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"Supplement
Your Faith" #1 By
Bob Myhan God
gave to the apostles "all things that pertain to life and godliness"
and "precious and very great promises," that through them we "may
be partakers of the divine nature." This was God's part. Our part is to
“make every effort,” to "supplement [our] faith" with seven
spiritual characteristics (2 Peter 1:1-7, ESV) commonly called "Christian
graces." But before we look at the things with which we are to supplement
our faith let us review the nature of faith. First,
faith is that without which "it is impossible to please" God (Heb.
11:6) and involves believing two things about God: (1) “that he exists”
[that is, He has a real, objective existence, rather than existing only in the
minds of those who worship Him], and (2) "that he rewards those who seek
him." If we really believe these two things we will "seek him."
Thus, those who are not seeking Him do not believe one or both. If this is not
the case, why is it not?
Second,
faith is "the assurance of things hoped for” (Heb. 11:1). “Things hoped
for” are things that are promised, which are then both desired and expected
(Rom. 8:24, 25). Abraham hoped for “the city that has foundations, whose
designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:8-10); Moses hoped for “greater wealth
than the treasures in Egypt; for was looking to the reward” (Heb. 11:24-26);
Israel hoped for “the walls of Jericho [to fall] after they were encircled for
seven days” (Heb. 11:30); Daniel hoped for ”the mouths of lions” to be
stopped (Heb. 11:33; Dan. 6:1-23). On
what assurance did these people hope for these things? They hoped for them on
the assurance of their faith in God who promised them. We have been promised
eternal life with God on the condition of continued faithfulness (1 Peter 1:3;
Titus 1:2; Rev. 2:10; 2 Tim. 4:6-8). Surely we desire it but do we also expect
it? We have no assurance of it if at any time we cease to “seek him.” Thus,
Enoch walked with God figuratively and spiritually, in that he walked [lived his
life] by faith because he believed that God is, and that God is a rewarder of
those who seek to please Him. Of course, God has not promised to reward our
faith by taking us bodily from the earth so as not to see death. But He has
promised us a crown of life (Heb. 9:27, 28; Rev. 2:10). Third,
faith is “the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). “Things not
seen” with may be eternal or temporal. Eternal things are not seen because
they cannot
be seen (2 Cor. 4:17, 18). It is because we cannot see God or heaven that we
“walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). Temporal things are
seen if they are in the present but not if they are in the past or future. No
human witnessed the creation of “the
heavens and the earth” for it was already in the past by the time
the first human was created (Heb. 11:7). The conviction that the creation
actually took place—in the manner in which God said it did—comes from
God’s word. &
Response
to a Liberal By
Bob Myhan The
following is a response to a malicious misrepresentation of over 2,000 local
congregations of the Lord’s people. It was first written in 2003. There have
been no misrepresentations of the same kind since. – Editor. Dear
Brother and Sister __________, In
my 28 years as a member of the Lord’s church, I don’t believe I have ever
seen such a vicious assault by brethren upon brethren as I have now seen in the
leaflet you have mass-mailed into the city of Macon. It is surely true that
“churches of Christ are always anxious to help meet the needs of humanity,”
but there is no greater humanitarian need than the need for the gospel. If you
believe churches of Christ are authorized to meet any other of humanity’s
needs, please let me know what passage authorizes such. You
say, “In ‘doing good to all,’ (Galatians 6:10) we cannot separate the
Christian’s work from the work of the Church.” If by “the Church” you
mean the “universal” church, you are certainly right. However, since the
universal body of Christ has no organizational framework, it can only function
through the action of its individual members. In this sense, the early church
“went every where preaching the word,” as its individual members did so
(Acts 8:4). But
if you mean the “local” church, you could not be any more wrong. The apostle
Paul certainly separated “the Christian’s work from the work of the
Church” when he wrote, “If any man or woman that believeth hath widows, let
them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them
that are widows indeed” (1 Timothy 5:16). Paul said, “She that is a widow
indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplication and
prayers night and day” (v. 5). This would certainly be a widowed saint with no
children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews to take care of her. Thus, there is a
limitation concerning whom the local church may relieve. It may not relieve
those widows with grown children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews; and those
grown children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews, therefore, ought not to
delegate the responsibility of relieving their widows to the congregation. You
say, “When there are little children homeless, afraid, hungry and destitute
with no one to care, the Church does what it can to make life better for them.
Jesus is there.” This also is correct if you are speaking of the universal
church, acting distributively through its individual members. “If
any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his
tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is
vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit
the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself
unspotted from the world” (James 1:26, 27, emphasis mine-BM). If
a Christian refuses “to visit the fatherless and widows in their
affliction,” “this man’s religion is [just as] vain” as the religion of
one who refuses to keep himself “unspotted from the world.” But
if you are speaking of the local church, acting collectively [that is, from its
treasury], please show me the passage that authorizes the local church to thus
provide homes, security, food and/or money in order “to make life better”
for “homeless, afraid, hungry and destitute” little children. This, I
believe, you cannot do. Besides, if the members of a local church are doing what
they can do, the needs of these children will be met without the local church
getting involved collectively. You
say, “When the elderly are homeless and need the necessities of life, the
Church provides help, compassion and caring. Jesus is there.” Again, if you
mean the universal church you are correct, whether the elderly under
consideration are saints or not. And, if you mean the local church you are still
correct, if the elderly under consideration are saints (Acts 2:44,45; 4:33-35;
6:1-4; 11:27-30; Rom. 15:25-27; 1 Cor. 16:1; 2 Cor. 8:1-4; 9:1-15). But I know
of no passage that gives local churches a benevolent responsibility toward
non-saints. If you know of one, please let me know the location of that passage. You
say, “The faction in the Church known as the ‘Non-Institutional,
Anti-Orphan-Home, Saints-Only’ group teaches it is a sin for the Church to use
money from the treasury to assist those who are sick, needy, hungry or
desperate—unless they are members of their particular group.” Actually,
those who are generally designated as “Non-Institutional, Anti-Orphan-Home,
Saints-Only” teach that the church may “use money from the treasury to
assist” its members “who are sick, needy, hungry or desperate.” Again, if
you know of a passage that authorizes the church to “use money from the
treasury to assist” anyone else who might be “sick, need, hungry or
desperate,” please let me know the location of that passage. You
say, “This faction also teaches it is sinful to take money from a church
treasury to help support homes for fatherless or motherless children.”
Actually, those whom you call a “faction” and I call the “remnant” have
been asking [for more than fifty years] “Where is the scripture that
authorizes money to be taken from a church treasury to help support homes for
fatherless or motherless children?” And for more than fifty years we have been
misrepresented and maligned by our own brethren in material such as your
leaflet. Therefore, I ask again, “Where is the scripture that authorizes money
to be taken from a church treasury to help support homes for fatherless or
motherless children?” If you know of such a passage please let me know its
location. & |