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 )

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

¹⁴ But 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.

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

¹⁶ But 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.

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

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

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

²¹ It 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,

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

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

²⁵ For 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.

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

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

²⁸ You 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.

³⁰ Therefore, 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,

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

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

³³ Being 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.

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

³⁵ until 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.”

³⁷ Now 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?”

³⁸ Peter 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.

³⁹ For 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.”

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

⁴¹ Then 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.

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

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" Sectarianism by Mark Copeland

 

"CHALLENGES CONFRONTING THE CHURCH"

Sectarianism

INTRODUCTION

1. In our previous lesson, we examined the challenge of denominationalism...
1. Which involves the organization of local churches under various hierarchies
2. Each denomination with its unique names, presenting a divided picture of church
3. Contrary to the prayer of Jesus and the doctrine of Paul - Jn 17:20-23; 1Co 1:10-13
2. A similar challenge confronting the church is what I describe as sectarianism...
1. Though I use the term in a rather unique and limited sense
2. But as a problem I have seen arise even in opposition to denominationalism
3. Leading to a perspective of the church that is akin to a denominational mindset

[What do I mean by sectarianism? Let's begin by considering some dictionary definitions...]

1. DEFINING SECT AND SECTARIANISM
1. WHAT IS A SECT....?
1. A group of people forming a distinct unit within a larger group by virtue of certain refinements or distinctions of belief or practice
2. A religious body, especially one that has separated from a larger denomination
3. A faction united by common interests or beliefs
-- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
2. WHAT IS SECTARIANISM...?
1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a sect or sectarian
2. Limited in character or scope: parochial
-- Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary
3. OBSERVATIONS...
1. Sect and sectarianism are often used as synonyms for denomination and denominationalism
2. In this study, I am limiting my use of the terms to these definitions:
1. Sect: a faction united by common interests or beliefs
2. Sectarianism: Limited in character or scope: parochial
3. I am making what may be an arbitrary, but hopefully useful, distinction
1. Denominationalism: a mindset that sees nothing wrong with dividing up the body of Christ into various denominations
2. Sectarianism: a mindset that views the body of Christ as limited to a select group of churches identified by a particular and somewhat arbitrary set of doctrinal practices

[Using these two terms as such, perhaps I can clarify the distinction further by reviewing two erroneous views of the church of Christ...]

2. MISCONCEPTIONS OF THE CHURCH
1. THE DENOMINATIONAL MISCONCEPTION...
1. The Church of Christ is made up of those churches with the name "Church of Christ"
2. The "Church of Christ" (as such) is but one denomination among many
3. Together with other denominations, they constitute the universal church, the Body of Christ
4. Those who hold this view include:
1. Those in other denominations, because of their denominational mindset in which they view their own church (denomination) as but a part of the Body of Christ
2. Sadly, many in "mainstream" churches of Christ, who are increasingly accepting a denominational view of the church
2. THE SECTARIAN MISCONCEPTION...
1. The Church of Christ is made up only of those churches with the name "Church of Christ"
2. Those churches (as such) constitute the one, true church, the Body of Christ
3. People in any other congregations cannot possibly be members of the Body of Christ
4. Those who hold this view include:
1. Many in "mainstream" churches of Christ, especially those who view "Church of Christ" as the official and exclusive name for the Lord's church
2. Many in "non-mainstream" churches of Christ, including those tending to identify themselves on the basis of one particular issue

[With this peculiar distinction between denominationalism and sectarianism hopefully made clear, let me suggest two...]

3. EXAMPLES OF SECTARIANISM
1. INSISTING ON ONE EXCLUSIVE NAME...
1. The Scriptures use a variety of terms describing the Lord's church - e.g., Ro 16:16; 1Co 1:2
2. But some insist there is only one scriptural name (e.g., Church of Christ)
3. This limits one's view of the church universal to only those churches with the "right name"
4. When there could be other New Testament churches scriptural in every way, but who choose to use a scriptural designation other than "Church of Christ"
2. IDENTIFYING FAITHFULNESS BY ONE PARTICULAR DOCTRINE...
1. Churches are often judged by their stand on particular issues
1. E.g., the issue of institutionalism
2. E.g., the issue of divorce and remarriage
2. This can lead to rather arbitrary standards of faithfulness
1. For example, a church is deemed faithful if it is "non-institutional"
2. While in fact it may engage in other unscriptural practices or be lacking in critical Christian attitudes (e.g., love)
3. I often hear people asking: "Can anyone recommend a NI Church of Christ?"
1. Is this not reflecting a sectarian mindset, "limited in character or scope"?
2. Why not ask for "...a Baptist Church of Christ?" or "...an Episcopal Church of Christ?"
4. Is this not dangerously close to a denominational mindset?
1. Inadvertently creating a new denomination?
2. Perhaps lLeading to "The NI Church of Christ"?

[This is not to lessen the seriousness of erroneous doctrines and practices, for Jesus clearly warned of the danger of false doctrine among churches (Re 2-3). But how can we avoid the sectarian mindset that can easily lead to denominationalism...?]

4. AVOIDING SECTARIANISM
1. WITH A PROPER VIEW OF THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL...
1. Remember what we covered in our first lesson on the universal church:
1. Began on the day of Pentecost, composed of all Christians
2. The Lord adds those who are being saved, He determines membership
3. There is just one spiritual body, there is no earthly organization
2. Thus the church universal is not composed solely of a select group of churches:
1. Wearing one official name
2. Defined by one particular issue
3. Listed in a specialized directory of churches
2. WITH A CAREFUL EVALUATION OF LOCAL CHURCHES...
1. The faithfulness of local churches are determined ultimately by the Lord
1. Jesus knows and judges His congregations - e.g., Re 2:2-3
2. Congregations with false teachers might be tolerated for a time - Re 2:4-6
2. Any evaluation we make is subject to our limited knowledge
1. Certainly we should do our best to be faithful, and find faithful, churches
2. But we must be careful in our judgment of other churches - cf. Jm 4:11-12
3. Careful not to discount the possibility of other faithful churches unknown to us
1. Scriptural in every way, but perhaps using a different scriptural name
2. Though not listed in "our" directory of churches, or known by our association

CONCLUSION

1. Denominationalism and sectarianism can be distinguished by their views of the church...
1. Denominationalism's view of the church too broad
2. Sectarianism's view of the church is too narrow
2. Yet sectarianism often leads to denominationalism...
3. By inadvertent use of denominational language ("NI Church of Christ")
1. By a backlash to improper narrow-mindedness typical of sectarianism

My prayer is that we might avoid both denominationalism and sectarianism with a proper view and understanding of the Lord's church universal and His churches local, while serving the Lord simply as Christians in congregations faithful to His Word...

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2022

Mouse lessons by Gary Rose

 

 

Now, that is a MOUSE! Imagine, praying for someone who wants to kill you in one of the most terrifying ways possible – by eating you alive. Yet, that is what this mouse is doing, praying for his mortal enemy.

What a lesson for those who follow Jesus! Remember, Jesus said…

Matthew 5 ( World English Bible )

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’

⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,

⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?

⁴⁷ If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?

⁴⁸ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Almost everyone has the capacity to pray for your friends ( or perhaps even your close relatives ), but your enemies? Yet, this is what Jesus tells his followers to do. Then, Jesus draws a conclusion from this instruction – by doing this, you will be perfect ( as your heavenly Father is perfect ). This perfection is not just a mental state, it is a practice to follow when interacting with everyone.

Consider the following Old Testament passages…

Leviticus 19 ( WEB )

¹⁸ “‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.

Proverbs 25 ( WEB )

²¹ If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink:

Exodus 23 ( WEB )

⁴ “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.

⁵ If you see the donkey of him who hates you fallen down under his burden, don’t leave him, you shall surely help him with it. 

 

All these things combine attitudes and actions that God would do. To summarize- love like God does. Its amazing the things that you can learn from a mouse, isn’t it?

Did Jesus Disagree With Moses on Divorce? by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

 

https://apologeticspress.org/did-jesus-disagree-with-moses-on-divorce-5975/

Did Jesus Disagree With Moses on Divorce?

Dave Miller, Ph.D.

America's Culture War Divorce Divorce Doctrinal Matters

From Issue: R&R – July 2021

Over the centuries, critics of the Bible have devoted their energies to attempting to pinpoint contradictions and discrepancies in an effort to discredit its claim to inspiration. On one occasion in the life of Jesus on Earth, the Pharisees confronted Him and demanded to know if the Law permitted a man to divorce his wife “for just any reason?” Jesus immediately directed their attention to two Old Testament verses that provided the proper answer: Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24—which provided a negative answer as evidenced by Jesus’ own divine commentary on the two verses: “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:6). Observe carefully: humans have no right to separate what God Himself has joined together, unless He gives His approval to do so. Hence, wholesale, carte blanche divorce is not sanctioned by God. This view of divorce coincides with God’s true attitude toward divorce in His forthright declaration through the prophet Malachi: “For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce” (2:16).

Before Jesus could complete His response as to whether there are any exceptions to the general rule forbidding divorce, His questioners, no doubt stung by the stringency of Jesus’ answer, sought to justify their rejection of such a narrow viewpoint by calling attention to the Mosaic injunction in Deuteronomy 24: “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” Their words constitute an allusion to Deuteronomy 24. Read carefully the passage as it occurs in the Pentateuch:

When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife, if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance (Deuteronomy 24:1-4).

If this Old Testament passage provides a suitable answer to the Pharisees’ question, Jesus undoubtedly would have alluded to it. Instead, His response to their quibble clearly demonstrates that this passage does not provide the proper answer to their question concerning the propriety of divorce. He discounted the passage by offering a rebuttal to its applicability to the question at hand.

Moses Did Not Command Divorce

First, the Mosaic legislation, which included an acknowledgment that divorce was occurring in Israelite society, was a reflection of the hard hearts that existed at the time. No doubt, Egypt’s influence on the first two generations of Israelites included a relaxed view of divorce, establishing a practice that was underway even before God gave His covenant at Sinai. This acknowledgment in no way provided divine sanction for or approval of divorce. The Law neither commanded divorce nor established divorce as a right. After all, who would argue that God would overlook, sanction, or save those who possess hard hearts? Will anyone be in heaven that possesses a hard heart? To ask is to answer. Hence, Jesus’ pronouncement that the Mosaic provision pertained to “hard hearts” underscores the fact that it was not intended as a divine sanction of divorce—let alone a command (eneteilato) to do so. Such a command would, in fact, have been in direct conflict with God’s original intention as reflected in Jesus’ response on the occasion.

Meaning of “permitted”?

But if Moses did not “command” divorce, why did Jesus assert that Moses “allowed” it? What did He mean by His use of the term “allowed” (ESV/RSV), “suffered” (KJV/ASV), or “permitted” (NKJV/NASB)? The underlying word provided by Matthew is epetrepsen. This Greek word means “to allow someone to do something, allow, permit,”¹ “to give over, to leave to the entire trust or management of any one; hence, to permit, allow, suffer.”² The English words “allow” and “permit” do not necessarily imply permission or approval. For example, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “allow” as “1a: permit; 1b: to fail to restrain or prevent.” For the latter definition, this example of usage is given: “allow the dog to roam.”³ You may not want your dog to roam the neighborhood, yet do nothing to prevent it. The Cambridge Dictionary defines “allow” as “to give permission for someone to do something, or to not prevent something from happening.”⁴ And the American Heritage Dictionary gives as the first meaning of “allow”: “To let do or happen; permit.”⁵ The word does not include the idea of sanction, authorization, or approval—let alone forgiveness. God allowed divorce in the sense that He tolerated it—like He does the wicked behavior of the world’s population throughout history. He “puts up with it.” He allows it to go on—without implying endorsement. As Greek expositor Alexander Bruce clarified—“permitted, not enjoined.”⁶

This understanding is confirmed by two additional Greek terms that are similarly used. In Paul’s address to the idolatrous Athenian philosophers, he courageously declared: “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). The Greek verb rendered “overlooked” (huperorao) is defined as “to overlook, disregard; to bear with,”⁷ “to indulgently take no notice of, overlook, disregard.”⁸ Paul was certainly not telling the Athenians that in the past God endorsed idolatry or did not reckon it as sin. Indeed, all those who entered eternity prior to Christianity in an idolatrous state will be eternally lost. Rather, Paul intended to impress his pagan audience with the fact that God had put up with a great deal of inexcusable polytheism through the centuries. But with the coming of Christianity, all who continued to worship false gods were under divine mandate to forsake their idolatry and turn to Christ.

The KJV translated the Greek word in this verse as “winked at”: “And the times of this ignorance God winked at.” What did “winked at” mean in 1611? Interestingly enough, William Shakespeare provides the answer. In his famous play Romeo & Juliet, the prince of Verona, Escalus, delivers a stinging rebuke to the grieving families who have gathered in the wake of the tragic deaths of their two children—deaths spawned by their two warring factions:

Where be these enemies? Capulet! Montague!
See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,
That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love.
And I for winking at your discords too
Have lost a brace of kinsmen: all are punish’d.⁹

Escalus had, in fact, on more than one occasion, intervened with stern rebukes to urge the warring factions to cease and desist their hostilities—but to no avail. Hence, he “winked” at their discords in the sense that he allowed, tolerated, and permitted them to continue without forcibly preventing them. He certainly did not endorse, approve, or forgive their discordant activities throughout the period in which they occurred. But he did not stop or physically restrain them. He had hoped that his repeated verbal admonitions would have been heeded.

A second Greek term that reinforces the proper meaning of Jesus’ use of the word “allowed/permitted” is the synonym which occurs three times in Paul’s dark portrait of the Gentile world in his letter to the Romans:

• “God also gave them up to uncleanness” (1:24).
• “God gave them up to vile passions” (1:26)
• “God gave them over to a debased mind” (1:28).

The Greek term rendered “gave them up/over” (paradidomi) means “to give over, hand over, deliver up, turn over” and includes the idea to “abandon” as in “he abandoned them to impurity.”¹⁰ In addition to the three occurrences in Romans 1, the same word occurs in Stephen’s great speech before the High Priest and Jewish council, in which he described the generation that exited Egypt and constructed a golden calf to worship: “Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven” (Acts 7:42). A variety of English translation renderings make clear the meaning:

• NRSV: “But God turned away from them and handed them over to worship the host of heaven”
• NCV/ICB/EXB: “But God turned against them and did not try to stop them from worshiping the sun, moon, and stars.”
• NIRV: “But God turned away from them. He let them go on worshiping the sun, moon and stars.”
• NOG: ““So God turned away from them and let them worship the sun, moon, and stars.”
• ERV: “But God turned against them and let them continue worshiping the army of false gods in the sky.”
• DARBY/NASB1995: “But God turned and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven.”

Once again, it is plain to see that Jesus, Paul, and Stephen all referred to the same point, i.e., that God can tolerate and allow people to “go their own way” without His allowance implying endorsement, approval, or forgiveness.

“From the Beginning”

Second, observe that Jesus next redirected His questioners’ attention back to the two verses given in His initial response to their question—verses that pertain to the very “beginning” of the human race when God articulated His intention regarding marriage. His remark (“from the beginning it was not so”—vs. 8) presses the fact that God’s will for marriage is ultimately seen at the Creation when God articulated the guiding principle that answers the Pharisees’ question. Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24 are intended to be normative injunctions enjoined upon all people for all time. Greek scholar Marvin Vincent presses this very point when he observes that the use of the perfect tense in Matthew 19:8 indicates a past action that continues to be active: “Notwithstanding Moses’ permission, the case has not been so from the beginning until now. The original ordinance has never been abrogated nor superseded, but continues in force.”¹¹ In other words, the sole exception—the only ground for legitimate divorce—from the Garden of Eden to our present day, has always been fornication.¹² This firm reality explains why even God divorced His spiritual spouse—Israel—on the sole grounds of adultery (Jeremiah 3:6-8).

The Meaning of Moses’ Directive

Third, careful analysis of the text of Deuteronomy 24 yields additional insights that clarify the Lord’s outright rejection of the passage as prototypical. Observe that the verses in question are lodged in a context of a particular type of legal material found in the Law of Moses known as casuistic law. This format for conveying legal obligations is couched in what logicians refer to as a “hypothetical syllogistic” arrangement—“If…then….”—in which the “if” portion of the statement is known as the “antecedent” while the “then” segment is the “consequent.” Grammarians identify the two segments as the “protasis” and the “apodosis.”

A protasis may have multiple conditions, joined together in English by the conjunction “and.” In Hebrew grammar, the conjunction is a single letter (the waw) which is prefixed to the subsequent word. Context must determine what conditions are part of the protasis, and at what point in the series the apodosis commences. In the case of Deuteronomy, however, it is evident that the protasis continues through verse 3 and the protasis (“then…”) commences with verse 4. Here are the conditions of the protasis:

1. When a man takes a wife and marries her
2. and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her
3. and he writes her a certificate of divorce, and puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house
4. and she has departed from his house
5. and goes and becomes another man’s wife
6. and if the latter husband detests her
7. and he writes her a certificate of divorce, and puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife…

Each occurrence of “and” as bolded above is a waw in the Hebrew text. The apodosis now commences:¹³

Then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Observe carefully that the seven conditions of verses 1-3 are hypothetical, that is, they envision what some person or persons might do. They are not commands. They are not instructions on how to achieve a divorce. They assume that the perpetrator of the actions has made up his mind to divorce his wife regardless of God’s will on the matter—the “hard heart” of which Jesus spoke. Such is typically the case with the conditions of a protasis. For example, consider a similar construction in Exodus 21:29—

If the ox tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.

The four conditions of the protasis are not actions that are approved by God. They merely reflect circumstances that could potentially occur among people in a farm society. The apodosis is designed to provide God’s attempt to manage the unpleasant situation by providing after-the-fact assistance—not indicate God’s sanction of the events that led up to the dilemma at hand. Far from providing authority for divorce, Deuteronomy 24 was intended to be a limitation on divorce—an attempt to minimize and lessen its frequency. In the process, it served as a measure designed to address the mistreatment of women: “It prevented the husband from later claiming rights over this ex-wife.”¹⁴

Having disposed of the Pharisees’ quibble concerning Deuteronomy 24, Jesus brought His response to its logical climax by applying God’s original marriage law to the specific matter of divorce: “And (kai—“but”) I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery” (vs. 9). In sharp contrast to the apparent widespread practice of divorce among the Jews of Jesus’ day, Jesus insisted that the original will of God, going all the way back to the beginning of the human race, was for a man and woman to remain married to each other for life. He forthrightly declared that the only way for that first marriage to terminate in a divorce that God approves is for one of the spouses (the innocent party) to divorce the other (the fornicator), solely on the ground of sexual infidelity. Jesus clarified for all people for all time Deity’s will concerning divorce: the one and only ground for divorce is illicit sexual intercourse. Hence, Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees’ original question (“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”) was “no.”

 Endnotes

¹ Fredrick Danker (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago), third edition, p. 385, italics in orig.

² Wesley J. Perschbacher, ed. (1990), The New Analytical Greek Lexicon (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson), p. 167.

³ The Merriam Webster Dictionary online, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allow.

⁴ Cambridge Dictionary online, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/allow.

⁵ American Heritage Dictionary, https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=allow.

⁶ Alexander Bruce (no date), The Synoptic Gospels in The Expositor’s Greek Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), 1:246.

⁷ Perschbacher, p. 418.

⁸ Danker, p. 1034, italics in orig.

⁹ Act V, Scene iii, line 290ff. Other occurrences in Shakespeare of the use of “winked” are found in Cymbeline, V.iv.192; Hamlet, II.ii.137; Henry 5, V.ii.300; and King John, IV.ii.211. See https://www.shakespeareswords.com/Public/Searchresults.aspx?search=winking&WholeWordSearch=True.

¹⁰ Danker, p. 762; Perschbacher, p. 306.

¹¹ Marvin Vincent (1946), Word Studies in the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), 1:108, italics in orig.

¹² No doubt Moses did not explicitly articulate this fact in his recounting of the events in the Garden since Adam and Eve were the only people on Earth and, hence, incapable of committing adultery.

¹³ A number of English translations demonstrate awareness of these grammatical principles and the commencement of the apodosis at verse 4. Among those that insert “then” at the beginning of verse 4 are the ESV, NASB, NIV, NKJV, RSV, NAB, and the Geneva Bible. The CEB has “in this case,” the CJB has “In such a case,” and the EHV has “in these circumstances.” The EXB, GNT, ICB, and NCV have “In either case.”

¹⁴ Jack Lewis (1978), “From the Beginning It Was Not So…” in Your Marriage Can Be Great, ed. Thomas Warren (Jonesboro, AR: National Christian Press), p. 415.

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Published July 1, 2021