July 10 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

It is important to have a good hold on the basic teachings of the Bible. For instance, we should be able to show from the Bible what justification by faith means. And we should be able to state this doctrine in our own words to friends.

This fundamental teaching is always in danger of getting lost. That's why we should have such a hold on it that even when learned people and smooth talkers present a different doctrine, we stick to justification of sinners by faith in Jesus Christ. We must hold on to this gospel not as if our lives depend on it but because our lives depend on it.

False teachers aren't hard to find. There are lots of them around. That's why we need people who can discern sound doctrine. We need them as badly as we need unpolluted air.

However, the devil does not leave us alone when we have become soundly orthodox. Whenever our knowledge of Christian doctrine increases, we are also exposed to new dangers.

One of these dangers is that we may begin to think that our salvation rests on the right theory of the atonement and the correct understanding of justification. We begin to think that we are saved because we are able to point out where other Christians go wrong. The subtle devil will try to have us shift our confidence from Christ to teachings about Christ.

Then we must take time to reflect on Romans 5:8. We are saved not because we have the right theory of justification but simply because God loves us. And since God loved us, Christ died for us. He did not give his life for us while we knew him and loved him; he did it "while we were still sinners."

Certainly we should be able to say a few things about the cross: the why and the how and the for whom. But we must also be able to say nothing—merely be silent and look, just look at the cross. The cross is God's lasting assurance of his love for miserable sinners.

REFLECTIONS

Which do you need more: to learn more about key teachings like justification or to "merely be silent and look at the cross"?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.