Man's Education

By Art Thomas (Deceased)

The importance of education is seen in the vast amount of money spent obtaining it. There are millions spent far facilities to educate and thousands spent on each child's education. Add to this the time and effort necessary to acquire it, and the importance becomes evident.

According to Webster, education is the "act or process of education; discipline of mind or character through study or instruc­tion" We usually associate this with the train­ing of body and mind. The education of these is important_, but there is a third, more important part of man that needs education - the spiritual part. This last should be more important because it deals, primarily, with the soul and eternity.

The wisdom of men may serve well in training the body and some parts of the mind, but the spiritual part of man's educa­tion must come from God's word. Jeremiah 10:23 states “O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” God is a spirit (John 4:24) and our spiritual educa­tion must come from him. Every Christian must be trained in and disciplined by God's instructions. This is why there is so much said in the Bible about study (2 Tim. 2:l5; Eph. 3:3, 4), know1edge (2 Pet. 2:20; 2 Pet.3:18: 2 Pet. 1:3), and diligence (2 Pet. 1:10; Heb. 2: l-3).

The spiritual part of man is the guiding and restraining force. Without a proper spiritual education, man runs headlong into lust and sin and destroys his own soul. He is like a spring-wound clock without a balance wheel. He cannot control his own powers. The steam engine of fifty years ago would destroy itself without a governor and so does man without God's spiritual guidance and instruction. The destroying effect of crime is a result of the lack of this educa­tion. Many destroy their own bodies with drugs and alcohol for the same reason. Many, many evils are the result of this trend.

All truth, reason, and righteousness seem to be crying out for much more spiritual education. Truth demands that our spirit be educated. Reason indicates the same. Right­eousness is totally dependent upon a knowl­edge of God’s word. My friend, what are you doing about it? How much time and effort are you giving to the spiritual training of your child? & (Via the Pathfinder, Vol. 17, Number 9, September, 1985)

Was Jesus Exclusive?

By Kent Heaton

As Jesus prepared His disciples for His death, He wanted to give them the as­surance that while He was “going away” they would not be left alone. In this dis­course of John 14, Thomas says to Jesus, “’Lord, we do not know where You are go­ing, and how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to Him, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father ex­cept through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also’” (John 14:5-7a). It would not have seemed as im­portant then as this passage has become through the revealing of God’s will to man in the preceding generations.

The ground work for the kingdom of God was clearly laid by the Son of God. Entrance into the blessings of God was limited; so much so that entrance into salvation was exclusive. When we think of something as being “exclusive” we realize there is a sense of preventing participation in a cer­tain thing. An exclusive club is one that al­lows certain people to be a part of the club; an exclusive interview is allowing only a finite opportunity to question an individual. Jesus made salvation exclusive.

If men are to seek the way to God, to un­derstand the truth of God and find life in the blessings of God; Jesus is the only way – ex­clusive. Jesus said He was the way and of­fered no other avenues to the Father. "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). He affirmed that truth would only come through Him. “If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:21). Life eternal would only be granted through His life. “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (1 John 5:11).

The exclusive nature of Jesus’ statement is that no one can come to the Father ex­cept through Him. Jesus is the only one who can call Jehovah God – “Father” – in the manner he did. “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him … And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form” (John 1:18; 5:37). No man has seen the Father. The exclusive nature of salvation is that only through the Son of God can man find salva­tion in God. Jesus alone has seen the Father.

Gamaliel spoke of men who rose up to draw men to themselves but came to no avail (Acts 5:34-39). His admonition was to let the apostles alone for if their work was of God it cannot be overthrown. Many men have risen up in the generations since time began to declare they have the path to God but only one – exclusive – only one is the avenue to God: JESUS CHRIST. There is only one avenue to the Father and that excludes Buddha, Mohammed, Luther, Joseph Smith, the Pope, you and me and any other man that thinks himself to be something.

There is only one way to Heaven and that is through the avenues laid down by Jesus Christ. There is only one truth and that truth is found in the Bible alone (excluding the Koran and Book of Mormon, etc). There is only one life that can be received in eternity and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ (John 6:53,54). Is God exclusive? He always has been (Exodus 20:1-6; Matthew 22:37; 1 John 5:1-5). His Son is exclusive (Matthew 7:21-23). There is only one way (Ephesians 4:1-6). & (Via Bible Matters)

Priority of Truth

By W. E. Brightwell

If we are trying to go to heaven and take everybody with us that we can, we will have to place truth above the desire for peace and progress.

Truth must have priority over friendship. Differences are unpleasant. There is no ex­cuse for them unless they are necessary to reaching our destination. Truth is more im­portant than friendship. It is not a friendly act to compromise the truth. Love for friends demands that love of truth be put first (John 8:32).

Truth must have priority over courtesy. John sets the limits of courtesy where truth is in­volved: "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is par­taker of his evil deeds” (2 John 10-11).

Truth must have priority over peace, unity and fellowship. Those are more desirable. We have preached millions of sermons on "unity." It is sad that we cannot enjoy more of it. But these things are results not goals. They follow conformity to the truth as natu­rally as night follows day or as water runs down hill. "If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with an­other...." (1 John 1:7). Would it not be better to preach more on loyalty to God and to His truth, and let the peace, unity and fellowship come in their natural order?

The notion that we should sacrifice truth to keep peace in the family or make "party" progress is equally vicious and more for­midable than any false doctrine. We must continue to fight error or we will become a denomination. Which shall it be—truth or party? & [From Words of Life, June 1998]