February 4, 2016

From Gary... Snapshot!


We live in a wonderful age; our technology enables us to do things that were impossible just a couple of hundred years ago. I imagine there have been thousands upon thousands of bullets fired into shot-glasses like the one above, but thanks to modern photography we can actually see it happen. So, we can see what never could be seen and understand what was a mystery in times past.  We still cannot peer into the future and view the day of Christ's coming again and I am not sure I would if I could. But, based on the facts from the Scriptures, I believe it will happen. Paul writes to the Thessalonians...

1 Thessalonians, Chapter 5 (WEB)
 1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that anything be written to you.  2 For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.  3 For when they are saying, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman; and they will in no way escape.  4 But you, brothers, aren’t in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief.  5 You are all children of light, and children of the day. We don’t belong to the night, nor to darkness,  6 so then let’s not sleep, as the rest do, but let’s watch and be sober.  7 For those who sleep, sleep in the night, and those who are drunk are drunk in the night.  8 But let us, since we belong to the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation.  9 For God didn’t appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.  11 Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do. 

The "day of the Lord" will be a day of confirmation of faith for some and condemnation for others. As the Scriptures teach, it will come quickly- so be ready!! And quickly means just that- like a blink of an eye or a speeding bullet. Read the quote above again, (especially verse six and eleven) and patiently wait. If you are NOT a Christian, do something about your status before God now, before it is too late!!! Times a wasting!!!

From Gary... Bible Reading February 4



Bible Reading  

February 4

The World English Bible

Feb. 4
Genesis 35

Gen 35:1 God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother."
Gen 35:2 Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, change your garments.
Gen 35:3 Let us arise, and go up to Bethel. I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went."
Gen 35:4 They gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
Gen 35:5 They traveled, and a terror of God was on the cities that were around them, and they didn't pursue the sons of Jacob.
Gen 35:6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.
Gen 35:7 He built an altar there, and called the place El Beth El; because there God was revealed to him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
Gen 35:8 Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon Bacuth.
Gen 35:9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him.
Gen 35:10 God said to him, "Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel." He named him Israel.
Gen 35:11 God said to him, "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body.
Gen 35:12 The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your seed after you will I give the land."
Gen 35:13 God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him.
Gen 35:14 Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it.
Gen 35:15 Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him "Bethel."
Gen 35:16 They traveled from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed. She had hard labor.
Gen 35:17 When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid, for now you will have another son."
Gen 35:18 It happened, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin.
Gen 35:19 Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath (the same is Bethlehem).
Gen 35:20 Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. The same is the Pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.
Gen 35:21 Israel traveled, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
Gen 35:22 It happened, while Israel lived in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
Gen 35:23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
Gen 35:24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
Gen 35:25 The sons of Bilhah (Rachel's handmaid): Dan and Naphtali.
Gen 35:26 The sons of Zilpah (Leah's handmaid): Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
Gen 35:27 Jacob came to Isaac his father, to Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (which is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac lived as foreigners.
Gen 35:28 The days of Isaac were one hundred eighty years.
Gen 35:29 Isaac gave up the spirit, and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.


Feb. 5
Genesis 36
Gen 36:1 Now this is the history of the generations of Esau (that is, Edom).
Gen 36:2 Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon, the Hittite; and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, the Hivite;
Gen 36:3 and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebaioth.
Gen 36:4 Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz. Basemath bore Reuel.
Gen 36:5 Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
Gen 36:6 Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, with his livestock, all his animals, and all his possessions, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan, and went into a land away from his brother Jacob.
Gen 36:7 For their substance was too great for them to dwell together, and the land of their travels couldn't bear them because of their livestock.
Gen 36:8 Esau lived in the hill country of Seir. Esau is Edom.
Gen 36:9 This is the history of the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir:
Gen 36:10 these are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz, the son of Adah, the wife of Esau; and Reuel, the son of Basemath, the wife of Esau.
Gen 36:11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.
Gen 36:12 Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau's son; and she bore to Eliphaz Amalek. These are the sons of Adah, Esau's wife.
Gen 36:13 These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.
Gen 36:14 These were the sons of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
Gen 36:15 These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz,
Gen 36:16 chief Korah, chief Gatam, chief Amalek: these are the chiefs who came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah.
Gen 36:17 These are the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah: these are the chiefs who came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.
Gen 36:18 These are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau's wife: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah: these are the chiefs who came of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife.
Gen 36:19 These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs.
Gen 36:20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
Gen 36:21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs who came of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.
Gen 36:22 The children of Lotan were Hori and Heman. Lotan's sister was Timna.
Gen 36:23 These are the children of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
Gen 36:24 These are the children of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he fed the donkeys of Zibeon his father.
Gen 36:25 These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
Gen 36:26 These are the children of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
Gen 36:27 These are the children of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
Gen 36:28 These are the children of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
Gen 36:29 These are the chiefs who came of the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah,
Gen 36:30 chief Dishon, chief Ezer, and chief Dishan: these are the chiefs who came of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.
Gen 36:31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the children of Israel.
Gen 36:32 Bela, the son of Beor, reigned in Edom. The name of his city was Dinhabah.
Gen 36:33 Bela died, and Jobab, the son of Zerah of Bozrah, reigned in his place.
Gen 36:34 Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
Gen 36:35 Husham died, and Hadad, the son of Bedad, who struck Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith.
Gen 36:36 Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.
Gen 36:37 Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth by the river, reigned in his place.
Gen 36:38 Shaul died, and Baal Hanan, the son of Achbor reigned in his place.
Gen 36:39 Baal Hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place. The name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
Gen 36:40 These are the names of the chiefs who came from Esau, according to their families, after their places, and by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth,
Gen 36:41 chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon,
Gen 36:42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar,

Gen 36:43 chief Magdiel, and chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession. This is Esau, the father of the Edomites.

 Feb. 4, 5
Matthew 18

Mat 18:1 In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"
Mat 18:2 Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the midst of them,
Mat 18:3 and said, "Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Mat 18:4 Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Mat 18:5 Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,
Mat 18:6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.
Mat 18:7 "Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!
Mat 18:8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
Mat 18:9 If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.
Mat 18:10 See that you don't despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 18:11 For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.
Mat 18:12 "What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray?
Mat 18:13 If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.
Mat 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Mat 18:15 "If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he doesn't listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector.
Mat 18:18 Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven.
Mat 18:19 Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them."
Mat 18:21 Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?"
Mat 18:22 Jesus said to him, "I don't tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.
Mat 18:23 Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants.
Mat 18:24 When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
Mat 18:25 But because he couldn't pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
Mat 18:26 The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!'
Mat 18:27 The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28 "But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'
Mat 18:29 "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you!'
Mat 18:30 He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due.
Mat 18:31 So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done.
Mat 18:32 Then his lord called him in, and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me.
Mat 18:33 Shouldn't you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?'
Mat 18:34 His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him.
Mat 18:35 So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don't each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds." 

From Roy Davison... Can one be saved by faith only?



http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/037-faithonly.html

Can one be saved by faith only?
Justification by faith alone is a basic doctrine of many denominations. People are taught that they are saved the moment they believe in Jesus.
Thousands base their hope of eternal salvation on this doctrine. Often they are extremely dogmatic in condemning anyone who teaches that certain acts of obedience are required for one to be saved.
Does the idea of justification by faith only originate from the Word of God or from a young monk named Martin Luther who wrote 'sola fide' in the margin of his Bible?
First it must be stated emphatically that the question is not whether we are justified by faith, but whether we are justified by faith alone. What if Luther had written, 'by faith' rather than 'faith only'?
The Scriptures clearly teach that salvation is a gift of grace, accepted by faith. We can only be saved by faith, but 'only by faith' is not at all the same as 'by faith only'!
Through a study of relevant passages we will learn that faith must be expressed by specific acts of obedience before one is saved. Justification is by faith, but not by faith only.

We are justified by faith.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1, 2).

Salvation cannot be earned by works.
In the early church certain Jewish false teachers claimed that Gentiles had to keep the law of Moses to be saved. Paul's statements about grace and works must be understood in the context of this controversy.
Combating this false idea, he states that even Jewish Christians are saved by grace and not by keeping the law of Moses: “We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” (Galatians 2:15, 16).
In Romans, chapters 1 through 3, Paul establishes that both Jews and Gentiles are sinners, and can be saved only by the grace of God. Jews cannot depend on the law of Moses for salvation because it is never kept perfectly: “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).
Paul continues: “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe” (Romans 3:21, 22a).
The Law and the Prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah who would bring righteousness to God's people. The law made it clear that Israel needed salvation from sin just as surely as did the Gentiles.
“For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:22b-26).
Because they were God's chosen people, many Jews were self-righteous and thought they were better than the Gentiles. Paul shows that this is not true. They need God's grace just as much as the Gentiles do, and they have no reason to boast.
“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” (Ephesians 2:8, 9).

“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:27, 28).
What is the difference between the 'law of works' and the 'law of faith'? In the first case one strives to earn salvation by his own works. This man bases his salvation on the principle of works. In the second case, one understands that his only hope of salvation is the grace of God. He gratefully accepts God's gift of salvation by faith. This man bases his salvation on the principle of faith.
They who falsely suppose that they can earn salvation by works, might be tempted to boast if they think they are keeping the law better than someone else.
The parable Jesus told “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others” illustrates this principle: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men - extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justifiedrather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:9-14).
The first man depended on his own deeds for salvation. The second man understood that as a sinner he could only be saved by the grace of God.
The various passages where Paul says we are saved by grace and not by works relate to these two approaches to salvation.
“For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 'Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin'” (Romans 4:2-8).
That this refers to works that are thought to earn salvation is clear from the reference to wages. That Abraham was justified by faith does not mean, however, that he was justified by faith only!

Faith is not complete without obedience.
In the examples of faith in Hebrews 11 we see faith in action: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance” (Hebrews 11:8); “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac” (Hebrews 11:17). After he passed this test, God said to Abraham: “Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (Genesis 22:12).
This relates to a completely different kind of works, works of obedience through faith. These works are essential for salvation because faith without appropriate obedience is incomplete.
James speaks about this kind of works when he says: “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (James 2:20-24).
We see that the faith of Abraham was made complete by works. Abraham was justified by faith, but not by faith only! Faith alone without appropriate obedience saves no one.

What works of obedience are required to be saved?
In the letter to the Romans, in which Paul places great emphasis on faith and grace, he also mentions other things that are required.
Salvation is not possible without repentance.
“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 1:4).
During his missionary journeys Paul preached that repentance is required, “testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). He told the idol-worshipers at Athens: “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). Paul told King Agrippa that he “declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:20). Paul preached that everyone must repent!
When Paul taught that one is justified by faith, he certainly did not mean by faith alone, because he preached everywhere that repentance and the associated works are required.

Salvation is not possible without confession.
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9, 10).
Can one be saved by faith alone, without confession? “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42, 43).
Jesus said that we must be willing to confess Him before men (Matthew 10:32, 33). Could these men-pleasers, who believed in Jesus but were afraid to confess it, be saved by faith alone? Certainly not. Salvation is not by faith alone.
When Paul said that one is justified by faith, he did not mean by faith alone because he taught that confession is also essential.

Salvation is not possible without baptism.
Anyone who thinks salvation is by faith only, without baptism, does not believe Jesus because He said: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).
Paul taught justification by faith, but not without baptism. After emphasizing grace in Romans, chapters 1 through 5, he tells the saints at Rome that they “had obeyed from the heart” when they were set free from sin (Romans 6:17, 18).
Earlier in the chapter, Paul had said: “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3, 4).
“As many of us as” is conditional. There are no unbaptized Christians because it is through baptism that a believer enters Christ. He is baptized into Christ. He is baptized into His death. From baptism he rises to walk in newness of life! In baptism the believer is united with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ!
A believer must call on the name of the Lord to be saved: “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
How did Paul himself call on the name of the Lord? When was he saved?
He believed on the way to Damascus when Jesus appeared to him: “So I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do'” (Acts 22:10).
In Damascus he fasted for three days. That he already believed is evident from his question, “What shall I do, Lord?” He was not yet saved, however, because Ananias told him: “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).
Paul had already believed for three days. Yet he had to call on the name of the Lord at baptism, being baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, before his sins were washed away. He was justified by faith when his faith was made complete by the obedience of baptism.

Faith alone does not save.
As James explains: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe - and tremble!” (James 2:14-19). Can demons be saved by faith only? If not, why do some people think they can be saved by faith only?
After explaining that Abraham's faith was made complete by his works of faith, James concludes: “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. ... For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:24, 26).

What have we learned from the Scriptures?
Can one be saved by faith only? We are justified by faith. Salvation cannot be earned by works. But faith must be made complete by obedience. Various deeds of obedience are required to be saved. A believer must be sorry for his sins and repent. He must confess his faith in Jesus and call on the name of the Lord by being baptized to wash away his sins by the blood of Christ. Without appropriate obedience, he does not yet have a living faith. Through obedience he accepts God's grace by faith and rises from baptism to walk in newness of life. Amen.
Roy Davison
The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.
Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

From Jim McGuiggan... What do you see?

What do you see?

“Jeremiah, what do you see?” God asked the newly appointed teenage prophet. “I see a branch of ‘the waking’ tree,” he said. God said: “You see well. I’m awake and I’m watching over my word to perform it.” The almond tree, called the “waking tree” was the first to blossom as the winter closed and the always eager spring nosed its way in. The Hebrew name for the tree sounds like the Hebrew word for (among other things) “watch”. In the days ahead when the young man would see the blossoms of the tree, or the tree itself, he might say its name to himself and God would say, “Yes, I’m watching to perform my word.”
“Jeremiah, what do you see?” God asked again. “I see a boiling pot, tilted away from the north” (as if it were about to spill all over the southern regions)
He saw the evil of Judah and was almost frightened by its depth, intensity and pervasiveness. He saw the reformation of the good king Josiah and saw that it was too little too late and that it changed the face of things but couldn’t change the heart of the nation. He saw the political upheaval at the death of Asshurbanipal, the fall of Nineveh in 612 to a coalition of nations headed up by the new Babylonian king, Nabopolasser and he would see, by and by, Nebuchadnezzar.
He wouldn’t be the only one to see all these things for all the little nations around Judah and powerful Egypt to the south-west would see the “boiling” that was going on in the north and they’d fret and plot and watch to see what the outcome would be. They all saw the political turmoil, the gatherings of nations and their armies but they didn’t see God, watching over his word to perform it. From time to time Jeremiah saw the sovereign God and that made all the difference but he too lost sight of the Lord who was calling him on just as Peter lost sight of Jesus when the waves got his attention and he began to sink. That's tragic in a way and yet sometimes sinking leads you to cry out, "Lord, save me!" Believing your faith can fix everything is surely a mistake and sometimes we need to get proof that it isn't faith in our faith that's the cure.
PT Forsyth, a stern Scottish theologian of several generations ago spoke the truth. Those who claimed that moral education, social and political reform would cure our diseases didn't know what they were talking about and two world wars cured us of the nonsense that "every day, in every way we're getting better and better." The frightening events, the destruction of cities, the pillage of nations—how could they be missed? What chaos, what wild beasts ruled the world (see Daniel 7)—how could anyone make sense out of it all, where was the sense, where was the meaning and purpose? Jeremiah told them—God was uprooting and planting!
There now, isn't that an interesting little piece of scripture, then! How well it opens up when we get a little of the background! How well it will preach. Delightful! Hmmm.
“What do you see?” God asked in Luke (3:1-2). Imagine how the world was boiling when Tiberius was emperor in Rome, and Herod was ruling in Galilee and his brother Philip was calling the shots in Iturea and Lysanius in Abilene; when Annas and Caiaphas were running the priesthood in Jerusalem and Pilate was governor in Judea. All eyes were on the power-brokers, everyone was watching for their moves and listening for their announcements but Luke says, “The word of the Lord came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.” All those big names and Luke uses them only to date the beginning of the ministry of the son of an old priest?
And this morning—and every other day—as I read the news and reflect on the ups and downs in my own life I seem to hear God saying: “What do you see, Jim?”

Should David have been Stoned? by Kyle Butt, M.Div.



http://apologeticspress.org/AllegedDiscrepancies.aspx?article=652&b=Leviticus

Should David have been Stoned?

by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

In Leviticus 20:10, the Bible records: “The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.” In 2 Samuel 11:3-4, the Bible declares that David took Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and committed adultery with her. In chapter 12 of that same book, the prophet Nathan confronted David about his sin, thereby convicting David of his sin and bringing him to repentance. There is, however, no record that David was stoned or put to death because of his adulterous union with Bathsheba. In fact, David was allowed to continue his reign as king of Israel. Skeptics have pointed to this scenario and accused God of being a “respecter of persons,” claiming that He showed David more mercy than the Levitical Law allowed. Certain Bible believers have done the same, claiming that God simply had mercy on David in spite of what was written in the Law.
A close look at the actual Law of Moses shows that these conclusions are incorrect. God did not jettison the Law of Moses in order to keep David alive. Mosaic regulations specifically stated that a person could be executed only if there were two or more witnesses to the crime (Deuteronomy 19:15). One witness was insufficient to invoke the death penalty (Deuteronomy 17:6). When we look at the situation between David and Bathsheba, we do not find that even one eyewitness was present to verify the adultery. In fact, it seems that the entire adulterous affair was quite hidden from the general populace. Only with the arrival of Nathan, the prophet, who was sent by God, did the details surface concerning David’s adultery. Nathan, however, could not be a witness against David, since there is no record of his having been at the scene of the crime. And even though he apparently got the information directly from God, that still would not fall under the ordinance mentioned in Deuteronomy 19:15. Furthermore, he still would need one more witness in order for David to be stoned.
In truth, if those under the Law of Moses were condemned based on whether or not God knew of their crimes, then far more deaths would have occurred, since “the eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). We find, then, that the Mosaic Law was not ignored in David’s case; nor is this an instance of God showing partiality. Yet, even if there had been witnesses, and the Israelites had not properly followed the judicial procedures as set forth in the Law of Moses, it would not have been God’s fault, but the fault of the Israelites who failed to obey God’s commandments.

"The Abundance of Everything" by Dave Miller, Ph.D.



http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=4834

"The Abundance of Everything"

by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Q:

 Isn’t America’s wealth an indication that the nation is pleasing to God?

A:

There’s no question that America’s unprecedented affluence and technological superiority have been the direct result of God showering the country with His blessings for over 200 years (Psalm 33:12). However, we must not think even for a moment that He will continue His favor indefinitely if we, as a nation, veer from the principles of Christian morality on which the Republic was founded. One cannot assume that since national existence remains intact and the bulk of the populace continues to enjoy lavish physical comforts that God is pleased or that He has no intention of “pulling the plug.” Indeed, tragically, America would seem to have entered the same phase of national status which God warned would one day characterize Israel of old if they jettisoned God’s commands and decrees from their lives.
Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you (Deuteronomy 28:47-48, emp. added).
If there was ever an accurate description of America’s condition, it would be that we enjoy “the abundance of everything.” Yet great spiritual poverty has spread like a scourge across the land. The abundance that Americans wallow in everyday should propel them to live godly lives before the great Governor of the Universe. Sadly, however, much of the population is rushing headlong down the precipice of moral depravity, wanton luxury, hedonism, and irreligion. We should fully expect the same outcome (2 Kings 17 and 25). Even as God expressed through the prophet Zechariah:
Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.” But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear…refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent…. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts…. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate (7:8-14, emp. added).
America has most certainly been “the pleasant land.” But she can be made desolate—if God wills.

"Classic" Responses from Evolutionists by Eric Lyons, M.Min.



http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=1443

"Classic" Responses from Evolutionists

by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

Through the years, evolutionists have been presented with an abundant amount of evidence that points toward the Creation model and away from the evolution model. Nearly every time, however, they have rejected the available facts presented to them, deciding rather to embrace their theory in spite of the facts. Consider a few of the many tenuous responses that evolutionists have given to the evidence presented to them in opposition to the evolutionary geologic timetable.
(1) In an attempt to explain away “human-like footprints” embedded in 250-million-year-old coal veins in Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and westward toward the Rocky Mountains, Albert G. Ingalls (the state geologist of Kentucky) could muster only the following explanation.
If man, or even his ape ancestor, or even the ape ancestor’s early mammal ancestor, existed as far back as in the Carboniferous period in any shape, then the whole science of geology is so completely wrong that all geologists will resign their jobs and take up truck driving. Hence, for the present at least, science rejects the attractive explanation that man made these mysterious prints in the mud of the Carboniferous period with his feet (1940, 162:14, emp. added; see also, Wilder-Smith, 1970, p. 300).
Evolutionary scientists still are rejecting the “attractive explanation”—i.e., the obvious fact—that these prints are human footprints.
(2) In attempting to explain away how two trilobites were found fossilized inside of a human sandal print in Antelope Springs, Utah, in 1968, evolutionists have asserted that the print is merely a spall (cracking or chipping) pattern in the rock (see Conrad, 1981, 4:30-33). They do not question the authenticity of the trilobite fossils, yet they reject the interpretation that these trilobites are found inside a human sandal print. One wonders what kind of explanation they have for the stitching that is visible along the edges of the sandal print?
(3) During the summer of 2004, while I was visiting the Natural Bridges National Monument in southeast Utah, I asked one of the staff members at the visitor’s center how scientists explain the presence of an antiquated dinosaur petroglyph at the base of Kachina Bridge. Her response: “They don’t really want to explain it.” Truth be told, if I were an evolutionist, I would not want to explain it either. This piece of evidence blatantly contradicts their timetable. According to the theory of evolution, humans never lived with dinosaurs. But if humans never saw living dinosaurs, how did the Anasazis, who inhabited southeastern Utah long before dinosaur fossils were found in modern times, carve such an accurate picture of a dinosaur onto the side of a rock wall?
If the responses by evolutionists to the mountain of evidence that points toward the Creation model were not so pitiful and potentially soul damaging, they would be somewhat comical. To think that some men and women who call themselves “scientists” actually reject facts of science in order to embrace the evolutionary theory is revolting. May humanity recognize that God has left testimony of His work in Creation all around us (cf. Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20).
“Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves” (Psalm 100:3).
“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:8-9).
No evolutionists will ever be able to explain away these truths!

REFERENCES

Conrad, Ernest C. (1981), “Tripping Over a Trilobite: A Study of the Meister Tracks,”Creation/Evolution, 4:30-33.
Ingalls, Albert G. (1940), “The Carboniferous Mystery,” Scientific American, 162:14, January.
Wilder-Smith, A.E. (1970), Man’s Origin, Man’s Destiny (Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers).

“The Church of God” and the Deity of Christ by Eric Lyons, M.Min.



http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=10&article=2034

“The Church of God” and the Deity of Christ

by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

The church of which all Christians are to be a part is God’s church. Although many so-called Christians claim to be members of the church that God established nearly 2,000 years ago, they often wear names that indicate ownership by, or allegiance to, men (or offices of men). Some call themselves the “Lutheran Church” (after Martin Luther). Others call themselves after the designated local leaders of the church, e.g., Episcopalians (from the Greek word for bishop) and Presbyterians (from the Greek word for elder). The Scriptures, however, make clear that the church to which all of God’s children are to belong is not a church begun by man, owned by man, or called after man (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:10-17). Christians must accept the fact that the church of the New Testament is God’s church, not man’s.
Several times in the New Testament, the term “church” (Greek ekklesia) is linked together with the Greek term theos (God), and thus one easily can ascertain the fact that the church to which obedient believers belong is the church begun and owned by God. Paul wrote “to the church of God which is at Corinth” (1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1, emp. added), and later commanded the Corinthians to “[g]ive no offense...to the church of God” (1 Corinthians 10:32-33, emp. added). He confessed to the churches of Galatia that he had “persecuted the church of God” before becoming a Christian (Galatians 1:13, emp. added). Paul also wrote to the Christians in Thessalonica, reminding them how they “became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea” (1 Thessalonians 2:14, emp. added), and even boasted of them “among the churches of God” for their endurance through persecution (2 Thessalonians 1:3-4, emp. added). One must not miss the point that the church of the New Testament is God’s church. It is of divine origin and established according to Deity’s “eternal purpose” (Ephesians 3:11).
Interestingly, Bible writers often refer to the “church of God” as the body or church of Christ. Near the end of his letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul wrote: “All the churches of Christ greet you” (Romans 16:16, NASB, emp. added). He taught the Corinthian Christians how they were “members individually” of “the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27, emp. added). Since Paul informed the churches at Ephesus and Colosse that “the church” is Christ’s “body” (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18,24), the body of Christ is equivalent to the church of Christ (cf. Ephesians 4:11-12). Simply put, it is Jesus’ church. He promised to build it (saying, “I will build My church”—Matthew 16:18, emp. added), and later purchased it “with His own blood” (Acts 20:28; cf. Ephesians 1:7,14; Hebrews 9:14).
These verses not only inform Christians of the names by which they should identify themselves, they also indicate something significant about the nature of Christ. Although some alleged Bible believers (e.g., Jehovah’s Witnesses) claim that Jesus is not divine, the very fact that Bible writers equated “the church of God” with “the body/church of Christ” is one of the many proofs that Jesus is Divine. Paul consistently used these phrases interchangeably throughout his epistles. Thus, to say the church is Christ’s is to say the church is God’s, because Christ is God (John 1:1-3; 20:28). He is the head, Savior, redeemer, and owner of the church (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18). May we thus put ourselves under the subjection of Christ as God (Ephesians 5:24), and wear only scriptural names such as “church of God” or “church of Christ.” In the words of the apostle Paul to the Ephesian elders: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28, emp. added).