Category Authority

Faith & Obedience: A Defense of Biblical Authority (CENI)

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God has the authority to establish an objective standard, and man’s responsibility is to respect that standard without adding to it or taking away from it.

Biblical authority establishes the boundaries of salvation, worship, morality, and righteousness. It does not give us permission to turn personal preferences, expedients, or liberties into tests of fellowship. In fact, compelling others to accept our liberties can become another form of human authority.

The Integrity of Obedience: A Defense of Biblical Authority (CENI)
For generations, the framework known as CENI (Command, Approved Example, Necessary Inference) has been criticized as a cold, legalistic system that reduces Christianity to a checklist of rules. Critics sometimes suggest that those who use CENI are concerned only with the outward mechanics of church organization and worship while neglecting the heart, love, grace, and the deeper matters of Christian living.
That is an unfair characterization of both the framework and the biblical principles behind it.
CENI is not a system for earning salvation. It is not a substitute for faith, love, or a sincere heart. It is a way of recognizing and respecting the authority God exercises through His revealed Word.
The real question is not whether God has the right to establish His expectations. The question is whether we have the right to change them.
Jesus said:
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17)
If God’s Word is truth, then our responsibility is to understand it accurately, respect its authority, and obey it faithfully. We must neither add to it nor take away from it.

1) Biblical Authority Applies to the Whole Christian Life
One criticism of CENI is that it supposedly regulates the external activities of the church while ignoring the heart and personal morality. But this creates a false distinction. The same principles used to understand God’s instructions concerning worship and church organization also apply to faith, love, morality, and righteousness.
God has not given us separate standards of authority for different areas of life.

The Heart
Jesus commanded:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matthew 22:37)
That is a command. God does not merely suggest that we love Him. He requires it.
But God also makes clear that outward obedience without inward devotion is insufficient.
“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” (Matthew 15:8)
The problem was not that these people lacked religious activity. Their problem was that their hearts were not right with God.
Paul describes the proper relationship between obedience and the heart:
“But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” (Romans 6:17)
Notice that they obeyed a form of doctrine, but they did so from the heart. Biblical obedience is neither empty ritual nor mere emotional sincerity. It is a heart that willingly submits to God’s revealed will.

Morality and Righteousness
God’s instructions concerning morality are no less authoritative than His instructions concerning worship.
Paul taught that our bodies belong to God and must be used accordingly:
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)
God establishes what is right and wrong. Our culture, feelings, and personal preferences do not have the authority to redefine His standards.
Romans 12:1-2 connects the presentation of our bodies as living sacrifices with the transformation of our minds. God expects both inward transformation and outward conduct.
The same authority that governs our worship governs our morality. We cannot claim that God has the right to regulate one while reserving the other for human judgment.

Faith and Obedience
Jesus asked:
“Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)
That question exposes the weakness of a faith that professes Christ’s authority while refusing to submit to His instructions.
Hebrews 5:9 describes Jesus as:
“the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”
James 2:17 teaches that faith without works is dead.
Biblical faith is more than intellectual agreement. It is trust that responds to God’s authority.
CENI does not create this expectation. Scripture does. CENI helps us recognize what God has communicated and what He expects us to obey.

2) Commands, Examples, and Necessary Inferences Are Biblical Ways of Understanding God’s Will
CENI is not a claim that the Bible contains a four-letter formula. The acronym is a human description of principles that are found throughout Scripture.
God communicates through commands, approved examples, and necessary implications.
Consider how Jesus reasoned in Matthew 22:31-32. He used God’s statement concerning Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to establish the truth of the resurrection.
Jesus did not limit His understanding to the exact words of the statement. He recognized what those words necessarily established.
That is necessary inference.
The same basic reasoning is unavoidable whenever we interpret communication. We recognize what is commanded, examine what is demonstrated, and understand what necessarily follows from what has been revealed.
However, there is an important distinction between a necessary conclusion and a possible conclusion.
A necessary inference is something that must be true if the statements of Scripture are true. It is not simply something that seems reasonable to us.
We must be careful not to elevate our own deductions to the authority of God’s Word.
Likewise, we must recognize that not every example is automatically a binding pattern. We must examine its context, purpose, and relationship to the instructions God has given.
The strength of CENI depends upon applying these principles accurately.
The disagreement among Christians is often not whether commands, examples, and inferences exist. It is how those principles establish the limits of divine authorization.
That is where careful Bible study is necessary.

3) God’s Authority Is Not Limited to the Areas We Prefer
The irony of many objections to CENI is that those who reject its application still rely upon the same basic principles of communication.
When someone argues that love, mercy, and grace are central to Christianity, where did that conclusion come from?
They examined what Jesus said, considered His actions, and drew conclusions from what Scripture teaches.
They used commands, examples, and inferences.
The real disagreement is often over how those principles should be applied.
Some are willing to insist upon precision when discussing morality but become uncomfortable when the same precision is applied to worship or church organization.
Others readily acknowledge that God has established requirements for salvation but resist the idea that He has also established requirements for corporate worship.
Why should we treat these areas differently?
If God has spoken, we must listen. If He has specified, we must respect what He specified. If He has left a matter to our judgment, we must not pretend that He has commanded something He has not.
We must be equally careful in both directions.
Jesus condemned those who made the commandments of God void through their traditions (Matthew 15:3-9). Colossians 2:20-23 also warns against human regulations being imposed as though they were divine requirements.
The problem is not precision. The problem is claiming authority that God has not given us.
We must not loosen God’s requirements, and we must not bind our own preferences upon others.

4) Grace Does Not Eliminate Human Responsibility
One of the most common objections to obedience is that it supposedly contradicts salvation by grace.
But Scripture never presents grace and obedience as enemies.
Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches that salvation is by grace through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast.
But the very next verse says:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
Grace does not eliminate obedience. It gives us the opportunity to be saved and teaches us how to live.
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” (Titus 2:11-12)
The distinction is between earning salvation and responding to God’s grace.
No one can purchase salvation. No one can make God indebted to him. But God has the authority to establish the conditions under which His gift is received.

Consider the response God requires in the gospel:
• Faith (John 8:24).
• Repentance (Acts 2:38).
• Confession (Romans 10:9-10).
• Baptism (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21).
• Faithfulness (Revelation 2:10).

These are not human inventions. They are biblical instructions.
Why would someone accept that God requires faith and repentance but dismiss His instructions concerning baptism?
Jesus said:
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” (Mark 16:16)
Peter commanded:
“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” (Acts 2:38)
Paul described the Romans as having obeyed from the heart a form of doctrine and then being made free from sin (Romans 6:17-18).
The question is not whether obedience earns salvation. It does not.
The question is whether we will respect what God says about receiving His salvation.
We must not dismiss a divine instruction simply because we have placed it in a category called works.

5) Intellectual Agreement Is Not the Same as Saving Faith
James makes a powerful observation:
“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19)
The demons recognized certain truths about God. Their intellectual acknowledgment did not constitute saving faith.
This is an important distinction.
A person can correctly identify Jesus as the Son of God and still refuse to submit to His authority.
Jesus made this clear:
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
The issue is not merely what we believe about Jesus. It is whether we submit to what He teaches.
This principle also applies to fellowship and our treatment of false teaching.
Second John warns against going beyond the doctrine of Christ:
“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.” (2 John 9)
John then warns against receiving or supporting those who bring not this doctrine (2 John 10-11).
This is not a warning about personal preferences or differences over expedients. It is a warning about departing from the doctrine of Christ.
Second Peter 2 gives an equally serious warning. Peter describes false teachers who bring in destructive heresies, deny the Lord who bought them, and lead others into destructive error (2 Peter 2:1-3).
He does not treat false teaching as an innocent difference of opinion. He warns of its consequences.
These passages establish that truth matters. Doctrine matters. Remaining within the teaching of Christ matters.
We cannot claim that love requires us to overlook departures from the truth God has revealed.
But neither can we use these passages as permission to turn every disagreement into a fellowship issue. We must establish from Scripture that the matter actually involves a departure from God’s revealed will.
Our standard must be God’s standard, not our personal preferences.

6) God Has Established an Objective Standard for Salvation, Worship, and Righteousness
This is where the integrity of biblical authority becomes especially important.
God has not left Christianity to be defined by personal opinion, majority preference, or individual interpretation without boundaries.
He has revealed His will.

Salvation
God has revealed what He requires of those who come to Him through Christ. We cannot remove baptism, repentance, or faithful living from the gospel simply because someone considers those requirements inconvenient or unnecessary.

Corporate Worship
God has revealed how His people are to worship Him. We must respect the instructions and examples of the New Testament rather than replacing them with practices that seem more appealing to us.
John 4:24 teaches that worship must be in spirit and in truth. First Corinthians 11-14 and other passages provide instruction concerning the church’s assembled worship.
The question is not what we prefer. It is what God has authorized.

Morality and Righteousness
God has established standards for our conduct, relationships, speech, sexuality, honesty, and treatment of others.
We cannot redefine sin according to changing cultural standards.

The Church
Christ is the head of His church (Ephesians 1:22-23). He has authority over its identity, organization, work, and teaching.
The church does not belong to us. We are not free to redesign it according to our preferences.
These areas are not matters of personal liberty. They concern what God has revealed and what He expects His people to respect.
There is an objective standard because there is an objective authority.

7) Biblical Unity Must Not Be Destroyed by Human Preferences
Here is where an important distinction must be made.
Not everything involved in carrying out a command is itself a separate command.
God sometimes gives specific instructions. At other times, He gives general instructions that require us to make practical decisions about how to accomplish them.
We must distinguish between what God has required and the expedients we use to carry out what He has required.
An expedient is not a new doctrine. It is a practical means of accomplishing something God has authorized.
For example, when God commands us to assemble, decisions about the location, time, and other practical arrangements may involve judgment. Those decisions do not automatically become additional divine requirements.
The danger comes when someone takes a liberty or expedient and makes it a test of faithfulness or fellowship.
We must not compel the minority to accept a preference simply because the majority favors it.
Nor should we divide over matters God has left to individual judgment.
Romans 14 teaches us to exercise care in matters of individual liberty. We must not despise one another, judge one another unfairly, or use our freedom in a way that destroys another brother.
Romans 14:19 gives us an important principle:
“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”
This does not mean that truth can be sacrificed for peace. Romans 14 is not permission to disregard God’s commands or approve false doctrine.
It means that where God has allowed liberty, we must not turn that liberty into a law for everyone else.
There is a difference between standing firmly for what God has commanded and insisting that everyone must follow our personal judgment about how to accomplish it.
The first is faithfulness. The second can become human legislation.
We should be careful not to create the very division we claim to oppose.

8) The Goal Is Not to Win Arguments. It Is to Respect God’s Authority.
CENI should never become a badge of superiority or a weapon for condemning everyone who disagrees with us.
It is not about proving that we are smarter, more precise, or more faithful than someone else.
It is about recognizing that God has spoken and that we are accountable for what He has revealed.


There are two dangers we must avoid:
First, we must not take away from God’s Word by dismissing instructions that He has given.
Second, we must not add to God’s Word by binding human opinions, traditions, and preferences as though they were divine commandments.
Both errors disrespect God’s authority.

The faithful Christian seeks to understand what God has said, what He has demonstrated, and what necessarily follows from His revelation.
He does not seek loopholes to avoid obedience. Neither does he seek opportunities to impose his own preferences upon others.
He recognizes that salvation is by grace, that faith must be obedient, that worship must respect divine authority, and that morality and righteousness are established by God rather than man.
Paul’s instruction in 1 Corinthians 4:6 is worth remembering:
“That ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written.”
That is the spirit we need.

The Integrity of Obedience
CENI is not the source of biblical authority. God is.
CENI is a way of recognizing the authority God has communicated through His Word. Its principles are not limited to church organization or worship. They apply to salvation, faith, love, morality, righteousness, and every other area in which God has revealed His will.
We cannot claim to love God while reserving the right to disregard His instructions.
We cannot claim to honor the authority of Christ while treating His teaching as optional.
And we cannot claim to defend biblical unity while compelling others to accept our personal preferences as though they were commands from God.

The goal is not rigid traditionalism. It is not unrestricted individualism. It is not a compromise between truth and preference.


The goal is faithful submission to God’s revealed will.

Jesus asked:
“Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)
That question deserves an answer from every one of us.
If He is Lord, then His Word must be our standard.
If His Word is truth, then truth must govern our salvation, our worship, our morality, and our fellowship.
And if we love Him, we should be willing to listen carefully, obey sincerely, and give one another the liberty that He has given us.
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17)

Why we just SING.

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Answering why the churches of Christ sing acapella in the worship.

4 reasons why we JUST SING SONGS.

1) Singing Is Specifically Commanded
God has specifically commanded us to sing in worship. Ephesians 5:19 says, “SPEAKING to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” Supporting this, Colossians 3:16 instructs us “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”, and James 5:13 tells the cheerful to “sing praise.” The New Testament repeatedly SPECIFIES SINGING in the church’s worship.

SPECIFIC IS TERRIFIC, for it tells us exactly what God wants. When God gives a SPECIFIC command, it eliminates all other options.

2) We Sing to One Another to Instruct and Admonish
Our singing is not for entertainment purposes; it is mutual teaching. Colossians 3:16 commands, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” Ephesians 5:19 adds that we SPEAK to one another in these songs, and 1 Corinthians 14:15 shows that when the church gathers, we sing with understanding. We sing to instruct and encourage one another. Instruments cannot fulfil that command.

3) We Sing with Our Natural Voice Connected to the Heart
We use the natural voice God gave us because true worship flows from the heart. Mark 7:15-21 teaches that what comes out of a person defiles or honors God, for “from within, out of the heart of man,” come the things that matter. Ephesians 5:19 says we make melody “with your heart,” and Colossians 3:16 says we sing “with thankfulness in your hearts.” This heartfelt vocal praise was so universal in the early church that the practice itself became known as a cappella “in the style of the chapel.” Instrumental music in worship is a relatively young idea.

4) We Sing with Grace, Gratitude, and Gladness
Christian singing is filled with grace, gratitude, and gladness. Colossians 3:16 tells us to sing “with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Hebrews 13:15 calls us to “offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name,” and James 5:13 says, “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” We lift our voices with grateful hearts, and gladness of heart for the great things God has done.

I’ve spoken to all kinds of folks from the religious world… NONE, NOT ONE, NADA, ZIP have ever said that our worship would violate their conscience if they attended. They ALL AGREE that acapella singing in the church is authorized, accepted, and alright.

agape

seb

Do Not Think…?

The Preacher 1 Comment

Would it surprise you that Jesus told some folks, “Do Not Think.” He wasn’t telling folks to pursue ignorance, rather it was about wrong thinking.

Jesus was addressing the root of folk’s wrong thinking; it stemmed from their ignorance about what has been revealed in scripture leading to errors in thought & actions. Here are a few examples…

“Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17). The first-century Jewish leaders viewed Jesus as a rebel against the law of Moses. Their thinking was wrong.

“Do not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). Folks then, and still today, wrongly think that the Messiah’s role is something it is not. Jesus emphatically states that following Him will divide even close relationships. Paul would warn Timothy that those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus would face persecution (2Tim 3:12).

“Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust” (John 5:45). The error thinking of that time gave some a false sense of security, but it missed what the Old Testament was declaring (Deut 18:18-19). Being in opposition to Jesus put them in opposition to Moses, the one in whom they placed their trust. John spoke similarly addressing their thoughts of security (as seen in a lack of repentance) based on genealogical connection to Abraham. “Do not say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (Matthew 3:9; cf. Luke 13:3, 5).

The epistles also address the issue of wrong thinking. Some were thinking about men higher than they ought, and thinking too highly of themselves! (Romans 12:3; 1Corinthians 3:18; 4:6;). It’s clear that our thinking needs to be tested with scripture to avoid Wrong Thinking.

Maybe our thinking stinks because of the information we’re inputting. You’ve heard the old saying, “garbage in garbage out.” Our culture is being overwhelmed with ideas, propaganda, and false information from every direction. Any person with a smart phone and internet connection can blast out any opinion about anything without any concern for whether it’s true or not. It’s especially dangerous when people spout error about spiritual themes. Jesus addressed this once with those who thought there was no resurrection from the dead. He identified the source of their Wrong Thinking. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29).

The truth sets us free from such error (John 8:31-32). God’s word is truth (John 17:17). Reading and studying God’s word equips us and shields us from error and builds up our minds in faith to think and speak aright (Romans 12:2; Proverbs 15:2). Not only do we need to test every spirit, “because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1John 4:1; 1Thess 5:21), but we also need to test our own selves. “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? –unless indeed you are disqualified” (2Corinthians 13:5).

The advice of the ancients is still sound today. Let us search the scriptures daily to find out if these things being spoken are so (Acts 17:11).

Agape
spencer

6 things SAINTS can do

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“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13)

Saints in the Bible are people who believe in Jesus Christ and have obeyed the gospel. Launching from Paul’s statement, let’s look at 6 things all SAINTS can do through Christ.

We can stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:13 says to take up the whole armor of God so that we may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm. Jesus stood against every temptation by answering with the written word of God (Matt 4:1-11). Joseph stood firm when tested in Egypt. Daniel and his friends stood firm in Babylon. The word of God gives the strength to stand.

We can have assurance of our salvation. “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1John 5:13). Paul knew whom he had believed. This assurance rests on the clear promises of Scripture.

We can increase in love and good works. Hebrews 10:24 calls us to stir one another up to love and good works. The church in Thessalonica already showed love yet Paul told them to excel still more and more (1Thess 4:10). The early believers in Jerusalem grew in care for one another. Growth comes as we keep learning and obeying the word of God.

We can be nice, kind, and merciful. Colossians 3:12 tells God’s people to “put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.” These qualities come from knowing what God has said and choosing to live by it. “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph 4:24).

We can be thankful and joyful despite trials. James 1:2-3 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” Paul and Silas sang hymns while in prison. Habakkuk chose to rejoice even when the fields failed (Hab 3:17). The word of God teaches us to give thanks in all circumstances.

We can share the reasons for the hope that is in us. 1Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” The woman at the well told her whole town about Jesus. Hope grows strong through the knowledge of God’s word, people take notice, and then we speak of it.

These six things belong to every saint. They rest on the plain teaching of Scripture.

Agape
seb

the Truth about GRACE

The Preacher

A Bible-Only Perspective

The religious world remains deeply confused about the grace of God. Many treat it as an automatic covering for every person regardless of response, or reduce it to a mental assent called “faith only.” Scripture alone presents a clear, consistent picture centered on Christ.

Grace is God’s unmerited GIFT expressed supremely in the sending of His Son to taste death for every man. Hebrews 2:9 declares that Jesus “by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” This is the heart of grace: God provided the sacrifice. No human effort originated it. Christ is the focus of the grace of God. Everything else flows from Him and His blood.

On man’s side, this grace is RECEIVED by faith. Faith is the obedient trust that takes hold of what God has freely offered. It is never mere intellectual agreement. The blood of God’s grace—the blood that cleanses from sin—is APPLIED when a believing person is baptized in water. At that point sins are washed away by His blood. Acts 22:16 records the command, “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Acts 2:38 links repentance and baptism “for the remission of sins.” First Peter 3:21 states that baptism “doth also now save us.” The power is not in the water itself but in the blood of Christ applied through the obedient act God appointed. COMPLYING with the Lord’s COMMAND is not earning salvation; it is receiving the gift on the terms God set. No one works his way into grace by obeying; one simply submits so that the blood can cleanse.

Grace delivers from the penalty of death. Through Christ we ESCAPE condemnation. Yet Scripture nowhere presents grace as irreversible once received. A person can be EJECTED from grace by turning away from God. Galatians 5:4 warns those who seek justification by law that “ye are fallen from grace.” 1Timothy 4:1 speaks of some who “shall depart from the faith.” Hebrews 2:3 asks how we shall escape if we neglect so great salvation. These and similar passages (Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-29; 2 Peter 2:20-22) show that continuing in faith and obedience is necessary. Grace does not cancel free will or remove the possibility of apostasy.

Two common misunderstandings distort this biblical picture. The first is the idea that grace automatically saves all humans. Hebrews 2:9 shows Christ died for every man, yet not every man is saved. Faith must receive the gift, and that faith includes the obedience of baptism for the washing away of sins. Universal automatic salvation contradicts the many calls to believe, repent, and obey, as well as the warnings of final judgment.

The second error is “faith only.” James 2:14-24 addresses it directly. Faith without works is dead. Abraham was justified by works when he offered Isaac, and the Scripture was fulfilled that “Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness.” James concludes, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” The works in view are not meritorious labor that obligates God; they are the obedient response of living faith. Saving faith always acts. Separating faith from the obedience God requires empties faith of its biblical meaning and leaves a person still in sin.

Thus, the Bible’s teaching is straightforward. Grace is God’s gift of Christ and His blood. That grace is received by faith and applied in water baptism for the washing away of sins. Christ remains the center. Obedience to His commands does not earn the gift; it receives it. Yet the same grace can be forfeited by turning away. This is the truth of grace according to the Scriptures alone—nothing more, nothing less.

All Spiritual Blessings: Kingdom Citizens

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“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3)

One of the spiritual blessings for those who have obeyed the gospel is that we are now kingdom citizens.

Some say that the kingdom of Christ has not come, and that we’re still waiting for Jesus to set up His Kingdom. The bible tells a different story.

First, the Kingdom Jesus said would come did come on Pentecost. “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.” (Mark 9:1; cf. Matthew 16:28; Luke 9:27)

This was fulfilled at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out with power and the apostles began preaching Christ crucified and raised: Acts 1:8 “ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you”; (Acts 2:1-4, 16-21, 32-36). Peter declared that Jesus, raised and exalted, had poured out what was seen and heard, and that God had made Him both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:33-36). The gospel of the kingdom was to be preached, and the power of God unto salvation is the gospel itself (Romans 1:16; cf. Matthew 24:14).

CHRIST IS REIGNING NOW: “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.” (1 Cor 15:25). This reign continues until the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father (1Cor 15:24-28).

All authority has already been given to Him: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18). He is seated at the right hand of God (Acts 2:33-36; Hebrews 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12-13; 12:2), far above all principality and power (Ephesians 1:20-22), and is “the head over all things to the church, which is his body” (Ephesians 1:22-23).

Second, all those who are in Christ have been translated “ into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). Entrance is through being in Christ: “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27). Those in Christ are new creatures (2Cor 5:17) and have redemption through His blood (Colossians 1:14). Paul tells the church at Philippi, “For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20). Believers are “fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19) after being made nigh by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13). The same people are described as having been called “unto his kingdom and glory” (1Thess 2:12) and as receiving “a kingdom which cannot be moved” (Hebrews 12:28).

Three, the promise to build the church is immediately linked with the keys of the kingdom. Jesus told Peter “I will build My church.” Then He said, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19). The same authority opens the kingdom to those who obey (Acts 2:38-41, 47 “the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved”).

Those who have obeyed the gospel (hearing, believing, repenting, confessing Christ, and being baptized into Christ—Romans 10:9-10, 17; Acts 2:38; 8:35-39; 22:16; Galatians 3:26-27) are delivered from darkness and translated into the kingdom of the Son.

They now live as citizens under the present reign of Jesus Christ, members of His body the church, awaiting the final delivery of the kingdom to the Father.

No future establishment of the kingdom is required; the Scriptures cited show it has come with power, Christ is reigning, and the transferred people constitute its citizens now. The language of a future kingdom makes Jesus a liar and a failure. We serve a King (1Tim 6:15) who did not fail, did not lie, and given us a new and living way (Heb 10:20).

Agape
spencer

A New and Living Way; Hebrews 10:20

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The New and Living Way

“By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.” Hebrews 10:20

There is something striking about the way the Bible describes what God has done through Jesus Christ. It repeatedly uses the word new.

God promised a new covenant. Christ established it. Those who come to Christ receive new life. They become new creatures. They put off the old man and put on the new man. They receive a new identity and are called by a new name. They are taught to live differently.

This is more than an updated version of an old religion. Jesus opened “a new and living way.”

A NEW COVENANT

The coming of something new was not a surprise. God had promised it hundreds of years before Christ came.

Jeremiah wrote: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant…” Jeremiah 31:31

God promised a covenant in which He would forgive iniquity and write His law upon the hearts of His people.

The prophets also spoke of an everlasting covenant and a covenant of peace. Isaiah spoke of God’s Servant being given “for a covenant of the people” (Isaiah 42:6). Ezekiel spoke of an “everlasting covenant” (Ezekiel 37:26).

Then Jesus came. When He instituted the Lord’s Supper, He said: “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins…” Matt 26:28

Hebrews explains exactly what happened: “In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old.” Hebrews 8:13

Christ did not simply repair the first covenant. He established a new one. (see Heb 7:12-14)

And that new covenant is the covenant under which we live today.

A New LIFE and a New Creation

The new covenant calls for a new kind of life.

Paul wrote: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” 2Cor 5:17

That is personal. If I am in Christ, I am not supposed to remain the same person I was before.

Galatians 6:15 says that what matters is being “a new creature.”

The prophets had already pointed toward this kind of change. Isaiah recorded God’s promise: “Behold, I will do a new thing…” Isaiah 43:19

The New Testament shows us that this new work begins in those who obey the gospel of Christ.

God does not simply give us a new set of beliefs. He calls us to a new life.

Buried (IMMERSED in baptism) and Raised to Newness of Life

Romans 6 makes the connection even clearer. Paul says: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead… even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4

Notice the progression.

We are buried with Christ. We are raised with Christ. THEN we walk in newness of life.

Colossians 2:12 describes us as being “buried with him in baptism” and raised with Him.

Galatians 3:27 says: “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

What baptism is Paul talking about?

He is talking about immersion in water.

The word baptism means immersion, and the Bible repeatedly connects baptism with water. The Ethiopian eunuch went down into the water with Philip, and they came up out of the water (Acts 8:36-39). Peter commanded baptism with water (Acts 10:47-48). Ananias told Saul to arise and be baptized and wash away his sins (Acts 22:16).

This is not something man invented. Jesus commanded it.

Jesus said: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them…” Matthew 28:19

Mark records: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved…” Mark 16:16

Water baptism is therefore not a work that replaces faith. It is an act of obedient faith.

The question is not whether baptism is a human work that earns salvation. It does not.

The question is whether a person who believes Jesus should obey what Jesus commanded.

  • Jesus commanded baptism.
  • The apostles commanded baptism.
  • And when people believed the gospel, they were baptized.

Acts 2:41 says those who gladly received the word were baptized.

Acts 8:12 says men and women believed and were baptized.

Acts 18:8 says many Corinthians hearing, believed, and were baptized.

Faith does not make obedience unnecessary.

Faith obeys.

That is why Romans 6 connects baptism with being buried and raised with Christ and then walking in newness of life.

Baptism is not presented as an empty ceremony. It is connected with entering Christ, being raised with Him, and beginning a new life.

The Christian life is supposed to look different because the Christian has become different.

New Wine and New VESSELS

Jesus used another picture to describe what He was bringing.

“New wine must be put into new bottles.” Mark 2:22

The point is simple. The new work Christ was doing called for something new.

We cannot claim the new life Christ gives us while continuing to live according to the old life we left behind.

The gospel is not just something we add to our lives.

It changes our lives.

A New Man in a New IMAGE

Paul gives us another powerful picture in Ephesians 4.

He tells Christians to put away the old manner of life and: “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:24

Colossians 3:9-10 says: “Ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man…”

Then Paul explains that the new man is: “renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.”

That is what Christ is doing in us.

We put off the old man. We put on the new man. We become more like Christ.

Christianity is not about becoming a slightly improved version of the old me. It is about becoming a new man in Christ.

A New NAME

God also promised that His people would receive a new name.

Isaiah wrote: “thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.” Isaiah 62:2

Isaiah 65:15 speaks of God calling His servants “by another name.”

Then we come to the New Testament.

Acts 11:26 tells us: “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.”

James refers to “that worthy name by the which ye are called” (James 2:7).

Peter says: “if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed.” 1 Peter 4:16

Revelation also speaks of a “new name” given to those who belong to Christ (Rev 2:17; 3:12).

God gives His people a new identity.

We are not defined by who we used to be. We belong to Christ.

New GARMENTS

The Bible also describes this new identity as putting on new clothing.

Isaiah wrote: “he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.” Isaiah 61:10

Paul uses the same kind of language when he says: “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 13:14

And again: “put on the new man.” Eph 4:24

Colossians 3 tells us what these new garments look like. We put on mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love.

This is what the new life should look like.

We take off the old behavior and put on Christ.

The New and Living Way

Put all of this together and the message becomes clear.

God promised a new covenant.

Christ established it through His blood.

Those who come to Christ receive new life.

Through baptism, we are buried and raised to newness of life.

We become a new creation at baptism.

We put off the old man and put on the new man.

We receive a new identity and name.

We put on new garments of righteousness, holiness, and love. Galatians 3:27

And all of it points us back to Hebrews 10:20:

“A new and living way.”

Jesus did not merely make the old way easier. He opened a new way to God.

The question is not simply whether we believe that Jesus opened that way.

The question is whether we are walking in it.

If I have entered the new covenant, I should live a new life.

If I have been raised to newness of life, I should not keep living like the old man.

If I have put on Christ, people should be able to see Christ in the way I live.

That is the challenge of the new and living way.

Christ made all things new. He calls us to live as new people.

agape

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Cornelius was such a great guy

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“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Psalms 1:1-3)

We all know someone who seems to meet every standard of goodness that human opinion can invent.

I can recall a person in my life who left an impression of goodness, kindness, generosity, and made me feel special just for being me. Some things I recall about them is that they were believers in God, prayerful, and had a good reputation among all. This kind person lit up every room they entered, and nearly everyone smiled and was glad to see them.

If you were to ask my opinion back then I would say these folks exemplified someone bound for heaven. If anyone was ready for heaven it would be them.

A similar real person appears in the pages of Scripture. Acts 10 and 11 tell us of a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian cohort stationed in Caesarea. The text states that he was a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. The report about him among men was, “a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews…” (Acts 10:22). Left to us that would be the whole of the story. That would be our eulogy at his funeral had he died before the rest of the events in Acts 10 & 11.

An angel of God appeared to him and said that his prayers and alms had ascended as a memorial before God. The angel directed him to send men to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. Cornelius obeyed at once. When Peter arrived, Cornelius gathered his relatives and close friends to hear the message. Peter would relate later what Cornelius told him, “how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved’” (Acts 11:13-14). You see, the angel told him he needed to hear words to be SAVED.

Peter proclaimed Jesus of Nazareth: how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, how He went about doing good and healing, how He was put to death and raised on the third day, and how God appointed Him to be judge of the living and the dead. Peter declared that to Him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name. He preached the Gospel (v38-43).

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. They heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15-16). This outpouring served as clear evidence that God was accepting the Gentiles.

Peter then asked “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized,” (Acts 10:47). He commanded them, “to be baptized in the name of the Lord” (v48). Cornelius heard that message, believed in Jesus, and was baptized in water. He and his household continued thereafter in the way of the Lord.

The account leaves no room for doubt. Despite the genuine devotion, generous alms, continual prayer, and godly fear that marked Cornelius’s life, he still needed to hear the words by which he would be saved. Human reasoning might have concluded that such a person already stood accepted. Scripture records otherwise. The gospel required hearing about Jesus, believing in Him for the forgiveness of sins, and being baptized in water. The Holy Spirit’s descent confirmed God’s acceptance of the Gentiles, yet water baptism still followed as the commanded completion of faith.

We must not confuse a good life with having earned or owed salvation. A life filled with generosity, prayer, and respect may impress others, yet it cannot purchase forgiveness. We all need the blood of Christ. Nobody is saved outside of Christ, no matter how good we think they are. The same truth applies to the kind person I talked about at the beginning.

No matter how generous, prayerful, respected, or devout that individual may seem, the same need remains. Romans 3:23 states that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Character that impresses people does not remove the requirement to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, believe in Him, be baptized in water, and continue in faithfulness.

Cornelius’s story stands as a clear demonstration that even the most admirable life by human standards still requires obedience to the message that saves through the blood of Christ.

Agape
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INCLINE THY EAR

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Leaning in to Learn

Salvation begins with a simple yet profound act. One must hear the word of God. Jesus made this clear when He said, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24). Hearing is not automatic. It requires us to incline our ear toward God.

The Bible often uses the phrase “incline your ear” to describe attentive, humble listening. In the Old Testament, God repeatedly called His people to this posture. Isaiah urged, “Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, and your soul shall live” (Isaiah 55:3). Proverbs teach us to “incline your ear to wisdom” so that understanding enters our hearts (Proverbs 2:2; 4:20). This is no casual hearing. It means turning our full attention toward God, bending our will in His direction, and opening our hearts to receive what He says.

For us today, inclining the ear means listening to the written word of God. We pick up the Scriptures, read them carefully, and listen with a desire to understand and obey. In Acts, those who heard Peter’s message on Pentecost “were cut to the heart” and asked what they should do (Acts 2:37). They listened intently. Their response led to repentance and baptism. Thousands were added to the church that day.

Contrast this with those who refused to listen. In Jeremiah, God lamented that His people “did not listen or incline their ear” despite persistent warnings through the prophets. They stiffened their necks and missed God’s blessing. Jesus warns of this danger in His parables. He told of seed falling on different soils, where only the good soil “hears the word and understands it” and bears fruit (Matthew 13:23). The difference was not in the seed but in the hearer’s response. Stephen pointed this out when he said, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Acts 7:51). Oh, you thought he was being insulting? Nay, Nay; he was only echoing what the prophets before had already said. “Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers” (Jeremiah 7:26).

Inclining your ear is the necessary first step because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). No one can believe what they have not heard. No one can obey what they have not received. This truth places beautiful responsibility on every person. God speaks through His word. We must choose to lean in and listen.

Think of the Bereans, who “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Or consider the Ethiopian eunuch, who was reading Isaiah when Philip joined him. One conversation about the written word opened his heart to salvation (Acts 8:26-38).

God’s plan is accessible to all. He has preserved His word so that anyone willing can incline their ear. You do not need special revelation or an irresistible pull. You need an open Bible, an open mind, and a willing heart. Read it daily. Meditate on it. Let the words sink deep.

The first step of salvation is to hear the word. Jesus stands ready. The question is whether we will incline our ear to Him. Many miss heaven by inches, not miles, simply because they never inclined their ear to the God who speaks. Turn your attention. Eternity hangs on it.

Agape
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BEARING FRUIT WORTHY OF REPENTANCE

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Producing Fruit in Keeping with Repentance
“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” (John 15:8)

John the baptizer told the Pharisees, “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matt 3:8).

What are the “Fruits Worthy of Repentance?” The simple answer is that it means to produce visible, ongoing evidence of an ongoing unity with Christ, in a Christlike character, in obedience (especially love), and a life that glorifies (points toward) God through abiding (keeping His commands) in Him. It also includes being profitable (useful) to Him in His ultimate purpose that “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1Tim 2:4).

Repentance always begins in the heart. We can’t read hearts, but the Holy Spirit has given an example of true and complete repentance from the heart as seen in the church at Corinth. They had need of repentance, the specifics of the charges and their repentance can be found by studying 1Corinthians. In Paul’s 2nd letter they had taken steps to repent, and Paul expresses how complete and thorough that repentance was. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter” (2Cor 7:10-11). Notice the 9 attitudes the church at Corinth displayed proving true repentance.

• “ye sorrowed after a godly sort” [lupeo, & theos] A deep, God-centered grief over sin, contrasted with worldly sorrow, which is self-focused.
• “what carefulness it wrought in you, yea,” [spoudē] a diligent, active resolve to turn from sin and pursue obedience, rather than passive regret.
• “what clearing of yourselves, yea,” [apologia] A strong desire to vindicate or clear one’s name and conscience by openly acknowledging the sin, taking responsibility, and demonstrating innocence going forward.
• “what indignation, yea,” [aganaktēsis] Righteous anger or outrage, directed toward the sin itself, one’s own participation in it, and the damage it caused.
• “what fear, yea,” [phobo] Reverential fear of God, awareness of His holiness, and a wholesome dread of sin’s consequences.
• “what vehement desire, yea,” [epipothēsis] Intense, heartfelt longing for restoration to God, and to avoiding sin in the future.
• “what zeal, yea,” [zēlos] It shows fervent enthusiasm and passionate commitment to God and His word as opposed to indifference.
• “what revenge!” [ekdikēsis] A determined desire to see justice done by punishing (1Cor 5:4-5; 2Cor 2:6) or removing the evil involving self-discipline, and decisive action against sin in the church or personal life.
• “In all things ye have approved (proved) yourselves to be clear in this matter.” [sunistao] A complete demonstration of innocence and purity in the matter through consistent, observable change.

Bringing forth fruit worth of repentance is first a change in heart and attitude along with decisive, and determined action. True repentance includes both.

Agape
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