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Narrow-Mindedness By
Cecil F. Cox Do
you like narrow-minded
people? I believe the majority of the people, if
they answered that question honestly, would say "No!" Such an
attitude reflects the desire to prejudice or belittle those who sincerely
seek to go by the rules and laws in life. But I believe
many of us appreciate narrow-minded people when
we stop and really look at the facts. Check a few
of these facts with me: A
pharmacist who fills the prescription
according to the
doctor's orders and not according to some ideas he may
have. The
automobile driver who
operates his vehicle according to the rules
of the road in order to have a safe
trip. The
builder who builds a house according to the blueprint.
If he does, there will be no
surprises as to the looks and proper function of the building. The
math teacher who insists on teaching according to the laws of mathematics. The
football (or baseball,
etc.) official who insists on calling the game according
to the rules and not giving favors to one team or the other. The
chemist who insists on
following the prescribed
formulas viz. water is two parts Hydrogen
and one part Oxygen. We
can see that a broadminded attitude has
no place in these things and many others we could mention. There is no
room at all for the attitude which suggests that
one may change rules and laws to please his own desires. With
these comments in mind,
we can see and appreciate the preacher who insists upon a "thus
saith the Lord" and bases his
sermons upon "book, chapter and verse." Sometimes such a one may be
considered narrow-minded. But such a tactic
is used to prejudice the hearer against one who
insists upon following the Word of
God in all that is taught and practiced in religion. For
example, one may insist that faith in Jesus Christ
is essential to everlasting life,
and gives John 3:16 as his proof.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life." He teaches that
one must repent of his sins and give Paul's words to the certain philosophers
at Mars Hill, "Truly, these times of ignorance
God overlooked, but now
commands all men everywhere to repent
... (Acts 17:30). He may also insist
that a confession of that faith is
"unto salvation," He cites
Romans 10:9, 10 "that if you
confess with your mouth the Lord
Jesus and believe in your heart
that God has raised Him from the
dead, you will be saved. For with
the heart one believes unto righteousness,
and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation." He also
shows that one must be baptized for
the remission of his sins. He gives
1 Peter 3:20, 21 for his proof. There
is also an antitype
which now saves us—baptism (not the removal
of the filth of the flesh, but the
answer of a good conscience toward God),
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
..." Ananias told Saul of I
wish to leave with you the
words of Paul in Acts 20:32, "And
now, brethren, I commend you to God,
and to the word of his grace, which
is able to build you up, and to give you
an inheritance among all them which
are sanctified."
& The
Angels That Sinned By
Bob Myhan To
prove that “the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to
reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment” (2 Peter 2:4-9),
the apostle refers to three events: 1.
“God
did not spare the angels who sinned,” 2.
He
“did not spare the ancient world,” “but saved Noah” and seven others, 3.
He
turned “the cities of Inasmuch
as certain angels sinned, they must have been under some law. There can be no
sin where there is no law “for
where there is no law there is no transgression” (Rom. 4:15). Angels
are “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit
salvation” (Heb. 1:14), Therefore, their sin undoubtedly involved the refusal
to minister in this capacity. The
angels who sinned and the devil’s angels (Matt. 25:41) are surely to be
indentified as the same beings. They are also referred to as “demons” and
are part of the devil’s kingdom (Matt. 12:22-29; Luke 11: 14-22). They
evidently became his angels when they followed him in rebellion. Their
punishment was swift and severe. God “cast them down to hell and delivered
them into (everlasting) chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment” (2
Peter 2:4; Jude 6). The word translated “hell” here is “tartarus,” and
is elsewhere referred to as “torment” and “the abyss” (Luke 16:23; 8:31;
Thus,
sin did not originate with man but with the devil and his angels. Everlasting
fire was prepared for them. It is the judgment for which they are reserved. The
same fate will be suffered by those who fail to qualify for entrance into the
kingdom “prepared ... from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:31-41). & The
Power of Example By
Ken Tyler A
fine lad entered the army. On the first night in the barracks when he went to
bed, he faced a real test. At home, he had the habit of reading the Bible and
kneeling down to pray before retiring. In the barracks, he was entirely
surrounded by rough fellows. Many of them were cursing and joking loudly. The
lad thought it might be wise to go to bed and read his Bible where nobody would
notice him. Then
he thought and boldly decided, “I’m a Christian! I ought to be an example
for Jesus before the fellows. I won’t pull down my colors. I will do here like
I always did at home.” So he took out his Bible and read it. Then he knelt
down to pray. The barracks became quiet. After a while the talk began again, but
it was more subdued. No one said anything about the young soldier’s unusual
behavior. The next night when he got out his Bible, eight other soldiers go out
their Bibles. Within
a month every soldier in the barracks would have fought for the lad. They came
to him with their questions and their troubles. May you and I have the same type
of dedication and courage as this young soldier. Jesus said, “Let your light
so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
&
(Bulletin Digest, |