In This Issue

• GNATS AND CAMELS
• HOW CAN I KNOW WHAT IS RIGHT?
• MODERN BAPTISTS AND PAUL
• MORE INFORMATION...

GNATS AND CAMELS

In Matt. 23:1-12, Jesus had warned His listeners against the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. Their religion was largely for public show. They loved to wear high sounding titles, and to be seen as the spiritually elite.

Beginning in verse 13, Jesus severely upbraided the Jewish leaders for their inconsistent and hypocritical application of the writings of Moses and the prophets. They made long prayers in public to impress others with their spirituality, while at the same time, they were cheating poor widows out of their homes. We might be made to think of certain radio and TV preachers who prey on the poor, the sick, and the aged and try to wrest from them their last dollar, while the preacher himself wears the finest of silk suits, Rolex watches, and rides in a chauffeur driven limousine. The Pharisees had devised a way around the commands of God that got in their way, and yet at the same time rigidly bound their human application of the law upon others. They had set aside the principle behind perjury or false swearing, insisting that it was all right to swear falsely under certain circumstances. They had pressed God’s tithing law almost to the point of absurdity but ignored what He had said about the basic principles of justice, mercy, and faith.

Jesus scolded them for embracing an attitude that cleaned up the outward appearance, while leaving the inner man as filthy and guilty as ever. And while they claimed to honor the prophets of earlier days, whom their ancestors had persecuted, they themselves were persecuting the prophets of their own day. Jesus compared them to whitewashed tombs -- outwardly beautiful, but full of decay and corruption inside.

But while considering the errors of the scribes and Pharisees, let us note that Jesus did not reject everything they taught and stood for. He had told His disciples in the opening verses of this chapter, "The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works, for they say, and do not do."

What the Pharisees had said about tithing was true. Jesus did not say His followers should practice justice, mercy, and faith, and forget about tithing. He said they should practice both tithing AND the weightier matters, vs. 23. He compared the Pharisees with a man who strains a gnat out of his drink, then inconsistently swallows a camel -- a ridiculous picture! Of course, He was not suggesting that we should strain out camels and go ahead and drink gnats. We should avoid swallowing both (or either). But in the nature of things, when we center in on those things which involve eternal Divine principles like justice, mercy, and faith, we are not likely to disrespect the other aspects of God’s revealed will. We should seek to respond obediently to ALL that God has commanded of us.

--CRJ

HOW CAN I KNOW WHAT IS RIGHT?

I have always been intrigued by skydiving. It is a sport which interests me somewhat, but I will readily admit that I have not done a single thing to prepare myself for ever going up in a perfectly good airplane and jumping out with nothing more than some baggage on my back that is supposed to work when the ripcord is pulled. I have never studied anything about skydiving, never even read one book about it, and have never gone to any classes that are set up specifically for those people who might be interested in participating in that activity.

What would you think if, one day, I told you that I was going skydiving, knowing what I knew about it (which is nothing)? Would you try to talk me out of it? Why? I could tell you I had really thought about it, and that I felt I could do it right. I could also try to convince you by telling you I've seen exhibitions of skydiving on television, or that I've read some fictional stories about people who have jumped, and that it seemed to explain it fairly easily and seemed basically like a simple operation to me. "And besides," I tell you, "My parents think it's a good idea." Would you still let me go, with no further attempts at trying to convince me it did not seem like a good idea — at least in the way I was going about it? Would you think my skydiving attempt would be successful or not?

I am fairly confident that if you cared anything about me at all, you would try your hardest to talk me out of jumping out of an airplane with the limited knowledge that I had about the sport. You could easily see that I did not know all I needed to know about skydiving, and that further instruction was needed — by someone who knew something about it! You might even go so far as calling up a jump school and signing me up before I made my attempt. If you really cared, you might even call someone else to try to talk me out of it or, if that failed, hold me down until the plane took off.

This illustration serves to lead us to a much more important subject, but one which parallels the situation we have just described. When it comes to skydiving, I am sure none of us would really go about a skydiving attempt in the way I just described, but do we realize that many people go about preparing for eternity in the same way? Do we realize that many people approach the salvation of their souls with the same haphazardness? Isn't our soul's salvation a little more important than something as apparently exciting as skydiving? Yes! It is eminently more important than that — or anything else we may consider in our lifetime.

That being true, then how do I prepare? How can I know what is right? If I were to seriously consider skydiving, I am sure I would not necessarily seek out the cheapest instruction school, the cheapest equipment, or climb on just any old airplane. I am fairly confident that when our physical life was on the line, we would want the best instructor, giving the best instruction, with the best equipment and a reliable plane.

We should put just as much effort into our salvation as learning to skydive, if not more. Why? Because when you skydive, you usually are not awakened in the middle of the night and dragged to an airport, with no choice in the matter and no questions about having your parachute, forced to get on an airplane to do the jump. Skydiving just doesn't work that way, but your life certainly can end when you least expect it. Death comes to both young and old, and whether you are prepared or not, it is too late when the day comes.

Enough talk about skydiving. Let's get back to the important question: How can I know what is right? When it comes to the salvation of our souls, how can I know what is right — especially since there are so many confusing and conflicting messages about salvation out there in the religious world.

Seek God's Instruction. Since we want to know what is right when it comes to salvation, there is absolutely no other choice but to go to the source of salvation, God. Since He is the one who established the plan for man's salvation, it makes sense to go to Him and see what He says. And God did not leave us without a means of knowing what is right; He gave us His word for that very reason. If the creeds of men ever enter into the picture, it only brings confusion and certainly no clear answers. Man did not establish the plan, so why would we seek out their instruction?

When we consider the word of God, we find the psalmist saying, "The word of the Lord is proven" (18:30). That word "proven" means it is right, or truth. Every word of God is truth! Since every word of God is truth, we can trust that He has revealed the right plan to us. And He has. Within God's word, we find that our salvation comes through the name of Jesus Christ, and no other (Acts 4:12). We also find that He has told us all of the things that must take place or did take place for our salvation to be possible. We find that Jesus died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3), that we must believe that He is the Son of God (John 8:24), repent of our sins (Acts 17:30), and be baptized into Jesus Christ (Mark 16:16). If you want to know what's right when considering salvation, why not just let God tell you?

Study God's Word. Once we go to the right source, we must then do some intense studying. I must emphasize study is what is needed, not just a superficial reading. Some read through the Bible with a thought already in mind, looking for "proof" that what they already believe is "true." This is called "proof-texting," a fallacious means of finding truth. Some so misuse the Scriptures that they make even the simplest texts confusing, too. I heard a preacher give a funny example once, saying that God prohibited wood splitting because Jesus said, in Matthew 19:6, "Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." It really does say that, but what does it mean, considering the context?

Proper Bible study demands that we consider the context of each and every Bible passage. We must consider who is speaking, who is being spoken to, and what the situation is when the words are spoken. Failing to do this will bring confusion, but not the answer we are seeking. Paul admonished Timothy to "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15) When we know God's word, we can know what is right!

--Steven Harper, The Burns Park Beacon, 8 July, 2001

MODERN BAPTISTS AND PAUL

Texas Baptists and Paul

Recently the news told us of a group of Baptist Churches in Texas and the "grievance" they had with a larger Association of the denomination. It seems that they were upset with the determination that the husband is the head of the wife, and that she is to submit to him. What to do under such circumstances? They just withdrew from the Association. What does Paul say about the matter? "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body" (Ephesians 5:22-23). Go figure...

Georgia Baptists and Paul

While in Cartersville, GA recently for a Gospel Meeting, a story on the evening news caught my eye. It seems that some (2) Atlanta Baptist Churches were being expelled from the fellowship of their Regional Association. A "minister" for the larger of the 2 Churches was interviewed, she had one earring in her right ear (for what that is worth). She defended the practice of the Churches vehemently, vowing to continue doing what she had been doing despite what the Council decided. She touted their great accomplishments in the forbidden field, and extolled the love and compassion "her Church" had for "all" people. She presented herself very well, and I have no doubt that her case was well received by many. Just what was it that this Church was doing? They openly received into their fellowship practicing homosexuals! They did not try to convert them, nor did they "merely allow them time to change", they confirmed them and accepted their sin with them! Hear Paul -- "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet" (Romans 1:26-27). God gave them up, these people chose to "give up" their association to keep them in their sin. Again, go figure...

--Tim Smith, Enon Endeavor, Webb, Alabama

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