Sunday, February 8, 2009

Common Denominators

768/1024, 48/64, 3072/4096, 24/32, 1536/2048, 192/256, 96/128, 384/512, 6/8, 12/16

Numbers, numbers, numbers. Lots of numbers.

On closer inspection, one finds that they are all fractions. As a matter of fact – they are all the exact same number. All of those numbers mean ¾, or 75%. A myriad of mind-boggling numbers, which no one can remember; yet they all quite simply mean a number we can all relate to: ¾.

How can the principle of common denominators relate to the Christian experience?

The Bible contains 66 books, 1,189 chapters, 31,101 verses and 783,137 words. There are 1,260 promises, 6,468 commands, 3,294 questions, and over 8,000 predictions. Among those 783,137 words are a multitude of laws, rules, regulations, principles, precepts, concepts, and thoughts. Like the numbers shown above, all of these words can be overwhelming to even the most seasoned Christian.

Could it be that there is a common denominator hidden amongst all of those words? Thankfully, there is. Let’s look at the following passages:

Romans 10:9
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

John 5:24
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

John 1:12-13
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:  13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 6:28-29
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Matthew 22:36-40
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

According to Romans 10:9, John 5:24, and John 1:12 the pathway to salvation is navigated by way of believing in Jesus. Then after Salvation, according to John 6:28-29, the work we are expected to do in life is believing in Jesus. Finally, according to Matthew 22:36-40, living up to the law is accomplished by loving God, and loving our neighbor.

That’s it! The entire Word of God can be reduced to one sentence, resulting in a Biblical common denominator. We are to Believe in Jesus, Love Him, and Love our Neighbor.

But wait, you say, what about our witness? Aren’t we supposed to win the world by spreading the Good News? Yes, of course. And that is included in the common denominator. How? If we believe in Jesus; if we love Him; if we love our neighbor as ourselves; then we can’t help but tell our neighbor about Him!

One final note: If you examine every concept, every precept, every law, every rule, every regulation, and every thought found in the Bible, you will find that they are all founded upon, and based upon Believing in Him, Loving Him, and Loving our Neighbor!

Larry Tate
2006

2 comments:

Shelley said...

Wow you're smart....

Scott said...

Great Blog! I found you on LinkReferral. God Bless and keep up the Good Fight!