Authority and the Church

There is a lot of confusion in the religious world regarding authority and the church. Different religious organizations have different structures and different views on authority. Some religious organizations believe that their leaders are the only ones who have the ability to interpret sacred texts and to make decisions as to what is true and what is false. Other organizations believe that the church as a whole has the ability to establish what is right and what is wrong. Many believe that only Christ has the ability to establish what is true.

About the only thing that the majority of people in “Christendom” can agree upon is that the Bible represents the revealed Word of God and is, if nothing else, at least a source of authority for Christian life and practice. What, then, does the Bible have to say about authority and the church?

The Bible is very clear that the church belongs to Jesus and He is its head. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus declares that He will build His church. Paul declares Jesus to be the head of the church in Ephesians 5:23 and Colossians 1:18. The Bible is equally clear in regards to the relationship of the church to Christ. Paul says in Ephesians 5:24 that the church is subject to Christ– she submits to Him. Just as the human body looks to the head for direction and guidance, so the church is to look to Jesus for direction and guidance.

If the Bible is so clear about the relationship between Jesus and His church, why are there so many different views in the religious world? Unfortunately, different ideas developed over time, often by well-intentioned but misguided people, that were not in line with God’s will for the church. God decreed that multiple elders should direct one local congregation by example (cf. Philippians 1:1, 1 Peter 5:1-4). That was soon changed from one bishop over many elders in a church to a bishop over many churches. They began to teach that they had received authority from Jesus through His delegated authority to the Apostles.

The Bible, however, taught none of these things. God established the role of the Apostles in the church to do their work (cf. Matthew 18:18, Ephesians 4:11-16), but that role was not transferred to “bishops,” “pastors,” or to anyone else. The Apostles, along with pastors, teachers, evangelists, and others, directed people to Christ and to look to Him as their authority, not themselves (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:13-17). We learn of the Apostles’ doctrine through what they and their associates recorded in the New Testament (Acts 2:42, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14, 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Neither the Apostles or the ones who worked directly with the Apostles ever indicated that their authority was given to anyone else.

Over time, as Christianity grew, the church began to be seen as an institution and not as the group of people as originally intended. Therefore, when some broke away from the idea that authority was vested in particular leadership roles in the church, they then taught that the authority was really vested in the church itself.

In the New Testament, however, “the church” is never spoken of as an entity somehow distinct or separate from the individual Christians who comprise it (cf. Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Individual Christians are to look to Christ for direction for what they do as individuals and as a collective group (Colossians 3:17, Ephesians 5:24).

As we have already seen, the New Testament says that the church submits to Christ in all things, and there is no indication given that the church is ever vested with its own authority (Ephesians 5:24). When an individual Christian or representative Christians of a local congregation speak with authority, the authority is not their own, but must be based in what God has revealed and spoken in His Word (1 Peter 4:11, 1 John 4:1-6).

Therefore, if we seek to follow God according to His will, we must recognize that the church must look to Jesus to understand what is true and what is false. Jesus has not given anyone in His church today the authority to declare on his or her own what is true (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:8-10): instead, individual Christians must look to what God has said to derive authority for all that they say and do (cf. Colossians 3:17). Yes, God did establish that local congregations should be shepherded by a plurality of qualified men who serve as elders/pastors/bishops (cf. Acts 20:28, 1 Timothy 3:1-8, 1 Peter 5:1-4), but they are to lead by example and according to what God has already revealed, not according to their own whim. The same is true for those who proclaim God’s message as an evangelist– they are to preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:1-2), not what they feel is right.

We encourage you to seek out a group of Christians who understand that the church that belongs to Christ is a collection of people, not an institution, and who look to Jesus for authority for what they say and do, and to join them in seeking to understand the Scriptures and to do His will and be saved!

Ethan R. Longhenry

Biblical Authority and the Old Testament

The presently composed universe and the Bible reveal that there is a God who created mankind and rules over His creation (Genesis 1, Romans 1:18-21). The Bible also makes it clear that the Word, who was with God and is God, became flesh and lived among men as Jesus of Nazareth in the first century CE (John 1:1, 14). After His death, resurrection, and ascension, God the Father gave Jesus the Word all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Since Jesus is Lord, we must obey Him and follow His will if we desire to receive His blessings (Romans 6:16-23, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 2:1-6).

We have been told to do all things by the authority of Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:17). He gave authority to His twelve Apostles to bind and loose on earth what had already been bound and loosed in heaven (cf. Matthew 16:19, 18:18), and thus we learn of Christ and His Kingdom through the doctrines of the Apostles (cf. Acts 2:42). The Scriptures are sufficient to equip us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Therefore, we must find authority for all that we do within the Bible.

There is much more to the Scriptures than just the New Testament, for the vast majority of the Scriptures make up the Old Testament. There are many who make no distinction between the two: if it is in the Bible, they believe that it directly applies to believers, whether in Romans or in Deuteronomy. But is this what the Bible teaches? Shall we make no distinction between the old and the new?

We must understand the nature of covenant to properly answer these questions. Throughout time, God has made agreements, or covenants, with different groups of people. The first recorded covenant is between God and all the creation in the days of Noah (Genesis 9:1-18). God would go on to make covenants with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Israel through Moses, and David. These covenants were not “transferable”– they were binding only on God and those with whom He made those covenants.

The majority of the Old Testament involves the covenant made between God and Israel through Moses (cf. Exodus 19-20). God made this covenant with the people of Israel and with no one else. God also specified in this covenant that nothing should be added to it or taken away from it (Deuteronomy 4:2).

Therefore, when Jesus came to the earth, His purpose was not to alter or adapt the old covenant (cf. Matthew 5:17-18, Luke 16:17). Instead, through His life, work, death, and resurrection, He fulfilled that covenant (Matthew 5:17-18).

The Hebrew author explains the change in covenant and what that means for the Christian. In Hebrews 7-9, he demonstrates that since there is a change in priesthood, there is a change in law (Hebrews 7:12). The Law of Moses required animal sacrifices for sin, but Jesus came once to be the sacrifice for all the sins of the world (Hebrews 7:22-28). Since nothing can be added to or taken away from the Law of Moses, either animal sacrifices must continue or that covenant has been satisfied and set aside– and the Hebrew author shows from Jeremiah 31:31-33 that the old covenant would be set aside in favor of a new covenant (Hebrews 8:1-13). Jesus is now the Mediator of a new covenant through His blood, with new rules and guidelines (Hebrews 9:1-28).

Paul indicates his agreement with this in most of the Galatian letter, Ephesians 2:11-18, and Colossians 2:14-17. Paul shows that the true fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham are found through Jesus Christ and that Christians are the spiritual children of Abraham (Galatians 3). In allegory, Paul demonstrates the superiority of the new covenant and the need to cast off the old in Galatians 4:21-31. In Colossians 2:14-17, Paul indicates that the old covenant represented the physical shadow of the spiritual reality found in the new covenant.

The Jews who converted to Christianity were to be “made dead” toward the Law of Moses to live toward Christ (Romans 7:1-4), and the Gentiles could become Christians because Jesus broke down the Law, the “wall of partition,” that existed between Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:11-18). The Apostles make it clear that Christians are not subject to the covenant between God and Israel!

Therefore, we must make a distinction between the old covenant and the new covenant, and therefore between the Old Testament and the New Testament. When a Christian seeks authority for what he is doing, he must find it within the pages of the New Testament, not the Old.

It is not as if the Old Testament has no value: from the Old Testament we gain encouragement and learn much about God, the examples of the faithful and the unfaithful, and all the predictions of the Christ and His Kingdom (cf. Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:1-11, Hebrews 11, 2 Peter 2:19-21). The Old Testament contains many messages that illustrate and illuminate New Testament commands (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Nevertheless, we must respect the change in covenant that took place and should not seek to bind any doctrine or practice of the old covenant. Let us serve God according to His will in the new covenant!

Ethan R. Longhenry

Authority

And when he was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, “Lord, my servant lieth in the house sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.”
And he saith unto him, “I will come and heal him.”
And the centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goeth; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he cometh; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he doeth it.”
And when Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, “Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

The story of the centurion and Jesus here in Matthew 8:5-10 represents a marvelous example of faith; indeed, Jesus says that He finds in this Gentile centurion a faith greater than any He has seen in any Israelite, then the people of God. We can notice, moreover, that the centurion’s faith is great because he understands the nature of authority. He was a man under the authority of his superiors and yet himself over one hundred men, and he understood that his men would follow his every order. He saw that Jesus was vested with authority from above, and that at His word His will was done.

If we desire to be pleasing to God, we also must understand the nature of authority and be willing to obey authority in our own lives. Let us consider whom God has vested with authority, and therefore whom we should hear!

Earthly authorities. Earthly rulers are vested with authority from above, for God has established that earthly governments should rule over men for their own good (cf. Romans 13:1-4). It is God’s will, then, for people to be subject to earthly authorities (Romans 13:1-5), to pray for all authorities (1 Timothy 2:1-3), to pay whatever taxes are due (Romans 13:6-7), and to respect and honor the ruler (1 Peter 2:17). The only reason that one could possibly have for disobeying an earthly authority is if the earthly authority would require a person to directly violate God’s will (cf. Acts 5:29). We have little reason to disobey the government of the United States!

Spiritual authorities. There are many who would claim to be spiritual authorities; whom should we follow? Should we follow a “prophet”? Should we follow the Pope? Should we follow the dictates of a denominational council? What does the Bible say about these things?

The New Testament makes it rather clear that Jesus is to be our authority. Consider Matthew 28:18 and Colossians 3:17:

And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.”

And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Just as a check bears our authority with a signature, so everything we do should be done by the authority of Christ Jesus! We learn of Jesus and His will for us through the New Testament (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 13:8-10). Jesus has not delegated His authority or the authority of His Word to any particular individual or group; we all are to look to Him in prayer and through His Word to determine how to be pleasing to God!

We seek to follow Jesus as He has established in His Word. We welcome anyone who would also like to follow Jesus, and we all can strive to live according to His Word. Be not deceived: there is no other name under heaven in which we can be saved (John 14:6). God has vested authority in Christ Jesus– let us recognize this and be willing to obey Him!

Ethan R. Longhenry

Seeking the Old Paths

Thus saith the LORD, “Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls: but they said, ‘We will not walk therein'” (Jeremiah 6:16).

The prophet Jeremiah lived during a difficult time. Looking back after almost 2600 years, we see clearly that the writing was on the wall for Judah: Babylon was coming, and Judah would not be able to stand. The LORD tired of Judah’s constant faithlessness and idolatry, and would no longer protect the land of His people (cf. Ezekiel 5:11-17, 11:22-23). The judgment of God was imminent.

The people, however, paid no heed. They did not seek the ways of notable Israelites of the past, such as Moses, Joshua, David, Hezekiah, or Josiah. They continued to follow after their idols and listened to false prophets proclaiming peace and security (Jeremiah 6:13-15). Judah survived the Assyrian attack, and they believed that they could survive the Babylonian attack. Nevertheless, within a generation they would all be dead or exiled to Babylon.

What a tragedy! Had the people of Judah repented, Jerusalem would have been as Nineveh, spared in God’s mercy (cf. Jonah 1-4); nevertheless, they continued in their own paths to their own destruction.

While times may be different today, peoples’ attitudes are not. Our confidence in modern technology has led us to find “the old paths” rather “quaint”; in our world, however, “old” answers do not seem to answer our “new” questions. “New and improved” has replaced “stable and trusted”. To be “relevant” now means to constantly change and innovate and not to rely on past standards. The question must be begged: is this focus on novelty profitable, especially in spiritual matters? Should Christians just move on from fad to fad?

Let us heed the words of the prophets, apostles, and teachers from old. The LORD begged Israel to return to the old paths, which were good, providing rest for their souls (Jeremiah 6:16). The New Testament demonstrates that the “old paths” as presented within its pages are also good, and can provide rest for the soul. The Hebrew author establishes that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and therefore the brethren should not be led away by “strange” and “diverse” teachings (Hebrews 13:9). Paul warns the Galatians that anyone who preaches a Gospel different from the one which he preached to them previously (even if Paul himself were preaching this “new” Gospel) was accursed (Galatians 1:6-9). Jude wrote to encourage the Christians of his day to contend earnestly for the faith that was delivered “once for all” to the saints (Jude 1:3).

It is true that something new is not automatically wrong, but whatever is “new” should not diminish the practice of the ancient faith. 21st century Christians cannot become first century Christians, but 21st century Christians must share the same faith and practice as commended by the first century Christians. Let us strive, then, to seek the old paths and remain within them, so that we may obtain the Promised Land and not find ourselves separated from God!

Ethan R. Longhenry

Knowledge and Practice

Much emphasis has been placed on the role of knowledge in human moral development. If we hear about some moral or doctrinal problem, how often do we assume that insufficient teaching is a big part of the challenge? If we hear that someone we know has fallen for temptation and has sinned, how often do we respond by saying that they “know better”? How many times is there an assumption that if people know what is true and right that they will automatically believe and do what is true and right?

The knowledge-centered theory of human moral development has grown popular over the past three hundred years. This view assumes that the real problem with evil comes from human ignorance–where there is ignorance, sin multiplies, and so if we can just eliminate ignorance with right instruction, we can eliminate sin!

Knowledge is a critical component of moral development. Hosea lamented that the people of Israel were “destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). Understanding what is good and right is necessary for growth and development in Christianity (Hebrews 5:14). There are many instances where ignorance has led to sin and proper education has led to more righteous conduct.

Yet whereas knowledge is critical for proper moral development, it is not sufficient in and of itself for proper moral development. As James declares in James 4:17, one can know the right thing to do and still not do it. Such is, itself, transgression and sin– but it is possible. Merely because one knows what is true and right does not mean that one will believe and act according to what is true and right.

The challenge exists because of the nature of sin. However one wishes to understand Romans 7 :7-25 in its context, Paul there exposes how sin corrupts and tempts even those who know right from wrong. If mere knowledge were enough, all should aspire to be as the lawyers, scribes, and Pharisees (cf. Matthew 23:1-4)!

The difficult, sad reality is that there is no human being who, despite knowing truth from error and right from wrong, always chooses the truth and the right. None of us has ever kept or could ever keep God’s laws perfectly; not one of us can ever be justified on the basis of how well we have kept God’s law (Romans 3:20). That is why we must place our trust and confidence in God and His love and mercy toward us (Romans 3:24-29, 8:1-11, 31-39).

Knowledge is very important in order for us to develop morally; we do well to learn from God so as to understand good from evil, right from wrong (Acts 17:11, 2 Timothy 3:15-17). But we cannot assume that knowledge, by itself, will automatically lead to complete moral development. There will be many times when we will know the right thing to do and will not do it; likewise, there will be many times when we know something is wrong but we will do it anyway. This is because of the tempting, deceitful nature of sin (Hebrews 3:13).

Scripture teaches us that we will never be able to stand against every temptation by our own power alone (Jeremiah 10:23, Ephesians 6:10-18). If we stand, it will be on account of our submission to God and the strength which He supplies through Christ (Philippians 4:13, 1 Peter 4:11). This does not release us from responsibility; God will not provide that strength if we choose to remain in ignorance, refusing to learn of and to submit to Him. But if we understand that we will never be righteous on the basis of our knowledge or merits alone, humble ourselves before God, seek His paths, and pray for strength, we can have confidence that He will not reject our pleas. Let us trust in God and not in the power of our own knowledge and strength!

Ethan R. Longhenry

God our Father

For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15).

For many people, fathers are honored and revered, respected and appreciated for all the love they have shown to their children. Sadly, for many others, fathers are not looked upon so kindly because of abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Some have no real father figure in their lives.

Regardless of how effectively our fathers embraced their responsibilities, most of us understand that the “father figure” in our lives is quite important to our development and well-being. Fathers have a critical role to play in the lives of their children, contrary to what some today say. Studies have shown that the self-image, self-confidence, and behavior of children are strongly influenced by the role their father plays in their lives.

There is a good reason why the “father figure” is a necessary component to our well-being: one of the most prevalent metaphors describing our relationship to God is that of Father and child. Our earthly fathers are the imperfect physical shadow of the perfect spiritual reality present in our Heavenly Father (cf. Hebrews 12:5-11). At best, if our relationship with our earthly father is good, we can see the reflection of our heavenly Father through that relationship. At worst, if our relationship with our earthly father is poor, we can nevertheless establish our heavenly Father as the “father figure” we never had physically.

The worst thing we could do is to project any ill will that we might have toward an earthly father because of his imperfections upon our heavenly Father. For too many, the image of the heavenly Father is an overbearing old man who is only interested in showing us how we have made mistakes and who seeks opportunities to destroy us.

Nothing could be further from the truth. If our heavenly Father really felt that way, He could easily have just turned His back on His creation, casting everyone into hell for their sin (cf. Romans 6:23)!

Please consider the picture of the father in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32): a father brokenhearted by the willful rebellion of his son, yet willing to humiliate himself by running toward the son as he returns, bestowing again honor and grace on account of his great love toward his child.

This is how Jesus portrays our heavenly Father for us. We have rebelled against Him, and it has broken His heart in many ways (Isaiah 59:1-2). God has paid for the redemption we could never afford to buy through the sacrifice of His Son, and through Him wants to bless us with all things (Romans 8:31-32). He wants to save us because He loves us– He does not want any of us to perish (John 3:16, 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:8)!

Earthly fathers are to be honored for their position (Ephesians 6:1-2); how much more, then, should we honor our heavenly Father, who loves us and has graciously given us all things? Let us honor and praise God our Father, and look to Him for guidance, counsel, insight, and strength, and be saved through our relationship with Him!

Ethan R. Longhenry

Entitlement

When freedom is combined with prosperity over a few generations, many people begin to develop an entitlement mentality. They believe that they “deserve” not just the basic freedoms of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” but also a relatively comfortable lifestyle. They are aided and reinforced in this belief by the work of advertisers who love to exploit human conceit. How often have you seen advertising that tells you, explicitly or otherwise, that you “deserve” the enjoyment of whatever they are selling? This tactic is used to sell everything from luxury cars to fast food!

It is very easy to buy into an entitlement mentality. We feel as if we have reached a certain level of lifestyle because of our own endeavors, our upbringing, or for whatever other reason. Therefore, we can easily be seduced into feeling that it is right and proper to indulge in that lifestyle, whether we can afford it or not. If times get tougher, we easily prove willing to go into debt to maintain the lifestyle. Yet even if we never go into debt in order to support that lifestyle, was that lifestyle the most effective way we could have used our resources?

If we look to the Bible to see what it says about what we deserve, we quickly discover that its message is quite chilling. The Bible does not justify any belief that we deserve a certain standard of living. In fact, according to the Bible, we do not deserve anything good whatsoever! Since we have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), the Bible declares that we all deserve death and condemnation (Romans 6:23). Having rebelled against our Creator God, who is life and love and light, through our sinfulness (Romans 3:10-18, John 1:1, 4, 1 John 4:8), we probably deserve a miserable and wretched existence.

The only reason that we obtain anything good is on account of God’s love, mercy, and grace toward us. God allows the sun to shine on both the good and the evil, and He sends rain upon the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). He wants everyone to be redeemed from sin through His Son Jesus, not wanting them to perish, and patiently extends His kindness to them (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9). He stands willing to provide to everyone who believes in His Son and obeys Him eternal life and glory beyond imagination (John 3:16, Romans 8:17-18).

We really have no right to have any sort of entitlement mentality. We deserve nothing that we have or ever could have. Everything, ultimately, comes to us as a gift from God (James 1:17). Without Him there would be no redemption, no creation, nothing at all that even could be “deserved”!

We should instead have a “thankfulness mentality”: thanking God for all of His gifts He gives to us despite our sinful condition (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:18, 1 Timothy 6:7). We must learn to be content in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, understanding that if all we have is our relationship with God, we have all we need (1 Timothy 6:6, 8). If we have material blessings, let us use them in ways that honor and glorify God (1 Timothy 6:17-19). If we find ourselves deprived of those blessings, let us not forget or blame God in our affliction, but allow God to be glorified in our humility (James 1:9). We deserve nothing, yet God is willing to give us everything (Romans 8:32). Let us praise and thank Him!

Ethan R. Longhenry

Becoming a Christian

[He] brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).

Ever since the first century, whenever the message of the Gospel has been preached, some have wanted to respond and become Christians. Yet how does one become a Christian? It would seem that everyone you ask provides different answers! Some say that all you need to do is believe. Others think that you need to repent and believe. Some think you need to be baptized, whether by sprinkling, pouring, or immersion. Which is right? How can we ever know?

It would be nearly impossible to sort out all of these issues by man’s wisdom alone. Since the Bible represents God’s revealed will to mankind (2 Timothy 3:16-17), it would make sense for us to investigate the Scriptures and see what they show people doing in order to become Christians. Jesus Christ is still Lord (Matthew 28:18), and His standard does not change (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, we can have confidence that if we do the same things that people did in the first century to become Christians, we can stand approved before God. What, therefore, did people in the first century do in order to become Christians?

They first heard the message of the Gospel from someone who was sent to preach it (Romans 10:17ff). The Jews who gathered in Jerusalem on Pentecost heard Peter preaching the first Gospel lesson (Acts 2:22-36). We see further preaching in Acts 3, 4, 8, 10, and in plenty of other passages.

When the Gospel message was heard, many believed it. They accepted the reality that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and is now Lord, and placed their trust in Him to do His will (Hebrews 11:6, Matthew 16:16). The Jews on Pentecost indicated their belief in Acts 2:37 by asking what they needed to do. Acts 4:4 indicates that five thousand men who heard Peter and John preach “believed.” Belief is an essential part of becoming a Christian (Acts 16:31).

Those who believed then confessed that belief by making a public proclamation that they believed in the Lord. Peter makes this confession in Matthew 16:16, the eunuch makes a similar one in Acts 8:37, and Timothy is encouraged to remember the confession of Jesus Himself before Pilate in 1 Timothy 6:13. Jesus will confess before His Father those who confess His name (Matthew 10:32).

Those who believed were called upon to repent of their sins. This is the first command Peter gives the Jews who believed on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38). It was also a part of the core of Jesus’ message (Matthew 4:17). Repentance is sorrow for sin that leads to a change in thought and behavior– a turning from sin toward God. Repentance is critical if we seek to please God!

Peter also commanded those who believed to be baptized in the name of the Lord for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38). Acts 8:38-39 and Romans 6:3-7 demonstrate that this baptism is really immersion; the idea of baptism by sprinkling or pouring is foreign to the New Testament. Baptism represents the moment when one dies to sin and is raised again in newness of life: a spiritual type of Jesus’ death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-7). It is the only means by which the blood of Jesus cleanses our past sin, according to the New Testament.

After people heard the Gospel, believed in Jesus, confessed His name, repented of their sins, and were immersed in water for the remission of their sins, they were recognized as Christians, members of the Lord’s church (cf. Acts 2:47). Yet their walk with Christ was not over; it had just begun. The believers were encouraged to serve God faithfully for life (Romans 6:8-23). Early Christians came together constantly to devote themselves to learning about the Apostles’ teachings, to have association with each other, and to pray (Acts 2:42). While they were all part of the one body, the universal Church of Christ (Ephesians 4:4-5, 5:22-33), they all identified themselves as part of local congregations of God’s people, shepherded by qualified elders (Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 1:1).

If you seek to become a Christian, you must hear the Gospel, believe in Jesus as the Christ, confess that, repent of your sins, be immersed in water for the remission of your sins, and to be an obedient servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Such is how people obtained eternal life in the first century; it is how you can obtain eternal life today. There is no profit in delay; become a Christian today!

Ethan R. Longhenry

What is Truth?

Pilate saith unto [Jesus], “What is truth?” (John 18:38a).

Since we were not present when Pilate asked Jesus this question, we cannot know whether he asked in seriousness or in a sarcastic manner. Regardless, the question that Pilate asks is a question that many in our own time are asking: what is truth? What can we be sure is true, correct, and right? Why is it that so many people have so many different answers regarding what the truth is? Many today even question whether there is “a” truth– in their thoughts, there is no such thing as “absolute truth,” and what is true for one person may not be true for another. Maybe you wonder what truth is, or even if truth can be known.

While modern man may wonder about truth, the Bible warns us about such concerns. Paul advises the Colossians to watch themselves lest they be taken captive by the philosophies of men, according to human traditions, no longer holding fast to Christ (Colossians 2:8). The reason that we are to hold fast to Christ is that He is God: “for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).

Jesus worked to demonstrate that truth exists while He was alive on the earth. Consider His statement to Pilate that led Pilate to ask, “What is truth?”:

Jesus answered, “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (John 18:37b).

Jesus’ life, then, involved bearing witness to “the truth.” In John 14:26, Jesus indicates that He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” John bears witness to Jesus that He was full of “truth” and that while the law was given through Moses, “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:14, John 1:17).

Jesus came so that people would know the truth. He declared that people “shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). The truth is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, that all mankind has been enslaved to sin; and that Jesus died on the cross and rose on the third day to establish His rule and His Kingdom, so that all who would believe and obey Him would be cleansed of their sin and obtain eternal life (Matthew 16:18, John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 15:1-10, Romans 6:17-23).

What is truth? There is truth, but it is not fully found in the philosophies or religious traditions of men. The truth is found in Jesus Christ the Lord, and we should therefore obey Him and hold fast to Him and the truths revealed about Him in the Scriptures. We seek to know this truth so that we may be set free. We hope that you also want deliverance from sin and error. Please join us in our quest to obey God’s truth, and be saved today!

Ethan R. Longhenry

God and Man

If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:6-7).

We are familiar with the general facts regarding God and man presented to us in Scripture: God is holy, man has sinned, man is not able to cleanse himself from his sin, God sent Jesus so that man’s sin could be forgiven, and God wants man to be saved (cf. Romans 3:20-23, 5:6-11, 1 Timothy 2:4, 1 Peter 1:16). But what is the ultimate purpose of all of this? Why has God acted as He has toward mankind? What does this tell us about His desires and expectations for us today?

When God made mankind, He maintained direct, unbroken association with him. In Genesis 2 and 3, God spoke face to face with Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were innocent, naked, and unashamed, for they had no reason to be ashamed (Genesis 2:25). God made man to work in the garden and to bear His image, allowing for a relationship with Him– and that is what He desires from mankind (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:15).

But sin entered into the picture and man became separated from his God (Genesis 3:1-19, Isaiah 59:1-2). Man stood ashamed before his most holy God because of his insufficiencies and transgressions (cf. Genesis 3:10). Man’s impulse was to declare himself God in some way or another, refusing to subject himself to the God who made him, instead imagining or creating gods for himself (cf. Romans 1:18-23). As this led to greater ungodliness and immorality, God gave such people over to the desires of their hearts, and throughout time, many have believed the lie (Romans 1:24, 26, 2 Thessalonians 2:11). Since they have turned from God and refuse to turn back, God can do nothing for them– they are delivered over to their own will and desires (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9).

But that is not what God wants for mankind! He has always sought for man’s redemption and the restoration of relationship with Him. When mankind was thoroughly evil He still found Noah and Abraham through whom He would bless the earth (Genesis 6-9, 12-24). He chose Israel of all the nations of the earth to give His law and to be their God so that they would be His people (cf. Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 4-7). And then, in the fullness of time, God became flesh as Jesus of Nazareth, showed us how to live, died for our sins, and was raised again in power to give us hope (Romans 5:6-11, Philippians 2:5-11).

Through Jesus God has done the work necessary to reconcile mankind to Himself, if only they would seek Him so as to restore that relationship broken by sin (Acts 17:27, Romans 5:6-11). As God has sought to save man, man must seek after God his Creator and the life-giving and life-sustaining relationship that can exist only with Him (John 3:16 et al).

When mankind is restored in his relationship with God, he can then stand before God through Christ with confidence (Hebrews 4:16, 10:19). The redeemed man must walk in the light as Jesus is the light–in holiness–not out of obligation or with a spirit of slavery, but as a thankful servant, as of a son loving and appreciating his Father (Romans 8:12-18, 1 John 1:6). Redeemed people who walk in the light look forward to a glorious future that mirrors our distant past: dwelling in eternity with the fellow people of God, with God dwelling in their midst, sustained and refreshed by the Tree of Life, without shame before their most holy God (cf. Revelation 21:1-22:6). Let us develop and maintain that restored relationship with God, now and forever!

Ethan R. Longhenry