Conversion or Hardness of Heart

In admonishing Christians of their responsibility to continue to speak the God-saving truth that they may grow thereby (1 Pet. 2:2), the apostle Peter reminds them of how the Jews did not accept Jesus as the only begotten Son of God. Peter declared: They stumble at the Lord, being disobedient (1 Pet. 2:8). We learn from the Greek word translated being disobedient that its meaning is not to allow oneself to be persuaded. (see Thayer or any reputable Greek lexicon). Implied is the fact that man has the power to reject obvious truth.

He can close his understanding to adequate evidence if he does not love the truth above everything else (2 The. 2:10-12). When the truth is offered to an honest man in error, one of two things can happen: (1) He will keep his honesty by giving up his error and embracing the truth, or (2) He will reject the truth, give up his honesty, and keep his error.

Speaking for God, Isaiah said to Israel:  “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18). God created man a rational creature and has never bypassed man’s rationality in seeking to lead and guide him. God does not force Himself upon man against man’s will (Rom. 1:28). If man will not receive the abundant and adequate evidence regarding man’s spiritual needs, God is not going to force it on him. The people in Isaiah’s day were unreasonable and would not accept God’s Word. They simply would not allow themselves to be  persuaded (Isa. 6:9-13). Thus, they lost their honesty and retained their error. In the words of Peter: ”They stumble[d] at the word, being disobedient. Hence, Paul’s request to the Thessalonians that they pray that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith” (2 The. 3:2). If you want to become wicked, just stop being reasonable. In doing so, you will lose   your honesty and harden your heart as you embrace the strong delusion of error.

David P. Brown

UNITY AND DIVERSITY

Most of the time we hear the term, unity in diversity and not unity and diversity. The first of these is a contradiction of terms. Unity is defined as “oneness” and diverse means “unlike” (Webster’s 9th New Collegiate Dictionary). When we substitute the definitions for the words themselves, we have: “Oneness in Unlikeness.” Just how can unlike things be one (Amos 3:3)? We may as well say “dryness in wetness” or “goodness in badness.” These words taken in their normal usage and paired as we have done them are nothing less than nonsense. In the words, unity and diversity, we are saying that God’s Word demands “oneness,” “unity,” and “sameness” in matters of obligation. By obligatory matters we mean those things authorized by God’s Word by the various kinds of direct statements, those things implied by the Scriptures, or examples (patterns) contained therein (Colossians 3:17). The Bible authorizes in no other way than these. In fact, whether we realize it or not, in our own communication with one another these are the only means whereby any language or form of communication works. It is the very nature of language.

In 1 Corinthians 1:10 Paul said: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” However, this same Paul so differed (not the same mind or judgment) with Barnabas over whether or not to take John Mark on their second preaching tour that they parted company (Acts 15:36-41). Is this the same Paul who wrote to the Corinthian brethren and begged them not to divide and to “be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment”? Did Paul preach one thing and practice something different? The answer is, “Of course not.”

Paul was begging the Corinthian brethren to be one in matters of obligation (i.e., those things authorized by God—Colossians 3:17). Paul and Barnabas did not differ over matters of obligation, but over optional matters.

Regarding the “sharp contention” that resulted in the two men parting company, there is no evidence that either one of these two great servants of God sinned in motive or action (I John 3:4; James 4:17). In fact, after their separation the church in Antioch of Syria backed them (Acts 15:40). Out of their difference in judgment, two preaching tours emerged. Hence, unity, oneness, or sameness must obtain in all matters of obligation, and diversity or difference is allowed in those matters where God did not specify who, where, when, and/or how the thing authorized is to be done.

In local church matters elders make the final decision in optional matters (Acts 20:28; Hebrews 13:7, 17; I Peter 5:1-3). Elders, do you know the difference in obligatory and optional matters? If so, do you know that you are to choose the option that expedites or is most advantageous (without the element of advantage a thing cannot be expeditious) in doing what God in His Word has obligated the church to do? When elders do not know these things, only confusion can result. If the church today does not evidence the fact that most elders do not know the aforementioned matters, then we do not know what it would take to prove it.

Today, those who advocate “unity in diversity” are trying to teach doctrines that are designed to make obligatory things optional. They teach that you can “opt” to observe the Lord’s supper on Sunday or any other day. If it violates your conscience or if it is against your “tradition” to take it on Thursday night, then do not do it, but do not divide the church over your differences. If you must not use mechanical instruments of music in worship to God, fine. Just do not separate yourselves from those who do. In fact, just about everything that God has obligated man to do by His authoritative will has been dealt with in the above erroneous manner. The result is that false doctrines are taught which loose men from what God in the Bible has bound upon them (various forms of “liberalism”) and bound men with what God in His Word has not bound upon them (various forms of “anti-ism”).

There can be no God-approved or true unity that is not founded on and sustained by Bible authority. We readily see the need of properly constituted authority in the everyday affairs of life.

David P. Brown

"That Ye May Know"

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God (I John 5:13). Confidence (John 5:14) and assurance (I John 3:19) are products of the above verse. They are the birthright of the faithful (Hebrews 12:14–16). Radiating from confidence and assurance is hope. It means:…favorable and confident expectation. It has to do with the unseen future, Romans 8:24,25. Hope (a) the happy anticipation of good (the most frequent significance) e.g., Titus 1:2; I Peter 1:21; (b) the ground upon which hope is based, Acts 16:19; Colossians 1:27, “Christ in you the hope of glory;” (c) the object upon which the hope is fixed, e.g., I Timothy 1:1 (W.E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, p. 232).

We may conclude that, if one cannot know his salvation, it is then impossible to have confidence, assurance, and thereby hope. Without these we are no better off than the alien sinner (Ephesians 2:12).

How sad when men are so self–willed, contentious, and hard–hearted that they will deny the simple and plain teaching of I John 5:13. Assuredly it is pride and willful ignorance gone to seed! But, as if denying these spiritual blessings were not enough, some must publicly teach contrary to I John 5:13. Lamentably, they must be marked for the false teachers they are (II Thessalonians 3:14–16).

We understand better why some are always troubled, perplexed, and distraught. They are sure of nothing and trust not the promises of Christ. Such is nothing less than refusing to take Christ at His Word. It is disbelief! Assuredly, the “eternal life” of I John 5:13 for the earthly pilgrim is in promise. It is yet to be and it is conditional (Revelation 2:10), but we have no more evidence what will be than we do of that which has been. It all rests on the truthfulness of Christ’s Word. We know our alien sins are forgiven by the same evidence that gives us knowledge pertaining to our eternal inheritance (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; I Peter 3:21; I John 1:7; 2:3–5, 29; 3:19–21; 5:11–14; II Timothy 1:12; I Corinthians 15:58). How then is it possible to know the one and not the other? We might as well declare that one cannot know he is lost as to teach that one cannot know he is saved! The evidence for knowing either one comes from the same divine standard—the Bible (II Timothy 3:16–17; II Peter 1:3–11). To all the doubters, we say with James and Peter:

“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.… Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator” (James 1:21; I Peter 4:19).

With these sentiments in mind, we can, with confidence, sing:

I know that my Redeemer lives, and ever prays for me;

I know eternal life He gives, From sin and sorrow free.

I know that unto sinful men His saving grace is nigh;

I know that he will come again to take me home on high.

Any Christian (?) singing the preceding song, and at the same time declaring that we cannot know we are saved, is not aware of his inconsistency, is hypocritical or mentally unstable. In any case, the Lord’s Word has little or no effect on his thinking.

A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself (Titus 3:10–11).

David P. Brown

On Handling Evidence

If six people received the same (uninspired) letter from a friend, the basic elements involved in interpreting the letter would be: (1) the letter itself, and (2) the handling of the content of the letter. Similarly, before anyone can be a good student of the Bible (i.e., accurately interpret the message God has for man), he must understand that the basic elements involved in Biblical interpretation are: (1) the total evidence, and (2) the handling of that evidence.

Though God through Scripture was only giving one message (Acts 17:11) to everyone (just as the “friend” in his letter to the six meant to do), failure on either of these two basic elements may (and very likely will) result in conflicting Bible interpretations by different people. Since most of us use texts of the Bible that are alike, this practically eliminates the problem of our receiving a “different letter”as being the primary cause of contradictory interpretations and divisive doctrines. So what is left to claim responsibility for such? The “handling” of the content as it involves logic or illogic.

The Evidence Itself

The phrase, the evidence, is synonymous with the expression, the total context, and refers to the adding together of three things: (1) the specific statement of the Bible under consideration, (2) the immediate context of that statement, and (3 the remote context of that statement. It is important to understand the meaning of these expressions.

Handling the Evidence

The mere reading (or even memorization) of the Bible text is not sufficient to guarantee that one will understand what the Bible actually teaches. One must surely know what the Bible says, that is, he must know the actual (explicit) statements making up Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Additionally, one must learn how the various statements, paragraphs, chapters, and books relate to one another.

Rational or Irrational?

Basically, there are only two alternatives as to how one will react to evidence: (1) he can choose to be rational, or (2) he can choose to be irrational. Since the religious world has available for its use exactly the same totality of Bible statements or evidence, it should be perfectly clear to us all that it is not enough merely to know what the evidence consists of. One must also properly interpret that evidence. One can learn what the Bible means only by correctly reasoning about what the Bible says. In short, one must correctly apply the principles and rules of logic to the totality of statements making up the entire Bible.

Terry M. Hightower

“Quite an Accident”

The atheist says: 

There is no God. All wonders around us are accidental. No mighty hand made the thousand billion stars. They made themselves. The earth spins itself to keep the oceans from falling off. Infants teach themselves to cry when they are hungry or hurt. Faith is  the crutch for the ignorant, the opium of the masses.  

Has he examined the evidence? Whose faith is based on fact? Which makes more sense? 

• How does the sugar thermometer in the pancreas know the proper blood sugar level to keep us from falling into a coma and dying? 
• How does the heart beat for years without faltering? It rests between beats! It pumps 800 million times in a normal life span, pushing enough blood to fill a string of tank ears that would stretch  from New York to Boston. 
• The pattern of a person’s fingerprints never changes and no two persons are identical. What was “evolution’s” purpose in keeping these? 
• Kidneys filter poison from the blood, and leave those components that are useful. How does the kidney know one from another? 
• A brain weighs less than three pounds but directs all thoughts, feelings, and actions. Each cell dials messages to other cells in billions of different combinations. A cubic half inch of brain cells contains a lifetime of memories. Who gave the human tongue flexibility to form words, and a brain to understand  them, but denied it to the brute animals? Who showed a womb how to keep splitting a tiny ovum until a baby had the proper number of fingers, eyes, and ears in the right place and then release it into the world when it is strong enough to live? 

Certainly God exists! We are evidence of it. “For every house is builded by some man; but he  that built all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4). Let us join David in exclaiming to God, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Marvelous are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well”  (Psalm 139:14). 

Paul told the Athenians about the “unknown God” (Acts 17:25) in whom “we live, and move,  and have our being” (17:28). Our secular society is forgetting that it is God who gives all the blessings we  enjoy (Jam. 1:17). May we magnify His name the true God of Heaven and earth. 

“Know ye that the Lord he is God: It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves” (Psalm 100:3). 

Terry Hightower