The Heaton File

Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23)

Desiring The Adoption

Death is the greatest reality that is the greatest fear. All men die, yet all men live as if death were a surprise. Methuselah lived nearly one thousand years, but he died. The old must die, and the young can die. Cemeteries fill the landscape of every community with its marble markers reminding passersby that death comes to all. Researchers estimate nearly 150,000 people die daily, which amounts to 6,000 people dying every hour of every day. The news always reports the deaths of those murdered, killed in accidents, or victims of nature’s rage, disease, pestilence, famine, and old age. Science seeks to find answers to extend life. Medical advancements have saved lives, but people still die. Death is real.

The view of death says a lot about how death impacts life. For most, death is filled with great fear and trepidation. They can live all their lives seeking every form of remaining young and lose in the final battle because there is no such thing as a fountain of youth. The reality of life’s finality begins when a child is born. Babies die, and this is great sadness. Young people die; middle-aged and old all share the common reality of death. Visiting a cemetery will tell the tale of every age. Reading an obituary is a testimony to the ages people die. Talking about death is considered morbid, gruesome, and sad.

For the child of God, the view of death has a different meaning – or at least it should. The Holy Spirit fills the Bible with how God’s faithful understood the dying process. Adam and Eve experienced the first pains of death when they buried their son Abel. The scriptures say that Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man full of years, and was gathered to his people. When Jacob died, Moses writes the son of Isaac drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

The Bible pictures the death of God’s saints as a beautiful experience. Paul uses the image of adoption as the reality of death. Children of God are first adopted into Christ when they obey the gospel in the waters of baptism. This adoption establishes the greatest adoption when death removes the fleshly tabernacle from the eternal spirit, and the child of God is with the Father. Death is an adoption. Salvation in Christ gives hope that death is nothing more than a sleep, a transition, a time when the frailties of life are left for the glories of Heaven. Life is filled with suffering. Death for the saint is joy. As children anxiously wait for someone to adopt them, the child of God eagerly looks to death as a time to be with God.

Death is something difficult to view as exciting. It is hard for the human spirit to accept death as good, yet God wants His children to have an eager expectation to die and be with Him. There is great sadness when loved ones die. When that loved one dies in Christ, there is joy. This brings comfort to the family, but hearts are still heavy. What makes it more bearable is the knowledge that all the faithful can take death for what it is and change how they feel about it. Paul urged the brethren to eagerly desire death. He wanted the saints to have happy hearts about death. There will be no denying death is coming, so why not accept it in its positive light.

Letting go of this world is where the eagerness for death (adoption) begins. The child of God cannot wait to be eternally adopted by the Father. There will be no death, sorry, or crying, and there will be no more pain. Who would not want to experience the blessings of God’s grace found in the adoption of eternity? Tertullian said, “Death ought to be a pleasure.” Paul said, “Eagerly wait for the adoption, the redemption of your body.” Praise God. I get to die.

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? (Romans 8:24)

Hope Saves

The joy of salvation is found through the blood of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice to die for the sins of the world. God’s love redeemed man from the blight of sin when he did not deserve it. No matter how good and just they are, the debt of salvation can never be repaid by anyone. Jesus Christ is the only man that lived a sinless and perfect life. The great heroes and heroines of scripture could not boast of sinless perfection. Jesus lived for more than three decades and never once disobeyed His Father. Grace saves man by the measure of God’s love. Water establishes a covenant with God when men obey the will of the Father. The list of reasons why a man is saved is almost endless.

One of the great joys of salvation is the hope of salvation; which also saves. Hope is defined as the favorable and confident expectation of the unseen. When the heart lives with the confidence of eternal life, hope guides the mind to trust in the promises of God. There are no doubts or fears. It is not a matter of ‘maybe” when it comes to salvation. The confidence of the heart is rooted in the knowledge of God’s love and that what the Lord has promised will come true. Having a hope of something not seen is the germ of faith growing the tree of hope in the fertile soul of the Christian. Hope looks beyond the trials of life. Looking through the vale of sorrow gives hope to the spirit. Having a view of what is beyond death is how hope saves.

Hope that is seen is not hope. True hope comes from believing in and trusting what cannot be seen. For the child of God, it becomes the faith of believing in Jesus Christ, whom they have not seen, and the promise of eternal life, which they have not possessed. Saving hope destroys the doubts and fears of life. When the trials of life seem to overcome, an upward vision of better things sustains the heart to endure and overcome. Hope makes a darkened world fill with light. The joy of eternal life overshadows the circumstances of a meaningless life.

God gives His children the earnest expectation of more than what can be seen with the eye. The world is limited and finite. Through hope, the heart is filled with visions of heaven. When John described heaven in the Revelation, he was instilling the eternal portraits of God’s promises in the hearts of the persecuted saints. Nothing can compare with the measure of what awaits the child of God. The finest possessions on earth cannot offer hope. True hope comes from knowing God’s word of what is yet to be. Through this anticipation, hope saves.

Having hope alone will not save. Hope springs eternal when God removes the sins of the heart as far as the east is from the west. Doing the will of the Father assures the obedient of salvation. Hope is born. Knowing God never lies, and all His promises come true, the hopeful heart will live daily with a firm determination of courage wrapped in the blanket of hope. The Ethiopian eunuch went on his way rejoicing because he had found salvation in the waters of baptism, which gave him the greatest hope of his life. A man is saved by grace, faith, love, baptism, and hope. It will change your life when you live with the hope and expectation of eternal life. Having obeyed the will of God, salvation awaits. Hope in Christ. Hope saves.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (Romans 8:18-25)

Eager Like A Roman

The first-century Christians lived within the lifespan of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Many of the early saints were disciples of Jesus who had walked with Him, saw His miracles, and heard His stirring sermons. After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to more than five hundred people. The early church consisted of those who had seen Jesus after He died. During the ministry of the Lord, He told how He would return from the Father. One of the primary teachings of the early church was the imminent return of the Son of God. It was to this belief that many held firmly to their expectations of the return of Christ.

Two thousand years have passed since Jesus promised to return, which has jaded the feelings of God’s people to expect His return at any moment. There is little eagerness for the return of Jesus. Life is so busy for most people that little thought or care is given to considering that at any moment, the shout of the archangel and the trumpet of God will sound, and the world will end. Unless the preacher presents a lesson on the second coming of Christ, no thought is given to its reality. People are eager to know what next week will bring or how the economy will survive in the new year. Jobs consume the thoughts of the heart, worried about paying the bills and taking care of the family. Everything weighs heavy on the mind but eagerly waiting for the Lord is noticeably absent.

Paul wrote to the Roman Christians in the spirit of the quick anticipation of Jesus’ return. Life was difficult for the apostle, but he could see the sufferings of this world could not be compared to the glory awaiting the faithful. Because of this, Paul expressed an eager anticipation for the coming of the Lord. He knew there was much to do in this life, but he could not wait to see his Lord face to face. He was eager for the adoption that was sure and steadfast. His salvation was promised by God, who cannot lie, and Paul lived to be adopted. His hope in Christ came from his eagerness to serve the Lord and his desire to die in the Lord.

Having a desire of eagerness is to fill the heart with a promised hope. This eager spirit was not trusting in the wisdom of men. Paul’s eager spirit fully trusted in the promises made by God to save him. He was looking forward to the coming of the Lord with great anticipation as though it would take place in his life. For the Christian thousands of years removed from the life of Jesus, it becomes hard to be eager about the return of the Lord. There is more anticipation for the events of life than the joy of eternity. Death is feared and dreaded. There is little thought given to eternal life.

The earnest expectation for the coming of Christ can only come from hearts longing to leave this world and seek for eternity. Life will take on a different meaning when, instead of being anxious about this world, the heart is eager to embrace the world to come. Having an eagerness requires faith to take the eyes away from the comfort of this short life and fill the heart with a “can’t wait” attitude of being with God. Learn to be eager. Allow the promises of God to loosen the chains of a world destined for destruction. Be excited. Eternity is coming.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)

Perspective

Life is better lived with a proper perspective. To have a perspective of a thing is to look at something with a point of view or confident attitude. Whatever perspective is taken about a subject will enhance or diminish the worth of the object. If a man has an optimistic viewpoint about his job, he will do an excellent job. When the perception changes and negative thoughts fill the mind, it isn’t easy to do a good job. This is true in every aspect of life. How a person views life will largely determine their happiness or lack thereof.

The Christian possesses the greatest perspective. Through the knowledge of the word of God, life is defined by its beginning, the present day, and what happens in death. The Bible tells man where he came from and why he was created. Moses opens the book of Genesis with the creation of man as an eternal creature loved and nurtured by his Creator. Man is not a blob that crawled out of a primeval soup of chaos but the highest of creation formed in the image of the Divine. The worth of a man is found in whose image he is made. No creature is of a higher order than the human spirit.

Questions arise about why man exists and what his purpose is. God created man for His glory and, through that glory, identified the man as of value to his Maker. When men view life as the perspective of the carnal nature, he defeats the purpose and design of man’s creation. The human spirit is not to serve the flesh because there is no lasting joy and fulfillment. Life is filled with suffering, agony, pain, and sorrow. This comes about because sin brings death; spiritually and physically. Finding the peace of God that passes understanding gives purpose to life. Serving the Lord will not take away the sorrows of life. Carrying the cross of Christ removes the burden of sin and provides joy in the face of the grief of the world.

Paul suggested to the Romans that perspective changes the view of life. There is no doubt life is filled with suffering. As an apostle of Christ traveling throughout the Roman world, Paul was destitute, despised, hungry, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead, mistreated, and misunderstood, but he never wavered in his faith. He endured the afflictions of life because of what he could see beyond the vale of death. Paul concluded what a man suffers now is nothing compared to the glory God will reveal later. The value of a proper perspective is to realize that happiness comes later; not now.

Too often, the realities of life cloud the eternal view. Life can be hard. Plans do not turn out the way a person hopes. Death invades. Sickness changes life. The reality of life is that life is not fair. When the heart can turn the perspective of what life on earth means compared to the glory of eternity, the burdens of life begin to be lifted away. What a man experiences in this life is like a microscopic atom of what eternity will be. A man could live to be one hundred years, but what is that to the vast tapestry of an eternal world without end? The sufferings of this world (short) are not worth being compared with the glory (eternal) that the child of God will realize. Perspective changes everything. You will live life according to what you see as of more value. Consider this world. Then peek behind the door of eternity and see God’s glory.

Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. (Matthew 12:31)

Blasphemy Against The Spirit

There is nothing more basic to the failure of humanity than the blatant rejection of the word of God. When Eve fell to the whispering voice of the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit, she cast the spell of darkness on the hearts of men to openly rebel against the power of the Lord. She understood clearly what God had said about the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Adam knew the warning of God not to partake of the one tree. There was no excuse for their actions. The tragic end of their decisions was the refusal to accept the will of their Creator. Rebellion to the word of God has been the hallmark of the human story.

God sent His Son into the world for men to see God. Jesus was God who came in the flesh. John said the word became flesh dwelling among men, and they beheld His glory. Through the agency of the Holy Spirit, Jesus proclaimed He was God. The authority to forgive sins was demonstrated by showing His power. His teaching was authoritative and indisputable.

The Jewish leaders repeatedly tried to trap Jesus, accuse the man from Nazareth, and find any means possible to discredit Him. All of their efforts were for naught. The height of the arrogance and hatred of the Pharisees came when Jesus healed a demon-possessed, blind, and mute man.

Some miracles have a more significant impact than others. Raising someone from the dead was quite remarkable. Casting out demons by itself was noteworthy. Restoring a blind man’s sight would astonish the crowds. When Jesus cast out a demon from a blind man to whom He restored sight and then loosened the tongue of the man who could not speak; the power of the miracle was without question the power of God.

As the Pharisees witnessed the incredible power of Jesus upon the poor man possessed, blind, and mute, the Jewish leaders could only accuse Jesus of a miracle by the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. Albert Barnes notes the accusation by the Pharisees “was an opprobrious (scornful, disgraceful) name given to the leader of the devils as an expression of supreme contempt.”

The depth of depravity in the hearts of the Pharisees was so dark there was no hope for them. Their total rejection of the power of Jesus was utterly an unmitigated failure of their hatred for Jesus. Rejecting the miracle of healing the man was rejecting the power of the Holy Spirit. To blatantly reject a powerful miracle was to blaspheme the Holy Spirit of which there was no recourse.

The context of the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit must be seen in the incarnation of Jesus on earth. The Son of God had a ministry of around three years in length. During this time, He taught with authority and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, confirmed His authority from the Father. This is the only time in the history of mankind God walked among men as Jesus did.

If there was a time that all men could see the glory of God in the flesh, the ministry of Jesus was such a time. Because of the prejudice and hatred of the Pharisees (and others), they rejected Jesus and thereby rejected God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Rejecting the miracles of Jesus was the height of rebellion. The Pharisees never denied a miracle performed by Jesus because there was no way to argue the evidence. They accused Jesus of working by the power of Satan – which was the spiritual last straw.

Jesus warns the Pharisees that every sin can be forgiven, but to blaspheme the Holy Spirit would damn the soul without measure. This contextual warning only applied when God walked among men manifesting His power. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit was to reject the miracles of Jesus seen with the eyes.

The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not a single word or phrase given or, even as some have argued, suicide. It is a perpetual rejection of the word of God, as seen in the manifestation of Jesus on earth. In the strictest sense, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be done today because Jesus is not in the flesh. There is a manner in which men suffer the same consequence when they reject the gospel of Christ.

Every sin committed by the heart of man can and will be forgiven when a man repents and changes his life. There is power in the blood of Jesus. The Pharisees were guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit when they charged a visible (and powerful) miracle by the Son of God to the work of Satan. There is no hope when the heart is that dark, and it is impossible to bring them to Christ.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:16-17)

There is great joy in the heart of those who trust in the power of God and allow His grace to guide their lives. The story of spiritual satisfaction measured the lives of men like Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Daniel. Throughout the centuries, the gospel of the good news instilled faith in God’s people to know the joy of eternal life.

The Law of Moses was not a book of laws without feeling. Keeping the commandments brought joy to the soul weighed down by sin. There was great joy in the Gentile city of Nineveh when Jonah preached repentance. The Holy Spirit revealed the mind of God, showing the way for all men to find spiritual satisfaction.

During the ministry of Jesus, seventy men were sent out to preach the message of God. When they returned, they were filled with joy because the demons were subject to them in the name of Christ. While there was a reward in defeating the minions of Satan, Jesus reminded the seventy the greater joy was their names were written in heaven. Spiritual satisfaction did not come from the miracles but from the eternal reward of being a child of God.

In the early days of the church, numerous stories emerged about the joy of those who were saved. Philip preached Christ to the city of Samaria, and many were obedient to the word of the Lord. There was great joy in that city. When Philip baptized the man from Ethiopia, the Ethiopian treasurer went on his way rejoicing.

Paul and Barnabas told the brethren in Phoenicia and Samaria about the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. The church of Christ is a place of joy for those who have found the grace of God.

Experiencing the feeling of joy does not save a person but rather is the outgrowth of the knowledge of salvation. Ferrell Jenkins writes, “We do not know we are saved because we rejoice – have joy, an emotional feeling. There is a place for happiness, joy, reverence, etc., in both private and joint worship. But spirituality should not be imposed; it should be the outcome of knowledge.”

In the religious world, feelings are measured more for salvation than obedience to the word of God. Many religious groups emphasize emotionalism as a sign of the promise of eternal life. Being ‘filled with the Spirit’ is often more important than being filled with the word. God never suggests feelings alone are a sign of spiritual satisfaction.

It should not be missed that feelings are a part of salvation. God never promised His people to find happiness in serving Him. He expects holiness. When a man lives a life of holiness, he finds the eternal joy of redemption. Spiritual satisfaction comes from the obedience of a devoted heart serving a loving Father. The Holy Spirit testifies to the Father who is a child of God and who is not. He does not base His decision on the individual’s feelings but on whether they have entered a covenant relationship with God.

Without obedience, the joy of salvation is empty. Having a “better felt than told” religion is trying to find satisfaction in the carnal nature of the human heart. Eternal life will only be given to those who keep the commandments of the Lord. Jesus said not all men who call Him “Lord” will be saved. Only those who do the will of the Father will be saved. Rejoice. Salvation is near.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. (Isaiah 53:10)

It Pleased God To Crush Jesus

The death of Jesus on the cross was determined before time began. As the heavenly record unfolded through the centuries of human history, the Father spoke through His prophets of the suffering Servant who would be offered for the sins of all men. The sacrifice would be accomplished when Jesus left His equality with the Father and took on flesh to live among His creation. Jesus knew He came to suffer and die. All the gospel writers describe the intense pain the Son of God took upon Himself as He was beaten, spit upon, mocked, scourged, and crucified. The earth trembled at God’s suffering Servant. Darkness filled the land. Creation reacted to the sacrificial lamb slaughtered on the altar of God’s glory. As the Father watched His beloved Son suffer and bear His cross, He was pleased.

Isaiah writes the Father was pleased with the suffering of Jesus. The language is reminiscent of Abraham offering Isaac on the altar. There is no suggestion that Abraham enjoyed with pleasure binding his only begotten son to an altar and taking a knife in hand to kill his son. An angel of the Lord stayed the hand of Abraham, who was fully intent on striking the knife’s blade into his dear son’s body. Abraham was pleased to kill his son because he was willing to obey God without exception. Believing God would be able to Isaac from the dead, Abraham did not hesitate. Faith shone through in his obedience.

The suffering of Jesus did not bring joy to the Father or fill His heart with carnal gladness. There was great pain in God offering His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. The suffering and death of Jesus were the only means to atone for what men had done. Jesus was sinless before the Father. The incredible life of Jesus was measured by nearly thirty-three years of sinless perfection in a world filled with debauchery, immorality, murder, hatred, and conflict. Satan tried for more than thirty years to crush the spirit of Jesus, and he never succeeded. The son of God was triumphant in overcoming sin.

God was pleased with the suffering of His Son because that was the only way sin would be pardoned. The weight of sin was so big the only atonement that could satisfy the justice of God was the death of His Son. Sin must be punished to the fullness. The blood of animals could not atone for that kind of debt. Animal blood was commanded, but redemption required the blood of a man. The magnitude of the suffering of Jesus portrays the magnitude of the offense of sin. It pleased the Father to see His Son suffer because Jesus willingly gave His life. The love of Jesus was like the love of the Father. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son because Jesus so loved the world, He gave His life!

Jesus was not guilty of sin and did not deserve what they did to Him. The Father was never displeased with what His Son did. It pleased the Father to see His Son voluntarily submit Himself to the sorrows and suffering of the cross. God promised His Son glory if he learned obedience, and the Father highly exalted Jesus and gave Him a name above all names. Because of the suffering of Jesus, the world was given the song of redemption through the blood of God’s Son. That pleased God.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him after he had gone in to Bathsheba. “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.” (Psalms 51:1)

He Wanted Israel To Sing About His Sin

The story of David, king of Israel, is defined by two events. First, his incredible faith in standing against Goliath while the army of Israel cowered in fear is an example of the power of God working through a young man to defeat the enemies of the Lord. Second, David’s complete failure in adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. It is to the sin with Bathsheba the failure of the human spirit is so clearly defined. David was a man after God’s own heart, and this man of faith allowed an innocent occasion to become something that would ruin his life.

David was the psalmist of Israel, writing thousands of poetic stories of faith, courage, hope, revenge, justice, and a host of topics. Two psalms stand out that tells the story of his struggle with adultery and murder. Psalm 51 and Psalm 32 declare the internal struggles of guilt that accompany sin and the joy of forgiveness in the grace of God. The Hebrew canon contains headers in many of the psalms included by the organizers of the Psalms. Psalm 32 has no inscription, but the psalm is strongly viewed as a reflection on the weight of sin experienced by David and the soothing grace of God’s love to forgive him. In Psalm 51, the Holy Spirit includes the heading showing the psalm was written when Nathan the prophet came to him after he committed adultery and murdered Uriah. A child was born from the adulterous liaison.

David’s faith is defined in Psalm 51. The psalm is one of the most powerful testimonies of scripture. It is a self-examination of how far sin will take a godly man. David opens his heart in the psalm to tell God of his sorrow and remorse. He no longer hides in the shadows with his guilt of adultery and murder. David knows he has brought shame and disgrace to the Lord God he serves. His heart is broken. He comes to God with a broken and contrite heart and begs the Lord to execute His goodness in whatever fashion He designs.

Reading Psalm 51 will bring tears to the eye. The heart will fill with grief over the sorrow of sin. There is one element of the psalm that is overlooked. Nearly three thousand years have passed since David wrote the psalm. Saints of God have read this psalm for centuries. When David wrote the psalm about his personal failure, he gave the psalm to the Chief Musician to be heralded among the people of God as a testimony to his own failure and a message of hope for those who faced the same dilemma. There are many musical notes found in the psalms that scholars are unsure of their meaning. One thing is clear in this psalm: David wanted the Chief Musician to include this story in the worship literature.

Faith is a declaration of the glory of God. Psalm 51 is not about David but the grace of God. It was not the desire of David to boast of his exploits. He was fully ashamed of his actions and lived the consequences for the rest of his life. But he never lost his faith. Was there a time when David went to worship, and the Chief Musician chose Psalm 51 as the message of the day? When David heard this psalm, how did it impact his heart when he listened to those crying words of pain, regret, and sorrow? David wanted Israel – all of Israel – to know of his personal grief and to learn from his failure. Throughout the many centuries, Psalm 51 has been sung, and hearts have been changed to walk away from sin, seek the grace of God, and learn the consequences of sin. David gave the psalm to the Chief Musician. What a great statement of faith.

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. (Ephesians 4:17-19)

Callus Hands And Callous Hearts

Identifying a man who works hard with his hands is always easy. Shaking the hand of a farmer, carpenter, or laborer will immediately give the sensation of a hard and callus hand. The roughness of the hands comes from repeated friction of implements against the skin. When the skin is subject to an unusual amount of rubbing, dead skin builds up to form calluses. The result is the callus forms a protective coating of skin, shielding it from pain.

The meaning of callus is a skin condition with hardened and thickened skin. On the other hand, the meaning of callous is to be feelingless, cruel, dispassionate, or unsympathetic to the pain and problems of other people. There is a similarity to a callus and being callous, but the callus is a noun and a verb, whereas callous is an adjective and a verb. Paul warns the saints to be careful about becoming unfeeling about the impact of sin. In a poetic way, sin can bring about calluses to the heart, causing the spirit to be callous toward lustful pleasure and every kind of impurity.

There is a danger of how sin can make the heart past feeling and wholly hardened in sin. The putridity of sin, with its nauseous odor of evil, can have little or no impact on the spirit of the child of God. As the hardened ground in the parable of the sower, the word cannot penetrate the heart with goodness. There is no feeling about unrighteousness. No emotion floods the soul with a consciousness of right and wrong. This callous attitude toward sin allows sin to continually fill the heart, ignoring the need to hate evil and turn away.

Paul warns Christians of the danger of their hearts becoming callous. If the callus nature of sin continues unabated, the child of God will see no wrong in what the Lord calls evil. Being callous to sin is to be hardened with the deceitfulness of Satan’s wiles, subjecting the heart to accepting what God condemns. The world is given over to all manner of wickedness. Their hearts are not filled with the Spirit of God. Being separate from the world demands the Christian remove the calluses that can coat the heart, causing a callous attitude. No matter what version of the Bible a person uses, sin remains sin.

One of the best oils to treat Bible covers is the oil of the hand. A Bible often used will become soft and pliable. Constant use of the Bible on the heart will remove the sinful calluses that harm the spirit and turn the callous heart into a devoted life dedicated to the word of God. Spend time working with your hands in searching the scriptures. You will find the soothing measure of God’s word to take away the callous heart and experience the joy of Jesus Christ. Clean hands and clean hearts. That is righteousness.

Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the Lord. (1 Samuel 2:12)

Teaching Children To Know The Lord

The high priest filled an important role in the worship of the Israelites as a precursor to the role of Jesus to the church. To have no high priest would be as meaningless as the gospel without Christ. The high priest came from the tribe of Levi and none other. Aaron, the brother of Moses, was the first of a long succession of high priests. The function and role of a high priest were a central point of the relationship between God and man. The first qualification to be chosen as high priest was to be of the tribe of Levi. The role of the high priests assumed the man to be holy and deeply devoted to the word of God.

Eli, the high priest, was of the line of Ithamar, Aaron’s fourth son. The office of the high priest remained in the family until Solomon’s time before changing to Eleazar’s family. Little is known about Eli. It was during his priesthood that God called Samuel to be the judge of the people of Israel. Eli saw the mother of Samuel praying and thought she was drunk. She was imploring the Lord for a son who granted her desire. Eli blesses Hannah, who will later bring the young lad, Samuel, to Eli to serve in the ministry.

The role of the high priest was a significant part of the religious landscape of Israel. Tragically, Eli failed as a father to his very wicked sons. The Holy Spirit says the sons of Levi were very corrupt. They would take sacrifices of the people for themselves by force. The sin of the young men was very great before the Lord. Serving as priests, they abhorred the offering of God. Incredibly, their sins had a greater magnification in the eyes of the Lord. Eli knew his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle. Priests of God engaging in sexual immorality at the door of the house of God. The sons of Eli were vile, and he did nothing about it. On one occasion, he talked them to death, to no avail.

When Eli was ninety-eight, the Philistines captured the ark of God. During the battle, when the ark was taken, the two sons of Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas, were killed. A servant told Eli what had happened to his sons, but when he heard about the ark being captured, he fell backward, broke his neck, and died. His daughter-in-law was about to give birth to a son, and when she heard of the capture of the ark and the death of Eli, Hophni, and her husband, Phinehas, she gave birth and died. She named the child Ichabod because the glory had departed from Israel, and the Philistines had taken the ark of God.

The story of Eli and his sons begins at an earlier place. Their wickedness and immorality were rooted in a single statement made by the Holy Spirit. The sons of Eli were corrupt, and they did not know the Lord. Somewhere, Eli, the high priest, failed to teach his own sons to know the Lord. Of all the sons who should have known about the Lord, the sons of Eli should have known the Lord. It is important to know how the Holy Spirit expresses the failure of Eli. It does not say Eli’s sons did not know God’s commandments. They did not know the Lord.

Commandment keeping cannot be done if someone does not first know the Lord. As a father, Eli failed to instruct his sons to have a personal relationship with God. Hophni and Phinehas grew up in the presence of God’s spokesman, and these two boys never got the lessons. The failure of Eli is the failure of many fathers who look good on Sunday and Wednesday but never teach their children to know God. Too many families live on the edge of Christianity with the failed belief that association breeds relationships. Going to church will not make a man a Christian. Keeping commandments does not create a devoted heart. Knowing the Lord is where it must begin; if a child does not know the Lord, he will fail.

There are many parents like Eli today. They bring their children to church, and as long as they get them under the water and baptized, glory be to God. The home life is anything but knowing God. What the children see and hear from the parents is not God, and the parents wonder why their children grow up without God. Eli was the high priest, and his sons were so corrupt that God killed them. As a parent, Eli did not restrain his sons but talked to them and talked to them and never made an effort to correct them. The sins of Hophni and Phinehas rest upon their shoulders but so will Eli bear the guilt of failing to teach his children to know God. Do your children know God? Really know God?