ANSWERS TO ASSIGNMENTS FOR 1998

1. 2 Cor. 12:4 and either 5 or 9 or 10 (write out two verses).

2. That person, if truly saved, will go to heaven because he has eternal life (John 3:16), shall never perish (John 10:28), shall not come into judgment (John 5:24), is kept by the power of God (1 Pet. 1:5), cannot be plucked out of God’s hand (John 10:28,29), and is sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13; 4:30). Any one of these or other appropriate verses should be written out.)

3. John 1:12; Col. 2:6 (write out both).

4. John 14:6; Acts 4:12 (write out both).

5. Old Testament: David (2 Sam. 11:4-17; 12:13; 24:10,25; write out at least two verses); New Testament: Peter (Luke 22:43-61; John 21:15-17); or Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-14,15-16); write out at least two verses.

6. (a) Col. 2:12; (b) Col. 2:20; Col. 3:1,2 (write out at least three verses).

7. Heb. 12:1,2 (write out both verses).

8. Brother B might have said: “I appreciate your concern. I want to do what is pleasing to God. I am not aware of any scripture that suggests that what I am doing is wrong or displeasing to the Lord. Perhaps you can help me.” Another answer, submitted by one of our students is this: “Brother A, I appreciate your concern about my habit of smoking a pipe!! I must admit that I have felt the gentle urging of the Holy Spirit for some time now to stop smoking. The fact that you are bringing the subject up confirms to me that the Lord doesn’t want me polluting my body in this way anymore. I am glad that you had the courage to talk to me about this in a straightforward, non-judgmental, and private manner. I realize that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and I want to stop this filthy habit. Will you pray with me that I won’t crave the tobacco anymore and have strength to stop pipe smoking?”

9. Rom. 12:5; 1 Tim. 3:15; Rev. 19:7 (write out each verse).

10. Andrew found his brother Simon, told him about the Messiah, and brought him to Jesus (John 1:40-42).

11. Proverbs 10:17; 12:1; 15:10, 32 (write out three verses).

12. (2 points) (a) Acts 18:27; 2 Cor. 3:1 (write out both verses); (b) Rom. 16:1,2 (write out both), (c) Rom. 15:26; 1 Cor. 16:3 (write out both).

13. (a) Acts 4:31; 12:5 or 12 (prayer meeting) (write out both verses); (b) Acts 4:31 (no need to write out again); 12:7-11,17 (write out one or more verses).

14. Elders should (a) feed the flock of God, (b) do it willingly, (c) do it with a ready mind and not concerned about how much it pays, and (d) be examples to the flock (1 Pet. 5:2,3). The younger believers should submit themselves unto the elders (1 Pet. 5:5).

15. The brother repented and had sorrow for his sin, making Paul glad (2 Cor. 2:2,7); the assembly was now to forgive him, comfort him, and confirm their love toward him (2 Cor. 2:7,8) (write out two verses).

16-1. Eternal life is life that is never ending (1 Thess. 4:17), and it is a totally new kind of life, with God and Jesus Christ as the focus (John 17:3).

16-2. Such verses cannot be found!

16-3. Being enlightened, tasting, and made partakers in verses 4 and 5 refer to the superficial responses of professing Christians. If they turn back to Judaism or some other religion, they are saying that Jesus Christ really did deserve to be crucified after all, and they will not find salvation in anything or Anyone but Christ.

16-4. It is important to hold the doctrine of eternal security because (a) the Bible teaches it, (b) it causes us to praise, worship, serve, and obey God out of appreciation for His great love and grace toward us, and (c) it keeps us from trying to add something of our own doing to the work that Christ finished for us (give at least two of these reasons).

16-5. Water baptism symbolizes (a) the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ; (b) our being dead to sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

16-6. First of all, we are to obey them, but not out of fear of a penalty but out of appreciation for what Christ has suffered for our sakes. Second, (a) much more than not committing murder, we seek to lead souls to eternal life in Christ; (b) much more than not stealing, we work so that we can give to those in need; and (c) much more than not taking God’s name in vain, we preach Christ as the only name by which one can be saved.

16-7. 1 Cor. 12:12 and others (write out one verse).

16-8. An important activity of the members of the body of Christ is reproof, correction, and rescue of one another when we wander away from the Lord and fall into sin.

16-9. Evidences that the local churches in New Testament days were united together: (a) believers carried letters of commendation when visiting another assembly; (b) the apostle Paul in his epistles reminded the churches of their unity with other assemblies; (c) the richer assemblies sent financial aid to the poorer ones; (d) believers of different ethnic backgrounds were joined together in one body; and (e) differences in doctrine and practice among assemblies were discussed and resolved.

16-10. 1 Pet. 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6 (write out two of these verses).

16-11. (a) Qualifications of an overseer: Tit. 1:6-9 (write out one verse); (b) qualifications of a deacon: 1 Tim. 3:8-12 (write out one verse).

16-12. Write out Matt. 18:15-17 or 1 Cor. 5:13.

Foundations of Faith

Running the Race

Foundations of Faith
THE CHURCH (VI)

“Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matt. 7:1). To many Christians and to many local churches, this is what the Bible says about church discipline, namely, that there should be none. Whatever this verse may mean (see The Race in this issue), there are many passages in the New Testament that clearly show God-given authority for discipline in the local church. For example, the apostle Paul passed judgment on the man in Corinth who was committing fornication, and urged the Corinthian Assembly to do the same (1 Cor. 5:3-5).

Dealing with Those Who Have Faults. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness” (Gal. 6:1). This particularly falls under the responsibilities of an overseer (see Nov98). However, the person most responsible for going to the erring one and pointing out his/her fault or sin is the one who is aware of the offense. The Lord might even use a child, like Samuel (1 Sam. 3:11-18), to point out the sin of an older person.

Dealing with the Unruly. “Warn those who are unruly” (1 Thess. 5:14). The “unruly” here are those believers who are neglecting their God-given responsibilities in the home, at work, or in the assembly. It includes those who are not working and are getting into other people’s business instead of trying to find a job, doing volunteer work, helping others, or serving the Lord (2 Thess. 3:11,12).

Dealing with Heretics. “A man who is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject [or avoid]” (Tit. 3:10; also Rom. 16:17). A heretic is not necessarily one who teaches wrong doctrine but one who tries to form a party or sect around a particular doctrine or issue or himself. The best way for everyone to deal with such a person is to avoid him as the verse in Titus tells us. Without any followers after his cause, he will either leave and go elsewhere or be quiet.

Dealing with a Person Who Continues in Sin. “If your brother sins against you, go, reprove him between you and him alone:if he hear you, you have gained your brother.” (Matt. 18:15, JND translation). This may be either a sin that has been committed personally against you, or one that you have witnessed or been told of. So far this is like Gal. 6:1. If your brother confesses his sin and stops doing it, your job is well done and you need not carry the matter further. Or if he gives evidence that he was misunderstood or falsely accused, the matter is over unless new evidence of his wrong-doing comes to light.

“But if he will not hear you, then take with you one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto you as an heathen man and a publican” (Matt. 18:16,17). Here is the scriptural procedure if the sinning brother justifies his sinful deed or continues in his sin. It may not have been a huge sin-like adultery or stealing or being drunk (1 Cor. 5:11)-to begin with. But if it is not confessed, it raises a barrier between himself and the others in the church, as well as between himself and God. If the sin is continued, he is behaving like “a heathen man” and the local assembly has authority from God to put him out of fellowship (Matt. 18:18).

Dealing with an Elder Who Sins. “Against an elder receive not an accusation but before two or three witnesses. Those who sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear” (1 Tim. 5:10,20). When an elder or overseer sins, the procedure given in Matt. 18:15-17 does not seem to apply. Because of the responsible position the sinner occupies in the local assembly, his sin calls for public rebuke. At the same time, if his sin is not confirmed by at least two or three witnesses, then the matter should be kept quiet until there is sufficient evidence.

Dealing with a Wicked Person. “Put away from among yourselves that wicked person” (1 Cor. 5:13). There once was a man in the assembly at Corinth, Greece who was committing fornication. It was not an isolated act but a sin-pattern that was widely known in the community (1 Cor. 5:1). Due to the public nature of this sin, the steps of Matt. 18:15-17 were not applicable. Since the man remained unrepentant, the entire church was to excommunicate him or deny Christian fellowship to him.

Dealing with an Excommunicated Person. The purpose of putting wicked brothers or sisters out of fellowship is to help them to learn the seriousness of the sin with sincere hope and prayer for their repentance and restoration to the Lord (1 Cor. 5:5; 1 Tim. 1:20).

Preventive Discipline. Perhaps some of the problems that call for church discipline might be avoided if more care were taken in receiving brothers and sisters into fellowship in the first place. “Lay hands suddenly on no man” (1 Tim. 5:22) is a verse to consider in this regard. (See Assignment 15)

Running the Race
“JUDGE NOT”

We have just described several different kinds of judgments to be made by the church against sinners. So what does the verse mean that says, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matt. 7:1)?

Here are some suggestions as to what we should not judge:

1. The context of chapter 6 is earthly riches. The preceding verse says, “Take … no thought for the morrow” (6:34). The Christian who has (or thinks he has) forsaken all to follow Christ should not stand in judgment on the believer who still is wealthy.

2. We should not judge motives or outward appearances (John 7:24; 1 Cor. 13:7). Rather, we should try to give the most positive interpretation to a person’s action, unless there is clear-cut evidence of sin.

3. We should not judge the service of another Christian (1 Cor. 4:1-4), for example, thinking that my service for the Lord is more profitable than my brother’s service.

4. We should not engage in any of the reproving and correcting activities of Matt. 18:15-17, Gal. 6:1, etc., unless we are in a state of self-judgment before the Lord.

Assignment 15: Read 2 Corinthians 2. Write out a couple of verses that tell what happened to the brother who had been put out of fellowship, and how the assembly was to behave toward him.

Assignment 16: The following is a review quiz based on the 1998 issues of GROWING. Please refer back to the indicated issue when answering each question.

1. (Jan.) Give two definitions of “eternal life” and write out two verses that support these definitions.

2. (Feb.) Can you find verses in the Bible that speak of a true believer in Christ (a) losing his eternal life, (b) being separated from the love of God, and (c) having the seal of the Spirit removed?

3. (Mar.) Briefly explain the meaning of Heb. 6:4-6.

4. (Apr.) Give at least two reasons why it is so important for Christians to hold the doctrine of eternal security.

5. (May) Write down at least two biblical truths that are symbolized by water baptism.

6. (June) The Old Testament law says that we must not (a) murder, (b) steal, nor (c) take God’s name in vain. As Christians under grace how are we to respond to these three commandments?

7. (July) Write out a verse that shows how the Church, the body of Christ, is like a human body.

8. (Aug.) What important activity of the members of the body of Christ is emphasized in the August issue?

9. (Sept.) Describe at least three evidences that the local churches in New Testament days were united together.

10. (Oct.) Write out two verses that show that all believers in Christ are priests.

11. (Nov.) (a) Write out a verse that gives some qualifications of an overseer or bishop; (b) write out a verse in a different New Testament book that gives some qualifications of a deacon.

12. (Dec.) Write out some verses that show how to deal with a person who continues in his/her sin.

Foundations of Faith
THE CHURCH (V)

What is the difference between bishops, overseers, and elders? These three terms all apply to the same office in the local church. The apostle Paul called together the “elders” of the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:17), and said to them:”Take heed … to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers” (20:28). The terms “elders” and “bishops” likewise refer to the same persons (Tit. 1:5,7). The Greek word translated “overseer” is the same as the one translated “bishop” in these and other passages. The word “overseer” describes the kind of work these men do in the local church, and the word “elder” describes the level of spiritual maturity required for such work. As we shall see later, the office of a deacon is distinct from that of the overseer or elder.

How are overseers and deacons appointed? The 12 apostles appointed deacons in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 6:3). The apostle Paul and Barnabas appointed “elders in every church” during their missionary journey (Acts 14:23). Paul authorized his co-worker Titus to appoint “elders in every city” (Tit. 1:5-8); he apparently gave Timothy the same authority to appoint overseers and deacons (1 Tim. 3:1-13). So in the early period of the Church, apostles and apostolic delegates (like Titus and Timothy), under the direction of the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28), appointed overseers and deacons in the various local churches. We see from these and other passages that each assembly had several overseers and deacons (Acts 11:30; 15:2-23; 21:18; Phil. 1:1; Jas. 5:14).

What are the qualifications of an overseer or a deacon? These are listed in Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus (1 Tim. 3:1-13; Tit. 1:5-9). The qualifications primarily relate to moral character (“blameless … sober … not a brawler … not covetous”) and experience as a leader or ruler (“If a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?”).

What are the responsibilities of an overseer? The verse just quoted gives the answer:he takes care of and watches after the souls of the brothers and sisters in a local assembly (1 Tim. 3:5; Heb. 13:17). He exhorts and counsels the believers, warns the unruly, comforts the faint-hearted, and supports the weak (1 Thess. 5:12-14). By sound teaching he exhorts and convinces those who teach things contrary to the Word (1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:9). The overseer may not have a gift for public speaking. There is no indication in the Bible that he is responsible for an assembly’s worship, preaching, teaching, or evangelizing. But he takes time getting to know the brothers and sisters in the assembly. He invites them to his home (1 Tim. 3:2). One-on-one, as he sees the need, he encourages, comforts, rebukes, corrects, instructs, and warns the believers in the local assembly. What a tremendously important role such a brother has to play in the assembly!

What are the responsibilities of a deacon? Perhaps the best description of his work is given in Acts 6. There were many poor believers in the church at Jerusalem, often due to persecution by Jews and pagans. The wealthy believers contributed money so that the local church could provide meals and other necessities to the poor among them (Acts 4:34-5:2). It was the deacons who were responsible for handling these funds and making sure that there was no favoritism and that everyone received a fair share. (See Assignment 14)

Can there be overseers and deacons today? This may seem like a strange question. Most local churches today appoint overseers and deacons. However, the Bible does not speak of churches appointing people to such offices, but only of apostles and apostolic delegates, neither of which have existed since the first century. On the other hand, the qualifications of overseers and deacons must have been given in Scripture for a reason.

A number of local churches today believe that Scripture does not give them authority to appoint individuals to the offices of overseer and deacon. However, they recognize the need for persons taking these responsibilities. Those who meet the qualifications and carry out the responsibilities are recognized and encouraged by the local church.

Running the Race
WHAT DO OVERSEERS AND DEACONS HAVE TO DO WITH
ME-A YOUNG CHRISTIAN?

The church at Thessalonica apparently did not have appointed overseers. So the apostle Paul pleaded with that assembly “to know those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake” (1 Thess. 5:12,13). This takes us back to what we discussed in Aug98. As part of “one body in Christ, and every one members one of another” (Rom. 12:5), you younger believers (as well as us older ones) should expect to find others in the assembly coming up to you and encouraging, exhorting, correcting, or warning you. Those who are filling the place of an overseer will be particularly prominent in this activity. So do not despise them or resent their intrusion into your personal life. It is for your greatest good and blessing that they do this as they “watch for your souls” in obedience to the Lord (Heb. 13:17). By coming into the fellowship of the local church, you have essentially agreed to be accountable in attitude and conduct to your brothers and sisters in the assembly. If no overseer or older brother (apart from your father) has ever talked to you with the purpose of encouraging, instructing, or correcting you, I suggest you bring this to the attention of one of the older brothers in the assembly.

Here is another thing for you young believers to think about: If you value the work of the overseers and deacons in your local assembly, begin studying the qualifications for overseers and deacons. Make sure you conduct your life in such a way that in due time you will qualify for such a role in the assembly. Most assemblies are in great need of persons who are both qualified and willing to carry out the responsibilities of an overseer or a deacon.Assignment 14: Read 1 Peter 5. List four things that the elders or overseers should do when carrying out their responsibilities in the local assembly. Then write out one thing the younger believers should do in response to the work of the elders.

Foundations of Faith
THE CHURCH (IV)

“House of God” is an expression often used by people to refer to a church building. However, the Bible says that “the house of God … is the Church of the living God” (1 Tim. 3:15). The Church, as we have already seen, is a body made up of all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. So the house of God is a building whose “stones” are people:”You also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house” (1 Pet. 2:5; Eph. 2:22). “You are the temple of God, and … the Spirit of God dwells in you” (1 Cor. 3:16).

The Church viewed as “the house of God” and “the temple of God” suggests several practices of the local church:

1. Just as the Spirit of God dwells in “the temple of God,” believers are to be gathered unto Christ, with Him as the Center in their midst (Matt. 18:20).

2. The believers are not only “living stones” making up the house, but holy priests within the house, “to offer up spiritual sacrifices (1 Pet. 2:5).

3. “The house of God … is … the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15), so is connected with ministry of the Word of God.

4. As a “holy temple” (Eph. 2:21; 1 Cor. 3:17), discipline is exercised to cleanse the local church of unholiness (1 Cor. 5:13; 1 Pet. 4:17).

5. Order in the house of God is maintained in each local assembly by means of the service of elders and deacons (1 Tim. 3:1-15).

We shall consider each of these five aspects of the house and temple of God in more detail.

Believers in a local assembly may have many different reasons and purposes for gathering together:it may be (1) to participate in the Lord’s supper in which one man is officiating with a standard service; (2) to listen to a sermon; (3) to attend a Sunday school class; (4) to hear the preaching of the gospel; (5) to attend a music program or hymn sing; or (6) to plan some Christian service.

There is a type of Biblical gathering that is rather neglected in the Church today:”Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). “When you come together, every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying” (1 Cor. 14:26). In such meetings, Christ is in the midst, the focus of attention. There is no human leader in these meetings; rather the Spirit of God leads whom He will to praise, worship, pray, announce a hymn, read a Bible passage, or give a word of edification, exhortation, or comfort from the Scriptures (1 Cor. 14:3). This may be a meeting to remember the Lord in His death (Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:26-28), for prayer (Acts 2:42), or for ministry of the Scriptures (1 Cor. 14:3, 26-35). (See Assignment 13)

In the Old Testament there was a family in the nation of Israel (the descendants of Aaron) that was privileged to serve as priests on behalf of the rest of the nation. Only the priests could go into the tabernacle or temple or offer sacrifices. Only the high priest could go into the “holy of holies,” the innermost room of the temple, and that only once a year (Heb. 9:1-10).

In the New Testament Church, by contrast, all believers are holy priests “to offer up spiritual sacrifices,” “the sacrifice of praise to God” (1 Pet. 2:5; Heb. 10:19-25; 13:15); also, all are royal priests to show forth to others the praiseworthy acts of God (1 Pet. 2:9).

There is no indication in the New Testament of a priestly class or a system of clergy and laity in the Church. There is no hint of a certain class of believers being more privileged and qualified to draw close to God (for example, in administering the Lord’s Supper) than other believers. Christ Himself is our “great High Priest” (Heb. 4:14; 2:17). As shown in the previous section, in a meeting of the assembly, where the believers are gathered together unto Christ, our High Priest, “every one” of the brothers may participate as directed by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 14:26).

Notice that I said “every one of the brothers may participate.” This restriction is based on the verse, “Let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak” (1 Cor. 14:34). This does not mean that the sisters occupy a less important position in the church. Rather, they provide crucial prayer support for the brothers who speak, and the Holy Spirit sometimes takes the silent meditations of a sister and gives them to a brother to speak publicly. There should be no thought that the vocal brothers receive more glory than the silent sisters because it is God who should receive all the glory. Also, nothing should really count with us but what God thinks of our prayers, thoughts, and meditations, whether silent or vocal.

The Holy Spirit has many other things for the sisters to do outside of the meetings of the assembly. These will be discussed in a later issue in connection with spiritual gifts.

Every member of the body of Christ has a specific and important role to play in the proper functioning of the body (1 Cor. 12:12-27). Another way of saying this is that one or more spiritual gifts have been given to every believer in Christ (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11; 28-31; Eph. 4:11,12).

There is a common belief in Christianity that a seminary-trained, properly-ordained clergyman is the only one qualified to preach or teach the Word of God. But we do not learn this from the Bible. The uneducated fisherman Peter became a powerful preacher from walking with Christ for several years; so may you. The word “clergy” is derived from the Greek word kleeros which means “lot” or “inheritance.” It is found in the New Testament only in 1 Pet. 5:3:”Neither as being lords over God’s heritage (kleeros), but being examples to the flock.” So the only reference to “clergy” in the New Testament applies this word to the flock of believers as a whole, and not to a special class of leaders.

A special issue (or two) will be devoted to a discussion of the various gifts of the Holy Spirit and many ways that saved men and women can serve the Lord.

Running the Race
Assignment 13: (a) Write out verses in Acts 4 and Acts 12 that speak of a particular kind of assembly meeting. (b) Also write out verses in these two chapters that show the powerful results of these meetings.

Foundations of Faith
THE CHURCH (III)

In the previous two issues we have observed some comparisons between the body of Christ-made up of all true believers in Christ-and man’s physical body. Just as the different parts of our human bodies work to help, nourish, instruct, and protect each other, so the different members of Christ’s body-the Church-do the same for one another.

How does this work? How can we have fellowship with others who are in the body of Christ? The Holy Spirit not only has joined the believers together as members of the body of Christ (Rom. 12:4,5; 1 Cor. 12:12,13), but He has helped believers in cities and communities to be united together in local churches or assemblies. Can you think of the names of local churches mentioned in the New Testament? The apostle Paul wrote letters to several, including the churches at Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse, and Thessalonica.

In the days of the New Testament, there were no divisions into separate denominations. There was a unity of all believers in the city of Rome, for example. Because it was a large city, there may have been several small groups of believers meeting in homes, such as the one at the house of Priscilla and Aquila (Rom. 16:5). But a unity of fellowship existed among all these groups, as also among the churches in the different cities.

There are many evidences of this unity among the local churches in New Testament days:

1. When believers from the church in one city visited the one in another city, they carried with them letters of introduction and commendation from their home church or assembly.

2. The apostle Paul when writing to one local church often reminded the believers of their unity with the other assemblies in the Church (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 1:2; 16:1; 2 Cor. 1:1).

3. The more wealthy local assemblies sent financial help to the poorer ones (2 Cor. 8:1-15; 9:1-15). (See Assignment 12)

4. Believers of different ethnic backgrounds-Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles-were all joined together in one body (Eph. 2:14-18), rather than forming distinct ethnic assemblies in the same community.

5. Care was taken to discuss and resolve differences in doctrine and practice that might arise among the different assemblies (Acts 15).

Clearly God wants every believer to have fellowship with other believers who live in the same city or community. For those Christians who lived in the first century A.D., there was no problem deciding which local church to fellowship with. There was only one to choose from. Or if there were several assemblies in a large city, presumably one would identify with the one closest to home.

Times have changed in the past 19 centuries. Sad to say, believers have divided into thousands of denominations, sects, and groups. How does a newborn child of God decide which group to fellowship with? Some evangelists advise, simply, “Go to the church of your choice.” This suggests that all are equally sound. But the history of the Church reveals that many of these divisions have occurred because of very serious issues of Biblical doctrine or Christian practice.

Some people may be looking for a church with a pastor they find easy to listen to. Others may be looking for a group where they can use their musical talents or where there will be special programs for their children. Still others may be looking for a “friendly” church, perhaps one that will overlook their sinful attitudes and lifestyle.

Here is the counsel of the Bible on this matter:”Follow righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22). Such Christians would surely exhibit the following characteristics:

1. They would be true, born-again, practicing Christians, not Christians in name only, whose “faith without works is dead” (Acts 2:47; Jas. 2:14-26).

2. They would place the highest possible value on the Holy Scriptures as their authority for doctrine, behavior, and action (see Jan93-Jun93).

3. They would be true to the teaching of the Bible about the Trinity, the nature and attributes of God, and Jesus Christ being fully God and fully man (see Jul93-Apr95).

4. They would be true to the teaching of the Bible that salvation is “not of works” (Eph. 2:9) but comes from placing our trust for eternal salvation totally upon the sufferings and death of the Lord Jesus Christ for our sins (see Jan96-May97).

5. They would love the Lord; their highest motive in life would be to obey, follow, serve, and worship the Lord, and to “do all to the glory of God” (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3; 1 Cor. 10:31).

6. Correspondingly, they would have no love for “the world”-“the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”-that is going to pass away (1 John 2:15-17).

7. They would love their brothers and sisters in Christ and would desire fellowship with them (John 13:34,35; Heb. 10:25; 1 John 4:11; 5:1,2).

8. Out of their love for the Lord, they would be active in reaching out with the gospel (Mark 16:15; 2 Tim. 4:2,5).

Besides these characteristics, one should look for the following practices resulting from the Bible’s teaching about the one body and the local church (details in the next issues of GROWING):

9. Recognizing that every member of the body of Christ has a spiritual gift and a role to play in the local assembly; at the same time, recognizing that God has not given all gifts to one person.

10. Acting on the truth of the priesthood of all believers, thus, depending on the Holy Spirit rather than an appointed man to lead in assembly worship.

11. Exercising church discipline in cases of wicked teaching or practice.

12. Keeping “the unity of the Spirit” by seeking fellowship with all who “call on the Lord out of a pure heart,” rather than being an “independent” church or assembly.

Running the Race
Assignment 12: (a) Write out verses in Acts 18 and 2 Corinthians 3 that have to do with letters of commendation. (b) Write out two verses in Romans 16 that speak of the apostle Paul introducing and commending another believer to the church at Rome. (c) Write out a verse in Romans 15 and one in 1 Corinthians 16 that speak of one local church helping another.

Foundations of Faith
THE CHURCH (II)

More comparisons of the physical body with the body of Christ.

Scene 1. You have just finished stuffing yourself at a buffet. As you are walking down the street toward the car, your nose begins smelling the most wonderful aroma-roast pork. In response, your legs start carrying your body toward the smell, and your saliva and gastric juices start flowing. Then your stomach sends a message, “Hey, whoa there; don’t you know I am all filled up already?” Your legs get the message and start heading for the car once again.

But suppose your nose, tongue, taste buds, hands, and legs ignore the signal from your stomach. They say to the stomach, “You are just out to spoil our fun.” So you stuff your stomach with delicious roast pork until the stomach rebels and regurgitates it, which no longer is very pleasant to the nose, tongue, and taste buds.

Scene 2. A finger tip on your right hand accidentally touches a hot burner on the stove. What happens next? Does your left hand pick up a knife and chop off the careless finger? Of course not! Nerves in your finger shoot a message back to the spinal cord which shoots a message-all in split seconds-to the other bones of that finger, as well as the hand, wrist, lower and upper arm, elbow, and shoulder. All of these work together quickly to lift your finger tip from the hot stove. Then your legs quickly carry you to get an ice cube or piece of an aloe plant to soothe the hurting finger.

Scene 3. While walking on a sidewalk you do not notice the raised section ahead. Your toe hits it and you stumble and lose your balance. What then? Your arm shoots out to break the fall. Your arm or hand may get scraped up or broken, but you have kept your head from being injured.

We learn from 1 Corinthians 12 that God has placed every believer in Christ into the body of Christ so we can receive instruction from Christ the Head, and so we can assist, encourage, exhort, protect, build up, teach, correct, and help one another to grow “unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-16; also Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 14:3).

Most of all, we are placed in the body so we will exalt and honor our Head (as in Scene 3 above). We teach one another what we have learned about Christ our Head, and the older believers have a special responsibility to help the younger believers to know what Christ is like by the way they live. If we are allowing the Holy Spirit to do His desired work of changing us into the image of Christ, then this will help others in the body to learn to know Christ better.

As illustrated in Scenes 1 and 2 above, an important activity of the members of the body of Christ is correction and rescue. Messages from the stomach rescued other parts of the body from an unpleasant experience. The finger tip had little or no power to remove itself from the hot stove. Just so, we may know fellow Christians who need to be rescued from wallowing in sin. Most Christians tend to shy away from work like this. As a young person, you may sit back and wait for an older Christian do the rescue work. Lots of questions may fill your minds:How can I go up to someone else and tell him he is sinning when I still sin myself? What if he is offended by my doing this? What if he points out some of my sins in return? What if we have been real good friends and this destroys our friendship? Isn’t it unloving to criticize others?

Here is what the Bible says:”Brethren, if a man be overtaken with a fault, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness” (Gal. 6:1). “If your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone:if he shall hear you, you have gained your brother” (Matt. 18:15). The young man Timothy was told to “Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:2).

Rescuing our brother or sister from sin is a difficult work (they may not want to listen) and a risky work (they may reject you as their friend). But it is truly a work of love, showing real care and concern:”Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Prov. 27:5,6). When Peter writes, “Add … to brotherly kindness [love]” (2 Pet. 1:7), he means that being good friends with another (“brotherly kindness”) must not keep us from showing self-sacrificing, “agape” love if we see our friend heading down a path of sin. Let us make sure that our love for Christ and desire for His honor and glory takes priority over preserving human friendships. Besides, if your friend is a real born-again Christian, he/she will realize the value of your faithful rebuke, and your friendship will likely become closer and stronger in the long run.

Running the Race
HOW DO WE RESPOND TO REBUKE AND REPROOF?

Do you drive a car? If so, here is a situation most of you can identify with.

You are driving down the road and you see a stop sign ahead. A split second before you apply the brakes a passenger in the car shouts, “Stop sign!” How do you respond? Is it like this:

1. “Who’s driving, you or me?”

2. “Don’t you think I can see too?”

3. “Here, you drive if you think you are so smart!”

Or is it like this:

1. “I did see it but I was careless to wait so long to apply the brakes.”

2. “Thank you for the warning. I didn’t really need it this time, but I might the next time.”

If you are honest with yourself, you know that there are times when you really don’t see that car approaching the intersection or that is in the lane next to you in your blind spot. If you “turn off” the warnings of well-meaning family members or friends, you may be risking a bad accident in the future.

Similarly, if you, as a Christian, give a smart-aleck remark back to a loving friend who is concerned about your walk with the Lord, you may end up in deep trouble, making decisions that you will regret for the rest of your life.

Assignment 11: Write out verses in Proverbs 10, 12, and 15 that describe the person who refuses or hates reproof.

Foundations of Faith
THE CHURCH (I)

Have you ever watched a marionette show. A marionette is a puppet that is moved by strings or wires by its operator. Many Christians think of their relationship with God like that. I am down here on earth, connected with God up there in heaven. I am trusting in the finished work of Christ for my salvation, so I can be sure of going to heaven for eternity. I can pray to God at any time and know that He will hear me. I know God as my loving and giving Father. I have the Holy Spirit dwelling in me.

All these things are blessedly true of the believer in Christ. But there is much more to being saved than just having an individual relationship with God. One of the blessings of our salvation is being made a member of the body of Christ (Jan98). God not only has saved us to be individual children of His, but He also has united us collectively as the body of Christ.

This body often is referred to in the Bible as “the Church.” The Scriptures have much to say about the Church as it is of great value to God. “Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself for it … that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church” (Eph. 5:25-27). We shall devote several issues to the study of this important topic.

There were many true believers in Old Testament times (Rom. 4:1-8; Heb. 11:1-32). However, the Church was not known back then; the believers served and followed the Lord as individuals. The Church as a unified body of believers did not begin until the Day of Pentecost, about 50 days after Christ died and rose again.

The Church was not yet in existence while Jesus was still living. He said to Peter, “Upon this rock I will build My Church” (Matt. 16:18), and clearly “this rock” was Jesus, not Peter (1 Cor. 10:4; 1 Pet. 2:4-8; Eph. 2:20).

Also, it is by the Holy Spirit that we are “baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13). Jesus, both before His death and after His resurrection, prepared His disciples for being “baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence” (John 7:39; Acts 1:5,8). There were about 120 disciples who were baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Church on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:15; 2:1-3; see Dec94 for more on the baptism of the Holy Spirit). Thousands more were added by the Holy Spirit soon afterward (Acts 2:41,47; 4:4,14).

The Greek word for “church” in the New Testament is ekklesia. The word ekklesia literally means “called out ones.” It was used generally by Greeks to refer to a public assembly of the citizens summoned by the town crier. The early Church was made up of Jews who, upon believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, were called out from the Jewish religion to be members of the body of Christ (Acts 2:44, 46). Later on, when the gospel came to the Gentiles, many of them also believed and were called out of their pagan religions and joined with the Jewish believers in the same body, the Church (Acts 10:45; 15:14; Eph. 2:11-21). In this series of articles, we shall use “Church” with a capital C to denote the Church of Christ as a whole, worldwide (such as in Eph. 5:23), and “church” with a lower-case c to denote a congregation or expression of the Church in a certain place (such as Gal. 1:2). The Bible does not-and we shall not-use the word “church” to designate a building where Christians meet together.

The word ekklesia goes far beyond simple membership in a body. As mentioned above, it expresses the thought of an assembling of people. The chief activity of the local ekklesia or church is being assembled together for worship, prayer, or being taught the Word of God. We shall often use the word “assembly” in this series, especially in reference to the believers gathered together in a particular place.

The Church is viewed in the New Testament in three aspects:(1) its unity as the body of Christ; (2) its order and ministry as the house and temple of God indwelt by the Holy Spirit; and (3) its heavenly character and hope as the bride of Christ. We begin by considering the body of Christ. (See Assignment 9)

Comparison of the physical body with the body of Christ. The human body has hundreds of different parts, both external (eyes, mouth, fingers, hair, skin, etc.) and internal (muscles, bones, lungs, blood, nerves, etc.), and quadrillions of individual cells. Each cell and each part has a role to play in the physical body.

The body of Christ is just like that. The analogy between the physical body of a human being and members of Christ’s body is clearly presented in the Bible:”As the [human] body is one, and has many members … so also is Christ…. Now has God set the members … in [Christ’s] body, as it has pleased Him … many members yet one body” (1 Cor. 12:12-27).

The cells in the human body do not live forever. As they die, others take their place (except for nerve cells which are not replaced). Where do the new cells come from? In the biological process of mitosis, young, active cells are always dividing, producing new cells. When a cell ages it stops dividing and dies.

The body of Christ works in the same way. When one member leads another soul to Christ, there are now two members. Every Christian has the privilege and responsibility of reaching out with the gospel to those about us and leading others to Christ. This begins at home with members of our household, and then extends to other relatives, neighbors, schoolmates, fellow employees, and others. As we do this, members who die are replaced by new members, and the whole body grows. (See Assignment 10)

We shall continue to compare the human body and the body of Christ in the next issue.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Three of our readers completed all 25 (13 regular plus 12 review) assignments for 1997. Drew Johnson of West Reading, Pennsylvania led the way with a score of 98.0% for the year. John Hope of Mechanicsville, Virginia and Dickson Wanga of Mweiga, Kenya had scores of 94.4% and 91.2%, respectively. Gabriel Ofagbe of Lagos, Nigeria and Richard Unutaire of Warri, Nigeria completed 21 and 19 assignments, respectively.

Running the Race
Assignment 9: Write out a verse in Romans 12 about the body of Christ, one in 1 Timothy 3 about the house of God, and one in Revelation 19 about the bride (or wife) of Christ.

Assignment 10: What is the first thing Andrew did when he began to follow Christ (John 1)?

Foundations of Faith
LAW AND GRACE

A Christian man, Brother A, once told me about visiting Brother B and expressing concern about Brother B’s habit of smoking a pipe. Brother B’s response was something like this:”It shouldn’t really be a concern because “we are not under the law but under grace” (Rom. 6:15).

Brother B’s response was taken from Scripture, but was it a scriptural response? Does the Christian no longer need to keep the law and obey the commandments given in the Bible? What role does the law play in the life of the Christian?

“The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Rom. 7:12). God’s law teaches us about His character and shows us what is pleasing to Him as well as good for us. Therefore, the Christian does well to become acquainted with God’s commandments.

Before we were saved, the law was helpful in convicting us of sin (Rom. 3:20; 5:20; 7:7-13). But we had no power to keep God’s commandments then, nor do we, in ourselves, have such power now that we are saved. Consider the believer who has a problem with overeating. He knows it is wrong; he wants to overcome it; he makes a new year’s resolution to control his eating; he puts up a sign:”GLUTTONY KILLS”; and on January 2 he pigs out again.

While we have no power in ourselves to keep God’s commandments, we do have a source of power. It comes from living our lives moment by moment under the control of Christ. This is based on the knowledge that we are “risen with Christ,” have “life in Christ,” and are “dead to the law by the body of Christ, that [we] should be married to … Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God” (Rom. 7:4; 8:2; Col. 3:1; see May98).

Here is another way of looking at this that may be easier to understand:As we focus on the Lord Jesus Christ and think about Him- how much He gave up in coming down from heaven to go to the cross, how much He loved us, and how much He suffered to save us from our sins-our hearts are attracted to Him. In fact, as we behold “the glory of the Lord, [we] are changed into the same image” (2 Cor. 3:18). One of the side benefits of responding often to the Lord’s request, “This do in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19), is that we are transformed by it to become more and more like Christ.

As we have Christ before our hearts and are motivated by thoughts of His sufferings for us, we will do what He wants us to do and “the righteousness of the law [will] be fulfilled in us” (Rom. 8:4). In other words, we will keep God’s commandments. But we will no longer do this out of fear; nor with a grudging obedience; nor in our own strength; nor for selfish reasons such as bribing God to do something for us. Rather we will do it out of appreciation for His love and grace (2 Cor. 5:14,15). This is what it means to be “under grace” and “not under the law.” In fact we are lifted above the law in the sense that we now have power and desire to do far more of what pleases the Lord than was ever required by the law.

It is helpful to notice the many scriptures that show us that the power to live holy lives comes from having our hearts set on Christ. For example, when the Lord Jesus tells the disciples to “love one another,” He provides the example and motivation, “as I have loved you” (John 13:34; see also Rom. 13:14; 15:2,3; 2 Cor. 8:9,10; Eph. 4:20-5:5; Phil. 2:1-8; 1 Pet. 2:1-3,21-24). (See Assignment 7)

Christians who use the law-for example, the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount-as their rule of life tend to fall into a number of traps:they may (1) try to find loopholes (Matt. 23:16-19; Mark 7:9-13); (2) concentrate on their own favorite list of rules, often to the neglect of more serious and scriptural commandments (Matt. 23:23-25); or (3) be satisfied with a far lower standard of morality than that found in Christ.

On the other hand, those-like the pipe-smoking brother-who loudly proclaim that Christians “are not under the law but under grace” may tend to use their freedom from the law as an excuse to sin (Gal. 5:13). (See Assignment 8)

As we focus on Christ and allow Him to control every part of our life, we will follow a standard of morality and holiness that greatly exceeds that of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.

Running the Race
KEEPING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS UNDER GRACE

To give a practical illustration of what it means to be “not under the law but under grace,” let us take the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20 and translate them into what they might be for the Christian who is living by the power of the grace of God and the love of Christ.

1. “No other gods” translates into the much higher standard (signified by <<) of Christ our supreme object and pattern (Phil. 2:5; 1 Pet. 2:21).

2. No graven image (meaning that God is a Spirit) << filled with the Holy Spirit and producing the fruit of the Spirit (Eph. 5:18; Gal. 5:22,23).

3. Not taking God’s name in vain << preaching Christ as the only name by which one can be saved (Acts 4:12).

4. Keeping the Sabbath (seventh day, rest) << devoting the first day of the week, as well as other days of the week if possible, for worship, service, and receiving instruction (Luke 24:25-49; John 20:19; Acts 2:42,46; 5:42; 17:11; 20:7-11; 2 Cor. 11:28; Heb. 3:13).

5. Honoring parents << honoring and showing respect to all men, and loving even our enemies (1 Tim. 2:1; 1 Pet. 2:17; Matt. 5:44).

6. Not murdering << leading souls to eternal life in Christ (John 3:16; 5:24).

7. Not committing adultery << loving one's wife as Christ loved the Church (Eph. 5:25).

8. Not stealing << working and giving to those in need (Eph. 4:28).

9. Not lying << speaking the truth in love, and proclaiming the truth of the gospel (Prov. 27:5,6; Eph. 4:15; Acts 26:25; Gal. 2:5,14; Eph. 1:13; 1 Tim. 2:4).

10. Not coveting our neighbor’s possessions << coveting our neighbor's salvation, and coveting or desiring for ourselves the knowledge of God's will, the best gifts, the sincere milk of the Word, and to be with Christ (Rom. 10:1; 1 Cor. 12:31; 14:1; Phil. 1:23; Col. 1:9; 1 Pet. 2:2).

Assignment 7: Write out two verses in Hebrews 12 that link an exhortation not to sin with Christ’s work.

Assignment 8: Can you think of a better way Brother B might have responded to Brother A’s concern?

Foundations of Faith
BAPTISM

It was stated in the Apr97 issue of GROWING that “salvation is not produced by our works, whether our good deeds, our baptism, our confirmation, our church attendance,… or our service.” Rather, we are saved through faith by God’s grace (or favor shown to us who deserve the opposite). “By grace are you saved through faith … not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8,9).

However, water baptism is very closely connected with salvation. Jews of Jerusalem, people of Samaria, Saul of Tarsus, Cornelius the centurion, Lydia of Thyatira, the jailor of Philippi, and others were baptized shortly after their profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour (Acts 2:41; 8:12,38; 9:18; 10:44-48; 16:15,33; 18:8; 19:5). We shall attempt to show, by studying the meaning of baptism, that it is not a requirement for salvation but an act that should closely follow our salvation.

Baptism-going down into and coming up out of the water-is the acting out of a story. First of all it is the story of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. When I am put under the water, I demonstrate publicly that I believe that Christ died for my sins and was buried. When I come out of the water, I show that I believe in the resurrection of Christ, that my Saviour is alive!

This meaning is implied in the apostle Paul’s teaching about baptism in Romans 6; but there is even more to it as we now shall see:”Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound…. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein? Do you not know that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death:that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection…. If we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him” (Rom. 5:20-6:8).

One result of Christ’s death on the cross is the providing of forgiveness to sinners and deliverance from the eternal judgment that our sins deserved. Another result of His death is that we who are saved are viewed by God as being “dead with Christ” or “crucified with Christ” (Rom. 6:5,6,8; Gal. 2:20), “buried with Him” (Rom. 6:4), and “risen with Christ” (Col. 3:1; Rom. 6:5). The ceremony of water baptism is presented as a public enactment of these Biblical truths.

These concepts are not easy to understand, and well-respected Bible scholars disagree on the exact interpretation of these verses. However, it is clear in Romans 6 that our water baptism serves to remind us that we “are dead to sin” and should not “live any longer therein.”

The word “baptism” means immersion. My baptism-burial in water -is a public declaration that the old “I” that was totally dominated by my sinful nature inherited from Adam is dead and buried. My coming up out of the water is a demonstration that there is now a new “I” that is linked with the risen Christ, so that I “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).

By our baptism we declare publicly that a change has taken place in our life. Others can now expect to see a positive difference in our attitude, behavior, love for God’s Word, faithfulness to our Lord, obedience to our parents, and love to our brothers and sisters. By our baptism we are really saying, “If you catch me behaving sinfully like the person I used to be, I invite you to remind me of my baptism-that I am “dead to sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:11). (See Assignment 6)

Do not Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38 show that baptism is required for salvation? “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who believes not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). There are a great many passages in the New Testament that clearly teach that salvation is by faith alone and not of works (see Apr97). The thief on the cross was assured of being in Paradise with Christ, even though he had no opportunity to be baptized (Luke 23:43). The believers in Caesarea were baptized after they were saved and received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:44-48). The second part of Mark 16:16 says only that “he who believes not”-with no mention of those who are not baptized-“shall be damned.” And, as shown above, the very meaning of water baptism- dead to sin, buried and risen with Christ-is opposed to its being a requirement for salvation.

So in Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38, baptism cannot be a requirement for salvation, but is expected to be a public demonstration of it on the part of every believer. This was particularly crucial with the early Jewish converts to Christ. They had publicly rejected Christ and crucified Him. So if they were truly saved they would be willing to take a public stand for Christ in baptism (see Rom. 10:9).

Why do some people baptize infants? Some believe-without clear support from Scripture-that baptism protects the child from going to hell if it dies before the “age of accountability.” Others understand baptism in the New Testament to be an extension of the Old Testament rite of circumcision. Some of these view baptism as a pledge by the parents-on the ground of the death and resurrection of Christ-to bring up the child in the knowledge of God’s Word and the gospel of Christ.

It seems to this writer that persons who are baptized as infants are deprived of the distinct testimony, blessing, and benefit provided in baptism as described earlier.

What does the verse mean:”What shall they do who are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not?” (1 Cor. 15:29)? In the history of the Church, some who have publicly declared by baptism their faith in Christ have paid for it with their lives. There were those in Corinth who did not believe in resurrection of the dead. So the apostle Paul argues:if the dead are not raised, what is the sense in becoming a Christian, being baptized, and exposing oneself to martyrdom? “Baptized for the dead” refers to new Christians filling up the ranks, taking the place of those who have died.

Running the Race
Assignment 6: Write out (a) a verse in Colossians 2 that speaks of the meaning of baptism, and (b) another verse in Colossians 2 and a verse or two in Colossians 3 that give practical applications of the teaching of baptism.

Foundations of Faith
ETERNAL SECURITY (III)

Scene:Mr. Ronson’s Sunday school class.

Mr. Ronson:Last week, as you may recall, we had a very lively discussion relating to the doctrine of eternal security, and particularly the difficult passage in Hebrews 6 (see Mar98). Does anyone else have questions or comments about the eternal security of the believer in Christ?

Marty:There is another passage in Hebrews that I have found troublesome:”If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins” (10:26). Do not all of us sin willfully at times? I know I do.

Mr. Ronson:Yes, I do too, but if we read further down in the passage we will see the character of this “willful sin.” It is sin directly against all three Persons of the Trinity. It is sin against God the Father by treading “under foot” His Son; it is sin against God the Son by counting His shed blood as “an unholy thing”; and it is the sin of insulting or despising God the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of grace” (verse 29). This sin is similar to that of Hebrews 6. There one has “tasted the good word of God”; here one has “received the knowledge of the truth.” The person has received the knowledge of the truth without actually receiving the truth itself into his heart, soul, and mind (see Matt. 22:37). Here, one not only turns away from Christ after learning about Him, but turns violently against Him.

This is not speaking of losing one’s salvation by committing a willful sin, but of incurring God’s eternal wrath by preaching against His only way of salvation (verses 29,30).

Shawn:So, are these passages in Hebrews referring to backsliders?

Mr. Ronson:No, they are speaking of what we call “apostates.” Apostates are people who may know a lot about Christianity, but have never become real Christians, and have turned away from and against Biblical Christianity. These are to be contrasted with “backsliders” who are true believers in Christ whose hearts grow cold, and may fall into sin for a time. But the Holy Spirit is always working in such souls, ever drawing them back to their Lord and Saviour. Judas Iscariot is, perhaps, the closest specific example in the Bible to an apostate. We mentioned him last time (Mar98). Can you think of any examples in the Bible of backsliders? (See Assignment 5)

Mr. Ronson:You may find other Bible verses that seem to contradict the doctrine of eternal security. However, always keep in mind the many Bible passages that clearly teach this truth (Feb98), and ask for the Holy Spirit’s help in gaining a correct understanding of the more difficult and seemingly contradictory passages.

(Please write to the Editor of GROWING if you desire further information on this topic.)

Running the Race
HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE (in View of the Doctrine of Eternal Security)?

Scene: Mr. Ronson’s Sunday school class.

Mr. Ronson: Before we conclude our study of eternal security, I would like to ask a couple of related questions: What is so important about believing the doctrine of eternal security? And what difference does it make in the way we live our daily lives?

Kim: The main reason we should believe it is that the Bible teaches it.

Mr. Ronson: Excellent, Kim!

Lee: For your second question, it is kind of like the doctrine of election. Realizing that God has done all of the work of (1) providing salvation for us through the suffering, death, and resurrection of His Son, (2) choosing us to receive His salvation (Jun97), and (3) keeping us saved for eternity, causes us to praise, worship, serve, and obey Him out of appreciation for such love and grace.

Mark: In addition to that, by not having to worry every five minutes whether I am still saved, I have greater freedom and power to serve and worship the Lord.

Bev: But doesn’t it sometimes work the other way as well?

Mark: What do you mean, Bev?

Bev: Well, I have heard people ask it this way: If a person trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ, is taught “once saved, always saved,” and has the assurance of going to heaven, what is to keep that person from falling deeper and deeper into sin?

Mr. Ronson: That is a very good question, Bev-one that often comes up. Who would like to try to answer Bev’s question?

Marion: We have all of the blessings of our salvation that we recently learned about (Sep97-Jan98); we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us; we have a new, Christ-like nature; and we have the infinite love of Christ in suffering immensely for us as the most powerful motivation in the universe to keep us from sinning. Why, to go on living without paying any attention to God’s holy Word and what will bring joy to our Saviour is like … like spitting in Jesus’ face!

Tom: That was a great way of putting it, Marion! It really is sobering to think that after all Christ has done for us, we still mess up at times. The fact that God still loves us and does not kick us out of His family when we sin is a powerful motivation not to sin the next time we are tempted. “The love of Christ constrains us” to live for Him (2 Cor. 5:14, 15).

Bev: Hey, this is making a lot of sense to me. If I think that my eternal salvation depends on how I behave, then I am trying to add something of my own doing to the tremendous work that Christ did for me. So the value of the Lord Jesus Christ and His work are diminished in my mind, and I lose the powerful motivation of God’s love to keep from sinning and to do His will 100% of the time.

Mr. Ronson: Those were great observations, class. I couldn’t have expressed it better myself. Every true, born-again Christian who believes in eternal security should be living according to the very highest moral standards of all people in the world. Shame on us … and we bring great dishonor upon our Lord … if we don’t!

Finally, if we know individuals who claim to be Christians but give no evidence of loving and living for the Lord Jesus Christ, we ought treat them like any other unbeliever and give them the gospel.

Assignment 5: Give the names of two backsliders, one in the Old Testament (try 2 Samuel) and one in the New Testament (try Luke), and write out at least one verse for each that shows what they did in their backslidden state. Also, write out at least one verse for each that shows they were restored to the Lord.

Foundations of Faith
ETERNAL SECURITY (II)

Mr. Ronson gave a lecture to his Sunday school class on eternal security based on the Feb98 issue of GROWING. At the end of his lecture he asked his class if they had any questions or comments. Here is the dialogue that took place:

Dale:Everything you have told us, Mr. Ronson, really makes sense and has answered a lot of my questions. But I still have a problem with the passage in Hebrews 6.

Mr. Ronson:Yes, a lot of people have had a problem with that passage. Would you read it for us please, Dale?

Dale:The passage is Hebrews 6:4-6:”It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” It just seems to me that this passage is talking about believers who lose their salvation.

Mr. Ronson:Yes, I can see how you and others might get that impression. But let us look at this passage more closely. Five benefits received by these individuals are listed:

1. They “were once enlightened.” I once read a book about Buddhism. I became enlightened to some aspects of that religion. But much of it made no sense to me; besides, it did not show me how my sins could be forgiven. So I rejected it.

2. They “tasted of the heavenly gift .” What or who is “the heavenly gift”?

Stacy:”The gift of God is eternal life” (Rom. 8:23).

Fran:”Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15), which I take to be the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mr. Ronson:Good answers from the Word of God, both of you! The heavenly gift is the Lord Jesus Christ and his eternal salvation. But notice, it does not say “swallowed the heavenly gift”; it does not say “received the heavenly gift.” It says “tasted of the heavenly gift.” In John 6:53,54 we find that it is not enough simply to get a taste of Christ. “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoso eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (See Assignment 3)

3. They “were made partakers of the Holy Spirit.” On the day of Pentecost the people who were gathered at the temple from many different countries “were all amazed and marveled, saying … We hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:7-12). Many were observing and hearing and partaking of the power of the Holy Spirit as displayed through the disciples who were filled with the Spirit. But only the 3,000 of the observers who later received the Word preached by the apostle Peter were actually saved (Acts 2:41).

4. They “have tasted the good Word of God.” Everyone present at this Sunday school class is tasting “the good Word of God.” Most of you, I hope, are also swallowing it, taking it in, and allowing it to give you spiritual life and energy and make you to grow and mature spiritually. But some of you may be thinking, “This teaching about following Jesus and God is silly. I’m not going to let God mess up my life.” So you may merely taste, but then spit it out.

5. They have tasted “the powers of the world to come.” The miracles performed by the Lord Jesus, the apostles, and others, and witnessed by many, are often described by the word “power” (Luke 4:36; 5:17; 9:1; Acts 6:8). The Lord Jesus also looked ahead to the time of “the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30; 26:64). But many of those who followed Christ did so only for the food or material benefits they might get from Him as a result of His miracles (John 6:26,27; Acts 8:13,18-23).

Judas Iscariot tasted every one of these benefits, but rejected them all and perished in his sins (Mark 14:21; John 13:11). On the other hand, not one of the blessings of salvation- such as forgiveness, justification, sonship, eternal life, or sealing of the Spirit (Sep97-Jan98)-is mentioned in the passage in Hebrews 6.

Dale:Thank you, Mr. Ronson, that helped me a lot.

Eric:I never looked at this passage in the way you described it and it makes sense to me. But I have another question. [He glances at his two unsaved friends whom he brought to Sunday school for the first time.] Does this mean that one who leaves this class rejecting Christ will never again have an opportunity to be saved?

Mr. Ronson:I don’t believe the passage goes quite that far. One who hears the gospel and puts it off, saying, “Maybe I will reconsider when I am older” (see Acts 24:25), is taking a great risk, but may still repent of his sins, trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved (Rev. 22:17), I believe.

This Epistle to the Hebrews gives several warnings to Jewish men and women who have heard the gospel and have professed to follow Christ. If they give up Christ and go back to trusting their Jewish rites and rituals and good works to save them, there is no hope for them in that state of soul. They are basically saying that Jesus Christ really did deserve to be crucified after all, and thus “crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh.” There is no salvation apart from trusting in the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ for our sins.

Gerry:I have heard a lot of people say, “There are many roads that lead to God and heaven, and Christianity is just one of those roads.” Shouldn’t we be tolerant of other religions?

Mr. Ronson:Can anyone find a verse in the Bible that says that salvation is found in Christ alone? (See Assignment 4)

Mr. Ronson: If being “tolerant” means showing love and compassion to people of other religions, yes, we should be tolerant. But if we really desire to show the love of God to such people, we will want to rescue those dear souls from the lake of fire. And so we will faithfully seek to point them to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way for their sins to be washed away.

We must stop now, but we shall continue this discussion next time.

Running the Race
Assignment 3: Write out verses in John 1 and Colossians 2 that speak of receiving (not just tasting) Christ.

Assignment 4: Write out a verse in John 14 and one in Acts 4 in response to Gerry’s and Mr. Ronson’s questions.

Foundations of Faith
ETERNAL SECURITY (I)

As noted in the Apr97 issue of GROWING, we are saved by “placing our trust for eternal salvation totally upon the Lord Jesus Christ and the work of atonement that He completed on the cross.” After telling us that we are saved through faith by God’s grace, the apostle Paul adds for emphasis, “Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8,9).

The question is often asked, “Can a person who is saved become lost again?” Since Christians are very much divided over this question, we must spend some time discussing it.

In this paper we shall present and seek to defend from Scripture the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer. This doctrine states that once a person has been born again by the Word of God and the Spirit of God, has been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, has received a new life and been made partaker of the divine nature, and has been justified from every charge before the throne of God, it is absolutely impossible that that person should ever again be a lost soul.

The doctrine of eternal security clearly assumes that a definite work of God has been done in the heart of the one who trusts in the finished work of Christ alone for salvation. It does not necessarily mean that if one merely professes to be saved, or goes through the motions of praying “the sinner’s prayer,” or “goes forward” at an evangelistic meeting and is pronounced “saved” by a Christian worker, that that person is forever secure; such persons may not truly be saved in the first place.

God’s salvation is a deep work. To be saved, people need first to realize they are lost, dead in trespasses and sins, heading for the lake of fire. To be saved, people need to repent of their sins, taking God’s side against themselves. To be saved, people need to understand and believe that the only way of salvation is through the horrible sufferings that Jesus endured on the cross as God’s punishment for our sin.

Here is what Scripture says about the person who truly believes these things:

1. The believer has eternal life (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 1 John 5:13).

2. The believer shall never perish
(John 3:15,16; 10:28).

3. The believer shall not come into judgment (John 5:24; Rom. 8:1).

4. The believer shall never be separated from God’s love (Rom. 8:35-39).

5. The believer is kept by the power of God (1 Pet. 1:3-5).

6. The believer cannot be plucked out of the hand of Christ or His Father’s hand (John 10:28,29).

7. The believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13; 4:30).

8. The believer is perfected forever (Heb. 10:14).

9. There is no mention whatever in Scripture of the possibility of losing any of the blessings that have been discussed in the Sep97-Jan98 issues of GROWING. The Bible never once suggests that a true believer can become unforgiven, unjustified, unreconciled, unredeemed, unsanctified, abandoned by the Holy Spirit, or expelled from the family of God and the body of Christ. And what, pray tell, is everlasting life if it does not last forever after all?

When talking with one who does not accept the doctrine of eternal security, it is very important to have clearly in our minds the scriptures already mentioned that positively teach eternal security. Since Scripture cannot contradict itself, passages that may seem to contradict the ones listed above need to be carefully considered in their context.

Most of the scripture passages people use to reject the doctrine of eternal security are found to be warnings to challenge professing Christians. The Lord Jesus Himself laid the groundwork for this in His parable of the sower. He spoke of two classes of people who receive the Word initially but never go on to bear fruit:”He that received the seed into stony places, the same is he who hears the Word, and anon with joy receives it; yet has he not root in himself, but endures for a while; for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, by and by he is offended. He also who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the Word, and he becomes unfruitful” (Matt. 13:20-22).

I have had a number of experiences, and maybe you have too, in which a person listens eagerly to the gospel and seems to receive it with joy. But after a few days it is as if nothing has happened. I dare not call such people saved, but continue to bring the gospel before them.

The term “carnal Christian” is sometimes used today to describe those who are truly saved but are living no differently from the typical unsaved person. Scripture does not recognize such a class of people. If we know people who say they are Christians but show no evidence of the fruit of the Spirit or works pleasing to God in their lives, we have no right to regard them as saved (John 15:2; Gal. 5:22,23; Eph. 2:10; Tit. 2:14; Jas. 2:17-26). Others show so little fruit that we may just have to fall back on the truth that “the Lord knows those who are His” (2 Tim. 2:19).

For these reasons, the apostle Paul was never satisfied in getting people simply to make a profession of Christ. He worked with them, discipled them, and taught them, to make sure that they were really saved, really growing in the truth, really giving evidence of salvation in their lives.

Many of the verses used to argue against the doctrine of eternal security are plainly the apostles’ determination that “converts” give clear evidence that they are saved:”And you who were once … enemies … has He reconciled … to present you holy … if you continue in the faith” (Col. 1:21-23). “I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain” (Gal. 4:9-11; Phil. 2:16; 1 Thess. 3:5). We are Christ’s house “if we hold fast the confidence … of the hope firm unto the end” (Heb. 3:6; 4:14; 10:23). “Faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:17-26). Since salvation is “not of works,” and since those who truly believe have “everlasting life,” these passages must be talking about confirming one’s salvation, not losing it.

We shall continue this topic next time, considering some particularly difficult passages, including Heb. 6:4-6, as well as objections and questions that are commonly raised about eternal security.

Running the Race
Assignment 2: Suppose a born again believer in Christ has a wicked thought while crossing the street, and immediately is hit and killed by a truck. Would that person go to heaven or to hell? Write out a verse to support your answer.

Foundations of Faith
BLESSINGS OF SALVATION (V)

Salvation brings us into a three-fold link with God. We become children and sons of God the Father (Dec97), we are indwelt, sealed, and anointed by God the Holy Spirit (Dec94 -Apr95), and we become members of the body of Christ, the Son of God.

“For as the [human] body is one and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body:so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:12,13).

It surely is a wonderful blessing to be linked to God the Father individually as His children; and we are likewise blessed to have the Holy Spirit indwelling us as individual Christians to guide and help us and teach us the things of Christ (John 16:13-15). But God has purposed that we should be linked to Himself in another way. Collectively, as a body, we are linked with every other believer as members of the body of Christ. We are “members one of another” (Rom. 12:5).

The human body is composed of many members-eyes, ears, mouth, arms, legs, heart, liver, blood, nerves, bones, hair, etc. Just so, the body of Christ is composed of many members, each having a particular role to play in the body, and all under the direction of the Head, Christ Jesus (Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:1-26).

In a particular assembly of believers, one person may serve as an evangelist, another as a pastor or teacher, another as a wise counselor in matters requiring church discipline, another as a major contributor to the financial needs of the assembly, and another as a helper with building construction or maintenance.

There is a woman in her 90’s whose closest living relative is a first cousin who lives a thousand miles away. There is a mother with several children whose husband/father abandoned them. There is a woman with two dependents who lost her job and whose family is too poor to help her. These people-all members of the body of Christ-are being helped and provided for, spiritually, emotionally, and materially, by other members of the body of Christ.

These are just a few of the many blessings and benefits of being members of the body of Christ. We plan to devote several issues of GROWING to this important topic in the future, Lord willing.

We all are familiar with the verse that ends, “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting [or eternal] life” (John 3:16,36; 1 John 5:11-14). This eternal life is never ending:”So shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17). Though we may die physically, our soul and spirit will never die and will be clothed with a new body at the coming of Christ (1 Cor. 15:35-54; 2 Cor. 5:1-4).

This eternal life is also a totally new kind of life. Jesus prayed, “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3). It is a life with an entirely different focus. The natural life with which we were born was focused on ourselves-me, me, me (Isa. 53:6). Eternal life is focused on getting to know, obey, please, worship, and serve God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour. In this sense, eternal life has already begun for the believer in Christ, but will blossom greatly when we get to heaven.

What is heaven like? In brief, heaven will have lots of singing (Rev. 5:9), variety (Rev. 21:19-21; 22:2), knowledge (1 Cor. 13:12), work and service (Rev. 7:15; 22:3), and enjoyment of God’s creation (1 Cor. 3:22; Eph. 1:10, 11,21-23; Rev. 21:7). Heaven is a holy place with no sin (Rev. 4:8; 22:15) and no effects of sin, such as tears, death, sorrow, or pain, or night (Rev. 21:4), and where all will be in perfect unity and harmony with one another and with God (John 17:22-24; Col. 1:21, 22). Most of all, heaven is where we shall be with Christ our Creator, Saviour, and Bridegroom (John 17:24; 1 John 3:2; Rev. 4:10,11; 5:6-14; 19:7-9).

Perhaps that is enough for now to whet our appetites for heaven. In a later issue, Lord willing, we shall discuss in more detail what the Bible says about heaven and hell. (See Assignment 1)

We shall conclude our studies of the blessings of salvation by noting that every one of these blessings is totally a result of God’s grace to us. Grace, remember, is God’s favor to those who deserve the opposite (Jan94). The more we recognize this, the more we will appreciate God and want to live for Him every moment of every day.

“To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us accepted [or objects of grace] in the Beloved [that is, Christ]” (Eph. 1:6). This word “accepted” is also found in Luke 1:28. “The angel came in unto [Mary] and said, Hail, you who are highly favored [or made an object of grace, or accepted], the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.” The grace of God that made the Virgin Mary so blessed is the very same that has come upon every believer in Christ. This is not only the grace of God that has saved us in the first place, but His grace that is shown to us every day of our Christian lives.

Running the Race
POSSESSING OUR POSSESSION (III)

God has purposed that we, as His sons, should be “conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29). This will be fully true of us when we get to heaven: “We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). But we can begin even now to possess this possession: “We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). The more we study and meditate upon the Person and work of Christ, the more we shall become like Him.

We possess the blessing of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit by allowing the Holy Spirit freedom to control us and guide us in every part of our lives. This is what it means to “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).

Finally, here is how we know we are really possessing our possession of God’s grace as being “accepted in the beloved”: It is when we find ourselves showing grace-favor to those who deserve the opposite-to the various people in our lives.

Assignment 1: Write out two verses in 2 Corinthians 12: one that tells what the apostle Paul experienced when caught up to heaven, and one that describes the impact of that experience on the apostle.