____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ March 26, 1995 ____________________________________________________ Here Are Some Answers by Chuck Barlett Since the religious discussion took place, many people have been involved in discussions of their own with people who believe man is born in sin. I have been asked, ``What can I say to these people?'' What I thought I would do is list the questions and Biblical examples used to affirm man is born without sin. This way, not only could one present these in a study, but also to hand out to those who may be interested. 1. James 1:14-15. This tells us how sin is conceived. How did Adam sin differently than man today? Was Adam not tempted? If he wasn't created in sin, then why did he sin? We don't sin because of Adam, because Adam couldn't hold anyone else accountable for his actions. Sin is action and cannot be passed on. 2. Guilt & Consequences. If a person does not see the difference between the two, then it will be impossible to get the point across. If a person kills someone (Gen. 4 - Cain and Abel), who suffers the consequences? In the case of Cain and Abel, both did. Cain was cursed by God, and Abel lost his life; both faced consequences. Who suffered the guilt? Cain did. God told him he didn't do good. Abel wasn't guilty for Cain's actions. Now, if someone thinks that whenever a person suffers consequences that that automatically means they are guilty, then there is a communication problem and failure to comprehend truth. 3. Ezek. 18:1-4, 20. Here we are told clearly that the son shall not bear the guilt of his father. You can turn over to Genesis 4:1-4, and read about the actions of Cain. Did he bear the guilt of his father Adam? No. He was guilty for his own wrong doing. A similar statement is found in Deuteronomy 24:16. 4. Jer. 19:4-5. Parents were offering their children to a false god. The children were called ``innocents.'' Innocent is exactly what infants are. If born in sin, they could not and would not have been called such. 5. Matt. 18:1-4. Jesus informed his hearers that man needs to be converted like a little child. Being justified is to be without fault, and that is the state of children, and our Lord was teaching that. A similar thought is in Matthew 19:13-15. Would Jesus command men to be like poor depraved, wicked, haters of God? No way. 6. I Cor. 14:20. The apostle Paul wanted saints to be in malice like babes. Children are pure and guiltless, which is why Paul used them as an example. If not, why use a child? What is there about a child that is worth imitating? Certainly it isn't their ``depraved nature''! It's because they are not born depraved. 7. Rom. 7:9. The apostle Paul was born under Jewish law (Phil. 3:5). Yet, where there is no law, there can be no sin (Rom. 4:14). There was a time when Paul was ``alive without law.'' Law was always there, so when could he have been without law? When he was not accountable to the law as a child. If not, when was he alive without law? 8. II Cor. 5:10-11. There is going to be a judgment day. On that occasion man will give account to the things done, whether good or bad. Man will be judged individually (Rom. 14:12). Now, how can an infant be judged for the things done in the body, good or bad? Remember, men are not judged for someone else's actions. Any one of the above examples can stand on its own to show man cannot be born in sin. When these are presented to someone, do not allow them to pass it off. They obviously will not accept them because they believe man is born in sin. Yes, you can look at their passages, but what is the use if they will not attempt to harmonize all of the scriptures? The Bible does not teach both, born in sin, and born without sin. If you get a chance to talk with someone, go ahead and present this material and ask them to give you something to study. Then come together and hear what each other has to say about the material given. If this is accomplished, then there is a chance for a calm and informative discussion. Be sure to hold on to this for future reference. If you want to give it to people, just make photo copies of it, or write down the passages and give them out. Truth is what people need to hear and may we have courage to take it into all the world (Mk. 16:15). ___________________________________________ Matters of Faith or Matters of Personal Conviction? by Tom Edwards Many people are of the persuasion that we can all embrace various conflicting doctrinal issues and still be "one" in the faith, but is this something that God's word teaches? Let us consider the following: Joseph's Remark: I hope everyone realizes that many differences {doctrinal} are considered by our Spiritual Father and likewise should be considered those things of man which separate worldly existence but does not do the same spiritually. My Response: I think there is room for some differences--but only those that would be a matter of one's own personal conviction--such as the man who believes he ought to kneel when he prays. Though I don't see where the Bible specifies any certain posture one must be in when one prays, if a person believes that it should be a kneeling position then he has the right to abide by this conviction--and if he thinks it would be wrong to pray any other way, then it would be wrong for him to do so any other way. Paul spoke about differences of this nature in Romans 14, and illustrates it with a person who thought he could not eat meat with a person who felt he could. The point being, they were both to abide by their conviction and not condemn the other for his personal belief. For one to think that it is wrong to eat meat (and, therefore, not do so) is not a matter of ``faith.'' Is it a matter of one's personal conviction. This is because God's word has never said that it is wrong to eat meat during our time--though there was some ``unclean'' meat during Old Testament times that God's people were not to have. In these areas, we can differ; but in areas of the ``faith,'' which we are to ``contend earnestly for'' (Jude 3), we are to be in agreement (1 Cor. 1:10). The emblems that we use to take of the Lord's supper are not a matter of mere ``personal conviction,'' it is a matter of ``faith'': the bread and the fruit of the vine are revealed in God's word as being the emblems we are to use. ``Repentance'' is not merely a thing of one's ``personal conviction''; it, too, is a matter of ``faith'' because it is what God's word demands--whether we believe it or not (Acts 17:30). I could not worship in a church that began violating matters of ``faith.'' For example, if instead of using the bread and the fruit of the vine for the Lord's supper, the congregation I was in began substituting the fruit of the vine with soda pop (which I've heard has happened in one particular denomination), I believe that would be a perversion of the truth. As you can probably infer from this, I do not see the expression ``walk by faith'' to mean merely ``keep believing in the deity of Christ''; but it involves much more. It pertains to how one lives in one's relationship with God. ___________________________________________ "Thou Shalt Not Kill" by Tom Edwards Sometimes people wonder about the full meaning of the above command, as we see expressed in Willie's question below. Did this commandment pertain to just any kind of killing? Once again, let's look to the Scriptures for our answer. Willie: I have heard recently that the commandment concerning killing actually concerns murdering. I have heard that certain knowledgable religious scholars now interpret the word ``kill'' to more properly be ``murder.'' Can anyone cite references to these new interpretations? My Reply: ``Thou shalt not kill'' is translated as ``You shall not murder'' in Deut. 5:17 of the New American Standard Bible and other versions. Obviously, there is a big difference between killing and murder. God Himself had been responsible for the killing of many people during the Old Testament times, but this certainly wasn't murder. He had also commanded His people to destroy the inhabitants of Canaan; but, again, this wasn't murder. From man's early beginning, the murderer was to be put to death because man is created in the image of God (Gen. 9:6). Capital punishment, therefore, was sanctioned not only during the Old Testament times, but for the New Testament times as well (Acts 25:11; Rom. 13:4). So killing is one thing, and murder something else. ___________________________________________ "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man" (Matt. 15:18). ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________