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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" (Matt. 28:19,20).
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December 29, 2013
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Contents:

1) The First and Great Commandment (Ken Green)
2) Baptism -- A Peripheral Issue? (Paul K. Williams)
3) News & Notes
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The First and Great Commandment
by Ken Green

"Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 22:37-40). 

The priority that Jesus gives the first commandment indicates that the mission of Christ and His cause is a spiritual one (Matt. 1:21; 20:28; Luke 19:10).  Jesus did not come to start a denomination or a revolution; He did not leave heaven to promote the social status of men.  He did not directly intrude into the problems of poverty, government, international affairs, economic questions, or secular education.  It is a fact that requires little argumentation that His ministry was primarily concerned with people's spiritual welfare and eternal salvation. 

When one fellow called on the Lord to settle a dispute over an inheritance, Jesus said, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  He then proceeded to warn against covetousness (Luke 12:13-15). 

The social gospel is based upon a reversal of the two great laws that Jesus referred to in the above text.  Men have inverted the order.  They have made the body more important than the soul.  Having done this, they have exchanged the gospel of Christ for a gospel that has as its goal social improvement rather than salvation. They have promoted a gospel that treats the symptoms of the disease rather than the disease itself.  As news analysis, Paul Harvey, has commented, "Jesus never seemed to be concerned about getting people out of the slums.  But He walked the squalid streets day by day trying to get the slums out of the people."  The fact is, if we can get the slums out of the people, they'll clean up their slums. 

The source of the social gospel is that men no longer believe in the authority of the Bible, or in God, or in the soul.  They believe that the greatest good they can accomplish is to provide people with a better life now.

Perhaps we need to emphasize that man's first duty is to God, and his second duty is to man.  Here are some applications of the principle that I invite the readers to consider. 

Some of God's requirements are strictly religious in nature.  They pertain solely to the God-man relationship. Such is true of the first four of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20).  The commands to have no other gods; to make no graven image; to not take the name of God in vain; and to keep the Sabbath holy were religious laws. Many other laws in the Old Testament so far as the sacrifices, festivals, foods, and other matters were religious requirements.  When the Jew under the law of Moses transgressed such laws, he sinned directly against God.  Except for the religious influence he may have had on his family or neighbors, his sin was not against man.  He could have been a good person socially; a good parent, neighbor, husband, employer; and broken all those laws.

This principle is true today. There are many requirements in the New Testament which are strictly religious. To believe in God and Christ, to repent, be baptized; to sing praises, take the Lord's supper, contribute to the church's work, assemble; all of these pertain to our vertical relationship with God.  Many violate all such laws and are considered good men in the social and moral sense.  They may be accommodating neighbors, loving parents, and productive citizens.  They are just not interested in religion, or maybe they just have their own ideas about religion.

Other requirements are social or moral in nature.  Many of God's commands and doctrines pertain to the horizontal man to man relationship.  These, of course, also involve our relationship with God since this is part of His divine will.  The last six of the Ten Commandments fall into this category: to honor parents; refrain from murder, adultery, theft, perjury, and covetousness; all of these are in the realm of our relationship with our fellowmen. 

Such remains true under the new covenant, for these and other moral requirements are legislated therein.  When one breaks these laws, he sins not only against God, but against his neighbor.  Governments have civil laws that concern these kinds of matters.  If one is a transgressor of the social-moral laws, he is not usually considered a good man in the community. 

Put the emphasis where the Lord put it.  Both of these classes of laws are essential, but let's not lose sight of where Jesus placed the emphasis.  He said the first and great commandment is to love God.  Men tend to give priority to those laws that are social in nature.  If one does not kill, steal, and carouse with other men's wives, he's a fine fellow.  But in reality, if he has not submitted to the Lord and the gospel, he has not obeyed the first and great commandment. 

It may be that the command to love God is called the first and great commandment because it really includes the second: to love neighbor as self.  1 John 5:3 teaches us that the love of God is to keep His commandments.  This would include both categories of His commandments.  We are advised in 1 John 4:20,21 that it is not possible to love God if we do not love our brother. 

When one is guilty of not helping a brother in need; or of backbiting and whispering about a brother; or of being jealous, envious, or bitter; the real problem is this: Such a one does not love God!

Some applications: We must conclude that one cannot obey the religious requirements, but ignore the moral-social requirements, and be acceptable to God.  Jesus described those who were very scrupulous over religious laws, but tried to circumvent their social obligations to their parents, as hypocrites (Mark 7:6-13). 

But, by the same token, if one keeps the moral laws, but ignores the religious responsibilities, he is not right either.  The same God that gave the one gave the other. Both are essential.  Just being a good moral person is not sufficient to save a person.  A recognition of the order of priorities in our text would solve many problems relative to institutionalism and the work of the church.  On the one hand, the church, as well as the individual Christian, has certain benevolent responsibilities.  These would fall into the social or moral classification.  On the other hand, God has revealed a divine pattern regarding the organization and work of the church.  Such is religious in nature.

Some have voiced the opinion that we need to get the benevolent work done and not worry about the N.T. pattern.  It appears that the emphasis is being misplaced. 

Of course the basic error here is the assumption that we must ignore one thing or the other.  Some of us wonder why we cannot do God's work in God's way!

Many further applications could be drawn. But the central lesson in all this is that we need to be concerned about keeping all the laws of God, both the religious and the moral. 

-- Via Searching the Scriptures, January 1991, Volume XXXII, Number 1
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Baptism -- A Peripheral Issue? 
by Paul K. Williams 

I was on the phone to a Methodist minister seeking information about the inter-denominational "March for Jesus." After he answered my questions he asked me why I asked, as I sounded disapproving. So I told him that the Bible is opposed to denominationalism and that the church of Christ in Eshowe could have nothing to do with the March. He let me know that I sounded proud and judgmental, so I told him that if he would just read what the Bible says about baptism and listen to what those verses say he would see one reason why the Methodist Church is wrong. He gave a mocking laugh and wanted to know why I was talking about such a peripheral issue. 

I replied that Paul made it a central issue when he listed the "one baptism" along with "one Lord" and "one God and Father" in Ephesians 4. This the Methodist minister chose to ignore but said, "I have studied and debated this issue for years. If you would study with others you would change." I called his attention to the great pride his statement betrayed, and then said, "If you will debate me publicly on this subject I will be pleased," but he of course refused. 

His point was that since people have debated and discussed baptism for many years and cannot seem to agree, it is not something which is important. It is "peripheral" (confined to the external surface of a body, hence not of central importance), hence we may differ on it while maintaining Christian unity. This position implies that there are central, or core, issues upon which we must agree, and peripheral doctrines upon which we may disagree while being pleasing to God. 

How Do We Classify Issues?

The problem with this is that each person classifies different issues "central" and "peripheral." There has been and continues to be debate and disagreement on every Bible doctrine, including whether Jesus is the Son of God and whether he rose from the dead. Who is going to classify these issues? What standard are we to use to classify doctrines as important or unimportant? We are seeing the result in religious circles where "every man does what is right in his own eyes" (Judg. 17:6). This kind of thinking makes every man a judge, judging by his own standard, not God's. 

The Methodist minister's proof that baptism is not important was that the Salvation Army does not baptize or observe the Lord's Supper, yet God works great things through them. I think it is significant that his proof is not biblical, but "experience." By testimony and experience one can prove every religion on earth, including ancestor worship and the Muslim religion. Experience is what keeps people in those religions. They are convinced those religions are true because they believe they work -- that God works through them. 

Bible Classification

But when we take the Bible as our authority, a different picture emerges. God's commandments cannot be divided into central and peripheral commandments. "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me, in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age'" (Matt. 28:18-20). Not only were the apostles to teach all that Jesus commanded, they were to teach the disciples to observe all that he commanded. Jesus did not say that we must obey the central commandments and can obey or not obey the rest!

The psalmist loved the commandments of God. "The sum of Thy word is truth ... .. All. Thy commandments are truth." "From Thy precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way" (Psa. 119:160,151,104). He did not divide the commandments into some to be loved and some to be ignored!

Paul pleaded, "Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,.that you all agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Cor. 1:10). Paul did not give us the liberty to disagree and divide on the doctrines revealed by Jesus. 

The only peripheral issues are those in which we have liberty, where God has neither commanded nor forbidden. According to Romans 14 we must not condemn one another in these things, nor must we force one another into our opinions. In matters of meats and days God has given us liberty. We can choose to eat or not eat, observe or not observe. But in matters of revelation and commandment, we must observe all things Jesus has given. 

Baptism is not a peripheral commandment, nor is any other command given by Jesus. When we ignore or despise a single precept of Jesus we are showing our complete lack of respect and love for him. 

"How sweet are Thy words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! From Thy precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way" (Psa. 119:103-104). 

-- Via Guardian of Truth, January 16, 1992, Volume IIIVI, Number 2, p. 43
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News & Notes


We extend our condolences to the family and friends of Jean Calloway who passed away December 3.   Funeral arrangements are being made with the Greenoak Funeral Home and Memorial Garden (at 9595 Florida Avenue) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and we should know for certain soon.  It will most likely be for this Tuesday (January 7) at 9 or 10 AM.  Friends are to arrive about 30 minutes prior.  The funeral service will be held in the mausoleum.  Let those of us who are Christians be remembering Jean's family and friends in prayer.

Let us also be praying for Doris Crews
On December 26, she slipped on the ice -- right in front of her chiropractor's office -- and broke her hip, which required putting in two pins. She is still in the hospital, but her husband Bill is hoping she will be home by the 10th of this month. If you would like to send a card, she can be reached at the following address:

Patient Doris Crews
Room 420
North Kansas City Hospital
2800 Clay Edwards Dr.
Kansas City, MO 64116
 
Let us also continue to offer prayers for
Virginia Fontenot, Shirley Young, Cheryl Crews, and Terry and Pam MacDonald.

We enjoyed having Steve Wilsher as a guest speaker for December 29.  He used the three services in delivering his series on "The Big Picture of the Bible."  Steve is one of the elders for the Fultondale church of Christ, right next to Birmingham, Alabama, where Rob Slover is now preaching.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

1) Hear the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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Park Forest

CHURCH OF CHRIST
9923 Sunny Cline Dr., Baton Rouge, LA  70817
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 6 PM (worship)
Tuesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go (Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)