The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
February 17, 2008
In
This Issue:
Giving
God a Bad Name
by
Steve Klein
A
Simple Story About Simple Trust: Hebrews 11:8
Warren
E. Berkley
Giving God a Bad Name
Have you ever drawn a conclusion about parents by watching the way their children behave (or misbehave)? Even so, the world is drawing conclusions about our heavenly Father based on the way we behave as God's children.
The New Testament specifically mentions three behaviors of God's children that give Him a bad name.
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Hypocrisy. There are countless people in the world who have decided that God must not be worth serving because so many of His children are hypocrites. The apostle Paul asks, "You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, 'Do not commit adultery,' do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For 'THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,' as it is written" (Romans 2:21-24).
When Christians embezzle, rob their employers, gamble at casinos or cheat on income taxes, they cause the name of God to be blasphemed. We have known of preachers in the Lord's church who have preached long and hard against adultery all the while they themselves were guilty of committing it. When such things become known in a community, it harms more than the reputation of the hypocrite; it harms God's reputation.
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Failing to respect and fulfill our God-given roles. God has ordained order in human society, as well as in the home and in the church. He has established order by assigning roles. For instance, in the church, Christ is the head and members are the body. Every member has its own role or function and must follow the direction of Christ, the head (1 Corinthians 12:12; Romans 12:4-8; Ephesians 5:24a).
In society, God placed citizens under the authority of civil government (Romans 13:1-7), and servants under the authority of their masters (1 Peter 2:18). If servants who are Christians disobey or disrespect their masters, it reflects on God. Paul wrote, "Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed" (1Timothy 6:1). Similarly, if Christians who are citizens fail to obey the laws of their government, it reflects negatively on God. "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake . . . For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." (1 Peter 2:13-15).
The same principle is true in the home. The Lord has given men, women and children certain roles. By fulfilling our roles, we bring honor and glory to God. Failing to fulfill them brings reproach on us and God. With respect to the role of the woman in the home, Paul said in 1 Timothy 5:14, "Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house; give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully."
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False teaching. When children of God teach error in God's name, it makes God look bad. In 2 Peter 2:1-2, the apostle Peter wrote, "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed." By defending the truth, we defend the reputation of God Himself.
The Christian's whole existence should "be to the praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:12). Let us determine that we will never do anything to cause others to think less of our God.
-- Steve Klein
"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude; innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore." (Heb. 11:8-12).
When God called Abraham, how did Abraham respond? He obeyed. There was no immediate, tangible reward. He didn't know "where he was going." But "by faith Abraham obeyed..." His faith found expression in action. And "by faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise." Here is the story of a man who sojourned, traveled, wandered about in this foreign land with his boys, and he did this for about 100 years. Why? Because he believed he should do whatever God says!
Based on the same faith in God, "he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." This is a simple story about simple trust. He left his hometown and sojourned in tents, and lived in hope of something better that he could not see; all of this based on his trust in God. He had a strong expectation of a fixed habitation and a permanent abode: "he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God."
Milligan said, "This is given . . . as the reason why Abraham was satisfied to live as a stranger and sojourner in Canaan. He did so because he was looking for the city which hath the foundations, whose architect and Builder is God. From this and other like passages we are constrained to think that God had given to the patriarchs information with regard to the heavenly country far beyond what is now recorded in Genesis or any other part of the Old Testament," (Milligan, on Heb. 11:10, p. 308).
Again, I am impressed by the simplicity of this story: Here is a man who believed he should do what God says, and wanted to go to heaven! So, when God gave him instruction, he obeyed. Regarding his wife, "by faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised." God had promised there would be a son born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. At first, Sarah laughed at the very idea but eventually she fully accepted God's promise. She became another example of the activity of simple trust in God.
"Therefore," verse 12 adds, "from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore." Simple trust in God rewarded!
God promised a son would be born to this old couple, they believed and lived by their faith in God, the son was born and from that son a whole nation of people came, "innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore." From that nation, the Messiah came to live and die for us. Simple, obedient trust in God was involved in the coming of the Messiah. Simple, obedient trust is the only acceptable response to Him.
The kind of faith illustrated by Abraham and Sarah is just what we need. It means, hearing, believing and doing what God says, trusting His promise of a better place: "here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come" (Heb. 13:14).
-- Warren E. Berkley