The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
February 5, 2006
In
This Issue:
The
Great Physician
by
Steve Klein
Where
is the Warning?
by
Joshua Ellis
The Great Physician
It seems like there has been an awful lot of sickness going around lately. Many have been homebound or in the hospital for days or even weeks with various bugs and ailments. No one likes being sick. Sickness keeps us in pain and misery, and may even incapacitate us, preventing us from doing things we need or like to do.
Sin is a lot like sickness. In fact, the Scriptures often suggest such a parallel. The Psalmist David wrote, "There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness" (Psalm 38:3-5). In 2 Timothy 2:16-17, Paul compared the false teaching that leads to sin to "cancer" (NKJV).
Worthless Physicians:
When we get sick, most of us start out by trying to treat ourselves.
We will go out and buy some over-the-counter remedy. Then when
that doesn't work, and we become really sick, we reluctantly go to
the doctor. But sometimes we find that our doctor is not very helpful.
He or she may misdiagnose us, prescribe the wrong medicine, or try to
treat some problem that is not even related to our current illness.
And worse yet, by going to the doctors' office and exposing ourselves
to others that are sick, we may come down with something else.
Doctors who harm instead of help are not a new problem. In the New Testament we read that "a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse" (Mark 5:25-26).
In spiritual matters we may find the same to be true. The help that we get from some regarding our sins or our spiritual problems may not make things better, and may actually make things considerably worse. People of the world, and even well meaning friends, may misdiagnose our problem. They may give us bad advice about how to handle it. Job describes the three friends who were trying to help him with his problems as "worthless physicians" (Job 13:4).
The Great Physician:
While He was on earth, Jesus showed that He was capable of
healing every disease. "All those who had any that were sick
with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on
every one of them and healed them. (Luke 4:40)
That same healing power is available for our sin-sickness. But in order to receive it, we first have to realize that we are sin-sick and be willing to go to the Doctor. Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32).
Jesus came to bring the cure for sin. He "bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24). There is no good reason that any citizen of His kingdom should live a sin-sick life.
It is His will that those who inhabitant Zion "will not say, 'I am sick'; The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity" (Isaiah 33:24). Let's quit trying to treat our own sinful condition. Let's quit relying on worldly remedies. Let's take our sin-sick souls to Jesus.
-- Steve Klein
It seems nonsensical to ask a person if he would warn a dear friend in order to keep something bad from happening to that friend. Most people probably wouldn't even hesitate before they agreed that they would warn a loved one to keep them from being hurt or injured in any way. It is strange to think that though they would not let someone they care about walk blindfolded into oncoming traffic, they would be silent and let them continue in a lifestyle that endangers their soul.
One of the hardest things for any Christian to do is to rebuke a friend and brother in Christ. It is not easy telling someone you love that he is not doing what is right. Often we are nervous about hurting feelings or burning bridges. This is obviously understandable. No one wants to hurt someone he cares about, but sometimes we need to decide which is worse: losing a friend or a friend losing his soul. Unfortunately, this decision is not one that is as easy to make as it sounds. For fear of offending someone, Christians sometimes let that brother walk on to dangerous ground.
It is our obligation to help each other. This sounds like a fundamental concept among Christians, yet it often goes unpracticed. We need to remember that not only are we aiding in the unfaithfulness of our erring brother, we are neglecting our duty as Christians. Ezekiel 33:1-6 talks about the watchman and what will happen to him if he sees danger and does not warn the people. If we see that a brother has fallen into sin and keep silent, we must consider how much blame we will have placed on us.
Christians should be able to take comfort in the fact that their brothers and sisters in Christ are looking out for them. It should be a given that my brethren are so concerned with my soul that they will sacrifice my feelings for it. This is an extreme example of tough love, because by keeping silent or by continuing to non-verbally condone the erring brother's sinful actions, we are doing nothing more than helping him go to hell. I'm sure that is something none of us want on our consciences.
If you know someone who is no longer a faithful Christian, where is your warning? Are you doing what you can to get him to return to the Lord or are you helping him to hell? This area should be one of the times when the Christian fights the hardest. We should not accept anything other than repentance even if it has to come by withdrawing from someone we love. It would be a much better outcome to have that brother singing next to you in heaven even if for a while he was angry with you on earth.
--Joshua Ellis
Via teachingtruth.org, church of Christ on Hughes Rd
at Gooch Lane, Madison, AL