Bible Messages from the Kimberly Church of Christ

In Hebrews 6, the writer states:

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

In this passage, the writer makes two points that run contrary to most common teachings among Christians today:

First, a believer can fall away. It is possible for someone who has obeyed the gospel, who has believed in Jesus, who has experienced what it is to be free in Christ and in a covenant relationship with God to turn away and decide he doesn't want to live that life anymore. And the writer makes the point that once I've seen what God has to offer and decline that offer, there is no counter-proposal! God has sent the gift of salvation in Jesus, and if we reject that, we won't get a different way to enjoy fellowship with God.

Second, there are two responses to the gift of God: to reject it, or to bear fruit for God. There is no third option. The gospel invitation demands a response from us, and it demands our willingness to do more than just be "present" and engage in traditional worship once or twice a week. We are called to grow and to produce fruit for God in our lives - and just as a farmer at harvest wouldn't be any happier with dry earth than he would a bed full of thorns,  so God responds to the Christian who does not bear fruit in his own life.

In Daniel 9, as Daniel is praying and fasting about the prophecies of Israel's return, the angel Gabriel visits him and responds to his prayer, telling him that he is "greatly loved."

And the implication here is that Daniel's character sets him apart from others, and that God sees him as someone to be treasured. In fact the Hebrew word used here denotes the idea of something precious. This is beyond the love God has for all the world, or even for His chosen people. Daniel is truly someone God esteems.

In this passage we see Daniel's character, humility, and desire to worship God as three elements that we ought to emulate in our own lives as we strive to conform ourselves to the image of someone God treasures in His kingdom.

We continue our discussion of the book of Romans in chapter 11, concluding Paul's argument about the future of the nation of Israel. This is a passage that often receives attention as a predictor of Israel's return as a nation and how that return will usher in God's earthly kingdom. But it's important as with the rest of the book to keep this chapter in its context and read individual statements within the chapter with the rest of the book's message in mind.

Paul has already pointed out that Israel was raised up for the purpose of bringing about the promised Messiah, fulfilling the promises to Abraham, and opening the doors of God's kingdom to the Gentiles. And in chapter 11, he reminds the readers that the Jews have not been cast off forever - meaning that God has not turned his back on people who once lived under the covenant of Moses. But he isn't referring to the people as a nation, but rather as individuals. He uses his own conversion as an example of how God may not regard the covenant of Moses, but still invites the Jews into the new covenant He has established in Christ - which is the whole point of the book.

And he argues that once a Jew accepts Christ, the veil of understanding is lifted (2 Cor. 3:12-16) and they can be joined into one body with the Gentiles - no longer requiring a separate status, but being fully joined into a single flock under one shepherd.

One of the greatest books in the Bible is one we often study in retrospect - not for what it is saying in the moment, but how it ought to be seen in view of the gospel revelation. It is the second-most quoted book in the New Testament, following the Psalms. And it provides the most detailed and rich description of the coming Messiah that we have before Jesus actually arrived, fulfilling those prophesies and fully revealing the hidden meanings of those scriptures.

Because Isaiah is so accurate, and because it covers such a wide range of styles in its messages, some scholars dispute that it was written by a single author, arguing that some must have been written after the Jews returned from Babylon - because how else would Isaiah have known the name of the king who would send them home? The answer, of course, is that Isaiah was a prophet - and until recent years, there is no indication that any Jewish scholar ever viewed the book as anything other than a single work from a single writer.

And as we read through it, we are impressed by the prophesies flowing from the initial image of a great kingdom established on the mountain of the Lord, to the king himself, to a view of that king not as a military ruler but as a servant, and finally as one who would give his life for the sins of his people.

More and more, the ideas of God and love have taken on a meaning where God and love are viewed as interchangeable concepts. That God literally IS love - and as a result, God is not to be seen as a person, as a being with intellect or power or judgment, but simply a feeling that is manifested whenever we feel or exemplify love toward someone else. To that extent, we become our own gods - because the only thing that brings me closer to God is my own actions and emotions, and whether they conform with the definition of love that I have determined in my own mind.

But when we think about love in the Bible, we see a term that is defined very differently from those in progressive religious circles. Rather than taking a modern emotional definition and retroactively applying that to passages such as 1 John 4, we have to let the Bible define itself - and John's letter does that very clearly. We can learn the following about love from the passage:
- Love is from God
- Love is enabled by being born of God
- Love requires me to accept God AS God
- Love of God must come before any other love
- Love calls for selfless sacrifice for others
- Love is a choice, not a reaction
- Love values what God values

When we talk to people about the Bible, we're more and more likely to find questions about what the Bible is, where it came from, and whether it is God's word as it claims, or just a collection of writings from men  who were providing their personal understanding of God.

As more progressive concepts filter into religion, the Bible may be viewed not just as uninspired, but as flawed and even problematic. As a result, many will look at the Bible as a collection of ideas to be filtered through and selectively applied, depending on our personal ideas of God and our cultural values.'

As Christians, we have not always stressed understanding WHY we believe the Bible is reliable, but more and more it's a case we will have to make. And we will have to make the argument that the Bible itself, through internal and external evidence, cannot be "selectively believed," or interpreted through modern culture into a meaning which was never intended by the original authors.

We can be confident that: 
- The original authors were eyewitnesses, not interpreters
- The Bible accurately portrays the original writers' thoughts and beliefs
- The original writers' purpose was to establish an unwavering and certain faith, NOT a subjective and uncertain set of suggestions about what religion meant to them personally

In Romans 10, Paul continues his argument for Israel's role in the gospel plan of salvation, as he follows up on chapter 9, in which he talked about how God chose Israel as His vehicle to bring about the Christ, overlooking their sin in mercy and allowing them to continue despite their rebellion. 

Having shown that God's plan was just, Paul shows in chapter 10 that Israel as a nation was given the same opportunity as the Gentiles to enter into God's new covenant through the preaching of the gospel. And he explains how those who "call on the name of the Lord" in faith are accepted, both from the Jews and the Gentiles.

The parables of Matthew 25 center around preparing for the return of Jesus and his judgment of the earth. In the context of the previous passages, we see Jesus starting with his condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees - Jerusalem's current leadership - and warning of their impending judgment in chapter 24.

And while that judgment would take the form of invasion by the Roman armies, Jesus seems to make the argument that it would not end there, and that all those who follow Jesus will face judgment based on how they approach the stewardship given them in this life. And each parable in chapter 25 gives a different nuance to the idea of being prepared.

In the parable of the 10 Virgins, Jesus stresses the need to be mindful of self. Am I maintaining my "oil" so that I will continue in faithfulness up until the time he finally does return? Second, in the parable of the Talents, Jesus shows that we have to also be mindful of God, specifically of bearing fruit in the work He has left for us on this earth. And finally, the image of the judgment scene and the grouping of sheep and goats - the righteous and unrighteous - makes it clear that Jesus also expects that we will be mindful of others, particularly those who the Lord considers his brothers and sisters.