Predestination (1)

Predestination (1)
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ

The question is sometimes asked, “Do you believe in predestination?” Some will say yes, and others no. However, all true Bible believers do believe in predestination, for the Bible teaches it. The question should not concern the reality of predestination, but its nature. The question should be, “What is predestination?”

Due to the widespread influence of Calvinism, many people automatically think of individual election when they think of predestination. They have the notion that God has arbitrarily chosen some to eternal salvation and others to eternal damnation. This makes salvation wholly God’s doing. It is argued that if one has salvation there is nothing that he can do to lose it, and if one doesn’t have salvation there is nothing that he can do to obtain it. As we shall see, this concept is contrary to both the nature of man and the nature of salvation.

The word “predestination” is a translation of the Greek compound word “proorizo,” which means, “to determine or mark out beforehand.” Given the Bible’s use of this word, it is clear that God has predetermined something. The question is what has He predetermined? Has he predetermined certain individuals by name to either salvation or condemnation, regardless of their belief, character and conduct? Or is it something else? I affirm that it is something else. The Bible uses the word Greek word proorizo in Acts 4:28, Romans 8:29,30, 1 Corinthians 2:7 and Ephesians 1:5,11. As we shall see, predestination never violates human free agency: it does often incorporate free agency.

In the prayer that the disciples offered to God it was said that the Jews and Gentiles had gathered against Christ, “to do whatever your hand and your plan predestined to take place” (Acts 4:27, 28). God’s will was for Christ to die, and to die in a certain way (John 3:14; 12:32,33). Did God force Judas to betray Christ? No. Judas betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). Did God force the Jews to deliver Christ up to be crucified? No. The Jews delivered up Jesus because of envy (Matthew 27:18). Did God force Pilate to crucify Christ? No. Pilate allowed Christ to be crucified because he wanted to “satisfy the crowd” (Mark 15:15). Jesus was “predestined” to die, but no one’s free agency was violated in the process. (More to come…)

View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.

The Bible Only (4)

The Bible Only (4)
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ

Last week’s installment addressed the all sufficiency of the Scriptures. We examined 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, which breaks down the various purposes of the Scriptures. In this last article on the subject I wish to emphasize the need to speak only where the Bible speaks.

Peter wrote, “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God…” (1 Peter 4:11). That is, let him speak the very words of God. Religious people often fail to comply with this rule. They often give their own opinions or the opinions of others instead of the Scriptures. This is dangerous, for “there is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). The only way that we can know that we are right is for us to speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent.

The Old Testament states this exact same principle: “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). People fail to take these warnings seriously. Failure to respect God’s word is failure to honor God. The “light” of God’s countenance is not upon those who take liberties with His word. By adding to or subtracting from God’s word, men rebel against their creator. They challenge His sovereignty and wisdom.

John, the apostle of love, issued the sharpest warning on this subject. He said that those who do not abide in the doctrine of Christ have not God (2 John 9). This means that they have no fellowship with God. It may seem like a small thing for people to invent their own religious dogma, but doing so results in condemnation.

Let us do what Bible teachers did when trying to represent God’s will: Let us open the Scriptures and read from them distinctly (Nehemiah 8:8; Acts 17:2, 3). Let our explanations be entirely consistent with the teaching of God’s word. When we discover that something that we believe, teach or practice wrong, let us repent and turn fully to the truth.

View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.

The Bible Only (3)

The Bible Only (3)
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ

What was known as “the restoration plea” was a good plea: Let is speak where the Bible speaks, and let us be silent where the Bible is silent. Let us call Bible things by Bible names, and let us do Bible things in Bible ways.” This is a good rule, for it is the rule of Scripture.

In his second letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul established this rule (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). He described the Scriptures as being inspired of God and all sufficient. Paul said to Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” The Bible contains all of the information necessary to equip people to be what God wants them to be and to do what God wants them to do. Most importantly, the Scriptures contain all of the necessary information to save the souls of men and women and to get them to heaven.

The all sufficiency of the Scriptures is emphasized by the four purposes that Paul cited:

1. “Teaching” – The Scriptures provide information in the form of facts that must be believed and commands that must be obeyed. They provide us with a God-given standard of conduct.

2. “Reproof” – What good would it do for people to have access to information that can change their lives, but not be affected by that information? God’s word reproves. That is, it shows us how and where we are wrong.

3. “Correction” – But what good would it do for people to be told where they are wrong, but not be told how to correct those wrongs? Hence, the Scriptures serve the purpose of correcting us when we are wrong.

4. “Training in Righteousness” – After being instructed, reproved and corrected, one would not want to slip back into a life of sin. Hence, the Scriptures are given to train us in right living.

Conclusion: The Scriptures supply us with all that we need to be saved.

View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.

The Bible Only (2)

The Bible Only (2)
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ

Last week’s article stressed the importance of “searching the Scriptures” in order to find out how to please God (Acts 17:11; Ephesians 5:10). Let us now consider some Scriptures that defend the Bible’s own self-sufficiency.

Galatians 1:6-8 – “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him that called you into the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” Interestingly, the very next verse repeats the point of verse 8, which emphasizes the seriousness of the warning. Notice that some were “distorting” (“perverting” KJV) the gospel message. How is this done? By either adding to, or taking from the Bible’s teaching. One is cursed by God and condemned if he modifies the gospel of Christ.

Mark 7:1-13 – Space does not permit me to cite this entire passage. Jesus accused the Scribes and Pharisees of “leaving the commandment of God and holding the tradition of men,” of “rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish (their) tradition,” and of “making void the word of God” by their human tradition. By adding human customs and traditions to the things that are taught and required by God, one renders his worship and religious service “vain.”

Revelation 22:18, 19 – “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” The warning is against adding to, or subtracting from God’s word. It is sometimes argued that John was warning only against adding to or taking from the teaching of the book of Revelation. Clearly, John was talking about the book of Revelation, for that is the context. However, the principle warning applies to all of God’s word, as is evidenced by what Paul told the Galatians and what Jesus told the Scribes and Pharisees.

View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.

The Bible Only (1)

The Bible Only (1)
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ

Religious people are often heard proclaiming their allegiance to the Bible. We hear it from Protestants and Catholics, denominationalists and nondenominationalists. And while we rejoice that people respect the Bible enough to make such a claim to its guidance, the reality is that many religionists do not limit themselves to the Bible for their religious authority. They do not speak only “where the Bible speaks,” and they are not “silent where the Bible is silent.” Along with the Bible, they have incorporated their personal opinions, human traditions and religious creeds.

God has chosen to direct and restrict human behavior in certain ways. Humans are not permitted to merely do as they please in these areas. In order for us to be right with God, we must “please Him” (1 Thessalonians 4:1; Hebrews 11:6) and not “ourselves” (Romans 15:1). God’s infallible word, the Bible, is where we learn how to “walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, to be fruitful in every good work, and increase in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).

The Bible commands us to “find out what pleases the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10). Thankfully, we are shown how this is to be done. Acts 17:11 describes the Berean Jews as being more “noble-minded” than the Thessalonian Jews. And what had they done in order to receive such a compliment from the Holy Spirit? Two things: They “received the word with all eagerness,” and they “searched the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” It seems almost too simple, doesn’t it? In fact, it is simple: God is honored when people care enough about what He says to read and examine His word. Great care must be taken to find out what pleases God, for failure to do so will result in eternal misery and doom (1 Thessalonians 2:15, 16; 2 Thess. 1:7-9). Our next article will examine Bible passages that stress the importance of our using only the Bible as our religious guide.

Special Announcement: The Parkway church of Christ will be conducting a gospel meeting at our building, April 14-18, at 7:00 PM nightly. We hope you can come!

View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.

Environmentalism as a Religion (2)

Environmentalism as a Religion (2)
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ

I pointed out last week that the “New Age” movement has joined forces with a radical form of environmentalism, resulting in the formation of a new religion. God has often warned humans against worshipping the creation (Deuteronomy 4:19), yet people of all times and places have tended to engage in such idolatry. Let us consider some of the major tenets of the religion of environmentalism:

1. Belief in some “force of nature” that is greater than man. The god of radical environmentalists is the earth itself. Humans are seen as inferior to the earth. Their purpose is to serve and “sustain” the earth by their eco-friendly activities.

2. A “belief system.” Even though no scientific evidence can be produced that proves that global warming and ozone depletion are man-made, it is nonetheless accepted on the basis of blind “faith.” Of course, Bible faith is based upon eyewitness testimony. Referring to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, Peter said, “We are witnesses of these things” (Acts 2:32; 5:32). Bible believers do not blindly believe.

3. There is a “priesthood” (of certain scientists) whose assumptions and predictions it is considered sacrilegious to even question.

4. There is a “high priest” in the form of some prominent person who is seen as the authority figure and chief spokesman for the movement. Right now this appears to be Al Gore, who has become popular among many radical environmentalists, including many of the Hollywood crowd.

5. Heresy: Rejection of the basic doctrines of radical environmentalism amounts to heresy against the “infallible” pronouncements of some.

6. Sacrifice: Humans are called upon to sacrifice certain rights, comforts and privileges in the interest of being at one with nature. Some people have actually become sterilized in order to help solve the problem of alleged earth overpopulation. Some give up their “carbon emitting” vehicles, air conditioners, electricity…etc.

7. Penance: Some are paying for “carbon credits” in order to offset their “carbon footprint.” Indeed, environmentalism has become a religion for many!

View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.

Environmentalism as a Religion (1)

Environmentalism as a Religion (1)
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ

It was just a matter of time before the popular New Age philosophies of spiritualism, mysticism and holism would converge with environmentalism. They have now converged in a huge way. In fact, New Ageism and environmentalism are virtually inseparable in many circles. Thus we are witnessing the rise of a new religion – the religion of “mother earth.” To these new religionists, God is not the personal God that is revealed in the Scriptures. Rather, “God” is seen as the “substance” that binds the universe together. It is thought that one can only know God by knowing nature. A similar concept of God is portrayed in the popular Star Wars movie series under the description of “the force” (“may the force be with you”). The “Jedi knight” was taught to “be one with the force.” The Bible, conversely, describes God as personal and transcendent. His existence does not depend upon material things, nor does it depend upon man’s opinion of Him. The God who is revealed in the Bible is a God that existed before the universe even existed!

A person can be an “environmentalists” without subscribing to New Age views. We must define our terms. Technically, “environmentalism” is activity or advocacy in the interest of protecting the natural world from pollution and destruction. By this definition, a person can be a devoted Christian and still be an environmentalist. In fact, there is a sense in which Christians are “environmentalists.” On the sixth day of creation, God created mankind (Genesis 1:26). Man was made in the spiritual image and likeness of God. Among other qualities, this endowed man with self-awareness and the ability to engage in rational thought. These abilities, which were peculiar to man among all of God’s creatures, enabled man to occupy a special place among all of the other creatures. Man was to exercise “dominion over” all other life forms (Psalm 8:6-8). Along with this, man was also given the task of “dressing and keeping” the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15). Reason tells us that we are similarly responsible for our environment today. Incidentally, one does not have to worship nature in order to see the harm that is done by poisoning lakes, streams and air! Our next article will show the fallacy of environmentalism as a religion.

View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.