Blog https://www.gcclascruces.com Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:35:28 -0400 http://churchplantmedia.com/ The Creation Covenant https://www.gcclascruces.com/blog/post/the-creation-covenant https://www.gcclascruces.com/blog/post/the-creation-covenant#comments Mon, 24 Nov 2025 23:42:10 -0500 https://www.gcclascruces.com/blog/post/the-creation-covenant When God created Adam, He did far more than place the first man in a garden and task him with naming the animals. He entered into a covenant relationship with him—and with all humanity in him. As God’s royal image-bearer, Adam stood as God’s son and representative king, called to trust God's fatherly word, obey His good commands, and reflect His righteous rule so that the earth would be filled with the life-giving knowledge of His glory. From the beginning, God purposed to advance His kingdom through covenant.

Though the word covenant does not appear in Genesis 1–3, all its key elements are present—God’s command, Adam’s obligation, implied blessing for obedience, and severe consequences for disobedience. The word itself does not need to appear for us to recognize a covenantal relationship in these opening chapters of the Bible. When God established His covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7:12–16, for example, the term is not mentioned there either. Yet the psalmist later declares with unmistakable clarity that what God made with David was in fact a covenant:

You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant..." (Psalm 89:3)

Similarly, Scripture later refers to God’s relationship with Adam as a covenant and identifies him as the representative head of the human race:

But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me. (Hosea 6:7)

For as by the one man’s (Adam's) disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s (Christ's) obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:19)

Tragically, Adam disobeyed and transgressed the covenant. His sin shattered fellowship with God, unleashed death and curse into the world, and left humanity separated from the God we were created to know and enjoy. Instead of filling the world with glory-reflecting image-bearers, our first parents filled it with glory-exchanging image-bearers who hate the light and refuse to seek God, traitorous rebels against the Most High.

Yet God did not abandon humanity or forsake His gracious eternal purpose. He promised that one of Adam and Eve’s descendants would crush the serpent, reverse the curse, and restore what Adam lost (Gen. 3:15). This first announcement of the gospel—the protoevangelium (“first gospel”)—becomes the gushing spring of hope behind the greatest story ever told. In this single promise, God sets into motion the story of His redeeming mercy, a story that reaches its climax and telos in Christ, the last Adam.

Across the biblical covenants—with Noah (Gen. 9:8–17), Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3; 15:1–6; 17:1–7), Israel (Ex. 19:5–24:8), and David (2 Sam. 7:12–16; Ps. 89:3–4)—God unfolds this promise more clearly, showing how His kingdom advances through the progression of these covenants, all of which point to Jesus Christ and the new covenant. By His death and resurrection, Jesus established the new covenant, inaugurated the new creation, and formed a new humanity to live and reign with Him eternally as God’s image-bearing priest-kings, redeemed by the blood of Christ and restored by His grace (Eph. 2:15, 4:24; Col. 3:10; 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6).

The Bible is the story of two Adams: the first Adam, who plunged humanity into sin and death, and the last Adam, Jesus Christ, who brings salvation and restoration. Where the first Adam failed, the last Adam perfectly obeyed. Where the first Adam brought death by taking from the tree, the last Adam brought life and immortality by giving Himself on the tree (2 Tim. 1:10; 1 Pet. 2:24). Through Christ and the new covenant, God’s original purpose for humanity is not only restored but crowned with a glory that infinitely outshines anything our first parents ever knew in Eden!

Today, every human being is either in Adam or in Christ, including you. There is no middle ground. It is an “either–or” matter, not a “both–and” reality. Your eternal destiny—misery without end or life everlasting—depends entirely on whether you belong to the first Adam or the last Adam. “In Adam all die, but in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22).

]]> When God created Adam, He did far more than place the first man in a garden and task him with naming the animals. He entered into a covenant relationship with him—and with all humanity in him. As God’s royal image-bearer, Adam stood as God’s son and representative king, called to trust God's fatherly word, obey His good commands, and reflect His righteous rule so that the earth would be filled with the life-giving knowledge of His glory. From the beginning, God purposed to advance His kingdom through covenant.

Though the word covenant does not appear in Genesis 1–3, all its key elements are present—God’s command, Adam’s obligation, implied blessing for obedience, and severe consequences for disobedience. The word itself does not need to appear for us to recognize a covenantal relationship in these opening chapters of the Bible. When God established His covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7:12–16, for example, the term is not mentioned there either. Yet the psalmist later declares with unmistakable clarity that what God made with David was in fact a covenant:

You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant..." (Psalm 89:3)

Similarly, Scripture later refers to God’s relationship with Adam as a covenant and identifies him as the representative head of the human race:

But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me. (Hosea 6:7)

For as by the one man’s (Adam's) disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s (Christ's) obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:19)

Tragically, Adam disobeyed and transgressed the covenant. His sin shattered fellowship with God, unleashed death and curse into the world, and left humanity separated from the God we were created to know and enjoy. Instead of filling the world with glory-reflecting image-bearers, our first parents filled it with glory-exchanging image-bearers who hate the light and refuse to seek God, traitorous rebels against the Most High.

Yet God did not abandon humanity or forsake His gracious eternal purpose. He promised that one of Adam and Eve’s descendants would crush the serpent, reverse the curse, and restore what Adam lost (Gen. 3:15). This first announcement of the gospel—the protoevangelium (“first gospel”)—becomes the gushing spring of hope behind the greatest story ever told. In this single promise, God sets into motion the story of His redeeming mercy, a story that reaches its climax and telos in Christ, the last Adam.

Across the biblical covenants—with Noah (Gen. 9:8–17), Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3; 15:1–6; 17:1–7), Israel (Ex. 19:5–24:8), and David (2 Sam. 7:12–16; Ps. 89:3–4)—God unfolds this promise more clearly, showing how His kingdom advances through the progression of these covenants, all of which point to Jesus Christ and the new covenant. By His death and resurrection, Jesus established the new covenant, inaugurated the new creation, and formed a new humanity to live and reign with Him eternally as God’s image-bearing priest-kings, redeemed by the blood of Christ and restored by His grace (Eph. 2:15, 4:24; Col. 3:10; 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6).

The Bible is the story of two Adams: the first Adam, who plunged humanity into sin and death, and the last Adam, Jesus Christ, who brings salvation and restoration. Where the first Adam failed, the last Adam perfectly obeyed. Where the first Adam brought death by taking from the tree, the last Adam brought life and immortality by giving Himself on the tree (2 Tim. 1:10; 1 Pet. 2:24). Through Christ and the new covenant, God’s original purpose for humanity is not only restored but crowned with a glory that infinitely outshines anything our first parents ever knew in Eden!

Today, every human being is either in Adam or in Christ, including you. There is no middle ground. It is an “either–or” matter, not a “both–and” reality. Your eternal destiny—misery without end or life everlasting—depends entirely on whether you belong to the first Adam or the last Adam. “In Adam all die, but in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22).

]]> Recommended Resources on the Biblical Covenants https://www.gcclascruces.com/blog/post/recommended-resources-on-the-biblical-covenants https://www.gcclascruces.com/blog/post/recommended-resources-on-the-biblical-covenants#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2025 23:18:05 -0400 https://www.gcclascruces.com/blog/post/recommended-resources-on-the-biblical-covenants In our sermon series, To a Thousand Generations: The Covenantal Faithfulness of Our Triune God, we explore God's covenantal faithfulness as revealed through the progression of biblical covenants that bring about His saving reign in this world and in our lives. In Deuteronomy 7:9, as God prepared Israel for the Promised Land—filled with both physical and spiritual dangers—Moses reminds the people that Yahweh is their God, the one who keeps covenant and steadfast love with His redeemed "to a thousand generations." A serious reflection on God's covenant faithfulness should strengthen the church in every generation, as we, like Israel, are promised glory despite the dangers, trials, and snares we face along the way.

To deepen your understanding of the glorious themes unpacked in this sermon series, we recommend the following resources.

PODCASTS EPISODES
THEMES

APRIMERONPC

ARTICLES
BOOKS

CAGPFTW

CFBTE

GKTGC

pc

KTC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

]]> In our sermon series, To a Thousand Generations: The Covenantal Faithfulness of Our Triune God, we explore God's covenantal faithfulness as revealed through the progression of biblical covenants that bring about His saving reign in this world and in our lives. In Deuteronomy 7:9, as God prepared Israel for the Promised Land—filled with both physical and spiritual dangers—Moses reminds the people that Yahweh is their God, the one who keeps covenant and steadfast love with His redeemed "to a thousand generations." A serious reflection on God's covenant faithfulness should strengthen the church in every generation, as we, like Israel, are promised glory despite the dangers, trials, and snares we face along the way.

To deepen your understanding of the glorious themes unpacked in this sermon series, we recommend the following resources.

PODCASTS EPISODES
THEMES

APRIMERONPC

ARTICLES
BOOKS

CAGPFTW

CFBTE

GKTGC

pc

KTC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

]]> The Grace Yet to Come https://www.gcclascruces.com/blog/post/the-grace-yet-to-come https://www.gcclascruces.com/blog/post/the-grace-yet-to-come#comments Wed, 21 Aug 2024 19:34:27 -0400 https://www.gcclascruces.com/blog/post/the-grace-yet-to-come

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13)

This is Peter's very first command to his first readers, yet it's a command for all believers in every age. Preparing our minds for action, and being sober-minded, we are to set our hope fully on the grace that will be given to us when the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in His majestic glory. It's wonderful reality, and one that should kindle the embers of hope in our hearts: God promises to lavish His redeemed with even more grace in the future.

PAST GRACE

Election

As Christians, when we look back on our lives—and even further back to a time before the world existed—we see that the grace of God was already being lavished upon a people yet unborn. The doctrine of election is nothing more than God's grace extended to wrath-deserving sinners in Christ Jesus before the ages began (2 Tim. 1:9). God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we might forever praise the glory of His grace (Eph. 1:4-6).

Redemption

Not only is God’s grace the source of election, but it was also the very thing that motivated our Lord Jesus to humble Himself for us: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). According to Paul, redemption through the blood of Christ and the forgiveness of our trespasses flow from the riches of Christ’s grace (Eph. 1:7).

Regeneration

We can also trace the miracle of the new birth—the reality of being made alive in Christ—back to the grace of God (Eph. 2:5). Those who are called are called by God's grace (Gal. 1:15), and those who believe, believe only through God's grace (Acts 18:27). Whether we look back to the Father’s sovereign election, the Son’s redeeming sacrifice, or the Spirit’s work in calling and regenerating us, grace is the fountain from which all of it flows. 

Never move beyond the wonder of past grace poured out by our Triune God, for the preciousness of past grace empowers present obedience and enlivens future hope.

PRESENT GRACE

Sanctification

God's grace toward us didn’t stop at regeneration. God's grace trains us in holiness (Tit. 2:11-12). The language of believers continuing to be entrusted and handed over to God's grace and favor is found three times in the book of Acts (Acts 14:26; 15:40; 20:32). As Christians, we are "set before" (Gk. paratithemi) the grace of God (Acts 20:32). We stand in grace (Rom. 5:2), live under grace (Rom. 6:14), are gifted by grace (Rom. 12:6), sustained by grace (2 Cor. 12:9), and strengthened by grace (Heb. 13:9). As we pray, we approach God's throne of grace, where we are guaranteed to receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need (Heb. 4:16).

FUTURE GRACE

Glorification

Christians can look back, up, down, and around with the eyes of faith see the grace of God everywhere they turn. Yet, there remains a future manifestation of God's grace: "the grace that will be brought to [us] at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13). It is this grace, according to Peter, that we are to set the entirety of our hope upon. In fact, it is fitting to think of this future grace as the ultimate goal for which all past and present grace is extended to us. In other words, the grace behind election, redemption, regeneration, sanctification, and preservation is preparing us for the grace to be revealed in the breathtaking experience of glorification—when all the blood-bought children of God will be perfectly conformed to the image of God's eternal Son.

John Frame summarizes glorification as "the consummation of human nature in God’s image" (Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology, 2006, 223). It is the final link in Paul’s golden chain of redemption: "And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified" (Rom. 8:30). Glorification involves the redemption, resurrection, and transformation of our lowly bodies (Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 15:43; Phil. 3:21). As John Murray states, it refers to "the complete and final redemption of the whole person, when in the integrity of body and spirit, the people of God will be conformed to the image of the risen, exalted, and glorified Redeemer, when the very body of their humiliation will be conformed to the body of Christ’s glory" (Redemption Accomplished and Applied, 1955, 175).

On that final day, our heavenly Bridegroom will "present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:27). In Luke 12, we are given a breathtaking picture of the grace that will be lavished upon us by our King:

Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Luke 12:35-40)

Christian believer, consider these words and let them sink in: Christ will again dress Himself for service and have His people recline at the table, as He did with His disciples during His first coming (John 13:4-5). He will again "come and serve" His beloved (Luke 12:37), just as He came the first time "not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28). This must be divine revelation from another world, for who, with the slightest reverence for the God of Scripture, could imagine the King of glory returning to serve His servants? Who are we that we should be the recipients of such gracious service? The answer isn't found in who we are, but in who He is.

The Beatific Vision

We tend to think of God's Son taking the position of a servant only during His first coming (Phil. 2:7), but He is coming again to serve the Bride He redeemed with His own blood. He is coming in grace and with grace to lavish even more grace upon His beloved. He will serve us by glorifying us with Himself (Rom. 8:17). He will serve us by granting us the unspeakable joy and privilege of being with Him forever and beholding His glory:

Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that You have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world. (John 17:24)

To be with Him and to behold Him—this is the grace and glory of the life to come.

]]>

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13)

This is Peter's very first command to his first readers, yet it's a command for all believers in every age. Preparing our minds for action, and being sober-minded, we are to set our hope fully on the grace that will be given to us when the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in His majestic glory. It's wonderful reality, and one that should kindle the embers of hope in our hearts: God promises to lavish His redeemed with even more grace in the future.

PAST GRACE

Election

As Christians, when we look back on our lives—and even further back to a time before the world existed—we see that the grace of God was already being lavished upon a people yet unborn. The doctrine of election is nothing more than God's grace extended to wrath-deserving sinners in Christ Jesus before the ages began (2 Tim. 1:9). God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we might forever praise the glory of His grace (Eph. 1:4-6).

Redemption

Not only is God’s grace the source of election, but it was also the very thing that motivated our Lord Jesus to humble Himself for us: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). According to Paul, redemption through the blood of Christ and the forgiveness of our trespasses flow from the riches of Christ’s grace (Eph. 1:7).

Regeneration

We can also trace the miracle of the new birth—the reality of being made alive in Christ—back to the grace of God (Eph. 2:5). Those who are called are called by God's grace (Gal. 1:15), and those who believe, believe only through God's grace (Acts 18:27). Whether we look back to the Father’s sovereign election, the Son’s redeeming sacrifice, or the Spirit’s work in calling and regenerating us, grace is the fountain from which all of it flows. 

Never move beyond the wonder of past grace poured out by our Triune God, for the preciousness of past grace empowers present obedience and enlivens future hope.

PRESENT GRACE

Sanctification

God's grace toward us didn’t stop at regeneration. God's grace trains us in holiness (Tit. 2:11-12). The language of believers continuing to be entrusted and handed over to God's grace and favor is found three times in the book of Acts (Acts 14:26; 15:40; 20:32). As Christians, we are "set before" (Gk. paratithemi) the grace of God (Acts 20:32). We stand in grace (Rom. 5:2), live under grace (Rom. 6:14), are gifted by grace (Rom. 12:6), sustained by grace (2 Cor. 12:9), and strengthened by grace (Heb. 13:9). As we pray, we approach God's throne of grace, where we are guaranteed to receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need (Heb. 4:16).

FUTURE GRACE

Glorification

Christians can look back, up, down, and around with the eyes of faith see the grace of God everywhere they turn. Yet, there remains a future manifestation of God's grace: "the grace that will be brought to [us] at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13). It is this grace, according to Peter, that we are to set the entirety of our hope upon. In fact, it is fitting to think of this future grace as the ultimate goal for which all past and present grace is extended to us. In other words, the grace behind election, redemption, regeneration, sanctification, and preservation is preparing us for the grace to be revealed in the breathtaking experience of glorification—when all the blood-bought children of God will be perfectly conformed to the image of God's eternal Son.

John Frame summarizes glorification as "the consummation of human nature in God’s image" (Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology, 2006, 223). It is the final link in Paul’s golden chain of redemption: "And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified" (Rom. 8:30). Glorification involves the redemption, resurrection, and transformation of our lowly bodies (Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 15:43; Phil. 3:21). As John Murray states, it refers to "the complete and final redemption of the whole person, when in the integrity of body and spirit, the people of God will be conformed to the image of the risen, exalted, and glorified Redeemer, when the very body of their humiliation will be conformed to the body of Christ’s glory" (Redemption Accomplished and Applied, 1955, 175).

On that final day, our heavenly Bridegroom will "present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:27). In Luke 12, we are given a breathtaking picture of the grace that will be lavished upon us by our King:

Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Luke 12:35-40)

Christian believer, consider these words and let them sink in: Christ will again dress Himself for service and have His people recline at the table, as He did with His disciples during His first coming (John 13:4-5). He will again "come and serve" His beloved (Luke 12:37), just as He came the first time "not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28). This must be divine revelation from another world, for who, with the slightest reverence for the God of Scripture, could imagine the King of glory returning to serve His servants? Who are we that we should be the recipients of such gracious service? The answer isn't found in who we are, but in who He is.

The Beatific Vision

We tend to think of God's Son taking the position of a servant only during His first coming (Phil. 2:7), but He is coming again to serve the Bride He redeemed with His own blood. He is coming in grace and with grace to lavish even more grace upon His beloved. He will serve us by glorifying us with Himself (Rom. 8:17). He will serve us by granting us the unspeakable joy and privilege of being with Him forever and beholding His glory:

Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that You have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world. (John 17:24)

To be with Him and to behold Him—this is the grace and glory of the life to come.

]]> 60 Things You Should Know about God's Word https://www.gcclascruces.com/blog/post/60-things-you-should-know-about-gods-word https://www.gcclascruces.com/blog/post/60-things-you-should-know-about-gods-word#comments Wed, 21 Aug 2024 15:42:15 -0400 https://www.gcclascruces.com/blog/post/60-things-you-should-know-about-gods-word Consider the glorious truths God's tells us about the nature, purpose, and sufficiency of the Scriptures.

His word...

- Converts the soul (Psalm 19:7)
- Makes the simple wise (Psalm 19:7)
- Rejoices our hearts (Psalm 19:8)
- Enlightens our eyes (Psalm 19:8)
- Endures forever (Psalm 19:9)
- Keeps our ways pure (Psalm 119:9)

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. (Psalm 119:9)

- Keeps us from sin (Psalm 119:11)
- Revives us (Psalm 119:25)
- Strengthens us (Psalm 119:28)
- Is as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105)
- Gives us life (Psalm 119:107)
- Imparts light and understanding to the simple (Psalm 119:130)
- Is hated and feared by Satan (Mark 4:15)
- Will never pass away (Mark 13:31)
- Sanctifies us (John 17:17)
- Is like fire (Jeremiah 23:29)
- Is like a hammer that shatters rocks in pieces (Jeremiah 23:29)

Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? (Jeremiah 23:29)

- Is like a sword that cuts and pierces hearts (Acts 2:37)
- Is sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb (Psalm 19:10)
- Nourishes us as rain and snow nourish the earth (Isaiah 55:11)
- Accomplishes God's purpose and succeeds in the thing for which He sends it (Isaiah 55:11)
- Is living and active (Hebrews 4:12)
- Is sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)
- Pierces to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow (Hebrews 4:12)
- Discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)
- Is the sword of the Spirit of God (Ephesians 6:17)
- Builds us up and gives us the inheritance among all those who are sanctified (Acts 20:32)
- Is at work in genuine believers (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

- Is the instrument by which the Spirit of God regenerates dead sinners (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23)
- Brings life to the dead and hopeless (Ezekiel 37:10)
- Gives us victory over the evil one (1 John 2:14)
- Equips the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12)
- Builds up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12)
- Matures and establishes us (Ephesians 4:13-14)
- Has effectively cleansed us (Ephesians 5:26)
- Heals and delivers us from destruction (Psalm 107:20)

All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:2)

- Is able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ (2 Timothy 3:15)
- Is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)
- Completes God's servants (2 Timothy 3:17)
- Equips us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17)
- Is what we're to live by (Deuteronomy 8:3)
- Is what we're to hang upon (Luke 19:48)
- Is to be received (John 17:8)
- Is to be trembled at (Isaiah 66:2)
- Is to be hoped in (Psalm 119:74)

Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word. (Psalm 119:41-42)

- Is to be trusted (Psalm 119:42)
- Is to be made known (Colossians 1:25)
- Is to be declared clearly (Colossians 4:4)
- Is to be heralded (2 Timothy 4:2)
- Is to be unfolded (Psalm 119:30)
- Is to dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)

- Is to be our meditation (Psalm 119:148)
- Is to be desired more than earthly treasures (Psalm 19:10)
- Will judge the wicked on the last day (John 12:48)
- Engenders saving faith in the human heart (Romans 10:17)
- Is no empty word, but our very life (Deuteronomy 32:47)
- Points us to Jesus Christ (John 5:39)
- Brings about fruit in the lives of those who cling to it (Luke 8:15)
- Is to be praised and celebrated (Psalm 56:10)
- Is regarded by God to be just as sacred as His name (Psalm 138:2)

I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. (Psalm 138:2)

]]> Consider the glorious truths God's tells us about the nature, purpose, and sufficiency of the Scriptures.

His word...

- Converts the soul (Psalm 19:7)
- Makes the simple wise (Psalm 19:7)
- Rejoices our hearts (Psalm 19:8)
- Enlightens our eyes (Psalm 19:8)
- Endures forever (Psalm 19:9)
- Keeps our ways pure (Psalm 119:9)

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. (Psalm 119:9)

- Keeps us from sin (Psalm 119:11)
- Revives us (Psalm 119:25)
- Strengthens us (Psalm 119:28)
- Is as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105)
- Gives us life (Psalm 119:107)
- Imparts light and understanding to the simple (Psalm 119:130)
- Is hated and feared by Satan (Mark 4:15)
- Will never pass away (Mark 13:31)
- Sanctifies us (John 17:17)
- Is like fire (Jeremiah 23:29)
- Is like a hammer that shatters rocks in pieces (Jeremiah 23:29)

Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? (Jeremiah 23:29)

- Is like a sword that cuts and pierces hearts (Acts 2:37)
- Is sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb (Psalm 19:10)
- Nourishes us as rain and snow nourish the earth (Isaiah 55:11)
- Accomplishes God's purpose and succeeds in the thing for which He sends it (Isaiah 55:11)
- Is living and active (Hebrews 4:12)
- Is sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)
- Pierces to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow (Hebrews 4:12)
- Discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)
- Is the sword of the Spirit of God (Ephesians 6:17)
- Builds us up and gives us the inheritance among all those who are sanctified (Acts 20:32)
- Is at work in genuine believers (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

- Is the instrument by which the Spirit of God regenerates dead sinners (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23)
- Brings life to the dead and hopeless (Ezekiel 37:10)
- Gives us victory over the evil one (1 John 2:14)
- Equips the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12)
- Builds up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12)
- Matures and establishes us (Ephesians 4:13-14)
- Has effectively cleansed us (Ephesians 5:26)
- Heals and delivers us from destruction (Psalm 107:20)

All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:2)

- Is able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ (2 Timothy 3:15)
- Is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)
- Completes God's servants (2 Timothy 3:17)
- Equips us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17)
- Is what we're to live by (Deuteronomy 8:3)
- Is what we're to hang upon (Luke 19:48)
- Is to be received (John 17:8)
- Is to be trembled at (Isaiah 66:2)
- Is to be hoped in (Psalm 119:74)

Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word. (Psalm 119:41-42)

- Is to be trusted (Psalm 119:42)
- Is to be made known (Colossians 1:25)
- Is to be declared clearly (Colossians 4:4)
- Is to be heralded (2 Timothy 4:2)
- Is to be unfolded (Psalm 119:30)
- Is to dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)

- Is to be our meditation (Psalm 119:148)
- Is to be desired more than earthly treasures (Psalm 19:10)
- Will judge the wicked on the last day (John 12:48)
- Engenders saving faith in the human heart (Romans 10:17)
- Is no empty word, but our very life (Deuteronomy 32:47)
- Points us to Jesus Christ (John 5:39)
- Brings about fruit in the lives of those who cling to it (Luke 8:15)
- Is to be praised and celebrated (Psalm 56:10)
- Is regarded by God to be just as sacred as His name (Psalm 138:2)

I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. (Psalm 138:2)

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