Decisions

The problem often faced by worldly people is “what do I do next?” Indeed, this is last resort for people who have followed the Devil all their life and suddenly find themselves in a predicament where they do not know where to go or what to say. The person who follows the worldly crowd will probably find themselves involved in, unlawful activities [i.e. drug use or selling of illegal drugs, prostitution, lying, cheating, gambling, adultery, thefts, robbery, and etc.]. Many people at this point in life have been apprehended by the local, county, state, or federal authorities and will soon face a jury on criminal charges. This is for many worldly people the first time they have given any serious thought to the decisions that brought them to this juncture in life. Yet, may such people realize at this bad time in their life that everything has gotten as bad as it can get, “What can I do now? Where can I go? How did I get here?”  The truth of their situation is simple, they made bad decisions and choose to follow through on those decisions. This is their root problem; they chose to do those things over a period of time that led them into deeper and deeper trouble with the lawful authorities due to their choice to break established laws.

Whenever people make decisions based upon their free will to do so, they must ultimately face the consequence for their decisions. When a person has violated the laws of man and God they are surely headed toward a day of accounting for their decisions. It is true, that every decision that one makes, either good or bad carries with it the ultimate day of retribution [i.e. facing the music or being accountable]. There has never been a time in man’s existence when he was at liberty to escape retribution for his deeds. The first man and woman [i.e. Adam and Eve – Genesis 3:1-24] were not immune from accountability to God’s law and subsequent humankind has had the same problem. Apparently mankind has an inclination to make wrong decisions based upon their innate ability to choose, this does not mean that mankind is somehow born evil or totally corrupt at birth as our Calvinist friends suggest.

Since mankind does have this free will facility to choose either good or bad with everything in life, why does mankind so often choose to turn away from compliance to established law? We are at a loss generally to answer the why of man’s ability to choose to violate man and God’s laws more often than to accept them and abide therein. One of the problems that face everyone is the frailty of the human condition; man is possessed of a body and mind that requires constant care in both physical and mental preservation. If we fail to care for our body it will not serve us well very long and if we fail to be conscious of our mental choices we will descend into shame and degradation.

There is simply only one realistic decision that man must make in life, that decision ought to be made early in life yet some do not make the decision until they have created a wreck of their life. That decision is to pursue the truths revealed in God’s Book [i.e. the Bible]. God has informed mankind via Jeremiah 10:23, “O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” ASV – From this passage of Holy Scripture we recognize that man’s condition may be unfathomable to him yet if he will pursue the wisdom from God via the Bible, God’s plan for his life can be understood and followed.

God’s plan for man is summed up in the New Testament, in several references:

Acts 2:37-40, “37 Now when they heard (this,) they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? And Peter (said) unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, (even) as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. And with many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, save yourselves from this crooked generation.” ASV

Hebrews 5:8-9, “8 though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation;” ASV

Eph 3:17-21, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which passes  knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fullness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 unto him (be) the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.” ASV

Acts 2:47, “47 praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved.” ASV

CONCLUSION:

Remember this; whenever man makes the decision to proceed in life without God’s direction he will surely live a life of unlawful and unscriptural activities. Often those that live a worldly life are self destructive, bringing upon themselves many sorrows. But the person who turns to God for instruction and chooses to follow God’s instruction will surely be a credit to mankind and to God through righteous action and manner of life. The true Christian may live a life that encourages other people to live righteous lives as well. The Bible teaches us that true Christians are “the light of the world” and “the salt of the earth.” [Matthew 5:13-16]Consequently one is wise who makes a decision to faithfully serve God throughout their whole life, cf. Romans 12:1-2.

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What is Truth?

“What Is Truth,” Pontius Pilate asked Jesus Christ (Jn. 18:38). Although Jesus didn’t answer him there, He answered that question for us in John 17:17, stating simply that God’s word is truth.  Just because millions today choose to deny that, does not change that; not one iota (Psalm 119). Many want to tell us today that “truth” is relative; that is, that whatever you believe to be true for you is true for you, and whatever I believe to be true for me is true for me, and even if these two “truths” are both diametrically opposed to each other and God’s standard, they’re both somehow still “true.” They call that “relativism;” I call it “ridiculousism.”

Let’s say that the local authorities have determined that the speed limit on your town’s Main Street is 25 MPH. If your “truth” states that it ought to be 50 MPH, and your teenagers’ “truth” states it ought to be 75 MPH, that isn’t going to avail you one whit when the blue lights of authority start flashing behind you. The all-authoritative and exclusive standard of well-established written truth is what you will ultimately be judged by. The same is true in Christianity (see: Jn. 12:48; Acts 13:46).

And although some well-educated (in some cases “too well educated”) religious peoples’ so-called “truth” says, “salvation is by ‘faith only,’” “once saved, always saved,” and “baptism doesn’t save you,” God’s all-authoritative and exclusive truth says just exactly the extreme opposite (Jms. 2:19-24; Gal. 5:4; 2 Ptr. 2:20-22; 1 Ptr. 3:21; Acts 2:38).

So; whom do you truly believe? That is to say, where and whom is your faith really centered in and on? God, or man (Rom. 3:4)? What is your soul worth to you? Are you truly interested in God’s truth – which is in fact, the only real truth according to Jesus? If so, come and study God’s word with us and we’ll be glad to answer your questions, “book, chapter, and verse,” straight out of the very Word of God. Otherwise, what are those people called again who refuse to hear or listen to God’s word which is truth, according to Jesus (John 8:31-47)? And you shall know the truth…

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A Question of Judgment

What is the day mentioned in Hebrews 10:25?

Is this mention of the day referring to Worship on the first day of the week or some other time? Some say that this the Lord’s day. Some say that it is the fall of Jerusalem Some say that it is the day of judgment.

Now, if this “day” is meant to be Sunday, then we are ordered to obey the command to exhort another and increase the exhortation as the weekend nears. But the statement of the verse shows that the exhortations were done in the assemblies so the day approaching must be some other day.

Some Bible students make the case for the “day” being the day of Judgment. However, we have no open or observable way of seeing this day approaching. There is to be no sign in nature indicating Christ’s second coming (Matt. 24:35-39; Mk. 13:32-33). There is no way for us to know when the judgment day will occur. We only know that with each passing day, the end of time is one day nearer. So, if the judgment is the “day” mentioned by the Hebrew writer, with each passing day, we are to increase our exhorting, but again, the exhorting’s are done in the assemblies.

Some Bible students make a case for the “day” as being the day of our death. Although we all know that we shall die, we do not know what day that will be. We can only know that with each passing day, we are one day closer to our departure from the earth and with the coming of each new day, our current sojourn is that much shorter. In the light of this verse, we are to increase our exhortations, however, there is a limit to the amount of exhorting we can do.

However, there is a strong case that can be made for the “day approaching” as being the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. We can read from Matt. 24:3-34 and Lk. 21:20-22 and see that the Lord had predicted the destruction of Jerusalem even to the point of giving many signs of that day. This event would be of great interest to the Hebrew Christians because it would be a time they could identify that this destruction was drawing near because the descriptions given by the Lord were becoming true. Also, ancient records show that no Christian died in the destruction of Jerusalem, because of the warning signs Christ provided. Thus it is recorded in historical books that, “When the whole congregation of the Church in Jerusalem, according to an oracle given by revelation to approved persons among them before the war, were commanded to depart from the city and inhabit a city which they call Pella, beyond the Jordan, to which when all those who believed in Christ had removed from Jerusalem, and when the saints had totally abandoned the royal city which is the metropolis of the Jews, then the Divine vengeance seized them who had dealt so wickedly with Christ and his Apostles, and utterly destroyed that wicked and abominable generation” (Eusebius).

Now, Hebrews was written between A.D. 63-65 just 5 or so years before the destruction and during a time of persecution in Jerusalem and Palestine. The Hebrew writer mentioned that all their goods would be spoiled and should rely upon a better enduring substance in heaven (Heb. 10:34). The thing is: many were discouraged and some had quit assembling with the church because of what was about to take place. This was wrong because it: Set at naught God’s ordinance to assemble (Acts 2:42; 20:7; John 20:20-22); It deprives the absent member of many spiritual blessings. It sets the wrong example (Matt. 5:12-16; 1 Tim. 4:12).

Now, there are several statements in the New Testament which seem to refer to the day of Jerusalem’s overthrow, which lends acceptance to the “day approaching” of the text being that occasion. These verses may indeed have the fall of Jerusalem in mind. Romans 16:20: “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” Philippians 4:5: “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” James 5:8: “Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” 1 Peter 4:7: “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”

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Not Every Seed Falls on Good Soil

In Luke 8:4-8 (Matt 13:1-9; Mark 4:1-9) Jesus tells the parable of the four different types of soil. The farmers of the day did not have the precision seeding equipment that we see used today. Instead the common practice was that of hand seeding. As the sower went through the field he would broadcast handfuls of seed in an attempt to get as much seed as possible to take root. This inevitably led to some waste as some of the seed would fall into unproductive areas (the road, rocks, and thorns).

For you and I there are some very important lessons to be learned here and some things we should take some time to reflect upon.

1.     What kind of soil am I? Most people think that they are good soil. The truth however is that the Bible and our lives do not support such an assumption. This parable makes it clear that ¾ of the soils are not receptive. Jesus said, “…narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt 7:14). Week in and week out preachers of the gospel stand before half filled auditoriums and preach the gospel to half an audience. Many in attendance are so disengaged and unreceptive we are left to wonder why they are even there. The preacher is sowing the seed of God and most have impermeable hearts. Why? They don’t like the messenger, they don’t like the message, or they simply wish to be somewhere else: doing anything else. It is high time we stop judging the hearts of others (and making excuses) and do some serious reflection upon our own attitudes and conditions.

2.     How much of the seed are we spreading? As Christians today it is natural for us to pick and choose individual precise locations to put down a seed. We prejudge the condition of the soil. The problem is we are not soil experts, God is! We focus on the people who look like us, talk like us, and think like us. But our responsibility is to spread as much seed as possible (Acts 8:4) and let God give the increase (1 Cor 3:6-7). We need to focus our lives on the purpose God has given us: To fear Him and keep His commandments (Eccl 12:13), to make disciples and teach them (Matt 28:18-20), and to bring glory and honor to God through our lives of holiness and faithfulness (Matt 5:13-16).

3.     Am I actively bringing in the sheaves? Some are planting and others are watering and indeed God does give increase when we do (1 Cor 3:6). But our work is not over, we need to be in the field at the end of the day bringing in the harvest. Jesus pointed toward the fields and said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Luke 10:2). How much harvest has I brought in for the Lord?

In our story it is important for us to remember the fact that although some areas did not produce any fruit it was not the famer’s fault, nor was it a defective seed. The produce depended on the state of the soil upon which the seed had fallen. It is eternally imperative that we do whatever we need to fertilize and cultivate within us a receptive heart lest we hear the same inspired condemnation that Simon heard, “…your heart is not right in the sight of God” (Acts 8:21). Simon repented, will you?

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In the Spirit and Not in the Letter

In Romans 2, Paul concludes the chapter with these words, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” (2:28-29). From this passage, some try to make a distinction between the letter and the spirit of the law.

Denominationalists claim that if we carefully adhere to the commandments of God, we are only emphasizing the letter of the law, and not the spirit of the law. No, this is not what Paul is discussing. Paul is not here saying that obedience is not necessary, but that the inward attitudes must accompany their obedience.

Going all the way back to at least Martin Luther, many in the religious world confuse what Paul writes in this epistle and what James writes in James 2:14-26. Nevertheless, because we have only one author in the grand scheme of things (2 Tim. 3:16-17), we must view these as harmonious in teaching and understanding. Paul is not teaching some “faith only” doctrine with this peculiar language, but he is only addressing the problem in the attitudes of the Jews. Please look at the context, specifically in Romans 2:17-29.

He begins, “Behold, thou art called Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God” (2:17). In other words, they had the idea that because they had the Law of Moses, then everything was satisfactory. They thought that they knew God exclusively and that the Gentiles did not. Here is the problem—though they pretended to believe the Law of Moses, they did not allow it to affect their lives (2:18-21). On a side note, do we boast today in the gospel of Christ in the same way? Therefore, the same application is true of us. We have the Bible and say that we can properly interpret it. We try to teach others how to divide the scriptures properly concerning the plan of salvation, the church and such like, but do we really teach ourselves how it is to affect our lives?

Therefore, they boasted in the fact that they had the Law of Moses (2:23). They read it every Sabbath Day in their synagogues. Yet, they continually broke the Law (i.e., Matt. 23:14-23). As long as they went through the ritual of the Law of Moses, they thought that they were all right (cf. Isa. 1:2-20). In the time of Paul, national or fleshly Israel is living this same way as during the days of Isaiah. We need to remember to make a distinction between fleshly Israel and the Israel of God! No wonder they were unable to influence the Gentile world (2:24)! By the Gentiles seeing how they lived, they blasphemed the name of God!

Thus, when he brings in the subject of circumcision (a mark of distinction from Jews and Gentiles), Paul instructs them that the emphasis of circumcision in the Old Testament was to remind them of the importance of the circumcision of the heart (2:25); that is, they were to live as a separated people who belonged to God and were to abide in His covenant. When they failed to live the proper life, although they were circumcised, it did not make any difference as far as receiving the blessings of God. One Jewish rabbi once said, “A circumcised Jew could not go to hell!” That is what they thought here, and Paul is showing them that this is not true. Even the Old Testament showed that this was not to be the case. Now, by faith, here is a Gentile who lived in harmony with what the Law of Moses taught (2:26); thus, God accepted him based upon his faith. The “righteousness of the law” was righteousness by faith—there is no other kind of righteousness that is acceptable to God. By faith, whenever a Gentile lived by the principles of the covenant, he was acceptable to God, as he will even discuss later in this epistle to the Romans (cf. 9:30). Thus, we need to recognize the difference between one who followed the law “by the letter” and the Gentile who could fulfill the law (2:27)—he fulfilled it in the sense that he could do so by faith, which had to do with the inward attitude, as the next verse says.

Therefore, whenever a Jew under the law did not allow the law to affect his heart and cause him to live a righteous life by faith, he was not accepted of God. It did not matter if he was a descendant of Abraham (cf. Gen. 18:18-19). The real children of Abraham were those who lived by faith as Abraham did, and their lives demonstrated that they had a faith as Abraham did (i.e., Joshua and Caleb versus the rest of the nation). They were those who understood the significance of the circumcision and were Jews inwardly. The Old Testament emphasized that circumcision was always to signify a distinction of the heart (Deut. 30:1-6). Therefore, their captivity would cause them to return to God in faith, penitence and prayer (cf. Lev. 26:40-46), and then their hearts were circumcised. In other words, their service and obedience was from the heart, which is how God accepted it. That is the only kind of service that God has accepted.
Therefore, under the Old Testament, the Jews misinterpreted the Law of Moses—they thought that as long as they kept the rituals of worship, feast days and sacrifices, it would not matter how they lived. We must understand this to understand the references from Paul in the book of Romans to the law and those who were trying to find justification by it. I pray that this may help avoid confusion in misrepresenting and misunderstanding what Paul teaches in this wonderful epistle about redemption!

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