24. Integrity
by Bryan Gibson
Consider this first: when we support those who use deception, we share the guilt for their lies. This is especially true if the reason we turn a blind eye is that they are lying for our benefit. Please let us know if you disagree with this statement. Then consider Revelation 21:8.
Various passages in the Bible admonish us to walk with integrity:
Proverbs 11:3
The integrity of the upright shall guide them; But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.
Proverbs 19:1 (and 28:6)
Better is the poor that walks in his integrity than he that is … perverse in his lips and is a fool. (… perverse in his ways though he be rich.)
But what is integrity? A dictionary definition reads something like this: “Integrity is moral soundness, especially as it is revealed in dealings that test steadfastness of purpose, responsibility, or trust.” In other words, integrity is sticking to principles of right even when it might be easier to do otherwise; maintaining character, even under severe tests. The root meaning of this word suggests the idea of being whole, undivided, or complete. When under pressure, if we begin to compromise principles of right, our integrity is no longer intact—it is no longer whole. Let’s think through a few situations where our integrity might be tested.
Suppose your boss asks you to lie, a lie he believes will benefit the company for which you work. You realize your job may be on the line. What are you going to do? Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re in charge of the money for some organization, and no careful accounting of the funds is required. In other words, it would be real easy for you to take some money without anyone finding out. Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re planning to sell a car and this car has some “hidden” defects—some which might not be noticed by the average buyer. When he asks you if anything is wrong with it, what are you going to say? If you tell the truth, you may not make as much on the sale. Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re asked by the girl you’re dating to go the dance with her. You really like her a lot, and you don’t want to risk losing her; but you know what the Bible says about lasciviousness, about lusting and causing others to lust. What are you going to do? Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re asked to quit teaching on a particular Bible subject, because some people are offended. You know your responsibility to God, but you’re scared to make enemies. If you’re supported by this church to preach the gospel, you may even lose your job. Will you maintain your integrity?
Maintaining our integrity may not be easy, but the rewards are great. Here are a few:
1) We can walk securely, confidently. When we consistently do the right thing, we don’t have to worry about our conscience “nagging” at us.
Proverbs 10:9
The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
2) We can keep our good name. When we lose our integrity, we lose the respect of others, and consequently our influence for good.
Proverbs 22:1
A (good) name is rather to be chosen than great riches, (And) loving favor rather than silver and gold.
3) We set a great example for our children.
Proverbs 20:7
The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.
4) We please God, and shouldn’t that mean more than anything else?
2 Corinthians 5:9
Wherefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing unto him.
5) We can rejoice.
Matthew 5:12
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.
Let us all reap the benefits of our own integrity even if it is not the popular thing to do in the world.
End of Article
The remainder of this page contains articles that have appeared over the most recent three months and that have not yet been put on separate pages on the site.
Scroll down to the article of interest:
1. Profile of a Wise Man –According to the Book of Proverbs
by Bryan Gibson
January 1, 2015
It has been said that God will judge a man more on the direction that he is going than on his absolute righteousness. If you think about what God has always required of His people, it was faithfulness (Hebrews 11) – that is, trying to do our best to serve him … not necessarily being perfectly successful at it. None of the men and women of faith in Hebrews 11 were sinless, but they all had their lives centered on serving God. -- dbb
A wise man knows he doesn’t know everything, so he takes advantage of every opportunity to increase in knowledge and wisdom (1:5; 2:1-5; 9:9; 10:8, 14; 18:15; 24:5-6), including what he can gain from the wisdom of others. He understands that “in the multitude of counselors, there is safety” (11:14), and he is not so proud that he does not receive rebuke with gratitude. The wisest among us does not have to make mistakes to learn – he benefits by observing the consequences of mistakes made by others.
A wise man does not trust his soul to what seems right; he wants to know what is right (16:25). Because he is not wise in his “own eyes,” he is bent and determined to follow, not his own ways, but the ways of the Lord (3:5-7).
A wise man, because he so desperately wants to be right with God, actually loves those who rebuke him (9:8). What they say may hurt for a little while, but wisdom teaches him that “blows that hurt cleanse away evil” (20:30).
A wise man “restrains his lips”, or “spares his words;” he does not say everything on his mind; he doesn’t speak just to be heard, or to impress others (17:27; 29:11; 14:33; 10:19). When he does speak, he uses to tongue to teach (15:7), to rebuke (25:12), to encourage or help others (12:18), and to win souls (11:30). He is especially wise with his words when dealing with angry people—“a soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (15:1); “scoffers set a city aflame, but wise men turn away wrath” (29:8).
A wise man is alert to temptations—he “foresees evil and hides himself” (22:3); and he does not overestimate his ability to withstand temptation—he “fears and departs from evil” (14:16).
A wise man shows no partiality in his judgment of others (24:23-25), no matter how large or small the inducement may be—“to show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong” (28:21).
A wise man understands that riches “fly away like an eagle toward heaven”, and so he does “not overwork to be rich” (23:4). He does not squander his money (21:20), but he is generous with it (11:25).
The wise man also possesses many other qualities closely related to wisdom, qualities that either lead to wisdom or become the byproducts of wisdom: humility (15:33), mercy (14:21), diligence (12:27), self-control (16:32), integrity (28:6), prudence (22:3), and a fear of the Lord (23:17-18).
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom…” (4:7). “My son, be wise and make my heart glad…” (27:11). “The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools” (3:35).
2. The Billion Dollar Prophet
by Kenny Chumbley
March 22, 2014
Editor's note: Do you know anyone today who claims to work miracles today who would have any conscientious reservations about using his/her powers to claim the billion dollars offered by Warren Buffet in order to "do the work of the Lord?" Please realize that this is not gambling in any sense of the word. An offer was made, and complying with the terms of that offer involves no sin whatsoever. Just think of all of the good that could be done! Just think of how this would serve to prove the validity of what they are preaching. We appreciate so much the effort of Kenny Chumbley in putting these thoughts together. -- dave brown
If you don’t follow college basketball you may not have heard that Warren Buffet, the Omaha, Nebraska, multi-billionaire, offered a $1,000,000,000 (one billion dollars) prize to anyone who could correctly predict the outcome of every game in this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament. All you had to do was pick the winner in sixty-six games, and you’d be the world’s newest billionaire.
Eleven million people filled out brackets and entered the contest, but after just 25 games, everyone was out—everyone had picked the wrong team in at least one game.
I did not enter the contest, but I thought that this was a great opportunity for someone who claims to be a prophet to prove they are truly a prophet. Lots of people claim to be prophets—spokesmen through whom God reveals His will to others. If you have cable, there’s not an hour in the day when you can’t listen to someone who purports to be in the same category as Moses, Elijah, or Isaiah.
And here comes Mr. Buffett, providing these claimants a golden opportunity to demonstrate their claim. Of course, they would not have had to enter the contest from any crass or base motive to make money; their motive would have simply been to demonstrate their divine gift in a most remarkable way. Just think of all the skeptics who would have been silenced by a perfectly filled-out bracket. Think of the opportunity the resulting buzz would have afforded to call men to belief in the one true God.
But, unfortunately, there won’t be anyone exploiting this preaching opportunity, for if there is a true prophet among us, he or she apparently did not enter the contest.
The value of prophecy, in the Biblical sense, is that it involves doing something an ordinary person cannot do (see Jn. 15.24). True prophecy does not depend on causality, and it succeeds despite contingency. Scientists predict things like sunrise, high tide, and the appearance of Halley’s Comet on the basis of causality—the regularity of nature. But prophetic accurately predicts the future despite the irregularity and unpredictability of human nature. In the Bible, specific people are named centuries before they were born, kingdoms are described before they existed, battles are mentioned before they occurred, and personal idiosyncrasies no one could have even guessed at are detailed. Biblical prophecies often predicted the exact opposite of what man would have predicted, such as in the cases of those cities or civilizations whose doom is foretold while they were at the pinnacle of their power.
For a true prophet, correctly predicting the outcome of every NCAA game would have been a piece of cake. The fact that no one did so makes you think that there really is not a true prophet among us these days. Indeed, the bible provides all that we need today to serve the true and living God!
3. How Do You Recognize a Disciple of Jesus?
by Bryan Gibson
March 8, 2014
Who better to tell us than Jesus himself? Here are some marks of a true disciple, followed by the words of Jesus Himself.
Disciples of Jesus are humble. “Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:4). “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
Disciples of Jesus humbly serve the needs of others; they love as He loved. “Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve...” (Mark 10:43-45). “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40). “As I loved you…you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
Disciples of Jesus listen to Him (His word) and do exactly what He says. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me...” (Matthew 11:29). “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed” (John 8:31). “My sheep hear My voice…and they follow Me” (John 10:27). “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (John 14:23). “Make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Disciples of Jesus do not listen to anyone other than Jesus. “And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:4-5). “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:9). “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).
Disciples of Jesus become like their Teacher—Jesus Himself. “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15).
Disciples of Jesus bear MUCH fruit. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8). “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 7:19).
Disciples of Jesus are loyal—they will follow Him, no matter what the cost may be. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me…he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me…he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:34-38). “Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33).
These are the simple words of Jesus Himself. Some false teachers will take hours and hours to explain them away. Why do they want to explain them away? Why not just accept them for what they say? They are truth in the perfect sense of that word.
4. The Epistle of James: How Living Faith Behaves
by Bryan Gibson
February 21, 2014
Faith without works is dead; it has no profit; it cannot save—so argues the key passage in this whole book (2:14-26). The only faith that will please God and save our souls is a living, active faith. But exactly how is faith supposed to behave? The rest of this book takes us through a variety of problems and situations, showing in each case how faith is supposed to act. Let’s take a closer look.
FAITH endures trials…
By helping us see the value of trials, in the midst of the pain—“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” (1:2-4).
By keeping our eyes fixed on the ultimate reward for endurance, the “crown of life” (1:12), which we will receive at the “coming of the Lord” (5:7).
FAITH overcomes temptations…
By helping us recognize the true source of temptations—“let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (1:13-14).
By being “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (1:22-25).
FAITH works by love…
And that love is expressed in such works as “visiting the orphans and widows in their affliction” (1:27) and restoring erring brethren (5:19-20).
Such love will never show “partiality” (2:1-13), “speak evil” of a brother (4:11-12), or “heap up treasure” while ignoring the needs of others (5:1-6).
FAITH controls the tongue…
By helping us understand that this “little member” is very powerful and potentially very destructive (3:3-8).
By making sure that “blessing and cursing” do not come from the same mouth (3:9-12).
FAITH chooses the wisdom of God over the wisdom of the world…
Because it trusts in God, and because it understands the difference in the fruit yielded by each one—“envy…self-seeking…confusion and every evil thing” vs. “pure…peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (3:13-18, esp. vv. 16-17).
FAITH turns away from worldly lusts and pleasures…
Because these desires are futile (4:1-3), and because this “friendship with the world is enmity with God” (4:4).
And it does so with success, because if you “resist the devil…he will flee” (4:7).
FAITH draw nears to God…
With humility, with godly sorrow, and with true repentance (4:8-10).
With the understanding that God can provide what the world cannot (4:6)—that He’s a much better “friend” than the world could ever be.
FAITH does not count on tomorrow…
But instead says, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that” (4:13-17).
FAITH prays to God…
And it does so “in faith, with no doubting” (1:5-8), believing that the “effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (5:13-18).
5. Sound Doctrine
by Bryan Gibson
February 13, 2014
“Sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:10; 2 Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1), or “sound words” (1 Timothy 6:3; 2 Timothy 1:13)—that’s how the gospel is described in these letters to Timothy and Titus. “Sound” is from the Greek word, hugiaino, which means “to be sound, to be well, to be healthy” (Thayer and Smith). This word is sometimes used to describe physical health (Luke 7:10—“well”; 3 John 1:2—“health”), but in the passages cited above, it clearly has a spiritual application. Let’s stay in these letters to Timothy and Titus to see what else is said about this description of the gospel.
Jesus Christ is the sole source of sound doctrine. “If anyone…does not consent to wholesome (sound) words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (1 Timothy 6:3). These “words” would include, of course, the words Jesus spoke through His apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:1-5), words preserved for us in the New Testament.
We should be careful, then, to teach and practice only the doctrine of Christ. The only way we can be “sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13) is to “speak…sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1), and then practice what we preach. Preach sound doctrine, even when “they will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2-3); “hold fast the pattern of sound words” (2 Timothy 1:13); “continue in the things which you have learned” (2 Timothy 3:14)—these are the instructions Paul gave Timothy. Paul did commend Timothy, because at least to that point, he had “carefully followed” sound doctrine (1 Timothy 4:6), and that’s the commendation we should all seek.
Religious doctrine can have only one other source -- man. But it’s impossible to follow man’s teaching and still be sound in the faith. Mix with the doctrine of Christ the “commandments of men” (Titus 1:14), and the result is unsound doctrine—no matter how wise it sounds, no matter how much it helps the church to “grow,” and no matter how popular it may be to the masses. “Rebuke them sharply”—that’s what Paul told Titus to do to these mixers (Titus 1:13-14). And his instructions to Timothy were no less serious—“Charge some that they teach no other doctrine” (1 Timothy 6:3); “If anyone teaches otherwise…withdraw yourself” (1 Timothy 6:3-5).
Sound doctrine has a practical aim; in fact, sound (healthy) doctrine is the only doctrine that produces true spiritual health, because it’s the only doctrine that “accords with godliness” (1 Timothy 6:3; Titus 1:1). Godliness, righteousness, love, faith, reverence, submissiveness, patience, self-control, etc. (1 Timothy 1:5; Titus 2:1-12)—only one who is “nourished” (1 Timothy 4:6) in sound doctrine will produce these fruits in their highest and purest form.
On the other hand, unsound doctrine ruins spiritual health (2 Timothy 2:14). Change, add to, or take from sound doctrine and there will be some ugly fruit—unnecessary disputes, envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, greed, ungodliness, etc. (1 Timothy 1:3-4; 6:3-12; 2 Timothy 2:14-18). Bottom line—sound (healthy) doctrine makes us healthy; unsound (unhealthy) doctrine makes us sick.
“Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:16).
See also: Does Doctrinal Purity Matter?
6. An Inside Job
by Bryan Gibson
November 8, 2013
We have been reading and hearing so much about outreach lately that we thought it was time to balance the scales a bit and talk about INreach. There’s no such word in the English language, of course, so let’s see if we can explain. We’re talking about the efforts of Christians, both collectively and individually, toward those who are “inside” (1 Corinthians 5:12), “of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10), “our people” (Titus 3:14)—in other words, fellow-Christians, or fellow-saints.
Paul wrote two letters to Timothy, one to Titus, both of whom were evangelists. We can’t help but notice the great emphasis given to INreach in all three letters. Great effort and much teaching is required to “set in order the things that are lacking” (Titus 1:5)—to appoint qualified men to serve as elders and deacons (Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-13); to keep the church pure from false doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3-11; 2 Timothy 2:14-18; Titus 1:10-14); to instruct brethren how to “live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:12); etc. Neglect this INreach for very long, and you’re sure to have a mess on your hands. Give it proper emphasis, and the fruits will be many, including a people better prepared to reach OUT to those who are lost.
Turning to the rest of the New Testament, it sure says a lot about our individual responsibilities to “one another.” Love one another (1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11-12); be hospitable to another (1 Peter 4:9); admonish one another (Romans 15:14); weep and rejoice with one another (Romans 12:15); restore one another (Galatians 6:1); comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18); etc. So in all your efforts to reach out, don’t forget to reach in, because your brethren need you and should be the objects of your special attention. “As we have opportunity, let us do go to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Not surprising, then, that we read such commendations as these: “God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Hebrews 6:10). “The household of Stephanas…they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints” (1 Corinthians 16:15). Brethren in Thessalonica received strong commendation for “brotherly love,” but were then urged to “increase more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:9). Ministering to the saints takes time, and a lot of it.
Local churches, then, should seek to strike the proper balance between outreach (teaching the lost) and inreach (teaching and strengthening the brethren). Again, as stated earlier, successful inreach leads to better outreach—Christians become better equipped to teach the lost. As to individual Christians, it seems that lately some have criticized them for their lack of outreach. Remember, they have their hands full, so don’t judge them too harshly. It’s a big enough job just to take care of their families, and then they have all these responsibilities to their brethren. Excuse them for not devoting themselves to the material and social needs of their community. If Christ is living in them (Galatians 2:20), they will be compassionate toward such needs as they interact with non-Christians, but this is not their main mission. They want those on the outside to come inside, and the only way to accomplish that is to teach them the saving gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16).
7. Irresistible Grace
by Dave Brown
October 31, 2013
See also the error of hasty generalization as it applies to Calvinism.
"Irresistible Grace (or efficacious grace) is a doctrine in Christian theology particularly associated with Calvinism, which teaches that the saving grace of God is effectually applied to those whom he has determined to save (the elect) and, in God's timing, overcomes their resistance to obeying the call of the gospel, bringing them to faith in Christ." Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irresistible_grace
This is the definition that will be assumed in this article. Since this is not a biblical doctrine it cannot be defined by biblical references, and thus might have many interpretations. The major problem that we find with Irresistible Grace is that it brings with it the obvious inescapable counterpart: Irresistible Condemnation.
To define "Irresistible Condemnation" in terms of a paraphrase of the definition above:
Irresistible Condemnation is a doctrine in Christian theology particularly associated with Calvinism, that teaches that the saving grace of God is NOT effectually applied to those whom he has NOT determined to save and, in God's timing, allows their resistance to obeying the call of the gospel, allowing them to fall into condemnation.
Irresistible Grace necessitates Irresistible Condemnation. Thus, those who believe in Irresistible Grace must accept the fact that God has created billions of souls for nothing other than utter destruction and eternal punishment in hell for no fault of their own. Is this the god that you believe in? Does this sound like the loving God that is described in the pages of the New Testament? Does this sound like the God who inspired John to write the following? (Revelation 22:17): "The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life."
"Whosoever will may come" -- it is our individual responsibility (will) to respond to God's call through His Son, Jesus Christ. Let us not be deceived by those who would have us believe that we have no control over our fate.
To some extent we can see this idea -- that we have no control over our fate -- permeating our society today as people refuse to take responsibility for their own actions and wish to blame others and ultimately God for the fact that they behave the way that they do. Can you imagine a world where people were willing to take the blame as Paul was in First Corinthians 15:9: "For I am the least of the apostles , that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." No denial, no blaming God for it, no blaming of his upbringing or his environment ... he is willing to say: it was my fault, and it is only right that I should take the blame. Of course, it was by the grace of God through Jesus Christ that Paul did not have to suffer punishment for his sins -- but only because he was willing to admit them and repent of them.
Such a world would be a panacea -- a place where people made mistakes, but where there was shame and guilt felt when those mistakes took place. It would be a place where everyone would be motivated by their own consciences to strive to do better and to help each other to do better as well. Human mistakes are forgivable; human denial can never be forgiven because it is the opposite of repentance.
8. Women in the Book of Proverbs
by Bryan Gibson
October 25, 2013
Many are familiar with the “worthy” or “virtuous” woman described in Proverbs 31, but Proverbs describes some other women, too. Let’s look first at some you don’t want to be.
An immoral woman (also described as an adulterous woman, a seductress, an evil woman).
“Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you…from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words…” (2:10, 16).
“For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood” (5:3-4).
A lovely woman who lacks discretion (not careful in what she thinks, says, does, and wears).
“As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion” (11:22).
A contentious and angry woman (one who is always ready to fight, argue, nitpick, nag, etc.).
“It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious woman” (21:19).
“A continual dripping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike; whoever restrains her restrains the wind, and grasps oil with his right hand” (27:15-16).
A hateful woman.
“For three things the earth is perturbed, Yes, for four it cannot bear up: For a servant when he reigns, a fool when he is filled with food, a hateful woman when she is married, and a maidservant who succeeds her mistress” (30:21-23).
Thankfully, some good women are described in Proverbs, too. Here are your role models.
A wise, prudent woman.
“Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands” (14:1).
Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord” (19:14).
A gracious woman (kind, courteous, polite).
“A gracious woman retains honor, but ruthless men retain riches” (11:16).
The woman who is the crown of her husband, who would be considered a gift from God.
“An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones” (Prov. 12:4).
9. Fellowship with the Father and the Son
by Bryan Gibson
October 17, 2013
Preface by Dave Brown: The confusion about there being one and only one God is most often caused by a failure on our part to think in terms of spiritual things: truth, will and love. The subject of this article involves how the Father. the Son, and the Holy Spirit are, in reality, One. Man was created after the image of God with a body, a soul and a spirit, and yet each person is one. While this is not a perfect analogy it helps us understand the nature of the one true and living God.
Jesus, in describing His relationship with the Father, used the following phrases: “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30); “the Father is in Me, and I in Him” (John 10:38); “I am in the Father, and the Father in Me…the Father who dwells in Me” (John 14:10). But here’s what’s amazing—Jesus wants us to be one in them (the Father and the Son): “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in you; that they also may be one in Us…” (John 17:20-21).
So how is this possible—that we can be one in the Father and the Son (them in us and us in them)? If we can identify the different ways Jesus is one with the Father, then we can understand how we can be one in them. Here are three different ways in which Jesus and the Father are one, and how each relates to our unity with them.
Jesus and the Father are one in DOCTRINE. Jesus affirmed over and over again that what He taught came from His Father, that His words were the Father’s words (John 7:14-18; 8:26-29, 40; 12:47-50; 14:24; 17:8, 14). That being the case, for us to be one in them, we must teach only what Jesus taught. And that’s exactly what these passages plainly state: “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9). “Therefore, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father” (1 John 2:24). There’s no getting around it—what we teach must be ONE with what Jesus taught.
Jesus and the Father are one in LOVE. Jesus spoke often of His Father’s love (John 3:35; 5:20; 10:17; 14:21, 23; 16:27; 17:24), the same love Jesus showed to others (“as the Father loved Me, I also have loved you”—John 15:10). This divine love is exemplified in a number of ways, including His willingness to lay down His life for us (John 3:16; 10:11, 15, 17-18). And it’s this divine love that Jesus wants to see in us: “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which you loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26). We can’t be “in them” and “them in us” unless we demonstrate this same love to others (“love one another, as I loved you”—John 15:12; see also John 13:34-35; Ephesians 5:25; 1 John 3:13-18; 4:7-16).
Jesus and the Father are one in WILL. Not only was what Jesus taught in harmony with the Father’s will, but also what He did (“for I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me”—John 6:38; see also 4:34; 5:30; 8:29; 14:31; 15:10). In fact, this was the very way Jesus expressed His love for the Father—“I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, so I do”—John 14:31). And so, to be one with the Father and the Son, and to properly express our love, we must do as Jesus did—obey the Father’s will, or make His will our will (“he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him—1 John 3:24; see also John 14:15, 21, 23-24; 1 John 2:3-6). Unlike Jesus, we don’t obey the will of God perfectly, and so in order to maintain this fellowship, we must humbly repent, confess our wrongs, and seek forgiveness from God (1 John 1:7, 9).
How is it, then, that we can be one in the Father and the Son? How can they be in us and us in them? How do we maintain this fellowship? By making His doctrine our doctrine, His love our love, and His will our will.
10. The Love of God Poured Out in our Hearts?
by Bryan Gibson
October 10, 2013
Preface by Dave Brown: The subject of this article is one that many grapple with, perhaps thinking that it is just too difficult for the average person. We ask you to give it your careful consideration, and use the scriptures given to verify it. Recognize that it was the Holy Spirit who revealed these words of scripture about Himself. We dare not ignore things that were determined by God to be of sufficient importance to be written down in the scriptures so that we can all come to a mutual understand of them.
“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5).
Before we jump to conclusions about some mystical, “better felt than told” influence of the Holy Spirit, let’s ask this two part question: How exactly has the love of God been poured out in our hearts, and what role does the Holy Spirit play in that?
The following passage answers that question, so read carefully, especially the words in bold: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:9-16).
Did you see it? The love of God is in our hearts because “we have known and believed the love that God has for us.” And we know and believe the love God has for us because we have heard (or read) the testimony, the testimony of the apostles (like John) and New Testament prophets. It’s only through their testimony that we know Jesus died so “that we might live,” that He became “the propitiation for our sins.” And who revealed that testimony to them? The phrase, “He has given us of His Spirit” (4:13), indicates the source, and if that’s not clear enough, read 1 John 5:6-13, especially this statement about the source of their written testimony: “It is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth” (5:7).
1 John 5:6-13 6 "This is he that came by water and blood, (even) Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. 7 And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth. 8 For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one. 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for the witness of God is this, that he hath borne witness concerning his Son. 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in him: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he hath not believed in the witness that God hath borne concerning his Son. 11 And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life. 13 These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, (even) unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God." ASV
Nothing mystical or “better felt than told” here. The Holy Spirit revealed “all truth” (John 14:25-26; 15:26-27; 16:13) to the apostles and prophets, including everything we need to know about the love of God. They wrote down everything that was revealed to them (Ephesians 3:1-5), and so we now have their testimony in the New Testament Scriptures. The love of God is poured out in our hearts when we know and believe their testimony. And this testimony is irrefutable, because it is the testimony of God himself (“he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son”—1 John 5:10).
When we know and believe the love God has for us, we also know and believe the love we should have for others (see 1 John 3:16-18; 4:7-12). That same love which has been poured out in our hearts should now be shown to others. The nature of that love, the expression of that love, and the reward for that love have all been revealed by the Holy Spirit, through the testimony of the apostles and prophets. Using the very language of Scripture, “you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another” (1 Thessalonians 4:9). How well we learn is up to us.
11. Listening: The Pathway to Wisdom
by Bryan Gibson
October 3, 2013
Preface by Dave Brown: Sometimes the bible uses the word "hear" when the fuller meaning in our current day would be "listen." For example, one of the conditions of salvation given by Jesus is given in John 6:44-45: "No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me." Of course, we know that many "hear" the truth but reject it. If we are going to be taught of God we need to do more than to put ourselves in a place where the word of God is audible. No, action is required. We need to listen to what God has for us. This requires action and effort on our part -- it is not just a passive exercise.
“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak…” (James 1:19). Be honest—how often have you disobeyed that commandment? Too often we do just the opposite—we’re slow to hear and swift to speak. And we do that because we’re more interested in what we have to say than what someone else has to say.
Practicing the “Golden Rule” would sure help: “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matt. 7:12). We appreciate it when people listen to us, so why not show them the same courtesy. To become truly wise, we must learn to listen—to our parents, to our spouses, to our children, to our brethren, to our friends and neighbors, to those whom we’re trying to teach, and especially to God.
Let’s look at some other passages (all from Proverbs) that urge us to be “swift to hear and slow to speak.”
Let’s take the following test to see how well we’re doing.
“Swift to hear, slow to speak”—that’s what God wants, so let’s keep working on it.
Hearing is a key element in God's plan of salvation.
12. Please Judge Me
by Bryan Gibson
September 26, 2013
Preface by Dave Brown: Close to two decades ago we wrote that "your most valuable asset is criticism of yourself." This is an extremely counter-intuitive statement, and we did not say it because of biblical teaching (at the time) but in the context of it enabling the person to be a good manager (Technimanagement, by David Brown ... Google for Amazon or other large publisher and re-seller). Our reasoning at that time was that criticism may tell you one of two things. If it is true then it tells you how you can improve yourself, and nothing is more valuable than self-improvement (in either a worldly or a spiritual sense). On the other hand, if it is malicious slander, then it tells you what is in the head of your adversary, and thus prepares you for a defense. So, regardless if it is true or false, if you receive it, evaluate it and act properly on it, it is your most valuable asset. Bryan Gibson below shows that this wisdom is, in fact, nothing new -- it is bible based. While stated as a declarative, "Please Judge Me" demonstrates the biblical proof for the fact that "your most valuable asset is criticism of yourself."
That’s right, it’s time we flipped the script on the overused and misused slogan of so many—“don’t judge me.” Me personally, I want to know when I’m wrong—in any area of my spiritual life. I do “examine (my) own work” (Galatians 6:2); I do “judge” myself (1 Corinthians 11:31), but I may be blind to what others can clearly see.
Just to be clear, I’m not talking about the “command fire to come down from heaven” spirit of judgment displayed by James and John (Luke 9:51-56). Final judgment belongs to the Lord, but you can help me get ready for that judgment by judging me now—by pointing out my sins.
I would urge you to not judge me too hastily, to “not judge according to appearance, but…with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). But if you know the facts, and the facts point to my guilt, please love me enough to rebuke me (Revelation 3:19), because “open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed” (Proverbs 27:5). “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6), so don’t be afraid to wound me.
I would also prefer that you not judge me hypocritically, that you not be guilty of the same things of which you accuse me (Matthew 7:1-5; Romans 2:1-3). Not for my sake, because your hypocrisy doesn’t change my innocence or guilt, but for your sake. Make sure you humbly apply the same standard (the gospel) to yourself that you apply to me, and let’s both be willing to repent.
And yes, it would be easier on me (and you) if you come to me, at least initially, “in a spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1). Circumstances may call for a sharper rebuke (Titus 1:13), and if that’s the case, it’s on me to respond with a “broken and a contrite heart” (Psalms 51:17). Bottom line—be careful in your approach, but from my standpoint, how you speak to me doesn’t change the facts. If I’m guilty of sin, that’s my biggest concern, not the manner in which you spoke.
It could be that my actions call for a public rebuke, much like Peter received at the hands of Paul (Galatians 2:13-14). And though I have no intention to do so, if I publicly teach false doctrine, I shouldn’t be surprised when you feel the need to warn others about me. Public teaching invites public scrutiny, and if necessary, public rebuke—I understand that, and I also understand that if I listen to correction along the way, it should never come to that.
“Don’t judge me”—here’s what God says about that approach: “He who refuses correction goes astray” (Proverbs 10:17). “He who hates corrections is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1). “He who hates correction will die” (Proverbs 15:10). “He who disdains instruction despises his own soul…” (Proverbs 15:32).
“Please judge me”—here’s what God says about that approach: “He who regards a rebuke will be honored” (13:18). “He who receives correction is prudent” (15:5). “The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise…he who heeds rebuke gets understanding” (Proverbs 15:31-32).
So, which is the better approach? You be the judge.
13. Why I Believe the Bible
by Dave Brown
September 9, 2013
Quite often Christians will attempt to convince others of the validity of the bible by scientific and historical evidences. While it is true that there are no scientific or historical biblical assertions that contradict valid science or history, this is not convincing evidence for two reasons. First, it is impossible to agree upon just what constitutes “valid” science or history. The best of both have their flaws, and so this is a process of comparing what could be the word of God to imperfect writings and thoughts of men.
A second problem is that miracles are, by definition, supernatural events. Miracles must contradict that which is observed by men to be science. So proving them valid by means of science is impossible. Those who have attempted to validate the miracles on a scientific basis end up with the paradoxical position of disproving that the miracles were, in reality, miracles. It is interesting to me, however, that in their endeavors to do this, they never deny the truthfulness of the testimony or that the event actually happened. They just seem to think that giving a "scientific" explanation to it will some how increase our faith in the bible; and hence the paradox.
Where does this leave us? The apostle John said it best in John 20:31: “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” Does this not state that reading and understanding the bible itself will build faith in the reader? This is further confirmed by the writings of the apostle Paul, who wrote in Romans 10:17: “So belief (cometh) of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” To our knowledge this is the only verse in the bible that establishes the source of faith, while at the same time confirming John's statement concerning faith.
I believe the New Testament because I believe that Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James and Jude were honorable men of sound mind. Consider the alternatives. If their writings cannot be believed then it would mean that they were either: (1) very greatly deceived, or (2) the grossest of liars.
I guess it might be possible that they were deceived and really did not see the things that they said that they saw. But this is highly unlikely. In order for them to put together such a coherent and consistent account of events, both before and after the death of Jesus, they would have had to have communicated with each other. Confused and deceived men just do not do this. Even when people are in total agreement to work on a document for some mutually agreed upon purpose today, there are endless disagreements over the best way to express it, and we can say with almost certainty: they never get it right the first time. Look are our laws.
All evidence suggests that there was no single recognized authority other than the Lord Himself and the Holy Spirit that could have brought them together in such a complementary and mutually-supportive way. To think that these men were all out of their minds is just not plausible if we just honestly read what they have written and see the profoundly sublime nature of their writings. To those who doubt I can say nothing other than "Please just read it with an open heart and mind."
So, is it possible that they conspired together to pull of one of the greatest scams ever perpetrated upon the human race. Again, the answer is in the words themselves. Read them and meditate upon them and then ask yourself: are these the words of conspiring liars? What motivation would they have to pull this off?
We can see at first that it would have been very tempting to take advantage of the movement as literally thousands of people were being converted to Christ daily. But then came the persecution, the scattering, the threat of death, and in many cases death itself. It is clear that these men had no motivation to lie as did the many false teachers who came into their midst and tried to take advantage of them.
Had they been out to build a large following they would have appealed to the lusts of the eye, the lusts of the flesh, and the vainglory of life, just as false teachers have always done, and just as they do today. Read it and meditate upon it and you will see that this just was not the case. These were faithful believers in the God of the Hebrews, and as such they were aware of the condemnation of people who would preach a gospel that was fiction (Galatians 1:8; 2 John 9; Revelation 22:18-19, etc.).
I believe the New Testament writers because I believe that the writers were honorable and good men who were of sound mind. If these men all testified consistently in a court of law today, their testimony would be believed because they had no motivation or even ability to lie in such a coherent way.
They could not have written the document that we have today had they either been liars or deceived. The alternatives are not feasible, and therefore it must be clear that what is written is indeed inspired by the Holy Spirit and from God.
14. Salvation—The Power and the Conditions
By Bryan Gibson
March 31, 2013
A. Let’s read carefully Ephesians 2:1-10.
1. The emphasis in this passage is almost entirely on what God has done for our salvation.
2. His power, His grace, His love and mercy are all highlighted in this passage.
3. Look at the specific things God did.
a. “When we were dead in trespasses and sins,” God “made us alive” (vv. 1, 5).
b. God “raised us up together” (v. 6).
c. God “made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (v. 6).
d. God “saved” us (vv. 5, 8).
e. And we could add even more to this list going back to 1:3-14 (God chose, adopted, redeemed, and forgave us).
4. God did for us what we were unable to do for ourselves.
5, The folks in Capernaum were right when they asked, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7).
B. But did the Lord (through Paul) mean to completely dismiss any role we may have played in our salvation?
1. “not of yourselves” (v. 8).
a. “Save yourselves from this crooked generation” (Acts 2:40, ASV).
b. Earlier, the question was asked, “what shall we do?” (v. 37),
c, ... and that question was answered in v. 38—“repent and be baptized…”
2. “not of works, lest anyone should boast” (v. 9).
a. “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (James 2:24).
b. “He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9).
C. So why even say that salvation is “not of yourselves,” or that it is “not of works”?
1. Because, the power or the means of our salvation is the primary subject of this passage, not the conditions.
2. This discussion about the power of God begins back in 1:15 (read vv. 15-20).
a. Now, see 2:1. The same power that raised Christ from the dead raised us from the dead spiritually.
b. And that same theme continues throughout the passage, capped off by the statement in v. 10, ,,,
c. ... “For we are HIS workmanship.”
D. Let’s make a distinction, then, between the power or means of our salvation, and ...
the conditions upon which this power or means will be exerted or applied.
1. This same passage does at least briefly touch on a condition of our salvation--
“For by grace you have been saved through faith” (2:8).
2. Faith is not the power or means of salvation; it is the condition we must meet in order to be saved by God,
and that faith must express itself in obedience to God.
E. Let’s illustrate this with three incidents, two from the O.T., and one from the N.T.
1. The conquest of Jericho (Joshua 6).
a. Jericho was a gift of God—“I have given Jericho into your hand” (v. 2); “the LORD has given you the city” (v. 16).
b. The power or means by which these walls fell? The power of God.
c. But when was this power exerted or applied to the walls? When by faith they did exactly what God
told them to do (marching, blowing trumpets, shouting, etc.).
d. Jericho was a gift of God, but they still had to take it--
“Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city” (v. 20).
2. The healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-19).
a. Naaman washed 7 times in the Jordan River, but that was not the means, or thepower behind His cure.
b. God’s power healed this man, but only when He believed enough to do exactly what God told him to do.
c. Naaman certainly had no trouble giving God the glory—“now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel…” (2 Kings 5:15).
3. The healing of the blind man (John 9).
a. Jesus healed this man (means), but only after this man went and washed in the pool of Siloam (condition).
b. Like Naaman, he had no trouble giving the glory to God—“He has opened my eyes” (John 9:30).
F. We’ve already discussed this to some degree, but suppose this question was asked to everyone involved
in these three incidents, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” (Acts 4:7).
1. Would they have credited themselves, or the works they did? Of course not.
2. We’ve already seen the statements of both Naaman and the blind man.
3. “God gave us that city”; “God healed me of my leprosy”; “God opened by eyes.”
G. Let’s relate all this back to our salvation.
1. Salvation is a gift of God. The power to save us is all in the hands of God, and that power is
available to all because Jesus died for all (Hebrews 2:9).
2. There is “power in the blood,” as we sing sometimes, but when is that power applied?
When by faith we do exactly what He has commanded us to do.
3. Acts 2:37-38, 41.
4. Do you think any of these people walked away saying, “Look what WE did!?” The power was not of themselves,
nor of the works they did; it was the “exceeding greatness of His power” (Ephesians 1:19).
5. Obey these conditions today, and God will redeem you; He will forgive you; He will make you alive;
He will adopt you as one of His children; He will raise you up to sit with Him in the heavenly places;
He will save your soul; He will make you an heir of His eternal home.
15. The Purpose of Redemption
by Bryan Gibson
March 17, 2013
Why did God redeem the Israelites from Egypt? According to the Scriptures, He did it for several reasons: 1) to deliver them from slavery (Leviticus 26:13); 2) to have a people He could call His own, a special group of people separated from all other peoples on the face of the earth (Exodus 6:7; Deuteronomy 7:6; 1 Kings 8:53); 3) to make this special people into a holy nation, obedient to His will, so that He might dwell among them (Deuteronomy 7:6; Exodus 19:6; Jeremiah 7:23; Exodus 29:46); 4) to give them (obedient) the land (inheritance) He had promised to them (Leviticus 24:38; Deuteronomy 26:1; 6:23); 5) to make a name for Himself, to bring praise and honor to His name (2 Samuel 7:23; Deuteronomy 26:19).
Know these reasons well, because their redemption was a preview (shadow) of our own. God redeemed us for the very same reasons He redeemed them.
To deliver us from slavery, in our case, the slavery of sin.
“…our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin…he who died has been freed from sin” (Romans 6:6-7). But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered” (Romans 6:17).
To have a people He could call His own, a special group of people separated from all other peoples on the face of the earth (a group that now includes both Jews and Gentiles—people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation).
“who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people…” (Titus 2:14). “But you are a chosen generation…His own special people” (1 Peter 2:9). “I will be Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters” (2 Corinthians 6:18). “…for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
To make this special people into a holy nation, obedient to His will, so that He might dwell among them.
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…” (1 Peter 2:9) “in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:21-22). “For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. And they shall be My people.’ Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you’” (2 Corinthians 6:16-17).
To give those who obey the inheritance He promised to them.
“to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you”(1 Peter 1:3-4). “…knowing that you have a better and enduring possession for yourselves in heaven” (Hebrews 10:34). “…He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9).
To make a name for Himself, to bring praise and honor to His name.
“…to the praise of the glory of His grace” (Eph. 1:6); “…to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:12, 14). “…that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:7). “But you are a chosen generation…that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…” (1 Peter 2:9).
16. Interview with the Prodigal Son
by Bryan Gibson
March 11, 2013
The parable of the prodigal son is found in Luke 15:11-32. I encourage you to read it in full before you read the rest of this article. Using what we learn from the text of the parable to form his answers, let’s ask the prodigal son a few questions about his experiences. Here’s hoping this will help someone who has taken that same journey into the “far country” (world).
Question #1: Why did you leave your Father’s house in the first place?
Whatever may have been on my mind, it gave me freedom—the freedom to dowhat I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. And that’s exactly what I did—in fact, I spent every bit of money I had.
Question #2: What was it like out in the far country?
Not even close to what I thought it would be. I thought I was free, but I ended up in the confines of a pig pen. I thought I was free, but I became a slave—a slave to this so called “free lifestyle.”
And I’ll tell you something else about the far country—it’s hard to find true friends in that place. When I was at my lowest point, at the point when I needed help the most, no one helped me; no one was there to give me what I needed the most. What I’m trying to tell you is that love, in its highest form, does not exist in the far country. You can find it in my Father’s house, but you won’t find it there.
Question #3: Why did you decide to go back to your Father’s house?
I finally came to my senses. I realized that the folks back in my Father’s house were a whole lot better off than me, that the life I once had was much, much better than I ever thought. I thought the far country had a lot to offer, but it was really just an illusion. There’s nothing substantial about it; it doesn’t last, and it leaves you feeling empty. If anyone understands the phrase, “the passing pleasures of sin,” it’s me!
People tell you, “If you really want to live, go to the far country.” That’s a lie. It’s more like, “If you really want to die, go to the far country.” Because that’s what happened to me—I died, not physically of course, but in all the ways that matter the most. My soul, the only part of me that will endure, was just as dead as it could be. I returned to my Father because I wanted to live again. I returned to my Father because I was lost and needed to be found—by someone who truly cared.
Question #4: What kind of reception did you get when you returned to your Father’s house?
Better than I deserved, I can tell you that. I squandered all my money—my Father’s money—on prodigal living, yet when I went back and humbly confessed my sin, my Father received me with open arms. And let me just tell you, I’ve never seen such rejoicing in all my life. Now I know what true freedom feels like.
17. God Is Our Refuge
by Bryan Gibson
March 1, 2013
Here’s a sampling of the many passages that offer this assurance. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” (Deut. 33:27). “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalms 46:1). “…for my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by” (Psalms 57:1). “…and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler” (Psa. 91:4). “In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge” (Prov. 14:26).
Specifically, this “place of refuge” is found in our relationship to God through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 6:17-20), a relationship formed and maintained by faithful obedience (Matthew 7:24-27; 1 John 2:3-6).
This relationship offers a refuge from many harmful things, but especially from sin and its consequences—both in this life and in the life to come. What follows is just a partial list.
God is our refuge…
From substance abuse—by teaching us not to be brought under the control of anything (1 Corinthians 6:12), and by offering us far better ways to cope with the problems of this life.
From sexual immorality and all its consequences—by teaching us the sanctity of marriage (Hebrews 13:4); and by showing us that sexual relations outside this bond of marriage are sinful (1 Corinthians 6:13-20; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8).
From the perils of greed—by warning us about the love of money, by revealing its many temptations and snares, and by giving us a better set of priorities (see 1 Timothy 6:9-11).
From the fear of failure—by completely redefining prosperity and success (Matthew 20:26; 3 John 1:2).
From the rebellious spirit that clashes with authority—by replacing it with an attitude of submission to authority (1 Peter 2:13-3:12).
From the despair that comes from being unloved—by assuring us of His great love for us (Romans 8:35-39), and by surrounding us with brethren who would lay down their lives for us (1 John 3:16-18).
From the crippling effects of anxiety—by giving us the perfect prescription for the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:6-9).
From the self-serving attitude that destroys so many relationships—by teaching us to deny ourselves (Luke 9:23), to esteem others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:1-8).
From other poisonous attitudes like wrath, bitterness and envy—by replacing them with attitudes like self-control, gratitude, kindness, and tenderheartedness (Ephesians 4:31-32; James 4:13-18).
From the heartaches of this life—not by removing them, but by giving us sufficient grace to cope with them (2 Corinthians 12:9), and by promising something far better in the life to come (Revelation 21:4).
From the shackles of denominationalism—by teaching us a way that we can simply be Christians, serving Christ and Him alone, free from associations, conventions, or any other organization of churches beyond the local church (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23-24; Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
From the condemnation of sin—by assuring His children that if we repent and confess our wrongs, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all righteousness” (1 John 1:9).
From the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15)—by promising us that if we live and believe in Him, we will live again, that we will in fact live forever with Him (John 11:23-26; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
18. The Relationship Between Truth and Emotion
by Bryan Gibson
February 22, 2013
Seemed like a good time to write this article, seeing that more and more people seem to think that emotions trump truth. Let’s explore the relationship a little closer, from a Scriptural standpoint, and then issue a couple warnings.
The truth, provided we have a good understanding of it, will produce a wide array of genuine emotions—fear, sorrow, compassion, joy, gratitude, etc. Jesus certainly experienced a range of emotions (Mark 3:5; 11:15-17; Luke 7:13; 10:21; 19:41; Hebrews 5:7), and so did Paul (Acts 20:19, 31; Romans 9:2; 2 Corinthians 2:4; 7:7, 13; 11:29; Philippians 3:18). No need to ever be ashamed of the emotions which spring from an understanding of truth.
The truth will also regulate our emotions, in several ways. 1) Emotions can be pretty fickle—we feel one way one moment and entirely different the next (e.g. Acts 14:8-19; Galatians 4:14-16). Truth is the great moderator—it can prevent these wild swings of emotion. 2) Emotions can also be misdirected—we feel one way when we should feel another. At Mt. Sinai, the Israelites “rejoiced in the works of their own hands” (Acts 7:41)—in short, they rejoiced in iniquity (see 1 Corinthians 13:6). We’ve got too many people asking, “How can this be so wrong when it feels so good?” Yet, to his worldly minded readers, James wrote, “Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom” (James 4:9). The truth, properly understood, will direct our emotions in keeping with the truth (see 3 John 1:4). 3) Emotions can also easily get out of control, which is often the case with anger (“outbursts of wrath—Galatians 5:20). There’s no better anger management course in the world than the one found in the truth of God’s word. 4) Not that there won’t be occasional outpouringsof emotion, but the truth also produces more settled emotions—the kind that produce steadfast, immovable Christians (1 Corinthians 15:58)—a joy that remains with us, even in times of sorrow (John 15:11; 2 Corinthians 6:10); a gratitude that enables us to “give thanks always” (Ephesians 5:20); a fear that will consistently steer us away from “evil” and the “snares of death” (Proverbs 8:13; 14:26-27); etc.
Finally, the truth will root out certain emotions, ones that have no place in the life of a Christian. Self-pity comes way too easily for way too many people, but the truth simply won’t allow it, not with its emphasis on self-denial (Matthew 16:24; Luke 14:26; Philippians 2:3-8).
Now, for a couple much needed warnings. First, resist any and all efforts to change God’s plan—for any reason, including the desire to generate more emotion. More than anything else, we want people to have conviction, which will in turn produce the genuine emotions we spoke of earlier.
Secondly, don’t judge others to be unemotional or lacking in spirituality, simply because they show very few outward displays of emotion. There’s a far better way to judge the depth of one’s faith and love, and their spirituality in general, and that’s by consistent service to the Lord.
19. The Effects of Jealousy
by Dave Brown
February 16, 2013
See also covetousness, which elaborates on the definitions of envy and jealousy.
There are some striking parallels between the books of Exodus and Acts. Both tell of the origins of a new people (one physical, and the other spiritual). While there are many analogies, one of the more interesting and sublime involves the sordid effects that jealousy has on human reasoning.
The words "envy" and "jealousy" are often used to define each other, and there is little distinction between them. Both are deep seated sinful emotions that inevitably lead to destructive actions. Envy is a negative feeling of ill will when someone else prospers or is complimented, perhaps due to feeling that the such is unjust, and that the benefit received by another would more justly go to "me." Jealousy, which carries with it an inference of heated inner feelings, is more attributed to those who already have some advantage and are fearful of losing it due to some statement or event (e.g., a jealous husband, or a jealous king). But they are so closely related, and the hateful motivations behind them are so similar, that we can consider them to be practically synonymous, especially when talking about their consequences. Since here we are dealing with the emotions of those in power, we will use the word jealousy.
Jealousy is, of course, what caused the death of our Lord (Mt. 27:18; Mk. 15:10), so I am sure that none of us minimize its soul-condemning power as a sin. What we often neglect, however is the effect that it can have on our powers of reasoning.
Let's begin with an event that occurred early in this history of the first century church as recorded in Acts 5:16-24:
16 And there also came together the multitudes from the cities round about Jerusalem, bringing sick folk, and them that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one. 17 But the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy, 18 and laid hands on the apostles, and put them in public ward. 19 But an angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them out, and said, 20 Go ye, and stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this Life. 21 And when they heard (this), they entered into the temple about daybreak, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison-house to have them brought. 22 But the officers that came found them not in the prison; and they returned, and told, 23 saying, The prison-house we found shut in all safety, and the keepers standing at the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were much perplexed concerning them whereunto this would grow.
The expression in verse 17, that the rulers were "filled with jealousy," is in stark contrast to Acts 4:31 where it states that the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit. Now notice in verse 24 what it was that these same rulers were perplexed about. You and I would be perplexed about how the apostles managed to escape the jail when the doors were not even opened and the keepers had not seen anything. But they were totally hardened to that, having already being exposed to numerous miracles performed by the apostles. Their concern was with keeping the gospel of Christ from growing. To reasonable people, this seems border on insanity!
Now in Exodus it says that "God hardened Pharaoh's heart." This statement that is made about a half dozen times in the book of Exodus, and an almost equal number of times the implication or statement is made that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. A question came up in our class: how could Pharaoh be so illogical and reject what was clearly before his very eyes? Since it is clear that Pharaoh was fearful of losing his power (as a god) to the LORD, that would fit our definition of jealousy? Clearly, he was jealous of the powers that Moses and Aaron displayed.
Question: did God harden the chief priests hearts that we read about in Acts 5? We stated early in this article that nothing good can come from jealousy. Those who harbor jealousy and continue in it will not only destroy themselves but will destroy those around them. We have all seen ample demonstrations of this. Why are they so self-destructive? Simply because they have lost their ability to reason logically.
Another flaw inherent in the jealous is that they tend to think that everyone sees the world as they do. In Acts 5:27-28 in says: "And the high priest asked them, saying, We strictly charged you not to teach in this name: and behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us." Where did they get this idea? It was never the intent of the apostles to overthrow the religious or political leadership. That was not at all the intent of the gospel. However, jealous political leaders tend to view others as coveting their political power.
This was also true of Pharaoh. In Exodus 1:9-10 it says: "And he [Pharaoh] said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, if a war should occur, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land." Now where did he get that idea? Just as the high priest, he projected his evil nature onto everyone else, producing a terrible distortion of reality. He was blinded to the fact that their motives were completely different from his.
If we do not have an accurate perception of reality, we cannot make intelligent and reasonable decisions. Our decisions will be counterproductive to ourselves and those around us.
Ponder over Proverbs 27:4: "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous, but who is able to stand before envy?" Notice that the culprit here is not with the envious person, it is with envy itself. Wrath makes you cruel; anger makes you outrageous; but what does envy do to you? It disables your very power to reason about those to whom your hatred is directed. Who is able to stand given that? Destruction is inevitable.
God has pre-wired those who are full of jealousy to be unable to have an accurate perception of reality when it comes to dealing with those who they envy. This is the reason that both Pharaoh and the Jewish leaders acted in such an unreasonable way toward God's people, and ultimately toward themselves. We use the word "pre-wired" in the sense that this is the absolute way in which God has made us. In this sense then, when we are consumed with jealousy, it is our human nature created by God that causes our hearts to be hardened; and thus it can rightfully be said that "God hardens our heart." God is ultimately in control of all things, and this is one aspect of our lives that is totally invariant. The consequences to those who are filled with jealousy are inevitable.
This should be a fearful lesson to all of us. When something good happens to someone else, does that bother you? When someone says something positive and complimentary about someone else, do you immediately want to take issue? Do you think (if not say): "I am just as good as he is, why aren't these good things happening to me?" If so, these are indicators of envy and jealousy. Flee from them because your inner nature will stop you from thinking logically when these thoughts fill you heart and mind. In that sense, God is hardening your heart. It is up to you to keep it from happening. God is not going to reward jealousy. Its reward is determined, and the only escape is repentance. "A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh; but envy is the rottenness of the bones" (Prov. 14:30).
20. The Hottest Book in the Old Testament?
by Bryan Gibson
February 15, 2013
The Book of Zephaniah may very well fit that description, because you can almost feel the heat of God’s wrath when you read it. In this particular prophecy, the “fire of His jealousy” (1:18; 3:8), His “indignation” (3:8) and “fierce anger” (2:2; 3:8) is directed against all nations (1:2-3; 2:4-15), and in particular the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem (1:4-6).
To those in sin (1:17), to those who refused to receive correction (3:2, 7), to those who refused to repent (2:1-3)—here’s what God says He will do. “I will…consume (1:3); utterly consume (1:2); stretch out my hand (1:4); cut off (1:4); punish (1:8-9); search…and punish (1:12); bring distress (1:17); make speedy riddance (1:18); destroy (2:5); reduce to nothing (2:11); lay bare” (2:14). And if that’s not graphic enough, here’s His description of their approaching judgment: “That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness” (1:15).
God’s wrath is real, and He does not make idle threats, but He did offer this word of hope: “Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD” (2:3). The righteous may not have always been spared from the physical destruction that came upon these nations, but thanks be to God, their eternal salvation would be secure.
So that’s the bulk of this book—a very somber warning about the wrath of God. There is, however, a noticeable change in tone toward the end of the book, when the prophet begins to speak of the spiritual remnant that will one day be gathered in Christ (3:9-20). “I will…restore (3:9); rejoice over you with gladness…quiet you with love…rejoice over you with singing (3:17); gather (3:18); save (3:19); appoint you for praise and fame (3:19-20); bring you back” (3:20). See the difference? These promises sound a whole lot better than the ones cited above.
But who is it exactly that will receive these blessings from God? He’s speaking of the remnant gathered in Christ, so one must first be baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:26-27) to receive these blessings (see also Ephesians 1:3). But notice what else is said about this remnant. Anyone can be a part of it, because it’s composed of people from many different nations (3:9-10). The people who compose this remnant will be devoted to the one true God—they will all bring their offering (worship) to Him, and all will speak a “pure language…call on the name of the LORD” (3:9-10). Furthermore, they will “serve Him with one accord” (3:9), indicating the unity that would characterize them. Their character is such that they “shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth” (3:13). These people won’t be the arrogant sinners described earlier in the book (2:8, 10; 3:4); they will be “meek and humble” (3:12). Sin won’t get the best of them, because even when they do sin, they will humbly receive correction, and they will humbly repent.
So that’s the picture of the people God will bless today, and ultimately save eternally. Everyone else? “But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish…” (Romans 2:8-9). God’s wrath is real, and He does not make idle threats.
21. Blinded By Human Reasoning
by Bryan Gibson
January 31, 2013
Blinded to the truth—it can happen to any of us (2 Corinthians 4:4), and it happens sometimes because we rely too much on our own reasoning (Proverbs 3:5-7). A particular teaching seems “foolish” to us, and so we reason that it cannot be the truth. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Reasoning, of course, is vital to our understanding of the Scriptures (Acts 17:2; Hebrews 5:14), but we need to be careful that our reasoning doesn’t take us away from the truth, that we don’t reason our way out of what is plainly taught. We would do well to remember these inspired words: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Getting God to agree with us is altogether the wrong approach. It’s our job to bring our minds and lives into agreement with His will (2 Corinthians 10:5). And that won’t happen unless with approach the Scriptures with humility. “The humble He guides in justice; and the humble He teaches His way” (Psalms 25:9).
The story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:1-14 illustrates this principle very well. Naaman went to Elisha’s door, hoping to be healed of his leprosy. Elisha sent out a messenger to Naaman with these words: “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean” (v. 10). Simple, right? A little too simple for Naaman, evidently. “Indeed I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy. Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?’ So he turned and went away in a rage” (vv. 12-13). Fortunately for Naaman, his servants intervened and persuaded him to go and wash in the Jordan (vv. 13-14). Naaman came very close to rejecting the truth, because it did not agree with his own reasoning. Naaman’s story ended on a good note, but for countless others, the ending is tragic, because they never do come around to the truth.
One passage that many have reasoned to death is Matthew 19:9: “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” This teaching seems too hard for many, and so the human reasoning begins. When some people get through “explaining” this passage, people can divorce and remarry as many times as they wish, for whatever reasons they wish, and still be pleasing to God. But the passage says what it says, and no amount of human reasoning can change it. The teaching of Jesus is right; it is what is best for us; and we must humbly accept it and practice it.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:5-7).
“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise” (1 Corinthians 3:18).
22. Isaiah’s Descriptions of God
by Bryan Gibson
January 23, 2010
The Book of Isaiah contains some wonderful descriptions of God and His ways, so let’s use it as our primary source to get better acquainted with the great “I Am” (Exodus 3:14-15).
There is only one God—the One who reveals Himself throughout the pages of Scripture. “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me” (Isaiah 46:9; see also 1 Corinthians 8:4-6).
The one God is eternal, which is exactly what He means when He says, “I am the First, I am also the Last” (Isaiah 48:12; see also Revelation 1:17).
The one eternal God is all-knowing and all-powerful, which means that He can declare “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10), that He can announce what is yet to come and then “bring it to pass” (Isaiah 46:10-11; 48:3-6).
In “the greatness of His might and the strength of His power” God “laid the foundation of the earth” and “stretched out the heavens” (Isaiah 40:26; 48:13), and now rules over them for the benefit of His people (Colossians 1:15-17; Ephesians 1:22-23).
God “formed the earth…to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18), and so He “gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it” (Isaiah 42:5).
These people to whom God gives “breath”—He does not leave them to their own devices (Isaiah 30:1). He gives them commandments, the purpose being to lead them in the way they should go (Isaiah 48:17-18; see also 2:3; 54:13).
To keep His people in the way they should go, God refines them with affliction—“I have refined you…I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10). He does it for our own good, so “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2-3).
God carries His people through this “furnace of affliction”—“Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you” (Isaiah 46:4).
But don’t become impatient when His help seems far away; and don’t think that He has abandoned you, because God does things in His own time (Isaiah 40:27-31). “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3)—that’s what Isaiah heard the seraphim cry when he saw his vision of the Lord. God is holy, and therefore cannot tolerate sin, something which Isaiah understood all too well (Isaiah 6:5—“woe is me”).
And yet to those in sin God the Redeemer offers forgiveness and salvation, righteousness and peace, joy and gladness (Isaiah 35:8-10; 43:25; 46:12-13; 48:18). Come to Him on His terms, and “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).
But don’t wait to get right with Him, because God holds all men accountable, and He will bring “vengeance” on those who continue in sin (Isaiah 47:3; 48:22). His way is called the “Highway of Holiness” (Isaiah 35:8), so leave your sins behind and walk in the way which leads to “everlasting joy” (Isaiah 35:10).
23. Garbage Trucks (and Mouths)
by Bryan Gibson
January 12, 2013
The sanitation crews in my town do a great job. Throughout the week you see them stopping at homes and businesses, loading the garbage on to trucks. Unfortunately, some garbage has to be left behind—that which comes from people’s mouths. These trucks weren’t designed to pick up that kind of trash, and if they were, there wouldn’t be enough of them. To put in bluntly, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t “cuss.” Some people know it’s wrong, and just don’t care; others perhaps are just ignorant of what the Bible says. So that we all know for sure what the Bible says, let’s consider the following:
· God hears every word we say (Psalms 139:3-4), and in the Day of Judgment we will give an account to Him for the words we’ve spoken (Matthew 12:34-37). Some will refrain from bad language when “ladies are present,” or when the “preacher is around.” God is always present—and He will hold you accountable!
· The teaching of Christ in the New Testament is plain: do not use corrupt, filthy, or coarse language (you might want to look up these words). This would certainly include “dirty jokes” (politely referred to as “off color humor”), and what are commonly referred to as “cuss words” (Colossians 3:8; Ephesians 4:29; 5:3-4).
· Strictly speaking, profanity is a separate category from the ones in the previous point. Words become profane when sacred words and concepts are treated in a common and trivial fashion. Today, when you hear, “Oh my God,” or “Jesus Christ,” in many cases, it’s to express disgust or surprise—not exactly the reverence the Lord intended. The Lord’s name is sometimes even used in combination with other expletives. One would have to be truly blind not to see the blasphemy involved. And while we’re on the subject, is it really any better to use euphemisms, such as “golly,” or “Jee” (“gee”)? It’s not hard to see where these words (and others) come from—why not use some other words that we know for sure do not profane the Lord.
· Some argue that since the Bible doesn’t contain a list of prohibited words, we can’t label any particular word as sinful. On this point, we quote Wayne Jackson: “The Bible could not possibly provide a list of ‘forbidden’ words, since words come and go. Some words become obsolete, and fade from the human vocabulary with the passing of time. Too, new words are ever being born. A ‘word list’ could never be totally relevant, even if it were possible to construct such. The biblical documents deal with different abuses of language, in a general way, but there is no catalog of prohibited words...Words become ‘bad’ by virtue of their connotation, motive, etc., and such circumstances can change from time-to-time, or from place-to-place.”For example, “bloody” might mean one thing to us, but in some parts of the world, it would be considered offensive speech.
· Foul language is often directed to other people (“cussing someone out”). Would this not be an example of speaking evil of others, something the New Testament also condemns (Titus 3:2; James 4:11-12; 1 Peter 2:1-2). “Foul” language is an appropriate description, because it indicates language that is out of bounds—that which has “crossed the line.”
· Should the same tongue that is used to bless God curse man? (James 3:9-10).
· Foul language is often spoken during a “fit of anger,” or an “outburst of wrath.” This is certainly no excuse, because God expects us to control our temper (Galatians 5:19-21; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Titus 1:7). “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19).
· Adults are often greatly disturbed to hear small children using foul language. Guess where they learned it? In many cases, from their own parents. Surely, we can set a better example than that.
· Many (especially youth) use foul language because it puts them with the “in crowd”; it makes them feel more accepted by their peers. But remember, our goal is not to please others; our goal is to please God (Galatians 1:10). The Lord is looking for some young people who willing to go against the crowd and stand up for what’s right. Any takers out there?
· Others use foul language to add emphasis to what they’ve said. Some feel like they can get their point across better if they “cuss” (football coaches come to mind). The Oxford English Dictionary contains 295,000 words, with over 600,000 different word forms. I believe we can find a word in there somewhere to give the needed emphasis, without resorting to foul language.
Conclusion:
Two passages very aptly express the attitude we should have toward this subject:
Psalms 141:3: “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.”
Psalms 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”
24. Integrity
by Bryan Gibson
Consider this first: when we support those who use deception, we share the guilt for their lies. This is especially true if the reason we turn a blind eye is that they are lying for our benefit. Please let us know if you disagree with this statement. Then consider Revelation 21:8.
Various passages in the Bible admonish us to walk with integrity:
Proverbs 11:3
The integrity of the upright shall guide them; But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.
Proverbs 19:1 (and 28:6)
Better is the poor that walks in his integrity than he that is … perverse in his lips and is a fool. (… perverse in his ways though he be rich.)
But what is integrity? A dictionary definition reads something like this: “Integrity is moral soundness, especially as it is revealed in dealings that test steadfastness of purpose, responsibility, or trust.” In other words, integrity is sticking to principles of right even when it might be easier to do otherwise; maintaining character, even under severe tests. The root meaning of this word suggests the idea of being whole, undivided, or complete. When under pressure, if we begin to compromise principles of right, our integrity is no longer intact—it is no longer whole. Let’s think through a few situations where our integrity might be tested.
Suppose your boss asks you to lie, a lie he believes will benefit the company for which you work. You realize your job may be on the line. What are you going to do? Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re in charge of the money for some organization, and no careful accounting of the funds is required. In other words, it would be real easy for you to take some money without anyone finding out. Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re planning to sell a car and this car has some “hidden” defects—some which might not be noticed by the average buyer. When he asks you if anything is wrong with it, what are you going to say? If you tell the truth, you may not make as much on the sale. Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re asked by the girl you’re dating to go the dance with her. You really like her a lot, and you don’t want to risk losing her; but you know what the Bible says about lasciviousness, about lusting and causing others to lust. What are you going to do? Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re asked to quit teaching on a particular Bible subject, because some people are offended. You know your responsibility to God, but you’re scared to make enemies. If you’re supported by this church to preach the gospel, you may even lose your job. Will you maintain your integrity?
Maintaining our integrity may not be easy, but the rewards are great. Here are a few:
1) We can walk securely, confidently. When we consistently do the right thing, we don’t have to worry about our conscience “nagging” at us.
Proverbs 10:9
The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
2) We can keep our good name. When we lose our integrity, we lose the respect of others, and consequently our influence for good.
Proverbs 22:1
A (good) name is rather to be chosen than great riches, (And) loving favor rather than silver and gold.
3) We set a great example for our children.
Proverbs 20:7
The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.
4) We please God, and shouldn’t that mean more than anything else?
2 Corinthians 5:9
Wherefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing unto him.
5) We can rejoice.
Matthew 5:12
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.
Let us all reap the benefits of our own integrity even if it is not the popular thing to do in the world.
by Bryan Gibson
Consider this first: when we support those who use deception, we share the guilt for their lies. This is especially true if the reason we turn a blind eye is that they are lying for our benefit. Please let us know if you disagree with this statement. Then consider Revelation 21:8.
Various passages in the Bible admonish us to walk with integrity:
Proverbs 11:3
The integrity of the upright shall guide them; But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.
Proverbs 19:1 (and 28:6)
Better is the poor that walks in his integrity than he that is … perverse in his lips and is a fool. (… perverse in his ways though he be rich.)
But what is integrity? A dictionary definition reads something like this: “Integrity is moral soundness, especially as it is revealed in dealings that test steadfastness of purpose, responsibility, or trust.” In other words, integrity is sticking to principles of right even when it might be easier to do otherwise; maintaining character, even under severe tests. The root meaning of this word suggests the idea of being whole, undivided, or complete. When under pressure, if we begin to compromise principles of right, our integrity is no longer intact—it is no longer whole. Let’s think through a few situations where our integrity might be tested.
Suppose your boss asks you to lie, a lie he believes will benefit the company for which you work. You realize your job may be on the line. What are you going to do? Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re in charge of the money for some organization, and no careful accounting of the funds is required. In other words, it would be real easy for you to take some money without anyone finding out. Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re planning to sell a car and this car has some “hidden” defects—some which might not be noticed by the average buyer. When he asks you if anything is wrong with it, what are you going to say? If you tell the truth, you may not make as much on the sale. Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re asked by the girl you’re dating to go the dance with her. You really like her a lot, and you don’t want to risk losing her; but you know what the Bible says about lasciviousness, about lusting and causing others to lust. What are you going to do? Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re asked to quit teaching on a particular Bible subject, because some people are offended. You know your responsibility to God, but you’re scared to make enemies. If you’re supported by this church to preach the gospel, you may even lose your job. Will you maintain your integrity?
Maintaining our integrity may not be easy, but the rewards are great. Here are a few:
1) We can walk securely, confidently. When we consistently do the right thing, we don’t have to worry about our conscience “nagging” at us.
Proverbs 10:9
The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
2) We can keep our good name. When we lose our integrity, we lose the respect of others, and consequently our influence for good.
Proverbs 22:1
A (good) name is rather to be chosen than great riches, (And) loving favor rather than silver and gold.
3) We set a great example for our children.
Proverbs 20:7
The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.
4) We please God, and shouldn’t that mean more than anything else?
2 Corinthians 5:9
Wherefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing unto him.
5) We can rejoice.
Matthew 5:12
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.
Let us all reap the benefits of our own integrity even if it is not the popular thing to do in the world.
End of Article
The remainder of this page contains articles that have appeared over the most recent three months and that have not yet been put on separate pages on the site.
Scroll down to the article of interest:
- Profile of a Wise Man
- The Billion Dollar Prophet
- How Do You Recognize a Disciple of Jesus?
- The Epistle of James - How Living Faith Behaves
- Sound Doctrine
- An Inside Job
- Irresistible Grace
- Women in the Book of Proverbs
- Fellowship with the Father and the Son
- The Love of God Poured Out in our Hearts
- Listening - The Pathway to Wisdom
- Please Judge Me
- Why I Believe the Bible
- Salvation - The Power and The Conditions
- The Purpose of Redemption
- Interview with the Prodigal Son
- God is our Refuge
- The Relationship between Truth and Emotion
- The Effects of Jealousy
- The Hottest Book in the Old Testament
- Blinded by Human Reasoning
- Isaiah's Descriptions of God
- Garbage Trucks and Mouths
- Integrity
1. Profile of a Wise Man –According to the Book of Proverbs
by Bryan Gibson
January 1, 2015
It has been said that God will judge a man more on the direction that he is going than on his absolute righteousness. If you think about what God has always required of His people, it was faithfulness (Hebrews 11) – that is, trying to do our best to serve him … not necessarily being perfectly successful at it. None of the men and women of faith in Hebrews 11 were sinless, but they all had their lives centered on serving God. -- dbb
A wise man knows he doesn’t know everything, so he takes advantage of every opportunity to increase in knowledge and wisdom (1:5; 2:1-5; 9:9; 10:8, 14; 18:15; 24:5-6), including what he can gain from the wisdom of others. He understands that “in the multitude of counselors, there is safety” (11:14), and he is not so proud that he does not receive rebuke with gratitude. The wisest among us does not have to make mistakes to learn – he benefits by observing the consequences of mistakes made by others.
A wise man does not trust his soul to what seems right; he wants to know what is right (16:25). Because he is not wise in his “own eyes,” he is bent and determined to follow, not his own ways, but the ways of the Lord (3:5-7).
A wise man, because he so desperately wants to be right with God, actually loves those who rebuke him (9:8). What they say may hurt for a little while, but wisdom teaches him that “blows that hurt cleanse away evil” (20:30).
A wise man “restrains his lips”, or “spares his words;” he does not say everything on his mind; he doesn’t speak just to be heard, or to impress others (17:27; 29:11; 14:33; 10:19). When he does speak, he uses to tongue to teach (15:7), to rebuke (25:12), to encourage or help others (12:18), and to win souls (11:30). He is especially wise with his words when dealing with angry people—“a soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (15:1); “scoffers set a city aflame, but wise men turn away wrath” (29:8).
A wise man is alert to temptations—he “foresees evil and hides himself” (22:3); and he does not overestimate his ability to withstand temptation—he “fears and departs from evil” (14:16).
A wise man shows no partiality in his judgment of others (24:23-25), no matter how large or small the inducement may be—“to show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong” (28:21).
A wise man understands that riches “fly away like an eagle toward heaven”, and so he does “not overwork to be rich” (23:4). He does not squander his money (21:20), but he is generous with it (11:25).
The wise man also possesses many other qualities closely related to wisdom, qualities that either lead to wisdom or become the byproducts of wisdom: humility (15:33), mercy (14:21), diligence (12:27), self-control (16:32), integrity (28:6), prudence (22:3), and a fear of the Lord (23:17-18).
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom…” (4:7). “My son, be wise and make my heart glad…” (27:11). “The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools” (3:35).
2. The Billion Dollar Prophet
by Kenny Chumbley
March 22, 2014
Editor's note: Do you know anyone today who claims to work miracles today who would have any conscientious reservations about using his/her powers to claim the billion dollars offered by Warren Buffet in order to "do the work of the Lord?" Please realize that this is not gambling in any sense of the word. An offer was made, and complying with the terms of that offer involves no sin whatsoever. Just think of all of the good that could be done! Just think of how this would serve to prove the validity of what they are preaching. We appreciate so much the effort of Kenny Chumbley in putting these thoughts together. -- dave brown
If you don’t follow college basketball you may not have heard that Warren Buffet, the Omaha, Nebraska, multi-billionaire, offered a $1,000,000,000 (one billion dollars) prize to anyone who could correctly predict the outcome of every game in this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament. All you had to do was pick the winner in sixty-six games, and you’d be the world’s newest billionaire.
Eleven million people filled out brackets and entered the contest, but after just 25 games, everyone was out—everyone had picked the wrong team in at least one game.
I did not enter the contest, but I thought that this was a great opportunity for someone who claims to be a prophet to prove they are truly a prophet. Lots of people claim to be prophets—spokesmen through whom God reveals His will to others. If you have cable, there’s not an hour in the day when you can’t listen to someone who purports to be in the same category as Moses, Elijah, or Isaiah.
And here comes Mr. Buffett, providing these claimants a golden opportunity to demonstrate their claim. Of course, they would not have had to enter the contest from any crass or base motive to make money; their motive would have simply been to demonstrate their divine gift in a most remarkable way. Just think of all the skeptics who would have been silenced by a perfectly filled-out bracket. Think of the opportunity the resulting buzz would have afforded to call men to belief in the one true God.
But, unfortunately, there won’t be anyone exploiting this preaching opportunity, for if there is a true prophet among us, he or she apparently did not enter the contest.
The value of prophecy, in the Biblical sense, is that it involves doing something an ordinary person cannot do (see Jn. 15.24). True prophecy does not depend on causality, and it succeeds despite contingency. Scientists predict things like sunrise, high tide, and the appearance of Halley’s Comet on the basis of causality—the regularity of nature. But prophetic accurately predicts the future despite the irregularity and unpredictability of human nature. In the Bible, specific people are named centuries before they were born, kingdoms are described before they existed, battles are mentioned before they occurred, and personal idiosyncrasies no one could have even guessed at are detailed. Biblical prophecies often predicted the exact opposite of what man would have predicted, such as in the cases of those cities or civilizations whose doom is foretold while they were at the pinnacle of their power.
For a true prophet, correctly predicting the outcome of every NCAA game would have been a piece of cake. The fact that no one did so makes you think that there really is not a true prophet among us these days. Indeed, the bible provides all that we need today to serve the true and living God!
3. How Do You Recognize a Disciple of Jesus?
by Bryan Gibson
March 8, 2014
Who better to tell us than Jesus himself? Here are some marks of a true disciple, followed by the words of Jesus Himself.
Disciples of Jesus are humble. “Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:4). “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
Disciples of Jesus humbly serve the needs of others; they love as He loved. “Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve...” (Mark 10:43-45). “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40). “As I loved you…you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
Disciples of Jesus listen to Him (His word) and do exactly what He says. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me...” (Matthew 11:29). “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed” (John 8:31). “My sheep hear My voice…and they follow Me” (John 10:27). “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (John 14:23). “Make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Disciples of Jesus do not listen to anyone other than Jesus. “And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:4-5). “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:9). “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).
Disciples of Jesus become like their Teacher—Jesus Himself. “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15).
Disciples of Jesus bear MUCH fruit. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8). “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 7:19).
Disciples of Jesus are loyal—they will follow Him, no matter what the cost may be. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me…he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me…he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:34-38). “Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33).
These are the simple words of Jesus Himself. Some false teachers will take hours and hours to explain them away. Why do they want to explain them away? Why not just accept them for what they say? They are truth in the perfect sense of that word.
4. The Epistle of James: How Living Faith Behaves
by Bryan Gibson
February 21, 2014
Faith without works is dead; it has no profit; it cannot save—so argues the key passage in this whole book (2:14-26). The only faith that will please God and save our souls is a living, active faith. But exactly how is faith supposed to behave? The rest of this book takes us through a variety of problems and situations, showing in each case how faith is supposed to act. Let’s take a closer look.
FAITH endures trials…
By helping us see the value of trials, in the midst of the pain—“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” (1:2-4).
By keeping our eyes fixed on the ultimate reward for endurance, the “crown of life” (1:12), which we will receive at the “coming of the Lord” (5:7).
FAITH overcomes temptations…
By helping us recognize the true source of temptations—“let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (1:13-14).
By being “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (1:22-25).
FAITH works by love…
And that love is expressed in such works as “visiting the orphans and widows in their affliction” (1:27) and restoring erring brethren (5:19-20).
Such love will never show “partiality” (2:1-13), “speak evil” of a brother (4:11-12), or “heap up treasure” while ignoring the needs of others (5:1-6).
FAITH controls the tongue…
By helping us understand that this “little member” is very powerful and potentially very destructive (3:3-8).
By making sure that “blessing and cursing” do not come from the same mouth (3:9-12).
FAITH chooses the wisdom of God over the wisdom of the world…
Because it trusts in God, and because it understands the difference in the fruit yielded by each one—“envy…self-seeking…confusion and every evil thing” vs. “pure…peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (3:13-18, esp. vv. 16-17).
FAITH turns away from worldly lusts and pleasures…
Because these desires are futile (4:1-3), and because this “friendship with the world is enmity with God” (4:4).
And it does so with success, because if you “resist the devil…he will flee” (4:7).
FAITH draw nears to God…
With humility, with godly sorrow, and with true repentance (4:8-10).
With the understanding that God can provide what the world cannot (4:6)—that He’s a much better “friend” than the world could ever be.
FAITH does not count on tomorrow…
But instead says, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that” (4:13-17).
FAITH prays to God…
And it does so “in faith, with no doubting” (1:5-8), believing that the “effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (5:13-18).
5. Sound Doctrine
by Bryan Gibson
February 13, 2014
“Sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:10; 2 Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1), or “sound words” (1 Timothy 6:3; 2 Timothy 1:13)—that’s how the gospel is described in these letters to Timothy and Titus. “Sound” is from the Greek word, hugiaino, which means “to be sound, to be well, to be healthy” (Thayer and Smith). This word is sometimes used to describe physical health (Luke 7:10—“well”; 3 John 1:2—“health”), but in the passages cited above, it clearly has a spiritual application. Let’s stay in these letters to Timothy and Titus to see what else is said about this description of the gospel.
Jesus Christ is the sole source of sound doctrine. “If anyone…does not consent to wholesome (sound) words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (1 Timothy 6:3). These “words” would include, of course, the words Jesus spoke through His apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:1-5), words preserved for us in the New Testament.
We should be careful, then, to teach and practice only the doctrine of Christ. The only way we can be “sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13) is to “speak…sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1), and then practice what we preach. Preach sound doctrine, even when “they will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2-3); “hold fast the pattern of sound words” (2 Timothy 1:13); “continue in the things which you have learned” (2 Timothy 3:14)—these are the instructions Paul gave Timothy. Paul did commend Timothy, because at least to that point, he had “carefully followed” sound doctrine (1 Timothy 4:6), and that’s the commendation we should all seek.
Religious doctrine can have only one other source -- man. But it’s impossible to follow man’s teaching and still be sound in the faith. Mix with the doctrine of Christ the “commandments of men” (Titus 1:14), and the result is unsound doctrine—no matter how wise it sounds, no matter how much it helps the church to “grow,” and no matter how popular it may be to the masses. “Rebuke them sharply”—that’s what Paul told Titus to do to these mixers (Titus 1:13-14). And his instructions to Timothy were no less serious—“Charge some that they teach no other doctrine” (1 Timothy 6:3); “If anyone teaches otherwise…withdraw yourself” (1 Timothy 6:3-5).
Sound doctrine has a practical aim; in fact, sound (healthy) doctrine is the only doctrine that produces true spiritual health, because it’s the only doctrine that “accords with godliness” (1 Timothy 6:3; Titus 1:1). Godliness, righteousness, love, faith, reverence, submissiveness, patience, self-control, etc. (1 Timothy 1:5; Titus 2:1-12)—only one who is “nourished” (1 Timothy 4:6) in sound doctrine will produce these fruits in their highest and purest form.
On the other hand, unsound doctrine ruins spiritual health (2 Timothy 2:14). Change, add to, or take from sound doctrine and there will be some ugly fruit—unnecessary disputes, envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, greed, ungodliness, etc. (1 Timothy 1:3-4; 6:3-12; 2 Timothy 2:14-18). Bottom line—sound (healthy) doctrine makes us healthy; unsound (unhealthy) doctrine makes us sick.
“Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:16).
See also: Does Doctrinal Purity Matter?
6. An Inside Job
by Bryan Gibson
November 8, 2013
We have been reading and hearing so much about outreach lately that we thought it was time to balance the scales a bit and talk about INreach. There’s no such word in the English language, of course, so let’s see if we can explain. We’re talking about the efforts of Christians, both collectively and individually, toward those who are “inside” (1 Corinthians 5:12), “of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10), “our people” (Titus 3:14)—in other words, fellow-Christians, or fellow-saints.
Paul wrote two letters to Timothy, one to Titus, both of whom were evangelists. We can’t help but notice the great emphasis given to INreach in all three letters. Great effort and much teaching is required to “set in order the things that are lacking” (Titus 1:5)—to appoint qualified men to serve as elders and deacons (Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-13); to keep the church pure from false doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3-11; 2 Timothy 2:14-18; Titus 1:10-14); to instruct brethren how to “live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:12); etc. Neglect this INreach for very long, and you’re sure to have a mess on your hands. Give it proper emphasis, and the fruits will be many, including a people better prepared to reach OUT to those who are lost.
Turning to the rest of the New Testament, it sure says a lot about our individual responsibilities to “one another.” Love one another (1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11-12); be hospitable to another (1 Peter 4:9); admonish one another (Romans 15:14); weep and rejoice with one another (Romans 12:15); restore one another (Galatians 6:1); comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18); etc. So in all your efforts to reach out, don’t forget to reach in, because your brethren need you and should be the objects of your special attention. “As we have opportunity, let us do go to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Not surprising, then, that we read such commendations as these: “God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Hebrews 6:10). “The household of Stephanas…they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints” (1 Corinthians 16:15). Brethren in Thessalonica received strong commendation for “brotherly love,” but were then urged to “increase more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:9). Ministering to the saints takes time, and a lot of it.
Local churches, then, should seek to strike the proper balance between outreach (teaching the lost) and inreach (teaching and strengthening the brethren). Again, as stated earlier, successful inreach leads to better outreach—Christians become better equipped to teach the lost. As to individual Christians, it seems that lately some have criticized them for their lack of outreach. Remember, they have their hands full, so don’t judge them too harshly. It’s a big enough job just to take care of their families, and then they have all these responsibilities to their brethren. Excuse them for not devoting themselves to the material and social needs of their community. If Christ is living in them (Galatians 2:20), they will be compassionate toward such needs as they interact with non-Christians, but this is not their main mission. They want those on the outside to come inside, and the only way to accomplish that is to teach them the saving gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16).
7. Irresistible Grace
by Dave Brown
October 31, 2013
See also the error of hasty generalization as it applies to Calvinism.
"Irresistible Grace (or efficacious grace) is a doctrine in Christian theology particularly associated with Calvinism, which teaches that the saving grace of God is effectually applied to those whom he has determined to save (the elect) and, in God's timing, overcomes their resistance to obeying the call of the gospel, bringing them to faith in Christ." Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irresistible_grace
This is the definition that will be assumed in this article. Since this is not a biblical doctrine it cannot be defined by biblical references, and thus might have many interpretations. The major problem that we find with Irresistible Grace is that it brings with it the obvious inescapable counterpart: Irresistible Condemnation.
To define "Irresistible Condemnation" in terms of a paraphrase of the definition above:
Irresistible Condemnation is a doctrine in Christian theology particularly associated with Calvinism, that teaches that the saving grace of God is NOT effectually applied to those whom he has NOT determined to save and, in God's timing, allows their resistance to obeying the call of the gospel, allowing them to fall into condemnation.
Irresistible Grace necessitates Irresistible Condemnation. Thus, those who believe in Irresistible Grace must accept the fact that God has created billions of souls for nothing other than utter destruction and eternal punishment in hell for no fault of their own. Is this the god that you believe in? Does this sound like the loving God that is described in the pages of the New Testament? Does this sound like the God who inspired John to write the following? (Revelation 22:17): "The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life."
"Whosoever will may come" -- it is our individual responsibility (will) to respond to God's call through His Son, Jesus Christ. Let us not be deceived by those who would have us believe that we have no control over our fate.
To some extent we can see this idea -- that we have no control over our fate -- permeating our society today as people refuse to take responsibility for their own actions and wish to blame others and ultimately God for the fact that they behave the way that they do. Can you imagine a world where people were willing to take the blame as Paul was in First Corinthians 15:9: "For I am the least of the apostles , that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." No denial, no blaming God for it, no blaming of his upbringing or his environment ... he is willing to say: it was my fault, and it is only right that I should take the blame. Of course, it was by the grace of God through Jesus Christ that Paul did not have to suffer punishment for his sins -- but only because he was willing to admit them and repent of them.
Such a world would be a panacea -- a place where people made mistakes, but where there was shame and guilt felt when those mistakes took place. It would be a place where everyone would be motivated by their own consciences to strive to do better and to help each other to do better as well. Human mistakes are forgivable; human denial can never be forgiven because it is the opposite of repentance.
8. Women in the Book of Proverbs
by Bryan Gibson
October 25, 2013
Many are familiar with the “worthy” or “virtuous” woman described in Proverbs 31, but Proverbs describes some other women, too. Let’s look first at some you don’t want to be.
An immoral woman (also described as an adulterous woman, a seductress, an evil woman).
“Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you…from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words…” (2:10, 16).
“For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood” (5:3-4).
A lovely woman who lacks discretion (not careful in what she thinks, says, does, and wears).
“As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion” (11:22).
A contentious and angry woman (one who is always ready to fight, argue, nitpick, nag, etc.).
“It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious woman” (21:19).
“A continual dripping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike; whoever restrains her restrains the wind, and grasps oil with his right hand” (27:15-16).
A hateful woman.
“For three things the earth is perturbed, Yes, for four it cannot bear up: For a servant when he reigns, a fool when he is filled with food, a hateful woman when she is married, and a maidservant who succeeds her mistress” (30:21-23).
Thankfully, some good women are described in Proverbs, too. Here are your role models.
A wise, prudent woman.
“Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands” (14:1).
Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord” (19:14).
A gracious woman (kind, courteous, polite).
“A gracious woman retains honor, but ruthless men retain riches” (11:16).
The woman who is the crown of her husband, who would be considered a gift from God.
“An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones” (Prov. 12:4).
9. Fellowship with the Father and the Son
by Bryan Gibson
October 17, 2013
Preface by Dave Brown: The confusion about there being one and only one God is most often caused by a failure on our part to think in terms of spiritual things: truth, will and love. The subject of this article involves how the Father. the Son, and the Holy Spirit are, in reality, One. Man was created after the image of God with a body, a soul and a spirit, and yet each person is one. While this is not a perfect analogy it helps us understand the nature of the one true and living God.
Jesus, in describing His relationship with the Father, used the following phrases: “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30); “the Father is in Me, and I in Him” (John 10:38); “I am in the Father, and the Father in Me…the Father who dwells in Me” (John 14:10). But here’s what’s amazing—Jesus wants us to be one in them (the Father and the Son): “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in you; that they also may be one in Us…” (John 17:20-21).
So how is this possible—that we can be one in the Father and the Son (them in us and us in them)? If we can identify the different ways Jesus is one with the Father, then we can understand how we can be one in them. Here are three different ways in which Jesus and the Father are one, and how each relates to our unity with them.
Jesus and the Father are one in DOCTRINE. Jesus affirmed over and over again that what He taught came from His Father, that His words were the Father’s words (John 7:14-18; 8:26-29, 40; 12:47-50; 14:24; 17:8, 14). That being the case, for us to be one in them, we must teach only what Jesus taught. And that’s exactly what these passages plainly state: “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9). “Therefore, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father” (1 John 2:24). There’s no getting around it—what we teach must be ONE with what Jesus taught.
Jesus and the Father are one in LOVE. Jesus spoke often of His Father’s love (John 3:35; 5:20; 10:17; 14:21, 23; 16:27; 17:24), the same love Jesus showed to others (“as the Father loved Me, I also have loved you”—John 15:10). This divine love is exemplified in a number of ways, including His willingness to lay down His life for us (John 3:16; 10:11, 15, 17-18). And it’s this divine love that Jesus wants to see in us: “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which you loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26). We can’t be “in them” and “them in us” unless we demonstrate this same love to others (“love one another, as I loved you”—John 15:12; see also John 13:34-35; Ephesians 5:25; 1 John 3:13-18; 4:7-16).
Jesus and the Father are one in WILL. Not only was what Jesus taught in harmony with the Father’s will, but also what He did (“for I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me”—John 6:38; see also 4:34; 5:30; 8:29; 14:31; 15:10). In fact, this was the very way Jesus expressed His love for the Father—“I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, so I do”—John 14:31). And so, to be one with the Father and the Son, and to properly express our love, we must do as Jesus did—obey the Father’s will, or make His will our will (“he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him—1 John 3:24; see also John 14:15, 21, 23-24; 1 John 2:3-6). Unlike Jesus, we don’t obey the will of God perfectly, and so in order to maintain this fellowship, we must humbly repent, confess our wrongs, and seek forgiveness from God (1 John 1:7, 9).
How is it, then, that we can be one in the Father and the Son? How can they be in us and us in them? How do we maintain this fellowship? By making His doctrine our doctrine, His love our love, and His will our will.
10. The Love of God Poured Out in our Hearts?
by Bryan Gibson
October 10, 2013
Preface by Dave Brown: The subject of this article is one that many grapple with, perhaps thinking that it is just too difficult for the average person. We ask you to give it your careful consideration, and use the scriptures given to verify it. Recognize that it was the Holy Spirit who revealed these words of scripture about Himself. We dare not ignore things that were determined by God to be of sufficient importance to be written down in the scriptures so that we can all come to a mutual understand of them.
“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5).
Before we jump to conclusions about some mystical, “better felt than told” influence of the Holy Spirit, let’s ask this two part question: How exactly has the love of God been poured out in our hearts, and what role does the Holy Spirit play in that?
The following passage answers that question, so read carefully, especially the words in bold: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:9-16).
Did you see it? The love of God is in our hearts because “we have known and believed the love that God has for us.” And we know and believe the love God has for us because we have heard (or read) the testimony, the testimony of the apostles (like John) and New Testament prophets. It’s only through their testimony that we know Jesus died so “that we might live,” that He became “the propitiation for our sins.” And who revealed that testimony to them? The phrase, “He has given us of His Spirit” (4:13), indicates the source, and if that’s not clear enough, read 1 John 5:6-13, especially this statement about the source of their written testimony: “It is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth” (5:7).
1 John 5:6-13 6 "This is he that came by water and blood, (even) Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. 7 And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth. 8 For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one. 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for the witness of God is this, that he hath borne witness concerning his Son. 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in him: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he hath not believed in the witness that God hath borne concerning his Son. 11 And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life. 13 These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, (even) unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God." ASV
Nothing mystical or “better felt than told” here. The Holy Spirit revealed “all truth” (John 14:25-26; 15:26-27; 16:13) to the apostles and prophets, including everything we need to know about the love of God. They wrote down everything that was revealed to them (Ephesians 3:1-5), and so we now have their testimony in the New Testament Scriptures. The love of God is poured out in our hearts when we know and believe their testimony. And this testimony is irrefutable, because it is the testimony of God himself (“he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son”—1 John 5:10).
When we know and believe the love God has for us, we also know and believe the love we should have for others (see 1 John 3:16-18; 4:7-12). That same love which has been poured out in our hearts should now be shown to others. The nature of that love, the expression of that love, and the reward for that love have all been revealed by the Holy Spirit, through the testimony of the apostles and prophets. Using the very language of Scripture, “you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another” (1 Thessalonians 4:9). How well we learn is up to us.
11. Listening: The Pathway to Wisdom
by Bryan Gibson
October 3, 2013
Preface by Dave Brown: Sometimes the bible uses the word "hear" when the fuller meaning in our current day would be "listen." For example, one of the conditions of salvation given by Jesus is given in John 6:44-45: "No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me." Of course, we know that many "hear" the truth but reject it. If we are going to be taught of God we need to do more than to put ourselves in a place where the word of God is audible. No, action is required. We need to listen to what God has for us. This requires action and effort on our part -- it is not just a passive exercise.
“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak…” (James 1:19). Be honest—how often have you disobeyed that commandment? Too often we do just the opposite—we’re slow to hear and swift to speak. And we do that because we’re more interested in what we have to say than what someone else has to say.
Practicing the “Golden Rule” would sure help: “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matt. 7:12). We appreciate it when people listen to us, so why not show them the same courtesy. To become truly wise, we must learn to listen—to our parents, to our spouses, to our children, to our brethren, to our friends and neighbors, to those whom we’re trying to teach, and especially to God.
Let’s look at some other passages (all from Proverbs) that urge us to be “swift to hear and slow to speak.”
- “He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive” (17:27-28).
- “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him” (18:13).
- “Wise people store up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction” (10:14).
- “A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly” (12:23).
- “Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, but what is in the heart of fools is made known” (14:33).
- “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (29:20).
- “The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise. He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding” (15:31-32).
Let’s take the following test to see how well we’re doing.
- Do we listen when someone is correcting us, or only when someone is praising us?
- When we share knowledge with others, do we do it to inform or to impress?
- Do we feel like we have to say everything that’s on our mind?
- How often do we interrupt when someone else is speaking?
- Do we really listen to the ideas of others, or is our way always the best way?
- Do we tell things on other people before we’ve heard all the facts?
- Do we really listen when our children tell us what’s going on in their lives?
- Do we listen to the elderly, or do we dismiss their wisdom as “outdated”?
- Do we listen carefully in Bible class, both to the teacher and to those making comments?
- Do we listen carefully to every sermon?
“Swift to hear, slow to speak”—that’s what God wants, so let’s keep working on it.
Hearing is a key element in God's plan of salvation.
12. Please Judge Me
by Bryan Gibson
September 26, 2013
Preface by Dave Brown: Close to two decades ago we wrote that "your most valuable asset is criticism of yourself." This is an extremely counter-intuitive statement, and we did not say it because of biblical teaching (at the time) but in the context of it enabling the person to be a good manager (Technimanagement, by David Brown ... Google for Amazon or other large publisher and re-seller). Our reasoning at that time was that criticism may tell you one of two things. If it is true then it tells you how you can improve yourself, and nothing is more valuable than self-improvement (in either a worldly or a spiritual sense). On the other hand, if it is malicious slander, then it tells you what is in the head of your adversary, and thus prepares you for a defense. So, regardless if it is true or false, if you receive it, evaluate it and act properly on it, it is your most valuable asset. Bryan Gibson below shows that this wisdom is, in fact, nothing new -- it is bible based. While stated as a declarative, "Please Judge Me" demonstrates the biblical proof for the fact that "your most valuable asset is criticism of yourself."
That’s right, it’s time we flipped the script on the overused and misused slogan of so many—“don’t judge me.” Me personally, I want to know when I’m wrong—in any area of my spiritual life. I do “examine (my) own work” (Galatians 6:2); I do “judge” myself (1 Corinthians 11:31), but I may be blind to what others can clearly see.
Just to be clear, I’m not talking about the “command fire to come down from heaven” spirit of judgment displayed by James and John (Luke 9:51-56). Final judgment belongs to the Lord, but you can help me get ready for that judgment by judging me now—by pointing out my sins.
I would urge you to not judge me too hastily, to “not judge according to appearance, but…with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). But if you know the facts, and the facts point to my guilt, please love me enough to rebuke me (Revelation 3:19), because “open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed” (Proverbs 27:5). “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6), so don’t be afraid to wound me.
I would also prefer that you not judge me hypocritically, that you not be guilty of the same things of which you accuse me (Matthew 7:1-5; Romans 2:1-3). Not for my sake, because your hypocrisy doesn’t change my innocence or guilt, but for your sake. Make sure you humbly apply the same standard (the gospel) to yourself that you apply to me, and let’s both be willing to repent.
And yes, it would be easier on me (and you) if you come to me, at least initially, “in a spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1). Circumstances may call for a sharper rebuke (Titus 1:13), and if that’s the case, it’s on me to respond with a “broken and a contrite heart” (Psalms 51:17). Bottom line—be careful in your approach, but from my standpoint, how you speak to me doesn’t change the facts. If I’m guilty of sin, that’s my biggest concern, not the manner in which you spoke.
It could be that my actions call for a public rebuke, much like Peter received at the hands of Paul (Galatians 2:13-14). And though I have no intention to do so, if I publicly teach false doctrine, I shouldn’t be surprised when you feel the need to warn others about me. Public teaching invites public scrutiny, and if necessary, public rebuke—I understand that, and I also understand that if I listen to correction along the way, it should never come to that.
“Don’t judge me”—here’s what God says about that approach: “He who refuses correction goes astray” (Proverbs 10:17). “He who hates corrections is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1). “He who hates correction will die” (Proverbs 15:10). “He who disdains instruction despises his own soul…” (Proverbs 15:32).
“Please judge me”—here’s what God says about that approach: “He who regards a rebuke will be honored” (13:18). “He who receives correction is prudent” (15:5). “The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise…he who heeds rebuke gets understanding” (Proverbs 15:31-32).
So, which is the better approach? You be the judge.
13. Why I Believe the Bible
by Dave Brown
September 9, 2013
Quite often Christians will attempt to convince others of the validity of the bible by scientific and historical evidences. While it is true that there are no scientific or historical biblical assertions that contradict valid science or history, this is not convincing evidence for two reasons. First, it is impossible to agree upon just what constitutes “valid” science or history. The best of both have their flaws, and so this is a process of comparing what could be the word of God to imperfect writings and thoughts of men.
A second problem is that miracles are, by definition, supernatural events. Miracles must contradict that which is observed by men to be science. So proving them valid by means of science is impossible. Those who have attempted to validate the miracles on a scientific basis end up with the paradoxical position of disproving that the miracles were, in reality, miracles. It is interesting to me, however, that in their endeavors to do this, they never deny the truthfulness of the testimony or that the event actually happened. They just seem to think that giving a "scientific" explanation to it will some how increase our faith in the bible; and hence the paradox.
Where does this leave us? The apostle John said it best in John 20:31: “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” Does this not state that reading and understanding the bible itself will build faith in the reader? This is further confirmed by the writings of the apostle Paul, who wrote in Romans 10:17: “So belief (cometh) of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” To our knowledge this is the only verse in the bible that establishes the source of faith, while at the same time confirming John's statement concerning faith.
I believe the New Testament because I believe that Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James and Jude were honorable men of sound mind. Consider the alternatives. If their writings cannot be believed then it would mean that they were either: (1) very greatly deceived, or (2) the grossest of liars.
I guess it might be possible that they were deceived and really did not see the things that they said that they saw. But this is highly unlikely. In order for them to put together such a coherent and consistent account of events, both before and after the death of Jesus, they would have had to have communicated with each other. Confused and deceived men just do not do this. Even when people are in total agreement to work on a document for some mutually agreed upon purpose today, there are endless disagreements over the best way to express it, and we can say with almost certainty: they never get it right the first time. Look are our laws.
All evidence suggests that there was no single recognized authority other than the Lord Himself and the Holy Spirit that could have brought them together in such a complementary and mutually-supportive way. To think that these men were all out of their minds is just not plausible if we just honestly read what they have written and see the profoundly sublime nature of their writings. To those who doubt I can say nothing other than "Please just read it with an open heart and mind."
So, is it possible that they conspired together to pull of one of the greatest scams ever perpetrated upon the human race. Again, the answer is in the words themselves. Read them and meditate upon them and then ask yourself: are these the words of conspiring liars? What motivation would they have to pull this off?
We can see at first that it would have been very tempting to take advantage of the movement as literally thousands of people were being converted to Christ daily. But then came the persecution, the scattering, the threat of death, and in many cases death itself. It is clear that these men had no motivation to lie as did the many false teachers who came into their midst and tried to take advantage of them.
Had they been out to build a large following they would have appealed to the lusts of the eye, the lusts of the flesh, and the vainglory of life, just as false teachers have always done, and just as they do today. Read it and meditate upon it and you will see that this just was not the case. These were faithful believers in the God of the Hebrews, and as such they were aware of the condemnation of people who would preach a gospel that was fiction (Galatians 1:8; 2 John 9; Revelation 22:18-19, etc.).
I believe the New Testament writers because I believe that the writers were honorable and good men who were of sound mind. If these men all testified consistently in a court of law today, their testimony would be believed because they had no motivation or even ability to lie in such a coherent way.
They could not have written the document that we have today had they either been liars or deceived. The alternatives are not feasible, and therefore it must be clear that what is written is indeed inspired by the Holy Spirit and from God.
14. Salvation—The Power and the Conditions
By Bryan Gibson
March 31, 2013
A. Let’s read carefully Ephesians 2:1-10.
1. The emphasis in this passage is almost entirely on what God has done for our salvation.
2. His power, His grace, His love and mercy are all highlighted in this passage.
3. Look at the specific things God did.
a. “When we were dead in trespasses and sins,” God “made us alive” (vv. 1, 5).
b. God “raised us up together” (v. 6).
c. God “made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (v. 6).
d. God “saved” us (vv. 5, 8).
e. And we could add even more to this list going back to 1:3-14 (God chose, adopted, redeemed, and forgave us).
4. God did for us what we were unable to do for ourselves.
5, The folks in Capernaum were right when they asked, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7).
B. But did the Lord (through Paul) mean to completely dismiss any role we may have played in our salvation?
1. “not of yourselves” (v. 8).
a. “Save yourselves from this crooked generation” (Acts 2:40, ASV).
b. Earlier, the question was asked, “what shall we do?” (v. 37),
c, ... and that question was answered in v. 38—“repent and be baptized…”
2. “not of works, lest anyone should boast” (v. 9).
a. “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (James 2:24).
b. “He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9).
C. So why even say that salvation is “not of yourselves,” or that it is “not of works”?
1. Because, the power or the means of our salvation is the primary subject of this passage, not the conditions.
2. This discussion about the power of God begins back in 1:15 (read vv. 15-20).
a. Now, see 2:1. The same power that raised Christ from the dead raised us from the dead spiritually.
b. And that same theme continues throughout the passage, capped off by the statement in v. 10, ,,,
c. ... “For we are HIS workmanship.”
D. Let’s make a distinction, then, between the power or means of our salvation, and ...
the conditions upon which this power or means will be exerted or applied.
1. This same passage does at least briefly touch on a condition of our salvation--
“For by grace you have been saved through faith” (2:8).
2. Faith is not the power or means of salvation; it is the condition we must meet in order to be saved by God,
and that faith must express itself in obedience to God.
E. Let’s illustrate this with three incidents, two from the O.T., and one from the N.T.
1. The conquest of Jericho (Joshua 6).
a. Jericho was a gift of God—“I have given Jericho into your hand” (v. 2); “the LORD has given you the city” (v. 16).
b. The power or means by which these walls fell? The power of God.
c. But when was this power exerted or applied to the walls? When by faith they did exactly what God
told them to do (marching, blowing trumpets, shouting, etc.).
d. Jericho was a gift of God, but they still had to take it--
“Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city” (v. 20).
2. The healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-19).
a. Naaman washed 7 times in the Jordan River, but that was not the means, or thepower behind His cure.
b. God’s power healed this man, but only when He believed enough to do exactly what God told him to do.
c. Naaman certainly had no trouble giving God the glory—“now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel…” (2 Kings 5:15).
3. The healing of the blind man (John 9).
a. Jesus healed this man (means), but only after this man went and washed in the pool of Siloam (condition).
b. Like Naaman, he had no trouble giving the glory to God—“He has opened my eyes” (John 9:30).
F. We’ve already discussed this to some degree, but suppose this question was asked to everyone involved
in these three incidents, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” (Acts 4:7).
1. Would they have credited themselves, or the works they did? Of course not.
2. We’ve already seen the statements of both Naaman and the blind man.
3. “God gave us that city”; “God healed me of my leprosy”; “God opened by eyes.”
G. Let’s relate all this back to our salvation.
1. Salvation is a gift of God. The power to save us is all in the hands of God, and that power is
available to all because Jesus died for all (Hebrews 2:9).
2. There is “power in the blood,” as we sing sometimes, but when is that power applied?
When by faith we do exactly what He has commanded us to do.
3. Acts 2:37-38, 41.
4. Do you think any of these people walked away saying, “Look what WE did!?” The power was not of themselves,
nor of the works they did; it was the “exceeding greatness of His power” (Ephesians 1:19).
5. Obey these conditions today, and God will redeem you; He will forgive you; He will make you alive;
He will adopt you as one of His children; He will raise you up to sit with Him in the heavenly places;
He will save your soul; He will make you an heir of His eternal home.
15. The Purpose of Redemption
by Bryan Gibson
March 17, 2013
Why did God redeem the Israelites from Egypt? According to the Scriptures, He did it for several reasons: 1) to deliver them from slavery (Leviticus 26:13); 2) to have a people He could call His own, a special group of people separated from all other peoples on the face of the earth (Exodus 6:7; Deuteronomy 7:6; 1 Kings 8:53); 3) to make this special people into a holy nation, obedient to His will, so that He might dwell among them (Deuteronomy 7:6; Exodus 19:6; Jeremiah 7:23; Exodus 29:46); 4) to give them (obedient) the land (inheritance) He had promised to them (Leviticus 24:38; Deuteronomy 26:1; 6:23); 5) to make a name for Himself, to bring praise and honor to His name (2 Samuel 7:23; Deuteronomy 26:19).
Know these reasons well, because their redemption was a preview (shadow) of our own. God redeemed us for the very same reasons He redeemed them.
To deliver us from slavery, in our case, the slavery of sin.
“…our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin…he who died has been freed from sin” (Romans 6:6-7). But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered” (Romans 6:17).
To have a people He could call His own, a special group of people separated from all other peoples on the face of the earth (a group that now includes both Jews and Gentiles—people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation).
“who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people…” (Titus 2:14). “But you are a chosen generation…His own special people” (1 Peter 2:9). “I will be Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters” (2 Corinthians 6:18). “…for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
To make this special people into a holy nation, obedient to His will, so that He might dwell among them.
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…” (1 Peter 2:9) “in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:21-22). “For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. And they shall be My people.’ Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you’” (2 Corinthians 6:16-17).
To give those who obey the inheritance He promised to them.
“to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you”(1 Peter 1:3-4). “…knowing that you have a better and enduring possession for yourselves in heaven” (Hebrews 10:34). “…He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9).
To make a name for Himself, to bring praise and honor to His name.
“…to the praise of the glory of His grace” (Eph. 1:6); “…to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:12, 14). “…that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:7). “But you are a chosen generation…that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…” (1 Peter 2:9).
16. Interview with the Prodigal Son
by Bryan Gibson
March 11, 2013
The parable of the prodigal son is found in Luke 15:11-32. I encourage you to read it in full before you read the rest of this article. Using what we learn from the text of the parable to form his answers, let’s ask the prodigal son a few questions about his experiences. Here’s hoping this will help someone who has taken that same journey into the “far country” (world).
Question #1: Why did you leave your Father’s house in the first place?
Whatever may have been on my mind, it gave me freedom—the freedom to dowhat I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. And that’s exactly what I did—in fact, I spent every bit of money I had.
Question #2: What was it like out in the far country?
Not even close to what I thought it would be. I thought I was free, but I ended up in the confines of a pig pen. I thought I was free, but I became a slave—a slave to this so called “free lifestyle.”
And I’ll tell you something else about the far country—it’s hard to find true friends in that place. When I was at my lowest point, at the point when I needed help the most, no one helped me; no one was there to give me what I needed the most. What I’m trying to tell you is that love, in its highest form, does not exist in the far country. You can find it in my Father’s house, but you won’t find it there.
Question #3: Why did you decide to go back to your Father’s house?
I finally came to my senses. I realized that the folks back in my Father’s house were a whole lot better off than me, that the life I once had was much, much better than I ever thought. I thought the far country had a lot to offer, but it was really just an illusion. There’s nothing substantial about it; it doesn’t last, and it leaves you feeling empty. If anyone understands the phrase, “the passing pleasures of sin,” it’s me!
People tell you, “If you really want to live, go to the far country.” That’s a lie. It’s more like, “If you really want to die, go to the far country.” Because that’s what happened to me—I died, not physically of course, but in all the ways that matter the most. My soul, the only part of me that will endure, was just as dead as it could be. I returned to my Father because I wanted to live again. I returned to my Father because I was lost and needed to be found—by someone who truly cared.
Question #4: What kind of reception did you get when you returned to your Father’s house?
Better than I deserved, I can tell you that. I squandered all my money—my Father’s money—on prodigal living, yet when I went back and humbly confessed my sin, my Father received me with open arms. And let me just tell you, I’ve never seen such rejoicing in all my life. Now I know what true freedom feels like.
17. God Is Our Refuge
by Bryan Gibson
March 1, 2013
Here’s a sampling of the many passages that offer this assurance. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” (Deut. 33:27). “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalms 46:1). “…for my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by” (Psalms 57:1). “…and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler” (Psa. 91:4). “In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge” (Prov. 14:26).
Specifically, this “place of refuge” is found in our relationship to God through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 6:17-20), a relationship formed and maintained by faithful obedience (Matthew 7:24-27; 1 John 2:3-6).
This relationship offers a refuge from many harmful things, but especially from sin and its consequences—both in this life and in the life to come. What follows is just a partial list.
God is our refuge…
From substance abuse—by teaching us not to be brought under the control of anything (1 Corinthians 6:12), and by offering us far better ways to cope with the problems of this life.
From sexual immorality and all its consequences—by teaching us the sanctity of marriage (Hebrews 13:4); and by showing us that sexual relations outside this bond of marriage are sinful (1 Corinthians 6:13-20; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8).
From the perils of greed—by warning us about the love of money, by revealing its many temptations and snares, and by giving us a better set of priorities (see 1 Timothy 6:9-11).
From the fear of failure—by completely redefining prosperity and success (Matthew 20:26; 3 John 1:2).
From the rebellious spirit that clashes with authority—by replacing it with an attitude of submission to authority (1 Peter 2:13-3:12).
From the despair that comes from being unloved—by assuring us of His great love for us (Romans 8:35-39), and by surrounding us with brethren who would lay down their lives for us (1 John 3:16-18).
From the crippling effects of anxiety—by giving us the perfect prescription for the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:6-9).
From the self-serving attitude that destroys so many relationships—by teaching us to deny ourselves (Luke 9:23), to esteem others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:1-8).
From other poisonous attitudes like wrath, bitterness and envy—by replacing them with attitudes like self-control, gratitude, kindness, and tenderheartedness (Ephesians 4:31-32; James 4:13-18).
From the heartaches of this life—not by removing them, but by giving us sufficient grace to cope with them (2 Corinthians 12:9), and by promising something far better in the life to come (Revelation 21:4).
From the shackles of denominationalism—by teaching us a way that we can simply be Christians, serving Christ and Him alone, free from associations, conventions, or any other organization of churches beyond the local church (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23-24; Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
From the condemnation of sin—by assuring His children that if we repent and confess our wrongs, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all righteousness” (1 John 1:9).
From the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15)—by promising us that if we live and believe in Him, we will live again, that we will in fact live forever with Him (John 11:23-26; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
18. The Relationship Between Truth and Emotion
by Bryan Gibson
February 22, 2013
Seemed like a good time to write this article, seeing that more and more people seem to think that emotions trump truth. Let’s explore the relationship a little closer, from a Scriptural standpoint, and then issue a couple warnings.
The truth, provided we have a good understanding of it, will produce a wide array of genuine emotions—fear, sorrow, compassion, joy, gratitude, etc. Jesus certainly experienced a range of emotions (Mark 3:5; 11:15-17; Luke 7:13; 10:21; 19:41; Hebrews 5:7), and so did Paul (Acts 20:19, 31; Romans 9:2; 2 Corinthians 2:4; 7:7, 13; 11:29; Philippians 3:18). No need to ever be ashamed of the emotions which spring from an understanding of truth.
The truth will also regulate our emotions, in several ways. 1) Emotions can be pretty fickle—we feel one way one moment and entirely different the next (e.g. Acts 14:8-19; Galatians 4:14-16). Truth is the great moderator—it can prevent these wild swings of emotion. 2) Emotions can also be misdirected—we feel one way when we should feel another. At Mt. Sinai, the Israelites “rejoiced in the works of their own hands” (Acts 7:41)—in short, they rejoiced in iniquity (see 1 Corinthians 13:6). We’ve got too many people asking, “How can this be so wrong when it feels so good?” Yet, to his worldly minded readers, James wrote, “Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom” (James 4:9). The truth, properly understood, will direct our emotions in keeping with the truth (see 3 John 1:4). 3) Emotions can also easily get out of control, which is often the case with anger (“outbursts of wrath—Galatians 5:20). There’s no better anger management course in the world than the one found in the truth of God’s word. 4) Not that there won’t be occasional outpouringsof emotion, but the truth also produces more settled emotions—the kind that produce steadfast, immovable Christians (1 Corinthians 15:58)—a joy that remains with us, even in times of sorrow (John 15:11; 2 Corinthians 6:10); a gratitude that enables us to “give thanks always” (Ephesians 5:20); a fear that will consistently steer us away from “evil” and the “snares of death” (Proverbs 8:13; 14:26-27); etc.
Finally, the truth will root out certain emotions, ones that have no place in the life of a Christian. Self-pity comes way too easily for way too many people, but the truth simply won’t allow it, not with its emphasis on self-denial (Matthew 16:24; Luke 14:26; Philippians 2:3-8).
Now, for a couple much needed warnings. First, resist any and all efforts to change God’s plan—for any reason, including the desire to generate more emotion. More than anything else, we want people to have conviction, which will in turn produce the genuine emotions we spoke of earlier.
Secondly, don’t judge others to be unemotional or lacking in spirituality, simply because they show very few outward displays of emotion. There’s a far better way to judge the depth of one’s faith and love, and their spirituality in general, and that’s by consistent service to the Lord.
19. The Effects of Jealousy
by Dave Brown
February 16, 2013
See also covetousness, which elaborates on the definitions of envy and jealousy.
There are some striking parallels between the books of Exodus and Acts. Both tell of the origins of a new people (one physical, and the other spiritual). While there are many analogies, one of the more interesting and sublime involves the sordid effects that jealousy has on human reasoning.
The words "envy" and "jealousy" are often used to define each other, and there is little distinction between them. Both are deep seated sinful emotions that inevitably lead to destructive actions. Envy is a negative feeling of ill will when someone else prospers or is complimented, perhaps due to feeling that the such is unjust, and that the benefit received by another would more justly go to "me." Jealousy, which carries with it an inference of heated inner feelings, is more attributed to those who already have some advantage and are fearful of losing it due to some statement or event (e.g., a jealous husband, or a jealous king). But they are so closely related, and the hateful motivations behind them are so similar, that we can consider them to be practically synonymous, especially when talking about their consequences. Since here we are dealing with the emotions of those in power, we will use the word jealousy.
Jealousy is, of course, what caused the death of our Lord (Mt. 27:18; Mk. 15:10), so I am sure that none of us minimize its soul-condemning power as a sin. What we often neglect, however is the effect that it can have on our powers of reasoning.
Let's begin with an event that occurred early in this history of the first century church as recorded in Acts 5:16-24:
16 And there also came together the multitudes from the cities round about Jerusalem, bringing sick folk, and them that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one. 17 But the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy, 18 and laid hands on the apostles, and put them in public ward. 19 But an angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them out, and said, 20 Go ye, and stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this Life. 21 And when they heard (this), they entered into the temple about daybreak, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison-house to have them brought. 22 But the officers that came found them not in the prison; and they returned, and told, 23 saying, The prison-house we found shut in all safety, and the keepers standing at the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were much perplexed concerning them whereunto this would grow.
The expression in verse 17, that the rulers were "filled with jealousy," is in stark contrast to Acts 4:31 where it states that the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit. Now notice in verse 24 what it was that these same rulers were perplexed about. You and I would be perplexed about how the apostles managed to escape the jail when the doors were not even opened and the keepers had not seen anything. But they were totally hardened to that, having already being exposed to numerous miracles performed by the apostles. Their concern was with keeping the gospel of Christ from growing. To reasonable people, this seems border on insanity!
Now in Exodus it says that "God hardened Pharaoh's heart." This statement that is made about a half dozen times in the book of Exodus, and an almost equal number of times the implication or statement is made that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. A question came up in our class: how could Pharaoh be so illogical and reject what was clearly before his very eyes? Since it is clear that Pharaoh was fearful of losing his power (as a god) to the LORD, that would fit our definition of jealousy? Clearly, he was jealous of the powers that Moses and Aaron displayed.
Question: did God harden the chief priests hearts that we read about in Acts 5? We stated early in this article that nothing good can come from jealousy. Those who harbor jealousy and continue in it will not only destroy themselves but will destroy those around them. We have all seen ample demonstrations of this. Why are they so self-destructive? Simply because they have lost their ability to reason logically.
Another flaw inherent in the jealous is that they tend to think that everyone sees the world as they do. In Acts 5:27-28 in says: "And the high priest asked them, saying, We strictly charged you not to teach in this name: and behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us." Where did they get this idea? It was never the intent of the apostles to overthrow the religious or political leadership. That was not at all the intent of the gospel. However, jealous political leaders tend to view others as coveting their political power.
This was also true of Pharaoh. In Exodus 1:9-10 it says: "And he [Pharaoh] said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, if a war should occur, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land." Now where did he get that idea? Just as the high priest, he projected his evil nature onto everyone else, producing a terrible distortion of reality. He was blinded to the fact that their motives were completely different from his.
If we do not have an accurate perception of reality, we cannot make intelligent and reasonable decisions. Our decisions will be counterproductive to ourselves and those around us.
Ponder over Proverbs 27:4: "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous, but who is able to stand before envy?" Notice that the culprit here is not with the envious person, it is with envy itself. Wrath makes you cruel; anger makes you outrageous; but what does envy do to you? It disables your very power to reason about those to whom your hatred is directed. Who is able to stand given that? Destruction is inevitable.
God has pre-wired those who are full of jealousy to be unable to have an accurate perception of reality when it comes to dealing with those who they envy. This is the reason that both Pharaoh and the Jewish leaders acted in such an unreasonable way toward God's people, and ultimately toward themselves. We use the word "pre-wired" in the sense that this is the absolute way in which God has made us. In this sense then, when we are consumed with jealousy, it is our human nature created by God that causes our hearts to be hardened; and thus it can rightfully be said that "God hardens our heart." God is ultimately in control of all things, and this is one aspect of our lives that is totally invariant. The consequences to those who are filled with jealousy are inevitable.
This should be a fearful lesson to all of us. When something good happens to someone else, does that bother you? When someone says something positive and complimentary about someone else, do you immediately want to take issue? Do you think (if not say): "I am just as good as he is, why aren't these good things happening to me?" If so, these are indicators of envy and jealousy. Flee from them because your inner nature will stop you from thinking logically when these thoughts fill you heart and mind. In that sense, God is hardening your heart. It is up to you to keep it from happening. God is not going to reward jealousy. Its reward is determined, and the only escape is repentance. "A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh; but envy is the rottenness of the bones" (Prov. 14:30).
20. The Hottest Book in the Old Testament?
by Bryan Gibson
February 15, 2013
The Book of Zephaniah may very well fit that description, because you can almost feel the heat of God’s wrath when you read it. In this particular prophecy, the “fire of His jealousy” (1:18; 3:8), His “indignation” (3:8) and “fierce anger” (2:2; 3:8) is directed against all nations (1:2-3; 2:4-15), and in particular the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem (1:4-6).
To those in sin (1:17), to those who refused to receive correction (3:2, 7), to those who refused to repent (2:1-3)—here’s what God says He will do. “I will…consume (1:3); utterly consume (1:2); stretch out my hand (1:4); cut off (1:4); punish (1:8-9); search…and punish (1:12); bring distress (1:17); make speedy riddance (1:18); destroy (2:5); reduce to nothing (2:11); lay bare” (2:14). And if that’s not graphic enough, here’s His description of their approaching judgment: “That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness” (1:15).
God’s wrath is real, and He does not make idle threats, but He did offer this word of hope: “Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD” (2:3). The righteous may not have always been spared from the physical destruction that came upon these nations, but thanks be to God, their eternal salvation would be secure.
So that’s the bulk of this book—a very somber warning about the wrath of God. There is, however, a noticeable change in tone toward the end of the book, when the prophet begins to speak of the spiritual remnant that will one day be gathered in Christ (3:9-20). “I will…restore (3:9); rejoice over you with gladness…quiet you with love…rejoice over you with singing (3:17); gather (3:18); save (3:19); appoint you for praise and fame (3:19-20); bring you back” (3:20). See the difference? These promises sound a whole lot better than the ones cited above.
But who is it exactly that will receive these blessings from God? He’s speaking of the remnant gathered in Christ, so one must first be baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:26-27) to receive these blessings (see also Ephesians 1:3). But notice what else is said about this remnant. Anyone can be a part of it, because it’s composed of people from many different nations (3:9-10). The people who compose this remnant will be devoted to the one true God—they will all bring their offering (worship) to Him, and all will speak a “pure language…call on the name of the LORD” (3:9-10). Furthermore, they will “serve Him with one accord” (3:9), indicating the unity that would characterize them. Their character is such that they “shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth” (3:13). These people won’t be the arrogant sinners described earlier in the book (2:8, 10; 3:4); they will be “meek and humble” (3:12). Sin won’t get the best of them, because even when they do sin, they will humbly receive correction, and they will humbly repent.
So that’s the picture of the people God will bless today, and ultimately save eternally. Everyone else? “But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish…” (Romans 2:8-9). God’s wrath is real, and He does not make idle threats.
21. Blinded By Human Reasoning
by Bryan Gibson
January 31, 2013
Blinded to the truth—it can happen to any of us (2 Corinthians 4:4), and it happens sometimes because we rely too much on our own reasoning (Proverbs 3:5-7). A particular teaching seems “foolish” to us, and so we reason that it cannot be the truth. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Reasoning, of course, is vital to our understanding of the Scriptures (Acts 17:2; Hebrews 5:14), but we need to be careful that our reasoning doesn’t take us away from the truth, that we don’t reason our way out of what is plainly taught. We would do well to remember these inspired words: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Getting God to agree with us is altogether the wrong approach. It’s our job to bring our minds and lives into agreement with His will (2 Corinthians 10:5). And that won’t happen unless with approach the Scriptures with humility. “The humble He guides in justice; and the humble He teaches His way” (Psalms 25:9).
The story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:1-14 illustrates this principle very well. Naaman went to Elisha’s door, hoping to be healed of his leprosy. Elisha sent out a messenger to Naaman with these words: “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean” (v. 10). Simple, right? A little too simple for Naaman, evidently. “Indeed I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy. Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?’ So he turned and went away in a rage” (vv. 12-13). Fortunately for Naaman, his servants intervened and persuaded him to go and wash in the Jordan (vv. 13-14). Naaman came very close to rejecting the truth, because it did not agree with his own reasoning. Naaman’s story ended on a good note, but for countless others, the ending is tragic, because they never do come around to the truth.
One passage that many have reasoned to death is Matthew 19:9: “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” This teaching seems too hard for many, and so the human reasoning begins. When some people get through “explaining” this passage, people can divorce and remarry as many times as they wish, for whatever reasons they wish, and still be pleasing to God. But the passage says what it says, and no amount of human reasoning can change it. The teaching of Jesus is right; it is what is best for us; and we must humbly accept it and practice it.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:5-7).
“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise” (1 Corinthians 3:18).
22. Isaiah’s Descriptions of God
by Bryan Gibson
January 23, 2010
The Book of Isaiah contains some wonderful descriptions of God and His ways, so let’s use it as our primary source to get better acquainted with the great “I Am” (Exodus 3:14-15).
There is only one God—the One who reveals Himself throughout the pages of Scripture. “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me” (Isaiah 46:9; see also 1 Corinthians 8:4-6).
The one God is eternal, which is exactly what He means when He says, “I am the First, I am also the Last” (Isaiah 48:12; see also Revelation 1:17).
The one eternal God is all-knowing and all-powerful, which means that He can declare “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10), that He can announce what is yet to come and then “bring it to pass” (Isaiah 46:10-11; 48:3-6).
In “the greatness of His might and the strength of His power” God “laid the foundation of the earth” and “stretched out the heavens” (Isaiah 40:26; 48:13), and now rules over them for the benefit of His people (Colossians 1:15-17; Ephesians 1:22-23).
God “formed the earth…to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18), and so He “gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it” (Isaiah 42:5).
These people to whom God gives “breath”—He does not leave them to their own devices (Isaiah 30:1). He gives them commandments, the purpose being to lead them in the way they should go (Isaiah 48:17-18; see also 2:3; 54:13).
To keep His people in the way they should go, God refines them with affliction—“I have refined you…I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10). He does it for our own good, so “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2-3).
God carries His people through this “furnace of affliction”—“Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you” (Isaiah 46:4).
But don’t become impatient when His help seems far away; and don’t think that He has abandoned you, because God does things in His own time (Isaiah 40:27-31). “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3)—that’s what Isaiah heard the seraphim cry when he saw his vision of the Lord. God is holy, and therefore cannot tolerate sin, something which Isaiah understood all too well (Isaiah 6:5—“woe is me”).
And yet to those in sin God the Redeemer offers forgiveness and salvation, righteousness and peace, joy and gladness (Isaiah 35:8-10; 43:25; 46:12-13; 48:18). Come to Him on His terms, and “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).
But don’t wait to get right with Him, because God holds all men accountable, and He will bring “vengeance” on those who continue in sin (Isaiah 47:3; 48:22). His way is called the “Highway of Holiness” (Isaiah 35:8), so leave your sins behind and walk in the way which leads to “everlasting joy” (Isaiah 35:10).
23. Garbage Trucks (and Mouths)
by Bryan Gibson
January 12, 2013
The sanitation crews in my town do a great job. Throughout the week you see them stopping at homes and businesses, loading the garbage on to trucks. Unfortunately, some garbage has to be left behind—that which comes from people’s mouths. These trucks weren’t designed to pick up that kind of trash, and if they were, there wouldn’t be enough of them. To put in bluntly, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t “cuss.” Some people know it’s wrong, and just don’t care; others perhaps are just ignorant of what the Bible says. So that we all know for sure what the Bible says, let’s consider the following:
· God hears every word we say (Psalms 139:3-4), and in the Day of Judgment we will give an account to Him for the words we’ve spoken (Matthew 12:34-37). Some will refrain from bad language when “ladies are present,” or when the “preacher is around.” God is always present—and He will hold you accountable!
· The teaching of Christ in the New Testament is plain: do not use corrupt, filthy, or coarse language (you might want to look up these words). This would certainly include “dirty jokes” (politely referred to as “off color humor”), and what are commonly referred to as “cuss words” (Colossians 3:8; Ephesians 4:29; 5:3-4).
· Strictly speaking, profanity is a separate category from the ones in the previous point. Words become profane when sacred words and concepts are treated in a common and trivial fashion. Today, when you hear, “Oh my God,” or “Jesus Christ,” in many cases, it’s to express disgust or surprise—not exactly the reverence the Lord intended. The Lord’s name is sometimes even used in combination with other expletives. One would have to be truly blind not to see the blasphemy involved. And while we’re on the subject, is it really any better to use euphemisms, such as “golly,” or “Jee” (“gee”)? It’s not hard to see where these words (and others) come from—why not use some other words that we know for sure do not profane the Lord.
· Some argue that since the Bible doesn’t contain a list of prohibited words, we can’t label any particular word as sinful. On this point, we quote Wayne Jackson: “The Bible could not possibly provide a list of ‘forbidden’ words, since words come and go. Some words become obsolete, and fade from the human vocabulary with the passing of time. Too, new words are ever being born. A ‘word list’ could never be totally relevant, even if it were possible to construct such. The biblical documents deal with different abuses of language, in a general way, but there is no catalog of prohibited words...Words become ‘bad’ by virtue of their connotation, motive, etc., and such circumstances can change from time-to-time, or from place-to-place.”For example, “bloody” might mean one thing to us, but in some parts of the world, it would be considered offensive speech.
· Foul language is often directed to other people (“cussing someone out”). Would this not be an example of speaking evil of others, something the New Testament also condemns (Titus 3:2; James 4:11-12; 1 Peter 2:1-2). “Foul” language is an appropriate description, because it indicates language that is out of bounds—that which has “crossed the line.”
· Should the same tongue that is used to bless God curse man? (James 3:9-10).
· Foul language is often spoken during a “fit of anger,” or an “outburst of wrath.” This is certainly no excuse, because God expects us to control our temper (Galatians 5:19-21; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Titus 1:7). “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19).
· Adults are often greatly disturbed to hear small children using foul language. Guess where they learned it? In many cases, from their own parents. Surely, we can set a better example than that.
· Many (especially youth) use foul language because it puts them with the “in crowd”; it makes them feel more accepted by their peers. But remember, our goal is not to please others; our goal is to please God (Galatians 1:10). The Lord is looking for some young people who willing to go against the crowd and stand up for what’s right. Any takers out there?
· Others use foul language to add emphasis to what they’ve said. Some feel like they can get their point across better if they “cuss” (football coaches come to mind). The Oxford English Dictionary contains 295,000 words, with over 600,000 different word forms. I believe we can find a word in there somewhere to give the needed emphasis, without resorting to foul language.
Conclusion:
Two passages very aptly express the attitude we should have toward this subject:
Psalms 141:3: “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.”
Psalms 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”
24. Integrity
by Bryan Gibson
Consider this first: when we support those who use deception, we share the guilt for their lies. This is especially true if the reason we turn a blind eye is that they are lying for our benefit. Please let us know if you disagree with this statement. Then consider Revelation 21:8.
Various passages in the Bible admonish us to walk with integrity:
Proverbs 11:3
The integrity of the upright shall guide them; But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.
Proverbs 19:1 (and 28:6)
Better is the poor that walks in his integrity than he that is … perverse in his lips and is a fool. (… perverse in his ways though he be rich.)
But what is integrity? A dictionary definition reads something like this: “Integrity is moral soundness, especially as it is revealed in dealings that test steadfastness of purpose, responsibility, or trust.” In other words, integrity is sticking to principles of right even when it might be easier to do otherwise; maintaining character, even under severe tests. The root meaning of this word suggests the idea of being whole, undivided, or complete. When under pressure, if we begin to compromise principles of right, our integrity is no longer intact—it is no longer whole. Let’s think through a few situations where our integrity might be tested.
Suppose your boss asks you to lie, a lie he believes will benefit the company for which you work. You realize your job may be on the line. What are you going to do? Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re in charge of the money for some organization, and no careful accounting of the funds is required. In other words, it would be real easy for you to take some money without anyone finding out. Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re planning to sell a car and this car has some “hidden” defects—some which might not be noticed by the average buyer. When he asks you if anything is wrong with it, what are you going to say? If you tell the truth, you may not make as much on the sale. Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re asked by the girl you’re dating to go the dance with her. You really like her a lot, and you don’t want to risk losing her; but you know what the Bible says about lasciviousness, about lusting and causing others to lust. What are you going to do? Will you maintain your integrity?
Suppose you’re asked to quit teaching on a particular Bible subject, because some people are offended. You know your responsibility to God, but you’re scared to make enemies. If you’re supported by this church to preach the gospel, you may even lose your job. Will you maintain your integrity?
Maintaining our integrity may not be easy, but the rewards are great. Here are a few:
1) We can walk securely, confidently. When we consistently do the right thing, we don’t have to worry about our conscience “nagging” at us.
Proverbs 10:9
The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
2) We can keep our good name. When we lose our integrity, we lose the respect of others, and consequently our influence for good.
Proverbs 22:1
A (good) name is rather to be chosen than great riches, (And) loving favor rather than silver and gold.
3) We set a great example for our children.
Proverbs 20:7
The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.
4) We please God, and shouldn’t that mean more than anything else?
2 Corinthians 5:9
Wherefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing unto him.
5) We can rejoice.
Matthew 5:12
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.
Let us all reap the benefits of our own integrity even if it is not the popular thing to do in the world.