Justice for All

“One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all!” are the final few phrases of the United States Pledge of Allegiance. The Pledge highlights our ideals, one of which is justice. Our nation has always held justice in high regard – and so it should! God loves justice. Through Isaiah, God called upon the Israelites to, “Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the poor” (Isaiah 1:17 NKJV). God’s concern for “justice” becomes even more apparent when we consider the vast number of times the word occurs in the Bible. In the NKJV, the term “justice” occurs 130 times. The most common Hebrew term for “justice” is mishpat, occurring 421 times in the Old Testament. The most common Greek word for “justice” is krisis, occurring 49 times in the New Testament. Both terms are most often translated as “judgment,” which, of course, has a very close connection with justice. God is obviously concerned with justice, and, consequently, we should be too. As a nation, however, we have not always consistently applied our ideals in general and regarding justice in particular. Historically, we have advocated justice for all, but many times we have fallen short. This is not a new problem, but it is something that every generation faces. Previous generations confronted various issues of justice: slavery, capital punishment, women’s rights, workers’ rights and many others. One specific issue in the past was the nation’s dealings with the Native American population. Certainly, we want to …

Which Road Will We Choose?

In Jeremiah 6, God proclaimed the destruction of Jerusalem (1-15). The people of Jeremiah’s day had fallen away from God, becoming idolatrous (1:16; 2:9-13; 3:8-10). Despite their wickedness, some hope still remained that they could repent and return to God (3:22; 4:1-4, 14). God implored them to examine their direction, saying, “Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16). In this verse, God used five commands to show the people their errant path and encourage them to repent and follow His path. God first exhorted the people to stand in the path, to position themselves where they could compare His path with other paths. Six times in chapters 1-6 God depicted their paths: in 2:23, He cited their “way in the valley (i.e., Baal worship); in 2:31-33, the people had taught their evil ways to the wicked; in 2:36 and 3:2, God accused them of vacillating between His path and others; in 3:13, they had “scattered their ways” to serve everyone but God; in 4:18, their paths were bringing punishment. God next urged them to see or evaluate the path before them. God had warned them not to serve other gods, but the people disregarded His message. They were spiritually blind (5:1) and deaf, closing their ears to His warnings (6:10). Thus, they were also blind to the results of their choices (5:31). However, if they would compare the paths, they …

The Uniqueness of the Church of Christ (3)

It usually only takes but a brief visit by someone not familiar with the church of Christ to take note of the stark differences between the church that bears Christ’s name and religious groups that bear the names of men. One of those stark differences is easily seen in the observance of the church of Christ. What we observe each Lord’s Day by way of worship is quite different than most religious groups indeed. However, if one were to go back to the inspired Word of God, what observance would he find? First, one can see the uniqueness of the church of the first century by its observance of a cappela singing. Staggeringly, there is not one reference in the New Testament regarding the use of mechanical instruments of music in worship! Each individual Christian (no solos, choirs, etc.) is commanded to simply sing from the heart (cf. Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), and to sing with the spirit and the understanding (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:15). So then, why do most religious groups use mechanical instruments of music? That I cannot fully answer, but I can know for certain that the church belonging to Christ will uphold and respect His Word regarding its observance of singing. Secondly, one can see the uniqueness of the church of the first century by its observance of the Lord’s Supper. Each and every Lord’s Day (cf. Acts 20:7), Christians are commanded to partake, they are to remember the Lord’s death, and they are to examine themselves until the Lord comes again (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:23-30). Why then, …

To Be or Not to Be

Shakespeare had Hamlet say, “To be or not to be.” He was talking about whether he should commit suicide or, as he put it, “shuffle off this mortal coil,” or “his quietus make with a bare bodkin.” When we look in the Bible we find many expressions that have to do with what we should be or not be. They are not talking about suicide, but about what we should be or not be in life. We think it appropriate to examine some of them in more detail. If we had space for a small book, we might examine those in the Old Testament, for there are many powerful and profitable admonitions, such as Joshua 1:6, “Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.” Many of them would apply to us as well as to them. We need strength and courage for our fight just as they did, but we shall confine our examination and remarks to just a few in the New Testament.     Matthew 5:12 says, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” He is specifically talking about the times when they were to be persecuted, but the admonition applies to us at all times. Whatever circumstance in life confronts us, if we are living as Christ would have us live, we should be exceeding glad. …

Friend or Enemy?

Are you a friend or an enemy of Jesus? A rather serious question, isn’t it? The answer cannot be given based on feelings, popularity, political correctness or any other standard that man may devise. Listen to the answer that Jesus gives, an answer by the way, by which we will be judged. Hear Him: “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14). Here Jesus makes use of the law of the excluded middle again. The “if” is significant. Language could not be plainer. Jesus did not say that you are His friend by doing what your pastor, preacher, priest or creed book says. Question: What if one neglects or refuses to do what Jesus commands? Is he a friend or an enemy? Listen to what Paul said in Philippians 3:18: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.” If one is a friend of Jesus because he obeys His commands, would it not also be true that he is an enemy who refuses to obey His commands? Again, there is no middle ground. As a friend of mankind, Jesus laid down His life. He gave this same mankind commands on how to be saved, and how to worship Him acceptably. Looking at your practice in the light of the Holy Scriptures, are you His friend or His enemy? Which do you truly want to be?

Roar Like Bears

Have you ever heard a bear roar? Have you ever heard a bear growl? A bear’s growl is a very low rumbling sound. A bear’s roar is a very loud and scary sound. Bears do these things when they are unhappy about something.     In Isaiah 59:11, we read, “We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.”     The earlier verses of this chapter talk about the terrible sins that the Israelite nation commits. Because most of the people have forgotten God, the morals and ethics of the nation have become terrible. Many do everything they can to afflict and torment others. There is no justice by those in leadership positions. It is almost impossible for anyone to have peace.     Because of the situation, the people were unhappy with their lives. They are pictured as growling and roaring as an unhappy bear. They are not just privately mumbling about how bad things are. They are loudly complaining. They say there is no fairness or salvation. They are looking for such but cannot find it.     The people were mistaken to believe that proper justice and salvation can come to a society without looking to God for guidance. The Israelites had a covenant with God. He promised to care for them if they would obey him, but they had forgotten and left God out of their lives. The only way they were …

Our Relationship to the Law of Moses (2)

4. Where was the Law given? Again you are urged to read Deuteronomy 5:2. “Jehovah our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.” The terms “Horeb” and “Sinai” refer to the same location in the southern part of the peninsula located between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Akabah. “Sinai” is mentioned as a desert and a mountain in 35 passages of the Old Testament. In 17 passages the same desert and mountain are called “Horeb” or “the waste.” Thus, to speak of “Horeb” is to speak of “Sinai” with reference to where the Law of Moses was given. 5. What was Christ’s relationship to the Law of Moses? Jesus Christ was submissive to the Law of Moses that was in force during his earthly voyage. In Galatians 4:4-5, we learn, “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Jesus was indeed born of the virgin Mary and the time period in which he was born was during the Law of Moses; therefore, he was under obligation to his Father to keep the Law in perfection. Let’s observe the attitude of Christ toward the Law of Moses as we read now from Matthew 5:17-18. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I …

The Legs of the Lame Are Unequal

As a child, we recall hearing older people talking about someone having his rights trampled by someone who had no right to trample the rights of others. They would often conclude by saying, “Oh, well, the legs of the lame are unequal.” We recall wondering what unequal legs had to do with the problem at hand, until some years later we figured out they were saying there is a lot of unfairness in the world, and someone is always willing to trample under foot the rights of others in order to have his own way. There are a great number of unequal legs in America today in the area of religion. Furthermore, more and more legs are becoming unequal as time goes on. Let us give some examples of what we mean. The rights of Americans who call themselves Christians are constantly being trampled by those who are not Christian, or by those who are anti-Christian. Boys and girls who are graduating from High School, which is one of the rites of passage in our nation, are often not permitted to say such things as “God bless you,” at the end of a valedictory speech because the mere mention of God will offend atheists and persons of heathen religions. At the same time the US Army Corps of Engineers is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a youth camp out in the Midwest for those of the Islamic faith. The legs of the lame are unequal! By what …

The Greatest of These Is Love

The greatest attribute of Christian life, according to Paul (1 Corinthians 13:13), is love. Love, unlike the transitory spiritual gifts of the first century, would never fail (1 Corinthians 13:8). In fact, love even rises above faith and hope. Faith and hope will be realized, but love continues forever. Love resides as the crown jewel to be pursued by faithful, diligent Christians (1 Corinthians 14:1), who desire to please God; but man, blinded by all sinfulness and darkness, must be taught true, God-like love. Christians, seeking to learn and exemplify true love in their lives, should look to the great Teacher and personification of love, God. God’s nature is such a demonstration of love that John declared, “God is love” (1 John 4:16). He has demonstrated his love for man in a multitude of ways. We see it demonstrated in the love that he showed to the nation of Israel and the love that he has shown for all men’s spiritual needs. Moses exhorted the Israelites to love God and keep his commandments; God, in turn, would love them (Deuteronomy 7:8-9). Despite this admonition from Moses, the Israelites failed miserably in their service to God. A casual reading alone of the Old Testament clearly reveals their unfaithfulness. God showed his love for the Israelites from the time of their wilderness wanderings to the time of the wicked kings of the divided nation. He provided them with food, water, deliverance, miracles, his Law, etc. Like a loving, human father, he disciplined …