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Starting Over Requires Making A Commitment

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Studies have shown that people who make a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight–on average–have given up on their diet before the year is even three weeks old.

Ever wonder why it is that most people who go on a diet may do well for a week or two, but ultimately they fail?  It is because they don’t make the total commitment to making the diet work.  They cheat once, think they’ve blown the whole diet, and then they just give up.

They don’t show commitment by getting up and getting back to it.

If you fall off a horse, what are you supposed to do?  Get right back on, of course!  The idea being that if you don’t get back on, you’ll be scared to try again.  But if you get back to it, you show determination and show that you aren’t going to let that horse beat you.

We’re all familiar with the scene where Charlie Brown runs to kick the football, and Lucy yanks it out of the way at the last second, with a sadistic smile.  What you might not know is that she originally got scared at the last minute and let it drop.  She didn’t follow through with her commitment.  Just to prove it to you, here’s the original comic strip from 1952:

CharlieBrown10

But how does this relate to our relationship with God?

God is willing to give you a new beginning, a fresh start, but it requires commitment for you to really get anything out of it.  Thousands upon thousands of people have become Christians in the last year, but have they kept their commitment to God?

When you put on Christ in baptism, you’re making a commitment to serve God to the best of your ability.  But what happens when you mess up?  Should you just give up and stop trying?

NO, NO, A THOUSAND TIMES NO!!!!!

God understands that we’re going to make mistakes.  We’re going to stumble.  We’re going to fall.  The big question is what are you going to do when you stumble?

Commitment means you get back up, confess your sin to God and try again (I John 1:9).  God has promised to forgive you–as a Christian–of every sin you’ve committed, so long as you keep “walking in the light” (I John 1:7).  That means that so long as you’re trying, so long as you’re getting back up when you fall, so long as you’re confessing the sins you know you’ve committed, God will forgive you of everything.

Commitment isn’t always easy, but it’s something that is required.  You should know that going in, because Jesus said that you have to count the cost to be His disciple (Luke 9:62).  You’ve got to keep to running to win the prize of eternal life in heaven with God (I Corinthians 9:24).

The old gospel preacher, the apostle Paul, was confident in his salvation because he had fought a good fight.  He didn’t say that he fought a perfect fight, but that he fought a good fight.  Sin hit him and hit him hard.  He got depressed.  But he kept getting back up.  He didn’t let sin beat him.  That’s commitment.

Commitment is also required for a new start in our physical relationships.

Eventually, if you keep doing the same stupid things over and over, your spouse is going to seriously question your sincerity and your commitment to your marriage.  A man might ask his wife, “Can we start over?” or “Can we have a fresh start?”  But it’s really just a ploy if he’s not committed to trying.

Don’t ask someone for a fresh start if you aren’t going to be committed to following through.  The one who has sinned has no business asking the one he sinned against “can we start over?” if he’s not committed to doing better.

Starting over means being committed to doing it right.

Give it some thought.

-Bradley S. Cobb

Articles

Starting Over Requires Forgiveness

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Kids seem to have no problem forgiving others when they say “I’m sorry.”  They apologize, and then the kid forgives them, and then they go on as though nothing happened.

But as the kids get older, they learn to hold grudges.  When they become teenagers, it seems that some of them get to the point where nothing that a person could say or do would get them to forgive him.  And then these people become adults, and they still do the same thing, holding grudges and refusing to forgive, even if that person truly has changed.

Then you end up with strained or ruined relationships, hurt and anger, high blood pressure, ulcers, confusion, sadness… Well, let’s just say that it’s not good.  It would be so nice if we could just hit the “reset” switch on all our relationships.  It is possible to start fresh in those relationships, but it takes forgiveness.

The same thing is true in our relationship with God.  If we want to start over, be completely free from guilt and sin, then forgiveness is necessary.

A new start, spiritually, requires forgiveness on three levels.

You must accept God’s forgiveness on his terms.

So many people today are promising people God’s forgiveness without going to God’s word to show how to get it.  Have you ever heard “pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart”?  That’s nowhere in the Bible!

God said that forgiveness comes by hearing the gospel (Acts 2:22-24), believing it (Mark 16:16), repenting of your sins (Acts 2:38), Confessing Christ (Acts 8:37), and being baptized so your sins can be washed away (Acts 2:38).  When you do all of these things–and not before–then you are promised God’s forgiveness.

What about those people who have done all those things, but have messed up again? How do THEY get God’s forgiveness so they can start over?  Those people are told to repent (change) and pray to God (Acts 8:22).  Those people are told to confess their sins to God, and He will forgive all of their sins (I John 1:9).

How does God forgive?

I worked with a man once who couldn’t bring himself to study the Bible because he was convinced: “God could never forgive me for what I’ve done.”  This is actually a common belief some people have, but it’s not true.  After all, God forgave Peter of denying that he even knew who Jesus was.  God forgave Paul of murdering Christians.  God forgave king Manasseh of killing his children by burning them alive in worshiping a giant statue; murdering God’s prophets; causing the people to forsake God.

God will forgive anyone for anything if they come to Him on His terms.  Not only will God forgive, He will NEVER bring it up against you again.  Hebrews 8:12, 10:17 – their sins and iniquities I will remember no more.  When God forgives, it is complete forgiveness.  When God forgives, you can know without a doubt that He basically forgets it and doesn’t take it into account against you
ever.

You must forgive others.

If you truly want a fresh start, you can’t hold grudges against other people.  How many times have you been so upset with someone that you get angry every time you see that person or hear that person’s name?  A lot of times the person may not even realize he’s done something to upset you.

Some people like to bury the hatchet (meaning they stop fighting and trying to destroy one another), but they leave the handle sticking out.  They’re willing to say, “we’ll just not bring this up again right now and try to move on,” but the problem is never resolved.  Instead of forgiving, they are just trying to ignore it.

It seems that far too many people in this world have a hard time of letting go of things that upset them.  Not that I watch them, but it seems that one of the main themes that run through Hallmark movies is the need to forgive others so you can be happy.

Peter was told by Jesus Christ that even if someone sins against you seven times in a day, and then seven times he comes and apologizes, you are to forgive him.

This is not an option, it is a command.

Jesus didn’t say, “forgive him after you’ve yelled at him and shown him that he’s scum.”  He said just forgive him.  Not only that, but Jesus also said there is no limit to the times we are to forgive people.  He said “seventy times seven times.”   This means that we are to continue to forgive people, regardless of how many times they may sin against us.

Even if it is the same sin, we are to continue to forgive.  Have you ever committed the same sin more than once?  Do you think God will forgive you, even if you mess up and commit that same sin again?

Forgiveness applies in every aspect of life, from marriage to work to driving down the interstate.

Jesus, in Matthew 18:34-35, said that if we don’t forgive others, God will not forgive us.  If you care AT ALL about going to heaven, you have to learn to forgive other people.

You must learn to forgive yourself.

If a person is convinced that he is worthless and that he will never change, will he ever change?  If a person goes into dieting with the idea that he will fail, is he going to lose any weight?  If a person is convinced that nothing he does is going to make a difference, will he really try?  The answer to all of these questions is an obvious NO!

We all have to learn to stop beating ourselves up over the past and move on from it.  We should (like Paul) learn from our past mistakes, and say now I know what NOT to do.

If we want to make a new start, we have to say “the past has passed.”  If we want to make a new start, we have to forgive ourselves for messing things up and start over.  Instead of moping about how much of a failure we are, we need to say, “I am forgiven, and I’m ready to get back up and try again!”

Forgiveness is Key!

Remember that God’s commands are always in our best interest.  God gave every command for a reason.  When you forgive people, your stress level goes down.  When you forgive people, you will be happier.  When you forgive people, you show an appreciation for God’s forgiveness.  When you forgive people, you encourage others to do the same thing.

Therefore, when you forgive people, your life improves, and so do the lives of the people around you.  Why would you NOT want to forgive others?

We each want a new start.  We each want forgiveness.  Shouldn’t we be willing to give that same chance to others?

-Bradley S. Cobb

Articles

Starting Over Requires Change

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Billy Milner is sent to prison for drugs, and spends the next 12 years behind bars before he is finally released.

He doesn’t want to go back.  His goal is to start over and make a new life for himself.  His goal is to avoid getting in the same mess.  But just as important to him is this: He doesn’t want to be known as the drug-addict jailbird.

Now, put yourself in his shoes.  Do you want people holding the past against you? Do you want the chance to prove yourself without the past being brought up?  Do you want to have a new start?

It’s usually about this time every year that people make up their minds to start over.  It doesn’t matter that they have failed in the past, the new year brings a sense of freshness, a sense of newness, a sense of possibilities.

Some have estimated that over 50% of the adults in the United States will make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight in 2015.  It doesn’t matter that most of them (including me) made the same resolution last year, this is a new year, a new chance.

Some make resolutions to be more healthy.  Others make resolutions to study their Bible more.  Still others decide that this is the year they are going to get their bills paid off.  Whatever it happens to be, the new year makes people feel that they truly have a chance to make things better.

Is your life the way you want it to be?  Are you happy with where you are, spiritually speaking?  Are you happy with the person you’ve become?  Are there parts of your past you wish you could just leave behind and have them disappear?

Well, here’s the good news: today you can really make it all go away and have a brand new start!

Starting over requires a change.

No one is going to lose weight if they don’t make a change in their lifestyle, like eating better, eating less, and being more active.  In the same way, no one is going to have a better life if they don’t start making some changes.  If someone wants to make this the year they get out of debt, they have to make some financial changes (less frivolous spending, less eating out, more saving, perhaps making a budget).

Have you felt like a disappointment to yourself and to God?  You want things to be better?  Then it is time for you to make some changes in your life.

First, you’ve got to make up your mind to change.  A man once complained that he was always broke because he spent so much on cigarettes.  When his buddy said, “why don’t you quit?” the man replied “I don’t think I can.”  He needed to change, but he never took the first step of making his mind up to change.

The Bible describes this concept as “repenting.”   Repenting means that you change your mind to stop doing those things you used to do, and start doing the things God wants you to do.  It’s not always easy, but it can be done.

Do you ever wonder why it is that so many people constantly make the same resolution to lose weight, year after year?  It’s because the change that’s required to lose the weight is not easy to accomplish.  It requires willpower.  It requires looking at the long-term goal instead of the immediate satisfaction.

In the same way, changing our lives so we can have peace with God is not easy, but it can be done.

We are creatures of habit, we get to doing things in a certain way and we don’t like change.  But we must change if we want to have peace with God.  We should get rid of the bad and replace it with the good.

Negative habits that should be left behind could include:

  • Leaving friends behind.
  • Giving up hobbies (drinking, going to parties, reading things they shouldn’t be reading, etc
).
  • Bad attitudes
  • and many others.

Positive changes that ought to take place include:

  • Being more outgoing in spreading the gospel.
  • Setting aside time each day to read God’s word and pray.  Most people spend hours a day in front of a screen, so can you really say you don’t have time to read the Bible?

If you are not a Christian, the change you must make to find peace with God is to become a Christian.  You will notice a consistent theme throughout the Bible: the command to repent (change).  Repentance, when put together with baptism, will take away all of your sins (Acts 2:38).

-Bradley S. Cobb

 

Articles

Tracts From the Past – Why Am I a Member of the church of Christ

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Welcome back to another week that God has granted us!  Today, we continue our Monday series of “Tracts from the Past.”  This one (like the others from the past few weeks) was written by Paul Simon (date and location unknown), and discovered while I was cleaning my office.

Enjoy!

Why Am I A Member of The Church of Christ?

By Paul Simon, Minister.

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give ah answer to every man that asketh a rea­son for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” —I Pet. 3:15.

You should be able to give a reason for everything that you do, and should do nothing without having a reason for doing that thing. You should be able to give a reason for being what you are religiously, politically, and socially. The only reason for being that which you are in religion is a “thus saith the Lord.”

  1. I am a member of the church of Christ because it is non-demoninational. It sub­scribes to no denominational name or creed.
  2. I am a member of the church of Christ because Christ, and not man, is its founder. “Upon this rock I will build my church.” Jesus, in Matthew 16:18. The founder of any institution instills with­in that institution principles that determine its success or failure.
  3. I am a member of the church of Christ because of its foundation. “Can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” — 1 Cor. 3:11. No structure is of greater value than its foundation.
  4. I am a member of the church of Christ because Christ is its only head. “And He (Christ) is the head of the body, the church:” — Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22-23. The success of any institution is determined by its head.
  5. I am a member of the church of Christ because the Bible is its only creed. The creeds of men have to be re­vised every few years to cor­rect some of their mistakes, but not so with the Bible. It is a perfect creed. James 1:25; II Timothy 3:16-17.
  6. I am a member of the church of Christ because of its owner and the price paid for it. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.” Eph. 5:25; Acts 20-28; I Pet. 1:18.
  7. I am a member of the church of Christ because of its name. A name means every­thing. “Neither is there sal­vation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12; Phil. 2:9-11; Eph. 1:20-21.
  8. I am a member of the church of Christ because I was born into it, just like I was born into my father’s family. My father didn’t take a vote to see if the family would accept me into the family; neither did he ask me if I wanted to wear the family name. “Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say unto thee, ex­cept a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:5; Pet. 1:23; Rom. 16:17-18; Col. 1:13-14.
  9. I am a member of the church of Christ because the Lord added me to it. “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Acts 2:42, 47; 5:14; 11:24.
  10. I am a member of the church of Christ because the early disciples were members of it. Acts 20:28; I Cor. 12:27; Rom. 16:16.
  11. 1 am a member of the church of Christ because its members wear no name but Christian. Acts 11:26; 26:28; I Pet. 4:16.
  12. I am a member of the church of Christ because it is scriptural in origin, name, doc­trine and practice.
Articles

The Truth About Baby Jesus

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This week, a large section of the world is focusing on the birth of Jesus Christ.

What we need to remember is that ANYTIME people want to focus on Jesus, we should take advantage of it and show them what the Bible says about what happened with Baby Jesus.

The problem is not that they are focusing on the birth of Christ.
The problem is not that they do it every year at the same time.

  • The problem is that most people who focus on the birth of Jesus Christ on this day tend to forget about him the rest of the year.
  • The problem is that most people who focus on the birth of Christ don’t bother to look into the rest of the story: Baby Jesus grew up!

And also, because of the Catholic Church’s influence in years gone by, and their willingness to “Christianize” pagan celebrations, we have all sorts of things that get connected with the birth of Jesus that make no sense at all.  For example, how does a tree covered in electric lights have anything to do with the birth of Christ?  How do flying reindeer help us remember the birth of Jesus Christ?

But I digress…

It seems that people only want to think of baby Jesus as a cute little harmless baby in the manger, and ignore the rest of what the Bible says about Him.

Do you realize that the passages speaking about the birth of Jesus Christ comprise less than 2% of the gospel records? That means there is still 98% of the book to go!

What would you think of someone who only read the first chapter of a book and then stopped reading, all the while gushing about how wonderful that first chapter was?  Imagine them going on and on about how great the book starts out. They have you hooked. You ask, “well, what happens next?” and they say “I don’t know, I don’t feel like reading the rest.”

That’s how people seem to act this time of the year.  They gush about the birth of Christ, but they ignore the truth about Baby Jesus – He grew up!

Don’t get me wrong, the birth of Jesus was very important.  It was prophesied in the Old Testament (Isaiah 7:14 was ultimately fulfilled in the birth of Jesus).  It was miraculous (see Matthew 1:18-25).  It was announced by angels (see Luke 1:26-33 and 2:8-14).  Yes, the birth of Christ is a VERY important event.

But Baby Jesus grew up


Baby Jesus is easy to love.  Outside around this time, you’ll frequently see nativity scenes, because people love Baby Jesus.

  • Baby Jesus is cute (most babies are cute).
  • Baby Jesus doesn’t ask anything of you, so it is easy to accept and love baby Jesus.

But God didn’t send His Son to earth to remain a baby.

Baby Jesus grew into Boy Jesus (Luke 2:40-52).  The Bible tells us that, after being circumcised, Jesus went back home with His parents to Nazareth.  There, Baby Jesus “grew” (Luke 2:40).

At age 12, Jesus was found in the temple, listening to the teachers and asking them questions, and also answering them.  After returning with His parents, boy Jesus grew some more, and “increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

Boy Jesus grew into the Man Jesus.  When Jesus came to John the baptizer, he was “about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23).  Immediately afterwards, He was taken into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.  After overcoming the direct temptations of Satan, Jesus began to go around preaching repentance.

It was soon after this that people started to reject Him (who wants to actually repent?).  The people didn’t like that He claimed to be the answer to Old Testament prophecy, and they grabbed Him, and were going to throw him off a cliff.

These people who had no problem with Baby Jesus suddenly didn’t care for Him anymore once He started exposing their sinfulness.

The Man Jesus makes demands of people.  He told His disciples to “follow me.”  He told people that unless they repented, they would perish.  He told people that they had to put Him above even their own family.  He told people that they had to be righteous from the inside and not just the outside.  He told people that they had to love their enemies.  He told people that they had to actively spread the gospel after obeying it.

Why is it, do you think, that most people who love Baby Jesus don’t follow what the Man Jesus has to say?

Outside of the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke, the birth of Jesus isn’t the focus.  Instead, the Bible constantly points to the death of Christ as the most important part of His time on earth.

The apostle Paul said that his focus was on Christ and Him crucified–not on Baby Jesus.  When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, He started by telling the people there to listen up and then proclaimed Christ crucified–not Baby Jesus in the manger.

Jesus Himself, when instituting the Lord’s supper, said that it was a feast to remember His death–He never told people to celebrate His birth.

Religious people today seem to love Baby Jesus, but they want to ignore the Man Jesus and His teachings.  And no surprise, because the Man who was once Baby Jesus was murdered by religious people who didn’t like what He had to say.  They had no problems with Baby Jesus, but now they’ve changed their minds because this Jesus—the man—exposed their sinfulness.  They went all out to silence this man who dared make demands of them.

But still, Jesus willingly died because through His death, all people could be saved from their sins.

But even with that, Jesus made demands.

  • Jesus demanded belief.
  • Jesus demanded repentance.
  • Jesus demanded ongoing confession.
  • Jesus demanded baptism in order to be saved.
  • Jesus demanded faithfulness, even if it meant death.

Don’t get me wrong.  There is ZERO problem with thinking about and being happy about the birth of Jesus Christ.  It’s in the Scripture, and “all Scripture is profitable.”

However, if you just stop at the cute little Baby Jesus, you are ignoring 98% of what the gospels tell us about Him.

As you go through your life, remember the truth about Baby Jesus–He grew up.  He died on the cross, and He was risen again on the third day.  And come judgment day, He will be the one deciding your eternal destination.

It’s about time you read the rest of the story of Jesus, don’t you think?

Articles, Tracts from the Past

Tracts from the Past – Noah’s Salvation and Ours

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Continuing our series of “Tracts from the Past” written by Paul Simon (date and location unknown), we now present to you one dealing with types and antitypes that deal with Noah and ourselves.  Enjoy!

NOAH’S SALVATION AND OURS

By PAUL SIMON, Minister

Noah’s salvation was very simi­lar to ours. Both were spiritual and physical. Although, first em­phasis was placed upon Noah’s physical salvation, he was also saved from the sins of the wicked by their being destroyed in the flood. First emphasis is placed on our spiritual salvation, and yet we are saved physically in that [generally speaking] he who lives a Christian life will live longer than he would have, had he lived an ungodly life.

Noah was saved by grace.

And the Lord said, ‘‘I will destroy man whom I have created from off the face of the earth, for it hath re­pented me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Gen. 6). We, too, are saved by grace. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves.” — Eph. 2:8.

Noah was saved by faith.

“By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with Godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house” (Heb. 11:7). We are saved by faith. “Wherefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:1). “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26). Although these passages state that we are saved by faith, they do not say that we are saved by faith only.

Noah was saved by obedience.

“By faith Noah being warned of God, concerning things not seen as yet, moved with Godly fear pre­pared an ark (obeyed) to the sav­ing of his house” (Heb. 11:7). We too are saved            by obedience. “Though he were a son, learned he obedience through the things which he suf­fered, and being made perfect he became the author of eternal sal­vation unto all them that obey Him” (Heb. 5:8-9). “To you who are troubled rest with us. When the Lord Jesus Christ shall be re­vealed from heaven with his migh­ty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thes. 1:7-9). “Blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have a right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Rev 22:14).

Noah was saved by water.

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins: the just for the unjust that he might bring us unto God; being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which some­time were disobedient when once the long suffering of God waited in the day of Noah while the ark was a preparing, wherein few: that is, eight souls were saved by wat­er” (I Peter 3:18-20). Likewise we are saved by water in baptism. “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us” (I Peter 3:21).

Noah was saved in the ark.

We are saved in the spiritual ark, the church. “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47). “Wives sub­mit yourselves unto your own hus­bands as unto the Lord; for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ also is the head of the church and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject to Christ so let the wives be to their own hus­bands. Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that he may present it unto himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:22-27). “Take heed therefore unto yourselves and unto all the church over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers to feed the church of God which he pur­chased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).

More examples:

  • Noah built the ark. Christ built the church.
  • Noah built but one ark. Christ built but one Church.
  • The ark was Noah’s ark. The Church is Christ’s Church.
  • There was only one family in the ark, Noah’s family. There is but one family in the Church, God’s fami­ly.
  • All of Noah’s family was in the ark. All of God’s family is in the church.
  • All in the ark were Noah’s family. All in the church are God’s family.
  • Only Noah’s children were in the ark. Only God’s children are in the Church.
  • All of Noah’s children were in the ark. All of God’s children are in the church.
  • All in the ark wore one name, Noah’s. All in the church wore one name, Christ’s.
  • All the righteous were in the ark. All the righteous are in the church.
  • All out of the ark were disobedient to God. All out of the church are disobedient to God.
  • All in the ark were saved. All in church are saved.
  • All out of the ark were lost. All out of the church will be lost.
  • Had Noah and his family not entered the ark, or left the ark before God told them to, they would have been lost. All who refuse to enter the church, having obtained unto the age of accountability, will be lost and those who enter the church but refuse to remain faithful to the church will be lost.
  • There was but one entrance into the ark: the door. There is but one entrance into the Church: Christ.
  • There was but one source of light in the ark, the window. There is but one source of spiritual light in the church, the Bible.

You see how understanding our salvation is made simple by com­paring it with Noah’s salvation by the flood.

Articles, Sermons

Calling on the Name of the Lord

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When kids misunderstand things, we think it is cute.  In fact, people share these adorable misunderstandings with their friends and anyone else who wants to know (look at Facebook for a few days and you’ll see them).

But when adults misunderstand things, it’s not the same, is it?  Adults are rightfully expected to put some effort into understanding things.  A wife isn’t going to post on Facebook about how cute it was that her husband misunderstood what she wanted.  Instead, it’s often times the basis of a (ahem) “discussion” (if you’re married, you know what I mean).

Today, we will consider one of the biggest misunderstandings in the religious world today: Calling on the name of the Lord.

The majority of so-called “Christian” denominations teach that to call on the name of the Lord is to ask Jesus into your heart, praying for salvation from sin.  It’s interesting that if you just take the sheer number (not groups, but individuals) of people claiming to be Christians, the overwhelming majority actually REJECT this doctrine.  However, it has been popularized by televangelists and others who twist God’s word to their own destruction (II Peter 3:16).  Salvation through prayer is “another gospel”, and all those who bring such doctrines will be cursed by God (Galatians 1:8-9).

But what does “calling on the name of the Lord” actually mean?

What is calling on the name of the Lord?

Though this phrase appears in the New Testament, it also appears in the Old Testament.

Seth had his son, Enos, THEN men began to call on the name of the LORD (Genesis 4:26).

This is generally referred to as the “Godly line.” This isn’t saying that no one prayed to God until Enos was born. But it was this line that obeyed God (see Enoch and Noah for examples).

Abraham built an altar and “called on the name of the LORD” (Genesis 12:8).

This “calling on the name of the LORD” could have included prayer, but that isn’t all that it entailed.  It involved praise to God, worship to God, and doing what was acceptable to God – in short, it was obedience.

Isaac built an altar and “called on the name of the LORD” (Genesis 26:25).

This is not an instance of Isaac praying, because in the previous verse, GOD APPEARED UNTO HIM.

Calling on the name of the LORD was the expression of a life lived for God in thankfulness and obedience.

Elijah, on Mt. Carmel, made the challenge to the prophets of Baal,

“you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD. And the God that answers by fire, let him be God.” (I Kings 18:24).

As you will well remember, the prophets of Baal cried out long and loud and nothing happened.  Elijah then prayed,

“LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.” And of course God answered him (I Kings 18:36-38).

So, see, calling on the name of the Lord means praying! Not so fast


It is true that Elijah prayed, but notice that in his prayer, the answer was requested completely based upon Elijah’s obedience.  His calling on the name of the LORD was turning to God for help based on his–Elijah’s–obedience.

Psalm 116:12-19 describes calling on the name of the Lord.

What shall I render unto Jehovah For all his benefits toward me?  I will take the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of Jehovah.  I will pay my vows unto Jehovah, Yea, in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of Jehovah Is the death of his saints.  O Jehovah, truly I am thy servant: I am thy servant, the son of thy handmaid; Thou hast loosed my bonds.  I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of Jehovah.  I will pay my vows unto Jehovah, Yea, in the presence of all his people, In the courts of Jehovah’s house, In the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye Jehovah.

As you read through this passage, you will notice that calling on the name of the Lord is the equivalent of living right before God, taking the salvation that God offers, and keeping your vows to God.

In short, calling on the name of the Lord is a life of obedience and thankfulness to God.

That they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one consent (Zephaniah 3:9).

Here, calling on the name of the Lord is described as serving God.

In the New Testament, the concept of calling on the name of the LORD only appears three times.

Two of those times (Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13) are quotations from Joel 2:32.

Acts 2

In Acts 2:21, Peter mentions it at the beginning of his Pentecost sermon (those who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved).  In 2:38, Peter tells the people there to “repent and be baptized.”  In 2:41, those who gladly received his words were baptized and added to their number.  In 2:47, Those who were being added were the ones being “saved.”  Therefore, calling on the name of the Lord involved obedience to His word (including repentance and baptism).

Romans 10

In Romans 10:8-18, Paul discusses salvation.  10:17 – faith comes by hearing.  10:10 – belief and confession = salvation.  10:13 – Calling on the name of the Lord = salvation.  10:16 – but some have NOT obeyed the gospel. Therefore, hearing, belief, confession, and calling on the name of the Lord are requirements for salvation.

Acts 22

The other passage in the New Testament that discusses “calling on the name of the LORD” is Acts 22:16.

And now why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the LORD.

Calling on the name of the Lord is NOT baptism.  Let me say that again, calling on the name of the Lord is NOT baptism.  If it were, then Abraham, Isaac, David, and Elijah all got baptized
and more than once.

Calling on the name of the Lord means the same thing in the New Testament as it did in the Old Testament – OBEDIENCE to God.

The “name of the LORD.”

In Matthew 28:18-20, we read Jesus instructing the eleven apostles to baptize people in the NAME of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”  When something is done “in the name of” someone, it means it is done by their authority.

There is a big argument in some religious circles about whose name you are to baptize in.  Some say you have to recite the three names (citing Matthew 28:18-20).  Others say that we are only supposed to baptize in the name of Jesus (citing every example in the book of Acts).  People are having massive arguments over this, and it is all because they don’t understand what “in the name of” means.  If something is done by the authority of Jesus Christ, then BY DEFINITION it is by the authority of the Father, as delivered by the Holy Spirit.

The “name of the Lord” is the authority of the Lord.  Just like “stop in the name of the law” means “by the authority of the law.”

How do we call on the name of the Lord?

When a doctor called on someone (back when they did that kind of thing), they went to where the patient was.  When a boy went to call on his girl, he went to where she was.  It involved action and a need to be where the one being called on was.

Calling on the name of the LORD is going to where God is.  Calling on the name of the Lord is doing what is necessary to be with Him.

For Abraham and Isaac, this involved living properly under the laws God had given them.  For David and the Israelites, it involved living properly under the Law of Moses.

It is interesting to note that all of the Old Testament examples of people calling on the name of the Lord WERE ALREADY children of God.  They weren’t calling on the name of the Lord to become a child of God.  That didn’t take place until the New Testament.

Calling on the name of the Lord is this:

Turning yourself over to God’s authority in faithful obedience.

For those on the Day of Pentecost, and everyone since then who want to be saved, calling on the name of the Lord involves hearing the gospel, believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, repenting of their sins, confessing Christ with their mouth, and being baptized.

Calling on the name of the Lord isn’t baptism, but is sure includes it!

Turn your life over to God, submit yourself to His authority, and enjoy the blessings of salvation!

Articles, Tracts from the Past

Tracts from the Past – Principles In Christian Conduct

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Like last week, we are posting another tract by a preacher named Paul Simon (date unknown, location unknown).  Many times it helps us to consider topics in short “tract-sized” form.  Often, preachers get overly wordy in trying to explain something when fewer words will do.

Principles In Christian Conduct

By PAUL SIMON, Minister

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5:22).

God is not here commanding us to pray at every breath; to pray continuously, but is giving a principle: To pray always, in all things. We should continue to pray and never let the time come in our lives that we no longer pray to God, asking His blessings on us. Great men and women of history have been men and women who realized the need of prayer.

“Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluc­tance; it is laying hold of his highest willingness.” — Trench.

Abraham Lin­coln said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day.”

“I know no blessing so small as to be reasonably expected without prayer, nor any so great but may be attained by it.”—South.

“I think I should have been swept away by the flood of French infidelity, if it had not been for one thing: the remem­brance of times when my sainted mother used to make me kneel by her side, taking my little hands in hers, and caused me to repeat the Lord’s prayer.”—John Randolph.

Jeremy Taylor once said. “The body of our prayer is the sum of our duty; and as we must ask of God whatso­ever we need, so we must watch and labor for all that we ask. Whatsoever we beg of God, let us also work for it.”

Although Jean Inglelow, English author, realized the need of prayer, she also realized the folly of her prayers, when she said, “I have lived to thank God that not all my prayers have been answered.”

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures
” (Matthew 6:19)

Matt. 6:19-34, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light: But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If there­fore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other: or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mam­mon. Therefore, I say unto you. Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat and the body more than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns: yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you. That even Solomon, in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Where­fore. if God so clothed the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat, or What shall we drink, or Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

Jesus is not, here, commanding us to refuse to save against old age, sickness, or accident: neither is He saying that it is wrong to plan to wear a certain dress, or suit of clothes Sunday, or to eat beans and corn bread for dinner tomorrow—because nothing is done without planning ahead. Jesus is laying down a principle: Put first things first: give spiritual matters first place in your life. Those who fail to abide by this principle of putting God first cannot be happy; neither here, nor hereafter.

“The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said. This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, drink and be merry. But God said unto him. Thou fool! this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall these things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasures for himself and is not rich toward God.” — Luke 12:16-21. See, also, Luke 16:19-31.

Articles

An American Fable – Water Baptism

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Due to the upcoming holidays and trying to get work done on some pressing projects, we didn’t get a Bible Q&A done for this week.  But we recently ran across something that we just had to share with you.  Once you read it, you will see why.

Have a great weekend!

An American Fable Relating to Water Baptism

(Originally appeared in Lard’s Quarterly, October 1866)

A missionary once presented a Bible to a young Indian, who possessed a fair knowledge of the English language, and exhorted him to read it, and obey its commandments. The book was received and read, as requested.

Some time afterward the Indian met the preacher, and said to him: “I want you to go with me to the river. I want to be baptized.”

“I can baptize you without going to the river,” said the preacher.

“Where?” inquired the red man.

“Here,” replied the preacher.

Said the Indian, in a tone of surprise: “I don’t see how you can baptize me here, where there is no water.”

“We can have water brought for the purpose,” responded the minister.

But the young man was perplexed; he could not understand how they were to baptize him after the water was brought. The minister then explained to him that they could baptize him “by pouring a little water on his forehead.”

“Is that baptism?”

“Yes,” said the minister.

Not yet quite satisfied, the young man again replied: “Well, if that is baptism, you have given me the wrong book.”

His idea seemed to be that each denomination had a Bible of its own, and that the minister had, through mistake, given him one that represented baptism by immersion. The impression that baptism is by immersion was made upon his mind by reading the Bible; but if pouring [or sprinkling] is baptism, it must be learned from some other book; that is, the same book can not teach both pouring and immersion to be baptism. Why not? Because there is such a difference between pouring and immersion that if one is taught to be baptism, the other cannot be.

W.W. Hayden.

Articles, Tracts from the Past

Tracts from the Past – Can a Person be Saved Outside of the church of Christ?

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In going through my office (which needs a thorough cleaning anyway), I ran across a hand-full of old, short tracts written by a preacher named Paul Simon.  I honestly don’t know anything about him outside of the fact that he wrote these tracts.

Previous “Tracts from the Past” posts have been very well-received, so we decided to post these here as well.  If you happen to know some background on Mr. Simon, please add it in the comments section or send us a message via our contact page.

Can A Person Be Saved Outside Of The Church Of Christ?

By PAUL SIMON, Minister.

Let us forget about denominationalism, and ask, “Can one be saved outside of the church?”

Some cannot see beyond “de­nominational Christiani­ty.” Some cannot conceive of the non-denominational New Testament Church. A defini­tion of the church will help us to arrive at the correct answer to our question. The church is a spiritual institution, com­posed of every Christian in the world. To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved with­out becoming a Christian.”

Christ is the Savior of the church. “Wives, submit your­selves unto your husbands as unto the Lord: For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is head of the church, and he is the savior of the body” (Eph. 5:22). To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved without being saved.” “And the Lord added unto the church, daily, such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47).

Christ gave Himself for the church. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it” (Eph. 5:25; see also Acts 20:28; 2 Pet. 1:18). To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved without being purchased by the blood of Christ. Christ is no thief. He will receive unto Himself only that which He has purchased with His blood — the church.

The church is the bride of Christ. “Wherefore, my breth­ren, ye, also, are become dead to the law by the body of Christ: that ye should be mar­ried to another: even unto him that is raised from the dead, that ye should bring forth fruit unto God.” — (Rom. 7:4; see also 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 21:9-11).

The church is the kingdom of Christ. “Upon this rock will I build my church; and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom” (Matt. 16:18; see also Col. 1:13-14). To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved outside of the kingdom of Christ— without permitting Christ to reign over him.”

The church is the house, or household of God. “The house of God, which is the church of the living God” (1 Tim. 3:15; see also Heb. 3:6; Isa. 2:2-3). To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved outside of the household of God.”

One cannot be saved without being born again (John 3:3, 5). One cannot be born again with­out being born into the family of God. To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved with­out being born again.”

One cannot be saved outside of Christ. “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made night by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). To be in Christ is to be in His spiritual body. His spiritual body is the church – “the church, which is his body” (Eph. 1:22-23; see also Col. 1:18, 24). To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved outside of the spiritual body of Christ” (see Eph. 1.3, 7; 11 Tim. 2:10; 11 Cor. 5:17; Acts 4:12; John 15:1-8), and apart from His blood.

A responsible person cannot be saved without obeying from the heart the form of doctrine. “But God be thanked, that ye were the ser­vants of sin, but ye have obey­ed from the heart that form of doctrine which was deliv­ered unto you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18). “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). To say that a responsible per­son can be saved outside of the church is to say, ‘‘A respon­sible person can be saved with­out becoming a servant of God.”

A responsible person cannot be saved without eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Christ. “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:53). The supper of His flesh and blood is in His kingdom for His chil­dren. “That ye may eat and drink at my table in my king­dom” (Luke 22:30).

You cannot be saved outside of the family of God. “Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Eph. 3: 15). To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say that one can be saved out of the family of God, com­posed of His children.

The word, church, comes from a Greek word, ekklesia, which means the called out. “God hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:13). To say that a respon­sible person can be saved outside of the church is to say that a responsible person can be saved in the kingdom of dark­ness.

Can A Person be Saved Outside the Church?

In the light of God’s word, can one be saved outside of the church? Saved out of which church? Whose church? About whose body, bride, kingdom, family, household, ekklesia, and church have we been Studying? Can a responsible person be saved outside of the church of Christ? This ques­tion you must answer before God.