What must I do to be saved?

There have been famous cases of children suing their parents, like Gary Coleman of Different Strokes fame due to misappropriation of his earnings. Parents have sued their children, as rapper Eminem’s mom did for damages after he referenced her substance abuse in songs. Money is often a motive, but sometimes such court cases revolve around retribution for abuse or perceived neglect.

The book of Isaiah begins with the perfect Father, Jehovah, bringing a case against His spiritual children. As such, He leads out, “Sons I have reared and brought up,  But they have revolted against Me” (2). He labels them, “Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly” (4). He calls heaven and earth as witnesses (2). Certainly, there are other ways the nation of Judah is described here, but that the Lord is making the case against them for their sin and apostasy. What are the charges?

Rebellious Conduct (2-9). Daily life for Judah was characterized by iniquity and corruption (4), which God equates to despising and rejecting Him. He depicts their immorality as leprosy-like spiritual illness. Is there a more graphic depiction than, “The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil” (5-6)? He diagnoses them as a rebirth of Sodom and Gomorrah (9-10), whom He destroyed for their many and gross immoralities. These are the people of God, given His written Word and handed stalwart leaders. They had every advantage and were profusely blessed. Despite this, they rejected Him to serve their own passions and pleasures. They’ve collected so many sins that they are burdened with the weight of them (cf. Heb. 12:1). The people have no case, so they have no choice but to plead guilty to this first charge.

Unacceptable Worship (10-20). Their first crime led to this charge. Because of their daily, rebellious living, God rejected their worship. The problem was not that they withheld sacrifice from Him. They “multiplied” them (11). They gave them in abundance. They brought the right gifts. They came at the right times (13-14). But, when they prayed, He hid and ignored them (15). Why? Their hands were covered with blood (15). They were guilty of evil deeds (16). They were trying to substitute one day of worship for six days of wickedness. They lived like the world, then came to worship and pretended to be righteous before an omniscient and omnipresent God.

General Apostasy (21-31).  Apostasy “is the turning away from God in rebellion or apathy” (Jones, Lexham Theological. Wdbk.). Notice its description. Once a faithful city, they are now a harlot (21). Once full of righteousness and justice, they are now murderers (21). Isaiah describes what made this so: bribery (23), materialism (23), and oppression of the helpless (23). Because of this, they made their Father their adversary! He pledges to use His divine resources against them (24-25).

There is something Judah needed to know about these proceedings. Even though God had abundant evidence against them and they had no case, He wanted to find them “not guilty.” He does not want them to continue in this condition and pleads for them to change (5). He had already shown mercy (9). He pleads with them to turn away from their sins. Notice how He phrases it: “wash” (16), “remove” (16), “learn, seek, reprove, defend, plead” (17), “reason” (18), “consent and obey” (19). When has a plaintiff been so merciful and forgiving as God is with His people here?

But, make no mistake about it, as they are living at the time when Isaiah writes, they are His adversaries and foes (24). He was sentencing them (25). Yet, on the other side of that, He pledges to restore and redeem them (26-27). The impenitent will be crushed (28), but with the intent to make them ashamed and resolved to change (29-31). This judgment theme will recur throughout Isaiah’s prophecy, directed not only at His chosen but also their enemies. Notice also the parallel between chapter one and chapter 66, where these many themes are mirrored again in the closing words of this book. That shows that these themes are important to the overall message of the book. The bottom line is that we cannot go to court against God on the basis of our deeds. We will eternally lose under such conditions. We must throw ourselves on the mercy of the heavenly court, ready to confess and change.

Neal Pollard

We have now a plain work – simply the work of the Lord and no other. We have nothing to preach but the gospel, nothing to believe but the truth of God, nothing to do but the will of God, and nothing to hope for only what is promised in the word of God. Our work is not new and untried, but old, well tried, and noting can stand before us. We have truth and righteousness to maintain – sin and the world to oppose. We can make no change only at our peril – no departure without losing all. We started simply to be the people of God, and to give ourselves unreservedly to the Lord. We can not turn away.

– by Benjamin Franklin

(the gospel preacher, not the statesman)

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Alone 2

As David fled from Saul, he found himself alone in the caves of Adullam. He would write of those dark nights hiding in the cave, “There is no one who regards me, there is no escape for me, no one cares for my soul” (Psm. 142:4). He was wrong. Soon “his brothers and all his father’s household went down there to him,” and in no time “there were about four hundred men with him (1 Sam. 22:1-3).

The great thing about being a Christian is that we do not have to face this world’s difficulties in isolation. When we find ourselves in the darkness of life’s caves, help is always on the way. The Lord’s church is a family that will surround us with empathy, encouragement, even food and clothing if necessary.

In a Roman jail Paul was not without hope. He thanked the Philippians “having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent” (Phi. 4:18). In the church we “stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together” (He. 10:24-25).  We deal with life “together.”  It is not meant to be a solo journey.  It is a pity that so many in our society are facing daily life issues secluded and alone. This is particularly true of many of our elderly.  Let us be thankful for God’s family, and for the blessings of a loving fellowship with Christian friends. With God we are never alone!

-Dennis Doughty

It is the middle of the summer.  Every garden that is producing fruit, every flower that is blooming, every tree that is giving shade, is growing and producing by its roots. No roots, not fruits. What we see and enjoy on the surface is produced by what lies deep below the surface.

The same is true of our spiritual life. We want the fruits of a Christian life; forgiveness of our sins, a faith to live by, and fellowship with one another. The roots that produce these fruits are the cross of Christ, the apostles’ doctrines, and the church Jesus established. Solomon said it correctly that “the root of the righteous bears fruit” (Pro. 12:12). No fruit without roots.

Jesus’ parable of the Sower taught that those who “believe for a while” and then fall away, are those who “have no firm root” (Lu. 8:13). Paul explained it this way, “if the root is holy, the branches are too” (Ro. 11:16). Too many today want the fruit of forgiveness without the root of the cross, a saving faith without deep roots into the apostles’ doctrine, and the fellowship with God without the foundation of the church. Jude warned of “Autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted” (Jude 12). As in the natural world, so in the spiritual world, there can be no fruit without roots. How deep are your roots?

-Dennis Doughty

First, the Bible: “But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:23-25).

My sister is 14 months older than I am (1 year, 1 month, two weeks, and one day to be more precise!) and we use to argue all the time. And just as frequently Mom tried to get us to stop arguing. I do not know how many times she told me personally, “Son, it takes two to argue!” She was saying either: 1) Don’t bring up a topic if you know your sister is going to disagree, or; 2) Don’t carry on an argument when you know it’s not going anywhere. Speaking of my sister, it made me so mad when, to bring an argument to a close, she would say, “You can believe what you want to believe and I’ll believe the truth.” I did not know how to respond to that!

If someone wants to become a lawyer, it might be good to know how to argue. Children need to be taught, however, that arguing with Mom and Dad is not acceptable. It indicates that the heart is not submissive to the parents.

It is a better parenting skill to train your children to obey first and then discuss the matter. Train your children – by example and instruction – that she or he should be careful how they disagree with Mom and Dad. Again, take a look at Paul’s description of a good debater: not quarrelsome, kind, patient, and gentle. None of us should love the thrill of an argument more than we love the relationship itself.

Arguing creates an adversarial relationship which is not healthy among siblings nor between parents and children. When a discussion is about to erupt into an argument, train yourself and your children to make the discussion about the issue itself rather than turning it into an argument to see who can win. Work to understand your child and understand what he or she is saying and then make sure that he or she is processing mentally what you are saying. Seek understanding, not an argument. That would create a wonderful skill that is sorely lacking in our modern culture!

Paul Holland

Kendryx Nicely, 13 years old, has special memories of fishing with his dad.  They often got on the water together and photos prove that the two of them knew how to catch fish.  Two years ago, the father passed away, leaving Kendryx with his dad’s fishing pole, which he treasured.

Recently Kendryx was on Norris Lake in East Tennessee fishing from a kayak.  A gust of wind caught the treasured pole and blew it off the kayak.  The boy watched the pole sink into the deep waters and figured he had seen it for the last time.

His grandmother knew of a diver who specialized in retrieving objects lost underwater.  After searching for only a few minutes the pole was found.  “The smile on his face was priceless,” the diver later wrote.  Kendryx has decided that the heirloom rod will hang on his bedroom wall instead of taking another chance of losing it.

Since I was young, I remember hearing people talk about how life would be better “when my rich uncle dies”.  That uncle was unknown to them, but we can always dream, right?  No one to my knowledge through the years, however, has ever had that unexpected windfall come their way.

The apostle Paul spoke in Acts 20:32 about an inheritance that you and I may claim.  He said to the elders of the church at Ephesus, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”  What exactly do we know about that inheritance?

In his letter to the Christians at Ephesus Paul wrote that “every spiritual blessing” is “in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).  A few verses later he said this: “In Him we also have obtained an inheritance …” (Ephesians 1:11).  Jesus spoke about it in Matthew 25:34: “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”  Our inheritance is a kingdom?!  Through Jesus we have an inheritance.

Let’s not forget, though, the price Jesus paid to make us heirs of such a wonderful estate.  Philippians 2:7,8 describes the price: “[Jesus] made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

Jesus left heaven to come to earth; you might call that a “dive”, couldn’t you?  He plunged into the depths of humanity so that we might be rescued from our sins and become heirs of an incredible kingdom.  Such a mission boggles the mind!  2 Corinthians 8:9 sums it up beautifully: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Followers of Christ now hold something of immense value, a heavenly inheritance, all because Jesus dived into the depths of this sinful world.  Without Him, we have nothing of any lasting value.

Come to the light God offers!  Study His word, the Bible.  Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24).  Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.

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Copyright, 2024, Timothy D. Hall

If one were to Google the word Ephesus, the first picture that would appear would probably be the Library of Celsus. The marble facade of the library, constructed 114-117 AD, stands two stories above the courtyard. Large columns with intricately designed marble stone grace the entrance way to the impressive building. Marble statues of women personifying virtue, knowledge, and wisdom oversee the many tourists that visit each day.

The Library of Celsus is not the only impressive sight in ancient Ephesus. The great theater mentioned in Acts 19 in which Demetrius the silversmith led a riot against Paul is just down the Marble Road. The theater, which is the largest in Turkey, could seat 25,000 people. It was designed to have plays for children in the morning, drama for the adults in the evening, and later during Roman times to host gladiator battles.

Across the street was the large Agora where people came to buy, sell, and trade. Ships from all over the Roman Empire would dock in the harbor and within a few hundred feet would have a ready audience for their wares.

Just down the street were the terrace houses which were home to the rich and powerful. The houses were built on the ridge of the mountain so its inhabitants could overlook the city. Excavations are continually being done to restore the beautiful artwork on walls and tile mosaics that adorned the floors.

Ancient Ephesus would have truly been a beautiful city; however, little would have been known of these features, outside of ancient writings, until about 150 years ago. Very little could have been seen of the theater and buildings until excavations began in 1863. Little by little dirt was removed wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow and bucket by bucket until it revealed the wonders we see today.

There are two parts to archeology: the digging part that perhaps we are more accustomed to and its preservation. It is one thing to dig it up but it is another thing entirely to preserve what has been found. As long as the buildings, murals and mosaics are underground, they are preserved by the dirt. When it is dug up, they are subjected to weathering and the elements that slowly destroy them. That is where preservation comes in. Whereas it costs very little to dig, since everyone wants to find the treasures underground, it does cost a great deal to preserve it. For example, the shelter that was built to preserve the terrace houses cost over seven million dollars. Keep in mind that only twenty percent of Ephesus has been excavated. Why? Because it takes so much money to preserve the buildings that have been dug up.

The spiritual point that I want to make is this: It is easier to become a Christian than it is to stay a Christian. With this being said, it should be apparent that I do not believe in the doctrine of once-saved-always-saved. Paul writing to those Christians who sought to return to the Old Law said they had fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4). The Hebrews writer continually encouraged his readers to remain faithful. Why remain faithful if they were going to be saved anyway?

It is relatively easy to become a Christian, but what about the next day and the day after that? What about the weeks, months and years that lay ahead? Many followed Jesus but in time turned and walked with him no more (John 6:66). Demas, who once was a faithful servant of the Lord and companion of Paul, left because he loved this present world (2 Timothy 4:10).

In Revelation 2:10, John wrote that to receive the crown of life one must be faithful to death. How long was that? For as long as one lived. Living for Jesus is a lifelong commitment. Becoming a Christian is not a one-day event. That faith must be preserved and grown. Peter encouraged his fellow Christians to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Earlier, he said, “be even more diligent to make your call and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10).

It is great to be a Christian but it is even just as important to maintain our Christianity. It would be a catastrophe to dig the treasures of Ephesus out of the ground only to have them waste away to time and the elements. It would be an even greater calamity to begin as a faithful Christian only to allow that faith to come to ruin because we did not give due diligence to preserve it.

If you would like to know more about being a Christian, maintaining your faith and making sure you get to heaven, please let us know.

Roy Knight

About a year after Rachel and I moved to Romania, I learned that a friend of mine had recently moved to Moscow, Russia to be a missionary there. I obtained his email address and sent him a picture of my little girl. A day or two later he sent a picture of his little girl, about Jewell’s age, and wrote in his email: “My daughter is prettier than your daughter.” I try to be tactful; sometimes I am sure that I don’t accomplish that goal and I apologize if my words don’t come out kind and graceful. But I think I was tactful at that point because I wrote back and said, “I hope I never meet a dad who doesn’t think that his daughter is the prettiest in the world.”

What is your definition of “beauty”?

Here are a few words that I want us to keep in mind as we discuss the nature of our God: pleasing; appealing; excellent; delight. When it comes to describing God, I think we should get this very simple idea in mind: God is a Person we would want to be around. We would want to be in His presence. He is beautiful. In His appearance, in His nature, in His character. I like the personality of my surgeon who did my colon operation last October. He’s a person that I would like to just go have coffee with.

Let’s think more about God as a beautiful person…

GOD IS BEAUTIFUL:

Psalm 84 begins with these words: “How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts” (Psalm 84:1). The Hebrew word translated “lovely” here is used a total of 8 times and in the NASV, it is always translated “beloved” except here. So we could translate this verse: “How beloved are your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts.” Do you love being in God’s presence in worship?

Aren’t there places you love to be? Aren’t there people, with whom you like to just “hang out” with?

God is that type of Person. He is beautiful. Because of His character, we will want to be with Him, around Him, in His presence.

God’s beauty is a reflection of His perfection. Again, there is nothing sinful, wrong, bad or imperfect about God. Nothing in His nature has been touched by sin. That’s why God is beautiful. So all beauty comes from God. When you and I create something beautiful, we are only reflecting the nature of our Creator. If you paint, you are painting what God has already created. If you create a sculpture, you are only sculpting what God has already created. If you write poetry, you are only writing what God has already created. All beauty comes from God.

THE BEAUTY OF GOD IS REFLECTED IN JESUS CHRIST:

In 2 Corinthians 4:6, Paul wrote: “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” Since we have already seen that “beauty” when applied to God can be synonymous with “glory,” then we can paraphrase this verse to say that God has “shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the beauty of God in the face of Christ.”

Why would you say that Jesus is “beautiful?” As I mention just seven qualities we love in Jesus, remember that He reflects the nature of God…

#1 – His compassion.

#2 – His service.

#3 – His love.

#4 – His forgiveness.

#5 – His commitment.

#6 – His relationship with God.

#7 – His gentleness.

We know that Jesus was not “handsome” in the way that people tend to describe physical attraction. Isaiah the prophet said of the Messiah, He has no “appearance that we should be attracted to Him” (Isa. 53:2). But Jesus was and is a beautiful person, because He reflects the nature of our Creator.

OUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S BEAUTY:

We should praise God for His beauty.

We should honor God for His beauty.

We should stand in awe of God for His beauty.

We should also enjoy God’s beauty.

We should anticipate God’s beauty in heaven.

God is beautiful. He is delightful, pleasing, excellent, and adorable. Live for Him so you can one day live with Him.

Paul Holland

First, the Bible: “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2-3). The French translation has “force yourselves” for “preserve.” Home is where each of us should learn how to resolve conflicts.

While my family was largely a peaceful family, we did have our fusses and fights. My sister older (one year, one month, two weeks, and one day) than me and I use to fight and argue constantly. Mom would say one would say, “Good morning,” and the other would say “no it’s not.” My older brother (by five years) and I would wrestle which often turned into fights. I harassed my younger brother (by seven years) because I could. Until he grew bigger than me, which my mom told me would happen.

There is a part of life that includes errands and activities that must be done. Every person has a list of things to do and accomplish each day, whether they actually make such a list or not. The family as a whole also has activities that have to be done each day (like cooking the meals!).

Sometimes these activities have obstacles that get in the way of their accomplishment, speed bumps if you will. They are problems that pop up that need to be resolved before the family can succeed in getting things done. Sometimes parents allow children to turn the problems they face into conflicts.

But when problems surface, Mom and Dad need to train the children to follow the principles from Ephesians 4:2-3 in order to resolve the problem, not create conflicts, and accomplish what needs to be done. Train your children to work with humility. Train the older children to be gentle with younger siblings who may not be able to do what the older children can do. Train the children to be patient when problems arise and to be patient as the solution is being studied and implemented. Train your children to show tolerance for each other. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and the family is the ideal time to learn what those are and tolerate those whose weaknesses do not compare favorably with our strengths.

Train your children to love each other, wanting what is best for each other regardless of how it impacts them. Train your children to force themselves to maintain unity – which often means keeping one’s opinion to themselves! Challenge your children to keep the family bonded together in peace.

Paul Holland

First, the Bible: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth” (Eph. 6:1-3).

To “honor” parents means to respect them, appreciate them, value them and what they do for the family. In teaching our children to honor us as parents, we need to show them the value they contribute to the family. When I was young, our family did almost everything together. My dad did not believe that church work was just for him as the preacher nor for him and mom. We passed out Gospel Minutes together, flyers for VBS, advertisements for gospel meetings.

But we also did work around the house together. When my parents had a vegetable garden, all the kids had to pull weeds and hoe. Once dad bought an old used wooden plow and he pulled it behind our lawn tractor and my brother and I took turns guiding the plow! We did chores around the house together – washing dishes, folding clothes, mowing the lawn the yard, and other house work.

We might teach children to obey that leaves their heart out of their reaction. But if we teach children to honor those for whom they serve (such as parents and / or the family), then they see the broader perspective, the bigger picture. This motivate them to serve from the hearts as opposed to just obedience.

Once when dad needed extra income, he delivered the Atlanta-Journal Constitution on the weekends. And, yes, he got all of us children up at 3 AM on Saturdays and Sundays, with Mom, to throw newspapers. The kids sat in the back, stuffed the newspaper into a plastic bag and handed it over the front seat so Mom or Dad could throw it out the window. But we were not led to believe that this earned money for mom and dad. It was a job for the family. My parents taught us to honor them partly because they honored us.

I had 25 yards that I mowed when I was a teenager. That kept me really busy. But one year, I went to seven different 4-H camps and a week of Bible camp. If I came home from a camp and then it rained, I got behind in my yard-mowing. But then dad would mow for me and (as far as I can remember), he always gave me the income from the yard mowing. Dad was not selfish. He honored me by giving of himself. That’s what my parents taught us kids.

Teach your children that if they see something that needs to be done, do it. If they see something that needs to be cleaned, clean it. In that way, they are honoring their family and helping contribute to the well-functioning of the family.

Paul Holland