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The Gospel Observer
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to
observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to
the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).
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May 9, 2010
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Contents:
1) The Love of God -- Romans 8 (No. 7) God for Us -- More Than
Conquerors -- Vs. 31-39 (Marshall E. Patton)
2) Evolution Just Doesn't Make Sense! (Greg Gwin)
3) News & Notes
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-1-
The Love of God -- Romans 8 (No. 7) God for Us -- More Than
Conquerors -- Vs. 31-39
by Marshall E. Patton
"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us
all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who
shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that
justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy
sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him that loved us. 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."
The final lesson in this series brings us to what may well be called
the golden text of the whole chapter. Indeed these verses are
climactic. After setting forth the love of God as manifested in the
various things identified in this chapter, and after recapitulating the
whole scheme of redemption (vs. 28-30), Paul steps out upon the stage
before all mankind and challenges the whole world to fault the love of
God or the security such love has provided for the faithful. God has
left no stone unturned. Come what may, His love has provided us with a
sufficiency that enables us to be "more than conquerors"!
God For Us
When Paul raises the question, "What shall we then say to these
things?," he has in view the "all things" (v. 28) as well as the whole
scheme of redemption recapitulated (vs. 29-30). In view of the love of
God and its sufficiency so clearly made manifest, what in all the
world, in heaven above, or hell below, can possibly militate against
the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose? No enemy can possibly
militate against the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose. No enemy can
possibly set at naught God's eternal purpose, design, and ultimate
glorification of His saints. With God on our side, victory is assured!
God who went so far as to sacrifice His own Son has not and will not
leave one thing undone in our behalf.
It should be remembered just here, however, that nothing that God has
ever done, is doing, or will do infringes upon the volition of man.
Man's power to choose right or wrong, accept or reject what God has
provided, is ever present, and, therefore, in the final analysis man
must bear the blame for any failure. For this very reason man must give
an account of himself unto God (Rom. 2:6-11; 2 Cor. 5:10).
Paul raises other questions, the answers to which continue to emphasize
the all-sufficiency of God's love in making possible our eternal
salvation. "Who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" Again,
"Who is he that condemneth?" The Judaizing teachers made accusations
against and condemned Gentile Christians because they failed to keep
the covenant of circumcision and other ordinances of the law of Moses.
Since such ordinances were no part of the New Covenant, made effective
by the sacrifice of Christ, such accusations and condemnations went for
naught. When God justifies, that justification stands in spite of all
the accusations of men to the contrary. Christ who sacrificed His life,
whoever makes intercession for us, and by whose authority all things
must be done (Col. 3:17) supersedes any and all men who would accuse
and condemn. This affords all Christians comfort and consolation in the
face of all foes.
The Love of Christ
The answer to Paul's final question is the ultimate in assurance. "Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
Before looking carefully at Paul's answer, a point of controversy needs
attention. Does the "love of Christ" refer to His love for us, or does
it refer to our love for Him? The difficulty lies in the fact that the
expression "love of Christ," of itself, can be understood either way.
However, I am persuaded that in light of its context and in the light
of all else revealed, it must be understood to refer to the love of
Christ for us. Here Paul personifies those things that try the faith of
men and shows that there is no enemy that can break the bond of
Christ's love for us. While our love may fail, His never does.
Practically all Calvinist hold that the expression refers to our love
for Christ, and based upon that concept they seek to strengthen a
fundamental tenet of their doctrine, namely, the eternal security of
saints, or which is the same, the impossibility of apostasy. That
Calvinism is in error in this matter is evident from the factual
experience of those whose love does fail (Cf. Matt. 24:12), the
warnings against the danger of falling from grace (Heb. 3:12; 1 Cor.
10:12), the examples of those who did fall (Acts 1:25; 1 Cor. 10:8;
Gal. 5:4), and in view of man's accountability (Rom. 2:6; 2 Cor. 5:10).
However, not all who say the "Love of Christ" refers to our love for
Him are Calvinists, nor do they use these verses so as to infringe upon
man's volition. From their viewpoint, the general idea is that if one's
love is strong enough, none of the things mentioned will turn that love
from Christ.
In reply, I would say that Paul did not mention any "if." He boldly
affirmed unconditionally the "love of Christ." It is always present --
now and forevermore, come what may! Furthermore, it seems to me to be
altogether incongruous for Paul to spend practically the whole chapter
on the love of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit for us, and then come
to the climax of that theme and suddenly change to the love of the
Christian for Christ. Besides this, the things mentioned by Paul as
being unable to separate one from the "love of Christ" are the very
experiences that often, yea, many times over, do cause Christians to
fail in their love for Christ. In the midst of such they frequently
become weary, discouraged, yield to despair, and separate themselves
from Christ, concluding that God has forsaken or forgotten them. Jesus
said, "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax
cold" (Matt. 24:12). Even Paul quotes from Psalm 44:22, "For thy
sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter," which is in the context of people thinking that God had
forsaken them because of their misfortunes. Paul's point is that such
people were wrong and so are we, if and when we think God has turned
His back on us during such trying experiences. His love is always
there! We may forsake Him, but He never will forsake us (Heb. 13:5).
More Than Conquerors
In the last verse of this chapter Paul burst forth in the song of
victory: "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him that loved us...." Thus, Paul continues his theme of Christ's love
for us. This love has made possible our triumph over all foes. Notice
the victory comes through Christ. Apart from Him there is no hope. No
wonder Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13).
Paul's deep convictions are expressed further as he enumerates those
things which are often hostile to the children of God, but which can
never break the bond of heaven's love for us. How apropos the song:
"The cross that He gave may be heavy,
But it ne'er out-weighs His grace;
The storms that I feared may surround me,
But it ne'er excludes His face.
The cross is not greater than His grace,
The storm cannot hide His blessed face;
I am satisfied to know That with Jesus here below,
I can conquer every foe."
-- Via Searching the Scriptures, February 1992, Volume 33, Number 2
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-2-
Evolution Just Doesn't Make Sense!
by Greg Gwin
One does not need to be an expert in every field of technical study in
order to realize that the theory of evolution is beset with a multitude
of problems. The very idea that the myriad of life forms on earth could
have "evolved" by random, natural processes just doesn't make sense.
Even the simplest living thing, a single-celled organism, is complex
beyond the ability of scientist to understand, much less duplicate.
Carl Sagan, the now deceased professor, author, and evolutionary
spokesman, once said:
"The information content of a simple cell has been established as
around 10^12 bits, comparable to about a hundred million pages of the
Encyclopedia Britannica."
We are supposed to believe that the first living cell -- so many eons
ago -- not only wrote this incredibly complex code, but also "evolved"
the ability to read and react to the code as well. And all of this had
to have been in place at the precise instant when non-living chemicals
mysteriously sprang to life. Who can believe it?
Even Charles Darwin, the father of modern evolutionary thought,
admitted these difficulties. In writing about the human eye he said,
"To suppose that the eye, with all its inimitable contrivances for
adjusting the focus to different amounts of light, and for the
correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been
formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the
highest degree."
Darwin said that his theory didn't make sense, and he was right!
Why is it that men have decided that it is more "enlightened" to
believe in this obviously flawed theory than to believe in a living and
all-powerful God? It simply makes sense to believe the Bible!
-- Via The Beacon, May 4, 2010
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News & Notes
I was told today (5/10) by a hospice worker that it
appears that my mother (Marian Edwards) will be passing away today or
tomorrow. She is now unresponsive and probably became that
way last night. For several days prior, she could no longer
remember even me, my sister, or the hospice people who have been coming
in to see her several days a week for more than the last six
months. Let those of us who are Christians pray that all will go
well for her as she departs this life.
Let us also be remembering Agnes Shuff in prayer who was not able to be
with us the other day, due to high blood pressure; and Eloise Craver
who has been having continual pain from her hip surgery several months
ago.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel,
for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the
deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins
(Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ
(Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water
for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4;
Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith;
for,
if
not,
salvation
can
be
lost
(Heb.
10:36-39;
Rev.
2:10;
2
Pet.
2:20-22).
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CHURCH OF CHRIST
201 Rushing Road (at the Hampton Inn), Denham Springs, Louisiana
70726
Sunday services: 9:15 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 4 PM (worship)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
tedwards@onemain.com
tedwards1109@gmail.com
http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go (Gospel Observer website)
http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/audioser.html (audio sermons)
Directions:
Take the Denham Springs exit (exit 10) off of I-12. At the end of
the exit ramp, turn north. Go about a stone's throw to Rushing
Road. (You'll see a Starbucks, Circle K, and two other gas
stations; with each on each corner.) Turn left on Rushing Road,
and go less then 0.3 of a mile. Hampton Inn will be on the
right. We assemble in its meeting room, which is very close to
the reception counter.
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