The Need to Live Lightly
Why do we need God’s Word? There are many in today’s society who call for a banishment of the Bible. They say that God’s Word is too restrictive and outdated. If we were to go along with culture’s demand that the teachings of the Bible be ignored, it would be interesting to consider what guidelines these people think civilization should operate by. All civilized societies must live by some standard. There have to be guidelines of some sort; without rules and regulations to bring order and give guidance, civilization and society would degenerate into anarchy and chaos. This brings us back to the original question: Why do we need God’s Word? As mankind attempts to sort out the issues of life and how people are to operate effectively, where will mankind turn for wisdom and help?
As people seek to navigate life and find answers to situations, some look at the world around them. It is no accident that this world gives us hints about how to live and make decisions. God, in His amazing wisdom and love, made this world to reflect His attributes. God reveals truth about Himself and life through general revelation and special revelation. General revelation is broad in scope and is available to all mankind as we ponder the ways and workings of this universe. Mankind looks at a world that works in an orderly fashion and therefore concludes that there must be order and purpose. Men and women see a beautiful world and they rightly assume life can have beauty and nobility. The “light” that mankind can find in general revelation helps to give direction in times of dark decisions and difficulties.
While general revelation gives mankind some guidance, there is a need for more help. This is where we turn to special revelation. Special revelation is specific information, guidance, and help that leads mankind to understand God and the world around us. This special revelation is found in the Bible. Between general revelation and special revelation, God has given us all the information and guidance that is necessary. There is a problem, however. While God has graciously offered two sources of information to this world, Satan is insisting that he has revelation for mankind as well. We call this third source of information spurious revelation.
Why does Satan throw spurious revelation into the mix? Because he wants to deceive and destroy men and women. In Satan’s rebellion against God, he desires to destroy anything that is precious to God. This hatred for God and his creation makes us a target for Satan’s destructive ploys. This fact is important to understand if we are to make sense of what we see in the world around us. When tragedy strikes, when evil seems to run rampant, how important is it to understand that there is a maniacal enemy on the loose? Spurious revelation is the source of all false religions. The upside-down values that masquerade as truth in today’s world are spewed from Satan himself in his spurious revelation.
In summary, we need to understand that there are three sources of revelation available to people. Two of these are from God: general revelation and special revelation. One is from Satan: spurious revelation. God’s revelation can best be described as light. Satan’s revelation can be described as darkness. Join me next week as we look at how God’s light overpowers the darkness of Satan. Keep looking up!