4/11/22

Is Peter the Rock/Foundation of the Church? by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

https://apologeticspress.org/is-peter-the-rockfoundation-of-the-church-5971/

Is Peter the Rock/Foundation of the Church?

Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Catholicism Christian Origins Christian Origins Christian Origins Doctrinal Matters

From Issue: R&R – June 2021

Some have suggested that Jesus established the Catholic notion of the papacy and that He declared that Peter would be the first pope, since He referred to Peter as the “rock.” Read carefully the context:

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 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. And 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” (Matthew 16:13-20).

Did Jesus intend to convey the idea that the church is built on Peter or that Peter was the head of the church?

The word for “Peter” in Greek is petros (masculine gender) and means a “stone.”¹ In contrast, the word for “rock” is petra (feminine gender) and refers to “bedrock or massive rock formations, rock as distinguished from stones.”² It is true that, assuming Jesus spoke Aramaic, the Aramaic word for both Peter and rock (kepha) are the same.³ However, God did not inspire the writers of the New Testament to write His Word in Aramaic.⁴ Rather, He inspired them to write in Greek—and the Greek text makes a clear distinction between petra and petros. Interestingly, so does the Latin Vulgate. Anticipating confusion, the Holy Spirit could have easily caused the same word to be used twice, or He could have had Matthew simply state that the Church would be built “on you.”

Contextually, the “rock” upon which Jesus built His Church was the truth that Peter had just articulated: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). This truth is, indeed, the great ledge-rock foundation of the Church. Both Christ’s headship over the Church and His undergirding foundation are stated emphatically in the New Testament:

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23).

And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence (Colossians 1:18).

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11; cf. Ephesians 2:20).

In fact, Peter Himself forthrightly declared Jesus to be the “living stone” (lithos—1 Peter 2:4). He then applied Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22 to Jesus as the “chief cornerstone”⁵ (1 Peter 2:6-7). And he also quoted Isaiah 8:14 and applied it to Jesus as well, indicating Him to be “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” (vs. 8). The Hebrew synonymous parallelism makes “stone” (from lithos) and “rock” (from petra) the same. Peter is clearly not the petra of Matthew 16:18. Rather, Jesus is—specifically, that He is the Christ, the Son of God.

Endnotes

¹ Frederick Danker, et al. (2000), Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press), second edition, p. 809.

² Ibid., emp. and italics in orig. See the use of petra to refer to such formations (as opposed to stones) in Matthew 27:60; Mark 15:46; Luke 8:6,13 (on the rock—ESV, NKJV, RSV, NIV, etc.). Also Exodus 17:6 and Numbers 20:7-8,10-11 and Paul’s typological comparison to Christ as “that spiritual Rock” (1 Corinthians 10:4)—hardly a small stone. See also the use of petra in parallelism with lithos in Romans 9:32-33, as opposed to the use of petros.

³ In fact, Jesus bestowed the name “Cephas” on Peter (John 1:42) and Paul so referred to Peter in 1 Corinthians (1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; Galatians 1:18; 2:9,11,14). However, Jesus specifically alluded to petra as the foundation on which His church would be built.

⁴ The New Testament includes a few Aramaic words found in the following verses: Matthew 5:22; 6:24; 27:46; Mark 5:41; 7:34; 10:51; 11:9; 14:36; 15:34; Luke 16:9,11,13; John 1:42; 20:16; Acts 9:36,40; Romans 8:15; 1 Corinthians 16:22; Galatians 4:6.

⁵ The Greek has “head of the corner,” with “head” being the Greek term kephale. Jesus is the “head”—not Peter.

Published June 13, 2021

What is the truth about God? by Roy Davison

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/god.html

What is the truth about God?

With regard to non-believers, Paul said: “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25 RSV).

The truth about God remains true, whether it is accepted or not. Nor can the consequences of truth simply be wished away.

What is the truth about God?

God is.

The existence of God is evident from His works:
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world”
(Psalm 19:1-4).

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:20-22).

God’s eternal power and Godhead are evident “being understood by the things that are made.”

Yet many have rejected the one true God and have become adherents of some fake, materialistic religion. Or they resort to atheism that involves the deification of nature by ascribing godlike creative power to unintelligent, dead matter.

Who says there is no God?

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1).

The philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, in writings between 1882 and 1889 declared: ‘God is dead’. His writings have been influential in philosophical and atheistic circles since then.

Nietzsche admitted that the loss of belief in God would cause a breakdown of traditional moral values, but he believed that without faith in God a new Übermensch would arise, a higher form of man.

He criticized Christians for taking care of the weak, which according to him interfered with the progress of evolution through natural selection by enabling inferior people to reproduce.

Hitler used ideas of Nietzsche as the basis for his extermination of the physically handicapped and certain races that he considered inferior, in order to advance Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’.¹

Nietzsche at the age of 44 became completely insane in 1889. The doctors thought he had acquired syphilis from prostitutes but perhaps he had a brain tumor.

A year earlier Nietzsche had written a book in opposition to Christianity and Christian morality entitled ‘The Antichrist’. In its conclusion he says: “I call Christianity the one great curse, the one great intrinsic depravity.” He suggested that instead of dating time from the birth of Christ, it should be dated from the last day of Christianity, namely from the year his book appeared!²

In 1889 he wrote to a friend: “The world will be turned on its head for the next few years: since the old God has abdicated, I will be ruling the world from now on.”³

Nietzsche was insane for eleven years until his death in 1900.

Nietzsche is dead. God lives, unhindered by people, über or not, who say that there is no God.

The truth about God is found in the Bible where the attributes of God are described.

God is holy.

“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8).

God is one.

“The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Mark 12:29).

“For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:5, 6).

In Scripture the one true God is revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit [see for example John 4:24; 20:28; Colossians 3:17]. Thus Christians are baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

God is Creator.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (Genesis 1:1-3). Notice that the Spirit and the Word of God were active in creation. God spoke the universe into being by the power of His Spirit.

Later the creative Word of God came as Savior in the person of Jesus Christ: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

God reigns.

God is sovereign. “The LORD shall reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:18). “God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne” (Psalm 47:8). “The Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” (Revelation 19:6).

God has spoken.

God has made His will known to man.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good” (Mica 6:8).

“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul” (Psalm 19:7).⁴

“God who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1, 2).⁵ The teachings of Christ have been passed on to us by His apostles in the Bible (Romans 16:25-27).

“God is love” (1 John 4:8) .

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

God saves.

“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4, 5).⁶

God gave His Son.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9, 10).

“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14).

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

God sent His Spirit.

“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me” (Jesus promised in John 15:26).

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Galatians 4:4-6).

The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and inspired the apostles to preach the message of Christ and record it in sacred writings that come down to us in the Bible.⁷

God calls us.

“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9). God “has saved us and called us with a holy calling” (2 Timothy 1:9).⁸

God is worthy to be praised.

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God” (Psalm 48:1).
“I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:1- 3).

“I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised” (Psalm 18:3).⁹

God will judge us.

“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked” (Ecclesiastes 3:17).

“He shall judge the world in righteousness, and He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness” (Psalm 9:8).

“So then each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

“Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:29-31).

What is the truth about God?

God is. God is holy. God is one. God is Creator. God reigns. God has spoken. God is love. God saves. God gave His Son. God sent His Spirit. God calls us. God is worthy to be praised. God will judge us.

Do you want to serve God?

Believe what God has revealed about Himself in the Bible. Believe the saving message of His Son, Jesus Christ. Confess your faith in Him. Repent of your sins. Be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of your sins. Rise from the water of baptism, born anew, to serve the one true God in spirit and truth. Serve Him faithfully until death and He will give you the crown of life.¹⁰ Amen.

Endnotes:

¹ Nietzsche himself was opposed to antisemitism, however.
² Downloaded from the full text of “The Antichrist” on Nov. 6, 2018 from
https://archive.org/stream/theantichrist19322gut/19322.txt
³ Downloaded on Nov. 6, 2018 from http://www.leonardsax.com/Nietzsche.pdf
⁴ See verses 7-11.
⁵ See also Hebrews 4:12, 13.
⁶ See also 2 Samuel 22:47 & Psalm 62:1, 2.
⁷ See Acts chapter 2 & Romans 16:25-27.
⁸ See also 2 Peter 1:2-4 & 1 Peter 5:10, 11.
⁹ See also Psalm 113:1-3, Psalm 96:1-13 & Psalm 145:1-3.
¹⁰ See James 1:12 & Revelation 2:10.

Roy Davison

The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982,
Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers unless indicated otherwise.
Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

"CHALLENGES CONFRONTING THE CHURCH" Factionalism by Mark Copeland

"CHALLENGES CONFRONTING THE CHURCH"

Factionalism

INTRODUCTION

In previous lessons, we examined the challenges of...

Denominationalism
Sectarianism

Both of these challenges have often by exacerbated by factionalism...

Leading to the rise of new denominations (38,000 and rising!)
Contributing to many sectarian views of the church

[What is factionalism? How is it often manifested? How can it be avoided? Let's begin with...]

THE DEFINITION OF FACTION AND FACTIONALISM

FACTION...

A group of persons forming a cohesive, usually contentious minority within a larger group
Conflict within an organization or nation; internal dissension

-- American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

FACTIONALISM...

The splitting of a group into factions - Wiktionary
Factional: self-interested; partisan - Dictionary.com

IN THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT...

The word translated "factions" is hairesis - cf. 1Co 11:19

A division of people into different and opposing sets - 'division, separate group.' 'for it is necessary that divisions exist among you' or 'the existence of divisions among you is inevitable' 1Co 11:19 - Louw-Nida
This Greek word is also translated as "heresies" - 2Pe 2:1
Which is included among the works of the flesh - Ga 5:20
Together with "dissensions" (dichostasia) - those who cause divisions - cf. Ro 16:17

A derivative is hairetikon - cf. Tit 3:10

Pertaining to causing divisions - 'divisive, one who causes divisions.' - Louw-Nida
A divisive (factious) man is to be warned and then rejected if he does not repent!

[I would define factionalism as the tendency to split into factions, prompted by a contentious, partisan spirit or disposition. Let's now consider some...]

MANIFESTATIONS OF FACTIONALISM

WITHIN CHURCHES...

The problem at Corinth - 1Co 1:10-12

Symptomatic of spiritual immaturity and carnality - 1Co 3:1-4
Manifested also in their observance of the Lord's Supper - 1Co 11:17-20

The problem today often exists due to:

Generational, racial, cultural, or doctrinal issues
The development of cliques, and then the formation of factions

AMONG CHURCHES...

The issue of circumcision in the early church - Ac 15:1-2

Led by a faction from the church at Jerusalem
Creating problems with churches in Syria and Galatia - Ga 2:11-13; 6:12

Intra-church factions today often occur

Where congregations often align themselves into a faction
Usually the first step into sectarianism and denominationalism

INFLUENCES OF FACTIONALISM...

Undue allegiance - cf. 1Co 1:12

To notable persons like a preacher, writer, editor
To an institution such as a college, missionary or benevolent society
To brotherhood magazines, lectureships, websites

Compounded by the same spirit found at Corinth - cf. 1Co 3:1-4

Spiritual immaturity - 1Co 3:1
Carnality - 1Co 3:2-4

[Factionalism needs to be taken seriously. Here are some thoughts for...]

AVOIDING FACTIONALISM

REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF UNITY...

Jesus prayed for unity, He died to create unity - Jn 17:20-21; Ep 2:14-17
Paul condemned division, it is a work of the flesh - 1Co 1:10-13; Ga 5:20

DEVELOP SPIRITUAL MATURITY...

Remember, division is often the result of carnality - 1Co 3:1-4
We need the mind of Christ: lowliness of mind and concern for others - Php 2:1-5
We need to learn gentleness, longsuffering, forbearance, love, diligence - Ep 4:1-3

CONTEND WITHOUT CONTENTIOUSNESS...

Contending for the faith is essential - Jude 3; Php 1:27
But we can contend without contentiousness, disagree without being disagreeable
By displaying the gentleness and meekness of Christ, which together with truth are "weapons mighty in God" - 2Co 10:1-6

AVOID A PARTISAN SPIRIT ...

That is, being quick to align oneself with a party, faction, group
Instead, strive to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace - Ep 4:3-6
Working toward unity if at all possible
Being a part of the solution, not the problem

CONCLUSION

Factionalism is a terrible, destructive, work of the flesh - Ga 5:20; Tit 3:10

Like denominationalism, it hinders unity
Like sectarianism, it fosters division

Unity among brethren is a beautiful thing - Ps 133:1; Jn 17:21

It is good and pleasant
It helps the world to believe in Jesus

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;

Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.

For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.

For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil." - 1Pe 3:8-12

Notice by Gary Rose

Sounds like a lot of double-talk, doesn’t it? Recently, I needed to review some insurance documents and they were full of “communication” like this. I use the word communication very loosely, because the level of communication is very, very low. Like the insurance documents, one has to read this quite slowly to understand what is being said. Also, being a lawyer would be very helpful.

For almost my entire adult life, I have been reading the Bible. Some things in it are hard to understand, like prophecies for example. But the things that matter a great deal are quite straightforward. Consider the book of Acts. This book is a history of people becoming Christians; here is but one example ( but a very good one ).

Acts 2 ( World English Bible )

¹Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place.

²Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

³Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them.

⁴They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.

⁵Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky.

⁶When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language.

⁷They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans?

⁸How do we hear, everyone in our own native language?

⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,

¹⁰Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

¹¹Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!”

¹²They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, “What does this mean?”

¹³Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

¹⁵For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day.

¹⁶But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷‘It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.

¹⁸Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.

¹⁹I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.

²⁰The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

²¹It will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

²²“Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as you yourselves know,

²³him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed;

²⁴whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it.

²⁵For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before my face, For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.

²⁶Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope;

²⁷because you will not leave my soul in Hades, neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.

²⁸You made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

²⁹“Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

³⁰Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,

³¹he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was his soul left in Hades, nor did his flesh see decay.

³²This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.

³³Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear.

³⁴For David didn’t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by my right hand,

³⁵until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’

³⁶“Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

³⁷Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁸Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

³⁹For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”

⁴⁰With many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”

⁴¹Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.

The Jews had Jesus crucified. They were guilty of his execution. They needed to repent and turn to God and be baptized and become a members of THE CHURCH bought with Jesus’ own blood. This is how someone becomes a Christian. No double-talk, just plain language. Follow their example: Believe in Jesus, repent of sin, submit to God’s will for your life by being baptized for the remission of sins. Do this and live with God forever.

4/4/22

How To Win When You Lose by Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

https://thepreachersword.com/2016/02/11/how-to-win-when-you-lose/#more-8459

How To Win When You Lose

“I’m on record as being a sore loser. I hate losing,” said quarterback Cam Newton. “You show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.”

Newton shared his philosophy on losing to reporters Tuesday in response to his aborted press conference following a devastating loss in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

Newton pouted during the post game news conference, channeling his inner Bill Belichick, by giving petulant answers to reporters’ questions. After mumbling single, short answers to seven questions he abruptly walked away saying, “I don’t know what you want from me.”

Newton is a talented athlete. He was a star at Auburn. A Heisman trophy winner. And led his Carolina team to 17 victories out of 18 games before being humbled by the Broncos and their vaunted defense. Newton’s post game actions reminded me of the quote by the great sportswriter Heywood Hale Broun, “Sports do not build character; they reveal it.”

However, in Newton’s defense, I understand what it means to be a sore loser. I’ve been there. We all know sportswriters can ask some pretty lame questions. And after losing the biggest game of your life, emotions are raw and you’re in no mood to talk about why you lost. His coach and team mates defended him. Even Broncos quartrerback, Peyton Manning, said that Newton was humble and gracious to him following the game.

But his behavior, critiqued and criticized by the media and the public, does raise a good question, “How do you win when you lose?”

I was reminded of the words by the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:11-13. “….have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Granted Paul never played in the Super Bowl, but he faced incredible challenges in his ministry. Paul was the rising star of his day in Jewish circles. He was well educated, had connections with the people in high places, and was by his own admission “a Hebrew of Hebrews.”

After becoming a Christian, Paul became a great apostle and spokesman for Christ. He traveled the world. His missionary tours resulted in many conversions and churches established. He wrote more letters than any other apostle. And is more often quoted. Yet, he didn’t always win.

Paul suffered persecution. Rejection by his own countrymen. A physical “thorn in the flesh.” And unfounded accusations regarding his motives for preaching.

Paul didn’t always win in life. But he did learn something. He learned how to deal with it. How to develop inner contentment. How to rise above his circumstances. How to “be brought low,” yet maintain his honor, dignity and character.

The wise man wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:6 that there is a time “to gain and a time to lose.” Life, like sports, is filled with gains and lossses. Ups and downs. Prosperity and adversity. Winning and losing. We need to learn, and to teach our children, that losing doesn’t make you a loser.

Author and educator, the late Warren Bennis once noted that all successful people are tested by adveristy. Even when they are initially defeated, they did not allow the defeat to define them. Even in losing, winners use the experience to stimulate them to persevere and achieve.

I’m reminded of a great book by leadership guru, John Maxwell, entitled “Failing Forward.” The premise of the book is how to turn mistakes into stepping stones for success. Maxwell correctly observes, “The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get.”

Failing doesn’t make you a failure. Losing doesn’t make you a loser. This is true in sports, business, ministry, and in our Christian walk of life.

Use losing to make you better not bitter. Stronger not weaker. Gracious not grumpy. Kind not cantankerous

Show me a good loser and I’ll show you an eventual winner.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

Was Jesus' Body "Broken"–Or Not? Dave Miller, Ph.D.

https://apologeticspress.org/was-jesus-body-brokenor-not-5974/

Was Jesus' Body "Broken"–Or Not?

Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Doctrinal Matters Jesus

From Issue: R&R – June 2021

One of the fascinating incidents that occurred while Jesus hung on the cross is reported by John:

Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.… For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken” (John 19:31-36).

To account for the Roman soldiers excluding Jesus from the customary breaking of the leg bones of crucifixion victims,¹ John quotes the words of David in Psalm 34:19-20—“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken.”

Despite this plain declaration regarding the bones of Jesus, in his directives to the Corinthians regarding the Lord’s Supper, Paul explained:

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24).

Notice the tension, if not seemingly outright contradiction, that is created by the word “broken” when juxtaposed with John’s quotation of Psalm 34:20 in John 19:36. How are these disparate remarks to be reconciled?

This alleged contradiction is easily dispelled by taking into consideration the transmission of the New Testament text. “Textual criticism” is the science of ascertaining the original wording of a text.² Since we do not have the original autographs that came from the hands of the inspired writers, we must examine the copies that have survived and “sort out” the differences between them. This pursuit has been in progress for centuries and has, in fact, accomplished its purpose. Abundant evidence exists by which one can know that the books of the Bible have been transmitted accurately through the centuries. We can be confident that the Bible has been adequately preserved from error and continues to serve the purpose God intends for it to serve.

It so happens that the term “broken” in 1 Corinthians 11:24 is a “textual variant”—an instance where manuscripts differ with each other. Some English translations include the word, while others do not. For example, those that keep “broken” include the KJV, NKJV, GNV, MEV, NLV, NMB, OJB, WEB, and YLT. Those that omit the word “broken” constitute the vast majority of English translations, including the ASV, ESV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, NIV, and many others. Why the difference?

Without going into technical detail, here are several observations that come from the manuscript evidence. First, while the external evidence for the inclusion of “broken” is varied and diverse, it is not as ancient as the evidence for omitting “broken.” Second, generally speaking, when textual critics pore over manuscripts and their textual variants, they have discovered that the shorter reading is typically the original. The exclusion of “broken” is the shorter reading. Third, they have observed that the more difficult reading (i.e., difficult for the scribe to understand or reconcile) is generally the original. In this case, insertion of the word “broken” could have been due to the scribe’s tendency to want to clarify, explain, or make sense of in what way Jesus’ body was “for you.”

Fourth, verbal dissidence exists between the words “for you” and “broke” earlier in the same verse, suggesting that a copyist was unduly influenced by the presence of the earlier form of the word for “broken.” We know that not one of Jesus’ bones was broken on the cross—as forthrightly affirmed by John’s inspired commentary on the actions of the Roman soldiers at the cross. If “broken” was originally included in Paul’s letter, one must resort to making sense of the term. Did Paul intend to refer to the breaking or tearing of Jesus’ skin? Or was he merely speaking metaphorically, using the concept of “broken” in the sense that Jesus was a broken man—having experienced extensive physical and mental torture? These possibilities—which arguably settle the issue of an alleged discrepancy—nevertheless seem unlikely.

Of course, nothing doctrinally significant is at stake with this textual variant—which is most certainly the case with the overwhelming majority of variants. But the external and internal manuscript evidence leans more to the conclusion that Paul originally wrote: “This is my body, which is for you.” No contradiction exists between the words of John and the words of Paul.

Endnotes

¹ For more on this custom, see Dave Miller (2020), The Bible is From God: A Sampling of Proofs (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press), pp. 61ff.

² See Bruce Metzger (1968), The Text of the New Testament (New York: Oxford University Press).

Published June 27, 2021

God loves a cheerful giver by Roy Davison

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/give.html

God loves a cheerful giver

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). The Revised Standard Version has “not reluctantly or under compulsion.”

Do not give grudgingly or under compulsion!

In the church of Christ each one is to give as he purposes in his own heart and there is to be no compulsion.

I once attended a Pentecostal tent meeting in Canada where plastic buckets were passed around several times to collect money. For a half an hour the preacher pled with the people to give more and more. He himself drove a Cadillac.

I once attended a Catholic mass as a visitor in West Flanders where the priest went up and down each row of chairs, holding out the collection basket and looking each person straight in the eye. When he came to me, I said: “No, thank you.”

Worldly churches often use unscriptural methods of obtaining money. When I was a boy there was a building near our home that we called “The Bingo Church.” The only sign was a large billboard with the words: “Bingo Every Thursday Night!” Some denominations sell lottery tickets, have rummage sales and use all kinds of gimmicks to raise money.

Some misuse religion for material gain. Paul warned Timothy about such people, “men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself” (1 Timothy 6:5).

Giving is an important aspect of being a Christian, and an opportunity to give is provided on the Lord’s day (1 Corinthians 16:2). But in the church of Christ we may not pressure people to give or use worldly devices to obtain money. Christians give as they have purposed in their own heart and as the Lord has prospered them.

Church leaders have no right to tell people how much to give or to ask for pledges. How much someone gives is between him and God. We should not ask for funds from non-Christians and visitors are not expected to contribute.

Paul wrote to Philemon: “But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary” (Philemon 14).

God wants us to give willingly out of love.

We give cheerfully because God has given so much to us.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). Jesus “gave Himself for our sins” (Galatians 1:4). “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us” (Ephesians 5:2). God is generous and He wants us to be like Him.

God wants us to give ourselves to Him.

Even though they were poor, the churches of Macedonia gave generously because they had first given themselves to God: “Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we had hoped, but first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God” (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).

Christians are generous with their time and resources because they have given themselves to God and they love their fellow man.

God wants us to be generous.

“He who has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor” (Proverbs 22:9).

We are to be generous even to our enemies: “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you” (Proverbs 25:21, 22).

We are to share.

When the people asked John the Baptist, “What shall we do then?” he replied, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise” (Luke 3:10, 11).

Paul wrote: “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

God wants us to lay up treasure in heaven.

Jesus said: “Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:33, 34).

God will bless us if we are generous.

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38). If we use a teaspoon to measure out our gifts, God will use a teaspoon for our blessings. If we use a dump-truck to bless others, God will use a dump-truck to bless us.

Paul explained to the Corinthians that God would provide for their needs if they were generous: “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: ‘He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness remains forever.’ Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God” (2 Corinthians 9:6-11).

He explains that their sharing brings glory to God: “For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men” (2 Corinthians 9:12, 13). The churches of Galatia were told: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).

God wants us to work so we can give.

Paul had set an example in this for the Christians at Ephesus: “Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:34, 35).

In his letter to this same church, he wrote: “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (Ephesians 4:28).

God wants us to give both personally and through the church.

Our good deeds are to be done discreetly. Jesus said: “But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (Matthew 6:3, 4).

Christians give on the first day of the week. Paul told the Christians at Corinth: “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:2).

Gifts can also be given at other times to meet special needs. We read about the church at Jerusalem: “Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need” (Acts 4:34, 35).

A gift that we do not miss is not a real gift.

“Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Him and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood’” (Mark 12:41-44).

We are not really giving if we just give what is left over. Our giving should be planned. We are to give as we have purposed in our heart.

How then are we to give?

May we not be like the little girl who was given two coins, one to buy candy and one to put in the collection. As she skipped along the street she dropped one of the coins and it rolled into a drain. As she peered through the grate she said: “Whoops! There went the Lord’s money!”

What have we learned?

“Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
No compulsion is to be used in the church of Christ.
We give cheerfully because God has given us so much.
God wants us to give ourselves to Him.
He wants us to be generous and to share so we can lay up treasure in heaven.
God will bless us if we are generous.
He wants us to work so we can give.
We give both personally and through the church.
A gift that we do not miss is not a real gift.

May the Lord bless you richly. Amen.

Roy Davison

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)