Category: Reflections Articles

The apostle Paul gave some important directions to the Corinthians regarding the distribution and use of spiritual gifts in the first century church.  He began in 1 Corinthians 12 by writing, “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.”  In addition, he made the point that there are “different ministries (5), and that there are “diversities of activities”, but, “it is the same God who works all in all” (6).

So, what is the purpose of noting this?  If God gives diverse gifts, they are all of value to Him.  We should not depreciate them.  That is true as well of any ministry or activity that we are privileged to participate in.  “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each for the profit of all” (7). Continue reading “Spiritual Gifts and Their Purpose for Christians” →

The apostle Paul wrote to Titus, explaining that God’s grace has something to teach us. Let us read the text, and then make some points:

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14).

First, we need to understand how grace teaches. It is simple, the gift of grace is great. It is great in its benefits. God’s gift of His Son as our Redeemer affords us a hope of eternal life! It is great in its sacrifice. God’s giving of His Son was a great sacrifice in that Jesus was the only begotten of the Father, and God loved His Son. It is great in what it reveals to us about God. He loves us! He gave us everything we need to deal with our sin. He wants every living soul to go to heaven, and so has gifted us with grace, so that we can obtain what we ourselves could not possibly receive on our own merit. So, the gift of grace impresses the thoughtful because of its significance, sacrifice and its absolute necessity for our redemption. Continue reading “What Grace Teaches Us!” →

You know how it is, the child always wanting something, asking to do something, asking to go somewhere with someone, and the father saying no. It frustrates both the child and the parent, but when done for the right reasons, it is very helpful. The child may not know why a request may be unreasonable, dangerous or unwise, but often the father does. Because he loves his child, he wants to protect his child, saving him from unwise choices and negative consequences. This is how the apostle Paul felt toward the Corinthians. Paul rebuked them sharply in his first recorded letter, but his motivation was love.  Continue reading “Paul Acted Just Like A Father” →

Early on during my stint in a state college, I briefly considered majoring in Psychology. I took two courses before changing my mind. The first was introductory. It explained various views (that were very contradictory to scripture) but was enjoyable. The second was a course in Adolescent Psychology, taught by a very arrogant (and idiotic) professor. The man had a very superior air, and dogmatic views on child raising, and used his young son to make his points. Trouble is, in his own description, his young son was completely out of control, to a great extent because of how he was raised! My view of the matter was held by many of the students. By the end of the class I switched my major to control engineering, though that did not last long either.

In my years as a preacher, I have found that there is good that Psychology and Psychiatry can do. While the two are “soft sciences”, they are needed and have helped some who have chemical imbalances, phobias or other abnormal mental issues. Most of the time I can help individuals who suffer guilt from sin, or who demonstrate a definite need for comfort or encouragement from God’s word. But, there have been times when I have had to acknowledge that mental conditions might require skills and help that I as a preacher am not qualified to offer. Continue reading “Psychology and the Bible” →

Genesis 35 reveals the death of Rachel, one of Israel’s wives. She gave birth to Joseph and Benjamin, and through her maidservant Bilhah, also supplied to her husband Dan and Naphtali. Leah and her maidservant Zilpah were responsible for the other eight sons of this ancestor of the nation of Israel. “Also God said to him [Israel]: ‘I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land’” (Genesis 35:11-12). In verses 17-18 of the text, we read of Benjamin’s birth: “Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, ‘Do not fear; you will have this son also.’ And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin” (Genesis 35:17-18). So, Rachel died in childbirth, giving Israel his last son.  An interesting aspect of this passage is the simple way her death was described, “And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died).” Continue reading “What Rachel’s Passing Teaches Us About Death” →

The beginning of the book of Hosea sets the timeline.  He received words from God, “in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel” (Hosea 1:1). This reign of the second Jeroboam is related in 2 Kings 14:23-29. Jeroboam reigned over a nation that was fully steeped in idolatry, which was soon to fall to the mighty nation of Assyria.  The people were taken into captivity, and the northern nation was no more. The internal evidence seems to indicate that Hosea’s ministry of prophecy took place only a few decades before the end of the nation in 722 B.C.

It is important to note how God felt toward idolatry. The beginning of the 10 commandments given by God is, “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” (Exodus 20:3-5a). Idolatry was considered a great unfaithfulness, a spiritual adultery to God. And yet, for its entire existence, the northern kingdom of Israel consistently practiced the sin. Continue reading “The Ministry of the Prophet Hosea” →

(1 John 2:1-2), “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

The problem is, and always has been sin.  “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23). God determined to solve the problem of sin by sending His only begotten Son as a sufficient sacrifice. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17).  “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.  For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,  how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:12-14).  Of course, this was in the mind of God since before the creation of the worlds (cf. Ephesians 1:4). Continue reading “The Advocate” →

People today do not understand the nature of God. They take issue with the clear Bible teaching that God is unchanging in His nature. This is a central aspect of our Christian faith, as it promises a consistency we depend upon to assure our eternal reward as He has promised. They declare Him to be inconsistent, and take issue with such passages as James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning”;  and  Malachi 3:6, “For I am the Lord, I do not change…” What these passages and others actually indicate is that you can depend upon God. It doesn’t mean that He can’t change His mind depending upon circumstances (cf. Exodus 32:14; Jonah 3:10), or that a change in covenant indicates a change in character or any wavering in His dealing with mankind. Continue reading “I Thought God Doesn’t Change?” →

There is an interesting text in 1 Thessalonians 3, where the apostle Paul expressed his concern for the spiritual welfare of the brethren in Thessalonica. He referred to a personal agony that he could not continue to endure, as he had no knowledge of how they were reacting to a present distress among them due to persecution. While in the city of Athens, he sent Timothy to them “our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ”  (3:2). While it left him alone, it supplied them support and encouragement that Paul could not provide in his absence.

Paul had previously warned them that they would “suffer tribulation” (4) and it had happened as he said. There was no reason for them to be surprised. However, there was the possibility they might be “shaken by these afflictions” (3) and it was possible “the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain” (5). Continue reading ““All The Joy With Which We Rejoice For Your Sake”” →

The second chapter of 2 Kings relates the departure of the prophet Elijah from the earth.  There is much about the chapter that is peculiar, but it clearly demonstrates both the power of God, and the significance of this man of God who did so much during his life.

We are all familiar with portions of Elijah’s life.  Although his youth and entrance as a prophet are shrouded in mystery, his actions during his time as a representative of the Almighty were glorious. Continue reading “Elijah’s Life and Departure to Heaven” →

An important discussion of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians is summarized in Ephesians 2:8-9. This passage is familiar to all:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

So often Christians have to discuss what the text is not saying, so as to protect against the doctrine of “Salvation by Faith Only.” This is laudable, and not to be criticized. But, it is good to simply express the truths that are established by this passage. Continue reading “Salvation by Grace Through Faith” →

In the book of Proverbs 11, verses 1, 3, 4-6, the writer emphasizes the importance of honesty in our dealings with others.

“Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight” (1).

“The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them” (3).

“Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright, but the wicked will fall by his own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the unfaithful will be caught by their lust” (4-6).

For any who are unfamiliar, scales have long been used to weigh out portions of a product. Known weights are put on one side of the scale, and the product is added to the other side until the scale “balances.” If the weights used are not accurate, modified to profit the merchant by giving false readings, they are “dishonest scales” and are an abomination to God. Continue reading “Dishonest Scales” →

The last paragraph of 1 Kings relates the general tenor of King Ahaziah and his reign over Israel.  He only reigned two years, and like his father Ahab before him, “He did evil in the sight of the Lord” (1 Kings 22:52). He like his father was one who worshiped the idol Baal and “provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.” Near the end of Jehoshaphat’s reign in Judah, the text of 2 Chronicles 20:35 refers to Ahaziah as a wicked king who Jehoshaphat foolishly allied himself with, thus tarnishing his reign in his final days.

The end of Ahaziah is interesting, and takes up the first chapter of 2 Kings. The chapter reveals how God judged Ahaziah for his idolatry, and took his life.  The account also refers to the prophet Elijah, who was such a thorn in the side of King Ahab. Continue reading “Elijah and Ahaziah” →

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7). God called us in holiness.  This is the big picture that explains why Christians are to live as they do.

This is a sentiment that is expressed throughout the Bible.  For example, the apostle Peter quoted from the book of Leviticus when he wrote, “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:13-16). Continue reading “The Call to Holiness” →

Webster defines preeminence as the quality or state of being preeminent. Preeminent is defined: having paramount rank, dignity, or importance : OUTSTANDING, SUPREME, (emphasis, Webster). When we consider Jesus Christ, whether in character, dignity, importance, or rank, it is obvious that He has preeminence in both the physical universe and spiritually as well.

This truth is stated very clearly in Colossians 1:13-18:

“He [God] has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:13-18).

In looking at this text, let’s consider the truths contained therein as they pertain to Jesus Christ’s rank and significance in contrast to all others. Continue reading “Christ, the Preeminent One” →