Month: October 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) Those Who Follow Their Own Spirit (Kyle Pope)
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Those Who Follow Their Own Spirit

Kyle Pope

Ezekiel 13:13 offers a serious warning that is as powerful today as it was when it was first spoken. It proclaims, “And the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, “Hear the word of the Lord!”’ Thus says the Lord God: ‘Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!’” (NKJV). Note two elements of this warning to these false prophets: (1) they “prophesy out of their own heart,” and (2) they “follow their own spirit.”

Have you ever formed a religious concept in your head, that seems so clear, so true, and so logical—but the source of that concept is not Scripture? The intensity of the thought can be almost overwhelming, as you start to feel as if you understand the mind of God—but once again, the source of that idea is not the word of God. Your aim is not to be presumptuous, or to exalt yourself, but the view seems so convincing to you that you feel as if you just know it must be so—regardless of the fact that it is not established by the revelation of God.

The question you must ask if you are ever faced with such a strong feeling is, How do you know? How can man know anything about God? The Bible does teach us that there are some things about God that are indicated by the natural world. Romans 1:20 teaches that in some sense God’s, “invisible attributes …even His eternal power and Godhead” can be “understood by the things that are made.” That tells us that nature can teach the soul open to it that there is a God! Only a Being of eternal existence would be capable of starting the complex and intricate systems of time and space that regulate the current universe. Only a Divine Being outside of the limits of time and space could act as the Prime Mover to start all that we can see around us. What about His thoughts? Simply because we can discern His existence from nature, does that tell us anything about His thoughts?

Someone might say, “the sky is blue—so blue must be His favorite color!” Another viewing the sunset might draw a different conclusion, and argue, “No, the sky is orange and red so these must be His favorite colors.” One person might see the tenderness of a mother hen and say, “God must be tender and compassionate,” while another person watching a predator catch and eat its prey concludes, “The Creator is cruel and heartless!” The fact is that any conclusions we draw about God’s thoughts from nature are destined to be speculative, highly subjective, and ultimately unverifiable because we have no way to determine when something in nature is a direct reflection of God’s desire, attitude, and disposition and when it is simply an inconsequential consequence of His creation.

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians he offers us some powerful insight into this matter. Through the Holy Spirit, he asks the question, “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of a man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11). Paul compares our knowledge of God to our knowledge of others. I can never know the mind of another person as fully as that person’s own spirit knows him. No one can know me as fully as I, that is my spirit, knows me. In the same way, we can never fully know the “things of God,” specifically His thoughts, apart from the revelation of His Spirit. So, how can we know the things of God’s Spirit?

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised His apostles that He would send them the Holy Spirit. As a part of this promise He told them two things the Holy Spirit would do: (1) He would guide them “into all truth” (John 16:13) and (2) He would bring to the memory of the apostles “all things that I,” that is Jesus, “said to you” (John 14:26). Many in the religious world seek to apply these promises to all believers, but if that was true every believer must possess at all times the perfect knowledge of “all things.” Clearly, believers who are alive today did not walk with Jesus, so the Holy Spirit cannot remind us of what we never heard. Is there another way to understand this?

Two passages give us the answer. 1 Peter 1:20-21 declares, “. . .No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, [or “origin” from many footnotes] for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” The next, 2 Timothy 3:15-16 states, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God [this term means literally “God-breathed”] and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This tells us that Scripture is the product of the Spirit. This tells us that Scripture is complete. So, we can know God’s thoughts through His words in Scripture.

Now then, let’s go back to the passage in Ezekiel. It is easy for man to think that his own intuition is correct whether or not his views are grounded upon the clear teaching of God’s word or not. We must test all things seeking “book, chapter, and verse” for all that we do and say. This approach to Bible study is often criticized today. Even some brethren reject it as “old fashioned” or “legalistic.” The fact is that it was this approach to faith that led to the American efforts toward restoring the New Testament church in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It was this resolution to, “Speak where the Bible speaks and remain silent where the Bible is silent,” that led many men and women from all religious backgrounds to reject the chaos of the religious world and seek unity within the authority of Scripture. This respect for God’s word is what can guard against the scores of apostasies that can come from simply speaking out of our own heart!

We must recognize that apart from nature’s indication to us of God’s presence, the only way we can know anything about God is through what He has said. We must understand that looking at (and harmonizing) God’s words does not deny His power, but esteem it! Let’s recall Isaiah 66:2, “. . .On this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” We cannot know God’s will by following our own spirit. We can try, but in doing so, we can be sure of one thing, we have “seen nothing!”

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 43, October 22, 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 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) Does God Violate His Own Laws? (Kyle Pope)
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Does God Violate His Own Laws?

Kyle Pope

From time to time we hear the critic of faith or the believer facing doubts level the charge against God that He is inconsistent. The argument is that God makes laws for us, but violates those laws Himself. If this is true, so it is argued, God demands more of us than He does of Himself. Let’s explore this argument to test its validity.

Basic Elements of Law

1.  Authority. Law, by its very nature, requires a few basic elements. First, there must be an established authority to make the law. In the case of federal law, the United States consists of branches of duly elected representatives of the people who pass and enforce laws. When it comes to natural law, there are no written ordinances, but the authority that established the principles that govern nature (i.e. God) put them in place by virtue of the fact that He created nature and so has the right to order it as He pleases (cf. Jer. 33:25). Divine Law that is given by revelation is higher than any human law. It is not set by man although many laws of man derive their authority from divine law—and thus from God Himself. Just as God made the elements of the natural world with the laws that govern them, God made man as a spiritual being and He alone holds the ultimate authority to regulate his behavior (Ps. 119:105).

2. Rules. A second element common to all law is some type of rules or regulations. All laws mandate certain things that must operate a certain way. A system without rules is said to be lawless. Any system that is governed by law operates within set rules and guidelines. It could be a speed limit. The law mandates “70 miles per hour” as the maximum speed at which a vehicle can travel on a certain road. It could be behavior. It is a crime to steal. The nature of the rules depends upon the nature of the thing regulated. In some cases the authority that enforces the rule is understood to stand outside of the rule. The highway patrolman who exceeds 70 miles per hour is not guilty if he does this to catch a driver who is speeding. The policeman that confiscates stolen property is not a thief. Part of their authority exempts them from some measure of accountability to the very laws they must enforce.

3. Jurisdiction. A third element of all law is jurisdiction. For law to have meaning there must be some realm over which a given law has dominion. The ancient laws of the Hittite empire may be curious relics of antiquity but they no longer hold any power because there is no longer a Hittite empire. The realm and the region over which these laws once held power no longer exists. In regional governments the issue of jurisdiction is paramount. The authority of one state cannot enforce its laws on the citizens of another because it does not have jurisdiction. By the same token, if I violate a practice that is considered criminal in another jurisdiction, but is permitted within the county, state, or country where I live I am not guilty. A good example of this is the burka worn by Muslim women. A woman in the United States is not a criminal if she refuses to wear a burka even though it is required by law in countries such as Saudi Arabia.

4. Subjects. Finally, in a very similar way, all law must involve subjects—that is, those who are under obligation to that law. I could write an imaginary law, for an imaginary jurisdiction, over an imaginary population of people but its force would remain just that—imaginary, because where there are no subjects there is no law. The region where the former Hittite empire once reigned still exists but its people no longer exist. On the other hand, as citizens of the United States we are obligated to obey the laws of our nation because we are properly subjects of the government which holds authority over us, and thus subject to its laws.

God’s Relationship to His Own Laws

1. Laws of Nature. Let’s start by looking at laws of nature. As we have already noted, God is the authority who established these laws. There are set rules that define these laws. Laws of gravity demand that a rock falls to the ground—it doesn’t float up into the sky. Is God within the jurisdiction of natural law? A key difference between the picture of the God of the Bible and the concepts of pagan false religions is what is called transcendence. The God of the Bible exists outside of the natural realm that He created. In other words, while Zeus, or Anubis, or Odin were themselves subject to certain laws of nature, the God of the Bible stands outside of the jurisdiction of natural laws. He is the “unmoved Mover.” He is the First Cause of all things! That means He can make an ax-head float (2 Kings 6:5-6). He can make time stand still (Josh. 10:12-13). He can make the shadow of the sundial go backwards (2 Kings 20:10-11). He is not under the jurisdiction of natural law, but every atom within this present universe, together with every soul made in His image is. They are subjects of the natural laws that God established over His creation. Because God transcends the natural universe, He is not a subject of His own creation, and is therefore not subject to the laws that govern it.

2. Moral or Religious Law.What about moral or religious laws? There is an interesting example that concerns the Sabbath commandment. The rules required that no ordinary work was to be done on the seventh day (Exod. 20:10). This was a law that was not given until the Law of Moses was revealed (Neh. 9:14). It was a law that was not restated under the Law of Christ (Col. 2:16). That means that those who worked on the seventh day before the Law of Moses, as well as those who now live under Christ, and even those who were not a part of the Mosaic covenant during the time of the Israelite commonwealth were outside of its jurisdiction and were not, therefore, subject to its regulation.What about God? This law was drawn from what was said about God’s creation (Exod. 20:11). The present universe was made in six days, but Scripture tells us that after this was done, God “rested on the seventh day from all the work which He had done” (Gen. 2:2). Even before this was given as a law to the Israelites, God is said to have “blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it” (Gen. 2:3). The Hebrew writer, in one sense speaks of God’s works being “finished from the foundation of the world” (Heb. 4:3-4); but Jesus, when criticized for healing on the Sabbath said, “My Father has been working until now, and I have being working” (John 5:16-17). Did God violate His own Sabbath law? No. He stood outside of its jurisdiction and like those before and after the Law of Moses, He was not subject to its regulation.

3. Genocide. This may seem reasonable when we are talking about things like the Sabbath law, but what is most frequently criticized is God’s treatment of His creation. That is, He commands us not to murder, but then He has commanded the extermination of the Canaanites, and Amalekites. Or, He commands us not to harm one another but He promises to punish the wicked throughout all eternity. Is He breaking His own laws in these examples? What are the basic elements of law in these examples? God is, once again, the established authority and He has set the rules that govern appropriate behavior. Yet, has God defined all taking of life as wrong? No! It is true that man is not to avenge himself (Rom. 12:19), and God condemns murder (Exod. 20:13), but He grants to the civil authority the right to punish even to the point of death those guilty of certain laws (Rom. 13:4). Is the executioner a murderer? No. Like the policeman who speeds to catch someone speeding, the executioner in his authority to carry out punishment is (to a measure) exempt from accountability to the law he is enforcing (cf. Num. 35:27). God on some specific occasions commanded Israel (in essence) to act as His executioner (Deut. 7:1-5; 25:17-19; 1 Sam. 15:1-5). The Canaanites and Amalekites were among some of the most wicked people that history has ever known (Deut. 9:4; Ps. 106:34-37). God bore with their wickedness for a time in order to give them time to repent (cf. Gen. 15:16). When the time came, He used Israel as the vehicle by which He ended their ability to do any more wickedness. Did He violate His own law? No. First, because He was never under the jurisdiction of this law, nor a subject to obey it, but also because the people whom He used to carry out His punishment were not violating any divine law themselves. They were carrying out lawful punishment—in this case in the form of warfare.

4. Eternal Punishment. What about eternal punishment? The issue of jurisdiction is applicable to this question as well. God is not under the jurisdiction of the laws He has set for His creation. When Judgment Day comes the nature of the present jurisdiction will be changed. What rules will govern the age to come? The jurisdiction of the realm of the saved will not be the same as the jurisdiction of the realm of the condemned. For example, to some measure, in that age the present laws of nature will be changed. In the jurisdiction of the saved there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor pain because for them “the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4). On the other hand, some of these things will exist for the lost—“the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever” (Rev. 14:11). Is it cruel for God to punish the wicked eternally? Let’s consider this from another angle. If I create something—a piece of pottery, a bird house, a painting, or a machine—what rights do I have over that thing I have created? Am I cruel to the pottery if I reshape it into another vessel? (cf. Jer. 18:5-6). Have I sinned against the bird house if I decide to use it for something else? If the machine turns out to be dangerous, am I a monster if I make certain it is kept away from ever causing any harm to anyone ever again? No.   

In our creation it is God that formed the molecules and synaptic responses that form our physical bodies (Ps. 139:13-16). We are His creation—He can do with us as He pleases. God asked Judah, “can I not do to you as this potter?” (Jer. 18:6). Above all other creatures in this universe, He has blessed us by placing within us a spirit that is said to be in His image (Gen. 1:26-27)—we are from this point onward eternal creatures (Eccl. 3:11). That is a blessing! But it is a blessing that demands responsibility. The nature and demands of God are such that all creatures that bear His likeness must conform to His law. For those who fail in this (which is to say all who are morally accountable in age and ability) He has made provision for this failure by the atonement of Christ. What is God to do with those of His creation whom He has made eternal who remain in rebellion to His authority and refuse His regulation? Since He is not a subject of His own law, and therefore not under the jurisdiction of His own authority we cannot even compare any action He takes to punish wrong with committing wrong—remember the executioner is not a murderer. Confiscation is not theft. Those who reject the gospel of Christ establish themselves as a type of eternally dangerous machine that must be forever put where it can never harm the subjects of God’s kingdom ever again—that is essentially what hell is. Is this cruel on God’s part? No, it is His right as Creator and the transcendent authority over His creation.

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 22, May 28, 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) Is God to Blame for Human Wickedness (Kyle Pope)
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Is God to Blame for Human Wickedness

Kyle Pope

Any concept of God’s involvement with His creation must (in some way) answer the problem of God’s relationship to evil. Three hundred years before the time of Christ, the Greek philosopher Epicurus, coined what has come to be known as the Epicurean Paradox, which argues that if God can remove evils and doesn’t then He must be evil—if He can’t remove them then He isn’t God.* Centuries later the eighteenth century Scottish skeptic David Hume, restated this argument asking of God, “Is he willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Whence then is evil?” (Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, 10).

In religious discussions this problem has also arisen. John Calvin, the sixteenth-century Protestant reformer, argued that the only answer to this was to view God as the cause of all things. In citing Lamentations 3:38 and Amos 3:6 he argued that “good as well as evil was produced by the command of God” (Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1.17.8). To answer the charge that this would make God the cause of things contrary to His will he said it is “the feebleness of our intellect” that keeps us from understanding how God “wills and wills not the very same thing” (ibid., 1.18.3). Calvin’s followers tried to resolve this inconsistency by claiming that the power, wisdom, and goodness of God caused “the first fall, and all other sins of angels and men” and yet God somehow did it in such a way that human sinfulness comes, “only from the creature [i.e. human beings], and not from God” (Westminster Confession of Faith, “Of Providence,” 5.4). This did not resolve Calvin’s inconsistency. How can evil be the “command of God” and yet come from man and “not from God”?

What Does the Bible Teach?

The Bible is not a systematic philosophical encyclopedia, but it is the revelation of God to particular people, on specific issues, within given contexts. It reveals what is needed for human beings to “be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (1 Tim. 3:16-17). Any concept of God’s relationship to evil must be carefully framed by the bounds set within Scripture.  This demands some very basic questions:

1. What Is Evil?

In English the noun evil is defined very narrowly to mean “profound immorality, wickedness, and depravity, esp. when regarded as a supernatural force” (New Oxford American Dictionary). In Scripture, however, the words translated “evil” are much broader. In the Old Testament the Hebrew verb ra’a’ meant “to be bad, to be evil” (BDB). In the New Testament, the Greek adjective kakos can refer to things that are simply “troublesome” or to things that are “wicked” (Thayer). This is where some of the problem lies. Everything that is evil (as we use the term) could be said to be “bad,” but not everything “bad” is necessarily evil in any moral sense. A toothache, for example, is a bad thing. I might even use hyperbole and say “my toothache is evil,” but a toothache has nothing to do with “profound immorality” or “depravity.” It is not literally evil in any moral sense.

James tells us through the Holy Spirit, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil (Gr. kakos), nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (Jas. 1:13-14, NKJV). James is likely using the word kakos in the narrow sense of moral “evil” in much the same way we think of it. God feels no allurement to “profound immorality” or “wickedness” nor does He seek to entice us with such things. The Psalmist declares, “You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil (ra’) dwell with You” (Psa. 5:4). In other texts, however, such as those that troubled Calvin, we must understand the sense differently. Jeremiah, for example, declared that “out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth” both “evil (ra’) and good” (Lam. 3:38, KJV). We might recall that Lamentations is a song of mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem brought on as punishment for the sins of Judah. The NKJV translates this “woe and well-being”—this is not evil in a moral sense. Amos asked through the Holy Spirit, “shall there be evil (ra’) in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?” (Amos 3:6, KJV). Amos was reminding the Israelites, who had been promised that they would fall to their enemies if they were unfaithful to God (Deut. 28:15-68), the danger that lay before them if they did not repent. The NKJV properly translates this “calamity” rather than “evil.” Isaiah, in another text to which Calvin appealed, quoted God in saying, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil (ra’): I the Lord do all these things” (Isa. 45:7, KJV). How could God create moral “evil” and yet at the same time say that He tempts no one with “evil”? Obviously, the sense of each of these passages is broader than the way we understand the word evil. In this final passage, the NKJV once again puts it “calamity” rather than “evil.” To allow something bad to happen is not the same as acting with “profound immorality” or “wickedness.”

2. What Is the Source of Evil?

Scripture makes it clear that although God allows hardship or calamity He is not the cause of evil in its most narrow sense of “wickedness” or “depravity.” In the same text in which James tells us that God tempts no one, he explains the source of human wickedness—“each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (Jas. 1:14, NKJV). God has created man with desires that alone are neither good nor evil. All human desires have lawful outlets by which they can be fulfilled. My desire for food can lawfully be fulfilled by working for a living (2 Thess. 3:8). My desire for sexuality may be lawfully fulfilled in lawful marriage (1 Cor. 7:2-4). If I choose to satisfy my desire for food by stealing a loaf of bread, I have taken a natural desire and satisfied it in a sinful way. If I choose to satisfy my desire for sexuality with sex outside of marriage, I have done the same. Scripture calls this choice following “ungodly lusts” (Jude 18), or walking according to one’s “own lusts” (2 Pet. 3:3; Jude 16), and pursuing things that are the “desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Eph. 2:3). The source of this type of evil is not God—it is our own refusal to submit to His will for the satisfaction of our desires. The source of all human wickedness can be traced to some unlawful attempt to satisfy desire in a way that is contrary to God’s revealed will.

3. Why Doesn’t God Remove Evil?

The Psalmist declared, “Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds” (Ps. 7:9). Freedom of choice demands alternatives. Would a multiple-choice test with only one choice for each question really test a student’s knowledge? Why do democratic societies criticize totalitarian regimes that stage mock elections with only one candidate on the ballot? Because choice demands alternatives. This life is a testing ground.  As the text declares “God tests the hearts and minds.” This life is a test to determine if we will follow our own desires in our own ways or submit to God. It is in this way that God determines if man will “seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27).

God is never the cause of evil in its most narrow sense of moral “wickedness,” but He does grant to man a brief period of time in this life in which his choices to follow his own “ungodly lusts” can produce “wickedness” towards himself or those around him. Is it evil on God’s part to allow the opportunity for the evil man to harm others? No, first because He has commanded man not to do evil (2 Kings 17:13; Ezek. 18:32). When man does evil, it is in rebellion to God. Second, He has limited the evil that man can do—our lifetimes are temporary (Gen. 6:3; Psa. 90:12). The wickedness that any man can commit can extend no further than his own lifetime, or the lifetime of the one he has harmed. Third, He will punish the wicked for their rebellion and any harm done to others (Jude 14-15). The Psalmist’s plea “let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end” will be fulfilled when God condemns the wicked and delivers His people.

* Epicurus’s argument is preserved in a work by Lacantius (ca. AD 240-320) entitled On the Anger of God (11.13). The full argument reads:

God. . . either wishes to take away evils, and is unable; or He is able, and is unwilling; or He is neither willing nor able, or He is both willing and able. If He is willing and is unable, He is feeble, which is not in accordance with the character of God; if He is able and unwilling, He is envious, which is equally at variance with God; if He is neither willing nor able, He is both envious and feeble, and therefore not God; if He is both willing and able, which alone is suitable to God, from what source then are evils? or why does He not remove them?

Lacantius was an adviser to the Roman emperor Constantine and he quotes Epicurus to refute his view that the gods were distant, unconcerned, and uninvolved in the affairs of mankind.

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 39, September 24, 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) “Let there be light” (Jerry Fite)
2) The Shame of Acting Without Knowledge (Heath Rogers)
3) How A Christian Is Like A Watch (Johnie Edwards)
——————–  

-1-

“Let there be light”

Jerry Fite

God spoke these words after He created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1-3). It was the first order of business to help sustain life, which was to come next. Living things, like plants, animals, and man would need light to assure and sustain their existence. As man would be served by animals, and the man and animals would be served by plants, none could exist without light. Therefore, light was commanded by God “to be” and exalting the glorious power of God, “there was light.”

While God ordained the sun to provide light and heat on the earth, God does not need the sun to provide light. Light came by command on the first day of creation, while the sun was made on the fourth day (Genesis 1:3-5; 16-19). John reveals that the glorious eternal city of heaven does not need the sun for its light, “for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the lamb” (Revelation 21:23). God is light and dwells in unapproachable light. Bright light, void of contaminants, exalts His glory (I John 1:5, I Timothy 6:16).

As light was the first priority with God to sustain life, our lives shining as lights to reflect the glory of God should be our life-long priority.  In a dark world of coarse speech and impurity, there is a need for clean, uplifting words and pure lives. Christians are “light in the Lord,” therefore they need to walk “as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). Their speech should not spew out verbal filth, or corrupt minds with impure innuendos but their words should lift up others, being filled with thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:3-4). Covetousness and fornication characterize the darkness that light is not only forbidden to “fellowship,” but even must “reprove.”  It must because that is what light does. Light always exposes darkness (Ephesians 5:11-13).

In our dark world of ignorance, there is a need for the light of knowledge. As God commanded light to shine out of darkness, He through the Gospel gives “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6); while the “god of this world” tries to blind the eyes of the world so they will not obtain the knowledge of God through Jesus. Christians should be shining, holding forth the word of life (Philippians 2:16).

A dark world needs to see Christians who are not murmuring or questioning the demands of God (Philippians 2:15). How can your so-called light glorify our Father in heaven, and His Son, Jesus Christ, when others in darkness hear us complain of the restrictive or “straitened way” that God demands of us through His Holy Spirit (Matthew 7:13-14).

In this dark world of hate, the light of love needs to shine. If a man confesses to be a Christian, and hates his brother, God says he is really “in the darkness” (I John 2:11). Darkness has blinded his eyes. God’s love is not that we are just kind to people whom we like, but we seek the well-being of all, even our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). Love is not mere fuzzy good intentions, but concrete action which truly meets the need of the one we are to love (I John 3:15-18).

As light was a priority in the sequence of God’s creation of the universe, light should be a priority in our lives as we live in this world before God’s eyes. The command is clear: God said, “Let there be light.” A spiritually dark world desperately needs light. Dear Christian, let us resolve to be a light of purity in our dark world of impurity! May we be a light of knowledge in this dark world of ignorance! In us, let the light of love shine in this dark world of hate!

— Via Glad Tidings, Vol. XXXI, No. 13, March 28, 2021

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-2-

The Shame of Acting Without Knowledge

Heath Rogers

“Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and he who hurries his footsteps errs. The foolishness of man ruins his way, and his heart rages against the Lord” (Proverbs 19:2-3, NASU).

The impulsive fool acts first and thinks later. Zeal is commendable, but not when it is lacking knowledge (Rom. 10:2). It is one thing for a man to be uninformed about God’s ways, but it is much worse for him to act in his ignorance with zealous haste and end up with the consequences. Solomon elsewhere warns that acting in haste leads to poverty (Prov. 21:5) and punishment (28:20).

The man without knowledge “who hurries his footsteps errs.” The Hebrew word translated errs means to “miss the mark.” It is rendered as “misses his way” in the English Standard Version. In a hurry to do things his own way, the impulsive fool misses God’s path to blessings and reaps the bitter consequences. He runs past the good choice to do things his own way.

This man also ruins his way. The word translated “ruin” means to distort, twist, or pervert. Not only does his foolishness cause him to miss the Lord’s straight path, it also causes him to destroy his own path. He “brings his way to ruin” (ESV). God’s statutes are constraining, but they are “for our good always” (Deut. 6:24). However, fools refuse to listen to God, run past His ways, and plunge themselves into problems.

Had this fool sought for and listened to wise counsel, he would have found blessings. Instead, he has ruin. How many young people today refuse to listen to sound advice, scoff at the warnings of the wise, and bring ruin upon themselves and others?

To make matters worse, this fool blames God for his misery. He only has himself to blame, but he will never take personal responsibility for his undoing. Instead “his heart rages against the Lord.” The word translated “rages” means to be vexed, enraged, or embittered against someone. Some people today blame God for all the pain and failures in their lives, but He is not at fault. God’s wisdom has been offered to them all along, but they have stubbornly refused (Prov. 1:20-33). Such foolishness results in frustration in this life and torment in the next.

When we have acted foolishly, the wise thing is to examine ourselves, take personal responsibility, repent, and seek God’s way. However, God would have us avoid this problem in the first place by seeking knowledge. “Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days” (Prov. 19:20).

— Via Articles from the Knollwood church of Christ, October 2023

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-3-

How A Christian Is Like A Watch

Johnie Edwards

By taking something with which we are familiar we can draw some simple comparisons. Let’s show how a Christian is like a watch.

1. Full of good works. A watch is full of good works. Each one who is a Christian should be full of good works also. It is said that Dorcas, “was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did” (Acts 9:36). This woman was not only full of good works but she did good works! Every individual member of the church must “be ready to every good work” (Titus 3:1). We are also admonished, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).

2. Keeps going in all kinds of weather. We have cold weather this winter but my watch has kept right on going regardless of the weather. Paul has told us to be stedfast. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the  work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).

3. Has useful hands. The hands on a watch are important and useful. The hands of a Christian are important and have purpose. Solomon said, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do; do it with all thy might . . .” (Eccl. 9:10). Let’s find a use for our hands and use them for good.

4. Cleanliness insures good performance. For a watch to function properly, it must be kept clean. This is also true of a Christian. He must have a clean heart. The Psalmist said, “Create in me a clean heart” (Ps. 51:10). We are made clean by the word (John 15:3).

5. The main spring must be kept right. The main spring in watches must be kept right for them to run properly. The heart of man is his main spring and it must be right. “Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23).

6. Has to be regulated. Often times a watch has to be adjusted for accuracy. Christians need to be regulated. We are regulated by the word of God. Paul said, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

— Via Viewpoint from the Valley Grove church of Christ, October 18, 2020

——————–

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) THE CHURCH: Recognizing the Bible Pattern (Ron Halbrook)
——————–

-1-  

THE CHURCH:
Recognizing the Bible Pattern

Ron Halbrook

Introduction

“Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13, NKJV).

God’s love, care, and sovereignty are manifested in His patterns. His will, purposes, and commandments are expressed in propositions of truth. The patterns and propositions revealed in His Holy Word define God’s relationships with man. The church of Christ is based on the pattern prepared by God, the Father, from eternity. That pattern is revealed in the things that Christ commanded His apostles to preach and teach in order to bring salvation to the world (Matt. 28:18-20).

God Is a God of Patterns

God is a God of patterns in the physical creation and the realm of spiritual redemption. “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Gen. 1:14). The heavenly bodies move in patterns that can be mapped so precisely that astronauts can safely travel among them and return to earth. The seasons come and go by rhythms under God’s constant care and control (Gen. 8:22). All of nature moves in cycles that are beautiful and essential to man’s well-being on earth (Ps. 147:8-9; Eccl. 1:4-7).

In ways that we cannot fathom, God’s redemptive plan—prepared from eternity—set in motion periods and events in human history that resulted in the Savior coming at precisely the right moment to save as many souls as possible. Nations rose and fell on God’s timetable until “the fulness of the time was come” when “God sent forth His Son…to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal. 4:4-5). Even the genealogy of Jesus followed a path or pattern reflecting God’s plan and purpose (Matt. 1; Luke 3:23-38).

From God’s vantage point, history is not a stream of random chaotic events, but rather it is a series of events falling into a perfect pattern to produce a perfect result. God replicated the history of Israel in the life of Jesus as we see the child of promise, His rescue from a tyrant’s execution order, his preservation by a journey into Egypt, the wilderness temptation, and the dawning of a new kingdom under God’s guiding hand (Matt. 1-7).

God’s sovereignty and His unfathomable love are revealed in His patterns. The gift of language from the time of man’s creation provides an avenue of close fellowship between God and man. Love flourished as God communicated with man and man with God—until sin entered the world. Then, for the first time, man was terrorized by “the voice of the Lord” (Gen. 3:8). Male and female expressed their love through language, the vehicle of ideas and ideals (Gen. 2:23-24).

Language functioned by patterns and propositions in the form of direct statements, approved examples, and necessary implications. Even when men—intoxicated with sophistry—attempt to deny the hermeneutic of language, they do so by employing it! Man can no more escape the patterns by which language functions than the patterns by which nature functions.

Like it or not, believe it or not, God is a God of patterns.

A God of Patterns in the Old Testament

The Bible is God’s wonderful gift of His patterns of truth that enable us to know Him and His love, and thus to live in fellowship with Him. Upon giving the patterns of truth necessary for Israel’s fellowship with Him, God strictly forbade adding “unto the word which I command you” or diminishing “ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God” (Deut. 4:1-2). His unalterable truth for the Mosaic dispensation included Jerusalem as the city of God’s chosen King and of His holy temple, animal sacrifices along with food and drink offerings, a special priesthood with robes designed to convey important truths, burning incense and using musical instruments in worship, observance of the Sabbath and other holy days, and a host of other instructions.

A God of Patterns in the New Testament

All these practices served an immediate purpose of sustaining fellowship between God and His people and helped to prepare for the reign of a new High Priest, Jesus Christ: “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.” Reasoning from the lesser to the greater, if it was necessary to “make all things according to the pattern” that God gave at Mt. Sinai, it is all the more important that we embrace without alteration the patterns and propositions of truth revealed in the New Covenant, if we hope to live in fellowship with God (Heb. 8:5-6).

The New Testament presents the pattern of truth in propositions made accessible to us in direct statements, approved examples, and necessary implications. God expects us to read, understand, believe, and obey His instructions. We are explicitly warned not to “add unto these things” and not to “take away from the words” that are revealed by God (Rev. 22:18-19).

These words of truth reveal the great love of God in sending His only begotten Son to be our only beloved Savior (John 3:16). Jesus offered the perfect sacrifice for our sins, conquered death on our behalf, and established His rule in the new kingdom of God for our salvation (Rom. 5:6-11; Acts 2:36; Col. 1:13-14). Penitent believers must yield to Him in water baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). The instructions given for a Christian life conform us to the image of His Son, drawing us closer and closer to the heart of God (Col. 3:10).

Christ established only one true church composed of all who are saved by the gospel—all other religions will be rooted up at his return (Eph. 4:4-6; Matt. 15:13). As the only head of the church, He alone can instruct us in the new and true way of worship: sharing the Lord’s supper and the fellowship of giving every Sunday, praying, teaching His Word, and singing (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Acts 2:42; Eph. 5:19). Men, rather than women, lead in worship (1 Tim. 2:12). His truth plants local churches which look directly to Him without added layers of human organization such as church councils, denominational organizations with their earthly boards and headquarters (Acts 14:23).

In 1825, Alexander Campbell wrote that before inquiring “what was the ancient order of worship . . . it may be expedient to consider whether there be any divinely authorized worship in the assembly of the saints.” He saw two irreconcilable answers: “Either there is a divinely authorized order of Christian worship in Christian assemblies, or there is not.” Campbell then reduced no patternism to its logical absurdity, as follows:

Where there is no order established there can be no disorder, for disorder is acting contrary to established order; where there is no standard there can be no error, for error is a departure or a wandering from a standard; where there is nothing fixed there can be no innovation, for to innovate is to introduce new things amongst those already fixed and established; and where there is no law there can be no transgression, for a transgression is a leaping over or a violating of legal restraints. Those, then, who contend that there is no divinely authorized order for Christian worship in Christian assemblies, do at the same time, and must inevitably maintain, that there is no disorder, no error, no innovation, no transgression in the worship of the Christian Church—no, nor ever can be. This is reducing one side of the dilemma to what may be called a perfect absurdity (Christian Baptist, Vol. 2, 239-243).

If there is no pattern, Campbell pointed out that various assemblies of worship could be devoted to nothing but dancing, singing, shouting, running, lying prostrate on the ground, reading, listening to a speaker, sitting silently, waving palm branches, crying, or playing an organ. To exclude any act from worship, a person must refer to some fixed standard.

Conclusion

Knowing that the true God is a God of patterns, Paul wrote to Timothy, “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13, NKJV).

Author Bio: Ron has worked with the Hebron Lane church of Christ in Shepherdsville, KY since August of 1997. David Dann and Ron work together. Ron has made seventy-seven trips to the Philippines. He and Donna have three children and ten grandchildren. The church website is hebronlane.com. He can be reached at halbrook@twc.com.

— Via Truth Magazine, Volume 64, No. 4, April 2020,  http://truthmagazine.com/kindle/2020/2020-04-apr/05_Church.htm

——————–

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 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.)