This article begins our final series of 2025 and will effectively take us to the end of the year.

The Bible stresses the importance of living holy lives before God. In fact, without holiness, no man will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). Only the pure in heart will see Him (Matt. 5:8). Christians are commanded to live holy lives:

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:13-16; cf. Lev. 11:44-45).

The question we want to ask and answer over the next few weeks is how we can accomplish the goal of living a holy life, but doing so as imperfect people.

The only One to live a perfect, holy life was Jesus Christ (Heb. 7:26); therefore, we will fall short of that because we do sin (Rom. 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10).

Thankfully, God does not call us to sinless perfection, but He does call us to holiness! How can we be holy?

This answer will be fleshed out over the next three articles. To be holy, we must spend time in God’s Word, spend time in prayer, and finally, be separate from the world (“in the world but not of the world”). This week, we want to emphasize the importance of spending time in God’s Word.

By Spending Time in God’s Word

Perhaps the best book to study regarding the importance of spending time reading, studying, and meditating upon God’s Word is the Book of Psalms. In fact, Psalm 1 emphasizes the qualities of the “blessed man,” one of which is how he spent time in God’s Word:

“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper” (Psa. 1:1-3).

Psalm 119 is an entire chapter dedicated to the Word of God and the God of the Word. Let’s consider a section from that chapter.

“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word” (Psa. 119:9-16).

A Question

First, notice that a question is asked and answered.

* Question: “How shall a young man cleanse his way?”

* Answer: “By taking heed according to Your word.”

For our purposes in this study, we want to know how we can be holy in God’s sight, and this is how!

The psalmist goes on to say he seeks God with his whole heart and seeks help so he will not “wander from” God’s commandments.

Therefore, to cleanse your way (live a pure and holy life), you must take heed to God’s Word, seek Him with your whole heart, and do not wander from His commandments.

A Desire

Second, notice a desire is stated: “Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

If we want to avoid sin, we must hide (store) the Word of God in our hearts to maintain purity. Our goal should be to avoid sin at all costs (1 Thess. 5:22).

The psalmist desires to stay pure and please God, which, of course, sets a great example for us.

A Response

Third, notice a grateful heart glorifies God: “Blessed are you, O Lord!”

He asks God to teach him His statutes, and in turn, he will meditate, contemplate, and delight in them.

Earlier, we mentioned the blessed man of Psalm 1 whose “delight” was in the law of the Lord, and he “meditated” day and night in it. Here we have a very similar mindset, which leads to the powerful conclusion of this great section: “I will not forget Your Word.”

If we want to live holy and pure lives before God, we need to learn from the Psalmist what it takes.

It takes the desire, mediation, and application of the Word of God to our lives. We must be willing to fight against temptation and fight the good fight of faith by hiding the Word of God in our hearts and applying His Word to our lives so we may avoid living a life of sin.

May we strive to keep the command to be holy by applying these things to our lives.

Next week, we will discuss the importance of prayer.

Drew Suttles is a minister for the Quitman church of Christ in Quitman, Georgia, and one of my best friends in this world. They live-stream all their Bible classes and sermons on their YouTube channel.

Drew also hosts the “Weathering the Storm” podcast on the Scattered Abroad Network. Drew talks about facing life’s challenges as a child of God. His podcast will be a blessing to your life.

Acts 20 begins with Paul leaving Ephesus after the riot that takes place there. It ends with Paul saying an emotional goodbye to the elders of the church in Ephesus.

Paul is headed to Jerusalem, and while he doesn’t exactly know what’s awaiting him there, he knows it’s full of trouble. But Paul faithfully serves the Lord Jesus, no matter what the future brings.

The book of Esther reads like a modern-day thriller. From its depiction of the harshness of the Persian king, to its characterization of his high-minded adviser, Haman, the text conveys the perilous situation faced by the Jews after Haman proposed their annihilation (Esther 3:10-15).

By emphasizing the cruel and domineering nature of King Ahasuerus in his previous dealings with Queen Vashti, and by describing how easily he agreed to Haman’s suggestion to destroy some of the people in his kingdom, the author sets the stage for the almost impossible task facing Queen Esther.

Ahasuerus had already removed one queen for disobedience. What would stop him from removing another?

Esther’s Challenging Situation.

When we consider the importance King Ahasuerus placed on outward appearances, we have a better understanding of Esther’s difficult situation.

After learning of Haman’s decree, Mordecai urged “her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people” (Esther 4:8). But this order was easier said than done. To approach the king required an invitation, and those who violated protocol were put to death unless the king showed mercy (verse 11).

Esther had not been called by Ahasuerus in thirty days, and we have no reason to think the king would be in a mood to show mercy to anyone who violated the law. Even if she was allowed an audience with the king, which was far from certain, Esther would need to convince him to counter a law he authorized. Given his hesitancy to be perceived by his subjects as anything other than strong and decisive, the mission seemed impossible.

Adding to the difficulty was the unalterable nature of the laws of the Medes and Persians (cf. Esther 1:19; 8:8; Daniel 6:8).

The situation was certainly bleak.

God Helps Esther.

Thankfully, the blessings of God never cease. When things appear darkest, hope remains.

God’s unseen hand ushered Esther to her royal position, and His wonderful providence guided her efforts. Although she was hesitant to heed Mordecai’s command, she was not unwilling. But before she approached the king, she requested the Jews to fast on her behalf (Esther 4:16).

Esther understood God’s help was needed, and she intended to petition Him for it. Her mentality was similar to that of the prophet Jeremiah, who wrote:

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’” (Lamentations 3:22-24).

We would do well to learn from and follow Esther’s example by seeking God’s help before we attempt to solve life’s problems, for by doing so, she found strength sufficient for the task.

Chad Ramsey preaches for the Gloster Street Church of Christ in Tupelo, Mississippi. You can access their Bible classes and Chad’s sermons on Gloster Street’s YouTube page.

Chad was - and still is - “my preacher” from when I spent my high school and early college years at Gloster Street. I’m thankful to be able to share some of his writings with you.

This article concludes our series on “Cherry Picking Christianity.” Thus far in our study, we have examined several passages in their correct context to arrive at the truth (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; John 3:16).

In our finale, we want to carefully examine a passage that has unfortunately been misused and abused by many in the religious world. It has been “cherry-picked” to promise the false doctrine of “salvation by faith alone.”

Our goal, as always, is to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15) and make sure we have the proper understanding of God’s Word (Neh. 8:8; Acts 17:11). I invite you to study with me with both an open Bible and mind.

Considering the Passage

First, let’s consider the passage itself:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9, NKJV).

When we look at the text, we notice some key words: “Grace,” “Saved,” “Faith,” “Gift,” and “Works.”

We see that we are saved by grace — “through faith.” God’s part is extending grace through the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Tit. 2:11-14). Man’s part is faith and putting that trusting faith into action (Rom. 10:17; Acts 2:37-41).

The phrase, “not of yourselves,” means the saved did not earn it. Salvation is God’s gift, but it doesn’t rule out conditions (Tit. 3:5). An example from the Old Testament that can help us with this is when Joshua was given the gift of Jericho:

“And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor” (Josh. 6:2).

God gave this gift to Joshua, but they still had to march around the walls (thus, there were conditions involved to receive the gift) (Heb. 11:30)!

There are different kinds of works mentioned in the New Testament. There are the “works of the Mosaic Law” (Gal. 3:10), “works of men” which are those things that man invents, “works of God” (i.e “belief” John 6:29), “works of righteousness” which are commanded by God (Acts 10:34-35), and “works of boasting” which Paul says are “excluded” (Rom. 3:27).

With this in mind, it is important that we understand what “works” Paul is referring to when he says, “not of works.” Those works would fall under the category of “works of merit,” i.e, what man devises, which of course, man cannot earn salvation!

The Context of the Passage

Second, let’s notice both the overall and immediate context.

The apostle Paul is writing to the “saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 1:1). This is important because he is addressing this letter to Christians, thus they have already obeyed the Gospel (Acts 19-20), having their sins washed away by the blood of Christ (Eph. 1:7, 13).

In the immediate context, Paul is discussing how those Christians at one point in time were dead spiritually (Eph. 2:1-3). If it were not for the grace of God, they would have stayed in that condition (Eph. 2:4-7).

Twice in the immediate context, Paul says “by grace you have been saved” (Eph. 2:5, 8). The second mention adds, “through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” They could not boast that they had earned their salvation; rather, they were to be thankful that God extended His grace and allowed them the opportunity to put their faith into action to receive salvation.

The Damage Caused by Misusing the Passage

Third and finally, let’s examine the damage of misinterpreting and misapplying this passage.

To take a passage out of its context and to miss its original meaning is very damaging, dangerous, and disrespectful to God Who breathed out these words (2 Tim. 3:16)! To “twist the Scripture” is to bring about destruction (2 Pet. 3:16); therefore, we must be careful not to miss the proper meaning.

Are there works involved in our salvation? Yes. Are there works of merit whereby we can earn our salvation if we do them? No.

A proper understanding of “works” as they appear in the New Testament is crucial to having the proper understanding of our text under consideration. To say that no works are involved in one’s salvation is to deny the existence of James 2:14-16 and Acts 10:34-35, both of which stress the importance of putting faith into action and thus meeting the conditions set forth by God to receive salvation.

What is Paul actually saying?

Paul is addressing: The source of salvation (God’s grace), the means by which salvation is received (faith), and the kind of works that cannot save (boastful, merit-based works).

Please notice what Paul does NOT say: He never says “salvation is by faith ALONE,” he never argues against obedience, and he never says baptism, repentance, or faithful works are excluded.

Works of merit do not save; works of obedient faith absolutely do (Rom. 6:3-6, 16-18; Heb. 5:8-9)!

I hope and pray that this series of articles has been beneficial for you to read and that they have glorified the God of Heaven.

May we all study our Bibles with diligence, respect, purpose, and love in our hearts for the Word of God and God of the Word (Psa. 119:97).

Drew Suttles is a minister for the Quitman church of Christ in Quitman, Georgia, and one of my best friends in this world. They live-stream all their Bible classes and sermons on their YouTube channel.

Drew also hosts the “Weathering the Storm” podcast on the Scattered Abroad Network. Drew talks about facing life’s challenges as a child of God. His podcast will be a blessing to your life.

Paul remains in Ephesus for a long time compared to other cities he visited.

The preaching of the gospel is met with resistance, but the authority of Christ and His “good news” is victorious against all opposition.

This is a chapter that reminds us of the power of the gospel of Christ and how it ultimately must either be obeyed or resisted.

What are your senses telling you about your body?

Are your joints reminding you how old you are? Does your heart remind you that things aren’t ticking along as smoothly as they once did? Is that disease slowly draining away your energy and strength?

But what is faith saying over the not-so-quiet voice of our senses?

While many people are responding positively to the preaching of the gospel of Christ, by hearing, believing, and being baptized, there are still those who oppose Paul’s preaching. All the opposition affected Paul, and he needed the Lord’s encouragement.

We also read about those who still don’t know the “full story” of Christ, and Christians are involved in explaining God’s way more accurately.

The Bible contains sixty-six books. Thirty-nine books are in the Old Testament; twenty-seven books are in the New Testament. These were written over a span of some 1,600 years.

Approximately forty individuals wrote either entire books or portions of Scripture.

Some of these people were highly educated. For example, Moses was raised by the daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh and no doubt received the best education available (Exodus 2:10); Paul was trained by the foremost Jewish rabbi of his day (Acts 22:1).

Others, however, received little, if any, formal education. Amos was a farmer (Amos 1:1); Peter and John, fishermen by trade, were uneducated and untrained (Acts 4:13). Nevertheless, the product of these various individuals is both cohesive and coherent.

In other words, despite being produced over many years by individuals from diverse backgrounds who lacked the ability to confer with one another, the Bible stands as a unified work that is not self-contradictory.

The only reasonable explanation for this incredible fact is the involvement of God!

Directed by the Holy Spirit

Rather than working on their own, the authors of Scripture were directed in their efforts by the Holy Spirit of God. This process is commonly referred to as inspiration.

Although the individual authors retained their unique vocabularies (e.g. Luke uses the term for a “needle” utilized by a physician rather than the common term—Luke 18:25), styles of writing, and freedom of expression (e.g. Paul often includes personal requests in his letters—2 Timothy 4:13), the Holy Spirit worked with the writers to ensure that the very words chosen were exactly what was needed.

The inspiration process also ensured that the message conveyed was both complete and accurate.

Received as the Word of God

Authors of Scripture wrote exactly what God intended in the way He intended. When we consider that the Bible contains numerous prophecies that were later fulfilled, and that it accurately portrays scientific, historic, and geographic matters, we are led to conclude that it truly is a book that could only have been produced by God.

Consequently, our reaction to it should mirror that of the Thessalonians. Paul commended them and wrote:

“For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

Chad Ramsey preaches for the Gloster Street Church of Christ in Tupelo, Mississippi. You can access their Bible classes and Chad’s sermons on Gloster Street’s YouTube page.

Chad was - and still is - “my preacher” from when I spent my high school and early college years at Gloster Street. I’m thankful to be able to share some of his writings with you.

This article continues our study of examining the danger of “cherry picking” passages of Scripture to fit a certain belief system.

Thus far, we have examined Romans 10:9-10 and Acts 16:31 in their respective contexts to arrive at the truth.

This week, we want to study one of the most, if not the most, well-known verses in the entire Bible: John 3:16.

Nicodemus Approaches Jesus

A Jewish man, who happened to be a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus by night (John 3:1). The text does not tell us why, but perhaps he did not want to be seen going to Jesus and then have to answer questions from his contemporaries later.

The man’s name was Nicodemus, and we only read about him in the Gospel of Christ according to John (John 3:1, 4, 9; 7:50; 19:39).

Nicodemus called Jesus, “Rabbi,” which was an honorable, respectful Hebrew term used to describe a Teacher. He recognized the fact that Jesus “was from God” because of the miracles He had performed.

Jesus Responds to Nicodemus

Jesus responded by going to what was most important:

“Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

The text shows that Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus meant and was confused: “Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’”

Jesus was not talking about a physical birth, but a spiritual birth:

“Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:5-8).

Once again, Nicodemus, a teacher in Israel, did not know what to do with this information: “Nicodemus answered and said to Him, 'How can these things be?” (John 3:9).

Jesus asked him how it was possible that he didn’t know these things. He wanted Nicodemus to elevate his thinking from the physical to the spiritual.

The Example of the Serpent

As we move toward our text, notice that Jesus uses an Old Testament example to help Nicodemus understand what He is teaching:

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14).

We read about this event in the Book of Numbers (Num. 21:4-9). The people complained, and God sent fiery serpents. Moses prayed to God on behalf of the people for God to remove the serpents. The Lord then gave Moses instructions and made known His conditions:

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived” (Num. 21:8-9).

Jesus said, “even so,” connecting that when the bronze serpent was “lifted up,” the people had to put faith into action and “look” in order to live. Jesus would be lifted up, and men had to “look” unto Him for salvation.

The word “believe” in the context of John 3:16 is an active verb meaning trust plus obedience. “Whoever believes (trusts and obeys) in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Please note what is said toward the end of this chapter:

“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).

We read “believe’ and “not believe.” Consider the English Standard Version:

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36, ESV).

So many have cited John 3:16 to teach that all one must do to be saved is to believe, but we must understand from an examination of the context that “believe” is a comprehensive term for obeying what the Lord says to do (John 3:3, 5, 16, 36).

Once again, we note the importance of context and an honest examination of the whole picture of Scripture.

Drew Suttles is a minister for the Quitman church of Christ in Quitman, Georgia, and one of my best friends in this world. They live-stream all their Bible classes and sermons on their YouTube channel.

Drew also hosts the “Weathering the Storm” podcast on the Scattered Abroad Network. Drew talks about facing life’s challenges as a child of God. His podcast will be a blessing to your life.

Acts 17 shows the same gospel being preached in three different cities with three very different responses.

Some strongly opposed it, while others readily accepted it, and others mocked and brushed off the message. We still see these same sorts of responses to the preaching of the gospel today.

How will we respond?