The Folly of Life Without God

The Folly of Life Without God

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength,whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,in an uninhabited salt land’” (Jeremiah 17:5-6).

trust

What do you trust in?

My grandfather worked as a truck driver emptying salt water from oil tanks in west Texas. The water was hauled off and disposed so that the land would not be destroyed. One time, we drove through an area of land that looked like it had been bleached. I asked, “What happened here?” The reply: “A salt water spill.” Sometimes the salt water would leak out of the oil tanks. It left a barren patch of dirt on which nothing would grow killing everything.

Jeremiah’s description of a person who trusts in mankind alone reminds me of these barren patches of land. The ultimate abode of a person who only trusts in the wisdom of man is isolation, loneliness, depression, and an empty life. It is when we trust in God first that life becomes a rich panorama of colorful seasons filled with fruit and gladness. God makes real fellowship with others possible. He is the basis upon which we have successful relationships with others. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). Let us be diligent to love God and to love our neighbor to reap the abundant life (John 10:10).

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Is it Wrong to Call Someone Good?

Is it Wrong to Call Someone Good?

Jesus said, “Why do you call me good?  No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18).

Therefore, should Christians refrain from calling anyone “good,” as in “So-and-so is a good person”?

The Greek word translated in English as “good” in Jesus’ conversation with the rich young ruler is agathos, which is defined as “of good constitution or nature,” “useful, salutary,” “good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy,” “excellent, distinguished,” and “upright, honourable.”

Jesus used this same Greek word when he talked of how his Father made his sun to rise on the evil “and on the good” (Matt. 5:45).  He used it when he said, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things” (Matt. 12:35).  He used it in a parable when he talked of servants who “gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good” (Matt. 22:10), and in another parable when he told of the master who said to his servant, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21, 23).

Whats-Good

Are you good? Is someone else good? Is that allowed?

In like manner, Luke was inspired by the Holy Spirit of God (2 Pet. 1:19-21) to use this same Greek word to describe Joseph and Barnabas (Luke 23:50; Acts 11:24).  Paul also was inspired to use this same word when he wrote, “…though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die” (Rom. 5:7).

Therefore, it’s clear from how “good” is used repeatedly throughout Scripture to describe imperfect human beings that it is not sinful or erroneous to refer to certain of our fellow man as “good.”  So why did Jesus say to the rich young ruler, “Why do you call me good?  No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18)?

First, remember that God is the ultimate epitome of goodness due to his sinless perfection and boundless love, patience, grace, and compassion.  While we imperfect human beings can justifiably and biblically be called “good” in certain ways and by various degrees as shown above, none of us can ever attain the degree of goodness possessed by Jehovah due to our sin (Rom. 3:23).

Secondly, Jesus IS God (John 1:1, 14; 10:30; 17:11, 22; 14:9; Phil. 2:6; 2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15, 19).  This fact was brought up repeatedly by him during his preaching and by the miracles he wrought throughout his earthly ministry (cf. Mark 2:5-12).  Because of this, it is clear that when the rich young ruler initially addressed him as “Good Teacher” (Mark 10:17), Jesus immediately saw another opportunity to proclaim himself as Deity.  Thus, he replied, “Why do you call me good?  No one is good except God alone” (v. 18), a subtle but definite hint to the ruler, anyone else who was listening, and to us as readers today that the ruler was addressing Deity when he spoke to Jesus.

Thus, one should take “No one is good except God alone” not as an indictment of sin by Christ against referring to anyone other than God as “good.”  If that was the case, Christ himself as well as his inspired apostles and prophets would have violated his own edict by referring both generally and specifically to imperfect human beings as “good.”  Rather, one should interpret Jesus’ statement to the rich young ruler primarily as an implication of his Deity and secondarily as an indication that our own goodness can never compare to the goodness of God.

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Christian Nobles

Christian Nobles

Meekness does not mean weakness. Humility does not mean timidity. As Christians we need to remember that we have been adopted into a (the) royal family. We are children of the King. We are nobles!

nobles king

Are you living a life of nobility?

Every Christian should live in such a way that their nobility is evident to the entire world. Timothy was “well reported of by the brethren” (Acts 16:2). In Philippi Paul and Silas conducted themselves with nobility. The Bereans “were more noble” then those in Thessalonica. And Paul stood proudly upon Mars’ Hill and proclaimed to the Athenians the one true and living God.

Are we living lives of nobility? Are we conducting ourselves as children of the King? How do we live noble lives? Believe on the Lord Jesus (Acts 16:31) and on His word (Acts 16:32). Study the word (Acts 17:11) and stand boldly for the truth. Be good stewards of our lives and our blessings. Love the Lord, the kingdom, our neighbors, and our enemies. Teach others. Worship and fellow-ship. Be faithful and proud as a noble Christian!

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What is Essential?

What is Essential?

There are many today who will tell you that all you have to do is believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you will be saved. While those two things are indeed absolutely essential to being saved (Romans 10:9-10), the all-important question is, are they indeed the only two essential requirements in order to be saved like so many claim? If you are someone who believes that they are, and your eternal destination is at all important to you, then please take the time to consider each of the following statements and the Scriptures which accompany them (Acts 17:11).

Essential

Flour is not all that is essential for pancakes. Belief is not all that is essential for salvation.

·       Satan believes in God, for he speaks of Him as existing (Genesis 3:1-5).

·       Satan also believes God is powerful – far more powerful than he is (Job 1:6-10).

·       Satan’s demonic servants believe in God as well – and tremble (James 2:19).

·       Satan’s demonic servants also believe, – yes KNOW – that God is all-powerful (Mark 5:1-13).

·       Satan’s demonic servants not only believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but also confessed the same on numerous occasions (Matthew 8:28-29, Luke 4:33-35, 40-41).

While confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart that Jesus is Lord are both essential to being saved, they are certainly not the only two items that are essential to salvation as these Biblical examples undeniably prove. If they were, then both Satan and his demons would be headed for heaven for all eternity – which they are not (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). We see this same Biblical pattern of those who confessed Jesus as Lord and obviously believed in their hearts, but still were not saved simply by those two essential elements alone, in several other Scriptures as well. For example:

  • The highly devout and zealously religious folks listed in Matthew 7:21-23 called Jesus “Lord.” They obviously believed – look at the list of good works they did in His name! But what did Jesus say to them in vs. 23? “I never knew you; depart from Me.” Why? Because even though they had believed in and confessed Him as Lord, they still hadn’t done the other things that were just as essential to their salvation as those two were (Vss. 21, 24-27).
  • Saul of Tarsus, on his way into Damascus, both called Jesus “Lord,” and showed his deeply heart-felt faith/belief by his very obediently following Jesus’ instructions (Acts 9:1-8; See Hebrews, chapter 11). If those two things alone were all that were necessary in order to be saved, then at that point he would have been. However; we know he wasn’t, because even after doing those two things – plus praying hard over the course of three days without food or drink (Vss. 9-11) – he was still in his sins (Acts 22:12-16), not yet being forgiven, or hence saved.
  • Even though King Agrippa knew all about Jesus and believed all that the prophets had written about Him, both the Apostle Paul as well as Agrippa himself knew that those things alone did not make him a Christian (Acts 26:1-28).

Belief and confession can be likened to an engine and a transmission. It is safe to say that he who has an engine and a transmission can drive his car to his intended destination. This is because without both an engine and a transmission, the car will certainly not get him where he intends to go. However, while those two items are absolutely essential to driving his car there, they are certainly not the only two essential elements that are. Tires, framework, and fuel are all just as necessary to his intended travel and destination arrival.

Yes, belief and confession are salvation-essential just as the Bible says (Romans 10:9-10). However, there are several other just as salvation-essential items which cannot be left out, neglected, or overlooked if one is to be truly saved, instead of tragically surprised, when they come before the Lord Jesus on Judgement Day (Matthew 7:21-23).

If you are serious about the safe arrival of your eternal soul to its intended heavenly destination on that day, then please come, and see, and study, and worship with us this coming Lord’s Day. Ask questions. Get full Biblical answers!

For a free and further Bible Study on this subject, please go to https://godswordistruth.org/bible-studies and click on the study entitled: “Complete List Of Biblical Components Necessary For Salvation” in the fourth set of studies in that section. Also, for much more information and Biblical insight, please listen to the full length audio sermon from which the above article was actually taken, at: https://soundcloud.com/user-640047687/044-is-satan-a-christian-4-28-19-am.

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Things Old and Things New

Things Old and Things New

That transformation which occurs when one becomes a Christian is so remarkable. The apostle Paul emphasized this to those new Christians in Corinth. In his second letter to that church he spoke of all he was in Judaism before becoming a follower of Jesus. No one excelled his credentials, yet he gave it all up. He reminded them of this truth and then applied this transformation to all Christians. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Have you transformed from the old to the new?

Have you transformed from the old to the new?

What Was Old and Passed Away?

In Judaism, there were those who boasted in their appearance and lived for themselves (2 Cor. 5:12, 14). All that mattered to them was the fleshly honors they had attained (v. 16), but Paul said that having become a Christian none of these mattered at all.

The old guilt of sin had passed away. Under that Old Testament law, every year there was that Day of Atonement (modern Jews call it Yom Kippur) when God remembered the nation’s sins, and His displeasure was “satisfied” by the offering of animal sacrifices. It was a religion which easily created guilt for there was no real forgiveness. When one becomes a Christian God “remembers their sins no more” (Jer. 31:34).

The old system of being God’s chosen people had passed away. God have given the Old Testament, but it was only to the Jews (Rom. 3:1-2), and the rest of mankind were thereby separated from the promises and blessings of that system. Paul turned his back on all that when he learned of God’s new religion where there is no distinction between Jews and Greeks (Gal. 3:28). Under that old covenant one was born into a relationship with God (whether one wanted it or not), but in God’s new plan one makes his own choice to be born again into God’s family (John 3:3-5).

What Has Become New?

Under the New Testament all of this had changed. There is now freedom of choice. The old law was a yoke of bondage (Acts 15:10), but Jesus’ new law is easy and light (Matt. 11:30). There is now eternal forgiveness—God no longer remembers our sins because Christ has become our eternal, atoning sacrifice. There is now a new relationship with God—Jesus’ model prayer begins, “Our Father who is in heaven.” John said it this way, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1).

What has become new? Paul’s answer is “all things have become new.” Paul gave up everything to embrace Christianity. Consider this question. What have you given up to become a follower of Jesus?

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