Bible by Period

RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE BIBLE BY PERIOD

2 Timothy 2:15

1.         The Antediluvian Period — This covers from Creation to Noah’s Flood. Ante means before (i.e., the great flood).

2.         The Postdiluvian Period — This covers from Noah’s Flood to the call of Abraham (Genesis 12). Post means after or subsequent.

3.        The Patriarchal Period — This period covers from the call of Abraham to the descent into Egypt of Jacob’s family. Earlier patriarchs had lived but we know so much more about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob these adorns the Bible from Genesis 12 to Genesis 50.

4.         The Egyptian Period — This covers the era from the descent into Egypt to the Exodus, approximately 200 – 215 years.

5.         The Period of Wandering — This period covers 40+ years. Two miraculous water crossings adorn this period; crossing the Read Sea at the beginning of this period and crossing the flood swollen waters of the Jordan River at the end under Joshua’s leadership.

6.         The Period of Conquest — This is the period from their crossing into Canaan until the appointment of the first Judge, Othniel. Canaan is conquered and parceled out among nine and one-half of the tribes at this time. Two and one-half tribes had already received their inheritance under Moses in Eastern Palestine.

7.         The Period of the Judges — This is a lengthy period and covers from Othniel’s appointment as first judge to the establishment of the kingdom under Saul. There were at least 15 judges – fourteen men and one woman judge, this era constitutes the dark ages in Israel’s history.

8.         The Period of the United Kingdom — This is the era that covers the three reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon. Each ruled for forty years, this period begins with Saul’s inauguration and ends with the division initiated by Solomon’s apostate and sad ruin.

9.         The Period of the Divided Kingdom — Covered here are the years of Judah (Southern Kingdom) and Israel (Northern Kingdom). This period lasted from 975 B.C. – 722 B.C. Each of the kingdoms had 19 kings. David’s line kept the Southern Kingdom except for Athaliah’s short reign. The Northern Kingdom had several dynasties, which ruled briefly then faded away.

10.       The Period of Judah Alone — This covers about 136 years from the fall of Samaria to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Assyrians in 586 B.C.

11.       The Period of the Captivity — This covers those years Judah spent in captivity in Babylon. This cured their idolatrous inclinations.

12.       The Period of the Restoration — This period covers from Cyrus’ decree that they could return to Canaan to Nehemiah’s rebuilding Jerusalem and the city walls and Malachi’s penning the final book of the Old Testament.

13.       Between the Testaments Period — This covers the 400 years from Nehemiah and Malachi to the announced births of John and Jesus. Many otherwise knowledgeable students of the Bible know but little of this period and yet knowledge of this era enhances a greater acquaintance with many New Testaments institutions and events. The editor has published a study guide to this era titled “THE FOUR HUNDRED SILENT YEARS.

14.       The Period of Jesus Incarnation — This period covers from His birth to His ascension. Approximately 33 years are involved. The Son of God and Son of Man met and merged in Him who is our Glorious Savior and Majestic and all-powerful King.

15.       The Period of the Lord’s Church — This covers from Pentecost until the end. This earth’s final age. There will not be another opportunity for mankind; this is the last dispensation of time. After this the judgment will occur.

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The Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-20
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.“

We see a parallel command from Jesus in Mark 16:15-17 where he commanded, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.“

These two passages and Luke 24:46-47 combined make up what we today sometimes refer to as the ‘Great Commission’.  Matthew, Mark and Luke have this as the last recorded commandment Jesus gave prior to His ascension back to heaven.  There are a lot of things in the words of Jesus here that are significant to our lives as Christians.  Jesus had completed His earthly ministry, had been rejected by His own people.  He had been crucified and had arisen from the dead and had spent the last forty days or so appearing to those who were believers in Him and speaking to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. 

Jesus was done teaching on the earth.  It was time now for Him to return to Heaven and rule over the coming kingdom of God which was due to be revealed in about 10 days.  The scriptures do not record any long parting speeches.  There is no record of any long and tearful goodbyes.  There is no evidence of any long discourses between Jesus and those whom He had been His constant companions for the past three years or so. 

There are many definitions of the word commission.  In this context, the word ‘commission’ means an authoritative order, charge, or direction.   Jesus finished up His earthly stay with directions regarding what His disciples were to do from that time forward in His absence from the physical realm.  He also gave them words of comfort which would serve to let them know that even  though he was not physically there, He would always be there with them in a way which would continue to sustain, uplift and comfort them until such time that He would return.  So for the remainder of this lesson, we are going to look at the ‘Great Commission’ of Jesus Christ and we will see that it is a relevant today as it was the day it was spoken by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

The Great Commission, as the saints of all ages have consented to call it, constitutes the marching orders of the Lord’s church for that day and on until that great day of the Lord which marks the end of man’s walk on this earth.  It is unlikely that many passages of similar length are more filled with divine truth than are these final words of Jesus before He left this earth. The Great Commission contains within its words many distinctive doctrines of the faith that is in Christ Jesus. These words are exactly what one should have expected, and far more, from the lips of a supernatural, divine Savior, at point of His departure to the eternal world of the spirit, and uttering one last comprehensive face to face command to his disciples with an application for all generations to come.

1. Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven…”  Power here is speaking of authority.

This supports the divinity of Christ. If these words had been spoken by a mere man or any other created being, they would be nonsense. Therefore in this statement Christ lays claim to His status as a member of the Godhead.  There is no way God, the Father is going to hand over all the authority in heaven to a mere man.  Jesus Christ was standing on the earth when He made that statement, but He was much more than just a man in order to make such a statement.   

Ten times in the Greek New Testament, Christ is actually called God (see John 1:1; 20:28; Acts 20:28; Romans 9:5; Philippians 2:6; Hebrews 1:8; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:20; Revelation 1:8; also Colossians 2:9 and John 14:9).  Let’s look at some of these. 

Acts 20:28
“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”  We all know that it was Jesus Christ who shed His blood on Calvary thereby being the one who purchased the church with His own blood.  But here the inspired text referred to Him as God. 

Philippians 2:5-6
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,”  Before leaving Heaven and coming down here to earth, Jesus was in the form of God. 

Hebrews 1:8-9, This is God the Father doing the talking here, “But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.  You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.“

When God the Father calls His Son, Jesus Christ God in the inspired record, not once but twice, you can be assured that Jesus Christ is God.  These and all the rest of the scriptures which refer directly to Jesus Christ as God leave no doubt whatsoever that Jesus Christ was in fact one of the three members of the Godhead which are individually identified later on in the Great Commission. 

And as if this was not enough to convince one of the deity of Christ, let us consider the many passages in which Jesus Christ laid claim to attributes of deity, as for example when he said, “Before Abraham was, I am!” The thought with this statement is one of eternal existence without beginning or ending.   Christ is God come in the flesh. That is the central meaning and message of Christianity.  Anything less than this regarding Christ would be blasphemous.   I say this because there are those within the so called religious community who claim Jesus Christ as their savior, but deny His deity.  They claim among many things that Jesus Christ is a created being just like the angels and Satan.  Such a belief flies in the face of scripture and lessens the Glory of God in many ways not the least of which calls God a liar when He Himself referred to Jesus Christ as God.

2.  “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth”  In earth.

The authority of Christ is supreme.  Ephesians 1:19-2:1, “and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.  And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”  Jesus is reigning supreme in heaven and on earth.  Jesus is a king, reigning right now in heaven over the church which is His spiritual kingdom. He will continue to reign until all his enemies have been put under foot, notwithstanding, the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:24,25).

3.  “Go Ye“

The disciples were instructed to go.  That does not mean to set in services and wait for visitors to show up at the assemblies.  It means Go and carry the message to the lost.   Evangelism is the heartbeat of the church.  Without those to carry the gospel to the world, the church will fade from existence and souls who might have been saved will be lost. 

God gave man the responsibility of spreading the word.  It has been entrusted to us.  God has left this up to us.  This is an overwhelming responsibility when you think about it.  Jesus died and gave His life for the church, and then left it up to us to tell the world about it.  The congregation here in Granby is here because someone evangelized.  I am grateful for this congregation.  I want to see it continue to be a light in this community.  I would like for it to be here a hundred years from now.  But without evangelism, it will eventually cease to exist.  How do we make sure it’s here for others in the future?  We “Go Ye“.

4.  “Go ye therefore and make disciples”   The KJV reads, “Go ye therefore, and teach“

Teaching, as a prerequisite of discipleship, is evident as one of the basic principles of the faith.  Infants cannot be taught, and therefore, in the true view, they cannot become disciples until they are old enough to be taught. The Great Commission is clearly opposed to infant church membership.  Christians don’t just happen, they must be taught and taught correctly.  Christians are not born, they are “born again“.  Infants and small children are not lost, therefore they are not dead in sin.  Those who are not dead in their sin do not need to be reborn. 

5. “Of all the nations”

Here is the world-wide missionary program of the church. Here is the world-wide brotherhood of all nations and races in Christ. God made of “one” all the families of the earth (Acts 17:26), and that universal kinship and brotherhood appear in the Great Commission. No limitation or abridgment is permitted. All the nations … not merely all “the English-speaking nations” or “all the white nations,” but all the nations! 

Galatians 3:26-29, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.“

All Christians, regardless of race or color are brethren in Christ.  There is no room in the heart of any faithful Christian for racial bigotry or prejudice. 

6. “Baptizing them“

Baptism is an essential step in the making of disciples.  Jesus chose to specifically mention it here.  It is understood that with the command to baptize others is the requirement to be baptized.  Mark’s account says in 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved“.  If nothing else appeared in all the Bible relative to the ordinance of baptism, Christ’s mention of it in this circumstance would have been more than sufficient to bind it upon all people for all time to come.

There is a great difference of opinion among the denominations as to the necessity and mode of baptism in the life of a believer.  The baptism of the Great Commission cuts through all this and clearly identifies the one baptism which is in effect today.  The baptism of the Great Commission is the one that can be submitted to and obeyed by the believer.  The baptism of the Great Commission is the one that can be administered to others by mankind.  Ephesians 4:5 says there is only one baptism.  That baptism can only be the baptism of the Great Commission and that is the one which is an immersion and resurrection in water. 

It was the mission of the early church to baptize believers, therefore that mission continues today.  Baptism is an essential and necessary step in the evangelizing process of the world.  Baptism is an essential and necessary step for becoming a Christian. 

7. “Baptizing them Into the name”

This means Baptized by the authority of and identified with.  Ephesians 3:14-16, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named”  All who have been baptized with the baptism of the Great Commission are identified with God as His children, as His special people.  Our association is no longer with the world and the things therein.  Our association is now with God and the things not of this world.

8. “Of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit“. Here is the doctrine of the Trinity. Although not stated in the Scriptures under that terminology, the doctrine of the Trinity is nevertheless a true one, and appears throughout both the Old and New Testaments. The pronouns for God in Genesis are plural, as in “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26).  In the New Testament, the doctrine of the Trinity appears in this passage, and at Christ’s baptism (Matthew 3:16) which reads, “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  In this context we have God the Son on earth having just been baptized.  We have God the Holy Spirit descending upon God the Son like a dove and we have God the Father speaking His approval from heaven.  Three separate persons, one nature, so united in purpose and direction that they are one. 

9. “Teaching them to observe all things”  The perpetual mission of the church as a teacher is implicit in these words. Here is the necessity for indoctrination and grounding all the disciples in the Savior’s teaching. Here is the divine authority for the Bible School, the house meeting, the mid-week service, the evangelistic campaign, and whatever else may be useful in carrying out the divine injunction to teach the baptized to observe all that Christ commanded. 

This is how baptized believers are grounded in the truth.  This is how babes in Christ are fed, nurtured and brought to maturity. Jesus did not stop with His instruction to baptize.  The responsibilities with discipleship are more far reaching than just making Christians.  The responsibility of the church does not stop there.   We are to follow up with teaching.  And what we are to teach is summed up by Jesus in words that are all inclusive of His whole life of teaching.  The instructions were to teach new Christians to observe everything:

10. “Whatsoever I have commanded you” … This establishes the identity of the true doctrine of Christ.  It is what Christ commanded, nothing else.  The most important identifying characteristic of genuine Christianity is that it is “of Christ.” The true faith was “first spoken” by him (Hebrews 2:3), and not by any other: Whatsoever was not first spoken by the Lord and confirmed by those who heard him can have no valid claim as a part of Christianity.  Not even the Holy Spirit came to reveal new truth to the apostles but to “bring all things to their remembrance” (John 14:26; 16:13). In practical fact, this limits true Christianity to what is taught in the New Testament, for that is the only book that contains the authenticated teachings of the Master. With the death of the last of the apostles who heard and confirmed to others what Jesus taught, the revelation of God’s true will for mankind was concluded. Many passages in the New Testament make that crystal clear. People are commanded not to go beyond what is written (1 Corinthians 4:6); the apostles gave all “things that pertain” to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3); the true faith was “once for all” delivered to the saints (Jude 3), recorded by “inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

In the light of this, how much of present-day religious practice and doctrine is useless?  Baptizing of babies, countless innovations in the worship, the doctrine of purgatory, penances, redemption of penances, and literally scores of other doctrines, devices, and presumptions of men, all which are identified as forming a part of Christianity, but it is not so. Christ taught none of those things.  They were not first spoken by him, and they were not revealed by the apostles.  We can look back and know who, when and where manmade innovations and practices were introduced into the church and brought into the the worship and practice of Christianity.  Jesus said on one occasion in Matthew 15:8-9, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.“

If something was not first spoken by Jesus and revealed by the apostles or other inspired writers, then it must be rejected.  It cannot be a part of the faith. 

11. “And lo, I am with you always”  This teaches the providence of God for His church. God has not wound up his universe, or his church, and left them to run of their own accord leaving them to their fate.  He “upholdeth all things by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). Christ promised to be with his disciples always.  A concerned and loving God always watches over the members and activities of His people. 

Telling His disciples He would be with them always was also going to be a great comfort for them because He was about to ascend into Heaven and they needed to know that He was with them, even if they could not see Him.  Jesus was about to leave them behind on earth, but they needed to know they were not being abandoned.  The application for us today is the same.  Even though we cannot see Jesus Christ, we know from the Great Commission that He is with us.  He is with His church.  He is reigning His spiritual kingdom from the right hand side of God the Father and He is with us still and will be with us until the end of this age and beyond. 

12. “Even unto the end of the age.”   The King James translates this as the end of the world.  This is the doctrine of the final destruction of the entire material creation, specifically of the earth and all that is in it and the heavens, meaning everything not on the earth itself. The apostle Peter elaborated on this (2 Peter 3:1-13). This creation is destined to be burned up.  The means by which this will be accomplished is not certainly known. 

In the light of Christ’s word in the Great Commission, and in view of Peter’s words on the same subject, the end of this world is certain. “No man knoweth the day nor the hour” (Matthew 24:36). The conclusion that thoughtful men should derive from these considerations is well stated by Peter who said, “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for these things, give diligence that ye may be found in peace” (2 Peter 3:14).

Mark 13:32-37
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. 34 It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. 35 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming — in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning — 36 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”
NKJV

Going back and looking at the great commission as a whole, we see the commands:  Go, Make disciples, Baptize and Teach obedience.  Who are we supposed to baptize and teach?  All nations. 

Jesus was giving His disciples the farewell instructions of how to proceed with the spreading of the gospel and the growth of His kingdom.  His work on earth as a flesh and blood man was finished.  He was passing the responsibility of discipleship and the continuation of Christianity to mankind.  We are commanded to Go, Make disciples, Baptize and Teach obedience.  That is how mankind is converted to Christ.  That is how Christians are made.  That is how the church, the body of Christ, lives, thrives, grows and continues on this earth. 

We cannot add anything to this, we certainly cannot take anything away from it.  If mankind fails to ‘go’ as commanded, the church of the new testament will not continue.  If mankind fails to ‘make disciples’ as commanded, the church of the new testament will vanish from the face of the earth.  If mankind fails to ‘baptize’ as commanded, the church of the new testament will cease to exist.  If mankind fails to ‘teach obedience’ as commanded, the church of the new testament will be replaced by the churches of men. 

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A Sound Mind

Sin involves a corruption of the mind. The word of God, in the mind of Eve, was replaced with a lie: “Ye shall not surely die.” Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtly, SO YOUR MINDS SHOULD BE CORRUPTED from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2-3).

Many have destroyed their minds with the use of alcohol, while other have become addicted to prescription drugs. Millions have embraced the theory of unity in diversity or some other erroneous philosophy, and in so doing have allowed their minds to be corrupted. Countless members of the church across the land who once were grounded and settled in the faith are now heard saying: “Well, I don’t know what I believe.” False philosophers from the newsstand, bar stool or pulpit will destroy one’s mind and his faith.

Pure Christianity never turned anyone into a “basket case.” The belief and practice of the teaching of Jesus is the best prescrip8on in the world for a wholesome mind. Paul wrote to Timothy: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear: but of power, and of love and of a SOUND MIND.” (2 Tim. 1:7)

The Bible records many examples of those whose minds were settled and composed when truth was accepted and obeyed. Jesus said of the lost son, “He came to himself,” he came to see his real condition and need. When he returned to his father all was well (Lk. 15:11-32). The Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing, after he learned and obeyed the gospel (Acts 7:8:26-30). Saul quit praying and fasting and he was baptized upon learning the truth from Ananias (Acts 9:1–‐18). The next verses say, “And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogue, that he is the Son of God (Acts 9:19-20).

Truly the faithful child of God has nothing to be ashamed of, nor should he be afraid. Rather he should fill his mind with the precious truths of the Scriptures and live life to the fullest every day. Peter wrote: “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13).

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The Purity of the Congregation

The congregation consists of those that are members of a local church. A local church is made up of a plurality of Christians that have volunteered to work together at a certain location to carry out their God given responsibilities to worship and work to glorify God – cf., John 4:24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth (ASV).  Each congregation when having reached its maturity will consist of elders and deacons with the membership – cf.,

Philippians 1:1, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus that are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons” (ASV):

Among those qualities, that the membership of each congregation is to develop is purity of life. Now, this purity includes a number of things that each Christian ought to possesses in their character, please note the following reference:

PURITY (Grk. hagneia, “cleanness”). Freedom from foreign mixture, but more particularly the temper directly opposite to criminal sensualities, or the ascendancy of irregular passions; chastity (2 Cor 6:6; 1 Tim 4:12; 5:2).

(From The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.)

PURIFICATION, PURIFY, PURIFYING

A. Nouns.

1. katharismos NT:2512 is rendered “a cleansing” (akin to No. 4, above), Mark 1:44; Luke 5:14; in Heb 1:3, RV, “purification.”

2. katharotes NT:2514, “cleansing,” Heb 9:13. See CLEAN, C, No. 2.

3. hagnismos NT:49 denotes “a ceremonial purification,” Acts 21:26, for the circumstances of which with reference to the vow of a Nazirite (RV), see Num 6:9-13.

B. Verbs.

hagnizo NT:48, akin to hagnos, “pure” (see CHASTE), “to purify, cleanse from defilement,” is used of “purifying” (a) ceremonially, John 11:55; Acts 21:24,26 (cf. No. 3 above); 24:18; (b) morally, the heart, James 4:8; the soul, 1 Peter 1:22; oneself, 1 John 3:3.

2. katharizo NT:2511, “to cleanse, make free from admixture,” is translated “to purify” in Acts 15:9, KJV (RV, “cleansing”); Titus 2:14; Heb 9:23, KJV (RV, “cleansed”). See CLEAN, B, No. 1.

(From Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

PURE and PURITY

As these words apply to the quality of character that Christians ought to possess. We have no problem understanding that they refer to morally, sexually, and spiritually clean. There are a number of passages of Scripture that refer to pure and purity by simply using the term white, as “dressed in white robes” {Rev. 7:9} and “riding on white horses” {Rev. 19:11-14}. White in these passages and others indicates purity.

In these passages in the Book of Revelation, many of them refer to Christ or to heavenly personages. Purity is a quality that every Christian ought to seek so that they can truly claim to be “imitators of the Divine Nature” (i.e., of Christ) – cf., 2 Peter 1:2-4,

Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. ASV

MORAL PURITY:

One of the areas that many Christians neglect  is  moral  purity.  Now,  moral purity

refers to the actions that we perform in our interactions with others. In whatever area that we may find ourselves dealing with other people we must display moral purity. If I am involved with another person in any business enterprise, I must always pursue honest, equitable, and fair practices. I must not seek to gain advantage through unchristian tactics. It is never morally right to take unfair advantage of another person in any activity. Fairness itself is an action that all Christians ought to pursue, note the following Biblical references:

Proverbs 1:3, To receive instruction in wise dealing, In righteousness and justice and equity; ASV

Proverbs 2:9, Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice, And equity, (yea), every good path. ASV

2 Corinthians 6:13, Now for a recompense in like kind (I speak as unto (my) children), be ye also enlarged.

Colossians 4:1, Masters, render unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven. ASV

MAINTAINING PURITY BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE:

The Christian that desires to maintain purity of the mind with regard to the opposite sex must be conscious of the teaching of the Bible on the subject and conform thereto. Part of the problem of maintaining purity in this area may be attributed to a failure to control the desires. We know that God teaches the Christian to maintain self-control as a quality of acceptance, please note the following Biblical references:

Acts 24:25, And as he reasoned of righteousness, and self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified, and answered, Go thy way for this time; and when I have a convenient season, I will call thee unto me. ASV

Galatians 5:23, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. ASV

2 Peter 1:6, and in (your) knowledge self-control; and in (your) self-control patience; and in (your) patience godliness;

CONSIDER THIS:

The apostle declared that one of the problems that he experienced as he desired to live the pure life was self-control. Paul even left us instructions about how to gain the advantage in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage (K.J.V., under subjection) lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected” {ASV}.  We would do well to imitate the apostle’s attitude toward taking care of the body’s desires.

PURITY AS WE INTERACT TOGETHER WITH THE UNSAVED THAT ARE IN THE WORLD:

We must surely understand the importance of showing those in the world that we are pure of speech, actions, and inclinations. To influence the people around us for good we must always maintain purity in their presence as if we were in the presence of the Lord in the congregation. Many passages found in the teaching  of the Lord teach  this fact, notice Matthew 5:13-16,

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do (men) light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shines unto all that are in the house. Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. ASV

CONCLUSION:

It is imperative that those of us that are serving God develop purity in all areas of life.

Ø      We must develop purity in the family relationship.

Ø      We must develop purity in our relationship to the government.

Ø      We must develop purity in our relationship with other Christians in the congregation.

Ø      We must develop purity in our business and social relationships in society generally.

Ø      We must develop purity as we interact with those people we work with in whatever place we work to provide a living for our family.

IN ALL ACTIVITIES, WE SHOULD LIVE PURE LIFESTYLES.

THERE IS NO TIME FOR THE CHRISTIAN TO LIVE OR ACT IN WAYS THAT ARE NOT UPRIGHT

OUR FUTURE ABODE DEPENDS UPON OUR LIVING A PURE AND WHOLESOME LIFESTYLE WHILE WE ARE HERE IN THE PHYSICAL BODY.

WE MUST CORRECT OUR SINS AND FAILURES SOON AS THEY ARE KNOWN, AND REPENT OF ALL THOSE THINGS THAT WILL HINDER US.

Posted in Garreth L. Clair | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Purity of the Congregation

Why Denominations?

QUESTION: “If there’s only one God and only one Bible, then why are there so many different churches or denominations?”

Excellent question! And certainly a question which those who have been ‘soured’ on religion in general have every right to ask. In fact, it’s a question that makes perfect sense – no matter how you slice it or why one asks it. “If there’s only one God and only one Bible, then why are there so many different churches or denominations anyway?”

This is a question very deserving of a common sense, scriptural answer, because certainly we know from even a peripheral reading of the New Testament that that’s not the way God intended for it to be, nor is it the way things were in the first century, between 33 A.D. when Christ established His church (Matt. 16:18-19) on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-47), and the writing of Revelation by John, somewhere near the end of the 1st century. During that time the Scripture unequivocally shows us that there was but one church in existence. That church was (and still is) the body of Christ, and there was (and still is) only one (Eph. 1:22-23, 4:4-6).

During that same first century, all the ‘churches’ (that is to say, local congregations of the same, one, exclusive, New Testament church over which Jesus alone was Head – Eph. 1:22-23) all taught the same things (1 Cor. 4:17, 7:17, 11:16, 16:1). It wasn’t like it is today with a different “church” on every corner, all with their conflicting and contradictory doctrines and dilemmas. Instead, if there was a church meeting in a town, it was a church of Christ; if there were several meeting, they were all churches of Christ (Romans 16:16)! And any question a sincere seeker asked was bound to receive the same answer because all the congregations of the one N.T. church/body/kingdom of Christ, were expressly, exclusively, and unequivocally committed to the apostles’ doctrine only (Acts 2:42), as they recognized that the apostles alone both had and delivered by divine authority, the very commandments of God Himself (1 Cor. 14:33-38; 1 Thess. 2:13, 4:1-8; 2 Tim. 1:13).

Divisions (or denominations) of loyalty down into groups following certain men and their doctrines, instead of only Christ and His, were boldly and thoroughly condemned (1 Cor. 1:10-13). Conversely, unity was achieved by simply standing together as one, faithfully and exclusively following the absolute truth of God’s Word alone just as Jesus had prayed for (John 17:6-23; Phil. 1:27-2:2). For 200 years or so thereafter there was but the one church Jesus had built as seen established, evidenced, and in existence in the N.T. Scriptures.

Emperor Constantine later (313-337) began instituting and implementing departures from the apostle’s doctrine that soon led to the faulty foundation of the Catholic Church being laid, and it wasn’t until 1517 that the first major protestant denominations began to be built by mere mortal men (Matt. 15:7-9), based on their own faulty and biblically-contradictory doctrines which they had developed in the dark recesses of their own hearts and minds – a practice which was certainly nothing new, and which God never had, or ever will approve of (See 1 Kings 12:25-13:10 with 2 Kings 17:20-23; Jeremiah chapters 5-7, 23, and etc) These new-fangled denominations and their doctrines did not even resemble the church of Christ as seen in Scripture in many cases. But many are those Biblically ignorant and uninformed today who have fallen prey to these countless counterfeits. People today are actually stunned to learn, that in fact none of the modern-day Protestant denominations (i.e. divisions) are more than 500 years old!

Bottom Line? There is one God, one faith, one Lord, one baptism, and one body/church, according to God (Eph. 4:4-6). Want to learn more about the Lord’s one N.T. church as established and experienced in Scripture; the same one the apostles worked and worshipped both with and in?  Come and see and check us out. Ask for a study. Ask questions. We’re easy to find, both in town and in The Book (Acts 2, Rom. 16:16).

Posted in Doug Dingley | Tagged , | Comments Off on Why Denominations?