The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
April 7, 2002
In
This Issue:
"If
We Say We Have No Sin"
By
Steve Klein
"Death:
What will it Mean to You?
by
David Cox
"If We Say We Have No Sin..."
As a youngster, I remember wondering what it would be like to be blind. When I thought no one was looking, I would close my eyes and try to draw a picture or walk to another room in the house. If anyone ever saw me, I'm sure they would have thought that I could neither draw nor walk! My self-imposed "blindness" caused me to stub my toes and produce fascinating pieces of modern art. My walking and drawing improved (some) when I decided to open my eyes.
Christians sometimes have a problem walking in the light because of self-imposed blindness. They close their eyes to their sins. Sin is a problem for all of us, but it must remain an unresolved problem only if we close our eyes to it. Jesus told the Pharisees "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains" (John 9:41). The person who does not recognize his own problem with sin is spiritually blind. He will not correct the sin or seek forgiveness for it because he refuses to see it.
Is sin presently a problem in your life? Do you struggle to overcome temptation on a regular basis? Do you occasionally find yourself remorsefully confessing your sins to God or fellow Christians? Anyone who cannot answer "YES" to these questions, needs to open their eyes and take a good hard look at themselves in light of what the apostle John has to say in 1 John 1:8-9: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The child of God who has access to the blood of Jesus has a means of resolving the problem of sin. Once he sees his problem, he can get cleansing and forgiveness from God by confessing his sins (1 John 1:9). Continual confession is necessary for continual cleansing of the continual problem of sin. We are not to confess merely that we "have sin," but we are to "confess our sins" -- the specific definite acts and thoughts that violate God's law. If we are not doing this we still "have sin." If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves.
by Steve Klein
"And as it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).
It is obvious from the preceding verse that man will face death. But the question comes to my mind what does this mean? Some might say it is the ceasing to exist or others may say it is going to be with God. The first of these answers is incorrect and the latter fails to recognize an important fact.
In Luke 16:19-31, we have an incident that Jesus tells the Pharisees about concerning two men that died. These men knew each other. One was a rich man and the other was a beggar named, Lazarus. As Jesus tells about these two men after death it is obvious that they continued to exist. As a matter of fact, the rich man had not lived his life in accordance with the Lord's will and was in "torments". But Lazarus, even though he had not enjoyed much in his life was existing in a place of paradise. The rich man was being "tormented" and wanted some relief. He saw "Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom" and cried out for Abraham to "send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue" (v. 23-24). It is at this point that Abraham answered saying, "Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things" (v. 25ff). After Abraham had reminded him of these things and told him of the inescapable position that he was in, the rich man was then concerned about his five brothers he had while he was alive. He recognized that their lives were being used in pursuit of the same things he had done on earth and not in seeking after God. From this we can easily conclude that man does not cease to exist, but rather he does exist and is conscious of the things of the past. From Lazarus, we see that he still exists and is enjoying the comforts of paradise, not concerned with earthly pursuits. He does not say a word about the hardships he encountered and the unwillingness of the rich man to lend help to his needs. As a matter of fact, the thought of such things could not be had for this would be a defilement which there cannot be any such thing in the paradise of God (Revelation 21:27).
In the sixteenth chapter of Luke, we truly see death pictured in two ways. In the rich man we see regret, sorrow and a desire to make things right, but it is too late. On the other hand, we see Lazarus enjoying paradise and its comforts because of his faith and obedience to the Lord's will. How many times had the rich man failed to feed, give water, take a stranger in, clothed the naked or visit the sick, etc. (cf. Matthew 25:41-45). He could have, but he failed to. We must guard ourselves against failing to do the Lord's will.
In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus in the sermon of the mount pictures those that will say at the judgment, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" Then Jesus said He would respond, "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Why is this? It is because of what Jesus had said earlier in verse 21 about entering the kingdom of heaven being based on doing "the will of my Father which is in heaven." Doing good works of feeding, giving water, visiting the sick, etc. are commendable and necessary, but the will of God must be obeyed first or else they are in vain.
What does death mean to you? It depends on whether you are doing the will of God. If you have obeyed him, believing His word, repenting of your sins, confessing your faith, having your sins washed away by baptism, continuing to seek first the kingdom of God, and doing His will until death, then you have hope of a home with God. If you have failed, death means to you what it meant to the rich man in Luke 16, or those picture by Christ at the judgment who had failed in doing the Father's will in this life. That is everlasting punishment, being in torment for eternity. Please live your life so that death will mean to you what it meant to Lazarus or to Paul that said of death "to depart, and be with Christ; which is far better" (Philippians 1:23).
~By David Cox
In Gospel Power
3/16/97