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Interpreting Newspapers from your Bible

by | Sep 14, 2020 | Only Hope | 0 comments

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,  for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

What confusing times we are living in today. Civil unrest, the threat of lockdowns and disease, political turmoil and unprecedented peace treaties in the Middle East! It is in times like these that many look beyond today’s headlines with anticipation.

“Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.” – Karl Barth, Swiss Reformed Theologian

Barth makes a good point that is applicable beyond the verses from Paul above. Yes, read your newspaper, but read it through the lens of your Bible. That’s the definition of a Biblical Worldview.

We read that the Lord’s return will be like “a thief in the night” and at the same time, people are proclaiming “peace and safety” only to be followed by destruction. We all have questions, right? When will Christ return? In my lifetime? Where is our world headed right now? What will things look like in the months to come?

Paul goes on to tell the Thessalonians that they “are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4). We shouldn’t be surprised if our focus on walking with Christ is intact. The key for followers of Christ is to keep this in mind – even when we are asking questions like the Thessalonians. We can always be confident in the encouraging words of Paul-

“I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8: 38-39).

 

 

 

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