THE SCRIPTURES GIVE US HOPE

TUESDAY 14 JUNE 2022

Romans 15 started as a homily, in which apostle Paul addressed the strong as those who were well-grounded in Scriptures and also in practice. They were those in position to bear with the failings of the weak who were not yet properly grounded in the Word at the time. With all things considered, apostle Paul made reference to teachings gained in our Christian faith, which were written in the Scriptures, entirely Spirit-inspired, and finely encapsulated with 'final authority' on all matters of faith and practice.

Reference: Romans 15:4 New Living Translation (NLT) "Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled."

Although Paul was referring to the ancient teachings of the Scriptures, the Bible we have today contains the satisfactory, instructional and life-changing books which are perfectly adequate for our spiritual needs. Even though we feed our faith today by reading and understanding the Scriptures, they were written in the past, yet divinely designed to inform and enlighten us spiritually in all aspects of life.

Now what was Paul's focus? The encouragement, the building up and the endurance taught in the Scriptures, as well as the patience we gain through it, so that we might have hope to see God's promises fulfilled in our lives. The written Word also empowers us to consider the best means to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. So whatever things were written before were written for our learning. But what does Paul mean by saying, "what was written in the past"? Firstly, we can understand that he was talking about the ancient times before his existence, meaning that most teachings within those early times, which were sourced from the Scriptures, actually signify the absolute law, for instance, the Mosaic law.

God set those laws for His children to live by and apply them in all manner of circumstances they found themselves. Most of the Old testament laws are still very much applicable in the body of Christ and also they are quite useful and effectual in our various societies in general. This was exactly what the Lord informed Joshua in the book of Joshua 1:7-8 (NIV) which reads, "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

Likewise, Paul is saying that we are expected to give and align ourselves with the teachings of the Scriptures, so we can learn, meditate and abide by the spiritual laws in it. By an actual example, "thou shall not kill" is an ancient law in the ten commandments that is strictly kept anywhere and in any society. Various countries also have euthanasia laws, as well as laws made against abortion which are all related to murder. Although the seriousness of avoiding murder was written in the Scriptures long ago, we still learn from such laws because they teach us moral or accepted standard of conduct, based on sense of right or wrong.

Paul also noted that the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement through its comfort. For instance, if a Christian needs a thorough guidance on how to face a particular situation and overcome the challenge associated with it, they'll easily find divine guidance inspired by the Holy Spirit as they search and meditate on the Scriptures. Also as a Christian patiently awaits any of God's promises to be fulfilled in their lives, they can source hope and encouragement from the same Scriptures. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Psalm 119:50; Habakkuk 2:2; 1 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 3:16.

Guided Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank you for your true Word which is able to build me up and grant me encouragement and hope among the sanctified. As I keep learning from the Scriptures, training in righteousness, refining and building my faith, I keep my eyes stayed on things above, all of which always grants me an expected end in Jesus' Name, Amen!