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"...Shepherd the flock of God which is among
you, serving as overseers..." (1 Peter 5:2)
Elders
Morris Bass, Rick Holt , Joe
Price |
"...let them serve as deacons,
being found blameless..." (1 Tim. 3:10)
Deacons
Aaron Bass, Rich Brooks, Mike Finn
John Hague, Dan Head |
"And take...the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17)
In this issue:
Diligently Handling Aright the Word
(Harry Osborne)
Noteworthy News:
Bomb Threats
and End of the World
Diligently Handling Aright the Word
Harry Osborne
Why do people in the
religious world often reach different and sometimes contradictory views
on Bible subjects? Is it God’s fault for making the Bible too hard to
understand? In the Baptist seminary where I took some graduate courses,
the faculty and students typically believed that it was of no concern to
God when men reached such opposing conclusions. It is not an
overstatement to say that such an attitude represents the standard view
among denominational leaders and preachers. They deny that God intended
to bring us to unity by eliminating error and promoting a single way of
truth through an appeal to the Scriptures as the sole and complete
pattern for all faith and practice today. Whether it be through denying
that the Bible is actually the inerrant word of God or through denying
we can understand the Bible alike, the effect is the same - justifying
the right of men to believe and practice different doctrines.
The inspired apostle revealed the
design of God’s word and the responsibilities of man regarding that word. In
2 Timothy 2:15, he said, “Give diligence to present thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of
truth.”
The word translated “handling
aright” (the Greek word orthotomeo) referred to teaching accurately,
expounding soundly, or setting forth truthfully without perversion or
distortion. For example, the Greeks used the word to denote the act of
cutting a road with such precision that it went straight from its origin to
its destination without deviation. Thus, Paul instructs that “the word of
truth” must be used to declare God’s intended truth without deviation.
This end can only be reached as
one gives all “diligence” in using God’s word. The King James version uses
the word “study” to translate the word rendered “give diligence” in the
American Standard or “be diligent” in most other English versions of the
Bible. The original word carried the sense of “making every effort” to do a
thing. Peter used this word to describe the degree of effort necessary for
us to make our “calling and election sure” (2 Pet. 1:10).
The same word was used later in
the epistle to depict the great concern each Christian should have in
scrutinizing his life in comparison with the divine will in view of the
second coming of Christ (2 Pet. 3:14). Therefore, the same diligence we have
about our eternal salvation is commanded in our handling of the word of
truth.
One is not diligent in the
use of the Bible when he casually looks at it for a few moments two or three
times a week or less. Neither is one diligent in the use of the Bible if he
engages in a shallow, superficial handling of God’s word. Diligence demands
a systematic and thorough examination of God’s word every day of one’s life.
It requires constant attention (Psa. 12). If most people studied a subject
in school as they “study” Bible subjects, confusion and contradiction would
predominate in scholastic areas as they do in religion.
The story is told of a man
who decided he would “study” the Bible using a quick and random method. He
held his Bible out and let it fall open by chance to a page. Then, he closed
his eyes and put his finger somewhere on the page. The verse his finger was
on was the one from which he would take instruction. Using this procedure,
he supposed that the Spirit would guide him. The first night, his finger
fell on Matthew 27:5 where he read, “and he went and hanged himself.”
Feeling somewhat depressed, he ended his reading at that point. The next
night, the lot fell on Luke 10:37 where he read the words of Jesus in red
letters, “Go and do likewise.” Remembering the reading of the previous
night, he was quite disturbed at this instruction. However, he calmed
himself that tomorrow night’s “study” would clarify things. The third night,
his Bible fell open to the gospel of John in chapter 13. His finger came to
rest on verse 27 where he again read the words of Jesus in red letters,
“What you do, do quickly.” He immediately shut his Bible concluding that
“Bible study” was not merely useless, but dangerous. What was the problem?
He never gave diligence to rightly or correctly divide the Scripture. Such
“hit and miss” attempts at reading God’s truth will inevitably lead one to
erroneous concepts.
Applying the biblical
solution will cause us to avoid error and the danger which comes from it. We
must do as Paul commanded Timothy:
Meditate upon these things; give
thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto
thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou
shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee (1 Tim. 4:15-16).
We find an example in the first
century Bereans of those who followed this commanded path. The Scripture
says of they “were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures
daily, whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). They saw the need for
true diligence in the use of God’s word and we must have the same diligence.
Just as it takes work to study and properly understand a subject in school,
it takes work to study and properly understand Bible subjects. There are no
shortcuts that negate the need for diligence. If we are to unite in the
proper understanding of God’s will, it will require such a diligent effort
in study of His truth (Psa. 119:15-16, 23-24, 97, 147-148; Matt. 6:33; Phil.
3:8f).
Having established the need
for diligence in our examination of the Bible, we still need to declare the
intended goal of that diligent effort. That goal must be a correct
understanding of God’s will for our lives. There can be no mistake about the
fact that God expects us to understand His will for He commanded, “Wherefore
be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17).
When God has declared that understanding is expected, no less will be
accepted!
Several years ago, I knew of
a local church in another state when it became apparent that a number of
serious problems existed. People espousing error and engaging in ungodly
practices of every flavor were readily accepted. One man had been a preacher
and an elder in institutional congregations and publicly taught his
erroneous views regarding institutionalism and centralization. Two men among
them taught that the devil worked miracles today and accepted many
Pentecostal claims as actual cases of miraculous action. Then there was the
man who claimed that a woman could be nude and yet “modest” by Bible
standards (needless to say, some came extremely close to practicing what he
preached). If that was not enough, the list could be continued with case
after case of immorality, dishonesty, bitterness, hatred, strife,
contentions, social drinking, drug abuse and you name it.
When pressed on how such
evil could be tolerated given the biblical condemnation of such, the
majority response was that God did not demand that we reach the same
conclusions about these issues. Instead, they claimed, God would merely look
at how we reasoned to our conclusion. There was no detectable difference
between that and the old sectarian plea which tells us that we cannot
understand the Bible alike and justifies the continued toleration of error
and evil of every kind! Of course, these folk’s broad-minded approach to
differences had its limits. One exceeded those limits when he concluded and
preached that God would not tolerate ungodly conduct (1 Cor. 5). I
discovered that when I was forbidden to preach my conclusions on those
subjects.
The denominational world
has found no stopping place in such reasoning. Consistency has demanded that
they accept premarital sex, homosexuality, abortion and a countless host of
evils because someone believed the Bible teaching on the matters did not
constitute a binding pattern. Brethren who begin to travel that old
sectarian road will end in the same destination. The Bible has the answer
for what constitutes modest clothing. It can solve the issue of whether God
approves of social drinking. The word of God can be properly used to declare
the difference between attitudes which are acceptable to God and those He
condemns. Our job is to give ourselves with diligence to the task of rightly
dividing the truth on those issues declared in the message of truth. We can
handle aright that word of truth if we make the diligent effort necessary.
The proof? God says we can understand His will (Eph. 5:17). Will we
believe Him or not? We can know and live God’s truth if we put forth
diligent effort.
Top
NOTEWORTHY NEWS
(Current events in the
light of Scripture)
Bomb Threats
and End of the World
Joe R. Price
There were bomb threats this
past week at both Ferndale and Squalicum High School. In the Ferndale
incident, someone phoned in a bomb threat; at Squalicum High a fake pipe
bomb was found and the bomb squad was dispatched. Both threats turned out
to be bogus and no explosions occurred.
False warnings of bombs or
other dangers can numb us to genuine warnings of real peril. When the
threatened event does not immediately take place, some harden their hearts
and conclude the warning was false and the danger invented. For instance,
some scoff at the promised judgment of the Lord (2 Pet. 3:4). Those who do
so ignore the evidence of divine judgment in the past and treasure up for
themselves wrath when the Lord does reveal Himself (2 Pet. 3:5-7; Rom.
2:4-6).
The “day of the Lord”
will be a day of cataclysmic proportion: “the heavens will pass away
with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the
earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10,
12). Some will not be prepared. They will continue to ignore the warnings
of God’s judgment against sin, thinking it fictitious and foolish. But,
that day will not overtake the “sons of light”, for they vigilantly
live their faith (1 Ths. 5:4-11). They await the Lord’s return with holy
living and godliness (2 Pet. 3:11-14).
We are thankful the bomb
threats at area high schools were false. Are you ready for the great
explosion that will happen when Jesus returns? The warning is real; the
destruction assured. Knowing these things, what kind of person will you
be? (2 Pet. 3:11)
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