Category: Reflections Articles
Articles printed in the weekly bulletin of the West Side church of Christ
“Cruci-Fixin’s”
Muslims throughout the world are outraged at a set of cartoons published by a Danish newspaper (and later republished by a Norwegian paper), which depict the “prophet” Muhammad. As a general rule, the Muslim belief states that no images of Muhammad, or any other prophet, should be made. This is to help avoid idolatry. However, they were further outraged by the fact that Muhammad was demeaned in several of the cartoons; including one that showed Muhammad with a bomb for a turban. This outrage has ranged from silent discontent to the firebombing of Scandinavian embassies.
An Exegesis of Matthew 19:1-9
The first nine verses of Matthew 19 make up as disputed a passage of scripture as any in our time. It is interesting to note that the conversation contained in the passage, a discourse between Jesus and some Pharisees who sought to “test” him, was likewise an outgrowth of great dispute among the Jews of that day.
There were two major schools of thought concerning divorce in the first century. One group, following the teaching of a rabbi named Hillel, contended that the law, (Deuteronomy 24:1-4), allowed a man to divorce his wife for any offense at all. The other main group, led by the teaching of a rabbi named Shammai, maintained (as reported by Albert Barnes in his commentary, page 194) “divorce was unlawful except in case of adultery.”
The Pharisees knew that whichever position Jesus took would bring objections from the “other” group. So, they asked Jesus, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” (vs. 3).
An Exegesis of Matthew 5:31-32
The fifth through the seventh chapters of Matthew provide a record of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” in Galilee, early on in His ministry.
Jesus spoke on numerous subjects, establishing His will for mankind. Again and again He said, “I say unto you.” As such, His teaching on these matters is to be studied carefully.
After discussing the sins of adultery and lust, Jesus taught, “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery” (5:31-32). In this passage, Jesus preempted the teaching of the law in establishing his own will.
Strong Drink
“Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise”
~ Proverbs 20:1
We live in a time where social drinking is considered acceptable by the worldly, and is even championed by some in the Lord’s church. There has been much said and written about the words used for wine in both the Hebrew and Greek language, but I have read little about the phrase “strong drink” found several times in the Old Testament, and once (with regard to John the Baptist) in the New Testament, in Luke (1:15).
The Hebrew word shekar, is found 24 times in the Old Testament (according to Strong’s Concordance), and is translated “strong drink” (22 times), “strong wine” (1 time), and “drunkards” (1 time). The word is defined by Genesius in his Hebrew Dictionary as “strong drink, intoxicating liquor, whether wine or intoxicating liquor like wine made from barley, or distilled from honey or dates.” Strong defines the term as “an intoxicant; i.e. intensely alcoholic liquor.
The root from which the term shekar derives, (shakar), means “to become tipsy; to be filled with drink abundantly; to become drunk” (Strong’s); and it shares it’s root with Hebrew terms shikkerown, the name of a town in Palestine which literally means drunkenness, and shikkarown, translated drunkenness.
The “Shall Nots” Of John
One of the primary motivations to become a Christian is the reception of myriad spiritual blessings when one has that relationship with God and His Son. We speak of the hope of eternal life, the forgiveness of sins, the peace which passes understanding, the fellowship of God’s people, and heaven, the place of eternal rest and happiness.
While such positive motivations lead us to obedience to the gospel, and zeal in the Christian walk, there are other equally valid reasons to be a child of God. Some of these could be grouped into the category of “What We Escape” because of our faith. Notice a few of these things, as found in the gospel of John.
Lógos
I recently came across an article written by Spiros Zodhiates, editor of Pulpit Magazine, and a well known Greek scholar. The title of the article was Logos: Logic Incarnate. Following is the first paragraph of the article:
Ever since the Fall, man’s limited perspective has been at odds with God’s omniscient intelligence. At the beginning of his Gospel, John introduces us to the Word (ho Lógos) who was with God and was God (John 1:1). Lógos not only means “word” but also denotes logic and intelligence. In a nutshell, the goal of logic is to arrive at a definite conclusion based on a starting premise of idea. Because God is not only logical but logic itself, His thought patterns would undoubtedly make the most sense when applied to any situation.
December 2005, Pulpit Helps, page 5
Interestingly, there is another Greek word, dialogismós, which is used a number of times in the New Testament to refer to the thoughts or logic of men. Though the word literally means, “consideration, reasoning or thought” (Strong’s), it often refers to a human logic that is at odds with the Lógos. Notice the following scriptures:
Congregational Goals
The new year is upon us, and it is a good time to establish some resolutions and goals for this congregation as we enter the year 2006.
While I know that such resolutions are somewhat arbitrary, given that there is nothing special in the date of January 1st itself, nevertheless it is as good a time as any to evaluate our progress in the work of our Lord, and to encourage in each of us a more zealous effort in the future.
In the past year we have had several long time members move away for retirement or to begin working with other congregations. While we are proud, for example, of the preaching efforts of brother Kris Braddock, his and Courtney’s association with the brethren here is missed, as are all who have left our number and moved to other places.
Delayed Answers to Prayer
Recently, while reading through Homer Hailey’s book, Prayer and Providence, I came across a section describing the fact that prayer is sometimes either not answered, or not answered immediately.
In describing the fact that prayer is not always answered, Hailey referred to Moses prayer for God to relent in his decision not to allow Moses to go over into the promised land, (cf. Deut. 3:23-27). God said, “No” though he did allow Moses to view the land from the summit of Mount Pisgah.
Developing Intimacy With God
How would you characterize your relationship with God? Do you have the deist’s view of God?
de · ism: a movement or system of thought advocating natural religion based on human reason rather than revelation, emphasizing morality, and in the 18th century denying the interference of the Creator with the laws of the universe. (my emphasis, SC)
(Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary)
Many people today advocate a deistic attitude toward God. In their way of thinking, God exists, and perhaps is responsible for our existence, but has no direct interaction with man. This allows us to believe what we want, do what we want, all without fearing any consequence from a deity which is, after all, far removed from and uninterested in the existence of His creation.
John the Baptist
Matthew, chapter 3, describes the ministry of John the Baptist, who was called to prepare the way for the coming Messiah.
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.”(Matthew 3:1-3)
John must have been quite a sight, coming out of the wilderness, wearing camel’s hair clothing, with a leather belt and a diet of locusts and wild honey.
Watch Out for Falling Trees
A recent issue of Reader’s Digest contained an article entitled, Hidden Danger on the Road (How to Survive). The article noted that the government estimates at least 1.6 million car accidents a year involving trees, animals, and vehicle debris. These accidents caused over 600 deaths in 2003, and most experts believe this number is increasing.
Note the following incident in the story regarding one motorist: “As the 70-year-old Pakula neared exit 49 on the Long Island Expressway just before noon, a vehicle ahead of him drove over a seven-foot steel rod in the road, kicking it into the air. Within seconds, the rod shot through Pakula’s windshield, smashing into his forehead and killing him almost instantly. Authorities never determined where the rod, the kind used to secure a tractor-trailer’s load, came from.”
This is just one of the many hazards, including sudden illness, crime, etc., which may take the life of the unsuspecting. It brings to mind the following passage from James:
“Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” (2:14-16)
Brethren, may we always be prepared for our death and Christ’s coming, knowing our life is but a vapor.
What Is A Christian?
Luke records for us, in Acts 11;26, “And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”
It is interesting to note the prophecy found in Isaiah 62:2 with regard to Luke’s statement.
“The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD will name.“
Some would deny that the “calling” of the disciples as “Christians” was divinely ordained, but there seems to be no other name given to the disciples of our Lord. In fact, in all of the New Testament, the only proper name by which followers of Christ were known was Christian.
We Get Letters – (On James 2)
Kris Braddock sure knows how to cause trouble. An internet visitor to our web site took issue with Kris’ article entitled “Saved by Faith… But What of Works?” And then he had the audacity to write me to complain! Anyway, among other standard Calvinistic arguments he made, he said the following:
“Succinctly stated, the passages in Ephesians and James can ONLY be reconciled as follows: ‘Faith is the ROOT of our salvation. Works are the FRUIT of our salvation.’ Faith is the CAUSE of salvation and WORKS are the EFFECT, or RESULT of salvation.”
Below is my quick reply to him. Continue reading “We Get Letters – (On James 2)”
Institutionalism: An Abuse of Authority
In our last article on authority, we documented several “digressions” which resulted from a lack of understanding of how Bible authority is established. The three general apostasies we mentioned were: 1) The establishment of the apostate church (Catholicism); 2) The embracing of human creeds in the Protestant Reformation; and 3) The apostasy in the late 1800’s which led to the establishment of the Christian Church denomination.
In the more recent past God’s people have been troubled by digression. In the 1940’s and 1950’s issues arose in the church, which led to division among God’s people. Continue reading “Institutionalism: An Abuse of Authority”
Historical Abuses of Authority
In the past 2,000 years, since the church was established on the first Pentecost following our Lord’s resurrection, there have been many apostasies. In every case, widespread apostasy has occurred because of either a lack of respect for, or misunderstanding of Bible authority. This we will demonstrate momentarily. Therefore, the principles of authority we have been establishing in this series of articles need to be instilled in each generation to avoid similar departures both presently and in the future. Continue reading “Historical Abuses of Authority”
