Category: Obedience

What does it mean to walk in the light as God is in the light? This first of two articles examines the text of 1 John 1. The following article will consider some misuses of the text.

This article is an examination of Peter’s words in 1 Peter 2:4-8. What is the meaning of Christ being the cornerstone? What does it mean to reject Him? How does rejecting Him affect one, if it does at all?

2017 has passed, and 2018 has arrived! The Christian’s main goal should be to reach heaven. If this is the case, the way we live will reflect that hope of heaven. Let us press toward the goal of heaven in the new year!

You have heard the precious gospel of the Lord, and have responded in faith, repenting of your sins, confessing Jesus as your Lord, and have…

Our physical senses are important to us. Take one away and you begin to realize the importance of that sense and the others gain value. If our physical senses are important how much more important is it to exhibit Christian senses to the world so that that image of Christ and His word is portrayed in our lives daily.

Today the Church is God’s holy and special people. It is also expected to follow God’s commandments and remain faithful until death, so that he will give you the crown of life (Rev. 2:10). And then the marriage relationship is like that of the relationship between Christ and the church.

Not abiding in Christ’s doctrine is going beyond it; going beyond what is revealed to that which is not and asserting that one can take advantage of God’s silence to authorize anything not specifically condemned. The principle is clear – going beyond what we can read is sinful; God’s silence is golden and must be revered and not broken.

Truly, Jesus came to do the will of God. This is evident in His words, and in His actions. From His baptism in the beginning of His ministry until His decision to carry through to the cross (“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will,” Matthew 26:39), Jesus showed His willingness to “fulfill all righteousness.” He serves as a wonderful example to us. Harold Fowler puts it well in his commentary on Matthew, “Nobody will ever form a better ethic than ‘doing all that God tells us to do’” (pg. 116). Wise words to live by!

Luke 2:40-52 The historian Luke, in his gospel, records the only words spoken by Jesus as a child that we are privy to in God’s…

It’s that time of year again, when millions make New Year’s resolutions — with many breaking them within the first week of the New Year. Resolutions are not bad. Making goals is a helpful way to achieve the improvements we wish to make in our lives. They need to be realistic and possible.

The concept of obedience to law is rather controversial among the religious today. Because of the Holy Spirit’s teaching regarding the Law of Moses, as contrasted with salvation by Grace through Faith, some equate the idea of obedience to God’s law with the concept of meriting salvation. This is not so.

On our own, we will never be good enough, certainly not to deserve heaven and put God in our eternal debt. That glory will only be achieved by craving his grace and humbly accepting it (1 Peter 5:5).

Yes, my friend, you will be on your own, to stand or fall, for good or bad. There will be no one to blame but yourself. Your mistakes will be yours and no guilt can be handed back to your parents any longer. And there is an additional thought worthy of consideration: when you have children, you will be faced with the same responsibilities your parents had. If you love your children, if you want their life to prosper, if you want them to grow up respecting others and being prepared to face life, you will have to set some rules. And the cycle will have come full circle!

Obedience is the act of or an instance of obeying. The word, obey, is defined by Webster to mean: 1) to carry out the instructions or orders of, 2) submit to the control of… (another). Jesus said, in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” To obey Jesus is to obey the Father (Ephesians 6:6). Further, obedience to the Father and to Jesus involves obedience to Christ’s apostles as His spokesmen after His ascension into Heaven.

We affirm that our salvation is made available through the freely given and unmerited favor of God. He sent his Son to earth not because we deserved such treatment, but because He loved us. We have access to His eternal presence only because of His good grace. However, it is clear from scripture that not all gain access to the blood of Christ. God demands that conditions be met before man can enjoy the privilege of remission of sins. In affirming this we do not claim that man earns his salvation. The debt is too great and our efforts too imperfect to accomplish such a feat. We do, however, have to submit to God’s will in order to be saved.

The following material in this month’s Watchman Magazine is intended to give an overview of the sublime plan of Redemption. It is our intention to both document the great expression of God’s grace in sending His Son to die in our stead, and the divine requirements mandated by God that we might receive the benefits of such a gift. No study of Redemption is sufficient that does not explain both God’s part, and man’s part in securing that safety.

God’s word reveals that we are to “count the cost.” (Luke 14:25-33) of serving Him. The cost is our all; our everything (Matthew 10:34-39). If we do not give up everything to him, we are not worthy of Him. There is no relationship, no belief, or circumstance that will allow us to say that His will is too much! Christ is our life and we shall surely know that it was worth it all in serving Him.

Regardless of how perfect one’s attendance at the services of the local church may be, God still desires mercy (compassion, loyalty, knowledge…Matthew 9:13 and Hosea 6:6). Regardless of how popular or widely known a person may be among the brotherhood, God still desires that individual’s behavior to be based on love (Matthew 22:37-39), even if the circumstances are not YET widely known.

Genesis 22:1-19 should be read for what it is, the story of the pinnacle of faith in the life of a great Patriarch who walked with God. God tested Abraham with a supreme test (an actual human sacrifice), and Abraham passed that test. May we all do the same when God commands great things for us to do today. When God speaks to us, let us all act promptly and completely “by faith,” regardless of the great sacrifices to be made.