May 23, 2010

The Hand of God was Upon Ezra

Ezra Reads the Law

Following the Babylonian captivity, the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland and, with the blessing of the king of Persia, rebuild the temple. Ezra, a priest and scribe, was sent back to the land after the temple was completed. During this time God was with him. The Scriptures also explain why He was with Ezra.

“For on the first of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, because the good hand of his God was upon him. For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:9-10).

This passage contains four reasons why Ezra found favor with God. We would do well to learn from Ezra’s example here. These are the same things we must do today to find favor with God.
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May 16, 2010

How God Speaks to Us Today

Many today are seeking God’s guidance and direction but are unsure where to look. The Scriptures plainly teach us that God speaks to us today through His Son, Jesus. The Hebrew writer began his letter by affirming this fact:

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Previously, God spoke to man in different ways, providing bits and pieces of revelation to the fathers during the Patriarchal age, and also through the prophets. But that was in times past. He does not speak to us in the same way today. Now that we are in the “last days,” there is a new spokesman.
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May 9, 2010

Seeking God

Man at Night

When Paul was in Athens, a city full of idolatry, he found opportunity to teach them about the one true God. He was to them “an Unknown God” (Acts 17:23). God does not want to be unknown to His creation, but has instilled in us the desire to seek after Him. Paul explained this to the Athenians:

“He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26-27).

God wants us to seek for Him and He is not far off. But does this mean we can seek after God in whatever way we wish, doing what seems good to us and expecting that God will be pleased? There are many who think this way, but it is not what God wants from those who would seek after Him.
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April 26, 2010

“Christ Did Not Send Me to Baptize”

Baptism

There is a sharp divide in the religious world over the subject of baptism. Some, including myself, teach that baptism is necessary for salvation. Many others teach that one can be saved before or without water baptism.

Paul made an interesting statement in his first letter to the church at Corinth. Considered independently from the immediate context and the rest of the New Testament, it could easily be used to argue that baptism is not necessary for salvation. Notice what he told the brethren:

“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void” (1 Corinthians 1:17).

Paul said he was not sent to baptize. From that, are we to conclude that baptism is not a prerequisite to salvation? Before we jump to that conclusion, let us take a closer look at what the Scriptures teach.
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April 9, 2010

The Trouble with the Census

Although David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), he did make mistakes. The one that usually comes to our mind first was his sin with Bathsheba. But he later committed an offense so severe that the Lord sent a pestilence which killed 70,000 people (2 Samuel 24:15). What was his sin? He took a census of the people.

Satan was the one who influenced David to do this (1 Chronicles 21:1). But what was it about numbering the people that was so wrong. Why was it that David’s counting of the people constituted a victory for Satan?
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April 6, 2010

Pro-Life, With Exceptions

Pro-Life

[This article was written by Bryan Matthew Dockens.]

For years, political candidates have attempted to appease conservative voters by claiming to be “pro-life”, while moderating their positions to appeal to the mainstream by claiming three exceptions, namely: rape, incest, and the mother’s life. Is the pro-life position one that can bear exceptions?

In the case of rape, it is certainly true that someone deserves to die. That would be the rapist. The Old Law stated plainly, “If a man finds a betrothed young woman in the countryside, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die” (Deuteronomy 22:25). Although the Law of Moses has been done away with, capital punishment remains a valid penalty for crime (Romans 13:4).

Under what rationale can it be argued, though, that the unborn child, conceived in rape, deserves to perish for his father’s sins? In the Old Testament it was written, “The fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall the children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin” (Deuteronomy 24:26). The baby in the womb is entirely innocent of the sin his father committed against his mother. Spare that child the pain of death. Punish the sinner, not one of his victims.
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April 1, 2010

Having a Proper Sense of Self-Worth

Woman at sunset

We must guard ourselves against the sin of arrogance. The wise man warned, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling” (Proverbs 16:18). Paul admonished the saints in Rome, “Everyone among you [is] not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think” (Romans 12:3). James said, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

While it is necessary that we keep from thinking too much of ourselves, we must also keep from thinking too little about ourselves. There is a balance. Thinking too little of ourselves can also lead to sin. If we think that our lives do not matter, we may be reckless in our actions and transgress God’s law. If we think that no one pays attention to us and we will, therefore, not be accountable to others, it becomes easier to flirt with sin. If our self-esteem is dependent upon what others think of us, we will act in such a way as to find approval from others, even if it means committing sin.

Therefore, we must have an appropriate sense of self-worth. Thinking too much of ourselves leads to sin. Thinking too little of ourselves also leads to sin. We need to find the proper balance.
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