What Must I Know to Be Saved? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=895

What Must I Know to Be Saved?

by	Eric Lyons, M.Min.

The question frequently is asked by those who are contemplating becoming a child of God, “How much do I have to know in order to become a Christian?” Some feel like they have to know virtually every detail in the Bible before submitting to the Savior to get rid of sin in their lives. Others believe they need every question “under the Sun” answered before becoming a Christian. Some want to know about the origin of the races. Others want to know whether or not there is life on other planets. The Bible, however, never indicates that for one to become a Christian, he has to know every detail about every book in the Bible, or that a person has to be able to answer every question that arises. But what, if anything, is necessary for a person to know before becoming a disciple of Christ?

First, an individual contemplating his spiritual life must understand that the reason there is even something for him to do is because he has sinned. Everyone who has reached the level of mental maturity (sometimes referred to as “the age of accountability”) so that he or she understands what sin is (cf. 1 John 3:4; 5:17), has sinned (Romans 3:10,23; 1 John 1:8). [The one exception, of course, was Jesus—1 Peter 2:22.] Sin is that which separates man from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). For a person to be saved, he first must have knowledge that he is a sinner, and as such stands in a lost condition. One of the reasons Jesus condemned certain Jewish priests, elders, and sects was because they did not admit their sinfulness after hearing the preaching of John the baptizer (Matthew 21:31-32)—though the tax collectors and harlots (i.e., sinners) did acknowledge their sin, and believed.

Second, the one who aspires to become a Christian must know something about Jesus—the One Who came to save us from our sins (Luke 19:10; John 3:16; Romans 5:6-8). A person does not have to know every one of Jesus’ parables, or be able to quote the Sermon on the Mount, but he must know that Jesus is the Son of God Who died and was raised so that all men might have their sins forgiven and live eternally with Him in heaven (Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:9). In other words, before becoming a Christian, a person must have heard the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Finally, the individual who aspires to become a child of God must realize there is something for him to do (cf. Acts 2:38; 16:30; 8:36). If one understands that the Bible says he must believe that Jesus is the Son of God (John 8:24), repent of his sins (Luke 13:3,5), confess that Jesus is God’s Son (Romans 10:10), and be baptized for the remission of his sins (Acts 2:38), he or she then possesses enough knowledge to put on Christ in baptism (Galatians 3:27) and become a Christian, being added by God to the church that Christ established (Acts 2:47; Matthew 16:18; Romans 16:16).

Contrary to the belief of some, a person who desires to become a Christian does not have to know the whole Bible thoroughly before he takes action. Nor is there a need to have every question imaginable answered. The Ethiopian eunuch heard one Christ-centered lesson from Philip before asking, “What hinders me from being baptized” (Acts 8:35-36)? The three thousand on Pentecost heard only one Gospel sermon before accepting the grace of God and obeying the plan of salvation (Acts 2:41). They did not wait around for years, thinking they were not knowledgeable enough to be followers of Christ. Rather, they were convinced of their sins (Acts 2:37), heard the Gospel, believed it, and obeyed it. It is after one becomes a Christian that God commands us a person to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18), and to continue to study the Word in order to teach others (Hebrews 5:12; 1 Peter 3:15).

Sam Harris, Christ’s Resurrection, and the Nature of Belief by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=10&article=2770

Sam Harris, Christ’s Resurrection, and the Nature of Belief

by	Kyle Butt, M.Div.

Sam Harris has helped lead the new brigade of militant atheists in their charge against God. His bestseller, The End of Faith, attempts to persuade the reader that all religions, including Christianity, are not only useless, but often quite harmful. In truth, he does an outstanding job showing some of the problems with false religions like Islam, and he also effectively repudiates perversions of Christian doctrine that attempt to pass themselves off as authentic. What he fails to do, however, is accurately assess true, New Testament Christianity, a fault that lies at the heart of much modern, atheistic writing.

As a case in point, Harris asked the question: “What should we believe?” He answered:

We believe most of what we believe about the world because others have told us to.... In fact, the more educated we become, the more our beliefs come to us second hand. A person who believes only those propositions for which he can provide full sensory or theoretical justification will know almost nothing about the world (2004).

Harris then proceeded to discuss how to assess the validity of what we should or should not believe that other people tell us. He gave three sources of information and analyzed the validity of each. First, he proposed the scenario of an anchorman on the evening news claiming that a fire in Colorado had burned 100,000 acres. Second, he listed as a source of information numerous biologists who claim that DNA is the “molecular basis for sexual reproduction.” And the third source of information he listed was the Pope, who claims that Jesus is the Son of God, was born of a virgin, and was resurrected bodily after death.

After some discussion, Harris concluded that the first and second sources of information are reliable and should be trusted, but the third, the Pope, is not. What is interesting about Harris’ discussion is why he concluded that the story about the fire on the evening news is trustworthy. He elaborated:

Given our beliefs about the human mind, the success of our widespread collaboration with other human beings, and the degree to which we all rely on the news, it is scarcely conceivable that a respected television network and a highly paid anchorman are perpetrating a hoax, or that thousands of firefighters, newsmen, and terrified homeowners have mistaken Texas for Colorado. Implicit in such commonsense judgments lurks an understanding of the causal connections between various processes in the world, the likelihood of different outcomes, and the vested interests or lack thereof, of those whose testimony we are considering. What would a professional news anchor stand to gain from lying about a fire in Colorado? We need not go into the details here, if the anchor on the evening news says that there is a fire in Colorado and then shows us images of burning trees, we can be reasonably sure that there really is a fire in Colorado (2004).

It is not surprising that Harris follows this explanation with his statement about mistrusting the words of the Pope pertaining to the resurrection of Christ. In this regard, he is right: the Pope’s “word” on the resurrection is no more authoritative than the word of Sam Harris. But notice the straw man Harris has built. He rightly attacks the false belief of the Pope’s infallibility, but he does not address the real evidence that validates Jesus’ resurrection. Were we to put the evidence for the resurrection beside that of the news story, the resurrection would have unquestionably more “commonsense judgments” to commend it, making it much more “reasonably sure” than a modern news story.

Analyzing the resurrection of Christ in light of Harris’ filter of evidence, it is “scarcely conceivable” that several hundred eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:6) of the resurrected Christ simply concocted the story to further their agenda. What would ordinary fishermen, farmers, or businessmen and women stand to gain from perpetuating such a hoax? The reward for their testimony was that many of them were stoned, killed with the sword, tortured, or imprisoned for nothing more than saying that they knew Jesus came back to life. Thousands of their peers listened with interest to their evidence, assessed the value of the witnesses and other information, such as the empty tomb of Christ, and were forced to conclude that the resurrection had, indeed, occurred (Acts 2:41). Many among the most educated classes, including the priests, who would have had numerous reasons to deny the validity of the evidence, were convinced of the truth of Christ’s resurrection (Acts 6:7). The many “infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3) offered for the resurrection are recorded in the most reliable documents ever to come down to modern man from any historical repository (see Butt, 2004). In fact, so powerful are the various evidences for the resurrection (see Butt, 2002), that, knowing what we know “about the casual connections between various processes” and humanity’s “success of our widespread collaboration with other human beings,” it is inconceivable that the resurrection of Christ is a hoax. The Pope is an easy target. The real evidence for the resurrection is not.

REFERENCES

Butt, Kyle (2002), “Jesus Christ—Dead or Alive?” Reason & Revelation, [On-line], URL:http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/121.

Butt, Kyle (2004), “Archaeology and the New Testament,” Reason & Revelation, [On-line],URL: http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2591.

Harris, Sam (2004), The End of Faith (New York: W.W. Norton).

What Made Us Human? by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=1621

What Made Us Human?

by	Kyle Butt, M.Div.

Guess what! Evolutionary scientists claim they have finally found the impetus behind why humans evolved from lower mammals. Charles Choi, a LiveScience writer, penned an article titled: “Eating Meat Made Us Human Suggests New Skull Fossil” (2012). He wrote that “[f]ragments of a 1.5-million-year-old skull from a child recently found in Tanzania suggest early hominids weren’t just occasional carnivores but regular meat eaters, researchers say. The finding helps build the case that meat-eating helped the human lineage evolve large brains, scientists added.” There you have it, the fact that “early hominids” could eat meat is why humans are so intelligent today. But wait, how can that be right? Stephanie Pappas, writing for LiveScience, wrote an article titled, “Did Exercise Make the Human Brain So Buff?” (2012). She said that, “[h]uman brawn may be the key to why human brains are so big, according to a new hypothesis linking exercise to the evolution of our oversize noggins.” Of course, she says there is not enough research to nail this down, but scientists say this is “an intriguing possibility.”

What are we to make of all these possibilities? The simple fact of the matter is human evolution did not occur. If you pay attention to the headlines, you will see one “possibility” after another trotted out in a parade of scientific research, none of which will get scientists any closer to the truth. That so many dead-ends are presented should alert the astute reader to the fact that something is amiss with this system. Just think of the copious resources spent to study how meat eating caused the human brain to get big. No, how exercise did. Rather, how walking on two legs is what inflated our brains. Change that to making crude tools. Well, alter that to elaborate mating rituals. On sixth thought maybe our brains are larger because…just fill in the blank with your favorite latest theory.

Humans did not evolve larger brains. God created humans in His image on the sixth day of Creation. Plus, brain size has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with being a human, or with human intelligence. If we were to compare the late He Pingping’s tiny head with the massive skull of the late Andre the Giant (Andre Roussimoff), we would quickly see a wide range of human skull sizes, and that variations in size do not show a direct correlation to increased or decreased intelligence. If that were true, Neanderthals [I am using the term in the evolutionary sense, but certainly not suggesting that there was a sub-group of human-like creatures from which humans evolved] should have been much smarter than humans, because they had larger brains, on average, than modern humans. Furthermore, the sperm whale should be the most brilliant animal of all time because it has the largest brain ever recorded, weighing in at about 17 pounds. Compare that to the average human brain of about three pounds and you begin to see the “brain size = intelligence” problem the standard evolutionary propaganda faces.

But, some will say, it is not the overall size of the brain, but the size of the brain compared to the size of the animal. If that were the case, the shrew should be about twice as intelligent as humans, because it has a brain that composes between 3-5% of overall body weight, while humans have a brain that composes about 1-2%. And Neanderthals had about the same brain-to-body ratio as modern humans, yet evolutionists are quick to assess their lack of intelligence compared to “modern” humans.

What do we learn from all this talk about the causes of “bigger brains” and “becoming human.” What we learn is that the theory of evolution can tell us nothing about how we became human. And the billions of dollars and man-hours spent fleshing out innumerable theories about human evolution are nothing more than exercises in futility. The next time you see a headline touting the latest, greatest impetus that drove primordial slime toward human-hood, give it some critical analysis and see what is really behind it all. When you do, you will discover that the best answer is simply that humans have been humans from the moment they were created by God in His image on the sixth day of Creation.

REFERENCES

Choi, Charles (2012), “Eating Meat Made Us Human Suggests New Skull Fossil,” LiveScience,http://news.yahoo.com/eating-meat-made-us-human-suggests-skull-fossil-211048849.html.

Pappas, Stephanie (2012), “Did Exercise Make the Human Brain So Buff?” LiveScience,http://news.yahoo.com/did-exercise-human-brain-buff-001925728.html.

The Supreme Court is Not THE Supreme Court by Frank Chesser, M.S.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=5187

The Supreme Court is Not THE Supreme Court

by	Frank Chesser, M.S.

[NOTE: The following uplifting words are based on a sermon by A.P. board member Frank Chesser preached on Sunday, June 28, 2015 in Montgomery, Alabama in response to the Supreme Court ruling on homosexual marriages.]

There are twin sins that could serve as bookends for all other sins—abortion and homosexuality. From a biblical perspective, these sins are so monumentally evil, that a nation’s embracement of them is a solicitation for divine judgment. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States legalized the slaughter of babies in the womb. Forty-two years has witnessed human intrusion into the mother’s womb, the workshop of God, extracting from the hands of God a work in progress, and crushing it into pieces with brutal tools of death. This sin has resulted in figurative oceans of abortive blood, waves of scarlet, washing against the seashore of the mind of God with unceasing cries for divine vengeance. When God’s judgment befell Judah, one of the reasons cited was the rivers of innocent blood with which Manasseh flooded Jerusalem that the “Lord would not pardon” (2 Kings 24:4). Homosexual conduct is an abomination for which God demanded the death penalty under the Old Testament (Leviticus 20:13). It is vile and unnatural (Romans 1:26). Homosexuals in Sodom and Gomorrah were “exceedingly wicked and sinful before the Lord” (Genesis 13:13). They were pursuers of “strange flesh” and are “set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 7). Legalizing such unspeakable sins is a call for the judgment of God. Hopefully, reflection upon the following points will prove helpful in this dark national hour brought about by the recent endorsement by the Supreme Court of homosexual marriages.

1. The Supreme Court’s decision was an expression of freewill. Freewill is a gift of God. It prevents man from being a robot clothed in flesh. It enables love to be a reality, the greatest of the triune traits of 1 Corinthians 13:13. But it is fraught with fearful consequences. A tragic choice of freewill made Genesis 3:6 an actuality and Calvary a necessity. Five Justices exhibited their freewill in the legalization of homosexual marriages. Some may question the value of our prayers for God to cast the deciding vote in this decision. It was God’s desire to cast His vote through one more Justice who would stand for righteousness, but it was not to be. We are haunted by God’s affirmation to Ezekiel, “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none” (Ezekiel 22:30). God cannot overrule man’s freewill.

2. Sin has an aggressive nature. Sin is the most aggressive thing known to man. It is not stagnant. It never stands still. It is constantly moving forward in search of its next victim. Its appetite is insatiable. Sin was not satisfied with Genesis 3:6. It devised the false worship of Genesis 4:5, the murder of Genesis 4:8 and the world-wide wickedness of Genesis 6:5. Sin was not content with the success of its bloody assault upon the womb. It moved on to tamper with the pattern of marriage, divinely instituted by God. The vote of five Justices on the Supreme Court has opened the door to a dark and foreboding world that will prove to be a national disaster of epic proportions.

3. We should not be surprised. The nation has been moving in this direction for several decades. This decision is simply the end result of years of decadent behavior that has unraveled the moral fiber of the nation. The pace was fairly slow leading up to homosexual marriages until recently when the executive branch of our federal government, with tacit legislative approval, placed its unequivocal sanction upon homosexual unions. The homosexual community, many in the entertainment industry, the music industry, and all supporters of this aberrant lifestyle, released a collective sigh of victory. The Supreme Court took the final step in endorsing this profligate lifestyle. Sin is an alien concept to the minds of many Americans. It is no longer a part of the vocabulary of the general public. The average person could not define sin if his very life depended upon it. A new glossary of terms has been invented to extract the sinfulness out of sin and whitewash sinful acts into respectability. Hence, homosexuality is now just an “alternate lifestyle.” Should we expect a world that hates Christ (John 15:18) and the truth that comes from Christ (which demands purity and holiness of life) to possess and exhibit repugnance for moral degeneracy?

4. We need to face reality. We are likely not going to be able to change the direction of this country. It will probably never again be what it once was. This has been proven by history when tracing the rise and fall of nations and empires. It is not possible to restore the moral and spiritual foundation upon which America was constructed. We have very likely gone too far in the wrong direction to reverse our national course. We may not like the thrust of these words, but it would be foolish to argue against them. The Bible and the whole history of man testify to the truthfulness of these sentiments. There will be no Jonah-like sign (Luke 11:30) to provoke America to repentance. Refusing to accept the reality of our national state of decline will only negate our resolve to make what difference we can by shining the Gospel where we are and taking essential steps to victoriously confront whatever difficulties face us in the future.

5. Our situation today is not new. Several thousand years of human experience and national history bear witness to this truth. Many nations have preceded ours and are now buried beneath the aging dust of the Earth, and they all followed the same course. “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17). God destroyed the nation of Israel in Assyrian captivity because of its sin (2 Kings 17). A spiritual remnant in Judah returned from Babylonian captivity, but their national glory was gone forever. Divine judgment could purge America in some sense, but it would be most unwise to base one’s hope on a restoration of its former moral national climate and greatness.

6. Trials are inevitable. Loving God and truth beckons the world’s hatred (John 15:18-19). Persecution is like a shadow to godly living (2 Timothy 3:12). Inspiration warns against viewing trials as something “strange” (1 Peter 4:12). No nation can declare war upon the most innocent of the Earth and put a legal stamp of approval upon what God calls vile, wicked, unnatural, and an abomination and escape the judgment of God. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” (Romans 1:18). There will be trials to bear under the hand of God’s wrath.

7. Trials are bearable. First Corinthians 10:13 should mightily comfort the spiritual mind with God’s promise that He will not allow His people to be tried above their ability to endure. He will aid us every step of the way. He is our “refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 41:1). There was one occasion in Paul’s life when all human assistance failed him (2 Timothy 4:16), but he hastened to affirm, “Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me” (2 Timothy 4:17).

8. God is sovereign. The term “sovereignty” denotes supreme power and authority. God alone is sovereign. He is transcendent to all that is. He controls the universe. He is the “Almighty God” (Genesis 17:1) and the “possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:19). He is “exalted as head above all” (1 Chronicles 29:11). Jehoshaphat averred, “rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?” (2 Chronicles 20:6). Nebuchadnezzar learned this truth by bitter experience (Daniel 4:35). When Habakkuk expressed concern over what he viewed as a delay in God’s judgment upon Judah (Habakkuk 1:2-4), he was informed that Babylon was on its way with the sword of violence in its hand (Habakkuk 1:5-11). God is going to attend to the moral chaos in America in His own time and way, and in harmony with His own nature and will. Let us resolve to be among the righteous remnant and beseech Him for wisdom, courage and preservation in this dark and dreary hour.

9. The Supreme Court is not THE Supreme Court. Five Justices have declared war on God and His will for the sanctity of the marital state. They have declared “evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). They are void of moral perception. Judah was unable to apprehend the folly of idolatry (Isaiah 44:9-20), and these Justices are incapable of discerning basic moral evil. “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18). When time is no more, they will stand before the Supreme Judge of all the Earth and give an account for joining the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) in mightily enlarging the chasm between America and God, and perhaps driving the dagger of death into its national heart.

10. This world is not our home. Abraham recognized that even the land of promise was a “strange country” (Hebrews 11:9). Many others joined him in confessing “that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13). It does not take long to get old and arrive at the point in life when the time of our “departure is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6). There is an incorruptible, undefiled eternal inheritance “reserved in heaven” (1 Peter 1:4) for the righteous servant of every age.

11. What should be our response? Refuse to allow the spiritually deranged decision of three women and two men to unduly affect your life. Greet the dawn and dusk of each day with a growing love for God, truth and righteousness. Do not crack the door of your life and allow Satan to “get an advantage” (2 Corinthians 2:11) of you. Love the saved and the lost; all of them. Do not permit dark days to rob you of your joy. “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). Never quit. Never give up. Do not allow the Devil to defeat you with the rod of discouragement. Let every heartbeat sing with ceaseless gratitude for dew drops of mercy from heaven, the cross of Calvary, and exult in every good blessing that flows from the loving and generous hand of God. Lean on God, your family, and your brethren. Fill your mind with the mind of God as revealed in the Bible. Pray fervently. “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 21). May God bless us to this end.

At What Hour was Jesus Crucified? by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/AllegedDiscrepancies.aspx?article=4759&b=Mark


At What Hour was Jesus Crucified?
by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

One allegation leveled by Bible critics is the difference that exists between Mark and John in their reporting of the hour of the crucifixion (McKinsey, 2000, pp. 295-296; Wells, 2013). Mark records that the Lord was crucified at the third hour (15:25), while John records that Jesus was tried before Pilate at the sixth hour (19:14)—which would seem to be after the time Mark says Jesus was crucified. The harmonization of this surface difference is quite simple and further underscores the sophistication of Bible inspiration.

Living as we do in the 21^st century, we fail to remember or recognize that time has not always been reckoned the way it is today worldwide. We are able to calculate quickly the time anywhere in the world. For example, if it is 9:00 a.m. in Montgomery, Alabama (which is on Central time), it is 10:00 a.m. in New York City (which is on Eastern time), 3:00 p.m. in London, and 12:00 midnight in Sydney, Australia. Not so in antiquity. The ancients used a variety of systems by which they reckoned time.

A careful study of the biblical text reveals the fact that John (who wrote near the end of the first century, several years after the writings of the synoptic writers, away from Palestine, and addressing an eclectic, Hellenistic audience) based his calculations on Roman civil time. Matthew, Mark, and Luke, on the other hand, computed their allusions to days and hours according to Jewish time (cf. Smith, 1869, 2:1102; Robertson, 1922, p. 285; Lockhart, 1901, p. 28; Geisler and Howe, 1992, p. 376; Brewer, 1941, pp. 330-331; McGarvey, 1892, 2:181-182).

In light of these facts, read the context of John’s allusion to the “sixth hour”:

When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away (John 19:13-16, emp. added).

John does not actually refer to the hour of the crucifixion, but only to the proceedings leading up to the crucifixion, specifically, the general timeframe when Pilate handed Jesus over to the Roman guards to commence the execution procedures. At this point, there yet remained the torturous, time-consuming journey to the place of execution. These events began to occur “about” 6:00 a.m.

Mark’s account reads as follows:

Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it. And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take. Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him (Mark 15:21-25, emp. added).

Using Jewish reckoning, Mark’s “third hour” is 9:00 a.m.—three hours after John’s “sixth hour” (see also Miller, 2007). Ample time is provided for the events leading up to the actual crucifixion, the proper sequence is preserved, and the Bible’s pristine historicity is vindicated.

It is truly tragic that skeptics are so bent on discovering discrepancies in inspired writ that they manifest such extreme prejudice. An honest, unbiased individual will take the time to examine the details of Scripture and extend a fair hearing to its record—the same fairness that the skeptic desires for himself. Despite the ongoing assault of those who view the Bible with disdain—an assault that has spanned two millennia—the Bible remains unscathed in its claim to be of divine origin.

REFERENCES

Brewer, G.C. (1941), Contending For the Faith (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate).

Geisler, Norman and Thomas Howe (1992), When Critics Ask (Wheaton: IL: Victor).

Lockhart, Clinton (1901), Principles of Interpretation (Delight, AR: Gospel Light), revised edition.

McGarvey, J.W. (1892), New Commentary on Acts of Apostles (Cincinnati, OH: Standard).

McKinsey, C. Dennis (2000), Biblical Errancy (Amherst, NY: Prometheus).

Miller, Dave (2007), "Sunday and the Lord's Supper," Apologetics Press, http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1254&topic=288.

Robertson, A.T. (1922), A Harmony of the Gospels (New York: Harper & Row).

Smith, William (1869), Dictionary of the Bible, ed. H.B. Hackett (New York: Hurd & Houghton).

Wells, Steve (2013), The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible, http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/hour.html.

Is the Church Important? by J.C. Bailey

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Bailey/John/Carlos/1903/Articles/churchim.html

Is the Church Important?

It is a very common teaching today that Christ should be magnified but that the church is relatively unimportant. You can belong to the church of your choice, or you do not need to belong to any church. We shall answer this argument from the Bible.

We shall assume the truth of the following two propositions. The Bible, as it is, is sufficient for man as he is. The best commentary to the Bible is the Bible itself (II Timothy 3:16-17).

I held a meeting one time, and after the meeting a man came up to me and said, "Do you know what Moody said on baptism?" I said, "No, but I know what Paul said." Let me show you how the Bible is the best commentary on the Bible.

Jesus said that the church would be built on a rock. Certain commentaries would say that the rock was Peter. What saith the scriptures? I Corinthians 3:22 says that there is only one foundation and that foundation was Christ. I Corinthians 10:4 says that the rock was Christ. All the man-made commentaries in the world cannot change these basic truths (Hebrews 13:8).

The church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23). Can we mutilate the body of Christ? Can we exchange that body for another body (Ephesians 4:4)? No, the church is to be preshttp://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Bailey/John/Carlos/1903/Articles/churchim.htmlented to Christ without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27). Christ is the savior of the body (Ephesians 5:23). Christ purchased the church with his blood (Acts 20:28). Jesus said that the gospel was to be preached to every creature (Mark 16:15). Jesus said that He had all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Bailey/John/Carlos/1903/Articles/churchim.html18). He became to those who obey him the author of eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:9).

We are justified by faith (Romans 5:1). Faith comes by hearing the word (Romans 10:17). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus prayed that we might believe through the word, given to us by the apostles (John 17:20-21). In order that we might listen to the apostles, we have the written word (John 20:30-31). The faith was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

The Old Testament was our tutor to bring us to Christ, but now that Christ has come, we are no longer under the tutor (Galatians 3:24-25). When Jesus was on the Mount with the three apostles and Moses and Elijah appeared, Peter suggested that they have three places of worship: one for Moses, one for Elijah and one for Christ. God himself spoke from heaven. Listen to my Son. When John laid down the pen of inspiration he said that nothing more was to be added (Revelation 22:18-19).

For all time the church is to be honored with Christ (Ephesians 3:20-21). Men have made many denominations. But Jesus said that they were to be rooted up (Matthew 15:13). The church, that divine institution, began at the right time, at the right place. The Lord had declared that the law of the Lord would come from Jerusalem. God's house would come from there (Isaiah 2:2-3).

The apostles were gathered. The Holy Spirit, who was to guide them into all truth, came. The gospel had become an established fact. Christ had been raised from the dead. He had gone back to heaven (Acts 1:8-11). Jesus had said that repentance and the remission of sins should be preached in His name beginning from Jerusalem (Luke 24:46-47).

Peter explained the purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Then he declared the fact of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. This brought conviction. The divine record says that they were pricked in their hearts (Acts 2:37). They asked what they should do. The answer came, not only from the apostles, but from the Holy Spirit. "And Peter said unto them, 'Repent ye and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" To whom does this apply? Verse 39 answers that question: "For to you is the promise, and to your children and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him" (Emphasis mine - JCB). What happened? "They then who received his word were baptized, and there were added unto them in that day about 3,000 souls" (Acts 2:41).

What did this church do? "They continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers."

Yes, the church is important. Christ did not die for something unimportant.

J.C. Bailey, 1993, Weyburn, Saskatchewan

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

Getting past the package by Gary Rose

Hot dogs! Now, there is something I haven't had in awhile! I love the foot-long variety with onions, mustard and chili- Yummm!!! I know, I know, they are fattening and not good for you; which is why I don't have them often. And if I can't get foot-long hot dogs, then just give me ballpark franks or Hebrew Nationals and I will be happy. In a pinch I will settle for Turkey hot dogs, but only in a pinch!

All I had to do was see a package of hot dogs and I just can't stop thinking about them. Wait a minute; the package is mislabeled- these are hamburger buns???

Seeing this travesty, I thought of the words of Jesus....

Matthew, Chapter 7 (WEB)

 ¹⁵  “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.   ¹⁶  By their fruits you will know them. (emp. added GDR) Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?   ¹⁷  Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit.   ¹⁸  A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit.   ¹⁹ Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.   ²⁰  Therefore by their fruits you will know them.  

People who will lie to you can not be trusted to lead you spiritually. If this is true in spiritual matters, it is also true in secular ones (especially in the political arena). Do not be misled by the media, be smart, think about what they tell you, it may not be the truth. Think about what a political candidate has done in the past and what their character is really like. Or perhaps you can believe whatever people tell you, regardless of what you can reason for yourself.  There is a word for that...

The apostle John has said:

 ¹ Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 

1 Jn.4:1 (WEB)

Enough said...