about what Christ is doing in me (though He certainly does); it’s all predicated on what He has done for me in time, space, and history. This promise is stronger than what we see, feel, and experience. If we get bored with these eternal truths and they get relegated to honorable mention in favor of church activities, it will get lost in a generation, and along with it the salt and light.
The church should never be a political engine. I know that is a hot topic, and I will point out that every Christian, at least for now in America, has the privilege of citizenship and the duty to bear witness to Christ in a variety of cultural and civil issues. However, as we said at the top, the corporate church is to stick to the Word. In 2023, a song came out that was an internet sensation, and in fact within its lyrics there was undoubtedly some civil truth in the mind of many people. In one verse, it talks about living in a new world with an old soul. Many may identify with that; I know I do. But we as Christians must not become discouraged because, in truth, there is nothing new under the sun, and this world is old and passing away. By God’s grace, we have a new life and a lively hope in Christ Jesus. There are lots of opportunities to tell people about this, so take heart, pray, and redeem the time with the first things. Do not forget what Paul wrote to the Romans: “ What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin…”” (Ramans 3:9) The Gospel good news is this, we have been saved by grace, through faith, in Christ and all of these alone. No fine print, no add-ons.
