The Jerusalem Council (3-4-07)

The Jerusalem Council
Bible Study Time 3-4-07

After Paul was saved on the road to Damascus, he wound up back in his home town of Tarsus. One day a man named Barnabas came knocking at his door, asking if Paul wanted to go to Antioch to help with the ministry there. Paul seemed to jump at the chance.

When Paul arrived in Antioch, he found that many Gentiles there had put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and as he and Barnabas continued preaching the gospel, more and more Gentiles came to know the Lord. It’s clear that when these Gentiles got saved, God did miraculous things in and through them. These miracles served as proof that these Gentiles were truly saved.

It was very much like it was with Cornelius in Acts, Chapter 10. Peter knew that Cornelius was saved because Cornelius started speaking in tongues.

The Galatians also gave evidence of their salvation by miracles. In Galatians 3:5 Paul asked:

Galatians 3:5
5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?--

Obviously, God did miracles to validate the salvation of those who were saved.

But in Acts, Chapter 15, we read about the Church at Antioch, and we read that:

Acts 15:1-2
1 . . . certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, (saying) "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.

Now, when this says that they went up to Jerusalem, it wasn’t saying that they went north to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was actually south of Antioch. But since Jerusalem was on a high plateau, it was going to be an uphill march to Jerusalem. Therefore, Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem.

Acts 15:3
3 (And) being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren.

Again, it’s obvious that God did many outward miracles to prove the salvation of the Gentiles.

Acts 15:4-5
4 (But when Paul and Barnabas came) to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them.
5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses."

Evidently, the Law of Moses had become so much a part of their lives that they could not imagine anyone having a relationship with God apart from the rituals and ceremonies of the Law.

Acts 15:6-9
6 (So) the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.
7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.
8 "So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,
9 "and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

As you know, some time earlier Peter had stood before these same men explaining his relationship with Cornelius. When he told them that God had specifically told him to go to Cornelius, and when he explained that Cornelius had spoken in tongues after hearing the gospel, they were satisfied that God was actually working to save the gentiles. Acts 11:18 says:

Acts 11:18
18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life."

We’re not told if Cornelius ever did submit to circumcision after that. If he did, then we can more easily understand why the Christian Pharisees continued to insist that Gentile converts had to submit to circumcision. If Cornelius never did submit to circumcision then the Christian Pharisees must have excused Cornelius as an exception to the rule.

Whatever the case, we know that the Christian Pharisees did continue to insist upon the circumcision of Gentile believers. But now, they were faced with the testimony of Paul and Barnabas, and as they discussed the situation, Peter rehearsed the fact that Cornelius had been saved by faith even though he was uncircumcised. Peter went on to say:

Acts 15:10-11
10 "Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11 "But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they."

Peter clearly understood that salvation had nothing to do with rituals and ceremonies. He said that it was by the grace of Jesus Christ that Jews shall be saved even as the Gentiles were being saved, without the rituals of the Law. Then verse 12 says:

Acts 15:12
12 . . . all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.

Once again, we see God using the miracles. It was the miracles of Jesus that proved He was the Messiah. It was the miracles of the Apostles which proved their message concerning the resurrection of Christ. And now, God was using miracles to prove that the Gentiles were being saved by grace without the deeds of the Law. Then:

Acts 15:13-17
13 . . . after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me:
14 "Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.
15 "And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:
16 'After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up;
17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things.'

Obviously, James was expecting the kingdom to come at any moment, and this figured into his decision concerning the Gentiles. In his mind, he was thinking, if the kingdom is coming soon, then it’s time for the Gentiles to get saved. Therefore, James said:

Acts 15:18-21
18 "Known to God from eternity are all His works.
19 "Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God,
20 "but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.
21 "For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath."

The rest of the chapter goes on to tell how they wrote a letter which explained to the Gentiles in Antioch that they would not be required to submit to circumcision.

In the book of Galatians, we see Paul’s perspective on the Jerusalem Council. In chapter 2, he said:

Galatians 2:1-2
1 . . . after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me.
2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain.

Paul says that he went to the Jerusalem Council by revelation. He did not go because he was under any obligation to explain himself to the elders in Jerusalem. As Paul said in the first chapter of Galatians, he was called by God, and he was therefore only accountable to God. But Paul said that he went to the meeting in Jerusalem because God told him to go.

That, in itself, should speak to each one of us. God does want us to go the extra mile with other believers. God wants us give more than we are obligated to give. He wants us to give the way Jesus gave, without any thought for our own rights and privileges.

So Paul went to Jerusalem, and as he thought back on that meeting, he said that the meeting actually:

Galatians 2:4-5,7,9
4 . . . occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage),
5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
7 But when (the Jews in Jerusalem) saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter
9 . . . they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

As Paul wrote to these Galatian believers, he was able to use this decision which was made at the Jerusalem Council to defend the gospel of the grace of God. He simply pointed out that even the Jews in Jerusalem had agreed that the Gentiles did not have to submit to the Law of Moses in order to be saved.

This also helps us to realize that during the Acts period, the Jews and the Gentiles lived under two different programs. Peter was called to administer the program for the Jews, while Paul was called to administer the program for the Gentiles. The Jews practiced the Law while the Gentiles did not.

Well, this brings us to a critical issue which faces us today. As we look at the Christian media, we’re often faced with the issue of the Jews. Are the Jews really saved by a different gospel than Gentiles? Are the Jews saved even if they don’t believe in Jesus?

No, not at all. First of all, even at the Jerusalem Council it was understood that both the Jews and Gentiles would have to believe in the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus in order to be saved. The only difference between the believing Jews and the believing Gentiles was that the believing Jews did continue to practice the rituals of the Law. However, even during the Acts period, Paul made it perfectly clear that even the Jews were not saved by the Law. In this same chapter of Galatians, Chapter 2, Paul said:

Galatians 2:16
16 "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

But still, the question remains as to whether or not God wants believing Jews of our present age to continue practicing the Law. To find the answer to this question we have to understand the difference between Paul’s ministry during the Acts period and his ministry after the Acts period.

During the Acts period, God was still offering to the Jews the New Covenant Kingdom. Even in the last chapter of the book of Acts Paul called for a meeting of the Jews in Rome. He showed them from Moses and the Prophets that Jesus really was the promised Messiah. When they refused to accept Christ, Paul said:

Acts 28:25-28
25 . . . "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers,
26 "saying, 'Go to this people and say: "Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive;
27 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." '
28 "Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!"

From that time on, Paul taught that the Law was abolished at the cross. In Ephesians 2, he said:

Ephesians 2:14-16
14 For (Christ) Himself is our peace, who has made both (Jew and Gentile) one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile (both Jews and Gentiles) to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

Therefore, the practice of the Law among the Jews in our present age is nothing more than a reminder of their failure to accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Jewish believers today are members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, and as such, they need to realize that they have a hope which is separate and apart from national Israel.

When the church of our present age is raptured and taken home to heaven, the unbelieving Jews will remain on the earth to go through the tribulation period. At that time, many Jews will be saved. At that time the practice of the Law will be appropriate because, like during the Act period, the kingdom will once again be offered to Israel. The practice of the Law has always been associated with the earthly kingdom.

For the time being, however, all believers whether Jew or Gentile belong to one body and the rituals of the Law are not appropriate for our worship of the Lord.

Well, I see that our time is gone for today. Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Serve the Lord with Gladness (2-25-07)

Serve the Lord with Gladness
Bible Study Time 2-25-07

God used Israel’s exodus from Egypt as a means of proving and demonstrating His mighty power. God said to Moses:

Exodus 7:3-5 (NKJ)
3 "And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
4 "But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
5 "And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them."

We are all familiar with the great stories that are associated with Israel’s exodus from Egypt. We have heard about the ten plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, and so forth, but as we look at these great miracles, we may have a tendency to overlook the primary purpose for which God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. At least seven times the Lord demands of Pharaoh “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.”

As we look at the scriptures from the front to the back, we see that this is God’s primary desire for man. God wants us to love and serve Him with all of our hearts. God’s measure of success for human beings is based upon our willingness to serve the Lord with all of our emotions, with all of our intelligence and with all of our energy.

Specifically, Moses told Pharaoh that the children of Israel needed to go into the wilderness so that they could sacrifice to the Lord. But why do you suppose they would have to leave Egypt in order to sacrifice to the Lord? Couldn’t they just sacrifice to the Lord right there in Egypt?

Actually, that was Pharaoh’s question after he saw the water turned to blood and his entire nation overrun by frogs, gnats and flies. To this suggestion, Moses simply said, no, that’s not going to happen. He said that Israel would have to leave Egypt in order to serve the Lord.

You may recall that Abraham was in the same situation in Ur of the Chaldeans. God told Abraham that he would have to leave Ur of the Chaldeans to serve the Lord. Egypt and Ur of the Chaldeans picture the old sin nature. All men are born with a sin nature, and we have to deal with the old sin nature before we can serve the Lord.

I’m afraid that many people today, when they sense their need for God, they simply try to start serving the Lord without ever leaving Ur of the Chaldeans, without ever leaving Egypt, without ever dealing with the old sin nature.

As Moses told Pharaoh, that won’t work. We have to experience a change on the inside before we can serve the Lord on the outside. All of our sacrifices and all of our service will count for nothing if they flow from the corrupt sin nature.

Romans says that the wages of sin is death, and so it is that we have to put the old sin nature to death. When we put our faith in Christ, we are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The old man is nailed to the cross, and the New Man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness comes to life through the power of the resurrection.

The nation of Israel could not worship and serve the Lord while they were dwelling in the land of idolatry and pagan worship. They could not bring God down into Egypt with them. God would not allow that.

God lives in a beautiful world of righteousness and peace, and He refuses to be brought down into this world of hatred, jealousy, strife and discontent. God simply will not allow man to drag Him down into this fallen world.

Unfortunately, that is what much of religion is all about. Religion has a tendency to justify all of its greed and hatred on the basis of faith. That is an effort to serve the Lord without ever leaving Egypt. The long and the short of it is that this is idolatry because it creates a God of man’s on choosing.

God told the Jews that they would have to leave the idolatry of Egypt in order to serve the Lord, and today God tells us that we have to leave behind this world and its values if we are going to serve Him. He says:

I John 2:15-17 (NKJ)
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world-- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-- is not of the Father but is of the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

God in His mercy has provided the means by which we can leave this world. The Apostle Paul tells us that we were dead in trespasses and sins:

Ephesians 2:4-7 (NKJ)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:20 (NKJ)
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

God has made it possible for us to leave the land of Egypt through simple faith in Christ. By His mighty hand He has delivered us from the power of darkness and has conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

The bondage of religious idolatry is hard to overcome. Men grow very fond of the gods they have created. As the children of Israel left Egypt and were traveling to the Promised Land, they often longed for Egypt, especially in the face of hardship. Their only hope for victory over this bondage to idolatry rested in their ability to focus on the reward that God had promised them.

Moses was the leader of the few who never looked back with a longing for Egypt. What was his secret? Hebrews 11 says:

Hebrews 11:24-26 (NKJ)
24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

Moses had a crystal clear picture in his mind of the reward that lay ahead. That’s why he never got discouraged with God’s plan and purpose. Oh, there were a few anxious moments even for Moses, but he never questioned the fact that he had made the right choice when it came to following and serving the Lord.

Moses had heard the word of God, and he believed that God could accomplish that which He had promised. At the burning bush, God said:

Exodus 3:12 (NKJ)
12 "I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."

Then when the children of Israel arrived back at that mountain, God appeared to all of the children of Israel on Mt. Sinai and said:

Exodus 19:5-6 (NKJ)
5 'Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
6 'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation . . .

Moses was able to visualize exactly what God was talking about here. He could see the significance of what God was saying. Israel was going to be the greatest nation on the face of the earth, and they were going to serve all of the gentile nations as a holy nation and as a kingdom of priests. This was a reward for which he was willing to suffer. He was willing to suffer affliction with the people of God because he kept his eye on the reward.

It seems that many within the realm of the Christian religion have misinterpreted these words which God spoke to Israel. They think that believers today have become the kingdom of priests that God was talking about. They believe that we are the fulfillment of that prophesy.

Well, if we are a kingdom of priests today then I have to ask why is it that Christians are being tortured and killed and persecuted all over the world. God told Israel, the whole earth is mine, and I’m going to give it to you. You will become the rulers of this world.

It may be that believers here in America can fantasize about Christians having dominion over all the earth, but it might be rather difficult to convince all of the persecuted Christians around the world that this is a realistic goal. What’s more, the Apostle Paul was very clear about the fact that this world is going to get worse and worse until the Lord Jesus returns.

The truth of God’s word is that we today have not been called to be the rulers of this world. We have been called to be the John the Baptist’s of this world. We have been called to be the Peter’s of this world, and we have been called to be the Paul’s of this world. We have been called to take up the cross of Jesus Christ and share the gospel of Christ in spite of persecution and hardship.

And why are we willing to do this? What is our motivation? Like Moses, we see the reward. We know that Paul was right when he said:

Romans 8:18 (KJV)
18 . . . I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Moses was willing to leave Egypt and never look back because he knew that the kingdom was coming. Moses may have had a clear vision of the future glory of David’s kingdom and the future glory of Solomon’s kingdom, and Moses knew that his sufferings were not worthy to be compared even with the glory of Solomon’s kingdom.

But I think that Moses was looking beyond the temporary glory of Solomon’s kingdom as his reward. After all, Moses didn’t even get to experience the glory of Solomon’s kingdom because he was in the grave during that period of time. No, Moses was looking way down the line to the eternal kingdom. He knew that some day he would be raised from the dead to enjoy the glory of the eternal kingdom.

When God spoke to the people at Mt. Sinai and the people refused to hear the voice of God. God told Moses:

Deuteronomy 18:17-19 (NKJ)
17 . . . 'What they have spoken is good.
18 'I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
19 'And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.

Jesus Christ was that Prophet. He came preaching, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He said:

John 5:45-47 (NKJ)
45 "Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you (and that is) Moses, in whom you trust.
46 "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.
47 "But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

Moses wrote about Jesus and he probably knew that Jesus would be killed and then raised from the dead. It was Moses who first wrote about the fact that Satan would bruise the heel of the Seed of the woman but that the Seed of the woman would bruise the head of Satan. This is the first prophesy of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

Moses must have been astonished when he saw what was actually going to take place, but he was not at liberty to reveal the details of our redemption. Paul said in I Corinthians, Chapter 2, that the rulers of this age would not have crucified the Lord if they had known what they were really accomplishing in the plan and purpose of God. Therefore, God did not reveal the details of His plan for man’s redemption in the Old Testament scriptures.

God told Moses that the people would be held accountable if they refused to listen to the Prophet who would come. Of course, we know that when Jesus came, the Jews refused to hear His message. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.

They refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah. They crucified Him on the cross, and they buried Him in a tomb. This was something that Moses may have been able to see as he looked into the future. However, he would not have been able to see the fact that the nation of Israel was going to reject the Lord Jesus even after His resurrection.

All of the prophets of the Old Testament confirm a scenario in which the rejected Christ is raised from the dead to rule and reign over the earth, but they do not reveal the rejection of the resurrected Christ.

When we come to the New Testament scriptures, we see Christ rejected, crucified and raised from the dead. Then we see the Apostles doing many miracles, wonders and signs as they present the resurrected Christ to the nation of Israel. But throughout the book of Acts, that message is steadfastly rejected by the Jews.

As a result, God set aside Israel’s program and began revealing the program for the Church of our present age through the Apostle Paul. In Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, the Apostle Paul no longer presents Christ as the King who will be coming back to reign over the earth. Instead, he presents Christ as the Head over all things to the Church which is the Body of Christ.

Once again, this week I heard on the History Channel that Ephesians and Colossians could not have been written by the Apostle Paul because the theology of these letters is so different from the theology of his previous epistles. They were right that the theology is different, but they had obviously failed to see that these prison epistles reveal a whole new program of God.

God called Israel up out of Egypt so that they could serve and worship the Lord. They were to serve the Lord in a glorious earthly kingdom. Today, we have the privilege of serving and worshipping the Lord as citizens of heaven. Someday, after God calls us home to actually be with the Lord in heaven, God is going to bring in the great tribulation period and during that time Israel will finally accept Jesus Christ as her Messiah, and she will serve the Lord in the great kingdom which Moses and all of the prophets looked forward to.

Well, I see our time is gone. Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time. It’ been a pleasure being with you, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Free Will (2-18-07)

Free Will
Bible Study Time 2-18-07

In Noah’s day, the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. As a result, God decided to destroy man from the face of the earth, but then, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

God told Noah to build an ark so that he and his family and a sampling of all animals and birds would be protected from the great flood that was about to come. The book of Hebrews says that Noah built the ark because he believed what God told him, and as a result, he became the heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

When the ark was completed and it was time for them enter into the ark, the Bible says that Noah and his family and all of the animals and birds simply entered the ark. There is no mention of Noah having a big round up. Instead, it would appear that God just spoke to the animals and birds in some way, and they responded to His voice.

On December the 26th of 2004, the great tsunami swept through the Indian Ocean. As it swept across the coastline, it killed more than 150,000 people in a dozen countries. The people were caught totally off guard. Ten days later, the National Geographic News reported that before the giant waves hit the coast, eyewitnesses reported seeing unusual activity among the animals.

Elephants were seen screaming and running for higher ground. Dogs refused to go outdoors. Flamingos abandoned their low lying breeding areas. Zoo animals rushed into their shelters and could not be enticed to come back out. This confirmed for many people the rumors which have circulated for centuries that wild and domestic animals have a sixth sense which warns them about coming earthquakes.

It certainly would seem that God has a special means of communicating with animals, and it would also appear that when He speaks to them, they obey His voice. Wouldn’t it be nice if we, as human beings, would do the same?

People often ask why God allows all of the suffering and violence that we see in our world. The simple answer is that in the beginning God gave man a free will. He has the ability to choose, but he continues to make the wrong choices.

The animals were created without a free will. They have no capacity to choose whether or not they will obey God. They simply obey the voice of God. They don’t worry about right and wrong. They don’t worry about how their actions will affect their community or the future of their community. They just do what God has programmed them to do.

Man, on the other hand, does have the ability to choose. He was given the ability to plan ahead and weigh the consequences of his plan before he puts it into action. He was given the ability to anticipate and solve problems.

Just how much freedom we have in our choices has been a matter of considerable debate among theologians and philosophers since, well, probably since the beginning. For the past hundred years or so, secular psychology has been at the forefront of this debate with people like Carl Rogers and B.F. Skinner.

Carl Rogers was one of the founders of the humanist approach to clinical psychology. He believed that man has the ability to make rational choices within the scope of an intelligent interpretation of his own experiences. He developed elaborate techniques of psychotherapy to help people recall and evaluate their past experiences. To him, there was nothing more authoritative than one’s own personal experience.

Obviously, this humanist approach to life is a problem for believers because it fails to recognize the Bible as the ultimate authority. The Bible itself boldly proclaims that the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Then it poses the question which is so often overlooked by human philosophy, and that is, who can know it? Who can know the human heart? David recognized his inability to accurately evaluate the issues of his own heart. He said:

Psalms 139:23-24 (NKJ)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

No one but God can really know what is in the heart of a man? As a result of Adam’s original sin, man’s heart became a breeding ground for lies and deception. Therefore, a man would be foolish indeed to stake his success in life upon his own evaluation and interpretation of his own experiences.

If we are to have any chance of understanding ourselves, and if we are to have any chance of living a life that is full of joy and peace, we need a relationship with the God who created us. Proverbs 3:5 and 6 says:

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJ)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Carol Rogers insisted that man could be his own guide through life, and in 1964 he was selected by the American Humanist Association as the humanist of the year.

B.F. Skinner’s philosophies stand in direct contrast to those of Carl Rogers. B.F. Skinner was a leading proponent of the behaviorist model of human behavior. He believed that man has no capacity to evaluate or interpret his own experiences and that man’s behavior will be simply the result of his conditioning. He said that man will do what feels good, and he will avoid what feels bad. He said that rational thought is not a factor in man’s behavior.

Skinner read about Pavlov’s dog, who salivated at the sound of a bell simply because he had previously been given food when the bell was rung. Skinner said that man responds to the stimuli of life in exactly the same way.

It’s ironic that B.F. Skinner spent most of his life using arguments of reason to convince the world that man has no capacity to reason. It’s also ironic that Skinner was selected as the humanist of the year by the American Humanist Association in 1972.

It would appear that the humanists considered Skinner to be a brilliant, reasoning human being. I don’t know if Skinner actually accepted that title, but if he did, one could say that his acceptance would prove Skinner’s point, that man’s actions are not based on reason, but they are based rather on positive and negative conditioning.

Well, it’s obvious from the Bible that from the beginning, man was endowed with the capacity for rational thought. Adam and Eve were very intelligent human beings, and God expected them to make choices which were based on reason.

God has no capacity to sin, but He did create Adam and Eve with the capacity to sin. They had the capacity to sin, but they had no predilection for sin. They were given one commandment: You shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; and they were given an absolute free will when it came to obeying this command. They had no natural inclination to either obey or disobey it.

After Adam and Eve sinned, however, they and all of us, as their descendants, fell under the curse of the sin nature. We see the sin nature so clearly in the book of Romans where Paul says:

Romans 7:14-20 (NKJ)
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.
17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

Even though it’s not spelled out in the book of Genesis, we can safely conclude that the sin nature came upon man at the time of the curse. This becomes apparent when we compare Romans 5 with Hebrews 2. Romans 5:12 says:

Romans 5:12 (NKJ)
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men . . .

Then, Hebrews 2 says:

Hebrews 2:14-15 (NKJ)
14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, (Christ) Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Our bondage to sin, our proclivity for sin, is a direct result of our fear of death, and death came upon man as a result of Adam’s sin. Our sin nature, therefore, leaves us in a situation which is quite different from that of Adam and Eve before the fall. They had an absolute free will, with no inclination toward good or evil. We, on the other hand, do not have an absolute free will because we have a natural proclivity for sin.

Our love for sin is so strong that it actually takes God’s direct intervention within our hearts for us to overcome the forces of the sin nature. We can not see or understand our own sin without His help because it is impossible for us to see sin as evil when we actually see sin as beautiful.

Years ago there was a popular song which asked, how can this be wrong when it feels so right? Well, that’s the sin nature talking because the sin nature sees sin as beautiful. Our only hope to escape this deception is for God to intervene in our hearts.

Well, that sounds like a simple solution, doesn’t it? But wait a minute; it’s really not that simple because a big part of the problem is that the sin nature resists any kind of outside intervention. The sin nature values independence above all else.

When Satan tempted Eve, he tempted her with the idea that she could be as wise as God and, therefore, she could be like God. Obviously, the underlying message was that she could be independent from God and run her own life.

This sounded good to Eve even though she didn’t have a sin nature, and we can see that if Eve fell prey to this lie of the devil, just imagine how vulnerable we are with a sin nature. It takes the spiritual power of God, Himself, to break through the darkness into which we are born. Jesus said:

John 6:44-45 (NKJ)
44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him . . .

Paul said in II Corinthians 4:

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (KJV)
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

The darkness of the sin nature is fed by the devil, and it takes light from our Father in heaven to penetrate that darkness. The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus Christ is that Light. In John 1 we read:

John 1:1-9 (NKJ)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (The word, of course, is Jesus Christ. He was in the beginning with God, and He was God.)
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (In the life that flows from Jesus Christ, there is light.)
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (Men loved darkness rather then light.)
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. (This is John the Baptist, and the Apostle John says that:)
7 (John the Baptist) came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
8 (John) was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That (light) was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

We are born into darkness with a sin nature that loves darkness. We love darkness rather than light because our deeds are evil. But John said that Jesus Christ came as a light shining in the darkness, and he said that Jesus Christ gives light to everyone who comes into the world.

I don’t know exactly how God does it, but somehow God reveals the light of Jesus Christ to every person at some point and in some way. This revelation leaves every person without excuse in the sight of God. On the Day of Judgment, no one will be able to stand before God and say, I didn’t know about the light, or I never had access to the light. Jesus Christ is the true light who gives light to every man who comes into the world.

Those who respond to the Light are given the privilege of walking in the light, and this too is a result of God’s powerful intervention in our lives. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to overcome the sin nature in our everyday lives.

The animals of Noah’s day responded to the voice of God, but they did not have a choice to make. They were created to obey the voice of God. You and I, on the other hand, were created with the ability to choose. When the sin nature came upon man, man became easy prey for the devil, but praise the Lord, Jesus Christ can take us out of the darkness and into the light. Paul said:

Colossians 1:13-14 (NKJ)
13 (God) has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

The Rich Young Man (2-11-07)

The Rich Young Man
Bible Study Time 2-11-07

I’m sure you can recall the account in Matthew, Chapter 19, where we read about a wealthy young man who came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to obtain eternal life. Specifically, he asked:

Matthew 19:16-30 (NKJ)
16 . . . "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"

Well, the Lord went immediately to the question that faced all of the Jewish people at that time. He asked, why do you call me good? No one is good but One and that is God.

If this young man truly wanted eternal life, he would have to first consider the question of who Jesus really was. Was He a prophet? Was He a teacher? Yes, He was both, but He was more than a prophet. He was more than a teacher. He was, in fact, God in the flesh.

This young man’s own words had brought him to the brink of eternal life because, for him, obtaining eternal life was all about believing that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus told Martha:

John 11:25-26 (NKJ)
25 . . . "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die . . . "

Then He asked Martha, “Do you believe this?” and Martha said:

John 11:27 (NKJ)
27 . . . "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God . . . "

Jesus asked his disciples in Matthew 16, “Who do men say that I am?” They responded that some were saying He was John the Baptist, while others were saying that He was one of the ancient prophets. When Jesus asked, who do you say that I am, Peter spoke up and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

I’m sure that some of the disciples may have wondered why Jesus was so concerned about this particular question. After all, couldn’t they just get on with the business of setting up the kingdom?

Maybe this was in John the Baptist’s mind when he sent his disciples to ask if Jesus really was the Messiah or if they should look for another. Why didn’t Jesus just go ahead and bring in the kingdom?

For centuries, the Jews had been taught about the coming of the Messiah. They longed for the Messiah and the kingdom, but very few had any idea that the setting up of the kingdom would depend upon their willingness to believe in the Messiah. There were a few hints in the Old Testament that the Messiah would be rejected. Isaiah said:

Isaiah 53:3 (NKJ)
3 He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; he was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

David said:

Psalms 22:16-18 (NKJ)
16 . . . dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;
17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.
18 They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.

It’s easy for us to see that these passages are prophesies about Jesus Christ, but the people who lived before Christ could not have understood these prophesies without a direct and personal revelation from the Holy Spirit. Some even suggest that Isaiah and David didn’t understand the meaning of these prophesies.

Daniel was a little more specific when he said:

Daniel 9:26 (NKJ)
26 " . . . (the) Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself . . .

Clearly, Daniel was saying that the Messiah would be put to death, but He still gave no hint that the setting up of the kingdom would be dependent upon the nation of Israel accepting the Messiah and believing in Him as the Son of God.

When Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” he was expressing a precious truth, but it was a truth which was accepted by very few of Peter’s fellow countrymen. Therefore, Jesus said:

Matthew 16:17-18 (NKJ)
17 "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

The word church simply means “called out ones,” and God has called out several different churches through the ages. Stephen, in Acts, Chapter 7, referred to the Jews in the wilderness as the church in the wilderness, which was in essence the Church of the Old Covenant. When Jesus told Peter that He would build His church upon this rock, Jesus was referring to the Church of the New Covenant. Today, we belong to the Church which is the Body of Christ.

The Church of the Old Covenant went into the Old Covenant Kingdom after forty years in the wilderness. The Church of the New Covenant will go into the New Covenant Kingdom after the seven years of the tribulation period. We, as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, have no expectation of entering any earthly kingdom. Our hope is to be caught up to be with Christ before the tribulation period begins.

Therefore, Jesus was talking to Peter about the Church of the New Covenant. It’s obvious that they were anticipating the New Covenant Kingdom because Jesus went on to tell Peter:

Matthew 16:19 (NKJ)
19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Notice that Jesus did not say that Peter could pass those keys on after his death to his successors. That’s because Jesus was talking about the keys of the future kingdom which will be established after the Apostles have been raised from the dead with immortal bodies. In the kingdom, the Apostles will possess the keys to the kingdom. Whatever they bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever they loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

When the rich young man came to Jesus, he was at least aware of the fact that the kingdom was associated with eternal life. He knew that the kingdom was not going to be just another glorious political kingdom, but it was going to be a spiritual kingdom which offered the hope of eternal life.

Sadly, this young man, like the nation of Israel, did not realize that his entrance into that kingdom would depend upon his willingness to believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Rather than faith, He offered his own good works as the means by which he would enter into the kingdom. Jesus asked him:

Matthew 19:17-22
17 "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."
18 "Which ones?" the young man asked. Jesus said," 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,'
19 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
20 The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"
21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

One of the amazing aspects of this story is the offer that Jesus made to this young man. Jesus was the very One who had breathed the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils, and He was saying, come and follow me. Just leave everything else behind and come and spend some time with me.

Would you be willing to follow the One who gave life to the very first man? Would you be willing to follow the One who gave you life while you were still in the womb? Would you be willing to give up everything you have to be with the One who controls all of the circumstances of life? What person in their right mind would turn that down?

But, you see, the answer to all of these questions really depends upon who Jesus really was. The fact that this young man turned and walked away proved that he just didn’t get it. He didn’t believe that Jesus was the very Son of God who was with God in the beginning and who was God.

He was very much like Cain who slew his brother, Abel. Cain loved his stuff, and he wanted God to accept the fruit of his own labor. When Cain found out that his own works were not acceptable to God, he killed his brother, and the Bible says that ultimately Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.

It’s sad to think how many people on judgment day will go out from the presence of the Lord because they trusted in their own good works. One of the greatest lies of the devil is that God will accept all who do the best they can. Many people fall for this lie even though the Bible plainly declares that all of our own righteousness is as filthy rags.

The rich young man chose to hang onto his stuff rather than giving it up to follow the Lord. His lack of faith stands in contrast to the disciples. When Jesus filled Peter’s boat with fish, Peter’s eyes were opened. He got on his knees before the Lord and said:

Luke 5:8 (NKJ)
8 . . . "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"

Peter recognized Jesus as Lord, and he was willing to forsake all for the privilege of being with Christ. On certain television shows, I’ve seen people bidding tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of spending just a few hours with a celebrity. Now, I have to tell you, that’s pretty hard for me to relate to, but these people obviously value very much the thought of spending some time with a celebrity.

I wonder how much you and I would pay to spend time with Jesus. How much do we value our time with the Lord? Whether it’s our personal time or our time in public worship, how much do we value that time?

I have to assume that those celebrities on TV don’t even know the people who are bidding for their time, and it may be that they don’t really care to know them. But you and I have a Savior who knows us. He knows us, and He still loves us. He loves the thought of spending time with us, and He loves to fellowship with us. What’s more, He promises us that as we fellowship with Him, He will supply our every need.

If we need wisdom, He’ll give it to us. If we need comfort, He’ll supply it. If we need encouragement, He’ll provide that. Whatever our need, it will be met as we fellowship with Christ.

We can also rest assured that our fellowship with the Lord will not end after a few hours. God’s not going to be watching the clock to see when our time is up. The Lord loves us, and He cherishes His time with us. He loved us enough to die for our sins, so we know that He cherishes every second of His time with us? It must grieve the Holy Spirit when He sees that we so often fail to cherish our time with the Lord.

We, as believers today, actually have the privilege of walking in fellowship with Christ every minute of every day. The Bible says that there is only one thing that can hinder our fellowship with Christ and that is sin. The Apostle John said:

I John 1:3 (NKJ)
3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

I John 1:6-9 (NKJ)
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 (but) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Jesus Christ knows us. He loves us. And He wants to help us as we walk in the light. His desire is that we might experience every good thing as we walk in fellowship with Him. However, this fellowship is available only to those who come to God through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, and no man comes to the Father, but by me.”

This offer of salvation and fellowship is open to all people. Jesus Christ doesn’t just select a few here and a few there. No, He stands with open arms and says to the whole world, whosoever will may come. He says:

Matthew 11:28-29 (KJV)
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

When Jesus said, take my yoke upon you, do you know what that yoke is? It’s the cross of Calvary. In Mark, Chapter 8, the Lord told His disciples:

Mark 8:34-35 (NKJ)
34 . . . "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
35 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.

The rich young man had to believe that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God, but we today are required to take up the cross of Christ. We are required to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and that He was raised from the dead for our justification. In other words, He was raised from the dead to make us righteous in the sight of God. That’s the gospel by which we are saved today.

When we believe this gospel message, the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the death of Jesus Christ. We are baptized into His death, burial and resurrection, and by this means we are justified in God’s sight.

It may be that you are listening today, and you know in your heart that your life is missing something, and you know that what you really need is fellowship with Jesus Christ. If that’s the case, Jesus is saying to you, come and follow me.

All it takes is a simple prayer of faith. You know, I can’t tell you what words to pray. There is no magic prayer that saves everyone who says it, because it’s really a matter of what’s in your heart. Only you know what’s in your heart, but I can tell you this, if you open your heart to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will give you the very words that you need to say. Jesus said, ask and you shall receive; knock and the door shall be opened unto you.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

These Became Our Examples (2-4-07)

These Became Our Examples
Bible Study Time 2-4-07

At the Last Supper, the Lord Jesus gave his disciples a cup of wine and said:

Matthew 26:27-28 (NKJ)
27 . . . "Drink from it, all of you.
28 "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

The New Covenant was not a temporary covenant like the Law of Moses, but it was to be an everlasting covenant. It was and is the covenant that will bring about the fulfillment of all of God’s promises to Abraham and all of God’s promises to David.

But in this statement that the Lord made at the Last Supper, the Lord Jesus was saying that He was about to shed the blood that was required for the ratification of the New Covenant.

When the Lord Jesus arose from the dead and ascended into heaven, He carried a portion of His own shed blood up into the temple in heaven. Then, functioning as the High Priest of heaven, He sprinkled His own blood upon the lid of the Arch of the Covenant to provide atonement for the sins of mankind. The book of Hebrews says:

Hebrews 8:1-6 (NKJ)
4 . . . there are (earthly) priests who offer the gifts according to the law;
5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For (the Lord) said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."
6 But now (Jesus Christ) has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is (the) Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

Hebrews 9:11-12 (NKJ)
11 (For) Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands . . .
12 (And) Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Hebrews 4:14 (NKJ)
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

As we read this, we see that the temple in heaven is the master design upon which Israel’s earthly tabernacle was based. Moses was instructed by the Lord to make all things according to the pattern that he was shown. Therefore, the earthly tabernacle was a copy, or shadow, of the temple in heaven.

The earthly tabernacle was a picture of the temple in heaven. The earthly priests were a picture of Jesus Christ, the High Priest of heaven. The blood of the animal sacrifices was a picture of the blood of Christ.

Some people wonder why God would single out Abraham and his descendants as the nation to whom He would give all of these pictures and shadows, and if we go back to the beginning, we see that Adam’s sin brought darkness to the heart of all men. As a result, man had no concern for the things of God. Genesis 6 says that by the time of the flood, “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

After the flood, it wasn’t long before the men of the earth banded together to build the Tower of Babel. Men knew God, but they refused to glorify Him as God. Instead, they worked to suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Mankind had no desire to learn about God, but God was determined to reveal to man the treasures that are available in heaven.

One day God appeared to a man who name was Abram. Abram was an idol worshipper just like everyone else from Ur of the Chaldeans, but God appeared to Abram and said:

Genesis 12:1-4 (NKJ)
1 . . . "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him . . .

Abram trusted the Lord and believed what the Lord said, and so Abram became the friend of God. God ultimately changed Abram’s name to Abraham, and because of his faith, Abraham was made righteous in the sight of God.

As a result, God chose Abraham and his descendants to be the people through whom He would reveal all of His secret, heavenly treasures. This did not mean that all of Abraham’s descendants were saved in the sense that they had faith in God like Abraham did. In I Corinthians, Chapter 10, Paul says

1 Corinthians 10:1-6 (NKJ)
1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,
2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
3 all ate the same spiritual food,
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.

Here, Paul confirms that with most of the Old Testament Jews, God was not well pleased. They refused to believe in God in spite of the fact that God had demonstrated His saving power over and over again as He delivered them and provided for them. But Paul says that those Old Testament events were just as much for our benefit as they were for the benefit of the Jews. They were meant as examples for us.

The rock from which the Jews drank in the wilderness was a picture of Jesus Christ from whom we draw the living water of the Holy Spirit.

Paul said that the manna which came down from heaven was a picture of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus, Himself, taught that He was the bread of life which came down from heaven to give life to the world.

Paul said that the children of Israel were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea as they were delivered from Egypt, just as we are baptized into Christ for our ultimate redemption.

Therefore, the rituals of the Law and the contents of the tabernacle were pictures of heavenly things, but the events of the Old Testament were also pictures for us, and they were given to show exactly how a person can establish a relationship with God and gain access to the glorious riches of heaven.

When the blood of the Passover lamb was placed upon the doorpost in Egypt, that blood was a picture of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, who was the Lamb of God. Those who did not have the blood of the lamb applied were sentenced to death, but those who had the blood applied, were delivered from the curse of death.

At that point, the Lamb had been slain, but the redemption came only to those who were willing to follow Moses and leave Egypt behind. Those who left with Moses were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Moses, in a sense, was the mediator between God and the children of Israel.

The faithful Jews who followed Moses, had to follow him right down into the bottom of the Red Sea, and they had to trust that God would bring them out the other side. They were baptized into Moses as he led them through the Red Sea. Only after this baptism could they say that they were really free from the bondage of Egypt and truly headed for the Promised Land.

These things were done as a picture for us. They served as a picture or foreshadowing of our salvation. Christ has shed His blood as the Passover Lamb, and He has sprinkled that blood upon the mercyseat in heaven, but no one can be saved by that blood until they are willing to be baptized into Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. We must go down with Christ into the Rea Sea so to speak, and we must trust Christ to bring us up to victory on the other side through the power of the resurrection.

There are many people in our world today for whom Christ has shed His blood, but that blood can not be applied to their hearts because they are not willing to follow Christ in faith. Until they are willing to follow the Lord Jesus into His death, burial and resurrection, they will never be able to follow Christ to the Promised Land.

When the children of Israel came up out of the Red Sea, they were thrilled to see what God had done. They celebrated there on the eastern shores of the Red Sea, and they praised the Lord for what He had done, but their journey had only just begun. They still had many miles to travel before reaching the Promised Land.

As the children of Israel started their journey to the Promised Land, they soon discovered that it was not going to be an easy path. There were times when they were hungry and had no food. There times when they were thirsty and had no water. But God showed His love for them over and over again by providing for their every need.

Then three months after leaving Egypt, God led them to Mt. Sinai where He gave them the Law. He told them what He expected from them, and they agreed to live by all of God’s laws.

All of these events serve as a picture of our walk with the Lord after we are saved. There is no promise that we will have an easy path. In fact, we are told that there will be times of trial and tribulation, but we are also told that our God will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

God provides for us, but He also calls us to live a holy life. After we are saved, and after God proves His love for us, He still leads us to the foot of Mt. Sinai in a sense. He still calls upon us to live a life that is dedicated to holiness. We are told that we once were dead in trespasses and sins, but now we have been made alive in Jesus Christ to demonstrate the workmanship of God, for we have been created unto good works.

Many people read the Law of Moses and say that one’s salvation and standing before God is determined by one’s ability to keep the Law. But if we look at the Law more closely, we see that eternal salvation is never promised in the Law. The Law merely promised financial prosperity, public health and victory over their enemies. There was no promise of eternal life.

But as we have seen, the events that surround the giving of the Law give us a very clear picture of God’s plan for the redemption of mankind. We see that the Jews were granted a pardon from death when the blood was applied to the doorpost. Then, they were set free from Egyptian bondage when they were baptized into Moses in the Rea Sea. Only after this glorious redemption were the people given the Law. The Law was never pictured as a means of redemption.

Of course, this plan of redemption is exactly what Paul teaches us in Ephesians, Chapter 2, where he says:

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NKJ)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are (God’s) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Good works can never bring redemption, but they do come as a result of redemption.

So, God gave the Law through the nation of Israel to reveal the glorious things of heaven. Then God gave the events of the Old Testament to reveal His plan of redemption, again through pictures and shadows.

But today, we no longer have any need for the pictures and shadows of the past. Today, we have the reality of Jesus Christ. We are in Christ, and Christ is in us. In Colossians, Chapter 2, Paul speaks to us and says:

Colossians 2:16-17 (NKJ)
16 . . . let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or (any of the) sabbaths,
17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

All of the rituals and ceremonies of the Law were but a picture of Christ, but today we have the substance of Christ. All of the spiritual blessings that were promised and pictured in the Old Testament have now become a reality for us in Jesus Christ. We are seated in the heavenly temple with Christ at the right hand of the Father, and we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

After Israel was pardoned by the blood of the lamb in Egypt and redeemed by her baptism into Moses in the Red Sea, and after she was given the Law of God so that she would not be ignorant of God’s righteousness, after all of these things had taken place, Israel was taken right up to the Promised Land, but what did she do? Yes, you know what happened. Israel refused to go into the Promised Land. She didn’t have enough faith to go in and claim what God had given to her.

I’m afraid that many of us today, have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, and we have dedicated ourselves to living good and decent lives, but we really need to take it a step further. We need to go ahead and take that step of faith and enter into the glorious blessings of God. Sometimes we are too afraid to let go and let God.

We still want to keep everything under our own control, and you know what? If we do that the problems around us will seem like giants. Giants that are too big for us to deal with. And they are. They are too big for us. But God has called us to walk by faith and not by sight. There is no problem that is too big for God. Only as we walk by faith can we really experience all of the blessings that God has in store for us. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, if we just open our hearts to Him and walk by faith.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

The Covenants (1-21-07)

The Covenants
Bible Study Time 1-21-07

The past few weeks we have been looking at the fact that when we come to Jesus Christ in faith, believing that He died on the cross for our sins, we are positioned in Christ by the Holy Spirit, and we are given a new beginning. II Corinthians 5:17 says:

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJ)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Romans 6 says:

Romans 6:3-4 (NKJ)
3 . . . 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.

As Paul wrote to the Church which is the Body of Christ in Ephesians, Chapter 4, he said:

Ephesians 4:21-24 (NKJ)
21 if indeed you have heard (Christ) and have been taught by (Christ) . . .
22 (then) put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 (being) renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and . . . put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

These are just a few of the many verses which teach that God has given everyone of us a chance for a new beginning in Jesus Christ.

When the angel came to Mary and told her that she would conceive and bring forth a son who would sit upon David’s throne as the Son of the Highest, Mary said, “Be it unto me according to thy word.”

Even so, we can be confident today, that when we open our hearts to God and say, “Be it unto me according to thy word,” God will start to create within us something new, something so glorious that it is beyond our human comprehension, something that will bring glory and honor to God. Then, we will also say with Mary, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

What a miraculous change God brings about in our hearts and in our lives when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. It makes me think of the old hymn which says:

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought,
Since Jesus came into my heart.
I have light in my soul for which long I had sought,
Since Jesus came into my heart.
Floods of joy o’re my soul like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart.

Well, all of this is available to us today because of the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus upon the cross of Calvary. Jesus Christ came into the world through Mary. He was born of a woman, and He came to seek and to save that which was lost.

When Adam sinned in the Garden, the sin nature and the curse of sin fell upon all men. The Law wasn’t given to Moses for another 2500 years, but death still claimed the life of every person who lived between the time of Adam and the time of Moses.

You see, when Adam sinned, all men sinned because we were actually there, in Adam, at the time Adam sinned. Do you remember how the writer of Hebrews said that Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek? He said that Levi paid that tithe because he was in the loins of Abraham when Abraham paid his tithe to Melchizedek.

Well, in that same way, all of humanity from the beginning to the end was there in Adam when Adam sinned against God. And yes, that included Eve too because Eve had been created from Adam’s flesh and bone. God sees everything that proceeds from Adam as being in Adam. Therefore, when Adam fell, the whole human race fell.

One of the ways that angels stand in contrast to humans is that angels were each individually created. They stand before God as individuals, while humans stand before God in Adam.

Now, as we know, when Adam sinned, he was denied access to the tree of life. He and Eve were locked out of the Garden so that they could not eat of the tree of life. But when the Lord Jesus came into the world, He said:

John 10:10 (NKJ)
10 . . . I have come that (the sheep) may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

And then He said:

John 10:11 (NKJ)
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He did so in order to bring abundant life to all who believe. He died so that we might have access to the tree of life.

All those who are in Adam will have no access to the tree of life for all of eternity, but those who put their faith in Jesus Christ are taken out of Adam and are given a position in Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 15 says:

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (NKJ)
21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Those who remain in Adam face eternal death, but those who are in Christ are given eternal life.

So even before the Law was given, death reigned over mankind, but when God gave the Law, the Law revealed the righteousness of God and sin became exceedingly sinful. In other words, there was a greater level of accountability on man’s part after the Law was given. This is one of those principles that we see throughout the scriptures, with greater knowledge comes greater responsibility.

But as we move into the scriptures of the New Testament, the Law of Moses becomes the center of debate. Jesus made it perfectly clear that he had not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. However, He was often questioned by the religious leaders because He did not abide by all of their traditions. They asked Jesus why He and His disciples didn’t wash their hands according to the Jewish traditions. They asked Him why He and His disciples didn’t fast or pay the temple tax as the traditions required.

After the cross the twelve Apostles went to the nation of Israel, spreading the gospel that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead by the power of God and had been taken up into heaven. However, they were careful to live by the Jewish traditions. As a result, the issue of the Law kind of died down for a while.

After about 12 years, however, the Lord called the Apostle Paul to start his ministry among the Gentiles, and in his teachings he revealed the fact that Jesus’ death on the cross had actually ushered in the New Covenant. In all of his early writings, he dedicated a great deal of time and energy comparing the glory of the New Covenant to the fading glory of the Law. In II Corinthians 3, Paul said:

2 Corinthians 3:4-8 (NKJ)
4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God.
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Here, Paul says that the power of the New Covenant is found in the Holy Spirit while the Law has no spiritual power. He says:

2 Corinthians 3:3 (NKJ)
3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

The word of God doesn’t do anybody any good while it’s on tables of stone. Its power is revealed when the Holy Spirit applies it to our hearts.

Now these tables of stone are, of course, the tables of stone upon which God wrote the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai. God gave these stone tablets to Moses and told him to put them in the, what? The Arch of the Covenant. So the Law of Moses was a covenant of God.

We know that there were covenants made before the Law was given, but we call the Law of Moses the Old Covenant because it is the covenant which stands in contrast to the New Covenant. Paul never called the Law the Old Covenant per se, but it’s obvious that the covenant which stands in contrast to the New Covenant is the Law of Moses.

In II Corinthians 3, Paul goes on to say that:

2 Corinthians 3:7,8,11 (NKJ)
7 . . . if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,
8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?
11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

Now, what is it that’s passing away in this passage? It’s the covenant of death that was written on tablets of stone. Paul said that the Law was passing away, but he never said that the covenants of God which were made previous to the Law were passing away, not at all.

At the time of Adam’s sin, God promised to destroy the serpent with a mortal wound to the head, and that He was going to do so through the Seed of the woman. That promise is God’s Covenant of Redemption. Later, God made a covenant with Noah and promised that the earth would never again be destroyed by water. Then after that, God promised Abraham that Abraham would be given the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession, and that one of Abraham’s descendants would bring blessing to every nation on the earth.

So we see several covenants of the Lord which were made before the Law was given, but none of those covenants was affected by the passing away of the Old Covenant Law. In fact, because the New Covenant has to do with the redemption of the earth as well as the redemption of man, these previous covenants are all very much associated with the New Covenant.

The full redemption of the earth will be accomplished after the earth is destroyed by fire, not by water. The full redemption of the earth will be accomplished only after the destruction of the devil, and the full redemption of the earth will not take place until after the land of Canaan is given to Israel and the New Jerusalem is established.

In Paul’s early epistles, he spoke often of this contrast between the Law and the New Covenant. However, as we read Paul’s later epistles which were written from a Roman prison, we see no mention of New Covenant, or of Abraham, or of the restoration of the earth.

At the same time, it is in these prison epistles that Paul reveals the details of the Church which is the Body of Christ. The calling of the Church stands in contrast to the calling of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Old and New Covenants both anticipated a restored earth. On the other hand, as members of the Church, we today are citizens of heaven where we are seated with Christ and blessed with every spiritual blessing.

We are not bound by the physical elements of this earth, but rather we are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands. Furthermore, through faith in the working of God, we are baptized into the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ. As heavenly citizens, we have been promised that in the ages to come, God plans to show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Because we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, we can rest assured that we are partakers in every spiritual blessing of the Old Covenant and in every spiritual blessing of the New Covenant. The Old Covenant was permanently set aside at the cross, but its spiritual blessings were brought to life through the power of the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant. The New Covenant was temporarily set aside when Israel rejected Christ during the Acts period, but all of it’s glorious spiritual blessings have been passed on to us as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ.

As we read the Old Testament scriptures, we learn of God’s faithfulness. We learn of His miraculous power. We learn of His justice as well as His mercy and His grace. We learn about so many things that we can apply directly to our own circumstances in life. However, we must keep in mind that God has not promised us the land of Palestine, and we must keep in mind that the rituals that were required back then are no longer required today.

As we read the gospels, we see the miraculous power of God as it is seen in the birth and life of Jesus Christ. Everywhere He went, He did miracles, wonders and signs to prove that He really was the Son of God who came down from heaven. At the same time, we must realize that Christ is now in heaven and that anyone who claims to be the Christ is a liar and is of the devil.

We rejoice to see the miracles, wonders and signs which were done by the Apostles during the Acts period, but we are saddened to see the hardness of the hearts of the men of Israel. The miraculous works of Jesus and those of the Apostles were not enough to convince them that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Here too we must realize that the spiritual gifts of the Apostles are no longer being given to the saints. When someone says that they have the gift to heal others or the gift of prophesy, we know that they’re not telling the truth.

But then, when we come to the revelation concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ, we can not help but be humbled to think that God would love us enough to call us as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ. We were called before the foundation of the world, and by the grace of God, we have been accepted in Jesus Christ.

God no longer dispenses the miraculous sign gifts, but praise the Lord, He still does miracles in each of our lives. When we witness His power in our lives, we know that God is able and God is willing to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Sola Scriptura (1-14-07)

Sola Scriptura
Bible Study Time 1-14-07

Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. When we accept by faith that God has accepted Christ’s shed blood as the one and only acceptable sacrifice for our sin, God baptizes us by the Holy Spirit into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. In this way, we are born again. By this means, we are washed in the blood of Christ, cleansed from our sins, and our lives are filled with the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit.

But how can we know that these things are true? By human reasoning, it sounds pretty bizarre to think that God would become a man by entering into the womb of a virgin, that He would be born and then grow up to be killed by the very people He had created. That He would do all of this for the purpose of rescuing those same people from the clutches of hell, so that He could give them eternal life. As strange as all this sounds, how can we be sure that it’s really true?

Well, it all boils down to the credibility of the word of God. We can be sure it’s true because God has given us His word.

Hebrews 4:12 (KJV)
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The word of God is like a mirror that reveals who we really are. When we come to the word of God, we see ourselves. We read the words of Isaiah, who said:

Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all (of) our righteous acts are like filthy rags . . .

When we read this, we know that it’s talking about us personally, and we feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit. However, as we continue in the word, we hear God saying:

Isaiah 1:18 (NKJ)
18 "Come now, and let us reason together . . . Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

The word of God rings true in our hearts, and we rejoice to hear the good news that God loves us in spite of our sins, and He has provided a way for us to be saved. Isaiah said:

Isaiah 55:6-11 (NKJ)
6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.
9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

God has many purposes for His word, but one of its purposes is to produce faith in the hearts of those who believe. Paul said:

Romans 10:17 (NKJ)
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The world sees the gospel of Jesus Christ as a message for fools, but we are willing to be considered fools for Christ’s sake. As Paul said to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 1:18-21 (NKJ)
18 . . . the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For since . . . the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

Yes, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, and then, faith appropriates the grace of God.

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace (we) are saved through faith; and that not of (ourselves): it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

That’s what the Bible says and that’s what we believe.

It’s been nearly 500 years since Dr. Martin Luther questioned the use of indulgences in his church. He had learned from the word of God that God’s forgiveness can not be bought with money for our forgiveness has already been bought by the blood of Christ.

On October 31st of 1517, Luther wrote a letter to his Archbishop inviting debate on this very issue of indulgences. He included a copy of his famous 95 Theses, and on the same day he posted the 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenburg Chapel. With the printing press having been recently invented, it wasn’t long before the 95 Theses was being distributed throughout the continent of Europe.

To support his claims that the doctrines and practices of his church were in error, Luther turned to the scriptures and asserted that the scriptures have the final authority. He said that the church can err but the scriptures can not err.

Luther’s position against the indulgences gained favor among the people, and the movement for the reformation of the church began to grow. The primary doctrinal principle of this movement was expressed in the Latin phrase, Sola Fide, which means faith alone, and then next to that was the phrase Sola Scriptura which, of course means by scripture alone. The three other planks of the reformation were Sola Gratia, by grace alone, Sola Christus, by Christ alone, and Soli Deo Gloria, which means glory to God alone.

So the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century was based on the idea that if we take the word of God as our only doctrinal authority, we find that salvation is given only by the grace of God, and it’s given to those who put their faith in nothing but the work of Christ alone upon the cross, and that the sole purpose of salvation is to bring glory to God.

Luther had a couple of opportunities to debate those who opposed his point of view, and in those debates it was pointed out to Luther that his view was in opposition to the teachings of the church. Luther was reminded that the doctrines of the church had been established by the councils of the church and that all of the members of the church were obligated to adhere to the established doctrines of the church.

When Luther refused to accept the doctrines of the church, the church leaders were appalled at what they considered to be Luther’s arrogance. In their minds, they were asking, who does this guy think he is? He really thinks that his opinion is more important than the established doctrines of the church.

Finally, they asked Luther, point blank, if he opposed the teachings of the church. They were shocked when Luther said that in his opinion church councils can be wrong. In fact, he said that a simple layman armed with the Scriptures has more authority than church councils without the Scriptures. Ultimately, Luther was threatened with excommunication, and a price was placed upon his head.

Two years later, Luther was called to Worms, Germany, supposedly to debate his differences with church doctrine, but when he arrived he discovered that the sole purpose of the meeting was to force him to recant. Without hesitation, Luther replied:

Unless I can be instructed and convinced with evidence from the Holy Scriptures or with open, clear, and distinct grounds of reasoning, I will not recant. My conscience is held captive by the word of God, and it is neither safe nor wise to act against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me!

After that, Luther was forced into hiding for a couple of years under the threat of death, but Luther had established the principle of Sola Scriptura. He had made it clear that the only writings which have the authority to bind the conscience of man are the writings of the Bible. In this we see that the Bible is the word of God, and as Isaiah 55 says, it came down from heaven like the snow, and it has been given the power from God to accomplish its mission.

During the first three hundred years after Christ. There were several disputations about which of the writings that were in circulation at the time were actually the inspired word of God. The Bible as we know it was not confirmed by church councils until the year 397 A.D.

However, these early disputations only serve to illustrate the fact that from the earliest writings of the Apostles, it was understood that there were some writings which were in fact the word of God, and that these writings were to be accepted as having the same authority as the writings of the Old Testament.

When the Old Testament prophets spoke, they didn’t say, this is the word of Isaiah, or this is the word of Ezekiel. They said, thus says the Lord, and in the same way, when the Apostles wrote the books of the New Testament, they knew it was the word of the Lord. Peter said:

2 Peter 1:16-21
16 . . . we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but (we) were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory (saying): "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

So Peter emphasizes the fact that all Scripture is given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and then when he refers to the writings of the Apostle Paul, he calls them Scripture. He says:

2 Peter 3:15-16 (NKJ)
15 . . . account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation-- as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
16 as also in all his epistles . . . in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

Paul’s message was to the Gentiles and then to the Church which is the Body of Christ. Therefore, since Peter held firmly to the Jewish hope of the kingdom, it was hard for him to identify with some of Paul’s teachings. But Peter still knew that Paul’s writings were part of the Holy Scriptures, and he said so while he, himself, was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

No serious challenge has ever been mounted against any of the books of the New Testament or the Old Testament. There are only two or three of the books of the New Testament which have ever been challenged at all. All of the rest of the books of the Bible have been accepted as the word of God from the time they were written.

We accept by faith that the word of God true, and we can see that the writings of the Bible were brought together under the influence of the providential hand of God. God has given us His word. He loves us, and He gave His son to die for us. This is the gospel, and it is the power of God unto salvation to all those who believe.

Well, I see that our time is gone for this morning. It’s been a pleasure studying with you this morning, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/