The Heaton File

Today is Monday. Reading a book about the parables of Jesus I came across a statement by the author commenting on the parable of the lost sheep and lost coin (Luke 15). He reflected on how these parables (along with the prodigal son) express the attitude of Jesus toward the lost as one of boundless hope. The author quoted Luther Burbank who said, “Every weed is a possible flower.” My mind immediately raced to the conclusion of the impossibility of a weed being a flower because no matter what one may say about a weed; a weed is a weed is a weed! God made them that way. Weeds are undesirable and of no value. But then I realized that with God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). The Lord could take Kudzu and make it to be the most desirable flower in the world. He could take the most vicious thorn bush and make it a flower of grand beauty. Monday’s sometimes feel like Kudzu don’t they. But with God’s help every Monday is a possible beginning of a wonderful week filled with the flowers of kindness, thanksgiving, love, charity, and showing the fragrance of Christ in the lives of others. “Jesus believed that every sinner was a possible saint, that every coward might become a hero, that every defeated man might yet stand upon his feet in the consciousness of moral and spiritual victory” (Clovis G. Chappell, “Sermons from the parables”, page 176). Every Monday begins with Sunday reminding us that each week begins with the Lord.

Would You Fellowship Corinth?

The apostle Peter exhorted the pilgrims of the Dispersion to “love the brotherhood” (1 Peter 2:17). This is sandwiched in a passage that also instructs Christians to honor all, fear God and honor the king. The brotherhood mentioned by Peter is a reference to all Christians or saints as “all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2). An appeal is made for unity in the body of Christ for a love to permeate the brotherhood of royal priests in a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). It is sad to hear brethren more often quote Jesus in Matthew 5:44 when He said “Love your enemies.” Because of divisional partying among the people of God the love of the brotherhood can only be presumed from a narrowed view of whatever “soundness” is. Most often this is defined in terms of modern theology or self-evident interpretation of scripture that instills a sense of moral courage to stand against the tides of apostasy. Sermons elevate the moral code of purity denouncing any deviation of “truth” to be evident only by the fervor of a single group. And then there is the church in Corinth.

It is a good thing the church Paul wrote two (or more) epistles too is no longer in existence. Imagine the furor raised by the zealots of self-defined moral excellence upon a church that was filled with carnal minded people dividing against one another. Yes, they had some serious problems at the church in northeastern Peloponnesus. A member of the congregation had his father’s wife and nothing was being done about it. No one should fellowship that apostate church. It has been told the members are suing one another and taking one another to court before those of the world. How could anyone endure having fellowship with a congregation of rabble raisers? Mark them. Were there problems with the marriage question and what was to be done with the unmarried and widows? The church at Corinth was an insensitive group against those concerned over the eating of meats. And the role of women was being turned upside down with women rebelling against the culture of the day. We should not announce gospel meetings for such a congregation as this.

Someone reported as they visited the services at Corinth the Lord’s Supper was being abused, at times the services in chaos concerning the spiritual gifts with too many people trying to get their way and visitors thinking the whole lot of them out of their mind. We should not fellowship a congregation that has such disorder and disarray in the services. It has also been reported there are members of the church at Corinth that may not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Immediate marking and disfellowship of such a place should be undertaken. They have taken the off-ramp to apostasy and stand condemned to perdition. It would seem clear that for many today the church at Corinth would never be allowed within the arms of fellowship because of these egregious errors.

There is no doubt the purpose of Paul’s writing to the church at Corinth was not to praise them. He was very concerned for the problems they allowed to continue in this congregation. His writing was forceful, direct and with clear ramifications of consequences if action was not taken. The joy of his second letter is to see the growth of the brethren in dealing with their calamities outlined in the first letter. But it should never be lost on the student of scripture that before Paul laid ‘pen to paper’ in his first letter he said, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:2-9).

The Holy Spirit said the Christians at Corinth were a “church of God.” Paul understood by this designation the brethren were in fellowship with God and He with them. The apostle also referred to the brethren as “sanctified” and “saints” indicating a communion. It seems incredulous that an apostle of Jesus Christ would extend a greeting of grace to a church like Corinth (unlike what may happen today). Further, he is thankful for these brethren as they were enriched in knowledge and the “testimony of Christ was confirmed” by them … the church at Corinth. His closing introduction includes a salutation of their being called into the “fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (v9). I wonder how well that would go over in some circles of the brotherhood today? How should we label Corinth: liberal, apostate, conservative, immoral, reckless or some other self-serving label? In his second letter to Corinth Paul refers to these brethren as “the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:1-2). It seems he is still in fellowship with the brethren at Corinth.

Examining the churches in Acts a person could develop a cold shoulder of fellowship to churches who have liars and greedy people in them (Jerusalem – Acts 5). This church also had folk who were prejudice, murmuring and neglecting their own people (Acts 6). The churches in Rome, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse, Thessalonica and Create had people who would raise the hair on the head of a lot of brethren today because of their practices. Even the seven churches that were in Asia would have been prime rib for target practice today because of their lack of love, lack of works, and lack of faithfulness; and yet the candlesticks had not been removed as yet. One of the important lessons of scripture is to know that only God removes candlesticks – not man (3 John 9-11).

Do churches have problems? The church at Corinth was a train wreck but Paul did not write them off and treat them as enemies because of their own ignorance to uphold the perceived truth held by the majority few. Loving the brotherhood deals with the challenges that can destroy the church from within with the true word of God. Ironically the problem at Corinth was division and we share the same problems today. Churches are divided over major and minor issues that separate us from camp to camp. A spirit of distrust hangs over the feelings of many who may hear that so and so is from a particular group that practices such and such. The poison of division will do more harm that the “outside forces” we so often pray about. I suspect the devil often does not spend so much time bringing harm from the outside to destroy the church. “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another” (Galatians 5:13-15).

Job’s Wife And Three Friends

Little is known of the wife of Job but it is easy to see what a blessing it was to be married to a man who was “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). She lived in the opulence of the man who was the “greatest of all the people of the East” (Job 1:3). Her life was filled with the glory of God sharing the blessings of seven sons and three daughters. When Satan came against Job he touched the lives of the servants lost in the destruction and the heart of Mrs. Job. She suffered the loss of animals and servants and the lives of ten children along with her husband. The crushing blow of poverty was felt in her heart as she saw the work of her husband’s hands disappear and the possessions they enjoyed together taken away. The death of children born of her womb would have been more than anyone could endure. But Satan was not finished. He then came and inflicted a most horrible malady on Job personally. “So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head” (Job 2:7).

The wise man wrote, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband” (Proverbs 12:4). Job’s condition was so awful that when his friends came to visit they could hardly recognize him. “And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven” (Job 2:12). Job’s wife loved her husband and to see him in such a state would have been beyond the breaking point of endurance. Job 2:9 tells us she “said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!’” (Job 2:9). In the Garden of Eden Satan came to the woman deceiving her and getting man to sin (Genesis 3; 1 Timothy 2:14); in the story of Job Satan attacks Job and causes the woman to sin.

It is a remarkable irony how we charge Job’s wife in her outburst of “curse God and die” and yet being honest with ourselves find it difficult to witness all that happened to the man you love and not have a reaction of horror and fear. That is what Satan does to us. Job endured the temptation and while he challenged the Lord (bringing the wrath of God upon him); the wife of Job also had her “demons” to battle. And she lost. And so do I – so often. The story of Job’s wife is not about Job 2:9 but Job 42:12-13 – “Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters.” Job’s wife came through the tragedy and was blessed like Job. Her faith remained in her trust for God. Her life was blessed with ten children and prosperity and a husband who was no longer afflicted. She did okay.

Examining the life of Mrs. Job may well reflect our own fear that we would find ourselves more often in her shoes rather than the place Job found himself. She told her husband to curse God and die and it could have been the heat of the moment in her sorrow and love for her husband or her heart could have turned against God. But the end of the story is the key to seeing her life in proper perspective. She remained faithful to God in her frailty. She made a mistake but the Lord forgave her and blessed her.

The three friends of Job made a similar mistake. Their advice and counsel was wrong. They were overwhelmed in grief when they saw their friend and could hardly recognize him. Job remained steadfast in his character but they did not. But the end of the story is the grace of a loving God. “And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.’ So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; for the Lord had accepted Job” (Job 42:7-9). Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar repented and found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

The story of Job is about God’s forgiveness to all of us who do not understand what is happening in the world and why things happen to us and “why me” and “this is not what I wanted life to be” – and the Lord gently telling us “’I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6). Job’s wife and three friends are true character studies of those of us who struggle with sin and often lose the battle. Paul struggled mightily with sin (Romans 7:13-25). The apostle Peter is known for his mistakes. But the grace and mercy of God is willing to forgive my sins and bless me with His kindness and long suffering. Thank you Lord for your abundant measure of forgiveness in my frailty. Thank you for examples like Job that walk among us today who show the character of righteous strength enduring unbelievable heartache and yet faithful to the Lord.

How Great Is Our God

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and marked off the heavens by the span, and calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales” (Isaiah 40:12)? The achievements of man is compelling when we stand before the height of the Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai, UAE reaching 2,716 feet 6 inches; or the Three Gorges Dam (China) displacing 39,300,000 cubic meters; and touching the pyramids of Egypt that have stood for nearly 5,000 years. The Guinness Book of World Records attest to all the similar feats of man to create the fastest, largest, most powerful inventions of man.

The prophet Isaiah writes, “To whom then will you liken God” (Isaiah 40:18)? What comparison can be made to the one who measures the waters of the world in the hallow of His hand? It is estimated there are 332,500,000 cubic miles of water on the face of the earth covering 70% of the earth. Including all bodies of water there is an estimated 1.3-1.5 billion cubic kilometers of water. The hallow of the hand is only a part of the hand and yet the Lord God holds 332,500,000 cubic miles in the hallow of His hand. Just imagine how big the rest of Him would be.

Not only does our Creator hold all the waters of this world in the hallow of His hand He measures the universe “with a span.” A span is generally the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the smallest finger (roughly nine inches). Contained within that “nine inches” the Lord God Almighty holds the known universe that is estimated to be 93 billion light years across. The circumference of the earth is only 24,901 miles and the distance of the earth to the moon is an average of 384,403 miles. The Sun is 93 million miles away and we have not even started to go where no man has gone before. It is estimated there are billions of galaxies and yet the Lord holds all of these within the span of His hand. Just imagine how big the rest of Him would be.

How much dust is in the world? Half of it can be found under any child’s bed I suspect. But consider the dust that fills the earth from the four corners and our God calculates this volume in a measure. He could tell us (if He wanted) exactly how much dust is present on the Earth and Moon and Mars and in the universe. First of all that takes a really big measuring container. Second, to know the exact amount of dust in the world is awesome – “For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth” (Psalms 47:2). Third (and most amazing) He knows where all the dust is. How great is our God.

It has been suggested the volume of Mount Everest is 2417 cubic kilometers and if you multiply that by how many mountains there are; throw in the volume of the hills – all of these numbers are unknown to man; you would not be close to the exact number Jehovah God would be able to tell in a split second of the weight of the mountains and hills of earth. How much do the Rocky’s weigh or the Alps or the impressive Andes or the Himalayas? Only God knows but the fact is – God knows. And He has a scale big enough to weigh the mountains and the power to put the mountains and the hills on the scale. What an awesome God we serve.

“To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? … Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless” (Isaiah 40:18, 21-23). Our God is so big he sits “above the circle of the earth.” We are like grasshoppers to Him. To God the heavens are nothing more than a curtain and the heavens a tent. So expansive and yet so insignificant to the majesty of God.

Great men have ruled in the affairs of men and tyrants have stricken our world with wars. The nation of Egypt once so proud and powerful is held in check as an impoverished nation by the decree of the one who sits above the circle of the earth (Ezekiel 29:9-15). King Nebuchadnezzar learned first-hand who rules in the kingdoms of men. “The king spoke, saying, ‘Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?’ While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses’” (Daniel 4:30-32).

Daniel told King Belshazzar that God held his “breath in His hand and owns all your ways” (Daniel 5:23). No king, prince, despot, tyrant, president or any man can stand before the mighty God. The Lord still works in the affairs of men and while there can be fear over the tyranny of the historical empire of Rome, destruction of the Third Reich or oppression of the Empire of Japan; and the present fear of terrorist and world war – GOD STILL RULES! All the plans of men will come to naught. Paul told the Athenians that “God is Lord of heaven and earth” and has determined the preappointed times and boundaries of man’s habitation. He rules! Our God is an Awesome God. But it’s not over.

On the fourth day of creation God created the lights in the firmament. Moses writes, “Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16). Gazing into the night sky overwhelms the senses with the grandeur and majesty of a star speckled sky filled with millions of lights. The amazing God we serve is a God who created all the stars (billions upon billions) and in His great power and wisdom has a name for each one of them. Isaiah declares, “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing” (Isaiah 40:26). No power of man can match this knowledge. There are no words to describe the indescribable wonder of a powerful God who possesses such knowledge. And yet He is our God.

On this tiny blue planet in the middle of a vast universe of billions of heavenly beings our Great and Awesome God loves us and cares for us. First there is fear in knowing such an awesome God because man is only a “drop in the bucket” (Isaiah 40:15) compared to Him. Secondly we find comfort in this knowledge because He is so great what can He not do for me? “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31).

Our God is such a great God. He gave us His Son. His Son gave us His life. Our God offers the hope of eternal life for the grasshoppers before Him. He loves me; even me. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31)? My God is an Awesome God.

Today is Monday. The clock needs winding. When my father retired from the phosphate mines in central Florida they gave him a mantel clock with his name on it. It is an eight day clock that requires winding with a chime for each quarter hour and numerical chimes for the top of the hour. One of the jobs on Monday is to wind the clock and to adjust the time. It has a habit of running fast. Sometimes it has a habit of stopping. This came about as a result of the last move where it got a little more movement than it needed. Without the attention given on Monday the clock does not work. When the clock is set in motion it becomes a wonderful song throughout the week of chimes with gentle reminders of the passing of time. Monday’s are great days to wind the clock. This is the second day of the week – not the first! The Lord established seven days in a week in creation. Monday is the day after the Lord’s day (Revelation 1:10) and is a great day of the week. For many it becomes the first day of the work week. This is a day of winding the clock for the rest of the week and setting things in order. Yesterday was a day of worship and praise to God. The first day of the week was spent in joyful remembrance of what Jesus has done for me. Our hearts were guided by the Holy Spirit on the first day of the week as we dug deep in the word of God. Now we get to go out into the world and show them Christ living in us. Monday’s are not bad days because this is the day we get ready for a great week. Empowered with the love of God we set our lives to chime the music of grace, love and forgiveness in a world filled with sadness, despair and hopelessness. We are the music of the chiming bell letting the world see Christ living in us. Refreshed with the worship of the Lord’s day we are energized to go to our jobs as people of God. The companies we work for are blessed to have our spirit in their employ. Our friends will see us living for truth and righteousness. We are heard this week! Today is Monday and we should wind our lives up in the King of Kings and let the world know there are many on the mantel of life that want the world to hear the plea of salvation from the cross of God’s Son. I love Monday’s; don’t you?

The Funeral Of Jesus

There was no pomp and no procession filled with mournful criers lamenting the death of a loved one. The crowds had diminished and returned to their homes. Three men hung on wooden trees of death with soldiers milling below with no concern. All the acquaintances of Jesus, the women who followed Him from Galilee including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons (Luke 23:48,49; Matthew 27:55,56) looked on with dispassionate despair. The screams of the two thieves whose legs had been broken to hasten death still linger in the air. The man in the middle hangs limp in death with his side pierced; blood and water staining his body.

Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus (Luke 23:50-52). Consent was given and Joseph, joined by Nicodemus (John 3:1-15; 7:45-52) went to Golgotha to retrieve the body of Jesus.  Removing the nails from the feet, the body of Jesus was let down to the ground to remove the nails from his hands. The face of kindness, compassion and love was now stilled in the gray shadow of death. The soldiers removed the cross and the body was taken up to be prepared for burial.

How does one feel the emotions of sadness to carry the body of Jesus to a place of preparation? His hands lie still that once gave sight to the blind. His voice is silent that once taught the beatitudes of grace. The smile of compassion is faded to a mask of death. Eyes that once gazed into the lives of men are closed in silent repose. The body of the Son of God is bloody, dirty, filthy and bruised with the lashes of a terrible scourging and crucifixion.

The men lay Jesus down to wash his body. Are tears mixed with the careful love these men have to clean the body of Jesus? Do their voices tremble as they speak to one another in moving the body of Jesus? When they turn the body of Jesus over and see the ribbons of flesh remaining from the scourging, do their hearts break in despair? The washcloths are filled with blood. Their hands are stained with the stench and horror of death. Finally the body is cleaned.

A mixture of myrrh and aloes (about a hundred pounds – John 19:39) is used to cover the body of Jesus. The two men take the fine linen cloth and wrapping the body with the spices and cloth enclose his body (John 19:40). The scent of death is removed by the perfume of Jesus life filling the world by His sacrificial love. The preparation finished, the two men carrying the body to the tomb of Joseph. Entering they lay the body of Jesus in the new tomb. A handkerchief is placed around the head of Jesus. Leaving, Joseph rolls a stone against the entrance of the tomb. “Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid” (Luke 23:55).

The funeral is over. The friends pause for a moment to think of their Lord inside the tomb. They return home to prepare spices and perfumes for a proper burial later. They need not have bothered. When they return on the first day of the week, Jesus is risen – He lives – He reigns – He has conquered death. This lonely funeral brings hope to all men in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lamb of God. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

Today is Monday. The second day of the week is a great day because it is the day after the first day of the week. On the first day the saints of God worshiped the Almighty with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. They fellowship in the union of the one Body. The prayers of righteous priests were sweet incense to the Father above. Remembrance was given for the sacrifice of God’s only begotten Son on a cross of wood. The mind of God was revealed through teaching and preaching the word of God from holy pages of writ. Spirit filled people begin Monday with a new determination to the work in the vineyard of the Lord. We do not shrink back nor walk on cautioned paths but lead forth victoriously to a great week of changing the world where we are with the fragrance of Jesus Christ. Our banners fly high in our homes. Our faith is seen in the work place. Our families are examples of the grace of God living through the communion of the Holy Spirit. We stand boldly before a perverse generation of those opposed to righteousness. The victory is ours as we serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This week the battle cry comes from the charge of Nehemiah who proclaimed his allegiance to the work of God. “And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, ‘Let us rise up and build.’ Then they set their hands to this good work” (Nehemiah 2:18). Tell the world how the hand of God is upon you. Rise up and build this week for the harvest is white. Let us all set our hands to the task of the good work of Jesus Christ.

The Wise, The Mighty And The Rich

The achievements of man throughout history declare the powerful intelligence given by the Creator for man to have dominion over all the world. Egypt constructed pyramids that stand after thousands of years and the marvels of mummification still intrigue scientist today. Rome built a nation on the technological advances of its day that would revival any civilization throughout history. China raised a wall of stone, brick, earth and wood almost four thousand miles long that can be seen from space. July 21, 1969 Neil Armstrong walked on the surface of the moon – a scientific milestone showing the mastery of man’s wisdom. The last 45 years have seen an explosion of wonders changing the lives of every person on the planet.

Wars have been fought continually since the beginning of time. The modern warfare is fought with the advancements of man’s wisdom that can destroy whole cities with a single weapon, launch missiles from hundreds of miles away, rain “shock and awe” on a nation and bring fear to all who stand against the might of a powerful nation. The might of man is explosive, powerful, deadly and dreadful.

The American dream is filled with the promise of riches, wealth and the good life. Large homes, new cars and boats, fashionable clothes, tech gadgets that entertain the family, televisions the size of sofa’s and a lottery in forty-four states that make gambling socially acceptable. Athletes are paid millions of dollars to play a sport, Hollywood churns out sewer infested filth bringing in trillions of dollars, executives loot retirement funds to support their degraded view of the common man and the almighty dollar is worshipped in nearly every home as the god of happiness.

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24). If all the wisdom of man and the might of man would be secured in the vault with all the riches of man the final sum would not be an atom’s atom closer to the magnificence of the Almighty Jehovah – nothing man can do would ever be worthy of consideration before God. The only thing that matters in this life is to understand there is a God and man is not Him. To know the Lord is to have a deep reverence for the nature of He who is called Jealous (Exodus 34:14). Man must recognize that God is Lord and Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16). The character of a loving Father is steadfast love, a just hand and a law that is right in the purest form.

The wisdom of man and his might and all his riches is nothing before the Lord. “Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the scales; look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing” (Isaiah 40:15). Solomon concluded that man’s all is to “Fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13) and all the wisdom of man and his mighty power and his wealth will not save him. Our challenge is to look in the mirror of our life and see how far we have trusted our own wisdom and might and riches. Do we need the wisdom found in the word of God? How often do we trust the Lord to make our decisions for us or are we despots who rely upon our own might. The power of money may drive more of our life than we realize – look at the bank account and see how much glorifies God. Man is a funny creature. He is the only one who fails to realize where his blessings come from (Isaiah 1:3). Our wisdom should come from above (James 3:17-18), our might from God (2 Timothy 1:7) and our riches from His grace (Ephesians 1:3).

Abraham And Baptism

Is baptism necessary for salvation? Most of the religious world denies the need for baptism rejecting it for faith alone. The father of faith, Abraham, bears testimony of the necessity of baptism for salvation. At the age of ninety-nine the patriarch and his eighty-nine year old wife, Sara, received the news that within “the time of life” (Genesis 18:10) a son would be born. Before Isaac’s birth, a covenant was established between Abram and his descendants showing a sign of promise with God through the act of circumcision. “This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you” (Genesis 17:10-11).

Circumcision was the cutting of the foreskin required of all males born in the house of Abraham or bought with money. Refusal resulted in the person to be “cut off from his people” (Genesis 17:14) as they had broken the covenant with God. The names of Abram and Sara were changed showing the promise of God and the assurance the promise would be found in Isaac and not Ishmael (Genesis 17:19-21). When the Lord finished talking with Abraham He went from him and “Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him” (Genesis 17:23).

Establishing a covenant with Abraham the Lord confirmed with the “immutability of His counsel” (Hebrews 6:17) a promise made in the Garden of Eden of the Seed fulfilled in Christ (Genesis 3:15; Galatians 3:16). The significance of circumcision was the affirmation of God’s promise of salvation through the obedience of Abraham and his descendants to His will. This was not open for argument or discussion and understood so clearly that First Century Christians faced an onslaught of pressure from Jewish converts to follow the law of circumcision (Acts 15). Circumcision was the defining moment when a person entered a covenant with God. Abraham so clearly understood the command of God he circumcised himself at the age of ninety-nine, his thirteen year old son Ishmael and all the men of his house.

Paul’s letter to the church at Colosse bears the mark of Abraham’s obedience when the apostle shows the covenant of God in a spiritual circumcision.  “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Colossians 2:11-12). As in the physical act there must be a spiritual action of putting to death the old man creating the new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Baptism is the spiritual circumcision of the heart. The Lord declared the covenant of salvation in circumcision and refusal to keep the command resulted in the person being lost. Without the covenant of baptism there will be no salvation. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).

The faith of Abraham caused him to take drastic measures at the age of ninety-nine as well as his son and all the men of his house. Many today refuse baptism as a drastic measure of works and would have refused to be circumcised in the day of Abraham. Did it make sense to the wisdom of man what cutting a piece of flesh would have to do with salvation and especially the nature of the sacrifice? Abraham walked by faith before God commanded him to be circumcised (Romans 4) and when commanded by God to show his faith in the covenant of circumcision “circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him” (Genesis 17:23). His faith led him to obey the command of the Lord without question.

Baptism is the defining moment when a person becomes a child of God as circumcision was for the children of Abraham. Faith alone does not circumcise the heart or repentance alone. The circumcised descendants of Abraham were cut to the heart and three thousand were spiritually circumcised in baptism (Acts 2:36-41). Luke shows in Acts many stories of salvation and each one shows the moment they became a child of God: “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Sins are washed away in “the circumcision made without hands” (Colossians 2:11).

Baptism saves because it is the covenant of God and promise of salvation (1 Peter 3:21; Romans 6:3-6). “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God” (Romans 2:28-29).

-Biblical Insights, May 2014 Gary Kerr, Editor