Conversion or Hardness of Heart

In admonishing Christians of their responsibility to continue to speak the God-saving Truth that they may grow thereby (I Peter 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 word, being disobedient” (I Peter 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 (II Thessalonians 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: “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isaiah1:18). 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 his will (Romans 1:28). If men will not receive the abundant and adequate evidence regarding their 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 (Isaiah 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” (II Thessalonians 3:2). 

If you want to become wicked, just stop being reasonable. In doing so, you will forfeit your honesty and harden your heart as you embrace the “strong delusion of error."

David P. Brown

Judging Righteous Judgment

Jesus said, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). Have you ever tried to convince someone that the religious position he/she held was incorrect? If so, you probably received an answer somewhat like this: “You are judging me, and that is wrong.” While we are never to presume to judge one’s motives, a certain amount of judging is absolutely necessary to pleasing God. We cannot judge what is beyond our ability to perceive, but that which is before us and regulated by His Word, we must judge.

We are not, according to our text, to judge “according to appearance,” or only based on externals when the matter pertains to the inner man. I cannot see whether your secret thoughts are right with God unless you manifest your motive incontrovertibly by your actions. I cannot perform a cursory review based on my own preferences or rules. These things are strictly forbidden.

But notice that in our text there is a judging that we are compelled to engage in, and it is called “righteous judgment.” We consider the works of an individual, compare them with the standard of righteousness (God’s Word—John 12:48), and arrive at a conclusion as to the propriety of those works. It is not wrong to engage in this kind of judgment; in fact, it is wrong not to engage in this kind of judging!

How can we oppose a man like Hitler without judging righteous judgment? How can we say that Saddam Hussein was or the devil himself is wrong without comparing their deeds with the Bible? And is not such a comparison judging? Indeed. It is judging righteous judgment.

Someone who says, “You are wrong for judging,” has engaged in the very activity he condemns. He has judged you for judging. He condemns you for condemning. Where is the consistency? To judge righteous judgment is to preach the Truth. To judge righteous judgment is to determine what is required of God on a given matter and then to pronounce His requirements to one in danger of Hell-fire.

Heed His Word: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).

Tim Smith

 

True Religion Isn't "Mysterious"

There is an idea in the world that religion is a mysterious affair and therefore cannot be understood. Because of this belief, there has arisen an erroneous principle in religious teaching with respect to man's salvation. It is thought that since it is a mysterious affair, man cannot understand God's plan for saving men and hence he has to wait and pray for the direct operation of the Holy Spirit to come into his heart and remove this mystery and destroy the "Adamic sin" that has blighted his life, and the proof of all this is "his feelings" in the matter. In other words, he will know when he is saved and when the mystery has been revealed by the way he "feels."

This is either true or it is not and it should interest all of us to know just what the mystery was that was connected with the salvation of the world. That the above idea is wrong, I am certain and that we may be able to arrive at the proper understanding of what this mystery is, I am confident. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he gives an explanation concerning the mystery of religion that becomes the hope of the world and especially of the Gentiles. In his explanation lies the entire principle of man's salvation and the "how it is to be brought about." Hear the letter as Paul gave it: "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: whereof I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be made known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him." (Ephesians 3:1-12). From this reading it is clear that there was a time when all this was a mystery to men but now it has been revealed. To whom was this a mystery? To us or to those before Paul's day of preaching? Paul says, "which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men." Not in our age, but in other ages this was a mystery. This question then arises: "Why is it not a mystery to us today?" Hear the answer given by Paul: "How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ." It is plain to see that the reason for its not being mysterious now is that Paul had this mystery revealed to him from heaven and he in turn wrote it down that if we will read we may also know what that mystery was in other ages.

Just what is a mystery, anyway? It is anything we do not understand, but when it is explained the "mystery" part of it is gone. With this plain statement by Paul that he received this mystery and then wrote it that as we read we may understand what it is, how do we become so confused in matters of religion as to think it is all yet draped with mysterious utterances so that no man can understand, much less be able to teach others? Because of the above theory we are told we have to wait for the Holy Spirit, in some supernatural way, to operate upon us and reveal to us, in this mysterious manner, but they did not believe it was important to follow God's instructions. They did not believe God and they paid the price for their unbelief. "And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord" (Leviticus 10:2).After the kingdom was divided upon the death of Solomon, the northern king, Jereboam erected an altar in violation of God's law and a young prophet was sent from God to cry against the altar (1 Kings 13). God told the young prophet not to eat or drink while he was there, nor to return by the way he went. But an old prophet lied to the young prophet and he believed the lie. Consequently, he lost his life. Did the young prophet believe in God? Indeed! But, sadly, he did not believe God, choosing rather to believe the lie of the old prophet. James tells us that the demons believe in God (James 2:19). But they do not believe God.

Most folks in denominations will tell you they believe in God, but when it comes to teaching the truth, it is obvious that they do not believe God. The Lord said one must be baptized to be saved (Mark 16:16) but denominational folks say that isn't so. Neither do they believe God in His prescribed manner of worship. For instance, God commands us to sing in worship to Him (Ephesians 5:19), but denominations just don't believe God and so they add mechanical instruments of music which God has not commanded.

Doing things our own way instead of God's is no different than what Nadab and Abihu did in offering strange fire before the Lord. They "did their own thing." They believed in God, but did not believe God. When we are commanded to sing and then add mechanical instruments, do you really think we believe God? Friends, you may believe in God — that He exists and gave His Son to die for us — but if you are not willing to do as He has commanded in the New Testament you do not believe God.

E. R. Harper

 

The Lure of Money

Jesus in Matthew 6 is not giving attention to the luxuries of life. He does not in this passage point our attention to  some  things, but “all these things.” Jesus in this context has discussed material possessions as potential idols that are worshiped and served. In verse 24 Jesus tells of the impossibility of serving two gods. We cannot divide our allegiance between two gods. Jesus states clearly, “for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.” There is no middle ground. Religiously we cannot occupy middle ground. Religion is a “love” or “hate” relationship.

Of all that could be named as an illustration of “another god,” Jesus said, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Mammon means “money and what money can buy, possessions.” Perhaps man’s greatest threat to idolatry is money and possessions. Perhaps the lure of materialism is man’s greatest weakness. Men need to know of the danger of “these things.” Men need to know that materialism is not something to be shrugged off as if it does not matter. Materialism is idolatry!

Possessions can keep us out of Heaven. “Covetousness…is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). Calvin accurately wrote, “Where riches hold the  dominion of the heart, God has lost His authority.” According to Jesus in Matthew 6, our treasure is either in Heaven or on Earth, our lives are either full of light or darkness, our master is either God or mammon. There are other warnings about the lure of possessions.

A familiar parable begins with these words of warning (and the theme of the parable): “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). In this parable of the rich farmer we are introduced to a man whose crops had been so abundant that he had no place to store them. His solution to the problem was to pull down his barns and build bigger ones. His attitude was, “take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry” (v. 19) because he viewed life as good for many years to come. He believed that his life was determined by things. He was wrong. God corrected his impression: “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (vv. 19–21).

Paul points us to the same danger:” For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (I Timothy 6:10). In another familiar parable the sower sowed seed in thorny ground. Jesus interprets this portion of the parable for us: “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection” (Luke 8:14, emph. LK).

Notice carefully that the seed, which is the Word of God, is sown into the heart where it is eventually “choked” by the “cares and riches and pleasures of this life.” It is interesting to observe that our word worry comes from an old German word which means “to choke, to strangle.” Worry usually has to do with these very things, the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life. We are physically affected by worry so we choke and strangle. These same things can affect us spiritually in a similar way. The growth of God’s Word in our lives is choked by the “cares, and riches and pleasures of this life.” When this life becomes more important to us than the life which is to come, then the process of choking has begun.

In Matthew 6 Christ was not speaking of the extras, the luxuries of life. The questions He asks suggest that the very essentials of life can become so important to us that they can keep us from being saved. His questions have to do with food, drink, and clothing. If we can place too much importance on our needs, then how much more dangerous are the “wants” of life.

Lester Kamp

 

Of all that could be named as an illustration of “another god,” Jesus said, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Mammon means “money and what money can buy, possessions.” Perhaps man’s greatest threat to idolatry is money and possessions. Perhaps the lure of materialism is man’s greatest weakness. Men need to know of the danger of “these things.” Men need to know that materialism is not something to be shrugged off as if it does not matter. Materialism is idolatry!

Possessions can keep us out of Heaven. “Covetousness…is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). Calvin accurately wrote, “Where riches hold the  dominion of the heart, God has lost His authority.” According to Jesus in Matthew 6, our treasure is either in Heaven or on Earth, our lives are either full of light or darkness, our master is either God or mammon. There are other warnings about the lure of possessions.

A familiar parable begins with these words of warning (and the theme of the parable): “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). In this parable of the rich farmer we are introduced to a man whose crops had been so abundant that he had no place to store them. His solution to the problem was to pull down his barns and build bigger ones. His attitude was, “take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry” (v. 19) because he viewed life as good for many years to come. He believed that his life was determined by things. He was wrong. God corrected his impression: “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (vv. 19–21).

Paul points us to the same danger:” For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (I Timothy 6:10). In another familiar parable the sower sowed seed in thorny ground. Jesus interprets this portion of the parable for us: “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection” (Luke 8:14, emph. LK).

Notice carefully that the seed, which is the Word of God, is sown into the heart where it is eventually “choked” by the “cares and riches and pleasures of this life.” It is interesting to observe that our word worry comes from an old German word which means “to choke, to strangle.” Worry usually has to do with these very things, the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life. We are physically affected by worry so we choke and strangle. These same things can affect us spiritually in a similar way. The growth of God’s Word in our lives is choked by the “cares, and riches and pleasures of this life.” When this life becomes more important to us than the life which is to come, then the process of choking has begun.

In Matthew 6 Christ was not speaking of the extras, the luxuries of life. The questions He asks suggest that the very essentials of life can become so important to us that they can keep us from being saved. His questions have to do with food, drink, and clothing. If we can place too much importance on our needs, then how much more dangerous are the “wants” of life.

Lester Kamp

 

We Come to Worship God!!!

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). Worship is a precious privilege for God’s child, and God’s children come together to worship Him!

The mighty Messiah speaks to a woman of Samaria in John 4. The woman was interested in the place of worship. The Jews worshipped only in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 12:5-11). The Samaritans worshipped “on this mountain”(John 4:20), i.e., Mount Gerizim. A tremendous change in worship is about to take place. The Son of God declares, “the hour is coming and now is.” Soon there would be a transition from the Old Law of Moses to the New Testament of Jesus Christ! The place would not be any designated building or structure. Wherever “true worshipers…worship the Father” results in true worship. True worshipers will worship only God the Father. We know there is true worship. Also, there is vain worship (Matthew 15:9; II John 9-11), and ignorant worship (Acts 17:23-31).

True worship is rendered to “the Father in spirit and truth.” The majority of worship in the religious world today is not offered in (1) spirit, or in (2) truth. In order for worship to be acceptable we must have the correct Object: God, the Father, and Creator (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:9-11). We must have the correct Attitude: in spirit, i.e., sincerely, the soul of man worships the Creator. Finally, we must have the correct Way: in Truth, i.e., in accordance with the Word of God (John 17:17; Colossians 3:17). When we worship God as a “true” worshiper this will exclude human traditions, innovations, and the commandments of men! True worship is centered on God and not on man.

God still seeks true worshipers and those “who worship Him MUST worship in spirit and truth” (emphasis mine – jw). The true worshiper of God will worship Him from the very essence of his being. (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7-ff; and Isaiah 45:18).

Let us worship God on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). We are to Sing (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), we are to Pray (Philippians 4:6), we are to partake of the Lord’s Supper (I Corinthians 11:20-ff), we are to give as prospered (16:1-2), and there will be the Teaching of His Word (Acts 2:42; 28:31). Let us worship God both in SPIRIT and in TRUTH!

Jess Whitlock

Ease?

It is easier to COMPROMISE the truth than to STAND for it. 

It is easier to IGNORE sin, than EXPOSE it. 

It is easier to JUSTIFY the sinner than to DEMAND his repentance. 

It is easier to CRITICIZE the preaching of the truth than to ENDORSE it. 

It is easier to be SILENT than to CONTEND for the faith. 

It is easier to REFUSE an admonition than to RECEIVE it. 

It is easier to be WORLDLY than to be GODLY. 

It is easier to COMMIT SIN than AVOID it. 

It is easier to NEGLECT than to TAKE HEED. 

It is easier to MAKE EXCUSES than to BE FAITHFUL.

Why is this true? Simply because it is easier to travel the BROAD WAY than to travel the NARROW WAY (Matthew 7:13-14)!

Author Unknown