“Some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.” [1]
Modern translations of the Word of God, or at least our reading of the events that are described, sometimes mask the intensity of what was originally intended when the events were recorded. An example of such inadvertent masking occurs when rendering this event into modern English in the translation I prefer. The translation is technically correct; it simply lacks the intensity of what Doctor Luke originally wrote. In the text, I read that Paul and Barnabas “had no small dissension and debate.” Struggling to capture the force of what took place, one current translation speaks of “a major argument,” [2] another translation speaks of “serious argument and debate,” [3] and yet another translation says they had “quite a dispute and argument.” [4]
Reading what Doctor Luke wrote in that original manuscript leads one to realise that this was an intense and visceral response to error. The passions of Paul and Barnabas were stirred to the depths of their hearts, driving them to respond vigorously, viscerally. This was not a time for a gentle, sweet-natured discussion of some minor theological point; this was a time to raise one’s voice, to speak forcefully and pointedly so that no one would mistake the serious nature of what was taking place.
Some truths demand passion as we vigorously defend them; some truths are worth fighting for. It is commonly observed that these truths demanding our passion are matters that have an impact on defining us as belonging to Christ. And because the fight is over truths that define us as His followers, it is necessary that we win the fight, not just for our sake, but for the sake of those who will follow us in the future. Whether we win or whether we lose, the future of the movement we represent is at stake. That knowledge makes it essential that we be ferocious in defending these truths.
I would not want anyone to imagine that I am advocating physical violence just to win your point. We are to be prepared to stand firm in the Faith, but without being combative. We must never allow ourselves to think that we can strike out with fists or open palms to smack down those who disagree with us. We realise the importance of Paul’s statement to the Christians in Corinth, “Though we live as human beings, we do not wage war according to human standards, for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ” [2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-5]. Some truths are worth fighting for!
Not every hill is worth dying on, but some hills do demand that we fight. These high grounds overlook all movement that must pass by them. If we fail to occupy these hills, we surrender the future of the Faith. We must know the truths that are essential and devote ourselves to standing for those truths. We must allow the Spirit of God to instruct us so that we recognise those truths that are less important. Then, we must heed the words penned by Jude, the brother of our Lord, “to continue [our] vigorous defense of the Faith that was passed down to the saints once and for all” [JUDE 3 ISV].
THE ZEAL OF THE JUDAIZERS — “Some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved’” [ACTS 15:1]. No one can doubt the zeal of these Jewish followers of Christ. Though they confessed with their mouths the necessity of salvation, and even confessed that such salvation was found only in Jesus the Messiah, they could not let go of the customs with which they had grown up. They had obviously confused grace with the efforts they demanded from any who would follow Jesus. Consequently, they appear to have been convinced that the rites and rituals that they had known since childhood and with which they were comfortable were necessary if one was to know the mercy of God. In this, they were much like too many professed Christians to this day.
We know of communions that insist that one must be baptised in order to be saved. Others demand that the baptism must use a particular formula during the baptism if the one being baptised will be saved. Oneness Pentecostals are one such group that is guilty of making this absurd demand. On one occasion, a pastor of a nearby Oneness Pentecostal group encouraged me to come speak to his people. He insisted that the people would love to hear me and that I would be a real encouragement to them.
I declined his invitation, noting that I would surely introduce a source of conflict among his people. He was surprised by my refusal to speak, asking what I meant by my statement that I would become the source of conflict.
“Well,” I began, “what do you believe about salvation? How is a person saved?”
“They must believe in Jesus,” he said with great confidence.
“And?” I questioned.
“Well, they have to be baptised in Jesus Name,” he replied, somewhat less confidently than he had been prior to this.
“And?” I again challenged.
“Well,” and he was decidedly less confident now, “they have to get the gift of the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues.”
“And?” I asked, knowing that we were nowhere near finished.
“Well,” he spoke haltingly, “they have to hold on to the end.”
At this, I at last informed him of why I would not accept his offer to speak to his congregation. “That is the reason I would not be welcomed to speak to your religious society. I would bring the message that one is saved by faith in Jesus as Lord of life, plus nothing and minus nothing. Those who believe in Him will be saved and kept forever. Your people would hear that salvation is the free gift of God for all who believe. They can do nothing to either earn God’s love to make themselves more acceptable to Him.”
The response of this man was telling. When I had concluded leading him through these questions why he would not welcome me to speak to this people, he replied, “You’re right. You wouldn’t be welcome. You are not teaching what I would teach.”
I concluded our conversation by telling this man that we represented two disparate religions—one true and one false. By my own confession, I was holding to the Faith of Christ the Lord, and he was labouring under the delusion that he was able to improve on what God had given in the Word. Therefore, I understood that he was teaching an errant religion that was unworthy to be compared to the Faith once delivered to the saints of God. There could be no comity between us in the matter of what we believed and taught.
In concert with the Oneness Pentecostal cult, the movement commonly known as the Churches of Christ, colloquially known as Campbellites in the United States, insist that without baptism one cannot be saved. What is more damning still is that the baptism demanded by these groups must meet the specific criteria and formulae they have imagined. It is worthwhile to note that Roman Catholics, Apostolics, and even some Anglicans likewise hold to this insistence that baptism is necessary if they will be saved. Imagine! A physical act can make you acceptable to God! It is not unlike the attempts of dedicated Muslims to make themselves acceptable through flagellation.
We are aware of religions that insist that one must participate in various rituals specified by that communion on some continuing basis. Failure to participate in the prescribed ritual carries severe consequences in the view of those making such demands. The ritual demanded could be auricular confession, or it may involve receiving the eucharist, or it may be recitation of some prescribed prayer, or it can consist of any number of other rituals that the communion deems necessary. As example of such demands, it is well-known that the Roman Catholic communion insists on the necessity of auricular confession, whereas other communions will say that the various rites of their denomination may not be strictly required if one is to be saved but will nevertheless insist that the rites they demand will add to the grace received. Those who add to the Faith of Christ the Lord seem always eager to convert others to their view. However, the conversion is to a religion and not to Christ. You can be part of the group so long as you play by their rules, and an unseen God reigning over your life won’t cut it with them. They may grudgingly agree that you may be a Christian, but if you want to be a “real Christian” you need to accept the particular rites they are pushing.
No one questions the zeal of the cultists. We must admit admiration for the determination of Mormon missionaries. These young men take a couple of years out of their lives to travel to a distant community where they will spend their days visiting house-to-house attempting to convince people that their strange religion is trustworthy. If you allow them to do so, they will tell you how they know they are correct because they had a burning in their breast that “proves” they have indeed been saved.
You won’t receive the full story at the first, but if you accept what they are selling, it won’t be long until you begin to hear some truly weird tales. Soon enough you’ll learn that you can’t drink tea or coffee, and Coca-Cola will be off the menu. It is a grievous sin to ingest caffeine because it is a stimulant. You’ll learn that as an adherent you will need to wear holy underwear. Now some people may wear underwear full of holes, but nowhere in the Bible is there a requirement for sanctified underwear. You will discover that it is indeed a strange religion that must be pulled up to allow one to go out. Then, you’ll learn that Jesus had a brother who is actually Lucifer, and that these two lads lived on a planet that has yet to be discovered, a planet named Kolob. There, a human mother birthed these lads along with thousands of others. Do enough good, and if you are a male, take enough wives and you can become a god. Good work, if you can get it.
Zealous? You bet! And I suppose that the zeal of these dedicated cultists rests in great measure in the fact that they are embarrassed to have to believe such wild fantasies. It is possible that they feel they can justify what they claim to believe if enough people agree with them that such demented ideas are reality.
Again, we must grudgingly admit that the people calling themselves Jehovah’s Witnesses are zealous, but as the Apostle said of the Judaizers plaguing Christians then, “I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” [ROMANS 10:2-4].
If they work hard enough, if they claw their way to the top of the heap, they may get to be one of the select 144,000 whom they believe will share eternity with Jehovah. Otherwise, they will have to be content to be part of the Ruth and Jonadab class who will live on earth for all eternity. Work hard enough visiting throughout your community, and you get a chance to live forever. Fail to make the grade, and you can remain in the grave. I can’t speak for you, but I don’t think that is such a great deal.
Other cults insist that it is necessary for those who wish to be saved to make a pilgrimage to some shrine or temple to prove their worthiness to be counted as one who is acceptable to God. Still others insist that some specifically prescribed work must be performed on an ongoing basis if an adherent is to have even a hope of salvation.
After considering these various demanding positions, let me be clear that no one questions the zeal of adherents of these various cults and sects. It may be quite legitimate to ask why members of the various cults and sects are so enthusiastic, so ardent in their efforts to gain adherents or to destroy those who disagree with them. I can imagine several reasons why this should be the case.
Perhaps the most obvious reason for such devotion to their cause, and the reason they exhibit such fervour in attempting to discredit any who disagree with them, is that they feel the need to validate their choice. These individuals have made a choice to espouse a particular doctrinal position that is at variance with the historic orthodox Faith, and they know that they are holding to a tenuous position. Perhaps realising the tenuous nature of their position, they are embarrassed and seek to assure themselves that they are correct in what they have embraced. Talk about utter failure! Few would admit that their desire to validate their choice is sufficient reason to be as ardent as they are, but without question it accounts for the zeal of many, perhaps even most adherents.
Often, people are unaware that the back door for many of the cults opens wider than does the front door. People speak of the spectacular growth of various cults, as though their dynamic growth is evidence of the verity of all they espouse. However, few focus on the dramatic statistics revealing the ongoing exit from the same cult.
Yet another reason for the eagerness of cultists and sectarian religionists to enroll others as converts to the error they have embraced and now espouse is that they seem to believe they are able to obtain standing before the god they imagine they are serving. They reason that accumulating those who agree with their deviant doctrinal position will somehow be able to obtain merit with their god, or so they imagine. Tragically, the cultists seldom give serious thought to the reason behind the drive to gain adherents, but the motive for this labour is apparent to others watching their efforts. Having deceived themselves, they must maintain the façade they have created.
I would ask you to recall the warning that Paul delivered to the Ephesian elders when he met with them at Miletus. “I know that when I’m gone savage wolves will come among you and not spare the flock. Indeed, some of your own men will arise and distort the truth in order to lure the disciples into following them” [ACTS 20:29-30 ISV].
The warning Paul delivered at that time echoed a truth revealed as the Master instructed the disciples in dynamics that would be taking place immediately before the return of the Christ to judge the earth. Even as He was describing life during the time of the Great Tribulation, Jesus warned, “Then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand” [MATTHEW 24:21-25].
The desire to appease the false god demonstrated by those who have embraced error must be contrasted with the reliance displayed by the follower of Christ Jesus. We understand from what is written in the Word and from the arduous work in the trenches of life that the Spirit of God must draw an individual to faith in the Saviour. We cannot argue anyone into the Kingdom of God. We cannot convince anyone that Jesus is Lord. It is the work of the Spirit of Christ that draws a person to faith in the Risen Lord.
And yet, having reviewed these points, we need to be clear that those who will follow the Saviour are instructed to vigorously refute error and to oppose those who adhere to such soul-damning teaching. Paul insisted that the man of God must stand against error, writing, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible” [EPHESIANS 5:11-13].
You will recall that the Apostle admonished Timothy, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” [2 TIMOTHY 4:1-5].
We also witness Paul instructing Titus in this matter. “As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned” [TITUS 3:10-11].
We are to declare the Word of God; we have no mandate to debate the Word. Reviewing the purpose why he assigned Titus to remain in Crete, Paul reminds the young preacher that he is to appoint elders. He is to appoint elders based on evident maturity in the Faith. The Apostle asserts, “An overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” [TITUS 1:7-9]. The elder must confront error, rebuking the errant person.
Paul delivers the purpose for what some would deem to be harsh, confrontational instruction when he writes, “For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth” [TITUS 1:10-14].
THE RESOLVE OF THE APOSTLES — “After Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question” [ACTS 15:2]. Paul and Barnabas engaged in sharp dispute and debate with these determined souls who would turn the people of God from the freedom that is ours in Christ Jesus. Though the Judaizers were confident in what they were teaching, they were teaching something that was grossly aberrant, and which would condemn those who accepted their teaching to a life of spiritual slavery. Those who listened to these men would quickly be led astray, rendering them susceptible to a deadly form of sin. By using the word “deadly,” I mean to stress the danger to those thinking they should accept such spiritual drivel.
To attempt to present any human effort on behalf of one who imagines our efforts are necessary to receive the grace of God nullifies that very grace they are attempting to claim. Paul makes this obvious when he confronts the Christians of Galatia, challenging them to think. The Apostle wrote, “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
“But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose” [GALATIANS 2:15-21].
The Apostle was driven to employ what some will undoubtedly consider harsh language because the consequence of tolerating such error is so dangerous. Paul had witnessed even Peter’s susceptibility to surrendering his freedom in Christ for the sake of approval from some Judaizers. Peer pressure could derail the freedom found in Christ, just as peer pressure compels many among the churches subtly to embrace a theology that demands a loss of freedom. Therefore, Paul would continue with some rather harsh words as he confronted the Galatian Christians, writing, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith” [GALATIANS 3:1-5]?
The Apostle was so incensed by this evil that threatened the spiritual vitality of these early churches that he burst into incredibly strong invective toward the Judaizers when he wrote, “I wish that those who are upsetting you would castrate themselves” [GALATIANS 5:12 ISV]! If they insisted that the foreskin of the penis needed to be cut off just to be pleasing to the Lord, then they should go all the way and castrate themselves! Of course, the very suggestion is crazy! No rational man would willingly castrate himself anymore than a rational woman would cut off her breasts, and especially casting such an act as some demented devotional deed! However, the Apostle’s point is that those insisting upon doing something to make oneself acceptable to God are dangerous in the extreme! Such an action was so over-the-top that extreme language was required just so the people could be deterred from thinking that such a monstrous act could be correct.
I do not want to leave the impression that we should pick a fight simply to fight, nor would I suggest that any Christian should ever seek to degrade those with whom we disagree. However, for the sake of fellow Christians we must never allow error to continue unchallenged, as though such error could be tolerable or even remotely valid. We are responsible to expose error as error, which means that we must know what is true so that we don’t fall into the trap of silent acquiescence or tolerance of error. This is the reason I urge the people of God to read the Word, meditating on what is written therein. Then, act with discretion in dependence upon the guidance of the Spirit of Christ so that you will act honourably and wisely.
The turbulence within contemporary society is intense and growing, and that turmoil has spilled into the churches. Churches are now being rent asunder; they are conceding the field to a novel new theology that hasn’t been witnessed since the days of the Old Testament Prophets. The theology can be described as the exaltation of evil. God warned through Isaiah of precisely such exaltation of evil, when He said,
“Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood,
who draw sin as with cart ropes,
who say: ‘Let him be quick,
let him speed his work
that we may see it;
let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near,
and let it come, that we may know it!’
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
and shrewd in their own sight!
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine,
and valiant men in mixing strong drink,
who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
and deprive the innocent of his right!”
[ISAIAH 5:18-23]
In this present day we are witnessing a dramatic increase in the number of churches that are tolerant of, even eagerly advocating for same sex marriage and for normalising homosexuality. This strange distortion of the Faith is not restricted to one religious communion; rather, it is pervasive throughout the whole of Christendom. Jettisoning millennia of human history, multiple religious institutions, for I hesitate to characterise them as churches of the Risen Saviour, are acting as though such wickedness is acceptable and righteous before the Living God.
Religious leaders focus their efforts on making people comfortable. Therefore, they are willing to insult the Saviour Who sacrificed His life for fallen people! Someone should inform them that the Apostle to the Gentiles did not share their distorted view. Paul has written, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” [1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-10].
This teaching is solidly based on the Word which God gave through Moses, who wrote, “You must not have sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman; it is a detestable act” [LEVITICUS 18:22 NET BIBLE]. This proscription was strengthened when Moses then wrote, “If a man has sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman, the two of them have committed an abomination. They must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves” [LEVITICUS 20:13 NET BIBLE].
For this reason, the dark sentence pronounced in the opening chapter of the Letter to Christians in Rome summarises God’s view of the society which has turned from righteousness. God warns, “God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
“For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” [ROMANS 1:24-27].
Bad as that situation may be, society witnesses increasing numbers of people suffering under the illusion that they can choose what sex they will be, disregarding biology and genetics. We are witnessing a phenomenon unknown in the whole of human history when an entire generation of youth are experiencing a form of mass insanity. This particular mental aberration can persist only when individuals deny reality and refuse to accept science. Are a growing number of our contemporaries drinking unicorn milk and eating rainbows? Because this mental deficit is growing rapidly!
What is worse, growing numbers of church leaders are admonishing parishioners that they must go along with this insanity by agreeing with the mental illness that these deluded souls have embraced. Yet, the Master of the Faith, He Who created all things, is on recorded as saying, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female” [MATTHEW 19:4]. God did not create people as male and female and something else.
We even witness churches justifying theft and riot as acts of repatriation. Multiplied assemblies have ceased to be temples of the Holy Spirit to become political entities advancing socialism. So many churches appear to be haunts of demons instead of congregations of righteousness. Violence and immorality increasingly define contemporary western society, and the churches overwhelmingly refuse to stand against all such evil. Need I remind you that such conditions brought judgement long ago when God sent the great flood on the earth. The reason God judged the earth in that ancient day is recorded in the first book of the Bible. “The earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth’” [GENESIS 6:11-13]. The situations I’ve just described should not be seen as mere societal discontent; they define a new theology that exalts the debased will of fallen people by challenging God’s pre-eminence over life.
And long before these spiritual aberrations were adopted and promoted, increasing numbers of churches had already pushed the idea that women could be elders despite the clear teaching of the Word of God. And before that step, the churches had adopted a policy of silence before the scourge of divorce. The Zion of the Lord had grown complacent and comfortable, refusing to seek to be godly amid a world that was increasingly characterised as pursuing acceptance by the world rather than seeking God’s glory. And the start of this downward migration began when the preachers refused to lovingly declare the truth of God Who is Holy and were silent when error first began to infiltrate the assemblies.
In the face of the wickedness embraced by leaders who see themselves as sociologist worshipping at the shrine of psychology, though they have no understanding of biblical theology and are ignorant of righteousness, modern Christians proved to be as foolish as Israel when the offices of the Faith were filled by those who purchased a position rather than being appointed by the God they claimed to serve. Should we wonder at the mess in which modern society finds itself? How did the leaders of the Faith become advocates for whatever society wanted rather than leading people toward righteousness? One must wonder where are the voices that speak out against wickedness in this day? Where are the leaders among the churches that are willing to cry out to God for justice and to plead with people to live righteous and holy lives?
THE ISSUES AT STAKE — “Some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved’” [ACTS 15:1]. The issue was foundational for the Faith of Christ the Lord. One side, the Judaizers, were insistent that people had to do something to be saved. Against that thought were Paul and Barnabas, insisting that salvation was all of grace.
The very existence of the Faith of Christ the Lord was at stake. Whether there would be a vibrant, living Faith of the Lord Jesus Christ in the future was in doubt if the Judaizers prevailed. Paul and Barnabas were not fighting for their own place in history, they were fighting to ensure that there would be a future for the Faith. And though the future of the Faith may not depend upon whether you or I stand firm in the Faith once delivered to the saints, those who look to us—children, siblings, parents, friends, colleagues—may be turned from the Faith if we fail to stand for what is right.
I am not prepared to suggest that your firm stand against error will ensure that the Faith will persist in our nation well into the future; neither am I prepared to suggest that should you concede the field to error the Faith will shortly disappear from the earth. However, I am quite prepared to boldly state that your firm, conscientious, and consistent stand for the Faith will encourage fellow church members to stand firm in the Faith. It is quite certain that if you do not stand firm in the Faith, family members will have little incentive to turn to Christ as Master over their own lives—you have that much influence. Your stance for Christ does have an impact on those who look up to you, and there are always some who are looking to you as an example of the believer.
As followers of the Risen Lord of Glory, we are now engaged in a war, a war for the souls of those about us. This is not a war that is to be fought as those identified as belonging to the world fight—ours is a spiritual conflict. The Word of God has taught us, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” [EPHESIANS 6:12].
Because this is a spiritual war, Scripture has informed us who look to the Saviour, “The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” [2 CORINTHIANS 10:4-5].
Though he was speaking of his immediate service on behalf of others, the words of the Apostle Paul are applicable to each Christian who now serves the Risen Saviour. “As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left” [2 CORINTHIANS 6:4-7].
We have weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left! We are fully armed with the Word of God and with prayer. Both the Word and prayer will draw us close to the Master as we move through this darkened world. In our interactions in the world, we speak the truth in love as we plead with lost friends and family members to receive Christ as Master over their life. The knowledge of Christ shining through our daily walk reminds all who know us that Jesus is Lord and that all who know Him will walk in freedom. And who knows how many of those whom we know will ask us how they may have this same forgiveness that has set us free? Remember how Peter has admonished us as Christians, “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” [1 PETER 3:13-15]. The call of this message is for Christians who hear me to take up your cross, standing firm in this holy Faith. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] NET BIBLE
[3] CSB
[4] ISV
