Month: February 2020

Sin Divides #9

Sunday, February 9, 2020

“Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house” (Micah 7:5,6 KJV).

In religious circles, it is frequently bemoaned, “Doctrine divides! Doctrine divides! We should throw away ‘doctrine’ and just assemble around ‘love!’” Today’s Scripture and its context expose that dictum for the utter foolhardiness that it really is….

As we come into Christ’s earthly ministry, the families of Israel remain divided. There is sound Bible doctrine and there is false doctrine. Unbelievers are turning on believers in Christ—and this will be true until His Second Coming. Matthew chapter 10 twice quotes today’s Scripture: “[21] And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. [22] And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. [23] But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come….

“[34] Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. [35] For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. [36] And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. [37] He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Even now, in this the Dispensation of Grace, apart from Israel’s prophetic program, unbelievers ostracize and persecute believers in Christ. Doctrine is not the problem. False doctrine is the problem. Sin is still the problem….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “I have trusted Christ, so why do I keep seeing new things in Scripture?”

Sin Divides #8

Saturday, February 8, 2020

“Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house” (Micah 7:5,6 KJV).

In religious circles, it is frequently bemoaned, “Doctrine divides! Doctrine divides! We should throw away ‘doctrine’ and just assemble around ‘love!’” Today’s Scripture and its context expose that dictum for the utter foolhardiness that it really is….

Let us read today’s Scripture—written 700 years before Christ—in context: “[1] Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit. [2] The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. [3] That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.

“[4] The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity. [5] Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. [6] For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.”

Had Adam held to the sound Bible doctrine God gave him, had Eve held to that doctrine, their marriage would not have become so complicated! If Cain had retained sound Bible doctrine, he would not have murdered his brother Abel! Moreover, had Israel guarded the sound Bible doctrine JEHOVAH God gave her through Moses at Mount Sinai, her people would not be in the spiritual mess of the Prophet Micah’s time! Yea, had sound Bible doctrine not been abandoned, none of these painful family rifts would have ever resulted….

 

Sin Divides #7

Friday, February 7, 2020

“Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house” (Micah 7:5,6 KJV).

In religious circles, it is frequently bemoaned, “Doctrine divides! Doctrine divides! We should throw away ‘doctrine’ and just assemble around ‘love!’” Today’s Scripture and its context expose that dictum for the utter foolhardiness that it really is….

Let us imagine a world where man is enjoying unrestricted fellowship with his Creator, husband and wife are moving together as one unit in the right direction, brother is loving brother, sister is looking after sister, parent is nurturing child, and neighbor is caring for neighbor. There are no selfishness, evil thoughts, malicious words, wars, poverty, divorce, abuse, murder, theft, sickness, suffering, death, and so on. Here is the way life once worked—how the LORD God intended it to operate.

In just a matter of seconds, Adam wrecked it all. When he followed Satan in his rebellion against God, he acted deliberately. “Adam was not deceived” (1 Timothy 2:14). Adam knew exactly what he was doing, and he did it! Now, what was once simple is complicated beyond our wildest imaginations. Life is hard. It is painful. Harmony is long gone. Nature is messed up. Civilization is a disaster. World peace—especially in the Middle East—is tirelessly sought but perpetually elusive. Even if we destroyed all weapons, and secured all people everywhere in handcuffs and leg restraints, the fact remains that sin is alive and well in every human heart. No matter how hard we try to curb our behavior, we cannot reform our nature. It will not work!

Notice James chapter 4, the first two verses: “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” There is a war inside us humans, and it manifests itself outwardly in strivings and contentions….

Sin Divides #6

Thursday, February 6, 2020

“Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house” (Micah 7:5,6 KJV).

In religious circles, it is frequently bemoaned, “Doctrine divides! Doctrine divides! We should throw away ‘doctrine’ and just assemble around ‘love!’” Today’s Scripture and its context expose that dictum for the utter foolhardiness that it really is….

Genesis chapter 4 opens: “[1] And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. [2] And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. [3] And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. [4] And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: [5] But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell…. [8] And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. [9] And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?”

In chapter 3, we saw sin caused two divisions: it split man from God, and it separated man from woman. Free will attacked, marriage struck, Satan proceeded to destroy the family unit in chapter 4. Unbelieving Cain mercilessly killed his believing brother Abel! The Holy Spirit through the Apostle John comments: “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you” (1 John 3:11-13).

Here is where we loop to today’s Scripture….

Sin Divides #5

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

“Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house” (Micah 7:5,6 KJV).

In religious circles, it is frequently bemoaned, “Doctrine divides! Doctrine divides! We should throw away ‘doctrine’ and just assemble around ‘love!’” Today’s Scripture and its context expose that dictum for the utter foolhardiness that it really is….

Genesis chapter 2 again: “[8] And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. [9] And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil…. [15] And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. [16] And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: [17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. [18] And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”

It was “not good that the man should be alone” because he—created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-28)—is meant to live for another’s benefit. Eve’s absence stirred within Adam a longing to have a complement. Once God created Eve, Adam should have been her spiritual leader and sought her best interest. Alas, he failed to communicate to her God’s words originally given to him. She thus listened to Satan, Adam followed Eve, and man fell into sin (Genesis 3:1-11). When God urged confession, Adam rather blamed Eve (really accusing God)—“The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (verse 12). Sin has split God and man, and pitted man against woman….

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Sin Divides #4

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

“Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house” (Micah 7:5,6 KJV).

In religious circles, it is frequently bemoaned, “Doctrine divides! Doctrine divides! We should throw away ‘doctrine’ and just assemble around ‘love!’” Today’s Scripture and its context expose that dictum for the utter foolhardiness that it really is….

Skeptics, and anyone else approaching the Scriptures from an immature spiritual perspective, will conclude God forgot to place Eve with Adam. How could the “omniscient” Almighty Creator not remember to give the first man a wife? Genesis chapter 2 says: “[20] And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. [21] And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; [22] And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. [23] And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. [24] Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. [25] And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

Why did the LORD permit Adam to exist alone for a time? There was no negligence on God’s part whatsoever. In Adam, there was reinforced the understanding that his life involved more than his own existence. Eve’s absence afforded Adam a firsthand lesson to learn this in no uncertain terms: like his Creator, Adam should be living for another! Once God gave Eve to Adam, Adam grasped their intimate unity. The first human relationship was a marriage, founded on selflessness not selfishness. However, division soon ensued….

Sin Divides #3

Monday, February 3, 2020

“Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house” (Micah 7:5,6 KJV).

In religious circles, it is frequently bemoaned, “Doctrine divides! Doctrine divides! We should throw away ‘doctrine’ and just assemble around ‘love!’” Today’s Scripture and its context expose that dictum for the utter foolhardiness that it really is….

If we look at life in the Godhead, we see the absence of selfishness. The three Members of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost—live for the benefit of the other two. For example, the Son was submissive to His Father’s will rather His own will: “And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:36). Jesus Christ went about doing His “Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). The Son said, “I honour my Father” (John 8:49). “The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself” (John 14:10). “It is my Father that honoureth me” (John 8:54).

“And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was” (John 17:5). “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). “For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name” (Psalm 138:2), Father God said of the words the Holy Spirit wrote. The Son said of the Holy Spirit, “The Spirit of truth… shall not speak of himself…. He shall glorify me” (John 16:13,14).

The Creator God designed mankind to function in a similar capacity: this is the idea of man being made in God’s image, after His likeness. Man should not be living for self, but rather for others. Nevertheless, sin complicates and destroys this simple arrangement. Sin is a man “doing his own thing,” going “his own way.” Without a doubt, sin is the fundamental problem with man and his society….

Something Not Worth Losing

Sunday, February 2, 2020

“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26 KJV).

Super Bowl Sunday comes annually in the United States. Teams fuel the intense passions in the athletic world by vying for a corruptible trophy. Howbeit, the competition in today’s Scripture is spiritual, is worldwide, never has a halftime, and involves the eternal souls of men!

The human soul is most zealous about religion, politics, and sports. These areas are most personal, so they generate many heated debates and conflicts. However, believe it or not, there are worse outcomes than losing a church member, losing an election, and losing a game. Losing your eternal soul is the greatest of all losses!

In the context of today’s Scripture, Jesus Christ told His Jewish disciples to “take up [their] cross, and follow [him]” (verse 24). “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (verse 25). They should not fear losing their earthly lives for His sake. What is most important is that they not lose their souls!

Jesus Christ declared there is more to life than this physical world and its temporal possessions. There is a spiritual world—an afterlife—to consider. In today’s Scripture, He asks them, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Does it make sense to emphasize this temporary world and its corruptible goods, to the point of ignoring your eternal soul, and wind up losing it in hellfire forever and ever?

Dear reader, there is more to you than just your physical body. Your inner man—your soul, your spiritual body—is everlasting. To ignore Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork as sufficient payment for your sins, is to remain dead in those sins, resulting in you spending eternity suffering God’s wrath in the lake of fire literally as a nameless, hopeless, disfigured creature.

Your soul is not worth losing! Trust Christ as your personal Saviour today!

Sin Divides #2

Saturday, February 1, 2020

“Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house” (Micah 7:5,6 KJV).

In religious circles, it is frequently bemoaned, “Doctrine divides! Doctrine divides! We should throw away ‘doctrine’ and just assemble around ‘love!’” Today’s Scripture and its context expose that dictum for the utter foolhardiness that it really is….

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?,” the LORD asked in Jeremiah 17:9. He also answered His question, “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (verse 10). Almighty God sees the human heart at its most basic level. With firsthand knowledge, He declares His verdict: supremely deceitful and desperately wicked! (How flattering!) Doubtless, man did not originate the Bible. Otherwise, he would have painted a better picture of himself. As he does now, he would have praised himself through and through. “I am not perfect—no one is—but surely I am not that bad. Plus, I do try my best to make up for my mistakes, so God will give me partial credit!”

Sin involves one person: I, myself, and me! There are two Bible definitions for “sin.” One is Isaiah 53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way….” The other is 1 John 3:4: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” To act sinful is to do nothing but “do your own thing,” follow your “own way.” So as to show us just how far off “our way” is from His way, God issued the Law, a series of boundaries He erected in order to define our failures. When we cross those lines, we commit sin (emphasized by the term “transgression”—literally “step across”). What happens? Division! Division! Division!

Let us survey some key Bible texts and see how sin divides everything….

Bible Q&As #689 and #690: “How is Jesus Christ the ‘firstborn’ of every creature?” and “How many angels fell with Lucifer when he transformed into Satan?”

We momentarily break away from this devotionals arc to bring you a special study tomorrow.