Category: Subject Index

The word which comes from God is just as effective in achieving its intended results as the rain is effective in its sphere of operation. The rain and snow are described by God’s prophet, Isaiah, as “making” the earth produce its fruit. God’s word, likewise, causes fruit to be produced according to His will.

Though they won’t admit it, many are giving heed to earthly friendships and long time associations with others — esteeming the praise of men greater riches than the suffering of Christ (cf. Jn. 12:42; Gal. 1:10; Matt. 10:37-39). Time is proving, and will make crystal clear, that such error and practices are growing into a full-blown apostasy among us.

The next time you look in a mirror and arrange your hair, etc., trying to enhance what little physical beauty you have, sit down and look at your feet. No one brags on these “less comely” parts of the body (1 Cor. 12:21-24). But God chose this exact analogy to describe gospel preaching in order to eliminate human pride and philosophy from the consideration of those who would preach (1 Cor. 12:28-29).

As we decorate the rooms of our lives, may we be diligent not to have a religion room that we visit every so often. May our religion be anything but vain. Watch our tongues. See to our work. Be busy in spreading the gospel. Get your religion on the table and work with it every day.

A live, tender conscience is infallible in its purpose. Remember, Paul’s conscience did not fail him, even when he was persecuting God’s people. The conscience did its job. It fulfilled the purpose God intended for it to fulfill. But, the conscience is only beneficial if it receives the proper “input”, i.e. God’s will for man revealed in the scriptures.

Through simple obedience to the will of God, we can worship Him as He has directed. When we worship Him in this fashion, our worship is pure. If we add to or take from what has been given, then the purity no longer exists and we are no longer abiding by the will of God but the will of man. If we serve the impurity rather than the pure, we fall into condemnation by God (Rev. 22:18-19).

It may be hard for us to understand how Demas could have done what he did in leaving the side of the apostle Paul and abandoning his relationship with Christ in so doing but can we not realize that he was no worse off than Christians today who flirt with worldliness?

Impure doctrine—speaking smooth things to satisfy an ungodly yearning for guilt assuagement rather than true redemption—both hinders the spread of the glad tidings of Christ and leads to a severance of fellowship with God and brethren. Tolerating impure doctrine is a deal with the devil, a willingness to exchange everlasting peace with God for a temporary peace on Earth among men. Woe unto both those who propagate and those who tolerate the cancer of impure doctrine.

We are the “special people” of God, and we ought to be characterized by a zealousness for good works and righteous living. This is called sanctification … God setting us apart as holy, in order to serve him. We must recognize that this is God’s purpose for us as Christians, and that in all things, we must appear pure before Him.

The gospel calls us to a unity which is based upon the revealed truth of God (Eph. 4:1-6; 1 Cor. 1:10). The only credible standard of authority to which we may rightly appeal to establish unity is the revealed word of Christ, the New Testament (Jno. 17:20-21; Col. 3:17). It is His word that establishes faith and enables unity. The inspired teachings of His apostles make it possible for us to have fellowship with them and with God (1 Jno. 1:1-4, 5-7). When we go beyond the teaching of Christ – His New Testament – we forfeit our fellowship with the Father and the Son (2 Jno. 9).

Let us never forget that we are soldiers of the cross who must adorn and use the armor of God (Eph. 6:10-17). Let us love the souls of men like the Messiah, and be determined, no matter the consequences, to press the true light into the world around us!

While Jesus may never have left the borders of his native land he nonetheless amply equips by his example those who aspire to do so. He shows us that such work is serious business, not to be undertaken lightly or without preparation, and that his example of love must be continually born in mind. Jesus is the example for many who have not yet preached in foreign lands but may be able to do so. Hopefully, this article will be an encouragement for them.

Sufriendo en la cruz bajo un letrero que se burlaba de su título de Rey, aún llevaba aquella corona de espinas, que tiene un significado doloroso mucho más allá de lo obvio: representa todos los pecados del mundo entero que Cristo llevó en sí mismo. Por tanto, hay que aquilatar lo que hizo por nosotros. ¡Que le aceptemos como el único Señor y Rey! Y que no nos burlemos de Él, llamándole ligeramente “Rey” mientras coronándole con los espinos de nuestra propia desobediencia y deslealtad.

In other words, if saying that salvation is by the grace of God does not eliminate the love of God and the blood of Jesus, why must faith eliminate repentance, confession, and baptism (Matt. 28:19; Mk. 16:16; Lk. 24:47; Acts 2:38)?

A person with good intentions can still teach error that causes people to be lost. Witness Billy Graham. Witness the Pope. These two individuals, it can be said, both have the best of intentions, but their doctrines are just plain false, and those who believe them rather than God will be lost. Whether or not it is well-intended, error causes people to be lost. That is why we must mark those who teach what is false whether they intend to deceive or not.

The result of the snake bite was death, as is the case with sin. The bronze serpent was raised up on a pole for all to see, as was Jesus on the cross. And Jesus on the cross, like the snake on the pole, represented the very thing for which He was the cure. Thus the incident with the fiery serpents provides us with another vivid foreshadow of Jesus, a foreshadow written 1500 years before He offered Himself for us.

Bible study has everything to do with growing. We all know that we are to grow, but do we really know how to grow? There are many important things that we must do in order to grow. While we would not say that Bible study is more important than anything else, we can say that it is foundational.

The apostle Peter put it this way. “For the time {has come} for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if {it begins} with us first, what will {be} the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17). Judgment, the righteous judgment of God, begins at home, in the house of God. How can we go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature when we are divided and in sin at home?

The truth of the matter is that style and form of preaching is not the issue. If there is room in the Lord’s church for all kinds of methods of preaching (and there is), why is the “watchman” method (a Biblical approach: Isa. 52:7; Rom. 10:14-15) not acceptable? What needs to be stressed is that a compromising spirit has affected many who actually object to truth being taught.

We as Christians ought to examine closely our attitudes toward the preaching of the word of God. It is disturbing to hear the criticism that is being expressed toward those who are following the example of Jeremiah and warning of sin in our time. May we as God’s people ever have a tender heart towards His will, and those who proclaim it to us.