Author: Cox, Stan

God hates divorce, and intends the contract between a man and woman in marriage to be a lifetime commitment. It is a directive we must obey!

The premise of the series is simple, God must be the primary focus of the home! Our roles, duties and attitudes toward the home must be fashioned through the filter of the divine.

Jesus, the source of divine authority today, speaks through the New Testament. To be His follower, we must obey His word! Everything that we teach or practice as children of God must find its authorization in the pages of the New Testament.

Evolutionists are quick to claim for themselves the realm of reason. They seek to contrast their “hard science” with the “superstitious” and “closed minded” believers of the Genesis account of creation. But, while the Bible believer holds to the existence of an invisible first cause whose work can be seen in the visible cosmos, the atheistic evolutionist is forced to believe in multiple universes for which there is no evidence of existence whatsoever. Further they must admit that not only is the evidence lacking, but it will never be possible to verify it in any way. In effect, it must be accepted by blind faith.

Brethren need to understand the danger of conforming God’s will to popular thought. Such attitudes resulted in Israel clamoring for a king (cf. 1 Samuel 8:5-7), the Judaizers binding circumcision upon the Gentile (cf. Galatians 6:6-9), and the Gnostics denying the humanity of Christ (cf. 1 John 4:2-3). It led to the adoption of ecclesiastical heiarchy leading to the establishment of the Catholic church, the embracing of the instrument in Christian worship, and the acceptance of the social gospel concept in our generation. And, it is leading some to deny the literal nature of God’s account of His creation of the world.

Simply put, direction for the Christian in his life must ultimately have as its source the Christ. Those who foist upon us their own opinions and directives practice lawlessness, and stand condemned. Do you want to enter the kingdom of heaven? Then follow Christ, not man.

The Bible is replete with the condemnation of such ungodliness. Warnings are given again and again about the dangers. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

The sole source of religious authority for the child of God is our Savior Jesus Christ.

Intellectual arrogance can touch us all. But, by its nature, it is seldom recognized by the guilty. The Corinthians fancied themselves tolerant, and yet Paul called them “puffed up.” Such pride is subtle, and can affect us all. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

It is almost universally recognized that men can co-exist peaceably only with a recognition of authority. True anarchists (those who rebel against any established authority or power) are few and far between, because anarchy leads to confusion and chaos. Even one who occasionally breaks the rules understands that the rules are necessary.

It is now obvious that there is a mindset that is established among the people of God which parallels that of Israel. Some will not walk in the old paths, and will not listen to the warnings from God’s word. There is a need for watchmen today. Every Christian should fulfill his obligation to be a watchman by warning brethren against error, and encouraging them in truth.

Any departure from the Biblical pattern is serious. As we have maintained from the beginning, the scripture must be appealed to for any practice. If there is no Bible pattern for a practice, it must be rejected. The practice of Institutionalism in churches of Christ is divisive, and without Biblical authority. As with any religious error, the practice must be halted, and the adherents must repent to be accepted of God.

We can not know the time when Christ will come again. “the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.” It may happen tonight, it may not happen for 1,000 years, “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). What we can do, rather than looking to the sky and partaking in all this silly speculation, is prepare for his coming by living lives of righteousness. Premillennialism is an enticing doctrine. It captures the fancy of the religious, and makes for good fiction. But it does not pass the test of scripture. It is error, and must be exposed.

The theology of Calvin offers false comfort. The underlying assumptions have been long held, and the tenants have been accepted without sufficient examination. The doctrine fails the test of scripture, and should be rejected by all Bible believers. We should follow the example of the Bereans, who “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).

So many claim to love Jesus, and yet they work and worship with religious organizations whose origin and creeds are from men. These churches do not do the work of the Lord, and they do not respect the authority of Christ. They are self-willed and presumptuous in their teaching and practice. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

Though many in the laity would not accept such a proposition, the Catholic church still claims to be unique among Christian denominations. It claims to be the sole Church of Christ. However, as we have seen, a careful examination of scripture reveals it to be far different from the church of the New Testament. To find the “sole Church of Christ” we must find an institution that is identical to that described in scripture. The Catholic church is rather an apostate institution, and is therefore unworthy of our support or membership.

In this series of articles we will be examining religious error. We do not intend to offend in this, though as Jesus did, we most probably will cause offense to some. Our motivation is a concern for lost souls, and a desire to expose evil influences to save some from sin. We are no better than our Master. We must follow the example of the apostles (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:1). It is our prayer that the reader will examine each article with an open mind.

We must not heed those who would pervert the gospel of Christ. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-8). The faith has “once for all” been delivered to the saints (cf. Jude 3). Rather than trusting in our own devices, may we all defend the standard established by God.

It is inappropriate for any child of God to behave in less than a righteous manner. Peter wrote, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11-12). The term “honorable” in the passage (translated honest in the KJV) is defined by Vines, “good, admirable, becoming, has also the ethical meaning of what is fair, right, honourable, of such conduct as deserves esteem” (Vines, Vol. II, pge. 229).

The teaching of our Lord in Matthew 18 must be followed by all Christians. It is our responsibility as children of God to rebuke our sinning brother, in an attempt to restore him to standing. We do not have the right to ignore his sin, and we do not have the right to embarrass him by disregarding the prescribed steps of the passage.

However, the passage is limited contextually to private offenses between a sinner and the one he has wronged. The Lord never intended that his instructions to the Disciples be applied with such a broad and unsuitable stroke. A proper understanding of the passage, and the nature of public sin will go far in correcting this present destructive error.