The nation of Israel in Old Testament times was the chosen nation or people of God. The Israelites were the Physical descendants of Abraham through Isaac and then through Jacob. The nation of Israel got its name because Jacob wrestled with the Lord’s messenger at Peniel (Gen.32.24-32), and was called “Israel”, which means “He who strove with God”, or “Prince of God.” The nation was composed of thirteen tribes. Each tribe founded by one of Jacob’s sons. The tribes are usually referred to as the twelve tribes of Israel because Jacob only had twelve sons, but in Genesis 48:5 Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were adopted by Jacob and given equal share among the sons of Jacob. Levi was set apart from the other twelve tribes to serve God as priests and teachers of the Law (Num.1:49-54).
Jacob, his sons and their families (a total of 70 souls – Gen. 46:27) had traveled from the land of Canaan down into Egypt and had settled there in the land of Goshen, because of a great famine in Canaan. This settlement had been allowed by Pharaoh because of his respect and love for Joseph, Jacob’s son who had been sold into slavery by his brothers, but had risen to the rank of Prime Minister of Egypt.
The Israelites remained in Egypt for a period of 430 years, by the end of this period the Israelites had become the servants of the Egyptians. It was at this time that God heard the cries of His people and sent Moses to bring them up out of Egypt. This he did and it was in the Sinai desert at the foot of Mount Sinai that God made His covenant with the Israelites and they were forged into the Nation of Israel under the Law of Moses.
Israel then departed the Sinai Desert headed for Canaan, which had been promised to the descendants of Jacob. God had promised Israel that He would drive out the Canaanites before them if they would heed His Word. Unfortunately, when they arrived at Kadesh, near the borders of Canaan, the people refused to enter in out of disbelief that God could deliver the Canaanites into their hand. For this, they were punished by being made to wander in the wilderness for 40 years.
At the end of this wilderness wandering, Israel was led into the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. They had been told to destroy the Canaanites from the land, so that they would not be influenced by their idolatry. Israel failed to do this completely. So, when the generation that had conquered the Promised Land along with Joshua passed on, a new generation arose that did not know the Lord. They adopted many of the transgressions of the Canaanites and fell into idolatry. For this, God would punish them by allowing other nations to subjugate them. When the punishment would become too severe, the Israelites would cry to God and repent, for a time. When God would hear their cries, he would raise up a judge to rescue His people. This was the period of the Judges. As the years went by the apostasy of the people became greater and greater. They began to look at the nations around them and want to have a king, like them. Therefore, God appointed for them a king.
There are two historical periods of Israel’s monarchy. In the first period, known as the United Kingdom Period, all twelve land-bearing tribes and the priestly tribe of Levi were united under one kingdom. This period lasted 120 years through the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon. This unity was only interrupted for a short seven-year period after the death of Saul, when ten of the tribes refused to accept David as king. After the death of Saul’s last remaining son, these ten tribes were united under David’s rule.
The second period is known as the Divided Kingdom and began after the reign of Solomon. When Solomon was king, he had taxed the people heavily in order to build up the nation and the military. When he died and his son Rehoboam ascended to the throne, the people wanted him to reduce taxation, but instead he increased it further. This led to a revolt in which the Northern ten tribes split off and selected Jeroboam to be their king. The Lord allowed this division as punishment for Solomon’s involvement with idolatry. (1 Kings 11:11)
During the Divided Kingdom period, the twelve tribes of Israel (plus Levi) were separated into two kingdoms. The Northern tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim and Manasseh made up the nation of Israel, also called Ephraim (because Ephraim was by far the largest of these tribes). The two Southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin became known as the nation of Judah.
When the twelve tribes had entered into Canaan and settled into their respective lands, the tribe of Levi had cities scattered throughout the tribal land allotments. When the kingdom divided and the Northern kingdom turned to idolatry, the Levites left Israel and settled in Judah, along with those from each of the Northern ten tribes who chose not to worship idols. Because of this, the nation of Judah was in reality, composed of people from all of the tribes.
The Northern kingdom was carried into captivity by the Assyrians in 721 B.C. and was dispersed among the other nations conquered by the Assyrian Empire, never to return. The Southern kingdom was carried into captivity by the Babylonians between 606 and 586 B.C. and was dispersed among the nations that Babylon had conquered. The Babylonian Empire was conquered by the Medo-Persion Empire, and the Israelites, who had come to be known as the “Jews” or “Judes” (because they had come from Judah), were allowed, by the Decree of Cyrus, to return to Judea and rebuild the city of Jerusalem. This came after seventy-year captivity, The Jews returned to Judea in three groups. The first led by Zerubabel, the second by Ezra and the third by Nehemiah.
When the Jews had resettled in Judea and Jerusalem and had rebuilt the temple, they entered into what is known as the Inter-Testamental Period. After they completed the reconstruction of the temple of the Lord, the inspiration of scripture was halted for over four hundred years. During this period, a lot happened, but nothing is recorded by inspired history. We know much of what transpired during this period because of the writings of Josephus, a first-century Hebrew historian.
When the Old Testament ended, the Jews were living in their homeland under the rule of the Persian Empire. The Persians were later conquered by Alexander the Great, and Judea fell into the hands of the Grecian Empire. Early in this period of Grecian rule, little had changed for the Jewish people. They still were allowed to govern themselves, for the most part. After Alexander died, with no heirs, his empire was spilt in three kingdoms, each kingdom ruled by one of Alexander's generals. In 171 B.C., Antiochus Epiphanes IV, came to power and ruled over the Grecian kingdom that included Judea. In 164 B.C., he entered the temple of God, set up an idol to himself and sacrificed swine upon the altar of the Lord. This became known, to the Jews as the "Abomination of Desolation." The Jews were outraged at this sacrilege, and rose up in rebellion under a Levite name Judas Maccabees. The Jews fought a successful revolt against Grecian rule and in 164 B.C. managed to drive out the armies of Antiochus. The modern Jewish festival known as Hanukkah, the festival of lights, commemorates the rededication of the Temple after the over-throw of Grecian rule.
This segment of the Inter-Testamental Period is known as the Maccabean kingdom. The Jews were, once again, an independent nation for the first time in over four hundred years. During this time, Israel was ruled by a succession of the descendant of Judas Maccabees. This kingdom was not a God sanctioned kingdom, because they were not ruled by a descendant of David.
This independent Jewish nation lasted for nearly 100 years, until the Roman General Pompey captured Jerusalem in 63 B.C. Judea then became a Roman province. In 37 B.C., Herod the Great came to power. He succeeded the last Maccabean King, John Hyrcanus. Herod was not of Jewish stock; instead, he was an Idumean (Edomite). The Idumeans were descendants of Abraham and Isaac through Esau, and so they were “cousins” of the Jewish people. Herod is known as “the Great” because of the many architectural wonders he created. He built several fortresses and the sea port of Caesarea, to curry favor with the Romans. However, his most famous construction was the Temple in Jerusalem. Beginning with the Temple that had already been reconstructed by Zerubabel, he built up the entire complex and until it had become one of the great wonders of the ancient world.
Herod the Great is perhaps most famous, or infamous, for the “killing of the innocents” in Bethlehem, just after the birth of Christ. It was to this Herod that the wise men of Matthew chapter 2 came; and from whom Joseph, Mary and Jesus fled to Egypt.
By the time of Christ’s birth, the religion of the Jews had developed into several main sects, or denominations. The most prevalent sect, especially among the common Jewish people was the Pharisees. The Pharisees were very strict in their adherence to the traditions of their ancestors. These traditions, both written and oral, were set forth during the Inter-Testamental Period and were non-inspired. It was these traditions, known today as the Talmud or Mishna that Christ called referred to in Mark 2:7-9 “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”
Another prominent sect was the Sadducees. They mainly composed of the ruling class among the Jews. This sect believed that the Torah (Law of Moses) was the only inspired scripture. They were very strict in their adherence to the ceremonial law. In addition, they did not believe in doctrine of the Resurrection from the dead (Matthew 22:23).
Along with the Pharisees and the Sadducees, a third prominent sect was the Zealots. The Zealots were known for their desire to overthrow Roman rule and establish an independent Jewish nation. One of Christ’s apostles had come from this sect, Simon Zelotes (Luke 6:14.
Another sect worth mentioning is the sect of the Essenes. The Essenes were most likely a sub-sect of the Pharisees, who believed purity and complete separation from sinfulness. This led them to establish communities completely isolated from the outside world. It was in the remains of one of these communities that the “Dead Sea Scrolls” were discovered in 1947.
So Far, we have looked briefly at the history of the Jewish people, first in the Old Testament, Inter-Testamental and Gospel times when Christ walked the earth. Now we will turn our attention to the final years of Biblical Judaism.
Before we continue, remember when the Jewish nation was divided and the northern ten tribes were carried into Assyrian captivity and later the nation of Judah was carried into Babylonian captivity. Both the Assyrians and the Babylonians, when they conquered a people, would remove them from their homeland and scatter them among their other conquered nations. When this was done to the Jews, it became known as the “Diaspora” or dispersion. The northern ten tribes, when they were “dispersed” lost their religious and national identity and intermarried among the other conquered nations. As well, those few of the northern kingdom who were allowed to remain in Palestine also intermarried with foreigners. Thus began the Samaritan people of whom we read in the New Testament.
When the southern kingdom was taken captive, they only remained in captivity for 70 years. They, for the most part, maintained their ethnic and national identities. Even though they were spread throughout the lands of the Babylonian Empire, they maintained their religion as best they could. It was during this period that synagogue worship began. The temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed, the people in captivity were not allowed to go to Jerusalem for worship, so they began meeting together on the Sabbath day to worship God. It was this “synagogue movement” that allowed them to maintain their national identity. When the captivity ended, many of the Jews, especially those who were the most zealous, returned to Palestine. Others remained in the various places to where they had been dispersed. Many of these, especially in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) and Greece, became “Hellenized” into the Greek culture. They adopted Greek styles of living as well as the Greek language.
During Jesus’ day, the Jews had rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was more than just a center for worship. It was also the center of the Jewish nation, inside its walls was held the genealogical records of all the tribes and families of the Jews. These records were important because without them there would be no record of who the Levites were and no way to identify the Messiah. The tribe of Levi had been set aside for their special service to God; they needed to be identified according to their family lineage, because each branch of Levi had a different area of service. As well, one of the identifying marks of the Messiah was that he would be a descendant of David. The fact that Jesus Christ was such a descendant was never disputed, even by the Jewish leaders of His day. Without the Temple, the Jews would have no records of their lineage; they would not be able to prove that they were true descendants of Abraham.
When Christ died upon the cross, in approximately 33 A.D., the Law of Moses was fulfilled and passed away. The need for a special people to bring Messiah into the world ended, thus the religion of the Jews was no longer the religion of God. Had the Jews recognized Messiah as a spiritual savior, and not a political one, they would have accepted Jesus and been converted, having seen the natural fulfillment of the Law. However, this was not the case. In fact, the Jews, early on became the greatest enemy of Christianity. It was the Jews who first began to persecute Christians, beginning with Saul of Tarsus.
The end of the Jewish religion, as the religion of God’s people, came with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Once that religious dispensation ended, the church of Christ became the religion of God’s people. God’s people are no longer the physical descendants of Abraham through Jacob, but have become the “spiritual” descendants of Abraham through faith. See Romans 4:20-25.
The Jews maintained their traditions and form of worship, making their three yearly sacrifices at the Temple, even as Christianity grew both numerically and geographically. In a period of about thirty years, the Gospel had been preached to the entire world. It was by about this time the Palestinian Jews began to mount their final uprising against the Roman Empire. A revolt began in Judea in the month of September, in the year 66 A.D. This rebellion, against Rome, brought the full weight and wrath of the most powerful empire the world has ever known down upon the Jewish people. For three years, the Jews held out, but by the month of April, in the year 70 A.D. only Jerusalem itself had not fallen back into Roman control. The Emperor Vespasian, who had just the previous year become Emperor, decided to make an example of Jerusalem to prevent any other regions from revolting. Vespasian’s son Titus laid siege to the city of Jerusalem beginning in April of the year 70 A.D. By September of that year, the entire city had been destroyed, the temple itself had been burned to the ground and been dismantled stone by stone. All of the genealogical the records of the Jewish people were destroyed at that time.
The Jewish people continued on as they did during the Babylonian captivity. They continued worship in the synagogues and they even attempted to maintain their own genealogical records. Nevertheless, since they were no longer God’s people and no longer protected under God’s Divine providence, they were unsuccessful in this attempt. As the centuries have gone by, all knowledge of who is a true descendant of Jacob has been lost. Those that call themselves Jews today, are not necessarily the Jews that we read of in the Bible. Over the years, many people of other races or nationalities have converted to some form of Judaism. To be a citizen of the modern state of Israel, all one must do is claim to be Jewish and they will be accepted as Jews.
What is important for us to keep in mind today is that the Jews are not God’s special people. Christians are! The Old Testament Jews were selected for one purpose only, and that was to bring Christ into the world. Once Christ fulfilled His mission, their reason for existing as God’s special people ceased. Today Christians are “Spiritual Israel,” those who believe and obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ are God’s special people.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
The First Gospel Meeting
As we at the Vidor church of Christ begin our Gospel Meeting, "Divine Authority" with Foy Forehand, it is a good opportunity to look back upon the very first “Gospel Meeting” ever held.
The gospel meeting I am referring to is not some 1830’s log cabin meeting with Barton W. Stone, Alexander Campbell, or some other Restoration Era gospel preacher. The meeting I am speaking of predates those men by approximately 1,800 years. The very first gospel meeting was held by twelve men, in the city of Jerusalem in the year 33 A.D.
This gospel meeting was one that had been in the works since the beginning of time. It was a meeting that God had planned and had made preparations for from the moment He first “spoke” the world into existence. In order to make that meeting successful God first prepared a people to bring the Lord Jesus Christ (the object of that first gospel meeting) into the world. Also, He prepared an environment in which that primitive gospel could grow and thrive. Finally, He prepared the message to be preached and the preachers to deliver the message.
A Prepared People
From the very beginning, God selected a family into which His Messiah would be born. This Messiah was born to deliver mankind from sin and reconcile him back to God. After Adam and Eve were forced from the garden, the Lord selected one of their sons as the root from which the Messiah would eventually emerge. That chosen man was Seth, the son of Adam and Eve (Genesis 4:25). Of the descendants of Seth, the next man selected by God as the progenitor of Messiah was Noah. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Genesis 6:8. Noah, of all his generation, was the only man still faithful in his service to God. Therefore, God saved him and his family and destroyed the rest of mankind. Generations later, Abram was selected by God to bring forth the seed from which all mankind would be blessed. “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:2-3.
From Abraham, Isaac and Jacob descended the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. This great nation of people began with just 75 men, women and children, who went down into Egypt in a time of great famine. 430 years later, 603,550 men upwards from 20 years old emerged with their wives and children, numbering approximately 2-3 million. This nation was given a Law at Mount Sinai after their exodus from Egypt. That Law was meant to teach them the importance of sacrifice and service to God and to prepare them to receive the Messiah and to obey His gospel. “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” Galatians 3:23-25.
At the close of the Jewish dispensation, God sent John the baptist to restore the Jewish people back to faithfulness under the Old Covenant, so that they would be ready to receive the Messiah and His gospel. John did exactly that. He made “straight the way of the Lord…” (John 1:23; Isaiah 40:3). His work as the forerunner to Christ restored faithfulness among the Jews. It was the disciples of John the baptist who, later, made up the bulk of Jesus’ disciples.
A Prepared Environment
God sent His Son into the world, born of a virgin of the Jewish nation. His birth, life, teachings, death and resurrection are the “good news” that embodies the gospel message. However, before that blessed event could occur, God had to allow for the proper environment in which to bring His Messiah and to spread forth His gospel. Isaiah prophesied that Jerusalem would be the city from which the gospel would proceed (Isaiah 2:2-3). In the first century, Jerusalem, Palestine, and the entire Mediterranean region were part of the Roman Empire.
The Roman Empire provided for the ideal environment into which the Messiah would be born. Under Rome, as never before in human history, was much of the world under the control of one government. Never before had there been so much stability in the world. The Roman Empire provided a framework for maintaining an orderly society, such as a common language (Koine Greek), a common currency and well established code of law. They built and protected a highway system that rivaled even our modern highway systems. These highways made it possible for people to travel around the Mediterranean region quickly and safely, thus furthering the gospel’s spread.
In addition, by this time, the Jewish people had been scattered across the entire Roman Empire. Those who were the most faithful returned to Jerusalem each year for the three feast days as prescribed in the Law of Moses. The aforementioned societal framework the Romans created allowed them the security and ability to make the journey. It was during one of these three feast days, the day of Pentecost, in which this first gospel meeting was held. On that day, it is estimated that there could have been upwards of 3 million Jews on hand to hear those first gospel sermons.
Prepared Preachers
Before that first gospel meeting could be held, preachers were needed. Jesus selected twelve men and named them apostles. Of this first select group, one fell by the wayside (Judas), but another (Matthias) was selected to take his place. Jesus spent three years with these men teaching them the things that they were in turn to go out and to preach. He promised to them that he would send unto them the Holy Spirit Who would, (1) guide them into all truth (John 16:13), (2) teach them all things (John 14:26), (3) remind them of all He had taught them (John 14:26), and (4) speak through them (Mark 13:11).
A Prepared Gospel Message
On the day of Pentecost, these twelve men received the promise of the Holy Spirit with power and began to speak the words of the gospel message to the gathered multitude. It was the apostle Peter who began the gospel meeting with an inspired defense and explanation of the miraculous events that were transpiring that day. This was according to God’s plan, for Jesus had said to Peter, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19. Peter would be the one holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven – the church. He would be the first one to “unlock” the doors and invite those who desired to be saved to enter in. The things that he would “bind” or “loose” on earth that day, would be the things that already had been “bound” or “loosed” by God in heaven. Peter was simply the inspired “doorman” to usher in the church age.
His sermon began with a defense and ended with an invitation to, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” Acts 2:38. This first great gospel meeting resulted in the salvation of 3,000 people! “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” Acts 2:41.
Conclusion
The first gospel meeting was a great success! God had planned it perfectly! He had perfectly prepared the audience, the environment, the preachers and their message. The gospel went forth from that place, on that day, to spread throughout the entire world within 30 years. Many of the gathered multitude of Jews, “out of every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5), “gladly received his word” and “were baptized” (Acts 2:41), and carried that gospel message back to their scattered homes and families abroad. Later, the apostle Paul and others would carry that gospel message unto the gentiles bringing many of them into the church as well.
All this was able to take place because God had scheduled that first gospel meeting! None of the wondrous things that resulted from that meeting would have taken place if no one had been there to hear it! The same can be said of our gospel meeting this week. If you do not attend, members or visitors alike, you will miss out on a wonderful opportunity to be strengthened and encouraged by that Old Jerusalem Gospel that still saves today.
The gospel meeting I am referring to is not some 1830’s log cabin meeting with Barton W. Stone, Alexander Campbell, or some other Restoration Era gospel preacher. The meeting I am speaking of predates those men by approximately 1,800 years. The very first gospel meeting was held by twelve men, in the city of Jerusalem in the year 33 A.D.
This gospel meeting was one that had been in the works since the beginning of time. It was a meeting that God had planned and had made preparations for from the moment He first “spoke” the world into existence. In order to make that meeting successful God first prepared a people to bring the Lord Jesus Christ (the object of that first gospel meeting) into the world. Also, He prepared an environment in which that primitive gospel could grow and thrive. Finally, He prepared the message to be preached and the preachers to deliver the message.
A Prepared People
From the very beginning, God selected a family into which His Messiah would be born. This Messiah was born to deliver mankind from sin and reconcile him back to God. After Adam and Eve were forced from the garden, the Lord selected one of their sons as the root from which the Messiah would eventually emerge. That chosen man was Seth, the son of Adam and Eve (Genesis 4:25). Of the descendants of Seth, the next man selected by God as the progenitor of Messiah was Noah. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Genesis 6:8. Noah, of all his generation, was the only man still faithful in his service to God. Therefore, God saved him and his family and destroyed the rest of mankind. Generations later, Abram was selected by God to bring forth the seed from which all mankind would be blessed. “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:2-3.
From Abraham, Isaac and Jacob descended the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. This great nation of people began with just 75 men, women and children, who went down into Egypt in a time of great famine. 430 years later, 603,550 men upwards from 20 years old emerged with their wives and children, numbering approximately 2-3 million. This nation was given a Law at Mount Sinai after their exodus from Egypt. That Law was meant to teach them the importance of sacrifice and service to God and to prepare them to receive the Messiah and to obey His gospel. “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” Galatians 3:23-25.
At the close of the Jewish dispensation, God sent John the baptist to restore the Jewish people back to faithfulness under the Old Covenant, so that they would be ready to receive the Messiah and His gospel. John did exactly that. He made “straight the way of the Lord…” (John 1:23; Isaiah 40:3). His work as the forerunner to Christ restored faithfulness among the Jews. It was the disciples of John the baptist who, later, made up the bulk of Jesus’ disciples.
A Prepared Environment
God sent His Son into the world, born of a virgin of the Jewish nation. His birth, life, teachings, death and resurrection are the “good news” that embodies the gospel message. However, before that blessed event could occur, God had to allow for the proper environment in which to bring His Messiah and to spread forth His gospel. Isaiah prophesied that Jerusalem would be the city from which the gospel would proceed (Isaiah 2:2-3). In the first century, Jerusalem, Palestine, and the entire Mediterranean region were part of the Roman Empire.
The Roman Empire provided for the ideal environment into which the Messiah would be born. Under Rome, as never before in human history, was much of the world under the control of one government. Never before had there been so much stability in the world. The Roman Empire provided a framework for maintaining an orderly society, such as a common language (Koine Greek), a common currency and well established code of law. They built and protected a highway system that rivaled even our modern highway systems. These highways made it possible for people to travel around the Mediterranean region quickly and safely, thus furthering the gospel’s spread.
In addition, by this time, the Jewish people had been scattered across the entire Roman Empire. Those who were the most faithful returned to Jerusalem each year for the three feast days as prescribed in the Law of Moses. The aforementioned societal framework the Romans created allowed them the security and ability to make the journey. It was during one of these three feast days, the day of Pentecost, in which this first gospel meeting was held. On that day, it is estimated that there could have been upwards of 3 million Jews on hand to hear those first gospel sermons.
Prepared Preachers
Before that first gospel meeting could be held, preachers were needed. Jesus selected twelve men and named them apostles. Of this first select group, one fell by the wayside (Judas), but another (Matthias) was selected to take his place. Jesus spent three years with these men teaching them the things that they were in turn to go out and to preach. He promised to them that he would send unto them the Holy Spirit Who would, (1) guide them into all truth (John 16:13), (2) teach them all things (John 14:26), (3) remind them of all He had taught them (John 14:26), and (4) speak through them (Mark 13:11).
A Prepared Gospel Message
On the day of Pentecost, these twelve men received the promise of the Holy Spirit with power and began to speak the words of the gospel message to the gathered multitude. It was the apostle Peter who began the gospel meeting with an inspired defense and explanation of the miraculous events that were transpiring that day. This was according to God’s plan, for Jesus had said to Peter, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19. Peter would be the one holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven – the church. He would be the first one to “unlock” the doors and invite those who desired to be saved to enter in. The things that he would “bind” or “loose” on earth that day, would be the things that already had been “bound” or “loosed” by God in heaven. Peter was simply the inspired “doorman” to usher in the church age.
His sermon began with a defense and ended with an invitation to, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” Acts 2:38. This first great gospel meeting resulted in the salvation of 3,000 people! “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” Acts 2:41.
Conclusion
The first gospel meeting was a great success! God had planned it perfectly! He had perfectly prepared the audience, the environment, the preachers and their message. The gospel went forth from that place, on that day, to spread throughout the entire world within 30 years. Many of the gathered multitude of Jews, “out of every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5), “gladly received his word” and “were baptized” (Acts 2:41), and carried that gospel message back to their scattered homes and families abroad. Later, the apostle Paul and others would carry that gospel message unto the gentiles bringing many of them into the church as well.
All this was able to take place because God had scheduled that first gospel meeting! None of the wondrous things that resulted from that meeting would have taken place if no one had been there to hear it! The same can be said of our gospel meeting this week. If you do not attend, members or visitors alike, you will miss out on a wonderful opportunity to be strengthened and encouraged by that Old Jerusalem Gospel that still saves today.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Be Not Unwise
In Ephesians 5:17, Paul exhorts the Ephesian brethren, “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” True wisdom is the knowledge and understanding of the will of God and the application thereof. The will of God is found in His word. It is only through the Word of God that we have any knowledge of Him. Without this revealed knowledge of God, there is would be no true wisdom.
Paul exhorts them to understand the will of God. To do this, one must study the Word of God. In 2 Timothy 2:15, the inspired apostle Paul commands, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” John 17:7 teaches us that the Word of God is truth. Yes, truth does exist. It exists in the divine precepts of the Word of God. We can know the truth – Jesus said so. John 8:31-32 says, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Jesus teaches here that we can know the truth by continuing in His word.
All men can understand the Bible. The Calvinistic doctrine on the fallen state of man says that, since the fall, man is no longer in a state where he is able to understand the will of God. They teach that man can only come to an understanding of the Word of God through a direct operation of the Holy Spirit. Yet, the Bible refutes this doctrine. Paul, in 2 Timothy 3:15, teaches that Timothy had known the Holy Scripture from a child, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” He had, from his childhood understood the Bible. He did not come to that understanding of the Scriptures by a direct operation of the Holy Spirit, but by the instruction, he received in the Word from his mother and his grandmother. “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. “ (2 Timothy 1:15).
We can know the truth through a diligent study of the Word of God. All mankind can know the truth and understand it alike. For we know that the scriptures are not of any private interpretation, but that they are of, or by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:20-21). All men can have the same understanding of the Word of God that Paul had. In Ephesians 3:2-5, he tells us that we can understand his knowledge when we read his inspired words, “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit”
The Word of Christ, the Bible, is the only standard of authority that will judge us in the last day. “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” (John 12:48) God is not a respecter of persons – “For there is no respect of persons with God.” (Romans 2:11) Since there is an absolute standard of authority; and since all will be judged according to that same standard without respect of persons; and since that standard is the Bible – then it makes sense that we must all be able to understand the Bible alike. The will of God, revealed in the Scriptures, is such that all men and women can come to the same understanding. We can be wise toward the things of God and be “understanding what the will of the Lord is” if we involve ourselves in a purposeful study of God’s Word.
Paul exhorts them to understand the will of God. To do this, one must study the Word of God. In 2 Timothy 2:15, the inspired apostle Paul commands, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” John 17:7 teaches us that the Word of God is truth. Yes, truth does exist. It exists in the divine precepts of the Word of God. We can know the truth – Jesus said so. John 8:31-32 says, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Jesus teaches here that we can know the truth by continuing in His word.
All men can understand the Bible. The Calvinistic doctrine on the fallen state of man says that, since the fall, man is no longer in a state where he is able to understand the will of God. They teach that man can only come to an understanding of the Word of God through a direct operation of the Holy Spirit. Yet, the Bible refutes this doctrine. Paul, in 2 Timothy 3:15, teaches that Timothy had known the Holy Scripture from a child, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” He had, from his childhood understood the Bible. He did not come to that understanding of the Scriptures by a direct operation of the Holy Spirit, but by the instruction, he received in the Word from his mother and his grandmother. “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. “ (2 Timothy 1:15).
We can know the truth through a diligent study of the Word of God. All mankind can know the truth and understand it alike. For we know that the scriptures are not of any private interpretation, but that they are of, or by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:20-21). All men can have the same understanding of the Word of God that Paul had. In Ephesians 3:2-5, he tells us that we can understand his knowledge when we read his inspired words, “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit”
The Word of Christ, the Bible, is the only standard of authority that will judge us in the last day. “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” (John 12:48) God is not a respecter of persons – “For there is no respect of persons with God.” (Romans 2:11) Since there is an absolute standard of authority; and since all will be judged according to that same standard without respect of persons; and since that standard is the Bible – then it makes sense that we must all be able to understand the Bible alike. The will of God, revealed in the Scriptures, is such that all men and women can come to the same understanding. We can be wise toward the things of God and be “understanding what the will of the Lord is” if we involve ourselves in a purposeful study of God’s Word.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Paul: Fraudulent Apostle, Woman Hater and Homophobe
Many people in the religious world today are attempting to discredit the apostle Paul and his teachings. The attitudes toward Paul that are expressed by “self-proclaimed” Christians are mind-boggling, except when you understand their misguided reasoning for them. Why is Paul held in such contempt by many religious people? One of the primary reasons that Paul and his teachings are disdained by some religious people is that his writings are the only New Testament books that expressly forbid women to have authority in the church (1Tim. 2:8-15; Tit. 2:3-5; 1Cor.14:34) and that specifically condemns homosexuality (Rom.1:26-27; 1Cor. 6:9). He has been called a “homophobe” and a “woman hater” because of these teachings found in his epistles. For example, I recently heard where a woman had said, “I just don’t trust Paul. He was a woman hater and a hypocrite. I just can’t bring myself trust anybody who could do all those awful things he did to the Christians and then all of a sudden change his mind and become a Christian. Nobody could change that much, that soon!”
People like this resent Paul’s teaching and don’t want to abide by them, so their answer is to say that Paul was not really an apostle. Therefore, they say, we can ignore what Paul says. For instance, a good friend of mine, who is also a faithful Christian minister, took some classes at a denominational theological seminary. He was the only Christian in the class and the only one to have had an extensive background in the Bible. The professor had lectured, teaching that Paul received his theological training from Peter and the other apostles and that Paul took that training and created his own theology, suggesting that he was not inspired! My friend at this point raised his hand and asked, “What about Galatians 1:11 and 12? Paul said, ‘But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.’ Isn’t that what Paul says?” The professor didn’t even blink and replied, “Yes, that is what he says.” Then he continued right on lecturing on how Paul had put together his own personal brand of theology.
This begs the question: Was Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit, or was he a fraudulent apostle, a woman hater and a homophobe? People like the professor and the above-mentioned woman refuse to take Paul at his word. He said he was an apostle (Rom. 1:1; 1Cor. 15:8-10). He also said that he was inspired of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 1:11-12). Yet they still refuse to believe he was what he claimed to be. How can they say that they believe the Bible is God’s Word and yet think they can decide which parts are and which parts are not inspired? I don’t have that answer. Their attitude makes no sense to me. They ought to heed my favorite saying of brother Eddie Brinkley, “The gospel ain’t Lubey’s. You don’t get to pick and choose!” If these “Lubey’s eating” religious people will not take Paul’s word for his inspiration and apostleship, perhaps they will take Peter’s word for it.
Let us first begin with what Peter said concerning the inspiration of scripture. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Pet.1:20-21, emph. mine). He also said in Acts 1:16, “Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.” (emph. mine). Notice in this last verse how Peter connects scripture with the words of the Holy Spirit spoken through the mouth of an inspired man. Scripture, simply put, is that which is derived from God, spoken by the Holy Spirit through the mouth (or the pen) of an inspired man.
Second, let us note the way in which Peter refers to Paul’s epistles as scripture. “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2Pet.3:15-16, emph. mine). Peter said that Paul had “wisdom given unto him…” Where did the wisdom come from? It had to have come from the Holy Spirit, because Peter compared Paul’s epistles with “other scriptures” and we know that scripture is the result of holy men of God speaking “as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2Pe.1:20). Hence, Peter believed and taught that all of Paul’s epistles were derived from the inspired work of the Holy Spirit.
I don’t know anybody who would claim that Peter was not inspired and that he was not an apostle. If he believed and taught that Paul was an inspired apostle, why should we doubt him? If we doubt the writings of Peter and Paul, what does that say about the rest of the Bible? If some of the Bible is God’s Word and some of it is not God’s Word, how can we decide which is which? If the entire Bible (every single word of it) is not God’s Word and we have no useful standard beside what we think or what we feel, to determine which is inspired, how can we trust any of it? If the entire Bible (every single word of it) is not really the word of God, then why believe any of it? Without an objective standard, who can say what is right or wrong? Who can really know God’s will for man? Nobody. If the entire Bible is not God’s word then none of it is! Whom are you going to believe? The inspired apostle Peter or some modern day naysayer?
People like this resent Paul’s teaching and don’t want to abide by them, so their answer is to say that Paul was not really an apostle. Therefore, they say, we can ignore what Paul says. For instance, a good friend of mine, who is also a faithful Christian minister, took some classes at a denominational theological seminary. He was the only Christian in the class and the only one to have had an extensive background in the Bible. The professor had lectured, teaching that Paul received his theological training from Peter and the other apostles and that Paul took that training and created his own theology, suggesting that he was not inspired! My friend at this point raised his hand and asked, “What about Galatians 1:11 and 12? Paul said, ‘But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.’ Isn’t that what Paul says?” The professor didn’t even blink and replied, “Yes, that is what he says.” Then he continued right on lecturing on how Paul had put together his own personal brand of theology.
This begs the question: Was Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit, or was he a fraudulent apostle, a woman hater and a homophobe? People like the professor and the above-mentioned woman refuse to take Paul at his word. He said he was an apostle (Rom. 1:1; 1Cor. 15:8-10). He also said that he was inspired of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 1:11-12). Yet they still refuse to believe he was what he claimed to be. How can they say that they believe the Bible is God’s Word and yet think they can decide which parts are and which parts are not inspired? I don’t have that answer. Their attitude makes no sense to me. They ought to heed my favorite saying of brother Eddie Brinkley, “The gospel ain’t Lubey’s. You don’t get to pick and choose!” If these “Lubey’s eating” religious people will not take Paul’s word for his inspiration and apostleship, perhaps they will take Peter’s word for it.
Let us first begin with what Peter said concerning the inspiration of scripture. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Pet.1:20-21, emph. mine). He also said in Acts 1:16, “Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.” (emph. mine). Notice in this last verse how Peter connects scripture with the words of the Holy Spirit spoken through the mouth of an inspired man. Scripture, simply put, is that which is derived from God, spoken by the Holy Spirit through the mouth (or the pen) of an inspired man.
Second, let us note the way in which Peter refers to Paul’s epistles as scripture. “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2Pet.3:15-16, emph. mine). Peter said that Paul had “wisdom given unto him…” Where did the wisdom come from? It had to have come from the Holy Spirit, because Peter compared Paul’s epistles with “other scriptures” and we know that scripture is the result of holy men of God speaking “as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2Pe.1:20). Hence, Peter believed and taught that all of Paul’s epistles were derived from the inspired work of the Holy Spirit.
I don’t know anybody who would claim that Peter was not inspired and that he was not an apostle. If he believed and taught that Paul was an inspired apostle, why should we doubt him? If we doubt the writings of Peter and Paul, what does that say about the rest of the Bible? If some of the Bible is God’s Word and some of it is not God’s Word, how can we decide which is which? If the entire Bible (every single word of it) is not God’s Word and we have no useful standard beside what we think or what we feel, to determine which is inspired, how can we trust any of it? If the entire Bible (every single word of it) is not really the word of God, then why believe any of it? Without an objective standard, who can say what is right or wrong? Who can really know God’s will for man? Nobody. If the entire Bible is not God’s word then none of it is! Whom are you going to believe? The inspired apostle Peter or some modern day naysayer?
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Spoil Your Children…?
One of the biggest problems facing the church today and our society as a whole is that we are raising up a generation of spoiled and unrestrained children. The children of today will be the ones leading our country and the church in the future. The future of the church in this country may not be very bright because sin and apostasy are the likely result of this lack of restraint.
Proverbs 13:24 teaches, “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” The rod Solomon referred to is not just simply a rod to spank the child with, (although that is often the case), the rod he referred to was the shepherd’s staff. This staff had many uses. It could be used a tool for defending the sheep. It could also be used to guide the sheep into the desired path. Moreover, it could be used to correct an errant sheep and bring him back into the fold.
In raising our children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4), we need to use the Word of God in conjunction with the rod of discipline. The child nurtured in the Bible and its teaching is given a measure of protection from the wiles of the devil because this child has been taught what God expects of him and how to deal with sin and temptation. The Word of God can be known and understood by a child, just as Paul reminded Timothy that, “from a child” he had “known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:15). The Word of God is “…profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). When a child is raised with Biblical teaching, he is given a guide to keep him on the path of righteousness. “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:104-105). When a child strays from that path, Proverbs 13:24 teaches that the rod can also be used to mete out punishment.
Corporal punishment (i.e. spanking) is a good tool when used correctly. “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.” (Proverbs 23:13) However, it must always be done with love as well as firmness. A loving parent who disciplines his child is not a contradiction. A “loving” parent who “spoils” his child is a contradiction. The Bible teaches that loving and spoiling are diametrically opposed to each other. Those who claim they love their children too much to punish them do not love them – God says they hate them.
Other related Proverbs:
Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Proverbs 23:14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
Proverbs 13:24 teaches, “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” The rod Solomon referred to is not just simply a rod to spank the child with, (although that is often the case), the rod he referred to was the shepherd’s staff. This staff had many uses. It could be used a tool for defending the sheep. It could also be used to guide the sheep into the desired path. Moreover, it could be used to correct an errant sheep and bring him back into the fold.
In raising our children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4), we need to use the Word of God in conjunction with the rod of discipline. The child nurtured in the Bible and its teaching is given a measure of protection from the wiles of the devil because this child has been taught what God expects of him and how to deal with sin and temptation. The Word of God can be known and understood by a child, just as Paul reminded Timothy that, “from a child” he had “known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:15). The Word of God is “…profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). When a child is raised with Biblical teaching, he is given a guide to keep him on the path of righteousness. “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:104-105). When a child strays from that path, Proverbs 13:24 teaches that the rod can also be used to mete out punishment.
Corporal punishment (i.e. spanking) is a good tool when used correctly. “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.” (Proverbs 23:13) However, it must always be done with love as well as firmness. A loving parent who disciplines his child is not a contradiction. A “loving” parent who “spoils” his child is a contradiction. The Bible teaches that loving and spoiling are diametrically opposed to each other. Those who claim they love their children too much to punish them do not love them – God says they hate them.
Other related Proverbs:
Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Proverbs 23:14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
What Happens When A Christian Sins?
A Christian is an individual who has wholly given himself or herself to God through Jesus Christ. A Christian is one who, believing in Jesus, has made the good confession, repented of past sins, and been washed in the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, by immersion into the watery grave of baptism, in order to receive the forgiveness of sins. A Christian is one who has had his or her sins forgiven and who, from that time forward, continues to “walk in the newness of life.” (Romans 6:4).
However, some teach that once a person has become a Christian it is impossible for them to commit sin. These teachers claim that a Christian can, in no way, transgress God’s law. When asked, “What happens when a Christian sins?” their answer usually comes across in this manner, “Well... a person claiming to be a Christian who then commits sin was never truly a Christian to begin with.” With that logic, how can one ever know that he or she is truly a Christian? Who can ever be spiritually secure with that line of thinking?
Friends, we can know assuredly that we are Christians – that we are saved if we “have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered” (Romans 6:17). What form or pattern of doctrine? The commandments of Christ (John 12:48) and the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42), which includes the righteous works of faith (John 6:28-29; Acts 8:37), confession (Matthew 10:32-33; Romans 10:10), repentance (Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19), and baptism (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 22:16).
Yet the question remains, “What does happen when a Christian sins?” We must first recognize that Christians do sin (1 John 1:8, 10). If Christians sin and sinners sin, what is the difference between the two? Observe the following comparisons: (1) Sinners are enslaved to sin; faithful Christians have been freed from sin. (2) Sinners are spiritually dead; faithful Christians are spiritually alive. (3) Sinners live a sinful lifestyle; faithful Christians live a lifestyle that does not include willful sin.
Sin is described as willful, when one has made a choice to sin. Willful sin can be a sin of omission, such as when one chooses not to attend worship services (Hebrews 10:25; James 4:17), or it can be a sin of commission, such as when one chooses to drink alcoholic beverages. When a Christian commits willful sin, he or she has become unfaithful. If a Christian continues to willfully live in sin and dies in that condition, he or she is worse off than the alien sinner (2 Peter 2:20). So then, the major difference between a sinner or unfaithful Christian and a faithful Christian is seen in the choices they make. One group makes lifestyle choices that are centered upon self and the other group makes lifestyle choices that are centered upon Christ. When a Christian willfully sins and refuses to repent, that person is lost.
“But what about when a Christian sins incidentally?” Sin is described as incidental when it is unplanned or not motivated by ungodly desire. Such as when one accidentally drops a brick on his toe and consequently uses foul or disgusting language. Perhaps in such a situation one did not intentionally plan to use improper or immoral language, but in the heat of the moment, it just happened. Another example of this type of incidental sin that Christians sometimes fall into is out of ignorance, such as when one is unsure if something is sinful or not – and does it anyway. “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23).
Is this incidental type of sin still fatal? Yes, if the Christians does not repent. Sin is what separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). God does not distinguish between levels and varieties of sin. Take note of Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Every kind of lie is condemned, even “little white lies.” To God, all sin is abomination. “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13). All sin carries the same punishment: “For the wages of sin is death...” (Romans 6:23)
But there is good news for those who have sinned. Coming into contact with the saving blood of Jesus Christ will purify and justify the transgressor in the eyes of God. For the non-Christian that contact is made by is faith, confession, repentance and baptism. For the unfaithful child of God, the blood of Jesus will cleanse him from sin once more, through repentance and confession that he or she has sinned and by fervent prayer. The faithful Christian who sins, because he or she is faithful, is one who by godly habit and spiritual exercise, constantly goes to God in prayer and supplication, in recognition their continuing need for God’s grace and their own “unprofitable-ness” (Luke 17:10).
However, some teach that once a person has become a Christian it is impossible for them to commit sin. These teachers claim that a Christian can, in no way, transgress God’s law. When asked, “What happens when a Christian sins?” their answer usually comes across in this manner, “Well... a person claiming to be a Christian who then commits sin was never truly a Christian to begin with.” With that logic, how can one ever know that he or she is truly a Christian? Who can ever be spiritually secure with that line of thinking?
Friends, we can know assuredly that we are Christians – that we are saved if we “have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered” (Romans 6:17). What form or pattern of doctrine? The commandments of Christ (John 12:48) and the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42), which includes the righteous works of faith (John 6:28-29; Acts 8:37), confession (Matthew 10:32-33; Romans 10:10), repentance (Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19), and baptism (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 22:16).
Yet the question remains, “What does happen when a Christian sins?” We must first recognize that Christians do sin (1 John 1:8, 10). If Christians sin and sinners sin, what is the difference between the two? Observe the following comparisons: (1) Sinners are enslaved to sin; faithful Christians have been freed from sin. (2) Sinners are spiritually dead; faithful Christians are spiritually alive. (3) Sinners live a sinful lifestyle; faithful Christians live a lifestyle that does not include willful sin.
Sin is described as willful, when one has made a choice to sin. Willful sin can be a sin of omission, such as when one chooses not to attend worship services (Hebrews 10:25; James 4:17), or it can be a sin of commission, such as when one chooses to drink alcoholic beverages. When a Christian commits willful sin, he or she has become unfaithful. If a Christian continues to willfully live in sin and dies in that condition, he or she is worse off than the alien sinner (2 Peter 2:20). So then, the major difference between a sinner or unfaithful Christian and a faithful Christian is seen in the choices they make. One group makes lifestyle choices that are centered upon self and the other group makes lifestyle choices that are centered upon Christ. When a Christian willfully sins and refuses to repent, that person is lost.
“But what about when a Christian sins incidentally?” Sin is described as incidental when it is unplanned or not motivated by ungodly desire. Such as when one accidentally drops a brick on his toe and consequently uses foul or disgusting language. Perhaps in such a situation one did not intentionally plan to use improper or immoral language, but in the heat of the moment, it just happened. Another example of this type of incidental sin that Christians sometimes fall into is out of ignorance, such as when one is unsure if something is sinful or not – and does it anyway. “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23).
Is this incidental type of sin still fatal? Yes, if the Christians does not repent. Sin is what separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). God does not distinguish between levels and varieties of sin. Take note of Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Every kind of lie is condemned, even “little white lies.” To God, all sin is abomination. “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13). All sin carries the same punishment: “For the wages of sin is death...” (Romans 6:23)
But there is good news for those who have sinned. Coming into contact with the saving blood of Jesus Christ will purify and justify the transgressor in the eyes of God. For the non-Christian that contact is made by is faith, confession, repentance and baptism. For the unfaithful child of God, the blood of Jesus will cleanse him from sin once more, through repentance and confession that he or she has sinned and by fervent prayer. The faithful Christian who sins, because he or she is faithful, is one who by godly habit and spiritual exercise, constantly goes to God in prayer and supplication, in recognition their continuing need for God’s grace and their own “unprofitable-ness” (Luke 17:10).
Monday, August 07, 2006
The Bible - Our Only Creed
Adapted from U.S. Marine Corps’ Rifleman’s Creed... (not a suggestion that we adopt this or any human creed)
“This is my Bible. There are many like it, but this one is mine. It is my life. I must master it in order to master my life. Without my study, my Bible is useless. Without my Bible, I will be useless. I must divide my Bible true. I must shoot straighter than the enemy who as a roaring lion is seeking to devour me. I must fend him off before he devours me. With God’s Word I will. My Bible teaches that what counts in spiritual warfare is not simply the things I say or believe, but what I do. I know that it is doing the word and not being a hearer only that counts. I will do it.
God’s Word is alive, even as I am alive, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its strength, its promises, its books, its chapters and its verses. I will keep my Bible near and ready, even as I keep myself ready to defend its precepts. We will become part of each other.
Before God, I do make this promise. God’s Word is the defender of my soul. It will help me to master the devil, my enemy. It will bring the salvation of my soul. So be it, until victory is God’s and there is no enemy.”
“This is my Bible. There are many like it, but this one is mine. It is my life. I must master it in order to master my life. Without my study, my Bible is useless. Without my Bible, I will be useless. I must divide my Bible true. I must shoot straighter than the enemy who as a roaring lion is seeking to devour me. I must fend him off before he devours me. With God’s Word I will. My Bible teaches that what counts in spiritual warfare is not simply the things I say or believe, but what I do. I know that it is doing the word and not being a hearer only that counts. I will do it.
God’s Word is alive, even as I am alive, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its strength, its promises, its books, its chapters and its verses. I will keep my Bible near and ready, even as I keep myself ready to defend its precepts. We will become part of each other.
Before God, I do make this promise. God’s Word is the defender of my soul. It will help me to master the devil, my enemy. It will bring the salvation of my soul. So be it, until victory is God’s and there is no enemy.”
The Proper Use Of Both Spiritual & National Liberty
(My apologies for not updating this blog recently - this was published in our bulletin on July 2nd)
On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, opened his famous Gettysburg Address with these words, “Four-score and seven years ago, (now 230 years ago) our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal…” President Lincoln was referring, of course, the birth of our great nation.
On July 4, 1776, The United States of America was born. As Americans and as Christians, we have been blessed by God to live here. We have freedom from tyranny and the constitutional right to worship God “in spirit and in truth...” (John 4:24)
Most people in this world do not have this same privilege – true freedom of religion. We often take for granted that which our brethren throughout history have never had. It was not until the Constitution of the United States (June 21, 1788) and the Bill of Rights (December 15, 1791) was adopted that a nation of people had complete freedom of religion. The First Amendment to the Constitution states,
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble....”
Before this (even in some parts of the United States), there was the concept of an official state religion. For instance, the official church of Great Britain was the church of England (Anglican church); in Italy, France and Spain, it was the Roman Catholic church.
Many of those who opposed the religion of their respective homelands and were persecuted for it, (such as the Puritans) came to this continent and established colonies where they could practice their religion freely. The descendants of these religiously persecuted people wanted a guarantee that no single denomination or religious body could be declared an official religion of the United States. They wanted to insure that the kind of religious persecutions their forefathers had endured in Europe would not take place on American soil. It was out of this constitutional freedom that the American restoration movement was born, resulting in the restoration of the Lord’s church.
We often take for granted that which many of our brethren in other countries do not have – freedom from religious persecution! Even still today, many members of the Lord’s church live in countries where they have no constitutional right to practice their religious beliefs. What a struggle they must face each and every day of their lives!
Even though some do not have religious freedom, all Christians, from the First Century to the present have had spiritual freedom and liberty in Christ Jesus. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free... If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed...” (John 8:32, 36). “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free...” (Galatians 5:1) With His own blood, Christ bought for us freedom from bondage in sin (Revelation 1:5; Acts 20:28), freedom from the burdens that a life in sin brings and freedom from the sentence of spiritual death in sin. (Romans 6:23)
In this country, all men and women enjoy national freedom. By our constitution, all men and women have the legal right to pursue life, liberty and happiness. While Americans are a nationally free people, but by and large, are not a spiritually free people, in the sense that Christ meant.
Members of the Lord’s church who live in this great nation have two types of liberty, spiritual and national. We should never allow either type of freedom to be used as an excuse in forsaking doing the will of the Father or to use it for an excuse to do what is wrong. “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh....” (Galatians 5:13a) Yet that is what so many people in our nation today have done with their lives. Rather than in freedom serving their fellow man, many today use that “liberty for a cloke of maliciousness...” (1Peter 2:16a) Read Romans 1:18-32 and see what results when a people turn away from God! “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34).
1Peter 2:16 and Galatians 5:13 implicitly state, that rather than serving the flesh or in otherwise sinning, we must use it “as the servants of God” and “by love serve one another.” Our country today has a spiritual sickness; a disease that has no political or physical cure; an ailment that no medical doctor, lawyer or politician can alleviate. Only the Christ has the answers to the problems besetting this country. It is up to Christians, as servants of God, to lovingly, compassionately, teach the gospel to a lost and dying world, that all men might come to know the healing that only the Great Physician can give. In carrying out this commission, we truly “by love serve one another.”
On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, opened his famous Gettysburg Address with these words, “Four-score and seven years ago, (now 230 years ago) our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal…” President Lincoln was referring, of course, the birth of our great nation.
On July 4, 1776, The United States of America was born. As Americans and as Christians, we have been blessed by God to live here. We have freedom from tyranny and the constitutional right to worship God “in spirit and in truth...” (John 4:24)
Most people in this world do not have this same privilege – true freedom of religion. We often take for granted that which our brethren throughout history have never had. It was not until the Constitution of the United States (June 21, 1788) and the Bill of Rights (December 15, 1791) was adopted that a nation of people had complete freedom of religion. The First Amendment to the Constitution states,
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble....”
Before this (even in some parts of the United States), there was the concept of an official state religion. For instance, the official church of Great Britain was the church of England (Anglican church); in Italy, France and Spain, it was the Roman Catholic church.
Many of those who opposed the religion of their respective homelands and were persecuted for it, (such as the Puritans) came to this continent and established colonies where they could practice their religion freely. The descendants of these religiously persecuted people wanted a guarantee that no single denomination or religious body could be declared an official religion of the United States. They wanted to insure that the kind of religious persecutions their forefathers had endured in Europe would not take place on American soil. It was out of this constitutional freedom that the American restoration movement was born, resulting in the restoration of the Lord’s church.
We often take for granted that which many of our brethren in other countries do not have – freedom from religious persecution! Even still today, many members of the Lord’s church live in countries where they have no constitutional right to practice their religious beliefs. What a struggle they must face each and every day of their lives!
Even though some do not have religious freedom, all Christians, from the First Century to the present have had spiritual freedom and liberty in Christ Jesus. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free... If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed...” (John 8:32, 36). “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free...” (Galatians 5:1) With His own blood, Christ bought for us freedom from bondage in sin (Revelation 1:5; Acts 20:28), freedom from the burdens that a life in sin brings and freedom from the sentence of spiritual death in sin. (Romans 6:23)
In this country, all men and women enjoy national freedom. By our constitution, all men and women have the legal right to pursue life, liberty and happiness. While Americans are a nationally free people, but by and large, are not a spiritually free people, in the sense that Christ meant.
Members of the Lord’s church who live in this great nation have two types of liberty, spiritual and national. We should never allow either type of freedom to be used as an excuse in forsaking doing the will of the Father or to use it for an excuse to do what is wrong. “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh....” (Galatians 5:13a) Yet that is what so many people in our nation today have done with their lives. Rather than in freedom serving their fellow man, many today use that “liberty for a cloke of maliciousness...” (1Peter 2:16a) Read Romans 1:18-32 and see what results when a people turn away from God! “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34).
1Peter 2:16 and Galatians 5:13 implicitly state, that rather than serving the flesh or in otherwise sinning, we must use it “as the servants of God” and “by love serve one another.” Our country today has a spiritual sickness; a disease that has no political or physical cure; an ailment that no medical doctor, lawyer or politician can alleviate. Only the Christ has the answers to the problems besetting this country. It is up to Christians, as servants of God, to lovingly, compassionately, teach the gospel to a lost and dying world, that all men might come to know the healing that only the Great Physician can give. In carrying out this commission, we truly “by love serve one another.”
A Brief Summary of the Book of Romans
Introduction:
The Book of Romans was written by the apostle Paul from the city of Corinth in approximately AD 56. At the time of his writing, he had yet to visit Rome, though he greatly desired to do so. It was not until approximately AD 61 that he was able to “visit” Rome, and then, only as a prisoner under house arrest for two years. He was released in AD 63 and finally was rearrested and executed there in AD 68.
This grandest of Paul’s epistles, teaches us many great lessons, but perhaps the greatest principle it teaches us is the fact that man is justified by faith in Jesus Christ. Paul’s main focus in writing this epistle to the church at Rome is to emphasize this point. The doctrine of justification is developed throughout the first eleven chapters of the book. The remainder of the book deals with our life as a Christian, once we have been justified. Romans chapter 1 begins with Paul’s introduction and with an inspiring statement about the Gospel’s power for salvation. Paul then goes into great detail throughout the entire book to expound upon the Gospel’s good news of salvation and justification by faith in Jesus Christ.
Justification Is Necessary: Chapters 1-4
After Paul gives his opening address, he gets right down to business with the remainder of chapter 1 to show how the Gentiles are in sin and are in need of justification and salvation. Having established that the Gentiles are in sin, Paul in chapter 2 goes on to explain that the Jews also are in condemnation and in sin because of their unbelief in the Gospel. In chapter 3, Paul concludes that no one is righteous, if they are seeking justification on their own terms. He states that all have sinned, both Jews and Gentiles, and that all mankind is in need of justification on because of their sins.
The Jew’s religion (at this point it was no longer the religion of God) had devolved into a system of salvation by works. They believed that in the outward display of keeping to the tenets of the Law of Moses they could merit salvation. The Jews had much pride in the fact that they kept the letter of this law (according to their traditions). They did not understand that the Law did not absolve them from sin and that justification only came by faith in God, demonstrated by obedience, not by mere law-keeping.
In chapter 4, Paul uses the example of Abraham to show proof that one does not have to be circumcised or be under the Law of Moses to be justified. Abraham’s obedience and faith – before he was under the covenant of circumcision – was accounted unto him for righteousness. God kept His promise to Abraham because of his faith.
Justification Is Effective: Chapters 5-8
In chapter 5, we see the multitude of blessings that we have in Christ. The justification through faith in Christ brings us into a right relationship with God. Only through Christ can we have atonement and know the depths of God’s grace, love and mercy. Chapter 6 shows us the method by which God has chosen for us to demonstrate our faith in order to receive justification and that is in baptism. In submission to water baptism our faith is imputed to us for righteousness. We die to sin and death itself.
Chapter 7 deals with the Law of Moses and its termination. We see the purpose of the law, its emphasis and its effect on the conscience of man. Paul demonstrates that the Law of Moses died at the cross and we are now under the law of Christ. Christ fulfilled and replaced the Law of Moses bringing into effect His law of faith. Chapter 8 teaches that there is no power on earth to forcibly, against our will, remove us from the love of Christ once we have been justified by faith in Him.
The Nation of Israel: Chapter 9-11
This section deals mainly with the rejection of Christ by the Jewish nation as a whole. As well, Paul deals with the definition of who a true “Jew” is. Israel believed that they were saved because of their ethnicity and that only they were meant to have salvation. Paul demonstrates how that all who are justified by faith are the spiritual seed of Abraham. We also learn that the Gospel’s rejection by the Jews made possible its acceptance by the Gentiles.
Practical Application: Chapter 12-16
Chapter 12 deals with the quality of our spiritual life and how we are to deal with others, both friend and foe. Chapter 13 teaches us how we are to deal with those in governmental authority over us and of the urgency of salvation. Chapters 14 and 15 deal with matters of mutual respect and judgment and the example we have in righteousness in Jesus Christ. In chapter 16, we see Paul’s example of love for the brethren in his greetings to certain members of the church at Rome. And finally in chapter 16:17-20 we have Paul’s admonition to remain faithful and holy and to mark those who cause division.
The Book of Romans was written by the apostle Paul from the city of Corinth in approximately AD 56. At the time of his writing, he had yet to visit Rome, though he greatly desired to do so. It was not until approximately AD 61 that he was able to “visit” Rome, and then, only as a prisoner under house arrest for two years. He was released in AD 63 and finally was rearrested and executed there in AD 68.
This grandest of Paul’s epistles, teaches us many great lessons, but perhaps the greatest principle it teaches us is the fact that man is justified by faith in Jesus Christ. Paul’s main focus in writing this epistle to the church at Rome is to emphasize this point. The doctrine of justification is developed throughout the first eleven chapters of the book. The remainder of the book deals with our life as a Christian, once we have been justified. Romans chapter 1 begins with Paul’s introduction and with an inspiring statement about the Gospel’s power for salvation. Paul then goes into great detail throughout the entire book to expound upon the Gospel’s good news of salvation and justification by faith in Jesus Christ.
Justification Is Necessary: Chapters 1-4
After Paul gives his opening address, he gets right down to business with the remainder of chapter 1 to show how the Gentiles are in sin and are in need of justification and salvation. Having established that the Gentiles are in sin, Paul in chapter 2 goes on to explain that the Jews also are in condemnation and in sin because of their unbelief in the Gospel. In chapter 3, Paul concludes that no one is righteous, if they are seeking justification on their own terms. He states that all have sinned, both Jews and Gentiles, and that all mankind is in need of justification on because of their sins.
The Jew’s religion (at this point it was no longer the religion of God) had devolved into a system of salvation by works. They believed that in the outward display of keeping to the tenets of the Law of Moses they could merit salvation. The Jews had much pride in the fact that they kept the letter of this law (according to their traditions). They did not understand that the Law did not absolve them from sin and that justification only came by faith in God, demonstrated by obedience, not by mere law-keeping.
In chapter 4, Paul uses the example of Abraham to show proof that one does not have to be circumcised or be under the Law of Moses to be justified. Abraham’s obedience and faith – before he was under the covenant of circumcision – was accounted unto him for righteousness. God kept His promise to Abraham because of his faith.
Justification Is Effective: Chapters 5-8
In chapter 5, we see the multitude of blessings that we have in Christ. The justification through faith in Christ brings us into a right relationship with God. Only through Christ can we have atonement and know the depths of God’s grace, love and mercy. Chapter 6 shows us the method by which God has chosen for us to demonstrate our faith in order to receive justification and that is in baptism. In submission to water baptism our faith is imputed to us for righteousness. We die to sin and death itself.
Chapter 7 deals with the Law of Moses and its termination. We see the purpose of the law, its emphasis and its effect on the conscience of man. Paul demonstrates that the Law of Moses died at the cross and we are now under the law of Christ. Christ fulfilled and replaced the Law of Moses bringing into effect His law of faith. Chapter 8 teaches that there is no power on earth to forcibly, against our will, remove us from the love of Christ once we have been justified by faith in Him.
The Nation of Israel: Chapter 9-11
This section deals mainly with the rejection of Christ by the Jewish nation as a whole. As well, Paul deals with the definition of who a true “Jew” is. Israel believed that they were saved because of their ethnicity and that only they were meant to have salvation. Paul demonstrates how that all who are justified by faith are the spiritual seed of Abraham. We also learn that the Gospel’s rejection by the Jews made possible its acceptance by the Gentiles.
Practical Application: Chapter 12-16
Chapter 12 deals with the quality of our spiritual life and how we are to deal with others, both friend and foe. Chapter 13 teaches us how we are to deal with those in governmental authority over us and of the urgency of salvation. Chapters 14 and 15 deal with matters of mutual respect and judgment and the example we have in righteousness in Jesus Christ. In chapter 16, we see Paul’s example of love for the brethren in his greetings to certain members of the church at Rome. And finally in chapter 16:17-20 we have Paul’s admonition to remain faithful and holy and to mark those who cause division.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
A Father’s Day Letter To Our Heavenly Father
Dear Heavenly Father:
Words cannot describe my feelings of gratitude and love for You. You have given me all that I have, and You have seen to it that nothing I needed was held back from me. You gave me life; You gave me of your time and You even gave to me that which was most precious of Yours. You made sacrifice after sacrifice for me, not out of a sense of obligation, but because You loved me and wanted for me to have the best.
I thank you Father, for Your love and Your care for me, even though at times I was grossly undeserving of it, and rarely loved You in return. I turned my back on You and did not appreciate Your sacrifices, or Your love. But You, Dear Father, never gave up on me. You put up with all the abuse You received from me and You were patient while I was in open defiance and rebellion against You and Your teachings.
But now, Dear Father, through Your careful, patient and tender-loving care of me and through Your teachings, You have changed my life and shown me how me to become a child worthy of You. I therefore pray, that one day, I will become the kind of man that You would be proud to have as a son.
Dear Father, You have completely forgiven me of all that I have done against You and even built for me a place in Your house. You have received me back into Your life and blessed me once more with a family and a brotherhood. Father, surrounded by the evidence of Your love, I stand amazed that You have chosen to do all this for such a undeserving and unworthy child as I am. I hope and pray, Dear Father that I will never forget, nor take for granted Your love and concern for me; that I will always be mindful of You and that I will be ever grateful for Your wonderful expression of paternal loving-kindness toward me.
Finally, Dear Father, I pray that I can be the kind of father to my children that You would have me to be and that they will come to know You and to love You as I do. I pray that they will come to a knowledge of, and understanding of Your Word; that they can truly be in fellowship with You and know You as I do. Dear Lord, You have given so much to me and I pray that I will give myself wholly to You and that I will never again forsake You. Father, I love You with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind. I pray that my worship this Father’s Day will be to you a sweet savor and that it will be done in spirit, as well as in truth. Dear Father, as I close this letter, I want you to know that I will dedicate each and every day of my life to You and that truly every day, to me, will be Father’s Day.
In Love and Awe of You,
Your Humble and Obedient Child
Words cannot describe my feelings of gratitude and love for You. You have given me all that I have, and You have seen to it that nothing I needed was held back from me. You gave me life; You gave me of your time and You even gave to me that which was most precious of Yours. You made sacrifice after sacrifice for me, not out of a sense of obligation, but because You loved me and wanted for me to have the best.
I thank you Father, for Your love and Your care for me, even though at times I was grossly undeserving of it, and rarely loved You in return. I turned my back on You and did not appreciate Your sacrifices, or Your love. But You, Dear Father, never gave up on me. You put up with all the abuse You received from me and You were patient while I was in open defiance and rebellion against You and Your teachings.
But now, Dear Father, through Your careful, patient and tender-loving care of me and through Your teachings, You have changed my life and shown me how me to become a child worthy of You. I therefore pray, that one day, I will become the kind of man that You would be proud to have as a son.
Dear Father, You have completely forgiven me of all that I have done against You and even built for me a place in Your house. You have received me back into Your life and blessed me once more with a family and a brotherhood. Father, surrounded by the evidence of Your love, I stand amazed that You have chosen to do all this for such a undeserving and unworthy child as I am. I hope and pray, Dear Father that I will never forget, nor take for granted Your love and concern for me; that I will always be mindful of You and that I will be ever grateful for Your wonderful expression of paternal loving-kindness toward me.
Finally, Dear Father, I pray that I can be the kind of father to my children that You would have me to be and that they will come to know You and to love You as I do. I pray that they will come to a knowledge of, and understanding of Your Word; that they can truly be in fellowship with You and know You as I do. Dear Lord, You have given so much to me and I pray that I will give myself wholly to You and that I will never again forsake You. Father, I love You with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind. I pray that my worship this Father’s Day will be to you a sweet savor and that it will be done in spirit, as well as in truth. Dear Father, as I close this letter, I want you to know that I will dedicate each and every day of my life to You and that truly every day, to me, will be Father’s Day.
In Love and Awe of You,
Your Humble and Obedient Child
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Thaddeus of Jericho
Thaddeus of Jericho was a member of the Sanhedrin Council.
As a teenage boy growing up in Jericho, while standing in the shade of a sycamore tree, he witnessed Jesus’ entry into Jericho and His subsequent healing of a blind man.
As Jesus approached the sycamore tree under which he was standing, their eyes briefly met – for the rest of his life, Thaddeus would never forget – that brief, fleeting moment, in which Jesus’ eyes fixed upon his and he saw what looked liked recognition, followed quickly by an intense sadness. He overheard Jesus speaking to the local tax collector and wondered why Jesus would even talk to such a man. About a week after this encounter, Thaddeus heard the news of Jesus’ crucifixion and a rumor that someone had stolen the body.
As the years went by and Thaddeus became a young man, he went to Jerusalem to study with a teacher named Gamaliel. One of the other students was a young man from Tarsus. Both young men, grew to be highly respected Rabbi’s, very zealous of the Law and of the traditions of the elders. On a certain afternoon, when the young man from Tarsus had been selected for a very important assignment in Damascus, Thaddeus found himself with nothing to do, and because of a conversation he had had about the Jesus sect, he sought out and found one of the disciples of Jesus, Bartholomew, and spoke privately with him.
After hearing what Bartholomew had to say about Jesus and the gospel – he believed in Jesus. However, being afraid of what his fellow Pharisees might think, he wrote these words on a piece of parchment, “O merciful Jesus thou art the Son of the Most High God. To whom else shall I turn? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” Removing a stone from the wall of his chamber, he hid these beautiful words behind the stone. There they remained, undisturbed, from his death in AD 70 until 1949. During an excavation in Old Jerusalem, a section of wall was found containing this parchment and other documents dating back to A.D. 43.
About the same time, Thaddeus’ friend and fellow student of Gamaliel, Saul of Tarsus had his encounter with the resurrected Savior on the road to Damascus. Later he would boldly confess, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." (Romans 1:16)
We all know what followed. Everybody has heard of what the Apostle Paul accomplished by his bold ministry in Christ. Now of course there is no such person as Thaddeus of Jericho, but if there were, who would have ever heard of him?
If our life is to bear fruit for Christ, then we cannot hide our love for Him behind a stone in the wall.
As a teenage boy growing up in Jericho, while standing in the shade of a sycamore tree, he witnessed Jesus’ entry into Jericho and His subsequent healing of a blind man.
As Jesus approached the sycamore tree under which he was standing, their eyes briefly met – for the rest of his life, Thaddeus would never forget – that brief, fleeting moment, in which Jesus’ eyes fixed upon his and he saw what looked liked recognition, followed quickly by an intense sadness. He overheard Jesus speaking to the local tax collector and wondered why Jesus would even talk to such a man. About a week after this encounter, Thaddeus heard the news of Jesus’ crucifixion and a rumor that someone had stolen the body.
As the years went by and Thaddeus became a young man, he went to Jerusalem to study with a teacher named Gamaliel. One of the other students was a young man from Tarsus. Both young men, grew to be highly respected Rabbi’s, very zealous of the Law and of the traditions of the elders. On a certain afternoon, when the young man from Tarsus had been selected for a very important assignment in Damascus, Thaddeus found himself with nothing to do, and because of a conversation he had had about the Jesus sect, he sought out and found one of the disciples of Jesus, Bartholomew, and spoke privately with him.
After hearing what Bartholomew had to say about Jesus and the gospel – he believed in Jesus. However, being afraid of what his fellow Pharisees might think, he wrote these words on a piece of parchment, “O merciful Jesus thou art the Son of the Most High God. To whom else shall I turn? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” Removing a stone from the wall of his chamber, he hid these beautiful words behind the stone. There they remained, undisturbed, from his death in AD 70 until 1949. During an excavation in Old Jerusalem, a section of wall was found containing this parchment and other documents dating back to A.D. 43.
About the same time, Thaddeus’ friend and fellow student of Gamaliel, Saul of Tarsus had his encounter with the resurrected Savior on the road to Damascus. Later he would boldly confess, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." (Romans 1:16)
We all know what followed. Everybody has heard of what the Apostle Paul accomplished by his bold ministry in Christ. Now of course there is no such person as Thaddeus of Jericho, but if there were, who would have ever heard of him?
If our life is to bear fruit for Christ, then we cannot hide our love for Him behind a stone in the wall.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Blessed Are They That Mourn
“Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” – Matthew 5:4
With these words, Jesus continued His great “Sermon on the Mount” With them He builds upon the first Beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) The one who is poor in spirit recognizes his dependence upon God and knows that if it were not for the mercy and grace of God he would be without hope. One who posses this attitude, will then find himself in a state of sorrow over the hopelessness of his sinful situation. Like Paul, he will sorrowfully cry out, ”O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24)
When we understand the terrible consequences of sin in our lives we should be moved to sorrow – this is a sign of an honest and good heart. Why? Because godly sorrow leads to repentance. In the First Corinthian Epistle, Paul sharply rebuked the brethren there for tolerating sin in their midst. This rebuke was well received and effected great change in the church at Corinth because in the Second Corinthian Epistle, we find that the brethren had repented out of sorrow for their sin. “Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.” (2 Corinthians 7:9)
Paul then goes on to draw a distinction between their godly sorrow which led to true repentance and worldly sorrow. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (2 Corinthiand 7:10) Godly sorrow leads to repentance and then repentance leads to salvation. Worldly sorrow, which is not sorrow over sin, but rather sorrow over getting caught. When worldly people get into trouble and are punished and the punishment escalates to a level they can no longer deal with, then they will change – they will stop the behavior. However, this is not godly sorrow – this is worldly sorrow. Thousands of inmates in our prison system are sorry for their crime – sorry they got caught. Most are not sorry they committed the crime and because their sorrow is strictly of a wordly nature, they often go right back into crime after they are released.
As 2 Corinthians 7:10 implies, this kind of worldly sorrow leads to “salvation” that is “repented of”. In other words, they fall from their false sense of salvation and become lost in sin once more, because they never truly repented. Repentence is a change of mind toward or about sin, which in turn leads to a change of action. The kind of repentence that merely says, “Oops, I got caught and now I’m sorry” is unable save anyone.
If one is truly poor in spirit and mourns over sin and his own inability to overcome sin, then he will be moved unto repentance and will inherit the kingdom of God and in it, be comforted.
With these words, Jesus continued His great “Sermon on the Mount” With them He builds upon the first Beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) The one who is poor in spirit recognizes his dependence upon God and knows that if it were not for the mercy and grace of God he would be without hope. One who posses this attitude, will then find himself in a state of sorrow over the hopelessness of his sinful situation. Like Paul, he will sorrowfully cry out, ”O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24)
When we understand the terrible consequences of sin in our lives we should be moved to sorrow – this is a sign of an honest and good heart. Why? Because godly sorrow leads to repentance. In the First Corinthian Epistle, Paul sharply rebuked the brethren there for tolerating sin in their midst. This rebuke was well received and effected great change in the church at Corinth because in the Second Corinthian Epistle, we find that the brethren had repented out of sorrow for their sin. “Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.” (2 Corinthians 7:9)
Paul then goes on to draw a distinction between their godly sorrow which led to true repentance and worldly sorrow. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (2 Corinthiand 7:10) Godly sorrow leads to repentance and then repentance leads to salvation. Worldly sorrow, which is not sorrow over sin, but rather sorrow over getting caught. When worldly people get into trouble and are punished and the punishment escalates to a level they can no longer deal with, then they will change – they will stop the behavior. However, this is not godly sorrow – this is worldly sorrow. Thousands of inmates in our prison system are sorry for their crime – sorry they got caught. Most are not sorry they committed the crime and because their sorrow is strictly of a wordly nature, they often go right back into crime after they are released.
As 2 Corinthians 7:10 implies, this kind of worldly sorrow leads to “salvation” that is “repented of”. In other words, they fall from their false sense of salvation and become lost in sin once more, because they never truly repented. Repentence is a change of mind toward or about sin, which in turn leads to a change of action. The kind of repentence that merely says, “Oops, I got caught and now I’m sorry” is unable save anyone.
If one is truly poor in spirit and mourns over sin and his own inability to overcome sin, then he will be moved unto repentance and will inherit the kingdom of God and in it, be comforted.
Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit
The Lord began His great sermon, known as the Sermon on the Mount with these words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) With these words Jesus began one of the greatest orations in the history of mankind. There have been many great speeches or sermons given by men, both inspired or non-inspired, that have shaped the course of human history. Great speeches such as the one given at the Gettysburg battlefield in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln, or the wartime speeches of Winston Churchill, have inspired men to accomplish great and noble deeds – yet even these great speeches pale in comparison to this majestic and beautiful sermon preached by our Savior in Matthew 5:3 through Matthew 7:27.
In His sermon Jesus lays out the foundational principles of His glorious spiritual kingdom. He opens with the first great principle of importance in the life of a child of God – dependency upon God. For one to become a child of God they must begin with an honest and good heart (Luke 8:15). One with an honest and good heart recognizes that, of himself, he can do nothing, but must instead rely upon God. If one does not possess this innate knowledge of his own dependency on God, he will never fully submit to God, attempting instead to guide himself through life. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23) It is not possible to live the life God would have us to live without placing ourselves under His guidance – in humble submission to His Will.
The level of man’s dependency upon God is seen in the way the child of God is described as “poor in spirit.” The word “poor” carries the idea of being one who is destitute, or a beggar. Beggars were a common sight in the first century, as there was no welfare system in place. One who was unable to support himself or his family because of some type of disability had no other option but to beg for his daily bread. He was totally dependant upon the benevolence of others. Likewise, one who would be a child of God also recognizes that he is totally dependant upon the benevolence or grace of God for his spiritual sustenance.
The one who would be a child of God understands that he is a spiritual beggar. It is in the knowledge of our own spiritual poverty and dependence upon God that we find the strength to live the Christian life. This is what Paul meant when he said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13) In another passage he said, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10) When we rely upon God’s strength rather than our own, we find that He gives us strength to overcome and endure the heartaches and woes of this earthly life.
Jesus says, “blessed”, or eternally happy, will be those who recognize this dependence upon God for both salvation and guidance. In what way will the “poor in spirit” be blessed? They will be blessed because “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Those who submit themselves to God will be added to the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is that spiritual body composed of those who are saved. On earth, that kingdom is the church and when the end comes (i.e. the end of the world) Christ shall, deliver “up the kingdom to God.” (1 Corinthians 15:24) Those who are in the kingdom, Christians, shall then be blessed to be in the presence of God throughout eternity.
In His sermon Jesus lays out the foundational principles of His glorious spiritual kingdom. He opens with the first great principle of importance in the life of a child of God – dependency upon God. For one to become a child of God they must begin with an honest and good heart (Luke 8:15). One with an honest and good heart recognizes that, of himself, he can do nothing, but must instead rely upon God. If one does not possess this innate knowledge of his own dependency on God, he will never fully submit to God, attempting instead to guide himself through life. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23) It is not possible to live the life God would have us to live without placing ourselves under His guidance – in humble submission to His Will.
The level of man’s dependency upon God is seen in the way the child of God is described as “poor in spirit.” The word “poor” carries the idea of being one who is destitute, or a beggar. Beggars were a common sight in the first century, as there was no welfare system in place. One who was unable to support himself or his family because of some type of disability had no other option but to beg for his daily bread. He was totally dependant upon the benevolence of others. Likewise, one who would be a child of God also recognizes that he is totally dependant upon the benevolence or grace of God for his spiritual sustenance.
The one who would be a child of God understands that he is a spiritual beggar. It is in the knowledge of our own spiritual poverty and dependence upon God that we find the strength to live the Christian life. This is what Paul meant when he said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13) In another passage he said, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10) When we rely upon God’s strength rather than our own, we find that He gives us strength to overcome and endure the heartaches and woes of this earthly life.
Jesus says, “blessed”, or eternally happy, will be those who recognize this dependence upon God for both salvation and guidance. In what way will the “poor in spirit” be blessed? They will be blessed because “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Those who submit themselves to God will be added to the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is that spiritual body composed of those who are saved. On earth, that kingdom is the church and when the end comes (i.e. the end of the world) Christ shall, deliver “up the kingdom to God.” (1 Corinthians 15:24) Those who are in the kingdom, Christians, shall then be blessed to be in the presence of God throughout eternity.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Spiritual $ecurity
We have all heard of Social Security – the system whereby the government withholds money from our income and places it in a trust fund so that when we reach retirement age, currently age 62, we can receive a government check. Social Security was put in place by the Roosevelt administration during the depression in August, 1935 and has for the last 70 years provided income for millions of retired and elderly people. For many, Social Security is their sole source of income to meet their daily needs.
Recently, there have been news reports that Social Security is failing and that in its current form it will be out of funds by the year 2041. This news is not so bad to those who are at or nearing retirement age now. However, those who will not be contemplating retirement for another 30-40 years (the twenty and thirty-something’s) had better begin making other plans with regard to retirement! Even if Social Security does not completely fail as predicted – it still does not provide much relief to our elderly and retired friends and family. At best, Social Security only provides for the most basic of needs and in reality it is truly Social IN-Security!
Our national system of Social Security is far from perfect. This is true even just within its scope! Its scope does not even address the most important of all human needs – the need for SPIRITUAL Security. We must not look to the United States government or any other government to provide for our spiritual needs – because human does not have the answer. We must look to God and to God alone for the Spiritual Security that we need in this Spiritually insecure world.
The apostle Paul was one who realized that in God he had true Spiritual security. In his second letter to the young evangelist, Timothy, written during his final imprisonment – not long before he was put to death – Paul wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)
In this verse, Paul expresses his trust in God in spite of all the things that he suffered for the cause of Christ in the past (See 2 Corinthians 11:23-28) and in spite of his current imprisonment and impending execution. Why was Paul so secure in the Spirit? He knew the power of the One in whom he believed and in whom he put his trust. He knew, as should we, that God is in control and that as long as he was faithful God would deliver on His promise of eternal life. Paul, by the Spirit, wrote, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) From this we learn that no outside force can separate us from God. Notice, however, that this passage does not say that we cannot separate our selves from God! There are many passages that teach that a Christian can fall from grace (e.g. 1 Corinthians 10:12; 2 Peter 2:20).
Why was Paul so secure in the Spirit? Because he had committed himself to God’s keeping. He had made his life a living sacrifice unto God. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1) Paul knew that as long as he just kept doing the will of God and kept pressing forward in the Lord’s work he would never fall. “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)
What about you, are you Spiritually secure as was Paul? Or, are you placing your trust somewhere else, unsure as to whether that in which you have it will be eternally sufficient? If you are not Spiritually secure, then why don’t you give yourself fully to God? You can be sure that in God you will have Spiritual security for all of eternity, if you will but be faithful!
We may or may not be persuaded that the Social Security Administration is able to keep that which we have committed (i.e. our Social Security withholdings) against the day of our retirement. But we can and should be assured that God is ABLE to do so!
Recently, there have been news reports that Social Security is failing and that in its current form it will be out of funds by the year 2041. This news is not so bad to those who are at or nearing retirement age now. However, those who will not be contemplating retirement for another 30-40 years (the twenty and thirty-something’s) had better begin making other plans with regard to retirement! Even if Social Security does not completely fail as predicted – it still does not provide much relief to our elderly and retired friends and family. At best, Social Security only provides for the most basic of needs and in reality it is truly Social IN-Security!
Our national system of Social Security is far from perfect. This is true even just within its scope! Its scope does not even address the most important of all human needs – the need for SPIRITUAL Security. We must not look to the United States government or any other government to provide for our spiritual needs – because human does not have the answer. We must look to God and to God alone for the Spiritual Security that we need in this Spiritually insecure world.
The apostle Paul was one who realized that in God he had true Spiritual security. In his second letter to the young evangelist, Timothy, written during his final imprisonment – not long before he was put to death – Paul wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)
In this verse, Paul expresses his trust in God in spite of all the things that he suffered for the cause of Christ in the past (See 2 Corinthians 11:23-28) and in spite of his current imprisonment and impending execution. Why was Paul so secure in the Spirit? He knew the power of the One in whom he believed and in whom he put his trust. He knew, as should we, that God is in control and that as long as he was faithful God would deliver on His promise of eternal life. Paul, by the Spirit, wrote, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) From this we learn that no outside force can separate us from God. Notice, however, that this passage does not say that we cannot separate our selves from God! There are many passages that teach that a Christian can fall from grace (e.g. 1 Corinthians 10:12; 2 Peter 2:20).
Why was Paul so secure in the Spirit? Because he had committed himself to God’s keeping. He had made his life a living sacrifice unto God. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1) Paul knew that as long as he just kept doing the will of God and kept pressing forward in the Lord’s work he would never fall. “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)
What about you, are you Spiritually secure as was Paul? Or, are you placing your trust somewhere else, unsure as to whether that in which you have it will be eternally sufficient? If you are not Spiritually secure, then why don’t you give yourself fully to God? You can be sure that in God you will have Spiritual security for all of eternity, if you will but be faithful!
We may or may not be persuaded that the Social Security Administration is able to keep that which we have committed (i.e. our Social Security withholdings) against the day of our retirement. But we can and should be assured that God is ABLE to do so!
Are You Spiritually Minded? A Self Test
NOTE: The author of this Blog Entry is my beautiful Christian wife Kathy J. McNiel
“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
– Romans 8:6
Many magazines have self tests that can help readers to learn something about themselves: “Are you in a healthy relationship?”, “Are you depressed?”, “How old is your brain?”, “What is your aura’s color?” etc. While these quizzes can be interesting and are occasionally useful, here is one that may hold the key to your eternity. Think about these questions honestly and you may find out something interesting about yourself…
1.On Saturday, are you usually:
a)Staying up all night to finish the movie marathon or big game on TV?
b)Having a blast down at the bingo parlor?
c)Preparing yourself to worship God the next morning by getting enough sleep and taking care of other plans for Sunday (lunch, clothes, activities)? (Exodus 19:10-16, John 4:24)
2.On Sunday morning, would you rather:
a)Commune with God by enjoying His creation?
b)Participate in a family activity or other recreation?
c)Assemble with the saints and worship your God in Heaven? (Revelation 4:11)
3.Do you show greater respect (in both attire and attitude) when you are:
a)Attending a funeral for a close friend or relative?
b)Called to meet with your boss or a client?
c)Remembering Christ’s suffering and death at His table? (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)
4.What holds your attention longer and more closely:
a)A good movie, book or TV show?
b)Your favorite video game?
c)The preaching and study of God’s Word? (1 Corinthinans 1:21, Philippians 4:8)
5.When the preacher offers the invitation at the end of his sermon, do you start:
a)Packing up the snacks and toys your child has strewn about the pew?
b)Thinking about what you’re going to have for dinner?
c)Thinking about how you can apply that sermon to your own life? (James 1:22-25)
6.Do you feel it is important to attend worship services or Bible study:
a)When it doesn’t conflict with other plans?
b)Occasionally, but at least once a month?
c)Every time the doors are open (if you are physically able)? (Hebrews 10:25,
13:15)
7.When the elders of your congregation ask you to do something, do you:
a)Just ignore what they have said?
b)Get together with your friends and complain about it?
c)Do your best to comply, as long as it doesn’t conflict with God’s Laws? (Hebrews 13:17)
8.Do you spend a greater percentage of your time:
a)Working to have money for stuff?
b)Participating in recreational activities?
c)Studying God’s Word and carrying out His commandments? (2 Timothy 2:15)
9.When something really good happens in your life, is your first thought:
a)To give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back?
b)To call Mom for a well-deserved “atta-boy?”
c)To pray and offer God a well-deserved “Thank You” for your blessings?
(2Corinthinans 9:11, Revelation 7:12)
10.In raising your children, is it more important that they:
a)Get straight A’s in school?
b)Learn how to be good athletes/musicians/Boy Scouts?
c)Study their Bibles daily and become faithful Christians? (Ephesians 6:4,
1 Timothy 4:8, Ecclesiastes 12:1)
11.What have you more frequently shared with a friend, coworker or neighbor:
a)The name of a good mechanic?
b)Your famous chocolate trifle recipe?
c)An invitation to study the Bible? (Proverbs 11:30, Mark 16:15)
12.When the world (or your fellow Christians or God) sees you, do they see:
a)Someone who is not different from the world at all?
b)Someone who claims to be a Christian, but doesn’t hold it as a high priority?
c)A reason to ask about the “hope that is within you?” (Matthew 5:14, 1 Peter 3:15)
Our text, Romans 6:8, only gives us two options: spiritually minded, which is life, or carnally minded, which is death. Where do you fall? If you answered nothing but “C,” you can likely say that you are spiritually-minded. Good start. Now go study your Bible even more! If your answers tend more to the “A” and “B” range, could it be that you need to take a long look at what you have placed as priorities in your life?
God’s Word reminds us that we cannot be friends of both the world and God: Matthew 6:24, James 4:4. Remember also that our children will learn their priorities from us… what are we teaching the next generation when we allow other things in our lives to come before our service and worship to God? When we allow the world and earthly pursuits to take over our thinking and our priorities (and those of our children), be assured that we are pushing Christ out of our lives. As we stop fighting for Christ on a daily basis, Matthew 12:30 tells us that we start fighting against Him. On the judgment day, which of us wants to be found on the wrong side of a losing battle? Please listen to the words of Paul to the Christians in Corinth and Rome:
“… Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
(2 Corinthians 6:2)
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” (Romans 13:11)
If you are not comfortable with your answers to any of the above questions, or you think that God might not be comfortable with them, it is indeed “high time to awake.” Now is the time to change your thinking and put God first in your life, before it is everlastingly too late.
“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
– Romans 8:6
Many magazines have self tests that can help readers to learn something about themselves: “Are you in a healthy relationship?”, “Are you depressed?”, “How old is your brain?”, “What is your aura’s color?” etc. While these quizzes can be interesting and are occasionally useful, here is one that may hold the key to your eternity. Think about these questions honestly and you may find out something interesting about yourself…
1.On Saturday, are you usually:
a)Staying up all night to finish the movie marathon or big game on TV?
b)Having a blast down at the bingo parlor?
c)Preparing yourself to worship God the next morning by getting enough sleep and taking care of other plans for Sunday (lunch, clothes, activities)? (Exodus 19:10-16, John 4:24)
2.On Sunday morning, would you rather:
a)Commune with God by enjoying His creation?
b)Participate in a family activity or other recreation?
c)Assemble with the saints and worship your God in Heaven? (Revelation 4:11)
3.Do you show greater respect (in both attire and attitude) when you are:
a)Attending a funeral for a close friend or relative?
b)Called to meet with your boss or a client?
c)Remembering Christ’s suffering and death at His table? (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)
4.What holds your attention longer and more closely:
a)A good movie, book or TV show?
b)Your favorite video game?
c)The preaching and study of God’s Word? (1 Corinthinans 1:21, Philippians 4:8)
5.When the preacher offers the invitation at the end of his sermon, do you start:
a)Packing up the snacks and toys your child has strewn about the pew?
b)Thinking about what you’re going to have for dinner?
c)Thinking about how you can apply that sermon to your own life? (James 1:22-25)
6.Do you feel it is important to attend worship services or Bible study:
a)When it doesn’t conflict with other plans?
b)Occasionally, but at least once a month?
c)Every time the doors are open (if you are physically able)? (Hebrews 10:25,
13:15)
7.When the elders of your congregation ask you to do something, do you:
a)Just ignore what they have said?
b)Get together with your friends and complain about it?
c)Do your best to comply, as long as it doesn’t conflict with God’s Laws? (Hebrews 13:17)
8.Do you spend a greater percentage of your time:
a)Working to have money for stuff?
b)Participating in recreational activities?
c)Studying God’s Word and carrying out His commandments? (2 Timothy 2:15)
9.When something really good happens in your life, is your first thought:
a)To give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back?
b)To call Mom for a well-deserved “atta-boy?”
c)To pray and offer God a well-deserved “Thank You” for your blessings?
(2Corinthinans 9:11, Revelation 7:12)
10.In raising your children, is it more important that they:
a)Get straight A’s in school?
b)Learn how to be good athletes/musicians/Boy Scouts?
c)Study their Bibles daily and become faithful Christians? (Ephesians 6:4,
1 Timothy 4:8, Ecclesiastes 12:1)
11.What have you more frequently shared with a friend, coworker or neighbor:
a)The name of a good mechanic?
b)Your famous chocolate trifle recipe?
c)An invitation to study the Bible? (Proverbs 11:30, Mark 16:15)
12.When the world (or your fellow Christians or God) sees you, do they see:
a)Someone who is not different from the world at all?
b)Someone who claims to be a Christian, but doesn’t hold it as a high priority?
c)A reason to ask about the “hope that is within you?” (Matthew 5:14, 1 Peter 3:15)
Our text, Romans 6:8, only gives us two options: spiritually minded, which is life, or carnally minded, which is death. Where do you fall? If you answered nothing but “C,” you can likely say that you are spiritually-minded. Good start. Now go study your Bible even more! If your answers tend more to the “A” and “B” range, could it be that you need to take a long look at what you have placed as priorities in your life?
God’s Word reminds us that we cannot be friends of both the world and God: Matthew 6:24, James 4:4. Remember also that our children will learn their priorities from us… what are we teaching the next generation when we allow other things in our lives to come before our service and worship to God? When we allow the world and earthly pursuits to take over our thinking and our priorities (and those of our children), be assured that we are pushing Christ out of our lives. As we stop fighting for Christ on a daily basis, Matthew 12:30 tells us that we start fighting against Him. On the judgment day, which of us wants to be found on the wrong side of a losing battle? Please listen to the words of Paul to the Christians in Corinth and Rome:
“… Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
(2 Corinthians 6:2)
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” (Romans 13:11)
If you are not comfortable with your answers to any of the above questions, or you think that God might not be comfortable with them, it is indeed “high time to awake.” Now is the time to change your thinking and put God first in your life, before it is everlastingly too late.
Why Does God Allow The Innocent To Suffer?
When an innocent child suffers and then dies, such as with the case of David and Bathsheba’s first child (2 Samuel 12:13-24), the parents are often given sympathetic answers from people who mean well. But most of the clichés that are offered up give little real comfort. The idea that he has gone on to a better place still does not answer as to why the child had to suffer and die in the first place. It does not explain why the one’s left behind now have to suffer grief and loss. The idea that many express that it was just his time or that it was God’s will is just plain false.
The inadequacy of this answer was well illustrated on the day that John F. Kennedy Jr. died. That evening, Billy Graham was being interviewed by Larry King, and the subject of Mr. Kennedy’s premature death arose. When asked what he thought of it, Billy Graham answered with the tired old cliché, that it was just his time; that it was just God’s will. Larry King then answered and said, “Do you mean to tell me that God wanted him to die?” Billy Graham said not a word. Mr. King saw through the hypocrisy of Billy Graham’s statement immediately. When “Christians” like Billy Graham contradict themselves about the nature of God, it fuels the fires of the controversy over the presence of evil in the world. To say that God wills for any person to suffer and die is to ascribe evil intent on the part of God.
This has been heard for centuries. Gideon in Judges 6 first made it. If God is so good, why does He let bad things happen to us? Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able to do so? If so, then He is impotent. Is it that He is able, but not willing? If so, then He is not all good. Or, is He willing but unable? Then why follow Him? James H. Dee, a retired classicist, wrote an article entitled Good God Is a Virtual Contradiction in Terms. This title sums up one of the main arguments made by those who try to deny God’s existence. They say that if God is all knowing, then He is aware of evil in the world. And if He were all-powerful, then He would put a stop to evil in the world. And if He really loved man, the apex of His creation, then He would eliminate all pain and suffering from the world.
Since God is an omniscient, omnipotent, merciful God who loves man and seeks his best interest, then why does He allow the innocent to suffer? First, note that God created man with free-will moral agency out of His great love for us. With free moral agency came the freedom to choose whether to obey or to disobey God’s word. Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and a result God sent them from the garden into the world and allowed them to be exposed to pain and suffering. Ultimately, all pain and suffering resulted from man’s sin. All of humankind has to suffer because of their sin.
Once man was sent from the garden into in the world, he became subject to three avenues of exposure to pain and suffering. First, we often suffer as Job did, not because of our own sin, but because of the sins of others. Also, we can suffer because of our own sins. Sometimes in committing fornication, a person contacts a venereal disease. Often people suffer debilitating injuries when the consume alcohol and run into a telephone pole. And finally we can suffer an accident or as a result from natural forces. For instance, a faithful Christian can loose all that he owns, even lose his loved ones simply because they were in the path of a hurricane.
Having noted the causes of pain and suffering, the question remains. Why does God allow these three avenues to exist? The first two avenues are in the world because sin is in the world. Part of the reason sin still exists is because of God’s mercy. That may sound like a contradiction, but the fact remains that if God did not want all men to have the possibility of salvation He would destroy all who commit sin, thus eliminating sin from the world. If God did not delay punishment on sinners and give them the opportunity to repent then there would be no one left alive past the age of accountability. The third avenue exists because God created the forces of nature and set them into motion. As long as the world lasts these natural forces will affect all of mankind.
The inadequacy of this answer was well illustrated on the day that John F. Kennedy Jr. died. That evening, Billy Graham was being interviewed by Larry King, and the subject of Mr. Kennedy’s premature death arose. When asked what he thought of it, Billy Graham answered with the tired old cliché, that it was just his time; that it was just God’s will. Larry King then answered and said, “Do you mean to tell me that God wanted him to die?” Billy Graham said not a word. Mr. King saw through the hypocrisy of Billy Graham’s statement immediately. When “Christians” like Billy Graham contradict themselves about the nature of God, it fuels the fires of the controversy over the presence of evil in the world. To say that God wills for any person to suffer and die is to ascribe evil intent on the part of God.
This has been heard for centuries. Gideon in Judges 6 first made it. If God is so good, why does He let bad things happen to us? Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able to do so? If so, then He is impotent. Is it that He is able, but not willing? If so, then He is not all good. Or, is He willing but unable? Then why follow Him? James H. Dee, a retired classicist, wrote an article entitled Good God Is a Virtual Contradiction in Terms. This title sums up one of the main arguments made by those who try to deny God’s existence. They say that if God is all knowing, then He is aware of evil in the world. And if He were all-powerful, then He would put a stop to evil in the world. And if He really loved man, the apex of His creation, then He would eliminate all pain and suffering from the world.
Since God is an omniscient, omnipotent, merciful God who loves man and seeks his best interest, then why does He allow the innocent to suffer? First, note that God created man with free-will moral agency out of His great love for us. With free moral agency came the freedom to choose whether to obey or to disobey God’s word. Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and a result God sent them from the garden into the world and allowed them to be exposed to pain and suffering. Ultimately, all pain and suffering resulted from man’s sin. All of humankind has to suffer because of their sin.
Once man was sent from the garden into in the world, he became subject to three avenues of exposure to pain and suffering. First, we often suffer as Job did, not because of our own sin, but because of the sins of others. Also, we can suffer because of our own sins. Sometimes in committing fornication, a person contacts a venereal disease. Often people suffer debilitating injuries when the consume alcohol and run into a telephone pole. And finally we can suffer an accident or as a result from natural forces. For instance, a faithful Christian can loose all that he owns, even lose his loved ones simply because they were in the path of a hurricane.
Having noted the causes of pain and suffering, the question remains. Why does God allow these three avenues to exist? The first two avenues are in the world because sin is in the world. Part of the reason sin still exists is because of God’s mercy. That may sound like a contradiction, but the fact remains that if God did not want all men to have the possibility of salvation He would destroy all who commit sin, thus eliminating sin from the world. If God did not delay punishment on sinners and give them the opportunity to repent then there would be no one left alive past the age of accountability. The third avenue exists because God created the forces of nature and set them into motion. As long as the world lasts these natural forces will affect all of mankind.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
The "Elijah in the Wilderness" Syndrome
In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah fled into the wilderness because he had received word that Jezebel, the wicked queen of Israel, had sworn to have him killed. This threat against his life came shortly after he had defeated the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and had slain 450 of them. After that mighty feat, which God had done through him, Elijah should have realized that God would continue to be with him and would allow no harm to come to him. Yet, Elijah feared for his life and failed to trust in God whole-heartedly and as a result, he tried to run away from his problems.
In 1 Kings 19:13, we find Elijah hiding in a cave in the Sinai Desert. God speaks to him and says, “What doest thou here Elijah?” “Why are you in hiding?” seems to be the question God is asking. In verse 14 Elijah answers, “I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” What Elijah was really saying is, “Nobody else is doing anything, nobody else is as faithful as me and everybody has turned against me, so I’ll just take my things go away.”
What was Elijah really doing, when he was hiding in a cave in the wilderness? He was pouting! He was feeling sorry for himself and was sulking because of it. When I was a child and would go off and pout, my mother would find me pouting and would tease me saying, “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I’ll go and eat some worms.” She did this to demonstrate how ridiculous I sounded, sulking over some little bit of nonsense. That is what God does to Elijah – He shows Elijah how ridiculous he sounded, thinking that he alone was faithful. God said in verse 18, “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”
Elijah was pouting because he thought himself to be the only one who was faithful. This kind of thinking led him to do nothing. Elijah’s sulking caused him quit working for the Lord and to sit on his hands and do nothing. His fear and despair coupled with his mistaken belief that he alone was faithful, caused this great man of God to be paralyzed into inactivity.
The same thing happens to many Christians today. The erroneous belief that no one else is being faithful has led many to become unfaithful themselves. This attitude is without excuse. Even if there were only one man or one family who was faithful, God would still expect those individuals to be working. Look to the example of Noah and his family. They really were the only faithful family left on the face of the earth, yet we have no record of them despairing and becoming despondent. Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5) for one hundred years while the ark was being built. He never converted anybody outside of his immediate family, yet we do not read of him pouting or sulking as we do read of Elijah. Noah never gave up, he never quit, and he never hid himself away in despair.
Many times faithful Christians are made to feel like they are alone. They feel that no one else is willing to work, or that they will be alone if they take a stand against error and the result is that no work is done and the truth is not defended. It is at those times that we need to place our trust in God and know that He will be with us. We will not be alone! When we feel alone, like Elijah felt, we need to realize that we are not truly alone. Somewhere else, in another town or another country, there is a faithful Christian facing the same trials and fears that we face. Perhaps, he too, feels alone. Yet the knowledge that there are other faithful Christians elsewhere gives him hope and drives him to continue in the work of righteousness.
In 1 Kings 19:13, we find Elijah hiding in a cave in the Sinai Desert. God speaks to him and says, “What doest thou here Elijah?” “Why are you in hiding?” seems to be the question God is asking. In verse 14 Elijah answers, “I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” What Elijah was really saying is, “Nobody else is doing anything, nobody else is as faithful as me and everybody has turned against me, so I’ll just take my things go away.”
What was Elijah really doing, when he was hiding in a cave in the wilderness? He was pouting! He was feeling sorry for himself and was sulking because of it. When I was a child and would go off and pout, my mother would find me pouting and would tease me saying, “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I’ll go and eat some worms.” She did this to demonstrate how ridiculous I sounded, sulking over some little bit of nonsense. That is what God does to Elijah – He shows Elijah how ridiculous he sounded, thinking that he alone was faithful. God said in verse 18, “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”
Elijah was pouting because he thought himself to be the only one who was faithful. This kind of thinking led him to do nothing. Elijah’s sulking caused him quit working for the Lord and to sit on his hands and do nothing. His fear and despair coupled with his mistaken belief that he alone was faithful, caused this great man of God to be paralyzed into inactivity.
The same thing happens to many Christians today. The erroneous belief that no one else is being faithful has led many to become unfaithful themselves. This attitude is without excuse. Even if there were only one man or one family who was faithful, God would still expect those individuals to be working. Look to the example of Noah and his family. They really were the only faithful family left on the face of the earth, yet we have no record of them despairing and becoming despondent. Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5) for one hundred years while the ark was being built. He never converted anybody outside of his immediate family, yet we do not read of him pouting or sulking as we do read of Elijah. Noah never gave up, he never quit, and he never hid himself away in despair.
Many times faithful Christians are made to feel like they are alone. They feel that no one else is willing to work, or that they will be alone if they take a stand against error and the result is that no work is done and the truth is not defended. It is at those times that we need to place our trust in God and know that He will be with us. We will not be alone! When we feel alone, like Elijah felt, we need to realize that we are not truly alone. Somewhere else, in another town or another country, there is a faithful Christian facing the same trials and fears that we face. Perhaps, he too, feels alone. Yet the knowledge that there are other faithful Christians elsewhere gives him hope and drives him to continue in the work of righteousness.
If every faithful Christian, in every town and in every country (even if there were only one such Christian in a given location) were to be like Noah and simply do the best he can where he is and not worry over what another person is doing, or not doing, then the church as a whole would be in much better shape. If there is one thing that is bringing the church down more than any other, it is the inactivity and passivity of the faithful, who have been stricken with the Elijah in the Wilderness Syndrome. The only cure for this disorder is trust in God and perseverance. “Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9).
Too Righteous?
“Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself? Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?” Ecclesiastes 7:16-17
How can one be too righteous or too wise? One is “too righteous” when he or she becomes self-righteous. A self-righteous person supplants God’s standard with his own standard of righteousness. The Jews of Jesus’ day are a good example of this type of self-righteousness. One can become too wise if their wisdom is based solely upon secular wisdom. Secular wisdom can be good, but we must not neglect the wisdom that is able to make one wise unto salvation. (2 Timothy 3:15).
What does it mean to be over much wicked or foolish? All are guilty of sin from time to time, but it is the rebellious lifestyle of foolishness and wickedness that brings an early death. All one needs to see, to understand this, is the average age at death for rock stars and for homosexuals.
Average Age at Death:
How can one be too righteous or too wise? One is “too righteous” when he or she becomes self-righteous. A self-righteous person supplants God’s standard with his own standard of righteousness. The Jews of Jesus’ day are a good example of this type of self-righteousness. One can become too wise if their wisdom is based solely upon secular wisdom. Secular wisdom can be good, but we must not neglect the wisdom that is able to make one wise unto salvation. (2 Timothy 3:15).
What does it mean to be over much wicked or foolish? All are guilty of sin from time to time, but it is the rebellious lifestyle of foolishness and wickedness that brings an early death. All one needs to see, to understand this, is the average age at death for rock stars and for homosexuals.
Average Age at Death:
USA Average: 75.8 years
Gay Women: 44.5 years
Gay Men: 40.0 years
Rock Stars: 36.0 years
If we continue to walk in God’s ways we will not fall into the traps of self-righteousness, worldliness, foolishness and sin.
The Curse of the Law
Galatians 3:10-13 “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith. In addition, the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree…”
What law is Paul speaking of and what is the “curse” of that law? Paul was referring specifically to the Law of Moses (i.e. the Ten Commandments), but the same principles apply to any system of law. The “curse” of the law is that one must keep the entire Law in order to be justified by it and that once one has sinned under the Law, there is no way to put away one’s guilt. The Law of Moses made no provision for the forgiveness of sin. In James 2:10, we are taught that under a system of law (any system that is totally based upon a rule of law), if one tries to keep the whole law but offends in even one point, he is guilty of all. The curse of the Law, according to Paul in Romans 7:7-13, is that it exposed sin in his life, yet it did nothing to take away his guilt. The Law of Moses only allowed for forgiveness in prospect, that is, it only covered the sins of men until Christ came to take away those sins. Now that Christ has come, the Law has been taken away. It was nailed to the cross along with Him (Colossians 2:13-14) So now, we are free from the curse of the Law of Moses. Does this mean that there is no longer a law that we must follow? Is there not a requirement for Christians to obey in the New Testament?
Yes, obedience is a requirement even under the Law of Christ. Christ demands our obedience. Matthew 7:21 teaches that we must do the will of the Father in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven. The will of God is our law. The will of God has been revealed in its fulness in the New Testament. The Word of Christ will judge us in the last day. Those who reject Christ and His Word are rejecting the very law that will judge them. (John 12:48) We are now under the Law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 gives us the imperative command to bear one another’s burdens in order to fulfill the law of Christ.
We are under the law of Christ, which is a law of Liberty. The fact that Christ’s law is a law of liberty does not mean that we are free to disobey it (Galatians 5:13). James teaches, that we must be a doer of the Word of God and not a hearer only (James 1:22-25). One who is a doer of the Law of Liberty will be blessed. James also teaches in that we will be judged by that Law of Liberty (James 2:12).
Since one could not keep all of the commandments under the Law of Moses, as we read in James 2:10, one would be guilty of all the Law. There was no way under the Old Law for ones sins to be taken away. The punishment for sin is death. Therefore, violation of any point of the Law of Moses brought one under the “curse” of the law, which was the death sentence. Only by the grace of God was a way made for man to rid himself of the “curse” of law. The grace of God freed man from the curse of the law.
Does this mean that grace and law are mutually exclusive? God forbid! Grace is what brought about a system of salvation by faith in Christ Jesus. We are justified only by our obedient faith in Christ, not by works of law. However, that does not void every form of law. Romans 3:31 teaches that law is established through faith. Faith establishes or confirms law. If we have faith in Jesus and are obedient to His Will, then we must recognize His Will as law, or else we would not be faithful to it. Our obedience to Christ’s Law confirms that His Law is in effect.
In Galatians 2:16-21, the word “law” is referring any system whereby one is saved according to works of merit. Whether it is by the Law of Moses, which made no provision for forgiveness, or whether it was by the Law of the Jews, which was apart from the Law of Moses, and had developed into a system of works based salvation. The Jews believed that they could earn their way to heaven by keeping the traditions of their ancestors. Therefore, we are not justified by law keeping in and of its self, but we are justified by the law of faith in Christ Jesus.
What law is Paul speaking of and what is the “curse” of that law? Paul was referring specifically to the Law of Moses (i.e. the Ten Commandments), but the same principles apply to any system of law. The “curse” of the law is that one must keep the entire Law in order to be justified by it and that once one has sinned under the Law, there is no way to put away one’s guilt. The Law of Moses made no provision for the forgiveness of sin. In James 2:10, we are taught that under a system of law (any system that is totally based upon a rule of law), if one tries to keep the whole law but offends in even one point, he is guilty of all. The curse of the Law, according to Paul in Romans 7:7-13, is that it exposed sin in his life, yet it did nothing to take away his guilt. The Law of Moses only allowed for forgiveness in prospect, that is, it only covered the sins of men until Christ came to take away those sins. Now that Christ has come, the Law has been taken away. It was nailed to the cross along with Him (Colossians 2:13-14) So now, we are free from the curse of the Law of Moses. Does this mean that there is no longer a law that we must follow? Is there not a requirement for Christians to obey in the New Testament?
Yes, obedience is a requirement even under the Law of Christ. Christ demands our obedience. Matthew 7:21 teaches that we must do the will of the Father in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven. The will of God is our law. The will of God has been revealed in its fulness in the New Testament. The Word of Christ will judge us in the last day. Those who reject Christ and His Word are rejecting the very law that will judge them. (John 12:48) We are now under the Law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 gives us the imperative command to bear one another’s burdens in order to fulfill the law of Christ.
We are under the law of Christ, which is a law of Liberty. The fact that Christ’s law is a law of liberty does not mean that we are free to disobey it (Galatians 5:13). James teaches, that we must be a doer of the Word of God and not a hearer only (James 1:22-25). One who is a doer of the Law of Liberty will be blessed. James also teaches in that we will be judged by that Law of Liberty (James 2:12).
Since one could not keep all of the commandments under the Law of Moses, as we read in James 2:10, one would be guilty of all the Law. There was no way under the Old Law for ones sins to be taken away. The punishment for sin is death. Therefore, violation of any point of the Law of Moses brought one under the “curse” of the law, which was the death sentence. Only by the grace of God was a way made for man to rid himself of the “curse” of law. The grace of God freed man from the curse of the law.
Does this mean that grace and law are mutually exclusive? God forbid! Grace is what brought about a system of salvation by faith in Christ Jesus. We are justified only by our obedient faith in Christ, not by works of law. However, that does not void every form of law. Romans 3:31 teaches that law is established through faith. Faith establishes or confirms law. If we have faith in Jesus and are obedient to His Will, then we must recognize His Will as law, or else we would not be faithful to it. Our obedience to Christ’s Law confirms that His Law is in effect.
In Galatians 2:16-21, the word “law” is referring any system whereby one is saved according to works of merit. Whether it is by the Law of Moses, which made no provision for forgiveness, or whether it was by the Law of the Jews, which was apart from the Law of Moses, and had developed into a system of works based salvation. The Jews believed that they could earn their way to heaven by keeping the traditions of their ancestors. Therefore, we are not justified by law keeping in and of its self, but we are justified by the law of faith in Christ Jesus.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Bumper Sticker Hypocrisy
I am continually in a state of shock at the rudeness of some drivers. It seems that people think that the very laws of nature change when they get behind the wheel. They seem to think that the universe suddenly begins to revolve around them when they’re on the highway. With some people you just naturally expect them to be rude. With others, it comes as a complete surprise. This second group I call “bumper sticker” hypocrites.
Have you ever noticed all the bumper stickers with inscriptions such as “My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter”, “Got Jesus?”, or my favorite “In Case of Rapture This Car Will Be Empty”? Have you also noticed some of the different window decals and tailgate ornaments that depict a fish, or a fish swallowing the “Darwin” fish with legs, or the picture of a little boy (the same little boy that you usually see on pickup windows relieving himself upon a Ford, Chevy or Dodge logo) kneeling before a cross? Have you ever been cut off by a rude driver, and when his minivan slows down in front of you, you can read his “What Would Jesus Do?” bumper sticker? Ever been “flipped off” by a woman with a fish on her bumper? Have you ever been driving the speed limit and watched a car pass you like you’re standing still and then driven a little further and read his “Got Jesus?” bumper sticker while the Highway Patrol has him pulled over?
How about this one? One time I was in line at a convenience store and the man in front of me was buying several cases of beer. He left and then I bought my cup of coffee and as I was leaving the store, I saw the same man stocking the ice chest in the back of his pickup with beer. Can you guess what his bumper sticker read? “In Case of Rapture This Car Will Be Empty”! Of course, there will be no “rapture,” but even still if I was to see his truck moving erratically down the road I would not think that the rapture had come and that his truck was driverless, but rather I would think that he had been drinking the beer from his ice chest.
So what does all this mean? What’s the big deal here? I find it interesting that people feel the need to advertise their “spirituality” by displaying these types of religious symbols and phrases on their cars. Isn’t ironic how some people profess by the bumper sticker that they are “spiritual,” yet drive like the devil? I am reminded of Jesus’ scathing remarks about the hypocrites for their similar displays of “spirituality.” In Matthew 6:5 and 6:16, Jesus condemns such displays of outward “spirituality” in the avenues of public prayers and fasting. “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men… Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” Jesus was not condemning the act of praying or fasting, but the hypocritical attitude possessed by those who want to appear spiritual. The motive behind spiritual things must always be to the glorification of God, not the glorification of self.
Have you ever noticed all the bumper stickers with inscriptions such as “My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter”, “Got Jesus?”, or my favorite “In Case of Rapture This Car Will Be Empty”? Have you also noticed some of the different window decals and tailgate ornaments that depict a fish, or a fish swallowing the “Darwin” fish with legs, or the picture of a little boy (the same little boy that you usually see on pickup windows relieving himself upon a Ford, Chevy or Dodge logo) kneeling before a cross? Have you ever been cut off by a rude driver, and when his minivan slows down in front of you, you can read his “What Would Jesus Do?” bumper sticker? Ever been “flipped off” by a woman with a fish on her bumper? Have you ever been driving the speed limit and watched a car pass you like you’re standing still and then driven a little further and read his “Got Jesus?” bumper sticker while the Highway Patrol has him pulled over?
How about this one? One time I was in line at a convenience store and the man in front of me was buying several cases of beer. He left and then I bought my cup of coffee and as I was leaving the store, I saw the same man stocking the ice chest in the back of his pickup with beer. Can you guess what his bumper sticker read? “In Case of Rapture This Car Will Be Empty”! Of course, there will be no “rapture,” but even still if I was to see his truck moving erratically down the road I would not think that the rapture had come and that his truck was driverless, but rather I would think that he had been drinking the beer from his ice chest.
So what does all this mean? What’s the big deal here? I find it interesting that people feel the need to advertise their “spirituality” by displaying these types of religious symbols and phrases on their cars. Isn’t ironic how some people profess by the bumper sticker that they are “spiritual,” yet drive like the devil? I am reminded of Jesus’ scathing remarks about the hypocrites for their similar displays of “spirituality.” In Matthew 6:5 and 6:16, Jesus condemns such displays of outward “spirituality” in the avenues of public prayers and fasting. “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men… Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” Jesus was not condemning the act of praying or fasting, but the hypocritical attitude possessed by those who want to appear spiritual. The motive behind spiritual things must always be to the glorification of God, not the glorification of self.
So why do so many people have these types of stickers and ornaments on their cars? Is it because they are truly spiritual or because they want to appear to be so out of another motive? Of course, not everyone who puts these things on their car is insincere. Nevertheless, would they not do better to show their spirituality in other ways? If we are to truly be spiritual and glorify our Father in Heaven then we ought to show it by our actions and not simply by putting on a sticker. If we let our light shine through our chaste and pure lives, showing our devotion to God in obedience to His will, then truly He will be glorified and we will be justified.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Why Do You Believe That Jesus Is The Son Of God?
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you believe Jesus to be the Son of God and Savior of mankind? Is your belief based on anything concrete or is it merely a belief that has been passed down to you from your parents that you have simply come to accept without ever questioning why? Do you have a faith in Jesus that is a personally held faith? Or, is your faith an “inherited” faith – one that is borrowed from someone else?
These are tough questions that we each need to ask ourselves, because there will come a time when our faith will be tested and if our faith is not our own then it will fail the test. All too often, a young person has grown up “in the church” never having developed their own personal, evidence based, faith in Christ only to have their faith destroyed the first time they set foot in a college classroom. Sadly, this very thing has happened to many a young Christian in our day.
So my challenge to you is this: Take out a pen and paper or word processing software on your computer and write a brief essay “Why I Believe Jesus Is the Messiah.” Print it out, keep it in your Bible, and every time you run across any scripture that supports or strengthens your faith write down the citation on the bottom of your paper – or incorporate it into your essay. This will be a very challenging and thought-provoking exercise that will cause you to really examine yourself and what you believe. I believe that the end result of such a study will help you to develop a faith strong enough meet any test of faith head on. With this thought in mind, here is my essay:
Jesus is the Son of God
The reasons I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Son of God are numerous. It begins with a belief in the reliability of the Bible, especially the New Testament. The Bible has been tested and tried by skeptics for centuries and no one has ever successfully argued against its accuracy and reliability. It is, without question, the Word of God! So, without going into great detail about the evidence for the Bible’s inspiration, I will examine my faith in Jesus from the scriptures based on three major points: Jesus’ fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, the fulfillment of His own prophecies concerning His death, burial and resurrection and the resurrection itself, including the eye-witness accounts of it recorded in scripture.
OT Prophecy Fulfilled
There are approximately 300 Messianic prophecies fulfilled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth – far too many to be examined here! Let’s begin with the prophecies connected with His birth. Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This prophecy is shown to be fulfilled in Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-35. Lk.1:26-27 says, “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.” Also in Luke’s account the angel appeared to the virgin Mary and told her of her child, “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest...” (Lk. 1:31-32) That it was to be a virgin birth is clearly seen in Lk.1:34-35, “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”
Isaiah’s prophecy was intimately connected with God’s promise to Satan made in Genesis 3:15 the “seed” of Eve would destroy his power, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” The seed of woman, not man, would triumph over sin and death. Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law...” Another prophecy concerning His birth is connected with the place of His birth – Bethlehem. Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Lk. 2:4-5 records that Joseph took Mary with him to Bethlehem and that it was there she gave birth to Jesus.
Other Messianic prophecies fulfilled in the person of Christ are connected with His death. Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 both describe the crucifixion scene in great detail. Read these two chapters and compare with the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus found in Mat. 27:1-54, Mark 15:1-40, Lk. 23:1-47 and John 19:1-37. Notice Jn. 19:33, 36 “But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs... For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken...” – referencing Psa. 34:20. Also, compare Mat. 27:35, “And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.” referencing Psa. 22:18. These prophecies and many more like them prove Jesus to be the Messiah.
Jesus’ Own Prophecies Fulfilled
Jesus made several prophecies pointing to His death, burial and resurrection that later came to pass exactly as He had predicted. Notice Mat.16:21, “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” Also, note Mat. 12:40, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Compare these prophecies to what is recorded later in the Gospel accounts. Jesus went to Jerusalem was persecuted by the “elders and chief priests.” He also suffered “many things” such as His beatings and tortures at the hands of the Roman soldiers. He was “killed” by the Roman soldiers when they nailed Him to the cross. He was “raised again the third day.” All of these things and more transpired according to how Jesus predicted they would.
The Resurrection
The single most compelling evidence that Jesus is the Son of God was powerfully demonstrated by His resurrection. In Romans 1:4, Jesus is “...declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” It is the power demonstrated in the resurrection that proves indisputably that Jesus IS the Messiah! All of our faith in the Gospel is based upon the fact of the resurrection – it is the corner stone of faith. 1 Corinthians 15:13-14 “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.”
The fact that He rose again is proven in several ways. First notice the fact that the chief priests had to bribe the men who had guarded Jesus’ tomb so that they would say that Jesus’ body was stolen.(Mat. 28:11-16). The chief priests had ordered the tomb guarded, the guards had witnessed the resurrection (Mat. 28:2-4), and then they were paid to keep their mouths shut.
The resurrected Savior was witnessed by hundreds of people, beginning with Mary Magdalene in Jn. 20:15-16. Then He appeared to Peter and the other Apostles. (1Cor. 15:5); He was witnessed by a crowd of more than five hundred (1Cor. 15:6); He appeared to James and finally to Paul (1Cor.15:7-8).
The Resurrected Savior was not an illusion or “ghost” – He was real; He had a physical body; He ate with His disciples and they touched Him (Lk. 24:36-43; Jn. 20:25-28). The apostle John records in 1 John 1:1-2, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)” John and the other apostles witnessed the resurrection, touched the Savior confirmed without a doubt that He was risen.
The apostles witnessed Jesus’ ascension up into Heaven in Lk. 24:51 and Acts 1:9-11 “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
We can see through the fulfillment of prophecy that Jesus is the Messiah – the Son of God and Savior of mankind. We must believe this – our salvation depends upon it! Jn. 8:24 “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” The resurrection is the key point of the Gospel – it proves without a doubt that Jesus is the Messiah. When we take into account the weight of all the evidence supporting the Messiahship of Jesus we cannot come to any other conclusion than – He is Lord!
We have not even made mention of the signs and miracles that Jesus performed. Jn. 20:30-31 “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” Jn. 21:25 “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written” Signs that were witnessed by an entire nation. Ac. 2:22 “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:”
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