5/11/20

"THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW" The Influence Of The Kingdom (5:13-16) by Mark Copeland


                        "THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"

                 The Influence Of The Kingdom (5:13-16)

INTRODUCTION

1. In "The Beatitudes" (Mt 5:3-12), we saw...
   a. The character of those who would be citizens of the kingdom
   b. The blessedness of the citizens described

2. In the final beatitude, Jesus implied the attitude the world would
   often display towards the citizens of the kingdom - Mt 5:10-12
   a. The world would revile and persecute those in the kingdom
   b. The world would say all kinds of evil against them falsely for His sake
   c. The world would persecute them just as it persecuted the prophets before them
   -- Thus the influence of the world upon the kingdom would often be one of persecution

3. Jesus then proceeded to describe the opposite...
   a. The influence of the kingdom upon the world
   b. The impact the kingdom was designed to have upon those in the world

[He uses two metaphors in doing so. The first, in Mt 5:13, involves the figure of salt...]

I. "YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH"

   A. SALT HAS SEVERAL CHARACTERISTICS...
      1. It is white, enhances flavor, preserves, etc.
      2. Based on the context, it is probably salt's ability to enhance
         flavor to which Jesus refers in his illustration
         a. Notice: "...but if the salt loses its flavor..."
         b. Salt has the ability to give flavor to that which is otherwise bland
         c. Job mentioned this ability in Job 6:6

   B. THROUGH THE METAPHOR OF "SALT"...
      1. Jesus depicts the relationship of the citizens of the kingdom
         to the world as one of:
         a. Making the world palatable (bearable) to God, and possibly
            to others as well
         b. Perhaps making it possible for God to continue to bear with
            this world and its "distasteful" wickedness
      2. The idea that the "righteous few" can make it is easier for
         God to forbear the many wicked is illustrated:
         a. In Abraham's conversation with God over Sodom - Gen 18:20-32
         b. In God's dealing with Jerusalem - Jer 5:1
      -- So from God's point of view, the citizens of the kingdom give
         the world what good "flavor" it has!

   C. JESUS WARNS AGAINST LOSING OUR FLAVORING ABILITY!
      1. With pure salt...
         a. It actually never loses its flavor
         b. But when mixed with impurities salt can lose its ability to enhance flavor
      2. We too might lose our ability to be a "flavoring agent" for the world...
         a. By allowing "impurities" into our lives - 1Co 15:33
         b. Therefore, we need to keep ourselves from sin - Ep 5:3-7

   D. IF WE LOSE OUR "FLAVOR"...
      1. How are we going to be "seasoned"? (impurities prevent us from being useful)
      2. We will be thrown out!
         a. Is Jesus teaching the possibility of losing our salvation?
         b. He certainly does elsewhere! - Mt 13:40-43; Re 3:15-16

[First of all, then, we are told of the relationship of the kingdom to
the world FROM GOD'S POINT OF VIEW: "You are the salt of the earth."

In Mt 5:14-16, we find Jesus teaching concerning those in the kingdom
as to their PRIMARY FUNCTION in the world...]

II. "YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD"

   A. USED BY GOD TO TRANSMIT HIS GLORY TO THE WORLD...
      1. They are "lights" in a dark world - Php 2:14-15
      2. Their purpose:  to proclaim the praises of God! - 1Pe 2:9; Ep 5:8b-9

   B. THEY ARE NOT A "LIGHT" IN AND OF THEMSELVES...
      1. Only in the Lord - Ep 5:8a
      2. Christ is the "true" or "original" light - Jn 8:12
      3. Citizens of the kingdom are simply "luminaries" reflecting The
         One True Light, just as the moon reflects the sun - 2Co 4:6

   C. THEIR TWOFOLD RESPONSIBILITY AS "THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD"...
      1. They must be visible
         a. Implied by Jesus in His use of a "city" and a "lampstand"as metaphors
         b. Jesus therefore expects His followers to be seen by the
            world - e.g., Jn 13:35; 17:21
      2. They must radiate (give light)
         a. This principle conveyed by the idea of the lamp
            1) Designed to shine on a lampstand
            2) Not put under a basket
         b. This principle explicitly stated in "let your light SO
            SHINE before men"
      -- The purpose of such visible radiation:  so men may glorify the
         Father in heaven - e.g., 1Pe 2:11-12; 2Co 9:12-13

CONCLUSION

1. The influence and impact that the citizens of the kingdom are to
   have on the world can be simply stated...
   a. "You are the salt of the earth"
   b. "You are the light of the world"

2. Why make the effort to be salt and light?  Because of He who is 
   described as "your Father who is in heaven"!
   a. An expression which should remind us that God is both:
      1) Tender (He is our "Father"; a term of tenderness)
      2) Majestic (He is "in heaven")
   b. Such a Majestic Being, willing to be our Father, makes Him:
      1) Worthy to be pleased!
      2) And worthy to be praised!

3. We who claim to be the children of God, citizens of the kingdom, are we:
   a. Pleasing to our Father (by being "the salt of the earth")?
   b. Praising Him (by being "the light of the world")?

If not, then may the prayer of David in Ps 51:10-15 become our own:

   Create in me a clean heart, O God, 
      And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

   Do not cast me away from Your presence,
      And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

   Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
      And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

   Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
      And sinners shall be converted to You.

   Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed,
      O God, The God of my salvation,
      And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.

   O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2016

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Hearing God in the Twenty-First Century by Eric Lyons, M.Min.


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=912

Hearing God in the Twenty-First Century

by  Eric Lyons, M.Min.

In the Garden of Eden, God spoke directly to Adam, commanding him to refrain from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). Centuries later, “the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision” while he dwelt in the land of Canaan (Genesis 15:1). The patriarch Jacob received a message from Jehovah via the “Angel of God,” Who spoke to him in a dream (Genesis 31:11). The Lord spoke directly to Moses at the burning bush on Mount Horeb (Exodus 3-4). The angel Gabriel brought messages from God to Zacharias, who was dwelling in Jerusalem (Luke 1:11-21), and to Mary, the mother of Jesus, who lived in Nazareth (Luke 1:26-33). Even Saul, who was on his way to Damascus to imprison any Jewish Christians he might find, received a “heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19; cf. Acts 9). A list of God’s appearances and messages to men seems almost endless. No Bible believer can dispute the fact that God has revealed messages to men countless times, either directly or through avenues other than written revelation.

The question often asked today is, “How do we hear God now?” Does He still communicate to people through dreams and visions like He did in biblical times? Should we expect Him to call upon us directly at any moment to do some great work, like Saul was called to do? Will God send an angel to me to disclose more revelation than what is given in the Bible? Or, similar to how Eli instructed Samuel, should I “go lie down” and wait on Jehovah to reveal some message to me (1 Samuel 3:9-10). In view of the fact that for millennia God communicated to people either directly or through avenues other than written revelation, why do some today claim that God communicates to man only via the Bible? Just how is it that we “hear God” today?

According to Hebrews 1:1-2, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2, emp. added). In another contrast between the prophets of old (namely, Moses and Elijah) and Jesus, God instructed Peter, James, and John, saying, “This [Jesus] is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5, emp. added). Jesus informed His listeners on one occasion of the reason we must “listen” to Him: “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:48, emp. added). For one to be pleasing to God, he must learn and obey the words of Jesus.

But how do we “hear” Jesus? According to the New Testament, people come to know Jesus and His words by way of the of the apostles’ teachings. Consider the following line of reasoning from the Scriptures.

  • The night of Jesus’ betrayal, He prayed to the Father, saying, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21, emp. added). The “their” of verse 20 refers to those for whom Jesus was praying in the preceding verses (17:6-19)—the apostles. Jesus prayed for the unity of future believers, which He stated would be based upon the apostles’ “word.”
  • On that same night, Jesus told the apostles: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me” (John 13:20, emp. added). After Jesus’ resurrection, and before His ascension into heaven, Jesus told these same disciples: “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). To receive the apostles’ teachings, then, was to receive Jesus.

But how do we receive the apostles’ doctrine today? Since all of the apostles are dead, via what method do the apostles speak to us in the twenty-first century? Paul answered this question in Ephesians 3:1-5.

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets (emp. added).

Today, a person can understand “the mystery of Christ” through the written revelation of men like the apostle Paul, who received the Truth “through the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12).

Still, some ask: “Haven’t other men who have lived through the centuries, even into the twenty-first century, been inspired by God to reveal His message?” Actually, the Bible indicates that all Truth necessary for salvation was revealed during the lifetime of the apostles. The night before Jesus’ crucifixion, He promised His apostles that after His departure from them, the Spirit would come and guide them “into all truth” (John 16:13), teaching them “all things,” and bringing to their remembrance “all things” that Jesus taught them (John 14:26). After His crucifixion and resurrection (but before He ascended into heaven), Jesus then commanded these same disciples to “make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20, emp. added). The “faith…was once for all delivered to the saints” in the first century (Jude 3), so that since that time Christians have had “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).

Hearing God’s will in the twenty-first century is as easy as picking up the providentially preserved Bible and reading what Jesus’ “apostles and prophets” recorded for our benefit. God’s revelation thoroughly equips us for every good work (cf. 2 Timothy 3:17), so that no modern-day messages, dreams, or visions are needed. Nearly two thousand years ago, God revealed “all truth” to the apostles and prophets, who recorded it “by inspiration.” This “truth” is the standard by which all people are to live. And anyone teaching a contrary message will suffer eternally (cf. Galatians 1:8-9).

Has Satan Always Existed? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=817

Has Satan Always Existed?

by  Eric Lyons, M.Min.

From a very early age, children learn about the righteousness of God and the wickedness of Satan. We teach children that God is the loving, powerful, and all-knowing Creator and Sustainer of life Who wants them to live right and go to heaven. We also tell them that there is an evil being called Satan who is very influential in the world, and who is doing everything he possibly can to keep them out of heaven. Many Sunday mornings in Bible class, children either sing or study about these two beings. This time of study certainly is worthwhile because children are taught to obey God (John 14:15) and to resist the devil (1 Peter 5:8). In time, however, if young people are not offered additional teaching about the origin of Satan and the eternal nature of God, many inadvertently begin to form a picture in their minds of two opposing “gods” who are at war with each other. Like two heavyweight boxers exchanging punches in the middle of a ring, children begin to think of God and Satan as two equally opposing “forces.”

Although little is suggested in the Bible about Satan’s beginning, we can know that Satan is a created being. Unlike God, the Bible teaches that Satan is not omnipotent (1 John 4:4), omnipresent (cf. Job 1-2; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Luke 4:6; Revelation 20:1-10), or eternal (cf. Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 102:27). Furthermore, in speaking of Jesus, Paul wrote: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16, emp. added). The apostle John was inspired to write: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3, emp. added). Who made all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible? Jesus (the Word—John 1:14). Thus, the Bible teaches that Satan is one of God’s created beings. He had a beginning just like you, me, and everything else that exists other than God.

But just because God created Satan, does not mean that He created him as an evil being. Rather, God created him good, and then he chose to become evil. The Bible indicates that Satan was one of the angels who lived in heaven, but he (along with other angels) rebelled against God and was cast out of Heaven. The apostle Peter said that “God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment” (2 Peter 2:4). Another inspired writer wrote: “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6). Since the Bible also refers to the devil as “the ruler of demons” (Matthew 12:24), and speaks of “the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41, emp. added), it is very likely that the devil is the leader of a group of rebellious angels that was expelled from heaven to eventually spend eternity in hell.

Thus, unlike the philosophy of dualism (made popular by the Persian—Zoroaster), which teaches that an eternal good being and an eternal evil being exist and oppose one another, the Bible teaches that the Godhead is the only eternal entity. Although Satan is not to be taken lightly, it is a blessing to know that he cannot snatch us from the love of God if we are unwilling to allow him to do so (Romans 8:37-39), nor can he tempt us beyond what we are able to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). God alone is deity, and He alone deserves our praise and adoration.

Has NASA Discovered Joshua's "Lost Day"? by Bert Thompson, Ph.D.


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1090

Has NASA Discovered Joshua's "Lost Day"?

by  Bert Thompson, Ph.D.

Q.

In the tenth chapter of the Old Testament book of Joshua, it is recorded that the Sun “stood still.” The story often circulates that NASA scientists, using computers to calculate orbits for the Earth and Sun, discovered that there was a “lost day.” Upon further examination, so the story goes, these scientists used their computers to find this missing day, proving the biblical record to be accurate. Is this story true?

A.

From time to time stories such as the one described above appear—in church bulletins and religious publications, or even on the Internet—as factual and true. No doubt those who propagate such information mean well, and have as their ultimate goal a defense of the Bible against the slings and arrows of infidelity. However, the story is untrue. An investigation reveals the following details.

Similar stories have been around for more than half a century. In his 1936 book, The Harmony of Science and Scripture, Harry Rimmer devoted the entire last chapter to “Modern Science and the Long Day of Joshua.” In his discussion, Rimmer recounted the biblical story of how God made the Sun stand still (Joshua 10), and then made the following statement concerning this miracle: “The final testimony of science is that such a day left its record for all time. As long as time shall be, the record of this day must remain. The fact is attested by eminent men of science, two of whom I quote here” (1936, p. 280). Dr. Rimmer then mentioned two scientists—Sir Edwin Ball, a British astronomer, and Charles A.L. Totten, a Yale professor. He credited Ball with being the first to notice that “twenty-four hours had been lost out of solar time.” Rimmer then asked the questions: “Where did that go, what was the cause of this strange lapse, and how did it happen?” (p. 280). In the very next paragraph, he wrote: “There is a place, however, where the answer is found. And this place is attested by a scientist of standing. There is a book by Prof. C.A. Totten of Yale, written in 1890, which establishes the case beyond the shadow of a doubt” (p. 281). Rimmer then offered what he called a “summary” of Totten’s book where, he said, information could be found to prove exactly how the “lost day” had been discovered. Rimmer even gave the exact day and month on which Joshua’s battle was fought—Tuesday, July 22 (p. 266).

Before responding to the question about NASA scientists allegedly having found the “lost day” of Joshua, let me make several observations about this older version (from which the newer one obviously has been fashioned—with considerable embellishment). First, Rimmer specifically stated that he intended to “quote from” Ball and Totten, yet none of the statements he offered was placed in quotation marks. Second, the 1890 book that Totten wrote (Joshua’s Long Day and the Dial of Ahaz) never was named by Rimmer, which seems a bit odd considering that Rimmer devoted an entire chapter to this subject in his own book. Third, no bibliographic references were provided by Rimmer to the works of either Ball or Totten—again, quite unusual, seeing as how Rimmer based his entire argument on the validity of their respective cases. Fourth, numerous other writers have made serious efforts to determine the validity of Rimmer’s claims, as well as those of Ball and Totten, but with no success. For example, Bernard Ramm, in The Christian View of Science and Scripture, discussed Dr. Rimmer’s viewpoint and his reference to Totten. Ramm couched his personal conclusion regarding the documentation offered by Rimmer, Totten, and Ball in well-chosen terminology when he observed: “This I have not been able to verify to my own satisfaction.... Dr. Kulp has tried to check this theory at Yale [Totten’s employer—BT] and in England [Sir Edwin Ball’s home—BT], and has found nothing to verify it” (1954, pp. 109,117).

No doubt Rimmer himself believed the story to be true. But the documentation that should have provided the proof was seriously and obviously lacking. How such stories originate is far more difficult to ascertain than how they circulate. When a story has been “corroborated” with what appear to be credible names and relevant facts, people often do not go to the trouble of investigating it any further. Once accepted, it then is used in what the Bible believer sees as a reasoned defense of God’s Word. From all evidence now available, the story of Ball, Totten, and Rimmer simply is not true, and should not be used in defending the Bible as the Word of God.

The same can be said about the modern-day version of the story. Again, some historical background is necessary. When the account, as told by Dr. Rimmer, first was published, apparently it caused quite a bit of excitement and was accepted uncritically by those anxious to show how science “proved” the Bible true. After the initial excitement subsided, the story was forgotten, or overlooked, and eventually relegated to the relic heaps of history. Its stay there, however, was brief. Someone (to this day, no one knows who) rediscovered the story, “dusted it off,” gave it some embellishment (no doubt to make it more appealing to the modern scientific mind), provided names (of individuals, companies, and cities), and then, for good measure, threw in a reference to a popular government agency that was/is very much in the public eye (the National Aeronautic and Space Administration—NASA). With this “remake” of the story now complete, it had built-in credibility that few thought to doubt or question.

The modern version of the story suggests that NASA scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland were using sophisticated computers to plot positions of the Sun, Moon, and other planets 100, and 1000, years in the future in order to calculate spacecraft trajectories. Suddenly the computers ground to a halt. As it turns out, the computers had discovered a “lost day” in time. Repairmen did not know how to correct the problem. But one of the scientists present had attended Sunday school as a child and recalled a story in which God made the Sun stand still for about a day. When he suggested this as a possible solution, the other scientists ridiculed him. However, the scientist turned to Joshua 10 and read the story. The repairmen then fed the new data into the computers (carefully factoring in the “lost day” of Joshua), and the machines once more whirred along perfectly—almost. The computers suddenly stopped again because they had not discovered a whole day; something still was missing. Apparently (so the story goes) the computers found only 23 hours and 20 minutes. In other words, 40 minutes still were unaccounted for. But the Sunday-school-going scientist suggested the answer to this conundrum. He remembered 2 Kings 20, which indicates that King Hezekiah, upon being promised a reprieve from imminent death, had requested a sign from Heaven. God then made the Sun move backwards ten degrees—or exactly 40 minutes! This information was fed into the computers, and they once again worked perfectly.

This tale became widely circulated in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a result of the efforts of Harold Hill, then-president of the Curtis Engine Company in Halethorpe (Baltimore), Maryland. In his 1974 book, How to Live Like a King’s Kid, Mr. Hill devoted an entire chapter to the story (pp. 65-77) and explained how it became so widespread. He stated that on occasion he spoke to high school and college students regarding Bible/science matters, and that the story of NASA’s “missing day” was one he “told often” (pp. 65-66). Somehow (even Mr. Hill never knew how), Mary Kathryn Bryan, a columnist for the Evening World of Spencer, Indiana, received a written account of Mr. Hill’s story and ran it in her column. Afterwards, Hill noted, “various news services picked up the story and it appeared in hundreds of places” (p. 69, emp. in orig.). The account no doubt was afforded a certain amount of built-in credibility when Mr. Hill suggested regarding the space program at Goddard: “I was involved from the start, through contractual arrangements with my company” (1974, p. 65). [As it turns out, Mr. Hill’s connection to NASA was tenuous at best; his company had a contract to service some of the government agency’s electrical generators. He never was connected in any way with mission operations or planning.]

All efforts to confirm the origin of the story have failed. After an article about it appeared in the April 1970 Bible-Science Newsletter, several readers of that magazine wrote Mr. Hill. A subsequent article in the July 1989 Bible-Science Newsletter made mention of the fact that after the 1970 article, some readers finally received a form letter from Mr. Hill in which he stated that he did not originate the tale. In his 1974 book, he acknowledged that he did not witness the incident at NASA personally, and said that he could not remember where he first heard it, but insisted that “my inability to furnish documentation of the ‘Missing day’ incident in no way detracts from its authenticity” (p. 71).

The July 1989 Bible-Science Newsletter article went on to report that

Dr. Bolton Davidheiser wrote the NASA office at Greenbelt, Maryland, where all of this was supposed to have happened. They replied that they knew nothing of Mr. Harold Hill and could not corroborate the “lost day” reference.... The concluding paragraph of NASAs letter read, “Although we make use of planetary positions as necessary in the determination of space-craft orbits on our computers, I have not found that any ‘astronauts and space scientists at Greenbelt’ were involved in the ‘lost day’ story attributed to Mr. Hill” (Bartz, 1989, p. 12).

The story’s origin is dubious at best (and spurious at worst). The facts, where verifiable, are incorrect. And those allegedly involved in finding the “lost day” of Joshua admit to knowing nothing about such events. Furthermore, anyone claiming that computers somehow could “find” a lost day fails to understand how computers work. As Paul Bartz has commented:

Computers are not magic machines which can figure out things which are hidden from normal people. As wonderful as they are, they are limited by the knowledge which we give them. Computers depend on us for knowledge. While a computer could be used to generate a calendar from today back into the far distant past, which is not an uncommon practice, a computer could not tell us if any time was missing or not. In fact, the computer would have to be programmed with all sorts of adjustments to account for several changes in the western calendar over the past couple of thousand years. In short, the story is technically impossible, no matter how sophisticated your computer (1989, p. 12).

The only conclusion one can draw, respecting the available facts, is that this story is false and should not be circulated. We do a disservice to God’s Word when we attempt to “defend” it with stories such as these that, with a bit of common sense and a small amount of research, can be shown to have no factual foundation whatsoever.

REFERENCES

Bartz, Paul (1989), “Questions and Answers,” Bible-Science Newsletter, 27[7]:12, July.

Hill, Harold (1974), How to Live Like a King’s Kid (South Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing).

Ramm, Bernard (1954), The Christian View of Science and Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).

Rimmer, Harry (1936), The Harmony of Science and Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).

Totten, Charles A.L. (1890), Joshua’s Long Day and the Dial of Ahaz (New Haven, CT: Our Race Publishing Co.).

ALLOWED TO PREACH? by steve finnell



http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com/2017/03/allowed-to-preach-steve-finnell-would.html

ALLOWED TO PREACH?  by steve finnell


Would Jesus and the apostles be allowed to preach in your denomination or your church congregation?

If Jesus said, those who believe and are baptized will be saved, would He be allowed to preach at your denomination's convention? ( Ref:Mark 16:16 NIV 1973)

If Jesus said, that if you do not believe in Me you will die in your sins, would He be rebuked by your church leaders? (Ref: John 8:24 NIV 1973)

If the apostle Paul said, Jesus made the church holy and blameless by cleansing her by the washing of water through the word, would Paul ever be permitted to preach again? (Ref: Ephesians 5: 25-27 NIV)

If the apostle Peter said, that salvation only comes through Jesus Christ, would he be authorized to teach and preach at your church? (Ref: Acts 4:10-12 NIV 1973)

If the apostle Peter said, do not revere the Virgin Mary or other dead saints by praying to them, would Peter be allowed to preach at your church? (Ref: Acts 10:25-26 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up . "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself." (NIV 1973)

If the apostle Paul, said salvation is available to all men, and not just a selected few, would Paul be permitted to preach at your church? (Ref: Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. (NIV 1973)

Would the apostle John be reprimanded at your church if he said, men cannot inherit sin, because sin is committed and not inherited from Adam? (Ref: 1 John 3:4 Everyone  who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. NIV 1973) NOTE: INFANTS DO BREAK THE LAW.

There are few churches who would allow Jesus and the apostles to preach. They would be admonished, reprimanded, prohibited, rebuked fired on the spot.  


God’s Eternal Power And Deity Are Understood Through The Things That Are Made by Roy Davison



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

God’s Eternal Power And Deity
Are Understood Through The Things That Are Made

“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” (Romans 1:20).

Charles Robert Darwin -- born in Shrewsbury, England on February 12, 1809 -- stated his purpose in writing ‘Origin of Species’ thus: “I had two distinct objects in view, firstly, to show that species had not been separately created, and secondly, that natural selection had been the chief agent of change” (Descent of Man, first edition, page 152).

Genesis explains the origin of life-forms in this way: “Then God said, ‘Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.’ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind” (Genesis 1:20, 21). “Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind’; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind” (Genesis 1:24, 25).

A species is a taxonomic group whose members can interbreed. Thus, the various species reproduce after their kind, as indicated in Genesis. This fact does not easily fit the evolution model.

Charles Darwin’s purpose was to contradict the Biblical account of the origin of separate life-forms through creation.

Darwin’s skills as a scholar and writer enhanced his influence. His ideas also catered to the atheists’ desire for some new explanation for their discredited belief in the spontaneous generation of life.

In primary school I learned about those naïve alchemists in the middle ages who believed in the spontaneous generation of life because worms appeared, seemingly from nowhere, in rotten meat. But we were not told that for the most part, only atheists made this mistake.

People who accepted the Bible knew that life comes from life. Scientific methods were also used to prove it. In 1668 the Italian physician, Francesco Redi had shown that maggots did not develop in jars covered with fine gauze to prevent flies from landing on the meat. He also showed that when dead flies were put in the gauze-covered jars, no maggots appeared, but that when live flies were put in the jars, maggots did appear. Other experiments in the 18th and 19th centuries showed that the apparent ‘spontaneous generation’ of the atheists was caused by unseen life-forms.

Scientific proofs fell on deaf ears among many atheists, however. Without a Creator they had to believe in spontaneous generation. Contrary evidence was rejected. They continued to maintain that spontaneous generation did occur at the microscopic level.

Finally, however, Louis Pasteur’s proofs were so thorough and persuasive that even atheists had to admit that scientifically, life comes from life, omne vivum e vivo.

Yet spontaneous generation is essential for the atheistic model. Darwin’s theory pushed the supposed spontaneous generation back in time into the realm of speculation beyond the reach of scientific investigation. Atheists had a new pseudo-scientific basis for their faith in spontaneous generation.

Another factual objection to evolution is that only distinct life-forms are found in the fossil remains and on earth today, without a chain of intermediate stages of evolution. Darwin admitted this: “Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory. The explanation lies, as I believe, in the extreme imperfection of the geological record” (Origins, Ch. 10, pg 280, first edition). Thus, the theory of evolution is based on missing data.

The existing data are precisely what would be expected if distinct life-forms were created in the beginning, with fossils preserved in rock layers resulting from various catastrophes such as floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and meteoric impacts.

Not Darwin, but Louis Pasteur is the ‘father of biology’, since scientific biology is based on biogenesis, the principle that life comes from life. Pasteur’s work saved countless lives through great advances in immunology and the preservation of food.

Darwin’s influence resulted in millions of deaths since his speculative work “On The Origin Of Species By Means Of Natural Selection, Or The Preservation Of Favoured Races In The Struggle For Life” formed the theoretical foundation for dialectical materialism (communism) and Nazism.

Marx and Engels both corresponded with Darwin. Marx wrote to Ferdinand Lassalle on January 16, 1861: “Darwin’s book is very important and serves me as a natural historical foundation of our outlook.” (Fetched from http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1861/letters/61_01_16-abs.htm on Feb. 23, 2009).

Their outlook included the idea that the proletariat is a superior class that must destroy the property-owning classes. Stalin (an assumed name meaning ‘man of steel’) ‘purged’ his country of more than 20 million people.

Nazism viewed the ‘Aryan race’ as a ‘master race’ with a right and obligation to rid the world of inferior races. In his ‘Final Solution’ Hitler killed five million Jews and many people of other ethnic groups based on Darwin’s claim that evolutionary progress occurs mainly through the elimination of the weak in the struggle for survival.

How many people did Mao Tse-tung kill? Because access to documents is still restricted, estimates vary widely, but he probably killed more than Stalin and Hitler combined, somewhere between 30 and 50 million.

Pol Pot, a disciple of Mao, was responsible for the death of two million Cambodians.

Darwin would not have condoned these applications of his theory. The theory itself, however, is ideally suited to such applications since it reduces man to an animal, rejects the moral authority of God, and claims that progress comes through the mass extermination of ‘inferior’ life-forms.

A more appropriate title for the scientific content of Darwin’s book would have been “On the adaptability of species,” since that is what is demonstrated by the facts and experiments he discusses. He shows that species have an amazing ability to adapt by means of natural selection, and that this results in great diversity.

Yet, a dove remains a dove and a dog remains a dog. Darwin only speculates that such adaptations could lead to the development of new life-forms with entirely different characteristics.

The fatal flaw of Darwin’s speculation is that natural selection only works for something that functions. Natural selection might result in the adaptation of a functional eye to changed circumstances, but natural selection cannot operate during the supposed millions of years when an eye was ‘evolving’ before it became functional! The Biblical explanation is: “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both” (Proverbs 20:12).

The fossil record indicates that thousands of species have become extinct, which is exactly what would be expected from the creation of many distinct life-forms in the beginning.

Because of his bias, Darwin ignored something very obvious, namely, the difference between raw materials and ‘things that are made’.

Can you recognize something that has been made?

Paul says, “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” (Romans 1:20).

Can you recognize something that is man-made? I will show you an object. Please raise your hand if it is man-made: a stone, a toy airplane.

We can recognize something man-made because it is a ‘product’, an ‘artifact’, something that has been devised and produced by someone through the processing of raw materials.

If I showed you a live dog, or an eagle, or an elephant and asked you if it had been man-made, you would not raise your hand. Why? Because men are not capable of making such complicated things!

Yet a dog, an eagle and an elephant have the identifying marks of things that have been made. They are not raw materials. They are extremely complex ‘highly-specialized functional systems,’ which according to all scientific observation can only result from intelligent design and an amazing production capability.

Modern airplanes are crude contraptions compared to birds.

Canada geese fly from 50 to 90 km/hr and as far as 1000 km in one day. They can fly during the day or at night. They fly in a V pattern because aerodynamically that takes less energy. The strongest geese fly lead and change off periodically as one gets tired. The honking coordinates the movement of the formation. They find environmentally-friendly fuel along the way and replace themselves before they wear out.

No man can make something like that! Only Someone with awe-inspiring intelligence and creative power could make an eagle, or a dog or a mammoth or a dinosaur. These things show evidence of being God-made. “The whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:3).

And what about life? Among the remarkable things man can make, is there anything that is alive? No, man can only make lifeless things.

And what about man himself and the spirit of man? What does the Bible say? “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).

Materially, man is composed of compounds found in the biosphere on earth, raw materials. The complexity of the physical and genetic structure of the human body is beyond our comprehension. Yet, even after God formed this marvelous construction, it was just a cadaver until He made man a living being.

But man is more than just a living being. God had already made chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans before He made Eve, yet for some reason, Adam did not find them sufficient as a life companion!

In 2003, researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan claimed that 99.4% of the most critical DNA sites are identical in humans and chimpanzees. Researcher, Morris Goodman, suggested that chimps should be reclassified as human (genus homo).

More recent studies indicate that the similarity is less than 95%. But what Goodman failed to mention is that it is not the similarities in DNA that are significant, but the differences! Recent sequencing of the bovine genome indicates that cows share about 80 per cent of their genes with humans. And it is claimed that we share about 60% of our DNA with a banana! There are many similarities in DNA because life-forms have many functions in common.

Maybe we should ask Dr. Goodman if he would be willing for his daughter to marry a chimpanzee or if he has ever taken a chimpanzee out for dinner at an expensive restaurant! 1

Again, what does the Bible say? “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26, 27).

The LORD “stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1). Of death we read: “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

The tremendous difference between man and all other life-forms is evident. No explanation for the amazing intellect and creativity of man is more reasonable than what is said in Genesis, namely, that man was made in the image of his Creator. God asked Job, “Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?” (Job 38:36).

It is easy to see the difference between raw materials and things that have been made, and the things that are made, declare the glory of God. “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).

Roy Davison

1 Although many assume that various unearthed remains of genus homo are of different species, this cannot be proven since all surviving representatives form one species even though individuals have extremely divergent physical characteristics.

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)




That Cake! by Gary Rose


My daughter Rebecca and son-in-law Mike gave us this cake for my birthday and mother’s day, May 10th. It was the most unusual cake we have ever received. And, I am very glad to say that it was a special day for both of us. The cake was great, we had a nice time and it will be remembered for quite a while!


Some people I have known do not celebrate birthdays, but that is their loss, for it is not only a time to get used to calling yourself a different number, but a time for reflection as well. This past year was a tough one, with much sickness and then this Corona Virus business. But, I am feeling better than I have in years and we have been spared (so far) from that scourge from Asia.


As usual, I thought of a related Bible passage; this time from the book of Job…



Job 1 ( World English Bible )

1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God, * and turned away from evil.

2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.

3 His possessions also were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east.

4 His sons went and held a feast in the house of each one on his birthday; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

5 It was so, when the days of their feasting had run their course, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts.” Job did so continually.



Yes, birthdays are a time for reflection as well as celebration. Reflection of not only your life, but those you care about as well. After all, we are not solitary beings; we exist in a family group, a social and political environment.


One last thought…


PRAY, for Paul said to the Thessalonian brethren…


1 Thessalonians 5 ( WEB )

16 Rejoice always.

17 Pray without ceasing.

18 In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.


Now, that is something to remember!