John 8: Who is to be Stoned?

In vs. 1-11, after the Feast of Tabernacles ended, Jesus began to openly teach in the temple (Lk. 21:37), near the court of the women (vs. 20), where the scribes and Pharisees began their plot by bringing an adulterous woman to him. Well, the Law required that both guilty parties be stoned (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22) and not just the woman. Yet, the scribes and Pharisees bring only the woman and as they interrupted the Lord while he was teaching the crowd, they wanted to know what he would do. Well, if He said, “Yes, the woman must be stoned!” then what would happen to His reputation as the “friend of publicans and sinners”? But, if He said, “No, the woman should not be stoned!” then He was openly breaking the Law and subject to arrest. So, what did he do? Instead of passing judgment on the woman, Jesus passed judgment on the judges! No doubt He was indignant at the way they treated the woman and was also concerned that such hypocrites should condemn another person and not judge themselves. Now, it was required by Jewish Law, that the accusers cast the First stones (Deut. 17:7). But, Jesus was not asking that sinless men judge the woman, for He was the only sinless person present. So, being convicted by their own consciences, the accusers quietly left the scene, and Jesus was left alone with the woman. He forgave her and warned her to sin no more (vs. 11).

Well, as this scene closes, John introduces us to the second great I AM statement in vs. 12-20. Perhaps the sun was beginning to come up (vs. 2) so that Jesus was comparing Himself to the rising sun. But this would mean He was once again claiming to be God, for to the Jews, the sun was a symbol of Jehovah God (Ps. 84:11; Mal. 4:2; 1 Jn. 1:5; Eph. 5:8-14). But perhaps, our Lord’s I AM statement was related to the Feast of Tabernacles, during which the huge candelabras were lighted in the temple at night to remind the people of the pillar of Fire that had guided Israel in their wilderness journey. In fact, John has combined three wilderness images: manna (Jn. 6), water from the rock (Jn. 7), and the pillar of Fire (Jn. 8). Now, during this time, the Pharisees had left (vs. 9), but some returned and debated with him again (vs. 13). This time, they accused Him of bearing witness to Himself by claiming to be the Light of the world and Jewish courts would not permit a person to bear witness to himself. Well, Jesus quickly refuted their argument because the Pharisees judged on the basis of externals (vs. 15) as Jesus judged on the basis of spiritual knowledge. So, Jesus used the Law of Moses and quoted a principle found in Deut. 17:6 and 19:15 and Num. 35:30, that the testimony of two men was required to validate a judgment. Well, Jesus had those two testimonies: Himself and His Father (vs. 16). How tragic it is that these experts of the Law did not even know their own Messiah as He stood before them! They claimed to know the Law of God and the Father, but they did not know him and Jesus said that their “father” was not God, but the devil (vs. 19, 44)!

Well in vs. 21-30, Jesus had already mentioned His leaving them (Jn. 7:34), but the Jews again misunderstood what He said. So once again, He warned them: He would leave them, they would not be able to follow Him, and they would die in their sins! Sadly, they were wasting their God-given opportunities by arguing with Him instead of trusting Him. And then again, they misunderstood His teaching and thought He was planning to kill Himself (vs. 22). Suicide was an abhorrent thing to a Jew and so if Jesus committed suicide, he would go to a place of judgment and this is why they thought they could not follow Him. But, Jesus was returning to His Father in heaven, and nobody can go there who has not trusted the Savior (Lk. 10:20; Phil. 3:20-21). Thus, after saying such things, it marvels me that these religious “experts” should ask, “Who are You?” He had given them every evidence that He is the Son of God, yet they had deliberately rejected the evidence (vs. 26) and would also later reject the “lifting up” meaning, the glory and suffering of Jesus on the cross (Jn. 3:14; 12:32; Acts 2). Well, as Jesus always did what was pleasing to the Father (vs. 29), no doubt, His enemies reacted violently to these words, but some of the listeners began to believe.

So, in vs. 31-47, Jesus addressed these “believers” and warned them about continuing in the Word of God (vs. 31-32), which leads to spiritual knowledge, and then leads to freedom from sin. It is interesting that these believers were the same unbelieving Jewish leaders who early opposed him (vs. 13, 19, 22, 25). But as before, they did not understand all His message, which is why they claimed Abraham as their father (vs. 39). So, Jesus explained the difference between spiritual freedom and bondage and essentially said that a servant can live in the house, but he is not a part of the family and has no guarantee of a future (Isaac and Ishmael in Gen. 21). Thus, they would die in their sins if they did not allow themselves to be freed by the Son through the power of his word (vs. 32). So, while they claimed Abraham, they were very unlike him because they wanted to kill the Messiah while Abraham was the “friend of God” and fellowshipped with God (Isa. 41:8). Abraham also listened to God’s truth and obeyed it, but these religious leaders rejected the truth, were counterfeits, the children of the devil (vs. 44) duped by Satan (2 Cor. 11:13-15; Gen. 3) having a false righteousness (Rom. 10:1-4). So, they might have religious traditions, but they had no understanding of the Word of God and they were prisoners who did not even know it. They thought they were free, but they were actually enslaved in terrible spiritual bondage to sin and Satan.

These leaders could not refute our Lord’s statements, so they attacked His person instead (vs. 48-59), calling him a Samaritan (the grossest of insults) and demon-possessed. They had dishonored him while Jesus was honoring the Father (Jn. 5:23). Still, Jesus invited them to trust His Word and “never see death” (vs. 51). Again, he claimed to be God by claiming to be the Lord of death (Jn. 5:21-29). So, how did the Pharisees respond? They looked at Abraham. But, he lived by faith (Heb. 11:10, 13-16), saw Calvary when he offered Isaac to God (Gen. 22), saw the priestly ministry of Melchizedek (Gen. 14:17-24) and saw the marriage of Isaac, which was a picture of the marriage of the Lamb (Gen. 24). But knowing this Jesus said, before Abraham was, “I am” (vs. 58). He had once again made Himself equal with God (Jn. 5:18), and this was the sin of blasphemy, worthy of death (Lev. 24:16). But, as this chapter closes, while the people wanted to stone him (vs. 59), Jesus seems divinely protected and simply walked away. His hour had not yet come. And, we cannot help but admire His courage as He presented the truth and invited blind religious men to trust Him and be set free.

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Truth is relative

Truth is Relative

“…Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38)

Years ago, in a religious discussion among co-workers, Pilate’s question to Jesus came up.  One man said, “I believe one has to abide in the truth of God’s word to be saved.”  A second man said, “Truth is determined by our priest, not the Bible.”  A third man said,“Our creed book instructs us about truth.” Another man said, “The fact that we don’t all agree proves that truth is in the eye of the beholder.  Truth is relative.”

When someone says, “truth is relative,” they usually mean that truth is not absolute (i.e., it is conditional; an opinion).  That’s certainly the way lowly man thinks, however that is not God’s definition.  Jesus said, “…Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Please notice that He did not merely say, “truth,” nor did He say “a” truth; rather He said “THE” truth.  The word “the” qualifies the word after it, indicating that it is the definite article.  Truth originates with God and there is only one version of it (Jn. 17:17; Ps. 119:142, 160; 1 Tim. 3:15).  John says, “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 Jn. 2:4).  Believe it, friends, for that is the absolute truth!

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A Threat to the Church

The Greatest Threat to the Lord’s Church

“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent” (Revelation 2:5).

The candlestick had a long Old Testament history.  In Hebrew, the word for candlestick is “menorah.”  It was originally commissioned by God to be used in the tabernacle.  “And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made” (Exodus 25:31a).  It was placed on the southern wall of the holy place just outside the veil that separated this area from the holy of holies (Exodus 26:35).  The light was to be perpetually lit (Leviticus 24:4).

In 606 B.C., the candlestick was carried off into captivity by the Babylonians (Jeremiah 52:19).  The next we read of it is from the pen of the priest Zechariah who describes it in a vision (Zechariah 4:1-6).  He asks an angel what it means and the angel replies: “This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

This imagery is drawn upon in the Revelation.  “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle” (Revelation 1:12-13).  “The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20).

A candlestick is a confluence of several things: the source of light, the flame, and the light itself.  Within the symbolism of the candlestick is a confluence of several spiritual things: God’s truth, God’s Spirit, God’s church.  All must be present for the candlestick to fulfill its purpose.  Neither God’s Spirit nor God’s truth can fail, but the church may, should she stop being the pillar and ground of God’s truth (1 Timothy 3:15).

We must take the undesired prospect of the Lord’s removing Ephesus’ candlestick seriously.  Just as it was once removed by the forces of Babylon, the removal of the candlestick denotes God’s people’s failure to practice God’s truth, the subsequent apostasy of God’s people, and the consequential removal of God’s Spirit.  The Lord cannot abide in fellowship with those who have ceased living by His will.

The prospect of a church ceasing to be the Lord’s church is worthy of lamentation; it is, nevertheless, possible.  Of the many dangers that threaten the church, the greatest of these dangers comes not from without, but from within; not even from amongst “other” members, but within the individual.

It matters not who I am: member, song leader, preacher, youth worker, deacon, or elder.  Truth must be applied to my life first and foremost.  When my attitudes or actions become skewed from the Lord’s truth, I am the greatest threat to His church.

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Repentance

When speaking to an assembly in Athens, Paul made a statement about God and repentance which is recorded in Acts 17:30, God “now commandeth all men every where to repent”. The command for man to repent is universally extended to all. It has been said that repentance is the hardest command of all to obey. True repentance has three major elements which are necessary in order to be valid Biblical repentance.

The Intellectual component of Repentance is that change of a sinner’s mind that leads him or her to turn from evil ways and live according to the will of God. Intellectually, human beings must perceive sin as evil and the divine law as perfect and binding. One must also realize that they have sinned and fallen short of the requirements of God, (Romans 3:23).

There is an emotional aspect to repentance as well. It is possible to have a knowledge of sin without recognizing it as something that dishonors God and beings ruin upon humanity. A change in emotional attitude is necessary in genuine repentance. A Christian cannot be emotionally indifferent to sin, rather, they must have a genuine sorrow over it.

The type of sorrow that issues in repentance must be distinguished from that which is simply remorse. There is a godly sorrow and a worldly sorrow: the former brings life, the latter death. The difference between the two is distinguishable by one’s actions. True repentance because of sorrow must be accompanied by action. Those who do not turn from their sinful behavior have not exhibited the Godly sorrow which leads to salvation, (2 Corinthians 7:9-10).

The most prominent characteristic of true repentance is the changing of one’s will. This is the action aspect of true repentance. It involves not only a conviction of personal sinfulness but also an earnest attempt to abandon one’s old life and turn to a life of righteousness according to God’s will. The demand for repentance clearly implies human free will and an earnest desire to seek and serve God according to His righteousness (Romans 10:3).

True repentance has been defined as a sorrow and conviction of one’s heart over sin that leads to a change in behavior.

The relation of repentance to salvation is one of necessity. . In Luke 13:3 we read the words of Jesus saying that “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish”. Failure to repent leaves one in a state of condemnation which will result in one’s spiritual death. In short, those who fail to recognize sin, be sorrowful for it and turn from that life to a new life will be condemned to eternal separation from God.

Have you truly repented? Are you obedient to the will of God? If not, then we invite you to visit our website or attend services with us and learn more of God’s will for man concerning repentance. You can visit our website at www.granbychurchofChrist.org.

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No Bible, No Horse

A Man without a Bible is Like a Man Without a Horse

There was a time when the saying “a man without a horse” was widely understood.  Its meaning may not be as quickly grasped as it once was.  However, the phrase certainly is applicable even in this age where many folks do not or have never owned a horse.  “A man without a horse” is one who is incomplete.  He is lacking.  Perhaps, a similar situation today would be a man without a car, a job, or his spouse.  Figuratively a man’s horse is that which gives him the desire to go forward and conquer in life and when it is not there, he struggles with his identity.  For the next few minutes, consider how the Bible is the Christian’s horse.

In the early American west, the cowboy would rise each morning with a host of duties to do.  He did not wake to a life of idleness and uncertainty about what to do.  He had endless duties of mending fence; moving, watering, feeding, or branding cattle; and chores in town.  His constant work mate was his horse.  In this sense, the Christian and his Bible are like the cowboy and his horse:  they are workmates through each and every day.  The Christian is not meant to be idle (Matthew 25:24-30).  He has many duties to be engaged in.  In fact he was created for good works (Ephesians 2:10).  The Christian is to follow the example of Christ (I Peter 2:21), teach others (2 Timothy 2:24), encourage (Hebrews 10:24), warn, comfort, support (I Thessalonians 5:14), relieve the widow and orphan, care for saints in need (I John 3:17), and so much more.  Through each and every task, his work mate (the Word of God) is to be there with him (Psalm 40:8, 119:69, 80, 112, Ephesians 6:10-17, Colossians 3:16).

As a cowboy goes about his daily work, the horse is his source of power.  It transports him, cuts cattle when needed, holds taught the rope that binds a calf, and totes any supplies that he requires.  The horse is a power which saves the cowboy much time and effort.  The Bible is the source of power for all Christians.  It is a power for their salvation by the deliverance from sin (Romans 1:16, I Corinthians 1:18).  It is the knowledge of God which gives man all things for life and Godliness.  The Word of God provides strength for that Word is Christ (John 1:1, Philippians 4:13).

The horse helps a cowboy travel farther.  If he were left to his own path, he would stumble about and become weary.  Yet, the horse enables a man to cover terrain with endurance and speed he does not have on his own.  The horse gives the cowboy an advantage he simple would not have on his own.  The word of God is guide for man’s feet (Psalm 119:105) and if man were left to his own way he would only find destruction  (Proverbs 14:12, I Peter 4:17).  If a Christian holds fast the Word of God which he is taught he will reach the end of his journey no matter how long it may be (2 Thessalonians 2:15, Hebrews 5:9).  The advantage the Bible gives is the key to heaven and life.  In it are the words of Jesus (John 6:68) and it is only through Him man will be able to go to the Father (John 14:6).

Being a cowboy is often a lonely profession.  There may be long periods of time when there is no one around, but the cowboy’s horse.  The horse becomes a good trusted friend, one he often trusts above men.  The cowboy relies on the horses steps to be true and relies upon it as a warning in time of danger.  He learns the horse in and out and treats it with respect and care.  In the same manner a Christian learns to properly handle God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15).  Men may mock or belittle the Christian, but he trusts God’s word above them (Psalm 119:42).  Sometimes in this world a Christian feels alone, but if he simply turns to God’s Word, there is comfort (Psalm 119:50).

It should be easy to see the great many similarities between a cowboy with his horse and a Christian with his Bible, but what happens when someone – spiritually speaking – is “a man without a horse”?  Consider that a great number of people are like “a man without a horse”, except, they have no clue what they are missing.  They have a great ache, but don’t know how to fulfill it.  They pursue self actualization, possessions, good works, self denial, approval, recognition, and love of others, yet, at the end of the day, it isn’t enough.  Everything comes up empty for them.  They are lonely for something and growing weary.  Those who seek a true identity will find it (Matthew 7:7). Yet many like the rich young man of Matthew 19:16-22, when presented with the solution to their dilemma, cannot accept it.  They become frustrated and reject it as those of Acts 7:57-58.  One may point out that many individuals calling themselves Christians also seem to struggle with who they are and what their purpose is.  Sadly, this is true.  This author and other Christians have at times forgotten where our solace lies.  We have ridden on the horse so long that we take it for granted.  We begin to think we can do just as good or better on our own.  So, we put the Word aside and begin to struggle.  Sometimes it takes awhile to realize the foolishness of our choice.  Sometimes, folks refuse to admit their foolishness and keep on walking by the power of their own two feet or they just sit down and don’t go anywhere at all.  They have once again become incomplete, lacking, “a man without a horse”.

The Word is a steed indeed.  Christians must trust it, work with it, rely on its power, and allow themselves to be comforted by it.  If their desire is to live eternally in heaven, the Word of God will be there (Isaiah 40:8).  It will be just as faithful and true as it has always been.  In every good western movie, there is a scene where the cowboy is heading off to happier trails.  The movie is ending, a good day’s work has been done, and the cowboy is a silhouette against a sun setting on all cares and troubles.  He may have been battered, bruised, beaten, tested, and forsaken.  However, his trusted horse is under him and he knows better days lie ahead.  When the final day sets on this ball of earth, may those hailing the name of Christ have the trusted Word with them, so they too can draw close to the Son.

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