"Carest Thou Not that We Perish?" (Part 2)

By George Hutto

"For he that would love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile; Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?" (1 Pet. 3:10-13)

Here is a maxim of life, that when we pursue good, good things will generally come our way. It is seen in a broad way in that God has blessed America as a nation. A maxim, I say, not as an absolute rule, for we see that bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people. But the import ant thing to observe is that each one is free to pursue good.

This biblical approach to the framework of God's world shows the need for faith -- pursuit of God in a world changed by sin.

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6).

Finally, There Is Indeed Such A Thing As God's Punishment:

The apostle warns us that the flood of Noah's day and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah show God's anger against hardened sinners. (2 Pet. 2) He does not say that immediate punishment will follow every evil work, but that we can see God's attitude toward sin by His actions against these particular sinners -- "making them an example to those that after would live ungodly."

The wise man said: "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." (Eccl. 8:11). The devil's work and the element of chance mislead many to overlook the accountability of God -- a tragic mistake. There will indeed be a day of judgment. (2 Pet. 3:10-11).

Job's plight and Jesus' clarification of random misfortune show the need for faith and repentance; the wrath of God against sinners and coming judgment show a need to properly secure forgiveness.

The Gospel of Christ is designed specifically for this purpose.

"And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mk. 16:15-16).

To those very ones who clamored for the crucifixion of Christ, the apostles said:

"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)

Saul of Tarsus, "chiefest of sinners," was told:

"And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16)

There are no guarantees against the oppression of the devil, and no absolute promises that time and chance will always work to our favor. But just as surely as Job was once again made whole (Job 42), and just as surely as those who suffered from natural calamity were given time to repent, so will we be forgiven of sins and have a place with God when we obey the gospel and continue in faithful service.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not upon thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil." (Prov. 3:5-7). &

Human Opinion VS the Bible (Part 2)

By Tim Haile

Part one of this series emphasized certain Bible passages that speak to the danger of interjecting human opinion into religion. This article will be more specific.

Worship: Quoting Isaiah, Jesus said, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8,9). The point is clear: By relying upon human opinion in religious matters, people render their worship “vain.” This word means “a futile attempt, folly, faulty, fruitless” (J.H. Thayer). Such worship is a waste of man’s time. It does him no good in God’s eyes, for God is not honored by worship that is practiced upon a mere human contrivance. God is not impressed by human wisdom. It is “foolishness” by His lofty and omniscient standard (1 Corinthians 1:20, 25; Isaiah 55:8, 9). It is arrogant and presumptuous for men to concoct their own form of worship. Men have attempted this before (Exodus 32), and with disastrous results.

Many religious people comfort themselves with the knowledge that they feel good about what they are doing in their worship. While it is necessary that one be fervent and conscientious in his worship, it is also necessary that he worship God “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). New Testament worship is not based upon sentimental attachments to places, like certain “mountains” or the city of “Jerusalem” (John 4:21), or to Mecca [Islam]. Nor to things, like the Jewish Temple, the Kaaba shrine [Islam], fancy cathedrals, religious relics and crucifixes. “True worship” is produced from a sincere adherence to God’s instructions. God is to be worshipped “in reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28). True worship is not a make-it-up-as-you-go proposition. It is a deliberate response to the commands of God. True worship includes the Communion (Lord’s Supper, 1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:20), in the assembly (ibid. 11:33), upon the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). It includes free will giving, also upon the first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:1, 2). Also, prayer, teaching/preaching and singing. (1 Corinthians 14:16, 23, 26; Acts 20:7; Ephesians 5:19) &

The Gospels & Matthew 19:9

By Kyle Campbell

During my time of preaching, I have encountered Christians teaching that the gospels do not apply as part of the New Covenant. Said another way, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are a part of the Old Covenant which was nailed to the cross when Jesus died (Ephesians 2:14-16; Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 10:9). The ramification of this argument is that Christians cannot use Matthew 19:9 when teaching on divorce. The doctrine that arises from this error is that there is nothing prohibiting non-Christians from bringing their present adulterous marriage into a relationship with Christ and the church when they obey the gospel.

In Matthew 19:9, Jesus said, “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” Not only did Jesus use the word “whosoever,” which means that what he was about to say addresses everyone, but He also went back beyond the law of Moses to Genesis 2:24 to show that God is not pleased with and never intended for a marriage to end in divorce (Matthew 19:4-6). Under the New Testament, the only situation where divorce is now acceptable is fornication.

Matthew 19:9 is not an explanation of Jewish divorce laws. Jesus’ statement in Matthew 19:9 cannot be an explanation of Mosaic law because the “exception” deals with a subject that had no “exception” in the law of Moses! Adulterers under the law of Moses were put to death (cf. John 8:5).

God’s word is a priceless treasure that cannot be “sold” for the sake of allowing someone to remain in an adulterous marriage (Proverbs 23:23). My family is probably as divided as everyone else’s when it comes to this issue, but I cannot excuse an adulterous relationship and forsake the revealed word of God. In doing so, I show that I am truly not worthy of the kingdom of God (Matthew 10:34-37). &

Note: I commend Kyle for the above article. It is my conviction that, if it were the case—which it is not—that the gospels are not a part of the New Testament, there would be no scriptural authority for divorce, at all, because neither Paul nor any other New Testament writer authorizes it.—Editor. &