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The Gospel Observer

December 3, 2017 / Tom Edwards

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).
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Contents:

1) Was Christ’s Resurrected Body a Different One? (Tom Edwards)
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Was Christ’s Resurrected Body a Different One?

Tom Edwards

When Jesus arose from the dead, was it with the same body He had prior to His resurrection or was it some type of “spiritual” body that replicated it?

Recently, I read of an unusual belief held by the “Jehovah’s Witnesses” with regard to this. According to their doctrine, Jesus “said that he would give his ‘flesh in behalf of the world,’ as a ransom for mankind. … If he had taken back his flesh when he was resurrected, he would have canceled that ransom sacrifice” (JW.org). Therefore, according to their view, “At his resurrection from the dead, Jesus was brought forth with a spirit body” (Reasoning from the Scriptures, p. 334).

So there you have it. According to their teaching, the body Jesus had while on this planet, prior to His resurrection, was not the same body He had when risen from the dead and appearing to witnesses over a period of 40 days, before His ascending back to heaven. But is this what the Bible also teaches?

It is true that Jesus had to die in order to make an atonement for sin – but where does the Bible say that the Lord’s body that was put to death on the cross must remain dead, that there was to be no resurrection for it?

Instead, do we not read the exact opposite? For Jesus “was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4).

The verse that the “Jehovah’s Witnesses” appear to be alluding to, in the phrase of Jesus saying that He would give His “flesh in behalf of the world,” is John 6:51. In this passage, Jesus declares, “I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he shall live forever. And truly the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

But how would that same body being resurrected nullify the atonement Jesus made by His death with that body? And where does it say in the Scriptures that the crucified body of Jesus must remain dead in order for the atonement to continue to be effectual?

If Christ’s body prior to His resurrection remained dead, and it was switched with some type of “spirit body” that appeared human in His resurrection, why did Peter quote David who “looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:31-32).

So if the Lord was given a different body for the resurrection, what happened to the one that suffered and died on the cross? Would it not have undergone decay, if it had never been resurrected?

Also, what part of Christ was risen from the dead? Was it only His eternal spirit (His soul, His true essence)? And if so, where does the Bible say that that part of Christ died and only that part would arise?

Jesus declares, “if anyone keeps My word he will never see death” (Jn. 8:51). But what part of these obedient ones would never die? Their bodies would die, but not their eternal souls (spirits). Now what about Jesus? How well did He do in keeping His Father’s word? He obeyed Him always and fully, having never failed even once. Christ never sinned. But still His body was put to death, while His spirit (His soul, His true essence) never died. But that spirit, which had been in the Paradise section of Hades for three days, following His death (cf. Luke 23:43; Acts 2:31), was then rejoined to His crucified body that was risen from the dead.

So the point is, in the resurrection, it is that which is dead that is brought back to life. And since it was the body of Christ that was put to death (and not His spirit/soul/true essence), that same body was then also risen from the dead.

Being the same body, it still had the wounds that had been made from the crucifixion. But if that had been some type of “spirit body,” a replica of what only appeared as His former body, wouldn’t that be deceptive, such as in the case of Thomas who wanted to see for himself and touch those wounds in the Lord’s hands and side?

It is true that some of the apostles thought they were seeing a spirit when they saw the resurrected Christ. But that was apparently the only explanation they could come up with at the time, since they had not be expecting to see Him arisen from the dead (Luke 24:37). But what did the Lord then say to them? “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (vv. 38-39).

Doubting Thomas, who did not believe the testimony the other apostles had given about having seen the risen Lord, said, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (Jn. 20:25).

It was then that next Sunday, when Thomas had been with the other apostles, that the Lord appeared to all of them: “Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing” (Jn. 20:27). Thomas’ response was, “My Lord and My God!” (v. 28).

Some people, who hold to the belief of a “spirit body” that only appeared human in the Lord’s resurrected form, point out that Jesus had the ability with that “spirit body” to go through closed doors. This is seen, as in the above passage that points out that “Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst…” Some Bible versions refer to those doors as having been “locked” (CEV, ESV, GNB, GW, ISV, LITV, WEB, Weymouth, and the NIV to name some). Of course, even in the versions that speak of the doors being “shut,” it is also in the same passage that says they were shut “for fear of the Jews” (Jn. 20:19). So would not that also indicate that they would be doors that were not only shut, but also locked? Yet, the same verse also says that “Jesus came and stood in their midst.”

Why should we think, though, that the previous indicates that the body Jesus had on earth prior to His resurrection must have been a different one that was limited from doing what He could with His resurrected body?

Even prior to His resurrection, the Lord did some very astonishing things that would not seem to be humanly possible. In John 6:16-21, for example, the apostles got into a boat in order to cross the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. That body of water is said to be at its farthest points about 13 miles from north to south and 7 miles at its widest part. But regardless of how far or close they were to their destination, as soon as they received Jesus into the boat, who had been walking on the water, the boat was “immediately” at the land to which they were going. Various commentators view that sudden arrival as a miracle, which, of course, would be a miracle over space and time.

And it is also in that same section that says, “when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened” (v. 19). Was Jesus transformed to some type of “spirit body” that appeared as a human body to accomplish that? If so, what about Peter when he also came walking on the water to Jesus – at least for a moment? (See Matt. 14:29.) It wasn’t because Peter had a human body that the Lord rebuked him for sinking. Rather, it was because of Peter’s “little faith” and doubting (v. 31).

Also, in Luke 4:28-30, “all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage,” as they heard the teaching of Jesus. They then “got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill…to throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went away.” How could Jesus have just walked through the midst of an angry mob without something miraculous about that?

So even with just a human body, Jesus did some mighty, amazing things! And we should not have trouble believing any of it, for with God “all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26) and “Nothing is too difficult” (Jer. 32:17).

Christ’s resurrected body was the same as the one He had on earth, prior to His resurrection. And the resurrection of that body did not make void His atonement for sin, but was part of what makes forgiveness possible:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

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

1) Hear the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith, living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://thomastedwards.com/go (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http://tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org/
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)

The Gospel Observer

November 26, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Confessing Christ (Tom Edwards)
2) The Power of Influence (David Padfield)
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Confessing Christ

Tom Edwards

How much more meaningful certain Bible passages can be when they are considered in the light of their context rather than as isolated quotations. For example, the familiar quote of the words of Jesus from Matthew 10:32-33 says, “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”

How often have we heard that passage without even taking into consideration the context for why the Lord declared such?

We sometimes view a detached verse of the Bible from the perspective of our own present-day situations, those familiar conditions that we relate to. Therefore, in thinking of confessing Christ in our time — and here in Waycross, Georgia — is one thing; but in the context of which the Lord made that statement, He is referring to a much different circumstance.

In the context, the Lord shows what times would be like during that early period, and the ordeals that some Christians would be up against. Notice, for instance, in the previous verses of that chapter, His instruction to His twelve apostles when sending them out to preach: “But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. … Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved” (Matt. 10:17-22).

To help His disciples face such persecutions and even martyrdom, the Lord then tells them, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (v. 28).

His followers could, therefore, draw comfort in knowing that the most important part of them – their eternal soul – could not be destroyed nor harmed by the foe.

And the Lord continues with His encouraging words to help strengthen the disciples: “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows” (vv. 29-31). We should be comforted in knowing how well God knows us — and even in the smallest details of our lives — and that to Him, we are worth something.

It was after Jesus told His apostles, “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows,” that He then went on to say: “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32-33).

So we are seeing in this a connection of confessing one’s faith in Christ with persecution and even death. For acknowledging or denying the Lord could make a great deal of difference in how the Christian would be treated by the world — since there were times in which confessing faith in Christ would lead to not only death, but also a torturous one, while denying the Lord could save one’s physical life at the cost of one’s soul.

Even while Jesus was on earth, some were not willing to admit their belief in Him, due to what that could lead to. For example: “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God” (John 12:42-43).

Also, when the parents of the blind man whom Jesus healed were questioned concerning their son’s healing, they would not answer because “they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue” (Jn. 9:22).

The persecution, of course, became much worse than merely being put out of the synagogue. It sometimes involved scourging; imprisonment; loss of property; and, as mentioned above, even a torturous death (cf. Acts 8:1-4; Acts 22:4-5; Acts 26:9-11). Numerous examples of persecution are recorded in the New Testament. Soon after the church was established, the cruel treatment upon the Christians was first inflicted by the Jews. Later, during Nero’s reign in A.D. 64, following the great fire of Rome, Christians were persecuted and put to death in that city. And when under the rule of Domitian, who reigned from A.D. 81 to 96, Roman persecution was even worse in having become more extensive, beyond the boundaries of Rome.

In metaphorically describing how bad the persecution had been in Smyrna (a city in Asia Minor), Jesus states, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). The King James Version renders “until” in this passage as “unto,” which better expresses the willingness on the part of the Christian to remain faithful to the Lord even if it resulted in death! Satan, of course, was not literally the jailer in that city of Smyrna; but the evil that was being inflicted upon the Christians, through persecution, was by those who, in a manner of speaking, were in league with the devil and his opposition to the gospel, though they probably had no idea they were acting as his servants.

Similarly, in addressing the church at Pergamum, Jesus says, “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells” (Rev. 2:13). Again, Satan did not actually have a physical throne there; but the Lord is figuratively indicating just how given over that city was to the opposition of the gospel and the persecution toward those Christians who would strive to obey the Lord. How much more wickedly could a city be described than being one where Satan has his throne to rule over others?

Even in our times and in some places of the world, we are hearing more and more of people being persecuted and even put to death for simply believing in the Deity of Jesus. Such atrocities have been inflicted by those who are ignorant of the gospel of Jesus Christ, or do not believe it, or simply refuse to submit to it. But they will all give an account before God in the great Judgment Day.

Let us continue to pray for the world that all will come to know the saving message of the gospel. That all will believe it, love it, and submit to it, that we may all strive to do our part in making the world a better place and showing our love to God and one another, and that His peace may abound.

May we each be encouraged by all those, down through time, who continued to confess their faith in Christ — regardless of the difficulties, the persecutions, and even the loss of their own physical lives that it led to — and be motivated to do likewise in acknowledging the Lord Jesus Christ by our words and by our actions!

(All Scriptures are from the NASB, unless otherwise indicated.)
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The Power of Influence

David Padfield

Webster defines the word influence as “the power of persons or things to affect others, seen only in its effects.” Though the word influence is only found one time in the King James Version, its meaning is on every page.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his disciples that they are the “salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13-16). There are many interesting things you can say about this figure of speech. Salt is totally worthless while sitting on a shelf, it has to be applied. Salt can also lose its saltiness. When it loses its power to flavor, it is good for nothing and must be discarded.

Paul told the brethren at Corinth they were an “epistle of Christ known and read by all men” (2 Cor. 3:1-3). Whether we like it or not, every Christian is an advertisement for Christ. It is rather scary to think the honor of Christ is in the hands of his disciples. Men of the world will judge Christ by the character of his followers.

Have you ever considered what type of an advertisement you are? One of our songs suggests that…

“We are the only Bible the careless world will read,
We are the sinners gospel, we are the scoffers’ creed,
We are the Lord’s last message, given in deed and word,
What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?”

The majority of worldly people will pay very little attention to what we say, but our actions will always be scrutinized. When they think of our character and reputation, our actions will speak louder than our words.

— Via the bulletin of the Collegevue church of Christ, November 12, 2017
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

1) Hear the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith, living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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The Gospel Observer

November 19, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Is Jesus Not As Great As God the Father? (Tom Edwards)
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Is Jesus Not As Great As God the Father?

Tom Edwards

Based on John 14:28, one might wonder if Jesus is a “lesser” God. For Jesus says in the last part of this verse that “the Father is greater than I.” But when did Jesus say this, and what was His relationship with the Father at that time? It, of course, was after Jesus had greatly humbled Himself to come to earth and had taken on “the form of a bond-servant” (Phil. 2:7), where He, as “the Son of God,” had been living in submission to His Father in heaven.

Normally, we think in a father-son relationship that the father is greater than the son. Therefore, it is the son who is in subjection to the father — and not the father to the son. So these terms serve as accommodating language to express the role Jesus took upon Himself when coming to earth. For it appears that prior to the creation, there was not a Father-Son relationship, as also indicated in Hebrews 1:5: “For to which of the angels did He ever say, ‘YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU’? And again, ‘I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME’?” The “will be” and “shall be,” which I underlined, indicate a time when that type of relationship would begin. So what was it prior?

The very same chapter also declares that Jesus “is the radiance” of His Father’s glory and “the exact representation” of His Father’s nature (Heb. 1:3). So Jesus was not just 50%, 75%, or 99% — but, rather, was 100% of the “exact” nature of Deity that His Father also possessed.

Paul, too, speaks of that in Colossians 2:9: “For in Him ALL THE FULLNESS OF DEITY dwells in bodily form” (emphasis mine). The “Him,” of course, refers to Christ, as mentioned in verse 8. Again, Jesus is as much God as the Father; but was in subjection to Him while on earth.

This might also remind you of what Jesus says in John 14:7: “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him” (Jn. 14:7); and “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (v. 9). Though two distinct persons, yet same in Deity.

And what about the Holy Spirit? He is also a divine person who makes up the Godhead, but why is He never referred to as a “Son”? Though the “Jehovah’s Witnesses” see Him as a power — and not a person — yet the Bible speaks of Him as a person when using masculine pronouns, such as “Him” (Jn. 16:7) and “He” (v. 8). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is One who can “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (v. 8); and He can “guide,” “speak,” “hear,” “disclose,” “glorify” God, and take from God (vv. 13-15). He can also be “grieved” (Eph. 4:30). How could just a power, like electricity, be grieved?

Paul speaks of that “sacrifice” Jesus made in humbling Himself to leave heaven and lay aside that glorified state He had there — in order to become a man: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard EQUALITY WITH GOD a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being found in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:5-8, emphasis mine).

So Jesus was in an “EQUALITY WITH GOD” before coming to earth. And what He “emptied Himself” of was not His Deity, but the blessings of dwelling in heaven and His heavenly “body” that was replaced with a human one that would experience hunger, thirst, weariness, pain, and temptations — a body that was much inferior to what He had in heaven. This is why the Hebrew writer says, “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9). Jesus was not “lower than the angels” when it came to rank because He was still God, and angels were part of His creation. The angels worshiped Christ, but He did not worship them. But He became “lower than the angels” by taking on an inferior body compared to the perfect, heavenly body that they possess. And this verse also shows why Christ did that: “so that…He might taste death for everyone.” Jesus had to become a man so that He could make an atonement for sin by His death on the cross.

So though He had been in “equality with God” in heaven, He did not feel that He had to cling to that and all the blissfulness that goes with it, but willingly gave up the privileges and blessings He had there in order to come to earth, humbly take on “the form of a bond-servant,” and subjectively and faithfully carry out His role as the Son of God in submission to His Father in heaven.

In thinking more of the Lord’s equality with His Father, John 1:1-3 is an excellent passage. It declares: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (emphasis mine). This “Word” is Jesus, and He is not referred to as a “lesser” God, but as “God”! John then goes on to say in verse 14, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Recently, I was talking with a couple “Jehovah’s Witnesses”; and when pointing out this passage to them to show how much Jesus is God, and asking why their New World Translation renders Him as “a god” (in John 1:1), one responded by saying that it is a different Greek word than the previous one referring to the Father. But that is incorrect, for they are both from the same Greek word “theos.”

The “Jehovah’s Witnesses” do not see Jesus as being as great as He really is. For they not only teach of Him as being a “lesser” God, but also as one that is a created being — and, therefore, not eternal like His Father. To them, Jesus is Michael the archangel and the first of God’s creation.

One passage they misused was Colossians 1:15 to assert that Jesus was created. For that verse speaks of Him as being the “first-born of all creation.” But if “first-born” is to be taken literally, who gave birth to Christ prior to the creation? So even in that, we can infer that “first-born” is being used figuratively.

During the Mosaical Age, the firstborn son was to receive a double portion of the inheritance from his father (cf. Deut. 21:15-17). So in that, we see of a preeminence the firstborn had over his siblings; and that idea also came to take on a metaphorical usage in the Scriptures. For example, Isaiah 14:30 says that “the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety…” (KJV). But “firstborn” is not used literally in this passage. Rather, it is referring to those who were most poor. Notice, for instance, how this is rendered in some other Bible translations: “Those who are most helpless will eat, And the needy will lie down in security…” (NASB). And in the NIV: “The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety…” Consider, too, Psalm 89:27: “I also shall make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth” (emphases mine in these passages).

Especially with that last verse, we can easily see the figurative usage of “firstborn” to indicate exaltation or the preeminence that God would give to that one. And that is the way it is used in Colossians 1:15. For notice the context: After speaking of Jesus being “…the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation,” it then goes on to say: “for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him” (Col. 1:15-19).

To “have first place in everything” is to have the preeminence over everything, and that is what the idea of Jesus being “the firstborn of all creation” is figuratively expressing. For He is not merely the firstborn of a particular family, which He was; but, rather, He is said to be the firstborn over “all creation.” How highly exalted Christ is! He has “the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). He is the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:6); and, as He declares in Matthew 28:18, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

We saw also in Colossians 1:16, “For by Him all things were created…” Every created thing has been made possible by Jesus Christ. Going along with this, John 1:3 declares, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

Well, if the “Jehovah’s Witnesses” are correct that Jesus is a created being then it could not be said that “by Him all things were created.” For if that be so, then Jesus would have had to create Himself! So what do they do with Colossians 1:16 so that it does not clash with their belief? They “solved” it with the word “other.” Quoting from their New World Translation, “by means of him all other things were created in the heavens and on the earth…” (emphasis mine). By inserting the word “other,” they can now say that “God created Jesus, and Jesus then created all other created things.” But that is not what the Bible teaches. In the 23 different Bible translations I looked this up in, not even one of them uses the word “other” to imply that Jesus was also a created being.

It is said of Jesus that “they shall call His name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us” (Matt. 1:23, ASV). Yes, Jesus was God incarnate, Deity in human flesh while on earth.

But when the Jews said to Jesus, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?,” the Lord responded by saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM” (John. 8:57-58, emphasis mine). Notice that Jesus doesn’t just say, “I was,” which would have still been an awesome thing to say, and which would have probably been what He would have said if He had been a created being prior to Abraham; but Jesus did not say that. Rather, He said, “I AM,” which expresses His eternal nature. He had no beginning, for He has always been and always will be.

Notice how the psalmist expresses God’s eternal nature:

“Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even FROM EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING, You are God” (Psa. 90:2, emphasis mine). And who did we earlier see as being credited with the creation in John 1:2? Jesus. Also in Hebrews 1:2: God “in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, THROUGH WHOM ALSO HE MADE THE WORLD (emphasis mine). And what does God the Father call His Son in Hebrews 1:8? “But of the Son He says, ‘…O GOD…”

That Jesus was involved in the great work of creation is also seen in the first verse of the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). We have pointed out that “God” in this passage is from “Elohim,” the plural form of God; and look what we go on to see: “Then God said, ‘Let US make man in OUR image, according to OUR likeness…God created man in His own image…” (Gen. 1:26-27, emphasis mine). Notice the plural pronouns. God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit were all involved in the work of creation. Concerning the Holy Spirit, Genesis 1:2 says, “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” The psalmist declares of God, “You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the ground” (Psa. 104:30).

So getting back to that phrase, “FROM EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING, You are God,” notice that it doesn’t say, “from everlasting to everlasting, You HAVE BEEN God” or “from everlasting to everlasting, You WILL BE God”; but “from everlasting to everlasting, You ARE God” (emphases mine). God already fills all eternity. Eternity is not like our realm of time, which is linear like a timeline. God will not be a day older tomorrow, or a year older next year. He does not age. He does not wear out or diminish in any way. I describe Him as being “eternally new.” The Hebrew writer says that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).

Do you remember what Micah said when prophesying Jesus’ birth, as to where He would be born and from where He had come? Several hundred years before Christ was born in Bethlehem to the virgin Mary, Micah wrote: “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, FROM THE DAYS OF ETERNITY” (Micah 5:2). Think of the oldest person you know. Can that person be referred to as having come “from the days of eternity”? Even of Methuselah, who lived to be 969 years old, you could not say was from the days of eternity.

In thinking more of Christ’s eternal nature, and that He was not a created being, look at Isaiah 9:6: “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” So not only is Jesus called “God,” but also “Eternal Father.” This probably sounds very wrong to many to refer to Jesus as “Father”; but, as one commentator writes, when Isaiah had said this, “the distinctions of Persons in the Godhead had not yet been revealed” (Pulpit Commentary). The thought of Jesus being the “Eternal Father” has also been viewed as His being the “Father of Eternity.” In other words, eternity did not bring about God, but eternity is because God is! And here, Jesus is the One in the Godhead being referred to and being shown in His relationship — not to the other two persons that make up the Godhead, but to eternity itself. He is the Father of it.

Is it not important that the world comes to believe in Jesus for who He truly is – and not some lesser being? For Jesus says, “unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).

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

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

The Gospel Observer

November 12, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Setting Forth the Right Example (Tom Edwards)
2) Paul’s Commitment to God (Tom Edwards)
3) “I’ve Been Studying This For A Long Time” (Greg Gwin)
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Setting Forth the Right Example

Tom Edwards

Back in the early 80s, I heard a sermon by Raymond Castillo about “the legacy parents leave their children.” Though, perhaps, we would normally think of a legacy as something tangible, such as property or money obtained through a will, it has also come to have a broader meaning. And the preacher then went on to point out the most important kind of legacy that a parent can leave to his children — and it did not pertain to personal property nor material wealth; but, rather, to the example of a godly life!

Setting forth the right example is what we are to do for the Lord. As Paul instructs, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:14-15).

Yes, we are to be “lights”; and Jesus also spoke about that in Matthew 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

As the “light of the silvery moon” is but a reflection of the sun, the light that we are to shine as Christians is a light that comes from Jesus Christ, the Son of God. For as He states in John 8:12: “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” And we learn how to follow — and thus acquire that Light — through “the light of the gospel” (2 Cor. 4:4). For God’s word is, as the psalmist declares, “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psa. 119:105).

People glorifying God because of the good works they had seen in others was certainly true of the many whom the Lord’s life had made an impact upon: “So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel” (Matt. 15:31). “But when the crowds saw this [Jesus healing the paralytic], they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men” (Matt. 19:8).

Though we do not perform miraculous works today, yet our lives, when following the Lord, can still cause others to look to and glorify God. In writing to the Christians who were “as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Pet. 1:1), Peter exhorts, “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Pet. 2:12).

Commenting on this passage, E.M. Zerr writes: “When the test comes upon these disciples in the form of persecutions (the day of visitation), and the heathen see how they are patient and law abiding, it will disprove the false charges they have been making. It will then be evident that such a conduct is caused by their faith in God and as a result these heathen accusers will give God the glory.”

So being a light is being the right example; and Paul specifies several things to Timothy to be an example in, which sum up how we each should also be. He states: “…in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:12).

We are each probably often reminded of someone or of others whose godly lives have made a lasting impression upon us. That though these people are no longer in the land of the living, yet they have left behind an encouraging, godly example that continues to live on in the memory of those who knew them. And though these deceased ones have not been gone as long as Adam and Eve’s son Abel, yet the principle is still true with them as it was with him that “though he is dead, he still speaks” (Heb. 11:4).

May we each live our lives in such a way that we, too, will be good examples for the Lord that will encourage others toward doing the same. For what better legacy can we leave behind for our children and for anyone else as well?

(All Scriptures are from the NASB unless otherwise indicated, and all emphases mine.)
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Paul’s Commitment to God

Tom Edwards

In our previous article, we considered the need to let our light shine for the Lord by living that right kind of example that can also encourage others to do likewise and give glory to God!

The apostle Paul was one who lived such a life — a life of great dedication to the Lord. And many of us have come to admire, respect, and be encouraged by that dedication.

For those of us who are already familiar with the following passages, how can we ever forget Paul’s great commitment, zeal, and determination to carry out the Lord’s will in his life? For Paul loved the Lord and His word and strove to live according to that truth in spite of the adversities it led to, such as the “shipwrecks,” “afflictions,” “hardships,” “distress,” “imprisonments,” “tumults,” “sleeplessness,” “hunger” (2 Cor 6:4-6); being “stoned,” “beaten times without number,” “in danger of death,” having received “195 lashes,” experiencing “dangers from rivers…from robbers…from countrymen…from the Gentiles,” undergoing “dangers in the city…in the wilderness…on the sea…among false brethren,” “in cold and exposure,” and “a night and a day…spent in the deep” (2 Cor. 11:23-27). In spite of all of these adversities that living for the Lord had brought upon Paul, yet he continued to do so.

The Bible does not give graphic detail about the scourging Paul underwent. But how terribly and permanently lacerated his body must have been from those 195 lashes, mentioned above, that he received. In Galatians 6:17, Paul declares, “…for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.” Here, he is referring to those lashes. But Jesus, of course, was not the one who had inflicted those upon Paul; but it was because of Paul’s service to Christ, and the persecution that led to, that those brand-marks were made.

This is also the case with many of these other adversities and sufferings that had befallen Paul. They happened because he was living for the Lord. So this was all part of Paul’s carrying his “cross” for Jesus (cf. Luke 9:23). For when we think of a cross we think of suffering; and when bearing our cross for Christ, it refers to those sufferings, such as persecution, that are incurred for serving the Lord — rather than for just sufferings in general that are for other reasons.

I don’t imagine there is much of anything that anyone would want to persist in, if it brought on the same hardships and tribulations as what Paul’s obedience to the gospel did — unless one strongly believed in that cause. Paul’s faith in Jesus and love for Him helped him through these difficulties. The ill treatment and other terrible circumstances did not lead to his giving up, nor did they lessen his love for the truth. Consider, for instance, his regard for God’s word, in spite of all the troubles that living for it had brought upon him:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH’” (Rom. 1:16-17).

Paul had a deep, undying respect for the gospel. He lived it with great dedication and preached it with conviction, humility, and thoroughness. To the elders of Ephesus, he reminded them that “…’You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God’” (Acts 20:18-27).

That Paul practiced what he preached can also be seen in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, near the very end of Paul’s earthly life: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Because of the faithful life Paul lived, he was able to say, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Is that true of us? Can we say we are following after Paul’s example? Or do we see the need to make some changes in our lives in order to better do so? May his example, along with that of every righteous soul we know, continue to encourage us to always strive to be the imitators we are to be – until it all becomes a natural part of our lives! For we are each to set forth that right example, and may that unswerving commitment of Paul toward God also instill within us that same kind of dedication!

(All Scriptures are from the NASB, unless otherwise indicated.)
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“I’ve Been Studying This For A Long Time”

Greg Gwin

It seems there is an increasing tendency to start a religious discussion by claiming a lengthy and in-depth study of the subject at hand. “I’ve been studying this for a long time” is the initial assertion by one of the disputants. We think this is a faulty approach to proving one’s position, and we offer these observations in reaction to this common declaration:

1) The very statement (“I’ve been studying this…”) contains an implication that others have not been doing so. This is an affront to all other serious students and is an insulting way to begin a discussion.

2) The one who argues this way seems to suggest that others have not been clever enough to notice what he has now unraveled. Not likely! True scholars have been pouring over the Bible for centuries. Faithful brethren have devoted their lives to the Word. Do you really imagine that you have discovered what they did not find!?!

3) Is something learned after one year of study necessarily more accurate than something learned after one day of study? We are certainly in favor of deep, lengthy, dedicated study of God’s Word. But the amount of time it took you to unearth the truth is not the determinant of whether or not your conclusions are correct. Truth is truth, no matter how long it took you to find it.

4) There is a tendency on the part of some to assume that if a thing has been believed and practiced for a long time by our brethren it is probably wrong. We think the opposite. If good men have traditionally held to a position we will not immediately assume it is wrong. In fact, it’s probably right. Yes, we want to search it out for ourselves, but we will not start with the assumption that others have ‘missed it’ while we have ‘found it.’

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Romans 11: 33). Let us all apply ourselves diligently to know and obey His will. Think!

—- Via bulletin for the Collegevue church of Christ, October 29, 2017
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

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

The Gospel Observer

November 5, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Preparation and Working Together (Tom Edwards)
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Preparation and Working Together

Tom Edwards

Numerous Bible passages indicate the need for preparation. For example: “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet. 3:15, emphasis mine).

Peter’s exhortation toward “always being ready” does not pertain to only the preachers, the Bible class teachers, the elders, the deacons, or to just a certain other few within the body of Christ. Rather, it pertains to all of us who are Christians! For in the Hebrew writer’s rebuke of the brethren who had become “dull of hearing” (Heb. 5:11) and had a “need again for someone to teach” them “the elementary principles of the oracles of God” (v. 12), he also points out that they, in view of how long they had been Christians, should have already been able to be teachers themselves (v. 12).

Teaching, of course, is very needful. For one of the important works of the church is to edify, which Webster defines as “to instruct or benefit, esp. morally or spiritually; uplift; enlighten.” To edify is to build up; and when that is pertaining to the spiritual upbuilding of Christians, then it involves instructing, exhorting, and reproving with God’s word that the child of God can grow thereby and conform more to the likeness of Christ. This is one of the reasons why we have God’s word and need to not only study it, but also apply it. So that “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Eph. 4:14-16).

Notice especially that the “proper working” together involves “each individual part.” Everyone, therefore, has an important role toward the upbuilding of the church. This is also seen in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 where members of the body of Christ (Christians in the church) are likened to different parts of one’s physical body, such as the foot, the hand, the ear, the eye, etc. They do not all have the same function, but they all work together for the one body. So each Christian is needed.

In Chinese humor: “Said the feet to the mouth, ‘You are the luckiest thing on earth. You are forever getting the best of me. Here I am, running around all day, wearing myself out, and all for the sake of your eating.’

“Retorted the mouth: ‘Don’t accuse me. How would you like it if I stopped eating so that you could stop running around?’”

Again we see that they each had their own role to carry out, but it would be for the one common good.

Sometimes, however, hindrances can get in the way, such as…

Self-Centeredness – An Obstacle Toward Working Together

As the subtitle shows, self-centeredness can be a hindrance toward working together – and this is so in any kind of relationship — whether in the church, in a marriage, in family relationships, and in other affiliations.

People are often too self-centered! It has been said that Dr. Clyde Miller of Columbia University likes to sometimes play a prank on his friends by using boring books that have been sent to him by their publishers. He will attach a note, making it look as if it were from the author, saying, “I hope you will be pleased by the references made to you in this volume, and hope that you will not have any objection to this use of your name.” As you might have already imagined, Mr. Miller’s friends will diligently search through the book, just trying to find a reference to themselves.

A similar illustration concerns a novelists that met an old friend. After talking for two hours, the novelist said, “Now we’ve talked about me long enough – let’s talk about you! What did you think of my last novel?”

Self-Centeredness is to be Overcome

According to the Bible, a person is to actually place himself last of all. For it is God who needs to be placed above ourselves and above all others as well. Jesus indicates this when saying, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). Going along with that, Jesus also declares, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:37). A person would be putting others above God and loving them more when compromising or disregarding God’s word in order to please them. But that would not be true love.

And rather than oneself being next on the list, others are to be, as Paul declares: “…Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3-4). Yes, we are to be servants of the Lord; and we have a duty toward others: “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to his edification” (Rom. 15:1-2).

So in this order, we see the acrostic that some have given in reference to true joy, which is…

Jesus first.
Others second.
Yourself last.

When we learn to put God first, others second, and ourselves last, then we can really begin to work together in the best way – in the home, on the job, in the church, in the community, in the world, etc.

Notice that kind of attitude in the following relationships:

In marriage: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her… So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church” (Eph. 5:25, 28-29). “but as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything” (v. 24). “The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. But this I say by way of concession, not of command” (1 Cor. 7:3-6).

In the family: It has been said that “The family is the most basic of all social institutions… It was the first social group formed by human beings.” We’ve just considered the husband and wife relationship, but how about the children? “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise)” (Eph. 6:1-2). “Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord” (Col. 3:20).

In the work realm: We can see a principle in the ancient master-slave relationship to apply to employer-employee relationships: “Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Col. 3:22-24).

In the community: “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,’ and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:8-10).

In today’s lesson, we have considered the need to prepare ourselves with God’s truth that we might be able to teach others also to their edification. We also noted the danger of self-centeredness that can hinder us from being as we should in various relationships of life.

God certainly knew what He was doing when he made man. But even more important than our physical makeup is that which pertains to our inner man that has been created in the image of God and, therefore, we should strive to develop that kind of godly character.

Think, too, of the unity that exists between God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. How well they all worked together in the creation (Gen. 1:1,26; Heb.1:1-2; Psa. 104:30). How united as “one” they were — and are! Jesus prayed that all His people will also be that way in relation to one another: “I do not ask on behalf of these alone [the apostles], but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me” (Jn. 17:20-21).

During the spiritual renewal of Israel, after their return from captivity, they were truly concerned with hearing the law of God and conforming to it. Nehemiah 8:1 reads: “And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel. Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding… He read from it…from early morning until midday…and all the people were attentive to the book of the law” (Neh. 8:1-3, emphasis mine).

For this gathering to be “as one man” truly indicates how united they were in the common interest of hearing, reverencing, and submitting to God’s word. How well — minds like that can work together! And may that also be the kind of mind we continue to develop even more, as we mature in Christ and work together for His cause.

(All scripture from the NASB, unless otherwise indicated.)
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

The Gospel Observer

October 29, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) The Prophecy About Josiah (Tom Edwards)
2) “Let Patience Have Its Perfect Work” (R.J. Evans)
3) How to Answer When You Don’t Know the Answer (Greg Gwin)
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The Prophecy About Josiah

Tom Edwards

“Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. He cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, ‘O altar, altar, thus says the LORD, “Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you”’” (1 Kings 13:1-2).

Jeroboam, the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, during the Divided Kingdom, had just set up “two golden calves,” which he referred to as “your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt” (1 Kings 12:28). One of these was set up in Bethel, while the other was placed in Dan (v. 29). For these two locations were at the southern and northern extremities, respectively, of the northern kingdom; and Jeroboam placed them there as a matter of convenience for his people and so that they would not return to Jerusalem to worship and end up leaving Israel to side with Judah and even bring death to Jeroboam (vv. 26-27). It was also at that time in which Jeroboam made “houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi” (v. 31). He even instituted his own feast for Israel and went up himself “to the altar which he had made in Bethel” to observe it “on the fifteenth day in the eighth month…to burn incense” (v. 33).

So it was at that same time when the man of God had also come to cry out against the altar and give the prophecy he did concerning it, which was mentioned above. And to confirm the truthfulness of that prophecy, the man of God also “gave a sign the same day, saying, ‘This is the sign which the LORD has spoken, “Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out”’” (1 Kings 13:3) — and this came to pass that same day (v. 5)!

Though the work of a prophet was primarily declaring God’s message rather than predicting future events (consider the “prophet” Moses, for example, Acts 3:22), yet here in 1 Kings 13:2 is a foretelling of that which would come to pass about 352 years later. The prophecy is certainly not a mere generalization of what some anonymous person would do. Rather, it specifically mentions the fulfiller by name, along with the lineage he was of, and exactly what he would do.

The fulfillment of this prophecy is seen in 2 Kings 23: “…that altar that was at Bethel and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he broke down. Then he demolished its stones, ground them to dust, and burned the Asherah. Now when Josiah turned, he saw the graves that were there on the mountain, and he sent and took the stones from the graves and burned them on the altar and defiled it according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things. Then he said, ‘what is this monument that I see?’ And the men of the city told him, ‘It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.’ He said, ‘Let him alone; let no one disturb his bones.’ So they left his bones undisturbed with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. Josiah also removed all the houses of the high places which were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made provoking the LORD; and he did to them just as he had done in Bethel. All the priests of the high places who were there he slaughtered on the altars and burned human bones on them; then he return to Jerusalem” (vv. 15-20).

The previous verses in 2 Kings 23 also speak of more of the idolatrous practices that Josiah brought to an end.

Josiah was born about 648 B.C. He not only became Judah’s 16th king, but also reigned for 31 years as one of its best.

Isn’t it something how God has the ability to know in advance of even the specific details of future events — and has proven that through prophecies and their fulfillments! In this case of Josiah, the prophecy was made about three and a half centuries before it came to pass – but it did so, just as the Lord said it would!

(All Scripture from the NASB.)
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“Let Patience Have Its Perfect Work”

R.J. Evans

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4).

Patience, a fruit of the Spirit, has been described as love and endurance under pressure. Patience is a characteristic that is longsuffering and does not retaliate; a willingness to wait; to expect; to hope for.

We are not born with patience. We need only to hear a baby cry for their immediate needs or hear a child selfishly say, “No!” or “Mine!” However, it doesn’t take much insight to see that maturity and strength under pressure is much more difficult than it is to return evil for evil and be swift to strike back. It takes courage, strength, and love not to return injury and insult to others. An old Chinese proverb says: “Patience is power. With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown.” Patience is the ability to endure to the end.

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit that is to be demonstrated in our relationships with one another. Love suffers (endures) long, and we are called upon to be patient and forbearing with one another (1 Cor. 13:4; Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:12). Love, with patience, hopes all things. Patience is not passive–it is consecrated active faith and strength.

The Hebrew writer tells us to run the race set before us with patience (Heb. 12:1). Truly, life is much like a race, and patience keeps doing God’s will regardless of the difficulties or the discouragements. The New Testament word for patience means “to abide under.” We are reminded of the great patience of the prophets and Job in James 5:10-11. It does not suggest giving up, compromising, or becoming complacent. Patience is keeping the course in spite of our circumstances.

Patience has a calm anticipation of hope. The New Testament speaks of the patience of hope (Rom. 5:4; 8:25). Hope produces patience. When we love and have hope in God, we are inclined to be more patient. If we believe in the promises of God, we can patiently wait for them. The hope, power, and blessings of the gospel fill us with patience.

Pessimism is often due to a lack of patience. We look around and see awful conditions and think God is too slow (read the book of Habakkuk as an example of this). Some lose their faith and hope, but true patience can wait, endure, and persevere. Let us not be like the one who prayed in this manner–”Lord, give me patience, and give it to me right now!” Therefore, LET PATIENCE HAVE ITS PERFECT WORK.

— via bulletin of the Southside church of Christ, 10/15/17
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How to Answer When You Don’t Know the Answer

Greg Gwin

No one likes to be ‘put on the spot.’ We dread the possibility of being asked questions that we can’t answer. This is especially true when the questions are about religion.

Perhaps one of the biggest hindrances to spreading the gospel is this fear of being asked questions. If you feel uneasy about your level of Bible knowledge, you may try to avoid potentially embarrassing situations — sidestepping any discussion that might turn to religious themes. Unfortunately this keeps us from many ‘open doors’ for personal evangelism.

Since no one has ALL of the answers, it is important for us to know what to do when questions arise that ‘stump’ us. Here are some suggestions:

1) Realize — and be ready to explain — that there are simply some pieces of information that we do not have because God has not supplied them. “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God” (Deut. 29:29). But, we have “all truth” (John 16:12-13), and “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). So, every piece of essential information has been supplied.

2) When you do not know the answer, it is best to simply admit it. This is much better than trying to ‘bluff’ your way through. Humbly say, “I don’t know.” But do not fail to add: “I’ll find out and get back to you on that.” Following this procedure will actually provide additional opportunities to teach. It keeps the door open to further discussions.

3) Study, study, study! You will feel less intimidated and more willing to engage in biblical discussions if you build your confidence level by increasing your Bible knowledge. Pay special attention to areas where you presently feel ‘weak’ in knowledge and understanding. Be well prepared to deal with popular denominational errors. Be ready to explain ‘issues’ that divide brethren.

4) Never shy away from a chance to talk about God and His Word. The more you do this, the easier it will become. Every such conversation serves as an opportunity for you to ‘sharpen your sword.’

— Via the bulletin of the Collegevue church of Christ
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

The Gospel Observer

October 22, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Barnabas (Tom Edwards)
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Barnabas

Tom Edwards

His name is actually Joseph when first mentioned in the Bible, but he was given the name “Barnabas” by the apostles because names often had descriptive meanings that matched the one so named. And for Joseph, they selected a name that well described him. For the name “Barnabas” means “Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36, NASB), “Son of exhortation” (ASV), and “Son of Comfort” (YLT).

It is also in that context that we are made aware of his generous nature. For he “owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:37). The previous verses show why he did this: “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need” (vv. 32-35).

Many Jews, “from every nation under heaven,” had been in Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:5). For during the Mosaical Period, which lasted about 1,500 years, God’s word had instructed all Jewish males to observe Pentecost in the place where He would make His name to dwell – and for most of that period, it was in Jerusalem (Exod. 23:14-19). It had only been less than two months prior when Jesus had “nailed” that Old Law “to the cross” (Col. 2:14); but Pentecost was still being observed.

Little, however, did many of these visiting Jews know, prior to that day, that they would end up staying longer in Jerusalem than they had originally planned. For on that day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit had fallen upon the apostles (Acts 2:1-4); and they began declaring, in languages they did not know, “of the mighty deeds of God” (v. 11) and preached of Jesus Christ (vv. 21-39). As a result, 3,000 souls responded to the gospel message and became Christians (vv. 36-41). Soon thereafter, others were converted so that “the number of men came to be about five thousand” (Acts 4:4) – and it did not stop there. For “all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number” (Acts 5:14); “…and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many priests were becoming obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7).

Due to all these conversions, there were probably many recent converts that prolonged their stay in Jerusalem in order to learn more of the gospel message before making their long journeys home. As a result, the funds of some would become depleted from this long extended stay that they had not initially planned for.

Nowhere, however, does the Bible say that the brethren were to sell their property and houses to help the needy; but this was what some were choosing to do. As Peter had said to Ananias in Acts 5:4, concerning his property and what he sold it for, “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control?” In other words, God had not commanded that His people were to live in a communal society in which all things were common and mutually shared without anyone having any private ownership of anything. The apostle Peter shows that Ananias’ property had been his own and of which he had the right to do with as he pleased. So in most cases, one who would sell property or houses to help another was showing a great act of love, such as Barnabas who truly was a “Son of Comfort” to others.

In thinking of Barnabas as being that “Son of Encouragement,” perhaps you are reminded of the time when he put that good word in for the apostle Paul. For when Paul had come to Jerusalem for the first time as a Christian, “…he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple” (Acts 9:26). And why would they have such trouble in receiving Paul? Why were they afraid of him? Apparently, they knew how he had been an intense persecutor toward Christians – and they had doubts about his conversion. For he was one who had been “ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women” whom “he would put…in prison” (Acts 8:3). After having been “in hearty agreement with putting him [Stephen] to death” (Acts 8:1), Paul continued “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1). He had acknowledged after his conversion that, prior, “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons” (Acts 22:4). He also testified elsewhere, saying, “…not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them to even foreign cities” (Acts 26:10-11). Is there any wonder why those Christians initially had trouble in receiving Paul? Were they thinking it might be just a scheme he had going to entrap them? Was he waiting for more of their number to show up?

We, of course, know that Paul was genuinely converted and became a great servant of the Lord. We have the benefit of looking back over wonderful portions of his life to see of his dedication to God and willingness to continue in serving Him regardless of the persecutions and other difficulties that it had led to. But the Christians in Jerusalem, in their first meeting of Paul, could only think of how he had been – and “they were all afraid of him.”

But who was it who helped allay their fears? Who was it who put a good word in for the apostle Paul to verify that he had been genuinely converted? Who had those encouraging words for the brethren that led to their acceptance of Paul as one of their own? It was that “Son of Encouragement” — Barnabas. As Acts 9:27 goes on to say, “But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that he had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.” After they heard this, Paul was then able to be “with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem” (v. 28). And while he was there, he was “speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord” (v. 28). But when the brethren learned that some Hellenistic Jews “were attempting to put him to death” (v. 29), “the brethren…brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus” (v. 30). So now they were truly concerned for Paul, as one of their own; and it was Barnabas who helped toward their doing so, which also exemplifies another meaning of his name — and that is, “conciliatory” (Thayer on the word “Encouragement” in Acts 4:36).

In regard to Barnabas’ name also meaning “Son of exhortation,” consider what he and Paul were doing in their preaching in various cities. They were “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God’” (Acts 14:22). Or as the KJV translates that one part: they were “exhorting them to continue in the faith” (emphasis mine). So, again, Barnabas was living up to his name!

Barnabas was “a Levite of Cyprian birth” (Acts 4:36). So he was from the island of Cyprus, which is the third largest in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea. It is approximately 150 miles long and 50 to 60 miles wide at its farthest points, with its two main cities of Salamis on the east side and Paphos on the western edge.

Salamis was Paul’s first stop on his first missionary journey after boarding a vessel in Seleucia, and Barnabas was the one who had accompanied him (Acts 13:4-5). In the Old Testament, Cyprus is sometimes referred as “Kittim” or Chittim.” Notice, too, whose idea it was for them to go together on this: “…the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’” (v. 2).

John Mark had also started out with Paul and Barnabas on that first missionary journey, but “had deserted them in Pamphylia” (Acts 15:38), which would have been after they had left the island of Cyprus, having set sail at Paphos (Acts 13:13).

Some time after completing that first missionary journey, Paul wanted Barnabas to return with him to all the cities they had proclaimed God’s word to on that first trip. But since Barnabas wanted to take along with him his cousin John Mark (Col. 4:10), it led to a “sharp disagreement” and the splitting up of Paul and Barnabas. So Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, while Paul took Silas and headed overland through Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:36-41).

Even prior to that first missionary journey, there had been some Christians on the island of Cyprus. For some had gone there during the persecution in connection with Stephen and preached to the Jews alone. But some of them who were of Cyprus and Cyrene came to Antioch and preached Jesus to the Greeks also; and a large number became Christians (Acts 11:19-21). When the church in Jerusalem heard about that, they sent Barnabas to Antioch (v. 22). And what did he do there? When “he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord” (v. 23). The KJV uses the term “exhorted” instead of “encourage,” so here again we see that matching up with the meaning of his name. And notice, too, what else we learn about Barnabas in this passage: “for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord” (v. 24). What a great worker Barnabas must have been for Jesus!

Barnabas then went in search of Paul at Tarsus (v. 25); and after finding him, brought him to Antioch where they met with the church for an entire year “and taught considerable numbers” (v. 26). It was also from Antioch that Barnabas went with Paul in taking the contribution to the needy saints in Jerusalem, which they gave to the elders there (v. 30); and where they also returned again sometime later when dealing with the matter of those who were wrongfully teaching the need for circumcision and keeping the Law of Moses (Acts 15:5,36). Some from Judea had first come to Antioch of Syria about this matter; “And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue” (vv. 1-2). So they did so. There also had been “much debate” there in Jerusalem (v. 7). But the account then goes on to say, “All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles” (v. 12). We can also see in this another meaning of the name “Barnabas” that he was living up to — and that is, “persuasive discourse” (Thayer). For after hearing him and the others, the Jerusalem brethren were in total agreement and determined to carry out the right course of action.

Barnabas is listed among the gifted prophets and teachers of Acts 13:1. He was a great worker in declaring God’s message.

When going on that first missionary journey with Paul, Barnabas and he went to these following places that are mentioned in connection with their preaching: Salamis and Paphos (on the island of Cyprus); Antioch of Pisidia; Iconium; Lystra and Derbe (the cities of Lycaonia), and the surrounding area (cf. Acts 13:4-14:20). On their return, they again went to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch of Pisidia, “strengthening the souls of the disciples” (Acts 14:21-22). They also preached the word in Perga on their way back to Antioch of Syria (v. 25).

It was in Lystra, where after healing a man who had been lame from birth, the crowds cried out, “…’The gods have become like men and have come down to us.’ And they began calling Barnabas Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker” (Acts 14:11-12). The priest of Zeus had also come with sacrifices to offer with the crowds (v. 13), but this all led to Barnabas and Paul tearing their robes and saying to the crowds, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, WHO MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM” (vv. 14-15).

Though a good follower of Jesus Christ, Barnabas, like all of us, was not perfect. Though it did not typify his life, we do find him falling into the same temporary hypocrisy that Peter had been leading others into. For Paul says when Peter came to Antioch, “I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy” (Gal. 2:11-13).

Mentioning in the Bible the faults of some of its great followers of God has been cited as another indication of its inspiration. For the Bible doesn’t whitewash these individuals to make them look perfect: Noah got drunk (Gen. 9:21), Moses’ treated God as unholy by striking the rock and was not allowed to enter the Promised Land as a result (Num. 20:7-12), David committed adultery and deceitfully schemed the death of Bathsheba’s husband Uriah (2 Kings 11:2-15), Peter had also denied the Lord 3 times (Matt. 26:69-75). But these wrongful acts are not what exemplified or summed up the lives of these men. And how soon Barnabas probably also turned from his momentary hypocrisy after hearing the rebuke of the apostle Paul to Peter, which was made before all who were present (cf. Gal. 2:14).

We can be thankful for God’s conditions of pardon that when met can bring His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. And from what we read of Barnabas, he surely must have been one who would have immediately turned to the Lord, after having fallen — that he might arise and continue in his service to God.

We are not told in the Bible of where and when Barnabas passed away; but according to tradition, he was martyred in A.D. 61 at Salamis on the island of Cyprus of which he was from. Though it cannot be said with the assurance of the Bible, the Acts of Barnabas (which is an apocryphal writing that claims John Mark, Barnabas’ cousin, as its author) speaks of Barnabas being put to death at Salamis by a mob of Jews who had been roused by a person called Barjesus.

(All verses are from the NASB unless otherwise indicated.)
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

The Gospel Observer

October 15, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Not Realizing the Value (Tom Edwards)
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Not Realizing the Value

Tom Edwards

The story has been told about a poor, starving man in tattered clothes who entered a music shop in London on an extremely cold winter’s day. With him was an old violin and the hopes of selling it in order to buy some food.

In hearing of the man’s urgent need, the store owner offered him a guinea for the instrument, which was the equivalent of about $5 back around 1820 when this story takes place. With much thankfulness the shabby man accepted the offer and made his way back out into the chilly night.

Mr. Betts, the store owner, had bought this violin without even trying it out first or closely examining it. But he then did so, after the seller had left. And how overwhelmed the buyer now was when hearing not only the rich, mellow tones that the violin could produce, but also after lighting a candle to see the writing within the instrument, which said, “Antonio Stradivari 1704”! It was that famous Stradivarius that had been missing for a hundred years and earnestly sought after throughout Europe.

This particular violin has been owned by different people down through the years and is still also given the name of “the Betts,” due to the story behind it. It has been referred to as “one of the four or five greatest violins in existence today” and is part of the Cremonese Collection in the Music Division of the U.S. Library of Congress, thanks to Mrs. Gertrude Clarke Whittall who had purchased five of Stradivari’s instruments in 1934 and 1935, including the “Betts.” In addition, she also contributed the funding for the building of the pavilion wherein they are now kept and displayed. It was completed in 1939.

Some of Stradivari’s instruments today are said to be valued at millions of dollars – which certainly would include the “Betts”!

So that poor, starving man who had entered that music shop, almost 200 years ago, did not realize the wealth he actually had in his possession. And perhaps he never did find out the great worth of what he had parted with. From our perspective, it was unfortunate he did not realize. For though he was paid, how temporal that was – and especially compared to what he could have had (if he only knew).

Did he soon return to a destitute state after that money was gone? And, if so, did he remain that way a long time? For to live on the equivalent of $5 in 1820 would be like someone having only about $96 to live on in 2016. That would not last too long, would it?

Even more unfortunate, however, than that lack of knowledge the poor man had about his violin, is when individuals do not see the great value in having Jesus Christ and God’s forgiveness in their lives. For what could be more needful for our souls than that?

But what do so many “sell” their souls for? Only for that which is ever so brief when compared with eternity – yet can keep one out of heaven forevermore if God’s way of pardon is rejected — and Jesus wants us to realize this. He, therefore, declares in Matthew 16:26, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” That is certainly something worth remembering — the great value in having our souls right with God! It should mean more to us than anything else! And though some might think that sounds selfish, it is actually the exact opposite. For to be right with God also involves unselfishly treating others the right way, out of a love and concern for them, as the Bible teaches!

This particular Scripture must have been in the mind of A.J. Hodge when he wrote in 1923 the following hymn, entitled, “Have You Counted the Cost?” Here are its first two stanzas and chorus:

“There’s a line that is drawn by rejecting our Lord,
Where the call of His Spirit is lost,
And you hurry along with the pleasure-mad throng,
Have you counted, have you counted the cost?

“You may barter your hope of eternity’s morn,
For a moment of joy at the most,
For the glitter of sin and the things it will win,
Have you counted, have you counted the cost?

“Have you counted the cost, if your soul should be lost?
Tho’ you gain the whole world for your own?
Even now it may be that the line you have crossed,
Have you counted, have you counted the cost?”

In counting the cost, one should give serious thought to what really is going to be of greatest value in the long run. And will it be worth striving for and paying whatever price is necessary to obtain it? Will it be the way of sin? Or the way of following after Christ? And which way will ultimately lead to the best destination? Perhaps when thinking of these things the choice will become easier to make. And the Lord does want every accountable person to give earnest thought to it and to make the right choice, just as He did toward the people of Isaiah’s time, when saying,

“’Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the LORD,
‘Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.

“If you consent and obey,
You will eat the best of the land;
But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be devoured by the sword.’
Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isa. 1:18-20).

The allurement of sin, along with the pleasure some wrongdoing can bring, has kept many in its hold and also continues to lay its snare for others as well. But let us be encouraged by people like Moses who “when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen” (Heb. 11:24-27).

Moses had the right perspective. His focus was on God. For He was of much greater value to Moses than what this world had to offer — and even worth suffering for! Would not the world be a better place if more were like him in having that same dedication to the Lord?

Notice, too, how sin is referred to in that passage as “passing pleasures,” or the “fleeting pleasures” (ESV), the “short-lived pleasures” (WNT), the “temporary pleasures (Darby), or “the pleasures of sin for a short time” (NIV, ISV). For regardless of how long we could recklessly indulge in iniquity, it would always be a brief time compared to eternity. And this “world,” as John writes, “is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 Jn. 2:15-17).

Folks sometimes don’t realize the great value of things that are available to them. It really sounds ironic, but hear what the Lord said to some of those whom He addressed while on earth: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life” (John 5:39, 40). How blind they were! That true life was right there in front of them, but they rejected Him — the One who was and is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6). So Jesus is not just “a way,” but “the way” — that is, the ONLY way. For He goes on to say in the same verse that “no one comes to the Father but through Me.” In speaking to the rulers and elders of the people, Peter declared of Jesus that “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11,12).

Think of all the people who came into contact with Jesus and never realized that He was God in human flesh (cf. Jn. 1:1-3,10-11,14). That, by far, is the worst thing one could be ignorant of. For as Jesus declares, “unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24).

God’s word itself is a treasure worth more than silver and gold! Cf. Psa. 119: 72,127; Psa. 19:7-11. And to ignore the word of the Lord is to “neglect so great a salvation,” which leaves the person in a situation of no escape from the penalty of God’s wrath upon the transgressor (cf. Heb. 2:1-3).

Let us, therefore, never forget the great value we have in Jesus Christ and His word — in having sins forgiven and being in a spiritual relationship with God. For to forfeit our soul, as Jesus speaks of in Matthew 16:26, is to also lose out on these needful blessings of the Lord and of the eternal life in heaven that He would want all to have (cf. 2 Pet. 3:9). That’s why there is such tremendous worth in entrusting our souls to our Creator through our faith and obedience to His word – and may we never forget the supreme value of that! For even though we might not have much money in the bank, there is no amount that can even come close to the great value of all we have and will have for all eternity, as God’s children, because of our Lord Jesus Christ!

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

1) Hear the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith, living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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The Gospel Observer

October 8, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Example and Influence (Tom Edwards)
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Example and Influence

Tom Edwards

Whether for good or bad, everyone is an example! Even when not trying or realizing it, our influence can affect those around us in one way or another. For none of us are invisible, and the way we communicate and act can have an impact on others.

But though someone once said, “No man is completely worthless. He can always serve as a horrible example,” I don’t think that many would want to be of that classification — but, rather, of a much better one!

In the Bible we read of a daughter-in-law named Ruth who, apparently, had been greatly influenced by Naomi, her mother-in-law. Even after the death of Naomi’s husband and her two sons, Ruth felt compelled to remain with her – and even though Naomi had strongly advised her two widowed daughters-in-law to return to their own people in the land of Moab, while she would then head back to the land of Judah, since its famine was over. But Ruth, who would not depart from her, declared, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me” (Ruth 1:16-17). Surely, Naomi’s good example and influence had much to do with Ruth’s feelings toward her –- and even toward Naomi’s people and toward her God!

Setting forth the right example can be motivational. It is said that when Benjamin Franklin wanted to see his city of Philadelphia start using street lighting, he did not merely talk about it. Rather, he placed a beautiful lantern on a long bracket in front of his own door. He kept the lantern polished and its glass clean, and every evening he lit its wick. Soon, his neighbors were doing the same; and not long after that the entire city took enthusiastic notice of its benefit. Today, Franklin is regarded as the one who introduced street lighting to the entire U.S.

Examples can be helpful – and Jesus often used them. He spoke of people (Noah, Abraham, Lot’s wife, Moses, David, etc.); of places (Sodom and Gomorrah, Chorazin and Bethsaida, Capernaum and Jerusalem, etc.); and of things (the temple, the sparrow, the seed, the lily, etc.). Are not the parables of the Lord also examples? They compare one thing to another – an earthly thing to a spiritual principle.

The Scriptures have much to say about examples – and sometimes refers to them as “ensamples” and “patterns.” The Bible gives examples of not only those who lived righteously, but also of those who lived to the contrary, that we may learn how and how not God wants us to be.

Hebrews 4:11, for instance, says, “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience.” Some of these examples of disobedience can be seen in 1 Corinthians 10: “Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, ‘THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND STOOD UP TO PLAY.’ Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (vv. 6-11).

These examples go back to the period of the Exodus and the early Wilderness Wanderings. But we can still learn lessons from them of what we should not do in our time. For we should not “crave evil things,” “be idolaters,” “act immorally,” “try the Lord” (in the sense of testing and exhausting His patience), and “grumble.”

The Lord wants us to consider these examples of the past and others as well: “As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful” (James 5:10,11). And the greatest example of all is that of our Savior, Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Pet. 2:21).

The Bible is silent when it comes to most of the years that Jesus was on earth, prior to his three-year mission. But one thing we do know – He was always obediently pleasing His Father! For when God said of Jesus at His baptism, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:17), God did not say this because of His Son’s triumph in the wilderness over Satan — for that was still to come! Nor did He have reference to Jesus’ determination in Gethsemane or His supreme sacrifice at Calvary – for they were also future events! But this must have been said with regard to Jesus’ earlier days on earth, while growing up. Luke sums up that rather silent period of the Lord’s life by simply stating that “Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52).

We know that during some — and probably many — of Christ’s silent years He had worked as a carpenter (Mark 6:3). For that was what His earthly father Joseph had been (Matt. 13:55); and it was common for the Jewish father to teach his son the same trade. For to grow up not having been taught a trade was actually a shameful thing. So Jesus was a good example in this aspect of his life as well.

As we think more of the kind of influence we might have on others, I imagine you’ll easily understand why this following poem by C.C. Miller is entitled “The Echo”:

‘Twas a sheep, not a lamb, that strayed away,
In the parable Jesus told;
A grown-up sheep that had gone astray
From the ninety and nine in the fold.

Out on the hillside, out in the cold,
‘Twas a sheep the Good Shepherd sought,
And back to the flock, safe to the fold,
‘Twas a sheep the Good Shepherd brought.

And why for the sheep should we earnestly long,
And as earnestly hope and pray?
Because there is danger, if they go wrong,
They will lead the lambs astray.

For the lambs will follow the sheep, you know,
Wherever the sheep may stray;
When the sheep go wrong, it will not be long
‘Till the lambs are as wrong as they.

And so with the sheep we earnestly plead,
For the sake of the lambs, today;
If the sheep are lost, what a terrible cost
Some lambs will have to pay!

Note some of the things in which Paul specified to Timothy to be a good example in: “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:12).

To some, our heart has been viewed as a pulpit. Our life is the message. The world is our audience, and every day we are giving a sermon to it.

What does the world see in our lives? If we are the pattern to them of what other Christians are like, are we giving them the correct impression? Do they see us standing for the right things? Does our lives bring honor or reproach upon the church of our Lord and His worthy name?

May it be our desire to always set the proper example for others around us. For as the song tells us in the lyrics written by Annie Johnson Flint, “We are the only Bible the careless world will read. We are the sinner’s gospel; we are the scoffer’s creed; we are the Lord’s last message, given in deed and word, What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?”

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, in which he instructs them about many of their spiritual problems, apparently, helped them change for the better. Notice, for instance, what he later wrote to them: “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Cor. 3:2-3).

May we always be the right example for the cause of Christ and for the good of others — and may that kind of influence be contagious toward all!

(All Scriptures from the NASB, unless otherwise indicated.)
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

The Gospel Observer

October 1, 2017 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) How Vivid were Visions from God? (Tom Edwards)
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How Vivid were Visions from God?

Tom Edwards

Have you ever wondered how clear and lifelike visions from God must have been? It was one of the “many ways” (Heb. 1:1) in which the Lord spoke to the prophets in time’s past.

The term itself is first seen in Genesis 15:1, in which the account declares that “…the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision…” It is also seen with regard to Jacob (Gen. 46:2), Nathan the prophet (2 Sam. 7:17), Iddo the seer (2 Chron. 9:29), Isaiah (Isa. 1:1), Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:1), Daniel (Dan. 2:19), Amos (Amos 1:1), Obadiah (Obad. 1:1), Nahum (Nah. 1:1), Habakkuk (Hab. 2:2), Ananias (Acts 9:10), Paul (Acts 9:12), Cornelius (Acts 10:3), Peter (Acts 10:17), and the apostle John (Rev. 9:17). All of these received visions from God, and how many more there must have also been! For the Lord had “spoken to the prophets” and “gave numerous visions” (Hos. 12:10).

Consider Samuel’s experience with visions when still a boy (1 Sam. 3:1-15). During one night, God had called him three times by name; but Samuel thought it was Eli calling instead. The voice was that real! On the fourth time, Samuel then responded, for Eli had told him to do so; and the Lord, who “came and stood and called as at other times…” (v. 10), then spoke His message to young Samuel, which is all referred to as a “vision” (v. 15).

The book of Isaiah begins by saying, “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah” (Isa. 1:1). Later in the book, Isaiah declares that “A harsh vision has been shown to me…” (Isa. 21:2).

Ezekiel, while in Babylonian captivity, mentions in the first verse of his book that while he was “by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” Some of the visions Ezekiel received were most strange in appearance, outlandish: “As I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire. Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. Each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward. As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle” (Ezek. 1:4-10). He then goes on throughout the rest of the chapter to vividly describe more of what he saw in this vision. But notice especially the last three verses: “Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. Then I noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around him. As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking” (vv. 26-28).

Not only did Ezekiel hear and see visions from God, but he was also “transported” by them. He writes: “….as I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell on me there. Then I looked, and behold, a likeness as the appearance of a man; from His loins and downward there was the appearance of fire, and from His loins and upward the appearance of brightness, like the appearance of glowing metal. He stretched out the form of a hand and caught me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the idol of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy, was located. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the appearance which I saw in the plain. Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, raise your eyes now toward the north.’ So I raised my eyes toward the north, and behold, to the north of the altar gate was this idol of jealousy at the entrance. And He said to me, ‘Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations which the house of Israel are committing here, so that I would be far from My sanctuary? But yet you will see still greater abominations” (Ezek. 8:1-6).

Ezekiel had been in Babylonian captivity. Babylon was about 500 miles straight across from Jerusalem. Of course, travelers would follow the Fertile Crescent NW, arching over at the top, and coming down south into the land of Israel for about a 900-mile journey, instead of going straight across the desert. But Ezekiel was transported in a vision by God, so physical distances are irrelevant.

Notice, too, that not only did Ezekiel see visions, hear God, and be “transported,” but he also could touch, feel, and interact with what he saw in the vision! For look what he goes on to say: “Then He brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. He said to me, ‘Son of man, now dig through the wall.’ So I dug through the wall, and behold, an entrance. And He said to me, ‘Go in and see the wicked abominations that they are committing here.’ So I entered and looked, and behold, every form of creeping things and beasts and detestable things, with all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around. Standing in front of them were seventy elders of the house of Israel… each man with his censer in his hand and the fragrance of the cloud of incense rising” (vv. 7-11). So much imagery! And all of which he could see, touch, feel, hear, smell, interact with, and experience! These visions were way beyond mere vague notions or foggy impressions! And since Ezekiel could move around in them and interact, these visions must have been at least three dimensional! How real they were!

Ezekiel then relates other things God declared and revealed to him by a vision. Following that, the prophet then writes of his “return” to Babylon: “And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles in Chaldea. So the vision that I had seen left me. Then I told the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me” (Ezek. 11:24-25).

How real that vision was! But would Ezekiel have had any less trouble in explaining exactly how all that was happening to him than the apostle Paul when saying, “…but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows – such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man — whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows – was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. On behalf of such a man I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses” (2 Cor. 12:1-5). Paul is speaking in the third person about himself in this passage. He knows this miraculous event happened to him, but he can’t fully explain the process of how it took place. For he knew not whether he had actually left his own body or remained in it when he was caught up to that heavenly realm. But how vivid and beautifully real it must have all been to him — and even though it is referred to as “visions and revelations of the Lord” (2 Cor. 12:1)!

Like Ezekiel, the apostle John was also given some very unusual visions by God for the Revelation letter, which are highly figurative and symbolic to the reader (cf. Rev. 9:17-21).

But now consider even more of just how real in appearance these visions must have been to those receiving them. In Acts 12, “Peter was kept in prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God” (v. 5). “Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ And his chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, ‘Gird yourself and put on your sandals.’ And he did so. And he said to him, ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.’ And he went out and continued to follow, and HE DID NOT KNOW THAT WHAT WAS BEING DONE BY THE ANGEL WAS REAL, BUT THOUGHT HE WAS SEEING A VISION” (vv. 6-9, emphasis mine).

Peter knew about visions. He had received one prior when on the rooftop of Simon the tanner’s in Joppa. In that vision, Peter “saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. A voice came to him, ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat!’ But Peter said, ‘By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.’ Again a voice came to him a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’ This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky” (vv. 11-16). This is referred to as a “vision” (Acts 10:19; 11:5). So, yes, Peter was well aware of how real a vision could appear.

But now Peter was seeing an actual event, which wasn’t a vision, when an angel of the Lord had come to him in prison (whom he had seen), had struck him on his side to awaken him (which he had felt), with the chains now falling from his hands miraculously (which he could also see and feel), and his obeying the angel’s instructions to gird himself, to put on his sandals and a cloak, and to follow the angel (which he could see and experience himself doing). Peter was involved in all that. It was all really happening — but Peter thought it was just a vision! Doesn’t that indicate how real visions from God must have been?! They were certainly not just a hazy awareness, or some type of foggy image that cannot be clearly seen. For in that jail, Peter was seeing reality; but it was so far from a normal event that it seemed to him like a vision! So the vision he had seen at Simon the tanner’s must have been vividly real with lifelikeness — like seeing reality! And would not the same be also so for the many others — from Abram on down — who had also received visions from God? How amazingly real and clear it must have been for them!

(All Scripture from the NASB, unless otherwise indicated.)
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