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Since the beginning of time, God warned His people about the dangers of the temptations that surrounded them. On more than one occasion, God not only admonished them for disobeying His word, but also encouraged them to repent and turn away from all unrighteousness. God blessed them each time they repented and became obedient to His divine word. God is still doing this today through His written word.
Just as the children Israel often adhered to false religion, a number of churches of Christ have fallen into apostasy and have promoted "another gospel" (Galatians 1:6-9). They have yet to repent and turn away from such things as institutionalism, denominationalism, unity-in-diversity, the new hermeneutics, and the community/mega-church concept. I am reminded of what God, through the prophet Hosea, said of the Israelites.
Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men (Hosea 10:13).Such "mighty men" in this present generation include Rubel Shelley, Jeff Walling, Max Lucado, Carl Ketcherside, Leroy Garrett, and others. Moreover, this passage of Scripture describes the condition in which these brethren reside.
Sometimes when the word of God is preached, whether on Sunday or as individual christians outside of worship, many will listen, but only a few will cause the message which has been planted in their hearts to grow and produce fruit that is indicative of an obedient faith. It is because their hearts have been hardened by the fruits of sin. This is illustrated in the parable of the sower which Jesus gave in Matthew 13:3-30. Also, James said, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone," (James 2:17). Furthermore, "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin," (John 8:34).
Throughout the years it has become more difficult to restore some brethren to "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints," (Jude 1:3) than others. There are a number of reasons for this difficulty. These include the belief that one church is as good as another; the belief that one can become a christian in a denomination; the belief that the church of Christ is a denomination; the belief that the grace of God extends beyond the grave; the belief that a sincere heart in believing in the core gospel is more important than being right in matters of doctrine; the belief that Romans 14 applies to doctrinal differences; and, the belief in preaching only positive, uplifting sermons.
The word "repent" literally means a change of heart and direction. True repentance requires one to acknowledge that he has "fallen short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23) and ask God for forgiveness (1 John 1:9-10). Sometimes a person may be required to provide restitution as in the case of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) although he repented and received forgiveness of his sins. In addition, one must also turn away from all temptation, including that which caused him to sin. This occurs when we "resist the devil" (James 4:7), turn to God, and
follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22).
The following chart illustrates how the unbeliever (sinner) receives forgiveness of sins differently than the believer (Christian):
| The Unbeliever (Sinner) |
The Believer (Christian) |
|---|---|
| Repents and receives forgiveness of sins through baptism. | Repents and receives forgiveness of sins through prayer. |
| Baptism is necessary "for (Greek: eis) the remission (i.e., forgiveness) of sins," (Acts 2:38). | Prayer for forgiveness of sins is offered in sincerity and in humility, which results in the blood of Christ washing away his sins (1 John 1:9-10). |
| May need to be rebaptized if God's plan of salvation was taught unscripturally. | Does not need to be rebaptized each time he sins. |
Oftentimes, ignorance and pride can become a stumbling block to becoming reconciled to God. This is clearly shown in the examples of Naaman (2 Kings 5) and the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:1-24). A person becomes ignorant of God's word when he refuses to acknowledge the truth that is taught therein. Concerning the heart of the Gentiles, the apostle Paul wrote,
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart (Ephesians 4:18).While the Lord may bless us with the ability to do many great things for Him, our good works (righteousness) alone will neither save us from sin, nor earn an entrance into Heaven. Furthermore, we should be careful lest we take pride in our own righteousness.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Whether we are an unbeliever (Mark 16:15-16), an unfaithful Christian who has forsaken the assembly of the saints (Hebrews 10:25), or a congregation of the Lord's body that has fallen into apostasy (2 Timothy 3:1-4:3, 4), let us all seek the blessings of Jehovah by truly repenting and turning away from all unrighteousness.
Ira Mikell
ira@thechristianexaminer.com
We see in today's world a significant decline in respect for authority. Those who hold authority are often derided and disrespected, and this attitude has also become prevalent in the religious world. Many denominations today do not consider from where they receive the authority for things they do, and many are being led away from the truth into sin due to this lack of authority.
Christ never intended for His church to do whatever it wanted to, but to do His will. Why should we trust in Christ? As He says in Matthew 28:18:
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."We see here that Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. This means that someone gave Him this authority (the Father, John 8:18), and that we should look upon Him as our authority for the things which we are to do as Christians.
We should be thankful to have this figure of authority. The wisdom and of men is found lacking in God's Word, as Paul so eloquently speaks in 1 Corinthians 1:18-21:
For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside." Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.And as Solomon speaks in Proverbs 14:12:
There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.We must not trust the wisdom of men, but the wisdom of God, which, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:25, that the foolishness of God is still wiser than the wisdom of man.
One might ask, "okay, Christ is the authority, but how are we to know what we need to do to follow Him?" This is a valid question, and its answer is simple. We learn how to follow Him through His Word, as He spoke through His Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16-17:
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.Thus, the Scriptures are sufficient to make the man of God adequate, and enough to equip for every good work. There is no good work which is not discussed in the Bible; herein lies the great need for authority. If we do something which God has not authorized, it is not good in the eyes of God; if God intended for it to be good, it would be in His Word. Many men try to pass off error by saying, "surely God would not mind," or, "it is not the letter, but the spirit, that matters." Do these men attempt to speak for God? Examine what Paul says in Romans 9:20-21:
On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use?We, as the creation, have no right to speak in place of the Creator, especially when the Creator has given us enough revelation to be equipped for every good work.
If you are one who professes Christ, you must be able to find "book, chapter, and verse" for every act you commit in service to God. Therefore, examine yourselves as Paul urges in 2 Corinthians 13:5, and determine whether or not you have Scriptural authority for your service to God. If you find such authority lacking, look for a church of Christ in your area, full of good Christians who continually strive to worship God in "spirit and in truth," John 4:24.
Ethan R. Longhenry
ethan@thechristianexaminer.com
www.deusvitae.com
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