Category: Reflections Articles

In 2 Timothy Paul predicted perilous times that would come in the last days. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

We need to recognize that these are the times to which Paul refers. Not exclusively this decade or generation, rather the intent of Paul’s reference to “the last days.” In both the Old and New Testaments the phrase is used to refer to the present dispensation, what we might refer to as the Gospel Age. Christ has come and His rule will continue until “He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:25-26). At the end of this era Jesus will come and the final judgment will be visited upon mankind. As Peter put it, “both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). Truly these are the last days. Continue reading “Personally Perilous Times” →

There are many warnings in scripture regarding the consequence of departing from the straight path. It stands to reason that it is both possible and consequential to stray.  If not, the warnings are extraneous.

One example is the call to Christian growth found in Peter’s second epistle:

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,  to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,  to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-11).

A simple reading of this text reveals why it is important to live a righteous life. It is not something that you merely should do, but something God’s requires! Consider the bold sections of the text, and their significance:

1. If you add these characteristics you will not be barren nor unfruitful. If you don’t add them, you may . So what? Well, Jesus said that unfruitful branches are gathered and thrown “into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:6).
2. You can forget you were cleansed from your sins. To be enlightened but lose what you have brings a need for renewal that is impossible (Hebrews 6:4-6).
3. If through adding these characteristics your call and election can be made sure; then not adding them can bring uncertainty. That is why Paul told the Philippians to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).
4. Adding these characteristics precludes stumbling, and provides an abundant entrance into heaven. But our names can be blotted out (obliterated, erased)  from “the Book of Life” (cf. Revelation 3:5), if we do not overcome.  If sins can be erased (Acts 3:19), then our written names can be erased from the Book of Life in the same way.

This is the reason for the warnings. Heed them and live! Ignore them to your own eternal peril!

We know that the church belongs to Christ, created for us that we might serve Him as He desires. He established His church, accomplishing it by dying on the cross for those who He chose through the gospel. Jesus gifted to us our salvation, as He Himself paved the way to heaven through His own resurrection from the dead. Consider Paul’s words, “‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. (Now this, ‘He ascended’ – what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)’” (Ephesians 4:9-10).

The Holy Spirit used the word church (ekklesia), referencing God’s people, in two basic ways in scripture. The first is referred to as the universal use of the word church.  It is that to which Jesus refers when He promised in Matthew 16:18, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” In this sense it refers to the relationship that each saved person has with Christ when He comes to Him in faith. “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them … And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:41,47). Simply put: every person who has been saved in the past, is saved now in the present, or will be saved before the Lord comes again, — he or she is added to His church. This references our relationship with its privileges. There is no passage of scripture than activates this universal church in any way. Continue reading “What Christ Gave the Church” →

We have long shown that the preponderance of God’s teaching on Christian living has application to the relationships we find in the home.  Not much is written or said in the Bible about the husband/wife or parent/child relationships. There are some passages, one of which we appeal to today, but understand that the teaching of Christ to love God and love your neighbor bears many truths that will help us to know how families are to treat one another.

When the Holy Spirit does reveal truth about the family relationship, three main points are seen.  The husband must LOVE, the wife must SUBMIT, and the child must OBEY. Continue reading “Three Needs for the Family” →

The book of Nehemiah describes an interesting day in the lives of the remnant who returned to Jerusalem out of Babylonian captivity. The wall protecting the city had been finished, and the Jews had gathered at Jerusalem. Chapter 8 relates a reading of the law by Ezra, followed by the keeping of the Feast of Tabernacles. Chapter 9 picks up the narrative. The children assembled on the twenty-fourth day of the month and fasted “in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads” (1). These were signs of mourning as the sins of Israel weighed heavily upon the people as they woke spiritually. Verse 2 says, “Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.”

For a quarter of the day they read from God’s law. Another fourth was taken up in their confession of sin and worship to God. After half the day was over the Levites addressed the assembly, sharing the history of Israel.  They emphasized God’s graciousness despite the consistent rebellion of the people which led to their demise as a sovereign nation. I would suggest a reading of the address in verses 5-38 of the chapter. Continue reading “The Confession of Sin” →

God made a covenant with Abraham, noted first in Genesis 12. This covenant included the promise of a great nation, and a land in which they would dwell. This land — Canaan — was given as an inheritance to the Israelite nation. Under that Old Covenant, the Jews were Abraham’s seed and heirs. “So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass” (Joshua 21:43-45).  In fact, the very word is used to describe this gift. “These are the areas which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan” (14:1).

Things have changed with Christ. No longer is the physical Jew the heir of God’s promises. As Paul explained in his epistle to the Romans, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God” (Romans 2:28-29). Continue reading “The Value of Heirship” →

John’s third epistle is a personal letter to his beloved brother Gaius. There is a reason why John is known as the apostle of love. His greeting of Gaius is a wonderful example of John’s true devotion to others. “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers … I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (2,4).

Further, a good portion of his letter is a commendation of the hospitality Gaius showed to other Christians, notably those who were traveling as ministers of the gospel of our Lord.  John wrote, “We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth” (8). Continue reading “Diotrephes the Prater” →

In Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians, he commanded them to give of their means to fund a benevolent need in Judah. Such giving is an important aspect of our service to the Master. He has given us so much, it is only right and proper we respond by giving back to Him and the work He would have us to do.

In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul revisited the command, giving some extra thoughts for us to consider. He wrote, “Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation” (2 Corinthians 9:5). You might consider it surprising that anyone would begrudge an offering made to the Lord, but it is in fact quite common. There could be many reasons, but consider first of all that it is giving up your money to fund something for someone else. It is easy to think of the someone else as being anyone other than God. Continue reading “Cheerful Giver” →

A favorite turn of phrase by John in his first epistle is “by this”, the NKJ version’s interpretation of the Greek preposition “en”. For example:

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3). The Greek word is translated “hereby”, “in this”, “this is how” in other translations. The Christian Standard Bible makes the meaning plain, though the construction is awkward, “This is how we know that we know Him: if we keep His commandments.”  The amplified Bible (more of a commentary) explains it well. “And this is how we know [daily, by experience] that we have come to know Him [to understand Him and be more deeply acquainted with Him]: if we habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings). So, the idea is that the Greek preposition “en” is the means by which something is accomplished (in this case knowing). If we keep God’s commandments, we can know that we have a personal relationship with God. Continue reading “By This…” →

Paul wrote about our reconciliation in Romans 5.  That reconciliation is accomplished through the grace extended by God as a demonstration of His love for man. It was that love that compelled God to send His son to die for us. In order for reconciliation to come, it was necessary for us to be justified through His blood, and forgiven by God. “And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (5:11).

Love can and should be expressed in a myriad of ways. One such expression (in reflecting God Himself) is through forgiveness.  “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Forgiveness is an action (deed) that comes naturally toward those we love. Less naturally, to strangers or enemies. This difference is explained through that link between forgiveness and love.  As God is our supreme example, the Christian should be more gracious and expansive in his willingness to forgive.  “We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also” (1 John 4:19-21). Continue reading “Forgiveness” →

In Mark 10, verses 1-12, we find the account of Jesus answering questions from a group of Pharisees. The teaching of Jesus here reveals some simple truths about the importance God places upon the marriage relationship.

The question of the Pharisees was: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” (2).  The question was not asked out of a legitimate desire to learn the truth, it was a means of “testing Him” (2). Jesus’ initial response was to ask them what Moses wrote. He did this not to settle the matter of their question, but to point out that the reason for Moses’ response in regulating but allowing some divorce was because of “the hardness of your heart” (5). This has been and still is the big problem that leads to the prolific use of divorcement by men. Continue reading “Simple Truths re: Marriage & Divorce” →

I just found and read a speech delivered by John Clark way back in 1979 on the subject of abortion. It is interesting that his discussion of the issue is basically the same as the approach that Christians take today. There is a reason for this. As our society and societal morals change, the word of God remains the same. There is no need to update our views with new scientific discoveries, and different moral discoveries, because God created life, a truth that remains unchanged, and it is our responsibility as Christians to revere and protect life, especially with regard to the most vulnerable among us. The mother of King Lemuel, in giving him Divine instruction which is recorded in Proverbs 31:8-9, said this, “Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.”

The leaders of our land have done just the opposite.  Interestingly, the history of the 14th amendment is illustrative of this fact. The 14th amendment directly addressed the inequities of the Dred Scott decision, which denied rights to African Americans, and upheld slavery back in 1857. After the Civil War was fought, the government rightly amended the constitution. The amendment reads that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Imagine, our government having to change the constitution to grant personhood to black people. But it was necessary. Continue reading “Consequences of the Pro-Abortion Position” →

“Then He said to the disciples, ‘It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, “I repent,” you shall forgive him’” (Luke 17:1-4).

Jesus’ warning to His disciples here are words that are applicable to us today. He speaks of offenses as inevitable things. By offenses, Jesus was referring to “sin traps”, things a man or woman might to do cause another to stumble and sin.  Colly Caldwell had an interesting thought about this, “The forms these spiritual sin-traps may take will vary with each person but the effect can be devastating. It may come as a result of immoral influence, pleasurable seduction, false doctrinal teaching, or material gain.” (Truth Commentary). Continue reading “Take Heed to Yourself” →

“Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness. The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever” (Psalm 119:159-160).

A love for God’s word is characteristic of the true Christian. It is what animates him. What guides him in his every step on the earth. Why? As the Psalmist stated, “The entirety of your word is truth…”

In the New Testament, the word of God is referred to as the sword of the Spirit. “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). As Paul states in this context, it is a part of the Christian’s armor, the purpose of which is to enable the Christian “to stand against the wiles of the devil” (6:11). Together with truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith and the helmet of salvation, we are equipped as a soldier of the Lord. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (6:13). Continue reading “The Sword of the Spirit” →

Who is it that our world celebrates most?  The entertainer, the athlete, the artist. The ones who make a name for themselves. The ones who blaze a path. The ones who standout or amaze. Sometimes these things can be for very scandalous reasons — they may be villainous, outlandish, immoral, seekers of attention, ready to do anything to be famous, to be a figure that the world simply can’t ignore. This indicates values that do not really accord with God and His will. For both the celebrated and those who adore them.

Consider the words of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, “…that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.” Continue reading “Aspire to Live a Quiet Life” →