Ron Graham was called home on March 14, 2013. He began writing this commentary before his death and had asked me, Nathele Graham, to continue his service to our Lord by finishing what he began.
“That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous… But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it” (Proverbs 2:20, 22).
There is an attitude of denial among the brethren. It is denial of God’s Word being inerrant. God’s Word is never to be taken lightly or to be considered as irrelevant. God’s Word never changes no matter how much society may think it has advanced. Even the minutest detail in God’s Word has not changed because God is the same yesterday, today and forever.
His Word is proclaimed to be profitable, for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness. Why then is His Word ignored and denied by so many Christians today? It’s bad enough to hear this denial from atheists, but worst yet it is heard from those who claim kinship with Him. Christians should know better.
How can you defend your faith when you don’t believe God’s Word? When confronted by those who hate God and who disparage His Word do you stand your ground and intelligently defend your God? Or perhaps you’re one of those who lose their temper and turn to insults as they go off half-cocked.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness” (2 Timothy 2:15-16).
You must study God’s Word to understand God’s Word. Thus, your faith will be strengthened.
Studying God’s Word is very important, but applying that knowledge to everyday life is vital. Do you talk the talk but trip and fall when walking the walk? Walking the walk means we know and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. We are determined that God’s will is reflected in our daily lives. We grow in our relationship to Christ as we study His Word. The more diligent our study habit, the closer is our walk with our Lord. The closer our walk with the Lord, the easier it becomes to maintain the pace.
Walking the walk of a born again believer should be in line with the talk. In other words, you can say that you are a Christian all you want, but unless you live accordingly you aren’t walking with Christ. Sadly, many of today’s professing Christians just use words and not actions. What do I mean?
Well, if you study your Bible and profess to your friends and family that you are a Christian but find yourself walking in the way of the world you are not walking a Christian walk. Do you gossip? That’s not walking the walk, nor is it showing Christ to others. Do you treat others poorly?
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-39).
If you had studied your Bible and applied it to your life you would be treating others better. You would be walking the walk. As we draw closer to the Rapture it will become ever more difficult to put Christ first. Unless you study God’s Word and apply it to your life you will be duped into representing the world instead of Jesus. We are never to compromise our faith simply because life seems to be getting difficult.
Yet it seems that compromise is the flavor of the day. Relaxation, comfort, and complacency have become the norm. Instead of watching yet another re-run of a TV show, turn it off. That show will only promote the world. Your time will be better spent in the study of God’s Word so that you can defend your faith with words of wisdom.
Our entertainment options are, for the most part, worldly. Just like cheerleaders create excitement for a football team, magazines, music, movies, etc. become cheerleaders for the world and create a false impression that perverted lifestyles are acceptable. The teen idols and superstars of today need our prayers. They sing of hate and all things abhorred by God. Even Christians listen and watch these ungodly forms of entertainment and worldly ways become acceptable to them. What does God’s Word say?
The apostle John tells us:
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15-17).
When you study this verse and apply it to your life you may lose a friend or two, but you will gain so much more.
Satan has always tried to pervert God’s Word. In the Garden of Eden he had a chat with Eve. God had told Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God said if he ate the fruit of that particular tree he would die. That seems very clear and easy to understand. Yet Eve was unable to defend God’s Word against Satan.
He planted doubt in her mind and she ended up compromising God’s Word. Guess what…God was right. He’s always right. Since that day death is very real to each of us. Some questions that come to my mind are why was Eve walking so close to temptation and why did she even engage conversation with Satan. Why did she believe his lies instead of God’s truth?
Satan did not stop in the Garden of Eden. No, he is still trying to corrupt God’s Word and as we get closer to the end of days his lies are getting more blatant. As a Christian can you defend the fact that God created everything in six literal days? Or have you bought into Satan’s lie of evolution? Not only do we read God’s description in Genesis chapter one, but God wrote it in stone with His own finger when He gave Moses the Law.
[God wrote,] “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God” (Exodus 31:17-18).
That’s undisputable evidence, yet Satan has been chipping away at God’s truth and even Christians are being deceived. Study God’s Word so you can defend your faith. Why would God have declared each day of creation good if sin and corruption were already there? If the world is right and death had been around for millions of years, why would God have had to have a plan for redemption?
Another issue that every Christian needs to be clear on is the issue of homosexuality. This isn’t a small thing to God.
“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them” (Leviticus 20:13).
God sounds serious to me. Why is it that so many Christians are unable to take a stand against it? The wages of sin is death but Christ’s blood covers all sin and homosexuality is a sin that can be forgiven. Study His Word and apply it to your life. Don’t compromise. Walk the walk.
There are many other topics that God’s Word is clear on but Satan and his lies can muddle the mind of a person who has not studied. The Trinity, Christ’s Deity, the Rapture, baptism, the events surrounding the flood, abortion, do all roads lead to heaven… the list is endless. It seems as if secular man, prompted by Satan, questions God’s Word and instead of studying and standing firm Christians willingly compromise God’s truth.
The result of that compromise is clearly seen today. Pastors teach heresy from the pulpit; Christians behave in an ungodly manner (except on Sunday mornings) because they don’t really know what God’s Word says. If an atheist brings God’s truth into question, why do we even listen to them? Christians need to stop listening to satanic lies and dig into God’s truth. Then they need to apply that truth to their lives.
What I’m getting at is the fact that until our Lord takes us home, Christians need to be very strong in the faith. Instead of compromising God’s Word we need to understand what God says and then defend our faith. Persecution is on the horizon, and many Christians around the world are facing torture and death for their belief in Christ. If you’re a true follower of Jesus Christ, which means you put Jesus first in your life and there is nothing more important than Jesus Himself, then you need to act like it. Study God’s Word and let it be your guide. You will never regret it.
When people are God-fearing and stand together against evil, right has more than a good chance of prevailing. If those who claim to be Christians don’t hold God’s Word to be true, then we have betrayed our Lord and we have stumbled in our walk. Studying His Word and making it a part of us will keep us strong and enable us to be a firm witness to others.
The upside is this. The workers of iniquity, the followers of their father the devil, will not prevail against the children of the King of kings.
“And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28).
Our confidence is in the Lord and His abilities. We who stand firm with our Lord (walk the walk) will have nothing to be ashamed about when Jesus appears to take us home.
For those professing Christians who talk the talk but who have no intention of walking the walk, the world loves you – you have made this world your home. Compromising your faith has become commonplace for you and many others. Enjoy your home – while you can.
God bless you all,
Ron Graham