Volume 16

Issue #3

July 2024

ONE OF SATAN’S DEVICES

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

2 Corinthians 2:11  

The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. (Mark 4:14-15)

         The Bible is so available in this country, there is no way Satan can keep the word from any man that desires to read it. But Satan has found a way to deceive the man that reads God’s message. How does Satan “take away the word that was sown in their hearts?” Consider the fact that a word might refer to different concepts.

         The word “work” or “works” illustrates this idea. Note the following passages and the concept of “work” in each.

WORKS:

Ephesians 2:8-9  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

James 2:14  What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

WORK OF GOD:

John 6:28-29  Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

WORKS OF THE LORD:

1 Corinthians 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION:

Philippians 2:12  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

WORKS OF THE LAW:

Galatians 2:16  yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

EVIL WORKS:

 John 3:19  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

WORKS OF DARKNESS:

Ephesians 5:11  Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

WORKS OF THE DEVIL:

1 John 3:8  Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

              Notice under the word “Works” the two passages (Ephesians 2:8-9 and James 2:14) are seemingly contradictory. This indicates there is something more we need to understand. As we explore further into these categories dealing with “work” it should become more clear.

              When we explore John 6:28-29 we see that when we are directed to do something by God, the Lord, or His representatives (the apostles); we are to obey that directive, or command. In this text we are told there is a work that we are to do. That work is to believe God, or have faith in Him. This cannot be the work that is excluded in Ephesians 2:8-9, yet this is a work. Paul also writes in the Corinthian letter to do the “work” of the Lord. So we must conclude that not all work is eliminated by the Ephesian text.

              Concerning our salvation, we are encouraged to “work out” our salvation. So what work would that be? Would it not be obeying the “work” of God? There are works that have nothing to do with our salvation. We are not saved by the “works” of the law, evil works, works of darkness, or certainly the work of the devil. So what is the Ephesian text referring to?  The key is found in the context of Ephesians 2.

              In Ephesians 2:15 we see the “works” of which Paul is speaking in verse 9. Note the verse: “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace”. It is the law of Moses, the law of commandments that God gave to Moses. This is the law that the Jewish Christians were trying to force upon the Gentile Christians. Paul has in many places in the New Testament stated that we are not saved by the “works” of the law. We see that clearly in Galatians 2:16.

              For some today to teach that baptism does not save us not only directly contradicts the Bible (The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: (1 Peter 3:21). Baptism is not to rid the body of dirt, but rather to rid the body of sin. (Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.)

              If something is commanded by God, or the apostles, it is not a work of man, but of God. Baptism is clearly commanded not only by Peter in Acts 2, but by Jesus in Mark 16:15-16 and Matthew 28:19-20. That makes baptism a work of God just as “faith” is a work of God. If we can be saved without baptism, then by the same concept we can be saved without believing on Christ, or having faith in Him. 

              Satan has managed to confuse many by this device, that is, confusing the meaning of what the Bible is saying.

         WHY I BELIEVE IN HELL

September, 1955

         I do not mean to boast, but I am just old-fashioned enough, and God-fearing enough, to believe there is a place of eternal punishment to which the unbelieving and disobedient will be committed at judgment. I admit that this doctrine is not a popular one, but sometimes those things that are most needed are most unpopular. For instance, I doubt that spending our vacations in hospitals will ever become popular, but sometimes such does become very necessary. Also, it is very doubtful that the paddle will ever become a very popular object to the child; however, it is one form of applied psychology that really works! Even so, though the doctrine of hell may not be very popular the subject is nevertheless needed. I know it is needed because the Bible teaches it, and the Bible doesn’t teach any unnecessary lesson.

         I wish therefore to point out and briefly discuss three reasons why I believe in Hell, after which I will briefly discuss some objections to my views.

1.    The Bible teaches it. I believe there is a hell because the Bible teaches it: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” –Matthew 28:28. I also request that you read and study the following passages: Matthew 5:29-30; 18:9; 23:15; Luke 12:5; and James 3:6.

2.    Hell is a manifestation of God’s justice. I believe there is a hell because the justice of God demands it. A righteous judge must vindicate the law; he cannot let the murderer go free! Even so, God must punish the sinner in order to manifest his justice, and vindicate his law. And since guilt, which is the reason for punishment, is endless, the punishment itself must be endless. And with this view the scriptures are in agreement, for it is written: “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment:”—Matthew 25:46

3.    Hell expedites the success of the gospel. When you get people to really believe there is a hell, they’ll act! I therefore judge this doctrine to be a chief and indispensable auxiliary to the success of the gospel. Neither do I stand alone in this, for all must admit that the early Christians, whose work for Christ was crowned with unprecedented success, were men who used the doctrine of hell as a proper motive to lead men to repentance; for it is written: “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” Acts 17:30-31. See all Matthew 10:28; Cf. Hebrews 10:28-29. Resolve, therefore, that where people hear more hell, logically, earnestly, and scripturally, preached in the pulpit, there will be less hell in the community.

            But objections have been registered against the doctrine of Hell; let us therefore observe the more salient of these.

1. Hell, hades and the grave all mean the same thing. It is to be admitted that in the King James Version the word “hell” has been incorrectly used to translate the Greek hades; however, this has been corrected in most every other translation. That hell, hades and the grave cannot mean the same thing is obvious when we stop to consider that it is the body alone, the body without the soul, or life, that we place in the grave; and it is the soul alone, the soul without the body, that goes to hades (Acts 2:31); but both the soul and the body go together into hell!—Matthew 10:28. In this latter reference the word translated “hell” is the Greek Gehenna, which is properly rendered, and which we shall observe more fully in our next objection.

2. Hell is the Valley of Hinnom. Although I admit that the Valley of Hinnom, or Gehenna, is the figure of which hell is the reality, and this relationship is what ties them together, yet I cannot admit that the figure is the reality! The literal valley cannot possibly be the Gehenna that Jesus had in mind; for the fire in that literal valley has been out for centuries; however, in that Gehenna of which Jesus speaks, there “the fire shall never be quenched!”—Mark 9:43. Furthermore, only the bodies of the dead were cast into the literal valley; but both the body and soul shall be cast into the figurative!—Matthew 10:28. Again, if the valley is to be made literal then the worms must also be literal; but, if the worms are literal, then we must admit that the worms are immortal, for in this Gehenna of which Jesus speaks, there “their worm dieth not.”—Mark 9:44. But this is too much for even those who want to make it the literal valley, for their purpose in making it appear literal is an attempt to defeat the doctrine that man has an immortal soul; and when this attempt runs them head-on into immortal worms, I feel sure that this is too much even for them, So we pass on to the next objection.

3. Hell is destruction or annihilation—Matthew 10:28. The word “destroy” does not necessarily mean annihilation for in Hosea 13:9 God speaks to Israel and affirms that they had destroyed themselves, yet they were still alive! Neither can hell mean annihilation, for the Bible affirms that there shall be degrees of punishment n hell (Matthew 10:15; Luke 12:47-48; Hebrews 10:29 et cetera), but to talk about degrees of annihilation is absurd. That there is no hell is therefore only wishful thinking on the part of the careless and the indifferent. It is too good to be true. As sure as you live, there is a hell to shun. Therefore, “we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”—2 Corinthians 5:20.

Editor's Note: You can read weekly articles from Sandy at the following Web site: abiblecommentary.com "Blog for Christian Women"

THE FAMILY OF GOD

            I have the best sister-in-law in the world. She is kind and loving to our family. She is always willing to do anything we need. I’ve never seen her angry in all the years I have known her. She is not perfect; she doesn’t claim to be, but she tries to be. 

            We have been separated by many miles over all the years both of us have been married. We have never had the chance to enjoy each other and our families until about 3 ½ years ago. We moved to be close to them. It was a great decision! We have enjoyed many wonderful times together, times I cherish.

            All that I have said about this one member of our family represents the fellowship side of our relationship in the church. God intended that we feel close to one another in our spiritual family.

            Last year, our elders and our minister emphasized our congregation’s relationship with one another. Many of our sermons were directed toward the bonding of us one to another. One of the sermons was directed to those who make a hobby of religion. The point was and is, “A hobby is never and can never be first”. These scriptures were given to emphasize our need for our church family to be a true family of God:

1.    First John 2:3—Keep God’s commandments.

2.    Galatians 6:10—Do good to all men.

3.    John 13:14-15—Do what Jesus did.

4.    Mark 11:26—Forgive others.

5.    Matthew 28:19-20—Teach others

6.    First Thessalonians 5:14—Encourage one another

            With these things in mind, I think about my sister-in-law. She is always doing for someone else. She does good things for our family, doing like Jesus did. She is a forgiving person, and always has been. She is eager to teach others. She encourages everyone, looking only for the best in everyone.

            That’s what God wants us to do in the family of God. If you do it every day to people in your daily life, you will do it to your brothers and sisters in Christ. If you do it in your church family, you will do it to your physical family and those you meet along the way. There is no getting around it. 

            You will notice that I did not include, “love your enemies”. There is no need. If we do the six things listed above, loving our enemies will be no problem. 

            Attitude is everything, whether it is toward our physical families, our church families, or the man on the street. Our hearts are the basis of our relationship with the Father. That’s why Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God”.

There is a brother in Christ in West Virginia that has done a tremendous work for the Lord for many years. Brother Albert Farley published the West Virginia Christian paper and has been such a great influence in that area of the country. He has reached an age where his health will not allow him to continue publishing the paper, but the work he has done over the years has been so helpful to the cause of Christ. I will greatly miss his work.

Is God Responsible for all Sickness and Trouble?

By R C Oliver

            Is God responsible for all the sickness and trouble that come upon his children? If that is so, why then can we not simply pray to God without going to the doctor? Why not request that God remove the sickness and trouble that he has caused us to suffer? Some strong believers teach that all things that happen to a Christian happen to him because of the providence of God whether these things are good or bad. 

         I do not believe that God is responsible for all the troubles that might come upon his children. In James 1:13-14, he writes:

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:  [14]But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

This shows that many of our trials come upon us because of improper action or poor choices on our own part. God is neither to be blamed nor accused in such cases. On the other hand there might be instances where God allows Satan to tempt us, as in the cases of Job, or Joseph. In such cases we have the assurance of God that we will not be tempted above that which we are able to bear (I Corinthians 10:13). He promises us the victory if we place our trust in him and if we walk in his ways. If we accuse God of being responsible for our sins we accuse God falsely. 

A preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her preacher father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day she asked him why.

"Well, Honey," he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages, "I'm asking the Lord to help me to preach a good sermon."

"Well then, how come He doesn't do it?" she asked.

      Sandy and I are looking forward to attending the lectureship (Polishing the Pulpit) being held in Branson, Missouri from the 9^th to the 15^th. There will be a second lectureship (PTP-Sevierville, Tennessee) in August. If you have never attended you really should. There are many lessons from which to choose every hour all day long. It is a great spiritual feast.

Basic Bible Knowledge About the Holy Spirit       Speech & Debate



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