The Necessity of Hearing

When writing to the church at Rome Paul made an important statement when he wrote, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Understandably, anything that is written in the Bible is important for us to take into consideration. If it were not important, it would not be there for us to read. Here Paul makes an important statement concerning faith. How is biblical faith produced? It is through the hearing of God’s Word. This was a point which the Christ made during His time on earth. “Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12). Notice that hearing is a necessity which precedes belief and salvation.

Take note of the book of Acts and how the act of hearing the Gospel is stressed. On the day of Pentecost, the devout Jews who were in Jerusalem were confounded because they heard Galileans speaking the languages of these Jews who had gathered together from all over the earth. “And how hear we every man in our own language?” (Acts 2:8). “And they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). Even after Peter and John were later arrested, those who heard Peter’s preaching the resurrection of the dead through Jesus obeyed the Gospel. “Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of men was about five thousand” (Acts 4:4). It wasn’t just the preaching of the apostles, but also Christians such as Philip in Samaria. “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did” (Acts 8:5-6). Even for those who make the claim that an angel came to them with a message from God and that angel saved them, we notice that an angel sent a man to preach the Gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch. The Eunuch had to hear God’s message as preached by a man (Acts 8:26). The angel did not save the Eunuch. Philip preached the Christ through Isaiah 53 and the Eunuch obeyed the Gospel. One can even turn to the apostle Paul as an example of one who needed to hear God’s message. After being blinded on the road to Damascus he was told by Jesus, “Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do” (Acts 9:6). What was he told? “And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). There are countless other examples in the book of Acts but hopefully these examples will drive home the intended point.

Never once did any of these people have some sort of “epiphany” which caused a sudden belief in God. God’s Word was the catalyst which softened the hearts of these individuals to serve God and His Will. It is the same catalyst which will spur an individual to become a Christian and will spur the Christian to continue in service to God.

Thought of the Week: Resolutions

This is the time of year which many make we call “New Year’s Resolutions.”  Basically, it’s a number of changes or goals that an individual hopes to make in the new year.  One may make the decision that he will lose weight and exercise more. He may make the statement, “I’m going to run x distance every day!”  Some will even make it a resolution to read a certain number of books throughout the year. Those are all well and fine but a friend once said, “Resolutions were made to be broken.” While things may start off well enough, the resolution is not often kept for a number of reasons. One may lose sight of the goal set. One may even set the bar too high and commit to keep that which is unattainable at the moment. That person gets discouraged and gives up.

While this should not be a resolution, may it be the goal of every Christian to live a more Christ-like life. Unlike some resolutions which are too difficult the commandments of God “…are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). We can keep them. Weight loss for the Christian is easy if we choose to “…lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us…” (Hebrews 12:1-2). We may not read as many books as we’d like to this years but we can “…give attendance to reading…” the Holy Scriptures (1 Timothy 4:13). Furthermore, no Christian can lose sight of the goal if he makes the decision to “…press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Thought of the Week: What Will Your Epitaph Say?

Ever walk through a cemetery on the way to a particular burial plot just to notice the epitaph on a gravestone? An epitaph is a summary statement to commemorate a person’s life. It may say something along the lines of, “Loving daughter, mother, and wife,” “Brave Soldier Who Fought to Defend the Lives of Many,” or “When All Hope Was Gone, He Never Gave Up.”

Sometimes, these epitaphs are humorous in a morbid way. In Philadelphia, on the tombstone of a man who died of yellow fever in 1790 is written:

Grim death took me

without any warning

I was well at night

and dead in the morning.

 In describing the death of one Anna H., who fell from a presumed fall, has an epitaph which reads:

Here lies the body of our Anna

Done to death by a banana

It wasn’t the fruit that laid her low

But the skin of the thing that made her go.

Some even described individuals who weren’t well liked. In Nova Scotia a tombstone reads:

Here lies Ezekial Aikle

Age 102

The Good Die Young.

 Sometimes, an epitaph does not properly describe an individual’s life. That’s not to demean that person in the least bit but it is true. Maybe the words written do not do proper justice to the person in the grave who was so caring that it is hard to express in such words. Sometimes, that person doesn’t deserve the words written on the grave.

Throughout the Bible there are “epitaphs” concerning certain men and women. It is through these that we remember them and their character. If your epitaph were to be completely honest about you, what would it say? Would it be similar to the ones we read of in the Bible? Would it be said that you had “forsaken the right way and gone astray” as those who followed after the way of Balaam, loving the wages of unrighteousness (2 Peter 2:15). Would your tombstone read that you wanted to be first like Diotrephese, who loved the preeminence (3 John 9)? Maybe it would say that you, like David, were after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Will it read “Ready to be Offered” (2 Timothy 4:6) or “Unprepared to Meet Thy God”? Hopefully, it can be etched in stone that we “became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered” (Romans 6:17). Sadly, there will be some who it could be said are “not able to enter in because of unbelief” (Hebrews 3:19).

Thought of the Week: Prior Proper Preparation

In high school, my Agriscience teacher had a saying which he would constantly use to those of us who were FFA officers (Yes, for those who know me, I was an officer in the Future Farmers of America). We would start planning for the FFA’s yearly banquet the day after the last one occurred. We would ask him why and he would mention the “Six P’s.” If someone was late with an assignment given to them, he would again mention the “Six P’s.” Finally, someone asked him what the “Six P’s” were. He went to his office and made enough copies of a sheet of paper to give to all of us. On that paper was written, “Prior, Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Product.” In other words, if one properly prepared for what was in the future, that one should not fail. How true this is for Christianity. Is not Heaven a “prepared place for a prepared people?” Sadly, Christ offered a parable concerning the lack of preparation which many would have (Matthew 25:1-13). There were ten virgins waiting for the coming of the bridegroom before the wedding feast. None of them knew the exact time of his coming. Five were wise in the fact that they were prepared by having sufficient oil for their lamps. Five were foolish in the fact that they did not. While the ten slumbered, the bridegroom came and the five foolish tried to get prepared by borrowing from the five wise. Since, the wise only had enough oil for themselves and the foolish; it did not work out that way. The five foolish then tried to get prepared while the bridegroom was coming by going into town and getting their needs. While they were gone, the bridegroom came and the wise went into the marriage feast with him and the five foolish were left outside the gates, being told, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not” (Matthew 25:12). Jesus ended the parable by saying, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:13). In other words, be prepared because we never know when Jesus is coming back to this earth. In this instance, instead of preventing a poor product, we find that “Prior, Proper Preparation Prevents Eternal Damnation.” 

Will You Be Mocked? by Wayne Rodgers

Brother Wayne Rodgers is the preacher at the Oceanside church of Christ. Wayne and I graduated from the Memphis School of Preaching in 2009. You can find his blog, Wandering Off the Beaten Path, by clicking this link. Wayne is a great gospel preacher and is a blessing to the church.

Approximately 3,000 years ago, the wise man Solomon wrote, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Prov. 20:1).  A lot of wine has “passed under the bridge since then,” but lots of folks are still being deceived by the “rag­ing mocker,” alcohol.  The statistics tell the sad story of alcohol abuse in America.  More than 70% of adult Americans drink alcoholic beverages, and 1 out of 10 becomes an alcoholic.  Alcohol is the most abused drug in our society, costing our nation over $100 billion dollars annually in lost production, medical costs, property damage, violent crime, and death, not to mention the misery which results from the effects of this deadly drug.

Did you know that over half of all fatalities, resulting from car crashes, are caused by drivers who are “under the influence?” Every 48 seconds a person is injured in an al­cohol related auto accident, disabling over 500,000 people annually.  Alcohol is involved in 30-40% of all sexual abuse cases, and over 675,000 children annually are the victims of child abuse at the hands of a sub­stance-abusing caretaker.  Over 5,000 babies are born each year with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and according to a former Surgeon General, alcohol causes more deaths, than all major diseases combined.  Law enforce­ment experts agree, alcohol abuse is the leading cause of nearly every type of crime.

                 

When all the statistics are considered, how foolish it is that some “Christians” still advocate the consumption of alcohol in moderation, so long as one does not become drunk. Again, Solomon gave wise counsel when he wrote, “Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath bab­bling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup…, At last it biteth like a ser­pent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall be­hold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea... They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake?  I will seek it yet again” (Prov. 23:29-35).   

A careful study of God’s Word reveals the devastation, which results from consuming alcohol, referred to in the Scriptures as, “the raging mocker.”  For instance, Lot became guilty of incest with his daughters because he became drunk (Gen. 19:33-35).  Nadab & Abihu were likely “under the influence” when they offered “strange fire” leading to their demise (Lev. 10:1-11).  Amnon was easily slain by the servants of Ab­salom, because he made the foolish mistake of getting drunk (II Sam. 13:28-29).  Queen Vashti was dis­honored by her husband, Ahasuerus, when at a drunken feast he ordered her to pa­rade her beauty before the crowd (Esther 1:1-22).  Belshazzar lost the kingdom of Babylon to the Medes and Per­sians, because he desecrated God’s sacred temple vessels, during the midst of a drunken feast (Dan. 5:1-31).

                 

God’s Word says the human body is to be preserved in purity as the temple of the Holy Spirit. “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (I Cor. 6:19-20).  However, alcohol destroys that temple. Ethyl alcohol reaches the bloodstream 30 seconds after ingestion, where it begins its damaging work.  Consuming it, in even small quantities, kills brain cells, impairs judgment and coordination, and adversely affects nearly every major organ of the body.  Overwhelming medical evidence shows there is no level of drinking that is not harmful to the body.

Christians are warned to guard our influence and not become a stumbling block to the weak.  We are not to abuse our freedom in Christ, by causing the weaker brother to sin, and social drinking falls within the jurisdiction of this counsel.  “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.  Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God (I Cor. 10:32).

Yes, wine is still “the rag­ing mocker,” and millions are still being deceived by its influence.  However, the faithful child of God will wisely avoid strong drink, lest he become addicted to this work of the flesh, and miss inheriting the king­dom of God (Gal. 5:21, I Cor. 6:9-10).  Has “the raging mocker” fooled you?  Please think about it seriously.  

The bold letters tell the story of exactly what alcohol will do for you.  It will take you AWAY from God, your family, your job, and your life.

Q & A: Is Cremation Biblical?

Is it biblical to be cremated? There are those who teach that the Christian is bound to be buried. If one decides to be cremated, he would be committing sin. So, while at the root it may seem like nothing, it is important that we know the answer. If it is a sin, it affects our eternity. Will cremation cause one to enter a realm of fire that never dies? The first thing that needs to be done is define the terms. Cremation is “the incineration of a dead body.” Burial defined as “concealing something under the ground.” One should keep in mind that the subject is about burial after death. This was not the “burial of an ass” which Jehoiakim received (Jeremiah 22:19). This is not concerning the burial of water the Israelites received at the Red Sea (Exodus 14; 1 Corinthians 10:2) or even the “burial” every man must face in order to become a new man in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:1ff). Is it more holy to be buried and is it a sin to be cremated? Now, what does the Bible state on the subject?

Those who stand against the idea of cremation use the argument that those who were holy were buried while the ungodly were consumed by fire. Examples of Sara, Abraham, Stephen and others are given as examples of the holy. For the unholy, one can look no further than the examples of Nadab, Abihu, and Achan. Here are a few problems with these examples. Nadab and Abihu were devoured by fire from the Lord because of sin (Leviticus 10:1-3). They were still alive at the time of the supernatural fire. This has nothing to do with burial. Achan took the accursed thing (Joshua 7:1). He and his family were stoned and burned afterwards. These instances, along with others, do not give proof for burial over cremation (Leviticus 20:14; 21:9). None of these are in the context of burial. Even Deuteronomy 21:23 is given in the context of someone who committed an act worthy of death. He was to be hanged from a tree. It has nothing to do with cremation vs. burial. If anything, it proves that the godly were not the only ones buried.

What about the fact that cremation spawned from non-Christian practices? Cremation was a constant practice of the Greeks and Romans who viewed the body as temporary and the soul of the only part which was immortal. I have personally seen a Hindu cremation ceremony, a process which is part of their belief in reincarnation. Vikings were normally cremated. They viewed the smoke as a medium which quickened the warrior’s trip to Valhalla. Do these examples prove that cremation is unbiblical? That is, unless we plan on renaming the planets and days of the week, abstaining from EVERY holiday, and completely cutting ourselves off from a host of other things which began from pagan practices. While there are practices which are wrong, one cannot say that cremation is sinful, while Halloween, which began from a Celtic (pagan) background, or Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or Saturday (named after the Romans deity Saturn) is not.

Many claim that since the Bible does not speak of cremation with approval, it must be wrong. 

The problem with this statement is the Scriptures also DOES NOT speak of cremation with disapproval. 

Biblical Authority obviously comes from the Bible. 

Is there any direct command concerning burial over cremation? Do we have any divine examples? Are there any implicit statements? The answer to all three is no. Furthermore, if one chooses to be cremated and cremation is sin, does that mean we can sin after death? “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10; cf. James 2:26). God is not concerned with what you do with your body AFTER you die. God is concerned with what you do with your body BEFORE you die.

Cremation is not a biblical practice but it is not an unbiblical practice. There is no “Thus saith the Lord…” concerning this topic. It all comes down to your personal belief. If you believe that cremation is wrong, you are not to be cremated (Romans 14:23) but do not tell someone else that he is going to Hell for the decision to do so. “Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth” (Romans 14:22).

"The Pope Exonerates the Jews for Christ's Crucifixion" by Mike Swims

I first met brother Mike Swims when I moved to Jacksonville, FL. He is a member of the Oceanside church of Christ, a wonderful Christian influence, and strong defender of Christ. He enjoys studying Christian Evidences and recently taught the teenagers of Oceanside concerning the subject. The Faith Forum is his blog. Here, you will find a multiplicity of excellent articles. He recently made the decision to attend the Memphis School of Preaching and will do so in July. 

"Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:" Acts 7:51,52 (Stephen addresses the Jewish Council)

Pope Benedict XVI, in his latest book, has exonerated the Jews as a nation for the crucifixion of Christ. The Pope is quoted in his book, which is due out next month, as saying that the crucifixion of Christ came at the hands of the Roman Empire, and at the behest of the Jewish aristocratic members, who chose Barrabas over Jesus. However, let us consider what the Bible says about the guilt of the Jewish nation.

In Acts 7, Stephen is brought before the council under false charges. When he is asked about his guilt regarding the charges, he does use this chance to defend himself, but rather addresses the guilt of the Jewish nation for Christ's death as a whole. In fact, he places blame of Christ's crucifixion at the feet of the Jewish nation when he says in verses 51 and 52, "Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it." 

After this, the book of Acts tells us that the people, hearing this were cut to their hearts, and put Stephen to death. One man refused to bow to pressure and threats when it came to the truth about Christ's crucifixion. For all Stephen knew, these words would be the last he would ever speak, and he made them count. He reminded those guilty of Christ's death of their sin, and implored them to turn from their sin and accept Christ. Did he stand up and speak the truth for nothing? Was he put to death only to be contradicted by Benedict XVI 2,000 years later? I would think not!

The Disciple Stephen gave his life for the truth regarding Christ's crucifixion. The Pope is correct that the Romans did the actual deed of placing Jesus on the cross. But I ask you, who was it that delivered Jesus to the doorstep of Pontius Pilate to be put to death? According to John 18:31, it was the Jews, "Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death" They did not bring Jesus to Pilate for mere punishment, but rather to be put to death. They wanted one thing, the death of Jesus. 

Stephen wasn't the only person who blamed the Jewish nation as a whole for the crucifixion of Christ. Pontius Pilate, the man whom the Jews delivered Jesus to be put to death blamed the Jews in John 18:35, "Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?" (emphasis mine). 

Pontius Pilate gave the Jews several chances to back out. He told them to judge Jesus according to their own laws; he stated he found no fault in Jesus; he even asked them who'd they rather have back, Jesus or the murderer Barrabas. However, the Jewish nation would not be swayed. They were out for the death of Jesus. 

The opportunities for the Jews to repent did not stop there. After the crucifixion, the Apostles went to Jerusalem and began to preach of the life and crucifixion of Christ (Acts 2). This greatly troubled the Jewish nation who pulled the apostles in front of the council, who on three separate occasions ordered the apostles to stop speaking of them being to blame for Christ's death. They even resorted to beating and jailing the apostles for speaking the truth of Jesus. Rather than hearing the words of the apostles in the Book of Acts, the Jewish nation and it's leaders continued to be hard-hearted, and as Stephen called them, "stiff-necked". 

So now we have to sincerely ask, who is right? On one hand, we have the apostles, the Disciple Stephen, even Pontius Pilate himself stating that the Jewish nation is to blame for Christ's crucifixion. Then on the other, we have Pope Benedict XVI stating they aren't. This is an obvious contradiction that must be reconciled. One must be wrong, and the other right. Both cannot be correct. 

Either the Bible is the inspired Word of God, as it claims to be over 3,000 times, and not one jot nor tittle shall pass from it, or it isn't. If it is, then it presents a problem for the Jewish people of today. I am not in any way saying that the Jewish people today should be held accountable for their ancestors' actions. It would be hypocritical of me as an American, whose own nation has a dark side in the form of slavery, to expect to hold the modern Jew responsible for the sins of their ancestors, but expect immunity from the sins of mine. 

Just as no American today should be held responsible for the sin of slavery, neither should a Jew today be blamed for the actual deliverance of Christ to His death. However, as a nation, America has accepted fault for their sin, repented, and turned from it. Slavery is no longer tolerated in our nation. Yet the rejection of Jesus as the Christ is still a core value held in the Jewish nation, as well as vehemently denying any responsibility of any Jew in Christ's death. This has been the practice of the Jews beginning days after putting Christ to death (Acts 4:17), and has continued for the past 2,000+ years. Put plainly, the Jewish nation has yet to repent, despite pleas from Christ Himself (Luke 9:23), the Apostles (Acts 4), and men like Stephen (Acts 7) and the Apostle Paul.

The discussion of Jewish responsibility for the crucifixion of Christ can be a touchy subject in today's politically charged world. However, history cannot be rewritten in order to spare one group of people's feelings. If this were the case, the guilt of slavery, wars, and anything else that reflects negatively on a group of people should also be erased from the text books. Please understand, antisemitism should be wholeheartedly rejected by every Christian, just as any other form of hate should be by all people. However, let's not rewrite the textbooks either.