7 Biblical Truths You Won’t Hear in Church | David R. Rich

David R. Rich. 7 Biblical Truths You Won’t Hear in Church But Might Change Your Life. Harvest House, 2006. 160 pp.

1. God Doesn’t Grade on a Curve.
2. Dead People Can’t Help Themselves.
3. The Ten Commandments Were Not Given to Be Kept.
4. What You See in the Mirror Is Not the Real You.
5. Trying to Live for Jesus Will Only Frustrate You.
6. Prayer Doesn’t Change God’s Mind.
7. God Keeps Satan on a Leash.

Why Doesn’t God Grade on a Curve?

Only perfect people go to heaven–true or false? The answer, of course, is true. Only perfect people do go to heaven, but the “perfect” that is required is not worldly perfection, but perfect in God’s eyes.

God doesn’t cut anyone any slack. We must be prefect. The good news is that there is a way to achieve the kind of perfection God requires–by believing in Jesus.

Bottom line, this truth should make us humble. Knowing that God requires perfection and that we can’t do it on our own–only through Jesus–should cause us to fall flat on our fact in humility. This is a good thing. Once we recognize our own imperfections, we can be more compassionate toward others. . . . By realizing it is only by the perfection of Christ we may satisfy God, we become humble and bow to the One through whom we can become perfect.

Why Can’t Dead People Help Themselves?

In 1 Corinthians 12:3 we read, “No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” This is a gift of God. . . . It’s not about us. It’s called grace. . . . Grace is unmerited favor. We don’t deserve to be given new life, but it is a gift, the ultimate gift from God. And it isn’t because of anything we did. That’s why grace is a free gift.

I don’t know about you, but the net effect of this truth on me is pure and simple thankfulness. Whenever I think of this gift, I can’t help but close my eyes and say “thank You” over and over again. Martin Luther once said, “The fewer the words, the better the prayer.” I often am reminded of that saying when all I say in a prayer is “thank You.” That says it all.

Why Were the Ten Commandments Not Given to Be Kept?

The purpose of the law was to make us understand our need for a Savior and point us to Christ. . . . Once we become born again and believe in Jesus, the Ten Commandments and the law have done their job. That isn’t to say that they aren’t good rules to live by while you’re on this earth. They are still useful as good rules of conduct, but their intended purpose has been fulfilled.

Faith in Jesus, which is a free gift from god, has fulfilled the requirements of the law and made us perfect in God’s eyes. That statement capsules the first three truths of this book into one sentence. For believers, the law has done its job.

What God now wants is surrender–that should be the net effect of this truth. God wants us to wave the white flag. But exactly how do you surrender? I believe it is a matter of giving up control.

God wants us to be out of control. He wants us to realize that apart from Him, we cannot do anything that is good.

That’s a powerful truth to understand. The more quickly and deeply we understand that truth, the more we will naturally surrender to His power.

Why Is What You See in the Mirror Not the Real You?

If we dwell on what we see, we will never find rest and security. . . . The good news, though, is what we see is not who we are. We are not the outside, but rather the inside.

We area new creation in Christ, and that means we are prefect. If Christ is in us, it doesn’t get any better than that. It’s a matter of understanding your identity in Christ.

And the fruit of this understanding is security. If we are “in Christ,” then we have security. It’s that simple.

Why Will Trying to Live for Jesus Only Frustrate You?

A life that stems from the performance of the flesh will not only be frustrating, but it will never please God. Never, ever. When we as believers resort to trying to live according to the flesh, we are denying our identity and setting ourselves up for despair.

The fruit of understanding this truth is peace. It’s one thing to know intellectually that the real “you” is the life of Christ that resides inside; it’s another ball game to live your life that way.

Why Doesn’t Prayer Change God’s Mind?

Prayer is a big part of the life of a believer, and it’s ordained by God as a means of communication with Him. Prayer much be instrumental somehow in God’s plan. Well, it is. Prayer is one of the means god uses to accomplish His plan, but it never changes His plan. The very picture of God saying, “Okay, you win–I’ll do it your way instead,” is an abomination to the truth of a sovereign God. Either God is sovereign or prayer is sovereign. It can’t be both. God uses prayer, and sometimes He even grants the requests in our prayers, but it was because that’s what He had already intended to do. Prayer afforded us the privilege of being part of the action. . . . Prayer is an ordained means of finding contentment, not finding restlessness.

However, restlessness is exactly what we’ll find if we believe we can affect God’s plan. There could never be any rest in that.

I can be content with my life, just as things are, because I know things are exactly as God would have them be.

Of course, I continue to pray for things that seem right at the time, but I am sure to begin every request with “If it be Your will,” and end every request with “Not my will, but Your will be done.” This is exactly how Jesus taught us how to pray.

We can indeed be content, but only after we acknowledge He alone is Sovereign and His will will be done. . . . It is His good pleasure that will be done. It is for us to accept and find contentment in the fact that He knows what is best for us.

How Does It Help Us to Understand That God Keeps Satan on a Leash?

As Christians, we shouldn’t live in fear, but rather in the comfort of knowing that we are in God’s hands and that no one can change that. Not even Satan.

The net effect of understanding this truth is love–pure and simple love. No other truth illuminates God’s love like realizing He has complete control of everything.

Satan doesn’t operate outside of God’s sovereignty. Satan may think he’s in control, but ultimately he is not. He cannot harm a believer unless God has given him permission to do so.

The bottom line is love. You are set aside for God’s purpose. That doesn’t mean your life will be all roses and sunshine. You will have setbacks and heartaches. Nowhere in the Bible does God promise every believer a life without hardship. You will have pain—but God is always in control.

We are important to God. He loves His children, and therefore He leaves nothing to chance.

God has a plan for my life and your life. Nothing will stand in the way of that plan. Not the elements of nature, not strangers on the street, not bad luck and not Satan. God keeps Satan on a leash and that truth is an ultimate expression of God’s love.

Taken from 7 Biblical Truths You Won’t Hear in Church by David A. Rich; Copyright 2006 by David A. Rich; Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR; Used by Permission.

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