July 5, 2023

Act As Free Men

Birds freed from cage

The United States was built upon the foundation of freedom. Every fourth of July, the nation celebrates Independence Day. Freedom was the theme of the Declaration of Independence, the founding document that declared that all men are equal and possess the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those of us who live in the United States have enjoyed the blessing of freedom that many people throughout history could not even imagine.

However, this concept – that freedom is the preferred environment in which mankind should live – was not just the opinion of the nation’s founding fathers. This is rooted in God’s plan for the human race. Notice what Peter wrote:

“Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God” (1 Peter 2:16).

Man in his natural state is free – in speech, thought, action, association, and religion. God has given us free will to choose what we will do in life. This is why Joshua challenged the people of Israel: “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Yet this free will does not mean we are unaccountable. God will judge us for what we have done in this life (cf. Ecclesiastes 11:9; 12:14; 2 Corinthians 5:10). In the passage above, Peter explained that our “freedom” was not to be used to do “evil,” but that we were to act “as bondslaves of God.”

From the beginning, Satan has worked diligently to bring man into bondage by taking away the freedom offered by the Lord. Why would he do this? A lack of freedom (being in a state of bondage or tyranny) hinders one from serving God and fully enjoying a relationship with Him.Continue Reading

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May 31, 2023

Will All Good People Be Saved?

Woman at sunset

Many believe that as long as someone is a “good” person, then that individual will go to heaven. But how do we define “good”? The Scriptures say that “there is none who does good” (Romans 3:12). Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:19).

When we talk about “good” people, we are using a man-made definition. If people think an individual is a “good” person, they classify them in that way. Does having this designation mean that a particular person will be saved? Unfortunately not.

In this article, we will notice a few examples in the New Testament of “good” people who still needed to be saved. Then we will notice why simply being “good” alone will not save anyone.Continue Reading

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January 4, 2023

Pressing On Toward the Goal

Mountain Path

At the start of the new year, we focus a lot on goals we want to reach in the future. We may set goals regarding our health, work, or relationships. All of these may be good, but we need to make sure we never lose sight of what should be our primary goal. In writing about his goal to “attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:11), Paul said this:

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

In these verses, Paul described three things that he was doing and that we also need to do as Christians. Let us consider them here.Continue Reading

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December 28, 2022

Hope for the Future

Lighthouse against the night sky

Throughout the book of Proverbs, a contrast is made between wisdom and foolishness. Since the wisdom described in the book comes from above, those who follow after this and live according to its precepts will be righteous. Conversely, those who reject the way of wisdom will inevitably find themselves engaged in wickedness.

Despite their rejection of godly wisdom, the wicked often prosper in life. They may appear to be better off than the righteous. Not only that but the apparent prosperity and success of the wicked often seem to come at the expense of the righteous.

This sense of injustice is nothing new. We often see those who reject the wisdom from above seem to escape the negative consequences of their sin, laziness, wastefulness, ignorance, and more. The same was true when the wise man wrote the Proverbs. Yet notice what he wrote:

“My son, eat honey, for it is good, yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste; know that wisdom is thus for your soul; if you find it, then there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off. Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place; for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity. Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; or the Lord will see it and be displeased, and turn His anger away from him. Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked; for there will be no future for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out” (Proverbs 24:13-20).

In the passage above, Solomon explained that the righteous who follow after wisdom have hope for the future. Therefore, rather than getting discouraged about their current situation (or that of the wicked), there were certain things they were told to do and not do. Let us consider his points and see what we can learn from them.Continue Reading

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October 31, 2022

Answering Basic Questions (Part 7): What Is the Plan of Salvation?

Answering Basic Questions

Jesus came to earth and died on the cross in order to make salvation possible. But how can we take advantage of His sacrifice and be saved? The New Testament shows how this can be done.

So what is the plan of salvation? Let us consider four points in this article.Continue Reading

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January 31, 2022

Dangers on the Safe Side (Part 2): Expanding Fellowship

Dangers on the Safe Side

One of the blessings we enjoy as Christians is the fellowship we have with other believers. As the world around us becomes more ungodly, it is especially valuable to have this relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Yet we also need to remember that God has given certain rules that outline the bounds of our fellowship. It may be tempting to stay “on the safe side” and not draw lines of fellowship among our brethren. We do not want to draw lines that God has not drawn [we will discuss this more in the next article], yet there are dangers that exist when we expand fellowship beyond the bounds that God has given us.

Let us notice Paul’s rebuke of the church in Corinth for failing to deal with one who was in sin among them.Continue Reading

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December 1, 2021

Making Sin a Trivial Thing

Ahab

“Now Ahab the son of Omri became king of Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him.

“It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him. So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:29-33).

Ahab was one of the more infamous kings in the Bible. In the passage above, he is said to have done “more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:33). When studying the history of Israel, then this becomes even more remarkable. While there were some good kings of Judah, all of the kings of Israel “did evil in the sight of the Lord” as Ahab did; but Ahab was worse than the rest of them.

One of the points made in the text above is that Ahab had departed so far from God’s will that it became “a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat” (1 Kings 16:31). Sin was seen as “trivial” because it was viewed as unimportant or unconcerning.

Sin is always a problem, but it is particularly dangerous when sin becomes trivial. We need to understand why this is. By looking at the example of Ahab, we can also see what factors in his life led him to view sin in this way so that we can guard against this as much as possible.Continue Reading

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