3 The Spirit's Sword

May 18, 1997 Northside church of Christ · 5201 NW RD · Bellingham, WA Volume 1.14

The Spirit's Sword

Give To Caesar

_Iuse "Caesar" here to refer to civil government, remembering that Jesus said, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's" (Matt. 22:21). When the Herod­ians attempted to ensnare Jesus as an enemy of the state, He respond­ed with one of the best remembered statements of His entire life. What does it have to do with you and me today? In whatever country the Christian finds himself a citizen, God's word marks out unalterable things which "belong to Caesar."

The basic thing which belongs to Caesar which citizens are to render is SUBJECTION. Fundamentally, this is because God established civil government in the first place. "Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the powers that be are ordained of God" (Rom. 13:1). Our subjection to government takes several forms, some of which are dis­cussed in the Bible. (1) Obedience to its laws. This obedience is to be given to all levels of government (cf. 1 Pet. 2:13-14). The apostle Paul illus­trates this obedience in his defense before Festus (Acts 25:11). We are to do more than merely obey those laws with which we agree. Only when civil law violates divine law are we obligated to forego the former (Acts 5:29). (2) Respect for our leaders. That may be hard to do, given the corruption that seems so common in politics. No harder though, I suppose, than it would be to honor Nero, the king of Rome about the time this commandment was given (1 Pet. 2:17). (3) Taxes. Yes, this is an obligation endorsed by Jesus (Matt. 22:17-21). (4) Our prayers. We owe it to our leaders to pray for them. God rules the nations (Acts 17:26; Jn. 19:10-11). As God's people, we must petition Him on behalf of our rulers. In this way, we affect the affairs of the nations.

Government exists for our benefit (Rom. 13:3-4). When Christians "render unto Caesar" his due, they are obeying God (Rom. 13:2). -jrp

Assignments: Sunday, May 17

Announcements: Rick Holt

Opening Prayer: R. Holt / R. McGrew

Closing Prayer: S. Bass / E. DeWispelaere

Song Leader: R. McGrew / TBA

Scripture: C. Fair / W. Humphrey

Lord’s Supper: T. Haith / J. Bass / M. Bass

Building Cleanup (May 24): Golightly/Wilkins

· Thank you to everyone who preached and taught classes during my trip to Kaunas, Lithuania. It is genuinely encouraging to know of your willingness to be involved in the Lord’s work. May our Lord continue to bless us all with hearts of servitude toward one another and devotion to Christ.

· Men’s Class - Tues. 7:00 - Gary Bass ·

· Women’s Class - Fri. 10:00 - McGrew ·

Christ’s Teaching Today.......

Matthew 18:15-17? Why would He speak of the "church" to Jews if He was teaching them the Law of Moses? Ultimately, none of Jesus' words would apply to our lives!

This doctrine is self-serving and foreign to the word of truth. Beware the doctrines of men! -jrp

SERVICE SCHEDULE

Sunday: 9:30 & 10:30 AM; 6:00 PM

Wednesday: 7:00 PM

Christ’s

Teaching Today

_Can we properly apply the words of Jesus to the lives of Christians today? Some brethren are preaching that since Jesus lived under the Law of Moses, and since His main audiences were Jews, that what Jesus was really doing in His earthly teaching was instructing Jews in the law of Moses. Then, these modern-day exegetes conclude that we are taking Jesus out of context when we apply His personal teachings to all men (including Christians) today.

For instance, the advocates of this doctrine tell us that Jesus was merely teaching the law of Moses in the sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). They have relegated the sermon which may be rightly characterized as the charter of the kingdom of Christ to a discourse on "a shadow of the good things to come" (Heb. 10:1). While it is true that Jesus came to fulfill the law of Moses, it is also clear that He distinguishes Himself as superior to that law (Matt. 5:17-18, 22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44; 7:28-29).

There appears to be an ulterior motive for reaching such a prepos­terous conclusion about the personal teachings of Jesus. Those advocat­ing this doctrine are the same ones who are compromising Jesus' plain teaching on divorce and remarriage (one man for one woman for life, with one reason for divorce and approved remarriage - Matt. 19:1-9). Jesus' teaching is for every person who marries ("from the beginning," "man and woman," "whosoever"). Yet, we are being told that we cannot apply Matt. 19:9 to Christians because Jesus was teaching Jews what the law of Moses said on divorce and remar­riage. My brethren, this is nothing more than twisting God's word (2 Pet. 3:16)!

Where will this perverted view of Christ's personal teach­ing lead us? I suppose we cannot warn all men (including Christians) against human traditions since Jesus spoke His warning to Jews (Matt. 15:1-9). What about His teaching on church discipline in (cont. in column two)

Identifying False Teachers

There is a tendency these days to reject preaching that gets too specific, that calls the names of false teachers, that exposes the errors of men. While the Bible continues to command us to "preach the word...reprove, rebuke...," there are those who will not endure sound doctrine nor the opposition of false doctrine (2 Tim. 4:2-4).

A personal test should be taken. How do you react when a person and what he teaches is publicly identified and response is given? Do such personal identifica­tions upset you? Would you prefer only hearing about the principles of truth while avoiding specific doctrinal applications? If so, you are danger­ously close to the crowd described in 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

This is not to say that under every circumstance the false teacher must be publicly named for his teaching to be effectively exposed and opposed. Such is not the case (cf. 1 Cor. 15:12). But at times it is necessary for several reasons. These reasons include:

(1) Clearly identifying error and who is teaching it. An example of this is Paul's naming of Hymenaeus and Philetus in 2 Timothy 2:16-18. By naming these men Paul made it clear that their doctrine was over­throwing people's faith and such had to be opposed. Therefore, we are given scriptural prerogative to do the same thing today. At times, we must.

(2) Giving a warning against sin. This is done in 1 Corinthi­ans 5:1. Paul did not call the man by name (they all knew who he was talking about), but identification was made, nonetheless. Such personal identification was needed to warn the brethren not to have fellowship with sin through any conduct which would indi­cate support (i.e., social contact, 1 Cor. 5:2, 9-11). To avoid fellowship with sin we must know what the sin is and who is commit­ting it (2 Jn. 10-11). This is a matter of protecting the body of Christ from the influences of error. At times this re­quires personally identify­ing the teacher or practitioner of error (1 Cor. 5:6-7).

(3) Trying to save the false teacher and those he influences. Unless we are willing to identify and approach the one who teaches error, how shall we persuade him with the truth? Perhaps he simply has not been taught the truth. Peter's public conduct occasioned Paul's public confrontation because he "walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:14). Paul was very specific. At times, so must we (cf. Phil. 4:9).

A number of reasons are offered by those who oppose this approach to contend­ing for the faith (Jude 3). Some prominent offerings are:

(1) It is not edifying. Those who are uncomfortable with naming the names of false teachers tell us that to do so "tears down rather than builds up." Those who have specifically identi­fied false teachers and their false doctrine have been labeled "trou­ble-makers" and are accused of "running people away." That is nothing new (cf. Elijah and Ahab in 1 Kgs. 18:17-18). If it is really true that by its very nature such an approach is not edify­ing, then we must include Jesus, Paul and John to Ahab’s list of "trouble-­makers" (Matt. 23:2-3; 2 Tim. 2:16-18; 3 Jn. 9-10). In Acts 20:28-32, after warning of future false teach­ers, Paul commended them to the "word of His grace" which would edify and save them. Edification is compatible with warnings against false teachers.

(2) It is not showing love toward others. This is heard from those who confuse Biblical love with an emotional feeling. They believe that if someone's feelings are hurt, then they have not been treated lovingly. (Do you suppose the scribes and Pharisee's feelings were hurt after hearing what Jesus said about them in Matthew 23?) However, true love seeks the best interests of its object. True love for one another is walking after the Lord's commandments (2 Jn. 5-6). Love does not overlook sin, it helps to overcome it through expo­sure and repentance (Gal. 6:1; Jas. 5:19-20). Who truly loved Peter in Galatians 2:11-14, the Judaizers who supported his conduct toward the Gentiles, or Paul, who confronted him about his error? Obviously, Paul did. Do not be afraid to "speak the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15).

(3) Since nobody is 100 % doctrinally correct, we should not make an issue out of doctrinal differences. This person fails to appreciate two things about truth: first, that it can be under­stood correctly, and secondly, that God expects us to know it and to abide in it (Eph. 3:3-4; 5:17; Jn. 8:31-32; 1 Tim. 2:3-4; 2 Jn. 9). This approach to unity in spite of doctrinal diversity will eventually eliminate the Bible as the final standard on matters of revealed faith (doctrine). Even now, those who dare to expose and oppose the false teacher and his teaching is viewed as "legalistic," "credalis­tic," and as having a "party spirit." Nothing has changed since Galatians 1:6-10 was written. We can under­stand the gospel and when we do, we will understand it alike. Other­wise, the curse given in Galatians 1 against false teachers and what they teach becomes meaning­less.

We must not be afraid to confront false teachers and their doctrin­al errors. Such shows love for truth, for lost souls and for those who teach error. Do not be deceived into thinking otherwise (Rev. 2:2-3).

-Joe Price