Bible Thoughts

June 14, 1998

"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all"(Ephesians 4:4-6).

The unity of the Godhead, His revelation and the oneness of his church is emphasized in this passage. From the day of Pentecost to the present, thus it has been. The very nature of God himself speaks to the oneness covered in this passage. Seven times one is used in describing what belongs to and comes from Jehovah.

It is the responsibility of Christians to remember and practice the words of Paul. When men place their unholy minds and hands on what has been created by God, they make a spiritual mistake that will end in disaster(note Revelation 22:18-19 for God's attitude toward changing and adding to His work). Through the years, even brethren have made the mistake of perverting what God has commanded of Christians and of the church. Everything from the instrument of music to missionary societies to welfare institutions to man-made cooperatives to entertainment, and on and on, brethren have taken liberty with what belongs to God and made his works into the images of man.

The only way it is possible to have unity for which Christ prayed is to respect the commands and guidance of the scriptures. To go beyond, to alter, or to ignore the New Testament instructions can only result in division and is followed by more division. The safe way is to demand and insist that we have book, chapter and verse(authority) for all that we teach and practice. Is that so difficult to do?

Man has taken another step away from the ways of God by creating The Religious Buffet. Men have advocated that one can believe what he/she desires, join the church of your choice(or none at all), and all join together in one grand buffet. All that is necessary is to stroll through the various denominations, with their human creeds and disciplines, and pick out what suits you. And if you cannot find what you want, just create another religious dish and put it with the rest of them(there used to be over 3000, but that number has probably grown).

Even those in the "church of Christ" have created a buffet. They stretch the word of God over a table filled with teachings and practices not found in the word of God. Is it any more acceptable to God for those who claim to be "of Christ" to introduce teachings and practices not in the scriptures into their faith? Of late, there are those who have served up religious dishes that include fraternizing with denominations, wavering on the essentiality of baptism, and a myriad of other ideas not found in God's word.

So long as a religious buffet exists, enabling men to pick and choose, there will never be the unity for which Christ prayed. No man is above God; no man is more intelligent than God; only God knew what was right for man. It is up to man to search and find in God's book the truth that was revealed from Pentecost till the last inspired words were written. We have the book; we need nothing else. Christians feed on the word of God. They have no desire to eat of the forbidden fruits of error.

Plain speech is always appreciated by people who are seeking the truth. Those who seek to deceive by speech are being hypocritical. Those who deliberately use language and expressions not understood by others are being deceptive. Those who refuse to speak when truth is needed are cowardly.

One will not understand everything that is spoken by a person, but will seek an explanation, especially in religious matters. Speaking the truth may not please people, but it is right to so speak. This does not advocate using unkindness, bitterness, haughtiness, etc., when one is communicating with others. We can speak, however, in a manner that will not be misunderstood. It is not always easy to effectively teach a person, and one may have to put forth much effort to speak plainly. The result, effective teaching, is worth the effort.

Jesus affirmed, in answer to the Jews question, that he "told you, and ye believe not"(John 10:25). There is no doubt they were trying to entrap the Lord and he answered

them appropriately. They had the evidence, it was up to them to act upon it. He had plainly told them what they asked for, whether he was the Christ. Their problem was they would not accept what the Lord had already stated. Jesus spoke it plainly; the Jew rejected it because they were not willing to accept that he was the Son of God.

Christians need to speak plain enough for people to learn the truth and will have no doubts as to what is right.