Author: Berean Baptist

I remember writing an article a few years back about the advantages of a long tenure as pastor of the church. The average pastorate today is only about 2-3 years, and I am happy to have met and exceeded that statistic many years ago. In 21 years, I have ministered to hundreds of people. As you see, most have moved on, but I am pleased to report their absence is not mostly because of dissatisfaction with the church. Death claims some, politics takes others (California’s not ours), retirement, job opportunities, economic conditions, fear surprisingly—there are many reasons. I hope and pray those still living remember me teaching them the word of truth. If this is the case, God deserves the glory.

Most of these relationships are memorable. Except for a few in the beginning who never took hold in a meaningful way, there is hardly anyone I have forgotten. There are only a few the church is better off without but that assessment is ultimately God’s not mine. Again, happily, I call those who left, friends, and I hope in glory to reunite with them, if not before.

Another great blessing of lengthy ministry is the volume of sermons prepared and preached from this pulpit. The number is better than 2500. You would scarcely think I would preach this many messages and not deal with the same subject many times. I certainly have and continue to. This is the nature of teaching scriptures. I must bring you back to the same fountain many times. God designed His word with repetition in mind. You cannot read it once, hear it once, study it once, and expect to keep it in memory. If you could, we would have exhausted the value of the Bible in a few short years. Rather, this fountain is deep and wide. We could apply verses from Ezekiel 47 to describe it—waters to the ankles, waters to the knees, waters to the waist, waters deep enough to swim in, and finally, a river impossible to cross.

All this brings me to my point—2500 sermons and 2499 forgotten. I am pleased if you have remembered last week’s exposition. With so many forgotten sermons, I am free to repeat. I chose to do this today. I have favorite sermons on which you may not concur (honestly, you don’t remember). This one from Ezekiel takes me back too many years. Hundreds, or more like thousands of preachers have preached from this unusual text. It is a passage with wonderful spiritual applications apart from the literal past partial fulfillment and the still yet future perfect fulfillment. One day, Christ’s literal glorious Kingdom will come to this earth. No one will need to move then for any reason. The entire world will be a Garden of Eden with every need met and universal happiness. Groaning creatures will groan no more. Ezekiel 37 predicts the reunification of Israel’s kingdom with the restoration of the Davidic throne. David’s last and everlasting descendant will sit on it.

The spiritual application is my subject today. Spiritually, we are born dead. We are as dead as bleached dry bones left under a hot burning sun. No life, no ability, no thoughts, no activity, no hope of understanding who, why, and what we are. In other words, we are nothing, we have nothing, we expect nothing. The only way we do is by the power of an external, eternal living being. He gives us life. This is what I hope to show you today. When I am through, I hope you say, “Blessed be God for Jesus Christ!”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

              In today’s message, I will give you an introduction to parables. This message precedes a series of five messages on the parables of Mark chapter 4. Some parables are simple enough on the surface, but only because we are already familiar with them from other studies. However, some are quite difficult, and their meaning is the subject of much debate. I suppose the worst abuse of parables is interpretive abuse. This often happens in eschatological debate, especially among those who try to prove millennial positions with them. Too often they read meaning into the parable that is more than the original intent.

              I want to focus in this article on interpreting the Holy Scriptures and the abuse of them. Whether parables or any other literary form in the Bible, we are not free to attach any meaning we like. Indeed, this is the claim of many who reject the truths of the Bible. They say, “Well, that’s your interpretation, and here is what I think.” What either of us thinks is not the question. We want to know what the Bible says. What ways can we avoid this claim, that is, the claim of those who have self-serving interpretations? How do we avoid mistaken interpretations of scripture used to support false doctrines? We ought not to believe it is not a problem, hence the reason we still have the name Baptist on our sign. The name should distinguish our doctrinal interpretations from those with differing viewpoints of scripture.

              The best approach is to let the Bible speak for itself. Read the text and look for the obvious. Often, reading more than one verse helps because a verse taken out of context can fit with self-serving doctrines. We more often find the explanation in the surrounding text; thus, we cannot overemphasize reading within the context. The Bible is a marvelously complicated book only understood by those with Holy Spirit enlightenment. It is certainly smaller than an encyclopedia of religion. It is a volume with more intricacies and essential connections than any book or books written by the most prolific authors. It is small wonder that theologians have written many commentaries with multiple multiplicities to explain it and yet I assure you tomorrow will bring another one.

              For you, it seems a daunting task. We need not believe we can approach the Holy Writ casually with little effort and come away with its truths. Even the fundamentals are the subject of vast controversies. For now, as we look at this literary form, parables, in scripture, be aware of forced overbearing interpretations. We run into trouble when the only support for our pet doctrine is a scrambled parable with a forced unintended meaning. If you have the right interpretation, it will not force other scriptures to fit with it. God is too great to make the mistakes we make with His word. Johnny Cochran, by no means a theologian, said, “If the glove doesn’t fit…” You know where to take the analogy from there.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Today the church is privileged to sit at the Lord’s Table for our last observance of the year. Another year of remembrance is past and reminds us of our connection to the first church that observed what Christ would do, not what He already had done. The first Supper began as the Passover meal. The disciples practiced and attended these each year since they were children. Although they walked with Jesus for three years, they were mistaken and unaware of the meaning of what He told them so many times before. In Mark 10:33, Jesus said, “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.”

In Mark’s narrative, it seems the disciples took little note of this as James and John preferred to discuss their desires with Jesus. Instead of agonizing with the same agony in their spirits as He did in His, they asked for better positions in glory. How Jesus would achieve this glory was either a small matter or completely missed by them. The cruel suffering of the cross was unimaginable. If they could know it by experience, all they would know is what criminals went through as they as mortals suffer and die. No one knows the compounding of suffering Jesus experienced. Placed on Him were the sins of generations of sinners and the aggregate suffering they would endure in the fires of infinite eternal hell. This measurement lies outside the realm of human understanding. Though we should live a million years in heaven, we will never fathom what Jesus went through.

Jesus told them only briefly at the last Supper. As He held up the bread, He said, “Take eat, this is my body.” And then the cup, “This is the blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.” Startling words but not enough understanding for them to inquire more deeply. He finished by telling them each would take offense because of Him, and they would flee from Him. More demonstrably, Peter would deny Him three times before the night was through.

Despite their protests to the contrary, they proved their weakness when they followed Him to the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked them to sit and wait while He went off by Himself to pray. He returned to find them asleep. He went off twice more and returned to find the same result. “Could you not watch with me one hour?” How could they go with Him on the cruel journey He was about to make? While they slept, He prayed in agony so great His Father dispatched an angel to keep His body from expiring before the cross.

As we sit at this table today, we scarcely have more understanding than theirs. We partake of the symbols of body and blood but there is no reenactment of the scene. We do not crucify Christ again. He asks only our faith that He did all His Father needed from Him. Though each of us must have extreme gratitude for His incomparable sacrifice, we will always fall short of knowing its unmeasurable value. For this, Christ says to return here often enough to refresh ourselves in what little we can understand. We purposely limit our approaches so as not to become too familiar and rote in its observance. We should look forward to it with hope and expectation that the Lord who died for us will soon return for us.

On that night, Jesus told His disciples, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself: that where I am, there you may be also.” Let us partake with this sincere promise fresh in our minds as the anchor of our faith.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. (1 Samuel 2:1-2)

If you remember, I took our Call to Worship last week from 1 Samuel chapter 2. I thought it might be good to make a few comments about the reading since I do not usually make comments about our first reading of the day. Think back to it if you will. The first ten verses of the chapter are the prayer of Hannah as she praised God for the gift of a child. This child was Samuel who was a unique man in Israel’s history. We hope that most Christians would aspire that God use them in at least one special way, while Samuel held multiple offices of service for God’s people. He was a priest, a prophet, a judge, a military commander, and God’s choice to anoint both Saul and David as kings of Israel.

I could spend much time with Samuel and there are two books of the Bible named for him. Rather, I choose to speak of his mother Hannah, who in the time of the Judges, was a godly believer. This was unusual when so many refused to listen to God and chose their own way rather than obey and worship the Lord. Even the High Priest of Israel, Eli, was unreliable as a good example, moral influence, or faithful leader for Israel. When he saw Hannah praying silently at the tabernacle, he assumed she was drunk. Such were the expectations because drunken women in those days must not have been that unusual.

Hannah’s prayer after Samuel’s birth is a model of faith, thanksgiving, and devotion. She knew her God and she knew what God designed for her. She was a woman who wanted nothing greater than to be a mother. For years she tried but was unable, for God did not see fit to open her womb. Hannah’s desperation caused her to vow a special promise that she would give up her son for God’s service if God would allow her to have a child. God’s pause for so many years to grant her desire was to bring her to make this vow. She kept Samuel only until she weaned him from her breast and then took him to Eli at the tabernacle. As long as he lived, he belonged to God. She only came to visit him at the time of the yearly sacrifice. Otherwise, he stayed in Eli’s care to become God’s servant. Thankfully, he listened more to God than to Eli. Because Hannah kept her vow, God did not leave her sorrowful without her child. He blessed her five times over by giving her three more sons and two daughters.

As you would expect, I come to this story with purpose of a contemporary nature. It was on the day I wrote this article that I read in the news about the renewed efforts of this government administration to push for more access to abortion. They claim that women should have power over their own bodies to choose which children should live or die. This administration says it is not the purview of males or the government to make laws prohibiting this. We do not need to make laws about childbirth because God declared His law long ago. Hannah said, “My horn is exalted in the Lord.” This is strange language for us but common in the scriptures. A horn is a sign of strength. Hannah referred to the strength God gave her to bear children. Her choice was not her choice but God’s.

Despite Supreme Court justices unable to define a woman, we need not despair for God supplies the definition. Though this is not the only characteristic, a woman has in her body strength a man does not have. He may have brute strength as amazingly and surprisingly noted by the dominance of transgender (?) athletes, but he has no power over his body for this. God made the womb for the implantation of a miraculous zygote that attaches and begins the growth of a little human who bears the image of God. Heaven forbids anyone to destroy God’s image because a baby is an inconvenience.

The actions of this administration are a Romans 1 problem in so many ways we lose count. Who is better? I do not necessarily have a name, but it cannot be anyone with determination to kill the innocent by government fiat. It would never work for Israel, and it cannot work for us. Choose this day whom you will serve. Is it your politics, or is it God?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

A few days ago, I sat in my office at home working on an upcoming sermon. Variations of this duty fill most of my days. It takes time to prepare sermons and make all the peripherals of the sermon come together for the Sunday morning service. The material for the printed outlines, the PowerPoint presentation, choice of scriptures for our readings, writing the bulletin articles—these are just a few of the necessary parts for conducting the service. As you can see, the tasks at hand will not allow my mind to stray too far away. Each day plants me squarely in the middle of scripture.

On this day, it was cool enough to leave the window in my office open. It was shortly after the local schools dismissed their students in the afternoon when I could hear the conversations of these young people as they walked along the sidewalk in front of my house. Their conversations are at times breathtaking. In my day, we used to comment that some people “curse like a sailor.” We understand the expression despite some sailors do not curse. Jarred rudely from my concentration in my studies, this is what came to mind. What I heard was not the filthy talk of sailors but some of the worst language I have heard any adult speak. These were school children in their normal conversation. There was no anger. No one was fighting. It was their regular fare, just their normal vocabulary.

As I thought about the sermon for this week, the evil speech of the scribes in Jerusalem constructed parallels. They were part of the religious ruling class of Israel who used nothing less than the worst language imaginable. Their comments were not about ordinary affairs but directed towards the activities of Jesus. Our English translation spares us from the details of intended meanings. However, make no mistake the original readers of Mark’s gospel well understood their intent.

In today’s message, I will tone it down to the G-rated version. These comments were against the Holy God whose purity defies our ability to understand. To compare the Christ to demons or working with the power of demons is beyond the depths of our minds. We do not know the nature of our crimes if we take part. This is so deep in the well of mire and filth that no daylight exists. Indeed, Jesus said there is no forgiveness for it.

Returning to the speech of the school children, I dare say they speak what they know by watching television, listening to their music, buried in their phones, and yes, hearing their parents in their normal conversation at home. Neither parents nor child knows the weight of sin contained in their speech especially if God’s name is there. The third commandment prohibits this language. I find it hugely interesting that in Mark 3, Jesus mentioned the Holy Spirit. The speech of the scribes offended the Holy Spirit. Listen to Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice…” (Ephesians 4:29-31).

Many Christians have no clue what they do when they lace their conversations with filthy language. What comes out in speech is the same as thoughts lodged in the heart. Read Mark 7:20-23 in conjunction with these thoughts. We hear so much filth every day from Christians and non-Christians that we consider it normal speech. God does not. It is the territory of the unforgiveable. Think carefully before you open your mouth. Speak no evil.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Today’s message from the Gospel of Mark delves into questions about the way Jesus treated His family. Our text in chapter 3 at first appears that Jesus showed disrespect to His mother and brothers. While Jesus was addressing the multitudes of people always following Him, His family came asking others to inform Him they were outside waiting to talk to Him. Upon hearing this, Jesus said, “Who is my mother, or my brethren?” In our English translation, it appears as a curt, disrespectful answer. Would Jesus show such insolence, or would He always keep the commandment to honor His father and mother?

For those who want to find fault in Him and thus disqualify Him from being the sinless Messiah, any port in a storm will do. The truth is that Jesus would never break any of the commandments especially one that stands at the head of the second table of the law. This is the fifth law that commands us to honor our father and mother. This commandment is the first relating to societal order which takes up the duty of believers towards our fellow man. The second table begins the fulfilling of the second greatest commandment which is to love our neighbor as ourselves. If there is a social gospel, this is it. The true social gospel is faith in Christ that works outwardly towards the treatment of our fellow man with love and respect, and to honestly wish his best welfare. God loves people, and to be like Him we must love them too.

I speak this cautiously because loving souls is different from saying we must be tolerant of evil lifestyles and to live and let live. We do not love our neighbors if we do nothing to correct them. We do no favors for anyone by letting them continue in a lifestyle that is against the Holy Word of God. We are to warn offenders about the wrath to come.

I wonder sometimes what people think the warnings of God’s word are for if God says we are to keep quiet and tolerate every evil perversion. What could we warn people against if there are no consequences for their behavior? How could we love anyone that we care too little about to warn them that sin brings destruction and eternal death in the fires of hell? To love a person is to bring him to Jesus Christ. To love him is to tell him to turn from his sins, to repent of them, and to trust Christ who is the only one who can save him. To love him is to teach him to worship God in spirit and in truth. This means forsaking sinful lifestyles that God so clearly says are against His holiness.

The social issue that Christians are most concerned with is our action towards the lost unbelievers of this world. It is not our judgment that counts. It is God’s judgment, and the word shows us how to judge righteous judgment. It not only shows us; it demands that we do it. God does not tell us to tolerate sin but to purge it from us. It is not governmental action that will do this. Its solution is to plead with the heart through the grace of God for repentance and faith.

The sum of this is that rejection of God’s commandments is rejection of God. There is no peace and prosperity in the rejection of God. There is only this—the bypassing of the blood of Christ and trampling beneath the feet His holy sacrifice. We will not circumvent God’s righteous retribution by preaching tolerance. To live and let live is a fantasy. It is live and let die if we do not fight for the justice of the commandments. Leaving people alone to die in their sins is not love. When most say peace and love, understand they mean let everyone do their own thing. To do so without intervention is to condemn lost souls to eternal hell.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

In last week’s article about the apostle Paul, I mentioned the dust-up between him and Peter over Peter’s hypocrisy among the Galatian churches. I am sure you did not think too much about this, but I am concerned I could have left the wrong impression about Peter’s faith. At no time were Peter and Paul in disagreement over the doctrine of justification by faith.

It is important to understand this because both Peter and Paul received the call of apostleship directly from our Lord. Their steadfast faith was critical for the establishment and indoctrination of local churches. All Christians can be sure that arguments among the apostles were not signs they were unsure of their own faith in Christ or of the clarity of the gospel. It is tempting to make Peter and Paul adversaries and call this conflict. It did not rise to the level of two Christian leaders in a debate about doctrine. The problem was Peter’s dissimulation in treating Gentile Christians differently than Jewish Christians. The method of their salvation was not in question. However, Peter’s actions could have easily led to the misconception that Gentiles must conform to Old Testament law in the rite of circumcision before acceptance into the fellowship of Christian churches.

If you were to question Peter on this matter, he would not hesitate to state and even to elaborate on the doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone—plus or minus nothing. Peter was the first apostle to preach the gospel to Gentiles when after a vision he went to the house of Cornelius in Caesarea. When salvation came to this household, Peter reported to the church in Jerusalem that the Holy Spirit had fallen on the Gentiles when they believed. There is no mention in the text that any other requirements were necessary or met for their baptism. Neither did the church in Jerusalem ask, “What about circumcision?” Later, the apostles settled and sealed this matter when confronted by a certain group, we now call Judaizers. These were Jews who claimed salvation by grace through faith but were still holding on to the custom of circumcision and other Old Testament laws as qualifiers for identification with the people of God.

The apostles hashed this out in Acts 15 after Peter’s testimony before them of his personal experience in the conversion of Cornelius. In Acts 15:8-9, Peter explained: “And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” This leaves no uncertainty where Peter stood or of his consistency in the clarity of the doctrine of justification by faith.
In the Galatian passage, Paul wrote another confusing statement. He said the problem with Peter arose when certain men came from James. The wording appears to say James entered the disagreement by sending representatives from the Jerusalem church to correct the Galatians and turn them towards a more Jewish path. And yet, we read in Acts 15 that James, the spokesman and pastor of the Jerusalem church, specifically commanded there should be no burden of circumcision placed on Gentile converts. James spoke this in consideration of the ministry of Paul and his companions who preached among the Gentiles (Acts 15:13-29). This matches the language in Galatians 2:12 that “certain came from James.” Obviously, James did not send them. They were Judaizers who before were contentious in the Jerusalem church.
We need not fear that those we trust most in scripture were doubtful or were less than stalwarts of the faith. They never gave an inch to false doctrine. We must, however, acknowledge they were not perfect men who never made mistakes, although there is no mistake in their Holy Spirit inspired writings. How we respond when confronted with our mistakes is also important. Peter did not get angry nor shake his fist at Paul. He owned the rebuke and wrote that Paul was a brother in Christ. This is a lesson for us. Give up our stubbornness and examine ourselves closely. Make sure we hold the truth without compromise.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

              In the past few weeks of our study in Mark’s Gospel, I have taken our sermon time to describe Jesus’ selection of the twelve apostles. We are nearing the end of this interlude and will finish with the one disciple who was notorious and never converted to believe in Jesus. We finish next week with Judas Iscariot, who is probably the most infamous person in history.

           In this article, I want to speak briefly of the most famous apostle and yet was not chosen at the same time as the original twelve. This is Paul, the converted Benjamite from the city of Tarsus. Five hundred words is a pittance to spend on him but permit me to make a few brief comments. Paul wrote more of the New Testament than any other author, and except Jesus, is the most quoted character in the Bible. The proof of many of our doctrines of the Christian faith relies heavily on the epistles Paul wrote. Today, on our bulletin cover is Galatians 6:14, a verse that summarizes Paul’s ministry: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” While this verse stands representative of Paul’s passion for his life and could be attached to any of his letters, it has specific meaning within its context.

              In the first part of Galatians, Paul defended his apostleship by stating his commission was given directly by Christ, who in a post resurrection appearance called him to preach the gospel. His office was not conferred upon him by the consensus of the apostles but by Christ Himself. After establishing his credentials, he goes on to confront the insidious growth of a false doctrine impressed upon the Gentiles who were taught by Jews among them that for them to be saved and a part of the church, they must submit to the Jewish rite of circumcision. Curiously, Peter was caught up in this as he hypocritically withdrew fellowship from Gentiles fearing reprisals from Jewish leaders who came from Jerusalem. Though Peter was not held in unbelief, he stumbled and failed to maintain a firm grip on the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Favoring circumcision as a condition added to the singular work of Christ for the salvation of the soul, denies the finished work of Christ on the cross. Paul began Galatians by emphasizing this is not the gospel of Christ.

              From the point of Paul’s rebuke of Peter, he goes on to make a defense of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. This defense is one of the most significant undergirding of this cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith. In conclusion of the matter, Paul wrote Galatians 6:14. While others may boast of the work they do for Christ or seek to commend themselves to salvation by these good works, Paul rejects any claims of reliance upon self and gives all glory to Jesus Christ.

              This theme resounds throughout Paul’s writings. He is never shy of self-deprecation if it serves to exalt Christ and hide himself behind the cross. Such statements are humbling and yet abhorred by today’s Christian leadership. This is the day of celebrity. With media opportunities that trumpet the names of favorite preachers, the competition for recognition exceeds the determination to glorify Christ and Him alone.

              I have mentioned several times in this series how the apostles would be appalled at worship directed towards them. Statues and patronages were no part of any of the apostles’ objectives. They were Christ’s men who were not fed by their egos. Do we wish to make a name for ourselves, or do we want to glorify Christ? If we learn all there is to know about the apostles and miss this about them, we know nothing at all.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               A few weeks ago, in my introduction to the apostles, I spoke of Peter’s impertinent question posed to Jesus. Our Lord finished a conversation with the rich young ruler telling him that his salvation was dependent upon keeping the commandments, selling all his earthly goods, giving the proceeds to the poor, and finally, coming and following Him. This is quite a list and fulfilling it would not guarantee a better earthly return above what he surrendered. Peter heard this answer and in turn asked the Lord, “What shall we get?” In other words, Peter and the other apostles believed they had forsaken all and honored the required list. Peter wanted to know what the benefit would be of doing exactly what Jesus told the rich young ruler to do.

               Again, the answer Jesus gave to Peter had no promise of immediate gain. The promised reward was in the future kingdom which He termed the regeneration. Two thousand years later, the kingdom is still an unfulfilled promise although in the interim, the apostles no longer ask, wonder about, or doubt the promise. Their presence in heaven awaiting the resurrection of their bodies is complete satisfaction. Time means nothing to them now and waiting is not an adverse consideration.

               With their understanding of the promise secured, what was their present experience? It was to forsake houses and lands, to endure the rejection of family and friends, persecution from their enemies, and for most of them, martyrdom. They were not to consume themselves with promised thrones in the millennial kingdom but with what Jesus required of them now. This was service to the present kingdom, a kingdom that by faith was in their hearts.

               Jesus told them they were to serve Him and others. This life of service would secure greatness in the future. Greatness is a common pursuit for most of us and it was for the apostles. I do not want to be a mediocre preacher—I want to be a great preacher. We all know I am not, but you would surely find disappointment if I told you I put no effort in my sermons because it does not matter, and I do not care if you groan at them or gain by them.

               When James and John showed Peter-esque impetuousness, they asked for seats on either side of Christ’s throne as a demonstration of their greatness. Their ask was inappropriate, but Jesus did not rebuke their desire. Greatness should be our aspiration yet not to aspire it merely for our benefit. Our objective must be to glorify God in the best way possible. Thus, being a great preacher is a worthy goal if the purpose is for people to learn more of the glories of Christ. The result of Peter and John’s bold preaching was recognition they could have preached no great sermons if they had not been with Jesus. All attempts at greatness should be for the better advancement of the Kingdom in which we now live. Be great on your job, regarding it as service to the Lord (Colossians 3:22-24). Be great as a parent, be great as a husband or wife, be great as a church member. Serve Christ now as a great servant who will receive a hundred-fold more in the future kingdom of God.

               Years ago, there was a song in which the author asked the Lord for just a little cabin in the corner of glory land. There is not much aspiration for greatness there, and less understanding of the blessed, unimaginable inheritance of the saints.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               These past few weeks, and with still more to come, we have studied Jesus’ selection of the apostles. There is no fair argument from scripture that the words of the apostles are any less authoritative than the words of Jesus. Despite this, there is no shortage of arguments claiming that Jesus deserves more trust than the men He chose to author His story. This is especially true of Paul, the apostle chosen out of due time. He became a Christian after the crucifixion and is the most well-known defender of the Christian faith.

               We read of Paul’s conversion in Acts 9 while he travelled on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus. A bright light shined on him, and Jesus in His glory spoke to him. The resurrected Christ appointed him as a preacher of the gospel especially to the Gentile nations. This appointment vested Paul with no less authority than the original apostles chosen during Christ’s ministry (Galatians 1:11-17; 2:6-9). God has His purposes, and we are at loss to determine the reason most of the apostles wrote nothing recorded as scripture while Paul wrote more of the New Testament than any other. Jesus and Paul are the two most prominent people in the New Testament. Luke who wrote his gospel account also wrote the Acts of the Apostles in which Paul dominates after chapter 12. To pit Jesus against Paul is to make warring factions that would destroy the unity and credibility of the entire New Testament.

               Peter who was the central figure of the original apostles declared the letters of Paul were scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16). When Jesus commissioned the apostles, He said to his disciples: “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me” (Luke 10:16). Jesus did not personally record any of His sermons, He never made a note of them, He never wrote about His birth, death, and resurrection. Neither did He record the everyday conversations with His apostles or with the common people. Every statement He made to the religious leaders and to any person—every piece of information we have about Him comes from the apostles whether in the gospels, the epistles, or Revelation. The source materials for both Mark and Luke are the remembrances of the apostles. Thus, we understand that if the apostles are incorrect about any information, the are suspect in their entire Christology.

               The most often attacked apostle is Paul. There are those who say they love Jesus, but Paul is a different story. Their objection arises from their misunderstanding of both. Their Jesus is malleable to conform to whatever they wish Him to be. They speak of His love and compassion without knowledge that love without justice is not only meaningless but exceedingly harmful. There is no love in God without the accompaniment of all His attributes. God is love (1 John 4:8), therefore He exercises justice in love. He exercises punishment in love. It sounds contradictory, but without it, His people suffer bad company forever.

               Paul gets his bad rap mostly for his rigid posture on social issues—feminism and homosexuality being the top two complaints. To rid ourselves of Paul’s teachings on these subjects is to oppress women and elevate the most heinous crimes found in scripture. The abandonment of the divine order of our social structure and God’s design for human relationships causes the hastening of the justice of judgment (Romans 1:28-32).

               Read the Bible with the understanding the authors spoke under the authority of the divine author. Their words are His words for acceptance and obedience without question.

Pastor V. Mark Smith