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The Words Are Still Wet

The other day I walked into the gas station by my house and saw several editions of the morning paper in its bin. The trouble was it was the early evening–the news was over 12 hours old. Shortly the bin will be cleaned out making way for the new, news as the old news is discarded. We don’t want yesterday’s paper; we want today’s. Far from being relevant the paper is relegated to a functional purpose such as stuffing boxes or swatting flies.

Shortly after walking out of the gas station I picked up my Bible. I read of the news. It was reported over 2,000 years ago:

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)

This is still front page news! It is the calibrating truth of history; the Son of God was crucified on Calvary’s wood for our sins, he suffered and died, and then on the third day he rose from the dead, crushing sin, Satan, and death like an empty soda can! We never get beyond this. It is never relegated to the back page or to be used to wrap fish or swat flies. This is the glorious truth of the gospel of Christ. The headlines are still wet.

This is also true for all of the propositions of Scripture. God remains just as caring for his people as when Peter penned his letter (1 Pet. 5.6-7). Grace today remains as free as it did when Paul said that it is by nature a gift (Rom. 11.6). The offer of salvation is as free and satisfying as when Isaiah announced that those who had no money but yet still hungered could be fed and satisfied (Isa. 55.1-2). Every single promise and proposition of Scripture remains as wet as the day it was penned.

We are a culture obsessed with the new and relevant. We are hopelessly optimistic about whatever comes down the pike and its potential to satisfy our longings and provide meaning (cf Apple’s <brilliant> release for the iPhone 5, shamelessly plugging it as the functional savior for wandering, unfulfilled souls.)

With all of this the Scriptures’ words remain wet. God has been, is, and forever more will be the satisfier of longing souls. He will provide the meaning, remove the guilt, bring the transformation, and wipe away the tears. He will do this through work of Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the praise of his glory. All of this anchored in the ancient, but wet words of the Bible.

Let’s put this news in its rightful place in our own day.

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