Biblical interpretation of religion by Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce

 My friends, do you have faith in the Lord? Do you hold your hope in your religion? When there are no help surround you, do you keep your faith and hope in the Lord and love Him? Some of you may give up their hope in religion, some of you, yet, keep steadfast love to the Lord who you trust.

  Today, Let us discover Biblical interpretation of religion and historical heroes in Old Testament and New Testament as examples to interpret the religion’s hope. What kind of hope do you have in the religion? What kind of religion do you rely on? What God do you trust in? Do you replace God with your own authority, wealth, power, self, as King Soul in the O.T. who replaced God with his own power and authority to offer the sacrifices on the altar without counsel and waited upon the Prophet Samuel. King Soul lacked the patience and self-center, it resulted Prophet Samuel regretted to anoint him as king.

 My friends, every step of your life journey, do you seek godly counsel and wait upon the Lord in his divine timing? Historical heroes in the Bible, there were many good examples who laid the foundation of religion’s hope, faith and love in the Lord, and they received the honor, wealth, and good name. Religion’s hope, faith and trust in the Lord, it leads people to overcome the circumstance and obstacle.  For example, in Old Testament,

1.    Josepha’s faith in the Lord, even through his brothers mistreated him and sold him to the Egypt, with faithfulness and patience waited upon the Lord, he gained the honor and wealth to save his people, included his family.
2.   Daniel’s faithfulness in prayers and trusted in the Lord, he defeated his enemies who set a trap for him to fall.  
3.  Job suffered the sickness and faced the death of his family; his faith was tested by Satan. Yet, God vindicated for him, healed him and rescued him from Satan’s torment.  
4.  Elisha’s hope and persistence to follow Elijah, it resulted him received the double portion of Elijah’s spirit.   

In New Testament, Father vindicated Jesus is Son of God. As Son of Man, Jesus faced his own people Jewish’s persecution, and be killed on the cross, yet, through the resurrection, Jesus revealed himself as Son of God to awaken Saul, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul suffered blindness three days; it led him to become Apostle Paul.

  My friends, what kind of hope do you have in religion? Do you expect to be wealth person, and gain a lot of money to approve your religion? Through the historical heroes’ examples, it tells us implicitly that religion reflects the Hope, Faith and Love in the Lord. This hope enable you to stand still, as Moses when he was  overwhelmed, and frustrated by his people’s complaints, God empowered him  with His divine power  to overcome all kinds of challenging and circumstances.    

Conclusion  

 What shall we interpret the religion based on the Biblical Precepts? The concepts of Religion consists three elements: Love, Faith, and Hope. He who loves the Lord with all his heart and all his mind and all his strength will enable him to has Faith in the Lord. He who trusts in the Lord with all his heart will keep in perfect peace and keep his mind steadfast. Hope in the Lord and wait upon the Lord patiently, knowing that seek his kingdom and righteousness, all his needs will be met.  My friends, every step of your life journey, do you seek godly counsel and wait upon the Lord in his divine timing? Biblical Precepts of religion lead you to understand that religion consist fundamental elements: Love, Faith, and Hope, once you love Lord deeply, you will have faith in His word, and wait for Him patiently with hope.  May God strengthen you to keep hope in the Lord and wait patiently in His divine time. 

Bibliography,

 Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3^rd Chicago: The University of Chicago press,2000.

Brown, Robert, Philip W. Comfort and J.D. Douglas, ed. The New Greek English Interlinear New Testament. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.1990.

Friberg, Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament.1^st ed. Victoria BC: Trafford Publishing, 2005.

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986. 

 

 Strong, James. Strong’s: the expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2010.