Calvinism book Chapter 11 BAPTISM by C.A. Feenstra

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Feenstra/C/A/1931/ch11.html

Chapter 11

BAPTISM

Q. Does GOD'S WORD teach that man is saved by the grace of God?

"For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men..." Titus 2:11

"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Rom. 3:24

"But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in like manner as they." Acts 15:11

"But by the grace of God I am what I am..." I Cor. 15:10

"For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory." Eph. 2:8-9

Q. According to GOD'S WORD, how is a man saved by grace?

"For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory." Eph. 2:8-9

"Not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit..." Titus 3:5

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God ... Ye must be born anew." John 3:5, 7

"And he (Jesus) said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..." Mark 16:15-16

Q.1 Does GOD'S WORD teach that baptism is for the remission of sins?

"And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38

Q.2 Does GOD'S WORD teach that all men must be baptized to be saved?

"And he (Jesus) said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..." Mark 16:15-16

Q.3 Does GOD'S WORD teach that baptism washes away sins?

"And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name." Acts 22:16

Q.4 Does GOD'S WORD teach that baptism puts us into Christ?

"Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" Rom. 6:3

"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ." Gal. 3:27

Q.5 Does GOD'S WORD teach that by baptism we put on Christ?

"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ." Gal. 3:27

"Abide in me, and I in you." John 15:4

Q.6 Does GOD'S WORD teach that God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit at baptism?

And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38

"And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey him." Acts 5:32

Q.7 Does GOD'S WORD teach that it is necessary for one to be baptized in order to enter the kingdom of God?

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5

Q.8 Does GOD'S WORD teach that baptism saves?

"Which also after a true likeness doth now save you, even baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ..." I Pet. 3:21

Q.9 Does GOD'S WORD teach that when we are baptized we are added to the church by the Lord?

"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls...
And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Acts 2:41, 47 AV

"And he is the head of the body, the church..." Col. 1:18

"For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body..." I Cor. 12:13

Q.10 Does GOD'S WORD teach that in baptism our old man or nature is put to death and buried?

"Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death ... For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection; knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; for he that hath died is justified from sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him ... Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus." Rom. 6:3-11

Q.11 Does GOD'S WORD teach that in baptism we are raised to walk in newness of life and to be alive unto God?

"We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life ... Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus." Rom. 6:4, 11

Q.12 Does GOD'S WORD teach that baptism is a form of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and that when sinners obey this form of teaching, they are delivered and made free from their past sins?

"We who were baptized...
Our old man was crucified...
We were buried...
Like as Christ was raised … so we also might walk in newness of life ... Whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form (or pattern) of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness. Rom. 6:3-8, 17-18

Q.13 Does GOD'S WORD teach that the gospel is the good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for sinners, and that in baptism man obeys this gospel in order to benefit from Christ's sacrifice?

"The gospel which I preached unto you ... by which also ye are saved ... That Christ died ... and that he was buried ... and that he hath been raised..." I Cor. 15:1-4

"And he (Jesus) said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..." Mark 16:15-16

"What shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?" I Pet. 4:17

"Inflaming fire, rendering vengeance ... to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might..." II Thess." 1:7-9

Q.14 Does GOD'S WORD teach that what happens at baptism causes men to rejoice?

"And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing." Acts 8:38-39

"And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. And he brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his house, having believed in God." Acts 16:33-34

Q.15 Does GOD'S WORD teach that even sinless Jesus in taking the sinner's place, had to be baptized to fulfil all righteousness?

"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John would have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? But Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffereth him. And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water." Matt. 3:13-16

Q.16 Does GOD'S WORD teach that Jesus, who was given all authority, commanded baptism?

"And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Matt. 28:18-19

Q.17 Does GOD'S WORD teach that the apostles of Jesus commanded men to be baptized?

"And he (Peter) commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ." Acts 10:48

Q.18 Does GOD'S WORD teach that we reject the counsel of God when we refuse to have ourselves baptized?

"But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected for themselves the counsel of God, being not baptized of him." Luke 7:30

Q.19 Does GOD'S WORD teach that baptism is the answer of a good conscience toward God?

"The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." I Pet. 3:21 AV

Q.20 Does GOD'S WORD teach that baptism is the washing by which the Spirit regenerates and renews the repentant believer?

"Not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit..." Titus 3:5

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5

Requirements of GOD'S WORD

Baptism	Immersion	Sprinkling
Water - Acts 8:36	Yes	Yes
Much water - John 3:23	Yes	No
A going into the water - Acts 8:36	Yes	No
A going down into the water - Acts 8:38	Yes	No
Both the baptizer and the one to be baptized going down into the water - Acts 8:38-39	Yes	No
A burial - Rom. 6:4	Yes	No
A planting - Rom. 6:4 AV	Yes	No
A resurrection - Col. 2:12	Yes	No
A birth - John 3:5-7	Yes	No
Body washed - Heb. 10:22	Yes	No
A coming up out of the water - Matt. 3:16, Acts 8:39	Yes	No

Q. Does GOD'S WORD teach that believing and repenting are always to preceed baptism?

"And he (Jesus) said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned." Mark 16:15-16

"And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38

"But when they (the Samaritans) believed Philip preaching good tidings ... they were baptized..." Acts 8:12

"And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? (And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.) And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him." Acts 8:36-38

"And he (the jailor) called for lights and sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. And they spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. And he brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his house, having believed in God." Acts 16:29-34

Q. Where in GOD'S WORD do we find one example of a person who was baptized before he believed and repented?

Q. Does GOD'S WORD teach that households heard the WORD, believed, were baptized, and rejoiced because they were saved?

"And brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. And they spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. And he brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his house, having believed in God." Acts 16:30-34

"And Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized." Acts 18:8

Q. Since babies today cannot hear, believe, and rejoice, what proof do we have from GOD'S WORD that the babies in Philippi and Corinth could hear, believe, and rejoice?

* * *

"And having found the disciples, we tarried there (at Tyre) seven days ... And when it came to pass that we had accomplished the days, we departed and went on our journey; and they all, with wives and children, brought us on our way till we were out of the city..." Acts 21:4-5

"They therefore that were scattered abroad, went about preaching the word. And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ. And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he did ... But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." Acts 8:4-6, 12

Q. Why did Luke the inspired writer mention "children" at such an unimportant event as when the Christians at Tyre brought Paul on his way, but did not mention "children" when the people in the city of Samaria heard the gospel, believed and were baptized?

Q. If small children were baptized in Samaria, why did he not refer to them with the "men and women" in Acts 8:12?

Q. According to GOD'S WORD, who only are those added to the Lord?

"And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women..." Acts 5:14

* * *

Q. Since Matt. 28:18 teaches that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, where in GOD'S WORD do we find His command to us to sprinkle babies?

Q. From GOD'S WORD, can you give the names of some apostles and others who sprinkled babies?

Q. From GOD'S WORD, can you give the names of some babies who were sprinkled?

Q. Where in GOD'S WORD is baptism ever called a "sign and seal"?

* * *

Q. According to GOD'S WORD, how many baptisms do we have in this present gospel age?

"There is... one baptism." Eph 4:4-5

* * *

"Learn not to go beyond the things which are written." I Cor. 4:6

"Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son." II John 9

"Jesus... said
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day." John 12:44, 48

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

BEWARE WHEN ALL MEN SPEAK WELL OF YOU BY STEVE FINNELL

http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com/2016/09/beware-when-all-men-speak-well-of-you.html

BEWARE WHEN ALL MEN SPEAK WELL OF YOU BY STEVE FINNELL

If all men are speaking well of you, a self examination might be in order. You might find room for improvement.

Luke 6:26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their father used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

Jesus was speaking to His disciples. The disciples passed the woe test. All the apostles except John were executed or murdered for preaching the truth. All men did not speak well of them.

Mark 3:22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and He casts out demons by the ruler of demons."

Jesus passed His own woe test. All men did not speak well of Him.

Acts 7:1-59....59 They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"

Stephen passed the woe test with flying colors. Stephen could have just as easily been a "Seeker Friendly Preacher," however, he chose to preach the truth and it cost him his life. All men did not speak well of him.

Secular society, as well as many religious people, will not speak well of men who preach and teach the truth.

BEWARE WHEN ALL MEN SPEAK WELL OF YOU.

(All Scripture quotes from:NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE)    

Don’t Undermine Your Message by Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

 

 https://thepreachersword.com/2017/06/30/dont-undermine-your-message/#more-10905

Don’t Undermine Your Message

My time this week has been consumed with our Vacation Bible School and enjoying a visit from our son, Kenny, and playing with our grandchildren, Miles and Katherine. As a result, I’ve not been watching very much news.

However, I noticed on facebook when I was posting ThePreachersWord that President Trump has set off another Twitter firestorm with some insulting comments about some news anchors. I checked the news last night and heard a little bit about it.

So, what’s new?

I suspect that such tweets and battles with the media will continue for at least the next four years.

For the record, I was not a supporter of Mr. Trump, either in the primaries or general election. Oh, and before I’m accused of supporting “the other side,” I didn’t support them (or her) either.

Actually, I agree with several policy issues proposed and instituted by our President. Sadly, however, his message is being muddled by petty fights with talking heads, rival politicians, and basically, anyone who attacks him.

It has often been repeated, both by the President and his spokespersons, that if he’s attacked he will “punch back 10 times harder.” Too bad. Because it diminishes some good things he’s trying to accomplish.

However, the point of this post is not really about President Trump or politics. It’s about undermining OUR message. I’m talking about the message of the cross. The message of the gospel. The message that all Christians should be proclaiming either in word or in deed.

Unfortunately, Christians have not been exempt from the political polarization in the USA. The divide is apparent when a respected gospel preacher posts on facebook a condemnation of the ugly rhetoric of the President and the thread turns into a debate.

Let’s be reminded of what the Bible says about our actions, attitudes, and speech.

Eph 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Eph 4:31-32
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Matt 12:36-37
“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Col 4:6
“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Rom 12:2
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Eph 4:1-4
I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Observations:

(1) Christians, called by God, ought to be living, talking, and acting in a way that’s compatible with our Faith.

(2) Christians must rise above the pettiness, coarseness, and carnality of the world. We must be transformed. Not conformed.

(3) Christians need to renounce the vulgarity, crudeness, and crassness of our culture. Instead, let’s exhibit qualities of kindness, gentleness, geniality, graciousness, patience, peacefulness, and love. Love to all men. And to each other, so the world may know that we belong to Christ.

(4) Christians are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. A spiritual Body. And a holy Temple. The kingdoms of earth will eventually fall. All of them. Someday. Let’s be numbered among the redeemed.

Brethren, let’s not undermine our message, with conduct that distracts from who we are, who our Master is, and what we are to be doing. With so many worldly distractions, let’s remember “‘the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

Amen?

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

"THE GOSPEL OF JOHN" The Greatest Prayer Ever Prayed (17:1-26) by Mark Copeland

"THE GOSPEL OF JOHN"

The Greatest Prayer Ever Prayed (17:1-26)

 

INTRODUCTION

1. "Some brethren pray by the yard; but true prayer is measured by weight, and not by length." - Charles Spurgeon
2. This statement is true, for the greatest prayer ever prayed is recorded in Jn 17...
1. It takes about six minutes to reverently read it aloud
2. There may not be much length, but there is certainly a great depth and weight!
3. Though there are approximately 650 prayers recorded in the Bible...
1. Not one of them can match our Lord's "High Priestly Prayer" in Jn 17
2. Nor can any prayer recorded outside the Bible

[What is it about this prayer that makes it so great? At least four reasons can be given. From Jn 17:1 we learn it is great because of...]

1. THE PERSON WHO OFFERED THE PRAYER
1. JESUS, REVEALED IN THIS GOSPEL AS...
1. He who was with God in the beginning - Jn 1:1
2. He who was God - Jn 1:1
3. He who was in the beginning with God - Jn 1:2
4. He who was the Creator of all things - Jn 1:3
5. He was the light of men - Jn 1:4
6. He who became flesh and dwelt among men - Jn 1:14
2. JESUS, PROCLAIMED IN THIS GOSPEL AS...
1. The Word - Jn 1:1,14
2. The Lamb of God - Jn 1:29
3. The Son of God - Jn 1:34
4. The King of Israel - Jn 1:49
5. The promised Messiah - Jn 4:25-26
6. The Bread of Life - Jn 6:35
7. The Light Of the World - Jn 8:12
8. The Great "I Am" - Jn 8:56-58
9. The Good Shepherd - Jn 10:11
10. The Resurrection and The Life - Jn 11:25

[The prayer in Jn 17 is great because the greatest Person who ever lived is the One who offered it! It is also great because of...]

2. THE OCCASION THAT DEMANDED THE PRAYER
1. OCCASIONS PROVIDE WEIGHT TO WORDS...
1. Neil Armstrong said, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
1. If he had made the statement while playing hopscotch with the neighborhood children, nobody would have paid him attention
2. He made it as he stepped down from his spacecraft, the first man to walk on the moon
2. The situation helped give weight to his words!
2. THE OCCASION SURROUNDING THIS PRAYER...
1. Notice His first words: "Father, the hour has come" - Jn 17:1
2. What 'hour' is that?
1. His appointment with the cross - cf. Jn 16:31-32
2. A time of separation, betrayal, suffering, and crucifixion
3. A time in which God's eternal purpose is about to be carried out
4. A time in which Jesus is about to bear the sins of the world on the cross!

[The occasion, in which Jesus knows His crucifixion is imminent, gives great weight to the words of His prayer. Whatever preoccupied the mind of Jesus at this time must be very important! The prayer was also great because of...]

3. THE CONTENTS OF THE PRAYER
1. THIS PRAYER DEALS WITH GREAT THEMES...
1. It takes us back and forward in time
1. Back to eternity past - Jn 17:5
2. Forward into the future glory in heaven - Jn 17:24
2. It deals with glory
1. The glory of the Father and the Son - Jn 17:1
2. The disciples glorifying God on earth - Jn 17:10
3. The Son giving glory to His disciples - Jn 17:22
4. The disciples beholding the glory of the Son - Jn 17:24
3. It discusses love
1. The Father's love for believers - Jn 17:23
2. The Father's love for Jesus - Jn 17:23-24
2. THIS PRAYER CONTAINS GREAT PETITIONS...
1. "Glorify Me" - Jn 17:1-5
2. "Keep them" - Jn 17:6-12
3. "Sanctify them" - Jn 17:13-19
4. "That they all might be one" - Jn 17:20-23
5. "That they may behold My glory" - Jn 17:24-26
3. THIS PRAYER HAS THREE GREAT DIVISIONS...
1. Jesus prays for Himself - Jn 17:1-5
2. Jesus prays for His apostles - Jn 17:6-19
3. Jesus prays for all believers - Jn 17:20-26

[Even a brief examination of its contents reveal the greatness of this prayer, and why it is worthy of careful study. Finally, a fourth reason why this is the greatest prayer: because of...]

4. THE VICTORY REVEALED IN THE PRAYER
1. THE CONCERN OF JESUS IS EVIDENT...
1. Pertaining to "the world" (used 19 times!) and the effect it can have on believers
2. A justifiable concern, for we live in a world which is:
1. Deceived (blinded by Satan) - cf. 2Co 4:3-4
2. Dangerous (promises fulfillment, but will pass away) - cf. 1Jn 2:15-17
3. Defiled (defiling those who accept it) - cf. Jm 1:27
4. Divided (this is self-evident, especially in regards to religion)
2. YET JESUS HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD...
1. As He told His apostles prior to this prayer - cf. Jn 16:33
2. In this prayer, the victory in Jesus is revealed! The world may be:
1. Deceived, but Jesus has shown us reality, in revealing the only true God - Jn 17:3
2. Dangerous, but Jesus provides security as we are kept in God's name - Jn 17:11-12
3. Defiled, but Jesus provides sanctification through God's word - Jn 17:17
4. Divided, but Jesus offers unity through His glory - Jn 17:22

CONCLUSION

1. These four reasons help us appreciate why Jesus' prayer in Jn 17 has been called...
1. "The Greatest Prayer Ever Prayed"
2. "The High Priestly Prayer"
3. "The Lord's Prayer" (not just that taught by Jesus in Mt 6 and Lk 11)
2. It is indeed a great prayer...
1. But it is a prayer in behalf of those who are Jesus' disciples
2. If you are not a disciple, Jesus' prayer is that you first become one! - cf. Mt 28:18-20

Then as disciples of Jesus Christ, we should do all that we can to see that "The Greatest Prayer Ever Prayed" be fulfilled in our lives...!

Note: The main idea and many points for this outline came from a book by Warren Wiersbe which I believe is now out of print.

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2021

Who Makes the World’s Best Fliers? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

https://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=2229

Who Makes the World’s Best Fliers?

by	Eric Lyons, M.Min.

For more than seven years, Dr. Robert Wood and a team of researchers from Harvard University have been studying flies and attempting to build a life-size, flying robot that can mimic the flight of living flies. The government is hopeful that robotic flies might one day be used as spies in surveillance missions, as well as to detect toxic chemicals used by terrorists. On July 19, 2007, MIT’s Technology Review announced that Wood’s “robotic fly has taken flight at Harvard University” (Ross, 2007). Dr. Ron Fearing of the University of California, Berkeley has been studying the dynamics of insect flight for years. In fact, he is Wood’s former Ph.D. advisor. He called Wood’s robotic flying insect “a major breakthrough” (as quoted in Ross).

What do brilliant scientists have to show for their seven plus years of research on flies? What was the “major project milestone” reported in Technology Review? Why was Wood joyfully “jumping up and down in the lab” (Ross)? Answer: his life-size robotic fly took off. It cannot maneuver in the air. It is unable to be controlled. It cannot avoid obstacles. It cannot slow down and land on a specific target. It does not have its own power source (and even if it did, it could provide no more than five minutes of power to fly). “At the moment, Wood’s fly is limited by a tether that keeps it moving in a straight, upward direction” (Ross). Yet, since “a lot of people thought it would never be able to take off,” such a feat is considered remarkable.

Admittedly, Woods and his colleagues have done a superb job in building a life-size robotic fly that can move upward on a tether by flapping its synthetic wings. It takes extremely intelligent individuals to develop their own fabrication process and manufacture a tiny robot that resembles and mimics (to some degree) living flies. Yet, these same men advocate that real flies, which have “long puzzled scientists and bedazzled engineers” with their “magical,” “sophisticated,” “intricate maneuvers,” are the end result of mindless time and chance, i.e., evolution (Dye, 2007). Such a proposition defies common sense!

Were Woods and his team of researchers to leave hundreds of tiny carbon-polymer pieces lying around in a lab for 100 years (or one billion years!), no reasonable person would conclude that, eventually, time and chance would assemble a robotic fly, much less one that maneuvers as well as a real fly. It has taken intelligent, hardworking scientists more than seven years just to make a robotic fly lift off the ground.

Who made the often imitated, but never duplicated living fly that can “change the direction of its flight by 90 degrees in about 50 thousandths of a second” (Dye)? Who designed the fruit fly’s “spiffy neuron-circuitry” that allows it to rotate from north to west and then zip westward “in one-fifth the blink of a human eye” (Dye)? Who made the fly, its sesame-seed size brain, and its complicated flight dynamics that scientists have been unable to “figure out” fully even after several years of study? Did mere time and chance create the common fly, which Dr. Michael Dickinson of the California Institute of Technology said has “the fastest visual system” and “most powerful muscles on the planet” (as quoted in Dye)? Should we conclude, as did Dr. Wood, that “[n]ature makes the world’s best fliers” (as quoted in Ross)? Certainly not! Only a superior Intelligence outside and above nature’s time and chance logically explains the existence of intricate design. Indeed, God is the builder and maker of all things (Hebrews 3:4).

REFERENCES

Dye, Lee (2007), “Scientists Study the Amazing Flight of Flies,” ABC News, [On-line], URL: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97651&page=1.

Ross, Rachel (2007), “Robotic Insect Takes Off for the First Time,” Technology Review, [On-line], URL: http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19068/.

Whoever Digs a Pit Will Fall Into It by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

https://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=935

Whoever Digs a Pit Will Fall Into It

by	Kyle Butt, M.Div.

One of the most outspoken atheists of the past couple of decades is a man named Dan Barker, who wrote his most recognized work, Losing Faith in Faith, after he “deconverted” from a form of evangelical Christianity to naturalistic atheism. In 1992, he was the public relations director for the Freedom From Religion Foundation. In his book, Baker uses a host of arguments to attack religious people who have attempted to “reconvert” him. In a chapter titled Why I Am An Atheist, Barker lists several reasons that religious people have offered to explain his “deconversion.” Sadly, many of those people attacked Barker’s character. The following is a brief list of some of the allegations they made against Barker.

• “You are arrogant and hate God.”
• “Your heart is in the wrong place.”
• “You are cold, empty, and pessimistic.”
• “You are an angry person.”
• “You are too stupid, limited, or afraid to see what is obvious to everyone else.”

After denying these allegations, Barker stated: “A strong clue that a person is arguing from a position of weakness is when character, rather than content, is attacked. Bertrand Russell pointed out that ad hominem is a last-ditch defense of the losing side” (1992, p. 88). Therefore, according to Barker (who agrees with Russell), a person who uses arguments that attack character is a person who is fighting desperately on the losing side.

While the truth of Russell’s statement may be questioned (since there are many ill-informed ad hominem arguers who happen to be on the right side), it nonetheless is quite interesting that Barker falls headlong into his own pit by repeatedly attacking character rather than focusing on real evidence.

In fact, only a few pages earlier, Barker wrote an entire chapter titled “Ministers I Have Known,” in which he proceeded to attack the general character of ministers he has known. On page 78, Barker commented, “When I think of ministers I have known…I picture the overweight perspiring Foursquare preachers, waving their hankies, shouting and prancing about the stage, ruling their churches like little kingdoms.” Just one paragraph later, he included in this list the “skinny Mexican pastor in Nogales whose second wife was pregnant with his twelfth child!… And the televangelist I know who ran off with his secretary and was back on the air in less than two years.” The rest of the chapter consists of the same attack on the general character of ministers, as Barker views them. Near the end of the chapter, Barker wrote: “I have a friend who says if you were to take all the preachers in the world and lay them end to end, it would be a good idea just to leave them there.”

Now, let us apply Barker’s own reasoning to his chapter on ministers. The entire chapter attacks the character of ministers, and thus would be classified as an ad hominem argument (from the Latin meaning “to attack the man”). But, according to Barker, those who use such arguments are using “a last-ditch defense” and are on “the losing side.” In this instance, I agree wholeheartedly.

Again, in his treatment of those who are against abortion, Barker stated: “This is the real drive behind the antiabortionists: misogyny [hatred of women—KB]. I don’t believe that any one of them cares a hoot for a fetus” (p. 213, emp. added) Such a statement is definitely a bold, ad hominem attack on the motive and character of those who disagree with abortion. I, for one, can say with certainty that I do not hate women. However, I also can say with certainty that an unborn baby is innocent, and that God hates the shedding of innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17). It is on this basis that I must stand as an antiabortionist. Once again, using Barker’s own thoughts, he must be “arguing from a position of weakness.”

Please note that this article has not attacked Barker’s character. He is not referred to as a misogynist or anything of the kind; nor are any moral indiscretions alleged in an attempt to discredit his arguments. On the contrary, his own words have been used to show that, if his thinking is indeed correct about ad hominem arguments, then he is arguing from “a position of weakness rather than content,” and such an argument is a “last ditch defense of the losing side.”

[For a more in-depth refutation of Barker’s book, see: http://www.tektonics.org/JPH_BWTB.html]

REFERENCES

Barker, Dan (1992), Losing Faith In Faith—From Preacher to Atheist (Madison, WI: Freedom from Religion Foundation).

Why Be An Atheist? by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

 https://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=5425

 Why Be An Atheist?

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Why do we believe what we believe? Answers to this question are legion. However, the most basic human motivations that lie behind belief and practice may be identified in light of Bible teaching. Here are a few:

Greed/Materialism—“I can make money by believing this viewpoint.”

Jealousy—“If I hold this viewpoint I will be held in higher esteem than others.”

Loyalty—“I believe this viewpoint because my parents did.”

Ambition—“I will advance in my career if I believe this viewpoint.”

Selfishness—“I want to believe this viewpoint because it makes me feel better.”

Sensualism—“I believe this viewpoint because I can indulge myself sexually.”

Ignorance—“I’m not sure why I believe this viewpoint, but I do.”

Bias/Prejudice—“I don’t believe that viewpoint because of who else believes it.”

Indifference—“I hold this viewpoint, but it really doesn’t matter much to me.”

Foolish Pride—“The smart people don’t believe that viewpoint.”

If God exists and the Bible is His Word, then what we believe and why we believe it are crucial and eternally significant.

Intellectuals throughout history have considered themselves superior to others based on their alleged intellectual prowess. The atheistic elite of our day ooze arrogance in their condescending dismissal of those who believe in God. They seek to give the impression that they believe what they believe due solely to a rational, unbiased, sensible analysis of facts that have, in turn, led them to the beliefs that they hold. On the other hand, those who do not consent to their infidelity are depicted as ignorant, biased, and stupid. Consider the frantic judgment leveled by prominent evolutionist Richard Dawkins of Oxford University: “It is absolutely safe to say that if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid, or insane (or wicked, but I’d rather not consider that).”¹

Despite such high and holy self-righteous declarations, the fact is that the very nature of error is such that a person can continue to embrace it only by means of impure motives. If an honest atheist is willing to examine the facts, he will either cease being an atheist or he will cease being honest. Hence, those who have distinguished themselves for their ongoing vociferous defense of their infidelity most assuredly possess one or more motives deep down in their hearts that enable them to dismiss the actual evidence that disproves their viewpoint.

Interestingly, atheists occasionally divulge their inner motives without particularly intending to do so. For example, in a makeshift “debate” conducted in 2010 on the campus of Caltech between atheists Sam Harris and Michael Shermer on the one hand, and Deepak Chopra and Jean Houston on the other, Sam Harris made the following observations:

Most of our neighbors believe in…a personal God who hears our prayers and occasionally answers them…. The God that our neighbors believe in is essentially an invisible person. It’s a Creator deity who created the universe to have a relationship with one species of primates. Lucky us. And He’s got galaxy upon galaxy to attend to, but he’s especially concerned with what we do, and he’s especially concerned with what we do while naked. He almost certainly disapproves of homosexuality.²

While we humans often constitute a hodge-podge of conflicting motives and inclinations, nevertheless, in our conversations we often unwittingly expose one or more of our hidden motives for believing what we believe. To ridicule Christians for holding to an ethical framework that was authored by the Creator of the Universe (Who created human sexuality) implies that the accuser disagrees with those restrictions on sexual behavior. But notice further that Harris implied something else: his belief in atheism enables him to not be concerned about his sexual behavior. The same motives that infected pagans throughout history in which their heathenism enabled them to be released from sexual inhibitions—from the Moabites³ in 1500 B.C. to the Ephesians⁴ in A.D. 60—are the same for atheists. Unbelief allows a person to be free to engage in whatever sexual activity he desires, whenever and with whomever. The intellectual sophistication and academic elitism that accompanies modern atheism is nothing more than a smokescreen to indulge the flesh. The reason Hollywood hates Christianity is because they want to be able to give full vent to their illicit fleshly appetites without feeling the guilt that comes from flaunting the moral restraints given by the Creator. Christians in Ephesus in the first century fully understood these ulterior motives that underlie one’s belief system. They lived in a city that hosted one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—the Temple of Artemis—dedicated to the goddess with her vulgar adornments.⁵ Paul spoke right to the soul of the population when he penned the following inspired words to the church—an apt evaluation of the unbelief that grips both atheism and much of the religious error of the world:

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ! (Ephesians 4:17-20, ESV, emp. added).

EndnotES

¹ Richard Dawkins (1989), “Book Review” (of Donald Johanson and Maitland Edey’s Blueprint), The New York Times, section 7, April 9, p. 3, emp. added.

² Sam Harris (2010), “The Future of God Debate: Sam Harris and Michael Shermer vs. Deepak Chopra and Jean Houston,” Nightline Faceoff, ABC News, March 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E99BdOfxAE; See also Dan Harris and Ely Brown (2010), “‘Nightline’ ‘Face-Off’: Does God Have a Future?” March 23, http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/FaceOff/nightline-face-off-god-future/story?id=10170505.

³ Numbers 25:1-2.

⁴ Acts 19.

⁵ James Edwards (2016), “Archaeology Gives New Reality to Paul’s Ephesus Riot,” Biblical Archaeology Review, 42[4]:28-30, July/August.

Peace by Gary Rose

This dog ( quite possibly a Golden Retriever ) looks as content as content can be. So content in fact, that it can let a butterfly rest on its nose. And where does that contentment come from? My guess is that it comes from the presence of its master, on whose leg it is leaning upon.

During the past week or so, we have been hearing of practically nothing but the situation in Afghanistan. Due to the ineptitude of our “Commander-in-chief” many lives are in danger, for the situation may turn from dangerous to disastrous, very, very soon. Our citizens there may be taken hostage ( possibly by the thousands ), tortured, or killed. From past history of their handing of captives, it is possible that they may die a gruesome death.

All these things are unsettling to say the least. However, for those of us who are Christians, even the worst death imaginable is not the end, but rather a beginning. Then I remembered the following passage from the book of John…

John 14 ( American Standard Version [1901] )

1, Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me.

2, In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

3, And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

4, And whither I go, ye know the way.

5, Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; how know we the way?

6, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Today, I chose the A.S.V. because somehow its translation seemed to emphasize the meaning of John in a most elegant manner, and amid turmoil, a little elegance goes a long way.

You know, regardless of the circumstances- Jesus is always the answer. Who he is and what he has done for us is comforting- whatever the situation.

Again, that picture comes to mind. There is peace as long as our master is nearby. Come to think of it, I found myself thinking of the hymn “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” and thought you might like to listen to it.

Here is the link…

https://www.barnold.us/Garyrose/CBR%202.0/4%20Aids/5%20Singing/Congregational%20Singing/Leaning%20on%20the%20Everlasting%20Arms.mp3

or, if you prefer, in quartet format, with sheet music..

https://www.barnold.us/Garyrose/CBR%202.0/4%20Aids/5%20Singing/A%20Cappella%20Videos/Leaning%20on%20the%20Everlasting%20Arms%20-%20A%20Cappella%20Hymn-lneA46frKT4-248+251.webm

Just paste either link into your browser, listen, and may you have peace and encouragement in these trying times!

Bible Reading for August 25 and 26 by Gary Rose

Bible Reading for August 25 and 26 

World  English  Bible

Aug. 25

Job 36-42

Job 36:1 Elihu also continued, and said,

Job 36:2 "Bear with me a little, and I will show you; for I still have something to say on God's behalf.

Job 36:3 I will get my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

Job 36:4 For truly my words are not false. One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

Job 36:5 "Behold, God is mighty, and doesn't despise anyone. He is mighty in strength of understanding.

Job 36:6 He doesn't preserve the life of the wicked, but gives to the afflicted their right.

Job 36:7 He doesn't withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne, he sets them forever, and they are exalted.

Job 36:8 If they are bound in fetters, and are taken in the cords of afflictions,

Job 36:9 then he shows them their work, and their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly.

Job 36:10 He also opens their ears to instruction, and commands that they return from iniquity.

Job 36:11 If they listen and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.

Job 36:12 But if they don't listen, they shall perish by the sword; they shall die without knowledge.

Job 36:13 "But those who are godless in heart lay up anger. They don't cry for help when he binds them.

Job 36:14 They die in youth. Their life perishes among the unclean.

Job 36:15 He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, and opens their ear in oppression.

Job 36:16 Yes, he would have allured you out of distress, into a broad place, where there is no restriction. That which is set on your table would be full of fatness.

Job 36:17 "But you are full of the judgment of the wicked. Judgment and justice take hold of you.

Job 36:18 Don't let riches entice you to wrath, neither let the great size of a bribe turn you aside.

Job 36:19 Would your wealth sustain you in distress, or all the might of your strength?

Job 36:20 Don't desire the night, when people are cut off in their place.

Job 36:21 Take heed, don't regard iniquity; for you have chosen this rather than affliction.

Job 36:22 Behold, God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?

Job 36:23 Who has prescribed his way for him? Or who can say, 'You have committed unrighteousness?'

Job 36:24 "Remember that you magnify his work, whereof men have sung.

Job 36:25 All men have looked thereon. Man sees it afar off.

Job 36:26 Behold, God is great, and we don't know him. The number of his years is unsearchable.

Job 36:27 For he draws up the drops of water, which distill in rain from his vapor,

Job 36:28 Which the skies pour down and which drop on man abundantly.

Job 36:29 Yes, can any understand the spreading of the clouds, and the thunderings of his pavilion?

Job 36:30 Behold, he spreads his light around him. He covers the bottom of the sea.

Job 36:31 For by these he judges the people. He gives food in abundance.

Job 36:32 He covers his hands with the lightning, and commands it to strike the mark.

Job 36:33 Its noise tells about him, and the livestock also concerning the storm that comes up.

Job 37:1 "Yes, at this my heart trembles, and is moved out of its place.

Job 37:2 Hear, oh, hear the noise of his voice, the sound that goes out of his mouth.

Job 37:3 He sends it forth under the whole sky, and his lightning to the ends of the earth.

Job 37:4 After it a voice roars. He thunders with the voice of his majesty. He doesn't hold back anything when his voice is heard.

Job 37:5 God thunders marvelously with his voice. He does great things, which we can't comprehend.

Job 37:6 For he says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth;' likewise to the shower of rain, and to the showers of his mighty rain.

Job 37:7 He seals up the hand of every man, that all men whom he has made may know it.

Job 37:8 Then the animals take cover, and remain in their dens.

Job 37:9 Out of its chamber comes the storm, and cold out of the north.

Job 37:10 By the breath of God, ice is given, and the breadth of the waters is frozen.

Job 37:11 Yes, he loads the thick cloud with moisture. He spreads abroad the cloud of his lightning.

Job 37:12 It is turned around by his guidance, that they may do whatever he commands them on the surface of the habitable world,

Job 37:13 Whether it is for correction, or for his land, or for loving kindness, that he causes it to come.

Job 37:14 "Listen to this, Job. Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.

Job 37:15 Do you know how God controls them, and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?

Job 37:16 Do you know the workings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge?

Job 37:17 You whose clothing is warm, when the earth is still by reason of the south wind?

Job 37:18 Can you, with him, spread out the sky, which is strong as a cast metal mirror?

Job 37:19 Teach us what we shall tell him, for we can't make our case by reason of darkness.

Job 37:20 Shall it be told him that I would speak? Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up?

Job 37:21 Now men don't see the light which is bright in the skies, but the wind passes, and clears them.

Job 37:22 Out of the north comes golden splendor. With God is awesome majesty.

Job 37:23 We can't reach the Almighty. He is exalted in power. In justice and great righteousness, he will not oppress.

Job 37:24 Therefore men revere him. He doesn't regard any who are wise of heart."

Job 38:1 Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind,

Job 38:2 "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Job 38:3 Brace yourself like a man, for I will question you, then you answer me!

Job 38:4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding.

Job 38:5 Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it?

Job 38:6 Whereupon were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,

Job 38:7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Job 38:8 "Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth from the womb,

Job 38:9 when I made clouds its garment, and wrapped it in thick darkness,

Job 38:10 marked out for it my bound, set bars and doors,

Job 38:11 and said, 'Here you may come, but no further. Here your proud waves shall be stayed?'

Job 38:12 "Have you commanded the morning in your days, and caused the dawn to know its place;

Job 38:13 that it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and shake the wicked out of it?

Job 38:14 It is changed as clay under the seal, and stands forth as a garment.

Job 38:15 From the wicked, their light is withheld. The high arm is broken.

Job 38:16 "Have you entered into the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in the recesses of the deep?

Job 38:17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

Job 38:18 Have you comprehended the earth in its breadth? Declare, if you know it all.

Job 38:19 "What is the way to the dwelling of light? As for darkness, where is its place,

Job 38:20 that you should take it to its bound, that you should discern the paths to its house?

Job 38:21 Surely you know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!

Job 38:22 Have you entered the treasuries of the snow, or have you seen the treasures of the hail,

Job 38:23 which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?

Job 38:24 By what way is the lightning distributed, or the east wind scattered on the earth?

Job 38:25 Who has cut a channel for the flood water, or the path for the thunderstorm;

Job 38:26 To cause it to rain on a land where no man is; on the wilderness, in which there is no man;

Job 38:27 to satisfy the waste and desolate ground, to cause the tender grass to spring forth?

Job 38:28 Does the rain have a father? Or who fathers the drops of dew?

Job 38:29 Out of whose womb came the ice? The gray frost of the sky, who has given birth to it?

Job 38:30 The waters become hard like stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen.

Job 38:31 "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loosen the cords of Orion?

Job 38:32 Can you lead forth the constellations in their season? Or can you guide the Bear with her cubs?

Job 38:33 Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you establish its dominion over the earth?

Job 38:34 "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That abundance of waters may cover you?

Job 38:35 Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go? Do they report to you, 'Here we are?'

Job 38:36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who has given understanding to the mind?

Job 38:37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of the sky,

Job 38:38 when the dust runs into a mass, and the clods of earth stick together?

Job 38:39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

Job 38:40 when they crouch in their dens, and lie in wait in the thicket?

Job 38:41 Who provides for the raven his prey, when his young ones cry to God, and wander for lack of food?

Job 39:1 "Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears fawns?

Job 39:2 Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they give birth?

Job 39:3 They bow themselves, they bring forth their young, they end their labor pains.

Job 39:4 Their young ones become strong. They grow up in the open field. They go forth, and don't return again.

Job 39:5 "Who has set the wild donkey free? Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey,

Job 39:6 Whose home I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place?

Job 39:7 He scorns the tumult of the city, neither does he hear the shouting of the driver.

Job 39:8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, He searches after every green thing.

Job 39:9 "Will the wild ox be content to serve you? Or will he stay by your feeding trough?

Job 39:10 Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness? Or will he till the valleys after you?

Job 39:11 Will you trust him, because his strength is great? Or will you leave to him your labor?

Job 39:12 Will you confide in him, that he will bring home your seed, and gather the grain of your threshing floor?

Job 39:13 "The wings of the ostrich wave proudly; but are they the feathers and plumage of love?

Job 39:14 For she leaves her eggs on the earth, warms them in the dust,

Job 39:15 and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild animal may trample them.

Job 39:16 She deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers. Though her labor is in vain, she is without fear,

Job 39:17 because God has deprived her of wisdom, neither has he imparted to her understanding.

Job 39:18 When she lifts up herself on high, she scorns the horse and his rider.

Job 39:19 "Have you given the horse might? Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane?

Job 39:20 Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome.

Job 39:21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength. He goes out to meet the armed men.

Job 39:22 He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed, neither does he turn back from the sword.

Job 39:23 The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and the javelin.

Job 39:24 He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage, neither does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet.

Job 39:25 As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, 'Aha!' He smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

Job 39:26 "Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and stretches her wings toward the south?

Job 39:27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up, and makes his nest on high?

Job 39:28 On the cliff he dwells, and makes his home, on the point of the cliff, and the stronghold.

Job 39:29 From there he spies out the prey. His eyes see it afar off.

Job 39:30 His young ones also suck up blood. Where the slain are, there he is."

Job 40:1 Moreover Yahweh answered Job,

Job 40:2 "Shall he who argues contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it."

Job 40:3 Then Job answered Yahweh,

Job 40:4 "Behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.

Job 40:5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further."

Job 40:6 Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind,

Job 40:7 "Now brace yourself like a man. I will question you, and you will answer me.

Job 40:8 Will you even annul my judgment? Will you condemn me, that you may be justified?

Job 40:9 Or do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like him?

Job 40:10 "Now deck yourself with excellency and dignity. Array yourself with honor and majesty.

Job 40:11 Pour out the fury of your anger. Look at everyone who is proud, and bring him low.

Job 40:12 Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him. Crush the wicked in their place.

Job 40:13 Hide them in the dust together. Bind their faces in the hidden place.

Job 40:14 Then I will also admit to you that your own right hand can save you.

Job 40:15 "See now, behemoth, which I made as well as you. He eats grass as an ox.

Job 40:16 Look now, his strength is in his thighs. His force is in the muscles of his belly.

Job 40:17 He moves his tail like a cedar. The sinews of his thighs are knit together.

Job 40:18 His bones are like tubes of brass. His limbs are like bars of iron.

Job 40:19 He is the chief of the ways of God. He who made him gives him his sword.

Job 40:20 Surely the mountains produce food for him, where all the animals of the field play.

Job 40:21 He lies under the lotus trees, in the covert of the reed, and the marsh.

Job 40:22 The lotuses cover him with their shade. The willows of the brook surround him.

Job 40:23 Behold, if a river overflows, he doesn't tremble. He is confident, though the Jordan swells even to his mouth.

Job 40:24 Shall any take him when he is on the watch, or pierce through his nose with a snare?

Job 41:1 "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook, or press down his tongue with a cord?

Job 41:2 Can you put a rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw through with a hook?

Job 41:3 Will he make many petitions to you, or will he speak soft words to you?

Job 41:4 Will he make a covenant with you, that you should take him for a servant forever?

Job 41:5 Will you play with him as with a bird? Or will you bind him for your girls?

Job 41:6 Will traders barter for him? Will they part him among the merchants?

Job 41:7 Can you fill his skin with barbed irons, or his head with fish spears?

Job 41:8 Lay your hand on him. Remember the battle, and do so no more.

Job 41:9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain. Won't one be cast down even at the sight of him?

Job 41:10 None is so fierce that he dare stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me?

Job 41:11 Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Everything under the heavens is mine.

Job 41:12 "I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame.

Job 41:13 Who can strip off his outer garment? Who shall come within his jaws?

Job 41:14 Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth is terror.

Job 41:15 Strong scales are his pride, shut up together with a close seal.

Job 41:16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.

Job 41:17 They are joined one to another. They stick together, so that they can't be pulled apart.

Job 41:18 His sneezing flashes out light. His eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

Job 41:19 Out of his mouth go burning torches. Sparks of fire leap forth.

Job 41:20 Out of his nostrils a smoke goes, as of a boiling pot over a fire of reeds.

Job 41:21 His breath kindles coals. A flame goes forth from his mouth.

Job 41:22 There is strength in his neck. Terror dances before him.

Job 41:23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together. They are firm on him. They can't be moved.

Job 41:24 His heart is as firm as a stone, yes, firm as the lower millstone.

Job 41:25 When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid. They retreat before his thrashing.

Job 41:26 If one attacks him with the sword, it can't prevail; nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft.

Job 41:27 He counts iron as straw; and brass as rotten wood.

Job 41:28 The arrow can't make him flee. Sling stones are like chaff to him.

Job 41:29 Clubs are counted as stubble. He laughs at the rushing of the javelin.

Job 41:30 His undersides are like sharp potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.

Job 41:31 He makes the deep to boil like a pot. He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.

Job 41:32 He makes a path shine after him. One would think the deep had white hair.

Job 41:33 On earth there is not his equal, that is made without fear.

Job 41:34 He sees everything that is high. He is king over all the sons of pride."

Job 42:1 Then Job answered Yahweh,

Job 42:2 "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be restrained.

Job 42:3 You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' therefore I have uttered that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I didn't know.

Job 42:4 You said, 'Listen, now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.'

Job 42:5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.

Job 42:6 Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

Job 42:7 It was so, that after Yahweh had spoken these words to Job, Yahweh said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you, and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has.

Job 42:8 Now therefore, take to yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept him, that I not deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has."

Job 42:9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did what Yahweh commanded them, and Yahweh accepted Job.

Job 42:10 Yahweh turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends. Yahweh gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Job 42:11 Then came there to him all his brothers, and all his sisters, and all those who had been of his acquaintance before, and ate bread with him in his house. They comforted him, and consoled him concerning all the evil that Yahweh had brought on him. Everyone also gave him a piece of money, and everyone a ring of gold.

Job 42:12 So Yahweh blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys.

Job 42:13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.

Job 42:14 He called the name of the first, Jemimah; and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of the third, Keren Happuch.

Job 42:15 In all the land were no women found so beautiful as the daughters of Job. Their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.

Job 42:16 After this Job lived one hundred forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, to four generations.

Job 42:17 So Job died, being old and full of days. 

 

Aug. 26

Psalms 1-6

Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man who doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers;

Psa 1:2 but his delight is in Yahweh's law. On his law he meditates day and night.

Psa 1:3 He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.

Psa 1:4 The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

Psa 1:5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

Psa 1:6 For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.

Psa 2:1 Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?

Psa 2:2 The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh, and against his Anointed, saying,

Psa 2:3 "Let's break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us."

Psa 2:4 He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision.

Psa 2:5 Then he will speak to them in his anger, and terrify them in his wrath:

Psa 2:6 "Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion."

Psa 2:7 I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me, "You are my son. Today I have become your father.

Psa 2:8 Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.

Psa 2:9 You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."

Psa 2:10 Now therefore be wise, you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

Psa 2:11 Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Psa 2:12 Give sincere homage, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.

Psa 3:1 Yahweh, how my adversaries have increased! Many are those who rise up against me.

Psa 3:2 Many there are who say of my soul, "There is no help for him in God." Selah.

Psa 3:3 But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.

Psa 3:4 I cry to Yahweh with my voice, and he answers me out of his holy hill. Selah.

Psa 3:5 I laid myself down and slept. I awakened; for Yahweh sustains me.

Psa 3:6 I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people who have set themselves against me on every side.

Psa 3:7 Arise, Yahweh! Save me, my God! For you have struck all of my enemies on the cheek bone. You have broken the teeth of the wicked.

Psa 3:8 Salvation belongs to Yahweh. Your blessing be on your people. Selah.

Psa 4:1 Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

Psa 4:2 You sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonor? Will you love vanity, and seek after falsehood? Selah.

Psa 4:3 But know that Yahweh has set apart for himself him who is godly: Yahweh will hear when I call to him.

Psa 4:4 Stand in awe, and don't sin. Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.

Psa 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness. Put your trust in Yahweh.

Psa 4:6 Many say, "Who will show us any good?" Yahweh, let the light of your face shine on us.

Psa 4:7 You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and their new wine are increased.

Psa 4:8 In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety.

Psa 5:1 Give ear to my words, Yahweh. Consider my meditation.

Psa 5:2 Listen to the voice of my cry, my King and my God; for to you do I pray.

Psa 5:3 Yahweh, in the morning you shall hear my voice. In the morning I will lay my requests before you, and will watch expectantly.

Psa 5:4 For you are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness. Evil can't live with you.

Psa 5:5 The arrogant shall not stand in your sight. You hate all workers of iniquity.

Psa 5:6 You will destroy those who speak lies. Yahweh abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

Psa 5:7 But as for me, in the abundance of your loving kindness I will come into your house. I will bow toward your holy temple in reverence of you.

Psa 5:8 Lead me, Yahweh, in your righteousness because of my enemies. Make your way straight before my face.

Psa 5:9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth. Their heart is destruction. Their throat is an open tomb. They flatter with their tongue.

Psa 5:10 Hold them guilty, God. Let them fall by their own counsels; Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against you.

Psa 5:11 But let all those who take refuge in you rejoice, Let them always shout for joy, because you defend them. Let them also who love your name be joyful in you.

Psa 5:12 For you will bless the righteous. Yahweh, you will surround him with favor as with a shield.

Psa 6:1 Yahweh, don't rebuke me in your anger, neither discipline me in your wrath.

Psa 6:2 Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am faint. Yahweh, heal me, for my bones are troubled.

Psa 6:3 My soul is also in great anguish. But you, Yahweh--how long?

Psa 6:4 Return, Yahweh. Deliver my soul, and save me for your loving kindness' sake.

Psa 6:5 For in death there is no memory of you. In Sheol, who shall give you thanks?

Psa 6:6 I am weary with my groaning. Every night I flood my bed. I drench my couch with my tears.

Psa 6:7 My eye wastes away because of grief. It grows old because of all my adversaries.

Psa 6:8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for Yahweh has heard the voice of my weeping.

Psa 6:9 Yahweh has heard my supplication. Yahweh accepts my prayer.

Psa 6:10 May all my enemies be ashamed and dismayed. They shall turn back, they shall be disgraced suddenly. 

 

Aug. 25

Romans 6

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

Rom 6:2 May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?

Rom 6:3 Or don't you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

Rom 6:4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism to death, that just like Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.

Rom 6:5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;

Rom 6:6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin.

Rom 6:7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.

Rom 6:8 But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him;

Rom 6:9 knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him!

Rom 6:10 For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God.

Rom 6:11 Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rom 6:12 Therefore don't let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Rom 6:13 Neither present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Rom 6:14 For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.

Rom 6:15 What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be!

Rom 6:16 Don't you know that to whom you present yourselves as servants to obedience, his servants you are whom you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?

Rom 6:17 But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were bondservants of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto you were delivered.

Rom 6:18 Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness.

Rom 6:19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification.

Rom 6:20 For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

Rom 6:21 What fruit then did you have at that time in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

Rom 6:22 But now, being made free from sin, and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification, and the result of eternal life.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

 

Aug. 26

Romans 7

Rom 7:1 Or don't you know, brothers (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives?

Rom 7:2 For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband.

Rom 7:3 So then if, while the husband lives, she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she is joined to another man.

Rom 7:4 Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might bring forth fruit to God.

Rom 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law, worked in our members to bring forth fruit to death.

Rom 7:6 But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.

Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be! However, I wouldn't have known sin, except through the law. For I wouldn't have known coveting, unless the law had said, "You shall not covet."

Rom 7:8 But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead.

Rom 7:9 I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

Rom 7:10 The commandment, which was for life, this I found to be for death;

Rom 7:11 for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.

Rom 7:12 Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good.

Rom 7:13 Did then that which is good become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, by working death to me through that which is good; that through the commandment sin might become exceeding sinful.

Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin.

Rom 7:15 For I don't know what I am doing. For I don't practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do.

Rom 7:16 But if what I don't desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good.

Rom 7:17 So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.

Rom 7:18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don't find it doing that which is good.

Rom 7:19 For the good which I desire, I don't do; but the evil which I don't desire, that I practice.

Rom 7:20 But if what I don't desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.

Rom 7:21 I find then the law, that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present.

Rom 7:22 For I delight in God's law after the inward man,

Rom 7:23 but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.

Rom 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?

Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God's law, but with the flesh, the sin's law.