Category: sin

The More Powerful Words #7

Friday, October 11, 2019

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6 KJV).

Sinful man needs to learn the lesson of today’s Scripture!

We give our “enlightened” lectures at scientific conferences. Also, we publish our philosophical articles in prestigious, “scholarly” journals. However, since we have no power in and of ourselves, our words are weak. We cannot use them to create something from nothing. Not even today’s most vocal anti-Bible boasters have enough hot air to generate a new universe!

Friends, considering the above, never should we equate ourselves to our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. Since we know deep down inside that we are created beings, if we rebel against that reality, we live in a fantasyland or world of delusions. We think we are our own god—believing what we want, saying what we want, and doing what we want. Folly!

Romans chapter 1: “[17] For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. [18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; [19] Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

“[20] For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: [21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. [22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, [23] And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”

Verse 25: “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” Yes, it is just as true today as it was 20 centuries ago. Actually, we really have not advanced too much. We are still the same old wretched sinners….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Does the New Covenant take away Israel’s free will?”

The More Powerful Words #6

Thursday, October 10, 2019

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6 KJV).

Sinful man needs to learn the lesson of today’s Scripture!

While we better understand our world than our predecessors did, that does not (!) mean we can explain everything with perfect, irrefutable knowledge. Through additional experimentation, scientists daily refine their views: the scientific method is faulty because our minds are imperfect. In light of new evidence, even scientists disprove and discard their own long-held ideas. They do not have all the answers. Consequently, friend, never (ever, ever, ever!) let them convince you “science has toppled the Bible’s authority.” Instead of commenting on Someone else’s work and then denying His existence, since we are “god” (in our mind), perhaps we had better prove our existence. Let us go beyond merely describing God’s work, and actually repeat it!

Genesis chapter 1: “[1] In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. [2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. [3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. [4] And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. [5] And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

“[6] And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. [7] And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so… [9] And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.”

Finish reading Genesis chapter 1, the more powerful words. The God of the Bible spoke everything into existence, friends! God did not take preexisting atoms to make everything; through His spoken word, He created the atoms themselves from nothing, and then used them to form specific matter (today’s Scripture).

Is sinful man grateful for his Creator? No….

The More Powerful Words #5

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6 KJV).

Sinful man needs to learn the lesson of today’s Scripture!

Friends, as advanced as we are, no matter what we endeavor to do, we must use parts of God’s creation. How far-fetched is the belief that we are self-existent! Whether the geological materials we extract from Earth to manufacture our tools and machines, or the biological tissues we excise from other humans in order to preserve life, or the oxygen molecules we breathe and the water molecules we drink so we can perform simple daily tasks, we must utilize what really belongs to the Creator God. We are bound to His universe, and He has granted us temporary usage of it. Had He not been a God of grace, so longsuffering and tolerant of our nonsense, He would have surely and literally wiped us all from existence by now!

Someone once wisely observed, “We think we are so smart just because we can explain a few processes in the natural world.” Again, the Scriptures are true when they remarked, “knowledge puffeth up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). Let us be honest, friends. While we know more than our ancestors did, we still know far less than the Lord does. In our own puny heads, we strut and prance, “Look what I know! How knowledgeable am I!” We flee to the “refuge” of science, where boasters gleefully exclaim, “We have no need for ‘god’ now! We can explain the universe without appealing to religions, myths, and deities!”

Considering the heights of the heavens and the depths of the oceans, where scientists and their instruments have yet to travel, we can rest assured that “science” is—like us with our tiny brains that interpret its evidence—fallible and limited. There is much more to learn from God’s creation, so we dare not inflate like balloons.

Now, here are some more powerful words. If we could invent those natural laws instead of merely explain them, if we could create from nothing a universe of matter that those laws govern, then we would really have something worth bragging about! Alas, we are not the mighty Creator… we are but lowly creatures….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Why did God let James die but deliver Peter?”

The More Powerful Words #4

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6 KJV).

Sinful man needs to learn the lesson of today’s Scripture!

While Adam was created in God’s image, he deliberately forsook that identity. Subsequently, he fathered children “in his own likeness, and after his image” (Genesis 5:3). That fallen—or sin—nature passes down to every human paternally (father’s side). Romans 5:12 comments: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned….” Consider man’s fallen condition.

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). God said, “…the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21). The LORD God said of sinful Israel what is true of all humans: “But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward” (Jeremiah 7:24). “Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do: but they did them not” (Jeremiah 11:8).

“This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing” (Jeremiah 13:10). “And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me…” (Jeremiah 16:12). “And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart” (Jeremiah 18:12). “They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you” (Jeremiah 23:17).

Man is still wise… just wise in his own eyes….

The More Powerful Words #3

Monday, October 7, 2019

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6 KJV).

Sinful man needs to learn the lesson of today’s Scripture!

Genesis chapter 1: “[26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Prior to the Fall (chapter 3), mankind was in complete fellowship with his Creator. Sin was unknown; it was not there to serve as a barrier between Adam and God, or Adam and Eve for that matter.

Dear friends, did you ever realize that Adam was a prophet? Genesis chapter 2 explains: “[19] And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. [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.” God gave Adam the responsibility of naming the animals (at least the air-breathing terrestrial ones). Adam had been created with a brilliant mind, and he was to use that brain to figure out what name best described each animal he saw. God did not name the animals; he let his spokesman, Adam, do it.

Unfortunately, Adam was not content in operating within the confines of God’s will. He sided with his wife Eve and Satan in eating the forbidden fruit (chapter 3). This broke his fellowship—yes, man’s corporate fellowship—with the LORD God. Now, man is hell-bent on using his God-given mind to function apart from that God. Man is no longer God’s spokesman, but His rival. Knowledge apart from the one true God will inevitably lead to folly and futility….

The More Powerful Words #2

Sunday, October 6, 2019

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6 KJV).

Sinful man needs to learn the lesson of today’s Scripture!

We turn to 1 Corinthians 8:1: “Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.” Draw your attention to the second sentence—“knowledge puffeth up” a person. Think of a balloon inflating, filling with air and growing larger and larger. You might have heard the related idiomatic expression, “He knows so much he has a ‘big head.’” Friends, God the Holy Spirit clearly warned Christians—and non-Christians should listen too!

The acquisition of facts or information can lead us to an excessively high opinion of ourselves. In other words, except we exercise great caution, we will become conceited. Education—regardless of the field—is inherently dangerous. The world of academia demonstrates this fact every day. We can reach the point of gaining so much insight that we risk becoming intellectual bullies. In our own mind, we sit as gods, much like a professor “towers over” the know-nothing students in his or her university classroom. We have an answer for everything, and we cannot be questioned or challenged. Having a distorted sense of reality, we are self-absorbed and self-sufficient. We have spoken, and that is that!

It is one thing for us to be educated but still view ourselves as people; it is quite another for us to be educated and see ourselves as deity. We consider ourselves infallible, unable to do or say anything wrong, and superior to others. If we deem it necessary, we will eagerly take our knowledge and beat them down into submission. Not only is this true of us individually—sinful people that we are—it is mankind corporately.

Man in the 21st century boasts, “Our ancestors needed religion and superstition—but not we! We can explain the existence of the universe by appealing to the natural laws that govern it. Yes, we can solve our own problems. We have no need for ‘God’ anymore. We are our own authority!” Friends, our collective knowledge has come at a heavy price. Now, that knowledge has inflated us with vanity… emptiness….

The More Powerful Words #1

Saturday, October 5, 2019

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6 KJV).

Sinful man needs to learn the lesson of today’s Scripture!

For thousands of years now, we (members of the human race) have studied creation. We have sent aircraft and spacecraft up high, and submersibles and other exploratory equipment down below. The vastness of outer space is unimaginable, as incomprehensible as the number of celestial bodies—from the massive galaxies and stars to the tiny specks of ice and dust! Our mountain chains and ocean basins teem with remote sites and mysterious creatures.

From mountaintop to ocean trench and pole to pole, we have traveled our planet to better understand the natural world. We have classified and named Earth’s plants and animals—organizing them into domains, kingdoms, phyla, classes, orders, families, genera, and species. The diversity of life is seemingly limitless. We have dissected the human body to expose all its muscles, arteries, veins, bones, organs, and so on. Another marvel far too complex to fully understand or explain!

We have harnessed elements from creation to prepare dwelling places, tools, food, and medicines. In recent years, we have come quite far with technological advancements. Mass communication has allowed professionals in all fields to further man’s knowledge. We better understand biology, and are more equipped to cure diseases and prevent or mitigate epidemics. Medical procedures once unknown or impossible are now commonplace. There is now greater awareness of proper food preparation and personal hygiene. Moreover, computers are faster than ever! We are better prepared for natural disasters. Our skyscrapers are reaching dizzying heights like never before. We can (somewhat!) predict the weather, calculate the future positions of heavenly bodies, and explain (to some extent) the natural forces that maintain these conditions.

Man—it seems—is “evolving.” We know more than ever! We are becoming more civilized! Are we nearly self-sufficient? Let us realize the cold reality laid out in Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” There is Someone superior to us, and the quicker we learn it, friends, the better off we will be. Something is more powerful than our words….

A Better Baptism #14

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13 KJV).

Behold, the only baptism that counts for eternity!

Many denominationally-minded souls will now surely raise some “what about” objections. What about Matthew 28:19? What about Paul’s own water baptism (Acts 9:18; Acts 22:16)? What about him water baptizing his converts (Acts 16:15,33; Acts 18:8; Acts 19:5; 1 Corinthians 1:13-17)?

“The Jews require a sign” (1 Corinthians 1:22). To signify to Israel that pagan Gentiles have converted to Christ, those Gentiles were to be water baptized for Israel’s benefit (Matthew 28:19). As water baptism indicates Israel’s cleansing from heathen idolatry, it also evidently serves a likewise purpose for the believing (formerly pagan) Gentiles in Israel’s program (nothing to do with us!). God is not showing anything to Israel today, for national Israel is temporarily fallen (Romans chapter 11). This will change once our dispensation closes.

Indeed, Paul water baptized—but only during Acts. Water baptism existed before him, and during the transitional phase of Acts 9–28, he was water baptized and he water baptized others. However, Jesus Christ did not send him to water baptize. Read 1 Corinthians 1:17: “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”

After the Book of Acts closed, the Holy Spirit wrote through Paul in Ephesians 4:5 that only one baptism is necessary in this the Dispensation of Grace—and it certainly is not water baptism. Paul wrote of water baptism only once; here, he says Christ did not commission him to do it. It was not part of the special revelation Christ gave to him to give to us. Paul water baptized only during his “Acts” provoking ministry to Israel (see Romans 11:11-14).

That transitional period has passed, and so have all the temporary, bizarre situations people stumble over when they read and teach the Book of Acts. Paul being water baptized showed Ananias and other believing Jews that Paul had now come to faith in Christ. Water baptism showed (past tense!) how idolatrous Gentiles in Paul’s ministry had trusted Christ as well….

Bible Q&A #655: “Are the ‘angels’ of the Revelation really ‘pastors?’”

A Better Baptism #13

Monday, September 30, 2019

“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13 KJV).

Behold, the only baptism that counts for eternity!

Romans 6:3,4: “[3] Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? [4] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Despite what we have heard over the years, dear friends, water baptism is not in this passage! Again, water baptism (a physical substance) cannot place us into the Body of Christ (a spiritual entity).

The moment we believed on Jesus Christ dying for our sins, being buried, and being raised again for our justification (1 Corinthians 15:3,4), the Holy Spirit placed—baptized—us into the Church the Body of Christ (today’s Scripture). It was instantaneous and invisible. We did not see, feel, or hear it—and we would not know about it without the Scriptures. Moreover, the Spirit of God transferred Christ’s identity to us: when He died, we died with Him, and when He was resurrected, we were resurrected with Him. Romans chapter 6 says we are dead to sin, and alive unto God.

Compare that to Colossians 2:11,12: “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” This is no more a physical (water) baptism than it is a physical circumcision. Water baptism is not here.

Now, Galatians 3:26-28: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Here is the one baptism that counts for eternity….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Who is speaking in Proverbs 8:22?”

Idolatry and Insanity! #6

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

“Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them” (2 Chronicles 25:14 KJV).

How are King Amaziah’s actions here most absurd? What application can we make?

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verses 19 and 20: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” We have the indwelling Spirit of God, so we should act like it!

Dearly beloved, it simply does not make sense—yea, it is downright foolishness—for us to return to the slave market of sin. Almighty God Himself, at Calvary’s cross, has fully paid the price to free us from sin’s dominion. He liberated us from the power of sin… so should we return to it? No!! As saints, we are called to a life of holiness/separation and good works (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:11-14). Yet, how often we revert to our former identity and behavior!! Like Amaziah, we know such nonsense failed us before, but the sin that conquered us deceives us so we return to it (thus failing again).

As Christ died and resurrected, so do we according to Romans chapter 6: “[11] Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. [12] Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. [13] Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. [14] For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” This entire chapter and the next two chapters are exceptional doctrine on the subject.

Brethren, let us read and believe these verses, thereby avoiding idolatry and its accompanying insanity!