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women keep silent in the churches

In considering the matter of participation in ecclesial life, women are often confronted with I Corinthians 14:34-35:

Let your women keep silent in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

Where is the reference?

When we look to the Law of Moses, or any part of the Old Testament, for the reference where women are to keep silent, we cannot find it. There are general instructions regarding the woman being a help suitable to the man, several laws indicating the special responsibility of the man of the house and the prophets were most frequently male. But nowhere are women told to be silent in the assembly — rather we find the occasional reference to a prophetess (Ex. 15:20; Judg. 4:4; II Kgs. 22:14; Isa. 8:3).

Further, we wonder how women who prayed and prophesied (I Cor. 11:5) could exercise their gifts to the benefit of all if they could only speak at home. And what were widows to do who had no husband or father? How does this instruction consider them? What we have found interesting are the attitudes expressed in the traditions of the Jews which the Lord Jesus called “the commandments of men.”

Dr. Adam Clarke comments that the prohibition against women speaking in the churches in I Corinthians 14:34 was actually a Jewish ordinance and points out that the rabbis taught that “a woman should know nothing but the use of her distaff,” and cites the statement by Rabbi Eliezer, “Let the words of the Law be burned rather than that they should be delivered to women.” Concerning I Corinthians 14:35, “For it is a shame for women to speak in the church,” Dr. Clarke claims that “The Jews would not allow a woman to read in the synagogue; though a servant or even a child had this permission” (Adam Clarke’s Commentaries on I Corinthians).

After researching Jewish writings on the subject, Dr. Anderson notes that the Talmud (a collection of Jewish rabbinical teachings) contains commands very similar to I Corinthians 14:34-35. Recorded in the Talmud, Rabbi Merilla said, “Let the women be silent in the assembly…It is a shame for a woman to let her voice be heard among men….A woman should not read the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy).” And Rabbi Eliezer said, “Rather have the Roll of the Law burned than have it taught to women…The testimony of one hundred women is not equal to that of one man.”

This Jewish attitude is in sharp contrast to the ecclesia where “there is neither male nor female,” where husband and wife are “heirs together of the grace of life”and where the gifts of the Holy Spirit were poured out on “…your daughters…and on my handmaidens…” (Acts 2:17-18). Yes, the husband is the head of the wife, but the Jewish attitude was utterly demeaning of women and without any biblical support.

Could it be that I Corinthians 14:34-35 is actually citing a wrong attitude the Judaizers in Corinth were advancing and that Paul rejects such a position with his:“What? Came the word of God out from you?” (I Cor. 14:36). Earlier in the epistle Paul has cited some of their wrong ideas which were being used to justify fornication. He sharply counters them with, “What? Know ye not…” (I Cor. 6:12,13 and 15,16,18).

In concluding our comments on I Corinthians 14, then, while this passage has long been used by many religious groups to impose an extreme position of silence on women in the congregation, it is curious to note that such a restriction is neither found nor hinted at in either the Law of Moses or in the rest of the Old Testament. Christ himself never gave such instruction. Could this have been a traditional Jewish restriction pressed upon Paul and the Corinthian ecclesia by the troublesome, rules-oriented, power-hungry Judaizers?

Paul’s instruction to Timothy

I Timothy 2:11 reads, “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.” With what we have cited above, Paul’s instruction is seen to counter the teaching of the Jewish rabbis that “a woman should not read the Torah,” or “a woman should know nothing but the use of her distaff.” Rather Paul is seen to uphold the precedent set in the Old Testament that women should learn the law of God right along with men. In Nehemiah 8:3 we see that Ezra read the book of the law to “the men and women” in his day. This is in sharp contrast to the rabbis who taught that it was better for the Scroll of the Law to be burned than to be taught to women.

Paul is countering that attitude by saying that women believers must be allowed to learn, and he is actually giving an order to the men to let the women “learn in peace and quietness, undisturbed.” The Greek word hesuchia, translated here in the KJV as “silence” actually means “tranquility, peace, quietness.” Examples of its use are in II Thessalonians 3:12: “Now to them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.” And I Thessalonians 4:11: “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.”

Thus, this is not silence as a physical restriction: i.e. not speaking; rather, it is hesuchia, “peace, quietness,” an attitude of the mind which manifests itself in overall demeanor.

Not to teach or take authority

I Timothy 2:12 reads: “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” Let’s examine the first phrase, “But I suffer not a woman to teach…” If we understand this to mean that women are not allowed to teach, we contradict the words of the Lord Jesus Christ who commissioned all of his followers, both men and women, to teach and to preach to all nations.

In light of Jesus’ words, how can Paul be understood to forbid women to preach and teach? Paul knew of Christ’s command for all to preach, and he was aware of God’s appointment of prophetesses in times past. God provided a woman to teach king Josiah and the high priest (II Kgs. 22:14-15). He placed Anna in the temple for all of her widowed life (more than 50 years) to teach the people every day. Moses wished that all God’s people, including women, would prophesy, in Numbers 11:29. Miriam did.

Could it be that Paul is telling Timothy what he himself found expedient to do at that time (note: I suffer not)? It could be, since the persecutions of the Christians under Nero were then in full force, and remembering how he himself had sought out and imprisoned, tortured, and killed women believers as well as men, that he wished the women to keep in the background, out of harm’s way.

The second phrase of this verse is, “nor to usurp authority over the man.” The Greek word used here is authenteo and it means “to act of oneself or exercise authority over.” The English word “usurp,” which means “to seize and hold the power or rights of another by force and without legal authority,” is a politically inflammable word and gives an extreme tone to the translation. The idea here is that women are warned not to take away man’s God-given responsibilities from them.

How many men have abandoned their positions as leaders in their homes and ecclesias? How many women have too quickly and unadvisedly stepped in to fill the void left by such brethren? How will we answer at the judgment seat?

The last phrase reads, “but to be in silence.” Here again is that word hesuchia, which means “in peace and quietness, undisturbed,” not speechlessness. How can a woman learn if she is forbidden to speak?

Conclusion

We have considered the two passages which seem to teach the silence of sisters. We have seen that similar instruction is not found in the Old Testament, and we know that Christ treated men and women with great respect. We have seen that the Jewish Rabbis demeaned the education of women in contrast to the admonition to teach women in the early ecclesia. We have noted that Paul is probably correcting a wrong view in respect to sisters and that the passage in Timothy needs to be carefully read in context and in regard to the Greek words used.

In closing we cite the words of Brother Robert Roberts: “I have seen tyrannical and unsympathetic men wrongly using Paul’s authority to put down and quench godly women more qualified than they themselves to exercise judgment and give counsel. Let woman certainly be modest, but let her not be reduced to a cipher, which God never intended. She is intended as a comrade and a help, which she greatly is when enlightened and treated rightly. We ought to be thankful when women turn up who are able to help with wise suggestions. To object to such on the score of ‘ruling’ the ecclesia is to evince a shameful misconception of duty or an itch for headship which disqualifies for the true service of the community. No man who wants to be head is fit to be head. The headship that comes from service is the only headship that is either useful or tolerable.” (A Voyage to Australia, February, 1897, p 60)

Linda Wilkinson

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The Bible X Files

Introduction

Strange disappearances, returning from the dead, healing powers, non- human intelligences; these and many other phenomenon are the stuff of investigations by Mulder and Scully in the cult TV series The X-Files. This programme has probably done more than any other, to generate interest in what is described as the para-normal. Yet this fascination has always been there and records of such occurrences exist in ancient writings, going back 3,500 years, or more.


Another similarity with the X-Files, is that these ancient writings also have an underlying theme running through them. You know how Fox Mulder and Dana Scully exercise their conspiracy theories on a weekly basis, trying to make sense of events and trying to discern who is pulling the strings behind the scenes - in their case, mysterious departments of the American Government. Surprisingly, the ancient writings previously referred to also reach the same conclusion, namely the World Governments will conspire together to oppose the forces of good. The writings also contain remarkable prophecies pointing to when these events will come to a terrifying conclusion.


Before looking at a few of these prophecies, lets consider some of the accounts of startling phenomena.

Mysterious Disappearances.

The first recorded incident dates from approximately 3,300 BC and concerns Enoch, a man who 'Walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.' (Genesis 5:24). A First Century writer also referred to this incident
'By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.' (Hebrews 11:5).

It would appear the reason for this disappearance (or translation) may have been in order to spare Enoch from a forthcoming global disaster, which happened shortly after his 'translation' (Genesis 6:17). In the same way, First Century writings foretell that those who 'Walk with God' now, will also be saved from a forthcoming global disaster, (or which, more later).


A second example of a mysterious disappearance occurred to a man called Elijah in about 1000 BC.
"And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.''



The ancient writings are full of examples of people who have miraculously returned from the dead. The same Elijah we discussed in the previous section brought about one such example (1 Kings 17:22)
"And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived." )





Another unusual example was brought about by the corpse touching the bones of the prophet Elisha. (2 Kings 13:21
"And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.")




The second portion of the ancient writings, written between about A.D. 50 and A.D. 100 contain many examples of people being raised from the dead. A man called Paul was able to do this, as well as a man called Peter.


Acts 9:40 "But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up."


The most famous examples concern a religious teacher called Jesus and also known as the Christ or the Messiah which both mean 'the Anointed One'.

Matthew 11:4 & 5 "Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them."


One example was of his friend, Lazarus
(John 11:44 "And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.")

Even in death (similar to the case of Elisha), people were brought back to life, because of Jesus.
(Matthew 27:52 - 54 "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.")

There were also other examples recorded which bear further research. The purpose of the resurrections was to point forward to the promised return of Jesus to the earth when (1 Corinthians 15:52)
"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

The gift of everlasting life is on offer to all who believe the message of the Bible and is made possible by the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus himself.


Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.


If you wish to know more about this subject, please contact us for further no- cost, no-obligation information.

Healing Powers

The ancient writings contain many examples of the power of healing, We shall look at several examples.


2 Kings 5:9-14 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.


It was not Elisha himself who had the power to heal, but he was the channel through which the power was focused. The point of the story was that Naaman had to learn humility in order to be healed. Here are some other examples.


2 Kings 20:5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.
2 Kings 20:6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.



Matthew 8:13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
Matthew 8:14-17 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
Matthew 12:13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luke 10:8 & 9 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.


The reason that these healings took place was almost always the same. It was to show that the one through whom the healing power came was chosen by God.


Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Non-Human Intelligence

The ancient writings are full of references to non-human intelligences. Indeed, the writings themselves are said to have been written by humans under the direction of one Supreme Intelligence. This Intelligence is known by many titles, but the writings also reveal to us His actual name, Yahweh. The supreme Intelligence is assisted by legions of his messengers, which humans have called Angels.

One fact that differentiates these beings from the many that are encountered on a regular basis by Mulder and Scully, is that these beings are uniformly good in nature and purpose. However it must be said that in order to achieve their ultimate objective, they are often hindered by human intervention, especially from governments.

Despite the fact that the ancient writings appear to mention forces of evil, such as devils and demons, these are symbols that represent the evil in the world, rather than real beings themselves. It says in the writings that evil originates within Man rather than being an external force....


James 1:13-15 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.




Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.


Thus, though some who profess to follow the teachings of the ancient writings, believe that evil demons and spirits are responsible for their evil deeds, it is plain that they must look closer to home for their origin.

Despite there being no real evil beings in the universe, there is still a battle going on, between good and evil, within each one of us. If you want to find out how you can win this battle, please contact us.

Visitations

There is some confusion as to whether the Supreme Being, Yahweh, has ever directly visited the earth. Sometimes, the ancient writings appear to say that He has appeared to Man, but at other times, they state that
(John 1:18) "No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him'. (Exodus 33:20)
'And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live".


The confusion seems to arise when a messenger, or angel visits earth and is acting on behalf of Yahweh and so assumes the Name of God. This can be seen in the strange account of Jacob 'wrestling with God'...


Genesis 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. Genesis 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.


At one stage, Jacob considers his adversary to be a man and later to be God. In order for the writings to be consistent, Jacob could not have wrestled face to face with God and lived. Therefore, it must have been a messenger assuming the Name of God.

There are many incidents concerning messengers or angels appearing to men, but here are a few more examples of the angels assuming the appearance of men;

Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.




Genesis 18:1-5 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My LORD, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

Judges 6:22-23 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O LORD God! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

Judges 13:16 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.


It is appropriate that the word 'angel' translates as 'messenger', since angels normally appeared to Mankind with a message from Jahweh and even though they may not appear directly to Man these days, the incidents are recorded for us because in many cases, the messages apply just as much to the people of today as they did to the people three thousand years ago.

Teleporting

The ability to be able to travel instantly from one place to another, has long been sought by Man. This must have been even more desirable, thousands of years ago, when travel was so difficult. There are a couple of instances of this in the ancient writings.


Acts 8:39-40 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.





The second example, is not one so much of teleporting, as one of super- human strength! A man called Elijah ran for miles, matching the pace of a speeeding chariot and horses (1 Kings 18:46). This was carried out using a supernatural force, called 'the power of the LORD'.

UFOs

There would appear to be an early sighting of a 'UFO', recorded in the book of Exekiel, chapter 1. Yahweh appeared to the prophet in a vehicle, comprising of winged creatures (verse 11) and 'wheels intersecting wheels' (verse 16). It could rise up from the ground (verse 19). Above the heads of the creatures was some kind of canopy (verse 22). Above the canopy, or expanse, was a throne, where the 'Pilot', clothed in shining metallic apparel, was sat.

Of course, the difference between this and many other sightings, is that this one was not 'unidentified'. We are told that this vehicle was from Yahweh and contained his messenger, though why the LORD chose this method to appear to His prophet, as opposed to the method of the messenger taking on human form, might need some explanation.

Ezekiel was one of the Jews who had been forcibly removed from his homeland to the land of the Babylonians. They were a demoralised people, and their present predicament was a punishment from Yahweh. It would take something rather spectacular to convince Exekiel that Yahweh was making contact once more, with His followers on earth.

Prophecy

There are many prophecies contained in the Ancient Writings. Many have amazingly already been fulfilled. This gives us confidence that the source or inspiration behind these writings (namely Yahweh) is true and accurate. We can therefore assume that the other prophecies will also come true. Space does not permit us to look at too many prophecies or to go into too much detail, but if you require more information, please send for our free, no obligation booklet, 'Light on Bible Prophecy'.

Prophecy is also called 'history told in advance'.


2 Peter 1:20 & 21 states :-"Above all you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."


Here are two quotes from the religious writings of Sir Isaac Newton :

"There is scarce a prophecy in the Old Testament which doth not in something or other relate to His (that is Christ's) second coming".

"Amongst the old prophets, Daniel is easiest to understand, and therefore in those things that relate to the last times, he must be made the key to the rest."

The Book of Daniel, chapter 2, tells of successive world empires, each building onto the last and the final one being destroyed by Yahweh's son, Jesus, who, it is foretold, will return to earth to establish a Kingdom which will last for a thousand years.

The other major prophecy you may wish to read is contained in the 24th chapter of the Book of Matthew, which lists the 'Signs of the Times' which will precede the return of Jesus to earth. These include, 'wars and rumours of war', ' famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes', 'there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets'.

All these 'signs' are happening around us at this very moment. That is why we can be sure that Jesus, the Son of Yahweh will return soon to set up the Kingdom of God on earth. If you want to hear more about the Kingdom of God, please contact us for a free, no obligation copy of our magazine "Light on a New World".

The Bible Prophecy Channel

Welcome to the Bible Prophecy Channel  which we hope you will find an informative and stimulating source of information relating to End Time Bible Prophecy and Biblical Christianity

The Bible Prophecy Channel is  dedicated to preaching the Gospel through pre-recorded video and audio presentations based on the Bible - the Word of God. We believe in the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ when Jesus will return to earth and establish God's kingdom. The bible tells us that the kingdom of God on earth will be a very different place to the world in which we currently live. Planet earth will be transformed so that there will be no pain, no cruelty, no famine and no sickness (Isaiah 65v17-25).

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Saved by Knowledge

Psalm 49:20 Earthling man, although in honour, who does not understand, Is indeed comparable with the beasts that have been destroyed.

John 17:3 This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ. 

(Ephesians 4:13) until we all attain to the oneness in the faith and in the accurate knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of the Christ;

(Philippians 1:9) And this is what I continue praying, that YOUR love may abound yet more and more with accurate knowledge and full discernment;

The first thing a man has to do, then, in order to gain salvation, is to believe the gospel. To do this he must know the gospel, for as Paul says, "How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard"? (Rom. x, 14). Knowledge must always precede belief; for a man cannot believe that of which he has not previously been informed. Hence, the first inquiry on the part of man or woman anxious to be saved will be, WHAT IS THE GOSPEL? Until they know this, they cannot go on to the second stage of believing unto salvation. The gospel is styled "the one faith," because it is made up of things which require faith to receive them - the act of the mind by which these are apprehended being metonymically put for the things themselves. It is laid down as a principle, "Without faith IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD" (Heb. xi, 6), and it is affirmed of believers, "Ye are saved through faith" (Eph. ii, 8), and " the just shall live by faith," (Heb. x. 38). Now this faith, in scriptural usage, is not a mere abstract reliance on the omnipotence of Jehovah, but the belief of specific promise. It is said that "faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness" (Rom. iv, 9). Now let us note the character of this righteousnessacquiring faith:-

"He staggered not at THE PROMISE OF GOD through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God:and being fully persuaded that WHAT HE HAD PROMISED, he was also able to perform" (Rom. iv, 20, 21).

Hence, it is said that faithful Abraham was constituted the father of them that BELIEVE, by which it is evident that scriptural faith is belief in the promises of God; and thus by the consideration of terms of a more general nature, we arrive at the conclusion to which we were guided in a former lecture by specific testimony, viz.: - that the Gospel which must be believed in order to obtain salvation, is made up of unfulfilled promises as its chief element.

http://www.antipas.org/books/chris_astray/ca_lec17.html


HERESIAN: But the apostle saith, we are saved by "the renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Tit. iii. 5).

BOANERGES: He also says, we are renewed by knowledge" (Col. iii. 10). In this, however, he does not contradict himself, but rather makes the one phrase explanatory of the other; as if he had said, "we are renewed by the Holy Spirit through knowledge." The Holy Spirit renews or regenerates man intellectually and morally by the truth believed. "Sanctify them by thy truth," says Jesus; "thy word, O Father, is truth" (John xvii. 17). "Ye are clean," said he to his apostles, "through the word which I have spoken to you" (John xv. 3). God's power is manifested through means. His Spirit is His power by which He effects intellectual, moral, and physical results. When He wills to produce intellectual and moral effects, it is by knowledge revealed by His Spirit through the prophets and apostles. This knowledge becomes power when received into "good and honest hearts"; and because God is the author of it, it is styled "the Knowledge of God" (2 Pet. i. 2), or "the word of truth" (James i. 18), by which He begets sinners to Himself as His sons and daughters. "The word of the truth of the gospel,"" the gospel of the kingdom." "the incorruptible seed,""the word," "the truth as it is in Jesus,"" the word of the kingdom,"" the word of reconciliation," "the law and the testimony," "the word of faith," "the sword of the spirit which is the word of God," "the word of Christ," "the perfection of liberty," etc.-are all phrases richly expressive of" the power of God" by which He saves His people from their sins, and translates them into the Hope of the kingdom and glory to which He invites them. The truth is the power that makes men free indeed (John viii. 32, 36). Hence Jesus says, "My words are spirit, and they are life." The prophets, Jesus, and the apostles were the channels through which it was transmitted to mankind; and the spirit the agent by which the knowledge was conveyed to them. Hence, the knowledge or the truth being suggested to the prophets by the spirit is sometimes styled "the spirit" (Rom. ii. 20). The spirit is to the truth as cause and effect; and by a very common figure of speech, the one is put for the other in speaking of them relatively to the mind and heart of man. So that the phrase "renewed by the holy spirit" is equivalent to renewed by the belief of the truth testified by the Holy Spirit (John xv. 26: xiv. 13-14).

http://www.the-gospel-truth.info/clerical-theology-unscriptural-part-1/

21. We reject that baby sprinkling is a doctrine of Scripture. [Baptism is only valid upon a confession of understanding the complete Will and purpose of God. It is the outward manifestation of an inner conviction — Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12.]

22. We reject that “heathens,” idiots, pagans, and very young children will be saved. [Salvation is based upon a reasonable and logical understanding of the Truth; those who are foreign to the gospel, who lack the capacity to perceive its responsibilities; or who are unable to comprehend, are outside the sphere of salvation — Acts 8:12.]

23. We reject that man can be saved by morality or sincerity, without the gospel. [Morality and sincerity must be accompanied by an acknowledgement of the gospel for salvation — Acts 10:1-6.]

24. We reject that the gospel alone will save, without the obedience of Christ’s commandments. [Obedience to the commandments is a responsibility required of all believers; salvation will be determined upon the application of faith and obedience. Rev. 22:14; Mat. 7:26; 2Pet. 2:21; Mat. 28:20; Gal. 6:2]

http://www.thechristadelphians.org/htm/beliefs/rejected.htm

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