Text: Ecclesiastes 1:9
This is a very familiar saying even to some who may not be very familiar with the Bible. Of course, most Bible students will know that this comes from the Word of God: “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9, ESV). But what does this really mean?
What it means (in plain terms) is that human life keeps repeating itself. It’s like a vicious circle. There is really nothing new; at least nothing really meaningful. Technologies change, empires rise and fall, fashions come and go—but the core of human experience stays the same. People still love, hate, envy, hope, and fear. Power still corrupts. Wealth still promises more than it delivers. Wisdom is still hard-earned. Death still comes for everyone. So, it’s basically, “different costumes, same play.”
What the expression “There is nothing new under the sun” does not mean.
It does not mean that God never does anything new. Ecclesiastes 1:9 does not mean that progress is impossible and that life is meaningless. Not from God’s point of view. As we study the Bible and particularly what Solomon is saying here in Ecclesiastes chapter 1, we need to look for the key point the author is trying to make. The key phrase is “under the sun”—that is, life viewed purely from an earthly, human perspective, without God’s eternal viewpoint. From that limited angle, everything feels like a loop.
This passage has a deeper message for us that can easily be missed, if we are not careful.The Teacher (traditionally Solomon) is exposing a hard truth: If you look for ultimate meaning in work, pleasure, success, or wisdom alone, you’ll end up disappointed. Why? Because everything human eventually wears out. Whether we realize that or not, everything human eventually gets forgotten, gets replaced, or ends in death. That’s why later in the book Solomon can draw such a meaningful and wonderful conclusion: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Wisdom demands that when all is said and done, we fear God and keep his commandments.
The Bible’s tension: nothing new… and yet something radically new.
Interestingly, the Bible holds two wonderful ideas together: Nothing new under the sun (human patterns do nothing but repeating themselves), and Something new from God (redemption, new life, new beginning, new creation). Only in Christ can people truly change. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV). True and lasting changes in people must take place inside out. Only through obedience to God’s will can the man in the suit change. As the saying goes, Christianity doesn’t just change the suit. It puts a new man in the suit. True followers of Christ will do their very best to keep in step with the Spirit as encouraged by Paul in Galatians 5:16-26:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21envy,[d] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do[e] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
The Holy Spirit is given to us as a gift when we obey the gospel (Acts 2:38) and helps us become this new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God never stops working. He continues to make new things. In Revelation 21:5, it is written: “I am making everything new.”So, while history cycles under the sun, God breaks the cycle from above the sun. Such a wonderful accomplishment can only be attributed to the Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent God! So, what does the expression “There is nothing new under the sun” mean?Itmeans that apart from God, life keeps repeating itself—but with God, life gains meaning, direction, and true newness.
Toronto, Ontario
Do you ever wonder what Jesus meant in Mathew 10:34 when he said: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword”?
At first glance, this verse seems surprising. We often associate Jesus with peace – He is the Prince of Peace. When Isaiah prophesied about the birth of Jesus, he wrote: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) Yet here, in Matthew 10:34, Jesus says that He did not to bring peace, but a sword. What does He mean? How can the Prince of Peace be the source of division and conflict?
Jesus was talking about the cost of discipleship and the radical nature of what it means to follow Christ. It challenges us to ask, what kind of sword is Jesus referring to here?
Not a Literal Sword (The Sword of Truth)
Jesus did not mean the he brought a literal sword which his followers would use on his enemies. He warned that, “those who take the sword will perish by the sword”. (cf. Matthew 26:52) The sword which Jesus wielded on earth was the sword of truth.
It is God’s word that exposes the inner man, convicting the world of sin. In Hebrews 4:12 we read, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Jesus knew that the word of God was not going to be well received. It would shed light upon the sinfulness of people who would react with violence. And that violence was going to tear families apart and create division, even among those who loved each other. Those who chose to follow Jesus were called to be loyal to Him and to love him above all others.
Jesus explained: “ For I came to turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a person’s enemies will be the members of his household. “The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt 10:35-37)
The peace of the gospel is real, but it is peace with God (Romans 5:1), not always peace with people. Are you willing to endure rejection or misunderstanding from family, friends, or culture in order to remain faithful to Christ?
The Cost of Discipleship
Jesus was preparing His disciples for persecution. Following Him is not the easy road – it is the narrow way. In Mathew 7:13-14, Jesus says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
The “sword” Jesus is talking about in Matthew 10:34 reminds us that Christianity is not about comfort, but commitment. True peace comes after surrender, but until then, there may be conflict in this world. Have you counted the cost of following Jesus? Are you ready to stand firm when the world resists the gospel?
The Roman historian Tacitus accused Christians of being ‘haters of mankind’. Those who agree with Tacitus find a lot of ‘hate speech’ in the New Testament, for it exposes their souls and condemns their sinfulness.
The Ultimate Peace
In this sense only did Jesus bring a sword. His message of truth revealed the love of God, the grace of God as well as his justice. Those who rejected that message, put Jesus on the cross. They persecuted his disciples and are still at it. And while the world remains divided about Jesus, His mission ultimately leads to eternal peace for those who believe.
At the cross, He made peace between God and man. “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”Colossians 1:19-20, NIV.
His faithful servants enjoy God’s perfect peace while holding on to God’s word. This is the spiritual “sword”— which separates light from darkness, truth from error and life from death. So, we must hold fast to the hope of eternal peace while courageously wielding the sword of truth in our present age.
Jesus’ statement “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword” is a challenging statement. It predicted that Jesus’ message wold lead to division rather than universal acceptance, for it challenged existing beliefs and social values.
The apostle Paul put the conflict this way: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” (2 Cor 10:3-6)
The weapons that we use is spiritual. They reveal the will of God while destroying arguments and all sort of arrogance arrayed against Him. Since the kingdom of Jesus is not ‘of this world’, neither are the weapons that he has put into our hands. And when the world responds to spiritual weapons with carnal ones, it is an admission of defeat.
In this way, Jesus reminded us that discipleship is serious and costly. He did not promise an easy path, but that He will always be with us to strengthen and to reward eternally. The sword that He brings offers salvation. It calls for decision. And if we say ‘yes’, it forces us to be loyal to God rather than to men.
May we always say with the apostle Paul, “…I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the ew first and also to the Greek
Toronto, ON
Have you ever taken the time to really reflect on what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:10? “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
Imagine standing before God and being able to say: “I am innocent of the blood of all men.” These are Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, and part of his farewell speech. In Acts 20:26 Paul says, “Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you.” Paul had served them faithfully, preached the full counsel of God, and now was about to depart, possibly never to see them again. Paul’s conscience was clear—not because he was perfect, but because he was faithful. A question to every servant of God, especially those who have the privilege to teach and preach the gospel, is, if today were your last day, could you say, like Paul, that your conscience is clear before God and others?
The Seriousness of Paul’s Statement in Acts 20:26
The phrase “innocent of the blood” recalls Ezekiel 3:17–19 and 33:7–9, where God made the prophet a “watchman.” In Ezekiel 3:16–19 we read of Ezekiel’s task as watchman.
“16 At the end of seven days [v. 15 Ezekiel had been with the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv for 7 days] the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so, hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself”.
The message is so important that God repeats it in Ezekiel 33:7-9. So, you see… If the watchman failed to warn people of danger, their blood would be required at his hand. The watchman would be responsible. Thus, in Acts 20:26, Paul is saying to the Ephesian Elders: “I have fulfilled my duty. I have warned, taught, and preached. I am free from guilt.”
Paul’s Faithfulness in Ministry
He had not shunned declaring the whole counsel of God (v. 27). He served amidst trials with humility and tears (v. 19). He preached publicly and from house to house (v. 20). He proclaimed repentance toward God and faith in Jesus (v. 21).
The Meaning for Us Today
Fellow Christians, while we are not apostles, we are all called to be faithful witnesses. Parents have a duty to warn and guide their children. Proverbs 22:6 says: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they will not turn from it.” This highlights the importance of early instruction in guiding children’s lives. Believers have a duty to share Christ with others in their circle. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus says, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” And Mathew 28:19-20 says, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The Lord’s church has a duty to preach the truth—not only what is popular, but the full counsel of God.
A clear conscience comes from faithfulness, not perfection. Paul wasn’t sinless, but he was faithful. We too can stand before God with a clear conscience when we live faithfully. This underlines the urgency of sharing the gospel. Silence can make us guilty of neglect. People’s eternity is at stake; therefore, we cannot remain quiet. It recalls our responsibility as watchmen. In our homes, workplaces, and communities, we are watchmen. While we cannot save everyone, we must warn everyone. Faithfulness removes guilt from us, even if others reject the message.
Paul could depart in peace because he had done his duty.The question remains: Can you say the same? One day, everyone of us will stand before the judgment seat of God. Remember 2 Corinthians 5:10, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
On that day, will your conscience be clear? Again, to those of us who have the privilege to teach and preach the gospel; will we be able to say to God that we preached the truth? Will you be able to say, “I am innocent of the blood of all men.”?
Toronto, ON
The Israelites were chosen by God to be His own people. “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” (Exodus 6:7). God made a covenant with them. However, the people were not abiding by the terms of the covenant and God is not happy. So, now in Hosea chapter 4, the Lord accuses the nation of Israel and He is taking them to court.
The Divine Courtroom.
Imagine being summoned to court, not by a human judge, but by God Himself. In Hosea 4:1, we step into a divine courtroom. The Lord is not speaking softly; He is bringing a formal charge against His own people. The verse reads, “Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: ‘There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of God in the land.’” This verse is not only ancient prophecy—it’s a mirror for us today. Let us consider the accusation, the absence, and the application.
The Accusation: “The Lord has a charge to bring”
God is not passive about the spiritual state of His people. He is not going to just let it go and pretend that all is well. Charge in Hebrew suggests a legal dispute—this is a covenant lawsuit. Like a faithful husband confronting an unfaithful bride (a repeated theme in Hosea), God lays out the evidence. This tells us something about God’s character:
God is holy and so He cannot ignore sin. He is completely separate from and opposed to sin. Habakkuk 1:13 declares, “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong.”
God is just. In numerous passages, Scripture affirms the justice of God, declaring Him to be perfectly upright and equitable in all His ways. A concise yet powerful statement appears in Deuteronomy 32:4: “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice-righteous and upright is He.” As the biblehub.com points it out “This concept of justice in the biblical text conveys not only fair dealing but also the unwavering defense of what is righteous.” Consequently, God responds when His people turn away. Because God is just, He cannot make a rule, establish the penalty, and then not follow through when the rule is broken.
God is faithful, so much so that He still calls the Israelites His people, even while charging them. God’s nature is unchanging. The Bible states, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). This verse highlights that God’s faithfulness is not dependent on our actions. He remains true to His character and promises regardless of our faithfulness.
The Absence: What’s Missing in the Land?
As a holy, just, and faithful God He holds the Israelites accountable for their actions. God highlights three missing qualities:
The Application: Can We Learn from God’s Message through Hosea?
Hosea’s message is not locked in the past. It is for all true and obedient servants of God. As we seek to do God’s will, we should be opened to take an honest look at how we approach God and His word. As the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith…” The faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people (Jude 3), not altered in any way, shape or form.
Why does God bring His case against Israel?
God’s Grievance is a Call to Return. God’s complaint is not meant to condemn without hope—it’s a plea to come back. Hosea’s name means “salvation”. The Bible says that God disciplines those He loves. He doesn’t file the charge to destroy but to redeem. He still calls us to accountability today, just as he did in Hosea’s time. Let’s return to faithfulness. Let’s renew our love for one another. And let’s acknowledge God—not just with lips, but with our lives, our actions. “Actions speak louder than words.”
Toronto ON
Just as the devil tampered with God’s word in the Garden of Eden and caused man to sin, he continues to this day to make disciples. Borrowing his deceptive tactics, they now preach all kinds of heresies and prevent many from obeying God’s word.
In 2 Peter 2:1 Peter warns,
“…There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them–bringing swift destruction on themselves.” ESV
These false teachers were of such great concern, that Jude felt compelled to change the topic of his letter to warn against those who had already crept in unnoticed. “
“…For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” Jude 1:4, NIV
Being faithful and remaining so are two different things…and this warning is for the purpose of remaining faithful in the Lord’s service! Brother John Waddey commented on this passage – that Jude wrote for the purpose of reminding his brethren, of the nature of gospel faith and to encourage them to be ready to defend it. In Jude’s day, certain ungodly men who were not truly converted to the truth had come into the fellowship of the church and were bringing in “destructive heresies.” (Galatians 2:4; 2 Peter 2:1-2).
Satan has always preferred to work from within, using people whom we love to destroy our faith. It is an immanent danger since our guard is down and our arms are open. Satan loves to force a choice between love for our brethren and love for God’s truth. As with all things that come from Satan, it is a false choice. When love for brethren is not guided by God’s truth, it become disloyalty to God. It cannot save anyone or keep them saved. Therefore, all true servants of God, must be vigilant ‘for the faith’, to retain the blessings of God for his people.
Another great defender of the faith stood with Jude to uphold ‘the faith’ in the face of heresy. The apostle Paul, went out of his way to warn the Ephesian Elders to be on their guard. In a tearful parting, he said to them:
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. (Acts 20:28-31)
Today is no different. False teachers still arise among us and in what is already a defeat for us…remain in our midst. Despite loyalties of the heart, we should follow the example of the Bereans. who were commended for their noble character because they “examined the Scriptures daily” to verify the teachings they received (Acts 17:11). They listened eagerly to Paul and Silas, while doing their best to ensure that what they taught, aligned with the Scriptures.
Becoming like the Bereans will help us to ‘speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where it is silent’. False teachers feel free to speak into the silence of scripture and to contradict what the word has spoken. They bind where God has not and loose what he has bound.
In 1 Cor. 4:6, the apostle Paul admonishes, “I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.” Likewise, the apostle John advises, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” (2 John 9-11) ESV
Anyone who wishes to please God may need to limit their exposure to such individuals because they rarely sound as bad as they truly are. A spoonful of smooth talk makes the medicine of heresy go down (Romans 16:17-18). And all who swallow, incur the cup of God’s wrath.
Left unchallenged, false teachers lead God’s people away from God and from eternal life. Challenged, they split the church and blame those who are faithful for the division. It seems like a lose-lose proposition and is an age old problem. But in order to at least save some, we still need to stand up for ‘the faith’, delivered once for all to the saints.
The apostle Paul did not expect this situation to get better, any time soon. In fact, he expected it to get worse – “while evildoers and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 2 Tim. 3:13.
Jesus taught his disciples to: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:15-20).
Therefore, beloved in Christ, let us keep our eyes open and not fall asleep. The enemy is waiting for that, so that he can come in and sow weeds among the wheat (Matthew 13:25). Let’s be alert, for he is closer than we think.
Does one have to be a member of the Lord’s church to be saved?
This is a very important question because many believe and teach that one may be saved without becoming a member of the Lord’s church. But their beliefs do not make it so. Human opinion does not set the terms of our salvation. These are set by God, to whom the church belongs.
Now those who make this claim often confuse their particular denomination with the Lord’s church. And in that case, they are right. Membership in an organization that is not the Lord’s church is certainly no requirement of the Lord. But if they are referring to the Church that Jesus built (Matt. 16:18), which was established on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), and purchased with the Lord’s own blood (Acts 20:28), then these preachers are quite wrong.
Acts 2:47 records as a matter of fact that: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” It follows that those who are saved are by virtue of being saved, placed by the Lord into His church, while the unsaved remain outside.
In Eph 3:8-13 the apostle Paul wrote that the church and its role in the redemption of man is in accordance with the “eternal purpose” which He [God] accomplished in Christ Jesus. The Son of God purchased the church with his own blood (Acts 20:28). God’s redemption of each and every believer and their placement in the Kingdom of heaven, the church, came at the price of God’s own Son. Therefore, the church plays a vital role and is integral to God’s plan of salvation.
As the apostle Paul put it: “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ephesians 3:10-11 NIV).
We are quite aware that every religious organization claiming to be christian in the Biblical sense, sees itself either ‘as the Lord’s church’ or at least a part of it. Otherwise, why preach or encourage others to become members? As Brownlow said, “Such labors would not be for the purpose of saving the lost, but rather for the purpose of making proselytes to a human creed and the building up of a man-made religious fraternity in which there is no salvation.”
Does the Church that Jesus established still exist today, if so, how can it be identified?
The ‘gold standard’ or Biblical standard for self-examination is God’s word itself. Have we accepted what the Bible teaches about the godhead? Have we accepted God’s offer of salvation on His terms? Is the ‘church’ of which we are a part, organized according to the pattern found in the New Testament? Is our worship a reflection of what we find in the New Testament? And do our lives conform to the standard set by Jesus and commended by the New Testament writers?
There are those who agree that one must be in the Lord’s church to be saved, but they don’t think the church can be positively identified.
Surely that is not true. That would mean that God has left us in a state of confusion and uncertainty. That his truth cannot be known nor obeyed with a degree of confidence. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus’ church has always been recognizable. As Brownlow observed, it was so recognizable that three thousand people were known to have been added to it on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41,47). They were not added until they were baptized into Christ (Acts 2:41). Therefore, God will not add unbaptized people to it.
The church was visible and recognizable (Acts 2:42) as they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. They knew who they were and so certain of their salvation that they endured persecution. Their persecutors knew who they were and drove them out of Judea (Acts 8). The church was known from the inside and the outside. They were distinct in their faith, their worship and obedience.
I would submit therefore that the church is still the same today. By teaching the doctrine of Christ (2 John 9), and continuing in the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2: 42), the church that Jesus built (Mat. 16:18) will continue to exist and be identifiable.
The true church can be identified because it teaches and practices the will of God. (1 John 2:3-6). Our job as Christians is to keep sowing the pure seed of the gospel (nothing added, nothing taken away) and so continue to produce the true church of Christ. We must continue to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people (Jude 3).
And the Lord will continue to add to our number, those who were being saved. V.47.
Toronto ON
In Proverbs 12:5 the Bible says that, “The plans of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.” Therefore, it is good to be able to decipher between the advice of the righteous and that of the wicked. But unfortunately, the voice of the wicked is not always easily recognizable. The Devil, the enemy, will help make sure that such is the case.
Consequently, Peter warns in 1 Pet.5:8, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The devil is very wicked and is always ready to cause us to sin against God. And one of the ways he does this is through wicked advice. What’s worse is that Satan will often use people whom we love and respect in order to get to us. Also, the people who are being used are rarely aware that the devil is using them to accomplish his will. That was the case with Job’s wife and three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.
Job was a great man, a man of integrity. He was rich and was living a godly life until calamity hit. And then things went badly wrong. Bad fortune hit so hard and fast rapidly that even Job’s loving wife urged him to abandon his integrity – to curse God and die. It seemed that God had abandoned him and no longer cared. (Job 2:9). It must have been devastating for Job to hear that from his wife.
Then along came his three good friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. They came with the best intentions. Job 2:11 says that “When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.”
They came together from three different places having agreed to go see Job – to sympathize with him and comfort him. That’s what good friends do. And when they got there and saw Job and the condition he was in, they couldn’t believe their eyes. They were devastated and felt his pain.
12When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. (Job 2:12-13).
They were so sorry to see how terrible life had become for Job that they tore their robes and sprinkling dust on their heads. According to Webster’s dictionary tearing the hair or clothing is done as a sign of anger, grief, or despair. Within ancient tradition, it was associated with mourning, grief, and loss. The first mention of someone tearing his garments is in Genesis. “When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes” (Genesis 37:29). A short time later, “Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days” (Genesis 37:34) when he thought that Joseph had been killed.
Other biblical examples of men who tore their clothes to express pain and sorrow include David, when Saul and Jonathan were killed (2 Sam.1:11–12), and Paul and Barnabas, when the people of Lystra began to worship them after Paul had healed a lame man (Acts 14:14).
So, tearing one’s clothes was a public and powerful expression of grief in ancient times. The practice continues today in the Jewish practice of keriah. (Keriah: the traditional Jewish act or ceremony of rending one’s garment at the funeral of a near relative as a symbol of mourning, Webster’s dictionary).
Job’s three friends meant well. As bro. Kercheville says, “The friends are showing themselves to be true friends and true companions of Job. There is nothing in this description to give us a negative idea about what was to come. Empathy and companionship is what we all need when suffering pain and loss. It is what good friends do and what these men did. Having gathered from afar, they sat in silence with Job for seven days. Not a word was said – for his suffering was beyond words. They were a great comfort to Job until they started talking. And then it all went downhill from there.
May we do better than Job’s friends. They didn’t get to read Paul’s advice in Colossians 4:6: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” As the saying goes, “If you have nothing encouraging to say, say nothing at all.”
Satan is ready and able to use anyone at any time – who is willing to do his will. He wants us sin against God, and is most successful when he works through the people whom we love and respect. But, may we with God’s help, be like Job, who resisted the devil by rejecting bad advice, for “We are not unaware of his schemes.” 2 Cor. 2:11
In John chapter 6, Jesus makes a solemn declaration about himself. He said: I Am The Bread of life. What an amazing and encouraging statement! But how well did his listeners understand him? And were they prepared to respond in faith? Let’s follow John’s detailed account of what took place.
22 The next day [after Jesus had walked on the lake on the way to Capernaum (verses 16-21)] the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. The people were looking for Jesus. When some boats from Tiberias came back and the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
Why were these people so determined to find Jesus? Jesus knew why, no matter what it was that they said. They were excited to find Jesus on the other side of the lake, but knowing their motives
Jesus said to them “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” (John 6:26-27).
They were more concerned about their stomachs then their spiritual well-being. So it was that when Jesus started calling on them to believe in him as the one sent by God (v.28), that they admitted what they were really after. 30So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you?What will you do? 31Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
Unbelievable! Just the day before, Jesus performed the miracle of feeding 5000 men with just a small lunch (verses 1-15). And now they were back demanding another miracle so that they may believe in him. And they had something very specific in mind; the said “Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” John 6:31
As Adam Clarke put it: “Their argument seems to run thus: Thou hast, we grant, fed five thousand men with five loaves and two small fishes; but what is this in comparison of what Moses did in the desert, who for forty years fed more than a million of persons with bread from heaven: do something like this, and then we will believe in thee, as we have believed in Moses.” In other words, Yes, you fed 5,000 men with five loaves and two small fishes. So, what? Didn’t Moses do greater things than that? Do something like that then maybe we will believe.
Jesus promised them something greater than manna because he was greater than Moses. God had multiplied food in order to produce faith in his Son. And for those perceptive enough, this kind of food was food for thought…leading to faith in the one who offered them eternal life. But they were stuck on food and thought that manna was the answer.
They were so focused on physical needs that they failed to grasp what Jesus was saying. What the apostle Paul said was true. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Cor. 2:14, ESV)
When Jesus announced that He was the bread of life, they really did not get it. They began to grumble and to think of all of the reasons why Jesus was no one special. They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” (John 6:41-42).
Wanting to help them, Jesus told them to stop grumbling (v.43), and he continued trying to explain the good news to them (John 6:47ff): He said: “47Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoevereats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
It should have been obvious that Jesus was speaking figuratively. And it is still so easy to deliberately miss what the scriptures are saying when we do not want to accept the message. Those who misunderstood and many who were offended turned away. It was a ‘hard teaching’. But it was only so for those who did not wait for further explanation. They made up their minds to hear no more and turned their backs on Jesus.
But, not everyone left. Thank God that the 12 did not rush to judgment. Turning to them, Jesus asked “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Speaking for the group Peter said: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God. (John 6:67-69)
Peter was right. There was no one else from whom eternal life could be had, nor is there now.
At the end of those 40 years, the one who gave them manna explained that: “…man shall not live on bread alone, but man shall live on everything that comes out of the mouth of the Lord”. (Deut 8:3b). Jesus updated that when he said: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.” John 6:63, NIV
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6, ESV
Have you ever felt hungry or thirsty? I think I can answer for all of us and say yes. Even Jesus, the Son of God, knew how it felt to be hungry. Matthew 4:2 says, “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”
Hunger and thirst are very discomforting and those who do so can’t wait to be be relieved. Jesus was aware of that, so he reached out to help those in need. On one occasion He fed about five thousand men, besides women and children, Matthew 14:13-2; and at another time, he fed four thousand more (Matthew 15:21-39).
But, the people of Jesus’ time, and especially in his area, were not only hungry for food but for justice. They were under the rule of the Romans who governed with an iron fist. Having mastered the art of torture, they were the ones who perfected death by crucifixion.
As Christianity.com puts it, “The Jews and Gentiles living under Roman rule were strongly oppressed by the leaders. Since the government was corrupt, justice did not prevail. The anxieties and stress that would have been over the individual people’s heads would have been overwhelming at times, and they were desperately seeking out justice.”
With that in mind,Jesus used those familiar terms, hunger and thirst, to teach some key spiritual lessons, saying“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6.
According to Barnes Notes on the Bible, both hunger and thirst express very strong desire. They are aptly suited to convey the strong desire which we ought to feel toward obtaining righteousness. No other needs are so keenly felt or essential to life itself. An ardent desire for anything is often represented in the Scriptures by hunger and thirst.
For example, in Psalm 42:1-2 the Sons of Korah wrote, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”
David expressed the same thing in Psalm 63 when he was in the wilderness of Judah. He said, “1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory”. (Psalm 63:1-2, ESV)
And along those same lines, Isaiah wrote, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isaiah 55:1, ESV).
While hunger and thirst for food and water are natural, the seeds of their spiritual counterpart may remain dormant. We must sometimes be stirred up, to long for the blessings of pardoned sins and peace with God. God wants us to long for relief from a deep sense of our sin, and spiritual wretchedness.
We would do well to pay close attention to Isa 55:2b-3 where God explains the conditions to be met in order to receive His blessings. “Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David”.
That which God identifies as ‘good’ is defined by God. And in order to know it, we must incline our ears to what he says in his word.
But what about those who will not incline their ears and obey God – those who do not hunger or thirst after the things of God? These seem to be in the majority. As Coffman observes: “They don’t feel any hunger or thirst for righteousness because, like the absence of ordinary hunger, this spiritual lack of hunger is due to the awful cancer of sin gnawing out the heart of the victim.”
What is this thing called righteousness? What is the scriptural meaning?
In God’s word it is an obedient faith that will make one righteous before God. All who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied. This is the Savior’s promise. Despite our weaknesses if we listen to Jesus and obey him (Mat 17:5; Heb. 1:1-2), he will satisfy our spiritual hunger and thirst.
In John 4:14 Jesus promised, 14but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)
What a wonderful news! Even more wonderful is the fact that salvation is offered to everyone. Jesus will bless all who come to him and will also make each one, a great blessing. As he promised in John 7:37-38 “….If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
Those of us who have already come to Jesus, having been baptized for the remission of sins, must remain in Christ so that we can be found righteous in his sight at the last day. And if you are reading this article but have not yet obeyed the gospel, it is not too late. You too can be righteous before God as well by doing what Jesus says. If you wish to do so, let me direct you to the nearest church of Christ where we will be happy to assist you.
The Hebrew name of David means: beloved. This name certainly fits David who undoubtedly enjoyed a wonderful relationship with God. As the Apostle Paul recounted in Acts 13:22, “After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’” NIV.
Bible.org observes that, “David is the only person in the Bible whose epitaph reads “a man after God’s own heart”. What a blessing!
Indeed, David was blessed in so many ways. He was divinely appointed to replace Saul as king. He was a shepherd boy who looked nothing like a king, yet was the one whom God chose. Had it been up to Samuel, someone else would have been chosen…like Eliab. The Bible says that when Samuel saw Eliab he thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:6-7, NIV)
It is safe to say, that for David to be a man after God’s own heart, he must have had a righteous heart. David was both sincere and godly, which pleased the Lord who values the inner man above all else.
In 1 Chronicles 17, we see the humility of David’s heart at work.After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.”Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.” (1 Chronicles 17:1-2, NIV)
David was compelled to honour God as God had honoured him. David was right in his thinking and meant well. Nathan agreed. But the omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God saw things in a different light. David’s elevation to royalty did not qualify him to build a temple for the presence of God. So, that same night God sent Nathan to David with a very important message:
4“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in. 5I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another. 6Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders[a] whom I commanded to shepherd my people, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’
Although God appreciated David’s offer, He declined it. This in no way meant that God withdrew his blessings from David. In fact, He extended them. There was something about the man after God’s own heart that fell short of what God required. There was ‘blood on his hands’. He was the warrior that God had chosen to deliver Israel and for that reason would not be allowed to build God’s temple(1 Chronicles 28:2-3). While David may have been disappointed, he quickly accepted God’s decision.
If we can learn anything from David, it is his willingness to yield to the will of God and also to repent when his sins were pointed out. David’s attitude was “may God’s will be done!” This is evident in the prayer with which David responded (1 Chronicles 17:16-27).
David humbled himself before God and thanked him for everything that God had already done for him and for what God promised to do for him and his household in the future. David’s prayer can be summarized in these words: Thank you for everything. Your will be done!
And now, being a great leader, David felt the need to share the news with his people, and especially with his son Solomon who now will have the great privilege and responsibility to build the Lord’s temple.
So, David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the warriors and all the brave fighting men (1 Chronicles 28:1)
And then David stood up and said: “Listen to me, my fellow Israelites, my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name,because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’ (vs 2-3)
David went ahead and told them that among all his sons God had chosen Solomon to be the one to build the temple. He charged them before God to continue to obey God’s command and throw their support behind Solomon. David gave the temple plans to Solomon to guide him.
And then he said something to Solomon that every servant of God would do well to remember:
“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” (1 Chronicles 28:9)
Some feel that Jesus was overprotective of his disciples. I do not think so.
As I study and follow Jesus throughout the 4 gospels what I see is divine love. In his omniscience, Jesus knew that tough roads lay ahead for the disciples (John 16:33). And while he loved them to the uttermost, He did not neglect to teach them or to warn. As the cross approached, his love for them became that much more evident, so that in his prayer (John 17) we can almost reach out and touch it.
In John 17:9-12, Jesus explained:
“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power ofyour name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe bythat name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled”.
And then he added: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”
Jesus knew that his opponents were dangerous and deadly. And he knew that their animosity toward him would be redirected toward his 12 apostles. Thus, He warned them to be careful and wise: saying “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16
Jesus was concerned both for their physical welfare and their faith. He did not want the gospel supplanted by the traditions of men. So He warned them about the “Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthiew 16:6). The disciples discussed this among themselves, thinking that Jesus was talking about the fact that they had forgotten to take bread with them. Jesus told them that they were mistaken and that He was not talking about physical bread, but rather about the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They were false teachers.
“11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:11-12)
R. C. Bell expressed it this way, “Our difficulty lies not in comprehending but in obeying.” The glorious hope of the Christian is more than enough to flood the soul with rejoicing, even in the midst of abounding disappointments, provided it is kept in focus by the mind. This hope is the anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19) which enables the child of God to endure whatever storms may come, but not, however, without prayer.Prayer is the breathing of the redeemed soul, and the cessation or neglect of it will smother and destroy spiritual life.
Knowing that these Scribes and Pharisees were a bunch of hypocrites who were heading straight to hell, Jesus warned the crowds and his disciples not to follow their example. In Mat. 23:13-33 Jesus pronounces several woes to the Scribes and pharisees. They were blind guides, and Jesus warned his followers to beware of their teachings.
Unfortunately, similar leaders are still around.
2 Peter 2:1-3 warns, “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.”
Christians must not follow blind leaders. We must listen to what Jesus says.
In Matthew 15:14 Jesus instructs, “Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” There are many blind guides out there today leading other blind and as followers of Christ, we must make sure to stay away from them.
How can you identify them? By comparing their message with what Jesus and his apostles taught. True preachers devote themselves to the apostles’ teachings (Acts 2:42). If anyone preaches anything contrary to what Jesus and his apostles preached then beware. Do not follow them.
So for example, Jesus stated very clearly in Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” And Peter repeated this in Acts 2:38, in the first gospel sermon calling on men and women to, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Those who are truly preaching what Jesus did, will hold fast to this very same doctrine. If not, beware.
If you are reading this article but have not yet obeyed the gospel, then we want to encourage you to follow the example of those who believed on the day of Pentecost. Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. If you wish to obey the gospel, contact the nearest church of Christ and we will be happy to assist you.
If you knew that God was watching you all day, every day, would that change the way that you live? Guess what? God is watching.
From start to finish, the Bible tells us that God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. That means that there is nothing that can be known which God does not know, that He can do all things that are subject to power, and that God is present everywhere at once within the created realm.
Hebrews 4:13, sums it up by saying that, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Unlike ourselves who cannot see into the heart of another, God can and does. This is what we find in 1 Samuel 16, when God sent Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king.
1 Samuel chapter 16:1-7 reads,
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.” 4Samuel did what the Lord said.
When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” 5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
God chose David (1 Samuel 16:12-13), because of what was in the man’s heart. He was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22).
David knew this and reflected it when he counseled his son Solomon. He said to Solomon “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.In 1 Chron. 28:9,
Moses confessed it as well when he addressed God in Psalm 90:8, saying “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.” God is watching and sees both the living and the dead for in Job 26:6, we read: “Sheol, the realm of the dead is naked before God; Abaddon (Hebrew word for Destruction) lies uncovered.”
So my friends, be assured that God knows it all. There are no secrets from Him. Nothing escapes the knowledge of God.
God has in turn blessed Mankind with great abilities which may be used both for good or for evil. Progress would not be possible without this potential and it has led to some great accomplishments, including
The list goes on. But human genius has also led to a false sense of confidence and to defiance against God. Some think that they are smarter than God, and perhaps even in his absence, the closest thing to a god that there is.
But sin is still sin, and God is still God. There is nothing hidden from his sight and He will one day judge the world in righteousness. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Heb. 4:13
God even knows what we are thinking before we say or do anything. Christianity.com puts it this way, “God knows our thoughts, the good, the bad, the positive, the negative, the ugly, and even the sinful because there is nothing that God does not know. He is omniscient and aware of every little detail including our thoughts.”
King David reflected this when he penned Psalm 139:1-4
“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.”
And this is significant, for as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “…we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad.
No wonder then that Paul set out to inform and to forewarn. And he did that – even with people who were Christians, writing in 2 Cor 10:5, “We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…”
False ‘knowledge’ and arrogant assertion will not stand in the day of judgment. God remains ever-present and all-knowing. It is not his will that anyone perish, but that all believe in and obey his Son. But time is of the essence as long as God’s offer of salvation is on the table.
The scriptures tell us how to accept that offer,while there is still time. In Mark 16:16, said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Those of us who have already been baptized for the remission of sins, must continue to remain in Christ so that we can be ready for that day. And if you are reading this article but have not yet obeyed the gospel, it is not too late. If you wish to do so, let me direct you to the nearest church of Christ where we will be happy to assist you.
