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SEEKING THINGS ABOVE
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. “(Col. 3:1)
Volume I Number 8
November 2020
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BIBLICAL AUTHORITY (3)
The Authority of Christ
Mike Johnson
Many people today do not understand the importance of having Bible authority. In previous articles, we have noted that we must follow divine authority instead of directing our own steps. We discussed the authority of God and noted that God certainly has the right to reign over humanity. We will next consider the authority of Christ.
God recognized the authority of Christ. At the baptism of Jesus, God said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:17). On another occasion, at the transfiguration, God said the same thing (Mt. 17:5), but added: “hear HIM.” Christ was the one they were to hear instead of Moses and Elijah, who had appeared with Jesus on this glorious occasion. The Law of Moses was to be done away with soon (Col. 2:14). Also, according to Matthew 16:17, it was God who had revealed to Peter that Jesus was His Son, and God bore witness to His divinity (Jn. 8:18).
Consider what Jesus Himself had to say. When Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, he told certain Jews, “. . . “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me” (Jn. 7:16). He later said, (Jn. 8:28) “. . . I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things,” and He further said, “The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works” (Jn. 14:10).
Various ones recognized the authority of Christ. Many were astonished at his doctrine and noted, in contrast to the scribes, He taught “as one having authority” (Mt. 7:28-29). In Matthew 16:16, Peter said of Him, “. . . You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Please also note John 6:68-69.) Also, the centurion, who was involved in the crucifixion of Jesus, said, after Jesus’ death, “. . . Truly this Man was the Son of God!” (Mk. 15:39). Further, Thomas, seeing Jesus after his resurrection, with reverence, said, “My Lord and My God” (Jn. 20:28).
The devils, or demons, also understood his authority as James 2:19 says that even they “believe and tremble.” When Jesus was in the country of the Gergesenes (Mt. 8:29), demons, who had possessed two people cried out to Jesus, “. . . Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
Various other passages reveal the authority of Jesus. After Jesus’ resurrection, but before his ascension, he said, in sending the apostles out to teach God’s Word, that all power, or authority, was given to Him in heaven and on earth (Mt. 28:18-20). The Bible also teaches that Christ is the head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18). His headship of the church certainly carries with it authority. Hebrews 1:1-2 further reveals that God had spoken unto the fathers by the prophets, but then says that He “. . . has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.” In another passage, we learn that God told Moses he would raise a prophet (Deut. 18:18). Peter quoted these words in a sermon in Acts 3 and applied them to Christ. Peter said ( v. 22), “For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.”
It is essential to understand the authority of Christ, and we must be subject to it.
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How the Holy Spirit Converts
Mark White
Conversion to Christ involves the work of the Holy Spirit. Of this we have much scriptural testimony. In fact, the Holy Spirit is essential to conversion. Hardly anyone would deny this. However, there is much dispute over the way in which the Holy Spirit assists in the conversion of a sinner. Frequently, we hear testimonies from people who declare that the Holy Spirit overwhelmed them in some way or the other. To their minds, salvation is a “better-felt-than-told” emotional experience. It is almost impossible to reason from Scripture with people who believe that they have been saved in such a supernatural way.
Generally, there are two theories about the role of the Holy Spirit in conversion. First, there is the idea that man is so spiritually dead that only a miraculous intervention of the Holy Spirit can produce regeneration. This majority view asserts that the Spirit must operate directly — even irresistibly — on a sinner’s heart in order to burn away the sinful nature which keeps man from accepting God’s will. The direct operation of the Holy Spirit precludes His use of any medium or agency to convert the sinner, such as the word of God.
Secondly, there is the view that the Spirit converts through the medium or agency of the word of God. Operating through the word, the Spirit accesses the hearts of men, convicts them, and causes them to come to Jesus by obeying His gospel.
Now, please be aware that the omnipotent Spirit of God could use either of these means if He so desired. This is not a question of what the Spirit has power to do, but one of what He actually does. What does the word of God reveal concerning what the Spirit actually does to convert sinners?
Jesus taught that when the Holy Spirit came, He would convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). Jesus explained in verse 9 that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin, “because they believe not on me.” Jesus is the pure, sinless, and holy Son of God. To reject Him is to reject God (Luke 10:16) and to oppose what is right. The Holy Spirit’s word convicts the sinner of sin in rejecting the Savior. In verse 10, Jesus said the Holy Spirit convicts of “righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see me no more.” Jesus was condemned by man on a charge of blasphemy, but His resurrection, ascension, and exaltation to God’s right hand established His claim of equality with God. Through the word, the Holy Spirit works on the sinner’s heart, convincing him that Christ is righteous and he is guilty. Further, in verse 11 Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit convicts “of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” Paul called Satan “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4). He withstood Jesus in every way, although he was ultimately unsuccessful. He was responsible for the death of Jesus, hoping to not only destroy His life but also His work. When God raised Jesus from the tomb, the plans of the Devil were foiled, and his doom sealed. He is under the judgment of God! The gospel (revealed by the Holy Spirit) works in the heart of a sinner, convicting him of the absolute certainty of his own accountability before God.
Please understand that the Spirit does not coerce our conviction. There is no arm-twisting, nor is there any trickery or physical force involved in bringing us to faith in Christ. Suppose you were trying to convince a friend of siding with you on some issue you both face. Your friend has the freedom to accept your ideas, or to reject them altogether. To gain his agreement, you would present all the facts you could, make logical arguments, draw sound conclusions and be as persuasive as possible that your ideas must be accepted. This is exactly how the Holy Spirit operates upon our free wills through His word. In short, conversion does not occur miraculously through the Spirit’s direct intervention. There is no evidence that the Holy Spirit convicts sinners against their wills.
The Scriptures teach that the Spirit operates through the word of truth which He has revealed. In every instance of conversion in the New Testament, the Spirit and the word are never separated. The word of God was taught to every person who was converted to Christ. Certainly, some miracles were performed, and there were outpourings of the Holy Spirit. Yet, each case shows that the Spirit’s word had to be believed and obeyed for salvation to take place. In fact, the Holy Spirit was “poured out” when conversion was not the object of such outpouring. Consider what happened in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. The apostles received the Spirit (v. 1-4) and then spoke by His power. They were inspired messengers of the Spirit. Declaring the righteousness of Christ, Peter preached the gospel and identified Jesus as the long-awaited Christ (v. 36). This Spirit-inspired teaching convicted these people and prompted them to ask, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (v. 37). They were instructed to “repent and be baptized” so they could be forgiven and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (38).
Furthermore, the case of Cornelius in Acts 10 demonstrates that the Holy Spirit was “poured out” (v. 45) upon these Gentiles, but not for the purpose of salvation. In spite of such an outpouring of the Spirit upon them, Cornelius and his household still needed to be “baptized in the name of the Lord” (v. 48). Belief in Christ was essential for the “remission of sins” (v. 43). To give Cornelius the information he needed to formulate such faith, Peter taught him the Spirit-inspired gospel (v. 34-43). Later, in Acts 11:14, Peter relates that an angel had spoken to Cornelius telling him to send for Peter to come to Joppa. Peter’s purpose there was to “tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.” These “words” which convicted Cornelius and instilled faith in his heart were words inspired by the Holy Spirit! Cornelius may have been “baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 11:16), but it was the Spirit’s convicting message which brought him to salvation.
Consider the fact that genuine faith comes by hearing God’s word (Rom. 10:17). Our hearts are made pure by faith (Acts 15:9). Birth by water and by the Spirit (John 3:5) is essential for one who wishes to see the kingdom. Paul said that the Corinthians were born by the gospel (1 Cor. 4:15). James added that God birthed us with the “word of truth” (1:18). Finally, Peter assures us that we were “born again … through the word of God which lives and abides forever.” (1 Pet. 1:23). The evidence is abundant that the Spirit convicts and converts through the agency of the Scriptures.
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Was Jesus a Vegetarian?
Did Jesus Eat Meat?
Jeffrey W. Hamilton
On March 17, 1999, the Omaha World Herald reprinted a hilarious article by Bill Broadway of the Washington Post. It seems the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have launched a campaign to claim that Jesus was a vegetarian. Billboards stating “Jesus was a vegetarian. Show respect for God’s creatures – follow Him” are being placed around the country.
What is the basis of this unusual claim?
- “Jesus belonged to the Essenes, who some historians believe were one of several Jewish sects that abhorred animal sacrifice and were practicing vegetarians.”
- When Jesus drove the money changers from the temple, “he directed most of his ire at vendors in this ‘den of thieves’ who were selling animals for sacrifice and consumption.”
- “There is no mention in the New Testament of Jesus eating poultry, beef, or lamb, even during the last meal with his disciples, where Scripture mentions only bread and wine.”
- “Passages in the Bible prove that God – from the Garden of Eden on – always meant for humans to be vegetarians.”
To answer these claims, we need to note that Jesus was a Jew who perfectly kept the Law of Moses perfectly.
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf . . .” (II Corinthians 5:21)
“… One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:16)
As a Jew, Jesus must have kept the Law of Moses perfectly. Yet that same law required all Jews to keep the Passover celebration.
“All the congregation of Israel are to celebrate [the Passover].” (Exodus 12:47)
The Gospels specifically mention Jesus keeping three Passover feasts in Jerusalem. However, in order to keep the feast, the participants were given roasted lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread to eat (Exodus 12:3-4). The entire lamb had to be eaten during the feast. If there were any leftovers, they had to be burned (Exodus 12:10). If Jesus did not eat the lamb, he would have been violating the Law and could have been accused of sin.
“… observe the Passover to the LORD. ‘In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight, they shall observe it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ‘They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it. ‘But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet neglects to observe the Passover, that person shall then be cut off from his people, for he did not present the offering of the LORD at its appointed time. That man will bear his sin.” (Numbers 9:10-13)
The New Testament records that Jesus did eat the Passover feast, which would include the eating of the roasted lamb (Luke 22:14-15). In fact, before the last Passover meal, Jesus specifically instructs his disciples to prepare the meal, including the lamb, for their observance.
“Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.’” (Luke 22:7-8)
Not only did Jesus eat lamb, but he also ate fish. “But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, ‘Have you any food here?’ So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence” (Luke 24:41-43). He served it for the 4,000 in Matthew 15:34-37. Jesus also promoted the catching of fish for the purpose of consuming them.
“So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. … So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise.” (John 21:5-6, 9-14)
I noticed the folks at PETA were careful to avoid saying that Jesus did not eat fish. What is the difference between the consumption of a land animal and a sea animal?
It is true that in the beginning, mankind only ate vegetables (Genesis 1:29-30). However, this was changed when Noah departed the ark.
“Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.” (Genesis 9:3)
Under the Law of Moses, the eating of various kinds of meat was allowed (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14:3-20). The eating of beef, lamb, various poultry and fish were permissible for any Jew. Jesus’ eating of these animals would not violate the Law.
The claim that Jesus belonged to a group of vegetarian Essenes is simply wishful thinking on PETA’s part. The Essenes are not mentioned in the New Testament, nor is there any mention of Jesus belonging to any Jewish sect.
The idea that Jesus and God, the Father, would oppose the killing of animals is hilarious! Did you know that God was the first to kill animals to make clothing for Adam and Eve? (See Genesis 3:21.)
God’s Law to Israel required numerous animal sacrifices. If Jesus protested animal sacrifices, then he would have been protesting the teachings of the Law of Moses. Fighting God’s law is a sin, yet Jesus was without sin. When Jesus cast out the money changers from the temple, he was protesting the profiting being made from an ordinance of God (Mark 11:17).
“And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, ‘Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” (John 2:14-16)
Christians are not forbidden to eat meat. Any meat may be eaten except for blood and strangled animals (because the blood remains in the meat). Peter was commanded by God to kill and eat the animals God presented before him (Acts 10:9-16). Paul instructed Christians to eat anything sold in the meat market without question (I Corinthians 10:25-26). In fact, the forbidding of eating certain foods is an indication of people departing from the Christian faith.
“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.” (I Timothy 4:1-5)
From www.lavistachurchofchrist.org
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Beware of Satan’s Counterfeits!
E.R. Hall, Jr.
The Devil uses every means available to bewitch and deceive people. He has imitated everything pertaining to God and has been quite effective at passing around the counterfeit as being the real thing. The degree of his effectiveness can be seen in that there are many people who believe anything and everything is OK in religion. If this is the case, why did Jesus warn that we could worship Him in vain (Matthew 15:9)? We need to watch out for the counterfeits of Satan. What are some of his counterfeits?
FALSE GODS. Idolatry is one of the oldest counterfeits that mankind has fallen for. It constantly plagued the children of Israel throughout their history. Today, the devil has a very well disguised god: covetousness (Colossians 3:5). It is sometimes referred to as “the almighty dollar” and the unsatisfiable appetite for the things money can buy. We live in a society where a person is measured by the things he has. The qualities of “godliness with contentment” mentioned in 1 Timothy 6:6 are given nothing more than lip-service. Many people are worshiping the god of covetousness, for Satan has counterfeited it to appear as a way of life.
FALSE TEACHERS. Where are the false teachers? There aren’t any! People no longer respect God’s Word enough to use it to prove the message preachers preach anymore. Everybody’s got the right to their own belief and practice. With this attitude prevailing, false teachers are a thing of the past. Isaiah’s day was much like today: “…Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophecy deceits:” (Isaiah 30:10). The truth in the matter is there are many false prophets! “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1). Satan has many ministers who preach almost all of the truth.
FALSE DOCTRINES. It only follows that if Satan has counterfeit preachers, he would also have counterfeited the things they teach. Doctrine which is genuine is the doctrine of Christ. That is, it originated with Christ. This is the doctrine that we must “abide in” (3 John 9,10). There is not another gospel but there are gospels that are perverted (Galatians 1:6,7). These “gospels” sound a lot like the real thing; just like a counterfeit twenty dollar bill looks like the real thing. Yet, regardless of our honesty or sincerity, we are holding a worthless piece of paper in our hand. So it is in religious matters. Regardless of our sincerity, if we believe and practice a doctrine that originated with man, our religion and worship is vain. (Matthew 15:9). No matter how long we have practiced a certain belief or been recognized as a member of some religious organization, that does not make it right any more than the possibility that a counterfeit twenty dollar bill will become worth $20 if we continue to carry it around in our billfold or pocketbook.
WATCH OUT for Satan’s counterfeits! They look and sound mighty convincing.
From What the Bible Says
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Friendship
Carl Witty
Jesus was a master at friendship. He did not condescend to His disciples; He called them friends. In John 15:11-15 Jesus spoke to His friends, the twelve disciples, and revealed the basis of their (and our) friendship with Him: “… Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are my friends if you do whatever I command you…”
With all of warnings of bad friendship such as Job & his three friends, Ammon & Jonadad, and Herod (Matthew 14: 1-12), do we even dare to cultivate friendships?
The answer is yes! The Bible gives us abundant examples of the power of friendship to make our lives better.
- “Avoid isolation” — Realize that cultivating true friendships require time and setting priorities. Proverbs 18:24: “A man who has friends must show himself friendly.”
- “Build more windows and fewer walls” — Two passages seem to me to advocate our need for self-disclosure. James 5:16— “confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much,” and Proverbs 27:17 — “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” Everyone needs at least one friend to whom he can tell everything. Openness draws others to us; secretiveness keeps others at a distance.
- “Express your feelings and affection for others” — There is a place for putting feelings into words. Proverbs, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”
Our most wonderful and precious friendship is with Jesus. The promise to the disciples (John 15) is also ours. What a friend we have in Jesus! James G. Small expressed the joy of having Jesus as our friend in his song:
I’ve Found a Friend
I’ve found a Friend, oh, such a friend!
He loved me ere I knew Him;
He drew me with the cords of love,
And thus He bound me to Him.
And round my heart still closely twine
Those ties which naught can sever,
For I am His, and He is mine,
Forever and forever
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Short Audio Messages
Design Demands a Designer (3:59)
Mike Johnson
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Editor: Mike Johnson