One of the prophetic titles given to the coming Christ was “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). In considering how the barriers and bitter animosity that existed between Jews and Gentiles were removed in Christ’s church, Paul wrote of Jesus in Ephesians 2:14-16:

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

The Jews had written revelation of God which contained a law code of holiness. The Gentiles did not have the written law of Moses; thus, the keeping of the ordinances of that written law was the basis for the Jews being different from the Gentiles. When Jesus died on the cross, He abolished the enmity between the Jews and Gentiles by replacing the law of Moses with His offer of salvation, the New Testament, which includes all nations (cf. Col. 2:14; Mt. 28:19).

            To reconcile the Jews and Gentiles together would have seemed like an impossibility in the first century, yet it is exactly what Jesus did in His church. The “one body” of Ephesians 2:16 where all are reconciled together to God is the “same body” of Ephesians 3:6 of which both Jews and Gentiles are part according to God’s eternal plan. This body is the church of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). Jesus did not establish a separate Jewish church and a separate Gentile church; He established one church. When Paul emphasizes the oneness in Christianity that includes one Lord and one God, he begins with the affirmation “there is one body” (Ephesians 4:4-6). One may just as well argue for multiple gods as to argue for multiple churches or bodies. In a world deeply divided by bitter hatred, Christ’s church must exhibit the peace, wholeness, and unity that is in the one, universal church Christ established; the one body into which all saved people have been baptized (1 Cor. 12:13).

            Prophecies uttered centuries before Jesus Christ came into the world depict God’s image of peace in the church Jesus established upon His death, not some yet future political rule. Isaiah, who mentioned that Jesus would be called Prince of Peace in 9:6, prophesied of peace in the church in 2:1-4. The Lord’s house/church would be established in the top of the mountains and all nations would be part of it (Isa. 2:2). Isaiah went on to describe the absence of strife in the church, the Lord’s house; thus, the figurative image of instruments of war be refashioned into tools for agricultural cultivation is employed to depict the peace and spiritual prosperity among those who are in the family of God (Isa. 2:4). Jews and Gentiles were bitter rivals; left to their own devices they would get along like wolves and lambs or lions and calves. Isaiah prophesied that in Christ’s church, God’s holy mountain, these enemies would dwell together in peace (Isaiah 11:6-9). In the Lord’s church, I can have peace with people who don’t look like me and have completely different backgrounds than me. I can worship next to them as their brother in Christ because of what Jesus did on the cross. May we see the peace the Lord provides and offer it to those who, according to fleshly standards, are radically different than us, knowing that all of us are really the same; all people from all backgrounds are in need of reconciliation to God in the one body.

-Mark Day

            As we continue looking at the Proverbs for wisdom, it is my hope that the knowledge given so far may spark an interest in studying this profound book of the Bible. If everyone would read, understand, and follow the wisdom found in Proverbs our world would be a better place! Though the world will not listen to God’s wisdom, will you? Let us examine three more Proverbs this morning.

            Have you ever noticed that the wicked have trouble controlling what they say? While walking in stores, it surprises me what comes out of the mouths of others! You can learn a lot about a person by what they say in public; you can learn even more by what they say behind closed doors. It is no wonder that God’s book on wisdom would have plenty to say about this subject (Prov. 4:24; 6:12; 10:14; 12:13; 13:3; 16:27-28; 18:7)! In fact, three of the seven things God hates involves the use of one’s tongue (Prov. 6:16-19). How is your speech, in public and private? Certainly, we cannot perfectly tame our tongues, for we are human (Jam. 3:8). Yet, are your verbal mistakes characterized as a seldom slip or a common occurrence? The Christian ought to be striving to subdue their mind, body, soul, and tongue to give glory to Christ our Lord. If we cannot watch what we say, how will anyone ever see Jesus in us?

            Have you ever sat at a dinner table and everyone surrounding you was upset? Was that dinner a memorable and pleasant ordeal? I will not get into details, but I have had a meal or two as just described. Maybe something was said, a grudge was held, or possibly everyone just had a bad day. This brings me to the next proverb, “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted ox with hatred” (Prov. 15:17). Another passage with a similar message is, “Better is a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of feasting with strife” (Prov. 17:1). The clear message is a simple meal with people you love is more enjoyable than a great meal with people who despise you. Is this not true? I want to take the lesson a step further, many people worry so much about what they put on the table that they lose focus on who is around it. Have you ever seen this dynamic (especially on TV shows)? The family is eating quail, crab legs, and caviar; but cannot stand one another. I will happily eat potatoes, beans, and cornbread with a loving family around me. What matters more to you, what you eat or with whom you eat?

            Sometimes we do not appreciate our friendships like we should. When things get difficult, real friends show up. The person who hangs around you but leaves at the first sign of trouble is no friend. “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity” (Prov. 17:17). Though Job’s friends did not give him the best advice and believed he was being punished for sin, were they not there when Job needed them most? (Job 2:11-13)? He was one of the wealthiest people of the East; do you think Job only had a handful of friends (Job 1:2-4)? The truth is his “friends” abandoned him at the first sign of trouble, but true friends love at all times. Are you a friend that will stick with others through the worst of times or are you only there while things go well? Christians ought to be reliable friends; dependable for others who look to us for assistance.

            Watch your tongue, worry about the people around the table instead of the food you put on it, and be a friend that is available when others are in need. Who would not benefit from following wise lessons such as these?

-Brandon Foresha

by Wayne Jackson

During his visit to Athens, Paul addressed those of the Areopagus, a body of men who served as court justices (Acts 17:22). The Greeks had made it clear that the true God was unknown to them, as some of their idols revealed.

Thus, the apostle would introduce them to the genuine God. In an obviously condensed fashion, the apostle asserts five characteristics of true Deity (vv. 24-25).

HIS LIMITLESS POWER The real God is all-powerful, having made the “world” (kosmos, signifying the entire “universe”).

No one knows for certain the size of the universe. Some astronomers estimate it to be twenty billion lightyears across (i.e., the distance light will travel at the rate of 186,000+ miles per second in twenty billion years!).

The phrase “God said” is found ten times in Genesis 1. How powerful is the one who can speak such wonderful worlds into existence?

AUTHORITY Paul declared that the true God is “Lord of heaven and earth.” “Lord” (kurios) signifies one of authority. The term is applied to God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit (4:26; Mt. 28:18; 2 Cor. 3:17). However, in the New Testament, Christ receives a divinely appointed Lordship that persists even now (Acts 2:36). The scope of divine authority extends universally (1 Cor. 10:26).

HIS PRESENCE EVERYWHERE The God’s lordship over heaven and earth argues for his omnipresence. The term “omnipresent” relates the fact that all things are in God’s presence. He declares that no one can hide from him, for he fills both heaven and earth (Jer. 23:24).

An atheist sought to shake a young boy’s faith. He challenged: “If you can show me where God is, I’ll give you a dime.” To which the precocious lad responded: “I’ll give you a dollar if you’ll show me where he ain’t!”

INFINITELY SUFFICIENT Paul contended God does not live in temples created by men, because he does not stand in need of any human assistance. He is completely self-sufficient. His interest in humanity is strictly out of love (1 Jn. 4:8,16).

This is something the human mind, from its present vantage point, simply cannot fathom completely. The richness of his love, however, should stir us deeply toward surrender to our Lord.

GOD THE GIVER The apostle states: (a) God gives to us (in Greek, a continuous flow). (b) His Generosity is universal, offered to all who lovingly accept it. Search leaves us breathless! (c) The gift embraces life, which no man can create, breath, the process that no man could invent, and all things good – needful and wonderful. How stupid is so much of humankind in rejecting the generosity of God Almighty and refusing his gracious offerings.

Note these points.

Brother Jackson started the monthly publication, The Christian Courier in May of 1965. Currently, one of the sections in the monthly publication is “Notes from the Margin of My Bible” where this article came from, May 2019 issue. (He also wrote a book “Notes from the Margin of My Bible” which is now out of print). To subscribe to Christian Courier, send $1 or any amount to: Christian Courier, PO Box 11746, Jackson Tennessee, 38308. Articles may also be found online at: https://www.christiancourier.com.

–submitted by Jerry D. Sturgill

At the very beginning, God made the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to grow in the midst of the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve lived (Gen. 2:9). When they ate of the fruit of that tree their eyes were opened and they knew good and evil (Gen. 3:5-7). God has always given man the choice to decide whether he will follow good or evil. God is the author of good. The truly good blessings we experience in life ultimately come from God, for “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). Satan is the author of evil. The devil presents temptations that seem good—just as the serpent told Eve that the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would make her and her husband as gods—but in fact they are evil (Gen. 3:4-5). Satan lies (Jn. 8:44), beguiles (2 Cor. 11:3), and tricks individuals with his wiles (Eph. 6:11). As a result, “good” and “evil” can become confusing to those unfamiliar with the truth of God’s word or who are taken captive by Satan’s schemes. The present is a convoluted time where wickedness is lauded and righteousness is spurned; however, this is not the only time in history where such wrongheaded thinking has prevailed. In Isaiah 5:20, God pronounced this regarding the wicked in Judah: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

There was a period of time in our society where people were pressured to follow the principles of good and evil as set out in the Bible. Now it is becoming more popular for society to view Christians—with their moral absolutes rooted in the Bible—with suspicion, almost as if we are a threat to humanity pursuing what is good. But take courage, if society is trending this way, then the Lord’s church will find itself in an environment more closely related to the first-century world with its multiple gods, a pluralistic society that had contempt for Christianity’s exclusive claims. The church survived and flourished in a society that was antagonistic to biblical principles. The church can continue to flourish today and people can still come to see the true good instead of being deceived into following evil. How?

If Christians will truly model their lives after Jesus Christ then the church will flourish. Jesus suffered and died for those who hated and abused Him (1 Pet. 2:20-24; 3:18). Cowardly, wicked men who do not want to suffer for righteousness can hide under the guise of Christianity in a society that favors it; however, when suffering and persecution may occur for being a Christian (1 Pet. 4:6), the hypocrites find something else to follow for no earthly advantage remains for claiming to be a Christian. Notice this admonition from Romans 12:14, “Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.”  As Christians we can show the world the true good that is found in Jesus Christ, a good that springs out of love for others and returns good for evil. Paul continues with these words in Romans 12:17-21:

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

You may be the only good that someone can see in this dark world. Be the good, reflecting the light of Jesus in your own life that others may see the good and come to the truth (Mt. 5:13-16, 38-48).

–Mark Day