Posts Tagged ‘theology’


Under Gods Command

1 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

 This letter was written to Timothy in A.S. 64 or 65, after Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28:16-31).  Apparently Paul had been out of prison for several years, and during that time he had revisited many churches in Asia and Macedonia.  When he and Timothy return to Ephesus, they bound wide spread false teaching in the church.  Paul had warned the Ephesian elders to be on guard against the false teachers who inevitably would come after he had left (Acts 20:17-31).  Paul sent Timothy to lead the Ephesian church while he moved on to Macedonia.  From there Paul wrote this letter of encouragement and instruction to help Timothy deal with the difficult situation in the Ephesian church.  Later, Paul was arrested again and brought back to a Roman prison.

Lets Bring it Home: We must know the truth in order to defend it.  We must cling to the belief that Christ came to save us.  We should stay away from those who twist the words of the Bible for their own purposes.


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 13:13 He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded.

God created us, knows us, and loves us.  It only makes sense, then to listen to his instructions and do what he says.  The Bible is his unfailing word to us.  It is like an owner’s manual for a car.  If you obey God’s instructions, you will “run right” and find his kind of power to live.  If you ignore them, you will have breakdowns, accidents, and failures.

How great is the difference between being destroyed and being rewarded? How great is the difference when it is God that does both the destroying and rewarding? The difference is enormous. But the conditions for being rewarded are clear and easy. Thank you, Lord.

This proverb is similar and typical of many other proverbs by Solomon. He constantly reminded his son and you of the blessing for obeying God’s word and the punishment for not obeying it. If you despise the Bible, you will be destroyed. If you respect and keep what the Bible says, you will be blessed. This is a fundamental axiom for your life.

The God of heaven is holy and jealous (Josh 24:19). He will not forgive or overlook those who despise or reject His word. Since He is the Creator of all things, including every man, woman, and child, He expects their total submission and obedience to Him. His first commandment justly demands your absolute and total love for Him (Deut 6:4-5).

About 1650 years after creation, or about 4400 years ago, God drowned and suffocated the earth with a flood of water (Gen 7:4,23). What brought His great destruction on the earth and the human family? They had despised His word and corrupted His way on the earth (Gen 6:5-7,11-12). He sent Noah to preach and warn them, but they rebelled against the commandments of their Creator, so He destroyed them (I Pet 3:18-20; II Pet 2:5).

God sent another preacher to Pharaoh, King of Egypt, about 3500 years ago. The Hebrews, worshippers of the living and true God, were slave laborers for Pharaoh. Moses brought God’s request for Pharaoh to let His people go to Canaan. When Pharaoh despised the word, God ravaged the land with ten plagues and destroyed his army and him in the Red Sea (Ex 5:2; 12:29-36; 14:28). The lesson of the proverb should be clear.

King Ahab despised the word of the Lord, so God destroyed him in battle with a chance arrow (I Kgs 22:1-40). King Uzziah despised God’s word that only the priests were to serve in the temple, so God destroyed him with leprosy (II Chron 26:16-23). King Jehoiakim thought he could burn the word of God and get rid of its warnings, so God destroyed him and his family and gave him the burial of an ass (Jer 36:1-32; 22:18-19).

But the proverb also promises reward to those who fear God’s commandments. This fear is not servile terror, but rather eager reverence to know and do His will (Ps 1:1-2; 112:1; 119:47-48; Is 6:8; Acts 9:1-6). Though the LORD God is very great, He will bless and reward those who humbly tremble before His word (Is 66:1-2; Acts 17:11; Heb 11:6).

Fearing God and keeping His commandments is the whole duty of man (Eccl 12:13-14). But there is also great reward in keeping them (Ps 1:1-6; 19:11; 37:4; 84:11; 112:1-3), which God’s saints have experienced in all circumstances, such as Abram in Canaan (Gen 13:1-6), Isaac in Canaan (Gen 26:12-14), Joseph in Egypt (Gen 39:1-23), Ruth in Bethlehem (Ruth 2:3), Rehoboam in Jerusalem (II Chr 12:12), Manasseh in Babylon, (II Chr 33:12-13), Esther in Shushan (Es 2:17), and Daniel in Babylon (Dan 1:1-21).

What have you done with the preachers God has sent you? Paul warned against despising prophesying, or preaching (I Thess 5:20). And he foretold irremediable judgment on those who despise or neglect it (Heb 2:1-4; 10:26-31; 12:25). It is your solemn duty and great reward to fear and love the word of the Lord. The lesson of the proverb is clear!


Under Gods Command

Romans:  16:17-20 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.  Keep away from them.  For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.  By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people.  Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.  The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.  The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. 

 When we read books or listen to sermons, we should check the content of what is written or said and not be fooled by smooth style.  Christians who study God’s Words will not be fooled, even though superficial listeners may easily be taken in.

Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 

Lets Bring it home: How do you evaluate sermons and teaching?  The people in Berea opened the Scriptures for themselves and searched for truths to verify or disprove the message they heard.  Always compare what you hear with what the Bible says.  A preacher or teacher who gives God’s true message will never contradict or explain away anything that is found in God’s Word.


Under Gods Command

Romans:  15:20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. 

 Paul says that he has “ambition.” Ambition can be a difficult topic for Christian’s because we see so many bad examples of ambitious people who claw their way to the top.  But certainly that isn’t the kind of ambition one sees in Paul.  Instead of looking out for himself and working hard for personal advancement, he was ambitious to serve God-for Paul that meant to “preach the gospel where Christ was not known.”

Lets Bring it home: Are we ambitious for God? Do we want, more than anything else, to please him and to do his will?  Ask God for “holy ambition.”


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 8:05 – You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding. 

Are people willing to take the position to admit that they are not adequate, to say I am a sinner and that I really don’t have intellectual problems?  Sometimes I think it is a joke to listen to folk with “intellectual” problems. How many times do we hear people say, “I have intellectual problems about the Bible?”  What they really have is a sin problem, and he didn’t want to give up his sin.  I have discovered that if a person has a sin problem and will turn to Christ with that problem, it is amazing how often the intellectual problems will be solved.

Wisdom calls you! Will you consider her precious gifts? She offers understanding and wisdom to the simple and foolish. Do you hear her? Or are you too busy? Or are you too proud to know you are ignorant? Or are you too rebellious to change your ways for her?

Lady Wisdom says those who reject her must love death (Pr 8:36). If you disregard her offer, you do so to your own peril. God will bring calamities into your life, and He will laugh when you tremble in fear and beg for His help (Pr 1:20-32; Ps 2:4; 37:13). He will mock your troubles and your fears. The warning is harsh, but it is truly the words of God.

Solomon continued his personification of wisdom in this chapter.  See the comments on Prov 8:1. Wisdom, the ability to judge correctly, is presented as a woman here and in other parts of this book. It has been said, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!” It is your prudence to soberly consider the gracious offer of this glorious and terrible woman.

In this verse, Lady Wisdom exhorts simple and foolish men to take the wisdom and understanding she offers. All men are born foolish and ignorant, and she implores them to take and use her wisdom. Implied is the rhetorical question, Why do you want to continue in the stupidity and lusts of your ignorance (Pr 1:22; Ex 16:28; I Kgs 18:21)? Why?

Every parent thinks this about their children, and every pastor thinks it about church members. Parents watch their children ignore instruction and rush into pain and trouble, and pastors watch members do the same. The father and preacher in this book, Solomon, by the inspiration of God, calls for you to hear his instruction and learn wisdom.

Are you offended being called simple and foolish? It should not offend you. You came into this world messing on yourself, and you will go out doing the same. Unless you take God’s offer of wisdom, you are not any better right now. The world spews pagan and perverse filth at you daily in increasing intensity – you need God’s wisdom desperately.

If wisdom is the ability to rightly judge, do you have it? If understanding is accurate discernment, do you have it? There is only one way to know. Are your thoughts and actions in perfect agreement with God’s written word? Scripture alone defines wisdom, and any thoughts to the contrary are insane (Ps 19:7; 119:130; Isaiah 8:20; I Tim 6:3-5).

You cannot know wisdom by nature; you must obtain it by instruction. You cannot find truth by rationalization; it requires revelation from the God of truth. There is no better source than these proverbs for wisdom (Pr 1:1-4). Do you fear and crave their words? The Bible is God’s book of truth (Ps 119:160; 19:9). Do you love it preached to you?

Scripture addresses every area of your life – sex, employment, speech, money, eating, children, exercise, driving, thoughts, hair, television, clothing, friends, etc. If you think or act contrary to what is written, you have not advanced beyond the diapers that recently protected you, and your thoughts are the braying of a donkey (Job 11:12; II Pet 2:12).

Why be a fool? Take the offered wisdom and understanding today! How? Humble yourself before God’s word and this warning, repent of your foolishness, repudiate your sins, admit your ignorance, and conform every thought, word, and action to His holy word. Find a Bible-preaching church that emphasizes truth and wisdom and join it.


Under Gods Command

Romans:  15:05-07 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

The Roman Church was a diverse community.  It was made up of Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free people, rich and poor, strong and weak.  So it was difficult for them to accept one another.  Accepting means taking people into our homes as well as into our hearts, sharing meals and activities, and avoiding racial and economic discrimination.

Lets Bring it home: We must go out of our way to avoid favoritism.  Consciously spend time greeting those you don’t normally talk to, minimize differences, and seek common ground for fellowship.   In this way you are accepting others as Christ has accepted you, and God is given glory.


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 7:11(She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home;

Here are three traits of a whore, an adulteress. All wise women will diligently avoid these traits, and all wise men will carefully avoid women having them. Here is wisdom buried in a lengthy description of a strange woman seducing and destroying a young man.

This chapter primarily consists of a dramatic parable about a young man being tempted and taken by the strange woman (Pr 7:6-23). Solomon, ever the wise father, used it to impress upon his son and children the dangers of this seductive enemy (Pr 7:1-5,24-27).

The whore is generally a loud woman. She likes to talk; she talks a lot; and she talks loudly (Pr 9:13). She is ready to give her opinion, whether it was asked for or not, even though she is usually ignorant of the subject matter. If she receives any resistance, she just gets louder. She often corrects others speaking for little details that are irrelevant.

She likes to finish the sentences of others. You can hear her loudly correcting her children and husband. Verbal sparring delights her. She is self-willed, headstrong, and wants to express her opinion. She is forward and uncouth with her mouth, irritating and rude with her words, and contrary in her speech. You have heard her before. Avoid her!

The godly woman, far superior to the best whore, has a meek and quiet spirit, which God Himself considers of great value (I Pet 3:3-4). She remembers her subordinate role; she is always gracious; kindness rules her mouth; and she does not mind being silent (Pr 11:16; 31:26; I Cor 14:34-35). She considers modesty and shamefacedness to be virtues (I Tim 2:9-10). When she speaks, they are words others appreciate (Pr 15:23; 24:26; 25:11).

Christian woman, can you cut your words and volume in half? Is it possible? Such a simple change will dramatically increase your esteem by good men and women. Your reputation will grow with each reduction in number of words and decibels (Pr 17:27-28).

The whore is generally a stubborn woman. She does not like to be told what to do; she wants to do things her way; she resents being accountable to anyone; she hates correction and instruction. She is self-willed and loves her opinions. Whether authority or affection is used to win her, she will resist until the matter meets her own approval. She will use tears, threats, emotion, or other responses to resist leadership of her husband and others.

The virtuous woman, who is far superior to the best whore, is cheerfully submissive and very willing to follow the leadership of her husband (Eph 5:22-24; Col 3:18). She does not balk, question, or contend with her husband. She knows she was created for him, and she knows she is to reverence and fear him (I Cor 11:9; Eph 5:33; I Pet 3:1-2).

Christian woman, do you know that stubbornness is a hateful trait in a woman? It truly makes her odious (Pr 30:21-23). A contentious woman makes married life miserable (Pr 12:4; 19:13; 21:9,19; 25:24; 27:15-16). Cheerfully obey without answering again, and you will see an improvement in how you are treated by husband, family, and others.

The whore generally does not like to stay at home (Pr 7:12). Domestic duties of serving a husband and children are boring, frustrating, and beneath her. She wants to be out and about in the city, attending this and that activity to the neglect of her high calling. She is bored being a housewife; she gets claustrophobic; she loves to shop; she loves to leave her house. She is not content working at home to make her house and family the best.

The noble woman, who is far superior to the best whore, loves her domestic calling and cheerfully remains at home to manage the house and provide for her man and his children (Pr 31:10-31; Gen 18:9; I Tim 5:13-14; Tit 2:4-5). She understands her very significant role in supporting her husband and caring for his children. Nursing a baby and preparing a meal for her family are delights to her soul, even if they include cleaning up the baby later and having a kitchen to clean after supper.

Christian woman, will you make greater efforts this very day to be quiet, submissive, and happy in your domestic duties? You can build your house – your family and estate – by wisdom in these areas (Pr 14:1). You can be great in the sight of God and men by rejecting the character traits of the strange woman.

Let every woman naming the name of Christ reject loudness, stubbornness, and dislike of home life. Choose rather to be a living example of a meek and quiet spirit, submission and reverence to your husband, and the domestic queen of Pr 31:10-31. You will rejoice in time to come, as God blesses your virtue with godly fruit and reward (Pr 31:25).

Let every man avoid and reject women having these wicked traits. Such women do not deserve a place in human society, and they especially do not deserve a husband to support and secure their sinful lives. Young man, the choice is yours. But you will bear your own burden. Pursue gracious and virtuous women, and reject all other pretenders.

The great whore of Rome and her harlot daughters have loud pretensions, stubbornness for human tradition over Scripture, and long ago departed from simple apostolic Christianity. Let every church examine itself to make sure Rome has not infected her. And let every saint depart out of her, lest you be taken in her sins and plagues (Rev 18:4).

As the true bride of Christ, each Christian, of either sex, owes their Lord and Husband their quiet submission and ready willingness to serve in His church. Every saint should submit quietly to his duties of service in the kingdom of God. Rather than being enamored with new doctrines and innovative practices, let His true children find their place listening well, obeying faithfully, and fulfilling their God-given role in the church.


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 5:20 Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man’s wife?

Why do you even think about it? A beautiful woman offering sexual intimacy is a great temptation. Her flattering affection and fascinating body overwhelm most men. But the horrible consequences crush the pleasure! Why do you think about it? It will ruin you.

Good fathers warn their sons plainly about whores, as Solomon did often (Pr 2:16-19; 5:1-23; 6:20-35; 7:1-27; 9:13-18; 22:14; 23:26-28,33; Eccl 7:26). They are one of the greatest dangers for young men, especially for princes. Do you know their great danger?

No matter how desirable she appears, no matter how flatteringly she speaks, and no matter how certain you will not be caught, fornication with a strange woman is a foolish and horrible crime. The consequences are more painful than death, more permanent than life, deep as hell, and hardly any are recovered and returned to the land of the living.

A strange woman is any woman you have not married! Since you have not married her, you have no right to touch her. Your wife is your companion for life, and any other woman is a stranger. After giving negative (Pr 5:1-14) and then positive (Pr 5:15-19) reasons against the strange woman, Solomon asked why his son could even consider her.

The cure for the strange woman is a great marriage with your wife (Pr 5:19; I Cor 7:1-5; Heb 13:4). By exalting your wife in your mind, by choosing to be satisfied with her breasts, and by choosing to be overwhelmed with her love, there is no room for another woman. You cannot allow any bitterness to spoil your affection for your wife (Col 3:19).

The consequences of sex with a strange woman are horrific. Solomon described them as death and hell (Pr 2:18; 5:5; 7:27; 9:18). A life of death and hell, and hell after death! Few ever recover (Pr 2:19). Young man, forget the beautiful face and body! Ignore the flattering words! Reject any invitation! Do not let her touch or kiss you! Run far away!

You will break your wife’s heart, which God sees (Mal 2:13). You will lose your sure companion (Mal 2:14). You will lose your money (Pr 5:10) and your reputation (Pr 5:9). You will have a husband or father hating you (Pr 6:34-35). No one will understand why you did it (Pr 6:30-33). God will see it and punish you (Pr 5:21; 15:3; Heb 13:4).

You will create a binding sexual addiction to destroy you (Pr 5:22-23; 23:27). Your conscience will punish you with pain (Pr 5:11-14). You will lose a prosperous family of legitimate children (Pr 5:15-18). The pleasure is for a moment; the pain is forever (Pr 9:17-18). You will give occasion for God’s enemies to blaspheme (II Sam 12:14). Your prayers will not be heard (Ps 66:18), and you will face the lake of fire (Rev 21:8).

God in great mercy made Eve for Adam, and He ordained marriage for you to be sexually fulfilled with a devoted and helpful wife (I Cor 7:1-5; Heb 13:4). He invented love, marriage, and sex. Why would you ever think of disregarding the Creator’s rules for His invention? Humble yourself before His infinite wisdom and maximize your marriage.

If you played the fool and embraced the bosom of a stranger, there is hope, but it requires godly sorrow and repentance that most cannot understand or produce (II Cor 7:11). David was God’s favorite before and after his aggravated adultery and murder, because he totally humbled himself before God and confessed his heinous crime correctly (Job 33:27-28; II Sam 12:13; Ps 51:1-19). God will not despise your broken and contrite heart.


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 1:16 For their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood.

Fools cannot quit folly. Sinners cannot stop sinning. They run with haste to more wickedness rather than walk. They greedily rush to satisfy their evil lusts (Eph 4:17-19). Because of this trait, young men should stay as far from fools and sinners as possible.

After introducing the book of Proverbs (Pr 1:1-9), Solomon wrote a parable warning his son about the grave danger of evil associations (Pr 1:10-19). Foolish friends destroy more young men than any other factor. The parable describes a band of cutthroats seeking to entice a young man to join them, and Solomon told his son where such fools are headed.

Being asked to join a band of cutthroats is extreme, but consider the temptation for young men to join gangs in high schools or city ghettos, immoral college fraternities, subversive military or political organizations, the KKK, the Masonic Lodge, the Communist Party, labor unions, and other societies of men pursuing a wide variety of equally evil goals.

The danger of association with wicked men is their mad rush to more and more evil. No matter your desire to avoid sin and wickedness, their enticing invitations and the power of peer pressure will be too much to resist. You will go down with them, and go down they certainly will. Solomon made this clear before ending the parable (Pr 1:17-19).

Sin does not know contentment. One sin is not enough. After breaking a commandment of God and tasting the fruit of forbidden pleasures, it must have more. The heart becomes hardened, the conscience is seared, the lusts are inflamed, and the mind cannot forget the stolen thrills. The downhill rush to destruction has begun. What will stop the sinners?

You cannot reform wicked friends. Instead, the wicked friends will corrupt your good manners (I Cor 15:33). The safety of wisdom is simple: do not even start friendships with fools (Pr 1:10; 4:14-17; Ps 1:1-3). If you have foolish friends, forsake them immediately (Pr 9:6; 13:20; 14:7). This rule is crucial for survival and success (Pr 2:10-22).

Only God can change fools, which he did gloriously in the case of Saul of Tarsus (Titus 3:3-5). If you think you can change them, you are gravely mistaken. Be not deceived (I Cor 15:33)! Another proverb concludes, “Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him” (Pr 27:22). Even Paul avoided those without faith and the fear of God (II Thess 3:1-2; II Tim 3:1-5).

The lesson is simple and weighty. Foolish friends will destroy any man. Therefore, reject all worldly friends for the friends of the king of Zion (Ps 101:1-8; 119:63,79; 144:11-15; Tit 1:8). You can find them in a local church that exalts apostolic doctrine and practice, where you can exhort and help each other to greater faith and obedience to Jesus Christ.


Under Gods Command
Ephesians 4:17-24 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

People should be able to see a difference between Christians and not-Christians because of the way Christians live. We are to live as children of light (5:8). Paul told the Ephesians to leave behind the old life of sin, since they were followers of Christ. Living the Christian life is a process. Although we have a new nature, we don’t automatically think all good thoughts and express all right attitudes when we become new people in Christ. But if we keep listening to God, we will be changing all the time.

Lets Bring it Home: As you look back over last year, do you see a process of change for the better in your thoughts, attitudes, and actions? Although change may be slow, it comes as you trust God to change you.