The Heaton File

This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. (1 Timothy 3:1-7)

The Qualities Of A Bishop

When God created the world, He set things in order according to His will and design. Before creation, the Father ordained His Son to come to earth and die for the sins of mankind. Knowing Jesus would return to the Father, order must be established for men to understand how to worship and what they must do to be saved. The agency Jesus promised to carry out the will of the Father was the church. He promised to build His church (not churches) and to establish an order of organization, doctrine, practice, and worship. Through the teachings of the Holy Spirit given to the early disciples, a pattern of organization was created for the model of how the church would be led. Those entrusted with the oversight were men of certain qualities required to carry out the work of leadership in the local congregation.

Luke records the events of the early church as it grew from its infancy in Jerusalem. As disciples multiplied and spread worldwide, local churches of saints were established. Paul, Barnabas, Silas, and many others took on great journeys to establish churches and establish the foundation of their organization. Paul and Barnabas ordained elders in the cities where they had established the Lord’s body. The church at Colossae had elders. Peter served as an apostle, preacher, and elder of the Lord’s church. Paul writes to two preachers outlining their work in establishing the leadership of the local church and the kind of men who would fill those roles.

Paul describes those who oversee the local church as “bishops.” These bishops had specific criteria for their character that God demanded. The qualities of these men set them apart from others in the leadership role. Not everyone could fulfill these qualities, and not everyone could serve as a bishop. To be a bishop is to be part of a good work. Desiring to engage in the leadership of the local church would be a heavy task for only the select few who formed the qualities required by God. These men would stand apart for the kind of character they possessed as individuals, heads of family, and a member of the community.

The family life of a bishop is very important. His life must be above reproach. This does not suggest perfection, as no man could fill that role. His example as a man, a husband, and a father play heavily into the world of tending the flock of God. He must exercise control of his passions, have a clear mind, possess good behavior, and engage with people in a friendly manner. One of the bishop’s works is a willingness to teach others the good news of Christ. Any opportunity he has, he will share the gospel. The spirit of Christ controls his character to be free of uncontrollable habits physically and emotionally. He is not a man driven by the covetousness of the world but by a gentle spirit toward others. The nature of the bishop is not to quarrel or to lord over others. He rules his house well, showing the example of faithful children taught the word of God.

A bishop must be a tried individual of spiritual character tested by the word of God. The Lord forbids the novice Christian to be a bishop as he is young in the faith. He would easily fall into many prideful pitfalls of the beginner. The character of the bishop is not only measured by his fellow saints but also by the example or testimony of the community. A bishop’s wife must be respected without charge of slander or gossip. Like their husbands, they must exercise self-control and show faithfulness in their lives.

Every church needs the proper kind of leadership. God places strict guidelines on those who seek to walk in the shoes of a bishop. Without these qualities, a man cannot serve in this role. The qualities outlined by Paul to Timothy (and Titus) are not suggestions. These make a man what God requires him to be. Every church must earnestly strive to follow the roles of leadership found in the New Testament pattern without hesitation. Churches who fail to establish the pattern for years without end fail to restore the New Testament church ordained by Jesus Christ. It takes courage to take on the role of a bishop. He is a humble man serving the cause of Jesus Christ and one who must give account before the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43)

Noah Was Not Saved By Water Baptism

The most important question a man will ask is what he must do to be saved. No question has a greater consequence than how this question is answered. Deciding one’s salvation will change whether a man enjoys eternal life or dwells in the pits of darkness in perdition. Two choices are all that are given, and finding the right answer is vital. Many teach that salvation is in water baptism. They believe that if a man believes with all his heart and enjoys a religious experience; yet refuses to be baptized in water – he will be lost. This contradicts what is found in scripture and the story of Noah and the flood.

During the days of Noah, it grieved the heart of God how wicked man had become. Realizing there was nothing to change man’s heart, the Creator decided to destroy all of His creation with a global flood. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and because of his faith, the Lord instructed Noah to build an ark for the saving of his household. Through the grace of God, Noah found salvation. Having believed faith in the providence of God, Noah built the ark in the pattern given to him by the Lord. When the day of destruction came upon the world, Noah and seven other people entered the ark. God shut the door, the rain descended, the flood covered the earth, and all that had the breath of life perished on dry land.

Noah was saved by faith. He was never baptized in water for the remission of his sins. He did not need to be baptized. God chose to save Him by grace. The Lord spoke to Noah and told him that he would be saved. Mrs. Noah was not baptized. Their sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth, were never baptized for the remission of sins. The wives of Ham, Shem, and Japheth were not baptized in water. The eight souls on the ark were saved by the grace of God and their faith. God never suggested to Noah and his family any requirement for water baptism. All they had to do was build an ark and believe. Faith saved the eight.

Today when people seek to understand what they must do to be saved, they can rely on the story of Noah to help them see the light of God’s word. Thankfully, God promised never to destroy the earth by a flood, so the need to build an ark is not necessary. Faith saves. Grace saves. Praise God because man can be told what to do to be saved. Like Noah, if a person believes they are saved. By grace, a man is saved, like Noah. There was never any mention of water baptism. Those who try to impose water baptism as necessary for salvation need to read the story of Noah. They will find that God saved these people without water baptism. Noah moved with godly fear believing in the promises of God. That is all a person must do to be saved. This has been satire.

There are none so blind as those who cannot see and continue to believe that anyone can be saved, like the thief on the cross. The possibility of salvation, like the thief, is as plausible as arguing salvation under the same conditions as Noah. Water baptism is unique to the gospel of Jesus Christ. God gave circumcision to Abraham as a sign of the covenant, not water baptism. Circumcision identified a person as in covenant with God. To be out of the covenant was to be uncircumcised. David was not saved through water baptism, but he had to be circumcised to be saved. No one living before Jesus rose from the dead could be saved by water baptism through the blood of Jesus. Everyone after the resurrection of Jesus were commanded to be baptized for the remission of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ.

The thief could not confess Christ as Lord because Jesus had not died. There were no requirements for water baptism before the resurrection of God’s Son. Trying to find salvation in the thief on the cross is the most destructive doctrine deceiving the hearts of many to believe such a pernicious lie. If you believe salvation is like the thief on the cross, you might as well go ahead and start building an ark. The results will be the same. There is no flood coming, and there is no forgiveness of sins apart from the spiritual circumcision Paul called – water baptism!

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? (1 Corinthians 10:21-22)

The Greatest Rhetorical Question

A rhetorical question is a self-evident statement. The apostle Paul challenges the saints at Corinth to flee idolatry because the Christian life cannot be yoked with the sacrifice of demons. Like Israel of old, it is impossible to worship God and idolatry. Jesus told His disciples it is impossible to serve God and mammon. When someone obeys the gospel of Christ, they decide to devote their lives to the one true God, abandoning all other gods, whether literal or figurative. The child of God must not have fellowship with the practices of the world.

Paul admonishes the saints to realize they cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and engage in the works of the flesh. Worship must be central to God alone. Trying to balance the Christian life while living in the same manner of the world is ridiculous. Provoking the Lord to jealousy is because of the hypocrisy of the deceived heart. Then Paul offers the greatest rhetorical question of all time. “Are we stronger than God?” How utterly impossible. It is incredible to consider anyone trying to think they can best the Lord God. The first man was created when God took dust and formed man from that dust. All the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket and are nothing more than dust on the scales. God can pick up the earth as though it were a grain of sand. The Lord has a name for every star in the heavens. God knows how much water is on the earth.

There is no comparison between man and God. It is ludicrous for a man to think he is stronger than God. What an impossible idea. One of the greatest achievements of human technology is the International Space Station, which orbits the Earth. What comparison is that tiny speck of reflective light to a man standing on earth when he beholds the beauty of the heavenly hosts put in place by the will of God? Are we stronger than He? Is there any wisdom man has achieved that will marvel at the expanse of God’s creation? Man alone is lost. It is not in the spirit of humanity to know the right answers. What is right and wrong must come from a higher being. The foolishness of man is when he thinks he is stronger than God.  

The Bible is ridiculed as an out-date and out-of-touch book. Men think they are smarter than the Bible. God’s wisdom is preserved in the pages of the Bible as the highest wisdom man can find. There is nothing and no one that can match the wisdom of the Bible. When men reject the Bible as truth, they believe (falsely) they are stronger than God. What foolishness. A man can reject the Bible all his life, and when he dies, he will come face to face with the same message he called foolishness. No man is stronger than God. There is no book wiser than the Bible. If you reject the Bible and deny God, you are a fool. God sent His only begotten Son to bring you life and show you His power in dying. Submit to the will of God. Fighting against God is useless.

But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. (John 20:11-14)

Weeping For Jesus

The empty tomb of Jesus is the greatest miracle in the history of humanity. No event has a greater consequence. Thousands have been crucified. Untold millions have died. Tombs and graves fill the earth in every corner. The tombs of the Egyptians were robbed of their glories. Ancient tombs have given their treasures to seekers through the ages. Finding an empty tomb is not unusual or uncommon. Until that day when the disciples of Jesus came to His tomb, there was nothing distinctive or superior about any burial. The empty tomb of Jesus was different.

Joseph and Nicodemus had received permission from Pilate to remove Jesus from the cross the day before Sabbath. There was little time to do a thorough burial preparation, and a number of women planned on returning the day after Sabbath to complete the task. Mary Magdalene had witnessed the death of Jesus on the cross along with the mother of Jesus and her sister, and Mary the wife of Clopas. When Joseph and Nicodemus took the body to the tomb, the women followed after and observed the tomb and how the body was laid. Early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene stood at the tomb of Jesus weeping. Peter and John had come to the tomb but returned to their homes in Jerusalem. She remained.

As Mary peered into the empty tomb, she saw angels sitting where the body of Jesus had been. Tears filled her eyes as she stood there weeping. The two angels asked Mary why she was crying. They could tell on her face she was perplexed and upset. She told the heavenly messengers she wanted to know what had happened to the body of Jesus. She thought someone had taken the body of Jesus away and buried Him somewhere else. Her mind was filled with grief to think someone could be so cruel as to steal a body. Nothing made sense to Mary. What had happened to the body of Jesus?

The empty tomb of Jesus is where tears are not to be shed for sorrow but joy. Mary was yet to understand the will of God, who had raised His Son from the dead. The tomb of Joseph was a new tomb hewn out of solid rock. Jesus was dead and was buried by competent men who sealed the tomb with a great stone. The Jews feared the disciples of Jesus would steal the body to use as proof of the divine nature of the man from Nazareth. Pilate had placed a unit of the elite Roman guard to watch over the sealed tomb hewn out of rock. It was important to note Joseph’s tomb was new, and no one had been sealed in the tomb before. If the tomb was empty, who rolled the great stone away and overpowered the guards? Could the disciples of Jesus pull off such a feat against a powerful force of Roman might? Mary stood weeping at the empty tomb with the wrong tears.

Immediately after the angels spoke to Mary, Jesus appeared to Mary, and she rushed back to tell the disciples. Now her tears of sorrow were tears of joy. She understood the power of the empty tomb. Jesus was the Son of God, raised from the dead to show that He is both Lord and Christ. Peter would preach the resurrection of Jesus fifty days later, helping convince many Jews to believe in the story of the empty tomb. When a man stands at the empty tomb of Jesus and weeps tears of sorrow or doubt, he does not understand the power of God. It is only when a man stands at the empty tomb of Jesus and weeps tears of joy that he can realize the power of the resurrected Christ.

Death will bring tears of sorrow. For the Christian, standing at the tomb will bring joy. God will wipe away all tears when the faithful come home. There is no crying in eternal life. The empty tomb testifies to the gladness found in weeping tears of everlasting joy.

Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. (John 20:8-9)

He Saw And Believed

Thursday night was a very difficult time for John. He was in the garden with Jesus when Judas brought a mob of soldiers and Jewish leaders to arrest Jesus. John watched as they put Jesus in chains and dragged Him away. All through the night, Jesus was taken from the Jewish courts to the Roman courts early in the morning. Suddenly the word was spread Jesus was condemned to die with two other men. In disbelief, John watched Jesus carry His cross to the place outside the city where executions took place. As John, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and other women stood and watched, the Roman soldiers stripped Jesus of his clothing and nailed Him to a cross. Tears streamed down their faces as they stood helplessly.

Hours went by as Jesus struggled on the cross. Very few words could be uttered by Jesus. Sometime during the suffering, Jesus addressed His mother and then asked John to care for her. A slight nod from John came as his heart broke watching Jesus die. It was not long, and the body of Jesus went limp. The Teacher was dead. He who had raised the dead breathed His last. The Rabbi of the disciples had given up His life. Weeping, sobbing, and beating their breasts, the faithful walked away. No one dared approach the cross to touch the body of Jesus. Returning to their homes, the sobs and cries could be heard. Mary retraced the more than thirty years she had been a mother to God’s Son. John reflected on his short time with the Master from the first time He called John from his father’s fishing boat.

The night was spent talking about Jesus, His teachings, His stories, and His life. The Sabbath came, and the previous night’s events hung heavy on the hearts of the faithful. It would be the longest day of their lives. Word had come that Nicodemus and Joseph had secured the body of Jesus from Pilate and buried the Lord in the new tomb of Joseph. Inquiries were made to the location of Joseph’s tomb. Plans were made following the Sabbath to go to the tomb before the fourth day to prepare the body of Jesus properly. The women made all the provisions. Saturday night was an anxious night. Then Sunday came.

Early on the first day of the week, the women gathered their provisions of spices to prepare the body of Jesus. Coming to Joseph’s tomb, they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Entering the tomb, the women found the tomb empty. Mary Magdalene ran back to the city to the home of Peter and told Peter and John the body of Jesus was missing. Peter and John immediately run to the tomb, John pausing on the outside while Peter runs in. John enters the tomb and believes that Jesus has risen from the dead. It was a defining moment for John.

What makes the story of John’s appearance at the tomb is John writing about his own experience. He writes in the third person as the “other disciple” who ran ahead of Peter to the tomb. John declares his belief in the resurrection when he sees the empty tomb and believes. It was a simple faith that needed a trust and love for His Savior to lead the beloved disciple to proclaim his belief in the risen Christ. Time would reveal the scriptures teaching of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, but John was satisfied. He did not fear the empty tomb. Mary Magdalene was distraught at where the body of Jesus was, but John had a reassuring faith.

Having faith in the will of God, whether John understood everything he needed to know, was all that John needed to trust in the plan of where Jesus was. So much would be revealed in the days to come. John’s life was forever changed the day he went into the empty tomb and did not find Jesus. That same day will come to you when you see the power of the empty tomb and believe.

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)

Abba, Father

When a man comes to God, he must recognize how great his Maker is and how small he is. God holds the universe in his hand. The Earth is nothing more than a blue orb set in the unknown expanse of the universe. Neil Armstrong said it best when returning to Earth, he put up his thumb, and it blotted out the Earth. The omniscience of God is so far above the wisdom of man. Humanity’s most significant achievements cannot match His ways and works. God can and is everywhere at once. Man is limited in time and space. The heavens are so far above the world of man. Even the sun and moon rule without the efforts of man’s power. When a man compares himself to how great the Lord God is, there is no comparison.

Standing in the presence of an awesome God is incredibly humbling and fearful. But the greatest joy of being a Christian is knowing the blessing of “Abba, Father.” The term ‘abba’ is not a common word in Western culture, but it can still be heard in middle eastern cultures, where the term means “papa.” It is a term of endearment between a child and their father. Jesus called out to His Father in the garden of Gethsemane, calling Him, “Abba, Father.” There is a sense in which this phrase is repetitive, but it shows the closeness of Jesus and His Father. Jesus was not seeking the blessings of just anyone. He shared a deep and abiding love and devotion for His heavenly Father and used “abba” to seek that incredibly intimate need for His Father’s blessing.

Paul explains how Christians can come to the Father and seek the intimate relationship of child and Father like Jesus. As joint heirs with the Son of God, a child of God must recognize they are a child of God with special privileges of heavenly intimacy reserved only for God’s holy people. Only the saved can cry out to the Father with “Abba.” A covenant has been established between the redeemed and the Father. Through the Spirit of adoption, the saved enjoy a relationship with God that is found through the blood of Jesus Christ.

There is no fear of God when a child can call Him “Abba.” The child of God can cry out with joy the Creator of the world, the one who holds all things in the palm of His hand, knows and cares for the little creature on Earth called man who the blood of the Lamb has redeemed. God is a loving Father to His children. He blesses them with His love, provisions, care, and protection. The Father has promised that in death, the child of God can dwell within the walls of His heavenly presence. There is nothing to fear in the heart of the child of God because he has been sanctified to say to God, “Abba, Father.”

God sent Jesus into the world to bring His love to those who were slaves of sin, to adopt them as his very own children. Through the grace of God, those who faced the wrath of God as slaves are not children of God. The Lord has sent the Spirit of Jesus Christ into their hearts so they can call out to their heavenly Father, “Abba, Father.” Those redeemed are no longer slaves but God’s own children. Having been made the children of the heavenly Father, those saved by the blood of the Son are heirs of eternal life.

Thank God for His redeeming love and kindness to allow me to be called His child, allowing me to say to Him, “Abba, Father.” God is so great, but He has given you the opportunity to call Him “Abba, Father.” To have that privilege, you must obey His will. Are you ready to have a relationship with the Creator as “Abba, Father?”

Nowe the workes of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adulterie, fornication, vncleannesse, lasciuiousnesse, Idolatrie, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Enuyings, murthers, drunkennesse, reuellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I haue also tolde you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherite the kingdome of God. (Galatians 5:19-21; KJV1611)

Is The 1611 Bible The Only Authorized Version?

The tower of Babel was where God created the multi-national, multi-language world, where each society would identify itself by culture and speech. Before the flood, all humanity spoke one language. The identity of that language is unknown. After God confused the tongues of those at Babel, the world became a different place where many thousands of languages would evolve. English is not an ancient language, having only formed in the past six hundred years to early modern English. None of the ancient texts were written in English as it did not exist.

When the Old Testament was complete, it was primarily written in Hebrew and a few sections in Aramaic (Chaldean). The New Testament is the best-preserved book of antiquity and was written in Koine Greek. While presently a dead language, Koine Greek was the most widely known language in the days of Jesus and the early church. As a Jew, Jesus and His apostles would have spoken Hebrew. Greek and Latin were also used, as seen when Pilate affixed the titulus on the cross of Jesus. For clarification, Jesus and the disciples did not speak English – it did not exist. The New Testament books were written in Greek. None of the original copies of the books are preserved, but there are thousands of manuscripts.

Through the centuries since the first century, the written word of God has guided men to His will. The Lord never had a single version of manuscripts that was a singular testimony of the divine word. When the scriptures were taken to different lands, the word would be translated into that language. The Ethiopian eunuch had a scroll of Isaiah he was reading when Philip joined him. After he was baptized, the eunuch returned to his home in Ethiopia, and a clear assumption would be for anyone to read the scroll, it would need to be translated. It would not have been English. Through the years, the completed revealed word of God was found in the Vulgate Bible but suppressed by the Roman Catholic Church.

Men like John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and Miles Coverdale translated the Bible into English. The Great Bible was printed in 1539, and the Geneva Bible in 1560. In 1611, King James of England ordered a revision of the Bishop’s Bible completed by 47 of England’s best scholars. It would be forty years before the 1611 version would overtake the Geneva Bible in popularity. Other versions have since added to our knowledge of the early manuscripts. These Bibles were in the English text as the British Empire spread English worldwide.

The King James Version is called the “Authorized Version” because it was authorized by King James, not King Jesus. Nothing is inherently wrong with the King James Version, but the language is more archaic. Words are used in the KJV that are unfamiliar to the modern man. Newer versions like the New King James have attempted to elevate the ancient words to a modern understanding. The KJV translators refused to translate the Greek “baptize” to the English word “immersion,” instead transliterating the word to “baptism.” Acts 12:3 includes the word “Easter,” which is not in any manuscripts.

Some suggest the King James 1611 Version is the only version God will accept. The problem with their position is Jesus did not speak English. There were many translations of scripture from the early church until 1611, and to suggest the 1611 version is the only authorized version eliminates any version before 1611. How can man know what to do to be saved if God cannot give him a Bible to read and understand? When translating the scriptures into Spanish, the translators do not go to an English version of the KJV 1611 to translate. True scholars go to the manuscripts for translation of scripture. Many manuscripts are confidently used to determine the text. The KJV 1611 version is not that manuscript.

God is powerful enough to create the universe. Can one expect that God is not powerful to provide all humanity with the completed revelation of His word? Critics of those who use versions other than KJV 1611 indict God as a failure to keep the preserved word from the first century. The truth has been on earth for more than two thousand years. Care must be taken to select a good translation that uses the manuscripts for their textual foundation. While the KJV 1611 is a good version, it is not the only authorized version.

Nevertheless these you shall not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have cloven hooves: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; the rock hyrax, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you. (Leviticus 11:4-8)

Bacon Prohibited

The Law of Moses was specific in determining what kinds of animals were clean and unclean. Not every animal could be eaten under Jewish law, and God went to great lengths to distinguish the animal that could be eaten and those forbidden. Clean and unclean animals are not new to the Law of Moses as Noah was instructed to take into the ark seven each of every clean animal, a male, and his females; two each of animals that were unclean, a male and his female. It is unclear the background for such a request in the days of Noah, but it is undoubtedly an integral part of the Law of Moses. God told Moses to command the people of Israel the animals they could eat among all the animals on the earth. At the end of the instructions, the Lord pronounced His seal upon the commands given about clean and unclean, and the people were to be holy in what they ate. The separation of clean and unclean animals made the people holy when they obeyed the will of God.

There is nothing in scripture to suggest why God allowed some animals and rejected others. The point of the law was to establish the will of the Lord, and there was to be obedience to that law. Some animals seem obvious why they are unclean and should not be eaten. Any creature of the sea that did not have fins or scales was to be an abomination. The vulture and the buzzard were prohibited. The swine was on the list of animals that were forbidden. Many foods come from the swine, such as pork, bacon, pork chops, and ham. For the modern man, the pig is one of the most popular animals, with bar-b-que restaurants filling every landscape and homes eating many pounds of bacon and ham each year. Under the Law of Moses, bacon was prohibited.

Someone could argue there was nothing wrong with eating bacon or pork or hams as far as hygiene or health reasons if the meat is prepared correctly. The pig has become a multi-million dollar industry. What was the Jew to do when he read the law prohibiting eating bacon? Under the Law of Moses, he had no choice. To eat bacon, pork, or ham would have been an abomination in the eyes of God. Why? Because there were health reasons? No! A Jew eating a BLT was committing an abomination because God said not to eat bacon – period. The Law of Moses was not a set of laws suggesting a course of action for those inclined to do so. God put His seal of authority on the law of clean and unclean animals by reminding Israel that He was the Lord God who brought them up out of the land of Egypt to be their God. His word was law. Whether they understood or disagreed, the law of God stood firm.

The story of the Jews and Bacon is about man’s attitude towards law-keeping. Non-disabled people will park in disabled parking spaces because they believe they are entitled. Signs can say truck parking is prohibited, but someone with a higher view of their self-worth will ignore the warning. Men have taken the Bible and created the Jefferson version of scripture, where they take out what they don’t like and do what they want to do. Imagine an Israelite coming to Moses telling him that he likes bacon too much to give it up, and he refuses to keep the law. He would have been committing an abomination before God and punished. One of the ways the children of God disobeyed Him was to go after idols which included eating forbidden foods.

God’s word is law. There are consequences to ignoring the law of the Lord. Human wisdom can try to rationalize why God prohibited pigs from being eaten, but at the end of the day, the pig was an abomination. Eating bacon would have damned the soul. That is how clearly the word of God must be respected. Trying to create a different kind of faith and following a pattern of worship the Lord has not prescribed displeases the only Lawgiver. When God says lying is a sin, it is a sin. Lusting after a woman is sinful. Having a covetous heart is against the law of God. The Bible was given as the measure of righteousness by which all men will be judged. Too many people think they can eat bacon under the Law of Moses. They can now because it is not prohibited, but then they ignore the other commands of God to their destruction. Two things are certain: there is a God, and you are not Him.

Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the Lord your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness. (2 Chronicles 9:8)

When The Other Half Was Told

Solomon achieved worldwide fame for his wisdom, wealth, and opulent splendor. When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She was not disappointed. When the queen had seen all the wisdom of Solomon and his wealth, there was no more spirit in her. After seeing all Solomon had and hearing the prowess of his knowledge above all men, the queen said that only half of the story had been told. In honoring Solomon, the queen of Sheba acknowledged how blessed the king was by the Lord God, who delighted him and set him on the throne of Israel. She knew the Lord loved Israel by blessing Solomon. Because of what she saw in Solomon, she praised the God of Israel.

The wealth of Solomon was so great that silver was as common as stone in Jerusalem. No man could match the wisdom of Solomon as he established the kingdom of Israel. All the nations surrounding Israel lived in peace with Solomon. Israel was the greatest nation on the face of the earth, ruled by one of the greatest men who ever lived. God had blessed Israel with a king who would lead them forty years in prosperity never known by any nation before. The queen of Sheba was overwhelmed by what she saw. What she recognized was how much God had blessed Solomon.

But King Solomon loved many foreign women from the nations the Lord had forbidden. He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned his heart away from the Lord. It was not long before the anointed of God went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father, David. The kingdom suffered under the hand of Solomon. His wisdom was of no use to him. He allowed the lust of the flesh, the desire of the eye, and the pride of life to destroy his character.

The records of the Kings and the Chronicles do not suggest the queen of Sheba returned to see Solomon. If she had, she would have found another half of the story that did not give glory to the God of Israel. When she came to see Solomon, she recognized how much the Lord God had blessed Solomon. While her commendation was to the wealth of Solomon and his wisdom, the queen gave honor to God because of the life of Solomon. If she had returned in the dark days of Solomon’s reign, she would have seen what sin and corruption would do to a heart. She would not be giving glory to the God of Israel because Solomon did not show the glory of God in his life. The impression of the queen of Sheba would have been shock and dismay. Solomon was a powerful witness to the blessings of a kind and loving God, but after his wives turned his heart away, he was nothing more than a king like the nations around him.

A Christian is the greatest testimony to the glory of God. Jesus wanted His disciples to shine as lights in the world and to be as salt in a world filled with the unfavorable attraction of sin. When a Christian lives each day for God, an example of purity is shown to a world that needs examples of righteousness. Like Solomon, those in the world will see the good works of the faithful Christian and take note. The queen of Sheba may not have followed the Law of Moses, but she knew and saw an example of righteousness in Solomon. Sadly, if she had returned later, she would have seen what sin does to a faithful man of God. So it is when Christians allow the world to influence them to be like the world. Their example of faith is diminished, and the glory of God is forgotten.

We must live so that others can see Christ living in us. The world must know the wealth of our love for Jesus and dedication to the work of saving souls. The wisdom of God’s word guides the hearts of the faithful showing the world a better path to follow. Do not let them see our example as one corrupted by the world’s influence. When we walk in the world as the world, we become the world. As people of God, we walk in the world, but we are not of the world. We rise above the noise of lust and pride to show others the story that is only half told because it is so wonderful. Then we get to tell those seeking souls the other half of the story – the story about the blood of Jesus Christ.

O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. (Jeremiah 10:23)

A.I. Is Still A

There is a lot of buzz about Artificial Intelligence in a world lacking common sense. The cyborg armies of A.I.-driven machines are planning on taking over the world and ruling over the humans. It seems bleak and dark for humanity as A.I. has taken hold of the collective imagination of the threat of technology replacing the human gene factor. There is fear governments will use A.I. to oppress their citizens. Thousands will lose their jobs due to the ever-increasing elevation of A.I. machines. Humanity is on the brink of complete destruction from a supposed intelligence that begins with the word “artificial.”

Webster defines ‘artificial’ as “humanly contrived often on a natural model; lacking in natural or spontaneous quality; based on differential morphological characters not necessarily indicative of natural relationships.” The ‘intelligence’ of A.I. is artificial or man-made. What is astounding about the clamor over A.I. is that it is nothing more than a creation of man; who himself is incapable of knowing who and what he is apart from believing he also is a created being. The conflict of man is that he denies God made him and then creates artificial intelligence to run his life as if the creation of A.I. is his god. It sounds like a man cutting down a tree to warm himself and cook his food and falling down to a portion of the tree to worship as his god.

Artificial intelligence is nothing more than a synthetic stimulation of the wisdom of human reasoning, believing he can elevate himself to a higher plane to become his own god. The fear of A.I. can be resolved by simply unplugging A.I. Unlike in the movies of fantasy, the machines will not attack the one who unplugs the device. Machines will never run the world. A.I. depends on an electrical grid that is highly suspect, and with a good burst of meteors taking out the satellites circling the earth, man is doomed in his quest for superior knowledge.

God knows man because He created him. The Lord said the way of man is not in himself. Look at the history of man. The pyramids were built thousands of years ago, and they stand as monuments to the failed wisdom of man. They are impressive in their structures, but they serve no purpose but to bring tourists to view the remains of dead kings and their lost treasures. The Egyptian Empire was one of the greatest empires in the world, but they were lost in the dust bowl of history. Rome became the greatest empire to spread over much of the world, and they are nothing more than collections of museum pieces. Man’s pride exalts itself in his glory for greater wisdom to become his own god and, like nations and men before, found their Waterloos too soon.

A.I. has been around since the beginning of time. The wisest man who lived on earth was Solomon, and yet he failed in life. Artificial intelligence is when men look to themselves as gods. They believe they can achieve what no people before them have found. Solomon pined, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Those words were written nearly three thousand years ago, and they still resonate in the modern world of technology. Who is to say that man will always be able to harness electricity to his glory? The machines are created by a creature who does not know how to direct his own steps. Man’s stupidity (clinically speaking) is greater than his wisdom. Agur, the son of Jakeh, said, “Surely I am more stupid than any man and do not have the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom nor have knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended into heaven or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if you know?”

There is an intelligence that is higher than the wisdom of man. That knowledge is found in the Bible and authored by the Creator of the universe, the world, and man. God knows all that man needs and provides all he needs. A.I. does not impress God. That would be as if a sugar ant created a microchip and held it up in the face of God to brag. Jesus came to show the way to the Father. The only hope a man has is to know his Creator rather than brag about what he creates. All that man will build will perish. Artificial Intelligence will never last. God is eternal. He will never cease to exist. His knowledge is omniscient.