Believe In What Is Right

By Kent Heaton

In the book of Daniel, three young men are put to a great test of character as they stood before the King of Babylon in defiance to a decree that will cost them their lives. Nebuchadnezzar had made an image of gold nearly ninety feet tall in the plain of Dura and commanded all people to fall down and worship the image at the sound of various forms of music. When the time came, all the “people, nations and lan­guages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up” (Daniel 3:7). In the midst of this great throng of bodies bowing down in worship three men remained standing and refused to bow. The penalty for rebellion was clear. “Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:6).

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were He­brew slaves taken from their homeland in the invasion of Judah by Babylon. They had been placed in the king’s palace to serve and learn the language and literature of the Chaldeans. We know them best by their Chaldean names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Brought before King Nebu­chadnezzar the king gave them a second chance to reconsider their refusal to bow down and worship the image. Their reply was clear and demonstrative. "O Nebuchad­nezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up" (Daniel 3:16-18).

The three Hebrews were cast into the fur­nace but through the grace of God deliv­ered without the hair of their hair singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them (Daniel 3:27). God used their faith to show the king of Babylon who “rules in the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:17). This remarkable story of courage is one fitting for our young people to embrace as they graduate High School and begin the challenging walk of life.

Two things stand out in this story: first, the importance of believing in something; secondly, the need of believing in the right thing. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego did not go along with the crowd. It was not their life’s aim to be like everyone else. They believed in something and not only believed it but were willing to disobey the law of the king because of what they believed in.

It is easy to go along with everyone else and be like the crowd. When the music be­gan to play in the plain of Dura thousands of people fell down to worship the image. Consider how odd they felt to be the only ones standing. Literally, everyone was bow­ing but these three men. They could have fallen down and who would have noticed? They possessed a belief system that chal­lenged the moral code of the day. Young people, you must posses a system of belief to find happiness in life that will set you apart. Following the crowd will get you no where (Matthew 7:13, 14).

Having a belief system is not enough – you have to believe in the right thing. They refused to worship the image because it was wrong. They stood for what was right because they stood for what God taught them. They served the Lord and not man (Acts 4:19, 20; 5:29). As young people go­ing out into the world, you must believe in the right thing and the only thing that is right is what is found in God (John 17:7). True happiness will not be found in bowing down to the music of the day. It will only come from standing for God in the face of great opposition to the norms of today. If your life is going to make a difference it must be made with the Lord as your guide and compass (John 14:6). &

The Will of God (Part 6)

By Bob Myhan

The circum­stantial will of God for alien sinners—those yet outside His spiri­tual kingdom—is for them to turn from sin in faithful, lov­ing obedience to Him.

They do this by believing in His Son Jesus Christ, repenting of sin, confessing faith and being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. (see Mark 16:15, 16; Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:38; 17:30, 31; 22:16; Rom. 10:9-10). They are then “delivered … from the power of dark­ness and conveyed … into the king­dom of the Son of His love.” (Col. 1:13)

 When a person becomes a citi­zen in God’s spiritual kingdom—a Christian—God’s ideal will kicks in again. The Christian is not to sin.

1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

In becoming a child of God, a Christian, a kingdom citizen and a member of the Lord’s church one must “put off the old man” and “put on the new man” (Eph. 4:20-32; Col. 3:5-13). That is, he must determine to live a good moral life.

And, just as an alien sinner “must be born again” (John 3:7), a disciple of Christ “must worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). This is the ideal will of God for the child of God.

This writer once heard a denominational preacher say - from the pulpit - that a Chris­tian can steal, commit adultery, even murder and still go to heaven. He simply won’t have many stars in his crown. But if it doesn’t matter how one lives his life as a Chris­tian, why was it necessary for him to repent in order to be­come a Christian?

The apostle Paul told the saints in Rome that “where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Rom. 5:20). He then asked,

1 What shall we say then? Shall we con­tinue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:1-4)

One is “baptized into the death of Christ,” in that he is baptized into the benefits of that death. At that time he “dies” to sin and is raised to “walk in newness of life.” Why, then, would it not be necessary to “walk in newness of life”? Again, why would God de­mand that the alien repent and not de­mand that the kingdom citizen “walk in new­ness of life”?

James tells us that “pure and undefiled religion” is both positive and negative.

26 If anyone among you thinks he is reli­gious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:26-27)

Can it be the case that one who practices a useless religion can still be right with God and go to heaven?

Jesus Himself said that those who teach as doctrines the commandments of men are engaged in vain, or useless, wor­ship.

7 “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (Matt. 15:7-9)

If the phrase, “You must be born again,” makes the new birth essential to going to heaven, surely the phrase, “those who wor­ship Him must worship in spirit and truth,” makes “true worship” essential to going to heaven, as well. If this is not the case, why is it not? What does the word, “must,” mean if that which must be done may be left un­done with impunity? &