Romans 5:17-21 For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) (18) Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so [...]]]> This series began 7/17/11

Romans 5:17-21 For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) (18) Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. (19) For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (20) Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (21) That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:1-10 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? (2) God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (3) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? (4) 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. (5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: (6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (7) For he that is dead is freed from sin. (8) Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: (9) Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. (10) For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Remember that this passage was written to believers in Jesus Christ at Rome. The unsaved person is not going to understand what is being taught here. The unsaved person denies who God is and may even declare that God does not exist. That is what an atheist is – a person that does not believe that God is real. The Bible does not use the word “atheist” – instead it calls them what they truly are: fools. Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. It is foolishness to deny that God exists and that He is real and that He is personal. The Bible tells us that God knows the hairs on our heads, so how can anyone state that God is not personal and how can anyone think that God does not know what we are saying, thinking and doing? For a person to call himself an atheist, even while joking is to call himself a fool. Why do people tempt God with their foolishness? They deny that He exists or they remake Him into their own image. They make statements like, “My God would never do that” or “My God is like this.” And you know what, they are correct – their god would never do those things because that god (little “g”) is not the God of the Bible. People have developed their own ideas about God rather than allow God to develop their ideas. They are essentially putting themselves in control, when it is suppose to be God that is in control. And you know what? Even though people have decided that they are in control, they are wrong, because God is still in control despite what people may believe. Sherman Nagel wrote:

You cannot put one little star in motion;

You cannot shape one single forest leaf,

Nor fling a mountain up, nor sink an ocean,

Presumptuous pigmy, large with unbelief!

You cannot bring one down of regal splendor,

Nor bid the day to shadowy twilight fall,

Nor send the pale moon forth with radiance tender;

And dare you doubt the One who has done it all? – Sherman A. Nagel, Sr

Adam and Eve were persuaded by the serpent, Satan, that they could be in control. The serpent told them: Genesis 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. This is what Satan had wanted for himself – to be as God, and have control. Satan convinced them that they could have control – all they had to do was eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Sadly, when they did eat, they realized their mistake and then compounded it further by trying to hide from God. Nobody can hide from God and He knows the jokes that you make, and He knows the times when you take His Name or Jesus Christ’s name in vain.

Sin entered the world because of Adam and with sin came death. Romans 5:17 For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Sin and death bring separation from God. For the saved person, they do not lose their salvation, but their relationship is damaged. Think of it this way: a child lies to their mother, are they no longer the son or daughter of the mother? No, but there is damage done to the relationship. That is what sin does in a person’s life: it not only hurts the sinner, but it also hurts those around the sinner.

Believers in Jesus Christ must be very careful to be a proper example to others around them. With the advent of technology today, people can affect a larger number of people than ever before. If you are a believer, what do your words and actions mean to others? Charles Spurgeon said: A man’s life is always more forcible than his speech. When men take stock of him they reckon his deeds as dollars and his words as pennies. If his life and doctrine disagree the mass of onlookers accept his practice and reject his preaching. When there is sin in the believer’s life, he or she must repent of it and ask for forgiveness from God and the person they sinned against. This must be done to repair the damage done to their relationship with God and others. I have heard people curse and take the Lord’s name in vain nd then they apologize to me. I have told them thank you, but they need to apologize to the one whose Name was taken in vain. Ultimately, it was not me that was sinned against but God was sinned against. David wrote: Psalm 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

For the unbeliever, they sin against God and their relationship is not changed either with God. They were born separated from God and the only way they can reconcile with God is by placing their faith in Jesus Christ and repenting of their sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said: John 3:18-19 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (19) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

The unbeliever is already condemned and needs to come to Jesus Christ for redemption. But they must realize why they need Jesus Christ. If they look at Christians who live worldly lives, and use worldly language, and listen to worldly music, then why would the unbeliever want to come to Christianity? From the way Christians are behaving, they are showing themselves to be any different from the unbelievers. A believer in Jesus Christ is suppose to be different, not the same. A believer’s life should show the difference in his or her life because of Jesus Christ.

Years ago the communist government in China commissioned an author to write a biography of Hudson Taylor with the purpose of distorting the facts and presenting him in a bad light. They wanted to discredit the name of this consecrated missionary of the gospel. As the author was doing his research, he was increasingly impressed by Taylor’s saintly character and godly life, and he found it extremely difficult to carry out his assigned task with a clear conscience. Eventually, at the risk of losing his life, he laid aside his pen, renounced his atheism, and received Jesus as his personal Savior. Whether we realize it or not, our example leaves an impression on others.

Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Romans 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Lets sum this up for a moment by looking at verses 17 – 19: Because of Adam’s offense and Adam’s disobedience against God, judgment came upon everyone that every person is a sinner and every person is condemned and death has entered the world. Verses 14 and 21 tell us that death reigns, but because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, death does not reign over the believer in Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ conquered death! He sacrificed Himself on the cross, was buried in the tomb for three days, and rose victorious over death! And people make fun of Him and make jokes about Him. People do not show Jesus Christ the respect that He alone deserves. They do not follow Him the way He desires. A man once said: “It is a great deal easier to do that which God gives us to do, no matter how hard it is, than to face the responsibilities of not doing it.” Furthermore, because of believer’s disobedience to God, they are leading unbelievers farther away from God and being a discouragement to other believers. Elisabeth Elliot told of her brother Thomas Howard. Their mother let him play with paper bags she’d saved if he put them away afterward. One day she walked into the kitchen to find them strewn all over the floor. Tom was out at the piano with his father singing hymns. When confronted, he protested, “But Mom, I want to sing.” His father stated, “It’s no good singing God’s praise if you’re disobedient.”

Because of Adam’s offense and disobedience to God, sin and death entered the world, but because of the obedience of Jesus Christ, all who come to Him for salvation will have the free gift of eternal life with Him. There is no better gift than that!

Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

God provided the Law to Moses and He also provided the system of sacrifices for the Law. Later on, God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to fulfill the Law and be the final sacrifice. J. Vernon McGee wrote: God has given to the human race, a lost race, an opportunity to be delivered from the guilt of sins – not the nature of sin. You and I will have that old sin nature throughout our lives. As powerful as sin is, grace is that much more powerful. As awful as we may sin, God’s grace is abounds even more, when we have repented of our sin. Over twenty years ago, newspapers carried the story of Al Johnson, a Kansas man who came to faith in Jesus Christ. What made his story remarkable was not his conversion, but the fact that as a result of his new-found faith in Christ, he confessed to a bank robbery he had participated in when he was nineteen years old. Because the statute of limitations on the case had run out, Johnson could not be prosecuted for the offense. Still, he believed his relationship with Christ demanded a confession. And he even voluntarily repaid his share of the stolen money!

Romans 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sin reigns in this world today. Just read the newspapers, and watch the news: sin is everywhere and it is becoming more and more available. Death reigns in this world today. Our nation has a culture of death around it. Look at the movies about vampires. Look at the number of skulls you see on clothing today. Satan reigns in this world today. He is roaming the earth looking to see who he can devour. Sin, death, and Satan reign today, but look at what Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:

Ephesians 2:1-3 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins (2) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Sin, death, and Satan reign as princes, not as a king. There is only one King: the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one that truly reigns in this world. At this time, He allows sin, death, and Satan to reign, but there will come a day when sin, death and Satan will be conquered and bother believers no more. Because Jesus Christ does reign, He has given people the opportunity to be able to escape from the penalties of sin and death. For believers, they had been the children of disobedience – the children of the devil – but through the new birth – the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, believers do not have to sin. Sadly, we do choose to sin, but Jesus Christ gives believers the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sin and show us how to obediently walk with God. Further, we have the Bible to guide and direct us. Because of Jesus Christ, people can walk in newness of life. Believers in Jesus Christ should behave like they are believers in Jesus Christ. Reject the lusts of the flesh, reject the need for approval of others, reject the disobedience to God and walk as the new creature you are. Further, remember, that as a believer, you are an example to others around you. What is important to you as a believer will be important to others around you. What are your priorities? Someone once asked Tom Landry why he had been so successful as a football coach. He said, “In 1958, I did something everyone who has been successful must do, I determined my priorities for my life — God, family, and then football.” Haddon Robinson points out that one old recipe for rabbit started out with this injunction: “First catch the rabbit.” Says Robinson: “The writer knew how to put first things first. That’s what we do when we establish priorities — we put the things that should be in first place in their proper order.

What are your priorities? Who is your priority? What are you saying to others through your actions and do they match up with your words?

For many years Monterey, a California coast town, was a pelican’s paradise. As the fishermen cleaned their fish, they flung the offal to the pelicans. The birds grew fat, lazy, and contented. Eventually, however, the offal began to be used by the fisherman, and there were no longer snacks for the pelicans. When the change came the pelicans made no effort to fish for themselves. They waited around and grew gaunt and thin. Many starved to death. They had forgotten how to fish for themselves. The problem was solved by importing new pelicans from the south, birds accustomed to foraging for themselves. They were placed among their starving cousins, and the newcomers immediately started catching fish. Before long, the hungry pelicans followed suit, and the famine was ended.

We live in a world today that is spiritually starving, are you showing others the proper way to feed themselves spiritually through your actions and words?

In the Book of Proverbs, wisdom is described as a woman, except in chapter 8 where we read that wisdom comes from/and is Jesus Christ. Wisdom from God should be what every believer seeks as they grow closer to [...]]]> Proverb 7:4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:

In the Book of Proverbs, wisdom is described as a woman, except in chapter 8 where we read that wisdom comes from/and is Jesus Christ. Wisdom from God should be what every believer seeks as they grow closer to God. Wisdom is not measured by IQ tests – wisdom is measured by the right use of knowledge. Just because a person has a high IQ does not mean that they are wise. Proverb 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. The believer should be able to use knowledge so well that wisdom should be like a sister to them – in other words, as close as a sister is to a brother. When the believer has the proper fear of the Lord God, then they are on their way to gaining wisdom and understanding. This fear of the Lord does not mean to be scared of Him. Matthew Henry wrote: Of all things that are to be known this is most evident, that God is to be feared, to be reverenced, served, and worshiped; this is so the beginning of knowledge that those know nothing who do not know this. (2.) In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by the instructions that are given us unless our minds be possessed with a holy reverence of God, and every thought within us be brought into obedience to him. If any man will do his will, he shall know of his doctrine, John 7:17.

The fear of the Lord should guide all aspects of the believer’s lives. The question every believer must ask themselves is if their thoughts, words, or actions will please and glorify God. That is the judgment each believer must ask himself every moment of every day. Believers need to examine themselves and review and judge their own actions whether they bring glory to God and not to themselves. If a believer is seeking to fear the Lord and looking to grow in wisdom in Him, then they will stay away from foolishness.

Proverb 7:4-5 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: (5) That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

The strange woman that Solomon discusses in the Book of Proverbs is the foolish woman. The fool is a person that has rejected God. Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. Unsaved people are fools because they have not come to accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and have decided to walk in their own paths. Believers can act like fools and talk like fools when they rely on their own strength and wisdom rather than trust God. When believers decide to do things but do not look to God first and do not pray to God first, then they are not trusting in Him and are behaving like fools.

The strange woman that Solomon discusses here is the foolish woman – the woman without wisdom. Note how you can tell that she is the strange woman: the stranger which flattereth with her words. She speaks the words that people want to hear and that has been mankind’s problem throughout the ages: we only want to hear things that make us feel good about ourselves.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; (4) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

The Apostle Paul is telling Timothy that the congregations will look for men that will only teach what is pleasing to them. The people will no longer want to hear sound doctrine, but will instead seek to fill their lusts and turn away from God’s Truth and God’s Word.

Looking at Proverb 7:6-23, we see the story of a young man that is drawn in by flattering words and wanton actions. Solomon indicates that this is a true story and that he had seen the young man and the strange woman from his window. Pro 7:7-8 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, (8) Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, The man is walking on the wrong street and that is his first mistake: he went where he should not have gone. How many sins in our lives could be avoided if we simply refused to walk near them. When we put ourselves near temptation, eventually, we will give in to the temptation. James 1:14-15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (15) Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. The man knew what he was doing and where he was going and who he was going to meet.

Pro 7:10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart. Her clothing says a lot about her character. She dresses the part that she is now going to play in this man’s life. Whoever says that what we wear is not important needs to review Proverbs chapter 7! The phrase “subtle of heart” means that she is cunning or sneaky. The strange woman is out on the street looking for mischief when she should be home waiting for her husband to return. We see in verse 19 that he has gone away on a long journey. While he is away, the strange woman chooses to play.

Pro 7:13-14 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, (14) I have peace offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows.

The strange woman is religious! She has peace offerings with her and she has paid her vows today. The peace offerings show that she is a rich woman because peace offerings were made to thank God for the abundance that a person has. When peace offering were made, the person would receive back the larger portion of the offering to take back home and eat. Levitcus 7:15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. She has paid her vows meaning that she has made the sacrifices to make her “even” with God in terms of her sin. That was not the purpose of the sacrifices in the Temple: to even the account just so you could sin some more. She tells the man that she has the right relationship with God, but we can see from her actions and words that she is not right with God. Matthew 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. So many people proclaim that Christianity is not about a religion it is about a relationship, but how is their relationship with Jesus Christ? Just because someone declares they have a relationship with Jesus Christ does not mean that they do! Their actions will speak louder than their words just as we see here with the strange woman and the young man.

The strange woman tempts the young man and lures him into her house and bedroom (Proverbs 7:15-21). He follows her in and look how Solomon describes him: Pro 7:22-23 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; (23) Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. The young man enters the strange woman’s house and does not realize that the sins he is committing will take him farther than he thought possible. Believers must be so careful about sin. Sin is not a joking matter and it is very easy to allow the devil to dupe you or for you to fool yourself that you can handle the sin.

How easy it is to tear a piece of paper along the line in which it has originally been folded! How easy it is for a second temptation to overcome when the first has been yielded to! A sin that has once gained the victory over our moral nature has put a fold, as it were, in that nature, and destroyed its straightness and smoothness, so that when the same temptation comes a second time, it seeks the weak point which it had formerly made, and along that line of least resistance we are turned from our righteous principles and strong resolution.

Solomon closes chapter 7 with a very strong warning to those that commit adultery: both physical and spiritual adultery. Pro 7:24-27 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. (25) Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. (26) For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. (27) Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. The strange woman – the ways of sin will lead a person far from God. Sin will trick you into believing that you can control the sin, but the sin will control you. Sin costs too much. You have to sell your soul to have whatever pretty trinkets it offers you for the moment. Then you have to face a time of bitter reckoning. You have to “pay the piper.” Yet whatever had been promised to you as a reward has already gone up in a puff of smoke or has slipped through your fingers. And Judgment Day is coming! The basic lure of sin is the promise of quick gain, without regard to long-term consequences. Truth and holiness work differently. With total honesty about the difficult demands at hand, the God who cannot lie promises to reward you down the line. Obedience, purity, integrity, repentance, denial-these are hard words and demanding deeds. But what lies at the end is invaluable!

Jeremiah 10:1-10 Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: (2) Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. (3) For the customs of the people are vain: for [...]]]>

Jeremiah 10:1-10 Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: (2) Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. (3) For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. (4) They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. (5) They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. (6) Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. (7) Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. (8) But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. (9) Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men. (10) But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

Continuing our look at Jeremiah 10 about the worship of idols and today’s message continues that thought. How does the dictionary define the word idol? The first two definitions cover statues and the worship of them and then it says:

Any thing on which we set our affections; that to which we indulge an excessive and sinful attachment.

An idol is any thing which usurps the place of God in the hearts of his rational creatures.

In Jeremiah chapter 10, Jeremiah is speaking about idols that have been created by man and decorated by man. Man creates his idols and then is controlled by his idols. But these idols cannot do either good or evil according to verse 5: Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. If the idols cannot do evil or do good, then why do we need to stay away from them? The Apostle John warned in 1John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. Why we warned to stay away from idols is not what they can do to us, it is what we choose to do with them. We place them ahead God. We set our affections on them. We end up spending more time with the idols than we do with God. Our priorities become man-focused rather than God-focused and then we make excuses and justifications for our behavior.

A Christian once said to his minister, “I can worship God and enter into the Holy of Holies just as easily in my garden as I can in a church pew.” Later on the two men were sitting before a fireplace in which the embers glowed cheerily. Silently the minister went to the fireplace, took the tongs, and lifted a single glowing coal from the fire and placed it alone on the hearth. Soon it became black ash. The church-neglecting Christian said, “Ah, you need not say a word. I understand what you mean. I cannot worship alone any more than I can live alone. I’ll be in my place at the church next Sunday.” The environment of the church is basic to Christian growth.

Jeremiah 10:6 Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.

What a wonderful thought that is: nothing can be compared to God! There truly is nobody like Him and idols certainly are not like Him, but we still try to replace God with them. But who can love you more than God can? Who can care for you better than God? Nobody can, so why do we run to idols?

One day a man was in a strange part of town and in somewhat of a rush. He needed to get some money from his bank, so he obtained directions to one of its branches-one he had never been to before. The man followed the advice, and sure enough there was a bank right across the street from the big store he was told to seek. He rushed in and handed over his book and other forms to the smiling teller.

“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t accept this,” she said. “Why not? I am sure it is all in order. I wrote it out very carefully,” he countered. “I am sure you did, but this is not our bank. The one you want is across the street.” Shamefaced, he retreated to the other bank, the right one, which was also across the street from the big store, only on the other side.

In a similar way, how many people rush to a god, any god, seeking comfort, happiness, solace or salvation, only to find that it is not the God, our heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit? One may rectify going to the wrong bank, but one cannot recover from banking on the wrong god. That wrong god is the idol in your life. There is nobody like God and His Son, Jesus Christ! No person can ever replace them, Not our children, not our spouses, not our friends, not our relatives, not entertainers, not sports stars, nobody! God is truly great and it is His Name that is above all other names.

Jeremiah 10:7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.

It is does not matter who a person is: they could be the richest man in the world, they could be the smartest man, they could be the leader of a powerful nations, but they are still way behind God. There is nobody like Him and no idol that will ever be created is like God.

Isaiah 44:6-10 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. (7) And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them show unto them. (8) Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any. (9) They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. (10) Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing?

Idols profit the Christian nothing. There is nothing that can be gained from following an idol, because they have nothing to offer! What have idols ever created? Nothing! However, God has created everything! Even the things that went into making your idol, God created them. How sad it is that man takes God’s creation and perverts it into man’s idol.

Romans 1:20-23 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (21) Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (23) And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Think about it for a moment: man, who is one of God’s creations, used another one of God’s creations – a tree – to crucify Jesus Christ upon. And we use other items of God’s creation in order to turn away from Him and worship the creation rather than the Creator!

Enlarged September 8, 2010 (first published February 10, 2010) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article)-

Many people have [...]]]> HOW TO MAKE WISE DECISIONS IN GOD’S WILL

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Enlarged September 8, 2010 (first published February 10, 2010) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article)-

Many people have spoiled their Christian lives because of bad decisions made apart from God’s will (e.g., wrong job, wrong friends, wrong marriage partner, mistakes in the pursuit of education, mistakes made in moving to another place). And it is not only young people who make unwise decisions; many older and even elderly people have committed this grave mistake.

Following are some foundational Bible principles for making wise decisions in God’s will:

1. Don’t trust your own understanding; trust in the Lord.

See Proverbs 3:5; 28:26; Jeremiah 17:9.

The individual that trusts his own understanding will make wrong decisions, because of the fallen nature. We must seek God and trust Him explicitly. Even though the believer has a new nature called the “new man,” the “old man” is still there and can still lead us astray.

We acknowledge God in all our ways through prayer. Instead of trusting in our own understanding, we beseech the Lord for wisdom and guidance in every major decision. He has promised to lead His people, but we must seek His guidance and not presume upon it. We must “acknowledge him” in all of our ways. It is tempting to think, “Well, the Lord already knows that I need His wisdom and help; surely He will automatically give it.” In fact, God has taught us in His Word to pray specifically and earnestly about all matters. To fail to do so is a recipe for making unwise decisions.

We acknowledge God in all our ways through consulting the Bible. If we want to make wise decisions, we must be diligent Bible students, because it is through the Bible that we know God’s mind (1 Corinthians 2:16), learn God’s will (Psalm 119:105), and obtain faith (Romans 10:17). We must learn how to have an effective daily Bible study. We must be faithful to the preaching and teaching ministry of a strong Bible-believing church. We must take every opportunity to grow in our knowledge of God’s holy Word, so we can know His will and make wise decisions.

1. Walk in the light (1 John 1:5-10).

To walk in sin is to walk in darkness, and it hinders spiritual living and thinking (1 Peter 2:11). The Bible warns that the backslider will be filled with his own ways rather than with the ways of the Lord (Prov. 14:14).

If a believer is disobedient or sassy to his parents, stubborn or critical or bitter toward authority, not loving his wife, not showing honor to her husband, gossiping, lying, stealing, loving the evil things of the world, his prayers are hindered and he will not have wisdom to make good decisions.

To make important decisions in a backslidden spiritual state is a recipe for disaster. Many believers who were far from the Lord in their hearts contracted a marriage or a job or pursued a field of education or chosen a Bible College or developed a friendship that they later came to regret deeply. Beware!

1. Delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4).

The way to know God’s will is to put Him at the center of one’s affections. The will of God is not found by those who approach the Christian life as a mere list of do’s and don’ts. It is found by those who know Christ personally and delight in Him. When I do this, He puts the right desires in my heart and then fulfills those desires. The worldly or nominal Christian, on the other hand, is filled with desires that are contrary to God’s will and lives in frustration because they are not fulfilled.

1. Do not make any decision that would cause you to disobey the Bible (John 8:31-32).

We have touched on this under every point, but by way of emphasis we will deal with it more carefully in its own section.

Making wise decisions, very simply, is making decisions according to the Bible. Jesus described it as to “continue in my Word.” Any decision that causes you to disobey the Bible is contrary to God’s will. There are no exceptions.

This is what it means to live by faith. Living by faith is simply to believe God and obey His Word. See Romans 10:17. It means to learn to make decisions based on the Bible rather than on one’s feelings and human thinking and circumstances, and then to trust God to open the right doors and provide the needs. It is that simple.

Consider some examples of this and how it relates to making wise decisions in God’s will:

The Bible says do not associate with evil or with idolatry (1 Corinthians 15:33; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 5:11), so living by faith means I will not associate with such things. Thus, it is not God’s will for His people to attend worldly parties, to attend a pagan school, to get a job at a place that would require participation in wickedness (such as selling liquor or wearing immodest clothing or showing wicked movies or playing wicked music or sensual dancing), to participate in pagan religious rituals, to participate in worldly music or fashions, etc. I recall a teenager at one church who got a job working in a movie theater. He was concerned about the unwholesome films and was thinking about quitting, but he was advised not to quit by the church’s worldly youth pastor! The result was severe backsliding. I recall another man who had a job at a restaurant-bar and was responsible to supervise worldly parties that included drinking and dancing. He did not grow very much spiritually or learn how to make wise decisions in his life until he quit that job.

The Bible says do not neglect the church (Hebrews 10:25). It is the house of God (1 Timothy 3:15). Thus, it is wrong to make any decision that would cause you to forsake the assembly, such as moving to a place where there is no good church or taking a job that would keep you out of the services. I recall a young man in our church that was saved out of a druggie lifestyle. He showed promise and was growing in the Lord, and then his father asked him to return to his village. In spite of our counsel against it, he went, and from that point he backslid in his Christian life. We have seen this happen many times.

In fact, one of the chief reasons why people quit church is that they disobey God and get a job that keeps them out of the services and they then backslide. Consider the following two warnings:

“We lose about 20% of the young sometime after the seventh grade, and generally we lose them because they get jobs that make them work on Sundays. Once they get those jobs, it becomes easy for them to justify staying out of services and they generally do.”

“We have noticed that many who leave get the idea that if God gives them a job that requires them to work during services, then it is O.K. to miss services. If God gives them a job that requires wearing immodest clothes then it must be O.K. to wear immodest clothes. If God gives them a job that plays rock-n-roll music on the PA then that is O.K. They think they are strong enough to take that and keep coming to church unaffected. Usually though, within six months of getting the job they are missing 50% or more of the services and within a year, they are out of the services completely. As the Singles Director, I have stressed the fact that God has His perfect job for us and Satan has his perfect job for us. However, most of the kids won’t wait upon God to provide that perfect job.”

If a person lives by faith, he will not take a job that causes him to disobey God’s Word by neglecting church.

The Bible says do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Therefore, it is never God’s will for a believer to marry an unbeliever or to go into business with an unbeliever, or any such thing. I recall a man who was one of the first converts in a new church. He did well and grew, but eventually he went into business with an unbeliever and because of his partner’s crooked ways he ended up in jail and his testimony was corrupted.

The Bible says do not associate with false doctrine (Romans 16:17; 2 John 10-11). This means that it is not God’s will for a believer to attend a Bible study or a church where false doctrine is taught or to read books by or listen to sermons by false teachers or to develop a close relationship with someone who holds to false doctrine. I recall two young men who were in our church that showed much promise and seemed to be growing in the Lord, but they started attending a Bible study led by a false teacher and ended up leaving our church.

Making wise decisions simply means the child of God will not do anything contrary to God’s Word.

If we disobey the Bible, we cannot expect God’s blessing. What many Christians do is to make their own plans and then ask God to bless them, but that is backwards. We must first make certain that our plans are in accordance with God’s will, then we can reasonably ask for and expect God’s blessing.

1. Seek good counsel (Proverbs 12:15; 19:20).

One of the important parts of making wise decisions in God’s will is to seek godly counsel. It is mentioned 13 times in Proverbs, the book of practical wisdom. Before making a major decision–such as marriage, education, a job, or a move–a person should seek godly counsel. But it just as important to know where to get the right counsel and how to weigh it.

The classic case in Scripture of someone who listened to unwise counsel is Solomon’s son Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:1-16). Soon after he ascended the throne, he was confronted by his subjects who beseeched him to treat them compassionately. In making his decision, he first consulted the old men that had counseled his father, and they wisely advised him to heed the people’s request. He then consulted his own peers, and they advised him to treat the people as he wished and to ignore their feelings. He followed this foolish advice and lost the majority of his kingdom. This doesn’t mean that young people always give bad counsel, while older people always give good counsel. A younger person that walks with the Lord and knows God’s Word will give better counsel than an older person who lacks these things. In 1 Kings 13 we have the sad case of a man of God who got out of God’s will by listening to a backslidden, lying older prophet.

Seek counsel from wise people (“by wise counsel,” Prov. 24:6).

Wise counselors know God’s Word. When seeking counsel in a biblical fashion, we don’t need human opinions; we need biblically-informed wisdom. We are not seeking a word from man, but a word from God. Thus, we need to seek counsel from believers who have studied the Bible diligently. Wise counselors are spiritually mature and biblically knowledgeable.

Wise counselors are doctrinally sound and likeminded. Many people in fundamentalist homes have made bad decisions by seeking counsel from New Evangelicals or Charismatics or Calvinists or even liberals and Roman Catholics or others who are not likeminded theologically. We think of the sad case of Norma McCorvey, who was the plaintiff in the Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion in America. She rejected abortion and was baptized by an “evangelical” minister, but later joined the Roman Catholic Church through close associations with Catholic priests in the Right to Life movement.

Wise counselors have made good decisions in their own lives and have good character (“confidence in an unfaithful man,” Prov. 25:19). People who are lazy, don’t pay their bills, lie, cheat, etc., will not give wise counsel. Young people must especially keep this in mind. God tells the young person to honor his parents, but if they are not people of good character they are not wise counselors.

Wise counselors are found in good Bible-believing churches. The first place to find such counsel is my own church, assuming I am in a good Bible-believing church. The church is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). God has given pastors and teachers for the purpose of training and protecting His people (Eph. 4:11-12), and they should always be at the top of the list when it comes to spiritual counsel.

Wise counselors have wisdom pertaining to your particular situation. If you need advice about automotive repair, you don’t go to an accountant. Likewise, if you need counsel pertaining to preaching, go to a preacher, or if you need counsel about married life, go to someone who is successfully married, or if you need counsel about a missionary calling, go to an experienced missionary. Charles Spurgeon told how that he was discouraged from preaching by a godly woman. The fact is that a woman does not understand such things, no matter how godly she is. He said, “I remember well how earnestly I was dissuaded from preaching by as godly a Christian matron as ever breathed; the value of her opinion I endeavoured to estimate with candour and patience–but it was outweighed by the judgment of persons of wider experience” (C.H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students).

Seek counsel from more than one person (“multitude of counselors,” Prov. 11:14; 24:6). This is repeated twice in the Proverbs by way of emphasis. One way that God confirms His will is by the agreement of godly counselors. If a young person is seeking wisdom about marriage, for example, and he or she approaches his parents and his pastor and teachers and other mature spiritual authority figures, there should be agreement.

Again, the best place to find the “multitude of counsellors” is a God-fearing, Bible-believing church. What Charles Spurgeon said of a Bible College is even truer of a godly church: “Meeting as you do in class, in prayer-meeting, in conversation, and in various religious engagements, you gauge each other; and a wise man will be slow to set aside the verdict of the house” (C.H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students).

This does not mean that I should never decide against something unless the authority figures in my life are agreed, because men can be wrong; but it does mean that I should only make such a decision if I have a clear Bible support for it and absolute confidence that it is God’s will.

To obtain counsel from a variety of people protects the believer from becoming a slave to the will of one person. This is the mistake that was made in the 1970s by the Pentecostal Shepherding Movement. They taught that each believer should submit to a “shepherd” who was someone appointed by the church. No decision was to be made without consulting this “shepherd.” The result was widespread abuse. Pastors and teachers and disciplers are important helpers, but the believer is to have only one Master, which is Christ.

I follow the principle of “multitude of counselors” when I am writing books, and it has been a tremendous help. If I depended on my own puny thinking and experience, my teaching would be very shallow! For example, when I wrote on the emerging church, I read about 60 books on the subject. In the multitude of counselors I find safety from misinterpretation and from mistakes of fact. Oftentimes, I go beyond this and seek counsel from my readers themselves. For example, for the books Dressing for the Lord and Keeping the Kids I obtained feedback from hundreds of people that enabled me to expand the scope and practicality of the books far beyond what I could have written on my own.

I follow this principle in Bible study. When I am interpreting a passage, I first determine the meaning and application on my own by means of the basic rules of interpretation (e.g., context, comparing Scripture with Scripture), then I consult a wide variety of commentators. Invariably I find help in this way and my understanding of the passage is expanded, though it goes without saying that the commentators must be weighed by Scripture and not blindly followed.

I must warn that “a multitude of counselors” can result in confusion if those counselors are not godly, biblically wise, and doctrinally likeminded!

Seek counsel from near people (Prov. 27:10). Many times people seek counsel from those who are far off rather than those who are near, and though this is not always wrong, it is often done for the wrong reason. A lot of strangers have written to me through the years to ask my opinion about situations in their family or church, and I have always thought this to be strange, since I know nothing about them and have no way of knowing the full picture. People sometimes want to seek counsel from those afar off for the very reason that they don’t know them and their situation, but it is for this very reason that we should usually seek counsel from those who are near.

For a young person, the first line of counsel should be his or her own parents, particularly if they are believers (Eph. 6:1-3). The next line of counsel would be one’s church leaders. God gives leaders to the churches to watch over His people and to help them, like a shepherd with sheep. Godly church leaders “watch for your souls” (Hebrews 13:17). They think about the church members and pray for them and desire the best for each of them, and God gives them particular wisdom.

In our church we urge the young people who are thinking about marriage to talk with their parents and then to discuss the matter with their church leaders. If a boy is interested in a certain girl, we urge him not to pursue the matter until he has talked it over with the leaders. They know things that the young people don’t know, and they can give good advice about whether it is wise to pursue a certain relationship. Invariably, those who have ignored this procedure have made a mess of things!

Seek counsel from caring people. It is wise to seek counsel from those who not only know you but who care about you and are interested in your spiritual welfare. A young person, for example, will get better counsel from a spiritual leader who is praying for him rather than from a parent or someone else who is not interested in his spiritual well-being and who is uninvolved in his life in this way.

Seek counsel in fellowship with God and in the light of His Word. It is idolatry to put one’s trust in man rather than God (Jer. 17:5-8) or to submit to a man blindly as if he were God. God gives human authorities and teachers to help us, and they are very important. But ultimately our confidence must be in God and we must get wisdom directly from Him. The Bill Gothard “chain of authority” approach is to obey the authority no matter what, but the Bible doesn’t support that. Jesus said that if we love even mother or father more than Him we are not worthy to be His disciples (Mat. 10:37). Obviously, then, there is a time when we must go against what our authority figures demand. And when is that? It is when they are leading us contrary to God’s will as supported by His Word. The apostles taught that we must obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29). One of the first converts in our church in Nepal was a teenage girl. Her Hindu parents and her older sisters forbade her to attend church, but she put Christ first and obeyed God’s Word and attended every chance she got. As a result, her entire family has been saved. We must honor early authorities, but Christ must be our first and only Master. As we noted earlier, the bottom line is that we must be Bereans and test everything by God’s Word (Acts 17:11).

Let us hasten to emphasize that we must not test counsel by our personal opinions, by the thinking of society, by our peers, by the pop culture, by human psychology, or by any other thing other than God’s Word.

1. Do not fear man (Proverbs 29:25).

Jesus warned that we must love Him even more than our dearest relatives. See Luke 14:26. What did Jesus mean when He demanded that we “hate” our nearest and dearest loved ones? We understand this by comparing Scripture with Scripture. Consider a companion passage in Matthew 10:37. When Jesus said we must hate our father, mother, wife, children, brethren, and sisters, he was saying that we must love Him far more than we love others. The Lord requires that we put Him absolutely first in our affections and that we live to please Him above all else. Family relationships are important and God’s Word instructs us to care for our loved ones (1 Timothy 5:8; Colossians 3:18-21). At the same time, the call and work of God takes precedence over any human relationship.

If a person wants to make wise decisions in God’s will he must fear and serve God more than man. If it comes to a choice of obeying and pleasing his friends or relatives and obeying and pleasing God, he must choose God. It is a great sin to fear relatives and friends more than God.

Many unbelievers commit this sin and end up in hell because of it (“the fearful,” Revelation 21:8). Many who are in hell would say they are there because they were afraid of what other people thought.

Many believers have committed this sin, as well. Down through the centuries many have made unwise decisions because of family ties. There are powerful forces at work here. Some have married unbelievers or attended a liberal Bible College or Seminary or pursued a certain career because of their families. Some have said no to the call of God because of resistance by family members. I am reminded of the man who led me to Christ. When God called him to preach, his wife gave him an ultimatum that she would leave him if he did not stop preaching. He pleaded with her to stay, but he refused to stop preaching. Eventually she did leave him and took their young son with her. The man was brokenhearted, but he refused to stop obeying God’s command to preach the Word of God. Many, faced with such a choice, have turned their backs on God’s call.

Young people often commit the sin of fearing man. They know that God is calling them to a life of holiness and service, but they don’t want to stand out in the crowd so they draw back from doing God’s will. I had to face this as a new Christian, when I knew that God wanted me to cut my long hair but I was hesitant to do so, knowing that I would no longer look “cool.” Many Christian girls refuse to dress in a modest and feminine manner because they fear man more than God. This is very foolish. Jesus warned that if we are ashamed of Him in this present world, He will be ashamed of us in the next (Mark 8:38).

1. Honor authorities

Another important principle in making wise decisions is to honor God-given authority. The Bible makes much of this. See Romans 13:1; 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:22; 6:1-3; 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 3:1; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-15, 18.

I have seen many believers make unwise decisions that took them out of God’s will when they failed to honor and obey the authorities that God put over them.

Many young people have committed this error by not honoring their parents, and by this means they have entered unwise marriages, developed unwise friendships, attended the wrong schools, joined the wrong church, moved to the wrong place, and made many other unwise decisions that could have been avoided had they simply honored their parents.

The same error has been committed by wives who have disobeyed and dishonored their husbands. Our mother Eve is the classic example of this!

The same error has been committed by church members who have disobeyed and dishonored their leaders. If you get angry and bitter at your leaders, you will not make good decisions. It is not wrong to question them, but it is wrong to have a bad attitude toward them. I have seen many people leave good churches and backslide because they got bitter at the church leaders and refused to repent. We must remember that church leaders are just men, and they are far from perfect. That is not an excuse; it is a fact! Church leaders are not above God’s Word, and if they sin they should be disciplined after a biblical fashion (1 Timothy 5:19-20), but the leaders should always be given the benefit of the doubt. There is a time to leave a church, when it is not committed to God’s Word, but we must be careful to leave in the right way, with the right attitude, and we should always move to a stronger church, not a weaker one.

Authorities must be tested by God’s Word. We don’t give blind obedience to authority figures, because we live in a fallen world, and the highest authority is God. Every authority must therefore be tested by God’s Word. Compare Acts 5:29; 17:11. Moses rejected Pharaoh’s authority to follow a higher authority, which was God!

Authorities should be given the benefit of the doubt. Most of the time when people disagree with authority figures, they don’t do so on the basis of clear Scripture but on the basis of their own feelings and opinions. If I don’t think an authority figure is right, I must ask myself this question: Do I have clear Scripture showing me that this leader is wrong and that my thinking in this matter is right? In light of the many commandments in Scripture to obey those who have the rule over us, it is dangerous to reject authority figures on the basis of anything other than Scripture rightly divided.

1. Look to the future (Hebrews 11:24-27).

Moses made a major decision sometime in his youth “when he was come to years.” He was the adopted son of Pharaoh, who was the wealthiest and most powerful king of his day. Moses could have chosen to cast his lot with the wealthy and powerful, with the pleasure seekers, but instead he cast his lot with the despised, enslaved Jews. He made this wise decision by looking at the future through God’s Word. He looked ahead to the next life and saw that if he followed Christ he would have trouble in this world and riches in Christ’s eternal kingdom, but if he followed Pharaoh he would have “the pleasures of sin for a season” and then an eternity of regret.

Every Christian young person needs to follow Moses’ wise example. He needs to ask himself, “If I make this decision what will happen down the road? What are its eternal consequences? If I marry this person; if I take that job; if I pursue that particular education; if I go to that country; if I go to that party; if I develop that friendship; if I buy that television; if I listen to that music; if I am careless about what I see on the Internet; if I let my heart become captured with the love of the world?

Unbelievers can’t see the future because they walk in darkness and do not believe the Bible. They base their decisions entirely upon what they see with their eyes. They only take into account such things as money, pleasure, and prestige.

The believer has a light the unbeliever does not have, and he can make wise decisions based on the eternal Word of God.

The believer particularly needs to look at the judgment seat of Christ and make his decisions based on what he will hear on that solemn occasion (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

1. Wait on God (Psalm 27:14).

When endeavoring to make a wise decision in God’s will, it is very important to avoid haste. When we are hasty, it is easy to make the wrong decision. We must wait until we are certain that we know the mind of the Lord, and then He will take care of us.

Joshua and Israel were hasty when they agreed to an alliance with the men of Gibeon; they trusted their eyes and did not seek God’s face in the matter (Joshua 9:14-15).

There are two biblical principles that we need to heed when waiting for the Lord: the principle of abiding peace and the principle of no confusion. We find these two principles in 1 Corinthians 14:33. When there is a lack of peace and when there is confusion, we must be cautious and not rush forward in that particular decision.

The wisdom that is from God is always peaceable (James 3:17). God gives peace always by all means (2 Thessalonians 3:16).

When I am seeking God’s will, I look for this peace. If I have a certain inclination to do something, I want to see if there is growing peace or growing doubt. If something is of God, the peace will grow and the faith will increase, but if it is not His will there will be confusion and doubt and a lack of peace.

God’s will is worth waiting for! Many decisions have consequences that last throughout one’s lifetime, and if an individual gets those decisions wrong, he will not only live to regret it but he will have to bear the consequences until he dies. Marriage is one of these decisions, of course, but there are many others.

In Grace Awaking, Chuck Swindoll says, “My encouragement for you today is that each one of us pursue what unites us with others rather than the few [...]]]> Taken from  wayoflife.org
New Evangelicals have long divided doctrine into “cardinal” and “secondary” categories, and the “secondary,” we are told, can be overlooked for the sake of unity.

In Grace Awaking, Chuck Swindoll says, “My encouragement for you today is that each one of us pursue what unites us with others rather than the few things that separate us. … There was a time in my life when I had answers to questions no one was asking. I had a position that life was so rigid I would fight for every jot and tittle. I mean, I couldn’t list enough things that I’d die for. The older I get, the shorter that list gets, frankly” (Grace Awakening, p. 189).

Even the most conservative evangelicals, such as Iain Murray, fall into this trap. Condemning fundamentalism in America Murray stated, “In its tendency to add stipulations not foundational to Christian believing, fundamentalism was prone to make the boundaries of Christ’s kingdom too small” (Iain Murray, Evangelicalism Divided, p. 298).

This is the working philosophy of Southern Baptists. Consider the book Building Bridges (Convention Press, 2007). It was written by David Dockery and Timothy George and prefaced by Thom Rainer, three prominent Southern Baptist leaders.

“Though I may disagree with some on secondary and tertiary issues, I will not let those points of disagreement tear down bridges of relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ. … We need a new spirit of mutual respect and humility to serve together with those with whom we have differences of conviction and opinion. It is possible to hold hands with brothers and sisters who disagree on secondary and tertiary matters of theology…”  (pp. 11, 34).

This is even becoming the working philosophy of many Independent Baptists. In the book Thinking Outside the Book, Charles Keen says,

“I’m a slow learner, but I finally realized that not all truth is of equal value. Some truths I differ from others and divide over even die for (as least I should). With others, I might be uncomfortable with how they are handled by my brethren, but I can still fellowship with them either personally or in some cases, ecclesiastically. We need to develop some ‘ecumenicalism within the parameters of fundamentalism.’ … Let’s decide who the enemies of the cross are and divide from them. Then let’s decide who the friends of grace are and tolerate them. We don’t have to unite but we do need unity” (p. 81).

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

First, this philosophy is refuted by Christ’s teaching.

It is refuted in Matthew 23:23, where Christ taught that while not everything in the Bible is of equal importance everything has some importance and nothing is to be despised or neglected. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

It is also refuted in Matthew 28:20, where Christ taught that the churches are to teach the believers to observe ALL THINGS whatsoever He has commanded.

Second, this philosophy is refuted by Paul’s example and teaching.

He declared the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).

He taught Timothy to value all doctrine and not to allow ANY false doctrine (1 Tim. 1:3).

He further taught Timothy to keep the New Testament commandment “without spot” (1 Tim. 6:13-14). A spot refers to something that is small, seemingly insignificant. The context of Paul’s instruction in 1 Timothy 6:14 is an epistle that has as its theme church truth (1 Tim. 3:15). In this epistle, we find instruction about such things as pastoral standards (1 Tim. 3), deacons (1 Tim. 3), the divine restriction upon the woman’s work in the church (1 Tim. 2); care for widows (1 Tim. 5), and discipline (1 Tim. 5). These are the very kinds of things that are typically considered of secondary importance today.

While we know that Bible doctrines are not equal in importance (e.g., John 3:16 is more important than 1 Corinthians 11:14-15), every teaching of Scripture has some importance and nowhere are we taught to despise anything God has said,  not for the sake of an Independent Baptist unity or world missions or for any other reason.

I believe that Romans 12:2 (“be not conformed to this world”) and James 4:4 (“friendship with the world is enmity with God”) and 1 John 2:15-17 (“love not the world”) are very essential teachings, and this doctrine condemns the contemporary philosophy that is spreading quickly among Independent Baptist churches. The same is true for what God’s Word says about the sacred music or modest attire or ecclesiology or repentance or the preservation of Scripture or any other thing.

We should stand for all of the truth of God’s Word, and we should defend any truth that happens to be under attack in our day.

Third, we must understand that not all heresies are of equal weight as far as destructiveness, but all heresies are to be opposed.

A heresy is a doctrinal error. The word describes the self-will that characterizes such sin. A “heretic” is one who exercises his own will over the Word of God and chooses an error over the truth. The error can be as serious as denying the deity of Christ or as seemingly slight as allowing a woman to usurp authority over men.

There are “damnable heresies” (2 Pet. 2:1), which are heresies that affect eternal salvation. To accept a damnable heresy is to bring upon oneself eternal damnation. The damnable heresy described by Peter was that of denying the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle John also described the doctrine of Christ as a crucial doctrine (2 John 9). We see in other passages that damnable heresies are particularly related to the person of Christ, to the gospel, and to the Holy Spirit and thus to the person and nature of God, including such doctrines as the Trinity (2 Cor. 11:4).

There are also less destructive heresies. “For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken” (1 Cor. 11:19-21). In this passage Paul was referring to errors in the church at Corinth, and in the immediate context, he describes errors relating to the Lord’s Supper.

That not all heresies have the same consequence does not mean that some heresies are to be ignored. Every wind of false doctrine is to be refused (Eph. 4:14).

David Nettleton refuted the New Evangelical philosophy in “A Limited Message or a Limited Fellowship,” which describes his experiences in an interdenominational youth ministry in the 1950s. Consider an excerpt from this message:

This message, like many, is born out of an experience. It may be some others are going through similar experiences. Therefore, let me recount the one which brought this message to light. I was brought up as a Presbyterian. I was saved at a college which was interdenominational in student body, but was managed by the Church of the Brethren. From there I went to a seminary which was not a denominational school, and from there to another seminary which was United Presbyterian. I entered the Baptist pastorate with no Baptist training except that which came from reading of the Scriptures.

A few years later I was drawn into an interdenominational youth movement and was given the leadership of a local Saturday night rally. I cooperated with any who were evangelical, regardless of their associations. I was advised by top leaders in the movement to seek the names of outstanding modernists for my advisory committee. I didn’t do that. But I did follow advice which led me to send to all converts back to the churches of their choice, churches I knew to be liberal in some cases. This greatly troubled my conscience and I prayed and thought about it.

Another problem connected with this work was the failure on my part to instruct any converts on the matter of Christian baptism, which in the Scriptures is the first test of obedience. I felt that I should do this inasmuch as Peter and Paul did it. But how could it be done when on the committee of the work there were close friends who did not believe it? By such an association I had definitely stripped my message and my ministry of important Bible truths which many called ‘nonessentials.’

In the follow-up work it was not convenient to speak of eternal security in the presence of Christian workers who hated the name of the doctrine. Thus the ministry was pared down to the gospel, just as if there was nothing in the Great Commission about baptizing converts and indoctrinating them. I had found the least common denominator and I was staying by it. But my conscience had no rest.

Then it was that Acts 20:27 came to mean something to me. The great apostle had never allowed himself to be drawn into anything which would limit his message. He could say with a clean conscience, ‘I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.’ Why cannot many say that today? In my case, and in many other cases, it was due to a desire to teach a larger audience and to work with a larger group of Christians.

Many have been carried away from full obedience by a noble-sounding motto which has been applied to Christian work. ‘In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, and in all things charity.’ Some things are not essential to salvation but they are essential to full obedience, and the Christian has no liberty under God to sort out the Scriptures into essentials and nonessentials! It is our duty to declare the whole counsel of God, and to do it wherever we are.

Today we are choosing between two alternatives. A LIMITED MESSAGE OR A LIMITED FELLOWSHIP. If we preach all of the Bible truths, there are many places where we will never be invited. If we join hands with the crowds, there will be limiting of the message of the Bible. Bear this in mind–it is the Baptist who lays aside the most! It is the fundamental Baptist who makes the concessions! Think this through and you will find it to be true. We believe in believer’s baptism. We believe in separation. We preach eternal security. We believe in the imminent coming of Christ. We consider it an act of obedience to reprove unbelief in religious circles. The Sadducee and the Pharisee are to be labeled. But according to a present philosophy we must lay these things aside for the sake of a larger sphere of service.

Which is more important, full obedience or a larger sphere of service? And yet I do not fully believe these are the only two alternatives. It is our first duty to be fully obedient to God in all things, and then to wait upon Him for the places of service. It may be that we will be limited, and it may be that we will not. Charles Haddon Spurgeon did not travel as widely as some men of his day, but his sermons have traveled as far as the sermons of most men (David Nettleton, “A Limited Message or a Limited Fellowship,” GARBC).

The necessity of discipling and pastoring God’s people requires that we protect them from “small” compromises and “non-essential” errors.

“Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28).

I would rather err on the side of being too strict and too separated from Independent Baptist compromise than to be soft and not separated enough.