The question, “How are people saved from the consequences of their sins,” is answered in Galatians chapter 3. God revealed to Abraham that justification is by faith far before doctrines such as circumcision, Calvinism, Mormonism, Islam, or denominational-ism in general came to be. When someone tells you that you must “Say the sinner’s prayer” or “Accept Jesus into your heart to be saved” know that before these doctrines came to exist the word of God said, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness” (Galatians 3:6). All who emulate the faith of Abraham today are made righteous by the blood of Christ. Galatians chapter 3 demands that we understand the faith of Abraham that we too can be justified. Secondly, Galatians 3 demands that we respect the authorized word of God and never change it by adding or subtracting from it. Continue reading » How are People Saved? A Study of Galatians 3
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 Comments are closed  Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Grace, Justification, Redemption, Righteousness, Salvation, Sanctification, Subject Index I recently read an interesting short article on the use of the term “literally” that I want to share with you, then comment upon.
The first misuse of the term “literally” is typical in casual conversation. While irritating to those who are sensitive to the mangling of the English language, it is innocuous. However, defining biblical terms by their etymology, (or even their assigned dictionary definitions), without considering context, is extremely troubling as we seek to interpret God’s word. Continue reading » “Literally” – A Discussion of Definitions Comments are closed Church, Divorce, Editorials, Hermeneutics, Interpretation, Study, Subject Index, Worship I had the chicken pox when I was about six years old and I can still recall the horrible, Jobian itching that resulted. In my memory as well, however, is the soothing sensation of that lotion which was applied by my mother to the sores on my back and chest, which eased the misery until the illness was gone. Most everyone realizes our souls often contract a disease just as painful to the conscience, the disease of sin. What will soothe our misery then? The answer is nothing but the unparalleled mercy of God, wrought through the death and resurrection of our savior and his son, Jesus Christ (Romans 7:24-25). Continue reading » Obtaining Mercy On one occasion, when Jesus was with His disciples in the region of Caesarea Philippi, “He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ (Matthew 16:13-15). Just as in the days of Christ, it seems that everyone today has an opinion about Jesus. Some wish Him away by claiming that He never existed. However, the historical evidence proves that He did exist. Some claim that He was a prophet of God and a good man, while others claim that He was a liar and a troublemaker. Christians believe that He is the Son of God, and claim Him as their Lord and Savior. Continue reading » Is Jesus Really the Son of God? Comments are closed Christ, Deity, Evidences, Godhead, Jesus, Messiah, Miracles, Prophecy, Subject Index, Uncategorized I have wondered how many pages have been written about Jesus of Nazareth. Probably millions. We are going to explore just six verses in two passages of Daniel. The description of Jesus 7:13-14 is a part of a larger vision. Daniel’s vision in 9:24-27 is related to his prayer for Israel’s restoration and the future of the nation. Continue reading » Daniel And The Messiah The readers of what we call the Hebrew letter were a people in great distress, convinced of the lordship of Jesus Christ, but overwhelmed by the persecution and ostracism that came with it. To dissuade them from abandoning their faith in the son of God, the now anonymous writer assembled a number of arguments around a theme of the superiority of the new covenant to that of Moses. Like all disciples, they had the free will to choose faithfulness or apostasy, and the stakes involved their very salvation and eternal fate. A Bible book that is most likely neglected in our studies is Psalms. Many people read Psalms yet fail to notice marvelous lessons that cannot be found by surface or casual reading. To begin a study of Psalms is a daunting task. Psalms has 150 chapters. Once one does decide to not only read the Psalms but to dissect each chapter they will be a better and more enlightened man or woman. This study is intended to get all Christians excited about the Psalms. Psalms chapter 7 may not excite you much until you really dig in and see the grand lessons for us today. A lot of people know several facts about the Old Testament book Daniel. Very, few, however, know of the prophecies contained in the last half of his book. There are fantastically detailed prophecies about the time between the testaments, the Messiah, and the kingdom of God. Continue reading » Daniel And History Gospel preachers are in the public spotlight and that is exactly where God wants his faithful ministers. Sermons are delivered in the most public manner. Articles they write are read throughout the world. Their daily activities are watched and put to the test of hypocrisy due to the public nature of their work. Lives can be changed for the better or worse depending upon the content of the message proclaimed. The command of God is to “preach the word” not our personal convictions and opinions (2 Timothy 4:1-2). A preacher is disqualified from the work of an evangelist when he preaches or writes about his personal opinions and convictions as though they represent truth. Continue reading » Qualified and Disqualified Preachers I grew up hearing lessons preached on ethics. The lessons were critical of a ethical view taken by many religious people called “Situational Ethics.” While a situational view of what constitutes ethical action has always had a foothold in the world, it was largely rejected by those who claimed an affinity for the Bible. For generations religious people were content to let the word of God be the standard by which ethics were established. They accepted at face value the words of the prophet Jeremiah, who wrote, “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). To those who accepted the Bible as an authoritative and absolute ethical standard, lying was always a sin, as was sexual activity outside of the marriage bed. Regardless of circumstance, sin was sin, and righteous behavior was well defined. In the 1960’s things changed for many religious people. Situational Ethics was first popularized by an Episcopal priest named Joseph Fletcher, who wrote two books titled The Classic Treatment and Situation Ethics. In the books he contended that the principle of Love (agape) was supreme, and sometimes situations necessitated a breaking of God’s law for the higher good of expressing love for another. The concept was accepted by a large number despite its arbitrary, individualistic and subjective nature. Its influence is the primary reason why the hue and cry of religious people today, rather than obedience to God, has become, “You have no right to judge me!” Many today revel in a perverse victim mentality, perking up their ears and focusing their eyes any time there is a possibility they can claim to have been offended and deserving of pity and apology. Forget the defense industry–this is the offense industry and it is booming. Moreover, faith in Christ is often occasion for deep offense as well. The saints are offended, sometimes legitimately, sometimes gleefully, and sometimes necessarily, when their convictions or pride are wounded. The Lord warned us about giving offense, but clearly there are times when that risk is necessary and his own ministry is proof enough. Continue reading » Woe to Offenses The author of Hebrews writes, “Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing unto him; for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him” (Hebrews 11:6). What causes people to believe in God? Parents play a great role in many people’s lives that come to believe in God (see Ephesians 6:1-2). Sometimes preachers, friends, family members, or a spouse help us come to faith (2 Timothy 2:2). What caused you to believe that God is? Our Bibles reveal that creation is the central cause of man’s faith. Creation establishes faith, the authority of God, revelation, and our responsibility to be obedient. Creation ought to be the beginning point of study with unbelievers. Continue reading » Creation, Faith, and the Authority of God Paul began his epistles in a manner that was common in his day. The typical introduction to first century letters consisted of three parts: the name of the writer, the identity of the recipients, and a greeting. In most of his letters, the first thing Paul would do would be to identify himself as an apostle and state the source of his apostleship. In this article, we will consider exactly what Paul was saying about himself when he claimed to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, why he had the right to make this claim, and what the claim says about the letters that he wrote. Continue reading » “Paul, An Apostle of Jesus Christ” Comments are closed Apostles, Authority, Church, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Miracles, Paul, Peter, Subject Index Every believer should be familiar with the words of Christ as they touch on the sentencing phase of Judgment Day. Where the wicked will hear, “Depart me from me all you workers of iniquity,” the faithful hope to be told, “Well done, good and faithful servant. … Enter into the joys of your lord.” Perhaps, we are sometimes led to believe it doesn’t matter what we do at all, even in regard to our soul’s salvation, but the sentence of Christ surely emphasizes it is more blessed to do well than to work iniquity. There are many spiritual blessings to be found in Jesus, but those that are eternal are the ones that only the worthy obtain–not by worth of personal merit, but by the interaction of faith and grace. Heaven is a prize, a gift, a reward, an inheritance and a a treasure. Thus it is an objective worth striving after and one which only the faithful and few will attain. Continue reading » Worthy to Obtain
If God has given us children, then we must realize that He has given us a great blessing. In the above passage alone, we are told that children are a gift, a reward, and a source of strength and happiness. Children are a great blessing, but with great blessings comes great responsibilities. It has been said that children are like lumps of clay to be molded. Taking that lump of clay and molding it into a godly young man or woman is the task that God has given parents. This responsibility does not belong to the grandparents, extended family, friends, teachers, elders, preacher, etc. While these individuals can be expected to provide a good influence upon children, God has singled out fathers and mothers and given them instructions concerning their responsibilities towards the “heritage” that they have received “from the Lord.” Continue reading » Responsibilities of Parents Comments are closed Attendance, Bible Classes, Children, Church, Discipline, Family, Home, Influence, Parenting, Responsibility, Subject Index John 4:25-26 At the end of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4, the woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus’ response was His most direct self-affirmation to date in His early ministry, as He said, “I who speak to you am He.” Other words and phrases had earlier been used, by Jesus and others, that intimated His position. The first example, of course, was the angel’s words to the virgin Mary, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33). Relevancy is important. It has to do with making sure we are spending our time, attention and energy with something worthwhile. When discussing the relevancy of the Bible, it would question whether or not the Bible has any bearing upon our lives today. Some people would say that it does not. While acknowledging its historical and religious significance, the prominent opinion seems to be that the Bible is an outdated book. It may have served a purpose for previous generations, but times have changed. Some question how a book as old as the Bible can have any serious application to our lives today. Is the Bible relevant? Does this ancient book have any practical application to our lives today? Does it satisfy our needs as individuals and as a society? Or do we need something else? I believe a consideration of the following points will help to answer these questions and prove that the Bible is relevant today. Continue reading » The Bible Is Relevant Don’t you love this strong admonition of Solomon’s? Often we hear moaning and groaning that Christians are not doing their duty. We might have even joined in such a tirade. To some this explains why the Lord’s church seems to be dwindling in our time or that preachers or brethren in general will not take a stand for the truth as they should. Some get so depressed they seem to have in common the woeful sentiment Elijah expressed, “…And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” (1Kings 19:4a) I hope we do not actually go this far when we are discouraged. No doubt many of God’s children are content to be “sluggards.” But I have noticed a peculiar thing about those complaining and that is they are not talking about their own personal efforts but are mostly bemoaning that others are not doing enough or we blame others for causing our state of mind. Continue reading » “Go to the Ant, Thou Sluggard” – Proverbs 6:6 Comments are closed Anger, Ants, Apathy, Assurance, Bitterness, Commitment, Conviction, Discouragement, Encouragement, Encouragement, Exhortation, General Truths, Grief, Longsuffering, Subject Index, Works The book of Proverbs paints pictures of various topics that wisdom affects. A primary focus in the book is the consequences of choices people make. Proverbs reveals the grave consequences for rejecting wisdom. Solomon writes, “Good understanding giveth favor; But the way of the transgressor is hard” (Proverbs 13:15). The life of the fool is likened unto making your way through a “hedge of thorns” (Proverbs 15:19). When a person rejects wisdom for foolishness they bring trouble (Proverbs 15:6; 21:23), destruction (Proverbs 13:13), mischief (Proverbs 28:14), and calamity (Proverbs 22:) to their lives and the lives of those they touch. The foolish experience trouble, destruction, mischief, and calamity in life because of the poor decisions they make. The fool will have evil companions (Proverbs 1:10-14; 4:14-19; 13:20; 20:19; 24:1-2; 28:9), participate in sexual immorality (Proverbs 5:7-9; 9:14-15; etc.), be too lazy to work (Proverbs 6:6-11; etc.), use filthy language (Proverbs 4:24-27; 8:7-9), hunger and thirst for riches (Proverbs 11:4-6, 27-28; 13:7-8, 11; 18:11, 23; 23:4-5; etc.), have an angry disposition (Proverbs 19:19; 29:11), bear false witness (Proverbs 19:5, 28; 25:18), seek revenge (Proverbs 20:22), scoff at others (Proverbs 21:24; 22:10; 24:9; 29:8), and harden their hearts against God’s laws (Proverbs 29:1). All such foolishness brings regret, troubles, and sorrows now and forevermore. With the market domination of cellular telephones, we have all had the experience of carrying on a conversation with someone who was really disconnected some time ago. With such phones, we occasionally have to ask, “Can you hear me now?” because we’re not certain our message is getting through. Then, sometimes, we have no clue that we’ve been disconnected altogether. Prayer can feel about like that at times in our lives, especially if we occasionally doubt our message is getting through or discover that we have been unknowingly disconnected for quite a while because of some sin or rebellious attitude. |
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