Repentance

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

II Peter 3:9

The message is clear: God wants everyone to repent. In fact, if you look at verses such as II Corinthians 7:10, it seems apparent that repentance is part of salvation. So what is Biblical repentance?

We see that repentance is not merely being sorry about having done wrong, but being willing to put it completely away from us. Let us follow the directions given to Timothy!

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

II Timothy 2:22

That is the nature of repentance. It is not only that we feel sorry, but that we take action. It is a complete change of heart and of action. It is leaving sin and pursuing righteousness. Anything else is, at best, half-hearted and insincere. Acts 26:20 teaches that not only must we “repent and turn to God,” but that we must “do works meet for repentance.” Our actions, and everything else in our lives, must reflect the repentance that has taken place.

But our repentance must be complete. In Colossians 3:9-10, this process is described as putting off the old man and putting on the old man. In other words, it is a complete and total change in our lives. In repenting of the sins we have committed and dedicating ourselves to God's service, we are as a new creature. There is not even a resemblance to the life we once led in opposition to God.

Repentance is the turning away from sin and turning back to God's will. It is the putting away of what a person once was and the putting on of Christ. In I Corinthians 6:9-11, Paul writes,

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

You can see the extent of their repentance in these few verses. Although previously they had been disobedient to God's will, although they had committed grievous sins, they repented, turned to God, and their sins were washed away. Consider that: no matter how bad their sin was, they were able to repent and be forgiven by God. Truly, there is no sin that we commit that we cannot repent of, and have our repentance be accepting to God.

In Acts 17:30, there is a clear statement made. God commands all men everywhere to repent. Have you repented from sin? Have you put it away and decided to follow after Christ?

Walking on Water

In Matthew 14:25-33, Jesus walks on water. And Peter gets out of the boat to go meet him, and for a short time, walked on water as well. But then Peter saw the weather, grew afraid, and began to sink. And Christ rebuked him, saying, “O thou of little faith.” And we often remark on Peter's lack of faith in this passage. But think about this: he got out of the boat. He had enough faith to get out of the boat and begin walking on water. How many of us have that amount of faith? Peter walked on water, for a short time, because of his faith. We criticize his lack of faith in sinking. Have we gotten out of the boat? Or do we have even less faith than Peter? Can Christ say to us, “O thou of little faith?” Let us press on toward the goal, and work to help our faith grow!

Liberality

Often we describe ourselves as being religiously conservative. In this, we mean that we strive to adhere strictly to the Bible, and not go beyond what is said. Which is something that the Bible certainly teaches us (Revelation 22:18-19, II John 9, Deuteronomy 4:2, etc.). But did you know that in some ways, we are to be liberal?

And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:6-8 (NASU)

He who gives should give with liberality. In other words, when helping someone (immediate context indicates financially, but the concept surely applies to all other forms of helping), we should not be stingy. We should be willing to give as much of ourselves as necessary.

Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability they gave of their own accord, begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.
II Corinthians 8:1-5 (NASU)

The brethren in Macedonia are commended here for their willingness to send aid to brethren who were in need. In fact, they desired so much to help that they begged to be able to give, and were willing to give beyond what they could really afford! Are we so willing to help others who are in need? Are we so willing to give liberally when we see opportunity?

We also see that they gave first to the Lord. Another place in which we should give liberally is to the Lord, and in service to God. When we give to the Lord's treasury on the first day of the week (and at other times that we give to others) , we should give according to II Corinthians 9:7, and give cheerfully. This passage also teaches us to give as we have determined in our hearts. That is, it is a free will offering. Not a mandatory tithe. Not a set amount or percentage. It is what we have determined in our hearts to give. Our giving on the first day should also be in keeping with I Corinthians 16:2, and be in keeping with how we have been blessed by God. God does not expect us to sell all that we have and give all of our funds to Him (see also Acts 5:1-11), but only what we can afford, and in keeping with what we have earned.

Are we giving liberally? Not only on the first day of the week, as we have the example in II Corinthians, but each day. Are we giving liberally? Are we begging to be able to help other people as they have need? Sometimes we cannot afford to give. But when we can, what do we do? Are we giving liberally and cheerfully, or when we give is it done grudgingly and wishing you could spend it on something else? Let us be liberal in this!

Baptism

Sometimes it is good to remind ourselves of basic principles. One of which is Baptism (Heb. 6:1-2). There are several things stated about Baptism which is good to be briefly reminded of and to keep in mind:

It is necessary for salvation (I Peter 3:21)

It is through baptism that God adds to the church (Acts 2:47)

It is necessary to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15)

It grants the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16)

It is a commandment (Acts 10:48, Acts 22:16)

It is necessary in order to put on Christ (Galatians 3:27)

It is immersion (Acts 8:38-39, baptizo - “to dip or immerse”)

Bible Translations

At the tower of Babel, God divided languages (Genesis 11:1-9). In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit comes on the twelve apostles, and they begin speaking in foreign languages so people can understand them. And throughout the New Testament, Christ and the apostles usually quote a translation (from Hebrew to Greek) of the Old Testament : the Septuagint. If God gave us the different languages, gave some of His followers the ability to speak in different languages, and Himself used a translation, we can rest assured that using a translation is acceptable. Do we need to be careful of which translations we use? Of course! Some are far less accurate than others. And it's best to avoid using paraphrases, except as a commentary or study aid. But there are numerous good, solid, and serviceable translations for us to use. And, for a very brief comparison, here are several translations (in no particular order) of the same verse: II Timothy 3:16-17.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

(King James Version)

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

(New American Standard Version)

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

(New International Version)

every Writing [is] God-breathed, ad profitable for teaching, for conviction, for setting aright, for instruction that [is] in righteousness, that the man of God may be fitted – for every good work having been completed.

(Young's Literal Translation)

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

(New King James Version)

Every Scripture inspired of God is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.

(American Standard Version)

Every holy Writing which comes from God is of profit for teaching, for training, for guiding, for education in righteousness: So that the man of God may be complete, trained and made ready for every good work.

(Bible in Basic English)

One of the things I encourage people to do when they study is to use multiple translations when looking at verses. Either by having multiple Bibles, a parallel Bible, or Bible software that can compare translations. It's easy to see how similar all these translations are, and indeed, these verses all look very similar, do they not? But at the same time, they are subtly different. The point is the same, but the wording and translation is slightly different. By using multiple translations, we can better understand what God says. And by using multiple translations, we can often more easily spot the occasional translational error in one version or another. Like a concordance or Bible dictionary, having multiple translations is an excellent tool for us to use!

Let us make full use of of the liberty God has given us in translations and language!

That's a Bad Attitude!

Let's be honest: we all have times in which we show a wrong attitude to things. And it is something we need to work on. But sometimes, when we have a proper attitude of working to do God's will, we are accused of having a wrong attitude. Consider Obadiah. In the first verse of the book, Obadiah makes clear that what he is saying is directly from the Lord. The message is one of warning, condemnation, and punishment towards Edom, but it is a message from God nonetheless. Yet there are those today that say that Obadiah was wrong in saying such things! (Abingdon Bible Commentary p785). Let our attitude be the same as Obadiah's: that we speak what the Lord says, whether it is popular or not, whether it is “positive” or not, and whether we want to or not.

Assembling with the Saints

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24-25

The Bible is clear: let us assemble together. And we can look at passages such as Acts 20:7 and see that the first day of the week is a time in which we should assemble, that we may partake of the Lord's Supper.

But is that all that Hebrews 10:24-25 is limited to? Simply meeting once a week? Is our assembling together only just once on Sunday, and then we feel we have fulfilled the directive we are given? Consider the early church, and how often they spent time around each other: they met daily (Acts 2:46, Acts 5:42, Hebrews 3:13). Daily! To us, it may seem strange. After all, how much time do we spend around each other? How often do we assemble ourselves together?

Gathering together should go beyond simple meeting once a week to partake of the Lord' Supper. It should even go beyond meeting three times a week at the building. There should be a desire in each of us to spend time with the brethren, that we can help each other live more godly lives, and that we can each strive become more Christ-like.

After all, who is likely to help you walk in the light? Those of the world, whose god is their bellies and who are enemies of Christ (Philippians 3:18-19)? Or spending time among those who are looking out for your spiritual well being (I Corinthians 10:24)? Hopefully it is a simple decision for all of us.

And how close are we to each other, as Christians? Are we close enough that we can rely on each other in not only good times, but during the rough times in life? Are we around each other and close enough that we can effectively build up and edify each other? Do we spend enough time together to provoke one another to love and good works?

Or is there something else that stands in the way of our assembling together? Is there some hobby, some activity, some thing that we would rather spend time at instead of assembling together and working to strengthen ourselves? Are we allowing something else in our lives to set up things that are more important to us?

Granted, there are times when we legitimately cannot meet with other Christians for one reason or another. Sometimes our sheep falls in a ditch and we have to get it out (Matthew 12:11). Sometimes we are sick and unable to get out. But do we want to? Are we filled with the desire to assemble ourselves together? Do we want to spend time in each other's company? If so, our lives will show it. We will be at the building when the doors are open, whether it is Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday evening, and gospel meeting. We will spend time around the brethren outside of “formal” assembly times, to get to know one another and help each other. We should want to “assemble ourselves together” and exhort one another.

Do we?

Malachi

The book of Malachi is largely written to the priests of that time (2:1, 7). And it is not a book that speaks of what a great job the priests are doing. It is an admonition tot he priests to return to God and begin following Him in the way they are supposed to. It is a condemnation of their acts of their turning away. And sometimes we marvel at this: that even the priests would turn away from God! But then, consider I Peter 2:9. As Christians, we are a royal priesthood. And how often do we turn our backs on God? Let us be careful to not be like those in the time of Malachi! Let us be the priesthood in service to God that we should be!

In Spirit and in Truth

In Spirit and in Truth

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:21-24

In this passage, the Samaritan woman is asking Jesus about the proper place to worship: whether it is on the mountain/high places as the Samaritans taught, or whether it was in Jerusalem as the Jews taught. And Christ's answer deals less with place than it does with manner. Christ takes the opportunity to teach her about what is coming, and the proper way of worship. That people should worship in spirit and in truth.

Worshiping in spirit indicates that a person should be committed to what they are doing. It is not a matter of simply going through the motions, but rather actual worship. This has always been a problem as people grow complacent, and begin simply going through the motions without actually putting thought or “spirit” into it. In Isaiah 1:10-20, we see that this was a problem even during Isaiah's time. People go through the motions, but it doesn't really mean anything to them.

Worshiping in truth indicates that we should be worshiping according to hod God wants us to worship. Otherwise it is false worship. In our assembly, we see preaching (Acts 10:7), singing (Eph. 5:19), praying (Acts 4:31), partaking of the Lord' Supper on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7), and giving (I Cor. 16:2). We do not see musical instruments, plays and pageants, or any other of a myriad of things that people have introduced over the many years. To worship in truth, we must obey what the Lord has said. Otherwise it is strange worship, as offered by Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:1-2).

But you know, our worship isn't limited to the assembly, is it?

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:1-2

Our entire lives are to be dedicated to the glory of God. Our entire lives are, in essence, worship to the Lord. Are we living our lives in spirit and in truth? Are we, with our lives, worshiping in spirit and in truth?

It is not restricted to the assembly. Every aspect of our lives should reflect the glory of God. Every aspect of our lives should be spent in spirit and in truth. Another way of looking at it is this: are we to follow the spirit of the law or the letter of the law? The answer is...both. And that is what it all comes down to. Are we dedicated to spending our lives in the service of God? Are we worshiping the Lord with our lives because we want to? Are we worshiping the Lord with our lives according to what He has said?