“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul” (Ps.19:7)
It can be all too easy today to doubt the power of Scripture in dealing with the deeper aspects of the human heart and mind. The Bible may be helpful for certain “spiritual” problems, but it’s too simplistic and insufficient for the more complex psychological issues. Sadly, this thought is prevalent in the church today; however, the best psychology can do is to modify external behaviour, it cannot redeem and transform the soul. Only God can do that through the power of His Word.
That’s the truth behind Psalm 19:7, which calls Scripture “the law of the Lord. It is the sum of God’s instruction to us, whether for creed (what we believe), character (what we are), or conduct (what we do).
The law of the Lord is “perfect.” The Hebrew word for perfect speaks of wholeness, completeness, or absolute sufficiency. One commentator writes: “Scripture lacks nothing - It is complete as a revelation of Divine truth; it is complete as a rule of conduct. It is absolutely true; it is adapted with consummate wisdom to the needs of man; it is an unerring guide of conduct. There is nothing there which would lead men into error or sin; there is nothing essential for man to know which may not be found there.”
Man’s reasoning is imperfect, but God’s Word is perfect, containing everything necessary for our spiritual life. It is so comprehensive that it can ‘restore your soul’. That is, it will convert, revive, refresh, and transform every aspect of our being to make us exactly the person God wants us to be.
May we NOT look too feeble human alternatives when God’s Word stands ready to minister to our every need. Spiritual warfare is fought with spiritual weapons, not fleshly techniques, theories, or therapies. As 2 Cor. 10:4 tells us “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses”.
Contributed by Alex Townsend