Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

In Ezekiel’s day, shortly before the Babylonian Captivity in 587 B.C., the Jews explained their political difficulties by this proverb: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Ezek. 18:2). The adage blamed their sufferings on others, namely their fathers. To refute this concept, Ezekiel described the following situations:

1. The case of a righteous man (Ezek. 18:5-9). Ezekiel described a righteous man who conscientiously obeyed the Lord’s law. This man shall not suffer death; rather, “he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God” (Ezek. 18:9).

2. The wicked son of a righteous man (Ezek. 18:10-13). Ezekiel then described the wicked son of this righteous man who became a robber, shedder of blood, and such like things. Despite the fact that his father was a righteous man, “he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him” (Ezek. 18:13).

3. The righteous son of a wicked man (Ezek. 18:14-18). The prophet then described the righteous son of this wicked man who, seeing his father’s wickedness, turned away from it in repentance toward God. The prophet said, “When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live” (Ezek. 8:19).

4. The righteous man who turns to commit wickedness (Ezek. 18:24). When the righteous man forsakes his obedience to turn aside to sin, “all this righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.”

The principle of moral responsibility by which God judges the world is this: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezek 18:20).

Personal Responsibility For Sin

Many of our social science professionals try to excuse wicked conduct. When two young men brutally slay their parents, the lawyers’ defense is what they went through in their youth. When a young mother drives her infants into a lake that they might drown, her defense is that she was molested as a child. Almost any deviant behavior experienced during youth is sufficient to release one from moral responsibility for the most horrible crimes committed as an adult.

The newspaper tells the story of two teenagers from upper middle class homes whose fornication led to the birth of a child out of wedlock. The boyfriend “discards” (a morally neutral word to describe infanticide or baby murder) the baby, but the press portrays the parents as “victims” of the situation!

Ezekiel would remind us that every man is person- ally responsible for his own behavior. The fact that one’s father is wicked does not destroy the son’s ability to be a righteous man (see Ezek. 18:14-18). Furthermore, the son of the wicked is responsible to God for obedience to the same law as is the son born to the righteous man. Why should one judge the decision of the ungodly man’s son to live righteously to be more difficult than the decision of the righteous man’s son to live wickedly? Is the Devil easier to understand and obey than is the Lord? Nevertheless, all kinds of unrighteous behavior are being excused on the grounds that how one acts in adulthood is determined by fate based on the kind of parental upbringing that one has. Whatever became of free will?

Bad Habits Can Be Conquered

In an age that is learning that nearly every kind of sinful conduct is addictive, making the guilty sinner somehow less responsible for his sin, we need to be reminded that sinners can break out of the mold of their sin. Ezekiel wrote, “But if the wicked turn away from all their sins that they have committed and keep all my statutes and do what is lawful and right, they shall surely live; they shall not die” (Ezek. 18:21).The wicked obviously can turn away from all of their sins and keep God’s commandments. The merciful and forgiving God is willing to forgive their transgressions and receive them into his fellowship. Were this not true, none of us could be saved.

Sin’s Guilt Is Not Inherited

A fundamental thesis of Calvinism is refuted by Ezekiel 18:20, that is the teaching of inherited depravity. Sin’s guilt is not transferred from one person to another. Ezekiel 18:20 states this principle of divine judgment, “The soul that sin- neth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” Cain and Abel did not inherit the guilt of Adam’s transgressions. They were not born morally depraved because of Adam’s sin. They were not born in a state of condemnation because their father sinned. And neither did any other of Adam’s descendants inherit the guilt of his transgression.

Past Good Works Do Not Keep One Saved

Sometimes brethren write as if the past good deeds that one did somehow keep a person from suffering the guilt of his transgressions when he sins against God. Ezekiel wrote, “But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die” (Ezek. 18:24). The good deeds that Peter had done did not keep him saved when he played the hypocrite at Antioch. His hypocrisy caused him to “stand condemned” (Gal. 2:11). He was personally responsible for his sins. They were not automatically forgiven because of his past good works, his good intentions, or his general good character.

Conclusion

We need a good dose of teaching about personal responsibility. Teaching about moral responsibility will emphasize free will and what man must do to be saved by the grace of God. Any teaching that states that one can be saved while continuing in the practice of his sin is contrary to divine revelation.

By Shawn Bain

Today’s toys are so technologically advanced with the enhancement of graphics, the game you play seems to come alive. Some games involve a simulation with a head gear placed over the eyes and a set of controls in the hands of the player. The game(s) produces images and situations that put the player in the middle of the action. “Virtual Reality” is born.

“Virtual Reality” entertains us. It teases the mind with possibilities. The possibilities cause the one who plays the game to wonder if what he sees with his eyes and controls with his hands could not truly be realized. A dream come true. Others who play know the game presents the idea of a fantasy world, and conditions that surround the earth or laws of the land would not allow for such to ever happen. Although it may never happen, they enjoy being entertained by it nonetheless. Several people enjoy science fiction. Star Wars enjoyed being the number one box office hit for years. Millions of people enjoyed its adventure, characters, and special effects. The simulation witnessed in Star Wars was tolerated, but the real thing has not been experienced.

People today are playing the game of Virtual Reality with regard to sexual scenes that tease the mind with possibilities. There are pictures displayed on TV and movie screens that depict characters engaging in sexual activity. These characters may be boyfriend and girlfriend or a married couple, but that does not matter. This is not a game, but the situation presented will cause the one who watches to wonder if what he sees with his eyes could become something he could play out in real life with his girlfriend or her boyfriend. Although many watch such activities thinking, “This doesn’t affect me,” they enjoy being entertained by it nonetheless.

Many people have read and studied and preached on the sexual abuse of David and Bathsheba. Would you want to attend a live production of the life of David which included such a dramatic and passionate scene depicted in 2 Samuel 11:2-5? What about a live play that visualized for us the lives of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden before and after their sin? You would probably never think of paying money to watch live scenes of two unclothed people. It would be repulsive to think of a “live sexual performance” of a man and woman, but every evening this week, hundreds of thousands of people, including Christians, will sit down and settle for the “solution.” Not in “real” terms, but on regular evening TV or at the movie theater.

Author Doug Wilson noticed this hypocrisy in his book Reforming Marriage. He states that too many people in the “religious community” have come to justify watching on the screen various activities we would not dream of seeing in the flesh. Things that would embarrass us all if they were real but not embarrass us at all because they are “simulated.” We would be appalled at any real, live scenes of those involved in sexual activity, but people are watching such activity on a regular basis but with only a few video adjustments through the VCR or movie screen. “Love” scenes are produced all the time with two people who are married and couples not married to each other. They press their undressed bodies together in front of millions of people they do not know, and people give their consent by watching such an “emotional scene.” What “sexual scenes” we read about in Scripture that we would never want to watch or do with our next door neighbor, we pay money to watch being “simulated” by two strangers!

Is that enough? I am afraid not! What children do in school, at play, in the street, etc. is oftentimes done because they have seen their parents do the same thing. The same is true for those who view “simulations” of love and pas- sion. They take it to the streets. Literally. On a park bench, huddled in a corner of the mall, or parked on the back row in a theater, a man or woman (young boy or girl) seemed velcroed in a fiery embrace. Hands are wandering, faces are pressed together, and torsos are intertwined. People are staring, but not at a TV show or on the big screen. It is real life. Someone may view such conduct and say, “Ain’t love grand?” Sure it is, but to a point. That point is where private, intimate actions become an exhibition and a performance.

When I went to Florida College, there was enough fore- sight and wisdom in the administration that they forbad “public display of affection” on campus. Those caught were given demerits. There is a time and place for such to be done (Heb. 13:4), but the public is not the stage for one’s intimate action.

People suppose that watching an unending amount of intimate, caressing, bed scenes will not carry itself any further than the den or movie screen where such is being admired. That is wishful thinking. It is really foolish and naive. This is not only the thinking of the world. This is often the thinking of Christians. “It won’t bother us. It’s a good show.” Paul said, “For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think: but so as to think soberly. . .” (Rom 12:3). What makes it right to gaze with fascination at simulated “public displays of affection” when we would not tolerate a glance at the real thing? It is a rationalization that too many dads and moms have passed on to their children without thinking. It is the type of rationalization we must stop real soon, before “virtual reality” becomes “harsh reality.”

Think on these things:

Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart  (Matt. 5:27, 28).

The lamp of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness (Matt. 6:22, 23).

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it (1 Cor. 10:12, 13).

If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, do ye subject yourselves to ordinances, Handle not, nor taste, nor touch (Col. 2:20, 21).

By Jim Walsh

One only needs to be living in this world a short time to understand that suffering is a part of life. Job said, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). But for the Christian, suffering takes on a different aspect.

Isaiah introduces us to the Savior who is portrayed, not as a mighty warrior, but as a suffering servant (Isa. 53:3-10). The Savior suffered at the hands of those who rebelled against God’s will (v. 6). He suffered both physical and mental anguish (vv. 3, 5). He also suffered from perverted judgment (vv. 8, 9).

His suffering also served the purpose of providing for his followers an example. Peter said in 1 Peter 2:20-24 that we are called to follow him that way so that we could not only experience his glory, but also his suffering; and in that suffering, we can learn to rely upon him who “judgeth righteously” (v. 23).

How Do We Suffer?

Certainly we understand that suffering can come in a physical way as happened to one like Stephen who suffered death for the sake of the Gospel (Acts 7:57-59). But suffering can come in different forms upon the child of God. Saints mourned the death of Stephen (Acts 8:2). Paul suffered out of concern for the brethren (2 Cor. 11:28). There is anxiety because of false teachers and what they can do to a congregation (Acts 20:27-31).

Beyond the suffering we endure personally, because of our willingness to stand for the truth, is that which comes from our daily relationships. We have concerns and stress because of family. Possibly, there is no greater fear we can have than that of fearing a loved one will be eternally lost. For example, a spouse becomes unfaithful or a child leaves the home and the Lord at the same time. Loved ones disagree over doctrine. The heartaches from these problems are just as real and painful as any lash upon a broken back.

Suffering can also be economic in nature. Paul told Timothy to warn others about the love of money (1 Tim. 6 5-10). Our proper attitude about money and trust in God to provide will cause us to fall behind the world’s standards. In this, we will be seen as plain and simple, incurring the ridicule of those whose God is mammon. We see then that suffering happens, but it may help to understand why.

Why Do We Suffer?

Simply stated, we suffer because of sin. The first sin caused the world to become a cursed place and man to lose his perfect fellowship with God (Gen. 3:15-19). The perfect relationship with God was corrupted, along with the perfect home he provided. Sin caused the perfect to become imperfect and the permanent to become temporal. And with that imperfection and temporal nature of things, suffering entered. As man advances in years, he will experience illness, loss of ability, fear, pain, and anxiety. Man is not immortal, and death comes to all. However, God provides a remedy. He reminds us that although we will suffer physical death, only those who remain in sin will suffer eternal death (Rom. 6:23).

We also suffer directly as a consequence of other’s sins. Stephen’s death by the rebellious Jews caused the saints to lament his passing (Acts 8:2). The saints suffered the pain and anguish of seeing a brother and friend die. We also suffer because sin affects more than the sinner. (1) The spouse and children of the alcoholic suffer shame. (2) The spouse and children of an adulterer suffer shame, hurt and anxiety. (3) Children of abusive parents suffer in silent fear, never knowing if anyone will help them. (4) Spouses and children suffer because of divorce.

Another reason we suffer is that it is part of God’s maturing plan. The writer of Hebrews says that suffering is one way that God shows his love and concern for us (Heb. 12:6-11). It also is a benefit for us in that it helps us to be   “. . . partakers of His holiness” (Heb. 12:10). James taught that by enduring trials we gain patience and strength (Jas. 1:2-4). Therefore, we can see a purpose in suffering (patience, maturity) and a promise in suffering (to become more like the Father).

Peter mentions another reason why we suffer, and that is to remind the world of Christ (1 Pet. 2:21-24). Sin caused Christ to suffer in order to purchase our redemption. As we live a Christ-like life, the world will treat us as it did him. We then become examples to the world for Christ.

What is the End Result of all This Suffering?

One thing is that we are reminded that it is possible to live and overcome suffering. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God knows us, and knows that we can overcome our suffering because he provides a way of escape. For each one of us who is tried, there is the knowledge that we can overcome. God has made a promise that we can overcome; therefore, it’s up to us to work his will and trust his way to meet that end. Peter says that in suffering we can glorify God (1 Pet. 4:16). If we suffer for the cause of Christ, God is glorified. Shall we suffer for God, or complain because of a lack of faith? Shall we not rather endure that suffering, realizing that it is a blessing from the Father?

A final thought is that suffering reminds us of what awaits: Heaven. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:1: “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” The temporary nature of our surroundings and their ongoing decay remind us that all that we see is not eternal. That which is eternal is that which awaits us with the Father and the Son. That which awaits us is the perfect fellowship of the Father (Rev. 21:3) which was lost in the Garden because of sin. That which awaits us is the removal of all fleshly pain and sorrow (Rev. 21:4) which came about because of that first sin.

Conclusion

Why then is suffering different and distinct for the Christian? No one enjoys suffering, but at least we know that God understands. We know he has provided a way to escape, a way to glorify him, a way to help us grow. We know that suffering comes because of sin; and, we have the hope of its final removal because of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. We know that suffering is temporary and Heaven is eternal; and, God uses that suffering now to prepare us for Heaven later. May we ever learn to love him more and live to glorify him now that we may live with him forever.

By Keith Storment

“Peace on earth” sang the angels when they announced the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:14). But today, our old world knows so little of peace. Many spend their nights in futile tossing and turning, too worried about the troubles the next day may bring to find the sweet rest of sleep. Families are being torn asunder with bickering and strife. Local churches, intended by God to be a foretaste of Heaven on earth, are often filled with discord as supposed brothers and sisters in the Lord bite and devour one another. And on the international scene, the end of the great Cold War has not produced universal peace. Around the globe, nations stare across their borders with hatred, fear, and envy as the rumbles of tanks, guns, and war planes fill the air.

Is peace just an impossible dream? Perhaps, for many are unwilling to seek and follow the path of peace. Many today follow in the footsteps of doomed Jerusalem and close their eyes to the things that make for peace (Luke 19:44). But as the angels promised on that long ago night, there is a way of peace for those who are willing to strive to live in such a way that God will be pleased with them. Let us seek to learn the way of peace: in our lives, in our homes, in the church, and even in our nation.

The Prince of Peace

Centuries before the Savior was born, Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be “The Prince of Peace” and spoke of the wonderful blessings his reign of peace would bring (Isa. 9:6-7). Jesus echoed the pronouncement of the angelic hosts and promised to give peace to his followers (John 14:27; 16:33). He shed his blood to provide peace for mankind (Eph. 2:14-18; Col. 1:20). But only those who are willing to render obedience by faith to Jesus can have access to his peace (Rom. 5:1-2). Today we face the question: Will we surrender our lives to the Prince of Peace or will we close our eyes to the things that make for peace?

The Peace That Jesus Gives

First and foremost, Jesus came to give peace between man and his God. Man by his sin has made himself the enemy of God. His sins have made a separation between himself and God (Isa. 59:1-2). He is dead in his trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-2). Through Christ and his death, God seeks to reconcile the world to himself (2 Cor. 5:18-19). If we are willing to come into Christ, he will wash away our sins and restore us to fellowship with God (Acts 22:16; Eph. 2:16).

Those who find peace with God will receive the second great gift of peace: Peace with themselves. In the world we will still experience tribulation, but in Christ we can find a peaceful center of rest (John 16:33). If we have found peace with God we can sleep soundly at night, secure in the knowledge that he who sees each sparrow fall is watching over us (Matt. 10:29-31). We should not worry about food, clothing, and shelter because God will provide the necessities of life for those who put him first (Matt. 6:25-34). Rather than being anxious over what shall be tomorrow, Christians should take their worries to the Lord in believing prayer. We will find that the peace of God that passes all human understanding will guard our minds because we are in Christ (Phil. 4:6-7). “(Cast) all your cares upon him, because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). We cannot know what tomorrow holds, but we can know Who holds tomorrow!

The third great area in which Jesus provides peace is peace with others. Especially should this peace to be found among the fellow citizens of the kingdom of peace. When we find bickering and strife among those who claim to be God’s children, we must obviously conclude that at least some of those involved have not surrendered their will to the Prince of Peace. In Ephesians 2, Paul described the horrible state of alienation, hostility, and enmity that existed between Jews and Greeks (vv. 11-12). This hatred between Jews and Gentiles ran bone deep and generations old. The current hatred that often exists between the races in our society would only look as mild dislike compared to the hostility these two groups felt and often exhibited towards each other. But God wrought peace between them by providing reconciliation through the cross of Christ in his one body, the church (Eph. 2:14-16). So those who have rendered obedience to the message of peace are now at peace with God and each other (Eph. 2:17).

And we can often be at peace even with those who are enemies of Christ because of our peaceful nature. Paul exhorted us to be at peace with “all men” as much as we can (Rom. 12:18). But this peace is not to be purchased at the cost of truth. Jesus himself warned that for some his advent would bring a sword and not peace (Matt. 10:34). Sometimes we must unsheathe the sword of the Spirit and take up spiritual arms to defend the cause of the Prince of Peace. Jude wrote that we need to contend earnestly for the faith that God has once for all time delivered to his people (Jude 3).

An Example of a Peaceful Life

Consider Simon Peter as evidence of the great change that peace with God brings to the life of an individual. The gospels first introduce us to a Simon Peter who is a most un-peaceful man. He lacked peace with himself. While the great storm tosses Galilee’s waves, fearful Peter joins the other disciples in castigating the Lord for sleeping while they face imminent drowning (Mark 4:38). Peter was also violent and unpeaceful towards others. Perhaps Peter’s violence reached its peak the night of Jesus’ arrest when he reached out a sword and cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest named Malchus (John 18:10).

Earlier, Jesus had reached to the heart of Peter’s troubled soul when he told Simon his mind was not set on the interests of God but of men (Matt. 16:23). Later, the Savior warned Peter that the outcome of the apostle’s failure to find lasting peace with God would be a time of severe trial when Satan would sift him like wheat (Luke 21:31). That very night, Jesus’ words were fulfilled. Simon sank to the depths of selfishness, three times denying his Lord, at least once with cursing and swearing (Mark 14:71). But the Father answered the prayer of Jesus: Simon’s faith did not fail. At this point, a look from the Savior pierced his heart and with bitter tears Simon repented. Ever after, Simon Peter was a changed man — a source of strength to others (Luke 21:32; 61-62).

And for Simon, finding peace with God brought peace with himself. The Peter who had fearfully awakened Jesus that storm-tossed night on the Sea of Galilee now found the peace to sleep very well the night before Herod had purposed his execution. So soundly was he sleeping that the angel sent to deliver Peter had to strike him in the side to awaken him (Acts 12:6, 7). Simon had learned to sleep like Jesus, and we need to learn to sleep like Peter.

But not only did Simon find peace with himself, but he also found peace with others. When for a moment the old, selfish Peter resurfaced at Antioch, the apostle Paul was forced to administer a public rebuke (Gal. 2:12-14). But Simon Peter, the man who once had stretched out a sword in bloody violence against another, later wrote of Paul as his “beloved brother” (2 Pet. 3:15).

The life of Peter testifies that those who will submit to the Prince of Peace truly find “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14). If you are seeking peace in your life, then seek to live the life that Christians live. By submitting your will to the Lord and striving every day to put God first in your life, you also can experience “the peace of God that passes all understanding” (Phil. 4:7).