January 22, 2014

How to Make Error Harder to Accept

Man Reading Bible

False teachers are deceptive and destructive (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2 Timothy 2:16-18). The threat they pose is ever-present (2 Peter 2:1). We can guard against them by always being on the alert (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:8) and by heeding the warnings when false teachers are marked by faithful brethren (Romans 16:17-18).

In addition to these preventative measures, there are three fundamental attitudes we must have if we hope to protect ourselves from the threat of false teachers. If we resolve to adopt the following, we will be much better equipped to deal with error whenever it is introduced.
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April 7, 2012

The Character of Ruth (4/7)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ruth 1-4.

“So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son” (Ruth 4:13).

“So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David” (Ruth 4:17).

Ruth was a Moabite woman who had married one of the children of Israel (Ruth 1:2-4). Yet after her husband died (Ruth 1:5), she was not only welcomed by God, but gave birth to David’s grandfather, Obed. More importantly, she was part of the genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1:5).
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December 1, 2008

A People for God’s Own Possession

1 Peter 2:9

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

As Christians, we belong to God. We are to live in such a way that we can say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). We no longer live for ourselves but for God and His Son. We “have been bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20), that price being “the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19; cf. Acts 20:28).

Understanding then that we belong to God, how should we conduct our lives?
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August 5, 2008

Fearing the Party of the Circumcision

Paul told the Galatians about the occasion when he had to confront his fellow apostle Peter about his sin (Galatians 2:11-14). This public rebuke occurred in Antioch. Paul explained why Peter “stood condemned” (Galatians 2:11).

“For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision” (Galatians 2:12).

Paul went on to explain that the rest of the Jews, even Barnabas, followed him in his hypocrisy (Galatians 2:13). He then condemned Peter for not being “straightforward about the truth of the gospel” (Galatians 2:14).
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October 3, 2007

Emphasizing Jesus Christ

Crosses

Paul told the saints in Corinth, “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Why did Paul place such an emphasis on teaching Jesus? He explained: “So that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:5).

The Corinthians had a problem of following after men. This resulted in division as some were saying, “‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ’” (1 Corinthians 1:12). Paul later explained that when they claimed loyalty to these men, they were carnally minded and immature (1 Corinthians 3:1-4).

The inspired apostle sought to correct this thinking so that they would focus on following Christ and not men. This is the first problem he addressed in his letter (1 Corinthians 1:10-17). But notice how he subtly made this point before he explicitly stated it.
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July 26, 2007

Allegiance to Christ

“Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man?” (Proverbs 20:6).

Millions of people will profess allegiance to Christ. But who is truly loyal to him? The proverb stated that most who claim to be good and loyal are not. Are you truly loyal to Christ? Am I? Even the apostle Peter wavered in his loyalty to the Lord after His arrest. Before this, Peter told the Lord, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You” (Matthew 26:35). Yet as we read further in the chapter we see that Peter denied the Lord three times (Matthew 26:69-75). It is far easier to claim allegiance to Christ than to actually show it in the face of trials and conflicts.
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