The Value of Being A Christian

By Doug Roush

While in the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus made some profound statements regarding the establishment of his church. He declared that his kingdom would be built upon the foundational truth that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God. From the time of that declaration, Jesus revealed that he would be killed and resurrected in Jerusalem. Our attention is then directed to Peter’s objection to this prophecy of Jesus. However, by removing Peter’s objection and focusing on this development of thought, we see a profound ingredient involved in being a citizen of the kingdom of Christ. For the kingdom of the saved to be established, Jesus would need to sacrifice his life on behalf of its citizens. In addition, every citizen of this kingdom is called upon to make the same sacrifice as that of their King. Jesus said unto his disciples, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:24-26). So important is this development of thought that it is also recorded in Mark 8:27-37 and Luke 9:18-29.

What Has Genuine Value?

Humanity has always been impressed with the value of those things that are temporal. Jesus often used our misplaced appreciation of that which we deem valuable to focus our attention on that which has genuine value. In the “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus reasoned, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, . . . For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:19-21). He went on to say, “. . . take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:31-33). The “Gentiles” (in this context, those who are carnal minded and absent of spirituality) value and strive after earth’s treasures. Like Martha, the majority of humanity is, “troubled about many things: but one thing is needful . . .” (Luke 10:41). The “seed” of God’s word is “planted” in every heart. However, like seed planted among thorns, it is “. . . choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection” in the heart of one who values temporal treasures over godliness (Luke 8:14). Indeed, “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Those who are spiritual value and strive after the eternal treasures found in godliness and righteousness.

To Appreciate Our Value We Must Follow Christ

The value of being a Christian, a follower of Christ, is that when we follow him we “find our life”; that is the true purpose and nature of our life. However, we must realize that following Christ requires that we lose ourselves entirely. It is important to note that in every context where Jesus speaks of the necessity of us losing our life to find our life, he has been speaking of the point that in order to fulfill his earthly mission he would lose his life. In John 12:23-28, we find Jesus speaking of his hour to glorify his Father’s name. But in the midst of this statement, he speaks of the universal principle that those who “love their life” must “hate” and “lose their life” and “follow him.” Losing our life to follow Christ honors the Father and is rewarded with the Father’s honor. A few chapters later, we read of Jesus saying, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus laid down his life for us, proving his friendship toward us while demonstrating God’s assessment of our value. But, we are to lay down our life for him if we desire to reciprocate his friendship and demonstrate our appreciation of our own true value. In the next verse he tells us how to “lay down our life for him”: “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14). Christians “fol- low Christ” by keeping his commandments. When we keep his commandments, there will be changes in our character and conduct that manifest the conviction that we are living to the praise of his glory.

What Will a Man Give in Exchange for His Soul?

Jesus revealed the value of the soul with the questions, “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Though rare, nearly every generation has seen people who seemingly desire to “gain the whole world” for themselves. Much more common are those who “sell short” their souls; “what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Most, without giving it serious thought, are “too busy” pursuing minuscule treasures of earth to have time to read, study, and meditate on the Scriptures. Yet God, in the Scriptures, instructs us to be sober; therein are revealed the eternal treasures of godliness and righteousness (Tit. 2:12).

When we “lose” our self-centred will and do the will of Christ, we “find” our life. God designed us to be selfless vessels. Experience teaches us that the pursuit of self- gratification brings emptiness and a sense of unfulfillment. God’s revelation teaches us that if we lose our will to the will of God, we find the abundant life he intends each of us to experience and enjoy (John 10:10).

Conclusion

There is genuine value in being a Christian. In fact for us to be of any value to God, we must be Christians — those who have emptied themselves of selfish will in order to follow Christ in the performance of his will. Paul articulated the transformation involved in “losing our life to find our life” with these Spirit-guided words: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). The value of his transformation is articulated in these words: “. . . the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:6-9).

Let us prioritize the treasures of godliness, holiness, and righteousness above the over-inflated “treasures of earth.” The particular treasures of Faith, Love, Sacrifice, Service, Purity, Hope, Joy, Peace, and Suffering will be discussed in separate articles that follow. Let us be resolved to be counted among those who, like the apostle Paul, “love His appearing” and realize our true value by following Christ.

The Life of a Christian — An Introduction

By Lewis Willis

 

Dedicating this special issue of Truth Magazine to the memory of my brother, Cecil, was not my idea. As this issue’s Northeast Ohio authors met toward the end of this project, one of the preachers suggested it be dedicated to Cecil. They all agreed upon doing this, and I was very pleased!

As I have reflected on those discussions throughout the remainder of this day, I thought first of how Cecil would have said not to do this for some might think he had delusions about his own attempts to live the Life of a Christian. Then, he would have likely said, this material was not his, so why dedicate it to him? I must explain, therefore, why this subject of a dedication even came up.

Shortly after Cecil’s death last year, his son, David, and I were going through his office trying to decide what to file or what to discard. His office was in a converted bedroom of his house. When I opened the closet doors, on either end was a 4-drawer filing cabinet, and in between were boxes stacked about two deep on the floor. On the shelf above were about 25 notebooks. As I looked through several of the notebooks, I discovered they contained his sermon outlines and debate notes. I took the outline notebooks to my office, copied the contents, and returned them for his heirs to do with as they will.

I could hardly wait to look into this wealth of material. Early one week, I was leafing through the folders of Cecil’s outlines, and I found one entitled: “What Is The Christian Life?” After looking over the brief outline, I decided to prepare a sermon from that material for use the next Sunday. I prepared an overhead transparency and preached on this subject that morning. However, when my time had expired, I had only covered the introduction and the first point. So, naturally, I announced I would conclude the sermon that evening. However, I only covered the second point that night. Well, to make a long story short, I ended up preaching a series of five sermons from Cecil’s single outline, and to make it work out equally as sermons for three Sundays, I added a sixth point, making it a six-sermon series.

I received an excellent response from our congregation, and the same from another congregation where I used the material as sermons for day services during a meeting. When the preachers of our area decided to meet together to study each week, and as we were looking for a project on which to work, I told them about Cecil’s material and how I thought it could be profitably expanded into an even broader study of an important subject. As we put our heads together, we came up with the twelve titles which make up this special issue of Truth Magazine. The readers will likely think of even more aspects of this vital theme, and if so, your thoughts have been stimulated, and that was a part of our purpose in writing the articles.

Cecil used to say that the art of originality lies in forget- ting where you got your material. I rather suspect that his outline was developed from some article he read some- where; he was especially good at doing that. If his outline changed the original as much as we have expanded upon Cecil’s work, I doubt that the original author would even recognize that these articles came from his work.

Nonetheless, the authors’ hope is that someone who reads this material will gain a better understanding of the Life of a Christian, and be inspired to live that life with even greater dedication and commitment than before. If so, the dedication of this material to the memory of Cecil Willis would bring him special joy. His death has left a gaping emptiness in many hearts; in mine especially!

Consequences of False Teaching

By Steve Lee

There was a time among God’s people that false teaching and false teachers weren’t tolerated. In many congregations they still aren’t. One example that we can cite in the Scriptures is found in Galatians 2:1-5. Paul, referring to those who were teaching error concerning circumcision, said in verse 5, “To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.” It is a shame that can- not be said about some of my brethren today. We hear a plea for tolerance by those who are either teaching error or by those who have been caught up in the error. While I believe that we should be patient with each other (2 Thess. 5:14), there is a big difference between patience and tolerance.

An analogy that I like to use, is with my own children. I can, and must, be patient with my children as they grow up, but I cannot tolerate bad behavior. They must know the difference between right and wrong, and I must patiently teach them those things. I can, and must, be patient with those who are newly converted to the Lord. I need to help them as they mature to full grown Christians and I would expect other Christians to be patient with me as I grow to maturity. I also must be patient toward all my fellow men. Being patient though doesn’t mean that we can’t, and don’t, correct someone when he is wrong. Such was the case with Apollos (Acts 18:24-26). However, I cannot tolerate someone who is teaching that which is contrary to the will of God. The word “tolerate” means: (1) to allow; permit, (2) to recognize and respect (oth- ers’ beliefs, practices, etc.) without sharing them, (3) to put up with; bear (Webster’s New World Dictionary). If I can tolerate error concerning the divorce/remarriage question, or the issue of fellowship, then why can’t I tolerate the error taught by the Baptists, Methodists, or any other denominational group? Some brethren would probably contend that we could. The word of God teaches us to reprove and rebuke (2 Tim. 4:2; Eph. 5:11), not to tolerate error.

There are some consequences that fall out as a result of false teaching. I have made some observations and I would like to notice a few of these.

It Causes Folks to Depart from the Lord

One of the things that amazed Paul was that so many of the Galatians were so soon removed from the Lord (Gal. 1:6). As a result of the false teaching that was going on at Galatia, people were starting to go back to the law of Moses (Gal. 5:4). When error is taught today, folks have to make a decision. Are they going to follow the Lord or follow the false teacher (2 Pet. 2:2)? A lot of the blame lies at the feet of those who teach error, but some of the blame must also go to those who follow it. Brethren, we need to ground ourselves in the truth, so that we won’t be “tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph. 4:14). When we start demanding book, chapter, and verse (1 Pet. 4:11), then I believe that we will stop the departures from the truth. The thing that appeals to many Christians is the “good words and fair speeches” (Rom. 16:18) that are being used by so many preaching brethren. When lessons that are brought from the pulpit are filled with stories and cute little sayings, then we can expect some who don’t want to hear the truth to depart from the Lord. Then there are other Christians who do not have the courage to confront the error and just go along with it to keep the “peace.” It is amazing to me that folks, who should have been grounded in the truth, have left it and are willing to follow those who teach error.

It Gives People a False Sense of Security

When some “religious leaders” (i.e., the Pope, Billy Graham, etc.) teach things that soothe the conscience of those who hear them, the hearers have a false sense of security. When Billy Graham teaches that a person can be saved without baptism or that he can put his hands on the TV and accept the Lord as his Savior, it gives him hope that he is saved, when in fact he is still lost! The same thing happens when a gospel preacher teaches error concerning divorce and remarriage, or the issue of fellowship, or the deity of Christ, or a myriad of other subjects. It gives people a false sense of security. Folks who are caught up in adultery don’t want to hear that they are in sin (Matt. 14:3-4; 19:9), and that they must get out of that adulterous relationship in order to be saved (1 Cor. 6:9-10). So, there are some gospel preachers who will teach what they want to hear (2 Tim. 4:3-4). It is shameful that some brethren have taken a simple passage like Matthew 19:1-9 and made it so complex and difficult for some to understand. Just as there are many in the denominational world who believe that all a person has to do in order to be saved is have faith, I am sure there are some so-called Christians who have believed the error taught concerning divorce and remarriage and are still living in adultery even though they have “obeyed” the gospel. We don’t have the space here to get into all the error that is being taught about divorce and remarriage by some brethren, or all the other error that is being taught about other subjects. Suffice it to say however, that all who teach, believe, and practice error have a false sense of security.

It Will Cause People to Be Eternally Lost

The charge, “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation” (stricter judgment, NASB) (Jas. 3:1), should stir all of us who teach to “take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: (emphasis mine SL) for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Tim. 4:16). Those of us who preach and teach have a great and grave responsibility. We are helping to shape the hearts and minds of those we teach. As a direct result of what we teach, people will either be lost or saved. If we are teaching the truth, it will cause people to be saved (John 8:32). If we are teaching error, it will cause people to be lost (2 Thess.

2:11-12). To think that we had a hand in teaching someone the truth and they obeyed the gospel and were saved is a thrilling thought indeed! But to think that I taught error and it caused people to be lost is a discouraging thing to think about. Someone may ask, “But how will I know if it is truth or not?” Put it to the test (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1). If someone teaches something that is contrary to the will of God, confront him with it. It may be that he accidentally taught that which is wrong or it may be that you misunderstood. Or it may be he just blatantly taught error. This is serious business! Souls are at stake!

Conclusion

Just as “the gospel is the power of God to save” (Rom. 1:16), error is the devil’s power to cause folks to be lost. There will always be some who will depart from the truth and teach unwholesome words, so we must not lay our swords by. We must continue to fight the battle against the devil. Let us be determined to teach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).

Heirs According to the Promise

By Eric Norford

The book of Galatians is a book that deals with the difference between the Old Law and the New Covenant. The Old Law was limited in its scope. It pertained to the Jews only. The Old Law was limited in forgiveness of sins. It required the blood of animals as sacrifices on a daily basis to remit sins. However, in the New Covenant, Paul tells us that a person must come in contact with the blood of Christ in baptism to have forgiveness of sins, “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 in 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” (Rom. 6:3-4). A person who is baptized becomes a child of God (Rom. 8:14-17). Romans 8:17 makes this point clear, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint- heirs with Christ . . .” Paul also said in Galatians 3:29, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according the promise.”

The word “heir” according to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon means, “to possess of Christians, as exalted by faith to the dignity of sons of Abraham and so sons of God, and hence to receive the blessings of God’s kingdom promised to Abraham.” Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says the word “denotes one who obtains a lot or portion.” It carries with it the idea that all children of God are heirs to an inheritance that is yet to come. When do Christians become heirs? They become heirs when they put Jesus Christ on in baptism and are born again to be adopted by the Father (John 3:3, 5; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5). If you’re a child of God, then you are an heir according to the promise of God. We are currently waiting to receive our inheritance of heaven.

God’s Promise

In order for us to understand the great promise of God we must return to when the promise was originally given. The covenant and promise was given to Abraham. God promised that through Abraham’s seed a nation would inherit a land that God would give them. He also promised that through Abraham’s seed all nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3). God renewed the promise of a nation and land in Genesis 15:3-6. The heir to these promises first was Isaac. God renewed the covenant with him in Genesis 26:3-4. The heir to Isaac was Jacob. And God renewed the same promise to Jacob that he had made to Abraham and Isaac (Gen. 28:13-14). It was through one of Jacob’s sons that the seed promise would be fulfilled, that son was Judah (Gen. 49:10). The seed promise made by God was the Messiah coming to bring salvation.

Genesis 15:6 declares that Abraham believed and obeyed the God of heaven. Other New Testament passages show that Abraham trusted in God’s word and was obedient. Thus, he was called a friend of God (Rom. 4:3-6, 20-25; Gal. 3:6; Heb. 11:8-17; Jas. 2:20-25).

God promised that through Abraham’s seed all families of the earth would be blessed in the Messiah. The promise was for those who follow the Messiah, they would never die, share in the blessings, and would receive an inheritance (John 3:15; 6:35, 40; Heb. 1:1-4). Paul said in Ephesians 1:10-14, “That in the dispensation of the fulness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.” We know that this promise is sure and true because God cannot lie and sent Christ to purchase our souls (Gal. 4:4; Tit. 1:2).

The Law of Moses

God not only promised Abraham the great promises, but said that his descendants would spend 430 years in captivity (Gen. 15:13-16; Acts 7:6; Gal. 3:17). When they escaped Egyptian bondage, they received the Law of Moses (Exod. 20-34). The Law served two purposes: (1) It was added because of transgressions or sins (Gal. 3:19); (2) It showed us the promise to come (Gal. 3:21). But the Law of Moses was not a perfect law, “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should  afterwards  be  revealed. Wherefore  the  law  was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith, but after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Gal. 3:23-25). The faith is a reference to a better testament, “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been fault- less, then should no place have been sought for the second” (Heb. 8:6-7). The Law could not take away sins. It was an imperfect of faith, “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not ceased to be offered? Because that the worshipers once purged should have had no conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Heb. 10:1-4).

The Perfect Sacrifice of Christ

Since the Law could not take away sins there had to be something better. Jesus Christ came and was the perfect sacrifice for sin. His death made possible the forgiveness of sins, even the sins of the whole world. He bore them all — the sins of those under the Old Law and those who were living during the Patriarchal age (Isa. 53:5, 8, 10-12; Heb. 10:12). The Old Law was given till the seed should come — that seed was Christ (Gal. 3:19, 26). He offered himself just once for all time (Heb. 9:28; 10:8-14). Christ’s death opened the door of salvation for all mankind — the perfect, great salvation (Heb. 2:3; Eph. 2:11-22). Jesus’ instructions were for people to believe, repent and be baptized (Mark 16:16; Luke 24:47). The apostles followed those instructions by preaching it (Acts 2:38-40). The Jews on Pentecost believed it and obeyed it (Acts 2:41). When we follow those same instructions, we become heirs as all who have obeyed the Lord (Gal. 3:27-29). Those who obey share in the blessings (Eph. 1:3; Rom. 8:28-30). We become members of the body of Christ — the church (Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18). The body is where God wants all to be one (John 17:20-21; Gal. 3:14; Eph. 3:6). The inheritance will be given when Christ returns or if we should die first and after we face God on the Judgment Day (2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 2:10; 1 Pet. 1:4; Heb. 4:9-11).

Can we not see how this all ties together? If in Christ, then are we Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. Our responsibility is to proclaim the great message of salvation to all (Matt. 28:18-20). God’s promises are sure and true, our hope is tied into them (Heb. 6:13-15, 18-20). We wait for the new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness (2 Pet. 3:9-13). Those who obey can receive the blessings and become “heirs according the promise” as well. Brethren, let us remain faithful and loyal to God and keep the promise of the inheritance.