DOES MATTHEW 18:18-20 TEACH THAT BELIEVERS HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DECREE AND DECLARE THINGS?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
Sister X, thanks for the question. I appreciate your concerns on emotive Christian debates touching on contentious issues. However, my view is that biblical debates can be mutually beneficial if they are conducted in a structured manner and the parties are respectful in their arguments.
No one has a monopoly of ideas and there is no end to learning. Scripture teaches that iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17).
Now to respond to your question...
Yes, I have come across the slogan about decreeing and declaring things into existence. I am however hesitant to admit that believers have such authority. The slogan is possibly reinforced by the Word of Faith doctrines on confessing and possessing things.
The word "decree" in its ordinary usage refers to a royal proclamation or executive order that must be strictly complied with by those to whom it is directed. It is an official order that carries with it the force of law.
A person making a decree must therefore have the requisite authority or power to proclaim it.
The word "decree" appears 18 times in the Book of Esther and 15 times in Daniel.
Ancient kings issued decrees to their subjects in the exercise of their unfettered royal authority.
In the New Testament Scripture, the word "decree" appears only 4 times in the NKJV. To my knowledge, none of these Scripture passages relate to the exercise of spiritual authority by believers or the Church.
Now turning to Matthew 18:18-20, the Bible says "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
BIBLICAL ANALYSIS
Does this passage teach that believers have the authority to make decrees on any matter and things just happen spontaneously?
A charismatic teacher would perhaps answer this question in the affirmative. Is this affirmation consistent with biblical truth?
First things first...
Let us start by examining the context of the two statements in this short passage. Context is always key when it comes to biblical interpretation.
Jesus was addressing the issue of Christian conflict resolution/church discipline in the context of the sinning brother (Matthew 18:15-20).
The statement in Matthew 18:18 therefore relates to the authority of the church in administering moral discipline within the Christian community. A believer who stubbornly refuses to submit to church discipline may be excommunicated from the congregation of believers until such a time that they demonstrate remorse and are biblically restored (cf. 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 2 Cor. 2:3-11).
Paul exercised this authority when he excommunicated two heretics from the Ephesian Christian community (1 Timothy 1:19-20; 2 Timothy 2:16-19).
We learn from the teaching of Jesus in our passage of context above that God will uphold the disciplinary decision of the church if it is made in a godly judicious manner and within the authority of the word of God.
This authority should however be subject to the broader teachings found elsewhere in the Bible which speak into the context.
The second statement in Matthew 18:19 is made in a broader context. It is the foundation of corporate faith in the Christian community. It is however subject to the body of truths taught in the Bible which apply to this context.
Finally, Matthew 18:20 gives an assurance of God's abiding presence. Jesus, by His Spirit, is present among believers who come together in fellowship and in prayer. This does not however suggest that Christ's presence does not abide in an individual believer.
CONCLUSION
My considered view is that Matthew 18:18-20 does not appear to support the popular charismatic slogan on decreeing matters into existence.
God is sovereign in our lives and this truth governs our relationship with Him even in the context of prayer. He alone has exclusive authority to grant or decline any petition that we present to Him in prayer. Our petitions must satisfy His divine purposes. (James 4:1-6,13-17).
Nothing in Scripture teaches or implies that God has donated His sovereign power and authority to any mortal. Yes, He does work through us and in us. However, He alone can decree and declare things into existence. No man can take the place of God in the exercise of His sovereign power.
The Word of Faith slogan therefore fails the test of Scripture in so far as Matthew 18:18-20 obtains.
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Should We Celebrate Christmas?
IS IT BIBLICAL TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
This question always crops up during the Christmas season as atheists, scholars and Christian skeptics write long articles in leading newsletters while questioning the legitimacy of these age-old Christian traditions.
BIBLICAL AUTHORITY
While I agree with the view that there is no express command in the New Testament Scriptures that compels Christian communities to celebrate Christmas, I disagree with the notion that the celebration of this event is unbiblical or ungodly.
Nothing can be further from the truth!
Let me qualify my statement below.
It is instructive that the Bible does not have specific commands for every instruction or prohibition, and neither does it describe every issue known to man today by specific words or terms.
For example, Evangelical and Pentecostal church traditions forbid their faithful from consuming alcoholic beverages, tobacco, cigarettes and addictive narcotic drugs of various descriptions and yet there is no express prohibition for such items in the New Testament Scripture!
So if [God forbid!] that one faithful came to church one Sunday morning with a bottle of Vodka or puffing a Fidel Castro cigar and sat in the pews while arguing that alcohol or cigarette smoking is nowhere mentioned or expressly prohibited in the Bible, how would the minister handle that kind of situation?
The argument that there was no specific mention of the celebration of Christmas by the New Testament Church [assuming that this claim is biblically valid] is no reason for discarding these noble church traditions at the snap of the finger!
Here is why...
Most of the Christian traditions that we observe today were developed by the Church over centuries of Christian practice.
Some of the church traditions we observe today do not even appear in the New Testament Scriptures yet Christian communities consider them godly!
How do we justify them?
The New Testament Church practices captured in the Bible are silent on any other celebrations besides the Lord's Table and Baptism.
It is however instructive that the church never had everything right at ago! She methodically developed doctrines and practices over the centuries, even as she discarded others along the way. Are you aware that Roman Catholic church instituted the doctrine of penance in the medieval period and it was not until the 15th century Reformation that this practice was questioned? Penance involved the payment of money to the church in lieu of sins of departed relatives so that their punishment at purgatory was lessened!
The church has come through periods of self definition. We did not always get everything right...
Picture this...
We can observe from Acts 6 that some church offices were possibly inaugurated by default or under some emergency of sorts! They were later carefully reconstituted with clear guidelines for the church (1 Timothy 2:8-15, 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-7).
Notice further that the qualifications for those appointed to serve tables were possibly overstated so that Stephen, an evangelist by calling, was mistakenly assigned to serve tables.
Stephen was shortly thereafter martyred while doing what he knew best: preaching the word of God. He delivered a powerful sermon under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, yet this ministry was the preserve of the apostles!
Now back to our Christmas issue...
As pointed out earlier, one does not require a specific biblical command in order to discern that a particular thing or practice is permissible or prohibited in the Bible.
We need to appreciate the holistic nature of the biblical Scriptures when read in their passage contexts and in truth.
To my knowledge no such word as "Christian wedding" or "church wedding" exist anywhere in the Bible, but few Christians would doubt that church weddings are legitimate biblical practices for the Christian community if we accept that Genesis 2:22-25 and other relevant Old Testament Scriptures speak into this practice.
My guess is that if we went by the "letter of the law" approach, such practices would definitely be open to debate.
The Pharisees had a penchant for reading the letter of the law and ignoring the spirit of the law and Jesus often rebuked them for their hollow religious legalism (see Matthew 23:23 on the teaching on the tithe].
There is no manifest error with Acts 12:4 regarding the use of the word Easter in the KJV as alleged.
Leading Bible translations such as NAB and the NKJV 2007 editions render the same word as "Passover" which carries the same meaning as Easter.
My view is that it is inappropriate to conclude that there was a translation error in the above scripture without any exegetical evidence.
The mention of Easter or Passover in this verse is significant in showing that Passover took a new meaning when Christ, the Passover Lamb, was offered at Calvary.
It is therefore regrettable that some Bible teachers choose to rubbish these holy commemorations by falsely declaring them unbiblical or unchristian!
It is instructive that the 2nd to 4th century church era is collectively understood as the early church period which ended after the 4th century when the Roman Catholic Church subverted the word of God by creating a religious dynasty that advanced teachings and practices that contradicted the authority of Scripture.
The Roman Catholic Church ruled the Christian sphere for nearly 1,000 years, teaching heresy and persecuting the true followers of church who were the true believers until late 1500s when resistance to its cultic and apostate reign arose from reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther.
By late 1500s to mid 1600s, the Reformation began to take shape until the false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church were totally rejected by the Protestant Reformation.
WHY CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IS BIBLICAL
Now back to our Christmas issue...
I find no evidence in the Bible to suggest that the celebration of Christmas is sinful or that it violates any passage of Scripture.
I regret to state that the conclusion carried in the article which opposes the Christmas and Easter traditions is based on arguments advanced by New Age teachers and has no biblical merit at all.
The argument that Christmas or Easter are reserved for the gathering of friends and that these two occasions "have lost their original religious significance" is decidedly false.
The people of this world may have their idea about Christmas or Easter but this in no way implies that the church should discard these important celebrations!
If anything, we should retrace our lost convictions on these and other important Christian traditions that have been discarded.
While Christmas relates to the celebration of Christ's incarnate birth, the Easter celebration reminds us of the suffering that Christ endured for our redemption and His triumph over death through His resurrection and ascension to heaven.
To blot out the two celebrations from our Christian calendars, under the pretext that they are not commanded by Scripture is, in my considered view, sacrilegious and a great dishonor to our Risen Lord!
Now as regards when Jesus was born, I agree with the author that Jesus may not have been born on 25th December. However, dates aside, the commemoration of His birth is significant to the true followers of Christ.
Those who insist on dates other than the traditional December 25th are at liberty to celebrate on any other date(s) that they consider to resonate with their convictions.
Let me conclude by saying that Christmas and Easter celebrations are close to the hearts of those who love the Lord.
Those who chose not to celebrate these seasons are at liberty to do so. However, any attempt to discredit these important Christian calendar dates by appealing to church history is hollow and futile!
My concluding view is that both celebrations are biblically legitimate and nothing concerning their celebration or commemoration by the Christian community violates the Scriptures.
If anything, God is glorified by a Christian congregation that chooses to honor Christ by recalling His incarnate coming which is at the heart of the finished works of the cross.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Picture this...
We can observe from Acts 6 that some church offices were possibly inaugurated by default or under some emergency of sorts! They were later carefully reconstituted with clear guidelines for the church (1 Timothy 2:8-15, 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-7).
Notice further that the qualifications for those appointed to serve tables were possibly overstated so that Stephen, an evangelist by calling, was mistakenly assigned to serve tables.
Stephen was shortly thereafter martyred while doing what he knew best: preaching the word of God. He delivered a powerful sermon under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, yet this ministry was the preserve of the apostles!
Now back to our Christmas issue...
As pointed out earlier, one does not require a specific biblical command in order to discern that a particular thing or practice is permissible or prohibited in the Bible.
We need to appreciate the holistic nature of the biblical Scriptures when read in their passage contexts and in truth.
To my knowledge no such word as "Christian wedding" or "church wedding" exist anywhere in the Bible, but few Christians would doubt that church weddings are legitimate biblical practices for the Christian community if we accept that Genesis 2:22-25 and other relevant Old Testament Scriptures speak into this practice.
My guess is that if we went by the "letter of the law" approach, such practices would definitely be open to debate.
The Pharisees had a penchant for reading the letter of the law and ignoring the spirit of the law and Jesus often rebuked them for their hollow religious legalism (see Matthew 23:23 on the teaching on the tithe].
There is no manifest error with Acts 12:4 regarding the use of the word Easter in the KJV as alleged.
Leading Bible translations such as NAB and the NKJV 2007 editions render the same word as "Passover" which carries the same meaning as Easter.
My view is that it is inappropriate to conclude that there was a translation error in the above scripture without any exegetical evidence.
The mention of Easter or Passover in this verse is significant in showing that Passover took a new meaning when Christ, the Passover Lamb, was offered at Calvary.
It is therefore regrettable that some Bible teachers choose to rubbish these holy commemorations by falsely declaring them unbiblical or unchristian!
It is instructive that the 2nd to 4th century church era is collectively understood as the early church period which ended after the 4th century when the Roman Catholic Church subverted the word of God by creating a religious dynasty that advanced teachings and practices that contradicted the authority of Scripture.
The Roman Catholic Church ruled the Christian sphere for nearly 1,000 years, teaching heresy and persecuting the true followers of church who were the true believers until late 1500s when resistance to its cultic and apostate reign arose from reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther.
By late 1500s to mid 1600s, the Reformation began to take shape until the false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church were totally rejected by the Protestant Reformation.
WHY CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IS BIBLICAL
Now back to our Christmas issue...
I find no evidence in the Bible to suggest that the celebration of Christmas is sinful or that it violates any passage of Scripture.
I regret to state that the conclusion carried in the article which opposes the Christmas and Easter traditions is based on arguments advanced by New Age teachers and has no biblical merit at all.
The argument that Christmas or Easter are reserved for the gathering of friends and that these two occasions "have lost their original religious significance" is decidedly false.
The people of this world may have their idea about Christmas or Easter but this in no way implies that the church should discard these important celebrations!
If anything, we should retrace our lost convictions on these and other important Christian traditions that have been discarded.
While Christmas relates to the celebration of Christ's incarnate birth, the Easter celebration reminds us of the suffering that Christ endured for our redemption and His triumph over death through His resurrection and ascension to heaven.
To blot out the two celebrations from our Christian calendars, under the pretext that they are not commanded by Scripture is, in my considered view, sacrilegious and a great dishonor to our Risen Lord!
Now as regards when Jesus was born, I agree with the author that Jesus may not have been born on 25th December. However, dates aside, the commemoration of His birth is significant to the true followers of Christ.
Those who insist on dates other than the traditional December 25th are at liberty to celebrate on any other date(s) that they consider to resonate with their convictions.
Let me conclude by saying that Christmas and Easter celebrations are close to the hearts of those who love the Lord.
Those who chose not to celebrate these seasons are at liberty to do so. However, any attempt to discredit these important Christian calendar dates by appealing to church history is hollow and futile!
My concluding view is that both celebrations are biblically legitimate and nothing concerning their celebration or commemoration by the Christian community violates the Scriptures.
If anything, God is glorified by a Christian congregation that chooses to honor Christ by recalling His incarnate coming which is at the heart of the finished works of the cross.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Does God Permit Christian Suffering?
BQ NO. 45 - DOES GOD PERMIT CHRISTIAN SUFFERING? A STUDY OF MORAL LESSONS FROM THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF JOB.
By Ezekiel Kimosop
BACKGROUND TO THE BOOK OF JOB
Bible scholars are largely divided concerning the dating and authorship of the Book of Job. Those who place the dating of the book within the Iron Age date it after 1200 BC. Some scholars have identified the book with the period of the reign of King Solomon when wisdom literature was highly valued. Solomon is believed to have written the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Songs of Solomon as well as some of the Psalms. It is however difficult to precisely date the book of Job for the following reasons:
i) The location of the land of Uz has been hard to establish. Some suppose that it may have been an ancient location in Edom which was next to Israel.
ii) Job's lineage is not mentioned in the book or in any other section of Scripture.
ii) The fact that Job offered burnt sacrifices for his children (Job 1:5) has led some scholars to believe that Job may have lived during the time of the patriarchs and not during the period of the kings.
Marauding bands of raiders (Job 1:17) were common during Abraham's day (cf. Gen 14).
iv) Unlike during the age of the kings, there seems to have been no organized religious worship in Job's time. Job, like Abraham, worshipped God alone.
v) The length of Job's life could strongly suggest that he may have lived within the post-Noah generation and probably before Abraham.
WHO WROTE THE BOOK OF JOB?
The identity of the author of Job has also been difficult to determine. According to the NKJV 2007 introduction to Job, several authors have been speculated including King Solomon and two of the Book's characters namely Job and Elihu. Some have mentioned Moses but given the reference to iron tools and weapons (Job 19:24, 20:24, 40:18) and iron ore mining (Job 28:1-2), Moses' authorship of this Book has been seriously discounted. However, if Job pre-existed Abraham and Moses, then this theory could find some merit. There is also a close resemblance between the writings attributed to Solomon and sections of the Book of Job [cf. Job 7:17,18 and Ps.8:4 and Job 28:8 with Prov. 3:7, 9:10].
The Book of Job is largely a poetic/wisdom literature genre which can be loosely classified with the Books of Psalms and the Proverbs.
WHO WAS JOB?
Job the man is no doubt the central character of the book. Job is first introduced in the Book as a wealthy and devout man who caught the attention and approval of God (Job 1:1-5). He is described as blameless, upright and Godfearing (Job 1:1). This does not however suggest that Job was sinless! He was simply morally upright. His family and his wealth is listed in Job 1:2-3).
JOB'S GRUESOME TEST
Job 1:6-12 reports on Satan's attack on Job's character. Satan claims that Job was merely faithful to God because of the material benefits he had received from God and the favors that God had bestowed upon him. God permitted Satan to test the spiritual integrity of Job but not to harm his life (Job 1:12).
We learn from the revelation of New Testament Scripture that nothing ever happens to God's people without God's permissive will and that our Christian suffering ultimately serves God's purposes (Romans 8:28).
Job suffered horrendous destruction in various dimensions as Satan wreaked havoc through sustained attacks on his life and his family. He lost all his children and his entire wealth and was struck with leprosy, leading him to stay in isolation for the period of infection (Job 1:13-2:13).
Surprisingly, Job's reaction to his tragedy was with measured and godly deportment. He kept his cool in the midst of unbearable pain and affliction. This proved that Job was a spiritually mature person whose devotion to God was unquestioningly firm. The writer records that Job did not sin with his lips (Job 2:10). This is a biblical confirmation that Job acted righteously even in his worst moments of life. He refused to curse God or blame God for the afflictions.
This proved that God's previous assessment of Job's moral integrity was consistent and accurate. God alone can carry an accurate assessment of our spiritual standing. He alone holds the divine barometer by which he tests the hearts of men (Jeremiah 17:9).
Job rightly recognized and accepted that his suffering was within God's permissive will. This agrees with Paul's statement in 1Cor.10:13. However, Job acted humanly. In the intensity of his pain, he regretted that he was ever born, a claim that indirectly touched on God's sovereignty. He openly expressed his pain and frustration.
Would we have acted any differently?
This perfectly showed his weak human side. Unlike Jesus who perfectly overcame temptation, Job was not perfect or sinless even as he was adjudged upright and blameless by God. This is true of us who are in Christ too. Our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Only the righteousness of Christ can effectively shield us from God's condemnation (Romans 8:1-2).
THE PAIN INFLICTED BY JOB'S FRIENDS
Two of Job's three friends who visited him did not make matters any better for him. One of his friends called Eliphaz openly attributed Job's sufferings to some sin that Job may have committed. God later disproves this claim (Job 42:7). Eliphaz could not identify the specific sin but his claim was based on his limited understanding of sin and divine punishment. He could not comprehend that God can bring trials upon the righteous. He ought to have known better! His theology about God was limited by his narrow human understanding.
Eliphaz's claim is recorded in Job 4-5. One question is noteworthy in his long dialogue with Job: "can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker? (Job 4:17). Eliphaz goes on to argue that if angels of God can err, [which is true about Satan], how much more can an earthly mortal be found with sin and error?
These words reveal one of the most powerful scriptural truths that is affirmed in the New Testament Scriptures that teaches that no human being can be perfect in God's eyes apart from Christ. All have been declared sinful in Adam [1 John 1:8-10, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Romans 3:23].
The dialogue or discourse between Job and his friends runs through to Job 37 and reveals their amazing depth of theological revelation and wisdom. This leaves no doubt that this Book was inspired by the Holy Spirit!
THE WISDOM OF YOUTHFUL ELIHU
Elihu, who was the youngest of Job's three friends, spoke awesome truths about God and God later vindicated him by requiting him of any blame. He condemned the self righteousness of men and proclaimed God's goodness, impartiality and majesty (Job 34-37). This was an amazing piece of wisdom coming from a young man!
Spiritual wisdom can defy human age and experience. It is the gift of God. Paul told Timothy never to allow anyone to despise him on account his youthfulness but to firmly teach and rebuke all alike without partiality. A minister may be a young man, perhaps unmarried. However, their youthfulness cannot affect the discharge of their spiritual mandate that God has bestowed upon them.
GOD REBUKES AND HUMBLES JOB
When God finally speaks for the first time to Job in Job 38-39, He appears to affirm Eĺihu's thoughts. He reveals His omnipotence and sovereignty tin His conversation with Job. Job is finally confounded and admits that his wisdom was nothing compared with God's. He kept silent in God's presence.
When God speaks no mortal can dare answer Him back.
Job exclaims in awesome fear: "Behold I am vile; what would I answer you? I lay my hand over my mouth." (Job 40:4). None of us has any legitimate standing or the right of reply in God's presence! We ought to be still for He is God (Ex. 14:14).
God goes on to demonstrate His divine omnipotence over all creation.
In Job 42, Job repents of his foolishness and is apparently forgiven (Job 42:1-6).
GOD REBUKES JOB'S TWO FRIENDS
Job's two friends are sharply rebuked by God for their foolishness and are ordered to take oxen as burnt offerings and go to Job who will pray for them lest God's wrath falls upon them! Notice that for the second time God fondly refers to Job as "my servant". None of Job's friends enjoyed that privilege!
Those who faithfully serve God and fear Him have a special relationship with Him. Moses enjoyed this status in the presence of God. When Moses was rebuked by his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron for marrying an Ethiopian woman and Miriam arrogantly question his leadership mandate, God swiftly came to his defense and Miriam was sharply rebuked and slapped with leprosy!
Job was commanded to pray for his two friends Eliphaz and Bildad. By this act, God affirmed the priesthood of Job. The Bible proclaims that the church is a royal priesthood in Christ. Do we often pray for those who offend us?
Surprisingly Elihu, the youngest of the three men was spared the wrath of God, suggesting that his theological prudence was approved of God! Divine wisdom defies human wisdom. Age is not necessarily an indicator of spiritual wisdom. Divine wisdom is spiritually discerned by consistent and prayerful search of Scripture and by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
Do you have time for the study of the word of God? How is your view of God? Is it biblically sound or severely wanting in some sense?
We should neither blame God for our pain nor misrepresent His divine truths in the Scriptures at the altar of convenience! God takes great exception to those who distort the truth of God's word for selfish purposes. If they do not repent, they will be severely punished.
THE RESTORATION OF JOB
The restoration of Job is recorded in Job 42:10-16. God restored Job's material loss on a twofold basis. Notice that his children born to him after his tragedy were not doubled in number. Some Bible scholars suggest that Job's children were not lost eternally but that their souls were preserved in the presence of God (cf. 2 Samuel 12:23).
Job's family came to comfort him for the adversity that God had, by His permissive will, brought upon him and to celebrate his divine restoration. This teaches us that no matter how much disadvantage we suffer in this world, God will ultimately restore us in Christ.
Job lived a further 140 years, long enough to see four generations of his children.
MORAL LESSONS FEOM THE STORY OF JOB
The book of Job is rich in moral and spiritual lessons. We shall identify just a few for the purpose of this article.
1) THE TESTING OF THE RIGHTEOUS
We learn from the story of Job that no believer can escape the trials that God reserves for His saints. This should lead us to view Christian trials and afflictions in a positive sense. There was no specific sin that triggered the trial of Job. God alone permitted for his divine purposes (cf. James 1:2-4). It is therefore unbiblical to attribute to Satan every trial we undergo. Christians will and do often suffer in ways that God alone permits. We should therefore be patient in suffering even as we pray for divine relief.
2) NO BELIEVER IS PERFECT.
The fact that we may not recollect any specific sin does not in itself imply that we are sinless or perfect in God's sight. No one is ever without sin except Christ! We are justified by God's grace in Christ (cf. 1John 1:7-10).
The Bible teaches that Christ was tempted in every possible way yet was without sin.
The Bible further teaches that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ (Hebrews 4:15; 2Cor. 5:21). The Bible declares that our righteousnesses [apart from Christ's] are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We cannot please God by our own efforts. The theology of works taught by the Roman Catholic Church is misleading and unbiblical. No one is justified by good deeds but only by the grace of God in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).
3) THE FOLLY OF HUMAN WISDOM
Eliphaz and Bildad applied their human wisdom in their attempt to describe the nature and the working of God. They miserably failed. This is perfectly what this evil world tries to do in seeking to portray a false picture of who God is. Any portrayal of God outside the picture revealed in the Bible is false and corrupted.
For instance, scientists and philosophers have attempted to explain the nature and origin of the universe through scientific existential theories but they failed to offer convincing findings. The Bible teaches in 1 Cor. 1:19 that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. The revelation of God can only be discerned through the word of God and not through scientific research or human philosophy.
The Bible contains the full and final revelation of God to man through Jesus Christ.
Those who reject or ridicule the divine works of Jesus Christ are lost in depravity and, like Eliphaz and Bildad, can only be restored to God though the High Priesthood of Christ. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can cleanse sin. Job was therefore a foreshadow of Christ.
4) SATAN IS THE ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN (Rev.12:10).
We should always glorify God because our eternal security is anchored in Christ. Satan was defeated at Calvary. His word of deceit does not count anymore. Only Christ's blood speaks better things than Abel's does (Hebrews 12:24). The Bible asks in Romans 8:33, "who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth." There is absolutely nothing to fear if we are in Christ. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. We are forever hooked to Christ.
5) THE RESTORATION OF JOB
The restoration of Job reminds us of our final restoration in which Christ will usher us into eternal glory when He shall be revealed (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The Bible proclaims in Romans 8:17 that "If children [of God], then we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him [Christ], that we may be glorified together."
Nothing is more assuring than to know that even as we suffer in this passing evil world, we shall ultimately reign with Christ forever! (Rev. 20:6).
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the book of Job mirrors the sufferings of Christ and His saints and the reward that awaits us in heaven. This world will neither understand us fully nor adequately explain the secret of the joy that we have in Christ which we graciously possess by His Spirit. God alone fully knows us in every conceivable dimension.
Satan cannot circumvent our destiny in Christ. His fate is sealed and his destiny is in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15). Let us therefore rejoice that our hope is secure and our future sealed in Christ because, as Scripture teaches, "we are dead to this world and our life is hid with Christ in God" (Col.3:3).
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
GOD REBUKES AND HUMBLES JOB
When God finally speaks for the first time to Job in Job 38-39, He appears to affirm Eĺihu's thoughts. He reveals His omnipotence and sovereignty tin His conversation with Job. Job is finally confounded and admits that his wisdom was nothing compared with God's. He kept silent in God's presence.
When God speaks no mortal can dare answer Him back.
Job exclaims in awesome fear: "Behold I am vile; what would I answer you? I lay my hand over my mouth." (Job 40:4). None of us has any legitimate standing or the right of reply in God's presence! We ought to be still for He is God (Ex. 14:14).
God goes on to demonstrate His divine omnipotence over all creation.
In Job 42, Job repents of his foolishness and is apparently forgiven (Job 42:1-6).
GOD REBUKES JOB'S TWO FRIENDS
Job's two friends are sharply rebuked by God for their foolishness and are ordered to take oxen as burnt offerings and go to Job who will pray for them lest God's wrath falls upon them! Notice that for the second time God fondly refers to Job as "my servant". None of Job's friends enjoyed that privilege!
Those who faithfully serve God and fear Him have a special relationship with Him. Moses enjoyed this status in the presence of God. When Moses was rebuked by his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron for marrying an Ethiopian woman and Miriam arrogantly question his leadership mandate, God swiftly came to his defense and Miriam was sharply rebuked and slapped with leprosy!
Job was commanded to pray for his two friends Eliphaz and Bildad. By this act, God affirmed the priesthood of Job. The Bible proclaims that the church is a royal priesthood in Christ. Do we often pray for those who offend us?
Surprisingly Elihu, the youngest of the three men was spared the wrath of God, suggesting that his theological prudence was approved of God! Divine wisdom defies human wisdom. Age is not necessarily an indicator of spiritual wisdom. Divine wisdom is spiritually discerned by consistent and prayerful search of Scripture and by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
Do you have time for the study of the word of God? How is your view of God? Is it biblically sound or severely wanting in some sense?
We should neither blame God for our pain nor misrepresent His divine truths in the Scriptures at the altar of convenience! God takes great exception to those who distort the truth of God's word for selfish purposes. If they do not repent, they will be severely punished.
THE RESTORATION OF JOB
The restoration of Job is recorded in Job 42:10-16. God restored Job's material loss on a twofold basis. Notice that his children born to him after his tragedy were not doubled in number. Some Bible scholars suggest that Job's children were not lost eternally but that their souls were preserved in the presence of God (cf. 2 Samuel 12:23).
Job's family came to comfort him for the adversity that God had, by His permissive will, brought upon him and to celebrate his divine restoration. This teaches us that no matter how much disadvantage we suffer in this world, God will ultimately restore us in Christ.
Job lived a further 140 years, long enough to see four generations of his children.
MORAL LESSONS FEOM THE STORY OF JOB
The book of Job is rich in moral and spiritual lessons. We shall identify just a few for the purpose of this article.
1) THE TESTING OF THE RIGHTEOUS
We learn from the story of Job that no believer can escape the trials that God reserves for His saints. This should lead us to view Christian trials and afflictions in a positive sense. There was no specific sin that triggered the trial of Job. God alone permitted for his divine purposes (cf. James 1:2-4). It is therefore unbiblical to attribute to Satan every trial we undergo. Christians will and do often suffer in ways that God alone permits. We should therefore be patient in suffering even as we pray for divine relief.
2) NO BELIEVER IS PERFECT.
The fact that we may not recollect any specific sin does not in itself imply that we are sinless or perfect in God's sight. No one is ever without sin except Christ! We are justified by God's grace in Christ (cf. 1John 1:7-10).
The Bible teaches that Christ was tempted in every possible way yet was without sin.
The Bible further teaches that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ (Hebrews 4:15; 2Cor. 5:21). The Bible declares that our righteousnesses [apart from Christ's] are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We cannot please God by our own efforts. The theology of works taught by the Roman Catholic Church is misleading and unbiblical. No one is justified by good deeds but only by the grace of God in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).
3) THE FOLLY OF HUMAN WISDOM
Eliphaz and Bildad applied their human wisdom in their attempt to describe the nature and the working of God. They miserably failed. This is perfectly what this evil world tries to do in seeking to portray a false picture of who God is. Any portrayal of God outside the picture revealed in the Bible is false and corrupted.
For instance, scientists and philosophers have attempted to explain the nature and origin of the universe through scientific existential theories but they failed to offer convincing findings. The Bible teaches in 1 Cor. 1:19 that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. The revelation of God can only be discerned through the word of God and not through scientific research or human philosophy.
The Bible contains the full and final revelation of God to man through Jesus Christ.
Those who reject or ridicule the divine works of Jesus Christ are lost in depravity and, like Eliphaz and Bildad, can only be restored to God though the High Priesthood of Christ. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can cleanse sin. Job was therefore a foreshadow of Christ.
4) SATAN IS THE ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN (Rev.12:10).
We should always glorify God because our eternal security is anchored in Christ. Satan was defeated at Calvary. His word of deceit does not count anymore. Only Christ's blood speaks better things than Abel's does (Hebrews 12:24). The Bible asks in Romans 8:33, "who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth." There is absolutely nothing to fear if we are in Christ. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. We are forever hooked to Christ.
5) THE RESTORATION OF JOB
The restoration of Job reminds us of our final restoration in which Christ will usher us into eternal glory when He shall be revealed (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The Bible proclaims in Romans 8:17 that "If children [of God], then we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him [Christ], that we may be glorified together."
Nothing is more assuring than to know that even as we suffer in this passing evil world, we shall ultimately reign with Christ forever! (Rev. 20:6).
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the book of Job mirrors the sufferings of Christ and His saints and the reward that awaits us in heaven. This world will neither understand us fully nor adequately explain the secret of the joy that we have in Christ which we graciously possess by His Spirit. God alone fully knows us in every conceivable dimension.
Satan cannot circumvent our destiny in Christ. His fate is sealed and his destiny is in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15). Let us therefore rejoice that our hope is secure and our future sealed in Christ because, as Scripture teaches, "we are dead to this world and our life is hid with Christ in God" (Col.3:3).
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
The Fruit and the Lie
EXPOSING THE HERESY OF WILLIAM MARION BRANHAM ON THE SIN OF ADAM
By Ezekiel Kimosop
William Marion Branham was an American false teacher who founded the Branhamist sect. He drifted from biblical truth into high heresy and apostasy.
Braham taught that the fruit eaten by Eve was not a literal one but was merely symbolic of an illicit sexual union between the woman and the serpent that gave rise to Cain.
He further claims that Abel was the product of the union between Adam and Eve.
Contrary to Branhamist theology, the Bible nowhere teaches that the fruit was symbolic of any act or sexual intercourse. It was a literal fruit from a literal tree in a literal garden that was in a physical location before the flood of Noah.
If Branham's theory was true, why did God command the couple to multiply and subdue the earth in Genesis 1:26-28? How would the command to multiply be fulfilled without sexual intercourse?
Secondly, Branham's theory implies that Adam was not the father of all the human race. Such a conclusion violates several passages of Scripture and mocks the finished works of the cross!
The account touching on the creation and fall of Adam is accepted as a literal truth in biblical Christianity.
There is nothing in the entire body of biblical Scriptures that suggests or implies that allegories or metaphors were intended in this section of Scripture.
God created all things in six literal days. He created man, both male and female; He rested (ceased) from His creation works on the seventh day.
This does not suggest that God was so tired or too exhausted to continue. The seventh day was simply God's appointed time for completion.
Cain and Abel were both Adam's seed and both had the sinful blood of Adam flowing in their veins!
The judgment in Genesis 3 was a literal judicial order from God whose consequences continue to live with us today. The Bible teaches that man apart from Christ continues to be separated from God because of Adam's transgression.
Those who dismiss the creation account or take a symbolic interpretation of the same are heretics.
Without the foundation of the truth revealed in Genesis 1-3, the works of the cross would be meaningless and our hope of redemption would be a mirrage!
Branham's theory on the fall of man remains nothing but heresy. It cannot and will not stand the scrutiny of biblical truth.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
By Ezekiel Kimosop
William Marion Branham was an American false teacher who founded the Branhamist sect. He drifted from biblical truth into high heresy and apostasy.
Braham taught that the fruit eaten by Eve was not a literal one but was merely symbolic of an illicit sexual union between the woman and the serpent that gave rise to Cain.
He further claims that Abel was the product of the union between Adam and Eve.
Contrary to Branhamist theology, the Bible nowhere teaches that the fruit was symbolic of any act or sexual intercourse. It was a literal fruit from a literal tree in a literal garden that was in a physical location before the flood of Noah.
If Branham's theory was true, why did God command the couple to multiply and subdue the earth in Genesis 1:26-28? How would the command to multiply be fulfilled without sexual intercourse?
Secondly, Branham's theory implies that Adam was not the father of all the human race. Such a conclusion violates several passages of Scripture and mocks the finished works of the cross!
The account touching on the creation and fall of Adam is accepted as a literal truth in biblical Christianity.
There is nothing in the entire body of biblical Scriptures that suggests or implies that allegories or metaphors were intended in this section of Scripture.
God created all things in six literal days. He created man, both male and female; He rested (ceased) from His creation works on the seventh day.
This does not suggest that God was so tired or too exhausted to continue. The seventh day was simply God's appointed time for completion.
Cain and Abel were both Adam's seed and both had the sinful blood of Adam flowing in their veins!
The judgment in Genesis 3 was a literal judicial order from God whose consequences continue to live with us today. The Bible teaches that man apart from Christ continues to be separated from God because of Adam's transgression.
Those who dismiss the creation account or take a symbolic interpretation of the same are heretics.
Without the foundation of the truth revealed in Genesis 1-3, the works of the cross would be meaningless and our hope of redemption would be a mirrage!
Branham's theory on the fall of man remains nothing but heresy. It cannot and will not stand the scrutiny of biblical truth.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Where Was Jesus Between His Death and Resurrection?
BQ NO 98 - WHERE WAS JESUS BETWEEN HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
The Bible does not reveal conclusive details about where Jesus Christ was within the period between His physical death and burial (Friday) and His resurrection on the third day (Sunday). It is instructive that Jesus rose on the third day and not after three days! This article attempts to examine this question on the basis of what the writer can distill from the teaching of Scripture.
DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
Jesus suffered physical death on the cross as part of His sacrificial atonement that was required by God to satisfy His divine purposes and to pay the penalty for our sins (Philippians 2:1-10). Christ could not have lost His soul on the cross because if He did so, that would imply that He temporarily lost His divinity at Calvary between the crucifixion Friday and the resurrection Sunday!
At no time in God's divine calendar did Christ cease to exist as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. This is because Christ eternally coexists with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit as God and this triune relationship is inextricably intertwined. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End (Rev 1:8). He is the same yesterday today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). His divinity is eternal.
I agree with Jack Wellman that Jesus went to to the place of the dead to proclaim His victory over the bound spirits because they were being held in that place of darkness awaiting the final judgment recorded in Rev 20:7-15. To argue that Jesus had gone to lead these spirits to saving knowledge of Christ would violate Hebrews 9:27, at least in so far as Old Testament theology is concerned.
Hebrews 9:27 teaches that it has been appointed for man to die once and thereafter judgment. There is no second opportunity for those who reject the warning of God. There was none for the men of Sodom and Gomorrah or for the men of Noah's day who drowned in the flood. Once the window of God's grace is closed, there will never be any mercy for those who reject the atoning grace in Christ's shed blood.
Must all people in all ages die in order to go to heaven? Not really. We learn from the New Testament Scriptures that believers who will be alive at the coming of Christ will not die but will be transformed through in the twinkling of an eye. They shall put on glorified bodies and will meet Christ in the air (1Corinthians 15; 1Thessalonians 4:13-18). This is what Bible scholars refer to as present truth. This truth theologically revises and expands the teaching of Hebrews 9:27.
SO WHERE WAS JESUS BETWEEN HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION?
There are a number of theological views regarding Jesus' diary of activities between His death and resurrection. Some scholars have attempted to explain the whereabouts of Jesus between His crucifixion on the Passover Friday and His resurrection on Sunday. Some say that Jesus temporarily went to heaven upon His death and that He was reunited with His body in the tomb on the third day at which time His body was transformed into a glorious body and He resurrected. My view is that this theory is theologically defective. Here is why...
Even if there was a remote possibility that this may have happened, we have no Scripture evidence to back the claim. It remains a great piece of mystical speculation! Secondly, the notion that there was a secret ascension to heaven by Jesus between the crucifixion Friday and the resurrection Sunday is theologically flawed. It appears to contradict some passages of Scripture.
How could Jesus have proceed to heaven during this period yet He was not through with the works of the cross? The resurrection concludes Jesus' divine works of the cross. My view is that the resurrection was the greatest event that crowned the victory of Jesus over death and over the kingdom of darkness. This is the event by which Jesus made a mockery of Satan! It is the foundation of our victory in Christ. 1 Peter 1:3 refers to the resurrection as the source of living hope for the church. It is therefore inconceivable, in my view, that Jesus could have secretly ascended to heaven upon His death on the crucifixion Friday and returned to earth on Sunday morning for the resurrection yet Scripture nowhere teaches or implies it.
Philippians 2:1-10 indicates that Jesus was exalted by God the Father after His obedient death on the cross. His exaltation should naturally have occurred after His resurrection. We learn further that when Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene on the morning of the resurrection Sunday, He said to her: "Do not cling to me for I am not yet ascended to my Father" (John 20:17). This statement rules out the theory of a secret ascension to heaven between His death and His resurrection.
We may never know for sure where Jesus was for the most time during this period, perhaps until we appear before His divine presence! Acts 1:3 says that Jesus was later seen of the disciples and many others for a space of 40 days until His ascension recorded in Acts 1:9-11. This confirms that a forty days period separated Christ's resurrection and His ascension to heaven.
Pentecost (day of fifty) was celebrated 50 days from the Day of the Passover Feast which coincided with the day of the crucifixion of Christ as the Lamb of God. This further affirms that the Day of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2 occurred ten days after the ascension of Christ.
Luke 23:43 reveals that Jesus went to paradise upon His death. He promised the repentant thief on the cross that he would be with Him in Paradise. This is the place in Hebrew thought where the righteous dead are preserved by God until the final resurrection and judgment.
We learn from the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 that the wicked are taken to Hades where they suffer partial punishment as they await their final consignment to the lake of fire in hell. It appears that the place where the spirits of the fallen angels were kept was probably a special abode in Hades.
We learn from the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man that when Lazarus died he was escorted by the angels to the bosom of Abraham in Paradise, showing that He was declared righteous for his obedient living during his earthly life. On the contrary, when the rich man died, he was buried and his soul was taken to Hades where the flame and the heat was too intense for him and where God's mercy was beyond reach.
Hebrew theology teaches that the righteous and the wicked were eternally separated by these two abodes and that there is no opportunity for reversing one's eternal destiny after death.
It is however not clear if Jesus stayed in Paradise all the time. It appears that He had the liberty to cross over to the place of the dead where He proclaimed His victory over the spirits held there. It may be safe to assume that Jesus was not limited by any barriers by reason of His divinity but we cannot conclusively tell where else He could have gone besides paradise and the place of the dead.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
So where was Jesus between His death and His resurrection? We can attest from our analysis that Jesus went to Paradise upon His physical death. 1 Peter 3:18-20, read together with 2 Peter 2:4-5, reveals that Jesus went to the place of the dead and made a proclamation of victory to the spirits bound there. These the spirits were perhaps those of rebellious angels who participated in Satan's rebellion in heaven and who continued to deceive the men of Noah's day (cf. Isaiah 14:12-21).
These angels were possibly kept in a dark holding facility or dungeon as they awaited their final judgment. Bible scholars believe that there was no opportunity for redemption for them (Jude 1:6). I agree with Jack Wellman on the view that Jesus did not require to preach to the spirits of the Old Testament dead because God justified Old Testament people on the basis of their faith based on His revelation that was available to them.
Abraham was justified because of his obedient faith and so were all the heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11 including Abel, Seth, Enoch, Moses, Joshua, Sarah, and Rahab the harlot. There was therefore no reason that the men of Noah's day should have been singled out for the gospel proclamation by Christ in Hades yet there were other people from biblical history who had rebelled against God and were destroyed.
These wicked men included the men of Sodom and Gomorrah and the men of Korah who were destroyed when they defied Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 16; Jude 1:11) and many other disobedient generations of people who departed from the ways of God and were given to evil and depravity despite knowing the truth (1 Corinthians 10).
Some scholars say that the mention of the spirits of the days of Noah was not in reference to the fallen angels who married the daughters of men (Genesis 6:1-4; 2 Peter 2:4). There is evidence in Jude 1:6 that the spirits referred to in 1 Peter 3:18-20 and 2 Peter 2:4-5 were those of fallen angels. Jesus could not have proclaimed a redemption message to the fallen angels since angels do not partake in the redemption of Christ (cf. Hebrews 2:16, 1 Peter 1:10-16).
Still others say that Jesus was preaching through Noah in Noah's day and that those who rejected Noah's message had actually rejected Christ and were sent to Hades on that account. The passage of 1 Peter 3:18-22 appears to carry some symbolism of the salvation that we have in Christ. It speaks of the salvation of Noah's family through water as being symbolic of our baptism in Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21).
Let me conclude by saying that we ought to interpret Scripture with great care so that we do not misrepresent its fundamental truths. There is a theological rule in the interpretation of Scripture that says that we should not allow Scripture to speak out of silence. This implies that we should not impute anything into Scripture that is not expressly taught or implied in any text or passage of Scripture.
Conversely, we should not suppress the voice of Scripture when it plainly speaks into our specific situations of life. In doing that we shall be muffling the voice of God when He speaks and would heap condemnation upon ourselves!
The Bible should remain the spiritual yardstick by which all matters touching on our faith and practice shall find resolution.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Christ is the Answer
HOW TO ACCESS GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS
By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
In our previous study of Romans 2:17-24, we learned that human sinfulness is universal and that God's righteous judgement fell on all mankind since Adam.
We also learned that no ritual can add to what Christ has accomplished at Calvary and that the Jewish demand for ritual circumcision on the Gentiles was misplaced.
Paul's argument on the futility of circumcision stretches through to Romans 2:25-29.
In Romans 3:1-8, Paul defends God's righteous judgement against both the Jew and the Gentile.
Nothing that a man does, not even ritual circumcision or the futile attempt at complying with the Jewish law could earn him a righteous standing before God.
Romans 3:9-20 concludes Paul's argument with a declaration that all have sinned and obedience to the law could offer no cure. Romans 3:10-18 is a portrayal of man's helplessness outside Christ.
Today, we continue with our survey study through passages of Scripture in the Book of Romans. We shall examine Romans 3:21-26.
THE PASSAGE
The title of the passage of Romans 3:21-26 below has been borrowed from the NKJV.
God’s Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
BIBLICAL ANALYSIS
Under this passage, the Bible demonstrates that the righteousness of God in Christ. This righteousness has historical foundation in the prophets who foretold the coming of Christ (3:21). It was distinct from the righteousness that is founded on obedience to Moses.
This righteousness is exclusively obtained through faith in Christ to all and on all who believe (3:22). This kind of faith demanded no works. One was merely required to believe in Christ Jesus.
This revelation perhaps didn't make sense to the traditional Jew who was was familiar with the articles of the old covenant. However, this was God's exclusive way of assigning righteousness under the new covenant.
Romans 3:23 is a refrain from Paul's previous arguments. It proclaims that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Notice here that the Greek verb for "fall short" is in the present indicative middle or passive third person plural. This attests to the fact that it is a standing assessment of man's sinfulness in all ages since Adam and into the future without Christ.
The law miserably failed in offering a divine remedy for this shortfall.
McLaren's Exposition observes the futility of the law as thus: "The more clearly we know our duty, the more poignant will be our consciousness of failure."
Which is the glory of God contemplated in 3:23?
Bengel's Exposition considers the glory of God as the glory of the divine righteousness which man, through sin, falls short.
This is God's moral glory and it's requirements for man. Ellicott's Commentary renders it as "the glory which comes from the favour and approval of God."
The Jews could not attain God's divine standards even with the strictest adherence to Moses and neither could the Gentiles. It was simply impossible to sufficiently comply with the law which itself was a constant reminder of our human fallenness and the need for a Savior.
The law was therefore meant to bear witness to a future perfect revelation of God's righteousness in Christ.
It was a shadow of the good things to come (Hebrews 10:1).
The universality of the fall of Adam required a universal solution in Christ.
Romans 3:24 offers the ultimate solution to man's sinfulness. It declares that man must be "justified freely by His [God's] grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
There can perhaps be no clearer portrayal. We must therefore place our faith in Jesus Christ "whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed" (3:25).
In Christ Jesus, our search for a divine solution for sin comes to an end. Jesus is God's answer to our hopelessness. He perfectly meets God's holy standards and appeases His wrath in Adam.
Once we come to Christ, our past is completely atoned by His sinless blood and we are fully justified in the presence of God.
This atonement is an act of God's grace and mercy. It reveals His immeasurable love towards the sinner and His redemption plan for those who respond to His saving grace in Christ (3:25).
APPLICATION
No matter what religion man devices or designs, he will find no solution outside Christ. God's offer of redemption in Christ is final. Those who reject Christ have no future, no hope of redemption.
Any religion or sect that is not founded on Christ's finished works of the cross is worthless. This is true of any religion that operates under the prescriptions of men.
Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega; the first and the last (Rev. 1:8). He is Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29; cf.1:36).
Is Christ the anchor on which your faith stands today? If so, you are secure in God.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Monday, December 9, 2019
Did God Say That?
BEWARE OF PROSPERITY GOSPEL MERCHANTS
By Ezekiel Kimosop
We are now in the season when all manner of "prophetic" proclamations concerning the New Year, 2020 are made by some charismatic preachers.
While it is important to trust God and pray for His blessings in the New Year, we should do so in the knowledge of the truths revealed in the word of God.
Some prosperity teachers are known to cash in on innocent followers by demanding the planting of "new year seed" in exchange for "prophetic blessings" from God.
I once heard a popular American Word of Faith televangelist claim that a gift of dollars equivalent to a particular magical number coined by the preacher would guarantee the giver prosperity.
The studio line was soon jammed up with calls from people who were pledging their gifts.
Did God so speak through this preacher? Of course not!
The man is part of a group of billionaire prosperity teachers who live large. His financial empire, complete with a private jet and several mansions, is estimated at hundreds of millions in US Dollars.
Do not be deceived by these merchants of Mammon.
Here is why...
One such false prophet is mentioned in Jeremiah 28:1-17. Hananiah is described as a prophet from Gibeon (Jer. 28:1). This confirms that he once spoke the mind of God. He may not have been a billionaire but he shares one attribute with modern false teachers: they misrepresent the mind of God at the altar of convenience.
Hananiah the prophet departed from God and wilfully and knowingly spoke a lie in the name of God and contradicted the message of God by Jeremiah and other prophets who spoke in the past!
Jeremiah 28:2-4 says "“Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD'S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the LORD, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon’” (NKJV).
Hananiah chose to speak the very words that were music to the ears of the people of Judah who were under the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians.
Unfortunately, Hananiah was not sent by God in this case. He was being populist rather than true to his calling as a prophet!
His fate was sealed...
A few months later, God struck him dead in accordance with His word by Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 28:15-17 says, "Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Hear now, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the LORD.’”
17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month" (NKJV).
Here is the truth...
No preacher, "prophet" or "apostle" has authority to determine what the future holds for believers. This is a matter that exclusively lies in the mind and heart of God to whom we should unreservedly submit our future.
Again, prosperity cannot be exclusively measured by financial or material increase and neither does God bless His people in the same manner in any given season.
Even in years or seasons of adversity, God's faithfulness does not change. It does not depend on the prevailing circumstances. The Bible declares in Lamentations 3:22 that His compassions fail not.
Malachi 3:6 says, "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob."
God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent (Numbers 23:19). He is the Father of lights and in Him there is no variableness neither shadow of turning (James 1:17).
Whether we prosper financially or not, God is eternally faithful to His covenant people. He will never forsake us.
Scripture affirms this truth in several passages of the Bible and we certainly don't need a declaration from a self-appointed "prophet", soothsayer or diviner who presents to us a different gospel.
As we look forward to 2020, let's keep our focus on Christ for He alone is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
He alone holds our future.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
By Ezekiel Kimosop
We are now in the season when all manner of "prophetic" proclamations concerning the New Year, 2020 are made by some charismatic preachers.
While it is important to trust God and pray for His blessings in the New Year, we should do so in the knowledge of the truths revealed in the word of God.
Some prosperity teachers are known to cash in on innocent followers by demanding the planting of "new year seed" in exchange for "prophetic blessings" from God.
I once heard a popular American Word of Faith televangelist claim that a gift of dollars equivalent to a particular magical number coined by the preacher would guarantee the giver prosperity.
The studio line was soon jammed up with calls from people who were pledging their gifts.
Did God so speak through this preacher? Of course not!
The man is part of a group of billionaire prosperity teachers who live large. His financial empire, complete with a private jet and several mansions, is estimated at hundreds of millions in US Dollars.
Do not be deceived by these merchants of Mammon.
Here is why...
One such false prophet is mentioned in Jeremiah 28:1-17. Hananiah is described as a prophet from Gibeon (Jer. 28:1). This confirms that he once spoke the mind of God. He may not have been a billionaire but he shares one attribute with modern false teachers: they misrepresent the mind of God at the altar of convenience.
Hananiah the prophet departed from God and wilfully and knowingly spoke a lie in the name of God and contradicted the message of God by Jeremiah and other prophets who spoke in the past!
Jeremiah 28:2-4 says "“Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD'S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the LORD, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon’” (NKJV).
Hananiah chose to speak the very words that were music to the ears of the people of Judah who were under the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians.
Unfortunately, Hananiah was not sent by God in this case. He was being populist rather than true to his calling as a prophet!
His fate was sealed...
A few months later, God struck him dead in accordance with His word by Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 28:15-17 says, "Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Hear now, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the LORD.’”
17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month" (NKJV).
Here is the truth...
No preacher, "prophet" or "apostle" has authority to determine what the future holds for believers. This is a matter that exclusively lies in the mind and heart of God to whom we should unreservedly submit our future.
Again, prosperity cannot be exclusively measured by financial or material increase and neither does God bless His people in the same manner in any given season.
Even in years or seasons of adversity, God's faithfulness does not change. It does not depend on the prevailing circumstances. The Bible declares in Lamentations 3:22 that His compassions fail not.
Malachi 3:6 says, "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob."
God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent (Numbers 23:19). He is the Father of lights and in Him there is no variableness neither shadow of turning (James 1:17).
Whether we prosper financially or not, God is eternally faithful to His covenant people. He will never forsake us.
Scripture affirms this truth in several passages of the Bible and we certainly don't need a declaration from a self-appointed "prophet", soothsayer or diviner who presents to us a different gospel.
As we look forward to 2020, let's keep our focus on Christ for He alone is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
He alone holds our future.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
None Is Without Sin
ALL ARE EQUALLY GUILTY BEFORE GOD
By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
Today we continue with our series through some passages of the Book of Romans. We shall examine the passage of Romans 2:17-24 which says:
"Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, 18 and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. 21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? 24 For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written" NKJV)
BIBLICAL ANALYSIS
This passage was part of Paul's address to Jewish Christians in Rome who were proud of their Jewish religious heritage.
These radical Jews considered themselves spiritually superior to Gentile Christians because of their covenant relationship with God through Abraham.
In the succeeding passage of Romans 2:25-29, the Bible discloses that this group considered circumcision as an indispensable mark of the new covenant faith. They insisted that a believer was incomplete in Christ unless he was circumcised in accordance with the Jewish custom.
It is instructive that Greek and other ancient ethnic European societies did not observe the circumcision rite. They therefore found the demand by the Jews to be burdensome and confusing in the light of what Paul and his associates was had previously taught them.
Paul confronted this religious fallacy by appealing to the Jewish believers based in Rome to reconsider the false doctrine because there was no requirement under the new covenant that Gentile believers must be circumcised in order to be saved.
The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 recognized that ritual circumcision was not a prerequisite to salvation in Christ and should therefore not be burdened upon the Gentile believers (see Acts15:23-29).
Back to our passage of Romans 2:17:24...
Paul went ahead to demonstrate that Jews were no different from Gentiles before the eyes of God. Both were sinful and therefore failed God's moral law.
The Jews were however privileged to know God through the revelation in the Old Covenant which is contained in the Old Testament Scripture. This, in Paul's view, should be a reason for their gratefulness and the basis for their Christian responsibility in leading Gentiles to know God (Romans 2:17-19).
Sadly, a section of the Jewish believers in Rome had inflamed ethnic pride and bigotry. They refused to recognize Gentile Christians simply because they were not ritually circumcised.
Let's move on to the next verse....
What does it mean to be a "a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness" (Acts 2:19)?
God counts on believers to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). By this statement, Jesus taught that His followers are God's divine agents on earth; His special community of people that have been set apart for God's service (Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:9).
2 Cor. 5:18 says "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation."
By these illustrations, we learn that we are to exemplify Christian faithfulness and lead others in the way of Christ even as we follow the example of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).
Romans 2:21-23 contains a number of rhetorical questions by which Paul sought to illustrate that the Jews could not claim a higher moral ground than Gentiles when it came to obedience to God. The Jews had failed God's standards even as they demanded obedience to the law of Moses from the Gentiles.
Paul was satirical in His evaluation of their open contradictions. They demanded compliance with moral standards that they could not satisfy.
Scripture here is bare....If the Jews could not perfectly obey the moral code commanded by God, how could they demand obedience from Gentile believers?
Their demands were therefore hypocritical.
On this score, the Bible concludes our passage with the statement that the radical Jewish Christians had become a stumbling block to the gospel, saying, "For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,”...." (Romans 2:24).
APPLICATION
Racial or ethnic distinctions today separate millions of Christians the world over. American Christians are for instance divided along race and skin color with the result that we commonly hear about the Black Church and the White Church.
Religious racism is not restricted to America alone. It is a dark scar in several regions the world over. It is a slur on the global church which is the body of Christ.
These hyped racial distinctions are inconsistent with the principles and teachings of Scripture.
Ethnic or race distinctions are in themselves not ungodly. God created us as we are and placed us in specific ethnic communities and regions. We never chose where to be born or which ethnic language to speak!
However, ethnicity or racism should never be used to discriminate or prejudice or even profile Christians in a congregation or to isolate minorities from Christian leadership.
What stands us out as God's children is not a physical mark or tattoo or racial/ethnic distinctions but our covenant relationship with God through the blood of Jesus Christ.
This is what unifies us in Christ so that, as the Scripture says,
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."
There is nothing innate or attractive in us or in our ethnic cultures that makes us more acceptable to God than people from other communities or regions.
Secondly, we cannot add to what Christ has accomplished at the cross. When Jesus declared that it is finished, He had accomplished His mission on earth through His sacrificial atonement.
Those who place their hope in Christ have been redeemed by His sinless blood and have been fully restored to God.
There is no ritual that remains to be performed by men that augments God's divine works in us.
I once heard a charismatic teacher say that every believer must undergo a "deliverance" session after coming to Christ in order to deal with their past. This is a popular ritual in sections of the charismatic movement. I find no biblical foundation for this doctrine. Such religious rituals are the work of men.
I am convinced without doubt that Christ dealt with my past when I came to Him in faith. There is nothing more required of me other than to walk in obedience!
Those who place their hope in Christ have been redeemed by His sinless blood and have been fully restored to God.
There is no ritual that remains to be performed by men that augments God's divine works in us.
I once heard a charismatic teacher say that every believer must undergo a "deliverance" session after coming to Christ in order to deal with their past. This is a popular ritual in sections of the charismatic movement. I find no biblical foundation for this doctrine. Such religious rituals are the work of men.
I am convinced without doubt that Christ dealt with my past when I came to Him in faith. There is nothing more required of me other than to walk in obedience!
CONCLUSION
No believer can claim to walk in perfect obedience to God. This is biblically impossible. We all fall short of God's divine standards. Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Only the sinless blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse and restore us to God.
We are free from the condemnation of sin but we are not free from the presence and influence of sin on earth.
Only until we appear before the glorious presence of Christ in heaven shall we truly be free from the presence and influence of sin.
The Bible declares in 1 John 1:8-10,
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."
This passage was not written to sinners but to believers!
I am aware that some charismatic teachers claim that 1 John 1 was not addressed to the Church. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Let me conclude by saying that Biblical Christianity is not about compliance with the laws and regulations of religion but holding a clear conscience before God that is free from moral condemnation.
1 John 3:20-21 says:
"For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God."
Where our hearts condemn us, we should turn to Christ, whose blood makes us white as snow. His sinless blood is always available to every child of God who comes to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Religious prescriptions of men only serve to draw us away from God but the convictions of the word of God through the Holy Spirit draw us into godly repentance and solidifies our relationship with our heavenly Father.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Saturday, November 23, 2019
What is a New Testament Church?
By Bob Deffinbaugh
INTRODUCTION
One of the difficulties of human communication is that the same word conveys different meanings to different people. For example, the word ‘peace’ means one thing to an American and another to the communist. Let’s take another word, ‘snow.’ To our children, this word stimulates associations which are very positive. They think first of no school and secondly of playing outside with sleds and snowballs and coming inside to a warm fire and hot chocolate. To us snow may mean getting up early, hazardous driving conditions, cancelled appointments and plans, and dead batteries. The word ‘church’ has all kinds of associations to various people. Most people would associate this term with Sunday, stained glass and sermons.
The term ‘New Testament church’ is no exception. By and large this expression is as meaningless to the unbeliever as a ‘left-handed monkey wrench’ is to most of our wives. Even within the Christian community there is great variance as to what this term connotes. In the denominational and Bible church circles, it probably conveys the idea of Bible-believing, or New Testament-teaching. But if being a New Testament church is a goal to which we strive, we must surely have a more concise definition in mind. It is for this reason I would like to attempt to define what a New Testament church should be. In our first message, we shall attempt an overview or broad definition, and in subsequent messages we shall be much more specific.
We will begin by describing the most generally accepted element of a New Testament church, that of its doctrinal foundation.
FEATURES OF A NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
A. A New Testament church is a church which derives its doctrine from the New Testament.
We should all agree that a New Testament church is a church which believes and teaches the doctrines of the New Testament. Surely we are going to have some differences of opinion in some rather disputed areas of theology. We may not all agree as to the precise timing of the rapture with respect to other events, for example. There may be differences of opinion as to the exact extent of the atonement, but at least in my mind this does not make a church any less New Testament.
There must, however, be agreement in what are the so-called ‘fundamentals of the faith.’ By this I refer to the doctrines of the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, the virgin birth, the literal, bodily resurrection of our Lord; the substitutionary atonement, the second coming of Christ, and the doctrine of the trinity. Without adherence to these fundamentals, no church should have the right to call itself New Testament.
If this were the only measure of a New Testament church, then every church which is orthodox in its doctrinal statement could be legitimately identified as a New Testament church, but there is much more that is necessary than this.
B. A New Testament church is a church which is structured and governed in accordance with New Testament principles and practices.
Many churches which are dogmatic about the New Testament being its only authority in matters of ‘faith and practice’ suddenly become pragmatic and relative in the matter of church doctrine and practice, formally known by its Neiman Marcus label, ‘ecclesiology.’
Some would be so bold as to say that the New Testament sheds no light on the life and practice of the church in the twentieth century. For example, Donald G. Miller states: “No particular structure of church life is divinely ordained.”1
Again he writes:
Any form … which the Holy Spirit can inhabit and to which He may impart the life of Christ, must be accepted as valid for the church. As all forms of life adapt themselves to their environment, so does the Life of Christ by His Spirit in the church.2
Few, if any, conservative Christian scholars would dare make such a sweeping statement as Mr. Miller, but while insisting that the New Testament is to be our guide in church polity and practice, there is little agreement as to just how this works out and to what principles and practices of the New Testament we are obliged to follow. A godly and highly respected church leader, Dr. Gene Getz has written:
He (Paul) was ‘a free man’—not locked into patterns and structures, either in communication or in organization and administration.3
Further, he has written,
… Paul was not consistent in the instruction he gave regarding the appointment of elders and deacons. … It is impossible, of course, to arrive at conclusive reasons as to why there is a disparity in Paul’s approach to church leadership from church to church. But, is this not part of the genius of the New Testament? Once again we see freedom in form and structure, means and methods, patterns and programs.4
Dr. Getz is not saying that the New Testament gives us no principles for church life, for later on in his book he enumerates several. The difficulty that I have with this kind of approach is this: How do we distinguish between what is binding upon us in the New Testament and what is not? The answer which Dr. Getz and others would give is that we must separate New Testament practices from New Testament principles. We must adhere to the principles and follow the practices as best as we see fit.
All of this is appealing, except for the distressing fact that Paul equated his practices with the principles that he taught:
I exhort you therefore, be imitators of me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church (1 Corinthians 4:16,17).
Unlike so many of us, Paul practiced what he preached and he preached what he practiced. Paul could instruct his readers to imitate his ways because they conformed with what he taught. His ways were not culturally oriented, but rather universally practiced ‘everywhere and in every church.’ How, then can we distinguish what Paul did, or apostolic practice, from what he taught, apostolic principle?
This raises a very logical and legitimate question. Are you saying, then, that I am to believe that the truly New Testament church should carry out every practice recorded in the New Testament? Should we wash feet and greet one another with a holy kiss? Should we meet in the Temple or in private homes? Should we do away with full-time ministers and all make tents? Let me suggest some practical (and I hope biblical) guidelines for discerning what practices were binding in the New Testament times and are binding upon us today as well. The answer to these four questions should help us to discern what New Testament practices we should persist in following today.
1. Was the practice in question universally and consistently followed in the churches of the New Testament? Those things which Timothy was sent to remind the Corinthians of were those things which Paul practiced and preached ‘everywhere in every church’ (1 Corinthians 4:16,17). Such was also the case with the head coverings in 1 Corinthians 11:16 and with the women remaining silent in the church meeting (1 Corinthians 14:33,34).5 Consequently, the principle of the silence and subjection of the woman in the church meeting cannot be thrust aside as culturally oriented, no matter how devout, sincere or well-intentioned the followers of the liberation movement may be.
On the other hand foot washing was not practiced by the church at all. It was a lesson taught to the disciples by our Lord as an example of humility. Surely we need to learn humility and to serve one another, but unless the craze of wearing no shoes or socks continues, such would be unnecessary. Nowhere in the Scriptures do we see any evidence of the New Testament churches continuing this practice as some kind of ordinance.
The same thing can be said for meeting in houses. Although the church met in various private homes (Romans 16:3-16; Philemon 2, etc.), it also met at the Temple, in various synagogues for a time, and in the school of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9). We must conclude that the church met wherever it was convenient to do so, and that no one kind of meeting place was superior to another.
2. Is the New Testament practice directly related to a principle which we would violate by neglecting that practice? The New Testament churches knew nothing of having one man called the pastor who was the head of the church. Was this simply a practice of the ancient church which has long since been abolished for a new and better way of church government? Behind this practice of plurality rule by elders is the principle of the headship of our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is to have the preeminence in the church (Colossians 1:18; cf. Matthew 23:8-10). In addition, there is the principle of the ‘priesthood of every believer’ (1 Peter 2:5,9) which is cast aside by the distinction of laity and clergy.
Conversely, there is no principle underlying the meeting of the church in private homes, other than that of practicality. There is no principle which dictates that the church should meet on Saturday evening, as some would suggest was done in the New Testament churches. Rather we are told in Scripture that we should not compel anyone to regard one day above another (Romans 14:5,6; Colossians 2:16,17).
3. Is the practice in question a right or a responsibility? Paul often refused to be financially supported by those to whom he ministered. Since Paul ‘made his tents’ does this necessitate that we do likewise? If Paul was obliged to work, that is if it was a responsibility, then we should follow his example. However in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 Paul clearly established the right of every minister of the gospel to be supported by those to whom he ministered. Paul chose to forego the right of personal support in order to preach the gospel without offense to any. We must not compel others to do what Paul did voluntarily as a matter of Christian liberty.
4. Is there any higher principle involved, which might override a New Testament practice? Frequently in the New Testament we are instructed to ‘Greet one another with a holy kiss’ (e.g. Romans 16:16). As I have said previously there is a great deal of difference between a ‘holy kiss’ and a ‘Hollywood kiss.’ Paul is not suggesting that one of the brethren greet one of the women with a back-bending, spine-tingling embrace. In our culture, however, I am not certain that any type of kiss could be understood by those outside the household of God. The Scriptures instruct us to ‘avoid any appearance of evil’ (1 Thessalonians 5:22), and greeting with a kiss in the church may well appear evil to some.
In a case such as this there is a completely acceptable alternative, I believe. We must first ask ourselves what the principle behind this instruction is. I would understand it to be that Christians should give outward evidence of their deep and abiding love and affection for one another. In addition the Scriptures teach us that our relationships between members of the opposite sex should be in good taste and beyond criticism (cf. 1 Timothy 5:2). Since greeting with a kiss may bring reproach to the name of our Lord we may carry out the principle of warmth and affection by an acceptable form of greeting, such as the handshake. J. B. Phillips catches the force of Paul’s instruction when he renders the expression,
Give one another a hearty handshake all round for my sake (Romans 16:16).
What are these principles which distinguish a New Testament church from those which fall short? Let me briefly mention a few, while suggesting the application of these principles to church polity and practice.6
(a) There is only one church, or the unity of the church. The universal church consists of every believer in Jesus Christ from the death of Christ to the rapture. Although we speak of the Baptist Church and the Lutheran Church and so on there is only one church. It is the obligation of the local church to demonstrate this unity, not by setting itself apart as distinct from other biblical churches, but by identifying with them. Some of us act as though if a letter were written to the church in Dallas it would be delivered only to whatever church we happen to belong to.
(b) Every Believer in Jesus Christ is a member of the church of Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:27. Many churches refuse to allow an individual to partake of Communion who are not ‘members’ of their church. We should accept any believer into our fellowship without discrimination of any kind, save for disciplinary reasons, Romans 15:7.
(c) Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18. As the Head of the church, Jesus Christ should have the pre-eminence. There should be no man who exalts himself or allows himself to become the function ‘head’ of the church. This would necessitate rule by a plurality (e.g. Matthew 23:8-12; also note that in the New Testament ‘elders’ is plural: Philippians 1:1; Acts 20:17,287).
(d) Every believer in Jesus Christ is a priest, 1 Peter 2:5,9. The Old Testament distinction of laity and clergy has been abolished. The New Testament church cannot allow these laity-clergy distinctions to linger on.
(e) The church of Jesus Christ is holy, 1 Corinthians 3:17. This holiness must be maintained by church discipline, cf. Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:5, etc.
(f) In the church, as in marriage, the man is to reflect the headship of Christ and the woman is privileged to portray the submission of the church to her Lord. Men do this by assuming the leadership role, while women refrain from leadership in the church meetings (Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16; 14:34-36; 1 Timothy 2:9-15).
I want to be the first to emphasize that the Scriptures leave a great deal of room for variation in the application of these principles. We should not expect New Testament churches to be carbon copies of one another. The Scriptures also are very informative in what they do not tell us. It would have been very comforting to the leadership of our assembly had the Scriptures spelled out precisely how to recognize elders, but such was not the case. Principles not only demand a latitude in application, they also require faith in application.
C. A New Testament church is one that expresses the life of Christ in a tangible way.
I have a very good friend who some time ago attended what was described as a New Testament meeting of the church. In terms of its form and structure it would commonly be known as a New Testament church. That particular meeting left much to be desired (as will happen in any church). As he left the meeting my friend remarked, “I don’t know what that was, but it wasn’t what turned the world upside down.”
What my friend observed is a very significant point, which is simply this: You can have all the forms of a New Testament church and be absolutely lifeless and useless. This is why I must include this third characteristic of a New Testament church: The truly New Testament church is one that not only maintains the forms of New Testament ecclesiology (church doctrine and practice), but also continues the function of the New Testament church. A New Testament church must be New Testament in both form and function.
There are many ways to evaluate this function. Dr. Gene Getz, in his book The Measure of a Church, suggests that we evaluate on the basis of three essential ingredients, faith, hope, and love. Surely these are essential to a New Testament Church. But I would like to suggest a somewhat simpler basis of evaluation. I would put forth the standard of our Lord Jesus Himself. He surely is the ‘measure of a man’ as well as the ‘measure of a church.’
The church is frequently referred to as the ‘body of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 12:12ff.). This is no mere metaphor, it is a wonderful reality. When the writer of Acts, Dr. Luke, introduced this book to Theophilus, he referred to his first work, the gospel of Luke, as recording ‘all that Jesus began to do and teach’ (Acts 1:1). The inference to me is crystal clear. All that Jesus began to do and to teach the church, His body, continued (not only in Acts, but today!) to do and to teach. The function of the church in its most simplistic form is to continue to live out the life of Christ in the world. In the next several weeks we are going to study what this means in specific terms, but suffice it to say that for the present moment, no church lives up to its New Testament standard unless it is evident that Christ is alive and well on planet earth so to speak. We are to bring to the world the good news of the gospel, we are to teach and train as did our Lord, we are to minister to the physical and material needs of both saved and lost men and women. We are to worship the Father and bring honor and glory to His name.
What, then, is a New Testament church? It is a church that looks to the inspired Word of God, not only for its doctrines as they relate to the individual in His relationship with God, but also for the principles by which the church is to be governed and carry on its task in the world. Beyond this, the New Testament church is the church which lives out the life of our Lord through its various members who make up the body.
Applications
The first thing I would say by way of application is that we ought not be too quick to claim for ourselves that we are a truly New Testament church. If a New Testament church must have the function as well as the form of the New Testament church, we had better be careful about claiming to have attained to this. A New Testament church has New Testament life and vitality and growth. None of us has arrived to this standard I fear. Being a New Testament church is like attaining to ‘the fulness of the stature of Christ,’ something to strive for, but nothing to boast of.
Second, and this will sound heretical, I would not want to recommend that you attend a church simply because it claimed to be New Testament in its organizational structure. If I had to choose between a supposedly New Testament church which had no life, no vitality, no ministry, no outreach or vision, and a church which was faithful to the Scriptures in every way but in the matter of church structure, but had a vibrant ministry, I would not linger long over a decision. A church without New Testament principles, but with New Testament life is more New Testament than one with only the proper forms.
Finally, there is an ever-present danger for those of us who are a part of what are called New Testament churches to be puffed up with pride. I cannot help but be reminded of the carnality of the Corinthians in a similar fashion:
Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 1:12).
Now all of us would agree about the carnality of those who sided with Paul, Apollos, and Peter. But what was wrong with those who sided with Christ? How could they be wrong? They were wrong, not so much in their doctrine as in their attitudes. So, also, we may look down our noses at those who say, “I am a Baptist” or “I am a Lutheran,” and we smugly think to ourselves, “But I go to a New Testament church.” God keep us from this kind of pride.
Bob Deffinbaugh,Th.M, is pastor at Community Bible Chapel, Richardson Texas
https://bible.org/seriespage/what-new-testament-church
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
From Curse to Blessing - The Story of Ruth the Moabite
BQ NO 73 - WHAT LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THE LIFE OF RUTH THE MOABITE?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND TO THE BOOK OF RUTH
Bible scholars consider the historical background of the Book of Ruth to fall into the period of the rule of the Judges in Israel.
The narrative of Ruth is believed to lie somewhere around the time of Gideon. This was the period in which Israel experienced a cycle of religious apostasy, affliction and restoration and then back again to apostasy.
The period of the Judges follows that of Joshua who led Israel faithfully though the conquest. However, after Joshua's generation were “gathered unto their fathers”, the children of Israel lost their spiritual footing and borrowed from the detestable idolatry and abominations of their Canaanite neighbors. They worshipped foreign gods and forsook the LORD, the God of Israel.
In Joshua’s day, the Israelites could not mingle with the Moabites or Ammonites because of a clear prohibition from God. The Bible teaches in Deuteronomy 23:3 that “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever.”
Ruth was a descendant of Lot, the nephew of Abraham, who fathered two sons with his two daughters under the incestuous incident described in Genesis 19:31-38. The two sons of Lot became the ancestors of the Moabites and the Ammonites. The two communities had no part in the heritage of God's covenant people despite their ancestral connection with the people of Abraham.
Their separation from Abraham can be traced to the incident recorded in Genesis 13 when Lot and Abraham parted ways over a conflict on grazing land. This was to be a long, long separation until Ruth and Boaz came together!
The Israelites had numerous conflicts with the Moabites during their journey through the desert. The Moabites were idolaters who worshipped some of the most detestable gods of the Canaanites including Chemosh (cf. 1Kings 11:7, 33) while the Ammonites worshipped Milcom (2Kings 23:13).
The famine situation in Bethlehemjudah was no excuse for Elimelech to violate God’s law in dwelling among the Moabites. The Jewish society had simply declined in its moral standards. God however used the unusual circumstances to work out His redemption plan for Israel. This reminds us that God always preserves a remnant of faithful people in every generation or civilization.
THE STORY OF RUTH
Ruth is first introduced to the Bible reader in Ruth 1:4 where she is described as the Moabite widow of one of the two sons of late Elimelech. Given the order of the description of the sons, Ruth was possibly the wife of the second son, Chilion. She is later distinctly described by the servants of Boaz in Ruth 2:6 as “…the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.” Her racial identity was distinct from that of the Jews. She was the stranger in Bethlehem but this fact did not stifle her determination to make the best out of her situation.
It appears that God graciously overlooked and reversed the curse on Moabites for her sake. One may argue that the curse was to follow the male lineage but this argument fails. Ruth had the blood of the cursed Moabites running in her veins! God had to reverse the curse to permit her into the assembly of God’s people. She, like us, was not deserving of God’s grace! The Bible teaches in Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Some scholars believe that the Moabites may have been people of a fairly dark skin and that David may have shared these attributes with Ruth, his great grandmother.
Despite her idolatrous background, Ruth appears to have been positively influenced by Naomi’s virtuous life. She was determined to follow Naomi into Bethlehem despite the tragedy that the Elimelech family suffered. Unlike Ruth, Orpah, who was possibly the wife of Mahlon, returned to her Moabite people.
Choices do have consequences...
The name Ruth sounds like the Hebrew name for friendship, a significant attribute of this great young Moabite woman who courageously forsook her past; her cultural connections for a strange people in a foreign land.
LESSONS IN RUTH’S RESOLVE TO FOLLOW NAOMI
Ruth made a powerful resolve to follow Naomi into Israel. Her firm conviction clearly rings out when she declares to Naomi in Ruth 1:16-17 "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me."
Five important lessons can be distilled from this statement.
First, Ruth was unshakable in her resolve. She had made up her mind on the way forward and not even the return of Orpah could break her resolve.
Secondly, we notice that Ruth was convinced that Naomi was a great mentor, a mother and a virtuous woman worth following in life. She saw in Noami much more than a relative or a mother in law. Naomi was an icon of virtue, a pillar of integrity, a mentor.
Thirdly, Ruth had determined to convert to Judaism and abandon her idolatrous past. Her conversion had probably occurred much earlier in her life and Naomi may have noticed her moral and spiritual transformation.
We later learn from the testimony of Boaz that Ruth was a kind and diligent woman. She faithfully supported her mother in law in Moab. In Ruth 3:11 Boaz says to Ruth during their meeting “…I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.”
Notice the kind words of Boaz earlier in Ruth 2:11-13 which says “And Boaz answered and said to her, "It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 12 "The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge." 13 Then she said, "Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants."
Ruth’s testimony of faithfulness had already spread to Bethlehem even before she set her foot there. It appears that some relatives of Elimelech who possibly used to visit Moab came with the good report.
Ruth was not just an ordinary Moabite but one chosen by God for His divine purposes.
This teaches us that we should never tire in doing good to others, even those we do not know. Even if no one notices or appreciates our acts of kindness, we need to remember that God will never forget them.
The Bible says in Hebrews 6:10-12 “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
Fourthly, we notice that Ruth did not consider returning to Moab no matter what happens in Israel. Her going to Israel was a sealed deal. She was prepared to live in Israel for the rest of her life and be buried there.
She had consciously forsaken her immediate family, relatives and friends to follow Naomi, who in this case was a type of Christ.
This reminds us of our resolve to follow Christ. Our walk with God is eternal, never again to reverse to the dark evil ways of our disobedient past.
Finally, Ruth sealed her promise to Naomi with an oath. She swore by the God of Israel that she would keep her promise (Ruth 1:17). The statement she makes here was a solemn oath which invokes God as a witness. This was a cultural way of affirming an oath or a solemn pledge among ancient Middle Eastern societies.
Several Bible characters in the Old Testament made or proclaimed oaths in this manner. Abraham and Abimelech made a covenant through an oath (Genesis 21:23-24).
Esau foolishly sold his birthright through an oath he hurriedly made because of hunger pangs! Genesis 25:33-34 says “Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
What a shame to sell one’s birthright in this cheap manner!
Similarly, Jacob’s remains were returned to Israel under an oath by Joseph his favorite son who went to bury him in Judea after 70 days of mourning (Genesis 50:3), which, according to Bible scholars, was only two days shorter than the 72 day period prescribed for the mourning of a dead Pharaoh!
This confirms that Jacob was highly respected by the Egyptians, being the father of the second in command in the land at the time.
Now back to the story of Ruth…
Ruth’s oath was therefore solemn and came from the depth of her heart. She was not coerced into making the decision. She did it under a firm conviction. God grafted Ruth into the heritage of Israel in the same way that those who choose to cling to Christ are grafted into the household of God and share in His divine heritage!
John 1:12-13 says: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Have you resolved by an oath to follow Jesus? If so, please keep your promise...
RUTH AND THE FAVOUR OF GOD
Arising from her resolve to join God's covenant people and be counted among them, Ruth was later to become the wife of Boaz and the great grandmother of King David.
God was touched by her great love for God’s people and her virtuous life of chastity. She, like Rahab before her, was counted among God’s covenant people and God graciously permitted her to fall into the lineage of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
She, like us, may have been a despised, disadvantaged foreigner who was separated by the curse of sin, but once we, like her, walked into the presence of God, our lives were never the same again.
Finally, in the life of Boaz and Ruth, we see the ultimate reunion between Abraham and Lot after centuries and generations of separation. This reunion mirrors our ultimate reunion with God in Christ under our eternal covenant relationship which Christ secured for us at Calvary.
We are in Christ purely by God's grace yet we are counted as true sons of Abraham who are entitled to the divine heritage in Christ alongside the Jewish people.
Galatians 3:7-8 says “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand,saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed."
What a privilege we have in Jesus!
CONCLUSION
Let me conclude by stating that Ruth, like us, came from spiritual poverty to eternal riches in Christ. She rose from obscurity to prominence; from widowhood to a fulfilled marriage; from childlessness to motherhood; from hopelessness to eternal security in God; from curse to blessing, from alienation to inclusion, from a destitute life to a life of adoption, from infamy to fame, from death to life!
Does this describe your journey of faith in Christ?
May we always, like Ruth, be grateful to God for divinely inviting us to share in the eternal glory that awaits us when Christ shall be revealed (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
[This article was originally posted on L & D WhatsApp Forum on 17th January, 2017. It was sparingly revised on 15th July, 2021]
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