Needing More than Law

July 3, 2016 Background Scripture: Romans 2 Lesson Passage: Romans 2:17 – 29 Very few Christian doctrines can be stated or explained without at least one reference to Paul’s letter to the Romans. The scope of the letter is all encompassing in that it includes all persons and covers all times. From the onset of his writing, Paul asserts the fairness of God. God punishes evil and rewards righteousness. For those who do evil and will not repent, punishment will come; to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles. Although most Gentiles did not have the law, those who sin will perish without the law because their conscience is proof of God’s law written in their hearts. We know right and wrong because God has placed His law in our hearts to discern right and wrong. On the other hand, those who have the law and sin will be judged by the law. In either case, all unrighteousness will be judged by God and evil doers who refuse to repent will be punished. Paul accused the Jews of feeling exempt because they had the law. The clarity he provides is that faith, according to the law, must be demonstrated in actions demanded by the law. They need more than the law. Teachers and preachers are warned that they must live according to the doctrine they are teaching and proclaiming; they will be judged by what they teach and preach. The ones who teach and preach are held to a higher standard than those who don’t. They clearly show that they have the law and demonstrate their understanding of it through teaching and preaching. Having and understanding the law does not make them right with God but it places them in position to know of God’s righteousness and righteous requirements of the saints. It is a shameful situation when saints, who have the law, sin in the presence of people who do not know God. God is blasphemed or seen as weak when the righteous sin before the unrighteous. Why should a sinner turn to God if the actions of the saints who have turned to God prove to not make a difference in the lives of the saints? Why should a sinner forsake his ways if the righteous participate in the same activities? The law defines the righteousness of God but the rituals of the law are not prescriptive to becoming right with God. Conformance to the rituals of the law does not equate to right standing before God. Persons who seek to only conform to the letter of the law as defined by its rituals will never become right with God based on their actions. Believers must seek to live up to the spirit of the law and not merely conform to the letter of the law which does not bestow right standing before God. Certainly Jesus expounded on this very point in his “Sermon on the Mount”. He taught that it is not enough to not kill but we must not harbor anger in our hearts because it is still sinful; and the sin of adultery occurs through lust long before the act. The spirit of the law is written in our hearts and we are condemned by it even as we meditate on sin. The sin in our bodies is evidenced in our hearts through sinful meditations. It is this sin in our members that the spirit of the law exposes to us. The law does not eliminate or correct it. Therefore, we need more than law. Robert C. Hudson June 21, 2016

Ignoring God’s Plain Truth

June 26, 2016 Background Scripture: Romans 1:18 – 32 Lesson Passage: Romans 1:18 – 32 It has been noted that professionals who are trained in the physical sciences are more likely to come to believing faith than a person whose occupation is in the social sciences. It is difficult to observe the physical world closely without finding oneself in awe. From the grandest mountains and deepest ocean canyons to the innumerable stars and galaxies, the sheer vastness of the universe is hard to fathom. Yet the microscopic environment of life forms and lifeless atoms and molecules that hold everything together physically is just as vast and awe inspiring. When we are no longer impressed by what we can see around us, the telescope brings larger than life objects within view that are relatively close to us and hint at others that are too far for the telescope’s reach. Likewise, the microscope magnifies some of the seemingly invisible and makes them visible so we can observe them and the evidence that shows that there are other objects that remain invisible even to the microscope. Whether it is what we can see or what we cannot see unaided, the evidence of the physical sciences suggest the work and presence of an intelligent being who is still somehow actively involved in His own creation. There is an old adage that if you see a turtle on a fence post, you know he didn’t get there by himself. In other words, some evidence is so striking that it should produce a conclusion that is obvious—or as we sometimes say “as plain as the nose on your face”. The earth has more evidence than one should need to begin to seek God. The evidence within the universe beyond this world is even more overwhelming. With so much evidence around us, the only theological discussion should be questions as to the person of God. There should be no discussion relative to the existence of God. In spite of all the evidence available, there are still many who question God’s existence. The conclusion by the Apostle Paul is that they are without excuse. Long before the apostle’s statement, the psalmist wrote that the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. With so much evidence pointing towards God, where then is the place of faith? In spite of and in light of the physical evidence, faith gives us the assurance of that we do not see. God is spirit. Jesus said the Spirit is like the wind. We cannot see the wind but we can tell by the evidence when it comes through and when it has passed through. We cannot always say where the wind came from or where it goes when it leaves us. However, we are always sure when we have been affected by the wind. The evidence for the existence of wind cannot be denied. We readily accept that the wind does exist. Why then do questions of God’s existence remain? The wind makes no moral demands of us. The wind doesn’t force us to examine ourselves and then look at the options placed before us. God is a living being who has created everything. We know that God is by the things that are. It’s as plain as the nose on your face. Why ignore God’s plain truth? Robert C. Hudson June 8, 2016

A Day of Joy for the Remnant

June 19, 2016 Background Scripture: Zephaniah 3:9 – 20 Lesson Passage: Zephaniah 3:9 – 14, 20 If there were any sense of solace in the prophets of God who pronounced judgment upon God’s people, it was the knowledge that God always tempered His judgment with mercy. The prophetic word that pronounced doom also included the promise of hope for the people of God. Even when God’s people were punished, God always preserved a faithful remnant to carry forth the future hope based on God’s covenant with the patriarchs of Israel. The world was continuing to live contrary to the will of God. God’s people, who were called out from among the worldly, continued to show a preference for being like the world rather than holy like God. God’s final judgment would correct this and make way for the restoration of the world. The nations will be purified and the people of Zion will be held in high esteem by all nations. The Lord will be Israel’s king and will not allow evil to be present as He rules in the midst of His people. The future for God’s covenant people would be a bright future filled with joy and hope. God’s final judgment will be for purification. This is descriptive of the time of glorification as it is described in the book of Revelations. All sin and evil will be abolished. The saints who were saved from the penalty of sin and then progressively saved from the power of sin would now be saved from the presence of sin. The redemptive work of Christ on Calvary had made justification available and taken away the penalty of sin. The restorative work of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ had sanctified believers and progressively delivered them from the power of sin. God’s final judgment would be the total destruction of evil, death, and the grave. That would remove the presence of sin and usher in glorification of the saints. With such promises in sight, the people were admonished to not cling to that which is destined to be destroyed but rather to serve the Lord. Just as there would surely be a day of judgment coming, there would also be a day of restoration following it. The wicked should tremble and forsake their ways and the just should be encouraged to persevere and look for the blessed hope. God would avenge the just for this would be a day of vindication for the faithful remnant. This is the day that many saints of old have longed for. This is the day that many saints of old sang songs about to encourage themselves. “I’m so glad, I know trouble don’t last always.” “We’ll understand it better by and by.” “I’m so glad, I done got over.” “My Lord is getting us ready for that great day.” “There’s a bright side somewhere.” Even as the patriarchs, the saints of old hoped against hope because they believed in the promises of God. The Psalmist declared that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning”. The day of joy would come for the remnant. The remnant of Israel saw this day when God restored many of them back to Palestine from the land of captivity. Thousands of years later, another remnant saw this day when God restored many of them from the dispersion throughout the world to modern day Israel in the first half of the twentieth century. There remains the final day of joy when Jesus returns to rule upon the earth and the remnant will be vindicated for the final time. Robert C. Hudson June 2, 2016

That Day is Coming

June 12, 2016 Background Scripture: Zephaniah 3:1 – 8 Lesson Passage: Zephaniah 3:1 – 8 The southern kingdom of Judah was facing the same plight the northern kingdom of Israel faced over a century earlier. So there is little wonder that Zephaniah’s prophecy bears some similarities to the prophecies of Amos, Micah, and Isaiah. Those prophets warned Israel earlier. God changes not. Divine justice and mercy ensures that the wicked are punished and the obedient are spared. The prophet’s declaration of impending judgment was also a warning to the people of God to return to Him and be spared. Israel had learned firsthand and should have been an example for Judah. Instead, the people of Judah ignored the history of their ancestors to the north and followed the same path of reckless living. God always punishes His enemies but His children are spared if and when they repent and return to obediently following Him. Zephaniah proclaimed God’s judgment upon the nations; none would be spared. After pronouncing judgment upon the nations, the prophecy turned then to the unrepentant among God’s people. They were trusting in their leaders more than they were trusting God. In a sense, the temple and the temple leaders in the capitol city of Jerusalem had become gods to them. Again and again the people of God had demonstrated their preference for physical things they could touch and see rather than an invisible and living God. They wanted to be more like the people around them than they were perhaps willing to admit. Such blatant apostasy would not be continuously overlooked by God. A day of reckoning was coming—even against the people of God. Just as Zephaniah pronounced God’s judgment upon the surrounding nations, he was also pronouncing God’s judgment against Jerusalem. Since Israel had been decimated by the Assyrians many years before Zephaniah’s ministry, the remaining Jews in Judah were represented symbolically by the capitol city of Jerusalem. Judgment against Jerusalem was clearly seen as judgment against the heart of the nation. Judgment against a nation’s capitol is, in fact, an absolute judgment against the nation. The fall of Jerusalem at the hands of her enemy would be the final evidence of the fall of Judah. God declared the failure and corruption of the leaders within Jerusalem who the people were depending on. Throughout the land of Judah, the people looked towards Jerusalem and the Temple for their sense of directions, independence, and protection. The princes, judges, prophets, and priests were all declared unqualified to serve in their respective offices by God but yet the people were still depending on them rather than relying on the Lord. Today’s lesson is a reminder that people of God are not at liberty to sin. I believe in the absolute security of the believer in Christ but that in no way purports to grant a license that permits believers to sin. All sin is against God. Believers don’t avoid sin to please God but rather we don’t sin because we are children of God. When we choose to walk contrary to God’s holiness, we dare not forget that there is a day of reckoning. That day is coming. Robert C. Hudson May 25, 2016