3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.

5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127:3-5

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.”

Provide For Them

Jesus taught that we are not to worry about our daily necessities because our heavenly Father knows what we need (Matthew 6:31-32). Earthly fathers need to follow this example and be providers for their children.

God expects fathers to provide for the material needs of their children. “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). As keepers of the home (Titus 2:4-5), mothers are to provide a home environment that children need; a place of comfort, love, and stability in which they can learn and grow.

Fathers are also to provide for the spiritual needs of their children. Under the Law of Moses, God commanded fathers…

6 And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Paul instructed fathers, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Children need spiritual training early and often in life. This responsibility does not belong to the church. The Bible classes offered at the local church should serve to reinforce the training the children are already receiving at home.

In the absence of a believing father, the mother will need to take on this responsibility herself. While it may be difficult, the Scriptures indicate that it can successfully be done (2 Timothy 1:5, 3:15).

Finally, parents must provide for the emotional needs of their children. Mothers are told to “love their children” (Titus 2:4). Surprisingly, this is not translated from the well known work agape, but from the word philoteknos which means to love one’s offspring or to be maternal. Children need lots of love. They need to know that they are important. If children cannot find this from their parents, they will seek it out from other sources, which often results in heartache for both the parents and the child.

Teach Them

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). This passage is a general truth. There is a right way and a wrong way for a child to go. As we noted at the beginning of this article, the Bible refers to children as arrows (Psalm 127:4). Parents are responsible for aiming those arrows in the right direction.

This responsibility becomes even more urgent when parents consider what they are up against. The devil is restless in his attempts to take men away from the truth. He does not fight fair, and our children are not off limits to his efforts.

Young people today are distracted from the paths of righteousness on many fronts. Whether it be the sinfulness that is popularized through entertainment, secular humanism that is taught in schools, a subjective (“whatever – I don’t care”) attitude learned from our society, or possibly a tolerant attitude that is exhibited by our own brethren (participation in dances, social drinking, etc.), parents need to be aware of these dangers and meet them head-on.

As we learned from Deuteronomy 6:6-7, we must be diligent in our efforts to teach our children the word of God. We must teach them right from wrong, and that the Bible is the source of determining what is right and wrong. We must teach them the proper priorities in life, common sense, good manners, how to love their neighbor, etc.

One of the most important things that we must teach our children is respect. While they are still young children, they must learn to respect their parents (Ephesians 6:1-2), those who are older (1 Timothy 5:1-2), those in positions of authority (Titus 3:1), and especially respect for God (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Set A Good Example For Them

This teaching must be reinforced by a good example. Children imitate what they see. It is no mistake that we are a lot like our parents, we learned by watching them. Our children will do the same.

Our children will be watching how we act in public. They will learn how to interact socially by watching the way that we talk and act around others. Godly behavior must be consistent inside the home as well as outside of the home. How much of a difference do your children see between “at home” parents and “out in public” parents?

Children need to see their father loving and cherishing their mother, and their mother loving and honoring their father. They need to see their father and mother reading their Bible, getting their Bible lessons ready, praying, extending hospitality to others, visiting shut-ins, and making trips to visit the sick. All of these examples will give them the foundation and cues that they need to develop a life of service unto Christ and others.

Children need to see that the Lord’s church is important to their parents. Habitual tardiness and sporadic attendance tells your children that the church is not important. If we allow other events to come before assembling with the saints, our children will learn that family get-togethers, sporting events, studying for exams, club meetings, vacations, hunting trips, shopping trips, etc., are more important than the things that happen when the saints assemble. While there may be exceptions, the general rule is that sporadic attendance on the part of the parents will result in no attendance on the part of their grown children. What does it profit if your children are the best athletes, voted club president, graduate at the top of their class and receive full-ride scholarships, etc., and lose their soul for eternity (Matthew 16:26)?

Discipline Them

There comes a time in the life of every child when discipline becomes necessary. Children will test the boundaries that are set by their parents, but they cannot be allowed to pass these tests. Children have to be taught what “no” means and that there are consequences to inappropriate and rebellious behavior.

Solomon wrote, “Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction” (Proverbs 19:18). The time for clay to be molded is when it is soft. The shape cannot be changed once it had hardened. There is a time when our children need to be restrained and disciplined. If we wait until they are “older,” it will be too late for discipline to do any good. Consider the example of Eli and his sons.

22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people.

24 No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord’s people transgress.

25 If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?” Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to kill them.

1 Samuel 2:22-25

Eli’s sons were worthless and stood to receive God’s wrath, but God was holding Eli responsible because he did not discipline them when he had the opportunity.

12 In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.

13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.

14 And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.

1 Samuel 3:12-14, emphasis mine, HR

All children are different, thus different forms of discipline will be more effective with different children (spanking, time-out, grounding, etc). Regardless of the form that discipline takes, it needs to be administered promptly, consistently, and in love. “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly” (Proverbs 13:24).

Conclusion

Parenting can provide the greatest blessings that life has to offer: “Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes, he will give delight to your soul” (Proverbs 29:17). However, it also has the potential for the most bitter of failures: “A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him” (Proverbs 17:25). We understand that children are free-moral agents and can rebel despite the best efforts that are put forth by the best of parents. However, parents cannot ignore the fact that they play an important role in the raising of their children.

The pig and the chicken walked down the street together.  Every restaurant they passed had signs in the window advertising, “Ham and Eggs.”

“See,” said the chicken, “We’re famous.”

The pig grunted. “For you,” he said, “a plate of ham and eggs is just a cackle. For me it’s the supreme sacrifice.”

In a more concise form it is observed that when it comes to such a breakfast, the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed!

Further, the difference between mere involvement and commitment can be seen in the dictionary definitions of the two terms:

• The appropriate definition given by Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary for the word involve as we refer to it in the above illustration: “to engage as a participant.”
• Webster defines the stronger term commitment in the following way – “the state of being obligated or emotionally impelled.”

So, again stating it concisely, when we are involved in a cause, we are engaged.  But, when we are committed to a cause we are impelled.

As our interest revolves around the spiritual, we note that scripture requires commitment to the Lord’s cause, rather than mere involvement in it.  There should be in us a sense of obligation, as the Lord clearly makes demands of His disciples.  The King James Version relates Paul’s sentiment in the matter in the following way, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:14).

It follows that we must determine the extent of that commitment.  What it is that God requires?  Hence the title of this article, Commitment of Biblical Proportions.

You have heard the phrase “of Biblical proportions” used from time to time to refer to something awesome in scope.  A natural disaster might be referred to as a “cataclysm of Biblical proportions,” perhaps in allusion to the flood that destroyed the world in Noah’s time.  A personal tribulation may receive a similar description in an allusion to Job’s trials, or perhaps to the plagues that fell upon the Egyptians punished by God in response to the hard heart of their Pharaoh.

The term is appropriate in our discussion, as a careful reading of the New Testament reveals that God requires a big commitment from Christians.  The word ultimate does not state the case too strongly.  Consider the following words of Jesus, detailing what he requires of those who would be his disciples:

“But Jesus said to him [a potential disciple], ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:62).

“So He [Jesus] said to them [Peter and the disciples], ’Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life’” (Luke 18:29-30).

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.  For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:34-39).

The current trend toward a social gospel emphasizes fun and frolic rather than commitment.  This is true in the denominations, and in some churches of Christ.  The desire is to entice the populace to involvement, rather than to bring the lost to repentance and commitment.  Consider the following:

• The Redeemer Church in Fort Worth, TX invited those interested to attend what they referred to as Reformation Sunday on October 31st.  The activities, to be held at a local park following worship services, included, “your fill of food, fun and fellowship. The softball field is rented until 5 p.m.”
• The First United Methodist Church offered, in a recent bulletin, news of an upcoming Women’s luncheon, free weekly blood pressure screenings, and the monthly “Parent’s Night Out” for November.
• The University Christian Church offered on its events list in the past week (among others):  1) A light exercise class for all ages; 2) Lunch for college age kids in the Bible Cafe; 3) The weekly rehearsal for the locally famous bell choir; and 4) a meeting of the Weight Watchers organization, in their building.
• The Broadway Baptist Church is in the midst of various classes as a part of the “Broadway Academy.”  Among these classes are offerings in digital photography and healthy lifestyle secrets.  Also on the agenda was a Halloween costume skating party, and a retreat “for study and discussion, music, fellowship, good food and fun as we spend the weekend in this beautiful and peaceful country setting.”
• Members and visitors to the St. Andrews Episcopal Church are invited to the McFarland Lounge after the 10:00 am worship service for a “meet and mingle” with refreshments served.  Also on the agenda is an organizational meeting for an upcoming senior trip.
• Christ Chapel Bible Church is advertising a free concert featuring some well known singing groups on November 19, a Women’s Christmas Brunch on December 4, and offers a separate contemporary worship service that may be more appealing to younger members and guests.
• The First Presbyterian Church trumpets their Coffee Cart Fellowship, and their All Youth Dodgeball Party, held at the church gym.

The preceding took little research.  Just a simple internet search of Fort Worth churches, and a quick perusal of the Events List of the first seven churches found.  Obviously, examples could be expanded greatly.  Unfortunately, a search limited to “churches of Christ” would produce a similar list.

To be fair, there are other “events” – Bible Studies, Worship Services – included on the calendar of these groups.  However, these activities are still objectionable.  There is our first contention, that religious groups today are loathe to emphasize commitment or obligation, choosing rather to focus on food and fun.  There is the fact that such activities are without scriptural authority.  “Food and Fun” is not the work of the church, and true fellowship is found not on the softball field, but in the work and worship of the local church.  Finally, there is the perception that the visitor and the young will develop toward the church:  that the responsibility of the church is to cater to my needs, and to make me feel good about myself, rather than to convict me of my sin and save my soul.

Read again Luke 9, Luke 18 and Matthew 10, and then the list given.  The difference is jarring.  The discerning seeker will look elsewhere for spiritual growth and guidance.

As we accept that God expects a commitment of Biblical proportions from us, it is appropriate to consider where such a commitment will show itself.  Following are a series of applications of the principle.  These are by no means exhaustive, but serve to paint a picture of a life committed to the cause of Christ.

Attendance

The Hebrew writer admonished some whose “manner” was to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25).  Assembling to worship is a hallmark of the committed.  Forsaking the assembly is likewise characteristic of the apathetic.  While some will quibble over the necessity of attending a gospel meeting or Bible class, it is not a matter of relevance to the committed disciple.  When an opportunity to worship God is made available to him, he will be there unless hindered.  He will fill his obligation to serve his God, and to edify his brethren, “exhorting one another” (cf. ibid.).  He will rejoice at his opportunity to “go unto the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1).  It will not occur to him to absent himself from his brethren as they raise their voices in praise to the Almighty.  He recognizes the nature of his commitment, and is willing to deny himself the pleasures of recreation or rest to gain the greater joy that accompanies the act of honoring his God.

Study

The writer of Ecclesiastes acknowledged that “much study is wearisome to the flesh” (Ecclesiastes 12:12).  Many who contemplate a careful study of the Bible are put off by the commitment such an undertaking would require.  Time must be set aside daily.  Study techniques must be developed to allow the Book to be understood correctly.  A period of meditation must follow the study itself, that application of the learned material might be made.  Some of the material seems to be complex, even incomprehensible to the uninitiated.  It is a daunting task.  The faithful disciple, however, is undeterred.  He is a “learner” of Christ.  He heeds the admonition of Paul to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).  He knows that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” and that by studying it he will be made “complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  So, he dives in, learns God’s will, and “by reason of use,” has his senses “exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14).

Giving

Money is a sensitive topic to many.  It is an area where some preachers fear to tread.  While the Bible teaches clear principles regarding the necessity of giving back to the Lord, the apathetic do not want to hear of their obligation.  They certainly do not want to hear that God expects of them a commitment of Biblical proportions!  The committed servant of God, however, remembers the example of the Macedonians, who “according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints” (2 Corinthians 8:3-4).  He knows that the reason the Macedonians were so liberal with their giving is that they “first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God” (vs. 5). He carefully considers the admonition of Paul to give both sacrificially and cheerfully, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).  He remembers the stinginess of the Jews, recorded in Malachi 3:8, ““Will a man rob God?  Yet you have robbed Me!  But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed you?’  In tithes and offerings.”  The committed man of God understands that what he has ultimately belongs to the Lord, and conducts himself accordingly.

Discipleship

At the heart of discipleship is self-denial.  Jesus affirmed it, saying, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).  Paul expressed it in his own life.  He wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).  The apathetic servant struggles with the extent of this commitment, and falters.  The most obvious evidence of this is his struggle with worldliness.  Because his dedication is not total, there is a conflict that rages within him.  “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:17).  In contrast, the committed disciple heeds the words of John, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

• He is not motivated by possessions, knowing “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).
• He keeps himself sexually pure, heeding the admonition of Paul to, “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18).
• He/She dresses modestly, choosing a chaste decorum rather than heeding the siren call of worldly fashion (cf. 1 Timothy 2:9-10).
• He guards his heart against worldly influences, making choices with regard the music to which he listens; the movies and television programs he watches; the books he reads; the internet sites he visits; and the friends he chooses; recognizing that “Evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Corinthians 15:33) and that “friendship with the world is enmity with God. Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

In short, he is diligent in the practice of “pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father,” determined “to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

Defense of Truth

The Bible clearly reveals the importance of defending truth.  One of the primary qualifications for one who will serve as an elder in any local church is the ability “by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict” (Titus 1:9).  Paul told the evangelist Timothy to “Preach the word!  Be ready in season and out of season.  Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for the themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.  But you be watchful in all things, endure affliction, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:2-5).  The apathetic is here described as those who will not endure sound doctrine, and certainly describes a large number of those who claim to be Christians in our time.  Commitment, which can also be described as militancy in this context, is considered unseemly, and oft rejected.  However, the faithful man of God recognizes himself to be a soldier, a watchman, a defender of truth.  He heeds the exhortation of Jude to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

Conclusion

“Commitment of Biblical Proportions” is correctly defined as total commitment.  As a Christian you must love God "with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).  Paul declared Jesus to the be the Head of the church, and declared that in all things He must have “the preeminence.” (cf. Colossians 1:18).  This is certainly true with regard to our hearts and lives, a truth to which every Christian must submit for the sake of his soul.  You will not be accepted of God unless he has the first place in your heart and life.

For those who have made such a commitment, the reward is sure.  Paul wrote, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:12).  It takes a commitment of Biblical proportions to be pleasing to God.  But those who make it secure for themselves a crown of righteousness, “which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to [us] on that Day” (2 Timothy 4:8).

Editor’s note: You may or may not agree with the conclusions of this article. In either case, please respond to it, if you are of such a mind. Respond to the author by postal mail at Ralph E. Price; P. O. Box 3174; Beckley, WV 25801. For the record, I believe that it is not a congregation’s expectation that matters, but, rather, it is God who demands of all of His children that we serve Him to the very best of our ability, and that ability includes choices that each one has the capacity to make.

Larry H. Fain

Consider the following text in Matthew 9:9-13, “And as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office; and He said to him, ‘Follow Me!’ And he rose, and followed Him. And it happened that as He was reclining at the table in the house, behold many tax-gatherers and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is your Teacher eating with the tax-gatherers and sinners?’ But when He heard this, He said, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means, “I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,” for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” (NASB)

These five verses reveal for us an important truth about what God expects from men and women, and it is clear that Jesus wanted all to understand this truth. He commanded the Pharisees, “But go and learn what this means…” (Matthew 9:13). Then He quoted a passage from Hosea 6:6, “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”

Before proceeding in this study, it may be of benefit to examine the sect of the Pharisees to more fully appreciate what it was that Jesus commanded them to learn.

According to the editors of the Thompson Chain Reference Bible, the Pharisees were “A party among the Jews that laid great stress upon the observance of rites and ceremonies. They made a pretense of superior piety and separated themselves from the common people.”

It was these characteristics of the Pharisees which Jesus desired them to recognize as flaws in their thinking and behavior. Therefore, Jesus said, “…I desire compassion, and not sacrifice…” (Matthew 9:13; NASB) The NASB translates the passage which Jesus quoted as follows: “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6; NASB)

As the Pharisees pursued the observance of rites and ceremonies, they missed what God really wants from people. Jesus pronounced a woe upon them in Luke 11:42; “But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.“ (NASB) It was not that God did not want sacrifices. He had commanded them, but He wanted something else more.

The sacrifices which were offered under the Old Testament could have been offered without giving God what He most desired; namely man’s heart. God intended to decrease this problem with the establishment of the New Testament. Hebrews 8:10, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, says the Lord : I will put My laws into their minds , And I will write them upon their hearts . And I will be their God , And they shall be My people.” (NASB) It is not possible to be acceptable to God if we only engage in behaviors which only seem pious from an external vantage point. Such people are still the servants of sin if their obedience is only external. Paul explained this to the saints at Rome with these words: Romans 6:17-18, “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” (NASB) It was only when the people’s hearts became involved that they became acceptable to God.

Albert Barnes explains, “I prefer mercy to sacrifice; or, I am more pleased with acts of benevolence and kindness than with a mere external compliance with the duties of religion.”

God wants the hearts and minds of men and women to be loyal to Him and His will. He desires that people love Him with all their heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37). God has always desired this (Deuteronomy 6:5).

The Pharisees of Jesus’ time, as well as many people today, emphasize the “political” aspects of religion, that is, they do all of the external things which are seen by others that would suggest that they are pious, when, in reality, they have no heart to spiritual matters. These people often do or say things in a private context which they would emphatically deny if their deeds or words were revealed. Many there are who could be cited who have had the reputation of being “very faithful Christians” based on the regularity of their attendance at every service of the local church. Beyond their attendance record, their involvement in other “special” works in the Lord’s cause are widely known. Yet, these same individuals have pursued behaviors clearly condemned in God’s word when the privacy of their actions was virtually assured or the credibility of any accuser could be questioned so as to not bring any pressure to bear upon disclosure.

Regardless of how perfect one’s attendance at the services of the local church may be, God still desires mercy (compassion, loyalty, knowledge…Matthew 9:13 and Hosea 6:6). Regardless of how popular or widely known a person may be among the brotherhood, God still desires that individual’s behavior to be based on love (Matthew 22:37-39), even if the circumstances are not YET widely known. Paul told Timothy, “The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after. Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.” (1 Timothy 5:24-25; NASB)

The very fact that all of us are subject to these realities should cause each of us to be humble (Proverbs 16:18), attentive to one’s self (2 Corinthians 13:5), and cautious against judging according to appearance (John 7:24).

Now, let’s make application of some of these thoughts in a more “concrete” way than we have thus far; namely consider a congregation’s expectation that every member be present at every service of the church. While certainly a good case could be made to advocate such a position (Psalm 122:1; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Galatians 6:10, etc.), do these scriptures allow a binding of such a position? Those whose circumstances permit attending more than another person should be careful in judging their brother. He may or may not be just as acceptable to God. However, one may need to change to permit some attendance (1 Corinthians 11:24-25; Acts 20:7).