In this episode, Pastor John talks about what the letters “B I B L E” stand for.
Acronym
The acronym B-I-B-L-E stands for “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” The Bible is like a roadmap. It tells you how to get to your next destination.
Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” Just like you wouldn’t drive to a new place without a roadmap, why go through life without a roadmap? Maybe you’ve ended up somewhere you never wanted to be. We’ve all blown it. We’ve done things that cost us more than we even dreamed of. We’ve hurt people. We have broken promises. Maybe you’ve done things you feel like you can’t ever be forgiven for, but your story is not over yet.
A Changed Destination
Horizontal and Vertical: Getting the Order Right
John MacArthur once said (paraphrased), “Take care of your horizontal destination, and God will take care of your vertical destination.”
It points to something Jesus himself makes plain — how we treat people is not a side issue to our walk with God. The two are fused. But as it stands, the saying can be misheard as “settle your accounts with people and you’ll secure your standing with God” as though reconciliation with a brother is the currency that purchases peace with the Father.
Scripture will not let us read it that way. The vertical always comes first. The gospel is not our climb toward God; it is His descent toward us in Christ. Our horizontal love is the fruit of His vertical grace, never the fee for it.
That said, the saying still lands when placed in the right order because once we belong to Christ vertically, He insists the horizontal be made right.
Hear Jesus in Matthew 5:23–24 (LSB):
“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”
The worshiper is already at the altar. Offering in hand. And Jesus says stop. Go. Make it right. Then come and worship. He will not let a believer insult a brother on the way in and then stand at the altar as though nothing happened. Vertical worship is interrupted, not to be earned, but to be made honest.
John sharpens it further in 1 John 4:20 (LSB):
“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
A fractured horizontal, John says, is not merely a side problem. It is evidence. It tells you something about the vertical. The one who will not love the brother in front of him cannot credibly claim to love the God he has never seen.
So let’s correct the saying and let it carry the full weight of Scripture:
“Because God has taken care of your vertical destination in Christ, take care of your horizontal relationships — otherwise you prove your vertical was never what you claimed.”
Grace first. Always grace first. But grace never leaves the horizontal untouched.
Get help from the word of God by first reading the Book of Proverbs and the Book of John, 1 chapter a day. It will take you about 15 minutes to read 1 chapter for both books.
2 Questions Many Ask
- Am I Truly Saved? Discover the answer — 👉 Click here.
- Why Self-Help Books Don’t Work Long-Term: 👉 Find out. Click here.
Prayer Request?
- If you have a prayer request or comments, 👉 click here.
Make an Eternal Difference
If these messages benefit you in any way, and you are able, please consider donating to help us bring more of the Word of God to others, on what it means and why it matters, through Radio, Television, YouTube, the Internet, and Social Media. Any amount is appreciated by clicking here. Romans 10:17 reminds us, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” It may be your contribution or prayer that allows someone to hear God’s Word and to be a part of someone receiving salvation. You can also:
- Text: GIVE to 844-553-1590
- Mail: PO Box 210615, Nashville, TN 37221
Find Us Here
- Visit our YouTube channel by clicking here.
- Visit our Facebook page here.
- Subscribe to our audio podcasts:
Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible 1995® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 and from the Legacy Standard Bible © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. http://www.lockman.org
Send Us Your Prayer Request
2 Questions Many Ask
- Am I Truly Saved? Discover the answer — 👉 Click here.
- Why Self-Help Books Don’t Work Long-Term: 👉 Find out. Click here.
Prayer Request?
- If you have a prayer request or comments, 👉 click here.
Make an Eternal Difference
If these messages benefit you in any way, please consider donating to help us bring more of the Word of God to others, on what it means and why it matters, through Radio, Television, YouTube, the Internet, and Social Media. Any amount is appreciated by clicking here. Romans 10:17 reminds us, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” It may be your contribution or prayer that allows someone to hear God’s Word and to be a part of someone receiving salvation.
You can also:
- Text: GIVE to 844-553-1590
- Mail: PO Box 210615, Nashville, TN 37221
Find Us Here
- Visit our YouTube channel by clicking here.
- Visit our Facebook page here.
- Subscribe to our audio podcasts:
Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible 1995® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 and from the Legacy Standard Bible © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org