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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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December 7, 2014
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Contents:
1) Phrases that Sum Up Many Things (Tom Edwards)
2) News & Notes
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-1-
Phrases that Sum Up Many Things
by Tom Edwards
"Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves
his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT
ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT
COVET,' and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in
this saying, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' Love does
no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the
law" (Rom. 13:8-10).
From this we see that loving our neighbor involves various things;
and not only that which is specified in these verses -- such as not
committing adultery, not murdering, etc. -- but also those things
unmentioned in this passage which loving our neighbor would include
(and as seen elsewhere in the Scriptures). So the word "love"
is being used comprehensively to imply much more than merely one
thing, such as an emotional feeling, but many things in how we are
to properly conduct ourselves toward others and express that love in
various ways of doing good for them and not evil. Love,
therefore, is referred to as "the fulfillment of the law" (v.
10). So this also indicates our need to study God's word in
order to better know what all should be involved in loving our
neighbor.
This usage of one word or phrase to sum up various requirements is
seen frequently in the Scriptures, such as in the command to "walk
in the light" (1 Jn. 1:7), "abide" in the Lord (Jn. 15:4), be
"faithful in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 1:1), etc. Each of
these phrases involve more than merely one thing. For example,
to "walk by faith" (2 Cor. 5:7) or to "walk in the light" (1 Jn.
1:7) is to live according to the teachings and commandments in the
New Testament. Doing that is also needful to abide in the Lord
and to be faithful unto Him. So these phrases are very
practical. But to truly understand them, we, therefore, need
to thoroughly examine God's word that we may know all of what these
phrases imply.
Without the use of these comprehensive terms and phrases, all of the
teachings and commandments in the gospel would have to be repeated
each time. So instead of simply saying that we need to "walk
in the light," for example, it would have to specify everything that
pertains to doing that. And if that would have been the case,
would even a wheelbarrow be large enough to tote such a book?
With these thoughts in mind, let us now focus on the kind of "faith"
needful for salvation. The Bible teaches that we are "saved
through faith" (Eph. 2:8). But does that "faith" involve only one
thing? If we truly believe everything the Bible says about
Jesus, will that faith save us? In other words, is giving
mental agreement toward His Deity all that is required for
redemption?
If merely believing the facts about Jesus will save an individual,
then would not the demons be saved? James says, "...the demons
also believe, and tremble" (Jms. 2:19). And what about "many
even of the rulers [who] believed in Him, but because of the
Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be
put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather
than the approval of God" (Jn. 12:42,43)? James describes that
kind of faith as "useless" (Jms. 2:20) and "dead" (v. 26).
Jesus says that "...whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also
deny him before My Father who is in heaven: (Matt. 10:33).
The faith by which individuals gained God's approval was an obedient
faith: "By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain,
through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous..."
(Heb. 11:4). "By faith Noah...prepared an ark for the
salvation of his household..." (v. 7). "By faith Abraham, when he
was called, obeyed..." (v. 8). "By faith Moses...kept the Passover
and the sprinkling of the blood" (vv. 24, 28). "By faith they
passed through the Red Sea..." (v. 29). "By faith the walls of
Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days" (v.
30). For each of these examples, what good would their faith
have been, if they had not obeyed?
Consider again this last example: "By faith the walls of Jericho
fell down...." Joshua 6 shows various things that Israel had
to do in order for the walls to fall "by faith." The
Israelites were to circle the city once each day for six days (v.
3); seven priests were to carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before
the ark of the covenant (v. 4). On the seventh day, the walls
were to be marched around 7 times (for a total of 13 laps); and the
priests were to blow the trumpets (v. 4). The people were also
to wait until Joshua gave the order for all of them to shout with a
great shout (v. 10); and the wall would then fall down flat, so they
could go in and take the city (vv. 5, 16, 20). Which one of
these instructions could have been neglected or eliminated, and the
walls would still have fallen? That the walls fell "by faith"
is summing up these various commands that were all needful for that
result. For it was not the vibration of marching and the sound
waves of the trumpets and shouting; but it was miraculously by the
power of God, when His people complied by their faith and obedience,
that the walls then fell and Jericho was
conquered.
And what about salvation by grace? Are we saved by only one
thing? In Romans 2:5, Paul parenthetically states that "by
grace you have been saved." But it must be realized that there
is a major difference between saying one is saved "by grace" and one
is saved "by grace only," when thinking of that grace as being just
God's "unmerited favor." For to say the latter would exclude
even the need to have faith and the need to repent.
Of course, the gospel itself is also referred to as "the word of His
grace" (Acts 14:3; 20:32); and that message shows various things
that involve our salvation, such as the blood of Jesus (Rom. 5:9),
the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1,2), grace (Eph. 2:8), faith (Rom. 5:1),
confessing faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10), water baptism (1 Pet.
3:21), works (Jms. 2:24), hope (Rom. 6:24), God (1 Tim. 4:10), Jesus
(Matt. 1:21), ourselves (Acts 2:40, KJV), and obedience (Heb. 5:9),
just to name some. So when we submit to the gospel plan of
salvation in "the word of His grace," we are being saved by grace --
and even though it involves certain things we are to do. For
salvation is not earned or merited, even after doing those
things. It is still by God's grace.
Also, it is not wrong to say we are saved by anyone of these in the
above list; but to say that we are saved by anyone of them "only"
would then automatically exclude all of the rest, which certainly
would be a wrong thing to do.
Even in Ephesians 2:8, it is not salvation by "grace only," but by
"grace...through faith." And when we consider what the Bible
teaches about saving faith, we see that it is to be an obedient
faith, a faith that complies with whatever the Lord requires, which
would include repentance (Luke 13:5), confession of faith (Rom.
10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38), and water baptism (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38;
22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; 1 Pet. 3:21).
Consider, too, the word "calls" in Acts 2:21. In quoting
Joel's prophecy, Peter declares, "And it shall be that everyone who
calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21). But
exactly how was that calling to be done? What all did it
consist of? In the same chapter, Peter instructs individuals
to "...know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ
-- this Jesus whom you crucified" (v. 36). In the previous
verses, Peter had also been referring to Jesus as the one whom they
put to death, but whom God raised from the dead to sit at His right
hand in eternal glory. In the literal meanings of "Lord"
(ruler) and "Christ" (anointed), God made Jesus the "anointed ruler"
above all. No man could have ever attained to such an exalted
position, but Jesus was more than a man. He is eternal (Micah
5:2; Jn. 8:58), the Creator (Jn. 1:3), the Son of God (Matt.
16:16,17), and Deity (Jn. 1:1; Heb. 1:3), just to name some of the
exalted things we can say about Him. Jesus says, "...unless
you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins" (Jn.
8:24). So Peter is showing in Acts 2:36 the need to believe in
Jesus for who He truly is -- the exalted Lord and Christ in heaven
at God's right hand! But is that all that was necessary?
Notice, too, that Peter then gives additional instruction to those
who, in hearing his message, were "pierced to the heart" (which
indicates their belief in Jesus as the "Lord" and "Christ" and the
conviction of their sin). They were concerned with receiving
forgiveness for their transgressions and being made right with God,
so they asked the apostles what they must do. Peter then
commands them to "...'Repent, and each of you be baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins...'" (Acts
2:38). And from elsewhere we also read of the need to confess
faith in Christ prior to baptism (Acts 8:36-38; Rom. 10:9,10).
So all of these steps were -- and are -- necessary toward having
sins forgiven and becoming a child of God; and since there is only
one plan of salvation for people to become Christians, then the word
"calls" in Acts 2:21 involves all of these steps.
Let us close with one more word that also sums up many things that
should be true in our lives. It is the word "Christian."
It certainly means more than merely one who accepts all the truth
that the Bible presents about Jesus. For just that in itself
doesn't make one a follower of Jesus Christ, any more than accepting
the truth about Satan would make one a servant of Satan. Let
us, therefore, not only learn of all that should characterize a
Christian, but also be sure to make all of those facets a part of
our lives. For not only is that the right thing to do, out of
our love for God, but will it not also make our lives better,
complete, and what our loving Creator wants for us to enjoy?
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-2-
News & Notes
Let those of us who are Christians continue to remember the
following in our prayers for their health and physical condition:
Myrna Jordan, Jim Lively, Danielle Howard, Marie Turner
(Mark's wife), Penny Medlock, Ronnie Davis, Rex and Frankie
Hadley, Jewel Wilson, Mary Vandevander, Deborah Medlock, Shirley
Davis, Sue Wooten, Mandy Strickland, Dexter Roberts, Dolly Downs
Moody, Steve Vista, and Colleen Henson.
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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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Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 5 PM (worship)
Wednesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 614-8593
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go
(Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html
(audio sermons)