July 2, 2014

Lessons on Wisdom from the Life of Solomon

Solomon - old age

Many books have been written in which the author claims to be imparting some wisdom to his readers. What makes the book of Proverbs different is the author and the source of his wisdom.

The last two chapters of Proverbs are attributed to “Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle” (30:1) and “King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him” (31:1). The identities of these individuals are uncertain. However, the bulk of Proverbs can be attributed to “Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel” (1:1). Some of these “proverbs of Solomon” were “transcribed” by “the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah” (25:1).

It is important that we understand how Solomon acquired his wisdom. We find the answer to this shortly after Solomon established his rule as king over Israel.
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June 25, 2014

The Preaching Demanded by the Gospel

Preacher

God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Salvation and knowledge of the truth are not two separate desires that God has for man, but are necessarily linked together. Knowledge of the truth is necessary for salvation because “the gospel…is the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). When the Lord returns, judgment will come against “those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel” (2 Thessalonians 1:8).

God calls us to Him through the gospel. Paul told the brethren in Thessalonica that they were “called…through our gospel” (2 Thessalonians 2:14). The call of the gospel is spread through preaching (Romans 10:14; Mark 16:15).

Understanding the importance of the gospel and the necessity of preaching to spread the gospel, what should characterize our preaching? Let us notice a few characteristics of sound gospel preaching.
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June 18, 2014

Christ Is the End of the Law

Crucifixion

As the gospel was being preached in the first century, many of the Jews wanted to hold onto the Law of Moses. This was done in two ways. Some rejected the gospel outright, choosing to continue following the old law and refusing to follow Christ (Acts 4:10-11; Romans 9:33-10:4). Others tried to bring the Law of Moses – or parts of it – into the gospel, thus distorting the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6-7; 2:4-5). In either case, the result was condemnation (Romans 11:22; Galatians 1:8-9).

Despite the fact that the Jews – in large part – rejected the gospel, Paul’s prayer was that they might be saved (Romans 10:1). But in order to be saved, they needed to understand Christ and His relationship to the Law of Moses.

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4).

Jesus came for the purpose of being “the end of the law.” What does this mean? Many of the Jews did not understand this and, as a result, were not saved through the gospel. In this article, we will notice what it means for Christ to be “the end of the law.”
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June 11, 2014

Why Do We Meet on Sunday Evening?

Empty church building

I recently read an article about the declining number of churches having a second worship service on Sunday evening (Whatever Happened to Sunday Evening Services?). The article mentioned several possible reasons for the decline – too demanding for busy families, too difficult for “pastors” to prepare two sermons each week, lack of attendance/interest by the members, etc.

Though the article was written from a denominational perspective, the discussion of this trend is also helpful for us in the Lord’s church. Often, God’s people follow the trends of the religious world around them. Even if we ignore current trends of eliminating the Sunday evening service, it is generally true that attendance is lower on Sunday evening than on Sunday morning in the majority of local churches. The reasons why Sunday evening services are in decline among the denominational world are often the same reasons why churches quit meeting on Sunday evening or why Christians simply choose not to attend the evening service. So in this article, I want to briefly discuss seven reasons why we assemble on Sunday evenings.
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June 4, 2014

Can One Be a Christian Without Having Been Baptized?

BaptismThe denominational world has different opinions about baptism. Many believe it is a “work” that is in no way associated with our salvation. Some will call it “an outward sign of an inward grace” – in other words, it is a sign that one has already been saved. Some may practice baptism as an entrance into membership into a denominational body. Though there are many different ideas about baptism, the denominational world generally agrees on one point – they reject baptism as a requirement for salvation. Even though they might practice baptism (at least in some form), they would say that one could be a Christian even without water baptism.

However, the Scriptures plainly emphasize the importance of baptism and its connection with salvation:
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May 28, 2014

Introducing Jesus

Jesus – Sermon on the Mount

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The gospel of John was written to teach people about Jesus. The first chapter introduces Jesus to us. We learn of Him through the various words and phrases used to describe the Lord, some of which are found in the verses above. The opening chapter of John is a good place to go to learn, be reminded, or teach others about Jesus. Let us briefly consider some of the ways in which Jesus is described in these verses.
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May 19, 2014

Stop Sinning: Can You? Should You? Will You?

Stop sign

In His word, God has defined certain things as sin – fornication, idolatry, covetousness, strife, drunkenness, murder, lying, and more (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Timothy 1:9-10; Revelation 21:8; et al.). The Scriptures also present a very clear instruction with regard to sin: “Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning” (1 Corinthians 15:34).

It is to be expected that those in the world will ignore this instruction. Yet, sadly, many Christians seem to ignore this as well. They have believed the Calvinist’s lie that our flesh is inherently sinful and that we cannot help but sin. As we will see, the Scriptures present a different reality. Living in the flesh means it is possible for us to sin (1 John 1:10-2:1); but we are called to “be perfect, as [our] heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). With that in mind, let us consider three questions in this article.
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