Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good good morning to you, dear people.

Aunt Char (Becki’s sister) is still here…flying today back to her home in Southern California. The little boys are here as well…to be returned to their mother this evening. Surrounding all this is a lot of work staring me in the face. I need to take off soon to Portland on a business mission…blades to Wood Mizer, pick up sign supplies, etc. Then back home there’s sign work and saw milling to do.

It occurs to me again that many of themes that we cover in these little devotional essays are repetitious. We keep addressing the basic principles of sin and salvation. But as I think more about it, I guess that’s quite OK. That’s what the New Testament does as well—coming at these vital themes from one angle then another then another—quite repetitious. I am also reminded that people need reminding—that they are not likely to go off course because of their failure to grasp the “deep” technicalities of eschatology or hermeneutics, etc., but because of their failure to maintain a grasp of the simple basic principles of sin and salvation. What do you think?

Let’s sing a song…”Be careful little thinker what you think…” I modified that from “Be careful little eyes what you see…little feet where you go…little hands what you do…”

Blessings on your day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

There is a very obvious natural law in the world around us that says “LIKE BEGETS LIKE.” Anyone can see that elephants beget elephants, turkeys beget turkeys, monkeys beget monkeys, dogs beget dogs, fish beget fish, frogs beget frogs, and humans beget humans. Few would argue this point. Is it any wonder that the same principle would apply to the moral, spiritual, and philosophical realms of mankind?

Understanding something of this revelation of God to man that identifies the sinful nature of man, I believe we can formulate a substantial spiritual law as well: SINNERS BEGET SINNERS. But it is not a valid spiritual law to say that saved and righteous people beget saved and righteous people. This change in nature is non-natural. That’s why Jesus called it being BORN AGAIN. For every person born naturally is automatically a sinner by nature. And every person who becomes saved and righteous must be saved or rescued from being a sinner. Furthermore, the only one who can possibly do the rescuing is one who holds greater power than the sinful nature of man. The Bible clearly presents the rescuer to be the Almighty God Himself through the atoning work of Himself in human flesh—the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, saved and righteous parents may birth children to whom they lend influence and encouragement to also become saved and righteous people, but the general rule is that every human being must make a personal commitment to both the Rescuer and the rescue efforts of the Rescuer. There are no options. The wonderful benefits of this wonderful provision are GRACE and PEACE—pretty valuable commodities in this chaotic sin-bound world of ours.

Those who seek and whose minds have been illuminated to accept and understand this Biblical concept will find it a “no brainer” to receive this provision gift, be saved, and transformed. Those who reject or misunderstand this concept can only face varying shades and versions of sin, but the core nature and ultimate consequence is clearly the same.

Let’s have a good look at the context for our thoughts in Galatians 1:3-5. “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

I think it would also be good to review a couple of the most famous passages in the Bible on the theme of Salvation from Sin:

John 3:16-19. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”

Romans 6:23. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”