Canonicity

By: Louis Rushmore You state: “The Old Testament canon was accepted as it is at least by the second century B.C. The New Testament canon was accepted within one generation after the death of the apostle John. The Bible canon has stood the tests applied to it by critics throughout the centuries. Counterfeit books of the Bible have been discovered to be false when compared with the genuine. The inspiration of the Bible books is inherent and does not rely upon verification by outside sources.” How do you know that “The Old Testament canon was accepted as it is at least by the second century B.C.”?  How do you know that “The New Testament canon was accepted within one generation after the death of the apostle John”? These are SERIOUS questions that I would like you to answer. ~ Agabus The querist with the cryptic signature of “Agabus” questions a couple of statements of mine that appear in an article about canonicity.  His critique pertains to my concluding paragraph to the article entitled “Biblical Canonicity.”  Immediately following that paragraph the following list of resources appears.  The substantiation for each affirmation I made in the article, including those under review presently, reside in those citations. Suggested reading includes: Revelation and the Bible by Berkouwer and others, published by Baker Book House (1958); Inspiration and Canonicity of the Bible by Harris, published by Zondervan Publishing House (1974); General Biblical Introduction by Miller, published by Word-Bearer Press (1960); and, Introduction to the New Testament by Thiessen, published by Eerdmans Publishing Co. (1973). The …

Co-Habitation

By: Louis Rushmore “What does the Bible teach about co-habitation? ~ Dan Gannon” The question is short and unadorned.  It is difficult to know the perspective from which the querist poses the inquiry and for what reason it is submitted.  However, a sufficient response, we suppose, is possible by first identifying the definition of “co-habitation,” and second, by taking that definition to the Bible. “Cohabit” means “1 : to live together as or as if a married couple.”  [Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, (Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated) 1993.]  Further, to cohabit is refined to mean:  “1. to live together as husband and wife, usu. without legal or religious sanction.”  [Webster’s Talking Dictionary, (Parsons Technology, Inc.) 1996.]   Another dictionary adds:  “1. To live together as spouses, especially when not legally married.”  [Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99, (Redmond, Washington: Microsoft) 1998.] Hence, usually “cohabitation” is distinguished from marriage.  Further, those cohabiting may be a heterosexual couple, but they may instead be (1) homosexuals, (2) lesbians, (3) a plurality of communal, heterosexual participants, (4) polygamists or (5) incestuous parties. Since the 1960s, several variations on the family unit have emerged. More unmarried couples are living together, before or instead of marrying. Some elderly couples, most often widowed, are finding it more economically practical to cohabit without marrying. Homosexual couples also live together as a family more openly today, sometimes sharing their households with the children of one partner or with adopted or foster children. Communal families, made up of groups of related or unrelated people, …

A.D. 70 Theory

By: Louis Rushmore Could you give me a little information on the doctrine of Kingism (70 A D)? ~ Norma Preston Apparently the A.D. 70 Theory predates its introduction into the churches of Christ, but has been popularized by Max R. King of Warren, Ohio.  The proponents of this doctrine are militant.  They have schooled several men over the years in this notion and sent them out to an often unsuspecting brotherhood.  Their literature abounding with this one doctrine is plenteous.  Consequently, several congregations where they have exerted any influence have been troubled and often divided over the A.D. 70 Theory. On the surface, the A.D. 70 Theory hardly appears believable.  It appears absurd that anyone would seriously consider such a doctrine.  Especially religious people who usually exhibit a high regard for the authority of God’s Word and have intense familiarity with it would hardly be expected to be duped by such a thing.  However, the A.D. 70 Theory has been embraced by many anyway.  Part of the reason several have been susceptible to the persuasion of its proponents may be attributable to laxity in personal Bible study before hand. The A.D. 70 Theory portrays all end-of-time events about which the Bible speaks as having already occurred at the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.  For the proponents of this doctrine, all biblical prophecy is fulfilled.  To accomplish this hermeneutically, its proponents have authored an entirely new vocabulary with which to replace biblical vocabulary.  Any doctrine can seem plausible if …

Paul Keeps The Law

By: Louis Rushmore Acts 21 seems to say Paul kept parts of the law.  The apostles wrote a letter to the gentiles “Not to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things”  Acts 15: 28-29 and also Acts 21.  Why did Paul keep the law?  I know alot of people who say Jews must keep parts of the law and gentiles don’t. ~ D. Peery The ministry of the apostle Paul was especially to the Gentiles (Acts 26:16-18; Romans 15:15-16).  He, though, was a Jew who identified with the sect of the Pharisees (Philippians 3:4-8).  Other Pharisees who became Christians were particularly vocal and insistent that Gentiles who became Christians ought to practice Judaism before they could practice Christianity (Acts  15:1-5).  That was the message they brought to the predominantly Gentile church in Antioch of Syria, purportedly from the apostles and elders in the Jerusalem church. The only matter under consideration in Acts 15:6-31 was whether Gentiles were obligated to proselyte to Judaism before they could become Christians.  The apostles and elders in Jerusalem concluded that no such instruction had been received from the Holy Spirit regarding the Gentiles.  They, therefore, sent a letter and preachers to convey that conclusion to the church in Antioch to counter the misinformation that Pharisee Christians had presented there.  The apostles and elders added exhortations about Christian living that addressed the temptations to sin to which Gentiles were especially susceptible. Further, the apostle Paul adamantly taught on several occasions that both Jews …

Lifting Up Holy Hands

By: Louis Rushmore “Please explain 1 Tim 2:8 re: lifting up holy hands.” Pete Tucker, Edgewood Church of Christ, Columbus, GA “Lifting up holy hands” in the context of 1 Timothy 2:8 refers to a posture of prayer by the male member articulating a public prayer.  The verse reads, “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”  The Greek word for “men” here refers to the masculine gender rather than being inclusive of women as in “mankind.”  The brother audibly making the prayer here raises his hands.  The phrase “lifting up holy hands” does not refer to any of the non-verbal participants in that prayer, men or women.  Further, the “lifting up holy hands” is not comparable to the audience raising their hands and swaying, etc. Various postures were employed in biblical times, as now, for prayer.  No particular posture is especially superior to any other posture in prayer.  Prayerful postures include, kneeling (1 Kings 8:54; 2 Chronicles 6:13; Psalms 95:6; Luke 22:41; Acts 9:40), bowing one’s head (Genesis 24:26; Exodus 4:31; 12:27), lying face down (Matthew 26:39), standing or kneeling and raising one’s hands (1 Kings 8:22, 54; Psalms 28:2; 63:4; 88:9), standing (1 Samuel 1:26; Mark 11:25; Luke 18:11, 13). As to the lifting up of the hands, the following can be stated: Vincent says that among the orientals, the lifting up of the hands accompanied the taking of an oath, blessing, and prayer. The custom passed over into the …

The Apostle Paul’s Place In New Testament Christianity

By: Dennis Gulledge The subject of our study is one of the most admired men who ever lived.  He penned more of the New Testament than any other inspired writer.  Probably more books have been written about him, second only to Jesus.  Perhaps the most widely studied work on Paul in the 19th century is The Life and Epistles of St. Paul (2 vols., 1852) written by W.J. Conybeare and J.S. Howson.  Another valuable book is St. Paul The Traveller and Roman Citizen (1895) by William M. Ramsay.  These books present a scholarly and conservative approach to the life of the great apostle.  There is a current revival of interest in the life of Paul, and the books about him that are coming from so many of the modern “scholars” are not of the same character as Conybeare, Howson and Ramsay.  The latter books about the apostle seem to serve some political agenda of modernism. Paul has been the subject of many high profile revisionists who are taking another look at the great apostle.  The Arkansas Democrat Gazette (February 7, 1998) carried an article by Hieu Tran Phan, entitled, “Blinded by the Light: Paul’s Role in the Formation of Christianity Again Being Scrutinized” (p. 4B).  Also, the news magazine U.S. News & World Report ran an article by Jeffery L. Sheler, entitled, “Reassessing an Apostle,” with the subtitle, “The quest for the historical St. Paul yields some surprising new theories” (pp. 52-55).  The basis of both of these articles is to re-examine Paul’s place in the establishment of …

The Need for Christian EducationAt the Elementary and Secondary Levels

By: Andy Robison Recently, the Kansas State Board of Education nobly decided to exclude the theory of evolution from testing standards.  The decision drew rude criticism from arrogant liberals.  This reaction of prejudice underscores the basic need for Christian education. After a summer of healing, Columbine students and teachers return to school with understandable anxiety and admirable hope.  The circumstances that led to the senseless acts that rocked their school and world last April point further to the need for the proliferation of Christian-based schools. My call for more Christian schools is not based on a delusion.  Never have I, nor will I, believe that Christian schools offer a utopia wherein brotherly love rules uninterrupted and wrong ideas are never presented.  In the most guarded of settings, students will have to be disciplined and teachers reprimanded.  Some will face dismissal due to the lack of moral or doctrinal integrity.  In these negatives, nevertheless, lie the blessings. At public schools, students living immorally are applauded by peers, and sometimes by teachers.  Their behavior and such insidiously positive reinforcement are powerfully negative influences on the young Christian trying to live “in, but not of, the world.”   At Christian schools, the enrolled can be disciplined for things like promiscuity and drunkenness, even if those things took place outside of school hours.   At public schools, students who wear advertisements for hate groups and satanic cults are defended by the ACLU.  At Christian schools, their display is stopped, most likely before it degrades into bitter, …

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Never The Same Again

By: Judy Corns If the fundamental of the Christian position is true, and it is, that the man Jesus is the Son of God, then one can never, ever be the same after this discovery.  We just do not ignore Jesus after being introduced to him!  If the Bible is read and we are seeking and searching for the meaning it holds, then the Book cannot easily be closed and placed on a shelf with the remark of “How interesting!” Jesus is not just interesting!  However, he is compelling!  He can, through loving words, comfort the sorrowing or rebuke the sinner.  Sadness turns to joy as a repentant sinner begins righteous living.  Jesus can profoundly disturb and challenge anyone willing to read and study the Scriptures, having a faith to attempt an understanding.  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  Morally and spiritually Jesus will stroke the heartstrings as he offers life eternal to any repentant and believing soul.  To those engulfed in hate, “God commendeth his love toward us . . .” (Romans 5:8).  For those lost in the dark, Jesus has this to say, “I am come a light into the world that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46).  The hopeless find he gives a reason to live, “In lively hope through knowledge of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).  Turning from sin has an eternal reward. When …

School Daze

By: Elizabeth Robison The Bible, God, and prayer were used to start each day in a positive way when I began teaching elementary school in 1958.  Now, at the close of the twentieth century, federal law forbids any such action.  What has happened in our public schools? We shall recall those early days and how things used to be, how they are now and, most importantly, what can be done to rectify the situation. When I commenced my career forty-one years ago, I kept a Bible on my desk at school. Every morning “Opening Exercises” consisted of reading a few verses (either by a student or myself) from God’s Word, followed by the class repeating the model prayer, commonly called the “Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13).  We sang a patriotic song and concluded with all of us reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in unison. During the course of the day, as we studied various subjects, I felt that I could (and I did) freely mention God’s part in our lives.  For example, I recall in  Health class that we studied the human body as, according to our textbooks, “a masterpiece of engineering design.” We would discuss how well-suited our various systems are to do the jobs intended, how we have back-up features, such as two eyes, two ears, etc. From there, the logical conclusion I would guide my class to reach was that all these wonderful features could not have “just happened.”  Where there is design, there must be a designer.  …

Absolutes Are Still Necessary

By: Eddie Cooper Have you heard or read the following statement, “There are no absolutes?”  This is becoming quite common when someone wants to disregard law or authority of any kind. After purchasing a computer several years ago, I soon found out that “absolutes” are necessary.  In my reading, I found out that a computer is really very simple.  (Some may question that!)  Numbers, words, sounds and pictures can all be represented by codes, conventionally expressed as strings of zeroes and ones.  Computers are machines which carry out operations on such codes according to rules with which they are supplied.  Moreover, they do this quickly.  Information of all kinds, and in vast quantities, can be processed and communicated almost instantaneously.  But, woe to the person who tries to ignore the codes or breaks the rules.  CRASH!!!! Whether we like it or not, there are always absolutes that we have to deal with in life.  For instance, working mathematical problems means there are some absolutes.  All school children know that 2 + 2 = 4.  That is an absolute.  Men may try to manipulate all they want, but the answer is still the same regardless of what men may say the answer is.  In order to drive an automobile, there are some absolutes.  Before driving off in a car, one must absolutely have the keys (unless he is able to “hot wire” one), turn on the ignition and then he can drive off. When it comes to the matter of salvation, there are some absolutes.  One must have FAITH (Romans 10:17) and this …

Do Not Lose Your Grip

By: Mark McWhorter When I was growing up I watched a lot of cartoons. It was not unusual in a cartoon for a character to fall over the edge of a cliff. The character many times would grab hold of a branch of a small tree to keep from falling. The character would hold on to this branch until someone would rescue him. You could say that the character held firm to the branch. His grip was sure and steadfast because he did not want to fall. He was not going to let go of that branch no matter what happened. We are to be that way with God. We are not to let go of our hope of living with God in heaven forever. The word in the Greek which could mean “not losing your grip” is used in Hebrews 6:18-19. There we read, “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.” The word for “not lose your grip” is the word “stedfast.” We must never let go of our hope for heaven. We must keep a tight grip on it. And the only way to do that is to always study our Bible and obey what it says. We must …

Be a Good Sacrifice

By: Mark McWhorter In the Old Testament we read that God required His people to offer sacrifices to him. This was true from the very beginning of man. We know from Genesis Chapter Four that animal sacrifices were used. Later when Moses gives the Old Law to the Israelites, animal sacrifice is commanded. The animal to be sacrificed was to be an unblemished animal. This means that the animal was not to have any deformity on the outside. The animal was also to be unblemished on the inside. The priest would cut the animal completely in half. He would inspect it to make sure that it was the kind of animal that God would accept. Such an animal was considered clean in the eyes of God. Now we know that many of the sacrifices were done as a representation of when Christ would give his life as a sacrifice for our sins. Christ lived a perfect life and was completely unblemished in his spiritual life. The Greeks had words to describe animal sacrifices because they also sacrificed animals. But they were not offering their sacrifices to the true God. One of the words they used is used in Hebrews 4:13. “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” The word “opened” was used to refer to the act of slicing the animal’s throat when the animal was first …

Christian Woman: Where Is She Today? What Is Her Role In The Church?

By: Bonnie Rushmore My lesson today will be three-fold.  First, we will discuss godly women.  Second, we will review some restrictions God has placed on women.  Third, we will consider what Christian women can and should be doing in the kingdom of God.  Our emphasis today will be on fulfilling our responsibilities in the church. Our overall theme for today has been Christian Woman – Where Is She Today?  It was once said the only difference between men and boys is the size of their shoes and the price of their toys.  It has also been said that the only difference between the sins of years ago and the sins of today is the tools used to commit those sins.  Both of these sayings imply the same thing. People do not change from one time period to another.  I would suggest that a godly woman has not changed from the beginning of time until now.  With this thought in mind, let me show you from Bible characters what a godly woman should be. First, godly women need the faith of Sarah.  I picture this scenario in my mind.  Abraham comes home one day and says, “Sarah, God told me we are to leave all this behind and travel to a new land.” Sarah asks, “Where are we going?” To which Abraham replies, “I do not know.” “When will be get there?” asks Sarah. “God did not tell me,” is the reply.  Still Sarah willingly left family and friends behind to …

Behave Yourself!

In today’s society people often present the benefits of being popular and being respected as diametrically opposed. Popular thinking would also have us believe that morality must be sacrificed completely in order for people in the world to like us. Although it is certainly true that darkness hates light, it does not follow that God’s people are therefore totally unlikable! First Samuel 18:5 provides a wonderful example for us when the inspired writer records, “And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.” At this time Saul had already decided that David was a threat, and his plans to keep David from becoming king were well known to David as well as many other people. However, the most important point to learn is not from the attitude that Saul displayed but from the attitude exhibited by David toward Saul.David did not let the attitude that dominated Saul’s life change the way that he knew he ought to behave toward him. All too often we react quite differently when we are presented with similar situations. Saul’s actions were plainly wrong, but this did not justify a change in David’s behavior. David showed himself to be wise in his behavior because he did not let the actions of others cause him to be unfaithful to God. When we lash out without …

The Compromise of Theistic Evolution Part 1

“There is nothing unscriptural about the concept you would label ‘theistic evolution,’” said the young man in his letter.  “Evolution appears to be the mechanism of creation in an ancient world.  Man appeared only very recently on the scene.  I feel that God imparted souls to primates that had reached a stage of development sufficient for God’s plan for man – Adam and Eve included,” he went on to say.  And so one more stands forth to try to defend the corrupt and utterly false doctrine of “theistic evolution.”  Unfortunately, this is not just an isolated incident.  Amidst all the discussion of whether atheistic evolution or special creation is true, a group of people has arisen which claims that both are true. These people hold to “theistic evolution” (also known by the synonyms of “religious evolution,” “mitigated evolution,” “progressive creation” or “threshold evolution”).  Their name is Legion; their tribe is increasing!  And many (such as the young man who wrote the above-mentioned letter) are militant in their belief and anxious to recruit others to it. What Is Theistic Evolution? The word “theistic” comes from the Greek word theos, meaning God.  Therefore, when one claims to be a “theistic” evolutionist, he is claiming to believe in both God and evolution at the same time.  As Dr. J.D. Bales has remarked: There are many in the religious world, and a few in the New Testament church, who think that Genesis can and must be harmonized with evolution.  They are theistic evolutionists who maintain that evolution was God’s …

The Cosmic Connections To Lightning?

Lightning is truly one of God’s unique creations. It has for thousands of years marveled mankind with its power and showiness. The phenomenon of lightning has for years generated questions in the minds of scientists such as, “what causes it?” and “what controls it?” New ideas are now being put forth in order to explain one particular aspect in the pattern of lightning–the reason it zigs and zags. A team of Russian and American researchers now feel that cosmic rays may be involved in the zigzag pattern of lightning. Cosmic rays are high energy protons and other particles that zing to Earth from all around the galaxy. These rays influence the molecules in our atmosphere as they hit them and pass on their energy. It may just be this input of energy and where it occurs that determines the path that lightning takes as it moves from the Earth to the clouds. To further explain, lightning is not one continuous stream of electrons but many short lengths joined together. Each cosmic ray comes from a different angle and direction and so each short section of lightning travels off in another path. This results in the pattern we see as we watch the lightning strike. No matter what the source, this display in nature shows two things: (1) man’s ability to understand and explain even those events we can see is limited, and (2) along side the power that God has placed in his creation of the universe, man is very weak and …

Glogus, The Seaslug

Found within the animal kingdom are wide variations of marvelously designed animals that call into question the wisdom of conventional evolutionary logic. These organisms have characteristics that are so complex that it is impossible to explain how these characteristics came about. We have trouble even explaining how they occur. One such animal is “Glogus,” a seaslug. This member of the order of Mollusca has a very unique appetite and ability. Glogus lives within a complete community in the open ocean floating along on the seaweed Sargassum. The area of the Atlantic Ocean where this seaweed gathers is called the Sargasso Sea. Glogus is quite small, only 2 to 3 inches long. It is capable of eating a most unusual food, the tentacles of the jellyfish, Portuguese Man of War. This may not seem like a real challenge unless we understand that all jellyfish have specialized stinging cells called cnidocysts. These cell are discharged by any contact on the trigger portion of the cell. The Man of War’s stinging cells contain one of the more potent poisons in the phylum Coelenterate, powerful enough even to kill a human. But the ability of Glogus to feed upon these tentacles and stinging cells without suffering any harm does not end the story. The seaslug can bite off the stinging cells, swallow them and then move them into the extensions sticking off his body. The stinging cells are then available to discharge upon contact with any enemy of Glogus who gets too close. While …

Communion on Sunday Night

Most, if not all, congregations give those who are “providentially hindered” on Sunday mornings an opportunity to partake of the communion and give of their means at the evening service.  “Providentially hindered” refers to: The practice has an Old Testament precedent.  Eating the Lord’s Supper is the New Testament equivalent of eating the Passover in the Old Testament.  Israel was commanded to eat the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, but God made arrangements for them to “make it up” on the fourteenth day of the second month under certain circumstances.  He commanded, “If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the Passover unto the Lord.  The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs . . .” (Numbers 9:10-11).  So under these special circumstances, God still wanted them to eat the Passover.  This is parallel to being unable to be at the morning service and then partaking of it on Sunday night (since the communion is a weekly occurrence rather than an annual feast). This practice places the proper emphasis on the importance of taking the communion.  In many modern churches the Lord’s Supper has not been emphasized as it was in the days of the apostles.  Some groups only take it once or twice a year.  In a recent conversation, one …

Biblical Canonicity

 Have you ever pondered: “Which books belong in the Bible?” Probably not. The question of biblical canonicity, though perhaps never considered by most people, is of paramount importance if men are to appropriately serve God. God’s Word must be sure in order for men to confidently prepare themselves for eternity. God’s Word must also be free of corruption, subtraction or addition that might otherwise adversely affect that preparation.   Fortunately, mortal man has no need to become alarmed pondering which books belong in the Bible. Our God is powerful enough to preserve his Word. Ample evidence overwhelmingly confirms that the Bible with which we are familiar is the complete and uncorrupted Word of God.   Insofar as translations have been accurately translated from the original languages, those translations are the inspired Word of God. No doctrine has been corrupted in reliable translations. Some translations, however, have not been accurately translated, but there is no doubt concerning the validity of the Bible text in the languages in which it was originally written.   The word “canon” appears in the Greek New Testament about five times (2 Corinthians 10:13, 15-16; Galatians 6:16; Philippians 3:16) and its meaning has been applied to the inspired body of Scripture–the Bible. Frequently, the word “canon” is translated as “rule” and refers to God’s rules by which men are supposed to live righteously before God, and certainly the rules by which men will ultimately be judged for their non-compliance.  “Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, …