Where will you find the Word of God? A Jew will tell you the Torah. A Muslim will tell you the Koran. Many Americans will tell you you can find it anywhere and most people in the eastern hemisphere will tell you won’t find it at all. Based on my convictions as a Christian I understand the Word of God to be discovered in many places (creation – Psalm 19:1-4, conscience – Romans 2:14-15), but most importantly the Word of God is revealed through the Bible. The Bible is the manifest Word of God. These words are God’s word. The same master mind that created the world and set the universe in order wrote a book, and he wants you to read it. God wants be found and demands that he be understood to the extent that our human minds are able.
The Gospel Saves Posts
1 Corinthians 1:18-26 discusses the wisdom of God as contrasted with that of man. This is a fascinating section that forces one to ponder the differences between God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom. In order to better understand I believe a character study of Joab is useful. Joab was the commander of King David’s armies, David’s nephew, and powerful man in his own right. Throughout his life he demonstrated the wisdom of man. Contrasted with David, a man after God’s own heart, 1 Sam 13:14, we can see a good juxtaposition of God’s and man’s wisdom. What follows is a walk through the life of Joab, please crack open your Bibles and follow along. 1 Chron 2: 13-17 | David’s nephew, brother of Abishai and Asahel, cousin of Amasa
Before the world ever came into existence, the Lord had purposed just exactly how His creation would exist. He knew where to place the Earth to provide a perfect place in the universe for life, and understood the intricate designs necessary to make His creation bountiful and good. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.” Finally he created man. He gave them dominion over his creation, that man should wisely use its bounty for his benefit. He gave them a mind to think, to judge, and to understand His will for them. In their hearts he put eternity (Ecclesiastes 3:11), and in their perfection He designed them for that eternal purpose (Genesis 2:17).
I grew up in what would be considered as an evangelical church by men’s reasoning. We attended as often as the doors were opened. At age 12 I prayed what they called the “Sinner’s Prayer” and I was convinced I was “saved” at that point. I then was baptized many months later when they had a number of others ready for baptism. I was baptized into the evangelical congregation as a “sign of my salvation”. I was completely pleased with my spiritual life for several years. However that changed. In 1978 I met a nice young lady whom I wanted to get to know better. (As a side note we married 1 year later and I have been blessed by her these past 32 years.) I was plainly told by her parents that IF I wanted to be with her on Sundays I had to attend church assemblies, for that was where she would be. I wanted to be with her, so I attended the assemblies of the Pond Creek church of Christ. At first I was more concerned with her than I was with the church.
In Psalm 73 Asaph divulges that he had struggled with a problem that is, most likely, common to us all. Asaph looked out at the world and saw that the wicked prosper! Psalm 73:3 “For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” Not only do the wicked prosper, “they increase in riches” (Psalm 73:12). God seems to blesses the wicked even though they are wicked. I labor for the Lord everyday and yet I do not have what this wicked man has. Modern vernacular would phrase Asaph’s quandary as: “Why does God allow bad things happen to good people?” or “Why does God allow bad people to prosper?”
Flesh can refer to the skin with its substrate of tissue, tendon and muscle, or it can be a synonym for the body as a whole. The Bible also uses the term for the being of mankind as in; “. . the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us . .”(John 1:4) Jesus did not become spirit. The Word was not made soul. Those expressions weren’t used because they are inadequate for a general description. Flesh defines us though we are body, soul, and spirit. It defines us because it is the most visible to us. The flesh requires a universe to inhabit; an earth with sky, dry land and seas, night and day, vegetation, insects, animals, fish, sun, moon and stars.
The Bible is filled with challenging topics. It is strange to me that one of its simplest – baptism in Jesus’ name for the remission of sins – is among its most misunderstood. The Scripture’s teaching on baptism is uncomplicated and unambiguous. We need not ascend into heaven to understand this doctrine. It is accessible and straightforward. The Bible Teaches Water Immersion
In Acts 7:58 we are introduced to a “young man named Saul.” At this point in his life, Saul was diametrically opposed to “the Way.” He consented to, and played a role in, the stoning of Stephen. Chapter 8 verse 3 speaks of him saying, “As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.” Chapter 9 continues this dialogue on Saul’s persecution of the church, telling us in verse 1, “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord…” Recalling later, Saul told king Agrippa his purpose was to, “do many things against the Jesus of Nazareth.” The purpose of his life would change. Not through some uncontrollable force, but by Saul’s willing obedience to “the Way” he once persecuted. Chapter 9 records for us this change in Saul’s life. He went from the young man “dragging off men and women” who professed a belief in Jesus to the man who penned at least 13 inspired epistles. Notice a few points about Saul’s conversion to Christianity.
After delivering the Children of Israel from their bondage in Egypt, one of the first things the Lord did was provide instructions for building the tabernacle. The tabernacle was an important structure to Israel during their journey through the wilderness. It was God’s sanctuary; a place for God to dwell among His people (Ex. 25:8). It also contained the articles and implements the Children of Israel used to worship God.
Ezekiel 8:17 – “And He said to me, ‘Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here?’” In the eighth chapter of Ezekiel God brings Ezekiel “in visions of God to Jerusalem (vs. 3).” When Ezekiel arrives in Jerusalem he is standing in the north gate door of the Temple’s inner court. Through the rest of the chapter God takes Ezekiel on a tour through the Temple to show him “the great abominations that Israel commits… (vs. 6).”