The Relationship of Obedience to Salvation

If Salvation is based upon our own “obedance” than Christ’s death was not worth anything. I know in and of myself i cannot earn my way nor will i ever try because the harder i try the harder i fall. When we relize the freedom we have in Christ through the shedding of his blood, Eph 1:7, than living for God become a desire instead of a duty. ~ John One’s pilgrimage to heaven from this green earth will be better served by reliance upon God’s Word and properly handling it  (2 Timothy 2:15, ASV; 3:16-17) than upon reliance on self (“I know in and of myself”) and baseless suppositions (i.e., without biblical support). The salvation made available to the whole world by the shed blood of Jesus Christ (1 John 2:2; Ephesians 1:7) is not received by the whole world, because reaching the blood of Jesus Christ and the resulting salvation is conditional. If the blood of Jesus Christ and salvation are not conditional, then universalism, everyone will be saved, is true (e.g., including Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, atheists, etc.). However, it is abundantly clear from Scripture that not everyone will be saved; “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:46). Most religionists who profess Christianity will allow that one must believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ or Son of God. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias …

What Did Jesus Look Like?

Please stop with the, “the Bible doesn’t say how Jesus looked” and “we just don’t know”. The Bible clearly says he had feet of brass and hair like lamb’s wool. Josephus states He was short, dark, with an underdeveloped beard. It’s time for us to stop ignoring the evident!!!! It is obvious that Jesus was not blonde haired and blue eyed like most of you would like to believe, but quite probably was a man of color. Why is that so hard to admit? For me personally, what he is/was is not important, but when you see young children of color who think that all they can be is sports stars, rappers, or pimps, or that all black folks have ever been was slaves except for Martin Luther King, Jr., they especially need to know that not only did Jesus most likely look like them, but so did many other prominent historical figures. Yours in Christ, Chuck Smith I appreciate your sentiment, wishing to find a hero to whom black youngsters can look and imitate. However, misconstruing Scripture is not the way to do it. The color of our Lord’s skin or the color of anyone’s skin is immaterial to God or right-thinking Christians. Jesus is the spiritual hero for every man, woman and child irrespective of one’s race or skin pigment. The passage to which you refer uses figurative language about Jesus Christ in heaven. It reads: “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and …

Homosexuality

I was sitting in a ladies class last night and the statement was made that homosexuality is sinful and wrong, but if you are not a PRACTICING homosexual, all is well. What??? Scripture clearly reveals from my understanding that this is a perversion and all who are involved in this lifestyle will be condemned if they do not confess and forsake. … I would very much appreciate your biblical insight on the subject. There are two English dictionary definitions for the adjective,  “homosexual.” The first definition is “to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex”; the operative word in this definition, for our purposes, is desire. The second definition for the adjective, “homosexual” is “involving sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex”; the operative concept in this definition is the activity. Similarly, the definitions for the noun, “homosexuality,” are “the quality or state of being homosexual” and “erotic activity with another of the same sex.” (Webster) In both instances, a desire or temptation precedes any possible acting upon that desire or temptation. We learn from the Bible that it is not wrong of itself to be tempted. After all, Jesus was tempted (Matthew 4:1-10). Our Lord, though, did not act upon Satan’s efforts to tempt him. James analyzed temptation or inducement to sin and, apart from temptation, the subject of sin. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is …

400 Years of Silence

How do you explain the statement that there was 400 years of silence between the prophet Malachi and the coming of Christ? ~ Don Puryear After the Israelites returned from Babylonian captivity, had rebuilt Jerusalem and the Temple, their zeal toward God waned. The observance of Judaism became to them a burdensome chore. Though they went through the outward exercise of their religion marginally, their lackluster mindset for worshipping God was evident by the substandard animal sacrifices they offered. Instead of offering God unblemished animals as the Law required, Jews of Malachi’s day offered animals that were unsatisfactory for farming and otherwise equivalent to refuse. This mentality and activity is a primary object of the Book of Malachi. The Jews of Malachi’s day were essentially paying fire insurance, hedging against eternal hellfire, but unwilling to invest more in their religion than the minimum with which they thought they might squeak by with God. (That sounds remarkably like modern man and, unfortunately like many members of the Lord’s church.) It was under these circumstances that God ceased sending revelation from heaven to mankind, until immediately before the Incarnation of Christ. Malachi was written about 400 years before the events chronicled in the Gospel records. With Malachi who lived to the time of Nehemiah, the Old Testament prophecy ceased, and Israel was left to himself four hundred years, to digest during this period of expectation the rich substance of that revelation, and to prepare the birth-place for the approaching redemption. (Schaff) The …

Were the Apostles Baptized in Acts 2?

I have a few questions regarding your article entitled “Were the apostles baptized in Acts Two?” If the apostles were not baptized on Pentecost how could they be members of the Lord’s church? In the 5th paragraph of your answer you said “The apostles, the 120, the 500, and other disciples…comprised the initial church of Acts Two.” I have always believed that the church (the kingdom) began on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the apostles. I believe that is what Jesus was referring to in MARK 9:1. When was the church established?  I understand that the baptism of John was for the remission of sins, MARK 1:4. Paul said we are baptized into Christ, GALATIANS 3:27; also into His death, ROMANS 6:3. “For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body…”, 1 CORINTHIANS 12:13.  Were the ones who were baptized in John’s baptism: Baptized into Christ? Baptized into His death? (How could they be baptized into His death before He died?) Placed in the church (body)? Given the gift of the Holy Spirit, ACTS 2:38? Made Christians?  In ACTS 19:1-7, why were those who received John’s baptism baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus by apostle Paul? ~ Richard Parsons, Ellenboro WV First, any answer to this question, even if it is wrong, is relatively moot, since every accountable person now living and every accountable person who may yet live on earth in the future is amenable to the Great Commission and must …

Is the Bible Authoritative?

Your words mentioned, the cross is not in the bible. Neither is a triune God, neither is instructions for dividing the Church into 38,000 different denominations…each claiming to have the truth. Actually, no where in the Bible does it say the Bible is supposed to be our sole authority. In fact…it could not say that because when the books were written they were not compiled. We all know who compiled them…that pagan Catholic Church you left. So, the next time you open your Bible and refer the New Testament books…remember it was a pope and the Catholic church in the late 300’s that gave you that book…and you in turn spit in her face. Actually, the Bible you use is without several books. Luther and other ex-Catholics took them out.  One of their arguments, they were never in Hebrew. You should know by now, the findings in the Dead Sea scrolls just 50 or so years ago…proved this argument was without merit. … their proposition about the Bible being the only source of the faith is proven wrong. The Bible in fact say the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth, not some future compilation of writting. It says the oral and written tradition is good. Good tradition is good and bad tradition is bad. Jesus never even said to write anything down, but he did say go out and teach. I want you back in the Catholic Church.  Jesus wants you back? ~ Jeff Vaughan Frequently, critics of …

The Tower of Babel

There are some interesting lessons one may gain as we meditate on the story in Genesis 11 concerning the tower of Babel. First, it may be noted that the first verse tells us that the whole earth had one language and one speech. It was God’s plan from the beginning that his people speak the same language. He meant for words to mean the same thing to all those who would follow him. It has always been true. When Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:10, “Now I beseech you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you” he was not expressing a new idea. He never did mean for baptism to mean sprinkling to one person, pouring to another and immersion to another. He never meant for “sing” to mean “sing” to one person and “play” to another. But they had a plan that was out of harmony with God’s will. Notice some significant expressions in verse 4, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the earth.” It has been a common tendency of mankind to “build ourselves” something. How many times have we seen men who are not satisfied with finding what God wanted built and work toward that end, but rather want to “build ourselves” something. We …

Faith That Meets the Challenges

According to I Peter 1:5, we “are kept by the power of God through faith.” The strength we need to stay in the church comes from God, not from us. When we persevere in obedient faith, God keeps us by his power! We are commanded to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:10b NKJV). Our faith is sustained as we continue to experience his care, guidance, provision and protection. Our obedient faith allows God to fulfill his purpose for creating us as we are called according to that divine purpose. Our faith is the firm conviction that produces total surrender to God. Scripture is replete with examples of steadfast faith in God as he worked in the lives of his servants. Our entire Christian life is a walk of faith. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Notice that the verse does not say it is difficult, it says it is impossible to please God without faith. Faith is our loving response of obedience and trust; it is the indispensable requirement in order to please God. Below are just four of the numerous accounts of faith recorded in Scripture. These servants of God had their lives changed as a result of their obedient faith as they faced the challenges …

Elisha and the Enemy

The king of Syria, in preparing to make war with Israel, was seeking a place to set up camp. When he settled on a tentative spot, it was — much to the frustration of Syria’s monarch — already known by the Israelites. The king of Israel, you see, received his information from Elisha, who received his information from God (2 Kings 6:8-10).  The king of Syria — with an assumed anti-supernatural bias — wondered who was providing Israel with the intelligence. He thought there was a spy among his people (2 Kings 6:11). Somehow, his astute servants realized and reported to him that Elisha the prophet was the cause of Syria’s failed secrecy (6:12). Being a man of authority and power, a man used to getting his way, he sent “horses and chariots and a great army” to Elisha’s residence (6:13-14). He was apparently aiming to bring what he deemed foolishness to an end. Read the text: Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for …

Could It Be?

It was early Sunday morning when Mary Magdalene made her way to the tomb where the body of Jesus had been laid to rest. To her great surprise and distress, she found the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb and the body of Jesus missing. What had happened? Where could he be? Who would do such a thing? These, and a dozen other questions, must have flooded her mind as she rushed to tell the other disciples of her discovery (John 20:1-23). What she did not know but would soon learn was the startling revelation that Jesus Christ was alive. The devil had been defeated. Death had been unable to hold him. Christ had conquered all. It was resurrection morning, and Jesus was alive. Because of his victory, all can be victors. His resurrection was the crowning miracle of his ministry. It was the “good news” of the Gospel. By it, he demonstrated the scope of his sovereign power. Doubters deny, scoffers scoff, skeptics question and critics seek to controvert it. But the fact remains; there is no viable explanation for the empty tomb other than the resurrection. Consider these questions. 1) If his enemies had taken his body, why did they not produce it? 2) If his disciples had removed his body from the tomb, how did they do it without being detected by the guards. 3) If his disciples had taken his body, they would have known that the Gospel was fabricated on a lie. …

Cutting Ears and Calling Angels

JESUS HAD POWER (Colossians 1:16-17). “Wonder-working” power (Luke 5:17). He could walk on water. He could raise the dead. He could instantly heal those afflicted with horrible, life-long disease. He could cast out demons. He could feed thousands with but a few loaves and fish. He could transform water into wine. He could rebuke the storm and calm the sea. He had power (Acts 10:38). And yet — perhaps his most surprising manifestation of power was the intentional failure to employ it (1 Peter 2:21-23; cf. Isaiah 53:7; Mark 14:61). Despite the unlimited miraculous resources at his disposal — when faced with Calvary and all that entailed — Jesus restrained his own mighty hand. “Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.” Has it ever occurred to you that one of the Lord’s most significant displays of power was expressed in a non-miraculous way? The chief priests, elders, and scribes [religious leaders!] levied a sordid array of attacks against Jesus. They brought false testimony against him (Mark 14:55-58). They accused him of blasphemy (Mark 14:64). They spat upon him, they blindfolded him, and they struck him (Mark 14:65). Pilate had him scourged (Mark 15:15). His own friends betrayed him and denied him (Mark 14:10-11; 66ff). Finally, he was thrust upon a cruel cross and forced to endure humiliation and torture (Mark 15:22ff; cf. Hebrews 12:2). JESUS COULD HAVE PREVENTED IT ALL. Peter tried to (Mark …

Psallo and Psalmos

A sincere brother wonders why do we have the right to say that the terms psallo and psalmos lost all connection to the instrument by the time of the writing of the New Testament. If the early church was in fact using the LXX [Septuagint, Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures made by 72 Jewish translators in Alexandria Egypt in the second or third century B.C.] version of the OT, then they would be very familiar with the book of Psalms. And since that would be true, how could Paul’s use of these terms be significantly different? No one has such a right. The terms psallo and psalmos had not “lost all connection to the instrument by the time of the writing of the New Testament,” nor since. On the contrary, in the very century in which the NT was written, psallo could mean “sing” or “play,” depending on what the writer had in mind. Josephus, in the first century A.D., wrote of some who “psallowed on the harp” (Antiq., 6:8,2), in which example psallo could not mean, “sing.” I have seen three other examples in print with psallo meaning “play”: (1) in the first century, Strabo (Geography, 1:23; 14:2,26); (2) in the first century, Plutarch (Life of Pericles, 1:5); (3) in the second century, Lucian (The Parasiste 17). A second century inscription is cited by Moulton and Milligan (Vocabulary, psalmos) in which psalmos signifies a song sung with a harp. Likewise, Paul commanded Christians to do two things: aido and …

Set Your House in Order

It was during the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign in Judah that the king became “sick and near death.” Isaiah, the prophet of God, instructed him to “Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live” (Isaiah 38:1, NKJV). King Hezekiah prayed to God to permit him to live. By the grace of God, he was granted an additional fifteen years to his life. The king was approximately forty years of age at the time of his illness and the pronouncement of his impending death. This must have been a tremendous shock to him. Death is common among infants and aged men expect to die; but a man in his prime and vigor of life is reluctant to face the reality of dying. There is a great truth and fact held in common by all men and that is, death is inevitable. The Preacher wrote in the long ago, “For the living know that they will die” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). The inspired writer declared in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” In view of this fact, man should set his house in order, that is, prepare for the final act that will remove him from among the living. But, what is it to set one’s house in order? It is stated that after his counsel had been rejected, Ahithophel went to his house, “Then he put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died” (2 Samuel …

Special or Perpetual Collections?

Dear Louis, A word about the collection of 1 Cor. 16:1-4.  It was never designed to be a permanent ordinance (2 Cor. 8:11; 1 Cor. 16:2); it was voluntary (2 Cor. 8:3); it was formed by individuals storing at their homes on Sunday and later consolidating their stores (1 Cor. 16:2).  The Greek prepositional phrase, par’ heauto, in verse two, is translated by the lexicons as “at home.”  These are the same lexicons that translate psallo as “I sing.”  In the lexicons look under heauto in the dative case where they will tell you the phrase means “at home” in 1 Cor. 16:2. Can you find any Greek lexicon, which we use on the music question, that disputes this? Respectfully, Randall Reed Whereas “the collection of 1 Cor. 16:1-4” was designated for a specific purpose, which when accomplished that particular occasion would be complete, the every Lord’s Day collection as well as other special collections continued. In Acts Chapter Two, where we find the birthday of the Lord’s church, four of the five activities of Christian worship are mentioned; the collection (“fellowship” from koinonia, which can mean and is sometimes used regarding the church contribution, Romans 15:26; 2 Corinthians 9:13) is included there but singing is absent (found elsewhere, Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). In addition, local congregations in the first century had regular financial responsibilities for which regular contributions were necessarily collected weekly (1 Corinthians 9:4-14). First Corinthians 16:1-4 has the apostle Paul commanding that the Corinthians designate a portion …

Paul’s Second Prayer
for the Ephesians

This prayer is found in Ephesians 3:14-19. In this prayer Paul said that he “bowed his knees to the Father,” indicating that he put himself in some humble position, perhaps kneeling when he went to God on their behalf. After pointing out that the “whole family in heaven and earth” is named for the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul listed a number of things for which he prayed to God on behalf of these young developing Christians. Firstly, Paul wanted these Christians to develop into strong and devoted Christians because he prayed that Christ, “according to the riches of his glory,” that the “inner man” might be “strengthened with might through His Spirit.” Paul wanted the “inner man,” the spiritual man, of each of these Christians to be strengthened with the might, or power that comes through his Spirit. Spirit communicates with spirit as flesh communicates with flesh. The Holy Spirit, here called Christ’s Spirit, communicates with the spirit of man as we dwell on and in his Word. It is the inner man in which God is vitally interested because the outward man perishes day by day. Secondly, Paul prayed that through the communication of the Spirit with the inner man, Christ would “dwell in” their “hearts through faith.” Here the definite article “the” is omitted from the translation, and what Paul is saying is that Christ would dwell in their hearts by the faith which the Holy Spirit would communicate to the inner man. How does the Holy Spirit …

I Need to Know Satan

(West Virginia Christian, Vol. 9, No. 10, Oct. 2002, p.2) The devil has been portrayed in popular literature and in the media down through the years anywhere from being a comical character to a being who is almost omnipotent with total control of those whom he affects. The Bible certainly does not suggest Satan is to be laughed at. Even though Satan is very powerful, the Bible does not teach that he is all-powerful. Satan is the enemy of the Christian, and it is imperative to know how Satan works if one hopes to one day live in heaven. Satan’s goal is to take as many souls as possible with him to. There are ample biblical stories that illustrate this fact. Throughout divine history, he tried to destroy those who belong to God. In Genesis Chapter Three, he is successful in tempting Adam and Eve and sin enters into the human race. He is described in Job 1:7 as “going to and fro on it.” The apostle Peter tells us that Satan “walks about as a lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He even tried to destroy Jesus (Matthew 4:11; Hebrews 4:15). Everything wicked and evil in this world is ultimately attributed to Satan (James 1:13-17). There are three basic avenues through which Satan works to accomplish his goal. In 1 John 2:16 the Bible says, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of …

Dorcas Crossword Puzzle

(Crossword Puzzle is Internet Interactive; do the puzzle online.) You need Java enabled to view the crossword applet. Solution

The Envoy

Every country or kingdom has a ruler or leader. That ruler will need to communicate with other leaders and rulers. Today, that can sometimes be done by telephone, but sometimes the leader will want to send a representative to give a message for him. In biblical times, this is the way it was almost always done. The leader would send a special messenger to give a message to another ruler. That messenger was known as an envoy. In Mark 1:3, we read, “As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” The word “send” is the word used in ancient times for the sending of an envoy. This passage is referring to John the Baptist. John was sent as God’s envoy to give a message to the world. John’s message was that the Christ was coming. John was telling the Jews that they should prepare for the Christ. John called the people to repent of their sins and be ready for the Christ. It is interesting that the words “it is written” is in the perfect tense in the Greek language. This means that the prophet’s words had been written down and the action was completed. God had given the prophecy many years before that John would come as his envoy. And now it was happening. Just as God’s prophecy was true, so were the words of John. All of the Jews should have listened, and we …

The Emperor’s Herald

In ancient times, there were no newspapers, radios or televisions. Important news was spread by individuals given the responsibility to go throughout the land telling the news. The emperor would send these individuals out to tell the people his news. These men were known as heralds. The herald took his responsibility very seriously. He made sure that he gave the news exactly as he had been given it by the emperor. The news of the emperor could not be taken lightly.  The herald spoke loudly and distinctly. He made sure that he gave the message accurately. It was his responsibility to make sure that the people knew what the emperor wanted them to know. In 1 Thessalonians 2:9, we read, “For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.” The words “we preached” come from the word for the emperor’s herald. Paul was speaking for the Emperor of emperors, the King of kings. Paul considered his message very, very important. When we teach others about the Bible, we need to make sure that we teach the truth. It is a serious thing to tell others the Gospel. We should not be silly when we teach others. We want to make sure that they understand and hear exactly what God wants them to do. I am glad that God gave us the Bible. It is exactly what we need …

The Simple Beauty of the Parables

Just mention the word parable and one name comes to mind. That name is Jesus. He alone is known for the simple, delightful and revealing narratives that made up so much of his teaching. Not even the inspired apostles attempted to major in parabolic preaching as Jesus had done before them. The word “parable,” comes from two Greek words, para, beside, and ballein, to throw; meaning, “a placing beside or together, a comparing, comparison: a story by which something real in life is used as a means of presenting a moral thought” (D.R. Dungan, Hermeneutics, p. 227). Jesus taught heavenly lessons from earthly stories. With lessons as familiar as the parables of Jesus, sometimes people are inclined to try a different twist, or a new application heretofore unknown. For example, Christianity Today (10/26/98) featured, “Tales of the Prodigal,” being an in-depth analysis of this famous parable. The editors wrote, “By approaching Jesus’ parable from different angles, we hope to rediscover its many brilliant facets.” The result of that determination made for some interesting reading, but left me realizing that in discovering its facets they had missed its point. What more do we really want or need to hear? The “scholars, preachers and writers” deduced many things that were not in the Savior’s mind. No amount of scholarly revision can make these stories better news for twentieth-century sinners like us.

Willing to Impugn the Word of God

It should go without saying that one’s attitude toward the Word of God itself will affect interpretation greatly. However, time and time again in my studies with individuals, I have seen people willing to impugn God’s Word rather than accept the truth. In other words, they would rather imply that the Bible is inconsistent or wrong than admit being inconsistent or wrong themselves. The Pharisees were so intent on proving Jesus was wrong that they were willing to assign Jesus’ healing power to Beelzebub (Matthew 12:22-24). To this Jesus replied, “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men” (Matthew 12:31). Jesus told them that in their efforts to circumvent Jesus’ teaching they, in fact, had brought indictment against the Holy Spirit who had provided the means of the miracle. Likewise, when we take a position that implies that the Bible is in error, we have effectively committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, impugning the Source, because we are implying that what God says is not really from God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Many people commit this moral felony when they refuse to examine the entire context of a passage. How many people have quoted Jesus saying, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1), and then interpreted that to mean that all judging is wrong? Jesus also said, “Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). Therefore, Jesus could not have …

Overcoming False Doctrine

Jesus warned his disciples, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits… Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 7:15-16 & 10:16). The world has intolerance for the truth; therefore, the scenario is used of Christians being sheep, a prey animal, sent forth into the middle of the worldly, the wolves. When Jesus says to be “wise as serpents,” he is not referring to the manifestation of Satan in the Garden. For all their fearfulness, snakes are really very fragile creatures and are usually cautious in avoiding dangerous situations. Christians could here learn a valuable lesson from the snake. Rather than subjecting one’s self to danger, we should “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). The Gospel is the “power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). It is important that we do not follow false teaching primarily because it is void of the power to save. Jesus said, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). It is a useless waste of time and life to worship God by manmade creeds and such teaching is prevalent. Yet, Jesus also promised a reward seven times in Revelation 2-3 to each of the seven churches in Asia Minor to “him that overcometh”. So, it can be done! We can overcome …

Historical Review of the King and His Kingdom in Matthew

Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 10:7 Backdrop According to the Gospel of Matthew, the “kingdom of heaven” was the obvious topic of the preaching by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:17, 23) and the apostles (Matthew 10:7). “Both Jesus and John began their ministries preaching that ‘the kingdom of God (sic, heaven) is at hand’ (Matthew 3:2:4:17). The establishment of the church [kingdom] at this time was only about 3 years away.” (Morrison 20). Lenski writes regarding the grammatical structure of Matthew 3:2, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” that it “has been drawing near and is thus now at hand.” (93). Further, Jesus Christ decreed that “the gospel of the kingdom” was to be the permanent topic of preaching until the end of time (Matthew 24:14). The phrase “kingdom of heaven” appears exclusively in the Bible only in the Gospel of Matthew, 32 times; the companion and equivalent phrase “kingdom of God” appears 69 times in the New Testament, four of which are in Matthew. Even Matthew used the phrases “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” interchangeably (19:23-24). “The nuance ‘of heaven’ suggests that the essential meaning is ‘reign’ and that this kingship does not arise by human effort.” (Kittel). The Greek word for “kingdom” is basileia, which means “properly, royalty, i.e. (abstractly) rule, or (concretely) a realm (literally or figuratively).” (Strong). The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says of basileia, it “denotes the lawful king (usually hereditary, later distinguished from the tyrannos, ‘usurper’). … This term refers to …