Always Reforming

"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."     We need to be mature Christians because not everyone who stands up and reads the Bible is actually delivering a message of God to us.  Remember, when Satan tempted Jesus in L...

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete."     Jesus Christ is life.  He is eternal life.  Heaven is heaven because it is a permanent state of fellowship with God and with the life that was manifested, in human flesh, to the world.  "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." John 17:3      In this passage we have the clear and yet impossi...

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."      This post is going to get me into trouble.  You have to promise to read all of it if you read any of it.  Promise?  Okay...continue.     Did you know that nowhere in the Bible does God condemn fornication as the English dictionary defines it?  If we define fornication as sexual intercourse between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman, the Bible does not condemn this.  It condemns homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22).  It condemns incest (Lev 18:6).  It condemns adultery (in the Ten Commandments, people).  It condemns sexual intercourse during the woman's menstrual cycle (Lev 18:19).  It even explicitly condemns bestiality, as if that wasn't a clear one (Lev 18:23).  But nowhere, that I can find, does the Bible (Old or New T...

"Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."     This passage is chalk full of practical instruction that is urgently needed in not only this present society, but even in the Church.  I will draw from it, however, only two quick thoughts.  Firstly, the young people in our churches need to heed this call to subjection to authority or the next generation will be worse off than we.  This subjection is rooted in the humility that Peter so strongly commends to their attention.  Humility is a necessary prerequisite for proper subjection to...

"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."     Paul tells the Philippians that his wish for them is love--abounding love--overflowing from their hearts.  This is no mere emotion.  This is no ignorant love.  No, it is tempered by knowledge and discernment.  This love requires using our brains.  This love requires knowledge of God's Word and application through wisdom.  But what is the end of this love?  Paul wants us to approve, or choose, that which is excellent.  How do we choose the excellent?       Firstly, we recognize that life doesn't always offer us the choice between right and wrong.  Sometimes life offers us wrong, right, and more right....

"As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths."     So, I'm posting this here where no one really reads anything I say because I know no one would like to hear what I say.  Here goes.  If, by some miracle, you're actually reading this, I warn you, I'm not a chauvinist.  I don't think women are worth less than men and therefore don't have the right to lead.  Instead, I believe the Bible outlines different roles for men and women.  Men shouldn't take over women's roles.  Women, in turn, shouldn't take over men's roles.  I'm not talking so much about cooking and clean versus lifting stuff.  I'm talking about leading and following.  I'm talking about earning the keep and keeping the home.      Without going into a lengthy discourse as to the Bible's view of roles in marriage and in government, I...

    "Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted."     Now for our final installment from 1 Timothy 1.  Here Paul officially settles the debate between modern day "legalists" and "licentiousists" (I made that last one up).  The law is good, if used lawfully.  This is a little bit of a play on words.  It's almost as if Paul is saying, "Well, of course the law is good, if we use it the way it was meant to be used."  Throughout the history of the Church (both the Old and New Testa...