Articles Archives - Page 17 of 116 - Flatwoods church of Christ

Baptism and Salvation

December 2, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

The Bible clearly teaches baptism saves us (1 Pet. 3:21). The gospel is God’s power to salvation for all (Rom. 1:16). Jesus said when the gospel is preached, those who believe it and are baptized shall be saved (Mk. 16:15, 16). God’s power to save may be accessed by following His instructions. When Naaman was told to wash in the Jordan river to be healed of his leprosy, the power was not in the water of the Jordan river but in God (2 Kgs. 5:10, 14). When Noah and his family were saved by water (1 Pet. 3:20), they were in fact saved by God (2 Pet. 2:4, 5). Water was simply the means God used for salvation in these examples, and it is how God saves people today.

Baptism is God’s operation to cut away sins, forgive, and give spiritual life (Col. 2:11-13). Baptism is a burial of the old man of sin and the resurrection of the new man in Christ (Col. 2:12; Rom. 6:3-7). We are servants of sin until we are buried with Christ in baptism (Rom. 6:6). If not removed, sin results in death (Rom. 6:23). Baptism results in the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Instead of waiting on the Lord to save us, we should recognize He has provided the way to be saved and be baptized to have our sins washed away (Acts 22:16).

Baptism is a water birth into the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:5). We become children of God by faith when we put Christ on in baptism (Gal. 3:26, 27). Titus 3:5 refers to baptism when it states God “saved us, by the washing of regeneration.” When a child is born into a family, they are part of the next generation. To regenerate means to bring new life. It is equivalent to being born again (Jn. 3:3, 5).

Several examples in the book of Acts show that baptism is an essential part of coming to Jesus for salvation. Those on Pentecost, who heard Peter preach, wanted to know what to do to be saved from their guilt of crucifying the Lord’s Christ (Acts 2:37). When Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), about 3,000 of them did so and were added to the group of saved people, the church (Acts 2:41, 47). When the Samaritans believed the gospel of the kingdom, they were baptized (Acts 8:12). When the Eunuch heard Philip preach Christ, he saw water and asked about being baptized (Acts 8:36). He went down into the water; when he came up, he was rejoicing in his salvation (Acts 8:37-39). Saul believed (Acts 26:18), called Jesus Lord (Acts 22:10; 26:15), and prayed (Acts 9:11), but he still had to have his sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord in baptism (Acts 9:18; 22:16). The jailer at Philippi asked what to do to be saved (Acts 16:30) and was immediately baptized when he believed the message of salvation in the Lord Jesus (Acts 16:31-34).

Baptism places one into Christ (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27). All spiritual blessings are in Christ (Eph. 1:3). There is no hope outside of Christ (Eph. 2:12). If you have not be baptized into Christ, or if you think you were saved before baptism, we plead with you to honestly consider these verses listed in the article. We stand ready to help you understand and be baptized for the salvation of your eternal soul.

Abiding in Christ

November 22, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

In John 15:1-9, Jesus describes Himself as the true vine and instructs His disciples to abide in Him. When we come to Jesus in faith, we turn from our sins and are baptized into Him (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27). We must continue to live and abide in Him. Jesus said, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). Paul exhorted, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving” (Col. 2:6, 7).

Abiding in Christ means we hold firmly to His teaching. Jesus said to those who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn 8:31, 32). Our fellowship with God is contingent on our abiding in the doctrine of Christ, “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9). First John 2:24 states, “Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.” Paul told Timothy to “continue in the things which you have learned” (2 Tim. 3:14). Paul highlighted the danger of leaving true doctrine for false doctrine; he dispatched Timothy to Ephesus to charge some to teach no other doctrine (1 Tim. 1:3). In his second epistle, he charged Timothy to preach the word, warning of a time when people would not endure sound doctrine but would instead gather false teachers to scratch their itching ears (2 Tim. 4:2-4). Doctrine matters. What we believe matters greatly.

Furthermore, abiding in Christ is more than an intellectual exercise. Our entire lives are to be transformed to be more like Him. We are to abide in Him, the true vine, and bear much fruit as His disciples (Jn. 15:8). We keep His commandments and abide in His love (Jn. 15:10). Consider how the apostle John further explains this in his first epistle:

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:3-6).

James instructs us to not merely be hearers of the word, but doers (James 1:22-25). The foolish man who built his house on the sand heard the words of Jesus; his destruction came because he did not put them into practice (Mt. 7:26).

The most vital relationship we will ever have is our union to Christ, the true vine. We are dependent on Him for producing fruit and having eternal life. Without Him, we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5). Don’t let anyone or anything tear you away from Him.

Obedience and God’s Grace

November 22, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

John 1:17 states, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” This does not mean there was no grace under the law of Moses, as some conclude. Could one say there was no truth in the law of Moses? Obviously not, but this would be a similar mistreatment of this verse. Note the words “was given” and “came” which show this statement is a contrast between the origin of two systems: the Old Testament and the New. Moses was the representative through whom the old covenant, the law, came (Ex. 24:12; Lev. 26:46; Deut. 5:1,2). Jesus is full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14). He is the author of salvation (Heb. 5:9), who came to bring in a better covenant based upon better promises (Heb. 7:22; 8:6; 12:24). God’s grace is seen under the law of Moses in that He took a stiff-necked people for His inheritance (Ex. 34:9; Deut. 32:9), went in their midst to give them the promised land (Neh. 9:13-15), and forgave their sins (Lev. 4) by ultimately paying for them later in the sacrifice of Jesus (Heb. 9:15).

Just as we should not conclude there was no grace in the Old Testament, we also must not conclude there is no law in the sense of required obedience in this new covenant of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 5:9 teaches that Christ is the author of salvation, “to all who obey Him.” Grace and truth are inseparably tied together in Jesus Christ. To know Jesus is to obey Him and walk in truth:

Jesus plainly stated that to call Him Lord, but to refuse to obey His will, results in being lost in the final day (Mt. 7:21-27; Lk. 6:46-49).

The New Testament refers to “the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2), “under law to Christ” (1 Cor. 9:21), and the “law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1, 2). The New Testament is filled with commands, rules of action, and codes of conduct for the Christian.

Why then does Romans 6:14 say, “you are not under law but under grace”? The point is that law-keeping is not the ultimate basis of one’s justified status before God. At its root, salvation results from God’s grace in Jesus Christ (cf. Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:3-7). Yet, the context of Romans 6 is that grace is far from being a license to sin. When properly understood, it motivates one to live to please the Lord, the provider of grace. Christians, as recipients of the grace of Jesus Christ, have had a radical paradigm shift regarding sin. We are dead to sin (Rom. 6:2-11). How could we live any longer in it?

If people like Noah could find grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen. 6:8) and be saved— before the law of Moses and the gospel came—by following all God commanded (Gen. 6:22; 7:5), then certainly we should want to be saved by obeying the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24) today. We have a tremendous advantage over those in former dispensations in the full revelation of God’s grace in Jesus Christ, which should compel us even more to obey. We can come to Him in faith to be washed in water for the remission of sins and be saved by the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (Acts 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:20, 21).

Working Toward Strong Marriages

November 9, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

God is the author of marriage and the home. He created man and woman to be joined together as long as they live (Gen. 2:24; Mt. 19:4-6; Rom. 7:1-3). He desires for humans to be fruitful and multiply and have dominion over all things on the earth (Gen. 1:27, 28). The devil has been relentless in his attacks on the home. If marriages fail and homes are ruptured, then souls become more vulnerable to the devil’s devices. Marriage is intended to prevent fornication (1 Cor. 7:2), but divorced people can be in a place where they are more tempted to commit sexual sin (Mt. 5:32). Children of divorced parents are often deprived of the blessing of the united wisdom of both father and mother in their home (Prov. 4:3; 6:20; 23:22; 30:17).

This is not to say there is no hope outside of marriage. Single people can focus solely on serving the Lord (1 Cor. 7:32). A divorced person can be a very dedicated disciple (1 Cor. 7:15). Some have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake (Mt. 19:12). The other parent of your children may not share the faith and convictions you have in Christ, but you can still influence your children for good (1 Cor. 7:12-14; Acts 16:1; 2 Tim. 1:5). Children whose parents are not married can rise above their circumstances and honor the Lord with their lives (Ezek. 18:14).

Yet, a marriage which remains intact is the Lord’s intention. Instead of a consumer approach to marriage—where each party is primarily focused on if they are happy with what they are getting out of the marriage—we must go back to the way the Bible teaches we should view marriage. Marriage is a covenant. In Malachi 2:14-16 the Lord says through the prophet:

[T]he LORD has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant: But did He not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. “For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence,” says the LORD of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

In a covenant, the relationship is more important than the individual’s personal benefits derived at any given juncture. Because marriage is a covenant made to one’s spouse and to God, Christians are to behave a certain way toward their spouses based on God’s commands regardless of whether they believe their spouses deserve good treatment. Husbands love their wives as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25-29. This means they are giving (Eph. 5:25). They show consideration (Col. 3:19). They dwell with them with understanding (1 Pet. 3:7). Wives respect their husbands (Eph. 5:33; 1 Pet. 3:1). They do not run them down to others nor constantly criticize. They learn from older women, who have been married longer, to show love to their husbands by respecting them (Titus 2:4; 1 Pet. 3:1, 5, 6).

May the Lord help us in our efforts to have good marriages which honor God. May we have godly homes as a result where children can benefit from the love and harmony God intended rather than the dysfunction and isolation, which so often plague homes today.

Jesus: The True Friend

November 6, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” A friend is there for you at all sorts of times in your life. A man who is a true friend will be there for you even when it costs him. We all need true friends. We need friends who will be candid with us when we are wrong. Proverbs 9:8 says, “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.” Perhaps one of the big problems we face today is few people will accept rebuke. Few have friends that are willing tell them when they are wrong from a motivation of love desiring what is best for another. Many deem it too costly to risk angering another with the truth. However, true friends value what is best for us above a surface-level tranquility. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”

Jesus is the paragon of a true friend. His sayings are not always easy to hear, but they are what we need. He has the words of eternal life (Jn. 6:68). In John 15:12-17, Jesus said:

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Jesus is the greatest friend because He laid down His life for us. Being there for us when could not save ourselves cost Him everything (Rom. 5:6-9). If the wounds of a true friend are faithful, how much more of a blessing are they if they are borne instead of inflicted? Isaiah 53:5 tells us that Jesus “was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” The wounds of our greatest friend were not inflicted on us but suffered by Him on the cross for us (1 Pet. 2:24).

Jesus invites us into the fellowship He sustains with the Father, saying earlier in John 15 to His disciples, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (Jn. 15: 9, 10). The Father and Son are eternally one (Jn. 1:1-3; 10:30; 17:21). When we are baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we enter into fellowship with God (Mt. 28:19). As long as we continue in the teaching of Christ, we have both the Father and the Son (2 Jn. 9). God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—invite you to come into the love of friendship which unites the saved (Isa. 55:1; Mt. 11:28-30; Rev. 22:17).