“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) Two Men Err Regarding Grace (Bill Hall)
2) Renewing the Mind (Heath Rogers)
3) Colossians 3:9-10 (NASB)
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Two Men Err Regarding Grace
Bill Hall
Two men err regarding grace. The first man preaches grace, but fails to recognize that God’s grace is linked to human responsibility. The second man preaches responsibility, but seldom speaks of God’s grace.
The first man believes salvation is solely by God’s grace. He contends any required action on man’s part in obedience to commands would nullify grace and would constitute meritorious salvation. “It is absurd to believe that God’s grace could be linked to anything like baptism,” is the way one person stated it.
The second man speaks well of the requirements of the gospel. He often preaches the necessity of baptism, faithful attendance, liberal giving, good morals, doing one’s part in the activities of the local church, etc. He speaks of Jesus as our perfect example and of His full submission to the Father in His death, but rarely of Him as the propitiation for our sins. Seldom does he bring his listeners to feel their constant need for God’s mercy and forgiveness and their absolute helplessness and hopelessness apart from the cleansing blood of Christ.
The first man would promise salvation without the necessary diligence in learning and doing God’s will. The second man would place so much emphasis on learning and doing God’s will that he would focus the eyes of his listeners more on themselves than upon the Lord. The first man needs to learn the truth of Titus 2:11-12: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” The second man needs to learn and appreciate the exhortation of Philippians 3:1: “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.”
We would remind the first man of the nature of God’s grace as it is revealed throughout the ages. We would begin with God’s grace as it was extended to Noah at the time of the flood. “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). Noah, however, was given instructions to be obeyed. And Noah recognized the necessity of obedience: “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did” (Genesis 6:22). Had Noah failed in his responsibilities, he would never have been saved from the flood by the grace of God. We would remind this man of God’s grace as it was extended to Joshua in the capture of Jericho. “See! I have given Jericho into your hand” (Joshua 6:2). But God had instructions for Joshua: march, blow the trumpets, shout. When Joshua and the Israelites fulfilled their responsibilities “the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city” (Joshua 6:20). We would remind this man of the blind man of John 9 whose eyes the Lord opened (John 9:14, 17, 21, 26, 30) when he did what the Lord commanded [v. 7]. Our first man should be able to see that: (1) God’s grace does not rule out instructions (law); (2) God’s grace does not rule out obedience; and (3) God’s grace does not rule out strict obedience.
We would remind the second man that good works without God’s grace can never save. We would begin with the message of Ephesians. Paul in Ephesians did indeed give instructions— practical instructions, instructions that must be obeyed, concerning morals, duties of wives, husbands, children, parents, servants, masters—but not until he had firmly established God’s grace as the basis of salvation (chapters 1-3) and as the motivation for obedience to God’s instructions (observe the word “therefore” in 4:1). We would remind this man of the danger of being like the Pharisees who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others” (Luke 18:9-14). We would remind him that when one sins he has “nothing to pay” and therefore must approach God as one who is poor in spirit, mourning, meek, and hungering and thirsting after righteousness (Luke 7:41-42; Matthew 5:3-6).
We would not dare to say which of these teachers is the more dangerous, for they both err regarding grace. We find ourselves naturally recoiling at the teaching of the first man and greatly fearing the consequences of his teaching, but we never want to be guilty of the error of the second. We cannot preach grace without preaching responsibility, but we must not be guilty of preaching responsibility without preaching grace.
— Via the Weekly Bulletin of the Prattmont church of Christ, June 30, 2024
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Renewing the Mind
Heath Rogers
“That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:22-24).
Our salvation in Christ must produce a change in our conduct (Titus 2:11-12). For those who are converted from the world, this change can be drastic and challenging.
Paul contrasts the old way of life with the new. He speaks of the futility of their minds (v. 17), the darkness of their understanding, and the blindness of their heart (v. 18). All their corrupt behavior came from this contaminated source (Prov. 4:23). Lasting change is not automatic. It is the result of teaching. Paul says they had “learned Christ;” they had “heard Him” and “been taught by Him” (vs. 20-21). This teaching caused them to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (v. 23). They learned new values and standards which gave them new priorities and goals. Life was no longer about serving self and enjoying the sinful pleasures of the world. It was now about pleasing God and walking in His truth.
This change also requires a renewing of the spirit of our minds. If the mind is the seat of our intellect (our ability to reason and understand), the spirit of our mind is our personality or individuality. It’s one thing to understand what is right, but another thing to desire what is right. A phrase I used to hear was the one “has to get their ‘want-to’ fixed.” Jesus always did those things that pleased the Father (John 8:29).
Paul employs a figure to help us better grasp this change – putting off an old garment and putting on a new garment. However, real and lasting change requires more than simply going through outward motions. True conversion takes place in the heart. Real and lasting change can’t happen until we understand right and wrong, and desire to do that which is right. Out with the old way of thinking and in with the new. Off with old man corrupted with sin and on with the new man in righteousness and holiness. As we renew the mind, everything else will follow. Not overnight, but growth and change will take place.
In the verses that follow (Eph. 4:25-32), Paul sets forth some specific areas in our lives that must be brought in line with the standard of righteousness and holiness. In the weeks ahead, we will explore these in detail, helping us better understand how we “put on the new man.”
— Via Articles from the Knollwood church of Christ, February 2026
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Colossians 3:9-10
“Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him–“
— 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 (except for last of the month Song Service)
and 10 a.m. Worship Service
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.)