A Glorious Three Letter Word to Strengthen Your Faith

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, 

O Lord, who could stand? 

But there is forgiveness with You, 

That You may be feared. (Psalm 103:3-4)

Throughout the Bible the Lord has revealed through the authors He designated so much glorious, rich and weighty truth. This is true of the entire Bible and particular books in the Bible. One of my seminary professors D.A. Carson once referred to a quip made by someone else" John’s gospel is like a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant may swim." Indeed! And it seems this could be said of most if not every book of the Bible. Scripture is not an inaccessible collection of scholarly writings. It is for the people of God by the living God of truth who never lies (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18). God keeps His Word and promises. In His wisdom and kindness the Lord binds His Word and promises concerning salvation in His Son only in the written revealed Word (John 5:39; Romans 1:2; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Individual words matter in Scripture. It is not only the ideas but the writings (gk graphe). One word in particular that is gloriously encouraging to us God has put in His Holy Word is the word, "but".  Yes it is an English word but it is faithfully translated from the Hebrew in the Old Testament and Greek in the New Testament.  Here are a few examples of the power of this singular three letter English Word "but":

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, 

O Lord, who could stand? 

But there is forgiveness with You, 

That You may be feared. (Psalm 103:3-4)

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 16:25-27)

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), (Ephesians 2:1-5)

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:3-7)

Praise God for who He is! He is our gracious Creator. He is the faithful and merciful King of kings. He is the only one who always keeps His promises. He alone is the one who has willingly planned and intervened through His Son Jesus our Savior when all hope was lost for us. The Lord has declared repeatedly in the Scriptures such a shocking message concerning His radical grace, forgiveness and desire to reconcile dreadful sinners to Himself through His Son for all eternity. It is not the script any of us would or could write.

Just before rightly noting our utter dependency on the Holy Spirit, the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith (our confession of faith) helpfully notes concerning Scripture, "the heavenliness of the contents, the power of the system of truth, the majesty of the style, the harmony of all the parts, the central focus on giving all glory to God, the full revelation of the only way of salvation, and many other incomparable qualities and complete perfections, all provide abundant evidence that the Scriptures are the Word of God."  (Chapter 1 paragraph 5 1689 2LBCF)

Remember today as you seek to glorify God now you can because you are not who who you were because God has declared: "But". Remember today as perhaps you are tempted and may even fail and sin and fall short that God has declared: "But".  Remember when you are battling sin and need to humbly repent "But". Dear beloved brother or beloved sister in Christ God has declared the word "but" for us. Strengthen your hearts with the written Word of the living God and glory in God's grace to sinners this day and every day!

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. (Psalm 51:17)