The Heaton File

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5)

God Is

There is something intrinsic about the manner the Holy Spirit begins the revelation of the mind of God. Everything that follows the first day of creation defines the nature and character of who God is, what He is, and how He will interact with His creation. There are no bold assertions requiring proof or evidentiary discussion. At the beginning of the world, God existed, and the world as it is known to man did not exist. God spoke, and light was created. That is all that happened on day one. From the first day of creation until the final day of the existence of the universe, the words of God creating light define the nature of the Divine. Every word recorded in the Bible speaks to a single thought and remains constant to one idea. John will conclude the revelation of God with the light of the eternal glory of God, filling the city of God with His glory. As the Finger of God transcribes the Creator’s words throughout the ages of man’s history, two words are repeatedly confirmed and explained: God is.

The contrast between God and man is without measure. When the Lord created the world, He spoke it into existence. Nothing man has done or ever will be able to do can match the nature of God’s power. Sin destroyed the character of men and highlighted the heart of a forgiving Father. When the wisdom of men failed, God destroyed the world in a flood, saving eight souls by His mercy and grace. A man named Abram was called to establish a seed promise that would require many generations of failed attempts by humanity to save itself. God raised up a nation to be His special people, and they failed to keep His commandments. The world was spiraling into an abyss of self-destruction until a child was born in the city of Bethlehem. Thirty years later, the Son of God appeared before men to show the will of the Father and the love of a forgiving Creator. Envy led the Jews to kill the Son of God. Three days later, God raised His Son from the dead, and the world has never been the same. Hope fills the earth with the promises of forgiveness and mercy. The wisdom of man fails, and the wisdom of God saves. Man is hopeless because of two words: God is.

One thing separates God and man. God is and man is not. The failing of human wisdom comes from man’s refusal to believe that God is not a man. God has spoken and His word remains unchanged, unmovable, and eternal. God is a consuming fire, the God of gods, and righteous when men are not. The promises of God are always kept, He is love, He is just, and He is good. God has promised to always be with His people because God is a Father. He is a Spirit that must be worship as Spirit and should not be mocked or treated contemptuously. God knows all things, and He cares about every man, woman, and child dwelling on the face of the earth. Through His word, God promises to be the strength and power for His people as a God who is able and who is faithful. There is a steel and velvet character of a wrathful God with consuming fire but a God of love who forgives and forgets the failings of His children. Two words define the character of the Holy One: God is.

When Moses asked the Lord His name to tell the Hebrew people, God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” The name of God is I AM because everything about the Lord God is that GOD IS. He was not nor will be but He is I AM and HE IS. The nature of man thinks that he is something when he is nothing. Only by knowing the fullness of God as HE IS can man come to know how small his boat is in the vast ocean of God’s universe and power. Man is nothing. GOD IS.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Faithful Witnesses

Life can be tedious to the point the soul becomes discouraged, despondent, and feeling left alone in a world given over to immorality. It is clear the world has been a place of spiritual conflict since Adam and Eve lost paradise. The world of today is no different than any other time. It is easy to say how bad the world is becoming, but the truth is the world has always been bad. Sin destroyed the peace and happiness of man with God and continues to ravage the spirits of men. Life is hard, and that should not surprise someone desiring to live godly in this world. Swimming upstream against the tide of unrighteousness has never been easy. God never promised life would be a bed of roses. In fact, quite the opposite if a man lives a holy life. The mistaken idea that God wants a man to be happy fuels many people’s discouragement when life turns against them. The Lord is not so much interested in the happiness of His people but their holiness. It is only in the holy character of righteousness that true happiness is found.

Holding the banner of Christ in a dark world is a daunting task. The writer of Hebrews is trying to encourage the souls of God’s people to not give up on the covenant of grace. There is no comparison between the Law of Moses and the covenant of Christ. Everything is better because Jesus is the Son of God. Numerous examples are given of those who faithfully served the Lord during times of hardship and persecution. Abel became the first to experience the horror of sin when his brother murdered him. The world Enoch lived in was about to be destroyed, yet he was found to be pleasing to God. Noah watched the wrath of God annihilate the entire population of the world. Abraham was told at the age of 75 to go somewhere he had no idea where to go and to believe in an impossible promise. Moses became the leader of the people of God when he esteemed the reproach of righteousness higher than the reward of Egyptian power and wealth. The Hebrew writer continues the story of faith with the conquest of Jericho and the faithful like Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. All of these obtained something better than what they experienced in life because they believed God would provide something better for them in glory. Life was hard for them. It was not easy. Faith had to take on wings of courage.

All of the saints of glory died believing in the promises of God. Their stories would become the backdrop for all those who would follow Jesus and claim His name. A great cloud of witnesses is permanently embedded in the ceiling of the throne room of faith to encourage God’s people to remain steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord. The witnesses were not visually watching the lives of the saints, but the stories of their victories are models for all who seek to walk in a dark world like Enoch and Noah or face the uncertain future like Abraham. God has never failed on any promise He has made. The chapter of faith is a testimony to the unwavering hope that all that God has said will come to pass. In a dark world, He is a light. When the tide of immorality swells around the souls of the saints, the commander of the Lord’s army is there to protect and defend. Faith is the victory over doubt and the blessed assurance of hope.

The faithful witnesses grow each day as the number of godly men and women find their moment of glory. Their lives are testimony that overcoming is possible. When the heart is despondent about the pandemic, the economy, the future of the world, health concerns, and the general tediousness of life, look to the witnesses that lived before and know there is something greater coming. If there were no witnesses, there would always be the One. Look to Jesus, the author, and finisher of faith, who sits at the right hand of God. He overcame because of the promises of His Father. God never left His Son, and He will never leave you.

And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:41-45)

Pride Has No Place In The Kingdom

During the final weeks of the ministry of Jesus, a dispute arose among His disciples. After a few years of teaching, exhorting, showing the power of God through miracles, signs, and wonders, Jesus was beginning His journey to Jerusalem where He would suffer and die. His apostles had been with Jesus much of the time as He groomed them for the work they were yet aware was coming. With a growing sense of confidence, James and John went to the Lord and requested to be placed at His right hand and His left when the supposed earthly kingdom would be established. The disciples had a mistaken idea about the true nature of God’s kingdom. They thought Jesus had come to restore the kingdom of God as it was in the olden days. The kingdom of God was not of the world but a spiritual kingdom. James and John had failed to understand this, and thinking Jesus would soon organize His kingdom, the sons of Zebedee (along with their mother) sought to place themselves in a position of prominence.

It was a reckless request by James and John to become so prideful of their ministry with the Lord. Throughout the teaching of Jesus, the Son of God showed humility and grace in His action, His teaching, and His instruction to the twelve. Faced now with two of His disciples wanting places of power, the Lord gathers the twelve and teaches them a final lesson about the true nature of greatness. The ten apostles were very angry at James and John. Jesus must show them the failure of the request and at the same time admonish His disciples to see the true nature of His kingdom.

Greatest does not come from a proud heart seeking power. True greatness in the kingdom of God comes from a servant’s heart. The world is filled with power-hungry souls who thrive upon the position of authority, demanding respect through pride. Some men live all their lives to be the biggest or most influential men of their time, and to what end? They enjoy the limelight for a time and then fade away and are forgotten. Sadly, some seek power within the church of God demanding respect from prideful hearts seeking to be men of greatness. They become as John would later write about Diotrephes, who loved to have the preeminence among the brethren.

Jesus describes greatness in the act of serving. It must have been a difficult time for Jesus to deal with James and John seeking glory when He Himself was about to show the greatest act of greatness by suffering as a servant on the cross. When Jesus died on the cross, did James and John feel ashamed for asking so much from the Lord? There are only children in the kingdom of God. Sometimes those children try to become adults to lord over others but to be great in the kingdom is to serve others with a child-like heart. Jesus did not come to lord over others. He came to give His life a ransom for many. Dying like a criminal, Jesus took on the sins of all men and left a pattern of servitude that is required for all those who call on His name. When a man desires to be great in the kingdom of God, he has failed – miserably. Seeking the path of a slave and serving with a heart of humility will exalt one in the eyes of the Father.

And Phinehas the son of Eleazar had been the officer over them in time past; the Lord was with him. (1 Chronicles 9:20)

The Lord Was With Him

Five words. One of the great epitaphs of holy writ is found in the five words describing the grandson of Aaron and son of Eleazar. Phinehas is an unsung hero who was a man filled with moral righteousness and impeccable integrity and a devoted follower of the Lord God. He took the courageous action of killing Zimri, the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s house among the Simeonites who brought a Midianite woman named Cozbi before the people when Israel committed whoredom with the women of Moab. Phinehas took a javelin and thrust both Zimri and Cozbi through the body, which also stopped the plague sent by the Lord, which killed 24,000 people. Later, he would succeed his father Eleazar as High Priest of Israel.

One of the jobs of Phinehas was officer over the Levite gatekeepers. It is in the genealogy of the gatekeepers the Holy Spirit says that the Lord was with Phinehas. Of all the accolades of honor bestowed upon a man, nothing is of greater value than to know his life is characterized by the overshadowing hand of the Lord. Little is known about the life of Phinehas, but all that can be known is found in the knowledge that whatever he did, God was with him. His life was an example of devotion to the will of the Lord. After he killed Zimri and Cozbi, he was blessed with the promise of the Lord to be a covenant of peace throughout his generation. Phinehas was zealous for the Lord. He was the one who took action against the blatant sin of Zimri. His action was swift, decisive, and immediate. It did not take him a committee to decide if what Zimri was doing was right or wrong. Phinehas took immediate action and thereby saved thousands of lives from the plague.

The Lord is looking for souls as courageous as Phinehas. Zimri was a leader among the people, but this did not deter Phinehas. What Zimri did was an insult to the character of God’s righteousness, and there was only one action to be taken. The Lord was inflicting His own special possession with a plague that killed 24,000 people, and many more would have died had it not been for the zealousness of Phinehas. Sin was repudiated that day by the hand of Phinehas. There comes a time when the work of the Lord demands action. Sin cannot be tolerated and accepted. When Paul wrote the church at Corinth, he reprimanded them for allowing a man with his father’s wife to be accepted in the fellowship of the body of Christ. What the church at Corinth needed was someone like Phinehas to stand for Christ. John told the church at Pergamos that someone needed to stand for truth against the doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. The church at Thyatira needed a Phinehas to stand against a Jezebel among them.

Courage is faith under fire that stands for truth regardless of the circumstance. Righteousness is that which is right and must be defended courageously. The action of Phinehas comes from a man who has the spirit of the Lord dwelling within him. It is then the Lord will be with this heart and deliver him out of any difficulty. Men like Noah, Job, Abraham, David, Daniel, and his three friends and the hosts of prophets are examples of those who stood for truth in the face of difficulty, and the Lord was with them. The Lord will stand with those who stand for Him. There are no greater words to have said about a life than the Lord is with them. Live for God, and He will be with you. If He is for us, who can be against us?

Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. (Romans 4:23-25)

Delivered Up And Raised

A criminal is a person who is guilty of committing a trespass against the law. To be a criminal is to act against what is forbidden and a violation of the law. The majority of citizens are law-abiding persons who would never want to be accused of living a criminal life in rebellion against society and the laws of the land. While most citizens are good people living good and decent lives, the label of criminal is attached to every person when it comes to sin. Paul declared that all men sin and fall short of the glory of God. This means that all are guilty before the Lord as criminals, charged with the heinous crime of rebellion against the grace of God. The language of the Holy Spirit describes the state of affairs for humanity is clearly defined by the terms of offenses, trespasses, sins, transgressions, and acts of criminality against God. There are no innocent souls before God. No one can stand before the Judge of all men and claim innocence. Everyone is guilty.

Jesus was sent by the Father to redeem sinful man. The Son of God came to live among men and dwell in the fleshly body experiencing all the frailty of temptation. He lived for more than three decades without one trespass of the law of God. The lust of flesh weighed heavy upon Him. Pride and exaltation of self burdened the Lord. The lust of the eyes faced the Son of God each day. With the love and power of His heavenly Father, Jesus resisted all sin and died an innocent man. He was crucified as a criminal, but Jesus was never a criminal. That is not the case with humanity. All men are criminals, and Jesus was sentenced to death because of the sins of mankind. Every person from Adam until the final person born before the coming of the Lord stands adjudicated guilty of rebellion against God. Sin is personal because no one is exempt.

It is imperative that every man look in the mirror and see the reason Jesus suffered on the cross. A criminal is someone who goes against the law and standing before the law of God; all men bear the mark of a criminal – guilty of killing the Son of God. Jesus did not die because of someone else’s sin. Jesus died because of the sin of everyone. The language Paul uses is “our offenses” or “my crime.” The guilty person is the one who accepts the guilt of sin and the price paid to redeem the soul from the wrath of God. Jesus was delivered up so that He could be raised up for the justification of all men. The Lord died because of sin, but He was raised because of mercy. God raised His Son from the dead to remove the guilt of sin from those who come to Jesus and accept the grace of the Father. Jesus came out of the grave to make all men right with God, but all men will not come out of the world to accept the love of the Father. The Son of God was delivered and raised to save the soul. How could anyone reject this invitation?

Jesus fulfilled with the work of His Father when He was delivered up for the sins of humankind. He was raised up to bring justification to those who come to the cross in obedience. Salvation does not come automatically. Justification is found in the blood of Jesus Christ when an obedient heart accepts the grace and mercy of God and finds the cleansing blood of Jesus in the waters of baptism. There is no place justification can be found but in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Paul will describe this process of death, burial, and resurrection as the waters of baptism. All men are redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus only when they come to obey the works of justification. Thank God Jesus came to earth. Thank you, God, for raising Jesus from the dead. I can be delivered. I can be justified.

Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. (Hebrews 13:7)

Following The Faith Of Teachers

The Hebrew Christians faced great persecution along with the discouragement of many who had given up their faith, returning to the teachings of the Law of Moses. It became a challenge to embrace the gospel of Christ in a world given over to paganism and the pressure of family to remain faithful to the Jewish teachings of the law. Wherever the faithful found themselves, they needed encouragement to stay true to the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In his closing remarks to the Hebrews, the writer affirms the individual’s faith by admonishing him to follow the example of those who had guided him in the path of truth. It is uncertain in what context these leaders ruled over the people. Whatever place these people found themselves serving, their example would become the basis of helping others remain faithful to the Lord. The leaders had spoken the word to the people and left a legacy of faith well worth following.

Faith is an active example of daily living. Teachers are instructed to guide the hearts and minds of the students in the word of God. It is easy to teach the word of God, but it becomes a greater task to live the message taught. Teachers lead by example. The early church was filled with many whose task was to lead the people to understand the word of God. More than just teaching the word, those who instructed the church in the word of God lived a daily life of faith, showing how the word changed their lives. Those who spoke the word of God to others would receive the heavier judgment for the responsibilities placed upon them, and those who heard the word had a great responsibility to follow and obey the word of God. Learning the will of God was a vital part of the life of the Christian but following the example of those who taught was a very important part of the growth process. The teachers lived their lives as examples of what they taught, and the students needed to follow that faith. That was a great example.

Teaching the word of God changes lives not only for this life but recreates a soul to a view of eternity. The Hebrew writer wants his readers to consider the outcome of the lives of those who taught them the word of the Lord. John will later write in the Revelation of the works that follow the faithful. One of the great memories from childhood are the Bible teachers who impressed the stories of God into the minds of the children. These are lessons that are not easily forgotten. It is necessary to remind teachers of the impact they have on the lives of their students, and the eternal lessons taught in the classroom of holy writ have a far more reaching impetus than anything in the world. Teachers must instruct so that the students will follow their faith and seek to mold their lives after their example. That is a tall order. It is one that is eternal.

For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. (Psalm 96:4-5)

He Made The Heavens

The ultimate irony of the wisdom and power of man compared to the knowledge and power of the Lord God is without question the greatest paradox in man’s existence. There is nothing that man has done compared to the magnificent glory of God’s creation. For untold thousands of years, the earth, sun, moon, and heavenly hosts of stars have remained constant in their designed purpose as civilizations of men come and go across the landscape of time. The Pharoah’s of ancient Egypt gazed upon the same moon that fills the night sky of today. Each day begins with the rising of the sun, and when the sun completes its heavenly path across the sky, it fades across the horizon as it has done since the day Adam and Eve first beheld the brilliance of the nearest star. The cluster of the Pleiades and the belt of Orion are known by men as old as Job, who also beheld the Mazzaroth and the Great Bear with its cubs in the blackness of the night sky. All that fills the heavens remain as a lasting testimony of the power of God.

Humanity has accomplished many great things. The pyramids of Egypt, the great wall of China, the Panama Canal, and the International Space Station stand out as engineering marvels. Man has gone to the moon, mastered flight, created medicines able to save millions, and opened the world with electronic devices. There is much the human mind has been able to accomplish in the many thousands of years it has sought to achieve a higher course of life. Ironically, the wisdom of men is solely dependent on the power of God to exist. The pyramids of Egypt are one of the world’s great wonders, but they are decaying to the point of ruin. There is no function of purpose to the pyramids today but museum pieces. The great wall of China is a structure with 13,000 miles of mortar and brick that is visible from space but has no purpose apart from a tourist attraction. As great an accomplishment as the International Space Station, it survives based upon exact mathematical and scientific principles keeping it in orbit above the circle of the earth. Like all things made by man, it has a shelf life that will see its destruction one day. Designed for fifteen years, it may continue for another few years, but one day, it will crash and burn through the earth’s atmosphere.

The psalmist describes how great the Lord is and that He should be greatly praised. Written nearly three thousand years ago, the writer did not have the advantages of the modern wisdom of man, but he knew enough about the knowledge of men to know that on his best day, man is nothing compared to God. Everything man does fails. In the world of the psalmist, men carved idols and formed their totems in the fashion of men and beasts. The gods of men have been multiplied in the thousands as the heart of the carnal mind worshipped everything from the heavenly hosts, the animals, mountains, forest, streams, and gods of wood, metal, and stone. There is nothing man has not formed into an idol. How does an idol of man’s creation compare to the Lord God who made the heavens? On a clear night, the International Space Station can be seen by the naked eye as a tiny light in the dark canopy of space. It represents the greatest accomplishment of human engineering, but it is only a microcosm at the atomic level of what surrounds it. When men gaze on the light of ISS passing through space, do they notice what surrounds it – created by the hand of God? And the remarkable lesson is that what God created has yet to be counted, and with all the advancements of technology, man has yet to find everything made by the Lord God.

Man makes an idol and brags. God created the heavens and shamed the knowledge of human wisdom. The Lord is great because there is nothing mankind will do that will come close to the creation of God. Only God can be greatly praised, and honor and majesty belong to the Lord God because He is the One who made the heavens and the earth by speaking the word, and they were formed. God created man. The marvel of the human body is a testimony to the power of God. All power and glory belong to God. There is none like Him. He is great, and He is to be feared. By His hand, He created man. Through the word of God, the world remains. One day all that is in the heavens and on the earth will end because God has spoken. Praise God. He is so great.

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:9-10)

Jesus Is The Answer To Racism, Discrimination, And Inequality

Jesus did not kneel. He died. There is a lot of discussions today about racism, discrimination, and inequality. Sports figures have been duped into believing that kneeling in protest will change something that has been around since the beginning of time. The cries to end racism resound around the world. Discrimination is taunted as the greatest of tragedies. Equality is demanded for everything. Racism, discrimination, and inequality all drink from the same cup of poison: there is no such thing as absolute truth. The reason there is racism is because of something the serpent said to the woman in the garden of Eden. Discrimination came because of the deception of the devil on the woman. The Divine Creator established inequality at the beginning of the world. The only problem that mankind faces is the problem of sin, and everything else is a product of sinful action.

Racism comes from the belief that there is a difference in people. Jesus told Nicodemus the Son of God came to save the world. God so loved the world, including all the nations that came from the act of God when He confused the languages of humanity in the plain of Shinar. Every human being on the face of the earth came from Adam and Eve. The blood in one person is the same as the blood in another person. God did not send His Son to die for one nationality or color of skin.

Contrary to the lie of Satan, all lives matter because all lives need the blood of Jesus. Racism comes from sinful hearts who do not believe in the grace and mercy of a loving God. There is no distinction or partiality with God. Racism has existed since Adam and Eve took of the forbidden fruit. Protesting racism is a ridiculous act of ignorance for something that cannot be changed by kneeling but the power of the word of God in a life changed by God’s word. If a man wants to fight racism, obey the will of the Father.

Discrimination is a two-edged sword. It is related to inequality. The world uses a broad brush to define what discrimination and inequality are. Satan used the same tactic when he approached the woman. God had told Adam and Eve they could eat of every fruit of the garden but was not permitted to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The devil came along and convinced Eve that God’s word discriminated against her, and God’s law was unfair. When Eve saw the fruit was able to make her wise and become like God (equal with God), she rejected the word of the Lord and took the fruit. Satan’s view of God was that He was a racist, His law was discriminatory, and refusing to let Eve do whatever she wanted to do was inequality. The nature of sin remains the same.

The world denies the word of God and attacks the Bible as a book of myths. Everything man needs for life is found in the Bible. It tells him where he came from, why he is here, and what will happen when he dies. Jesus said He came to bring the abundant life. That life is found in keeping the word of God, and when men follow the will of the Father, racism, discrimination, and inequality will end. Kneeling has never accomplished anything. All those who think they have changed the world because they knelt in protest are doing nothing to change the world. Jesus changed the world. He died for every man and woman regardless of who they were. But there is a caveat to the sacrifice of Jesus. God does make a distinction about people. He demands righteousness, holiness, and obedience to His word. Jesus discriminated between the many that would be lost in hell and the few saved in eternal life. There is no equality with all men being saved. Most of humanity will not be saved. Jesus said most men would be lost.

The Lord made racist, discriminatory, and inequality speech when He condemned adultery, homosexuality, lying, drunkenness, and a host of other sins. At least, that is the way the world views the will of God. What they fail to recognize is there is one God, and He is the only Lawgiver. Kneeling to protest will not save a person. Rejecting the will of the Father will not bring happiness. Jesus is the only means to find the abundant life. He teaches His followers to love their enemies, do good to all men, honor the king, and seeking the salvation of lost souls. There is inequality in the mind of God because not everyone will be saved. He judges without partiality, and He condemns sin. Living a sinful life does not constitute the blessing of God. The amoral philosophy of the world is a rejection of the clear teachings of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. When the day of judgment comes, there will be discrimination and inequality. If a man is found outside the covenant of God, he will be lost. And that is the day when every man will kneel before the great throne of the Lord God – but it will not be in protest – it will be in subjection.

Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. (1 Peter 2:13-14)

Peter’s Essay On Submission

The act of submission is the acceptance to lower oneself or to yield to others. It becomes a form of servitude that is akin to being a servant or a slave. In the act of submission, a person willingly allows others to take control of their lives. There is a forced submission, but this is a cruel means to subject people to a totalitarian view. The Bible never teaches submission without the will and always presents it as a choice to make or refuse. As powerful as God is, He never forces His divine will on anyone, including His own Son. Submission to the Lord has always been a choice, realizing that failing to submit to God will bring consequences. The spirit of a man constantly fights the requirement of submission, choosing to follow his own will rather than submit to the word of God. Slavery is viewed as a distasteful and cruel act, yet the Lord demands all men become slaves to His will to be saved. Paul often called himself a bondservant of Christ or a slave of Christ. Peter writes that he is a bondservant of Jesus Christ. They recognized the need to submit themselves to Christ. Others like James and Jude refer to themselves as bondservants.

In Peter’s first epistle to the pilgrims of the Dispersion, he frequently commands the saints to be in submission. Peter addresses six areas of submission in his letter. He begins by showing the need for submission to the government for the Lord’s sake. The government Peter is speaking of is Nero, a man who ruled with unrestricted tyranny, extravagance, religious persecution, and debauchery. Peter had famously said to the Sanhedrin that obedience to God took precedence over obedience to men. However, if the will of government does not conflict with the will of God, the Christian must submit every ordinance. That was the will of God. The people were to be honored, and honor was to be given to the king. Failing to submit to government is sinful because it rebels against the will of God.

Servants were quite common in the days of the early church. The New Testament church never forbade slavery but commanded servants to be submissive to their masters (as faithful Christians), whether to a good master or a harsh one. Peter gives the example of Jesus as proof the servant could not revile against his master, threaten his master, or mistreat his master. The same rule of submission found towards government was found in the relationship of the slave to master. This is the will of God, and refusing to submit to the master was sinful and against the word of God.

Likewise, wives are to be in submission to their husbands. Submission to government and masters is a challenging course to follow, and many women find it hard to accept the headship of a man. The social norms of a freedom-loving world allowing women to take roles of leadership in the home have dulled the senses of the divine pattern given in the word of God. This is not a choice a woman can choose whether to submit to her husband or not. Refusing to submit to the husband is as sinful as refusing to submit to the government or slaves to masters. The wife of Abraham submitted herself to her husband as a godly woman of faith. Examples of women who have led their unbelieving husbands to Christ show the power of a submissive heart in the life of a courageous and faithful woman.

Peter encourages young people to submit to their elders. The so-called generation gap is an excuse to allow the spirit of youth to disrespect the older and the older to dishonor the spirit of the young person. God created young people and old people to learn from each other. Respect is a word seldom taught to young people when it comes to their elders. Submission, along with government, slave master relationship, and the home, is a vital part of the character of young people who respect the hoary head of wisdom and experience. Under the Law of Moses, rebellious and disrespectful children were stoned to death. While the law has changed, the mind of God has not. Young people who refuse to submit to their elders will find the wrath of God waiting for them. This is the will of God.

Finally, Peter admonishes that submission is something shared among brethren. He emphasizes submission by writing that everyone must submit to one another and be clothed with humility. The main ingredient to submission is humility. Refusing to submit is the sin of pride. God resists the proud, but the Lord will grant blessings upon the humble. Learning to submit to one another will teach the heart how to submit to government, roles of industry (slave-master), the home, and the aged. All of these roles show the unbelieving world the glory of God and the faithful character of His children. Refusing to submit in this life will not alter the submission of all men to the judgment of God. Learn to submit now before eternity begins.

These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. (2 Peter 2:17-19)

Great Swelling Words Of Emptiness

Albert Barnes writes, “Truth is simple, and delights in simple statements. It expects to make its way by its own intrinsic force and is willing to pass for what it is worth. Error is noisy and declamatory and hopes to succeed by substituting sound for sense, and by such tones and arts as shall induce men to believe that what is said is true when it is known by the speaker to be false.” The world does not believe there are false teachers. It is accepted that everyone has a right to their viewpoint, whether it is a fact or fiction. To condemn the philosophy or teaching of another by calling them a false teacher is unacceptable. The apostle Peter makes it abundantly clear that some have forsaken the right way and gone astray. False doctrine did not take long to creep in among the people of God. Satan immediately tries to destroy the creation of God by inducing hearts to challenge the word of God. The result is seen in the myriads of lost souls who never knew the truth and blindly followed a man because he spoke with such swelling words of emptiness like a well without water.

False doctrine has always been the downfall of man. Satan began attacking the creation of God when he came to Eve and asked whether God really said what He did. There were false prophets among the people of God who led them away from the will of the Lord. In the early church, men arose, demanding circumcision become necessary for salvation, which the Lord never required. Paul spoke of the great apostasy that would fill the earth with men speaking lies in hypocrisy, drawing souls away from the truth. The Roman Catholic Church became the fulfillment of those lies and spread false teaching for generations to come through the seeds of the Protestant Reformation. False doctrines and false teachers are a real and present danger to souls seeking the grace and mercy of God. With great swelling words of emptiness, false teachers convince the multitudes to believe words never found in the Bible. Truth has always been simple. God gave His word to men to read and understand His will. False teachers twist the word to fit their own agenda. They convince the unwary hearts with a great show of swelling words to believe a lie only to offer empty dreams. A man traveling in the desert dying of thirst is revived when he sees a well on the horizon. Immediately he goes to the well for salvation and tragically only finds a dry well. That is how Peter describes false teachers. They offer salvation, but there is none.

Thousands upon thousands of people have come to the altar call of false doctrine convinced they are children of God. For years, evangelists would hold great revivals throughout the country, drawing thousands to hear a noted preacher. After a powerful and moving sermon, an invitation was given for all those who need to accept Christ as their personal Savior to come to the stage and receive blessings. They are told to say the “sinners’ prayer” and to accept by faith alone the grace of God, and they will be saved. Feelings of euphoria flood their souls as they walk away convinced they have been born again and saved in the kingdom of the Lord. Sadly, they have found nothing more than an empty well. These are false teachers giving false hope. The saga continues today with faith healers, charlatans, mega-evangelists, men and women more concerned about their cars, jets, and mansions than the truth of Jesus Christ.

Everyone is accountable for their own soul. No man or woman will stand before God and blame their preacher, their parents, the government, society, or the author of this writing for their failure to obey the will of the Father. Just because a man calls on Jesus as Lord and lives a religious life will not mean he is saved. The only ones who are saved are those who do the will of the Father, which is a personal choice. When people refuse to follow the Bible and follow a man, they jeopardize their eternal life. Many will stand before the Lord and hear the word, “Depart.” Following a false teacher has eternal consequences. Do not be one of those who follow great swelling words of emptiness. Follow the Book. Live the Book. Know the Book. Truth is narrow but that narrow truth is all that will save you.