The Bible Says…

Whit Sasser

“And these will go a way into everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46).

Those who do not know God or do not obey the good news of Jesus Christ shall be punished in a lake of fire (II Thessalonians 1:8 9 and Revelation 21:8). Many like to believe that the punishment is taking place now, on Earth; others want you to believe that Hell is simply an annihilation of our being; while still many disbelieve altogether, thinking God will not send his creation to such a place. Be not deceived! The punishment is as real as Heaven (the passage speaks of both); it will be consciously suffered and it will last forever. Prepare to meet God. TODAY!

Missing Services

Joel Raulerson

I remember my grandfather telling me about an elderly gentleman who had an accident while farming. His tractor tipped over, pinning the man for two days underneath the tractor. It was reported that members of the church he attended came and discovered him pinned underneath his tractor. What was the reason they sought him out? The elderly farmer, who was faithful to attend when the church assembled, had missed Wednesday night services. What does this say about us?

On one hand, we can ask the question, “Does it seem strange for me to miss services?” Remember, the reason some of the members of that congregation had gone looking for the elderly farmer was due to the fact he had missed a Wednesday night service. Is our attendance that consistent? If we are following the pattern God has established, it will be! Hebrews 10:25 says, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

What if you were to have a similar emergency? Would your absence be noticed? Or, would members here assume that you just decided not to come today because you were tired, or one of many excuses you constantly offer? Ask yourself, how many services have you missed in the last year? Can you honestly count yourself as a faithful, regular worshipper at this congregation? Some brethren seem to think, “So what if I’m just at services every now and then? If that’s the worst sin I ever commit, I’ll make it to Heaven.” Are you sure of that? The Bible says that all sin separates us from God (Isa. 59:1-2; Rom. 6:23). The Bible makes it clear that we can lose our souls over just one sin (Acts 8:13-24). How many times does a person have to willfully miss to commit a sin? The first time is just as much a sin as the fourth time or the fortieth time, if it is willful sin (Heb. 10:26).

Another lesson we can take from this story is the care that the brethren show for one another. The Hebrew writer told us in Hebrews 10:24, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” We should be doing this by attending services and encouraging one another. However, the brethren also showed concern for their brother when he was not at services. They had a concern for their brother’s soul and for his physical well-being when he was not at services. Do we have the same care and compassion? Whenever brethren are absent do we check up on them? Even when they give a reason for their absence, do we attempt to check up on them ourselves? Let us obey Hebrews 10:24 and show our love toward our brethren.

Listening for God’s Voice

Mike Riley

A man and his friend were in downtown New York City during the noon lunch hour and the streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs squealing around corners, sirens wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening. Suddenly, the man said, “I hear a cricket.” His friend said, “What? You must be crazy. You couldn’t possibly hear a cricket in all this noise!” “No, I’m sure of it,” the man said, “I heard a cricket.” “That’s crazy,” said the friend.

The man listened carefully for a moment, and then walked across the street to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing. He looked into the bushes beneath the branches, and sure enough, there was a small cricket. His friend was utterly amazed. “That’s incredible,” said his friend. “You must have super-human ears!” “No,” said the Man. “My ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what you’re listening for.” “But that can’t be,” said the friend. “I could never hear a cricket in all this noise.”

“Yes you can,” came the reply. “Here, let me show you.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk. With the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they noticed that every person’s head within twenty feet turned and looked to see if the money that tinkled on the pavement was theirs. “See what I mean?” asked the man. “It all depends on what’s important to you, and what you’re listening for.”

What’s important to us? What do we listen for? Are there times we fail to listen to God because we are focused on other things more important to us? Regarding the Jews, Jesus said, “For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.” (Matthew 13:15-16; cf Isaiah 6:9-10; Acts 28:26-27).

Brethren, amid the distractions of the world all around us, may our ears always be open, not only ready to listen for, but to hear and be obedient to God’s voice as He speaks to us through His word (1 Samuel 3:9-10; cf. John 8:47; John 10:4; John 10:27; 1 John 4:6).

Interracial Marriage

Dylan Stewart

Racism is sin, a sin dividing the human family, blotting out the image of God among specific members of that family, and violating the fundamental human dignity of those called to be children of the same Father. Racism is a sin that says some human beings are inherently superior and others essentially inferior because of race. The sin of racism mocks the words of Jesus – “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matthew 7:12). Indeed, racism is more than a disregard for the words of Jesus; it is a denial of the truth of the dignity each human is provided by God since Creation.

God’s love is unconditional (in a sense) in that we, though we separate ourselves from God through sin, He continues to love us. In fact, Paul proclaims, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). If we are to exemplify God and Jesus in our life as we are commanded (Matthew 5:48), then we too must love people unconditionally, regardless of race or ethnicity. Racism is a work of the flesh. No one should be favored or discriminated against because of their nationality or skin color. God is no respecter of persons. Peter himself needed to be reminded of this fact in Acts 10. The Lord appeared to Peter in a vision helping him understand “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34). Proverbs 22:2 plainly teaches no matter who we are, what background we come from, the color of our skin, the language we speak, our financial circumstances, etc., we all have this in common – “The Lord is the maker of [us] all.” Similarly, Proverbs 24:23 tells us “These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment.” Why then does racism through the form of negative perceptions concerning interracial marriage exist within the church today?

Some suppose the Bible condemns interracial marriages because of a command given to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 7:3-4, which states, “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.” Something worth noting about this command is the fact that skin color was not a reason why the Lord condemned intermarriage between the Israelites and other nations.

Instead, God imposed this restriction because He knew the Jews would turn away from Him due to temptations of falling into idolatry. God wanted to keep His people separate from the sinful nations around them to keep them from being corrupted by sinful practices. Further- more, the people who God forbade the Jews from marrying are specified in Ezra 9:1. The groups of people listed are all dark skinned nations similar to the Jews. Thus, differences in skin color was not the reason why God condemned intermarriage between the Jews and the other nations. It was condemned because of the temptation of idolatry (Nehemiah 13:23-26).

Another point worth noting is this verse does not apply to Christians today. This restriction was specifically for the Jews, which is made evident in Joshua 23:12-13. We do not have this same restriction today. When Christ died, He made the Old Covenant “obsolete” (Hebrews 8:13). In other words, commands from the Old Covenant do not apply to Christians today. The only way God’s command to the Israelites may be applied today would be as an illustration to encourage Christians to marry fellow Christians. It is possible for a non-believer to pull a believer away from Christ into a sinful lifestyle. Thus, it is wise to marry someone who shares our beliefs. However, it is not plausible for us to use those verses to support the notion of interracial marriage as a sin because there are no New Testament passages forbidding people from marrying outside their own race. In fact, Peter told Cornelius’ family (Gentiles), “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28). Peter, a man who once was unwilling to teach non-Jewish people, realized it was (and is) wrong to believe one group of people is any different than another group.

We should be like Peter and recognize the error in such a mind set because “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ” (Galatians 3:28), and we are all one TO Christ.

The New Testament repeatedly celebrates the fact that Jesus’ redemptive work has brought believing Jews and Gentiles, once separated by the ceremonial law, into one body – the church. No passage states this more clearly than Ephesians 2:11-22. Here, Paul indicates Christians of all ethnicities have been made heirs of the covenant promises, being brought into one body with all other believers as members of the family of God. To classify interracial marriage as sin is to deny an accomplishment of the atoning work of Jesus Christ. It is a contradiction of what the Gospel does in reconciling all believers “to God in one body through the cross” (Ephesians 2:16). Racism in the church, or indifference to it, is thus inimical to the Gospel and to the purposes of the saving work of Christ, since all can be united to Christ no matter their ethnicity. The work of Christ creates the communion of the saints, and Christians are to support and bear witness to the reality of that communion.

Conclusion

The Bible, our infallible guide in all matters of human relationships, speaks clearly and explicitly against racism, prejudice, and discrimination. The Old Testament declares all people are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27; 5:1-2). Similarly, the New Testament shows how barriers separating us from one another have been broken down through the life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26-28; Colossians 3:11). In the early church, the apostles confronted racial divisions, and it is clear their response was reconciliation through the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:1-7; 10:1-22). Based on these un- equivocal biblical mandates, racism and, more specifically, negative perceptions concerning interracial marriage is a sin against our fellowman, and therefore a sin against God, who has created all humankind in His image.