e-Sword Live You may already be familiar with e-Sword, the outstanding free Bible software for Windows PC, and its smaller companion, Pocket e-Sword. I've just discovered a new platform where this tool resides, called e-Sword Live, an online Web 2.0 Bible study tool.

You'll need to register to access all the features of e-Sword Live. After selecting a user ID and supplying your name and email address, you will receive a temporary password to log in to the site. Once you log in, you will want to visit your profile to select your favorite translations, commentaries, dictionaries, lexicons, and topical resources. You can even link to verses on the e-Sword Live site in blog posts. When readers follow those links, they will have access to commentaries, dictionaries, and lexicons coordinated with the linked passage -- a nice advantage in comparison to other existing online Bible study sites. If you are logged in to e-Sword Live while browsing, you can switch between your selected translations, commentaries etc just like in the original e-Sword application. If you are not logged in, you will get the ESV for Bible text and the Matthew Henry Concise Commentary when you follow the link.

I think I'll start using that tool for scripture links. Let me know what you think!  ¶ 11:27 AM  1 Comments Links to this post

  Alternate Views The Christian Standard is currently featuring a pair of articles explaining two sides of the issue around the role of women in the church. In one, Joe Harvey takes the complementarian position. In the other, Lana West takes the egalitarian position.

I'm not going to get back into that debate, since I covered it previously in my series on First Corinthians. But I thought it was worthy of note that the Christian Standard is willing to present both sides of such a controversial topic, without making it an issue of fellowship.

Both sides cannot be correct. But I believe there are sincere Christians on both sides of the issue. A person can have their sins forgiven and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit without understanding anything about this topic. Such a person is therefore a brother or sister in Christ.

I doubt any Christian has absolutely perfect understanding of every Christian doctrine. We need to be willing to embrace as a brother those who disagree on topics like this one, because of our unity on the core gospel. Kudos to the Christian Standard for demonstrating that kind of unity.  ¶ 8:29 AM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Christian Unity and Politics Christianity and politics have had a rocky relationship.

In the early days of the church, government persecuted the church. Later, the government practically merged with the church. Those previously persecuted Christians must have viewed the sanction of government as a wonderful thing. But centuries of state-sponsored Christianity led to war in the name of Christ, and to corruption of both the morals and the doctrine of the church. In more recent times, separation of church and state has become the rule in western cultures.

Today, opinions among Christians vary about the relationship between church and state. Some believe the church should actively promote its agenda in the political realm. Others believe the church should focus on meeting the spiritual needs of individuals, and leave politics alone.

If your priority is Christian unity, then politics can be a hindrance. The American two-party system has a tendency to polarize issues. There are major Christian values on both sides of the aisle. One side opposes abortion, while the other side opposes the war. One side emphasizes individual responsibility, while the other advocates expansion of the government-sponsored safety net. Since we aren't offered a choice that perfectly matches our Christian values, different Christians are drawn to different ends of the political spectrum depending on how they prioritize the issues, and on which compromises they find least offensive.

Many churches lack diversity of culture and therefore of political persuasion. I suspect those churches are the ones most likely to be politically active and to take public positions on political issues. Those who have a successful outreach to a diversity of cultures have to be more diplomatic about politics.

There are some opinions that Christians should keep between themselves and God, for the sake of unity. I think controversial political views are on that list.  ¶ 5:44 AM  5 Comments Links to this post

  What One Must Know to be Saved: Conclusions From the preceding discussion, the things a person must know to be saved are obvious. In the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit has recorded for us numerous examples of the gospel being preached to a variety of people. Some of these people were Jews and well versed in the Old Testament scriptures. Others were Gentiles with no understanding of God. The inspired preachers taught an appropriate message in each situation, always pointing toward the same thing.

To receive the promises of the gospel of Christ, a person had to know that God created the world and everything in it, including all mankind; that man had fallen into sin and rebellion against God; that God commanded them to repent; that He had sent his Son, Jesus, the Messiah, into the world to save us from our sin; that Jesus died for our sins; that Jesus was raised from the dead; and that God appointed Jesus to preside over a final judgment of every person.

The evangelists in the book of Acts started at the level of understanding of their audience, and taught what was missing in order to bring them to a basic understanding of those facts. For many, that happened in a single teaching session. For others, it took days of examining the scriptures. And for some, the message was presented repeatedly over a period of months or years. As Paul told Agrippa, conversion might take a short time or a long time.

Once a person had been taught enough to understand and believe those basic facts, they were baptized into Jesus for forgiveness of sins and were added to the church. Subsequently, the teaching continued as they learned more and more about their new lives in Christ.

It is interesting to note what is not recorded in any of the examples of conversion found in scripture.

First, there was no catechism class, and no comprehensive study of doctrine before conversion. Of course, during the timeframe of Acts there was no ambiguity about which Christian church one should join. But there were doctrinal controversies (see Acts 15). Those were important topics which certainly had to be taught to the church. But they were not part of what was taught during the conversion process. People were converted to Jesus, not to a certain form of worship, nor to a form of church government, nor to a particular hermeneutic, etc.

Second, there was no comprehensive study of all the sin in a person's life before conversion. There always seems to have been some specific sin from which they were challenged to repent. But they were always called to make Jesus Lord of their lives. That covers all the other bases. As the new convert progressively learned about sin and righteousness, they continued to repent, because Jesus was their Lord.

Third, there was no trial period to prove repentance prior to conversion. Once a person came to faith in Jesus, and made Jesus Lord, they could be baptized. Of course, the example of John the Baptist (Luke 3:7-8) shows us that we should call for repentance and that we should not overlook clear evidence of a lack of repentance. But conversions in Acts typically occurred in a single encounter, and the convert's commitment to make Jesus Lord was taken at face value.

There is much more that should be taught after conversion. As Thomas Campbell stated in his sixth proposition, there are many things that "belong to the after and progressive edification of the church" which are not meant to be part of the profession of faith given at conversion.

The basic facts taught to potential converts are sufficient to bring them into a saved relationship with God, and to place them in the church. Therefore, the only things required in order for a person to remain in that saved relationship with God, and in the fellowship of the church, is for them to continue in what they began: faith in Jesus, and submission to Jesus as Lord.

Labels: What One Must Know to be Saved

  ¶ 9:00 AM  1 Comments Links to this post

  What One Must Know to be Saved: Corinth Luke records in Acts 18 that Paul entered Corinth and taught them the gospel.

Act 18:4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
Act 18:5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.

Later, Paul summarized his message to the Corinthians:

1Co 2:2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Later in the same letter, Paul further elaborates on the gospel message he delivered in Corinth:

1Co 15:1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
1Co 15:2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
1Co 15:4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
1Co 15:5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
1Co 15:6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
1Co 15:7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
1Co 15:8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
1Co 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
1Co 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
1Co 15:11 Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

That is the message on which they "took their stand." In other words, those are the essential facts upon which their saving faith was based. Paul's message to the Corinthians was the same as it was to everyone else:

1. Jesus was the Christ
2. Christ died "for our sins"
3. Christ was raised from the dead
4. Evidence! All this was in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, and is confirmed by the eyewitness testimony of more than 500 people.
   

Paul also pointed out that the gospel had a dramatic effect in his own life (a fact they could easily observe). Paul "got it." When someone understands the gospel message about what Jesus did for us, and why, it has an effect.

Labels: What One Must Know to be Saved

  ¶ 9:00 AM  0 Comments Links to this post

  What One Must Know to be Saved: Agrippa In Acts 26, we have Luke's account of Paul's defense before King Agrippa.

King Agrippa was familiar with the Old Testament prophets. It was not necessary in his case to establish the basic facts about God and his past relations with the Jews. So in Paul, in his testimony before Agrippa, simply explained how he, as a Pharisee, had come to believe in Jesus and to devote his life to spreading that message.

Paul told Agrippa of his background as a Jew, and that his recent activities were the result of his hope in the promises God made to the Jews. He explained how he had persecuted the church, and recounted his conversion on the road to Damascus. And he told Agrippa of the instructions he received from Jesus:

Act 26:17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them
Act 26:18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

And he testified that in his subsequent activities he was carrying out those instructions.

Act 26:19 "So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.
Act 26:20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.

Paul then summarized the gospel message he had been teaching:

Act 26:22 But I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen--
Act 26:23 that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles."

Paul's message to Agrippa contained the same elements as we have seen previously:

1. That Jesus is the Christ prophesied in the Old Testament;
2. That Jesus suffered and died and rose from the dead;
3. That Jews and Gentiles alike are called to repent and turn to God;
4. That forgiveness of sins was offered through faith in Jesus.

Agrippa was not immediately converted by Paul's testimony:

Act 26:28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?"
Act 26:29 Paul replied, "Short time or long--I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains."

As Paul indicated, the message sometimes converts in a short time, but in other instances conversion requires a longer time. And in Agrippa's case, as is too often the case, he apparently never did come to accept the message.

Labels: What One Must Know to be Saved

  ¶ 9:00 AM  0 Comments Links to this post

  What One Must Know to be Saved: Felix

Act 24:24-25 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you."

Paul's arrest in Jerusalem eventually led to a trial before Felix, governor of Judea. Felix was well acquainted with the Way. But historians tell us that Felix was a man of many vices. As Adam Clarke says:

As bad a governor as Felix most certainly was, he rendered some services to Judea... This was all true; but, notwithstanding this, he is well known from his own historians, and from Josephus, to have been not only a very bad man, but also a very bad governor. He was mercenary, oppressive, and cruel; and of all these the Jews brought proofs to Nero, before whom they accused him; and, had it not been for the interest and influence of his brother Pallas; he had been certainly ruined.

Something of the character of Felix can be seen from the fact that he frequently called for Paul, hoping to receive a bribe.

Despite the fact that Paul was on trial before Felix, and dependent upon the governor for favorable verdict, he boldly chose to preach to him about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come -- directly challenging the life and character of the governor. Felix responded with fear, and sent Paul away.

The text does not give us all the details of Paul's message. But what we do learn is that, in preaching the gospel to a lost man, Paul directly challenged the sin in his life. Righteousness, self control, and the judgment to come were important parts of the message Paul delivered to the lost -- so important that Paul did not omit it even when it might cost him his freedom, or his life.

Labels: What One Must Know to be Saved

  ¶ 9:00 AM  1 Comments Links to this post