Hate The Evil and Love The Good

Hate The Evil and Love The Good  – Amos 5:12-15

As God began to prepare to bring judgment upon the Northern Kingdom of Israel He tried to prepare them through the prophet Amos. He asked them to consider how they could continue to walk in unity with God if they walked out of step with Him (3:3). He knew their wickedness, and from it they could not hide, so he encouraged them to seek good, and not evil, to hate the evil and love the good, so that a favorable judgment might be established (5:12–15). In the midst of this warning comes this grave admonition, “Because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

Whether to embrace good or evil, we choose.

Whether to embrace good or evil, we choose.

To examine our own relationship with God in comparison with Israel’s is both wise and essential.

Consider what God says about their “walk” and ours. Watch a marching band or military company parading in step. It is a thing of beauty and shows unity and precision. If even one of the unit is out of step with the rest it is glaring. Each is also guided by a leader who sets the pace of the march. When the group does not follow the cadence set by the leader there is confusion and disorder. We too are to walk in step with the leader, Jesus Christ our Lord. When even one walks out of step with him it effects the unity of the whole. Paul said to the Corinthians “Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps?” (2 Corinthians 12:18). And to the church at Thessalonica he wrote, “withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us…For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner” (2 Thessalonians 3:6, 11).

Consider what God has to say about what they “love” and “hate.” Amos, in speaking the word of the Lord to Israel, accused them of afflicting the righteous, taking bribes, and depriving the poor. They were told to seek good, and not evil. If so the Lord would be with them. They were to hate evil and love good, that the Lord might be gracious. Consider the converse of these two statements. Do we hate what God hates and do we truly love what God loves (Proverbs 6:16–19)? Far too many Christians today are guilty of calling good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). Do we love truth and hate false doctrine (Psalm 119:104)? Do we truly hate the sin, but love the sinner? Do we hate even our own lives enough to love, obey, and serve the Lord (Matthew 16:24–26)?

Consider what God says about their worship and its impact on ours. Just because we are doing the things that God says to do does not necessarily imply that God will accept our offerings. If there is sin standing between us and God, or if our heart is not right in offering our worship, praise, and service to Him, then He will not accept it! Judgment is coming…are we prepared?

Be faithful!

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Self Examination

Self Examination

Everyone needs to undergo a self examination.

Everyone needs to undergo a self examination.

The apostle Paul admonished, “.” (2 Cor. 13:5) The self examination is for our own spiritual benefit. It is good for us! If I don’t quite measure up to what the Lord expects of me or if I have begun to slip, I need to know about it. Sometimes this slipping or drifting (Heb. 2:1) is so gradual that the individual barely notices it, if at all. This is why it is so important and necessary that this self examination be conducted on a regular basis. It must be done with honesty and with a desire to change where changes need to be made. We must be careful not to compare ourselves with others. (2 Cor. 10:12) We must measure our lives by the word of Truth. Please take a few moments to measure your life by the Divine Standard.

  • Do I ever deliberately miss a service (Sunday, and/or Wednesday)?
  • Do I visit and/or show concern for the sick?
  • Do I visit and/or send a note of encouragement to a weak brother or sister?
  • Do I make an effort to check on my brothers or sisters who were absent from the assembly to let them know that I missed them?
  • When going on vacation, do I inquire concerning places to worship? Do I skip Bible classes and Sunday night services while away on vacation?
  • Do I allow my children to attend dances or go to other places of sin, leave the house immodestly dressed and thus, put my stamp of approval on such sin?
  • Do I check my children’s lessons to make sure they completed them and do I question them to make sure they are learning Divine Truth?
  • Do I miss church services with some physical ailment and then go to work on Monday or engage in some other activity with that same ailment?
  • Do I speak words of encouragement to the elders and let them know that I appreciate them?
  • Do I find myself regularly complaining about what is “wrong” with the congregation, or instead of complaining, am I looking for a way to improve the situation?
  • Am I regularly looking for ways to serve God and others?
  • Do I pray, daily?
  • Do I study God’s word daily or do I use as an excuse that I am too tired after working all day?

Now, read Hebrews 10:25, Matthew 6:33, Matthew 5:16, Matthew 22:37, Hebrews 3:13, Galatians 6:1, and Galatians 2:20. Then, go through this self–examination again. How do you measure up?

What do you need to change? Remember, the Lord knows!

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Understanding Atonement

Understanding Atonement

There are many words which describe our salvation. Each one emphasizes a particular aspect of that salvation. We talk about forgiveness, regeneration, justification, redemption and sanctification. The word we least understand is the word atonement. We know about the Jewish Day of Atonement and believe in our atonement, but we have little understanding of the meaning of this word.

Atonement - Do you really understand it?

Atonement – Do you really understand it?

Illustrations of Atonement

Numbers chapter sixteen tells of the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. This resulted in the death of these men and about 250 others who followed them. The next day, the Jews slandered Moses and accused him of killing the people of God. God was so angry. His wrath was manifested in a plague which killed nearly 15,000 Jews. What stopped the plague? What appeased His wrath? Aaron took a censer and stood between the Jews and the advancing plague. This action is described as making atonement for the nation (16:46-47). Wrath was appeased, and this is described as atonement.

In Numbers 25, the Jews were committing fornication with the Midianite women. God’s anger again sent a plague and killed 24,000 Jews. What stopped the plague? Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, took a javelin and thrust it through the bodies of a Jewish man and a Midianite women who publically were fornicating. God said, “Phinehas…has turned back my wrath from the children of Israel because He was zealous with My zeal among them…because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel” (25:11-13).  If you want to understand atonement, read this story and the previous one to see what atonement means.

Atonement Always Connected with God’s Anger

Atonement always involves sin which results in God’s wrath against sin and actions being done to assuage His wrath. If there is no atonement, His wrath will surely come.

Sins Not “Rolled Forward” in the Old Testament

The concept that sins were “rolled forward” (think of a giant snowball getting larger every year) on the Day of Atonement does not portray what actually happened. Every year on that day God remembered the sins of Israel, and if atonement was not made His wrath was sent. Nations came against Israel when atonement was not made. When it was made, His anger was appeased, and God blessed that nation. God remembered their sins every year.

Because of Christ’s sacrifice atonement is ours. He does not remember our sins. “Their sins will I remember no more” (Jer. 31:34). Thank God for our atonement!

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Competition in the Church

Church, We Have to Stop Competing

Selecting a sound gospel preacher doesn't have to be a popularity competition.

Selecting a sound gospel preacher doesn’t have to be a popularity competition.

My generation never received participation trophies. If you wanted a trophy to put on your dresser then the team had to perform well. And yes, we kept score at our minor league games! There were winners and losers—and each week young people would strive to be in the winner category. I grew up being taught that competition was a good thing. And I stand by that—as it causes individuals to strive to do better.

But there is an area that has grown competitive and I believe it is doing great harm. I don’t believe God ever intended preachers or the church to be competitive. We’ve become obsessed with how many “followers” a preacher has on social media, or how many hits they get on their blog page. Many congregations are building new and fancier auditoriums, adding new-fangled programs, and making worship more entertaining simply to increase numbers and be the “bigger” congregation in town. But friend, this isn’t how it should be! Paul wrote, “For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?” (1 Corinthians 3:3-4)

Some of this competition has originated from things like lectureships, where preachers vie for keynote speaking slots. What used to be a practice of finding a man who was well qualified to speak in a particular area has grown into a “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” practice of preachers selecting their buddies, who in turn put them on their lectureship.

The competition was bred in things like commentary books, articles in brotherhood journals, and website articles. It became almost a “sport” for many get their name in various brotherhood publications. This increased visibility conveyed the notion that these individuals were experts or highly knowledgeable—and thus these men were sought out by others to write or speak for them. The competitive nature began feeding on itself.

Additionally, a great deal of the competition has developed from social media and having an major online prescience. How many Facebook friends does this speaker have? How many likes can we get with this article? How many Twitter followers do they have?

All of this competition has taken the focus away from God and focused it firmly on men. In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul said, “Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” All of this competition has caused division and strife within the body of Christ. Ask yourself a question: how many today would spend hours writing something if their name was not attached to it?

Friends, it’s time we take the focus off fallible men and focus on the only One that has contributed to our salvation—Jesus Christ.

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Romans, Jews, & Salvation

Romans 11:14-32 – Romans, Jews, & Salvation

This is a fairly long passage of scripture to discuss. Let’s look at it and see if we can understand what is being taught in this part of the Bible.

Does Romans 11 Teach a Different Salvation for the Jews?

Does Romans 11 Teach a Different Salvation for the Jews?

This passage comes right in the middle of a discussion regarding the question of the salvation of the Jews. Paul asks the question in 11:1 “Did God cast off his people?” This question is referring to the Jewish nation. The answer is “No, he has not cast them off, but they, in their rejection of God’s Son Jesus, have rejected Him.” In fact, not all Jewish people who rejected Christ were lost at the time that Paul wrote this epistle. From Acts 2 to Acts 10 the only people who were being saved were Jews! However, there were some Jews who still rejected Jesus as the Messiah. These are the ones who crucified Jesus and by so doing, salvation was able to come to the Gentiles (verse 11).

However, there were some Gentiles who thought that since the Jews had rejected Jesus as the Messiah, that they could no longer be saved. So Paul turns his attention to these Gentiles in verse 13. Then we start our text. We do not have time to give the entire text a complete discussion. Suffice it to say that the following things are being taught here. 1) Both Jews and Gentiles could be saved through the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16,17). 2) While it was through the Jews that the Messiah came, the offer of salvation was given to both Jew and Gentile (verses 14,15). 3) God’s goodness will be shown toward those who continue in His goodness; God’s severity will be shown toward those who fall (verses 16-24). 4) There is only one covenant under which man can be saved today; this is the covenant that offers forgiveness of sins (verses 25-29). 5) It is due to unbelief and disobedience that men have fallen from God’s grace; this necessitates that to both Jews and Gentiles that God’s mercy would be bestowed (30-32).

Some try to come to this passage and say that there is another way of salvation for the Jews who disbelieve. However, this is a complete mishandling of the scriptures. Remember our very important principle of interpretation. Scriptures that are difficult in understanding should be interpreted in light of scriptures that are easy to understand. Romans 1:16, 17 makes it clear that the gospel is the only way for both Jews and Gentiles to be saved. Therefore, this passage cannot be teaching that there is some other way for Jews to be saved than other through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Rather, what we have with some is an effort to go to the most difficult passages in the Bible such as the book of Daniel, Revelation, Matthew 24, Romans 11, and some other passages and build a doctrine based upon symbolic language in scripture which is simply not found in the plain teaching of scripture. This is largely done by those who advocate the doctrine of premillenialism. Basically this doctrine states that mankind will be given a second chance at salvation. You can read about this doctrine in popular books such as the left behind series by Jenkins and Lahue. You can also see it in movies such as “The Omega Code.” Part of the teaching of this doctrine is that the Jewish nation is going to have a second opportunity to accept Jesus as the Messiah and it is to THIS passage in Romans 11 that many go as their proof text to establish this. But this CANNOT be established from this context. Premillenialism is a dangerous doctrine because it can cause some to reject the teaching of Jesus Christ now in the hope that they can accept Him after all of these “signs” happen.

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