Another in the One Another Series by guest writer Lucas Ward.

Perhaps second only to loving one another in the hierarchy of instructions we have been given about getting along is the command to forgive one another. Christians can’t get along and churches can’t function if we don’t forgive each other.

The first passage I want to go to is Eph. 4:1-3:

“I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

No, this passage doesn’t mention forgiveness, but it does say that we should forbear one another, or bear with one another as the ESV puts it. Forbearing each other is simply putting up with each other. Remember the first phrase in Paul’s definition of love in 1 Cor. 13? “Love suffers long”. This is the idea. We bear the burdens of each other and put up with them. Have you ever heard someone described as coming with a lot of baggage? Well, as Christians, we should help them carry that baggage.

The real command in this passage though, is in verse 1 “Walk worthily of the calling wherewith you were called.” All the rest are subpoints, or descriptions of how to walk worthily. But what is my calling? 1 Thess. 2;12 says we have been called into God’s kingdom, and Romans 9:25 calls us God’s people. We have been called to be subjects in God’s kingdom, to be His people. Being identified with a group carries some responsibilities. The military will still kick people out, or even send them to jail, for conduct unbecoming a military person. They acted in a way that did not live up to the calling of being in the military. If that is true of the earthly military, don’t you think it would also be true of being one of God’s people? We are to walk worthily of the calling. Of course, Romans 8:30 and Hebrews 2:11 up the ante a bit when they say we have been called to be the Lord’s brethren. Now we really have need to walk worthily of the calling.

How? In lowliness, or humility. In meekness, or putting God first in everything. With longsuffering. And forbearing one another IN LOVE. Notice that the motivation for forbearance is love. Have you ever noticed someone with a special needs child or sibling and seen all the trouble they go to for that person, and all the annoyance they overlook from that person and think “I could never do that”? But if you talk to them, they barely even noticed that there was any annoyance involved. They just put up with it without even thinking about it, because they loved that special needs child. That is how Christians should be with each other. We just automatically overlook most “burdens” put on us by our brethren because we love them. We hardly notice that brother so-and-so is sometimes hard to get along with because we love him. Essentially, forbearance is automatic forgiveness of minor issues.

Sometimes, however, bigger things arise. I put up a post a few weeks ago about when brothers don’t get along. We went down the instructions the Lord gave in Matthew 18 for how to handle that. The major takeaway, though, was to forgive. “If he listens, you have regained your brother”. At that point, we need to forgive them and move on. After all, the point here is not to work through all three steps, but to regain that brother. Paul offers some instruction on this point as well.

Eph. 4:32 “and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you.”

and

Col. 3:13 “forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye.”

Notice that in Colossians Paul links forbearance and forgiveness, so I wasn’t nuts. Also, in Ephesians kindness and forgiveness go hand in hand. Part of being kind is forgiving and a motivation for forgiveness is kindness. But the big idea here, mentioned in both passages, is that we are to forgive “As the Lord forgave you”. Uh oh. How do I forgive as Christ forgave? First, let’s look at OT prophesies of how things were to be in the Kingdom:

Isa. 43:25 “I, even I, am he that blots out thy transgressions for mine own sake; and I will not remember thy sins.”
Jer. 31:34 “. . . for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.”

God says that when He forgives, He “will not remember your sins”. When He forgives iniquity “their sin will I remember no more.” So, if this is how the Lord forgives and I’m supposed to forgive like Him, then I can’t hold grudges now can I? I can’t say that I forgive something and then bring it up later in an argument. I’m to treat my brother as if the offending action had never happened. Christian forget about forgiven sins. For the next idea, let’s look at some of the instruction of the Lord Himself.

Luke 17:3-4 “Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”

Forgive your brother if he repents, ok, but forgive seven times in the same day? The same thing? That’s ridiculous! Yet, that’s what the Lord teaches about forgiveness, and if I’m to forgive like Him. . . let’s also remember, with shame, the times in our lives that we had to go to the Lord multiple times in one day for forgiveness for the same thing. Aren’t we glad He is willing to forgive over and over and over? I need to forgive my brother again and again, even in the same day. Something similar is said in Matt. 18:21-22:

“Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.”

This isn’t in one day, but over time. Your brother is still annoying you in the same way two years later, but still repenting of it? You still forgive him. Also, when the Lord said “70 x 7” He didn’t literally mean 490 times. “That’s it! That’s the 491st time Julia has done that to me! I don’t have to forgive her anymore!” Of course, that is ridiculous. Jesus was using 70 x 7 as a figure meaning a really big amount. A never to be reached limit. [Also, if you are counting the times a brother or sister is sinning against you, then you have failed the first point, not remembering forgiven sins.] As long as your brother keeps trying, as long as he keeps coming and repenting to you for his fault, you keep forgiving him. After all, aren’t we glad the Lord keeps forgiving us?

Finally, look at Matt. 18:23ff

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.' So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Not only do we need to make sure we forgive after the same manner that the Lord has forgiven us if we want to ensure He keeps forgiving us, but we need to recognize that there is no way we can possibly forgive to the same amount that the Lord has forgiven us. Any forgiveness we do of our brethren is trivial compared to the forgiveness God has granted us. In the parable, the amount the servant owed the king would translate roughly to hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars in modern currency. That is the amount the king forgave when the servant pleaded. The amount the second servant owed the first might translate to a couple thousand dollars. While a couple thousand dollars is not insignificant to everyday people, it’s not even a blip compared to hundreds of millions of dollars. And while forgiving my brother his insult to me might not be insignificant to every day people, compared to the forgiveness God has offered me, and the price He had to pay to be able to offer it, it is not even noticeable.

We need to forgive and forbear our brethren in love.

Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

I have for years followed the advice of a Dr. at the VA who told me to pour warm salt water into the palm of each hand in turn and sniff it up each nostril. I do this each evening with a gargle between and my allergy problems have diminished dramatically. Also, I do this immediately after any dusty activity. A few nights ago, I took my cup to the kitchen, and then got distracted and when I sniffed the warm water, it had no salt! ROARING! Pain. But I thought I put the salt in. It will be a long time before that lapse happens again.

“I thought!” Naaman used those words. We do, too, to excuse our failures to live up to God’s expressed wishes. These days it seems that a lot presume mightily on THEIR concept of the fatherhood of God and treat him casually in the way they speak of him and conduct their worship. I read a commentary on Ezekiel (Block) in which he comments on Ezekiel’s attitude and deportment toward God: “Although this is the third time he sees the [throne chariot] the sight still catches him by surprise and overwhelms him with awe. His relationship with God never becomes familiar or casual—even a commissioned and authorized spokesman must prostrate himself in the presence of God.”

Yet so many have become almost irreverently casual in their speech and dress to worship services. They THOUGHT that because God reveals himself as, “Father” they can buddy up to Daddy with little to no form of expressed respect. My Dad did not allow that and neither did I, and any who do are mighty poor parents. As the Hebrew writer says, “It is for chastening that ye endure; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father chasteneth not? But if ye are without chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? (Heb 12:7-9, ASV).

Does no one notice how many times in these 3 verses we read chastening and reverence and subjection? Does it not change that casual attitude to see "Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?" (ESV & CSV).

I never spoke as casually to my boss as some speak to God. And some dress up for work and dress down for God. Did not Malachi say, "Present it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee? or will he accept thy person? saith Jehovah of hosts." (Mal 1:8). In other words, we have better sense than to try to pull off on our bosses or government what we do to God?

These “buddy up to daddy” attitudes come from a very selective view of scripture. Let our reverence be shown in dress and speech and attitude.

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire  (Heb 12:28-29, ESV).
And if you invoke as Father him who judges each one impartially according to his deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile (1Pet1:17).

Another post in this guest writer's series on "One Another"

Another instruction we are given about how to get along with one another is to be kind to one another.

Eph. 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Paul starts by describing the way things SHOULDN’T be. Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice don’t belong in God’s church. Church should not be a place where everyone is fighting all the time. Unfortunately, most churches are made up of humans rather than angels. Most of us have seen the tension that sometimes exists whenever two ‘brothers’ are in the same room. Many of us have experienced or at least heard of the viciousness that often occurs in business meetings or even in elder’s meetings. What can we do about this? The first answer is that if everyone is dedicating themselves to serving their brethren and being in subjection to them (the subject of the last post) then fighting will rarely occur. The second answer is even more simple: be kind to each other.

Kindness needs no great definition. It just means doing good. Paul joins kindness with being tenderhearted. This carries with it the twin ideas of being compassionate and merciful. So, if you see your brother in need, you should want to help him out and if your brother has been offensive, your first inclination should be to overlook his fault, rather than pounding on him. That pairs quite well with the next thing mentioned, forgiving one another. Christians don’t hold grudges. Especially not against other Christians. To sum up, Paul says to do good for your brothers, look to help them out, show mercy and forgive when they are wrong.

There is more on this general topic in 1 Thess. 5:15 “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” Again, there is no place for vengeance or grudges in the Church. We are to forgive and love and be kind/do good. The point of interest to me in this passage is it doesn’t just say to do good, but to SEEK to do good. We aren’t to just take advantage of opportunities that might pop up, we are to actively look for chances to do good for our brethren. Much like Heb. 10:24-25 says we are to consider one another to figure out how to stir each other up to love and good works, exhorting one another, Paul tells the Thessalonians to seek ways to do good. I should always ask myself, “What does my brother need from me?”

Christianity is far more than showing up for church services and Bible study a few times a week.

How can I show kindness to my brothers and sisters? Peter tells us one way. 1 Pet. 4:9 “using hospitality one to another without murmuring”. Hospitality is not just having people over for dinner. In the days before hotels at every interstate exit, travelers were taken in and cared for by the people of the town. Often without any prior introduction. Hospitality was considered an honor and one of the highest virtues. Remember how Abraham hustled to prepare a meal for the traveling ‘men’ he saw walking in his direction and begged them for the honor of providing for them (Gen. 18)? Rarely do we get the chance to show this type of hospitality anymore. Travelers have reservations waiting for them. We can, however, be welcoming to any visitors that join us to worship. We can greet them, introduce them to our towns, answer any questions they may have, and generally make them feel like they’ve discovered a home away from home. Almost everybody has a story of an unfriendly church they encountered while traveling. We don’t want that story to be of us. And if we ever encounter people who have been stranded, we should be among the first to offer them assistance.

Another bit of kindness I can show is found in Romans 12:10 “In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in honor preferring one another.” We are to prefer one another. The word for “in honor” is also translated precious or price. We are to esteem our brethren as precious and put them first in our lives. Their needs come before the needs of worldly acquaintances. My free time is spent with them, instead of in the world. I send business their way. In every way socially, in business, in help given, in all ways, my brothers come first. In subjecting myself to them (last post) I put them before even myself.

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
 
Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.
 
I was sitting in one of those stackable plastic lawn chairs and leaned back. POP! and I fell sideways.  When I picked myself up from the ground, I found the arm was broken from the back of the chair.  The   chair was ruined.  Made of flimsy material its strength depended on it being one piece.  I set it aside to haul to the dump and got a folding chair in its place.

But, I go to the dump seldom and one day I needed a place off the ground to dry some squash seeds from an heirloom variety.  I got the broken chair and put the pulp and seeds in the seat in the sun.  Not long after, I got a free six-pack of cauliflower plants because one was broken.  I carefully taped the broken stem and re-potted it and set it in a clear gallon jar to protect my splinted plant from the winds.  But, the sun wilted it, so I moved the broken chair over to provide some shade.  The plant did recover and is now growing in my early garden.

The list of broken things that we make do with goes on and on—the cart that has 2 strong bungee cords pulling the sides tight against the dump gate, the tiller I got tired of replacing a spring on and just duct taped a 2 pound weight to the go-lever (this also has a bungee cord to hold  the go-lever up until I get the motor started or the dead man control will kill it because it dropped in gear faster than I could move to the handlebar grips.)

A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench (Isa 42:3).  Has life battered me until I am like that cauliflower and need binding and special care just to survive?  Jesus is there with the tape and the jar to protect me from winds that might destroy me.  He cares.  That gives me the strength to grow as much as I can. Like that plant, I may never be as big as those who were not broken, but I can produce for the master who loved me. 

I hear people comfort some person who has really messed up his life with some variation of, "God has a better plan for you."  Really?  If I had sawn off my leg with a chainsaw or broken my back in a car wreck, there are numerous things I could never be or do.  If I demolished my reputation and status with sin, I have closed doors that may never open again.  I can never undo the impact of pornography or foul language grooved in the mind or alcohol/drugs.  The weakness will always be there.  And frankly, I am broken. In some places my soul is held together with duct tape or bungee cords. In all probability, so is yours.

But, our hope is that Jesus will still find a use for us if we will come to him.  Like that chair we may not ever be what we were intended to be, but we can be shade to another weak soul or of some other use in his kingdom.  We must humble ourselves and be useful in the ways Jesus places before us, not being proud and desiring only to be great things.
 
I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak (Ezek 34:16).

Keith Ward
 

Another in a series by guest writer Lucas Ward.

There is no passage in the Bible that says “accept one another” and yet that is exactly the idea expressed in Rom. 15: 1-7. There are two other one another passages in this text, which combine to give us this lesson: we are to accept one another.

A little context: the church in Rome had a problem. There was a strong racial tension. You see, the Hebrews had long known that they were God’s Chosen People. Even though the Kingdom of God had changed from a physical nation to a spiritual kingdom with the advent of Christianity, the Jewish Christians still carried that arrogance. Old ways die hard. The non-Christian Jews were even worse. The hatred of Gentiles could be vicious. One rabbi writing at about this time taught that Jews should not help an ailing pregnant Gentile woman. If help was given, it would just result in more Gentiles. Far better, he thought, to let her miscarry and die in the process. One less current Gentile and no new ones either. It is no wonder that the Gentiles generally hated the Jews.

In Rome, it was even worse. Here the “Chosen People” butted heads with the rulers of creation. The Romans were an understandably proud people for having conquered most of the known world. They considered themselves the greatest people and now they have to put up with a rag-tag band from a backwards province claiming to be God’s only chosen people? Tension rose. Even in the church there was discord. Then, in circa A.D. 49, Claudius Caesar expelled all the Jews from Rome. (This was why Aquila and Priscilla were in Corinth when Paul got there, Acts 18:2.) On Claudius’ death, the edict was rescinded, and the Jews returned. The Jewish Christians rejoined the church and expected to regain their prominence as those who best knew the OT. The Roman Christians were loath to bow to the Jews, as they had just had years of getting along fine without them. Dissension ruled.

Paul’s letter to the Roman church was largely aimed at ending this strife. For instance, in chapters 1-3 he emphasized to the Jews that they would be just as lost as the Gentiles without Christ, and so had no reason to be holier-than-thou. In Chapter 11 he tells the Gentiles that they have been grafted into the tree the Jews were naturally part of, and so could not afford to be anti-Semitic. These are two of numerous examples of Paul quelling the fight. Chapter 15 is the summation of this instruction.

Rom. 15:1-2 “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”

Paul is almost teasing them here. He knows full well that neither side is going to admit to being the weaker side, and so he puts the onus on each of them to bear with the failings of the other. He almost admits to as much when he says “let each of us” in verse two. He knows that they will each strive to prove themselves strong, and thereby forget pleasing self in order to please the neighbor. Which is what he (and the Holy Spirit) wanted. The strength that each has is not to help themselves, but to be used to help, and build up (edify), those who are weaker. The strength can also be used to bear with the failings of the other. Contrary to all the fun revenge movies out there the strong one isn’t the person who wreaks vengeance, but the one who accepts the failings of his brothers and helps them to be better. Unsurprisingly, the Lord is a perfect example of this.

Rom. 15:3 “For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

The Lord didn’t use His considerable strength for His own pleasure, but instead used it to help the weak. Who can forget His prayers in Gethsemane? “Let this cup pass from me.” He wasn’t having fun when He was nailed to the cross. Instead, He was willingly taking our burden, bearing with our failings, building us up, as He took the reproach due us upon Himself. The quote is from Ps. 69.

Rom. 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Paul quotes the scriptures both to solidify his point and to show that the Jews were useful, as they knew these scriptures better than the Gentile converts. These scriptures are for our instruction. It is not just the scriptures, however, that leads to hope, but endurance also. We have to keep going. We have to keep bearing with the weak. We have to keep pleasing others rather than self. It is the scriptures plus endurance that leads to hope. Notice that in the next verse he calls God the God of endurance.

Rom. 15:5-6 “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The double emphasis on endurance is interesting. Perhaps Paul is admitting to both sides that he understands that bearing with the other won’t always be easy. He prays that God will help them to live in harmony with one another. They are to get along. He describes the harmony that they should experience as being “in accord with Christ”. Clearly a reference to verse 3, Paul is saying they should be willing to bear reproach for each other, as Christ did for them. Their own pleasure is less important than harmony, as Christ’s pleasure was less important than their salvation. The end goal is that they be able to come together to together glorify God. A summation is offered in verse 7:

Rom. 15:7 “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

Welcome, greet, accept. We are to welcome each other. Notice how this verse essentially sums up the previous six. Vs. 1-2 are about bearing with each other and pleasing the other rather than self. That is welcoming each other. “As Christ has welcomed you” is a reference to verse 3, that Christ pleased others by bearing their reproach. “For the glory of God”, shows the end result mentioned in verse 6.

God is glorified when His people forget their differences and come together to worship Him.

In the next 5-6 verses, Paul reminds the Gentiles that Christ came to fulfill the promises given to the Jews and reminds the Jews (by quoting their own Scriptures to them) that He also came to give mercy to the Gentiles. Again and again, there should be no dissension.

One reason that there was discord was that the Jews and Gentiles worshipped a bit differently. This is covered somewhat in chapter 14. The Jews kept certain holidays and celebrated new moons, etc. all as a holdover from the old law. The Gentiles had no cultural reason, and no teaching from any authority, that they should do such things. One side thought the other weird and the other thought the first lax. Paul told them to get along, despite this. This is something we can learn from today:

Predominantly black churches of Christ tend to worship a bit differently from predominantly white churches of Christ. Their song services are maybe a bit more. . . soulful. Their preachers are a bit more animated. (In general. I’ve been to predominantly black churches in which, if I closed my eyes, I’d have guessed they were predominantly white.) There is nothing unscriptural about any of this. It might make me feel a bit uncomfortable for cultural reasons, but it shouldn’t for Christian reasons. If our church gets a large group of black Christians as visitors and we notice that the building is swaying a bit more than usual during the song service and the sermon generates more “Amen!”s than usual, should we get upset and ask our brethren to quiet down? Of course not! We are to “welcome one another”.

Despite racial differences, cultural differences, and even differences in the worship (as long as the basic scriptural pattern in being followed) we are to live in harmony with one another. We are to welcome one another as brethren in Christ. We are to accept one another.

God is glorified when His people forget their differences and come together to worship Him.
 
Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

It seems that some fail to grasp figurative language and some apparently are unaware that it exists, though they use it every day. Many have correctly condemned the attitude behind having "Born to Lose" as a motto for life. But, in the song the phrase is wrested from, it means something else entirely. There might even be a lesson there about Bible study.  If you never heard the song, which was old when Ray Charles sang it, the quotes below are from that song.
 
A favorite preacher often says, “If you have missed heaven, you have surely missed it all.  It would matter nothing if you were successful on every other level and happy every day of your life."

Is there nothing in your life that had you missed it, then your whole life would seem a loss?  “Born to Lose” expresses that idea.  Had I missed Dene, “every dream would bring me only pain,” and I would feel that, “I’ve lived my life in vain,” and, “All my life I’ve always been so blue.”  It would color my life so that no success, no joy would truly be happy or good.

“Breathes there man with soul so dead” (or woman) who has no one that means that much?  Have you told her lately?  [Scott, "My Native Land"]

If everyone who knows you does not know that about you, is it true?
 
With the idea in mind that “Born to Lose” refers to an event that so alters one’s perspective in life in a negative way that it seems that he was born that way, let us examine a couple of Bible phrases.
 
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psa 51:5 (ASV)
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. “ (ESV) 
 
At a moment when you perceived the depth of the wickedness that you have done, maybe a recent one or in a wakeful moment in the night reviewing your life, have you never felt that way?  In other words, “My whole life has been sin to the bone?”  It seems to me that such passages as these have nothing to say about the state of one at birth or conception. They express in a strong way, a poetic way, the depth of awareness of one’s own sinfulness that he has done.
 
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."  Jer 1:5
 
Having seen this on a number of billboards along the interstates expressing opposition to abortion, and with my thinking supercharged by the adrenaline of dodging all the idiots for whom the hope of arriving a few minutes less late is worth the risk of their lives and ours, I realize that as used, literally, it expresses the Mormon view that souls exist prior to conception.  Instead, when the passage is seen figuratively, God is expressing the depth to which he knows Jeremiah’s character and the confidence with which he appoints him to the prophetic office.  It is not intended to express any truth regarding birth.
 
And, so with these and numerous other instances, we realize that God communicates with us the way we do with others, by figures of speech. And yes, the Bible means exactly what it says, it just does not always mean the literal dictionary meaning of the words used.  When we say a man would "give the shirt off his back," we are not even talking about shirts!  Nor was Jesus talking about eye problems when he said to remove the beam from your own eye so you can see to take the mote from your brother's.
 
Many a false doctrine and unsound interpretation is based upon the foolishness of making God's figures of speech into literally exact dictums.
 
We need to lighten up.  Because it is "THE BIBLE" does not mean that we do not use normal means to understand it. That is the way God communicates.
 
But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Spirit teaches; combining spiritual things with spiritual words. (1Cor 2:12-13)
 
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Eph 5:17)
 
Keith Ward

A continuing series by guest writer Lucas Ward.

Having discussed the most basic, all-pervading “one another” command, to love one another, let’s move on to some of the more specific ways we show that love for each other. Some of the “one another” passages that easily group themselves for discussion are those which teach us to edify, exhort and admonish each other: Rom. 14:9, 1 Thess. 5:11, Heb. 3:13, Heb. 10:24, Rom. 15:14, and Col. 3:16. First, let’s discuss what these commands mean.

To edify just means to build up. An edifice is a building, to edify is to build. The Greek word is oikodomeo which means *gasp* to build up. No surprises here. The only other way the word is ever used is if it is literally referring to the construction trade. When we are commanded to edify, we are being commanded to build our fellow Christian’s faith & character.

To exhort, according to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, is to urge strongly, to make urgent appeals, to give warnings or advice. The Greek is parakaleo. This word is translated “exhort” 19 times in the KJV, “beseech” 43 times and “entreat” three times. So the idea of urging and making urgent appeals seems to hold. However, the word is also translated “comfort” 23 times, which might seem odd until you realize that the ESV translates the word “encourage” pretty uniformly. Which makes sense, because when someone is feeling down, we encourage (comfort) them, but when someone isn’t achieving as they should, we encourage (exhort) them to do better. So you can see how the same word can fit in both situations. The meaning of the command to us seems to be to urge our brethren to be what they ought to be.

To admonish is to indicate duties and obligations. To express warning or disapproval especially in a gentle, earnest or solicitous manner. The Greek is noutheteo which means to put in mind of or to remind of something which fits well with the idea of reminding Christians of their duties and also reminding/warning them of the eternal consequences of sin. Notice two things about the English definition: the manner is to be gentle and earnest, and disapproval can be expressed. Is disapproval really a part of Christian life? Well, if we are trying to live pure and holy lives before the Lord, then there are things that we can’t approve of. But disapproval doesn’t mean hatred of the individual. 2 Thess. 3:14-15, “And if any man obeys not our word by this epistle, note that man, that ye have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed. And yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” We can’t approve of his actions. If he continues in them, we are to have nothing to do with him. But this isn’t the result of hate, but of brotherly love: we admonish him with the hope of his repentance. He is not an enemy, but a brother being admonished. So, to admonish our brethren is to remind them of their Christian duties and/or gently warn them of temptations and sins.

Ok, so how do I do this? How do I edify, exhort, and admonish (EE&A)? The first thing to note is that I can’t if I’m too busy condemning my brother. In Romans 14 Paul is writing to a church that is fighting over the permissibility of eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. Some believed wholeheartedly that it was a sin. The rest of the church laughed at them for being silly. Both sides were quick to judge, in the sense of passing sentence on the other side. Paul told them in vs 13 “Let us not therefore judge one another anymore: but judge ye this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block in his brother's way, or an occasion of falling.” Rather than judging, they needed to make sure they weren’t hurting their brothers. Why? vs 17 “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The Church was a lot more important than just eating and drinking. Righteousness, peace and joy were far more important. Therefore, vs 19 “So then let us follow after things which make for peace, and things whereby we may edify one another.” Instead of condemning each other, the Roman Christians should have been finding ways to make peace and to edify one another. I can’t very well build my brother up if I’m busy tearing him down, now can I?

To properly EE&A, I must also be fully aware of the dangers of sin. The Hebrew writer says in 3:13 “but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin”. Sin is tricky. It doesn’t seem all that bad. “I can put just my toe across the line, and I’ll still be ok.” Soon, my whole foot is across the line, and before I know it, I’m standing several yards beyond the line. It keeps sneaking up on you, and never seems that bad. And it hardens you, leading to, as verse 12 calls it, an “evil heart of unbelief.” The more you live in sin, the more you don’t want to listen to or believe the Word of God. Which is why we need to urgently warn our brothers and sisters about sin. Growing up in the piney woods of North Central Florida, I quickly learned to look down at the ground whenever I ventured into the woods. Snakes, especially rattlesnakes, have an uncanny knack for blending into the background. The patterns on their backs make them look just like a pile of dead leaves unless you know what to look for. Whenever we would hike as a group, anyone who saw a snake would immediately warn everyone else in the party. As Christians, we need to know that sin is far more dangerous than any poisonous viper and yell out warnings as we see our brethren nearing danger.

To EE&A, I also must be full of goodness and filled with knowledge. Romans 15:14 “And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.” Paul was sure they could handle their own admonishment precisely because they were full of goodness and filled with knowledge. Which makes sense. How can I build my brother up according to God’s word if I don’t know God’s word? How can I urge him to his duties if I don’t know what God says his duties are? But knowledge alone can be dangerous. Note 1 Cor. 8:1-3: “Now concerning things sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. If any man thinks that he knows anything, he knows not yet as he ought to know; but if any man loves God, the same is known by him.” Knowledge alone can lead to false pride and damage done. Which is why Paul also says that the Romans were “full of goodness”. This is analogous to the love he mentions to the Corinthians. Knowledge, directed by love and goodness, leads to proper EE&A.

Furthering the discussion of the need for knowledge, look at Col 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God.” The word is to dwell in you. It is not an occasional visitor; it lives in you. We read and think about it regularly. This leads to teaching and admonishing “in all wisdom”. As mentioned in Romans and 1 Corinthians, knowledge alone isn’t enough. It is to be guided by love, goodness and wisdom. And see how this teaching is done? Through the songs we sing. We often think of the song service as purely praise to God, and it does contain a lot of that, but it is also a great avenue for teaching. If we actually pay attention to what we say, we can be greatly built up and exhorted by the songs we sing. Think about “Prepare to Meet thy God”: “Careless soul, why will you linger wandering from the fold of God. . .” Or “Almost Persuaded”: “Sad, sad that bitter wail ‘almost, but lost’”. How about “Take Time to be Holy”? “speak oft with thy Lord; abide in Him always and feed on His word.” Or “I Want to Be a Worker for the Lord” or. . . Songs can be powerful. At thirteen, singing the phrase “Lord come quickly” made me wonder if I really wanted Him to come back quickly right then and led directly to me discussing baptism with my parents. Songs are a tool for teaching and admonishment and, given that, song leaders need to take care how they choose the songs we sing.

In order to EE&A, we must also consider one another. Heb. 10:24 “and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works”. The ESV says “to stir up one another”. While the word isn’t used here, isn’t stirring up or provoking to good works the definition of exhortation. (Which word is used in the next verse.) But to do it, I have to consider my brethren. I have to think about them. I have to figure out what each of them needs and how I can best help them. If I never think about my brother, how am I supposed to know how to help him out? We are supposed to be a family that helps each other, not a group that meets a couple of times a week. To be the former, we must take the time and make the effort to consider each other. Also, note the verses preceding vs 24. We are told that Christ has opened a way for us into the Holy Place. The Hebrew writer says that we should therefore 1) draw near with true hearts and full faith, 2) hold fast to our confession, and 3) consider one another. The way to heaven is open, and my job is to walk through the door and bring along as many of my brethren as I possibly can. Draw near, hold fast (that’s me getting there) and consider one another (dragging them along with me). That leads into my final point, that we . . .

EE&A with the knowledge that salvation is already won. 1 Thess. 5:9-11 “For God appointed us not into wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as also ye do.” He died for us so we could live with Him. We are not appointed to wrath, but to salvation. “Wherefore” or with that in mind, exhort and edify one another. The door has already been opened. We only have to walk through. The way can be hard, sometimes, and we need to encourage each other with the knowledge that the hardships of this life are temporary. We are appointed to salvation. We just have to keep going.

“Wherefore exhort one another, and build each other up”

Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.
 
God set eternity in man’s heart and in longing for that which is unknowable, the inspired men of the Old Testament revealed glimpses from God of that home. And truth to tell, though we have more figures of speech, it is hard to say that we understand much more than they did (Eccl 3:11).

But as for me I know that my Redeemer lives, And at last he will stand up upon the earth: And after my skin, [even] this [body], is destroyed, Then without my flesh shall I see God; Whom I, even I, shall see, on my side, And mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger. My heart is consumed within me. (Job 19:26). The ASV translation, “without my flesh” is justified by “And after my skin, this, is destroyed.” Clearly, after his life was over, Job expected to see God.

Peter quotes Psa 16:10-11 and applies it to the resurrection of the Christ. As with most Messianic passages, it also had a meaning for the time written.  Regardless, it expresses absolute faith in an undying soul that comes forth from the grave, from the realm of the dead.

Arise, O Jehovah, Confront him, cast him down: Deliver my soul from the wicked by thy sword; From men by thy hand, O Jehovah, From men of the world, whose portion IS IN [THIS] LIFE,… As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, WHEN I AWAKE, WITH BEHOLDING THY FORM. Men of the world have their portion in this life; The Old Testament righteous lived in hope of a resurrection where they would be with God and see him.

Asaph nearly slipped when he considered the rich for “they have more than heart could wish” and “there are no pangs in their death.” But then he “went into the sanctuary of God and considered their latter end.” (Psa 73:4,7,17).  What latter end if there are no pangs in their physical death and there is no eternity?  Certainly this psalmist believed in after-life punishment of the wicked.  And, he believed in a reward in heaven for the righteous, “Whom have I in heaven [but thee]?  And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart fail; [But] God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.” (24-26).

For he shall see it. Wise men die; The fool and the brutish alike perish, And leave their wealth to others. They are appointed as a flock for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be for Sheol to consume, That there be no habitation for it. But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; For he will receive me. (Psa 49:10,14-15). Shall we sing a verse of “In The Morning of Joy?” The righteous will be received, redeemed from the power of death and have dominion. YES THEY KNEW!

Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. It is not clear in the context that this concerns the final resurrection. Many think it does.

Before Jesus came revealing more, the Pharisees studied the Old Testament and determined that it taught eternal life, eternal reward and eternal judgment. The Sadducees were worldly and could only come up with silly riddles to mock that belief—sort of like the riddle, “What would happen to a man on the way to baptized and a tree fell on him?”  These establish nothing.  Jesus himself supported the Pharisees, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat: all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, [these] do and observe: but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not.” (Mt 23:1ff).
 
The rich young ruler asked Jesus, "What must I do to inherit Eternal Life?" If the Old Testament does not teach eternal life as a reward, where did he get his notions about it?  When you finish considering that, think about the Lawyer who asked the same question in Lk 10:25.  A Lawyer had no interest other than the Torah, the five books of Moses.


There are many more such passages in the Old Testament.  Some may be less clear, some may speak of eternal life and again, may not. However, once we have established as clearly as has been done above that they knew these things, it does no violence to truth to understand the doubtful ones as supporting belief in eternal life.
 
In the resurrection morning,
When the trump of God shall sound,
We shall rise, we shall rise
Then the saints will come rejoicing,
And no tears will e'er be found
We shall rise, we shall rise.
 
Keith Ward

This begins a series by guest writer Lucas Ward on the "One Another" Commands.  You will find them in the middle of the month for the next several months.

God could have saved us through the sacrifice of His Son and then left each of us to find our way to heaven on our own. In His wisdom, however, He created the church so we’d have a family of believers to help us make it. The church was designed to be a family. A place where we don’t have to be as on guard as we do out in the world. A place to receive encouragement as we battle temptations. A place where the older can teach the younger (Titus 2) and where we can find others who have been through what we are currently suffering and can offer advice and exhortation. This family, when it runs as God intended, is far more supportive than most physical families. Unfortunately, men have corrupted God’s family, often acting as if it were an institution where they can garner power, influence and/or wealth. Other local branches spend more time fighting among themselves than they do supporting each other. It is no wonder so much of the New Testament is instruction for how we should be getting along with each other. Depending on exactly how you count it, there are 51 passages in the NT specifically about how we should (or should not) treat one another which use that phrase, “one another”. If nothing else, all the references to “one another” should emphasize that we are connected. We are not individuals; we are of each other, part of a group. The 51 passages encompass 22 different commands about how we treat one another. Everything from forgiveness to exhortation; from kisses to admonishment; from not lying to not “biting and devouring” one another. The most basic command, which is really the underpinning of all the other instructions, is that we are to love one another. If we get that right, all the others will fall into place; if we fail to love, no amount of teaching on the other commands will accomplish anything.

The first thing to note about love is that it is a first principle. 1 John 3:11 “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” John says that the instruction they heard from the first was to love. One of the first things taught to new Christians by the Apostles themselves was love. He repeats himself in his second epistle: 2 John 1:5 “And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.” A lot of churches have “first principle” classes for new converts to teach them the basics of Christianity. According to John, loving each other should be prominent in that class’s curriculum.

That leads right into the next point. Obedience to the truth leads to love. 1 Pet. 1:22 “Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently.” Obedience to the truth was “unto” love of the brethren. That is the result of obeying the truth. Notice what else Peter says about brotherly love here: it is to be from the heart. In our culture, we think of the heart as the seat of emotions and so might get the idea that we are to be emotionally attached to our brothers. In the first century, however, the heart was not considered the seat of emotions, but the seat of reason. One thought with the heart. So, the command to love our brothers from the heart isn’t a directive to gooey feelings, but rather to decide to love our brothers by doing what they need. Choose to do good for them. Remember that the famous description of love in 1 Cor. 13 is all about actions. Choose with your heart to love your brothers and sisters and do for them what they need.
Connected to the idea that obeying truth leads to love is the fact that God teaches love. 1 Thess. 4:9 “But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another”. Love is from God and is basic to Christianity.

Love fulfills the Law. Rom. 13:8-10 “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” I really enjoy that Paul cites examples of the ten commandments to prove his point. If you love your brother, you won’t murder him. (!) You won’t steal his wife, nor his possessions. Love fulfills the law. If we love each other God as teaches us, we won’t need detailed instructions on how to live our lives.

Our love for each other should continue to grow. 1 Thess. 3:12 “and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you”. In this epistle, Paul praises the Thessalonians for their love, but he urges them to continue to increase in that virtue. The word “abound” in this passage means to be over and above. It is also translated as “exceed” and “enough and to spare.” So, our love should not be just barely enough to get by, but should be overflowing toward each other. We should continue to increase in how we show our love to each other. Again, love is action; it is doing for each other. Also notice from the context of this verse that Paul’s next visit combined with their growing love for each other would establish their hearts. Continually growing love of the brethren was as important as an apostolic visit to their continued spiritual health.

Twice Jesus told His apostles to love each other as He had loved them. First was in John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Given that His second admonition to love in chapter 15 is clearly linked to the crucifixion, I believe that this particular command was looking back on how He had loved them during His earthly life. Earlier that evening He had humbled Himself to wash their feet. Throughout their association, He had chosen them, taught them, live with them, and was patient with them. Essentially, He put their needs above His wants. That is what He is teaching them to do now. Put each other’s needs above the wants of self. Also, note that love is to be the defining characteristic of Jesus’s disciples. All will know that we are His if we love each other. That, however, logically means that all will know that we aren’t His if we don’t love each other. A church might sing without instrumental music, organize itself according to the NT pattern, and only use its monies as taught in the NT but if they don’t love each other, they aren’t a “sound” congregation. According to Him, not me.

The second time Jesus instructed His apostles to love as He did was in John 15:12-13 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Despite the past tense, this is clearly looking forward to the cross as Jesus mentions dying for others. (Incidentally, God regularly spoke of future events in the past tense in the OT to emphasize how certain His promises were. Jesus doing this here might be yet another indication of His deity.) He died for us. We are to love as He did. We are to love our brethren more than our own lives. They are to be first in everything.

Finally, we cannot please God unless we love one another. 1 John 3:23 “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” The context here is that we are pleasing to God and can ask Him for whatever we need because we keep His commandments. Then the commandment is listed as believing in the Son and loving one another. Wait, did the Holy Spirit through John just put loving one another on a par with believing in the name of Jesus? Yes, He did. Can I be a Christian if I don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God? No, I can’t. Can I be a Christian if I don’t love my brethren? According to this passage, no, I can’t. Then there’s 1 John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” If I am born of God and know God, I love. If I don’t love I don’t know God. I can’t please Him if I don’t love. Again, in 1 John 4:11, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” John has just stated that God’s love led Him to sending His Son to die for us and to be a propitiation of our sins. If He loved us that much, surely we can love each other. And if I can’t love my brother, aren’t I casting aspersions on God’s judgement? If I judge Brother So-and-So to be unlovable, and I know that God has loved him so completely, then I’m setting my judgement up against God’s, aren’t I? “God made a mistake in loving that jerk!” I might want to be careful in acting in a way that posits that idea. Finally, there is 1 John 4:12 “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” God abides in us only if we love each other. If we want God to be with us, we must love our brethren. Also notice that God’s love for us is only perfected, or completed when we love each other. God loved us, which caused us to love Him, and then taught us to love each other. So, it is God’s love which leads us to love each other, and the work of God’s love isn’t finished until we do love each other.

Don’t leave God’s work unfinished. Love one another.


Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

Several times lately, I have been asked a variation of, “How much did the Old Testament people understand about Heaven and Hell?  Did they understand about eternal life?

My first response for a long time has been to refer them to the one Old Testament passage everyone knows, the 23rd Psalm, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord FOREVER.”

There are numerous other passages that give hints that they knew life and death were more than the physical.  Ezekiel says the soul that sins shall die. Well everyone, good and evil, dies physically so, obviously, something more is referred to as when he says the sinner who repents shall live.

But, more, I have been thinking about the purposes of the stories of Enoch and Elijah, lately.  Eight times in Genesis 5, God inspires Moses to record, “and he died.”  In stark contrast, “Enoch walked with God: and was not; for God took him.”  Where was Enoch?  He was not in the grave with his fathers or sons.  He was with God.  From the earliest pages of scripture, God made clear the hope of the faithful.

Elijah, Elisha and all the prophets knew that God would take Elijah that day (2 Kg2).  As they walked and talked, a fiery chariot parted them and Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind.  Any who say he was just caught up in a tornado like Dorothy’s witch must contend with the 50 strong men who searched for 3 days without finding a body. They knew that Elijah was with God.
 
God made heaven clear in order that they would walk by faith while looking forward to being with him. They had the same hope and home as we, for "They looked for a city" (Heb 11:16).
 
Some glad morning when this life is o'er
I'll fly away
To a home on God's celestial shore
I'll fly away
When the shadows of this life have grown
I'll fly away
Like a bird from prison bars has flown
I'll fly away
Just a few more weary days and then
I'll fly away
To a land where joys shall never end
I'll fly away
 When I die,
Hallelujah by and by
I'll fly away
 
Keith Ward