Sound Doctrine

Make Sure of Sound Doctrine

I read once that the creator of the classic Peanuts cartoons, Charles Shultz, once painted a little picture of Lucy and Linus in their home looking out a window at a thunderstorm.  Lucy is worried that all this rain would flood the whole world.  Linus responded by referring to Genesis 9:13-14 and God’s promise to Noah that he would never again send a flood that would cover the whole earth, putting the rainbow in the sky as a promise that this would be true.  Lucy sighed and said, “You’ve taken a great load off my mind.”  Linus replied, “Sound theology has a way of doing that.”

Sound Doctrine frees the soul and mind.

Sound Doctrine frees the soul and mind.

He’s right.  Sound theology, or doctrine, gives us steady assurance of continuity in a world filled with change.  It helps us to make sure of what we are to believe and how we are to behave.  Along that line, we need to make sure of these things:

First, we mustn’t mistake man-made traditions for the true doctrine of God (Matt. 15:9).  If the doctrine we are teaching is not the doctrine taught in the Bible then it is man-made.  We must make sure we understand a distinction here.  Simply because we are able to fashion a doctrine from a compilation of Bible verses doesn’t make it Bible doctrine.  The intended biblical patterns of the New Testament are for the church to follow for all time.  The invented patterns of many Christians today are nothing more than Scripture taken out of context and forced into supporting some pet belief.

Secondly, we mustn’t mistake “smooth talk and flattery” for the true doctrine of God (Rom. 16:17-18).  Sadly, many people can be persuaded of just about anything depending on the communication skills of the communicator.  We need to be a discerning people who “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

Thirdly, we must understand that sound doctrine is not just about baptism, communion, how Revelation is interpreted, etc.  It is also about how we live our lives.  Paul told Timothy that the law is good if one uses it lawfully and then lists behavioral sins such as profanity, fornication, and lying to be “contrary to sound doctrine” (1 Tim. 1:8-10).  In all we do we should be “showing all good faith, so that in everything (we) may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Tit. 2:10).

Only when God’s people are consistently fed a steady diet of sound doctrine can they grow into mature Christian men and women (1 Tim. 4:6-7; Tit. 1:9).  That they hear it is no guarantee that they will grow (James 1:22-25), but not hearing it is a guarantee that they won’t.  Like Linus said, sound doctrine has a way of making you feel a whole lot better.  It gives us an objective standard by which to measure ourselves and a promise of steadiness in a world filled with change.

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Death: Tales from the Script

Death: Tales from the Script

There’s an old scary show that you may have seen or heard of that has a Halloween approach to death and the after life called “Tales From The Crypt.”  In every generation it seems that man has had a morbid curiosity about death, and many of the longstanding traditions and superstitions that now exist in many cultures are evidence of this fact.

Man has many thoughts and imaginations about death.

Man has many thoughts and imaginations about death.

The Bible certainly speaks of death and gives us a few hints as to what happens when a person dies (e.g., Lk. 16:19-31); in fact it even records some very interesting and bizarre events surrounding death (e.g., 1 Sam. 28:3-19; 2 Kings 13:21); and all of these events were made possible because of the power of God.  That should be sufficient, yet man is not content with that; he wants to know more than what God revealed about death. Because of this, fact is often confused with fiction and speculation becomes the standard for what is truth instead of God’s word.

The fact is the Bible just doesn’t say as much as we would like it to say about death.  Friends, let us be content with this: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29).

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Eyes of Faith Looking Outward

Eyes of Faith Looking Outward

When one reads Paul’s letter to Colosse in the King James or the New King James translations of the Bible, he finds a word not commonly used. Paul urged those saints to live holy lives by saying, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise” (Eph. 5:15). The English word “circumspectly” is a compound word with the first part being found in words like “circle” or “circumference.” The second part of the word is used in the word “inspect.” Paul was urging the Christians to be careful how they walked by always looking around them. Christians must use the eyes of faith to look outward.

Can your eyes see the need of others?

Can your eyes see the need of others?

Christians, look around you to see people. This is precisely what Jesus did. He was constantly aware of those around Him and the needs each of them had. He saw the woman taken in the act of adultery with eyes so different from those who so harshly judged her (John 8:3-7). He saw the grieving widow of Nain who was on her way to bury her only son (Luke 7:11-16). He saw little children whom others thought should not “bother” Jesus, and He strongly rebuked the way they looked at children (Mark 10:13-16). As you walk, make sure to see the people around you.

Christians, look around you to see lost souls. Jesus’ disciples returned from Sychar, a city of Samaria, and found Jesus at the well where He had taught the Samaritan woman. Most Jews had strong racial prejudice toward Samaritans but not Jesus. The woman did not stay at the well for she returned to her city to tell them about the Messiah. They were coming out to meet Jesus when our Lord said to His disciples, “Lift up your eyes and look at the fields for they are already white for harvest” (John 4:35). The disciples had just been in the city but saw no souls, only food. As you walk, make sure you lift up your eyes to fields ready for harvesting!

Christians, look around you for struggling brethren who need you. The church at Corinth had dealt with the brother who had taken his father’s wife. They had come together and publicly given him back to Satan (1 Cor. 5:1-7). Their actions had caused the man to repent, but the church needed instructions about how to treat this brother who obviously was struggling so much. Paul writes a second letter to them and talks about Satan’s devises. Christians need to look around and see how Satan is working, particularly with weak brothers.  How should we treat them? Paul says forgive them, comfort them and help them overcome their sorrow.

Fellow Christians, look upward to see all that is there, but never forget to look around you. The treasures await us, but to attain them, we must look around us!

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Escaping Bondage

Escaping Bondage

You know, no matter how many freedoms we give ourselves we are still in bondage. We will still have bills to pay and work to do. We will always have to pay the rent, or the mortgage, buy gasoline for our car which enslaves us to change its oil and give it a good bath every once in a while.

The bondage of sin rules many lives.

The bondage of sin rules many lives.

Worse yet, we are enslaved by the pseudo-standards which society erects for us to attain. We must have this car and that house. We must have those shoes, or that shirt. We must have this television set with this VCR and that stereo. Yet, it seems that once we have attained what we thought was society’s standard, society brings out its “new and improved” version and we are enslaved to attain that as well.

In the end, our captivity seems to boil down to three masters, money, sex, and power (or affluence). A person doesn’t have to go too far to see some kind of “get rich quick” scheme lurking around the corner. The people who supposedly want you to get rich are making millions off of you. As far as sex goes, television personalities such as Phil Donahue, Sally Jessy Raphael, and Oprah Winfrey give us our daily dose of that. That is not to mention the constant barrage of TV shows which glamorize adultery and fornication. And you can look no further than the next political election to see how much men and women crave power. You can also see it in our desire to go higher and higher on the corporate ladder. Whether we like it or not, as a society we are enslaved to money, sex, and power.

Now, ask yourself a question. Is this what I want? Hedonic bliss? To have all my days filled with working and toiling only to end up being controlled by these three masters, money, sex, and power? Or, is there something else? Is there another master? A kind, benevolent, caring, loving master? Is there one to whom I can go when I have problems in my life? When the burdens and cares of the earth are pressing down upon my shoulders, is there something that I can seek to replace the master of money, sex, and power? The answer is YES, there is another master!

This is the Master that says, “…If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31, 32). He also says, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6). And, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28, 29). Sin does not have to be your master. You can let Jesus be your Master if you will to do his will.

The kind Master says, “If any man will do his (God’s) will, he shall know of the teaching…” (John 7:17). To know the teaching of this loving master we must hear the teaching with a view toward obedience. “Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise men, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24, 25).

To escape the bondage of sin we must believe that this benevolent Master truly is the Son of God. He says, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). Once we know, trust, and are willing to act on this kind Master’s words, then we must repent. He says, “…I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). And now, having repented of our sins, we are ready to confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32, 33).

At this point, one is not yet saved. “Why?” you may ask. “I have heard the blessed word of this wonderful Master. I have believed that He is truly the Holy One of God. I have repented and promised God that I will not be in bondage to sin and Satan any more. And I have confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Why am I not saved?” You are not saved yet because you have not been bought out of bondage. Jesus bought you out of bondage with His blood. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18, 19). You must contact His blood, the blood that pays for your sins. So, how does a person contact the blood of Christ?

Jesus shed His blood in His death. So if there is some way that I can die with Christ, then I can come into contact with His blood. There is a way. That way is through baptism. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3, 4). Our old man is buried with Christ. We are then washed by His blood in baptism, and arise in newness of life. We are a new person. Sin is not our master any more. We are no longer in bondage. Christ is our benevolent, gracious Master.

Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and [money, sex, or power] (Matthew 6:24). Who will be your master?

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Are You Suffering?

Suffering?  Don’t Give Up!

There is not a single person that has not endured human suffering. It seems that some people go through more than their share of suffering, but such is the normalcy of life. Many of us have witnessed someone cry out, “Why me, God!” And because of inadequate answers to their cry, human suffering wrecked their faith. These are real people needing real answers to real problems!

Suffering can bring feelings of hopelessness and despair.

Suffering can bring feelings of hopelessness and despair.

God does not exempt us from the problems of human suffering simply because we are his children. How ironic it is to hear Christians express the opinion that we should be immune to pain or suffering. Yet, God does promise a way to endure and bear-up under troubles that drive us to the edge. During troubled hours, we can have hope. (2 Corinthians 3:12).

The world does not understand the meaning or the purpose of life. The world thinks that hedonism, which is, “The pursuit that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life” is the only way to live. Yet, Christians can be comforted and depend on God, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being;” (1 John 2:15). However, too often we hear the phrases, “Whatever makes me happy” or “whatever makes the majority happy” is the single pursuit of humanity. This and the world’s meaning of life brings a shallow definition of life and human suffering.

However, the Bible, the inspired word of God, teaches the true meaning of life. God said, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his command- ments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:13). The Bible affirms that as long as we follow Him, we will never, never be alone. First, we are not alone because Christians are to “Bear ye one another’s burdens, (Galatians 6:2). Secondly, we cannot be alone because the Great God in Heaven is the “Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble” (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4).

How glorious it is to have great support from Christians & God and such comfort in the holy scriptures when our faith is tried! We know that when our faith is tested by the world, we can be comforted that our triumphant victory over such things will be found as praise and honor and glory to Christ (1 Pet. 1:7). Also, prayer to God is a comforting time for Christians. It allows us all to know that someone is listening and cares for us. God has always been here for us and even though we may be tried or suffer in life, one glorious day “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away.” (Rev. 21:4)

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