Year: 2017 (Page 3 of 6)

The Gospel Observer

August 13, 2017 / Tom Edwards

“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” (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).
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Contents:

1) When Christ Returns (Tom Edwards)
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When Christ Returns

Tom Edwards

Of all the events down through time, what could be more dramatic and emotionally stirring than when Jesus returns? For when He does, though He will not set foot on earth, there will be a great gathering together to meet Him in the air (cf. 1 Thess. 4:13-18). That in itself we certainly be a major event! And notice, too, of the other great occurrences that the Lord’s second coming will usher in:

A Universal Resurrection

Not only will the saints be raised on that day when Christ returns, but also all people – the righteous and the unrighteous! For as Jesus declares, “…an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28,29). Paul also shows of the universal involvement in this when saying “…that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked” (Acts 24:15). Notice that he doesn’t speak of a plurality of resurrections, such as one for the redeemed and another for the lost; but, rather, says that there will be “a resurrection” — singular — “of both the righteous and the wicked.” And regardless of how long one has been deceased, all will be raised on that day – from the first man Adam and to all his descendants down through time! What a great number that will be!

A Universal Judgment

Also taking place when Christ returns will be the Great Judgment Day! And all will be there. The rich and the poor, and all in between; the famous and the infamous, along with the billions who are unknown to us. All will stand before God to give an account. Your favorite athletes, musicians, actors, painters, sculptors, inventors, poets, doctors, writers, political leaders, all your friends and relatives, and any other category of people, they will all be there – billions of us! “…For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Rom. 14:10). “So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God” (v. 12).

It is, therefore, a time for which we need to prepare. For “…God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30,31). Jesus also shows the reason why His Father entrusted this duty to Him: “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (Jn. 5:22, 23).

To prepare for the judgment, we need to look to the gospel. For it is the standard whereby we will be judged. Jesus says, “he who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day” (Jn. 12:48). This, of course, also includes those words that were not given until Jesus ascended back to the right hand of God and sent the Holy Spirit to lead the apostles into all the truth; because while He was on earth, the apostles were not yet ready for all He wanted them to know. As the Lord Himself states: “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and he will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and disclose it to you” (Jn. 16:12-14). So let us make sure we are using God’s word, and not just the teachings of men, to prepare ourselves for that Great Judgment Day.

The Universe Will Cease To Be

Peter writes of this time in connection with the Lord’s second coming. For after speaking of those mockers who would be saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Pet. 3:4), he goes on to say that “…the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (v. 10). And “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” (vv. 11,12).

Time Will Come To An End

Since the universe will cease to be, then time will also come to an end. For, according to Genesis 1:14-19, our time is based on heavenly bodies and on our earth’s revolving and orbiting. On the fourth day of creation, “God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.”

The day the Lord returns will, therefore, be the “last day.” For, as we just saw, that is the day that the universe and time will cease to be. So it will definitely be the last day. But also we had noted that the great judgment would take place on that day; and, corresponding to that, Jesus also declares in John 12:48 that “the word I spoke is what will judge him at the LAST DAY” (emphasis mine). In addition, the day of the resurrection is also referred to as being on the “last day” (John 6:39,40, 44, 54). Martha also knew that. She said to Jesus, concerning her deceased brother Lazarus: “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day” (Jn. 11:24).

Eternity

When time, as we know it, ends, eternity, which is timeless, will still be what it has always been! Someone once pointed out that time will end because it is something that can be measured. Eternity, however, cannot be measured. It has no beginning, and it has no end. For like God Himself, eternity has always been.

The concern of each one, therefore, should be as we see in this following, old hymn that sings out in the chorus, “What will it be? What will it be? Where will you spend your eternity? What will it be, O what will it be? What will your answer be?” The song begins by pointing out that “Someday you’ll stand at the bar on high, Someday your record you’ll see; Someday you’ll answer the question of life, What will your answer be?” And then the second stanza: “Sadly you’ll stand, if you’re unprepared, Trembling, you’ll fall on your knee; Facing the sentence of life or of death, What will that sentence be?” Then the wise exhortation in the third stanza: “Now is the time to prepare, my friend; Make your soul spotless and free; Washed in the blood of the Crucified One. He will your answer be.” This song was written by Tillit Sydney Teddlie (1885-1987) in 1935.

Heaven or Hell — the Only Two Destinations!

Where we will spend our eternity depends on us — and whether we will accept and abide in God’s way of salvation or not, while here on earth. For there will be only one of two possible outcomes for each individual, depending on whether that person truly belongs to the Lord or not — and either one is eternal. Jesus shows of this in Matthew 25:46, when saying, “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” The same word used to express the punishment (in the English and the Greek) is also used to describe the reward. It is the word “eternal” (“aionios”).

What side will we be on? “…when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed…” (2 Thess. 1:7-10). When Christ comes again, there will be a separation of the saved and the lost (cf. Matt. 25:32-46).

The Bible shows that God does not want anyone to be lost (cf. 2 Pet. 3:9), and this is why He sent His Son to make an atonement by His death at Calvary for every sinner (Heb. 2:9; Jn. 3:16). But we each must be willing to accept His conditions in order that we can benefit from that sacrifice. For Jesus “…became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation” (Heb. 5:9). Though we cannot earn nor deserve it, yet when we submit to God’s terms of pardon, we can then have His grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness in our lives and become a part of His eternal family. And those conditions are that we hear the gospel (for that is how faith comes — Rom. 10:17), that we believe in Christ for whom He truly is (Jn. 8:24), that we repent of our sins (Luke 13:5), that we confess our faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38), that we be baptized in water for the remission of sins (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3;21), and that we strive to be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10; Heb. 10:36-39).

The apostles would be going through a most difficult time, which would involve persecutions and even death. (Judas killed himself; but all the other apostles, according to tradition, are said to have been martyrs, with the exception of John of whom the attempt was made to put to death by boiling in a pot of oil, but was miraculously spared and exiled to the island of Patmos where God gave him the Revelation.) I wonder how often they must have thought of that beautiful promise that Jesus had given them, prior to His own crucifixion: “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:1-3). And will not the Lord also do the same for all others who will be the redeemed in heaven? For will not He be the Maker of all things for us there as well? We, therefore, will not have to rely on whatever carpentry skills we acquired while on earth to build our own home in heaven! Rather, we can trust in the One who is “the builder of all things” (Heb. 3:4); and even now be like Abraham, in ancient times, who “was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10)!

Let us, therefore, turn to the Lord and submit to Him so that heaven will be our eternal destination. For it will be a blissful place where “God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain… (Rev. 21:4).

As we have seen, various major events will take place when Jesus comes again. So may we each strive to be ready for that great day!

(All Scripture from the NASB unless otherwise indicated.)
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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, living for the Lord; 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 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 218-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://thomastedwards.com/go (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http://tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org/
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)

The Gospel Observer

August 6, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) “Jesus Calls Us” (Tom Edwards)
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“Jesus Calls Us”

Tom Edwards

Written in 1852 by Cecil Frances Alexander, “Jesus Calls Us” is a comforting hymn with a drawing affect upon the humble, contrite, and sincere heart of a true believer. For he knows that Jesus is greatly concerned; and for whatever the troubles of life, He is the One to whom we should turn and to whom we can cast all our cares and anxieties upon “because He cares” for us (1 Pet. 5:8). The greatest problem of all, of course, is sin. But whatever our distress, “Jesus calls us o’er the tumult of our life’s wild, restless sea; day by day his sweet voice soundeth, saying, ‘Christian, follow me!’” (the first stanza).

According to Daniel Webster, a tumult can be not only that which is external, such as the “violent and noisy commotion or disturbance of a crowd or mob; uproar,” but also that which is internal, as a “turbulent mental or emotional disturbance.” But for either kind, Jesus can help us through! For He can give rest to the weary and heavy-laden (Matt. 11:28-30). He can give peace to the troubled and fearful (Jn. 14:27; Luke 12:32). And He can relieve us of our cares and anxieties (1 Pet. 5:7). Though the state of the sinner is sometimes compared to an agitated sea (Isa. 57:20, 21), yet there can be sweet rest for those who come to the Lord — and Jesus calls all of us to do so!

The second stanza tells us that “Jesus calls us from the worship of the vain world’s golden store, from each idol that would keep us, saying, ‘Christian, love me more!’”

Here we see that the Christian is urged to put Christ above all worldly things. Even in the family relationship, where the head of the family is concerned of meeting the physical needs of his loved ones, his ultimate concern should still be for their spiritual well-being. And though he loves his family, yet his love for them is increased by his having even more of a love for God.

To be called “from the worship of the vain world’s golden store” sounds likes something Solomon would have written, who had experienced so much of what he later referred to as vain things in life. For he had enlarged his works, “built houses for himself,” “planted vineyards,” “made gardens and parks… [and] planted in them all kinds of fruit trees,” “made ponds…to irrigate a forest of growing trees,” had “both male and female slaves” and also “possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded” him in Jerusalem. He “collected…silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces.” He provided for himself “male and female singers and the pleasures of men – many concubines.” He “became great and increased more than all who preceded” him in Jerusalem. He said, “All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure… Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun” (Eccl. 2:4-11). And as he also declares, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity” (Eccl. 5:10).

This is really the main message of the book of Ecclesiastes that all is actually vanity without God in one’s life. We were not made to go through this life without Him. Some have viewed this book as containing Solomon’s confession of his wrongs and his urging and instructing others to how they should really live, which he then brings to their attention in the very last two verses of this book, where he declares, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Eccl. 12:13, 14).

In the New Testament, we are also directed toward the heavenly rather than just getting lost in the worldly. As Paul writes, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind [affections in the KJV] on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1-3).

As the hymn also shows, Jesus has called us “…from each idol that would keep us.” How foolish for one to be kept in bondage by a lifeless thing that can do nothing for that individual (cf. Isa. 57:13; Ezek. 14:2-6). God states that His people were “estranged” from Him because of their idols, which indicates they were “turned away in feeling or affection.” Note specifically the place where the Lord shows these idols had resided. They were not merely on a mantle, or on a table, or set on some other piece of furniture; but, rather, the Lord went to the real core of the problem by pointing out in Ezekiel 14:3 that their idols were set up “in their hearts”! And though these idols were lifeless, powerless things, yet what great damage they could do to the worshiper of them! For idolatry was a violation of one of the Ten Commandments, and sin will separate a person from God (cf. Isa.59:1,2). The Thessalonians, however, were commended for their turning to God from idolatry (1 Thess. 1:9), which was a wise move on their part. They would not let those idols “keep” them.

We must remember that though it would probably be rare to find people in America today literally setting up idols to worship, yet even greed (or covetousness) is equated with idolatry (cf, Col. 3:5; Eph. 5:5). And it is one of the reasons why “the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience” (Col. 3:6). Greed, therefore, is a serious matter – but often not recognized. La Salle, for example, has been noted as being one of the most popular priests during the Middle Ages who heard tens of thousands of people’s confessions, over the years. And he once said that out of that great number, not once did he ever hear anyone admit to being guilty of having the love of money. Could it be that greed can be deceptive? Unrecognizable at times? And how tragic — for what a deadly enemy greed can be! An Associated Press article once published a story about a ragged peddler who had been found dead in his apartment. The day before his death, the peddler had told a friend that he didn’t even have $5 to pay a debt; but when he was found dead the next day among the littered filth in his apartment, it was also discovered that he had $61,000 in bonds and currency – and this was long ago, when that amount would have had much greater value than today! He was only 48 years old, but the report ironically stated that he died of malnutrition. Was it greed that had become such a cruel master that it made him deprive himself of even the needed food for his body? Was he caught in greed’s terrible snare?

The third stanza then sings out, “In our joys and in our sorrows, days of toil and hours of ease, still he calls, in cares and pleasures, ‘Christian, love me more than these!’”

Whether we are happy or sad, been working hard or taking it easy, still Christ is to be put above all else. His kingdom must be sought after first (cf. Matt. 6:33). Surely, Paul’s exhortation to Timothy to “be ready in season and out of season” (2 Tim. 4:2) applies in principle to us as well. The International Standard Version renders that as “Be ready to do this whether or not the time is convenient.” And whether in joy or sorrow, Christ needs to always be exalted on the throne of our heart, so that, according to 1 Peter 3:15, we can “always be ready” to make a defense of the hope that is within us to anyone.

The last stanza declares, “Jesus calls us! By thy mercies, Savior, may we hear thy call, give our hearts to thine obedience, serve and love thee best of all.”

It’s interesting that these two words are coupled: “serve” and “love.” Of course, one can’t truly serve the Lord if one doesn’t love Him; nor can one truly love the Lord, if one doesn’t obey Him (cf. Jn. 14:23, 24). For there is that need for both. This might also remind you of another pair the Bible puts together, though many people try to pull them apart – and that is faith and works! This has been illustrated as two oars that a man was using to row his boat. The oars were held in u-shaped oarlocks or braces that served as pivot-supports and helped with the rowing. One oar was called “faith,” while the other was called “works.” In neither case, could the rower use just one of those oars and expect to make it to his destination. For to do so, would have him just going in circles. But when he plied with both of them together, he made progress and arrived safely at the shore.

We need to each examine our service to the Lord, not just when we meet together at church, but also in our daily activities. Can we honestly say we love the Lord by the way we live? If we shirk our responsibilities, are we any better off than the one-talent man who buried his talent instead of using it? What was his retribution? “And cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:30).

May this song, “Jesus Calls Us,” encourage us toward a deeper commitment to Christ — and may it also be a wonderful invitation for those who have not yet come to Him, that they, too, will want to be a follower of the Lord. For what a marvelous thing it is that God would actually call us to Himself that we might each enjoy a relationship with Him – and that for now and for all eternity!

(All Scriptures are from the NASB, unless otherwise indicated.)
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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, living for the Lord; 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 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://thomastedwards.com/go (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http://tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org/
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)

The Gospel Observer

July 30, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) The Wording of the King James Bible (and comparing 122 of its words with the NASB and seeing the Greek or Hebrew definitions) (Tom Edwards)
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The Wording of the King James Bible

Tom Edwards

It was back around 1973 when I first read through all of the King James Version of the Bible. Having been originally written in 1611, its different wording also had an interesting appeal to me – the “thee’s” and the “thou’s” and the words with the “eth” endings, such as “heareth,” “findeth,” “bringeth,” etc. But, of course, even more important than the mere sound was the message of those old English words that can instill faith and show the way of salvation that leads to eternal life. Since the KJV was written during the time that Shakespeare had been writing his plays, which he did from 1590 to 1612, and his sonnets in 1609, we find much similarity in his wording and that of the Bible.

Some folks, however, have viewed some of these words in the King James Version as if they are sacred or a way of expressing more reverence to God — though probably more so a few decades ago. Bob Crawley, for instance, who had preached about 24 years for the University Heights church of Christ in Lexington, Kentucky, was once asked, “Is it disrespectful to use ‘You’ in our prayers? Some of our members think we should always say ‘Thou’ when we are talking to God.”

What is one reason some people might have thought that way? Would it not be because it was the version that was often being heard from the pulpit back then, which would seem to make those words more special? For rather than being used in day-to-day conversation, they were words being heard in places where people worshiped God and heard His word proclaimed, and in their own study of God’s message.

But folks need to realize that the KJV language was just simply the common language of that day back in 1611. As Bob Crawley writes, “the ‘thee’ and ‘thou’ style of speech was as much the language of the street as of the church, of the gutter as well as the pulpit, and of cursing as well as of praying. Such words do not, then, of themselves, signify respect. To insist upon a particular old fashioned style of speech and attribute to it an exclusively religious superiority is to make the same mistake which is made by the Amish people, and others, in requiring a dress code which is not particularly spiritual but merely out of date.” Bob makes a good point.

In addition, if the KJV style of language is what is necessary to address God reverently, then what about all the years prior to that kind of language?

But notice this also. Even in the Bible, the “thee’s” and the “thou’s” are not used exclusively for God – or, in other words, used to show a special reverence or respect only to Deity. For consider the Lord’s model prayer in the KJV: Matt. 6:9-13. In it, the Lord uses the terms “thy” and “thine” (in vv. 9 & 13) in speaking of God; but if you look back several verses (vv. 3 & 4), the “thy” and “thine” are also used in addressing ordinary people, as Bob points out. In Ezra 9:15 in the KJV, Ezra declares, “O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous…”; and that same “thou” is also used throughout the Bible in referring to just people – and even evil people (cf. Acts 13:10)! Obviously, the word “thou” in itself does not indicate deep reverence or respect toward that one.

Bob also points out that “the language of the original New Testament writing (the Greek of the first century A.D.) likewise makes no distinction between the form of the pronouns used for prayer and those used for other occasions.” So the KJV type of speech was not a special language reserved for only sacred texts. It was simply part of the every-day vocabulary that was being used at that time.

But even though all of this is so, what about the one who still feels that using the King James language in addressing God is more respectful? Then, would that not be a personal conviction of that individual and better for that person to then pray that way? It certainly would not be a wrong thing to do – though he should not try to bind his personal conviction or conscience on everyone else as well. We can compare that to what Paul teaches in Romans 14:1-6, 13.

Bob makes another good point when saying, “Respect or disrespect are matters of the attitude of the heart and are not determined by whether one uses modern or old fashioned styles of speech. The truly respectful person will use those words which most naturally express the respect which he has when praying to God. The younger among us will need to be patient with those of us who find it natural to use the old style, which has become so traditional with us. And we, who for so many years have been used to hearing the prayers prayed in the style of the era of Kings James I, of England, will need to realize that those who address God in a dignified, but more up-to-date style are no less respectful than we.”

As mentioned, I had liked the sound of the KJV, but I was finding some of the terms that the apostle Paul used as being unfamiliar to me. So I went with the New American Standard Bible, which I probably bought soon after it had come out in the early ’70s. It was first published in 1971; and I have read through all of that version, too, a number of times.

When going to a Greek Lexicon to look up the meanings of some of the Greek words in the KJV New Testament, I would often find that one of the words in its definition (by Thayer or Strong or some other Lexicon scholar) would be how it was already translated in the NASB. So that also had me liking that version even more.

If one is going to use the KJV, it will be helpful to better understand some of the terms that now no longer mean what they originally did. For word-meanings can change over a period of time – and especially over 406 years! One example of this, would be the word “conversation.” In 1 Peter 2:12, for instance, “Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles…” sounds like only one’s speech, doesn’t it? For we know we are to speak the truth and not lie. But the Greek for “conversation” (anastrophe) is defined by Thayer as “manner of life, conduct, behavior, deportment.” So it means much more than merely speech alone. And how does the NASB render it? It translates it as “behavior,” which is one of the definitions that we just saw Thayer give for the Greek word it stems from.

And how about the word “banqueting” in 1 Peter 4:3? What do you think of when you think of a banquet? Probably much food for many people! Webster defines the English word as “1. a lavish meal; feast. 2. a ceremonious public dinner, as to honor a person or benefit a charity.” But is that what it meant back in 1611? What does the Greek word it comes from in 1 Peter 4:3 actually mean? James Strong defines it as “a drinking bout or carousal.” Thayer shows it to mean, “a drinking, carousing.” And in Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament, it is “a drinking, a drinking together, drinking bout.” After hearing these three similar definitions, one might be prone to blurt out, “Where’s the beef?!,” like in that old 1984 Wendy’s commercial. Or where is mention in the definition of any vegetables, fruits, or any other food? None of that is mentioned because the Greek word does not pertain to it. So how does the NASB translate it? It says “drinking parties” in 1 Peter 4:3 – with no mention of food.

What are some other terms that do not mean what folks might think? How about the word “answer” in 1 Peter 3:21 of the KJV? “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Would you not think of an “answer” as being the exact opposite of a question, a query, or an inquiry? According to the Thesaurus it is. But what does the Greek word (“eperotema”), from which “answer” is translated in the KJV, actually mean? James Strong defines it as “an inquiry.” Thayer gives the definition of “1) an enquiry, a question 2) a demand 3) earnestly seeking 3a) craving, an intense desire.” And how is it translated in the NASB? It renders it as an “appeal,” which Webster defines as “an earnest plea; entreaty: an appeal for help.” So through baptism that appeal was being made. Look how clearly that is seen in the “God’s Word” version of the Bible: “…baptism is a request to God for a clear conscience.” This doesn’t mean, of course, that the request takes the place of baptism; but, rather, that the request is actually being made in a non-verbal way by being baptized, after it had been preceded by faith in Christ (Jn. 8:24), repentance (Luke 13:5), and a confession of one’s faith in the Lord (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38). For baptism is the last step to put one into Christ (Gal. 3:26,27), where there is no condemnation (Rom. 8:1), and from which one rises up to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:3,4).

In 1 Thessalonians 4:15 (KJV), Paul says, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.” Notice the word “prevent” in this passage. What does it mean? We, of course, know that the definition of the English term “prevent” means simply “1. to keep from occurring; stop … 2. to stop from doing something…” Webster then also shows its archaic meaning of “to precede.” And “precede” is also part of the meaning of the Greek word that “prevent” is translated from in 1 Thessalonians 4:15. Thayer defines it as “1) to come before, precede…” And how does the NASB translate it? It uses the word “precede.”

Another word that might give some folks a wrong idea is seen in Acts 17:22 – the word “superstitious.” In thinking of how we use that term today, what comes to your mind? James Strong shows the Greek word to mean “more religious than others.” And Thayer’s primary definition for it is “reverencing god or the gods, pious, religious.” So how does the NASB translate it? It speaks of those people as being “very religious.”

Something else that should be pointed out to folks who use the KJV Bible is the use of the word “Easter” in Acts 12:4. Out of at least 24 different Bible versions I looked this up in, the KJV was the only one that uses the word “Easter” in this verse. The Greek word for it is “pascha,” which is used in 27 verses of the Bible; and in all of those verses, except there in Acts 12:4, the KJV renders it as “passover.” Since it is the same Greek word, why does not the KJV render it as “Easter” in all those other verses, too? According to Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, “The word in our King James Version is an ecclesiastical term of later date, and ought not to have been employed here.” Albert Barnes gives the following explanation for its use: He says, “In the translation by Wycliffe, the word ‘paske,’ that is, ‘Passover,’ is used. But Tyndale and Coverdale used the word ‘Easter,’ and hence, it has very improperly crept into our King James Version.”

What is the difference between a translation and a transliteration?

A translation is simply converting text from one language to another language. In doing so, the word-meaning from that one language will be translated into a word of the other language that means the same. For example, Paul shows in Galatians 5:22 that “patience” is a fruit of the Spirit. The word patience is a “translation” from the Greek into English, which is much more helpful for us who speak English. In Thayer’s Greek Definitions, the Greek word for patience is defined as “1) patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance…” So we see that the first word in this definition is being used to translate that Greek word to an English word in the KJV and various other versions of the Bible as well – and making it easy for us to understand.

But if that Greek word were transliterated instead of translated, then it would be seen as “makrothumia” (or something similar) in the KJV and other English versions, which is simply taking the Greek letters of that word and replacing them with the corresponding letters of whatever language it is being converted to — and in our case, English. This is what has been done with the word “baptize” and its various forms. In the Greek, the word for “baptize” is “baptizo.” Those letters that make up that Greek word are beta, alpha, pi, tau, iota, zeta, and omicron. Some of the letters in Greek look very similar to our English letters. This is true of the letters for alpha, beta, delta, epsilon, iota, kappa, omicron, sigma, tau, upsilon, and zeta. So, again, in just changing Greek letters to their corresponding letters in another language’s alphabet is a transliteration and does not involve the meaning of the word, but just its letters. Thayer defines the Greek word for baptism (baptisma) as “1) immersion, submersion…” So it does not include sprinkling (rhantizo) or pouring (epicheo). Of course, even if one didn’t know the meaning of baptism, it can be inferred from the verses that speak of it as being a burial, such as Romans 6:4, “…we have been buried with Him through baptism…” But what if the Greek word for “buried” was transliterated instead of translated? It would then be in our English Bibles as some form of “sunthapto,” which we might not find too helpful in understanding the passage. If “baptizo” had been translated instead of transliterated, then we would be reading passages with the following or similar renditions: “He that believeth and is immersed shall be saved…” (Mk. 16:16). “…Repent, and be immersed every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” (Acts 2:38). And for the Greek word “baptisma,” “…corresponding to that, immersion now saves you…” (1 Pet. 3:21), etc.

As mentioned, there are many KJV words that are archaic and unfamiliar. Consider the following, which gives a comparison between words from the KJV and how those same words are translated in the NASB, to determine which is easier for you to understand. As you can see, the listing below is in an alphabetized order based on the KJV words:

The following sources have been used for the Greek and Hebrew Definitions:

BDB = Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions
Strong = Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
Mounce = Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament
Thayer = Thayer’s Greek Definitions
Moulton and Milligan = JH Moulton and G Milligan: The Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament

Matthew 5:39: “ADO” (KJV) or “COMMOTION” (NASB). Thayer: “to make a noise or uproar, be turbulent…to wail tumultuously”
Luke 14:32: “AMBASSAGE” (KJV) or “DELEGATION” (NASB). Thayer: “an embassy”
Deuteronomy 22:19: “AMERCE” (KJV) or “FINE” (NASB). BDB: “to fine”
1 Corinthians 16:22: “ANATHEMA” (KJV) or “ACCURSED” (NASB). Thayer: “…a man accursed, devoted to the direst of woes”
Exodus 30:25: “APOTHECARY” (KJV) or “PERFUMER” (NASB). BDB: “perfumer”
Genesis 4:22: “ARTIFICER” (KJV) or “FORGER” (NASB). BDB: “metal craftsman”
Isaiah 14:23: “BESOM” (KJV) or “BROOM” (NASB). Strong & BDB: ”broom”
Isaiah 8:21: “BESTEAD” (KJV) – See “HARDLY BESTEAD.”
Isaiah 16:3: “BEWRAY” (KJV) or “BETRAY” (NASB)
Exodus 9:9: “BLAINS” (KJV) or “SORES” (NASB). BDB: “blisters, boils”
Exodus 9:31: “BOLLED” (KJV) or “BUD” (NASB)
1 Samuel 26:7: “BOLSTER” (KJV) or “HEAD” (NASB). BDB: “place at the head…”
Deut. 28:27: “BOTCH” (KJV) or “BOILS” (NASB). BDB: “boil, inflamed spot…”
Philemon 1:7: “BOWELS” (KJV) or “HEARTS” (NASB). Thayer shows that though the Greek word for “bowels” is sometimes used literally for the “bowels, intestines, (the heart, lungs, liver, etc.),” it was also used to refer to “the seat of the more violent passions, such as anger and love; but by the Hebrews as the seat of the tenderer affections, especially kindness, benevolence, compassion; hence our heart (tender mercies, affections, etc.).”
Jeremiah 51:3: “BRIGANDINE” (KJV) or “SCALE-ARMOR” (NASB). Strong: “a coat of mail”; BDB: “armor”
Jeremiah 10:22: “BRUIT” (KJV) or “REPORT” (NASB). BDB: “report, news, rumour”
2 Samuel 22:31: “BUCKLER” (KJV) or “SHIELD” (NASB). BDB: “shield”
Leviticus 26:16: “BURNING AGUE” (KJV) or “FEVER” (NASB). BDB: “fever”
Luke 10:41: “CAREFUL” (KJV) or “WORRIED” (NASB). Though we normally think of the word “careful” to mean “cautious in one’s actions,” yet Webster also gives a fifth definition, which is archaic, but shows it had meant “troubled” and “anxious” long ago.) Thayer: “1) to be anxious 1a) to be troubled with cares”
Isaiah 3:18: “CAULS” (KJV) or “HEADBANDS” (NASB). BDB: “1) front band 1a) for a woman’s head”
Numbers 7:13: “CHARGER” (KJV) or “DISH” (NASB). BDB: “dish, platter”
Colossians 3:5: “evil CONCUPISCENCE” (KJV) or “evil DESIRE” (NASB). Thayer: “desire, craving, longing, desire for what is forbidden, lust”
Exodus 30:35: “CONFECTION” (KJV) or “PERFUME” (NASB). BDB: “spice-mixture, perfume, ointment.”
2 Chronicles 4:12: “CHAPITERS” (KJV) or “CAPITALS” (NASB). BDB: “1) capital crown, capital of a pillar”
Isaiah 32:5: “CHURL” (KJV) or “ROGUE” (NASB). BDB: ”scoundrel, knave”
Isaiah 3:22: “CRISPING PINS” (KJV) or “MONEY PURSES” (NASB). BDB: “bag, purse”
Galatians 2:13: “DISSEMBLED” (KJV) or “JOINED HIM IN HYPOCRISY” (NASB). Thayer: “to act hypocritically with”
Genesis 45:6: “EARING” (KJV) or “PLOWING” (NASB). BDB: “ploughing, ploughing time”
John 2:6: “FIRKINS” (KJV) – See “TWO OR THREE FIRKINS.”
Isaiah 28:25: “FITCHES” (KJV) or “DILL” (NASB).
2 Samuel 6:19: “FLAGON” (KJV) or “RAISINS” (NASB). BDB: “raisin-cake”; Strong: “something closely pressed together, that is, a cake of raisins or other comfits”
Deuteronomy 32:20: “FROWARD” (KJV) or “PERVERSE” (NASB). BDB: “perversity, perverse thing”
Matthew 3:12: “GARNER” (KJV) or “BARN” (NASB). Thayer: “1) a place in which anything is laid by or up. 2) a storehouse, granary”
Job 18:9: “GIN” (KJV) or “SNARE” (NASB). BDB: “1) bird trap, trap, snare”
Zechariah 6:3: “GRISLED” (KJV) or “DAPPLED” (NASB). BDB: “spotted, marked”
Exodus 28:32: “HABERGEON” (KJV) or “COAT OF MAIL” (NASB). BDB: “corselet”; Webster defines corselet as “2. a. a suit of light armor covering the entire trunk”
Judges 3:22: “HAFT” (KJV) or “HANDLE” (NASB). Strong: “a handle”
Luke 12:58: “HALE” (KJV) or “DRAG” (NASB). Thayer: “1) to draw down, pull down 2) to draw along, drag forcibly”
Mark 9:45: “HALT” (KJV) or “LAME” (NASB). Thayer: “lame…deprived of a foot, maimed”
Acts 17:27: “HAPLY” (KJV) or “PERHAPS” (NASB)
Isaiah 8:21: “HARDLY BESTEAD” (KJV) or “HARD-PRESSED” (NASB). BDB: “to be hard pressed”
Deuteronomy 12:15: “HART” (KJV) or “DEER” (NASB). Strong: “a stag or male deer”
Luke 15:4: “HOLPEN” (KJV) or “GIVEN HELP” (NASB). Thayer: “to help”
Josh.11:6: “HOUGH” (KJV) or “HAMSTRING” (NASB). BDB: “2) to cut, hamstring”
Acts 19:38: “IMPLEAD” (KJV) or “BRING CHARGES” (NASB). Thayer: “to come forward as accuser against, bring charge against”
2 Timothy 3:3: “INCONTINENT” (KJV) or “WITHOUT SELF-CONTROL” (NASB) Thayer: “without self-control, intemperate”
Matthew 5:18: “JOT” (KJV) or “SMALLEST LETTER” (NASB). Thayer: “1) the Hebrew letter, the smallest of them all 1a) hence equivalent to the minutest part”
Genesis 32:15: “KINE” (KJV) or “COWS” (NASB). BDB: “cow, heifer”
Exodus 25:33: “KNOP” (KJV) or “BULB” (NASB). BDB: “bulb, knob, capital, capital of a pillar”
Psalm 5:6: “LEASING” (KJV) or “FALSEHOOD” (NASB). BDB: “a lie, untruth, falsehood, deceptive thing”
Zephaniah 1:12: “LEES” (KJV) – See “SETTLE ON THEIR LEES.”
John 3:8: “LISTETH” (KJV) or “WISHES” (NASB). Thayer: “to will… to desire, to wish…”
1 Samuel 8:3: “LUCRE” (KJV) or “DISHONEST GAIN” (NASB)
Matthew 6:24: “MAMMON” (KJV) or “WEALTH” (NASB). Mounce: “wealth, riches”; Thayer: “1) mammon, 2) treasure 3) riches (where it is personified and opposed to God)”
Judges 4:18: “MANTLE” (KJV) or “RUG” (NASB). Strong: “a rug”
Proverbs 25:18: “MAUL” ((KJV) or “CLUB” (NASB). BDB: “scattering club”
Genesis 43:34: “MESSES” (KJV) or “PORTIONS” (NASB). BDB: “1) …portion… 1d) portion, present, largess, gift, contribution, offering, tribute”
Luke 12:59: “MITE” (KJV) or “CENT” (NASB). Moulton & Milligan: “the smallest piece of money in circulation”; Thayer: “a small brass coin…worth about 1/5 of a cent”
Exodus 29:6: “MITRE” (KJV) or “TURBAN” (NASB). BDB: “turban (of the high priest)”
Matthew 7:3: “MOTE” (KJV) or “SPECK” (NASB). Mounce: “any small dry thing, as chaff, stubble, splinter”
Isaiah 3:19: “MUFFLERS” (KJV) or “VEILS” (NASB). Strong: “a long veil (as fluttering)
Exodus 9:3: “MURRAIN” (KJV) or “PESTILENCE” (NASB). Strong: “a pestilence”
Jeremiah 2:22: “NITRE” (KJV) or “LYE” (NASB). BDB: “mineral potash (so called from effervescing with acid)”
Genesis 37:7: “OBEISANCE” (KJV) or “BOWED DOWN” (NASB). BDB: “to bow down”
2 Samuel 16:23: “ORACLE” (KJV) or “WORD” (NASB). Strong: “a word”
Exodus 28:11: “OUCHES” (KJV) or “FILIGREE SETTINGS” (NASB). BDB: “plaited or filigree or chequered work (of settings for gems)”
Matthew 4:24: “PALSY” (KJV) or “PARALYTICS” (NASB). Thayer: “paralytic”
Acts 1:3: “PASSION” (KJV) or “SUFFERING” (NASB). Strong: “to experience a sensation or impression (usually painful)”
1 Peter 2:9: “PECULIAR” (KJV) or “A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESION” (NASB)
Matthew20:2: “PENNY” (KJV) or “DENARIUS” (NASB). Strong: “a denarius.” A denarius was the equivalent of about our 16 cents, and it was what a common laborer made for a full day’s work when Jesus walked this earth.
2 Chronicles 4:12: “POMMELS” (KJV) or “BOWLS” (NASB). BDB: “1) bowl…1b2) of bowl shaped portion of capitals of pillars of the temple”
Luke 19:16: “POUND” (KJV) or “MINA” (NASB). Strong: “mina”
Jeremiah 51:31: “POST” (KJV) or “COURIER” (NASB).
1 Sam. 10:5: “PSALTERY” (KJV) or “HARP” (NASB). BDB: “2) harp…”
Matthew 10:3: “PUBLICAN” (KJV) or “TAX COLLECTOR” (NASB). Thayer: “2) a tax gatherer, collector of taxes or tolls”
Daniel 1:12: “PULSE” (KJV) or “VEGETABLES” (NASB). Strong: “a vegetable”
1 Corinthians 5:11: “RAILER” (KJV) or “REVILER” (NASB). Thayer: “a railer, reviler”
Proverbs 23:16: ”REINS” (KJV) or “INMOST BEING” (NASB). BDB: “1b) of seat of emotion and affection (figuratively)”; Strong: “figuratively the mind (as the interior self)”
Romans 1:28: “REPROBATE” (KJV) or “DEPRAVED” (NASB). Strong: “unapproved, that is, rejected; by implication worthless (literally or morally)”
Isaiah 58:8: “REREWARD” (KJV) or “REAR GUARD” (NASB)
Acts 12:4: “QUATERNIONS” (KJV) or “FOUR SQUADS” (NASB). Strong: “a quaternion or squad (picket) of four Roman soldiers”
1 Samuel 27:10: “ROAD” (KJV) or “RAID” (NASB). BDB: “1) to strip, invade, strip off, make a dash, raid, spread out”; Strong: “to spread out (that is, deploy in hostile array)”
Isaiah 3:18: “ROUND TIRES” (KJV) or “CRESCENT ORNAMENTS” (NASB). BDB: “1) moon, crescent 1a) as ornament; Strong: “a round pendant for the neck”
Isaiah 13:21: “SATYRS” (KJV) or “SHAGGY GOATS” (NASB). BDB: “1) hairy (adjective) 2) he-goat, buck (noun masculine)…”
Matthew 10:10: “SCRIP” (KJV) or “BAG” (NASB). Strong: “a wallet or leather pouch for food”
Exodus 23:19: “SEETHE” (KJV) or “BOIL” (NASB). BDB: “1) to boil, cook, bake, roast…”
2 Kings 4:42: “SERVITOR” (KJV) or “ATTENDANT” (NASB). Strong: “to attend as a menial or worshipper; figuratively to contribute to”; BDB: “to minister, serve, minister to”
Zephaniah 1:12: “SETTLED ON THEIR LEES” (KJV) or “STAGNANT IN SPIRIT” (NASB).
Isaiah 17:4: “SHALL WAX LEAN” (KJV) or “WILL BECOME LEAN” (NASB). Strong: “to emaciate, that is, make (become) thin (literally or figuratively)”; BDB: “1) to be or become or grow lean…”
Daniel 3:2: “SHERIFFS” (KJV) or “MAGISTRATES” (NASB). BDB: “magistrate”; Strong: “judicial, that is, a lawyer”
Genesis 38:18: “SIGNET” (KJV) or “SEAL” (NASB). BDB: “seal, signet, signet-ring”
John 13:26: “SOP” (KJV) or “MORSEL” (NASB). Strong: “a crumb or morsel (as if rubbed off), that is, a mouthful”; Thayer: “a fragment, bit, morsel”
Isaiah 3:24: “STOMACHER” (KJV) or “FINE CLOTHES” (NASB). BDB: “rich or expensive robe”
Matthew 7:13: “STRAIT” (KJV) or “NARROW” (NASB). Strong: “narrow”
Matthew 19:14: “SUFFER” (KJV) or “LET” (NASB). Thayer: “to permit, allow, not to hinder”
Exodus 35:22: “TABLES” (KJV) or “BRACELETS” (NASB). BDB: “1) ornaments, golden ornament 1a) maybe – armlets of gold”; Strong: “a jewel (probably gold beads)”
Exodus 26:6: “TACHES” (KJV) or “CLASPS” (NASB). BDB: “hook”
Exodus 5:18: “TALE” (KJV) or “QUOTA” (NASB). Strong: “a fixed quantity”; BDB: “1) measurement, a measured amount”
1 Samuel 17:6: “TARGET” (KJV) or “JAVELIN” (NASB). BDB: “1) javelin, short sword, dart”
2 Chronicles 9:15: “TARGET” (KJV) or “LARGE SHIELD” (NASB). BDB: “3) shield, large shield, buckler”
Ezekiel 24:17: “TIRE OF THINE HEAD” (KJV) or “TURBAN” (NASB). BDB: “head-dress, ornament, turban”
Isaiah 3:18: “TIRES” (KJV) — see “ROUND TIRES.”
Matthew 5:18: “TITTLE” (KJV) or “STROKE” (NASB). Thayer: “of the little lines or projections, by which the Hebrew letters, in other respects similar, differ from one another; the meaning is, ‘not even the minutest part of the law shall perish.’”
Isaiah 43:17: “TOW” (KJV) or “WICK” (NASB). Strong: “flax; by implication a wick”
John 2:6: “TWO OR THREE FIRKINS” (KJV) or “TWENTY OR THIRTY GALLONS” (NASB). Thayer defines the Greek word for “firkin” as “containing somewhat less than nine English gallons or about [40 l].” Since an English gallon is the equivalent of 1.2 U.S. Gallons, then 9 English gallons is about 10.8 gallons. And 40 liters is about 10.56 gallons. But the “somewhat less” than that could easily be thought of as “10” gallons.
1 John 2:20: “UNCTION” (KJV) or “ANOINTING” (NASB). Mounce: “anything which is applied by smearing; ointment; in NT an anointing, in the reception of spiritual privileges”
Acts 2:40: “UNTOWARD” (KJV) or “PERVERSE” (NASB). Thayer: “perverse, wicked.”
Matthew 25:27: “USURY” (KJV) or “INTEREST” (NASB). We use the word “usury” today in referring to an exorbitant amount of interest rate, but Strong and Thayer show that the Greek word for it simply meant “interest.” Webster also includes the definition of “interest paid for the use of money,” as his third definition, but shows that meaning of “usury” to be obsolete for our time.
Matthew 5:18: “VERILY” (KJV) or “TRULY” (NASB). Mounce: “in truth, most certainly, so be it…amen; truly”
Acts 12:10: “WARD” (KJV) or “GUARD” (NASB). BDB: “1) guard, watch”
Isaiah 17:4: “WAX” (KJV) – See “SHALL WAX LEAN.”
Isaiah 3:22: “WIMPLES” (KJV) or “CLOAKS” (NASB). BDB: “cloak”; Strong: “a wide cloak (for a woman)”
Isaiah 63:2: “WINEFAT” (KJV) or “WINE PRESS” (NASB). Strong: “a wine press”
Acts 3:17: “WOT” (KJV) or “KNOW” (NASB). Thayer: “to see” and “to know.”
Mark 10:1: “WONT” (KJV) or “ACCORDING TO…CUSTOM” (NASB). Thayer: “to be accustomed”
Exodus 28:14: “WREATHEN” (KJV) or “CORDED” (NASB). BDB: “1) cord…”; Strong: “something intwined..”
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
https://thomastedwards.com/go/all.htm (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
https://thomastedwards.com/wordpress/index.php/sermons/ (audio sermons)

The Gospel Observer

July 23, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) God’s Grief (Tom Edwards)
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-1-

God’s Grief

Tom Edwards

Last week, we considered how special we are to God. That though we are so unworthy and have nothing in ourselves, apart from Christ, to be deserving of eternal life, yet God has treated us as having tremendous value by sending His Son Jesus to suffer and die that we might be saved. We noted that God regards His people as being “much more valuable…than the birds!,” as being “a treasured possession” (Deut. 26:18), as being “a people for God’s own possession” (1 Pet. 2:9), as being “precious” (“valuable,” James Strong) in God’s sight (Isa. 43:1), and as being “the apple of His eye” (Zech. 2:8), which Webster defines as “someone or something very precious or dear to one…”

Something else that also indicates God’s affection toward us is in knowing that He can be grieved by our sin and ungodliness. We are first made aware of that in Genesis 6:5,6: “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”

The Bible sometimes uses “accommodating language” or what is also referred to as “speaking in the fashion of man,” such as when it says in Genesis 11:5, “The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.” Did God have to literally come down? Even from heaven, the LORD “sees all the sons of men” (Psa. 33:13). And surely, the Lord knew — before He even made man — of what man would do, which would result in the need for a Savior. For Jesus’ death on the cross is said to be according to “the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23); and when speaking of being “not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold…but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ,” Peter goes on to say, “For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you” (1 Pet. 1:18-20).

So, apparently, God wanted to have a people for Himself – even though it would also include some grief on His part along the way!

Psalm 78:40, a historical psalm, declares, “How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness And grieved Him in the desert!”

“In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them” (Isa. 63:10).

According to WebMD, “Grief and grieving are the natural response to a major loss, such as the death of a loved one.” How, therefore, could God be grieving over others unless they had been of importance and value to Him, and were now a great loss?

Being a God of justice, the Lord cannot condone or overlook transgression. So those who remain in their sin, refusing to repent, will have to suffer the consequences; but that is not what the Lord desires to carry out – but He must! For as He says in Ezekiel 33:11: “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’”

And what about when man dies “spiritually,” as Adam and Eve did on the day they took the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? (See Gen. 2:17.) Sin results in spiritual death, which has been defined as a separation from God. See Isaiah 59:1,2. James writes: “…each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:14,15). “For the wages of sin is death…” (Rom. 6:23). So the point is, would not God be just as grieved over those who have spiritually died because of sin as He was toward those whose sin had resulted in a physical death?

To grieve over those you love is also seen of Jesus in Luke 19:41-44: “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.’” The Lord’s heart had gone out to these who were heading toward suffering. He wanted to save them, but they were unwilling.

This is also seen in Luke 13:34 where the Lord probably said bemoaningly, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!”

Jesus came to this world to also show what His Father in heaven is like (cf. Jn. 14:7-11). For His love and concern for others is identical to that of Jesus. Notice also the compassion Jesus manifested toward those emotionally suffering over the death of Lazarus. Jesus was there to raise Lazarus from the dead, but when He saw Mary “weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see’” (John 11:33-34). Then the next verse so tenderly tells us that “Jesus wept.” Some who saw that had said, “See how He loved him!” (v. 36). Yes, Lazarus was a good friend of the Lord’s whom He loved; but was not the Lord’s weeping because of these others — or at least also — and out of love and sympathy for them?

Isaiah prophesied about 700 years prior to Jesus’ birth into this world and shows the extent to which He was willing to go, due to His love for His Father and for humanity: “For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken; Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him” (Isa. 53:2-6). God loved us that much – and still does!

To express the grief God had toward His wayward people of Old Testament times, He is sometimes depicted as a husband toward them, and they as an unfaithful and adulterous wife, such as when God speaks of “the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them” (Jer. 31:32). And by their going after the false gods of idolatry, they were then referred to as not only unfaithful, but also as adulterers and harlots. “Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, bear now the punishment of your lewdness and your harlotries” (Ezek. 23:35). “For they [Samaria and Jerusalem, v. 4] have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. Thus they have committed adultery with their idols and even caused their sons, whom they bore to Me, to pass through the fire to them as food” (v. 37; See also Jer. 32:35).

To better understand the grief that God went through by His people being disloyal toward Him and going after false gods, the Lord had Hosea marry a woman prone to harlotry, “for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD” (Hos. 1:2). Her name was “Gomer” (v. 3), and she did go after other lovers (Hos. 2:5); but God said He would “hedge up her way with thorns” and “build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths. She will pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them; And she will seek them, but will not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my first husband, For it was better for me then than now!’” (Hos. 2:6-7). And in spite of all the wrong she had done and all the grief she had brought to Hosea, he still took her back — having paid the fee to do so (Hos. 3:2)! How much more meaningful Hosea’s message to the people of His day — of God’s love for them and His desire for them to repent and return to Him — must have been for all those who had known of Hosea’s love for Gomer. For they were like her, in a manner of speaking, being spiritual adulterers by their unfaithfulness to God and going after the false gods of idolatry. But God still loved them and wanted them to come to their senses, repent and return, that He may welcome them again and His grief be turned to joy!

So let us each live, according to the gospel, so that we will not bring grief to the Father, to the Son, nor to the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30)! For they do greatly care for each of us!

(All Scripture from the NASB.)
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://thomastedwards.com/go (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http://tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org/
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)

The Gospel Observer

July 16, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Are We of Any Value to God? (Tom Edwards)
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Are We of Any Value to God?

Tom Edwards

The Bible makes it clear that God “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…” (Jn. 3:16). We also see that He did this not because “we loved God,” but because “He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [the atoning sacrifice, NIV] for our sins” (1 Jn. 4:10). For this took place “while we were enemies” of God (Rom. 5:10), “sinners” (v. 8), “ungodly” and “still helpless” (v. 6), which also indicates that His love for us was not based on our earning or deserving it – for we had not, nor ever would be able to! These, along with numerous other verses in the Bible, clearly show that God truly does love each one of us.

But what we want to answer in this article is whether we are also of any value or worth to God. For how often have we humbly felt so worthless in His sight by realizing that we have no value in ourselves, apart from Christ, by which we can stand justified and deserving of eternal life? Perhaps it causes us to also think of the words of Isaiah: “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isa. 64:6). But does our own feeling of worthlessness mean that we are of no value or worth to God?

What the Bible shows is that regardless of who we are, God treats us as being of great value to Him! For is that not expressed in His having Jesus to make an atonement by His death on the cross — and not for just a special few, but in order to impartially “taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9) — and be “the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 Jn. 2:2)? Without exception, Jesus died for every transgressor! And does that not in itself imply that we are of value to God? As the Bible says, “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you” (1 Pet. 1:18-20).

If we had to pay monetarily for salvation, how much would we be willing to give? Would it not be everything we had? But, of course, even all the wealth of the world and the universe combined would not be enough! The psalmist says, “No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him – For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever” (Psa. 49:7,8).

If anyone would ever wonder, “Why did Christ have to die to make the atonement?” Or, “Could there not have been some other way?” Would not the answer be that by Jesus’ atoning and sacrificial death, God showed His love to the world in the greatest way possible! And He did that, as we saw, while we were “sinners” and His “enemies.” We should, therefore, never have any doubt of His love for us. For what Jesus did at Calvary indicates that we are important, special, and of great value to God!

Jesus did not die for rocks and trees and buzzing bees, nor for fish and birds and mountains and seas, nor for plants and animals and their many fleas, nor did He die for any other non-human thing! For they were not created in God’s image, and they do not have eternal souls! How much more, therefore, God values and is concerned for mankind and truly wants each one saved from the wrath to come — and for all eternity! (cf. 2 Pet. 3:9.)

So being made “in the image of God” and having been given dominion over all other living creatures on earth (Gen. 1:26,27) and having an eternal soul also indicates that we are special to God and of whom He values above all else on earth.

When speaking of the concern some might have for food and clothing, Jesus points out that God takes care of even the ravens by feeding them; but then also says, “how MUCH MORE VALUABLE you are than the birds!” (Luke 12:22-24, emphasis mine). So His disciples were not just “more valuable,” but also “MUCH MORE VALUABLE” in God’s sight!

To the nation of Israel, Moses said, “The LORD has today declared you to be His people, A TREASURED POSSESSION, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the LORD your God, as He has spoken” (Deut. 26:18,19, emphasis mine). Our possessions usually have value to us — and especially if they are a “TREASURED POSSESSION”! And just think how much greater God can treasure what He treasures!

In our time, the church is the “spiritual Israel” that has a special relationship with God as being “A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY” (1 Pet. 2:9-10). As the writer shows, Christians are “A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION” — and that sounds mighty special!

Since we are the objects of God’s love, His compassion, and His concern, would not our worth to God be based on that love He has for us – rather than anything worthy in ourselves? For we are not worthy. Just think of the great love God had for Israel, when through Jeremiah He states, “I have loved you with an EVERLASTING LOVE; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness” (Jer. 31:3, emphasis mine). The Hebrew word for “loved” (ahab) in this passage is defined as “to have affection for” (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries). The Greek word for “love” (agape) in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” also can mean “affection” (Thayer). Do we not value the individual who is the object of our affections? In our hearts, that person is special, important, and of great worth to us.

God said of Israel, “you are Mine!” and “YOU ARE PRECIOUS in My sight…and I love you” (Isa. 43:1-4, emphasis mine). The Hebrew word here for “precious” is “yaqar,” which James Strong defines as “to be heavy, that is, (figuratively) VALUABLE” (emphasis mine). So these individuals were VALUABLE to God!

We were “bought with a price” (1 Cor. 7:23) – and one that is more “precious” than “silver or gold” (1 Pet. 1:18,19). “Precious” has also been defined as “of high price or great value” (Webster). Would one pay a great price for that which would be considered worthless or of no value to the buyer?

Regardless of how much we are actually worth, God has treated us as being of tremendous value!

In a world in which some might view the destitute as being worthless, notice the psalmist’s desire in Psalm 72:1,13,14: “Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s son. He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save. He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, And their blood will be precious in his sight.” Since this was to be on the basis of God’s judgments, would not the poor’s blood being “precious” also be the way that God Himself perceives it? In Psalm 116:15, “PRECIOUS in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones” (emphasis mine). So these individuals are “of great value” to God and “dearly beloved.”

When Peter shows that the adornment of the wives “must not be merely external – braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses”; he then goes on to say, “but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God” (1 Pet. 3:3,4). Since God views this “gentle and quiet spirit” to be precious, doesn’t that also add to the woman being of “great value”?

After considering the greatness of the heavens that the Lord had made, David was also awed by God’s regard for humanity and declares in Psalm 8:4, “What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?” But that is the way God is. For He is love, and He treats us far better than we deserve and even refers to His people as being “THE APPLE OF HIS EYE” (Zech. 2:8, emphasis mine), which Webster defines as “someone or something very precious or dear to one…”

Think, too, of the love parents have for their children and how greatly they care for them and value them! Would God’s love and regard for His own be any less?! To the contrary, His is exceedingly greater!

Though before the creation, God knew that man would sin, which would require the torturous and atoning death of Jesus, yet God went ahead and made man in spite of that! How much He must have greatly desired to have us for His people — to be our Father — and to bless us throughout all eternity!

Paul shows in Ephesians 2:4-7 that God’s love for us, which prompted His mercy and a salvation by grace, is “so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” And “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). Is this not also another indication that we are of great value to God — in thinking of all that He wants to do for us?

Though we do not deserve it, nor could ever earn it, yet God treats us as being of exceeding worth to Him and has a love for us that far excels any other we have ever known!

How thankful we should be that God treats us way beyond what we deserve! From His perspective, we are important, we are special, and we are valuable! So, yes, we can say we are all of these things to God — but not on the basis of any personal merit; but, rather, because of the way our loving, heavenly Father is and what we mean to Him!

(Unless otherwise indicated, all Scriptures are from the NASB.)
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://thomastedwards.com/go (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http://tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org/
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)

The Gospel Observer

July 9, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) “We Shall See The King Some Day” (Tom Edwards)
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“We Shall See The King Some Day”

Tom Edwards

In this world, we sometimes have our troubles, disappointments, and sadnesses. It might involve the car breaking down, losing our health, losing a job, losing a loved one, etc. Times like these can be difficult. But may we never lose sight of the fact that in spite of whatever would come our way, “We shall see the King some day”!

As you probably recall, this quote is taken from a hymn we have often sung. It was written by Lewis Edgar Jones who lived from 1865 to 1936 and wrote this particular hymn in 1906.

Had this song been written back in Job’s day, I imagine he would have sung it from his heart. For he was a man who had that kind of hope. As seen in Job 19:25-27: “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God; Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes shall see and not another. My heart faints within me!” So, yes, Job knew the answer to his rhetorical question, “If a man dies, will he live again?” For he also indicates that in the same passage: “All the days of my struggle I will wait Until my change comes” (Job 14:14).

The hope we have in seeing God in heaven can help us through this earth life. It was certainly an aid to Moses. For by his looking to the “reward” and “seeing Him who is unseen,” Moses was able to choose rather “to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt” (Heb. 11:25-27).

The hope we have, as Christians, in seeing God can also give us that motivating power through our times of troubles and difficulties. The last of the apostles, John, certainly knew about persecution upon the Lord’s people. But he would have them, also, to look to the Lord and His coming again for encouragement through their struggles and making themselves ready for that great day! “Beloved,” he writes, “now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 Jn. 3:2,3).

In the previous chapter, John also writes: “And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him” (1 Jn. 2:28,29). John also shows that the way we are to “abide” in the Lord is by keeping His commandments (cf. 1 Jn. 3:24).

It is in the second stanza of the hymn that speaks of seeing the King “After pain and anguish, after toil and care…” Who has ever lived without experiencing a measure of suffering to some degree, whether it be physical or emotional? This life can sometimes be likened to a road filled with numerous potholes that cannot be avoided. But let us not forget that even the struggles of life can be for our good! As John Neal points out, “A certain amount of opposition is a great help to man. Kites rise against, not with the wind.” Sometimes it was in the “furnace of affliction” by which God “refined” and “tested” His people (cf. Isa. 48:10). Peter speaks in similar language of “the proof of one’s faith” being “tested by fire” through “various trials,” yet resulting “in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ…” and “obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:6-9). Therefore, as James writes, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).

We not only have our toils, but also our cares, as the hymn goes on to say in the second stanza. And concerning those cares, we know that even now we can turn to the One who wants to help us overcome them. For Peter exhorted the brethren, who were undergoing extreme difficulties (a “fiery trial,” 1 Pet. 4:12), to “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety [care, KJV] upon Him, because He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:6,7). Yes, prayer is for the here and now; and it is one of the ways in which we are to deal with our troubles, as seen also in Paul’s instruction: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6,7).

Surely, the ultimate comfort will be heaven itself – where “there shall no longer be any death…mourning, or crying, or pain” (Rev. 21:4).

But while we are here on earth, there are still spiritual battles to be fought and won. As the hymn includes, we shall see the King “After foes are conquered, after battles won…” The fight we are to engage in is the good “fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12). For faith is needed as part of our spiritual armor that we are to put on, which consists of “loins girded with truth,” a “breastplate of righteousness,” feet shod with “the preparation of the gospel of peace,” “the shield of faith,” “the helmet of salvation,” and “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:10-18).

It is a battle between flesh and spirit: “For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin…” (Rom. 7:22,23). This clash is also seen in the next chapter: “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (Rom. 8:5-9).

So this spiritual warfare also pertains to our very thoughts, which we each must control: “for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

It is through the flesh that we can be tempted to sin (cf. James 1:13-15; 1 Jn. 2:16,17). But notice what Paul did about that: “but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27). Paul, of course, did not literally beat his body, but the figurative expression stresses the determination he had to be faithfully obedient — even through difficulty and pain – in order to maintain his relationship with God.

Fighting spiritual battles are not always easy – and especially when they lead to intense emotional or physical agony. Yet, Jesus still gives hope and encouragement: “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until [unto, KJV] death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).

One day God is going to gather everyone before Him. And though maybe not always with our hymn title, yet how often have we reminded ourselves of that fact that one of these days we are going to see the Almighty God! Oh, what a day that will be for the redeemed! Will you be ready then? May we each be! And as we go through life, let us continue to remind ourselves that “We shall see the King some day”!

(All Scripture from the NASB, unless otherwise indicated.)
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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, living for the Lord; 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 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://thomastedwards.com/go (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http://tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org/
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)

The Gospel Observer

July 2, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Questions and Answers on the Existence of God (Tom Edwards)
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Questions and Answers on the Existence of God

Tom Edwards

1) “How Do We Know That God Exists?”

We know that God exists because we exist! This doesn’t mean that He exists because we made Him up in our imagination; but, rather, that our very existence is the proof of His reality. Paul indicates this in Romans 1:19,20: “…that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His ETERNAL power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (emphasis mine). In other words, since we and everything else in the physical universe had a beginning, it required not only something that preexisted everything else (that Great “First Cause”), but also that which had high intelligence, tremendous power, and awesome abilities to bring about the creation and all things therein.

We also know that God exists by what we can infer in the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies that were given hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth and, therefore, prior to the New Testament Age, yet came to pass with even specific accuracy. God, thus, has that power to know beyond human ability of things to come — and through prophecy and its fulfillment, He has proven that!

2) “How Do We Know That Our Creator Wasn’t Also Created By an Even More Superior Being?”

One might say, however, that “to speak of God as having ‘preexisted’ prior to the creation,” as mentioned earlier, “doesn’t necessarily mean that He has always been. How do we know that He was not created by a God even more superior?” The answer to that is found within the word God has given us. For after acquiring faith through His word (Rom. 10:17), realizing the reality of His existence through the creation and the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, and learning about the goodness of His nature, such as knowing that He cannot lie (cf. Titus 1:2), we can then very easily accept by faith the truthfulness of His word, such as in Isaiah 43:10-13, in which He says: “‘You are My witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me. It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘And I am God. Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?’” God is also referred to elsewhere as being “eternal” (Deut. 32:27), “everlasting” (Isa. 40:28); and, in addition, the idea of His being “the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 21:6) figuratively expresses His eternal nature.

In view of the indications of God’s reality through the creation and fulfilled prophecy, perhaps these are a couple reasons why the Bible declares that “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ …” (Psa. 14:1, Psa. 53:1). In other words, God’s existence should be easily accepted by any accountable person — and certainly much more reasonable to do so than to believe that everything on earth and throughout the universe came about without an Intelligent Designer behind it all.

Recently, I watched a BBC documentary of a baby developing in the womb. It was interesting to see that in just 18 to 19 days from conception, the heart began to form and then started functioning at around the 21 or 22 day. The heart, of course, is necessary in distributing food and oxygen for the continuation of the baby to develop and is, therefore, said to be “one of the first recognizable organs to form.” But while seeing the entirety of this unformed substance begin to form its own heart, I began to think of how anyone could actually deny this amazing process as having been made possible by God. For how would an unintelligible mass know it needs to first form the heart in order that the rest of the development can also occur? And that is just the heart! Think, too, of all the other organs that will also become necessary to sustain life. It is said that the body is made up of 70 vital organs. The top 10, in countdown fashion, are the bladder, the skin, the small and large intestines, the kidneys, the spleen, the stomach, the liver, the lungs, the heart, and the brain. Each one has its own special function, and each one has its own design, and each one is made up of numerous cells. But how did each cell know of which group of organ cells it was to be a part of and how it was to form with the others of that group to make possible a particular needed organ, and where it was to reside in the body? According to Smithsonian.com, the body is made up of 37.2 trillion cells! But each one is not merely anywhere in some haphazard fashion throughout the body; but, rather, where it needs to be with purpose in forming and performing. We know that all of that was made possible by the DNA code, but how did that highly complex code come about? Could we not compare it to a computer program? Modern technology has provided us with a wide array of programs to use in our computers and other electronic devices. We see on our screens what they can do. But within each program or app is the needed line after line of computer language that gives the instructions that make the program what it is, how it appears, and how it functions. For example, Windows 10 is said to have about 50 million lines of code, while Facebook has 61 million, and Google (with all its Internet services) is 2 billion lines of code! But if we thought of each human genome pair in our DNA as a line of code, it would require 3.3 billion lines! So just as a lifeless computer program has the need for an intelligent programmer, the same is similarly true of us — but of the need for a Creator who can also give life to that which He makes!

Yes, we can know that God exists because we exist!

3) How Do We Know That God STILL Exists, and Is Not Now Dead?

Someone might admit that God once existed, created all things, and set everything up to continue as it does — but could it be that God now no longer exists?

Fifty-one years ago, on the never-before pictureless cover of Time, were the three words — in large, red letters on a black background — that asked the question, “Is God Dead?” It was the cover story for the April 8, 1966 edition. Even 42 years later, the Los Angeles Times referred to it as being one of the “10 magazine covers that shook the world.” Do some still ask that question today? “Is God dead?”

The good news is that God is very much alive and well! He still exists and will always do so, because He is eternal. For that which is eternal cannot die. Even Jesus, who was put to death on the cross, only had His human body (which had a beginning) to die, while His true essence (His eternal spirit, which has always been) was still very much alive and in Paradise (cf. Luke 23:43) for those three days following His death and until His resurrection. Similarly, Jesus speaks of Himself figuratively as being the Bread of Life “which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die” (Jn. 6:50). And that “If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death” (Jn. 8:52). In saying these things, Jesus does not mean that a person who keeps the Lord’s word will never die physically, but that spiritual death will never come to the one who does so. His soul will remain spiritually alive unto God — rather than spiritually dead.

Imagine, for example, that before God could die, one would have to first go back in a time machine to the “beginning” of God, that time when He first came into existence. But since God has always existed, the individual in the time machine would never arrive at the “time” when God began. God, of course, dwells in eternity and not in linear time as we do or as indicated in this example. But we are using a stretch of endless time in both directions, past and future, to represent eternity and to point out that there will never be an end to God, any more than you could actually find a “beginning” of His existence — since He has always been. And what God, therefore, has always been, He will also always be. This, too, means that He never had to acquire or develop good traits or qualities, as we do. For His virtues have always and perfectly been a part of who and what He is. When the Psalmist, therefore, declares, “…Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psa. 90:2), he is not prophesying that God will still be God at some future time; but, rather, that God already is filling all eternity as fully God. It is only because we cannot actually imagine eternity that we think in terms of the linear time that we do know, with its past, present, and future. But how wondrously different an eternity in heaven will truly be!

Isn’t it great to know that this God, the only true and living God who has always been and always will be, also wants us to enjoy an eternity with Him in heaven? What an unsurpassed experience that will be for all those who believe and obey God’s plan of salvation!

(Unless otherwise indicated, all Scriptures are from the NASB.)
——————–

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, living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
——————–

Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://thomastedwards.com/go (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http://tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org/
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)

The Gospel Observer

June 25, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) “Prehistoric Man” (Tom Edwards)
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“Prehistoric Man”

Tom Edwards

Since “prehistoric” simply means “of or pertaining to the time prior to recorded history” (Webster), how can that phrase still be used when even the very first day of creation is recorded in the Bible, along with the six following days and what God did on each of those days? Recorded is the account of the first man and the first woman, their descendants, and events from that time that are also included in the book of Genesis to give us a look at the world in that beginning and early period of man.

As the Bible points out, Adam was created in the image of God, along with a female counterpart to be his wife and helper. They were given dominion over all else that had been made. They were to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:26-28). We are even shown of their diet to have been vegetarian at that time: “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you” (v. 29) – even the animals were then vegetarian, rather than carnivorous (v. 30).

We are also given the names of these first two people: “Adam” (Gen. 2:20) and “Eve” (Gen. 3:20). “Adam” is a transliteration from the Hebrew word “adam” and is said to mean “red earth” (Smith’s Bible Dictionary). It is also the same Hebrew word that is found in 348 other Bible verses where, instead of being used as a proper noun, it is used as a common noun that is translated primarily as “man,” and in 9 verses as “mankind.” It is also rendered as “human” (19 times), “person” (6), “anyone” (4), and some other ways in the NASB.

By the way, the Hebrew word for “ground,” from which Adam was made (Gen. 2:7), is “adamah.” And though that verse actually says “dust of the ground,” yet the Hebrew word for “dust” itself is defined by James Strong as “clay, earth, mud.”

We are also told of where that first couple lived, in the garden of Eden, and of the four specific rivers that flowed from the main river running through the garden (Gen. 2:8-14). Two we are probably more familiar with: the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers.

Adam was to take care of the garden (Gen. 2:15); and from any tree in it, they could freely eat – except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (vv. 16,17).

Adam also had the responsibility of naming all the animals that God had made (vv. 19-20).

We are told of the how and why that Eve came about (vv. 18,21-25) — because it was not good for the man to be alone. Perhaps God did it that way to symbolically show how much the wife was to be a part of her husband’s life, since she was made from Adam’s rib, which God fashioned into a woman.

On and on, we could continue with early events that this first couple on earth experienced, such as their sin and expulsion from the garden (Gen. 3); their children and other descendants (beginning in chapter 4 and more seen in chapter 5); the corruption that led up to the days of Noah, and God’s specific instructions to Noah in building an ark; the great universal flood, and the time spent on the ark (Gen. 6-8). Noah and his family back on dry ground to repopulate the earth, given the promise that God would never again destroy the entire earth with a flood, and now allowed to also include meat in their diets (Gen. 9). More descendants listed in Genesis 10. The Tower of Babel, and the beginning of the different languages; those of the same language going off into their own groups and being scattered abroad over all the earth; and another genealogical record including ages at death and ending in Genesis 11 with Abraham, along with mentioning that his father passed away in Haran. The history then continues of Abraham, followed by Isaac, Jacob, and others through the rest of Genesis — and especially of Joseph in chapter 37 and his time in Egypt in chapters 39-48 and also in chapter 50 which ends with his death.

These are all historical events from a most reliable source. The word “Genesis” actually means “an origin, creation, or beginning” (Webster), which is well-fitting for this first book of the Bible. Genesis covers about a 2,400-year period from Adam (at the beginning of the Creation) to the death of Joseph.

“Prehistoric man,” however, is often depicted as having evolved from an apelike creature, but slowly developing more of today’s human characteristics through long periods of time. In his early version, his vocabulary is sometimes portrayed as not much more than a few different kinds of grunts or other sounds.

But how does that compare with the very first man Adam who was articulate? He communicated with God, with his wife, and had the responsibility of giving names to all the animals. In speaking of his wife, Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man” (Gen. 2:23). And Eve, when tempted to take of the forbidden fruit, said to the tempter, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die’” (Gen. 3:2,3). Both Adam and Eve could well communicate — and could understand not only each other, but also what God had been saying to them.

According to a published paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the earliest evidence of man’s use of fire goes back to 1 million years ago; and since evolution teaches that man began evolving from an apelike creature 6 million years ago, then that was about 5 million years before he was able to master the use of fire.

But the Bible, which does not teach the general theory of evolution, nor of man being millions of years on this planet, shows Abel, the son of the first man Adam, offering “the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions” as an offering to God (Gen. 4:4). Would we not assume that fire was used with that sacrifice? During the Mosaical Period, God’s instruction with regard to the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, and a goat was that they were not to be redeemed. Rather, “You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall offer up their fat in smoke as an offering by fire, for a soothing aroma to the Lord. Their meat shall be yours; it shall be yours like the breast of a wave offering and like the right thigh” (Num. 18:17-18). This period of time, however, was about 2,500 years after the time of Abel.

Job, however, was a man who lived during the Patriarchal Age. In a chronological reading of the Bible, the book of Job is placed right after Genesis 11, which mentions Abram’s birth in the end of that chapter and goes more into the life of Abram in Genesis 12. But notice Job 18:5: “Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out, And the flame of his fire gives no light.” And in Job 23:10: “…When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Many centuries later, God said through Isaiah, “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction” (Isa. 48:10, ESV). The use of fire appears to have been very early in the history of man.

Concerning Adam and Eve’s first two sons, “…Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground” (Gen. 4:4).

Cain had a son named Enoch who built a city (Gen. 4:17). Enoch became the father of Irad, who became the father of Mehujael, who became the father of Methushael, who became the father of Lamech. And Lamech became the father of Jabal who was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock, which indicates a nomadic way of life, that kind that is still practiced in some parts of the world today. Lamech was also the father of Jubal who was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe (Gen. 4:20, 21), which is also referred to as stringed and wind instruments. Isn’t it interesting that even way back then, just 8 generations from Adam, the world had musical instruments? Lamech was also the father of Tubal-cain who was a forger of all implements of bronze and iron — and does that not also indicate the use of fire? According to Wikipedia, “Some metals may be forged cold, but iron and steel are almost always hot forged.” How creative early man was — even in that most ancient period of history!

I suppose, however, the speculation of some would be that these individuals – even Adam and Eve — were not until some billions of years after the earth was made. For the general theory of evolution teaches that it took about 4 billion years since the beginning of the earth until man evolved into being similar to how he is today. Yet, as we have recently seen, it was “In the beginning” that God “created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). And man was made on the 6th day of creation (Gen. 1:24-31), with each day being like our 24-hour day, having its evening and a morning (Gen. 1:5,8,13,19,23, 31). So man did not begin 4 billion years after the earth had begun, but within the first week! Jesus’ declaration in Mark 10:6, in a section pertaining to marriage and divorce, also confirms this: “But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female” (emphasis mine).

The depiction of early man by many today is far different from what is revealed in God’s word. And while man’s depiction is from the mind of man, God’s word, the Bible, contains His trustworthy account of those portions of His creation and the events that occurred, which He has seen fit to reveal through His divinely inspired word. What history book could be more authoritative and enlightening of actual fact? For God has never had to speculate, assume, or guess of these things in His account.

May we all, therefore, take the time to read this most important of all books — the Bible. For it is more than a story. More than just a true account. For it also shows the way for fallen man to come back to His Creator, to be redeemed and brought into a meaningful relationship with God, which becomes a way of life — and a life that ultimately leads to the blissfulness of heaven’s glory forevermore!

So may it be a book we each learn to love more and more as we repeatedly consider it, find great comfort in meditating upon it, and enjoy the blessings of God in living according to it — and do so throughout all our days. And for the world, in general, how wonderfully improved the present, the future, and the history of man would be if each one of us would do this!

(Unless otherwise indicated, all Scriptures are from the NASB.)
——————–

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, living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
——————–

Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://thomastedwards.com/go (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http://tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org/
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)

The Gospel Observer

June 18, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Enoch (Tom Edwards)
——————–

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Enoch

Tom Edwards

Sometimes it is just brief statements made about some individuals in the Bible that indicate their faith and devotion toward God — but that which can also give much encouragement to us in our own relationship with the Lord.

One such individual that the Bible says little about, but of whom we can infer had been a godly man, is seen in Genesis 5:18-24, along with a most unusual statement that is made about him. It tells of a man named Enoch who at 65 became the father of Methuselah (who in living to be 969 years of age is the oldest recorded human in the Bible). But though that was unique for Enoch to have a son that lived to such a great age, yet there is something even more special brought to our attention. For while Enoch’s life of 365 years was 604 years shorter than his son Methuselah’s, yet there is something more important than the number of years one lives. Rather, it is how one lives those years. And Enoch lived his the right way! For the Bible declares that Enoch “walked with God” — a phrase which indicates that Enoch believed in God, obeyed the Lord, and had obtained His favor. This also ties in with what the Hebrew writer says about Enoch: “…he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:5,6).

But when did Enoch live, and what was it like in his day? Was it a time in which the world would be a challenge to his faith — a time in which ungodliness seemed to prevail?

Based on the genealogy in Genesis 5, Enoch was born 622 years, and in the seventh generation, after God created Adam. And since Enoch was on earth for 365 years, 308 of those years were while that first man Adam was still living! I wonder if they ever met? If they ever talked? Wouldn’t that be interesting to meet and communicate with Adam and find out how it had been for him and Eve in the garden of Eden and of their relationship with God before the fall and their being driven out of the garden? So soon sin had entered this world — not even the very first couple had kept from transgression!

Enoch lived 300 years after Methuselah was born. When Methuselah was 187, he became the father of Lamech. Enoch was then 252. When Lamech was 182, he became the father of Noah — 69 years after Enoch left this world.

But consider Genesis 6:1,2: “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.”

Some view these “sons of God” as being the descendants of Adam and Eve’s third son Seth and of a godly lineage, while the “daughters of men” pertains to those descending from Cain and characterized with corruption.

According to the Pulpit Commentary, the phrase in Genesis 6:1, “And it came to pass,” is “Literally, it was; not in immediate sequence to the preceding chapter, but as some earlier point in the antediluvian period; perhaps about the time of Enoch (corresponding to that of Lamech the Cainite)…”

But regardless of how the world was in Enoch’s day, he strove to live in harmony with God, to be pleasing to Him, and to maintain that relationship.

And here is a most unusual thing we read of him. After mentioning that “Enoch walked with God,” the writer then goes on to say, “and he was not, for God took him” (Gen. 5:24). The Hebrew writer elucidates on this when saying, “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God” (Heb. 11:5).

God can do the impossible (cf. Matt. 19:26). We are reminded of another case, too, in which the Lord took one up who had not died first. In knowing that the Lord would soon be taking Elijah away, Elisha had asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit to be upon him. Elijah then said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so” (2 Kings 2:10). While they journeyed on, talking along the way, “…there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. Elisha saw it and cried out…And he saw Elijah no more” (vv. 11,12).

This idea of being caught up (or supernaturally transported) by the Spirit is also mentioned in 2 Kings 2:16. In not knowing where Elijah had been taken, the sons of the prophets, who had now recognized that the spirit of Elijah was on Elisha, had come to him with the desire to search for Elijah. For they said, “perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.”

For another instance, Obadiah had been “over the household” of Ahab; but being one who “feared the LORD greatly,” he hid 100 prophets of the Lord and provided for them. For Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, had been killing the prophets. Obadiah had then run into Elijah who wanted his whereabouts to be made known to Ahab by Obadiah. But Obadiah expressed his concern: “It will come about when I leave you that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you where I do not know; so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth” (1 Kings 18:12).

Another example is that of Philip. Though not taken from the earth, yet notice that after he had baptized the Ethiopian eunuch “…the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him… But Philip found himself at Azotus…” ( Acts 8:39,40). Though this Grecian term is found just once in the Bible, its Hebrew form of “Ashdod,” one of the five chief Philistine cities, is mentioned 19 times in the Old Testament (NASB) and 21 times in the KJV. But notice again that Philip was “snatched…away” by the Spirit. The same Greek word (harpazo) for that phrase is also used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, which says, “Then we who are alive and remain will be CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” (emphasis mine).

Paul also speaks of being “CAUGHT UP to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2), though he didn’t know if it happened “in the body” or “out of the body.” But that he “was CAUGHT UP into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak” (v. 4, emphases mine). Again, “caught up” is from “harpazo.”

There are also some instances, while Christ was on earth, that appear to have been a miraculous transporting from one place to the next. In John 6, for instance, there was a strong wind while the disciples were on the Sea of Galilee and “had rowed about three or four miles” (v. 19). While in the process, they saw Jesus walking on the sea toward them and were initially frightened. Mark’s account mentions that when “He got into the boat with them…the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished” (Mark 6:51). So there they were in the Sea of Galilee, which is about 13 miles from its farthest points north to south, and 7 miles across at its widest points in the north; and, as we saw, they had rowed only about “three or four miles” — and now with no wind to drive them along. But notice what John brings out about this: “…He said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid. So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and IMMEDIATELY the boat was at the land to which they were going” (Jn. 6:21, emphasis mine).

When Jesus appeared to His apostles again, following His resurrection, the account says, “After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you’” (Jn. 20:26). This appears to have been a miraculous entrance by the Lord. But even if not in this instance, it does not take away from His ability to do that.

When we think of Enoch being “taken up so that he would not see death” (Heb. 11:5), perhaps this reminds us of what we saw earlier in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 of how that “we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…”

Though Paul is focusing on the Christians — whether living or deceased — in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, yet all of us (whether Christians or not) will be caught up to give an account of ourselves to the Lord. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10).

Enoch also knew of the Lord’s coming in judgment upon the ungodly and prophesied of it (cf. Jude 1:14,15). Enoch had faith in God, was wise to obey Him, and made himself ready for that great day of reckoning — and may the same also and always be true for each of us!

(All Scriptures from the NASB.)
——————–

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST<b/ig>
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://thomastedwards.com/go (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http://tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org/
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)

The Gospel Observer

June 11, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) The Power to Forgive (Tom Edwards)
2) A Blessed Rest (Mike Johnson)
——————–

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The Power to Forgive

Tom Edwards

We are to be a forgiving people. Notice, for example, Paul’s motivation toward this in the following exhortations: “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, JUST AS GOD IN CHRIST ALSO HAS FORGIVEN YOU” (Eph. 4:32, emphasis mine). Similarly, in writing to the Colossians, Paul also urges them to “…put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; JUST AS THE LORD FORGAVE YOU, SO ALSO SHOULD YOU” (Col. 3:12,13, emphasis mine).

What particular individual has ever sinned against us as much as we have sinned against the Almighty God? If we, therefore, have been forgiven by the Lord, of all our many transgressions and ever have trouble in forgiving anyone, then we should remind ourselves that whatever wrong or wrongs another did toward us does not even come close to the many wrongs we have committed against God — and, yet, He had forgiven us!

Jesus actually gave a parable concerning this in Matthew 18:23-35. It was in response to Peter’s question, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered by using two factors to figuratively indicate “always” as the “product”: “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (vv. 21-22). So even if it were the 491st time, or any number greater than that, we are still to forgive. He then proceeded with the parable of a slave who had owed his king ten thousand talents. Since he was not able to pay, the king was going to have him sold, along with his family and everything he owned. But the slave pleaded, “Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.” On hearing this, the “lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt” (vv. 23-27). How greatly relieved the slave must have felt! “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’” This fellow slave had also pleaded in the same manner, falling to the ground, and asking that patience be granted for the repayment. But, unlike the compassion and forgiveness shown by the king to the first debtor, the creditor “was unwilling and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed” (vv. 28-31).

To better understand the above parable, what is the difference between the 10,000 talents and 100 denarii? The denarius was the equivalent of about 16 cents; but for that time, it was what a common laborer would make in a day (cf. Matt. 20:2). Since he could work about 300 days out of the year (earning $48), then 100 denarii would be 1/3 of a year’s salary ($16). But just one talent is the equivalent of 6,000 denarii. So 10,000 talents equals 60 million denarii! The common laborer would have to work 200,000 years to earn that amount!

Something else that should motivate us toward forgiving others is realizing that if we don’t, then God will not forgive us. Jesus taught this. After giving His model prayer in Matthew 6, He went on to say, “For if you forgive others of their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (vv. 14,15). The previous parable also brings this out: “So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you.’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart” (Matt. 18:31-35).

Though we are to forgive others, we do not have the power to blot out sin in people’s lives. That requires the atonement that Jesus made on the cross of Calvary, which He made for every sinner of all time, but is received by meeting His conditions – whether for the sinner who had never been a Christian or the backslidden Christian who needs to be restored.

Only God can truly blot out sin in one’s life because that forgiveness takes place in the mind of God. Sin is not something inherited through DNA. It is not something we are born with. As John writes, “…sin is the transgression of the law” (1 Jn. 3:4, KJV). When we commit sin, God knows — and He has no trouble in remembering. But for those who will meet His conditions for pardon, the Lord has promised, “…I will remember their sins no more” (Heb. 8:12).

Mark records a time when some scribes overheard Jesus tell a paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5); and they accused him of blasphemy – for, as they said, “who can forgive sins but God alone?” (v. 7). Unfortunately, they did not believe that Jesus was God. But He was actually proving, by the miracle He performed, that He did have the power to forgive because He truly was and is as much Deity as God the Father. As He states, “`Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”; or to say, “Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’ — He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home’” (vv. 9-11).

Jesus could back up His claims! In John 11, He refers to Himself as being “the resurrection and the life”; and that “he who believes in Me will live even if he dies” (v. 25 ) — and He proved that the same day by raising Lazarus from the dead, who had been deceased for four days! (vv. 43-45).

And now in Mark 2, Jesus indicates by way of miracle that He is Deity and does have the power to blot out sin from one’s life!

Do you have God’s forgiveness in your life? Out of all the things you might have need of, nothing could ever be greater or more important than to simply have the Lord’s pardon of all your iniquities! If you have never been a Christian, then receiving God’s forgiveness requires hearing the gospel (Rom. 10:17), believing in the deity of Christ (Jn. 8:24), repenting of sin (Luke 13:5), confessing faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38), and being baptized in water for the remission of sins (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21). For those who had been Christians, but fell away, there is a need to be restored by repenting and praying for God’s forgiveness (cf. Acts 8:13,18-23; 1 Jn. 1:9). These passages show that having God’s forgiveness is conditional.

Maintaining a right relationship with God is also necessary in order to continue to benefit from the Lord’s atonement at Calvary. John declares, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:6,7). To walk in the light is to live according to the gospel.

We close with the comforting and praise-worthy words of the psalmist David:

“How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!” (Psa. 32:1,2).

*****

(All Scriptures are from the New American Standard Bible, unless otherwise indicated.)
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-2-

A Blessed Rest

Mike Johnson

Revelation 14:13 says, “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”

The word “blessed” means “happy.” There is an obvious sense in which death brings sorrow, but for those who “die in the Lord” it can be regarded as a happy occasion. Heaven is a place of joy, rest, and peace and we will experience this for eternity.

How do our “works” follow us? Consider two senses. First, if we live a faithful Christian life, the effects of that will be felt here upon this earth even after we are gone. “Good” will continue to be done by those whom we have influenced in righteousness upon this earth. In Hebrews 11, Abel is mentioned as one though dead continued to speak. Also, Peter spoke of his approaching death in the first chapter of 2 Peter. After pointing out he would soon die he said, “Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.” Our life on earth has an impact upon others after we die and our works do follow us. Another way to look at this passage is that the consequences of our works follow us into the next life as we will be judged on the bases of what we have done upon this earth. II Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” Also, in Romans 2:6, we are told God will render to every man “according to his deeds.”

In conclusion, it is important to consider that this blessed rest spoken of in Revelation 14:13 is only for those “who die in the Lord” and those who have “labored” for Him as the text indicates. Those who “die in the Lord” will be saved eternally. What is your situation? Are you “in the Lord?” Are you laboring for the Lord? If so, your death can be a happy occasion.

— via The Elon Challenger, June 2017
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://thomastedwards.com/go (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http://tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org/
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)

When Christ Returns

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

“Jesus Calls Us”

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

The Wording of the King James Bible

In addition, if the KJV style of language is what is necessary to address God reverently, then what about all the years prior to that kind of language?

What is the difference between a translation and a transliteration?

The following sources have been used for the Greek and Hebrew Definitions:

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

God’s Grief

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Are We of Any Value to God?

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

“We Shall See The King Some Day”

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Questions and Answers on the Existence of God

1) “How Do We Know That God Exists?”

2) “How Do We Know That Our Creator Wasn’t Also Created By an Even More Superior Being?”

3) How Do We Know That God STILL Exists, and Is Not Now Dead?

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

“Prehistoric Man”

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Enoch

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

The Power to Forgive

A Blessed Rest

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

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