May 9, 2022

“As Often As” and the Lord’s Supper by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

https://apologeticspress.org/as-often-as-and-the-lords-supper/

“As Often As” and the Lord’s Supper

Paul’s allusion to the institution of the Lord’s Supper by Jesus in his remarks to the Corinthians includes these words:

In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes (1 Corinthians 11:25-26).

Some have alleged: “The phrase ‘as often as’ means that the Corinthians were permitted to partake of the Lord’s Supper as often as they chose to do so—anytime they decided to without any limitations on the day or the frequency.”

This viewpoint is characterized by two flaws: (1) it fails to grasp the grammar and context of the passage and (2) it fails to consider everything God says about the matter elsewhere in the New Testament.

The Grammar/Context:

Several phrases/words in the context indicate the notion of time: “do this” (vss. 24,25), “as often as” (vss. 25,26), “until” (vs. 26), and “when” (vs. 33). However, none of these words provide any assistance in ascertaining when or how often the Lord’s Supper is to be observed. Frequency, repetition, and consistency are certainly inherent in the construction of such expressions, but they do not specify the precise parameters of frequency. Paul’s remarks in 1 Corinthians 11 simply do not provide any assistance in ascertaining exact observance, although he indirectly clarifies the matter in chapter 16 where he links another act of worship with Sunday. J.W. McGarvey reflects this awareness in his comment on 11:26—“The constant observance of this feast through the centuries is one of the strongest of the external evidences of the truth of gospel history. By a chain of weekly links it will connect the first and second comings of our Lord; after which there will be no further need of symbols.”¹

The contextual focus is on the perpetual nature of the Lord’s Supper until the end of time. Hence, when it is observed (without any indication of when that observance occurs, whether Sunday or some other day of the week), every time it is observed, it must be done for the purpose of remembering what Jesus did. God intended for the Lord’s Supper to be an ongoing, repetitious proclamation to Christians and outside observers of the reality of what Jesus did on the cross and the fact that He will come again. Findley paraphrases: “Paul assumes that celebration will be frequent, for he directs that, however frequent, it must be guided by the Lord’s instructions, so as to keep the remembrance of Him unimpaired.”²

The Greek word that the Holy Spirit selected in both verse 25 and verse 26, rendered “as often as” in the NKJV, is hosakis. This relative adverb is used three times³ in the New Testament with two of the three occurrences found in these two verses. According to respected Greek grammarian A.T. Robertson, the word is “only used with the notion of indefinite repetition.”⁴ In his discussion of general temporal clauses, he categorizes the term with other “Conjunctions Meaning ‘When.’”⁵ Hence, the term provides no insight by which one can ascertain any specificity to the repetition. It most certainly provides no indication that the reader is free to select his own frequency; nor does it exclude a stipulation of frequency that might be indicated elsewhere in the New Testament. Lexicographers provide the following synonymous meanings: “whenever,” “as often as,” “so many times as,” “how many times as,” “how often,” “how often soever,” “as many times as.”⁶ Observe that all these expressions are simply referring to the event occurring without specifying frequency.

English translations demonstrate that hosakis does not convey the idea that the Lord’s Supper may be taken anytime one chooses or that Sunday is not the singular day God intended. Consider the following chart that summarizes English translation⁷ usage:

Translation	1 Cor. 11:25	1 Cor. 11:26
CEB	Every time you drink	Every time you eat
CEV	Drink this	When you eat
ERV	When you drink	Every time you eat
EXB	When you drink	Every time you eat
GW	Every time you drink	Every time you eat
GNT	Whenever you drink	Every time you eat
ICB	When you drink	Every time you eat
PHILLIPS	Whenever you drink	Whenever you eat
JUB	Each time that ye drink	Each time that you eat
NOG	Every time you drink	Every time you eat
NCB	Whenever you drink	Whenever you eat
NCV	When you drink	Every time you eat
NET	Every time you drink	Every time you eat
NIRV	Every time you drink	When you do this
NIV	Whenever you drink	Whenever you eat
NTE	Whenever you drink	Whenever you eat
VOICE	Whenever you drink	Every time you taste
WE	Every time you drink	Every time you eat

Observe that “every time,” “when,” “whenever,” and “each time” are equivalent expressions. They convey repetition without specifying the day or time of observance. The text does not intend to imply that therefore Christians are free to pick and choose their own days. Rather, the language selected by the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 11:25-26 provides no assistance in determining whether God intends for the Lord’s Supper to be observed on a particular day or at a particular time. If He so specified, the New Testament would have to so indicate elsewhere.

Summary

Neither the Greek nor the English convey the idea that Christians are free to select their own times for partaking of the Lord’s Supper. The reader must read that idea into the text. If the New Testament gave no further directives regarding the frequency or the day of the Lord’s Supper, the reader would be free to select his own observance occasions, deciding which days of the week and how often it would be observed. But the Lord gave us additional instructions on the matter.

Further Instructions from God

To be fair and honest with Scripture, one must gather everything the Bible has to say on a subject and reason about that material correctly to arrive at the totality of God’s will on that subject. Specifically, one must examine the New Testament to ascertain God’s will regarding observance of the Lord’s Supper. As it pertains to frequency of observance, the following verses clarify the matter by providing a complete picture: Acts 2:42,46; Acts 20:7; Acts 20:11; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.⁸

Implications

Consider these implications of the foregoing. If God did not specify His intentions regarding frequency of observance of the Lord’s Supper, a person could partake one time after conversion and fulfill God’s expectations. If the Christian lives to be 90 years old, he would please God by the single observance.

Further, could the Jews have celebrated the Sabbath on days other than the Sabbath/Saturday? According to Deuteronomy 5:12-15, the Sabbath commemorated the Exodus—the deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian bondage. Could they not have reasoned—like those today who dislodge the Lord’s Supper from Sunday—that the perpetual commemoration of the Exodus could also be achieved on days other than Saturday? The Jews could not have known when to commemorate the Exodus unless God had so stipulated. If God had not given any indication of the day, the Jews would have been free to observe it on any day and their observance would not necessarily have to have even been weekly. But by associating commemoration of the Exodus with Saturday, the Jews were under obligation to conform to God’s directive and to do otherwise would have been sinful.

The fact is that the bulk of Christendom—though generally associating observance of the Lord’s Supper with Sunday—has felt free to alter and adjust God’s instructions on a variety of matters over the centuries, including tampering with the scriptural directive regarding Sunday. Yet His potent declarations remain in effect and offer somber warning to those who would presume to alter His directives:

“You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 4:2).
“Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32).
“Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deuteronomy 12:32).
“Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:6).
“Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9).
“He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day (John 12:48).

ENDNOTES

¹ J.W. McGarvey (1916), Thessalonians, Corinthians, Galatians and Romans (Cincinnati, OH: The Standard Publishing Co.), p. 118, emp. added.

² G.G. Findlay, “St. Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians,” in W. Robertson Nicoll, ed. (1900), The Expositor’s Greek Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), 2:881, italics in orig.

³ W.F. Moulton, A.S. Geden, and H.K. Moulton (1978), A Concordance to the Greek Testament (Edinburgh: T.&T. Clark), fifth edition, p. 712.

⁴ A.T. Robertson (1934), A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press), p. 973; A.T. Robertson (1931), Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman), p. 165, emp. added.

⁵ Robertson, Grammar, p. 971.

⁶ Daniel Wallace (2000), The Basics of New Testament Syntax (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan), p. 209; H.E. Dana and Julius Mantey (1927), A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament (Toronto, Canada: Macmillan), p. 281; Charles Robson (1839), A Greek Lexicon to the New Testament (London: Whittaker & Co.), p. 322; John Pickering (1839), A Greek and English Lexicon (Boston: Hilliard, Gray, Little, & Wilkins), p. 653; Henry Liddell and Robert Scott (1901), A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: The Clarendon Press), p. 1082.

⁷ The translation abbreviations signify the following: CEB (Common English Bible), CEV (Contemporary English Version), ERV (Easy-to-Read Version), EXB (Expanded Bible), GW (God’s Word Translation), GNT (Good News Translation), ICB (International Children’s Bible), PHILLIPS (J.B. Phillips New Testament), JUB (Jubilee Bible 2000), NOG (Names of God Bible), NCB (New Catholic Bible), NCV (New Century Version), NET (New English Translation), NIRV (New International Reader’s Version), NIV (New International Version), NTE (New Testament for Everyone), VOICE (The Voice Bible), WE (Worldwide English New Testament).

⁸ For an extensive analysis of these verses and New Testament teaching on Sunday observance of the Lord’s Supper, see Dave Miller (2007), “Sunday & the Lord’s Supper,” https://apologeticspress.org/sunday-and-the-lords-supper-1254/.

Published April 14, 2022

Anger. Identity. And a Change of Heart by Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

https://thepreachersword.com/2013/09/05/anger-identity-and-a-change-of-heart/#more-4534

Anger. Identity. And a Change of Heart.

The United flight was cancelled. The airport was crowded. And a single gate agent was rebooking a long line of inconvenienced travelers.

Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket down on the counter and demanded, “I HAVE to be on this flight and it has to be FIRST CLASS.”
The agent replied, “I’m sorry sir. I’ll be happy to help you, but I’ve got to help these folks first.   But I’m sure we’ll work something out.”
Unimpressed, the man shouted, so everyone could hear, “Do you have any idea who I am?”
Without hesitating, the gate agent smiled and grabbed her public address       microphone.
“May I have your attention please?” her voice bellowing throughout the terminal. “We have a passenger here WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to gate 17.”
As we look around our country today, it is filled with angry people. Revenge seekers who shoot innocent bystanders. Kids who kill for fun.   Thugs. Child abusers. And upset citizens who riot and rebel.

Not coincidently we are a society that has lost its way. Its heart. Its soul. We’ve strayed from our moorings. Forgotten who we are. Why we are here. And where we came from.

Maybe that’s why this devotional piece from Rick Warren’s Daily Hope resonated so strongly with me. Rather than curse the darkness. He lights a candle. Offers hope. And shares some solutions.

Warren writes, “If you’re going to get control of anger in your life, you must base your identity on Jesus, understanding that he loves you unconditionally, that you are his, that you are valuable, and that he has a purpose and plan for your life.”

“If you build your identity on anything else, you’ll struggle with insecurity your whole life. You can build your identity on your job, but you can lose your job. You can build your identity on how good-looking you are, but you may lose your good looks. You can build your identity on being popular, but you’re not always going to be popular.”

“If you build your identity on anything that can be taken away from you, you’re going to be insecure, and insecurity is at the root of your anger. Until you start feeling secure about yourself, people are going to be able to push your buttons. When you know who you are and whose you are, people can’t push your buttons. They can’t get to you. Anger and insecurity go together. The more insecure you feel, the angrier you feel.”

Warren then connects the issue of anger and identity with the heart. “When you get angry, your mouth just reveals what’s inside your heart. A harsh tongue reveals an angry heart. A negative tongue reveals a fearful heart. A boasting tongue reveals an insecure heart. A critical tongue reveals a bitter heart. A filthy tongue reveals an impure heart.”

“On the other hand, an encouraging tongue reveals a happy heart, a gentle tongue reveals a loving heart, and a controlled tongue reveals a peaceful heart.”

“You know what you need to get rid of your anger problem? You need a heart transplant. Fortunately, God specializes in them. It’s called salvation! God gives you a brand new heart and a brand new identity. You don’t have to find your identity in your job or your bank account or your good looks or your relationships, because you find your identity in what God says about you.”

“Jesus can heal the three things that cause anger: hurt, frustration, and fear. Jesus can heal your hurting heart with his love. Jesus can replace your frustrated heart with his peace. Jesus can replace your insecure heart with his power.”

I would add to Warren’s article what the Bible says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, old things have passed away; behold all things have become new” (2 Cor 5:17)

In Christ, you have a new name. A new relationship. A new outlook. A new identity. A new hope. And a new heart.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

May 2, 2022

Hero by Gary Rose

America needs heroes. People we can look up to and imitate. As a youngster, I admired Superman, Mickey Mays, Hank Aaron and Dwight Eisenhower. In those days, America was the shining star in a world full of misery. Truth, Justice and the American way was more that a saying from Superman, it was a way of life. Most of all, America was a religious nation; everyone went to church and tried to genuinely follow the Christian example. As I grew into adulthood, I came to admire Jesus and have done my best to follow his teachings.

As I consider these things, the following passage from the book of John comes to mind…

John 1 ( World English Bible )

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

²The same was in the beginning with God.

³All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.

⁴In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it.

⁶There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.

⁷The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him.

⁸He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light.

⁹The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him.

¹¹He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him.

¹²But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name:

¹³who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁵John testified about him. He cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.’”

¹⁶From his fullness we all received grace upon grace.

¹⁷For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

¹⁸No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.

Jesus: from creator to human form to teacher, healer and God’s emissary, Jesus and only Jesus stands above every other human that has ever walked on this earth. His life on this planet is an example for all to follow and his death was nothing less than the deliverance from sin for all who will truly obey God.

Jesus is my hero, bar none. Is HE yours?

"CHALLENGES CONFRONTING THE CHURCH" Institutionalism by Mark Copeland

"CHALLENGES CONFRONTING THE CHURCH"

Institutionalism

INTRODUCTION

In this series, so far we have considered the challenges of...

Authority In Religion
Denominationalism
Sectarianism
Factionalism
Traditionalism
Secularism

Each of these contribute toward changing the church...

Into something very different than Jesus intended
Creating churches that are more worldly than spiritual

[Most of these challenges have a long history in confronting the church. A more recent challenge confronting the church is that of institutionalism...]

THE DEFINITION OF INSTITUTIONALISM

CHURCH SUPPORT OF HUMAN INSTITUTIONS...

"...the doctrine or practice of a church sending money to an institution of some kind in order to carry out some work that the church has deemed worthy of support." - Ryan Waldron
"... this may include supporting missionary organizations, orphan's homes, nursing homes, schools, other churches, even political organizations." - ibid.

SUCH INSTITUTIONS ARE PARACHURCH ORGANIZATIONS...

"The parachurch is effectively a new form of religious organization that dates from the early 19th century." - William McDonald, Parachurch Organizations
"In the first quarter of the 19th century, parachurch organizations were abundant in many forms -- Bible tract societies, independent educational organizations, independent missionary groups, and moral reform organizations." - ibid.
"The defining characteristic of a parachurch is that it stands outside of the organizational structure of well-established religious bodies." - ibid.
"Parachurches are often the creation of an entrepreneur or a small cadre of people who seek to achieve specific goals." - ibid.

THE ISSUE OF INSTITUTIONALISM...

The goals of such institutions are certainly noble: evangelism, benevolence, edification, etc.
The issue in this study is not whether such institutions have a right to exist
The issue is whether local churches should support them out of their treasury

[Is institutionalism really a challenge confronting the church? Some consider it a blessing: "Look at all the good churches can do through parachurch organizations!" But consider some thoughts regarding...]

THE PROBLEM WITH INSTITUTIONALISM

PERSONAL CONCERNS...

It has no scriptural support

There is no example of NT churches sending money to human institutions as a way of carrying out their work of evangelism, edification, or benevolence
The practice began in the 19th century (see above)
NT churches sent money directly to other churches or individuals - Ac 11:27-30; 1Co 16:1-4; Ro 15:25-26

It gives oversight of the local church's work to those not its elders

Human institutions are governed by board members, CEOs, or other individuals
Churches outsource their work and their oversight by giving to such organizations

It turns local churches into collection agencies for man-made organizations

Institutions appeal for churches to support their organizations
The local church thus becomes a mini "United Way" for human institutions

It tends to denominationalize the church

Institutions usually identify their association with a particular group of churches
E.g., a "Church of Christ college", or "Church of Christ benevolent home", etc.
The use of "Church of Christ" in such a way contributes to a denominational mindset

It has led to division among many churches

Supporters of human institutions fight hard to get them into churches budgets
Churches and individuals that do not go along are often libeled ("anti!", "orphan hater!")
Brotherhood papers have used such issues to quarantine and isolate the opposition

ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS...

It deprives the church of workers

"One result is that capable teachers and preachers have been called away from their primary ministries in order to become administrators."
"If all mission board administrators were serving on the mission field, it would greatly reduce the need for personnel there."

It is an inefficient use of funds

"Another result of the proliferation of organizations is that vast sums of money are needed for overhead, and thus diverted from direct gospel outreach."
"The greater part of every dollar given to many Christian organizations is devoted to the expense of maintaining the organization rather than to the primary purpose for which it was founded."

It can hinder the spread of truth

"Organizations often hinder the fulfillment of the Great Commission."
"Jesus told His disciples to teach all the things He had commanded."
"Many who work for Christian organizations find they are not permitted to teach all the truth of God."
"They must not teach certain controversial matters for fear they will alienate the constituency to whom they look for financial support."

It contributes to factionalism

"The multiplication of Christian institutions has too often resulted in factions, jealousy, and rivalry that have done great harm to the testimony of Christ."
"Consider the overlapping multiplicity of Christian organizations at work, at home, and abroad. Each competes for limited personnel and for shrinking financial resources. And consider how many of these organizations really owe their origin to purely human rivalry, though public statements usually refer to God's will." (Daily Notes of the Scripture Union)

William McDonald, Parachurch Organization

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE...

"An acute writer, contrasting the apostolic work with the more usual modern missionary methods, has said that 'we found missions, the apostles founded churches.' The distinction is sound and pregnant."
"The apostles founded churches, and they founded nothing else, because for the ends in view nothing else was required or could have been so suitable."
"In each place where they labored they formed the converts into a local assembly, with elders - always elders, never an elder (Ac14:23; 15:6, 23; 20:17 Php 1:1) to guide, to rule, to shepherd, men qualified by the Lord and recognized by the saints (1Co 16:15; 1Th 5:12,13; 1Ti 5:17-19); and with deacons, appointed by the assembly (Ac 6:1-6; Php 1:1) - in this contrasted with the elders - to attend to the few but very important temporal affairs, and in particular to the distribution of the funds of the assembly..."
"All they (the apostles) did in the way of organizing was to form the disciples gathered into other such assemblies. No other organization than the local assembly appears in the New Testament, nor do we find even the germ of anything further."

C. H. Lang, quoted in Parachurch Organization

CONCLUSION

Again, the question in this study is...

Not whether institutions per se have a right to exist
But whether local churches should support them out of their treasury

We have seen that church support of human institutions...

Is without scriptural precedent
Affects the church in its ability to do its work
Contributes to factionalism and denominationalism

Let us not forget that the local church is limited in its resources...

It can easily become "burdened" - cf. 1Ti 5:16
It can be hindered or distracted from fulfilling its true purpose intended by God

Do we want to be guilty of hindering the church instituted by Christ, purchased with His blood (Ac 20:28) from doing its divinely authorized work...?

“Abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3) by Roy Davison

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/avoidfornication.html

“Abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed is undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4). The word ‘fornication’ refers to all kinds of sexual intercourse outside of marriage (including homosexual activity), and adultery is fornication that violates a marriage. Some versions translate the one Greek word “fornication” as “sexual immorality”.

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8). In fornication and adultery, people take advantage of each other, they “use” each other.

The laws God has established regarding sexual activities are to preserve the sanctity of marriage and the well-being of man.

What is required, according to Scriptures, to preserve personal purity and the sanctity of marriage? First, men and women are to remain virgin until marriage. All sexual relations outside of marriage are forbidden by God and are referred to as fornication, a sin that had the death penalty under the Old Covenant. Under the New Covenant one can be forgiven and purified by the blood of Christ. It is a sin, however, that is extremely damaging to those concerned, to society and to marriage as an institution.

After marriage one is to have sexual relations only with the marriage partner. Sexual relations with any other is adultery, which also earned the death penalty under the Old Covenant. We read in Hebrews 13:4 that God wants marriage to be preserved from the damage caused by these two sins. Immorality harms people physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

The root meaning of the Greek word “fornication” is “filthiness”. A boy and a girl who keep themselves pure until marriage and remain faithful after marriage, are a separate island. They never come in contact with the filthy cesspool of venereal diseases that are passed around from person to person by immoral people.

Venereal diseases are sexually transmitted diseases. Such a disease, because of its characteristics, is transmitted from person to person almost exclusively through sexual intercourse. Transmission usually requires either that the pathogens remain at body temperature (otherwise they die) or direct blood to blood contact. Sometimes such diseases are also transmitted through injection with a dirty needle or from mother to child in the womb or at birth.

The World Health Organization states: "Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are very common. The most widely known are gonorrhea, syphilis and AIDS (HIV infection), but there are more than 20 others. According to current WHO estimates, there are more than 333 million new cases of STDs every year throughout the world. About one million new infections occur every day."

Several sexually transmitted diseases are incurable, including HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and genital herpes. Others, although curable, cause lasting damage. Several of these diseases show no symptoms for a long time after infection.

These diseases would disappear if people obeyed God. According to the word of God, both men and women are to remain virgin until marriage, and a married couple are to remain faithful to each another. Even in a world where immorality is rampant, people who obey God have virtually no chance of contracting a sexually transmitted disease. The marriage bed is holy, but fornication and adultery are filthy.

According to the law of the Old Testament, Israel would be kept pure because those who committed fornication or adultery were stoned to death.

Forgiveness is possible under the New Testament on the basis of remorse and repentance. If you have committed fornication or adultery, you can repent and be forgiven. Your soul can be purified by the blood of Christ. You can determine that from now on you will keep yourself pure.

Even though you are forgiven, you have placed yourself in great danger with regard to sexually transmitted diseases. You should see a doctor and have tests made to be sure that you have not contracted an infection that you might pass on to your present or future marriage partner, or your children. Your former immorality can also have adverse effects on your marriage even though you have been forgiven.

This means that you must strive to be the kind of person whom someone with high moral standards would want to marry! And it means that you must be extremely careful whom you marry! Find someone who has the same high moral standards based on faith in God that you have. If a potential marriage partner has been immoral, be sure there is evidence of true repentance and that the person has changed.

It can still happen that one is deceived or betrayed, but we must make every effort to avoid marrying someone who does not have a high standard of morality. People who have sex with each other before they marry, are people who are willing to have sex outside of marriage, which makes them more susceptible to committing adultery after marriage than someone who had high moral standards before marriage.

“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4). “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). “Keep yourself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22). Amen.

Roy Davison

The Scripture quotations in this article are from The New King James Version. ©1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers unless indicated otherwise. Permission for reference use has been granted.

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

Biblical Consistency and the Believer’s Treatment of False Teachers by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

https://apologeticspress.org/biblical-consistency-and-the-believers-treatment-of-false-teachers/

Biblical Consistency and the Believer’s Treatment of False Teachers

Eric Lyons, M.Min.

Alleged Discrepancies Bible Interpretation Difficult Passages Doctrinal Matters Factual Accuracy Inspiration of the Bible

From Issue: R&R – May 2022

If Christians are to be kind and loving to everyone (Luke 10:29-37), some question why 2 John 10-11 teaches, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine (‘the doctrine of Christ’—vs. 9), do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”¹ Also, why did Paul instruct Timothy to “shun profane and idle babblings” (2 Timothy 2:16; 1 Timothy 6:20-21)? Are Christians to shun those with whom we disagree, and even go so far as not to greet them or allow them into our homes?

First, Scripture, indeed, repeatedly calls for Christians to love everyone—whether family, friends, fellow Christians, or enemies (Matthew 5:43-48; 22:36-40; Romans 12:9-21). We are to “[r]epay no one evil for evil” (Romans 12:17), but strive to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave” us (Ephesians 4:32). But Christian kindness and love are not antithetical to such things as, for example, punishing rule breakers. A father who loves his son, and would even die for him, will promptly discipline him for unruly conduct (Proverbs 13:24; Ephesians 6:4). A school principal may genuinely love and care for every student under his oversight, but he may occasionally have to expel a disorderly child from the school for at least two reasons: (1) so that the hundreds of other students who want to get an education can safely and successfully do so, and (2) in hopes that such drastic measures will cause the unruly child to awaken to his senses before it is too late (and he does something far worse as a teenager or as an adult). An uninformed outsider, who sees a father disciplining his son or a school principal punishing a student, may initially think less of these adults and wonder how they could call themselves Christians. The logical, more informed bystander, however, will quickly size up the situation and easily see the consistency in loving, disciplinary actions.

In the epistle of 2 John, the apostle expressed his concern for the eternal destiny of Christians, saying, “Watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward” (vs. 8, NASB). John was alarmed because deceptive false teachers who denied the incarnation of Jesus were a serious threat to the salvation of Christians. “For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh” (2 John 7). These false teachers (known as Gnostics) alleged that Christ could not have been incarnated because the flesh is inherently sinful. And, since the flesh is supposedly intrinsically evil, Gnostics taught that Christians did not need to resist fleshly temptations. Just “do whatever feels good” and know that such wicked actions are only physical and not spiritual. Allegedly, the soul could still be pure, even if the individuals themselves participated in wicked activity.²

The apostle John (who had “seen” and “handled” the actual body of Christ—1 John 1:1-4; i.e., Jesus did come in the flesh) repeatedly condemned the central teachings of certain Gnostics who were confusing and misleading first-century Christians.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world (1 John 4:1-3).

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil…. Whoever has been born of God does not sin (1 John 3:4-9).

False doctrine was a real and present danger in the first-century church, just as it is today. Christians were (and are) to be on “guard” because “some have strayed concerning the faith”—profane and idle babblers and teachers of contradictory doctrines of “what is falsely called knowledge” (Greek gnosis; 1 Timothy 6:20-21; cf. 2 Timothy 2:15-26). Denying the physical life, death, burial, and resurrection of the body of Christ was heresy, and thus John and others warned the early church of such deception. What’s more, claiming that “all unrighteousness is not sin,” was to directly contradict the Law of Christ. In truth, “the works of the flesh are evident,” and “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19,21). John wrote: “Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God,” because “all unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 3:10; 5:17).

Christians are commanded to withdraw fellowship (lovingly, faithfully, and sorrowfully) from brethren who rebel against the teachings of Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15). Such actions by Christians and churches are taken for at least two reasons: (1) to keep the church and the Christian families that comprise her from being harmed spiritually by the defiantly unfaithful (whose very tolerated presence would have even more damaging effects than an incessantly disruptive student in a school room; cf. 1 Corinthians 5:6-7); and (2) in hopes of causing the wayward child of God to come to his senses (being “ashamed” of his sinful conduct; 2 Thessalonians 3:14; 1 Corinthians 5:5)—repenting of sin and being restored to the family of God.

Similarly, in 2 John 10-11, the apostle of the Lord instructed hospitable Christians to recognize the seriousness of greeting and housing deceptive false teachers. [NOTE: “The greeting was ‘Chairo!’ literally, goodspeed or God speed. This greeting was more than mere formality; it was an approval of the course being pursued by the one thus greeting, and included a desire for success in the effort attempted.”³] First-century roaming teachers and preachers “depended on the generosity of the members of the church” for their housing and hospitality.⁴ John the apostle, however, wanted the church to understand the serious threat that these dangerous false teachers posed to the precious bride of Christ. Doctrinal error is not something to “play with,” especially when such error involves the foundation of the Church (the life of Christ—2 John 7) and the denial of sin (the very thing that results in eternal death for the impenitent—Romans 6:23; Luke 13:3,5). By refusing to house and bid God-speed to deceptive teachers, the ungodly efforts of these misleading “messengers” would be greatly diminished. In time, they might choose to (or have to) stop their sowing of error altogether because of lack of opportunities, assistance, and encouragement. Such a result combined with genuine repentance would be the very thing for which Christians hope and pray.

Anyone who can see the reasonable and loving consistency of parents telling their children to “be nice to everyone,” but “don’t listen to these dangerous people” (showing them pictures of known child molesters), should be able to see the consistency of God’s message concerning Christian love and hospitality, and the way Christians react to false teachers who espouse damnable error. Children who shun dangerous sexual predators are protecting their own innocence, as well as keeping themselves and their families from a moment (or a lifetime) of grief. What’s more, the avoided, dangerous strangers are not given the opportunity to continue in their sins. Thus, the children’s obedient avoidance of them could be of great help to the sinful strangers in the highest way possible—if they awaken to their spiritual senses.

Christians are actually fulfilling the Law of Christ to “do good to all” (Galatians 6:2,10) even as we identify and refuse to embrace and fellowship false teachers. We are “doing good” to the “household of faith” by helping keep her pure and unaffected by cancer-spreading deceptive teachers (2 Timothy 2:17-18). Allowing error to spread would be tantamount to “rejoic[ing] in iniquity,” which is unloving (1 Corinthians 13:6). What’s more, the false teachers themselves are in no way encouraged to continue down the road of deceit. Rather, it is the hope and prayer of Christians that false teachers would become convicted of the error of their ways and repent before the Master Teacher (Luke 2:47; John 7:46) returns and judges them eternally for their doctrinal deceit (2 Peter 2).

[NOTE: Near the conclusion of his excellent commentary on 2 John, Guy N. Woods made an appropriate observation that both Christians and critics of 2 John 10-11 should consider: “John does not here forbid hospitality to strangers, or, for that matter, to false teachers when, in so doing, false teaching is neither encouraged nor done. Were we to find a teacher known to be an advocate of false doctrine suffering, it would be our duty to minister to his need, provided that in so doing we did not abet or encourage him in the propagation of false doctrine…. What is forbidden is the reception of such teachers in such fashion as to supply them with an opportunity to teach their tenets, to maintain an association with them when such would involve us in the danger of accepting their doctrines…. The test is, Does one become a partaker by the action contemplated? If yes, our duty is clear; we must neither receive them nor give them greeting; if No, the principle here taught is not applicable.”⁵]

Endnotes

¹ Cf. Steve Wells (2015), “Should Believers Discuss Their Faith with Nonbelievers?” http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/discuss.html.

² For more information, see “Gnosticism” (1982), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), 2:484-490.

³ Guy N. Woods (1979), New Testament Epistles of Peter, John, and Jude (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate), p. 349, italics in orig.

⁴ I. Howard Marshall (1978), The Epistles of John (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), p. 74, emp. added.

⁵ Woods, pp. 349-350, emp. added.

Published May 1, 2022

Five Attitudes That Edify by Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

https://thepreachersword.com/2013/12/17/five-attitudes-that-edify/#more-4963

Five Attitudes That Edify

John Maxwell tells a great story about a woman, Thelma, who moved with her husband to a military training center in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

She lived in a one-room shack in the unbearable heat–125 degrees in the shade of cacti. She was lonely with no one to talk to. Thelma hated it. One day she wrote to her parents and told them she was giving up and coming home. She said she would rather be in jail. The 2-line letter her mother wrote back changed her life…

Two men looked out from prison bars

One saw the mud, the other saw the stars

When Thelma reread these lines a few times, she felt ashamed and decided that she would try to see the stars in her present situation. She made friends with the natives and took an interest in their weaving and pottery. She learned about the their customs, different forms of cacti, and the habits of the prairie dogs. Her life transformed. The Mojave Desert hadn’t changed but she had.

Yesterday we introduced the word of the week “Edify.” Today consider these 5 attitudes the Edify. Build. Improve. And make a difference in the lives of others.

#1 The Attitude of Love

The Bible says, Knowledge puffs up, but loves edifies” (1Cor. 8:1) Love is the basis for all other constructive attitudes. Love says, I care about you. I want to help you. I want to encourage you. I’m interested in you.

Love edifies when is exhibits the fifteen qualities of 1 Corinthians 13. Love is kind. Patient. Unselfish. And looks for a way of being constructive. Love edifies.

#2 The Attitude of Respect

There is a general lack of respect today among different social, economic and racial groups. It is seen in Washington. In our communities. Homes. And too often in our churches.

The Bible exhorts, “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake (1 Thess. 5:10-13)

The attitude of respect, esteem and honor should not only be expressed toward our leaders, but all of God’s people. The apostle Paul commanded, “Give preference to one another in honor (Rom 12:17)

#3 Attitude of Service

Ephesians 4:12-16 teaches that every member of the body of Christ has a function. A part. A place. A means to minister. When that happens, Paul says, “the body edifies itself in love.”

Jesus taught, “He that is greatest among you shall be the servant of all” (Mt. 23:11). It is true. Because serving others edifies!

#4 The Attitude of Peace

Too often the Christian community has displayed to the world a divisive spirit. One that tears down. Causes confusion. Fractures fellowship. And is a breeding group for murmuring, grumbling and gripping.

The Bible simply admonishes us all to “pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. (Rom 14:19). Unlike little children that often delight in irritating and aggravating their siblings, brethren in Christ look for those things that calm. Encourage. Ennoble. And provide an atmosphere of serenity. Solace. And comfort.

#5 The Attitude of Cooperation

The Jerusalem Christians were of “one accord” (Ac 2:26). One mind. One heart. One soul. They worked together. Prayed together. Shared with each other. And put aside differences for the cause of Christ.

What if brethren in all churches followed this Biblical exhortation? “Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification” (Rom 15:2) Think how much more could be accomplished? And what a great spirit of unity and harmony would prevail.

Love. Respect. Service. Peace. Cooperation. These attitudes edify. But don’t wait for others to change. Let it begin with you. No matter how bleak your situation. Look for the stars. Edify others. And your will be blessed.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

April 25, 2022

Categorical Bible Reading for May by Gary Rose

Categorical Bible Reading for the month of May

May
DATE	LAW		HISTORY		LITERATURE		PROPHECY
05/01/22	NUMB. 4	MARK 4	1 KI. 17	ACTS 9	PSA. 79	JUDE	EZEK. 3	REV. 11
05/02/22	NUMB. 5	MARK 5	1 KI. 18	ACTS 10	PSA. 80	ROM. 1	EZEK. 4	REV. 12
05/03/22	NUMB. 6	MARK 6	1 KI. 19	ACTS 11	PSA. 81	ROM. 2	EZEK. 5	REV. 13
05/04/22	NUMB. 7	MARK 7	1 KI. 20	ACTS 12	PSA. 82	ROM. 3	EZEK. 6	REV. 14
05/05/22	NUMB. 8	MARK 8	1 KI. 21	ACTS 13	PSA. 83	ROM. 4	EZEK. 7	REV. 15
05/06/22	NUMB. 9	MARK 9	1 KI. 22	ACTS 14	PSA. 84	ROM. 5	EZEK. 8	REV. 16
05/07/22	NUMB. 10	MARK 10	2 KI. 1	ACTS 15	PSA. 85	ROM. 6	EZEK. 9	REV. 17
05/08/22	NUMB. 11	MARK 11	2 KI. 2	ACTS 16	PSA. 86	ROM. 7	EZEK. 10	REV. 18
05/09/22	NUMB. 12	MARK 12	2 KI. 3	ACTS 17	PSA. 87	ROM. 8	EZEK. 11	REV. 19
05/10/22	NUMB. 13	MARK 13	2 KI. 4	ACTS 18	PSA. 88	ROM. 9	EZEK. 12	REV. 20
05/11/22	NUMB. 14	MARK 14	2 KI. 5	ACTS 19	PSA. 89	ROM. 10	EZEK. 13	REV. 21
05/12/22	NUMB. 15	MARK 15	2 KI. 6	ACTS 20	PSA. 90	ROM. 11	EZEK. 14	REV. 22
05/13/22	NUMB. 16	MARK 16	2 KI. 7	ACTS 21	PSA. 91	ROM. 12	EZEK. 15	REV. 1
05/14/22	NUMB. 17	LUKE 1	2 KI. 8	ACTS 22	PSA. 92	ROM. 13	EZEK. 16	REV. 2
05/15/22	NUMB. 18	LUKE 2	2 KI. 9	ACTS 23	PSA. 93	ROM. 14	EZEK. 17	REV. 3
05/16/22	NUMB. 19	LUKE 3	2 KI. 10	ACTS 24	PSA. 94	ROM. 15	EZEK. 18	REV. 4
05/17/22	NUMB. 20	LUKE 4	2 KI. 11	ACTS 25	PSA. 95	ROM. 16	EZEK. 19	REV. 5
05/18/22	NUMB. 21	LUKE 5	2 KI. 12	ACTS 26	PSA. 96	1 COR. 1	EZEK. 20	REV. 6
05/19/22	NUMB. 22	LUKE 6	2 KI. 13	ACTS 27	PSA. 97	1 COR. 2	EZEK. 21	REV. 7
05/20/22	NUMB. 23	LUKE 7	2 KI. 14	ACTS 28	PSA. 98	1 COR. 3	EZEK. 22	REV. 8
05/21/22	NUMB. 24	LUKE 8	2 KI. 15	ACTS 1	PSA. 99	1 COR. 4	EZEK. 23	REV. 9
05/22/22	NUMB. 25	LUKE 9	2 KI. 16	ACTS 2	PSA. 100	1 COR. 5	EZEK. 24	REV. 10
05/23/22	NUMB. 26	LUKE 10	2 KI. 17	ACTS 3	PSA. 101	1 COR. 6	EZEK. 25	REV. 11
05/24/22	NUMB. 27	LUKE 11	2 KI. 18	ACTS 4	PSA. 102	1 COR. 7	EZEK. 26	REV. 12
05/25/22	NUMB. 28	LUKE 12	2 KI. 19	ACTS 5	PSA. 103	1 COR. 8	EZEK. 27	REV. 13
05/26/22	NUMB. 29	LUKE 13	2 KI. 20	ACTS 6	PSA. 104	1 COR. 9	EZEK. 28	REV. 14
05/27/22	NUMB. 30	LUKE 14	2 KI. 21	ACTS 7	PSA. 105	1 COR. 10	EZEK. 29	REV. 15
05/28/22	NUMB. 31	LUKE 15	2 KI. 22	ACTS 8	PSA. 106	1 COR. 11	EZEK. 30	REV. 16
05/29/22	NUMB. 32	LUKE 16	2 KI. 23	ACTS 9	PSA. 107	1 COR. 12	EZEK. 31	REV. 17
05/30/22	NUMB. 33	LUKE 17	2 KI. 24	ACTS 10	PSA. 108	1 COR. 13	EZEK. 32	REV. 18
05/31/22	NUMB. 34	LUKE 18	2 KI. 25	ACTS 11	PSA. 109	1 COR. 14	EZEK. 33	REV. 19