If God Wrote You A Letter

I think, for most of us, if we were really convinced that God wrote us a letter, we would be anxious to read it and do whatever it says. And yet, in Acts 7, Stephen reminded the Jews of his day that they had “…received the law by the directions of angels and have not kept it” (Acts 7:53).

Over the years I have talked to multiple people who are sure that they would believe in God if He would talk to them or send an angel or special sign to them. However, historically, that still didn’t convince some people. Why not? The reason isn’t what unbelievers think.

Unbelievers often say that it is due to lack of evidence that they don’t believe. For example, they don’t believe in miracles because they have never seen one. However, people in Bible times who saw miracles (and accepted they were miracles) sometimes still didn’t believe (see Acts 4:16). What’s going on?

Stephen reminded the Jewish leaders that they had “received the law by the direction of angels” – and they agreed on this. But they didn’t want Stephen to remind them that they hadn’t kept the law. That may have seemed obvious, since no one is perfect, but he took it one step farther. He told them the reason: “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you” (Acts 7:51). Being stubborn, closed-minded, prejudiced, not spiritually minded, having material or sinful desires, all can cause a person to reject any and all evidence for faith and obedience.

What does this have to do with us? Hebrews 2:1-4 takes Israel’s failure and raises the bar for us with this warning: “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”

God HAS written you a letter. You better pay close attention!          dd