Certainty

"We live in uncertain times." Or at least I've seen that claim online on a number of occasions in the past few years. I'm not so sure that the times we live in are any more uncertain than they were on September 11, 2001, or August 1, 1957, the day I was born, or July 4, 1776, or October 31, 1517, for that matter. I imagine that throughout history, in virtually every place and among every people, there have been things going on that caused people to feel unsettled and perhaps insecure about the future.

Things change. People change. Circumstances change. But a number of things remain unchanged, with certainty. One of these is God's word.

Isaiah 40:7-8 says:

"The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
    surely the people are grass.
 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."

That passage is then used in 1 Peter 1:24-25.

"“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you."

Isaiah says that the word of God stands forever, and to this Peter adds that the word that was preached is good news. This is getting interesting.

The Bible reading plan I follow has brought me to the Gospel of Luke, where in chapter 1, verse 4, Luke tells his friend, Theophilus, the reason for writing to him, which is:

"…that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught."

The word "gospel" means "good news" and somewhere along the way Theophilus has learned a number of things about Jesus. Luke wants his friend to know that he has investigated all that he can learn about this Jesus, and that therefore Theophilus can be certain that what he has learned on his own is true. You can read the Gospel of Luke for yourself to see the specific parts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus that Luke passes on to his friend.

Times may change and appear to be uncertain. But what doesn't change is that in every time every person living is a sinner in need of a Savior. Jesus, alone, by faith, is the one who can save. Read the Gospel of Luke for yourself to see how that works itself out. And know, with certainty, that if you call on Jesus, he will save you.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.