Month: June 2023

“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) Casting Pearls Before Swine (Kyle Pope)
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Casting Pearls Before Swine

Kyle Pope

Near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave a command to His disciples that presents some questions and challenges to all who would follow Him. He declares, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces” (Matt. 7:6, NKJV). What is the Lord teaching here and how should it be applied in our lives?

What Is the Context?

These words come at the end of a section on judging others (7:1-6) and just before the charge to “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (7:7), which begins a new section on God’s willingness to provide for His children (7:7-11).

How does this command fit into instructions about judging others? The Lord begins with the prohibition, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (7:1), warning that our own judgment by God will be determined by the attitude we show in our judgment of others (7:2). Ironically, this command about what we give to “dogs” and “swine” requires that we make some judgments about how to treat different people. This makes it clear that Jesus is not condemning all types of judgment (cf. John 7:24), but the harshness of our judgment (7:2) or making hypocritical judgments focusing on the “speck” in someone else’s eye while ignoring the “plank” in our own eye (7:3-5).

If Jesus is referring back to what He has just taught, His words about “dogs” and “swine” may relate directly to what He has just said about the types of judgment Christians should not make. Harsh or hypocritical judgment of others may be like taking a holy and precious thing (such as God’s forgiveness) and abusing it in such a way that it becomes destructive to us. If so, this may be understood as a different way of restating His earlier words—“with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (7:2b).

On the other hand, it may be that as Jesus ends this section, He slightly shifts the focus away from personal judgment of others to a focus on the consequences of subjecting ourselves to the judgment of others. Dogs were often used as a figure of that which was unclean or sinful (cf. Phil. 3:2; Rev. 22:15). Swine were unclean to eat (Lev. 11:7; Deut. 14:8) but they were also dangerous. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament done before the time of Jesus, as Hushai warned Absalom about pursuing David, the fleeing king was compared to “a bear robbed of her cubs in the field and as a savage sow in the plain” (2 Sam. 17:8). In the United States feral hogs have attacked and even killed people. When Christians interact with unbelievers their reaction to what we consider “holy” or precious may provide opportunities for them to “trample” those things “under their feet” and abuse and persecute us. This is the most common interpretation of Jesus’s command in this text.

How Do We Apply This?

If Jesus was merely restating His teaching on avoiding harsh or hypocritical judgments the application is clear. Do we expect God’s mercy but refuse to give it to others? James echoed the Lord’s teaching, writing, “judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy” adding that “Mercy triumphs over judgment” (Jas. 2:13). No one likes to be wronged, but we all need the mercy of God. Do we give what we hope to receive, or do we hold a grudge and burn wrongs done to us deeply into our hearts and memories?

Some judgments have nothing to do with a wrong done to us but to God or others. In the time of Jesus, some “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others” (Luke 18:9). Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector to rebuke this spirit, ending with the warning “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14). Harsh judgment of others may one day cause us to be humbled. If we act as if we could never fall, we will be humiliated when our self-confidence fails. Hypocritical judgment can also lead to humiliation. As we overlook our own sins while unmercifully condemning others, when the truth of our deeds is exposed our self-exaltation will result in being torn “in pieces” in shame and embarrassment.

If instead, Jesus shifts to focus on the consequences of being judged by others this is a call to use wisdom and discretion in our dealings with those in the world. Certainly, Christians are to be light in the midst of darkness (Matt. 5:14-16). We must not hide that light “under a basket” (5:15), but does that mean we subject ourselves to every opportunity for abuse and persecution that comes along? Later, Jesus would say to the Twelve, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matt. 10:16). How should this wisdom be used “in the midst of wolves”? Sometimes it must involve choosing when to speak and when to avoid the opportunity to be abused. On the same occasion, He also told them, “When they persecute you in this city, flee to another” (Matt. 10:23a). Disciples are still “the light of the world” even when they choose to avoid some situations that lead only to rejection and abuse of the truth.

Why would Jesus speak of fellow human beings as “dogs” or “swine”? Is He teaching us to view some people in this way? We must remember that Jesus “knew all men” (John 2:24). He could know who would choose not to accept the truth of the gospel. In such cases, even the best efforts to enlighten and teach them would never result in changing their rebellious hearts. We can’t know that, but we can evaluate behavior. Jesus is not teaching His disciples to make judgments about matters only God can know, such as the heart of another person. He is teaching His disciples to be good stewards of the time and opportunities set before us. A Christian could easily exhaust all of his or her time and energy on the stubborn, rebellious heart of one we might hope to convert, while missing the good and honest hearts all around us. We are to judge some as “dogs” or “swine,” not because of their value—all souls are made in the image of God (Jas. 3:9). We judge them in this way based on the reaction they demonstrate to “what is holy” and the danger they pose to our efforts.

This is often a difficult course to determine. We live in a time when we now have opportunities like never before to reach the lost with the gospel. Yet, with these opportunities we are also seeing an increasing hatred, aggression, and opposition to faith in Christ. When should we act on opportunities and when should we “flee” to pursue other opportunities? Perhaps a few questions can be helpful:

Why am I speaking to someone? Do I honestly hope to bring a soul to Christ or am I just looking for a fight? Paul taught, “a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:24-26).

How are they responding to what has been said? Are they open and receptive or disrespectful and abusive? Does their reaction stem from misunderstanding or an attempt to harm our efforts? Paul told the Jews of Pisidian Antioch, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46). Some today will make the same choice and we must turn our efforts to others.

How am I presenting the message? If I believed as the unbeliever does, how would I need someone to speak to me in order for my heart to change? Jesus commanded, “whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 7:12).

How am I using my time? Is this the best use of the time God has given me? Am I missing more productive opportunities because of the time I have devoted to this interaction with someone? Christians must, “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Col. 4:5-6). Our time is a precious and limited resource. We must use it wisely.        

Why am I avoiding or fleeing from a situation? Have I judged the person’s response to be unproductive or am I ashamed to stand up for the truth? Jesus warned, “whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26). May each of us always have the courage to speak the truth without fear but the wisdom to know when to speak and when to refuse to “cast your pearls before swine.”

– Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 11 (March 12, 2023)

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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 Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).

3) Repent of sins.  For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).  For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).

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; 1 Pet. 3:21).  This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).  For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to…

6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; 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: 9 a.m. Bible Classesand 10 a.m. Worship Service.   Congregational Song Service: 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. Bible Classes

evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com

https://thomastedwards.com/go/all.htm (This is a link to the older version of the Gospel Observer website, but with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990.)

“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) Jesus is the Bread of Life (Kyle Pope)
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Jesus is the Bread of Life

Kyle Pope

Since the beginning of man’s life outside the Garden of Eden bread has been the food God has set forth to sustain man’s life. In Adam’s punishment for sin he was told, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground” (Gen. 3:19a, NKJV). The word translated “bread” in this verse is the Hebrew word lechem, which refers to both bread in a specific sense and food generally. When Israel was in the wilderness God fed them with a substance they named “manna,” meaning literally, “What is it?” Moses explained to them, “This is the bread (lechem) which the Lord has given you to eat” (Exod. 16:15). It was not a typical grain used to make bread, but it was ground into flour and baked into cakes (Num. 11:7-8). While it sustained them in the desert, they were told later that it served another purpose. In Deuteronomy the people were told that God had given them this unusual bread, “that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3b). Jesus appealed to this very text in His own temptation in the wilderness when Satan challenged Him to make bread from stones (Matt. 4:3-4). There is great irony here. The God who sentenced man to live by “bread,” while providing physical sustenance in the wilderness used it to demonstrate man’s need for the spiritual sustenance that comes from His word.

Sometime after Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness, but in terrain the gospel of Matthew calls “a deserted place” (Matt. 14:15), Jesus did exactly the same thing Deity had done to Israel centuries before. From five barley loaves and two small fish Jesus fed 5,000 men (John 6:1-13). In this miracle, God in the flesh provided for man’s physical sustenance. This miracle, like no other Jesus did led the people to seek to make Him a king by force (John 6:14-15). Even when He withdrew by Himself then crossed over the Sea of Galilee, they still sought Him—because they “ate of the loaves and were filled” (John 6:22-26). In this context, Jesus called them to seek something different. They found Him as He taught in the synagogue in Capernaum (John 6:59). First, Jesus told them, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you” (John 6:27a). This moved them to recall God’s feeding of the Israelites in the wilderness, and they asked if He would provide a sign similar to that (John 6:30-31). Jesus then subtly introduced one of the most radical doctrines of His entire ministry. He told them, “the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). The heavenly bread He would provide was a person! What could He mean by that? The people seem to have missed that He called a person “the bread of God,” and they first beg Him, “Lord, give us this bread always” (John 6:34). Jesus then clarified, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Even though He immediately explained that it is the one who believes in Him that will attain resurrection unto everlasting life (John 6:40), the people complained against Him because He said He was “the bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:41).

In spite of their confusion (and the confusion that still persists among some in the religious world today) we can see from Scriptures that follow that Jesus was really teaching the same point God made to the Israelites about the true source of spiritual sustenance. Notice one of the first indications of this. As He explained His heavenly origin, He first paraphrases the prophets who foretold, “they shall all be taught by God” (John 6:45a)—a reference in part to Isaiah 54:13, which said, “your children shall be taught by the Lord.” He then explained how they would be taught—“everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me” (John 6:45b). Jesus would later teach His disciples, “the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me” (John 14:24). Jesus was not promising personal and individual revelation. To learn from the teaching of Jesus was to hear and learn from the Father. He was talking about spiritual sustenance. He was talking about Himself as the source of spiritual life.

A second indication of this comes as He further explained His original statement but did so in a way that tested the hearts of His hearers. They were quick to follow Him when they thought He would give them physical food—how would they respond when He offered them something challenging? He first affirmed His unity with the Father, telling them, “he who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 6:46); then He restated that belief in Him leads to eternal life, since He is “the bread of life” (John 6:47-48). Yet rather than softening His message to draw as many disciples as possible—the strategy employed by much of the religious world today—Jesus sharpened His words and challenged them even further. He told them, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). This was too much for some of them. They complained, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” (John 6:52). Jesus had returned to the point they had first raised about manna (John 6:49) and He would go on to compare His teaching with it again (John 6:58). They should have remembered that manna was given to teach them that “man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3b). Some missed the point.

Jesus then shocked them even further by saying, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53) – adding “My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed” (John 6:55). Since at least the Middle Ages some have argued that in these words Jesus was teaching about the Lord’s Supper. It has been argued that in the prayer for the bread and the fruit of the vine a transformation takes place in these elements that transforms them into the literal body and blood of Jesus. We should notice, however, that nothing in the context makes any reference to the memorial meal, which would not even be instituted until long after this on the Passover night before Jesus’s betrayal (Matt. 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-23). In fact, the gospel of John is the one gospel that does not record its institution! It is highly unlikely that the Holy Spirit would intend this teaching completely out of the context of discussing the memorial to explain the purpose and nature of it without even recording its institution. Further, both the Law of Moses (Lev. 17:12) and the Law of Christ (Acts 21:25) explicitly prohibited the eating of blood. If the Lord’s Supper involves the literal eating of blood and human flesh it violates this prohibition.

Jesus was not talking about literally eating His flesh and blood. As one who had just fed the people physically, He was calling them to see in His life, His sacrifice, and ultimately in His words the true source of spiritual life. Just as manna was to make the Israelites see God’s word as the true source of life, Jesus was teaching the same thing on this occasion. Some said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” (John 6:60). The Holy Spirit records, “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:66). To those who did not turn away, Jesus asked, “Does this offend you?” (John 6:61). He then made it absolutely clear, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). We feed on Jesus’s flesh and blood by ingesting the words that He teaches. It is the message of Jesus’s sacrifice on our behalf that brings life (cf. Rom. 1:16). Faith in Jesus as this sacrifice and obedience to Jesus’s teaching leads ultimately to resurrection unto eternal life on the “last day” (John 6:39, 44, 54). Although some missed His point those who stayed with Him understood. When Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” (John 6:67a), Peter gave an answer that summarized the entire focus of this discourse. He said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:67b). Peter realized what God wanted Israel to recognize in the wilderness. Peter realized what the feeding of the 5,000 should have taught these people. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). That is how we feed upon Jesus’s flesh and blood. That is how Jesus is for us, “the bread of life.” Upon what will you feed? To whom will you go?

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 24, (June 11, 2023)

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Jeremiah 15:16

“Your words were found and I ate them,
And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;
For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.”

NASB

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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 Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).

3) Repent of sins.  For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).  For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).

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; 1 Pet. 3:21).  This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).  For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to…

6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; 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: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service.   Congregational Song Service: 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. Bible Classes

evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com

https://thomastedwards.com/go/all.htm (This is a link to the older version of the Gospel Observer website, but with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990.)

“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) Conscience without Offense (Kyle Pope)
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Conscience without Offense

Kyle Pope

On one occasion when Paul was accused by his Jewish countrymen, he was allowed to answer before the Roman governor Felix (Acts 24:10-16). In his defense he declared that he strove always to have “a conscience” without offense toward God or man (Acts 24:16). The world has many different notions about the “conscience” from a soft voice that speaks in one’s head, to a cute cherub that appears on the shoulder. What does Scripture teach about this part of the inner man that is called the conscience?

Meaning of the Word “Conscience”

The word “conscience” is actually a Greek concept that comes into the Bible record when Greek became the language of the ancient world. Most translations don’t use the word conscience in the Old Testament because the Hebrew text speaks in terms of the “heart” and not the “conscience.” The term “conscience” was born from the Greek word sunoida which literally means “to know-with” something. It first was applied to a witness in court who had personal knowledge of something, then came to have a reflexive sense of knowing one’s self (see Gerhard Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Vol. 7, p. 898). It is interesting how often this judicial sense is retained in Scripture. Paul spoke of the “testimony” of the “conscience” (2 Cor. 1:12). He described the conscience “bearing witness” within one’s self so that the thoughts of a person “accuse” or “excuse” him (Rom. 2:15). Properly, the conscience is not something distinct from the inner man, but it is the knowledge we have regarding our own thoughts, attitudes, and behavior.

The New Testament word suneidesis (translated “conscience”) literally means “knowledge-with [one’s self].” It carries the same conceptual sense as our English word “conscience” which comes from the Latin conscientia meaning “knowledge-with [one’s self].” While the Old Testament does not properly use the idea of the conscience, the same concept is expressed in terms of the “heart.” It is the soul with a “pure heart” that can approach God in worship (Ps. 24:3-4). After his sin with Bathsheba, David prays to God “create in me a clean heart” (Ps. 51:10). The heart can be “troubled” when one feels that he has done wrong (1 Sam. 24:4-5—the NASB uses the word “conscience” here, but the word is literally “heart”). The soul willing to do what he knows (or believes) to be wrong is described as having “stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord” (2 Chron. 36:13). The New Testament uses both concepts in juxtaposition. Paul acts from a “pure heart” and a “good conscience” (1 Tim. 1:3-7). This makes it clear that the heart and the conscience are simply two different ways of describing the conviction of the soul.

Conviction and Defilement of the Conscience

The New Testament teaches that one may be “convicted” by the conscience (John 8:7-9). This is what Acts 2:37 calls being “cut to the heart.” Those who heard Peter preach understood that they were not right with God, and they sought to remedy this problem. Simply following the conscience does not make one right with God.  One can be condemned in what he approves (Rom. 14:22). Paul lived in “good conscience” even when he was persecuting the church (Acts 23:1). While Paul was not right with God in that situation, Scripture teaches that it is always sin to go against one’s conscience.

Violating one’s conscience leads to a conscience that is “defiled” (Titus 1:15). It leads to a conscience that is “seared with a hot iron” (1 Tim. 4:2). In such a condition, our faith may suffer “shipwreck” (1 Tim. 1:19). Instead, Christians must maintain a “pure conscience” (1 Tim. 3:9; 2 Tim. 1:3). Our understanding of God’s word may be insufficient causing us to be mistaken in our convictions, but we must never act against what we believe to be right.

Romans and First Corinthians on the Conscience

Paul’s epistles to the Romans and his first letter to the Corinthians, both teach a number of important principles about the conscience. The book of Romans was addressed to Christians in Rome, most of whom had come to Christ out of a Jewish background, as seen in many places in the book. In chapter fourteen Paul addresses two issues that would have been struggles for Jewish brethren who wrestled with their responsibility to the Old Law now that they had come to Christ: foods and observance of Mosaic holy days (Rom. 14:1-7). What must the Jewish Christian do? Should he follow Mosaic dietary laws? Should he keep Mosaic holy days? In Christ Paul told the Colossians these things were no longer obligations (Col. 2:16-17). He echoed the same thing in Romans 14:14a, declaring, “I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself.”  That was the Divine revelation on the matter—but what must be the reaction towards those who don’t fully understand this?

First, we must note that Paul is not talking about matters of human imagination (e.g. someone thinking its acceptable to fornicate or murder). Paul is talking about matters of indifference before God. The divine revelation was that it was not sin to eat, but neither was it sin to refrain from eating. May the Christian who understands this compel the one who does not to violate his conscience and eat? No. Paul explains this in Romans 14:11-22. He declares, “To him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean” (Rom. 14:14). The conscience is a precious thing which must be kept tender. It is what convicts us when we do wrong. It can be misinformed but acting to violate the convictions of the heart is always wrong because it destroys that part of our inner man which draws man back to obedience to God. We may teach, persuade, and strive to come to a different understanding with a brother, but we want to bring a person to be “fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5). Before God it was acceptable to eat all meats, but if one “doubts” and eats such a person “is condemned” (Rom. 14:23). Does that mean that the truth is determined by each person’s conscience? No, it means God expects us at all times to do what we understand His word to teach. The soul who would believe something and act contrary to it—or compel someone else to act contrary to it is a rebel before God. To do so is not acting from faithful obedience and is sin!

First Corinthians is addressed to a church that was largely made up of Gentiles. For them, the problem was not one of following Mosaic dietary restrictions, but a history of eating meat sacrificed to idols as an act of pagan-worship (1 Cor. 8:4-10). If the Christian who understood that eating meat was not necessarily an act of worship to an idol disregarded the influence he might have on new converts he might “wound their weak conscience, and sin against Christ” (1 Cor. 8:12). Christians must show respect even for the conscience of others (1 Cor.10:24-33). Why? Because only when the conscience is preserved can one be acceptable to God. The soul with a defiled, seared, or hardened conscience will not be moved by the word of God.

The Conscience and Obedience to the Gospel

Obedience to the Gospel allows one to be able to have a “good conscience” (Heb. 10:19-22). The Hebrew writer speaks of Christians having their, “Hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience” (10: 22a). This is probably comparing the Mosaic practice of “sprinkling” the blood of various sacrifices on the priests and on the altar with what happens to the heart in the gospel. The blood of Christ can “cleanse” the conscience from “dead works” (Heb. 9:13-14). We feel guilt because of sin. We regret past deeds. Christ’s blood can “cleanse” the conscience. The Hebrew writer goes further to say Christians have had their, “bodies washed with pure water” (10:22b). In Christ, the only “water” that is ever said to “wash” the body is baptism. The Bible tells us baptism is an “appeal to God for a good conscience” (1 Pet. 3:18-22, NASB). Having been forgiven of sins, and striving to live obedient to Christ, Christians should always live with a “good conscience” (Heb. 13:17-18). It is interesting that the Hebrew writer speaks of obedience to the eldership yet then goes on to speak of maintaining a “good conscience.”  If these responsibilities ever conflict, we must obey God rather than man (Acts 5:26-29). It is commendable before God to suffer wrongfully “because of conscience toward God” (1 Pet. 2:18-23). When we maintain a “good conscience” and yet suffer for it, those who persecute us will be caused to be ashamed on the Day of Judgment (1 Pet. 3:15-17).

It is probably in this sense that Paul speaks to the Corinthians of “commending” himself “to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Cor. 4:2). Think about this for a moment—how much would you respect someone who claimed to believe something but then willingly went against that in the face of pressure? Would you trust that person? In the same way, when we hold our ground, and stick to our convictions, people may disagree with us, but they will never be able to claim that we were not sincere. This is the point we noted in the beginning. We, as Paul, must strive to have “a conscience without offense towards God and men” (Acts 24:16).

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 23 (June 4, 2023)

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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 Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).

3) Repent of sins.  For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).  For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).

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; 1 Pet. 3:21).  This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).  For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to…

6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
——————–

Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA  31501

Sunday: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service.   Congregational Song Service: 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. Bible Classes

evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com

https://thomastedwards.com/go/all.htm (This is a link to the older version of the Gospel Observer website, but with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990.)

“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).
——————–

Contents:

1) Faith That Is Pleasing to God (Kyle Pope)
2) Sword Tips #14 (Joe R. Price)
——————–

-1-

Faith That Is Pleasing to God

Kyle Pope

Faith is at the heart of man’s relationship with God. The Hebrew writer taught, “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 diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6-7 NKJV). With the coming of Jesus, the character of the type of faith that pleases God became much more focused. This side of the cross, faith means more than just believing there is a God—Jesus said, “no man comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). That means now in order to please God one must believe in Jesus.

Does that just mean believing that Jesus was a real person? No, the kind of faith one has in Jesus must also be focused. 1 John 5:5 asks and then answers the question, “who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”  That tells us that the type of faith that is pleasing to God, doesn’t just believe Jesus was a good man, or a wise philosopher, or a prophet—but “the Son of God.”  Sadly, many people in our world believe in a Jesus who is not Divine.  That is not the Jesus of the New Testament, nor the character of the faith that pleases God.

Scripture, however, focuses this even further. Peter and Paul both quote Isaiah 28:16, “whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame” (Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:6).  How does one believe “on” Jesus? The Bible teaches that, “the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer. 10:23).  Human beings do not have an innate guidance system within us, nor are we capable of erasing our own offenses that are committed against God. The preacher in Ecclesiastes asked, “consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked?” (Eccl. 7:13). When God defines behavior that we have committed as “crooked” we cannot make it “straight.” This is the problem of sin.  All morally capable and accountable souls at some point in life sin—“all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). How then can one be made “straight” in his relationship with God?  He must believe “on” Jesus as the source of atonement, redemption, and reconciliation.

This is where Jesus’s teaching comes into play. Jesus taught:

And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day (John 12:47-48).

Believing “on” Jesus means that one believes and trusts His word.  If I should say to myself, “I want salvation—so I will believe in Jesus, but I don’t have to accept and follow everything He taught!”—I don’t really believe “on” Jesus.

That tells us that part of having a faith that pleases God means that I must “diligently seek Him” as we noted above. This is not something distinct from faith but how the kind of faith pleasing to God is actualized. Remember, the Hebrew writer said, “without faith it is impossible to please Him,” then explains the kind of faith that pleases God—“for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6-7). If I don’t believe “that He is” I don’t have a faith that pleases God. If I don’t believe He rewards “those who diligently seek Him” I don’t have a faith that pleases God. Through seeking to know and understand God’s revealed word in the Bible, one is “diligently” seeking Him. Through striving to carefully and obediently follow what is found within Scripture, one is “diligently” seeking Him. Sadly, many misunderstand this and say, “that’s legalism!”  But we aren’t talking about trusting in ourselves.  Instead, the way that we demonstrate love for and faith in Jesus is by a diligence to understand and follow all of His will.

The Bible refers to personal faith, and to the system of faith revealed in the gospel. Jude wrote that Christians must “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). To have a faith that pleases God one must not “depart from the faith” (1 Tim. 4:1) as Paul foretold that some would do. To have a faith that pleases God one must have courage to confess this faith before others (Matt. 10:32). To have a faith that pleases God one must remain “steadfast in the faith” (1 Pet. 5:9). These things make it clear that saving faith (or pleasing faith) is more than just a condition purely within our minds. James declared that demons believe, but their faith is not pleasing to God (Jas. 2:19). Some of the Jewish leaders believed in Jesus, but out of fear refused to confess Him (John 12:42). Jesus taught, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32-33). So pleasing faith “on” Jesus involves certain actions that demonstrate that faith.

Is that meritorious salvation? Is that salvation by works? No, but it is a type of faith which meets God’s definition, not man’s definition. When our world advocates “salvation by faith only” they are using a definition of faith that is never taught in Scripture. Many don’t realize that the only passage in Scripture where we ever see the phrase “faith only” does not teach that salvation is by “faith only.” James 2:24 declares, “a man is justified by works and not faith only.” Only a few verses before this James explained it further by using the example of Abraham—whose faith in God throughout Scripture is offered as an example that all true believers should follow. James taught that his, “faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect” (Jas. 2:22). The kind of faith that is pleasing to God is “made perfect” (or made complete) by works of obedience.  Obedience doesn’t merit anything, it is simply the duty of those who serve God in Christ. 

In Luke 17, His apostles pled with Jesus to, “increase our faith” (17:5). After describing the great power of faith (17:6), He asks, “And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?” (17:7). What does this have to do with faith? He asks further,

But will he not rather say to him, “Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink”? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not (17:8-9).

How will this increase their faith? He is talking about work and service. Finally, He explains, “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do’” (17:10). Jesus never uses the word “faith,” but He describes the attitude, the mindset, the service, and obedience that a pleasing faith will demonstrate. Obedience is “our duty to do.” It doesn’t merit anything—obedient servants are still “unprofitable servants” but servants who don’t strive to do “all those things” which they “are commanded” don’t have a faith that pleases God. What kind of faith do you have? What kind of faith do I have?

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 14 (April 2, 2023)
——————–

-2-

“And take…the sword of the Spirit, Which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17).

Sword Tips #14

Joe R. Price

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE.’” (Luke 4:8)

Satan tempts us to bow down and pay homage to other things than God. For example, some choose to worship material things (1 Tim. 6:10). The word of God says covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5). Any person or thing we put before the Lord God and serve rather than him is our object of worship.

Today is the first day of the week, the day of worship ordained by the Lord (Acts 20:7). Use your time today to worship God “in spirit and truth.” By doing so you will be numbered among those whose worship God accepts (Jno. 4:23-24). Fully give your heart to praising and honoring God. And, worship him according to his revealed will: with prayers and singing, with giving and eating the Lord’s Supper, and by listening to the teaching of his word (Acts 2:42; Eph. 5:19; 1 Cor. 16:2; Acts 20:7).

Worshiping God is the Christian’s first priority on the Lord’s Day. Do not yield to Satan’s temptation to forget God and fail to worship him. If you have, then repent and return to him with praise and adoration for his mercy and grace in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
——————–

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 Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).

3) Repent of sins.  For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).  For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).

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; 1 Pet. 3:21).  This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).  For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to…

6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
——————–

Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA  31501

Sunday: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service.   Congregational Song Service: 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. Bible Classes

evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com

https://thomastedwards.com/go/all.htm (This is a link to the older version of the Gospel Observer website, but with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990.)