February 20, 2000 Volume 1 Number 8
Rightly
Dividing
Christians need to know which scriptures apply to them, and which do not.
The Apostle Paul expected Christians to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim
2:15).
The Law of Moses was
given to the Jews only, as can be seen from the following verses. "And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto
him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and
tell the children of Israel;" (Ex 19:3 KJV).
"And Moses came
and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all
the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath
said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in
the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according
to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel,
which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the
LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the
blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read
in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will
we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the
people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made
with you concerning all these words." (Exo 24:3-8 KJV).
It is evident that only the house of Israel was under the Law of Moses.
This Covenant was
predicted by the prophets to end, and be replaced. The writer of Hebrews quoted
Jeremiah (chapter 31 starting with verse 31) to make this point. "But now
hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator
of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that
first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the
second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the
Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in
the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;
because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the
Lord.... In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that
which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." (Heb 8:6-13 KJV).
The Apostle Paul compared the Jews to a woman who could not marry another
unless the first marriage was dissolved by death. The Jews could not enter into
a new covenant as long as the old covenant was in force. "Know ye not,
brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath
dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is
bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be
dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband
liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if
her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress,
though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become
dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another,
even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto
God." (Rom 7:1-4 KJV).
The Apostle Paul warned against observing the ordinances found in the Old
Testament. These practices were temporary in nature and are no longer observed.
"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an
holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: Which are a shadow of
things to come". (Col 2:16-17 KJV).
The Old Testament was not
meant to be permanent. Without the ending of the Old Testament, the Jews could
not embrace the New Testament. Paul encouraged others not to observe Old
Testament ordinances, but to follow the law of Christ, the New Covenant.
This is not the first time
that the worship and practices of God's people had changed. The Hebrews’
worship changed at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Law changed their religious
practices. The heads of family no longer offered sacrifices, it became the
responsibility of the priests. They could not appeal to what they had done
before, they had to follow the covenant given to them by Moses. Christians
should not follow the Old Testament for their worship or practices.
The book of Hebrews teaches that Christians are under a "new"
and "better" covenant today. Is the Old Testament of value to the
Christian? Absolutely! In much the same way as the Israelites valued the period
before the Law. The stories about the Patriarchs and their lessons were useful
to the Israelites. These stories were important to them even though they were no
longer under a Patriarchal system. The Old Testament is useful to the
Christian even though the Christian is not under the Law of Moses. The Apostle
Paul knew this and wrote, "Now all these things happened unto them for
ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the
world are come." (1 Cor 10:11 KJV)
Knowing what covenant
is in effect today is crucial in understanding the Bible. This may of been the
subject of 2 Tim 2:15, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth." The rightly dividing
certainly includes knowing what is old and fulfilled and knowing what covenant
Christians are under today.
~
R. Marín
Home
and Family:
RESPONSIBILITIES OF CHILDREN
The New Testament binds a great responsibility on children when it says
in Ephesians 6, verses 1-3, "Children obey your parents in the Lord: for
this is right. Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with
promise;) that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the
earth". The key words are "honor" and "obey". There is
no time limit on this. God does not free a child from this responsibility simply
because he has now gone to college or is married. A child in the earliest years
of adulthood makes a tragic mistake by neglecting his parents.
It is necessary that we say something about the word "obey".
Children are to obey their parents "in the Lord". One must never
forget that his allegiance to God comes before any man. That includes
government, companions and parents. The early apostles expressed it well when
they were commanded not to preach in the name of Christ. They responded by
saying in Acts 5, verse 29, "We ought to obey God rather than men".
The term "obey your parents" indicates that the parents have
laid down some laws or provided some instruction to guide the children. This is
what is meant by the wise man when he said in Proverbs 22, verse 6, "Train
up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from
it". It is understood then that the law is to be obeyed by the child is
that which will make him a fine, decent, responsible person. Instructions of
parents should be revered by children beyond the parents death. No time limit
then on "Children obey your parents in the Lord" Ephesians 6:1. The
other word that stands out so predominantly in the children's responsibility to
their parents is the word "honor". The Bible says in Ephesians 6,
verse 2, "Honor thy father and mother".
This responsibility deals with the child's attitude and respect toward
parents. Webster's New World Dictionary says of the word honor, it is "High
regard of great respect given". "Something done or given as a token of
respect". The home for centuries has provided an environment for one to
learn all of the ABC's of Christian living. It is in the home that seeds of
character can be sown and given an opportunity to flourish. The great principles
of God are to be taught, practiced and cultivated in the home. The child who has
learned to honor parents can then effectively show high regard toward his fellow
man. He later can easily show respect for a companion and his own children.
It is important that we pause to say that parents have the responsibility
to provide the proper atmosphere in the home so that the child can develop an
appreciation for law and order given by parents. Such an environment will cause
children to rise up and call their parents "blessed". The example of
parents set in honoring and loving one another is far-reaching in the heart and
life-pattern of the child. When a child cannot see parents love, respect and
honor one another, it is extremely difficult for him to rise above this obstacle
and honor those that do not honor themselves. Remember, in order to manifest
honor towards others, you must respect yourself.
Christ provides us with an example in
all things. Having returned from the visit to the city of Jerusalem at the age
of 12, the Bible says that Christ, "was subject unto them: but his mother
kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in
stature and in favor with God and man" Luke 2, verses 51,52. Christ was
obedient to his parents. His affection and respect for his mother was manifested
from the cross. He was concerned about her care and well-being. He gave this
responsibility to the beloved Apostle John (John 19:25-27). You shall always be
children in the eyes of your parents and in the eyes of the Lord. Your response
to the commandment, "Obey your parents" and "Honor thy father and
thy mother", will be a pretty good yardstick measuring how well you will
obey your Lord and give Him honor through faithful worship.
The child's responsibility is a lifetime achievement, an achievement that
will be richly blessed in all walks of life. In the words of Ephesians Chapter
6, it is the first commandment with promise.
from
The Bible Research Library
What I Want For My Daughters
Recently,
my wife and I were blessed with the birth of a baby girl, Leah May Gibson. We
now have two daughters -- Alli is three years old. As any father is likely to
do, I've done some thinking about what the future holds for my two daughters.
Here are some things I want for my girls; things I believe God wants for them,
too.
I
want my daughters to be beautiful on the inside. It's not that I want them to
neglect their outward appearance; it's just that there are some things far more
important. I want them to be clothed with "strength and honor"
(Proverbs 31:25), and with a "meek and quiet spirit" (1 Peter 3:3-5).
I want them to have the kind of beauty that never fades. In looking through the
New Testament I see many qualities I would love for my daughters to have. I want
them to be poor in spirit, meek, merciful, compassionate, tenderhearted,
forgiving, kind, longsuffering, pure in heart, and patient. I want them to
hunger and thirst after righteousness. I want them to mourn when they sin. I
want them to learn to rejoice, even in the midst of difficult times. I want them
to learn what it means to truly be content. In short, I want them to be like
Christ, which should be the goal of every faithful Christian.
I
want them to marry faithful Christians. I want this, partly, for selfish
reasons. I want my daughters to be treated well, and if they marry faithful
Christians, they will be. If married to faithful Christians, they will be loved
as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25). They will have unselfish husbands
(Philippians 2:3-4). They will have husbands who not only tell them they love
them, but who show them as well (1 John 3:16-18). But there are other reasons
for wanting them to marry faithful Christians. I want them to marry someone with
whom they can pray. I want them to marry someone who will want the same things
for the children as they do. I want them to marry someone with whom they can be
fellow-workers in the kingdom of God, a husband and wife team like that of
Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:24-26; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Romans 16:3,4).
I
want them to be good wives. Each will need to understand her role of submission
in this relationship (Ephesians 5:22-24,33). Each will need to look out for the
interests of her husband, as well as her own (Phil. 2:3-4). Each will need to
show her husband she loves him (1 John 3:18). Each will need to do her husband
good as long as she lives (Proverbs 31:12).
I
want them to be good mothers. I want them to see the importance God places on
bringing up children (1 Timothy 2:11-15). I want them to be like the virtuous
woman of Proverbs 31, who was very attentive to her children's needs. I want
them to be like Hannah, who said of her son Samuel, "I will give him to the
Lord all the days of his life" (1 Samuel 1:11). I want them to be like
Eunice, who taught her son Timothy the Scriptures from childhood (2 Timothy 1:5;
3:14-15).
I
want them to be ready to do good for others. I want them to be like the virtuous
woman who "extends her hands to the poor reaches out her hands to the
needy" (Proverbs 31:20). I want them to be like Dorcas, who was "full
of good works and charitable deeds" (Acts 9:36); like Phoebe, who was
"a helper of many" (Romans 16:1-2). I want them to be the kind of
women who have "diligently followed every good work" (1 Timothy 5:10).
Finally,
I want my daughters (as well as my sons) to go to heaven. If they can do the
things mentioned earlier in this article, they will be well on their way.
~Bryan
Gibson ~ In Gospel Power - ’98.
You should know that--
The
Bible is:
Inspired
of God 2 Timothy 3:16
Not
just a work of men 2 Pet 1:20-21
Truly
the word of God 1 Thess 2:13
Able
to save your soul Jas 1:21
A
light to guide you Psa 119:105
The
standard by which you will be judged John 12:48
Truth
Psalm 119:160; John 8:32; 17:17
~excerpted
from pearlstreet.org
We
hope you find this bulletin useful in your Bible study.
2
Sam 22:31
As
for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to
all who trust in Him. NKJV