We are engaged in a war for the cause of Christ. This is not a physical war; instead, it is spiritual (2 Corinthians 10:4). It is a battle for the souls of men. In order to help us in this fight, God has given us the armor that we must put on so that we will be able to “stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). Let us notice the armor with which the Lord has equipped us.
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January 1, 2008
Put On the Full Armor of God
November 1, 2007
The Unchanging Standard of Truth
“What is truth?” This is the question Pilate asked of Jesus when He was brought to him (John 18:38). Throughout the ages, people have searched for and inquired about the truth. Truth is that which is right, that which can be believed and accepted. The Bible helps define truth for us.
Jesus told His disciples, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). We see some irony in Pilate’s question. He asked what was truth while he had the one who was the embodiment of truth standing before him. Before this question, Jesus told Pilate, “For this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37). Notice in each of these verses the singular nature of truth – “the truth.” There is only one truth, not different truths for different people, places, or times.
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September 1, 2007
The Source of Authority
It is important that we have the proper source of authority in religion. If we do not, the result is apostasy. Disobedience is when we do not do everything “in word or deed…in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17) but by other standards of authority as well. Division comes when we do not “all speak the same thing” (1 Corinthians 1:10).
We see this problem when we look at “church history.” When I use this term (church history), I am not referring to the history of the Lord’s church from its establishment on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) to the present day. I am using it as most use it – as the history of denominations that claim or have claimed to follow Christ. Throughout this history, apostasy came as the result of people not following the proper source of authority.
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June 1, 2007
Preparing to Preach
One who decides to devote his life to the preaching of the gospel is to be commended. It is an important work and one which will always be needed. But how would a man who has decided to devote his life to the gospel prepare to do the work?
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June 1, 2007
The Bible
The Bible is the best selling book of all time. In reality, it is a collection of books. There are thirty-nine books in the Old Testament containing law, history, poetry, and prophecy. The twenty-seven books in the New Testament include the four gospels that record the life of Christ, the book of Acts which is a history of the early church and the spread of the gospel, and letters to churches and individual Christians. It tells of God’s great scheme of redemption to save man from his sins. Is it just another book, or is it something more? It is important we understand what the Bible is.
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April 25, 2007
“O How I Love Your Law!”
The psalmist wrote, “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). He went on to say that the law of God had given him wisdom, insight, and understanding (Psalm 119:98-100). He abstained from evil and practiced the ordinances of God (Psalm 119:101-102). He concluded this section by saying, “From your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:104).
Notice the contrast. He loved God’s law and hated every false way. Because he understood God’s precepts, he hated everything opposed to and out of harmony with them. Why? For the same reason we should. Sin separates man from God and ends in eternal death (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 6:23; James 1:15). Teaching something other than God’s truth causes one to be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9). Understanding these things should cause us to “hate every false way.”
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March 1, 2007
Rightly Dividing the Word
Paul gave this instruction to the young evangelist Timothy: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling [rightly dividing, KJV] the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). We need to learn how to handle God’s word accurately in order to be approved before Him.
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