____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ May 13, 2007 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) Romans 8:28-39: God Is Working For Us (Johnny Stringer) 2) The Spirit of Error (Carrol R. Sutton) 3) The Scriptures Teach We Are Saved By: (Johnie Edwards) ____________________________________________________ -1- Romans 8:28-39: God Is Working For Us by Johnny Stringer "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28). Just how extensively is this principle to be applied? Are there no limitations to the "all things" that work together for our good? Many apply this statement without limitations, but to do so leads to some strange conclusions. If a dog over in Mongolia digs a hole, does that hole benefit you or me? It is a thing, but is it included among the "all things" which work together for our good? I do not believe so. I believe we would be just as well off if the dog had never dug the hole. It seems clear that the term "all" is limited by the context in which it is found. For example, when Paul said, "All things are lawful," we must understand that the "all things" did not include drunkenness, murder, and adultery. Some people who say "All things are lawful" may mean to include those things, but in the context of the Bible, the writer must not have meant to include them, for they are prohibited in the Bible. Similarly, I am convinced that the "all things" of Romans 8:28 are limited by the context. The dog's hole in Mongolia is not the kind of thing under discussion in the context of Romans 8:28. Paul proceeds in verse 29 to elaborate on verse 28. The connection between the two verses is seen in the word for at the beginning of verse 29. In verses 29-30 Paul summarizes the things God has done which culminate in our glorification. God is doing many things for us, and all these things are working together for our good. The "all things" working together for our good are the things God is doing toward our ultimate glorification. These are the things under consideration in the context. Paul speaks of our glorification in the past tense because it has occurred in God's plan or purpose. Such usage of the past tense is also found in Genesis 17:5, Joshua 6:2, and Isaiah 53:4-8. Comforting Assurance Paul's purpose in this passage is to give assurance. The assurance is only for those who love God (v. 28), and loving God involves obedience to him (1 Jn. 5:3). Having stated that God is working things out for the ultimate good -- the glorifi- cation -- of those who love the Lord, Paul proceeds to assure that God will carry out his purpose. We can find wonderful comfort in the assurance Paul gives in this passage. We can feel secure in the knowledge that no one has the power to defeat God's purpose for those who love him (v. 31). Moreover, we should realize that if God was willing to give his Son to die for us, he surely will continue to work toward our glorification, giving us all the things that he purposed for us -- if we continue to love him (v. 32). Then Paul points out that if God has justified us (acquitted us of our sins and declared us to be not guilty), no one can charge us with sin and bring about our condemnation. Jesus died for us and there is no force that can cause us to be lost if we avail ourselves of his intercession (vv. 33-34). Finally, Paul assures us that God's love toward us is constant and unfailing (vv. 35-39). We may go through many tribulations and hardships, but we can be comforted by the knowledge that God still loves us. Things may not be going well for the present, but we can be confident that he is still working toward our ultimate glorification. As we endure suffering and hardship, it may not seem that we are winning a glorious victory, but regardless of how things seem, we are "more than conquerors"; for after the suffering, the glory will come (vv. 35-37). Verses 38-39 assure us in majestic language that no power or force whatever can cause God to quit loving those who love him. If we lose our souls, it will not be because any of the forces listed in these verses caused God to quit loving us and therefore withdraw our salvation. Rather, it will be because we renounced him and his blessings. This passage does not say anything about what we can do. We can renounce God and salvation if we choose; God does not force his blessings on anyone. But so long as we love him, he continues to work toward our ultimate glorification as promised in Romans 8:28-30. -- Via Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 4, p. 111, February 20, 1992 ____________________________________________________ -2- The Spirit of Error by Carrol R. Sutton John, an inspired apostle said: "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error" (1 Jno. 4:6). There is a vast difference in truth and error; in the spirit of truth and "the spirit of error." Truth is of God but error is not. Those who know God will hear the truth as was made known by inspired men such as John. Those who do not hear the truth are not of God, but are of the devil. They do not have the Spirit of truth, but the "spirit of error." Some who claim to have the Spirit of truth obviously have "the spirit of error." John tells us in 1 Jno. 4:6 how we can tell the difference, as we have already noted. Some Traits of Those Who Have the Spirit of Error Those who have "the spirit of error" will not hear ALL of what has been taught by inspired men as recorded in the Scripture. Paul declared the whole counsel of God to the Ephesian bishops (See Acts 20:27). The devil used some Scripture in his attempt to get Jesus to sin, but he misused it. Many do likewise today. Although they appeal to the Scripture for some point or points, they are not willing to accept the whole counsel of God. For example, "faith only" advocates will use verses that condition salvation on faith and then they will ignore verses that condition salvation on repentance, confession, and baptism and will assert that the Scripture teaches salvation by "faith only." Such is the "spirit of error." Some will accept what Jas. 1:27 says about a MAN "visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction," but they will not accept what 1 Tim. 5:16 teaches relative to the CHURCH relieving widows indeed. They say the church cannot relieve, but can only supply the money for such and then another institution must do the work of relieving. Such evidences unbelief! It is "the spirit of error." Many who have the "spirit of error" are inconsistent religious hypocrites. Read Matt. 23 for a vivid description of such people. They were inconsistent in their teaching and practice as well as hypocritical in their actions. Jesus denounced them in very plain terms. The proud, self-righteous person has "the spirit of error." Jesus spoke a parable in Lk. 18:10-14 in which He shows that "every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Humility of mind, meekness of spirit and contriteness of heart should characterize all of us. Often times, those who have "the spirit of error" lie in wait to deceive (See Eph. 4: 14). They use cunning craftiness to accomplish their goal. They employ carnal weapons. They resort to treachery, misrepresentation, mockery, blasphemy, and lying in an effort to crush the proponents of truth. They love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. (See Jno. 3:19.) Those who propagate error often use pressure or force to stop the mouths of the advocates of truth. They do not want people to examine candidly their teaching in the light of God's eternal truth. They would, if they could, erect an "iron curtain" around their followers because they fear the results of an honest investigation of their doctrines in light of the Scriptures. Truth and its propagation are not dependent upon the employment of carnal weapons. Truth can and will be propagated by those who are pure in heart and upright in life, whose primary purpose is to "fear God and keep His commandments." Do you have the spirit of truth or "the spirit of error?" Remember, dear reader, your soul can be purified by your obedience to the truth, but error will cause you to lose your soul eternally! If you are sincerely interested in going to heaven, you will have a genuine love for the truth and a hatred for error. -- Via The Instructor, Vol. 4, No. 9, Sept. 1967 ____________________________________________________ -3- The Scriptures Teach We Are Saved By: Christ's words (Jn. 6:63), the Holy Spirit (Jn. 16:8; Ti. 3:5), faith (Rom. 10:10), repentance (Lk. 13:3), baptism (Mk. 16:16; 1 Pet. 3:21), God (Jn. 3:16; Ti. 2:11), Christ's works (Jn. 20:30-31), calling on His name (Acts 2:21), Christ's name (Acts 4:12), Christ's resurrection (Rom. 4:25), Christ's death (Rom. 5:6), hope (Rom. 8:24), confession of faith (Rom. 10:10), hearing (Rom. 10:15-17), preaching (1 Cor. 1:18), the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-2), love (Gal. 5:6), grace (Eph. 2:8), ourselves (Phil. 2:12), the love of the truth (2 Th. 2:10), Christ (1 Tim. 1:15), heeding and continuing in the doctrine (1 Tim. 4:16), God's mercy (Ti. 3:5), obedience (Heb. 5:9), Christ's blood (Heb. 9:14), works of faith (Jas. 2:24). Note: The question is not, which one of these will save; but all combined insure to us salvation. You cannot eliminate any of the things to which salvation is ascribed in the Scriptures and still have salvation. It takes all of these! If you take your pen and scratch off one of these, someone else will scratch off another, and we'll do away with salvation altogether! -- Johnie Edwards, via a bulletin of the Elletsville Church of Christ ____________________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ____________________________________________________