Historical Posts
Personal Bible Understanding
Christians are to be careful Bible students and gain personal Bible understanding.
Like Timothy we are to study to show ourselves approved before God (2 Timothy 2:15). We should be like the Bereans and search the Scriptures daily to make certain that what we are taught is what the Bible teaches (Acts 17:11). Our failure to know and do what God’s word demands will lead to disastrous consequences (Hosea 4:6).
I am reminded of the story of a Mexican bank robber in the days of the Old West. He terrorized small towns all along the Texas-Mexico border. Finally, a town appealed to the Texas Rangers for help. Sure enough one crafty Ranger tracked the robber down and cornered him in a saloon where he was retelling the clientele of his latest escapades.
Cornered and helpless the once-proud robber cowered at the gun-toting lawman. “I’ll give you one chance,” said the Texan. “Where did you hide the gold?” Since the Mexican spoke no English a local translated the statement to him. Beaten, the robber spilled his guts to his translator. The gold was hidden at the base of the old dry well just outside of town. With this the translator turned to the Ranger and said, “He’s a proud man, Ranger. He’ll never talk! You might as well shoot him!”
There are those who argue that we are incapable of Bible understanding without expert assistance. According to them the average man on the street is no more able to understand the Scriptures than that Ranger was of understanding the robber’s confession. They are wrong. We have the word of God in our own language. Its message is not shrouded in secrecy, but clearly and concisely set forth. The vast majority of the Sacred Text is not the least bit difficult to understand. There are some difficult passages in the Bible, but not many and those which are most difficult are least important to our salvation.
There are two reasons why many find the Bible a strange book. First, they spend no time with it. Convinced that they Bible understanding is beyond them, they don’t try. Second, they go to the text only to discover that what they have been taught is contradicted by what the Bible says. They assume the problem is an inability to understand, when the real problem lies in an inability to reconcile false beliefs with the truth.
I urge you to study the Bible.
Spend time with God’s Word. You can read it yourself and gain Bible understand that will bring you to salvation!
Salvation: Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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A Voice from the Past
What can the voice from the past teach us?
Isaiah, a prophet of Israel and a voice from the past for us, seven centuries before Christ, warned his nation of impending disaster. The moral foundations of Israel were crumbling, and without a strong moral foundation no nation can long survive. As I read Isaiah, I am struck by the similarities between his society and our own.
First, this voice from the past described a people who loved alcohol and sought escape through the bottle.
He wrote, “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them” (Isaiah 5:11). In a culture where alcohol and drug abuse have reached epidemic proportions, his words are hauntingly familiar. People are still looking for escape, but are not finding it. The voice from the past is still applicable today. Misery is the companion of those who turn to drugs and alcohol.
Second, Israel had forgotten God.
They would go into captivity because they had no knowledge of God (Isaiah 5:13). Today, parents do everything in their power to see that their children have the best toys, the latest fashions, the nicest home, and the finest education money can buy. But, that which every parent needs to pass on to their offspring is neglected. Children are growing up without a spiritual foundation. The voice from the past teaches that only in God can we find the answers to the great questions of life. If God is left out, it matters little what kind of education we provide our children, for they will grow up spiritually ignorant and without meaning and purpose for their existence.
Third, he spoke of a nation with warped values.
Good had become evil, and evil had become good in the eyes of the people (Isaiah 5:20). Again, the voice of the past applies to our culture today. Many of those things which our parents and grandparents recognized as sinful are now embraced and endorsed by society. Adultery, abortion, homosexuality, gambling and a number of other immoral and ungodly activities are no longer frowned upon. In fact, those who oppose these things are now considered the bad guys! Good is again evil, and evil is good.
It is not too late, yet, but soon it will be.
It is imperative that harken again to the voice of the past. That we begin again to build a society on the moral and ethical foundations of God’s word. Unless we change directions soon, the America many of us know and love will no longer exist.
Do you want to make a difference?
Build your life on the solid foundation of Christ and then teach others.
Salvation: Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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Romans 10:01-10 – Is Your Zeal of God According to Knowledge? audio
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Scripture Reading: Numbers 25:1-13 KJV
Lesson Text: Romans 10:1-10
Introduction
A. If you are a Christian, you are happy, upbeat, enthusiastic, and excited because God has smiled on you and freed you from the bondage and penalty of sin through the blood of Jesus – John 8:31-32.
(1) It does not make a difference what predicament you find yourself in, you always need to rejoice in the Lord – Philippians 4:4.
B. For this reason Christians are enthusiastic about all the cause and initiatives of God and His statutes and commandments.
(1) We are most willing to defend the gospel and warn sinners about the destruction that will come to the children of disobedience.
(2) We need men and women to be zealous for God like John the baptizer, when he told King Herod it is not lawful for you to have your brother wife – Mark 6:18.
C. Zeal is defined as: Enthusiastic, diligent devotion in pursuit of a cause, ideal, or goal.
Body
I. Your Zeal for God Must Be According to Knowledge – Romans 10:1-3.
A. Before Paul became a Christian he was zealous of the traditions of the fathers – Galatians 1:14.
(1) This is why he persecuted the church – Acts 8:3.
(2) But his zeal was not according to knowledge, until he was taught correctly and baptized – Acts 22:16.
B. Your zeal for God must be motivated by the purity of the Word – Psalm 119:140.
(1) There is a great importance in valuing what God has said because without His Words we would not exist – Acts 17:28.
(2) The Word of God is more valuable than anything you can imagine.
(3) You need to be receptive and ready obey God – Psalm 19:7-11.
C. Anything in your life, in your household, and even in the church that is not in compliance with God should be removed as Jesus Christ was zealous and drove out those that were defiling the temple – John 2:13-17.
D. Your zeal for God and His Word should motivate and strengthen you to stand up for God and His ways – Jeremiah 6:16.
(1) Once you know God’s Word you must stand on it and defend it.
a. Daniel purpose in his heart not to defile himself with the kings meat – Daniel 1:8.
b. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego took a stand and would not bow down to the kings image that he had made – Daniel 3:16-18.
c. We too must stand on the Word of God – Ephesians 6:10-11.
II. They Have a Zeal for God, But Not According to Knowledge.
A. There are people in the world and in the church that appear on the surface of having a zeal of God – 1 John 4:1.
(1) But if you look closer, examine, test, and prove many – 1 Thessalonians 5:21. You will discover their zeal of God is not according to the Word of God. From these people we need to warn, rebuke, and turn away from.
B. Those who have a zeal for God, not according to knowledge, may do an excellent job of deceiving and making you think they’re holy and righteous on the outside, but on the inside they are full of evil – Matthew 15:7-9; Matthew 23:25-28.
Conclusion
A. Jesus Christ warns us to be aware of false prophets that come to us with sheep’s clothing on the outside, but wolves on the inside.
B. Jesus tells us we will know them by their fruits – Matthew 7:15-23.
Salvation: Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully
Content by Harry (Andy) Anderson Jr.Return to the Home Page
Faith and Knowledge
Faith is an essential element in our response to God.
“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” (Hebrews 11:6). As defined in Scripture, it is “…the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Living faith is the operative agent in man’s obedience to God. It leads to action. Faith and works are inseparably linked. One is ineffective without the other (James 2:14-26).
Given the importance placed on faith in Scripture, it is imperative that we understand the its meaning.
Some see it as the proverbial “blind leap into the dark,” a crutch for weak individuals. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Superstitions result from ignorance and fear of the unknown. They are maintained despite evidence to the contrary. They are unsupported by facts. They originate in ignorance. Faith is often incorrectly associated with superstition. In fact, one of the definitions provided in Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary for faith is “firm belief in something for which there is no proof.” I suspect that to be the definition many people attach to “faith” in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth.
Faith, as used in Scripture, is not belief without proof, but belief based on evidence.
Peter admonished Christians to provide reasons for their faith, because it is reasonable (1 Peter 3:15). Our faith in Creation, in the Bible, in Jesus Christ, in the resurrection, in eternal life rests on a solid foundation of evidence.
Given what we know about the universe, faith in God is far easier to sustain than a belief in the Big Bang, or any other evolutionary hypothesis. The same can be said for our belief in the Bible as the word of God, and our faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
I have no doubt that faith will always be under assault by non-believers, but I also know that it has nothing to fear from truth. As our knowledge increases, our faith will grow proportionately. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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Do You Know Where You Are Going?
If you ask the captain of a ship what his next destination is, he will tell you in one sentence. He knows where he is going, how he will get there, and how long it will take. On the other hand, suppose a ship left port without a captain and crew and with no aim or direction, what do you think the chances are that it would reach the desired port?
Which ship represents your life? What do you plan to do in the next year? What do you hope to accomplish in the next five years? What legacy will you leave?
The loudspeaker of the big jet clicked on and the captain’s voice announced in a clear, even tone: “Now there’s no cause for alarm but we felt you should know that for the last three hours we have been flying without the benefit of radio, compass, radar, or navigational beam. This means that we are, in the broad sense of the word, lost and not quite sure in which direction we are heading. However, on the brighter side of the picture, I’m sure you’ll be interested to know that we are making excellent time!”
Many people go through life making excellent time, but they have no idea where they are going.
To be successful, we need a single long range goal to unify life. Jesus said we needed a single eye (Matthew 6:22-24). Paul wanted the prize at the end of the race (Philippians 3:13-14). Without purpose we fail, but in Jesus Christ we find true purpose. His disciples are destined to live eternally. “This is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life” (1 John 2:25). He is the captain of our salvation, the rudder of our ship. In Him we find direction and purpose. Without Him we are alone and lost.
Do you know where you are going? Is Jesus leading the way? We can never overemphasize the importance and urgency of following Him!
- Do you believe that He was God’s only begotten Son (John 8:24)?
- Will you repent of your sins and be baptized (Acts 2:38)?
- Will you make Jesus the Lord of your life and the Savior of your soul?
Only in Him can you find real purpose for living and the promise of life beyond the grave!
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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Can We Really Know The Truth?
Can We Really Know?
“Is it really possible for a person to KNOW the truth?”
There are so many opinions about what the Bible teaches.
“Is truth even attainable in the religious realm?”
These are common questions today.
Consider a few observations from Scripture:
1. How can a person be expected to OBEY (Hebrews 5:8-9) Christ if he is incapable of knowing what constitutes obedience to Christ?
2. How can a person be expected to ABIDE IN (John 8:31) the word of Christ if he is unable to learn and know Christ’s teaching?
3. How can a person be expected to PROVE (1 Thessalonians 5:21; cf. 1 John 4:1) what the Bible says if the truth cannot be distinguished from error?
4. How can a person be expected to CONTEND (Jude 3) earnestly for the truth if the truth is unattainable?
5. How can a person be expected to BEWARE (Matthew 7:15; cf. 2 John 7) of false teachers if there is no discernible way of telling whether or not they are teaching error?
6. How can a person be expected to SPEAK (Ephesians 4:15) the truth in love if he is unable to differentiate between truth and error?
7. How can we UNDERSTAND the will of the Lord ( Ephesians 5:17) if it is unattainable?
Yes, we can know the truth.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32; 2 Timothy 3:13-17).
Content by Donald W. Treadway
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