Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Today is listed as “Father’s Day”. Fathers are important in the Bible. They need to be saved and then part of a good church where they can be taught to serve God faithfully. Children depend on their fathers. They need the direction of their fathers. In order for fathers to be able to give sound direction, they need to be in the Word of God.
God has much to say about the purity of His Word. If God’s Word is not pure, who is to say which part is not pure. Thousands of people have argued on this point over the centuries. The devil wants us to believe there is no such a thing as the pure Word of God. Someone told me this week that he read that there were certain parts left out of the King James Bible. He stated that King James was opposed to certain parts of the originals and he demanded they not be put into the final text of the King James Bible.
It is important to remember that King James had nothing to do with the translation of the King James Bible. All he did is set the environment so that the translators could work peaceably without fear of being hounded and arrested and killed for bringing God’s Word into the English language. Some have suggested that King James was a sodomite. If he was that would be a shame, but again, he was simply a human vessel that God directed (even though he may not have been saved) to make it possible for His Word to be brought into the common language of the people. God can and has used many different people to accomplish His purpose. Lost people are limited in their wickedness and they will sometimes do things that benefit God’s people because God limits their ability to do wickedness.
The devil wants us to believe we cannot trust God’s Word. Go back to the first time we are introduced to the devil in the Bible. He cast doubt upon what God had actually said. Who was right in that account? Was the devil telling the truth? Jesus declared:
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Jesus stated that the devil is a liar and there is no truth in him. Are you willing to put your trust in that? The Holy Spirit is working on the heart and mind of every lost person. He is convincing them of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. Every lost person knows they do wrong. They may not want to call it sin, but they know they do wrong.
God gave every person a conscience. In that conscience man knows the general truth of God and of right and wrong. Criminals wear masks or sneak around and go out at night. Some have become so brazen that they commit their crimes in open daylight. Many countries have such lax laws now that criminal activity is being normalized. Criminals still know they are doing wrong.
When a person is saved, they become much more aware of truth and they can discern lies more readily. The Holy Spirit indwells every saved person. Most people will admit they do not always do things right, even by their own standards. They take consolation that no one is perfect so it does not really matter.
The Bible declares that there is Someone Who is perfect and that is God. He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ into this world as a man to die on the cross of Calvary for our sins. Jesus Christ had to be perfect in all points.
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
The only way we can ever get to know the true God, is if there is a perfect source of truth somewhere. We cannot trust the devil. We cannot trust our own minds and hearts. We need some source that is truth and that others can also examine. The Charismatics insist that they have the inside track to God. They claim they have experiences given to them by the “Holy Ghost”. They claim their experiences are legitimate, even if others never have those experiences. They insist that no one should argue against their experience. The devil loves to give man experiences.
The Bible tells us we need something more substantial than our experiences. They are flawed. God saw to it that He would give man His Word. He knew that His Word needed to be kept perfect for every generation. He also knew that man is not capable of keeping His Word pure for every generation.
God made sure that His Word would be pure and He is the One Who has looked after His Word over the generations.
The Psalmist was not a fool when he wrote that “the law of the LORD is perfect”. He stated that under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost/Spirit. God is perfect and thus His Word is also perfect. David lived long after the time of Adam. However, the Scriptures were not completed in David’s time. David wrote that the law of the LORD is perfect. The law of the LORD is the entire Word of God. Even though the Bible was not completed at the time of David, He wrote that it was perfect. He stated that because he believed in God and he wrote what God told him to write. God’s Word has always been settled in heaven. He revealed His Word to man over a number of years, but it was already settled in heaven.
God wants us to know Him. God spoke directly to Adam. Adam knew Who God was. He also knew he could trust God, yet he chose to reject what he knew to be right. He chose to believe a lie. Cain also chose to believe lies, as did his descendants. They made choices. They made wrong choices. They were allowed to do that. They were also reminded that there are dire consequences to making wrong choices.
If you and I have to doubt if we have the truth, no one would ever get saved. How could you ever know if what you have read, or were told, is the truth? God made sure that His Word is perfect so that you and I can be saved and know it.
There are many religions that teach that you can never know for sure if you are saved. They are wrong. They are built upon the lies of the devil. God has declared that His law is perfect. His law is able to convert the soul. Not just to change the mind, but to convert the soul. God’s Word has the power to turn the lost sinner back to the true God. In Adam we are all born lost sinners. We need to be turned back to God’s original plan for man. God wants all to be saved. God’s Word is capable of turning the lost person back to God. Most people do not want to read God’s Word because it is powerful. It does bring conviction to the heart of the reader/hearer. A few people will submit to that convicting work and will be saved. Most fight against it and die in their sins.
David further stated that the testimony of the LORD is sure. This is the same LORD. He tells us that we can believe all that the Bible declares. The Bible shows us the ugly side of sin. It also shows us the blessing of salvation. It shows us how to walk by faith and the blessing of doing so. The simple person is the open-minded person. That is the person who will not settle on anything as being absolute truth. Yet that person will be convinced of the truth if he or she will submit to God’s Word.
David was already directed to declare that the heavens declare the glory of God. That is an indisputable fact. Just because some refused to believe that, does not change the fact.
Pastor Bartel
