Category: Reflections Articles

Articles printed in the weekly bulletin of the West Side church of Christ

The New Man Compared to the Old

 

In discussing the characteristics of the old man of sin, which accurately described the Colossians at one time, the apostle then told them in Colossians 3:9-10, “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”

The old man is described  as one guilty of:  fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, covetousness, disobedience, anger, wrath, blasphemy, filthy language, and as seen in verse 9, lying. Continue reading “The New Man Compared to the Old”

Put to Death Your Members Which Are on the Earth

In Colossians 3:5, the apostle Paul told the Christians there to “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry.” The reason for this admonition? “Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience…” (vs. 6).

The phrase “members which are on the earth” is an interesting one. These things “members” are aspects of a person that precludes him from serving God acceptably. Specifically, while these things could be considered sinful themselves, they are also the attitudes and characteristics that lead a person to sinful actions. These “members” are characteristic of a lustful, lascivious, hateful and greedy person. So, Christians should “put them to death.” Continue reading “Put to Death Your Members Which Are on the Earth”

God’s Scheme for Redeeming Man

I write this as a concise primer, a reminder, a help to anyone who wants to share the gospel with the world, or who themselves have not accepted God’s supreme gift to mankind. It is a bit barebones for space purposes. If any questions arise, you can talk to, email or message me and I will be sure to answer you ASAP.

First, God created man to be different from all other life. We are told we alone are created in the image of God, (cf. Genesis 1:27). This does not mean that we physically look like God (if so, we would not be unique). It means that we alone are created with a soul. We alone have been given free will, and we can choose to obey or disobey God. Both have consequences. Continue reading “God’s Scheme for Redeeming Man”

God is Light, Love, Life

The first epistle of John is a wonderful letter, giving us insight into God and His beneficent Person as it relates to men.

God is Light

For example, John wrote in (1:5), “This is the message which we have learned from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is not darkness at all.” There are many truths impacted by this declaration.  First, we rejoice in God’s light, as it is the illumination of eternity! (cf. Revelation 2:23).  While hell is described as a horrendous place of eternal darkness (cf. Jude 13), heaven is place of light, without the need of outer illumination.

However, the chief point of John in his epistle is that for us to walk as God would have it (“in the light”, cf. 6), we must have fellowship with God.  Or, explained differently, walking in darkness severs our fellowship with God (6).

God is Love

In 1 John 4:8 the apostle also writes, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”  Another declaration about God.  It helps to establish God’s nature, especially as we read what love is like in Paul’s discourse of 1 Corinthians 13.  “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (13:4-8).

This does such a good job of describing God, but it also indicates the importance of the concept in our faith, and the type of people we are to be!  As John put it, our love for God is the litmus test regarding our fellowship with Him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:4-6).

God is Life

Finally, John wrote, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).  The Supreme Being in the universe, the One who created us, and all things material, is the One who is from eternity, the One true God.  As Jesus wrote, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” says the Lord, “Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8).  God is eternal, and so is the Giver of eternal life. We must come to Him to have eternal life!

Why Stop the Chariot?

I recently came across a sermon starter (skeleton outline) from a Facebook group, written by Mark Posey.  When I come across such items and borrow the material, I always try to give credit, but also typically change the title to something else.  I couldn’t do it this time as the title best expresses the concept to be examined in the article.

The reference is, of course, to the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch, covered in Acts 8:26-40.  To summarize, an angel of the Lord sent Philip the evangelist to a road between Jerusalem and Gaza.  There Philip met a eunuch of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians.  He had come to Jerusalem to worship (indicating he was a proselyte), and was returning to Gaza in a chariot. He was reading from Isaiah 59, and Philip used the reading as a beginning point of their conversation. Continue reading “Why Stop the Chariot?”

Jesus Our Shepherd

Jesus lived in a pastoral society. The images He used to illustrate points were very well known to his listeners. Fortunately for us urbanites, they are simple figures, and easily understood even by us 2000 years later.  For example, John records these words of the Lord, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:1-5). Continue reading “Jesus Our Shepherd”

Rebuke

A study of the word rebuke, as it is translated in the NKJV of the Bible, is interesting and beneficial, especially as it relates to the New Testament. There are three words in the Greek language that are translated rebuke in the New Testament, each with different shades of meanings. They are: epitima?, elegch?, and epipl?ss?. A look at each of the three in turn are rather enlightening.

Let’s start out with epitima?. It is defined by Thayer, “to tax with fault, rate, chide, rebuke, reprove, censure severely…to admonish or charge severely… to charge one with wrong.”  Continue reading “Rebuke”

The Proper Concept of Liberty

The proper concept of liberty is one that both our society and religious culture of today needs to consider. It is supplied by Paul in his letter to the Galatians.

“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).

Liberty is a wonderful thing. Biblically, it indicates liberty from the bondage of sin. When we become Christians, God’s grace (given through the death of His Son) grants us full forgiveness, and salvation. The position sin held previously in our lives, as domineering master, is removed. We are born again, free in Christ, given hope, accepted of God. In our society liberty indicates freedom from tyranny — that the government exists as a servant to, and to benefit the people, rather than people being slaves to civil authorities. Continue reading “The Proper Concept of Liberty”

Current Culture and the Christian

There is great interest about how Christians should react to, and interact with our present culture.  A few observations will help to introduces our subject. First, faith in Jesus Christ has always, is now, and will ever run counter to the cultural views of the world. That is why the Bible speaks of God’s people in exclusionary terms.  For example, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16). The Hebrew writer’s designation of these heroes of faith as “strangers and pilgrims” is intended to be an exhortation to Christians to have the same relationship to the world. We are not to fit in. Our views, convictions and standards should not align to the world. Continue reading “Current Culture and the Christian”

Admonition to Imitation

Any surface reading of the New Testament gives plenty of evidence to refute the Calvinistic doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints. The Calvinistic view ultimately excuses the unrepented failures in the lives of erring Christians. An example of such a refutation can be found in Paul’s writing to the Ephesians. In chapter 5 of the letter, Paul writes to Christians (the audience to which he writes) to be “imitators of God as dear children” (1). This is an admonition, an admonition with consequence as we will quickly see. Continue reading “Admonition to Imitation”

Setting Things in Order

The apostle Paul directed the young evangelist Titus in his letter to him, preserved for us through God’s providence.  It is apparent from the text that the church was not all it could be on the island of Crete, and so admonition  and instruction was needed from Titus.

After his greeting, Paul wrote Titus, “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set it in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you” (1:5). The rest of the epistle is a discourse on the lacking things, and the efforts Titus needed to make. By  noting them, we can know what kind of congregation and individual Christians we need to be! Consider broadly the text. Continue reading “Setting Things in Order”

The Day of the Lord

The text of 2 Peter 3:10-13 relates the truth of Christ’s second coming. Certain truths are unequivocally revealed there for us to consider and heed. These are: Continue reading “The Day of the Lord”

Highly Esteemed Among Men

Luke 16 records an example of the typical conflict Jesus had the Pharisees. He had just taught the parable of the unjust steward to his disciples. The Pharisees heard him as well, teaching that material wealth was “unrighteous mammon”, and showing that duel loyalties do not please God.

We are told in verse 14, “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.” The word “derided” comes from the Greek ekmykt?riz? , signifying the nose. Thayer defines the word: “to deride by turning up the nose, to sneer at to scoff at.”  The image is familiar to us today and shows that in different centuries the disdain of men is shown in similar ways. Continue reading “Highly Esteemed Among Men”

Christians Only

It seems like the typical attitude toward denominationalism contradicts totally the biblical view expressed in numerous places, including 1 Corinthians 1 and 3.

“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ’” (1:10-12).

“I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?  For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?” (3:2-4).

Continue reading “Christians Only”

Sons and Heirs

In Galatians 3:26 Paul wrote, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” The familial relationship we enjoy is not exactly the same as Jesus Himself. The Pharisees understood when Jesus called Himself the Son of God, that He was making Himself God’s equal (cf. John 5:18). The only reason He was not guilty of blasphemy is because the claim was true! Jesus is the “only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). The Apostle John wrote this with clarity and beauty when he recorded, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). Continue reading “Sons and Heirs”