BIBLE, BIBLE QUESTIONS, OLD TESTAMENT

 WHAT DOES JOB TEACH US ABOUT SUFFERING? — BOB PRICHARD

Victor Hugo said, “Tomorrow, if all literature was to be destroyed, and it was left to me to retain one work only, I should save Job.” The book of Job is valuable for its literary message, but also because it deals with the great themes of life, including the problem of suffering. Job describes the struggles of a righteous man who suffered tremendous pain.

Job’s “friends” afflicted him and criticized him as they blindly believed all suffering is a result of sin. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7) must be true, but it does not always apply to the problem of suffering. Job suffered unmercifully not because of his sin, but because he was a righteous man. The Lord said to Satan, “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil.” Satan answered, “Doth Job fear God for nought?” He contended that Job was only faithful because God blessed and protected him. “Touch all he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face” (Job 1:8-11). From that point on, Satan did all he could to afflict Job and cause him to lose his integrity.

As Job struggled, he begged God for an opportunity to plead his case, ultimately coming to understand that because God is a just and loving God, then he must some day have Someone who would plead his case before God. “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth” (Job 19:26). He expressed the universal longing for a Savior, which was fulfilled in Christ.

Job did not understand that his afflictions came from Satan, so he was in a constant struggle for understanding. He wanted to know, “Why me?” The answer to human suffering cannot be tied up in a nice, neat package. Righteous Job suffered because Satan afflicted him. But why did God allow it? The atheist says that if God is all loving, and all powerful, then He would stop all suffering. God is all loving, and all powerful, but suffering continues. The righteous suffer today for many reasons—because of the strength that comes from testing and trials, because of the consequences of sin, because of natural law (God does not suspend the law of gravity for the Christian), and because of the sinful choices of others. But sometimes we just do not know why, as Job did not know why.

Job demonstrates, however, that God is worthy of love and reverence even apart from all the blessings He gives us. He knows us and knows what is best for us, even when we do not know and understand. We must trust him because of those things we do understand, such as His love that would send Jesus Christ, that redeemer Job longed for.

BIBLE, BIBLE QUESTIONS, SALVATION

WHY WOULD SOMEONE BE BAPTIZED AGAIN? — BOB PRICHARD

Paul wrote that “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). Among these great unities is “one baptism,” indicating that only one baptism was applicable to men when Paul wrote. Acts 19:1-7  tells of a group of twelve men that Paul met at Ephesus who knew only John’s baptism, but were baptized into Christ when they understood that they had not fully obeyed God. 

BAPTISM AND FAITH ARE CONNECTED. 

Paul said“unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism” (Acts 19:2-3).

Baptism is for believers. “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:36-37).

“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27).

JOHN’S BAPTISM WAS FROM GOD, BUT WAS NO LONGER EFFECTIVE. 

“Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:4-5).

“John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4). “The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?” (Matthew 21:25). John’s baptism was not scriptural for them. They were subject to baptism into Christ.

PEOPLE CAN BE HONESTLY AND SINCERELY MISTAKEN. 

These twelve menwere honest and sincere, but they needed to be baptized into Christ. Some who honestly think they are saved are lost. Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23).

THE ONE BAPTISM IS NECESSARY TO PLEASE GOD.

Notice that baptism precedes new life: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). 

Sins are put off as we are baptized. “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:  In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:10-12).

CERTAIN THINGS ARE NECESSARY FOR SCRIPTURAL BAPTISM.

(1). The proper mode is immersion. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4).

(2). The proper subject for baptism is the penitent believer. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).

“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:37-38).

(3). The proper purpose for baptism is salvation. “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).

HONEST AND SINCERE PEOPLE WILL CHANGE. 

When the men learned they were wrong, they changed. When Saul of Tarsus learned he was wrong, he changed. The people of Thessalonica changed when they understood the gospel of Christ. “For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9).

Have you been baptized according to the scriptures?

BIBLE, CHRISTIAN LIVING, GOD, OLD TESTAMENT

DESIGN DEMANDS A DESIGNER! — BOB PRICHARD

Scientist John Haldane once suggested to theologian Ronald Knox, that in a universe containing millions of planets, it was inevitable that life should appear by chance on at least one of them. Knox replied, “Sir, if Scotland Yard found a body in your Saratoga trunk, would you tell them, ‘There are millions of trunks in the world—surely one of them must contain a body’? I think they still would want to know who put it there.”

With all of the knowledge that science has been able to amass, there is still no clearer or more accurate explanation for how this universe and all the life in it came to be than the words of Moses in Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Life is not here by accident!

There is a current scientific movement gaining in popularity which recognizes that our universe shows many marks of Intelligent Design. The I.D. scientific movement has many proponents that are not Christians, in fact some leading scientists are really agnostic—they are not sure if the God of the Bible is the Creator. But they understand that the creation, because of its design, demands a Creator. As David asserted in the long ago, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).

In the courtrooms of Dayton, Tennessee, William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow debated whether or not teacher John T. Scopes was guilty of teaching evolution in his high school classroom. Scopes was found guilty in the 1925 trial, but public support for forbidding the teaching of a scientific theory like evolution was lost. Now there are those who want to teach the scientific theory of Intelligent Design in our schools. Those in control, however, want to forbid the teaching of I.D. It is Scopes reversed—evolution is the only theory allowed today. Why are people so afraid of considering the evidence for design? We must recognize the power of the Designer!

Blog

ONE ARK, ONE CHURCH — BOB PRICHARD

God “spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5).

THERE WAS ONLY ONE ARK.

Noah did not build arks. He built one ark. Jesus built one church. “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4). God “hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23).

THERE WAS ONLY ONE PATTERN FOR THE ARK.

“Make thee an ark of gopher wood” (Genesis 6:14-16). “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he” (Genesis 6:22). We must do all God commands us to do concerning the pattern of the church, found in the New Testament (Romans 6:17).

THERE WAS ONLY ONE LIGHT SOURCE.

“A window shalt thou make to the ark” (Genesis 6:16). Our light today is the light of God’s word which reveals His Son, the light of the world. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). “In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).  

THERE WAS ONLY ONE FAMILY IN THE ARK.

“While the ark was a-preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (1 Peter 3:20). “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19).

THERE WAS ONLY ONE WAY INTO THE ARK.

“The door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it” (Genesis 6:16). “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (John 10:9). “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. … Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5).

THE ARK SHOWS GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES.

“And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth” (Genesis 9:12-13). 

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:38-39).

THERE WAS ONLY ONE DANGER!

The danger was being outside! Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37-39). We must be in the ark [the church], and remain there for safety!

(Adapted from Jack McNiel)

BIBLE QUESTIONS, CHRISTIAN LIVING

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT CREMATION? — BOB PRICHARD

Cremation refers to disposing of the body of the deceased by burning to ashes. In ancient times, it involved either burning the whole body, or the burning of all but the bones, which were then buried. Cremation was practiced by the Greeks and Romans, but rarely by the Hebrews and early Christians. Achan was burned because of his sin (Joshua 7:25). The bodies of King Saul and his sons were burned, apparently to prevent the Philistines from molesting the bodies. Their bones were then buried (1 Samuel 31:11-13). The Jews buried or placed the body in a sepulchre, believing in the resurrection of the body. From a practical standpoint, fuel for cremation was scarce, while caves for burial were plentiful. The worst of indignities was for the body to be exposed and not receive proper burial.

Man was formed of the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7), and as soon as he dies, his body begins to return to dust. The Egyptians embalmed the body (the Hebrews did not) in attempts to prevent the natural decay. Modern embalming, caskets, vaults, etc. also slow this decay, but do not prevent it. Cremation hastens that return to the elements which happens naturally upon burial. The human body is described as the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19), and must be treated with dignity in life and in death. Some feel that cremation is disrespectful, but it is not clear that cremation is any more disrespectful to the body than are embalming and burial. In either case, a memorial service may be held, and the remains my be interred respectfully. Cremation is frequently chosen today because of the lower expense, and the lack of burial places in some large urban areas.

Cremation raises questions relating to resurrection of the body. The “resurrection body” will be like our natural body in some ways, but in some ways different. “It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:  It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Since the natural body is a corruptible body, it really makes no difference (so far as the incorruptible resurrection body is concerned), whether the body is buried, cremated, or eaten by a wild animal. God will certainly give His children the new resurrection bodies they need.

Cremation may be used to escape the reality of death, or may be more traumatic to the family. Viewing the body and the traditional funeral service are often helpful to the family as they deal with grief. What the family believes is best should be chosen, maintaining respect for the body.

BIBLE, JESUS CHRIST

WHAT WAS THE ATTITUDE OF CHRIST TOWARD THE SCRIPTURES? — BOB PRICHARD

The attitude of Christ toward the scriptures was one of complete trust, knowing that He relied on His heavenly father completely. He said, “My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me” (John 7:16). He astonished the people because He spoke with authority, by appealing to the scriptures (Matthew 7:28-29). He warned that it was by his words that all will be judged:  “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).

Christ’s teaching was filled with quotations of and allusions to scripture. He spoke of the creation, the institution of marriage, Noah, Sodom, Abraham, Elijah, Zechariah, and a host of other Bible characters and events. He spoke of these people and events as being historical. Modern “scholars” frequently deny that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, but Jesus upholds Mosaic authorship (John 7:19).  When Satan came to test Him at the beginning of His ministry, He answered each challenge by quoting scripture: “It is written … it is written … it is said” (Luke 4:4, 8, 12). Even in death, He quoted scripture. When He cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46), He was quoting from Psalm 22:1, and thus calling attention to the fact that He was fulfilling many prophecies in that very psalm. Even as He made His way to the cross, He submitted to the scripture, knowing that all must be fulfilled. “For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end” (Luke 22:37).

The very basis of Christ’s teaching was the written word. “The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:3-6). Not only did Jesus appeal to the scriptures for authority, but He counted them as the final authority in debate. When the Pharisees sought to entrap Him concerning marriage, Jesus asked, “Have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:31-32). God spoke in words that could be read, and Jesus counted them as the final authority.

Jesus came to fulfill scripture, upholding its authority to the smallest detail. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17-18). We can do no less than to uphold and defend the authority of the written Word.

BIBLE, BIBLE QUESTIONS, REVELATION

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH CONFUSION ABOUT THE BOOK OF REVELATION? — BOB PRICHARD

There is probably no book of the Bible that is more often misunderstood, misapplied, or abused than the book of Revelation. It has been the “jumping-off” point for cults and wild religious speculation for centuries. Simply understanding the purpose of the book and its nature would end confusion. It begins, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John” (Revelation 1:1). John received the message of the book through the angel of God, and that message was a “Revelation of Jesus Christ” which God gave to show his servants “things which must shortly come to pass.”

Abusers of the book of Revelation often claim that its message has been hidden until now, and that they are the only ones who can explain its message. But the very nature of the book of Revelation, is that it reveals, or makes known the hidden things. Many would try to lead us to believe that no one until the twentieth century could understand what the book meant, and yet God intended for His followers from the beginning to understand and benefit from it. God did not hide His message to believers in Revelation, He disclosed it! God wanted His servants to understand these “things which must shortly come to pass.” If God has waited until the present to let us understand what the book means, then the words “shortly come to pass” have little meaning. The book would have had no meaning to the first readers.

The first century readers of the book of Revelation were literally in a fight for their lives. The rise of emperor worship in the Roman empire was making it harder and harder for Christians to live and maintain their commitment to the understanding that there is one Lord and that Lord was not the Roman emperor. “To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (1 Corinthians 8:6). History shows that Christians were thrown to the lions, burned at the stake, crucified, and martyred for their faith. It even reached the point that “no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:17). Only those who had worshipped “the beast,” the Roman emperor, could engage in commerce.

God planned the language of the book of Revelation, with its many symbols, to reveal the message to His people, but prevent the Roman authorities from understanding. The Christians who were working to maintain their faith in the midst of persecution could take strength from knowing that Satan and his followers must lose. Knowing that “the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15) comforted them. Revelation has comforted Christians down through the centuries with its message of hope in the darkest hour. The key is to see its over-all message, without demanding to explain every symbol.

BIBLE QUESTIONS, CHRISTIAN LIVING, Proverbs

IS PROVERBS 22:6 A GUARANTEE TO FAITHFUL PARENTS? — BOB PRICHARD

Solomon said, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). These words bring comfort to many parents who understand that the difficult task of parenting will  be rewarded by faithful children, but there are many parents who are filled with guilt and anguish because their children have gone astray, despite their best efforts. Solomon’s words are simple enough, but they just don’t always seem to come true! All too often godly men and women try with all of their ability to be good parents, but still fail. But it must be understood that Proverbs 22:6 is a proverb, not a promise. A proverb is a general statement of a rule, which may have exceptions. Those “exceptions to the rule” cause heartache.  

Implied in “train up a child in the way he should go” are the concepts of providing real training, and knowing “the way he should go.” Sadly, many parents have no concept of “training up a child.” They do little or nothing to provide the necessary spiritual food their children need.  While they may demand that the church train their children spiritually, they see no need to do this themselves as parents. The word here translated as “train up” is used elsewhere in scripture to mean dedicating something or someone to God’s service, as in 1 Kings 8:63, where “the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.” Thus Solomon urges all parents to dedicate and train their children for service.

“In the way he should go” literally means “according to his way.” That is, the training or dedication of the child should be according to his natural personal inclination, abilities, age, and qualifications. The idea of “the way he should go” is not so much the way the parent wants him to go, but the way the child should go so as to maximize his talents in service to God. To actually know “the way he should go” implies that the parent will spend a great deal of time learning the needs, desires, and capabilities of the child. To fulfill the proverb requires tremendous commitment.

That investment of the time, energy, and knowledge necessary for each child is worthwhile, though, because “when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The parent who has made the proper investment of training up the child in the way he should go will know that the child has been properly prepared to live wisely before God.

But what about the child who strays. Have the parents failed? Sadly, many times parents do fail. But just as often, the child that goes astray does so because he exercises his own free will to disobey. Many godly men and women, such as the prophet Samuel, lost their children because their children chose to follow the way of the world.

BIBLE, BIBLE QUESTIONS, CHRISTIAN LIVING

CAN THE AVERAGE PERSON REALLY UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE? — BOB PRICHARD

Yes! Numerous passages of scripture are directly addressed to the common person. “Husbands, love your wives … Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands … Children, obey your parents in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:25, 22; 6:1). “I write unto you, little children … I write unto you, fathers … I write unto you, young men” (1 John 2:12-13). The Bible is God’s message to humanity. All will be judged according to the Bible, so a God of Justice would not require mankind to understand the un-understandable.

The Bible’s longest chapter is filled with praise for God’s written Word, indicating that He wants and expects the individual to understand. “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130). The Bible is for the “simple,” not just religious authorities. “I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation” (verse 99).  It is not through the precepts of men, or their interpretations, but through God’s precepts that we gain understanding:  “I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. … Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way” (verses 100, 104).

Paul told the church at Corinth, “we write none other things unto you, than what ye read or acknowledge” (2 Corinthians 1:13). The modern language NIV renders his  words, “we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand.” Although Paul had written the Corinthians about difficult subjects such as church discipline, spiritual gifts, marriage, and the resurrection, he still expected them to read and understand. In similar fashion, he wrote to the church at Ephesus, “by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)” (Ephesians 3:3-4). Paul’s readers could have the same insight into the (no longer hidden) mystery that had been revealed to him in Christ.

As long as people do not believe they can understand the Bible, and refuse to study it for themselves, they will not understand. The key is to put into practice what we do understand! The deepest understanding of God’s Will comes when through study we are “those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). If the average person cannot really understand the Bible without another intervening to teach, then it means that the God Who created the universe was not able to make Himself understood through the Word. If the average man cannot trust his own understanding, how can he trust another man’s understanding? 2 Peter 1:19-21, written to Christians, says that  “no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”  Peter did not say that  no individual can understand, but that the prophets spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, revealing God’s message, rather than their own. “Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to thy word” (Psalm 119:169).  You can understand the Bible!

BIBLE QUESTIONS, SALVATION

WHEN SHOULD A PERSON BE “REBAPTIZED”? — BOB PRICHARD

Strictly speaking, scriptural baptism is a “one time” proposition. Ephesians 4:5 says that there is “one baptism” today. The “one baptism” consists of the immersion of a penitent believer in water, whereby he contacts the blood of Christ, receives the forgiveness of his sins, and the Lord adds him to the church. Even if a person “backslides,” or becomes unfaithful, it is not necessary to be rebaptized, if his original baptism was a scriptural baptism. Simon the sorcerer, in Acts 8, is an example of a Christian who sinned, and was told to pray for forgiveness. Peter told Simon, “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee” (Acts 8:22). Philip the evangelist had properly taught and baptized Simon, so there was no need for him to be rebaptized (Acts 8:13).

Sometimes, however, when a person thinks he is being scripturally baptized, he is really doing no more than getting wet. After further Bible study, he may realize he was not baptized according to the scriptures. Several conditions call for a person who has received “another baptism” to be baptized into Christ. Nearly every religious group practices some form of baptism. But if that baptism is not the “one baptism” of Ephesians 4:5, then it is not a scriptural baptism. For instance, if a person has only been sprinkled with water, and has not been  immersed, or “buried with him by baptism into death” (Romans 6:4), then when he realizes the proper mode of baptism is immersion into Christ, he should be “rebaptized.”

Also, baptism that follows salvation, to join a man-made religious body, is not the “one baptism.” Peter said to the multitude on Pentecost, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). The three thousand who obeyed that day, as others of the New Testament, received the remission, or forgiveness of their sins, after baptism. Sectarian baptism, even if by immersion, cannot be the “one baptism” if the person thinks that he has already received the forgiveness of his sins, and is thus saved, before his baptism. The purpose for baptism  makes a difference! Scriptural baptism puts one into the church, the body of Christ, which He has promised to save. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Often mature believers who committed their lives to Christ and were baptized at an early age begin to question whether they properly understood what they were doing when baptized. If the person was old enough to understand that he was obeying Christ by being  immersed, receiving the forgiveness of his sins, and making Christ the Lord of  his life, then he understood enough. It is only natural that as one grows in his understanding of the scriptures, he  will realize that there was much he did not understand when he first became a Christian. If there is doubt in a person’s mind,  however, concerning his baptism, then he should take action to remove that doubt. The Master said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

CHRISTIAN LIVING

DO YOU NEED SOME OF THIS? — BOB PRICHARD

Have you heard about the new toothpaste? It has shoe polish in it. It is made for people who are constantly putting their foot in their mouth!

Don’t all of us wish, sometimes, that we had thought a little before we said what we said? Once those words leave our lips, they are so hard to call back. It is so easy for something we never intended to say to slip out. Of course, if we didn’t think those bad things, they wouldn’t be there to slip out. 

Wisdom speaks to us and says, “Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it” (Proverbs 8:4-11). Notice, for wisdom, the opening of the lips is only for right things, for truth. Wickedness is an abomination to the lips of wisdom.

James warned about how hard, but how necessary, it is to control the tongue. “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” (James 3:2-5).

Solomon reminds us, “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding” (Proverbs 17:28). Just for today, let’s really think before we speak, and speak things that are good and right. Otherwise, you may need some of the toothpaste with shoe polish in it!

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BEAUTIFUL HARMONY — BOB PRICHARD

What cooperation! What unity! What harmony! I wish I was describing a congregation of God’s people, but instead, it was the Prague Symphony Orchestra. They performed in the  Knox Concert Series, and I had the chance to hear and see this great orchestra up close. The experience of hearing the orchestra reminded me anew about the importance of unity and cooperation.

The Prague Symphony Orchestra was composed of some 89 musicians, as well as a conductor, stage crew, etc. Almost a third of the musicians were violinists. It was interesting to see all of those bows moving in unison. Their skill was evident. This great skill means they used their God-given talents, and practiced endless hours. George Eliot said, “‘Tis God gives skill, But not without men’s hands: He could not make Antonio Stradivari’s violins without Antonio.” I wonder what we might accomplish in the Lord’s church if we were as diligent in honing our God-given talents and skills to be used in His service in the same way these musicians did.

All of the musicians were playing the same piece of music, and were “on the same page.” They were playing as individuals, under the direction of the conductor. As we follow Christ and scripture, we also work in unity and harmony.

From my vantage point in the concert, I could observe some of the musicians better than others. I was especially interested in the gentleman who played the tambourine during the first piece, Dvorak’s “Carnival Overture.” I never knew that anyone could be so enthusiastic playing the tambourine! It would seem this would not take as much skill as playing a violin, or a cello, or an oboe. Yet he played it with amazing energy and vigor, adding to the overall beauty of the piece, providing just the right accent needed. In the Lord’s work, there are often “parts” which seem minor─preparing the communion, counting the attendance, turning on the heat, etc., but think what a difference it makes when some of those “minor” jobs aren’t done as they should be.

As Paul reminded the Corinthians, “For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body” (1 Corinthians 12:14-20). We all have something to contribute to the Lord’s work, and we need everyone!

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1).

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TIME OUT! — BOB PRICHARD

My then three year-old grandson spent the weekend with his dad at a law school competition in Birmingham. He enjoyed being with his daddy on the trip, but there was quite a bit of time just sitting and waiting for the team to complete various competitions. At one point, after they had been sitting on a bench waiting for a long time, he turned to his dad and asked, “Daddy, How long do we have to stay in ‘time out’?”

Have you been in time out recently? What do we do when we are in “time out,” waiting for God to do what we need Him to do?

“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31).

Have you ever watched an eagle fly? As it soars in the sky, it seems that its flight is effortless. Using its strong wings, it knows how to soar as it is lifted by the wind currents.

I haven’t reached that point yet when I can soar while I wait, but I know that God has promised me that when I fully trust in Him. What seems like a child’s “time out,” may just be a time when the Lord is preparing me for greater service, or He may be offering me a test that will make me the patient Christian that I need to be. Normally I want my patience RIGHT NOW, but that is not always God’s way. His way is to trust Him RIGHT NOW, and know that He will work things in His own way, because “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

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TAKING HOLY THINGS FOR GRANTED — BOB PRICHARD

In my recent Bible reading, the following passage was significant. “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD” (Leviticus 10:1-2). 

This tragic situation came about because these two sons of Aaron were careless in their service to God. What struck me in my reading of the passage this time is what I read in the two verses before this. “And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.  And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces” (Leviticus 9:23-24).

Did you notice what happened? The “glory of the Lord” appeared to the people, and the Lord sent a fire out that consumed the sacrifice, and “all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.” And then in the very next verse, Nadab and Abihu brought down more fire from the Lord by their disobedience. It makes me wonder, how could they have done this? Weren’t they paying attention? Didn’t they realize the power of God? Didn’t they know what they were doing?

I don’t know all of the reasons that Nadab and Abihu made their fateful choice, but one thing is obvious. They took holy things for granted. They were the right people, with the right implements of worship, doing the right thing, in the right place, but in the wrong way. And they paid for it with their lives.

I wonder how often we are guilty of taking holy things for granted. Have you ever partaken of the Lord’s Supper, and then realized that you didn’t even think about what Christ did for you. Most all of us are guilty of sometimes singing words we don’t mean or believe in worship. When we sing “Anywhere with Jesus,” do we mean it? When we sing, “all to Thee, I surrender,” do we mean it?

The Lord has blessed us with His mercy, in that He has not destroyed us like Nadab and Abihu. But can we continue to take holy things for granted? “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).

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ACCEPTABLE PRAYER — BOB PRICHARD

One of the most evident characteristics of the faithful Christian is an active prayer life. This has marked the church from the beginning. The church at Jerusalem “continued steadfastly … in prayers” (Acts 2:42). Prayer was especially important in times of distress, such as when Peter was imprisoned by Herod, when “prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5), or when Paul and Silas were in jail in Philippi, when “at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God” (Acts 16:25). Certainly Christians should pray. Paul told the Christians of Colossae, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). However, it is often the case that a man who has had no use for Christ or His church will cry out to God for help, and then become very upset when he believes God has not answered his prayer. Under what conditions are our prayers acceptable to God? Has God promised to listen to and answer the prayers of every man, no matter how he lives or how he prays?

WE MUST BE OBEDIENT.

“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil” (1 Peter 3:12). “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (1 John 3:22). Paul warned that the day was coming when Christ would be revealed with His mighty angels, “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8).

WE MUST PRAY ACCORDING TO HIS WILL.

This is the example of Jesus as He faced the cross. He prayed, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).  “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us” (1 John 5:14). If we are praying for our own will to be done instead of His will, we will not receive the Lord’s blessing. James warns, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (James 4:3). How can we expect God to hear our prayers when we have wrong motives for prayer?

WE MUST PRAY WITH THE PROPER ATTITUDE.

In the model prayer that Jesus gave His disciples, He said, “If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). We must trust God to keep His promises. “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord” (James 1:6-7).

WE MUST PRAY IN THE NAME OF CHRIST.

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14). This does not mean just saying the words “in Christ’s name.” It means praying with His authority because we belong to Him. Paul writes, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). Faith in Christ will lead to obedience to Christ in baptism. Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). One who believes in Christ (John 8:24), confesses that faith in Christ (Acts 8:37) and repents and is baptized (Acts 2:38) can pray in the name of Christ with assurance. He has obeyed the gospel of Christ, and followed God’s law of pardon for his sins.

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SAFE & SOUND: THE SECURITY OF THE FATHER’S HOUSE — BOB PRICHARD

I was speaking on a minister’s panel for a Hospice group, answering questions about death and care for the terminally ill. One of the Hospice volunteers asked what to say if the patient was concerned about sin in his or her life, and their relationship with God. The Lutheran minister was quick to say, “God is a God of love. Tell them that they have nothing to worry about.”

I had different advice. I said that if the patient had some spiritual concerns that they should be supportive, but also seek to make sure they dealt with whatever was of concern. I could not assume that everyone has a right relationship with God, especially if one was concerned about that relationship.

The Lutheran minister probably represented much of our religious world. I knew him all too well. He was Post-Modernist in his thinking, and basically thought anything goes in the religious world, and everybody is right with God—(except for the churches of Christ, of course).

But the security of the Christian is an issue for many of us, isn’t it. Are we really right with God? Can we know that we have the security of the Father’s house? Are we perpetually in the Father’s house one day and in the far country the next? How can we be sure where we stand with the Father? Perhaps the confidence that the Prodigal had can help us to better understand our relationship with God as Christians.

The Fatal Decision

The Prodigal was safe and sound in his father’s house as the story begins. He lost that security, however. Although in his own mind he probably thought it was the father’s fault for his restrictiveness, or perhaps his elder brother’s attitude, he ultimately had no one to blame but himself. His time in the far country was spent in riotous living, and the portion given by the Father was soon gone. He was not wise like Moses, learning the hard way that the pleasures of sin are only for a season.

“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward” (Heb. 11:24-26).

The Far Country

The problem of being in the far country is that the security a full wallet seems to provide does not last. He was on a slippery slope, and could do nothing but fall further and further away from safety and security. Paul warns us, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). This was another lesson the Prodigal had to learn through experience.

When Jonathan Edwards first preached his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” on July 8, 1741, at Enfield, Connecticut, the response was overwhelming. Edwards warned that “There is nothing that keeps wicked men out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God.” Edwards, through ten “considerations” stressed that God may cast sinners, who certainly deserve hell, into hell at any moment. God is angry with them, and it is only because of his restraints that the wicked are not immediately given to Satan for torment. (“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”).

But the Prodigal seemed to know nothing of an angry God. In the far country, he knew only pleasure—and that pleasure was at the expense of the father who had generously given him his inheritance. He needed a wake-up call to see the seriousness of his situation.

The Fields of Swine

To those who first heard Jesus tell the story, there could hardly have been a worse living fate for the boy. “And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him” (Luke 15:14-16).

Just feeding the swine was bad enough, but to be so hungry he envied the swine’s food was the ultimate ignominious situation. This was nothing like what he had experienced in the safety and security of his father’s house. This, perhaps more than anything else opened his eyes to all that he was missing by not being in the Father’s house.

The Firm Decision

And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants (Luke 15:17-19).

What brought about this decision? The Prodigal “came to himself” (Luke 15:17) and wanted to go home. The plaintive cry we always hear at the nursing home: “Will someone just take me home?”

Is it any wonder that realtors stress that they are selling homes (rather than houses)? Two proverbs sum the situation: “East west, home’s best.” “Home is where the heart is.” In The Death of the Hired Man, poet Robert Frost said “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in” (Daintith, 254). 

He knew that there was safety and security in the Father’s house. And he knew that he could go home, although he thought his rebellion had caused him to forfeit his sonship.

The Father’s House

What made him think that he could go back to the Father’s house? Why did he think he would find safety and security? It was because it was the Father’s house. He knew his Father. And ultimately it is all about the Father.

The Father was His Father. 

It wasn’t that he just knew about his father. He knew his father. He had spent time with him, communed with him, talked to him, learned from him. He had sat at his father’s table, listened (perhaps reluctantly) to his father’s admonitions, and had seen how his father dealt with others.

Perhaps our difficulty of believing we have security in the Father’s house is that we just don’t know Him as well as we should. John tells us of the Word, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). Because He gave us power to become the sons of God, we must grow in our love, understanding and knowledge of Him. Our obedience shows we know him.

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 1:1-3).

The Father was Generous and Loving.

The Prodigal experienced the generosity of the Father when he demanded his portion of the inheritance and the Father gave it to him, although He was not required to do so. The Father in heaven blesses all men daily, for He “maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Mat. 5:45). But much more than that, we know that the Father is generous with His children. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). We now are in a better place to see the love and generosity of the Father, because we have the full biblical record. “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1 Cor. 10:11).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). How can anyone look at the cross of Christ and doubt the love of the Father? In light of his generosity, why would His children doubt their safety and security in His house?

The Father was Trustworthy.

When the Father divided unto them his living (Luke 15:12), He gave what the sons desired but did not deserve. He fulfilled His obligations, above and beyond His actual obligation. The prodigal never had to question if his father had given all that he said he would.

Can we trust the Son when He says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Mat. 11:28-30)? He promises, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day” (John 6:37-39).

He truly offers us safety and security.

The Father was Wise.

The Father was not a dictatorial autocrat. He wisely allowed the Prodigal to make his own decisions, and make his own mistakes. The Prodigal probably did not recognize the wisdom of his Father when he was originally in the Father’s house. But as he looked back, he could see it. He could see that the Father had provided all that he needed to make the right decision.

The world seldom sees the wisdom of God for what it is. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Cor. 1:18-21).

We should proclaim with Paul: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Romans 11:33-36).

The Father was Longsuffering.

It must have hurt the Father deeply to see the Prodigal leave the security of the Father’s house. He must have known that the boy would be back, worse for the wear. But He let him go, and longingly waited for his return. “And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). The longsuffering Father not only waited for the Prodigal to return, but He watched for him, and ran to meet him. Surely this is what the Father has done for us as well!

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:6-9).

We understand that “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). Knowing that He cares this much for us, why don’t we trust Him to save us?

The Good Shepherd tells us: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29).

The Father was Forgiving.

Of all of the qualities of the Father, the most comforting, the most assuring is His forgiveness. Although the Prodigal felt like he was no longer worthy to be accepted as a son, he knew that the Father would be willing to forgive him.

One of the first Bible studies I ever conducted after obeying the gospel was with my Missile Combat Crew Deputy and his wife. I was shocked as we came to the end of the study because the wife was inconsolable. She was crying so hard that we had to break off the end of the study and go home, because she couldn’t talk. The next day, after my Deputy and I went on alert duty, my wife went to talk to the Deputy’s wife, who was so upset the evening before. She was upset because she wanted so much to be a Christian, and knew that she had not obeyed the gospel. But she also knew that God could never forgive her of her sins, and that she couldn’t live the Christian life. When it was explained to her that God could and would forgive her, and that He would help her live faithfully, she was baptized into Christ.

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). We have all gone into the far country of sin, yet the Father wants to welcome all of us back, just as He welcomed back the Prodigal.

Paul told Timothy, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting” (1 Tim. 1:15-16).

If God could forgive the chief of sinners—surely we can be sure that He forgives us, and know that we have the blessed assurance He offers. John tells us that we may know we have eternal life because God has proved it through the Son. “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. … And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:9; 11-12).

The Prodigal, though ashamed of his actions, was not afraid to return to the Father’s house. “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:17-18).

The gospel is good news, and our faith should show it. “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake” (1 John 1:12). Our sins truly are forgiven in Christ.

In the midst of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was asked what he would do with the rebellious Southerners when they were finally defeated and allowed back into the union. He said, “I will treat them as if they had never been away.” Amazingly, that is how the Father forgives. “And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry” (Luke 15:21-24).

The prodigal was safe and sound in the security of the Father’s house.

“The ultimate theme of this story, therefore is not the prodigal son, but the Father who finds us. The ultimate theme is not the faithlessness of men, but the faithfulness of God.

And this is also the reason why the joyful sound of festivity rings out from this story. Wherever forgiveness is proclaimed there is joy and festive garments. We must read and hear this gospel story as it was meant to be: good news! News so good that we should never have imagined it. News that would stagger us if we were able to hear it for the first time as a message that everything about God is so completely what we thought or feared. News that he has sent his Son to us and is inviting us to share in an unspeakable joy.

The ultimate secret of this story is this: There is a homecoming for us all because there is a home.” (Thielicke 29).

Works Cited

The Holy Bible. King James Version. BibleSource. The Zondervan Corporation, 1991. Disc.

Daintith, John et. al. ed. The Macmillan Dictionary of Quotations. Edison, NJ: Chartwell Books, 2000. 

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 2011.

Thielicke, Helmut. The Waiting Father. San Francisco: Harper & Row. Translated by John W. Doberstein, 1959. Print.

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WHERE WILL WE BE IN 2040? — BOB PRICHARD

(Note: Originally written in 2006)

Peter Singer is a professor of ethics at Princeton University. He is well known for supporting euthanasia and infanticide and many other controversial practices. He made a prediction about the future of public opinion in the September-October issue of Foreign Policy. He forecast that by 2040, “only a rump of hard-core, know-nothing religious fundamentalists will defend the view that every human life, from conception to death, is sacrosanct.”

Marvin Olasky, editor in chief of World magazine challenged Dr. Singer, as to whether his support for killing the very young (not just abortion, but killing unwanted young children) or the terminally ill, was not like the Nazi programs. Singer, who had three grandparents killed by the Nazis, said in Writings on an Ethical Life that the Nazi program was racially biased and designed to eliminate “social ballast” and “useless mouths,” while the euthanasia he advocates is a free choice of ill adults who want to die, or by parents who believe that their disabled children are better off dead.

Olasky points out that “The two positions are different, but they have a common denominator: It’s OK to kill socially inconvenient people. Hitler said the government should decide who’s convenient (sic) and Mr. Singer wants individuals to decide, but the slope is slippery. Already we’re seeing government hospitals ceasing to treat the elderly or ill unless someone objects loudly. When health care is government-paid, demands for ‘cost containment’ by euthanasia will grow” (World, October 29, 2005).

What about Singer’s projection? What will people think in 2040? Will we let the truth ring out? Will we be the only ones left in 2040 who will stand up for the value of all life? “Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked” (Exodus 23:7). We as Christians need to be vocal in supporting life.

CHRISTIAN LIVING

“TEN DOLLARS BILL GREEN AMERICAN” — BOB PRICHARD

Among items in a display at the National Archives is a letter to Franklin Roosevelt, dated November 6, 1940, postmarked from Santiago, Cuba. To “my good friend Roosevelt. I am twelve years old. I am boy but think very much I do not think I am writting (sic) to the President of the United States. If you like, give me a ten dollars bill green american and I would like to have one of them.” The letter was signed “Sr. Fidel Castro.” Edwards Park comments: “The future premier of Cuba got an acknowledgment, but no ten bucks. Pity. Might have changed the political profile of the Western Hemisphere” (Smithsonian, February 1989). 

Would “ten dollars bill green american” have really changed the political profile of the Western Hemisphere? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But what about “ten dollars bill green american” in the hands of a dedicated missionary carrying the gospel to Cuba? Could Christians in American have changed the course of political history by intervening with the gospel? Certainly!

Jesus had a special interest in children. When the disciples asked who was greatest in the kingdom, He said, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:3-6). 

We all have responsibilities to children, to do all we can to teach and prepare, to “receive them in his name,” while also being sure that we do nothing to hinder their righteous development by “offending” one of them. What could the church do today if every member had enough interest in young people to invest a little more time, energy, and money in their development here and abroad? If each one would just give “ten dollars bill green american” extra this year, what could we accomplish? Is “ten dollars bill green american” too much to ask?

CHRISTIAN LIVING

“FIGHTING SPREADS DEVILS’ CANCER” — BOB PRICHARD

The headline on my article came from the cover of the February 4, 2006 issue of Science News. You can bet when I saw that headline, I had to read the accompanying article. The devils discussed in the article are some fierce creatures from Tasmania, with the scientific name Sarcophilus harissii, but with the common nameTasmanian devils. Scientists at the University of Tasmania in Hobart have found that fighting Tasmanian devils have been transmitting cancer by biting one another on the neck and face. The resulting tumors usually cause the animal to die of starvation within six months of the lesions appearing.

The real Devil also kills by biting and devouring. Peter warns us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

We must be careful that we do not fall into the devil’s trap by acting like little devils ourselves. Paul writes, “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:13-16). 

My favorite cartoon character is Taz, the Tasmanian devil. I like to see him whirling around in that tornado, because I know that some comic mayhem is going to happen. Comic mayhem is one thing, but real mayhem in the church is certainly not comic. Let us see that we do not bite and devour one another!

Blog, CHRISTIAN LIVING

ASTRONOMY IN PERSPECTIVE — BOB PRICHARD

An astronomer once remarked to Fulton J. Sheen: “To an astronomer, man is nothing but an infinitesimal dot in an infinite universe.” “An interesting point of view,” Sheen responded, “but you seem to forget that your infinitesimal dot of a man is still the astronomer.”

David reminds us of what man the astronomer sees when he looks into the skies. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4).

In view of God’s majesty, David marveled that the Creator of the universe would have so much concern for man. “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet” (Psalm 8:3-6).

Isn’t it mind boggling to realize that God has not only entrusted man with a world to care for, but also sacrificed His Son for the sins of mankind? “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Romans 5:6-11).