God's Peace

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiahm 29:11 ESV)

God’s Peace

A seven year old boy declared to me recently, “God stands outside of time.”  Suspecting that the lad was reciting a memorized statement, which seemed beyond his understanding, I asked him what that meant.

He glared at me as if I were an idiot.  And he said, “It means God knows tomorrow as surely as He remembers yesterday.”

He was right.  And that knowledge and awareness give God a unique peace.  He does not wring His hands about the future, and He does not scratch his head about yesterday.

He has it all under His dominion.

No worry means peace.  No unsureness means peace.  No insecurity means peace.  Nothing out of His ultimate control means peace. 

And His peace, of course, is where we get OUR peace. 

But His peace is a gift to us, too.  Knowing that HE is at peace is comforting.  The poet Robert Browning wrote, repeating a medieval idea: “God is in heaven and all is well on the earth.”

God Himself is the gift of peace.

God's Joy

I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people. (Isaiah 65:19 ESV)

God’s Joy

This is an unusual concept to our modern ears.  While we can imagine God’s anger, God’s frustration, and God’s disappointment, do we often think of God rejoicing?  While can grasp God’s unconditional love, it seems a serious and costly thing, and we rarely think of God being glad through His love. 

While we know that God forgives, it seems easier to imagine Him forgiving with forbearance, than to believe that He rejoices in forgiving!  It seems easier to imagine Him regretting that we forced Him to forgive, than to believe that He rejoices in forgiving!  It  seems easier to imagine Him holding back forgiveness until we prove ourselves worthy of it, than to believe that He forgives eagerly, gladly, and joyfully!

Bur that is our God.  He rejoices in us, and is glad in us.

Intellectually, we can understand that God’s joy comes from His trust in His own behind-the-scenes goodness.  And that might be a part of it.  Intellectually, we can understand that God’s joy comes from His presence in glorious heaven, and that might be a part of it.  Intellectually, we can understand that God’s joy comes from His perfect Union of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that might be a part of it.

But really, God rejoices because He is the God of joy!  God rejoices because He loves to rejoice!  God rejoices because He rejoices!

And that is one of His gifts to us!

God Himself is the gift of Joy.

God is Love

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us… (I John 4:10 ESV)

God’s Love

I know a young lady who recently started wearing eyeglasses.  When I asked if they were working, she lowered them, and said, “I can not see the dots on the wallpaper.”  Then she properly replaced her glasses, and said, “now I can see them.”

At times I have thought that I need better glasses to clearly see God’s love.  I see heartache, and suffering, and disorder, and pain, and chaos.  And it is not that I doubt God’s love… I just wish I could see it.  So I have thought that more scripture, more pious thoughts, and more purposeful interpretation would help me know that God is love with absolute certainty.

But I have had it backwards.  I now wonder if my problem is the poor glasses that I DO already have.  I look at the world through my vision changing assumptions of selfishness, time-emphasis, shortsightedness, impatience, and MY definitions of what God should do.

When I get rid of those glasses, even for a little while, I see that God is serious when He declares not only that He does loving things.  But God IS love.

God gives us the gift of being able to love after first declaring that He is able to give that gift, because He is love.

God Himself is the gift of love.

Another Form of Gift

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights… (James 1:16 ESV)

Another Form of Gift

A great way to provide lawncare for the shut-ins of your neighborhood, is to give a teenager a lawnmower.  A great way to provide meals for the hungry, is to teach a hungry man to cook.  A great way to encourage reading is to give books to the library.

The fruits of the Spirit are like that.  Yes, Christians are empowered by the Spirit of God to love, to find joy, to have peace, to be patient, to have kindness, to act with goodness, to display faithfulness, to show gentleness, and to have self-control.

But first, God Himself is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.  He gives those gifts to us, aims those things at us, fills us with His expressions of them. 

Before we use them ourselves, God gives us those gifts.

Self-Control

…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. II Timothy 1:7 ESV)

Self-Control

Some things actually are out of our control.  Among those things are gravity, wind-force, heat in summer, cold in winter, and someone else’s sin.

Yet the most frequent excuse or explanation we offer for unrighteousness is: “I just could not help it.”

When the fact is, we usually can.  Christians more than others, actually.  Because Christians have been given a gift by God… the gift of self-control.

While we will sin until heaven, we can choose to do the right thing.  Though our ‘old man’ has some small grip on us yet, it is a weak grip, and our Jesus is stronger.  While we will not achieve perfection before God until we stand before God, we can be obedient, righteous, and Christlike.

Not because we can do those things.

But we have been given the gift of self-control.  A gift that we use less often than we can.  It is easier, it seems, to give up.  It is easier, it seems, to focus on yesterday’s failures.  It is easy, it seems, to believe Satan’s lies that we are worthless worms, rather than adopted children of God.

And HE has given us self-control.

It is not easy to control ourselves.  Because the way to self-control is actually surrender to Christ.  Mental fortitude is not self-control.  Strong will is not self-control.  Sweaty brows and clenched teeth are not self-control. 

Self-control is resting in the knowledge that God has given us the gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness.  And in the same way, He has planted the seed of self-control in our new hearts.

And from His gift, we can have self-control.  We have to learn how to use it, little by little.  It takes practice, just like the gift of a guitar, or a cookbook, or a car.  But the seed will bear fruit.

Self-control is a fruit.

Gentleness

 Be therefore wise as serpents and gentles as doves (Matthew 10:16)

Gentleness

We attempt to cover up for many unrighteous actions and attitudes by assigning socially acceptable descriptions.  We did not lie, we exaggerated.  We did not steal, we re-aligned resources.  We did not commit adultery, we just had feelings.

And after we display and act in anger, we smile contritely, and we say, “I have a temper.”

Perhaps the opposite of temper is Biblical gentleness.

We act abruptly, we act before we think or pray, we fill our minds with indignation, impatience, disappointment, and superiority.  We later regret outbursts of temper, the emotional or even physical pain we cause, and yet excuse it as, ‘just my temper.’

Anger, temper, irritability, exasperation, and rage are not personality quirks.  And God has given us the solution to them.  He makes us gentle.

We react to His gift with embarrassment, pride, and arrogance.  We elevate anger and temper above gentleness.  And how has that been working out for us?

Instead, accept His gift… incline your mind and heart towards gentleness.  He has already placed in you the ability to be gentle.

Gentleness is a gift.

Faithfulness

…for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13 ESV)

The Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness

Batteries can seem expensive.  I like to drain every last bit of power from each small cylinder of chemical, before I purchase and replace the power supply.  When I put those batteries in place, at first I feel confident.  But as time goes on, I lose that confidence in the ability of the battery-powered device to continue doing its job.

If only someone would invent a small portable nuclear fusion battery that never runs out!  I could trust then, that my microphone would always amplify, my wall clock would always be on time, my electric toothbrush would always scrub, and my flashlight would always flash.

Because of God’s empowerment of us, in that same way, we can be faithful.  If grit our teeth and try extremely hard to be faithful in every way, whether to God, to our family, to our employer, or to friends, we have many reasons to lose confidence in ourselves.  But instead, it is God who empowers us.

So, we can be faithful. 

When we find ourselves being unfaithful, perhaps we have changed from God-empowerment, to self-empowerment.

When we find ourselves being unfaithful, check our connections to Him.

When we find ourselves being unfaithful, realize that faithfulness is a fruit… a delightful, healthful, and joyful fruit, and boldly try again.

Faithfulness is a fruit.

Goodness

Trust in the Lord, and do good. (Psalm 37:2 ESV)

The Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness

We use the word, “good” a lot.  That was good cake.  That’s a good temperature.  You did a good job.  What a good dog! I am in a good relationship. That worship service was good.  It felt good to pray.  God is good.

What is a common thread throughout all of those goodnesses?

If something is actually good, and not simply an expression of personal taste, we are told by God in Scripture to do that thing.  Trust in the Lord, and do good, says the Psalmist.

But Jesus also notes that no one, other than God Himself, is actually good. (Mark 10:18)

How can we do, or be, good?  It is an impossible task.

But God gives His people the fruit of the Spirit, goodness.

Even beyond the connection in the English language, goodness is connected with Godliness.

And Christians, made new in Christ, are able to grow in Godliness.

To be more like God… the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

When given the choice between doing something good, or something not good, we can choose to do the good.  That does not mean we will be sinless.  But we can do good, because it is a fruit, a result of Our motivation might still be incorrect, the details of our good act might be imperfect, the result of our goodness might fall short.

But even though, or maybe because, God alone is good, God’s people can do good.

He teaches what good choices look like in His Word.  He displays His example of goodness in our lives.  His Spirit nudges us, shows us, and teaches us what goodness is.

We can, surprisingly, do good!

Because goodness is a fruit.

Kindness

Then he said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. (Ruth 3:10 ESV)

The Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness

My mother once asked me, after hearing about a fight at school, if I had been kind.  I answered, not trying to be funny, “kind of…”

I had not punched as hard as I could have… I had walked away after I had won, instead of really finishing him off.  I had not shouted obscenities, insults, or curses. 

So, it seemed to me that I was kind of kind.  I didn’t get it, did I?

People find it hard to be kind, because we have so many opposites of kindness.  Pride is the opposite of kindness.  Selfishness is the opposite of kindness.  Mistrust is the opposite of kindness. Self-justification is the opposite of kindness.  Justice is the opposite of kindness.  Indifference is the opposite of kindness.

Kindness is rare.

But for Christians, it does not have to be.  Ruth was kind when she was thoughtful, patient, and hopeful towards Boaz.  David was kind when he did not demand revenge on Mephibosheth.  The good Samaritan was kind when he was willing to sacrifice for a man in trouble.  And of course, Jesus Christ was kind.

Jesus is kind when He does not treat us as we deserve.  Jesus is kind when He blesses, while He could punish and curse.  Jesus is kind when He chooses to love, when He could simply ignore.  Jesus is kind when He said, and did, this: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them (Matthew 7:12 ESV).

And even though we have learned for most of our lives that self-protection is better than kindness, we can be kind.  We can imitate Christ.

And even though we prefer revenge and getting even, we can be kind.  We can imitate Christ.

And even though we do not readily notice opportunities to be kind, we can be kind.  We can imitate Christ.

Because we are Christ’s.  And He gives us that ability.

Kindness is a fruit.

Patience

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. (James 5:7 ESV)

The Fruit of the Spirit: Patience

Impatience and worry have a lot in common.

Both are clearly prohibited in Scripture.  And yet not only are we Christians worriers, and impatient… but we seem to justify our worry and impatience as if those attitudes were righteous.

We worry, we say, because we care so much.  We are impatient, we say, because we desire such good things, and those good things would best be found now.

More than that, our impatience particularly comes from a lack of understanding that God is doing amazing fantastic things.  We are skeptical, though.  We are doubters, though.  We are blind, though.  We are impatient, therefore.

But the good news is, we can be patient.

Christians often list impatience as one of the common sins that everyone has, that we have had for years, that doesn’t really hurt anyone.

But patience is a gift from God.  We receive it by knowing God’s Word, so we can understand what is really going on.  We receive it by praying more honestly, submitting to Christ’s reign.

But it is not our efforts that gain patience.  The Spirit gives it to us, changes us slowly, daily, hourly into patient Christians.  Patience does not come through five steps… it comes through trusting that God gives us that gift. 

We just need to be patient.  Because we are Christians, we have patience.  It might be buried for now.  It might be hidden for now.  It might be mistrusted for now, because we have convinced ourselves we are NOT patient.

But patience is a fruit.

Peace

 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27 ESV)

The Fruit of the Spirit: Peace

Imitations are not generally as good as the original.  Whether it is Diet Coke (imitated by Walmart); Milwaukee Power Drills (imitated by Kmart); Smart Phones (imitated by somebody); or bacon (imitated by turkey famers); the imitations are not the same.

Jesus gives His people peace.  Notice He does not say merely that He gives us the opportunity to find peace if we search in the right manner.  He says He leaves it for us, and he gives it to us.

So why do we so often not feel peace?

Sometimes it is because our pride blocks peace.  We want to be the ones fixing things, rather than childlike, trusting that Jesus has things in hand.

Sometimes it is because we are not listening to Him.  So many fake peace opportunities bombard our ears and hearts, that we ignore Christ’s peace.  So we think peace is found through financial security, or family, or organizations, or education.  All useful things, but not peace.   Peace comes from Jesus.

Sometimes it is because we doubt His declarations.  In this case, it is not that we do not have peace, but we do not believe it IS peace.  We think it is foolishness, perhaps.  We think it is laziness, perhaps.  We think it is blind to reality, perhaps.  But Jesus’ peace IS peace.

So how can we better grasp Christ’s peace, the peace that He left for us, the peace that He gave us?  Two ways.  First, more reading of His Word, the Bible.  His Word can convince is that His peace is real.  However much we read, or watch, or listen to other things… read the Bible more.  Second, more prayer. Express your desire to KNOW the peace that He has given us.  Let our Words of humility to Him convince us.

Peace, as a fruit of the Spirit, seems almost too easy, so we do not embrace.

But He has given it to His people.  It is not a result of trying harder, or believing more, or getting more mature in faith.

He has given it.  We have it.

Because peace is a fruit.

Joy

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.  (James 1:2 ESV)

Decoder Glasses

We think of Eeyore is being depressed, sorrowful, and full of shadows.

Sometimes we might relate to that way of thought.

But one of the Fruits of being a Christian is that we can have joy.

Eeyore does have joy, actually.  He can see that reason for joy exists.  It is a matter, sometimes, of perspective.  For instance, he has noted “thanks for noticing me…” instead of observing that other animals are being rude to him.  He sees there is something good, something deep, something pleasant going on.

 From the bottom of some cereal box, I once had a secret decoder lens.  A piece of paper from the same box would have inscribed on it a strange and illegible spaghetti-map of lines and squiggles.  But when I held up the decoder lens, I could see a message.  Probably something like, “eat more cereal.”  But a message, nonetheless.

Christians have knowledge that enables us to understand what is happening in the world.  Non-Christians see weather, war, and worldliness as troublesome and terrible.

But we have the decoding lens found in this verse (and other places) : And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28 ESV).

And that is the source of joy.  God is up to good.

And knowing that gives us joy.

Yes, the storm still ruins crops.  Yes, the war still ruins lives.  Yes, the world scoffs, laughs, and opposes God’s people.

But like Eeyore, we have joy, because we know what is going on.  God is at work.  And that can lead to joy.

Because joy is a fruit.

Love

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (I John 4:8 ESV)

The Fruit of the Spirit: Love

Yes, love is a command.  Jesus, in fact, summarizes all of God’s law with the command to love (Matthew 22:34-40).

Yes, love is a choice. We are told to love one another (Romans 12:10).

Yes, love is a feeling (I Corinthians 13:3).

But love is also a result of being loved by Christ.  Non-Christians do not know what love is, although they imitate it.   Those who have not known the only true source of love, God, cannot know what love really is. 

But we DO know!  And more than that, we actually can love.

It is often hard to express, act, and feel in a loving way.  We do not want to, preferring selfishness as we do.  We do not want to, preferring to be loved rather than love.  We do not want to, preferring inward focus to outward focus.

But we can love.

It is a fruit of being a Christian.

And I find that there is love in Christians, even when it is not easy to see.  Even in ourselves.

Look under the leaves and find it.  See, and rejoice, when you can choose, even a little, to love your annoying, hurtful sibling.  See, and rejoice, when you can choose, even a little, to love your scoundrel spouse.  See, and rejoice, when you can choose, even a little, to forgive, to laugh, to enjoy, to help, to enable, to challenge, to encourage, to listen, to speak… to do all of those (and more) love things.

You can love, if you are a Christian.

Because love is a fruit.

Fruit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; (Galatians 5:22,23 ESV)

Fruit

I was around eleven years old when I discovered the joys of fruit.  My mom had planted some ugly, scraggly, brownish plants behind the garage.  I had helped, a little bit.  But mostly those plants were put in the ground, and other than an occasional spray with a garden hose, were left alone.

I was shocked, pleased, and amazed when raspberries appeared one week.  Those berries had been growing for a while… but they were hidden behind leaves, in shadows, or simply unnoticed by my flitting and unobservant mind.

I asked, “Why?  Where did THESE come from?”

I was told, “They are raspberries… and these are raspberry bushes.”

No matter how much I might have wanted cherries instead, or pears instead, or kiwi instead… the bushes had raspberries.  (Yes, I know some of those are not technically, “fruit…” but you know what I mean.) Not because I had gardened a particular way, or worked particularly hard, or planned successfully.  But because raspberry bushes get to have raspberries.

The commonly labeled “Fruits of the Spirit” are easily misunderstood.  They are not commands, ought to’s, Christianity tests, or obligations.  The Fruits of the Spirit are results of our relationship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

They happen.

And they are wonderful.  Even better than raspberries.

We judge ourselves and others, though, as lacking when we do not observe those Fruits.  But like my raspberries, those Fruit are there.  Perhaps hidden.  Perhaps unnoticed. Perhaps unsought.

But we get those fruit!  For the next few weeks, we will examine those tasty fruit, those healthy fruit, those fruits that come not from work, or effort, or even knowledge… but from who we ARE in Christ.

The Fruit of the Spirit come from Christian bushes.

Is

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant! (Psalm 135:3 ESV)

Is

One of the useful things about the World Series of Baseball, is that when the season is done, folk can know who the best team in baseball was that year.  It might not be your favorite team, but the record and series are pretty good evidence for superiority.  Someone might argue that their team would have won if that particular player had not pulled a hamstring, or tore an ACL.  But the fact is that player did, and so the team did not.  Great expectations are not as declarative as end results, in baseball.

Mighty Casey often strikes out, even though we do not like it.

So praising baseball teams is conditional.  It is results oriented.  And it is often opinion generated.

But not so, God.

He is great, but not because we have so reasoned or observed.  Rather we reason or observe because He IS great.  He is praiseworthy, and so His people praise Him.  He is not praiseworthy because we shout loudly. 

He Is Wondrous, amazing, awe-inducing, perfect, beautiful, and glorious.

Therefore we give Him glory, alone.

Good Bragging

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. (Romans 3:27 ESV)

Good Boasting

I have bragged about my intelligence, and then failed a test.  I have bragged about my driving skills, and then slid off the road.  I have bragged about my guitar-playing, and then forgot to change keys.  I have bragged about my country, and then watched her slide.  I have bragged about a church, and then felt her selfishness.  I have bragged about so many things… that have not been worthy of bragging.

But God is always worth bragging about.  The Father is magnificent.  The Son is wonderful.  The Spirit is delightful.

We humans like to boast, or brag, or praise, or lift up.  But every single thing I know eventually is not ultimately a good brag.

There is only One… and oh, is He ever!

Being bragged about is also unsatisfying, embarrassing, and dishonest.  We know that no one should brag about us.

But The Lord is worth bragging about!

Bost about Him every chance you get.

God’s glory alone.

Center

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36 ESV)

The Center

The center of the contiguous 48 American states is Lebanon, Kansas.  But that is not the center of the Universe.  When I figure out faster-than-light travel I would like to go to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, a huge cluster of boiling and roiling star matter.  But that is not the center of the universe.  I like my newly remodeled kitchen, it is becoming the center of our home.  But it is not the center of the universe.

When the Romans stated, “All roads lead to Rome,” they were not describing a road map.  Rather, they were stating that in their view, Rome was the center of the Universe.

They were wrong, and it was no accident that Paul wrote these words to the Christians in Rome.

Giving God glory is nothing more or less than declaring that He is the center of your Universe.  There is a wonderful security in knowing that the absolute best in the Universe is your focus.  That you can connect to and praise the only One who really deserves constant and unreserved praise.

All this has taken too many words to say, “give God glory.”

God’s glory alone.

Then all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified. (Isaiah 60:21 ESV)

Behind It All

Yes, God loves His people.  Yes, God is gracious and merciful towards His people.  Yes, He even killed His Son on our behalf.

But God did not do those things for us.  He did them for His glory.  If we acted like that, others might call us self-centered.  But God is not unrighteously self-centered.  He IS the center of the Universe, of life, of everything.  There is no one else He could work for!

Every part of the story of our salvation, as wonderful as each part is, leads to God, and His glory.

It is not just Amazing Grace, it is Amazing God who gives that grace… glorify Him!  It is not just Precious Faith, it is Precious God who grants us Faith, and accepts that Faith from us… glorify Him!  It is not just the Savior Jesus, it is the Savior God, who put the whole plan into being, and saves us… glorify Him!  It is not just the Holy Bible, it is the Holy God who gives us that Holy Bible… glorify Him!.

God’s glory alone.

Why?

 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (I Corinthians 10:31 ESV)

Why?

My uncle John was a ham radio operator.  He had built an elaborate short-wave radio that had cost him cash, time, and energy.  A couple of times I went over to his home and huddled in the basement, and we searched the radio waves for ham radio operators all over the world.

Many years later I wrote him an email asking if he still played around with his hobby.  And while he still owned all of the equipment, he had not used the radio for decades.  When I asked him why, he grumbled that all the reasons he had been a ham radio operator had evaporated.  The internet had made world-wide communication easier.  His children were not at all interested in taking up the hobby.  The friends he had made had all quit.  He had no reason even to turn the radio on.

He was knowledgeable, passionate, and experienced.  But ultimately, he had no reason to continue with his radio.

Our hope and our salvation come only through God’s Grace.  He gives us that Grace only through the means of Faith.  That Faith is only Faith if it is Faith in Christ Jesus.  We only know of such things in only one place, Scripture. 

But why does this process matter?  What is our reason for clinging to grace, learning faith, knowing Jesus, and studying His Word?

According to Paul, there is one reason to do everything and anything that we do.  The prescribed purpose, motivation, and intention of all that we do, even our salvation itself, is to bring glory to God.

We know that.  We recite that.  But I wonder if we understand what that means.

For the next few days, we will examine what God’s glory is, and how we can aim our lives at it.

God’s glory alone.

Wow

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:8,9 ESV)

Wow

The Bible is not simply a good book.

God tells Joshua, while the Bible was still very short, some of the things the Bible, as God’s Word, will do in us, for us, and through us.

The Bible is the only way to know God’s expectations.  Without the Bible, we would be guessing what God wants from us.  And the ultimate expectation is not amazing obedience, but is obeying God by trusting in Jesus.  The only place to learn that is in Scripture.

The Bible is the only way to find prosperity and success.  The University System will not lead to prosperity and success.  A Trade School will not lead to prosperity and success.  The School of Hard Knocks will not lead to prosperity and success.  Those things might give temporary, earthly prosperity and success.  But the only place to learn about eternal prosperity and eternal success is in Scripture.

The Bible is the only way to be courageous.  Courage based on our abilities, our good friends, our national protections, or good wishes is a courage that is not reliable.  Courage that comes from an understanding of Who God is comes from Scripture.  Courage that comes from trusting Jesus’ love comes from Scripture.  Courage that comes from seeing God’s path comes from Scripture.

Scripture alone.