Nick At Night

By Dick Blackford

A lot of wee folks like to watch the children’s program “Nick At Night.” There is another Nick from whom we can all profit. No one knows for sure why Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, but we are told twice that he did (John 3:2; 19:39). He, like Joseph of Arimathaea, may have been a secret disciple (John 19:38). There were serious consequences for anyone who confessed Christ. He could be put out of the synagogue (John 9:22). That would spell an end to Nicodemus’ career, aside from making him a total social outcast. Whatever his reason for coming by night, we know Nicodemus did not remain “in the dark.” His was an enlightening experience straight from the true “Light of the world” (John 1:9; 8:12).

He Came To The Right Source

Of all the religious leaders and philosophers living at that time, Nicodemus had decided Jesus was the one he needed to talk to. Some today are looking for truth in all the wrong places — the psychics, the astrologers (your horoscope), Dear Abby, the electronic evangelists, the cults, pop psychology, etc. When one carefully examines the evidence, he, with the centurion, will proclaim “Truly, this was the son of God” (Matt. 27:54).

He Came To The Right Conclusion About Jesus

He showed respect by calling him “Rabbi” saying, “we know that thou art a teacher come from God” (John 3:2). The reason he was convinced of this was because “no one can do these miracles except God be with him” (v. 2). There was never a denial by either friend or foe, that Jesus performed miracles. This was readily admitted. These signs confirmed the word and were what distinguished true teachers from false teachers.

He Heard The Right Message

“Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” He was puzzled, and asked, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (v. 4). Such would be an impossibility, which shows Jesus was not speaking of a physical birth. The message is understandable but some have misunderstood. Jesus used language which is often applied in the physical realm. But he came to establish a spiritual kingdom and it required a spiritual birth, not a physical one. Nicodemus’ Jewish birthright could not give him membership in it.

Modern Misconceptions

Some have a “misconception” about the new birth. Actually, it is an old misconception, not a modern one for they make the same mistake as Nicodemus. They think “born of water” means the physical birth and have argued this in debate. Can you imagine Jesus saying, “Except one is born physically he can’t enter the kingdom”? To that, a teenager might say “Duh. What could be more obvious?” In fact, it is not water, but amniotic fluid. When that fluid is present it is also born the same as the baby. Both come forth from the womb. The passage plainly says “water,” not amniotic fluid. If water refers to the physical birth then all “dry birth” children would be excluded and cannot enter the kingdom.

Notice also, it is a man that is to be born, not an unborn infant. Thus, definitely not a physical birth. Jesus was not telling Nicodemus how to be born physically. It was too late for that. Yet the birth Jesus was talking about was something a man could do. He did not say “except a baby be born . . .” He said, “Except a man be born again.” Nicodemus had already been born physically, so “again” refers to his spiritual birth. His question was in reference to a man “when he is old” (v. 4). Jesus answered that question in the context in which it was asked. A man can be born of water and the spirit when he is old. Not all can be born of water physically, but all can receive this new birth.

Born of Water and Spirit Is Baptism

Baptism is the only act connected to salvation, which makes use of water. Water is never used in any case of con- version to refer to anything but baptism. “See, here is water. What doth hinder me to be baptized?” (Acts 8:35-39). “Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized ?” (10:48). “Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins . . . ” (22:16). “. . . wherein few, that is eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us . . .” (2 Pet. 3:20, 21). If Christ’s rising from the grave made him “the first born from the dead” (Col. 1:18), then to arise from the watery grave of baptism is to be born of water and spirit. For what other reason would Inspiration call this raising a “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4)? The man who does this has already been born physically when he came from his mother’s womb but now he has been born again when he is raised to walk in “newness of life.” “If any man is in Christ he is a new creature” (2 Cor. 5:17). But we are baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3-5). Baptism is the point at which one becomes “a new creature” (born again). “We are buried with him in baptism and risen with him” (Col. 2:12).

Born of the Spirit

It is one birth of water and the Spirit. The Holy Spirit directs every aspect of being born again. He is the divine agent in both actions of the spiritual birth: the begettal and the delivery. He “saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Tit. 3:5). These phrases, “washed . . . in the Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:11), the “washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Tit. 3:5) and being “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:3-5) all refer to baptism. The Spirit instructs us, “For by one Spirit were we all baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13). The word, which the Spirit revealed, tells us everything we need to know about salvation (Eph. 5:26).

The “Wind” Illustration

“The wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not/w when it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (v. 8). Jesus illustrates the Spirit’s unseen nature by the wind. No man knows where wind originates nor what its ultimate destination will be. Yet we know the reality of the wind from the effect it has on certain objects. We see it blow leaves from the trees and can determine its direction. We hear it whistle through the branches. In the same way we know the reality of the working of the Spirit. We can’t see the Spirit but we see the change that takes place in the lives of men and the fruit of the Spirit that is born in their lives as a result of hearing the Spirit’s message. Jesus’ conclusion to Nicodemus was: the process by which a man is regenerated by the Spirit is no more mysterious than other operations of God’s law of reproduction in the natural world. We all agree on the reality of the wind because we see its effects. And we can see the effects of the Spirit in a man’s life and know he has been born again (anew).

Light And Darkness

We don’t know whether Nicodemus’ approaching the Lord at night meant he was a secret disciple. If so, the Lord may have been making a play on that when he told Nicodemus that “men loved the darkness rather than the light” (v. 19). Upon reading what Jesus, “the true Light of the world,” told Nicodemus there is no reason for anyone to remain in the dark.

Children Deserve the Best

By Irvin Himmel

Our children are precious. “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that bath his quiver full of them” (Ps. 127:3-5).

Like arrows, children need to be straight. A crooked arrow will not shoot straight. Some parents wait until it is too late to start molding and shaping their sons and daughters. Our children deserve the best training in their tender years. We must not wait until they are too old to bend. Work with them while they are pliable.

An arrow must be accurately aimed. Parents have the obligation of aiming their children toward things noble and virtuous. This requires firm discipline. It cannot be done by pampering and spoiling. Some children in later life are as arrows in the heart of father and mother. This comes as no surprise when those children in their early years were allowed to have their own way.

Some parents want their children to have the best in secular education. They see to it that the children attend school regularly, do their homework, and make good grades. They may assist them with a college education. All of this is fine, but the youngsters deserve something far more important.

Many parents provide the best in material things for their offspring. Their children never lack in good, wholesome, nourishing food, or clothing, or in having a good house in which to live. Teenagers are provided with automobiles, liberal allowances, and many luxuries. There is a danger in giving youth too much prosperity.

Please remember that children deserve to be under the influence of a godly mother and father. If one parent is a Christian and the other is not, the child grows up in a divided household. He sees a conflict in spiritual values. The parent who is a Christian has a doubly difficult task under these circumstances.

Our children deserve to be taught righteousness by example. They deserve to see Christianity in action at home. Parents who quarrel and fight are not setting a good example. Parents who give little attention to the church and its work are training their children to be more interested in other things than in the Lord’s kingdom.

Our children deserve to be brought to Bible study and church services regularly. They deserve parental encouragement and help in preparing Bible lessons. They deserve to have principles of integrity and hard work instilled in their hearts. They deserve to have other spiritually-minded young people invited to their home for association.

Fathers, can your children see that you are making a sincere and on-going effort to “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4)? Mothers, are you teaching your sons and daughters to love the Lord, to love his word, to be obedient to God, and to keep themselves pure? They are depending on their parents. Don’t fail them. Their spiritual welfare should be your chief concern.

“Well, It Seems Right To Me!”

By Alexander Caldwell

Introduction

A. This is a statement that is used by many people to justify their religious beliefs: “Well, it seems right to me, and that is all that’s important.”

B. But can you truthfully say that your religious practices are scriptural? (Prov. 14:12; Isa. 55:8; Jer. 10:23).

C. We cannot guide ourselves, we must look to God for direction in our lives.

D. God’s way is the right way and the only way that brings salvation (1 Cor. 1:18; John 14:6).

Examples

A. To Eve — it “seemed right” that the fruit was good to eat (Gen. 3).

B. To Cain — it “seemed right” that his vegetable sacrifice was just as good as the animal sacrifice Abel brought (Gen. 4).

C. To Nadab and Abihu — it “seemed right” to offer that strange fire before God (Lev. 10:1-2).

D. To King Saul — it “seemed right” to spare the best of the animals to bring back sacrifices to God (1 Sam. 15:22).

E. To Naaman — it “seemed right” that other rivers were just as good as the Jordan (2 Kings 5:1-13).

Point: What seemed right in most of these cases brought nothing but tragedy. Why? Because (they) it opposed God’s will (Rom. 10:1-3). In the world today, there are many things that “seem right” to good and honest, religious people, but they are not.

I.   “The Good Moral Man” Will Be Saved.

A. No one in their right mind would argue that the immoral man will be saved.

1. 1 Corinthians 6:9-19.

2. Homosexuals, liars, stealers, fornicators . . .

3. Morality is good, but it will not save!

4. There are a lot of good people in the world.

B. That is why Christ came. He died on the cross and shed his blood so that we might be forgiven.

1. Our morality, no matter how good, could never gain forgiveness (Matt. 26:28; Heb. 9:22).

2. If morality was enough, there would have been no need for God to send his Son to this world!

3. John 3:16; 14:6; Acts 4:12.

4. All spiritual blessings are in Christ (Eph. 1:3).

 5. Morality without Christ can never offer any spiritual blessing.

6. Cornelius was a good man, but in order to be saved, he had to hear and obey the Gospel (Acts 10:33; 15; 11:14).

II. “One Church is as Good as Another.”

A. Most religious people believe this statement because it “seems right.”

1. When you look around and see all the different denominations and sincere people in them, you might be tempted to think this too.

2. But that idea ignores what the Bible says (Matt. 16:18).

3. The Lord adds the saved to his church (Acts 2:47).

4. The Lord purchased the church with his own blood (Acts 20:28; Heb. 9:22; Eph. 5:25).

5. That church is his bride (Eph. 5:22-32).

6. His body (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18).

7. His kingdom (Col. 1:13-14).

Point: All of these Scriptures show the value of the Lord’s church.

B. If one compares churches which were built by men, he may be right to assume that one is as good as another.

1. But no church built by man can compare with the church which Jesus built.

2. Denominationalism assumes that Christ’s church is not important.

3. Division is sinful (John 17:20-21; 1 Cor. 1:10-13; Eph. 4:3-6).

4. One church is as good as another is nothing but false teaching.

III. “We Are Saved by Faith Only.”

A. A favorite text a lot of people use is Eph. 2:8-9.

1. If we are saved, it will be by God’s grace: we do not deserve it, but God offers us complete forgiveness in Christ.

2. Now that is grace  (Heb. 2:9).

B. This must be a working faith (Jas. 2:24-26; Luke 6:46; Rom. 5:1-2; Gal. 5:6; 1 Pet. 1:22; Phil. 2:12; Acts 6:7; Rom. 2:8; 1 Pet. 4:17).

IV. “Women can be preachers.” (Women can teach children and other women but they can’t preach over men, Tit. 2:4).

A. Women evangelists? (Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:5).

B. A woman’s place is not in the pulpit (1 Tim. 2:9-11).

V. “You Don’t Have to be Baptized to be Saved.”

A. Many say, “There is no power in water to save any one. So, baptism has nothing to do with being saved.”

1. Friends, this is not true. Listen to Jesus (Mark 16:15-16).

2. Now, where did God put salvation? (1 Pet. 3:21).Water!

3. Before or after baptism?

4. Compare the accounts of the cleansing of Naaman and the healing of the blind man. B. On Pentecost (Acts 2:38).

C. Some claim that we are saved by the blood of Christ and they think that nullifies baptism. Don’t need it.

1. But Paul tied the two together (Rom. 5:8-10; 6:13; Matt. 26:28).

2. Search the Scriptures for yourself (John 5:39).

D. The apostles forcefully preached that it is only in Christ that anyone can be saved (Acts 4:12; Eph. 1:3).

1. Every spiritual blessing is found only “in” Christ.

2. Salvation is found “in” Christ (2 Tim. 2:10).

3. All promises of God are “in” Christ (2 Cor. 1:20).

4. Forgiveness is “in” Christ (Eph. 1:7).

5. We are children of God “in” Christ (Gal. 3:26-28).

E. But, what does being “in Christ” have to do with baptism? Answer: Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:26-27.

1. Baptism puts us into Christ.

2. Unless, one is baptized in Christ, he is not in Christ.

3. God reveals no other way to enter into Christ. No other way.

4. It does not matter what “seems right” to man, we need to do what God says.

VI. “We Don’t Have to Study Daily.”

A. Matthew 22:39; John 5:39; Acts 17:11; Ephesians 5:17; 1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 3:15; Jude 3; 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

VII. “We Should be Able to Dress Like we Want to Regardless of What People Say.”

A. What does the Bible say? (Matt. 5:16; Phil. 2:15; 1 Tim. 2:9-11; 1 Pet. 3:16).

VIII. “Church Attendance is Not That Important.” A. Hebrew 10:25.

1. Bible classes.

2. Worship.

B. Where does the Bible authorize the church to arrange assembling for the following:

1. Fellowship meals?

2. Group singing?

IX. “Where Does the Bible Say ‘Not To’?”

A. It seems right to some brethren to have the following without any Scripture:

1. Social meals, birthday socials, recreation activities, entertainment, Preacher’s Day, ball teams.

2. Supporting orphan homes and colleges out of the Lord’s treasury.

3. This is not the work of the church (Eph. 4:11-14; 3:10).

B. Book, chapter, and verse please? We must know where the Bible says to do something, not just where it says “not to.”

Conclusion

There are many things which seem right to man that are not revealed in the word of God. Please do not assume that something is right because someone tells you or because “it seems right.” Go to the word of God for the answer. Search the Scriptures for yourself!

(Note: Some good ideas for this outline were borrowed from Clem Thurman in Gospel Minutes, but sad to say he approves of the unauthorized things covered in the last part of this outline.)

 

Did Your Baptism Benefit You?

By Bobby Witherington

With the exception of the so-called “Christian Scientists” and the Quakers, virtually every religious denomination requires something they call “baptism” in order for a person to become a member thereof. I say “something they call ‘baptism’” because the word “baptism” (Gk. baptisma) is defined as “the process of immersion, submersion, and emergence” (Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W.E. Vine). The word “baptize” (Gk. baptizo), even before being given its religious connotation by New Testament writers, “was used among the Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment, or the drawing of water by dipping a vessel into another, etc.” (Ibid.). Hence, baptism, by definition, denotes “immersion, submersion, and emergence.” That being the case, it should be evident that sprinkling and pouring do not constitute Bible baptism. Regardless of what it may have been called, a person who has merely had some water sprinkled or poured on him has not been baptized! Calling sprinkling “baptism” no more makes sprinkling baptism than calling a cow a “pig” makes the cow a pig!

However, it is possible for a sincere person to be baptized (immersed) and still be no better off in the sight of God. While I firmly affirm the necessity of baptism in order for an ac- countable person to be saved, I deny that baptism alone will save anyone. This fact is substantiated simply by reading Acts 19:1-5 which cites the example of some twelve men, who had formerly received “John’s baptism,” having to be baptized again — this time “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” The baptism they had received (evidently after “John’s baptism” had gone out of effect) had not benefited them. Yes, even in the first century some people had to be baptized again for the simple reason that their former baptism did not accomplish its objective.

Baptism Is Invalid When

1. It involves the wrong subject. Every biblical example of a person being baptized was one which involved a responsible individual. There is not one case of infant baptism recorded in all the Bible! Bible baptism is “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), but infants are not sinners (Matt. 18:3; 19:14). Bible baptism is preceded by faith (Mark 16:16), repentance (Acts 2:38), and confession (Acts 8:37, 38), but infants are capable of doing neither.

2. It is carried out by the wrong authority. Now-a-days we hear preachers affirm that “there are two ordinances of the church — baptism and the Lord’s Supper.” An ordinance is “an authoritative rule; an order, decree, or law . . .” (Funk and Wagnalls New Practical Dictionary). However, the church has no authority to issue any rule, order, decree, or law. Jesus Christ has “all authority” (Matt. 28:18), which leaves no authority for the church, the Pope, or any man-ordained ecclesiastical body. Hence, if one is baptized simply because some church or denominational body has so decreed, then, from the standpoint of the hereafter, his baptism availed him nothing!

3. It is designed to put one into the wrong church. The Lord’s church “is his body” (Eph. 1:23), and the Bible teaches that we are “baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13). However, the “one body,” or church, is as different from a human denomination as Castro is from Thomas Jefferson. Surely any church which wears the wrong name, was founded by the wrong person, which began at the wrong time, has a different creed, is organized differently, and has a different program of work from the church described in the Bible, cannot be the church described in the Bible! What spiritual or heavenly benefit can be obtained by being baptized into that which  our “heavenly Father has not planted,” and which in that last day will be “uprooted” (Matt. 15:13)?

4. It is preceded by the wrong confession. Multitudes have made the confession, “I believe that God for Christ’s sake has pardoned me of my sins,” and then upon that confession were then baptized. In the first place, in the Bible (which is the only creed book our Lord allows us to follow) one never reads of a person making such a confession. We do, however, read of the Eunuch confessing “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,” and then being immediately baptized (Acts 8:37, 38). In the second place, if baptism is “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), then a person who, before being baptized, confesses, saying “I believe that God for Christ’s sake has pardoned me of my sins,” is confessing a lie. Notwithstanding how sincere a person may be when he makes that confession, we ask, can true baptism be based upon a confession which is untrue?

5. It is entered into with the wrong understanding of its very purpose. Multitudes have been baptized with the belief that “baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace” — the “inward grace” signifying the fact that they were already saved (at the point of faith), and thus their baptism served as a public attestation of a salvation experienced before baptism. The only thing wrong with this understanding is the fact that it is false; it is a baptism based upon a misunderstanding of the very purpose of baptism. Please answer the following questions: If “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16), then what is the state of the believer who has not been baptized? If baptism is “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), then have the sins of one who has not yet been baptized been remitted? If one is “baptized into Christ” (Gal. 3:27), then is he “in Christ” before he is baptized? If “salvation . . . is in Christ” (2 Tim. 2:10), then is one who is out of Christ saved?

6. It is entered into after having gotten permission from the wrong source. Legion are the ones who have “gone forward,” claiming to have “accepted Jesus as my personal Savior,” stated their “experience of grace,” but whose candidacy for baptism was still based upon the vote of the members of that denomination! On the one hand, the Bible is completely silent about such a practice. And on the other hand, what human being has the right to vote on whether or not you can do what the Lord has commanded (cf. Matt. 28:18, 19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:48)?

7.  It  is  entered  into  with  the  wrong  understanding concerning who is really doing the work accomplished in baptism. For years, false teachers have denied the necessity of baptism, contending that baptism is a work, that we are saved “by grace through faith,” and that salvation is “not of works” (cf. Eph. 2:8, 9). It is true that we could not be saved apart from the grace of God. In like manner, no person could ever do enough work to earn salvation! But that misses the point of the whole discussion. God is the One against whom we have sinned (Gen. 39:9); hence, he is the One who pardons our iniquities (Isa. 55:6, 7). But the pardon he provides is based upon our compliance with his conditions. One condition he has stipulated for this the Gospel Age is baptism (Mark 16:16). When all is said and done, the person being baptized is not performing a work. But if the one being baptized has been properly taught, he, in the process of being baptized, is manifesting his “faith in the working of God,” for it is God who then forgives the person of “all transgression” (Col. 2:12, 13), and it is God who then adopts this person into his family (Gal. 3:26- 4:6).

Conclusion

If obedience is “from the heart” (Rom. 6:17, 18), and if the “heart” includes the mind, the will, and the intellect (Matt. 13:15; Rom. 10:10; 2 Cor. 9:7), then it is impossible for one to be taught wrong, and then be baptized right! When all is said and done, a person who is scripturally baptized is a correctly taught (Matt. 28:19), penitent (Acts

2:38) believer (Mark 16:16), who has confessed his faith in Jesus as “the Son of God” (Acts 8:37), who came “unto” the water, went “down into” the water, and came “up out of the water” (Acts 8:35-38) wherein he was “buried with Christ,” and from which he was raised “to walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3, 4). Through this process, he entered “into Christ” (Gal. 3:27), into his “one body” (1 Cor. 12:13), or church, to which he was “added” upon his obedience to the true gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:41, 47).

Incidentally, we want to add this concluding thought. Many people, who were immersed for all the wrong reasons many years ago, later learn the true meaning and significance of baptism. They then predicate the purpose of their past tense baptism, upon their present tense information, and thereby assume that all is well with their souls. This is analogous to the builder who erected a structure many years ago while inadvertently using defective building material, and then years later he learns about the materials he should have used, but didn’t. If that builder concludes that the building is a quality building because he now knows about quality building materials, he may be likened to the person who justifies his former unscriptural baptism upon the basis that he now knows the truth regarding the purpose of baptism! In the material world some things cannot be repaired; they must be re-made. The same is true in the spiritual realm. Consider ye well!