Luke 16:29 But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond*~ to them.'
In the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Rich Man is suffering in the pains of the reality of hell while pleading with Abraham to send someone to tell his five brothers about the reality of hell. He was convinced that surely if his brothers talked with someone sent back from the dead, they would believe such a messenger.
Abraham responded, “They have the Old Testament prophets, they MUST RESPOND to them.” This is the message of Abraham, through Christ’s message to the world. If people want to know the reality of eternity, then they must learn well the revealed Word of God and obey what they find. If his brothers had not responded to the major message of God in His Word, then they would not listen to messenger, even if he claimed to be from the grave.
The truth is that God is amazingly gracious with His creatures, but they have to choose to follow what He has said. If they choose to live in this life without God, paying no attention to His Word, then God will let them do so in this life, and then likewise forever without God in the next life.
What Jesus is revealing in this story is a principle that applies for everyone, everywhere, at all times: God’s primary means of communicating His will and the hope of mankind is through His now written Word. Men want any other means to hear from God, except a revealed written Word. They will listen to anything declaring to be a special revelation from visions to reading into providential circumstances, from voices in the head to seeing signs in whatever is experienced. All these are supposedly God’s responsibility to intervene in a life to catch the attention of a deviant soul and bring him to submission.
God’s plan is quite different. We are to adjust to His plan, rather than convince Him of a better plan. He came to reveal His will, He declared His will, then He inspired His chosen disciples to record His will for all time. Now the only way we will ever know His will is to search it out in His written Word.
Secondly, He is revealing the principle that miraculous messengers or signs are not the life-changing element that will convert a soul. The brothers would have been shocked, amazed, awe-struck by the appearance of such resurrected souls with a message directly from hell, but it would have had no life-changing power. People can be convinced of a miracle, but still not want Jesus to tell them what to do, much less to reign in their lives. They may be so awestruck to the point they superficially worship God more than ever, but fail to yield to His commands.
It always comes back to a heart issue. Each person must believe from the heart, that is, they must want His Word to be their guide in everything it says. They must want Jesus to be their authority and constant companion in this life. Miracles are only effective in convincing people that God is real, but it does not mean that they will want Him in every part of their lives.
This is why Abraham told the Rich man, “No! This is not how God works with men.” The only way to know the truth that will free the sinner from his sins is through the written Word of God. This is the message we have to teach and share. Have you responded to all you know in His Word? Will you share these thoughts with someone this week? Make sure those you care about know God's Word.
Psalms 119:66 NET, “Teach me proper discernment and understanding! For I consider your commands to be reliable.”
For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.
In the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Rich Man is suffering in the pains of the reality of hell while pleading with Abraham to send someone to tell his five brothers about the reality of hell. He was convinced that surely if his brothers talked with someone sent back from the dead, they would believe such a messenger.
Abraham responded, “They have the Old Testament prophets, they MUST RESPOND to them.” This is the message of Abraham, through Christ’s message to the world. If people want to know the reality of eternity, then they must learn well the revealed Word of God and obey what they find. If his brothers had not responded to the major message of God in His Word, then they would not listen to messenger, even if he claimed to be from the grave.
The truth is that God is amazingly gracious with His creatures, but they have to choose to follow what He has said. If they choose to live in this life without God, paying no attention to His Word, then God will let them do so in this life, and then likewise forever without God in the next life.
What Jesus is revealing in this story is a principle that applies for everyone, everywhere, at all times: God’s primary means of communicating His will and the hope of mankind is through His now written Word. Men want any other means to hear from God, except a revealed written Word. They will listen to anything declaring to be a special revelation from visions to reading into providential circumstances, from voices in the head to seeing signs in whatever is experienced. All these are supposedly God’s responsibility to intervene in a life to catch the attention of a deviant soul and bring him to submission.
God’s plan is quite different. We are to adjust to His plan, rather than convince Him of a better plan. He came to reveal His will, He declared His will, then He inspired His chosen disciples to record His will for all time. Now the only way we will ever know His will is to search it out in His written Word.
Secondly, He is revealing the principle that miraculous messengers or signs are not the life-changing element that will convert a soul. The brothers would have been shocked, amazed, awe-struck by the appearance of such resurrected souls with a message directly from hell, but it would have had no life-changing power. People can be convinced of a miracle, but still not want Jesus to tell them what to do, much less to reign in their lives. They may be so awestruck to the point they superficially worship God more than ever, but fail to yield to His commands.
It always comes back to a heart issue. Each person must believe from the heart, that is, they must want His Word to be their guide in everything it says. They must want Jesus to be their authority and constant companion in this life. Miracles are only effective in convincing people that God is real, but it does not mean that they will want Him in every part of their lives.
This is why Abraham told the Rich man, “No! This is not how God works with men.” The only way to know the truth that will free the sinner from his sins is through the written Word of God. This is the message we have to teach and share. Have you responded to all you know in His Word? Will you share these thoughts with someone this week? Make sure those you care about know God's Word.
Psalms 119:66 NET, “Teach me proper discernment and understanding! For I consider your commands to be reliable.”
For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.
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