Immanuel Baptist Church

To the church of God that is in Panama City, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The above greeting is almost identical to what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:2-3. Do you see how personal it is? This is how all of the Bible should be for you. Scripture was written at particular times and particular places to particular people but it is not limited to those times and places and people. People often fall into error when they treat the Bible like some archaic book meant for those in the past. In the Bible God has given us the timeless revelation of himself and it is equally intended for all people. How we apply it might change – for example, Jesus Christ liberated us from the chains of the Law of Moses. But what Scripture is intended to teach never changes. (Be careful! You will hear some say other parts no longer apply – like commands against homosexuality or the establishment of men as leaders in church and home, but such instructions are timeless.) Read the Bible as God’s revelation to you, to your family, to your neighbors. Wrestle with the hard parts. Praise with the praises. Weep over the sinful destructiveness of humanity. And rejoice when the God-man sets us free from our sins. The Bible – the Word of God to the church of God that is in Panama City, Florida.