We are saddened and shocked beyond belief by the tragic events of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. This was consummate evil. There is no justification for killing innocent people who had done their attackers no wrong. Neither was our country at war with any of those who perpetrated their horrible deed. We are made to ask "Why?"

As evil as the deed was, do you doubt that those who carried it out were sincere and believed in what they were doing? They were willing to die for a cause in which they believed. We profess to believe in the cause of Christ. Would we be willing to die for our faith? Maybe a better question would be, "Are you willing to live for your faith?"

Proverbs14:34 "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."

Surely any patriotic person would like to see his country exalted, be honored and held in the very highest regard. Even if one is not concerned with the hereafter, he would do well to practice right living so his country would be blessed. This is an election year. Several national leaders will be chosen. The issue of religion has already been injected into the campaign. The wisdom of that, politically, remains to be seen.

Political or not, it is still true that righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people.

Rulers have a greater responsibility than does the ordinary person. Even individuals need to do right, rulers must do right! Prov. 31:4 "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted."

How can we be strong as a nation when we give legal approval to killing unborn babies? It is too gruesome to mention but we must: partial birth abortions are too horrifying to show on TV. For a baby’s head to protrude, a hole be pierced in the back of the head and the brain suctioned out, the skull crushed, is criminal. If a stranger came in and did the same thing without the consent of the mother, he would be arrested and prosecuted. The baby’s rights (does it have any?) are the same in both cases.

When a nation gives legal status to homosexuality, what can we expect in other areas of morals?

Divorce on demand is accepted, but not by the Almighty.

Arsonists set fires which destroy hundreds of homes and sometimes take lives and we still call ourselves a Christian nation!

Drunk drivers are given a slap on the wrist and turned loose on our roads to kill innocent people again. What kind of nation are we?

Where does it end? With you and with me. Until we accept our responsibility to do right, the nation will never be right.

     THE ROMAN ROAD TO HEAVEN     back to topics

There is a very popular tract published by some churches which is called by various titles. Whatever name they give it, it is still what they refer to as the Roman Road to Heaven. It is an effort to show from Paul’s letter to the Romans how one can be saved and thus go to heaven when this life is over.

These tracts do not tell the whole story. They start by showing that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, Rom. 3:23. This is true. The next step shows that the wages of sin is death, Rom. 6:23. This is also true. The third step points out that Jesus died to pay the price for our sins, Rom. 5:8, 9. This also is true. The fourth step says to ask Jesus to save your soul from hell and trust him to take you to heaven. Rom. 10:13, "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." They assume that calling on the name of the Lord means to pray. Saul of Tarsus had been praying for three days and nights and was then told by Ananias to "Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." Acts 22:16. His being baptized was calling on the name of the Lord. Jesus said, "Not everyone who says, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven." Matt. 7:21.

Why not tell the whole story as found in the book of Romans? In Romans 6:3-4, we read "So many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." In v. 6, he continued, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed."

If you travel the Roman road, take the whole journey!

     RULES & RESPECT    back to topics

Our world is filled with rules and regulations of all sorts, many of which we resent because they are senseless and foolish. Paul Harvey said that changing our time (daylight saving/standard) twice a year is Uncle Sam's way of reminding us he is in charge of our lives.

Rules are important. Without good rules, life could not be lived on a high plane.

Foolish rules make us angry and resentful. We tend to ignore or violate them. A stop sign that is unwarranted will be run by many people.

Who wants to build a building and be told by the city how many shrubs and trees you must plant? Or, to tell you that you must have an electrical outlet on each wall? Ad infinitum.

This can seriously affect our lives. Paul warned fathers, "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged." Col. 3:21.

Parents can make many unnecessary rules and make life miserable and intolerable for their children. They may be so rebellious that they disobey the good rules as well.

Worse still, this problem can adversely affect our spiritual life. We may develop such a bad attitude toward rules that we refuse to let God rule our lives. There are preachers who have reached the point of saying that the gospel has no commands, that the Bible is simply a love letter from God. What did Jesus mean when he said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments"? If he has no commandments, that statement would make no sense at all.

If people in authority are to demand respect, they must make rules that are helpful, not hurtful.

It is always to man's advantage to do what God commands. This is true for many reasons. God knows what is best for us. God loves us and wants the very best for us. He loved us enough to give his only Son to die for us. He has given us his best gift, will he withhold lesser gifts? Rom. 8:32 "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Never resent God's rule in your life. He rules you to bless you.

The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved by faith. It does not teach that we are saved by faith alone. If our faith is not an obedient faith, it is dead (James 2:24) and therefore cannot save us. Most churches which teach that we are saved by faith only are Calvinistic in their doctrine. John Calvin taught predestination, fore-ordination and election. He said if man has a choice, God is not sovereign.

Calvin also taught that once you are saved, you can never be lost again. Of course, if God chose you by name to be saved before He created anything, how could you ever be lost!

Do people actually believe that doctrine? Let me quote verbatim, "We are saved by God’s will alone. Not only does this doctrine humble us by exposing our spiritual impotence but Paul lets us know that we were chosen even before the world was created (Ephesians 1:4). He did not choose us because we were impressive or godly people, but God chose us from the beginning, before we even knew who God was. Our faith is an objective faith in that it is given to us instead of being produced by us." Eph. 1:4 teaches that God chose that salvation would be in Christ.

Please note that according to that doctrine, the faith which saves is a direct gift from God, not the faith that comes by hearing the word of God. That is part of Calvin’s doctrine of irresistible grace. That means that God chooses you, sends you saving grace accompanied by saving faith, and you cannot help yourself, you have to accept it. Wrong!

That doctrine is false to the core. The truth is that God is sovereign, but sovereign enough to be able to give you a free will, the choice to obey or disobey. Obey and be blessed; disobey and be cursed.

John taught that the faith that saves is one you get from reading what is written in the word of God, John 20:30-31.

Predestination makes God the instigator of every lie, murder, rape, drug abuse, child abuse, drunkenness, or any evil you can name. That is false. Satan is to blame, not God.

Exercise your free will to choose to follow Jesus.

There is no question by what the Bible teaches that we are saved by grace rather than by works. However, it is far different to say we are saved by grace than to say we are saved by grace alone.

We have nothing with which to pay the price of our salvation. We are totally dependent on God and His saving grace. But, we are not saved by grace alone.

Ephesians 2:6-8 teaches very clearly that "for by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." Salvation was not our idea. It was God’s plan, not ours. It was His will that Christ should come and die for our sins. We did not deserve salvation. It is without our merit. We cannot point to our regeneration and say, "Look what I did!" Had God chosen to leave man in his sin to be lost forever, He would have been just. He would not have been merciful but He would have been just.

Being saved by grace does not mean that God will save a sinner regardless of what he does. God makes demands. He has high expectations. Did you notice that Paul wrote that we are saved by grace through faith. We are not saved by a dead do-nothing faith. It is a faith that worketh by love, Galatians 5:6. Faith without works is dead, James 2:20. Whom do you know that would defend the thought that a man can be saved by a death faith?

Praise God for His wonderful grace. Do not be so foolish as to presume upon it. His grace is greater than my sin for "where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Romans 5:20. It is great enough to save the vilest sinner that has ever lived. But, if we refuse to accept His grace on His terms, we will remain lost. It is not the will of God that any should perish, 2 Peter 3:9. Why, then, will any be lost? Because there is more to that verse, "but that all should come to repentance." So, the grace of God leaves something for man to do. Not that what he does pays any of the price for our sins, but it is still required before God will save us. Christ is the author of eternal salvation to all them who obey him. Hebrews 5:8-9. Obey and accept His grace.

This is an election year. Both major political parties will in their conventions take a vote on many issues. They will not always agree but the majority will rule. A party has a right to say what will be the planks in their platform. In government we favor the democratic process in which the minority yields to the majority.

But what about the realm of religion? Shall we take a vote? If so, on what shall we vote?

Churches have their councils, conventions, or what-ever they choose to call them. They take votes on all sorts of matters. They range from Original Sin to baptism to the Lord’s Supper, the role of women in the church, or you name it and it will be argued.

I have a Discipline published in 1874. In Chapter 13, Section 2, it deals with infant baptism. The minister was to say, "Dearly beloved, forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin, and that our Saviour Christ saith, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God: I beseech you to call upon God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and that of his bounteous mercy he will grant to this child that which by nature he cannot have: that he may be baptized with water and the Holy Ghost, and received into Christ’s holy Church, and be a lively member of the same." In 1910 another vote was taken and they voted to drop "forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin" and used instead "forasmuch as all men are heirs of life eternal and subject of the saving grace of the Holy Spirit." In either case, did their vote change the truth of God? NO!

How presumptuous can men be? It is our business to proclaim the word as God gave it, not to vote on whether or not it is so.

Shall we vote on whether or not the creation story is fact or a myth? Shall we vote on whether or not baptism is a requirement to salvation? Or, whether we shall have a chorus or have congregational singing? Or, whether we shall have bands playing or have a cappella singing? Or, whether we shall take the Lord’s Supper on the first day of every week, or quarterly, or yearly? Just go to the Word. You can understand it.

     THE "SILENCE ARGUMENT"     back to topics

People have different approaches to understanding the word of God. Luther said we should do nothing which the scriptures prohibit. Zwingli said we must do nothing unless the scriptures command it. It really does not matter what either Luther or Zwingli said about it. What matters is "What saith the Lord?" If we give an honest look at the teaching of the Bible, we will know what is right.

Some say that silence is not prohibitive. In other words, if the Bible says nothing about counting beads as part of a prayer ritual, this it is permissible. Others would say that the use of instru-mental music to accompany singing as worship is neither commanded nor prohibited, therefore it is permissible. Would it be permissible to add something other than bread and fruit of the vine on the Lord’s table? Such as, vinegar mingled with gall. That should remind one of the death of Jesus! It is not explicitly prohibited.

In churches of Christ, we are committed to the view that the word of God is both inclusive and exclusive. When God commands, it includes all He said to do and excludes all else.

Jesus gave the great commission to teach and to baptize, then to teach the disciples to "observe all things whatsoever I command you." Matthew 28:18-20. Observe what? All that he commanded. That is inclusive. Were the apostles to tell disciples to observe anything else? No, just what he commanded. Balaam was offered a great reward if he would come and curse Israel. He said, "I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord, to do more or less." We should do no more than what God says and we should do no less that what God says.

Strangely, those who say that silence does not prohibit anything also say that silence allows everything! Now who argues from silence?

When God speaks, we are on safe ground. When we act in the absence of authority, we have presumed too much. Psalm 19:13, "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins."

Much of what passes for worship is simply entertainment. We do what we want to do and also do whatever gains the favor of men. Shame!

     SIN DESTROYS FAITH     back to topics

Among the many hindrances to faith is the temptation afforded by worldly pleasures. Faith will either destroy sin or sin will destroy faith.

In the parable of the sower, Jesus said, "They on the rock are they which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away." Luke 8:13. Believers became unbelievers.

Many years ago a fine gospel preacher had a debate with a nationally known infidel. The preacher was familiar with all the false arguments made by unbelievers. He did a thorough job of refuting error. A few years later, this same preacher became an unbeliever. I visited with a close family member and asked what happened. He said, "Lewis, he was not swayed by arguments or logic. He lost his faith because of immorality. He began to go to beach parties and drink liquor." Thankfully, he later repented and is faithful again.

The Bible pictures us as sinners. When men are unwilling to live by Bible standards, they disbelieve that which condemns them. James said, "For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for the beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.' James 1:23-24.

Many sinners look into the mirror of God's word and see themselves as they really are. Not liking what they see, some blame it on the mirror! Don't change the mirror. Change what is reflected in the mirror.

Let us flee the sinful lusts of the world, for they will not only warp our moral character, but in time will even destroy our faith in the truthfulness of God's word.

Faith is the bedrock of Christianity. Without it, it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6. Faith is the victory that overcometh the world. 1 John 5:4, 5. Faith without works is dead. James 2:26. The best way to maintain your faith is to keep it active, put it to work. Go to the word of God frequently for "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17. Do not destroy your faith by sinning.

Many people sin thinking "What I am doing is not so bad." Or, "What I am doing is not any worse than what other people are doing."

Years ago, a preacher friend was present when some other preachers were talking about sins of various kinds. He asked, "What kind of sin are we talking about? Are we talking about going to hell kind of sin?"

They got his point. All sin is going to hell kind of sin. Do some sins have more dire consequences in this life that do other sins? Certainly! I do not want you to tell lies about me. But, I would rather you lie about me than to kill me! But, will either sin cause one to be lost forever? Yes, unless forgiven.

In 2 Kings 5, there is the story of the healing of Naaman, captain of the hosts of Syria. He was a leper. Elisha told him to dip seven times in the Jordan river and he would be clean. He did and he was. He went back to Elisha and offered him a great reward, which Elisha refused. However, his servant, Gehazi, was present and overheard what was said. He said, "My master has let him go without taking anything of him. I will run after him and take something."

Gehazi overtook Naaman and told him his master had changed his mind because two young men had come to his school for prophets and needed a talent of silver and two changes of raiment. Naaman said, "Be content. Take two talents."

No doubt that Naaman went hope happy thinking he had helped Elisha. Did this lessen the crime of Gehazi? Not at all. He took for himself what was intended for Elisha. He lied, he cheated, he defrauded.

When Gehazi arrived back home, Elisha asked him when he had been. Again, he lied. He said he had been nowhere. Elisha knew better. He said to Gehazi, "You wanted something of Naaman. You shall have it. You will have leprosy to the day of your death. All your descendants will also have leprosy."

Sin will take you further than you mean to go. Sin will then keep you there longer than you meant to stay. It is worse than we think.

It has been said, "Sin will take you further than you want to go and will keep you longer than you want to stay."

Many people sin knowing that what they are doing is wrong. But, they plan for it to be temporary. "I'm not going to do this the rest of my life.' Usually, it does not work out that way.

We tend to think in terms of "little" sins and "big" sins. The Bible just simply says, "The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23. Sin of all sorts must be avoided.

When we read about the sin of Adam and Eve in eating the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden, it does not sound like a major thing. After all, if you forbid a child to eat something and he does, do you give him the death sentence? What=s the big deal? It was not simply a matter of eating or not eating. What really happened that day was that Adam and Eve chose masters. Would they follow God, or, would they follow Satan? They chose to follow Satan and that is worthy of death.

During the reign of King David, the ark of God was in the house of Abinadab in Gibeah. David decided to bring it to Jerusalem. A good decision. However, he chose to move it in a wrong way. He was going to carry it by cart. God had said it must be carried by the sons of Kohath and neither man or beast could touch it on penalty of death. As it was being carted, the oxen stumbled. Uzzah reached forth his hand to steady the ark and he dropped dead. Why? Because God said to touch it was to die. Severe? Yes, but the law of God must be respected and obeyed. 2 Samuel 6:1-7.

When Israel entered the promised land, God said "Jericho is mine." When other cities were conquered, spoils of war could be taken, but not from Jericho! A man named Achan took a garment and silver and gold. Joshua 7:20-21. He and his family were stoned and burned.

We are not capable of judging how offensive sin is to God. When he says, "The soul that sinneth shall die", believe him. Sin is serious and it is deadly. The only way to remove it is by the blood of Christ.

Several years ago a good friend was struggling with a conflict of emotions. He told me, "I love my wife and I love my mother but one of them is wrong." What was the problem? He said, "My mother was baptized by sprinkling. My wife was immersed and she says that it’s not baptism unless you are immersed, so, somebody’s wrong!"

He wanted to believe that in religion, everyone’s right, but he could see that in this case the difference was so strong that both could not be right, some one had to be in the wrong.

How can one determine what is right and what is wrong? We make an appeal to an undeniable standard. In this case that is the Bible. We may love someone very dearly but that does not change error into truth, nor does it turn truth into error. Jesus said to his Father, "Thy word is truth." John 17:17. Jesus also said, "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32.

The idea that "everything goes" is not Biblical. Jesus taught his disciples that there would be false prophets among them even as there were in days of old. Paul told the elders at Ephesus that grievous wolves would enter in among them not sparing the flock. John wrote that we are to "try the spirits" to see if they are of God. Jesus also taught that "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew 15:9.

This does not mean that I am the judge of those who fail to live by the word of God. God is the ultimate Judge of all the earth. I do not want to be the judge. God alone dispenses His grace. He and His Son are the ones who paid the price for our salvation and they have the right to say who will be saved and who will be lost.

It is my duty to preach the gospel as it is found in the Bible. I have no right to offer people hope that God has not offered. If He in His grace chooses to save someone, that is God’s business, not mine. Any soul that is saved on Judgment Day will make my heart glad. BUT, it is still my obligation to preach what the Bible says. No exceptions.

     STAR WITNESS     back to topics

Suppose you were on trial for your life and there was one witness whose testimony would decide your fate. This witness is an authority and his testimony will be unimpeachable. Imagine your shock and dismay when he takes the stand and give testimony that is damaging in the extreme. In fact, all you claim to be true he swears to be false!

To have your star witness testify against you would be devastating beyond measure

Jesus Christ said that if we deny him before men, he will deny us before his Father in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33. But, what if we confess him as Lord and he still denies us. Is it possible that Christ would do such a thing? And, if so, why would he do it?

Christ once raised the question, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Luke 6:46. It does us no good to call him Lord and then fail to do what he commands us to do. "Lord" means ruler. It is possible to call him ruler and then fail to let him rule our lives.

Jesus has warned us, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:21-23.

Read that scripture very carefully. It is very clear that many people will go to Judgment fully expecting to enter heaven only to hear Jesus said, "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."They called him Lord. They told him the many wonderful things they had done in his name. Yet, they had not done the will of the Father in heaven.

I hear people say, "I know I am going to heaven!" Every Christian should feel that confident. Unless we have done the will of God, our confidence is misplaced. Make sure your Star Witness give a favorable testimony on Judgment day.

     TEACH THYSELF     back to topics

There are many people who want to make rules for others but who will not live by their own rules. Parents may do this. They live immoral lives but expect their children to be moral. Preachers may be guilty of preaching against sins which they habitually practice. We refer to such people as hypocrites. It is difficult to respect such people.

Paul wrote, "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?" Romans 2:21. James 3:1 says, "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment." God will more harshly judge those of us who take it on ourselves to teach others. Christ accused the Pharisees of laying heavy burdens on others but would not touch those burdens with a finger! Matthew 23:4.

There is a principle here that is far more evil than may be apparent. Why would we make laws for others that we are unwilling to observe? We had many senators and congressmen who passed legislation regarding integrating our schools but who sent their children to all-white schools in Silver Springs, Maryland.

Why do we want other people punished for violating laws but want to go scot free when we are guilty? If someone burglarizes my home, I want him caught and prosecuted. I will protest when the court sets him free. If someone in my own family does the same thing, I will hire a lawyer to try to get the court to set him free!

Could this be because we think we are above law? That we are somehow special and deserve to be treated differently? This is a form of pride and haughtiness. We are not to be respecters of persons and we must not expect other to be.

Galatians 6:7, 'Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." Men may attempt to disregard this rule, but, it is God's rule and it always works. This rule works whether one is a Christian or whether he is an unbeliever. If a sinner plants wheat, it will come up wheat. If he plants beans, it will come up beans.

Preach right and then live by what you preach.

     "THAT YE MIGHT BELIEVE"     back to topics

In closing his gospel record, the Apostle John wrote, "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." John 20:31.

Nothing is more important than having eternal life and since that depends on our believing that Christ is the Son of God, faith is most important.

Admittedly, the story of Jesus, his life, his miracles, his resurrection is one that requires great faith to accept. Some would say that believers blindly accept the story. This is far from true. My faith is not blind. It is founded on solid and reliable evidence.

I was not there when these events took place. There is no person living today who was there as a witness to these happenings. Who were the people who were best qualified to judge the truthfulness of the claims of the Son of God? Those who knew him best. The Apostle John wrote, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life . . . That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you." 1 John 1:1, 3.

There are many reason for my faith. However, there is one which would support my faith even if there were no others. In 1^st Corinthians 15, Paul argues that the whole Christian system either stands or falls with the resurrection of Christ. If that is true, all else is true. If that is false, all else is false.

The disciples chosen as apostles witnessed the death of Jesus. Three days later, Jesus appeared to them alive. He was with them for a period of forty days. They had every opportunity to know that the story of the resurrection was either the truth or it was a lie. These men were willing to go throughout the Roman Empire telling this story and offering men the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ. They were beaten, they were imprisoned, they were stoned. They suffered the loss of all things earthly. Why? To tell something they knew to be a lie? NO! Their lives demonstrated that they believed what they preached. If they believed it, it was so. You can be sure that what they preached is the word of God. 

     "THERE AIN'T NO DEVIL!"     back to topics

A few days ago a friend of many years passed away. We were in a bowling league together for a long time. One evening someone mentioned the devil. My friend said, "There ain't no devil. Every man is his own devil." He was dead wrong. There is a devil. He was right in the fact that people are their own worst enemy. He spoke from experience. He was a drinker of alcohol.

While some people do not believe there is a devil to influence you to do evil, there are others on the other end of the spectrum. This was well illustrated in Flip Wilson's famous rendition of "The Devil Made Me Do It." The devil does tempt us. But, the devil cannot make you do anything.

God created man with a free will. The first man and woman were told to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The penalty for eating would be death. God expressed his will but at the same time gave them the free will to choose to violate his command. This is still the case. God still has rules for us. They are for our own good. However, we have the power of choice. We can obey or we can disobey. If we obey, we will be blessed. If we disobey we will be punished.

But, is the devil real? Is he an actual person? Is he really at work in people=s lives? Peter warned, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Pet 5:8. The devil is trying to destroy us.

When Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, he was being tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1ff. Not only was the devil present, conversations actually occurred.

Whether one knows it or not, everyone who sins is to that extent in league with the devil. There is no sin which we commit that is done without the influence of the devil. 1 John 3:8 says, "He that committeth sin is of the devil." I like to think that "I did something I shouldn't have done." Wrong! I sinned and the devil tempted me to do it. We do not wish to be associated with the devil, then avoid him. Shun him.

There is a devil!

Perhaps the most distasteful doctrine of the Bible is that of teaching that there is but one body, one church, which God recognizes and accepts. We may wish it were some other way but wishing will not make it so.

We are not disposed to alienate people nor offend them. On the other hand, we do not have the liberty to legislate for God. When he has spoken, we must be content with whatever he says.

What does the Bible teach about the church? Christ said "I will build my church." Matt. 16:18. He did not say "churches". Any true Bible scholar will admit that at the beginning there was but one church with no denominations existing. If division and denominationalism are acceptable, at what point in time did they become acceptable with God? The word of God has not changed. Whatever the New Testament meant when it was written is still what it means today. We may see the word of God through our prejudiced and biased eyes but the truth does not change.

Christ is the head of his body, the church. Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18.

There is but one body, 1 Cor. 12:20. People enter this one body by baptism, 1 Cor. 12:13. There is no one who is in that body except those who have been scripturally baptized. To fellowship those who have never been scripturally baptized is to fellowship unsaved people. Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Mark 16:16.

Christ is said to be the savior of the body, the church, Eph. 5:23-25. It is not a matter of getting in the church and therefore Christ will save you, but, when you are saved, Christ adds you to his church. Acts 2:47. Obviously he does not add you to some church founded by man and governed by human creeds and regulations.

I have no desire to exclude anyone. I devoutly desire that all men would obey the gospel of Christ and be saved. If all saved people would abandon every practice except what can be supported by scripture, we could all be united in Christ. I have no party to promote. I want everyone to be united in Christ and to each other in his one body. The early disciples were of one heart and one soul. Acts 4:32. We should be.

When Jesus taught his disciples the model prayer, it included "Thy will be on earth, as it is in heaven." Matt. 6:10. Jesus repeatedly taught respect for the will of God. In fact, he said, "Not everyone that saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father, who is in heaven." Matt. 7:21. Lewis G. Hale New Testament writers by inspiration emphasized the importance of doing the will of God. "Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." Heb. 10:36. Heaven is for those who have done the will of God.

Jesus is our perfect example. When he was facing death on the cross, he prayed fervently and earnestly, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done." Luke 22:42. As much as he wished to be spared the terrible ordeal of the cross, there was something he wanted more. He wanted the will of God to be done.

There is a great lesson in this for us. There are many things in life that we work to obtain. Sometimes we abuse our health to get things. It may be that we neglect our family. It may be that we push church far down on the list of our priorities. When faced with any decision, think of the difference it would make if we would say with Christ, "Not my will, but thine, be done"!

Imagine what following this principle would do to the programs of many churches. The "minister of music" is planning his program. Does he choose songs which entertain or that praise God and edifies men? Does he plan for congregational singing or will he choose a group to entertain with a concert? What is the will of God? Look in the Bible.

When the preacher is preparing his sermon, will he search the Bible for a badly needed message, or, will he seek some current event or maybe some illustrative story around which he can build a sermon?

In all things, let us seek to know and to do the will of God. Do not insist on having your way. "The will of the Lord be done." Acts 21:14.

     THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE     back to topics

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32. Jesus prayed concerning his apostles, "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." John 17:17. He also said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." John 14:6.

Any religious or spiritual truth can be found in the Bible, the written revealed word of God.

Since we have the inspired word of God in written form, why would anyone trust human tradition? Men have written their own creeds to define and explain their church doctrines. If you question them as to why, their answers amount to saying that they need to inform their members as to what doctrines are peculiar to themselves and which set them apart from other churches. Why be set apart?

Creeds pose an interesting question: Are they written in clearer terms than God was able to use in His book, the Bible? Human writings are as susceptible to multiple interpretations as is the Bible. Men cannot understand a human creed any better than they can the Bible. Creeds written by men are constantly being revised, not only in language but in content. The only reason to revise the Bible is to bring the same message in modern day speech. That is not true of human creeds.

Our culture is plagued by different forms of "fortune telling". It may be the use of tea leaves, Tarot cards, a medium, a witch, or whatever. The word of God clearly condemns such. In fact, under the Law of Moses, those who practiced such things were to be stoned to death. Leviticus 19:31;20:6, 27. This effectually rejected God in favor of other forms of revelation.

Our rejection of the word of God may take subtler forms. Men in the pulpit may forsake the word of God and preach their views. Some of these views flatly contradict the word of God. Others may seem harmless and be the kind of talk you could give at a civic club or a school meeting. This is like eating much food but which has no nourishment. You could be full but starving! Such preaching leaves a great void. Men need the message of saving grace. It is highly presumptuous for men to substitute their wisdom for divine wisdom. The truth shall make you free.

     TWO GREAT EVILS     back to topics

There are people who are guilty who will never admit their guilt.

There are people who are forgiven who can never accept forgiveness and go through life feeling guilty.

Both of these attitudes are great evils. Evil in what sense? In the sense of the fruit produced by them.

A person who senses no guilt will never takes the steps necessary to be forgiven. A person who senses no forgiveness goes through life miserable. Not only is he miserable but he has failed to take God at his word. Hebrews 11:6 says, "He that cometh to God must believe that he is." Faith in the existence of God is vital. Without it we cannot please God. That is not all that faith requires. The rest of Hebrews 11:6 says that we cannot please God unless we believe "that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." I must believe that God will keep his promises and reward those who seek Him after the divine order.

It is not enough to seek God. We must diligently seek Him. If we do that, we will seek Him in the right way. When David attempted to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem where it rightfully belonged, he did not do it in the way God had commanded Moses. It was to be carried by men from the family of Kohath and must not be touched. David conveyed it on an oxcart and Uzzah touched it and died as a result. Later, David said, "The LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order". 1 Chron. 15:13.

Much of what passes in the name of religion is not "after the due order". Sadly, most who are guilty will never know it until Judgment Day and by then it will be too late for them.

If you are guilty of sin, please come to repentance before it is too late. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9.

If you are forgiven by God, forgive yourself. Have faith that God will forgive and reward you if you seek Him "after the due order". God is merciful and ready to forgive if we will only humble ourselves before God and come to Him on His terms.