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            Today, our scripture reading from Isaiah 50 is a conversation between God and Israel. To be more specific, it is Christ the Son of God who speaks, and His words reflect His divine ministry when He became incarnate. There are two verses that caught my attention and prompted further meditation.

            The first is verse 4: “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.” I think of the compassion of Christ who felt every sorrowful experience we encounter. Whether the sorrow is physical, mental, or spiritual, Jesus knows the exact words to speak that comfort our hearts and lift our spirits. I am reminded how difficult this is for me when I speak to the desperately ill and those who are dying. I am often without perfect words and am left in silence. And yet I know which words are not helpful and are of no comfort. I am aware that some things said are not helpful and may be taken wrongly.

            For example, it is hard to criticize the attitude of those who are sick. When people have extended illnesses, they often become despondent and depressed. Perhaps we believe Christians should never come to this state, but if they didn’t the Lord would never say He knew how to comfort the weary. He realizes this human frailty. I don’t remember reading any passage in scripture in which the Lord rebuked the sick for a less than stellar attitude in their illness. I see the apostle John and the Lord’s brother James calling for love and compassion and prayer, but never chastisement. To hear God’s word and to know people pray for you are the means God uses to lift the spirits of the weary. Be cautious how you deal with the distressed. They do not need to be driven to deeper despair.

            The second verse that caught my attention is verse 7: “For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” This is the determination of Christ to do His Father’s will. Despite the criticisms and forces of hell that would deter Him, He soldiered on. He set His face like a flint—that is with steadfast determination not to quit. It is the hardness and resoluteness of hard rock to continue though humanly everything told Him He should not. Imagine Satan offering Him the kingdoms of the world in exchange for the shame of the cross. How does He withstand except the Father gave His Spirit to help Him?

            The cross was not only a cruel way to die, it was utterly shameful. Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree. It was an abomination to the Jews and shouted the worst criminality to the Gentiles. Yet, Christ knew He would not be ashamed. He would be vindicated by the Father’s promise. He would be raised from the dead and restored to His throne in heaven.

            Isaiah 50 is a wonderful picture of Christ. “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” (v. 50). Always trust God. Who has suffered by obedience and has not been rewarded abundantly? Take heart that following the Lord with all its difficulties will end in the ease and peaceful rest of God’s sabbath in His heavenly kingdom.

                                                                                    Pastor V. Mark Smith

            Preaching God’s word to God’s people is often a lonely job. It shouldn’t be, but often it is because it requires telling people what they should do and how they should live when they don’t want to. The apostle Paul made an interesting statement in Galatians 4:16. He wrote, “Am I therefore your enemy because I tell you the truth?” He said this after remembering how the Galatians were blessed and overjoyed when he gave them the gospel. They received his word as if he were an angel of God. He said they treated him as well as if he were Jesus Christ. Then he added they would do anything for him, even if he asked for their eyes, they would pluck them out. What caused their attitude to change and made them think of Paul as their enemy? He called them on their sin and told them they had returned to the weak and beggarly elements of the law. He said they had turned back to the bondage they escaped. He called them on it and then he wasn’t as popular as he was before.

            This happens too many times to the pastor of the church. Most love him and support him and will do anything for him until he takes on his friends and tells them they need to change. He sees them turn to old ways and they aren’t as enthusiastic about the church as they once were. When he tells them the truth, it goads them, and listening isn’t fun anymore.

            The truth is, when the pastor comes down on your sins in his sermons and when he steps on your toes, it is never to harm you. He is a friend that loves you and wants you to be blessed and prosperous because you follow Christ. His years are filled with the experience of Christians that gradually dropped out of service—the same people who thought they never would.

            The enemy of truth is the one who refuses to hear truth. One author wrote the enemies of truth refuse to hear in two forms: not listening to someone tell the truth or refusing to accept it. Accepting truth requires repentance. It means you are wrong, and you need to change your ways. It means you must go against your flesh, to reject the old nature and to live within the new. In Galatians 5:17, the apostle wrote: “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary…” Simply stated, to refuse truth and not correct errors is to reject the Holy Spirit. Am I your enemy if I tell you not to reject the Spirit? Your best friend is the one who tells you, “If you live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:13-14).

            Be careful of the way you respond to truth. The way you react may tell you more than you want to know. Either way, when you hear the truth, it is always a friend who tells it. He is not your enemy. He is the guardian of your soul.

                                                                                    Pastor V. Mark Smith

            This morning in our worship service we continue to examine Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica. These past few weeks of study have shown the heart of the apostle from the viewpoint of pastoral leadership. The striking lesson learned is the deep personal affection Paul felt for those he brought to faith in Christ. They were converted and then assembled into new bodies of Christ that were united in fellowship centered in the gospel of Christ.

            When a believer comes to faith in our Lord, he receives a new nature, one that is recreated in the image of God. The original image was marred by sin when Adam fell. Before he sinned, Adam had the perfect image in him which included the ability to love as God loves. Because God is love, the character of man’s godly image was also to love. Adam was able to love his wife with a perfect love.

            This marital love was emblematic of the love Christ has for His church. It is also a reflection of the love each member of Christ should have for each other. The scriptures teach that love should abound in us and this was one of Paul’s petitions of prayer when he prayed in chapter 3:12, “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love toward one another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you…” The last part of the verse emphasizes Paul’s pastoral love. His love was exemplary as it abounded toward them.

            My personal takeaway from Paul’s desire is that pastors enter a unique relationship with the people they are given to shepherd. The greatest joy for a pastor is to experience reciprocal love flowing back and forth from him to the people. Paul’s feeling at times was to experience love as a one-way street. Yet, still he said I love you though the less I be loved. I am thankful today that rarely have I experienced less love than I have given. If anything, I am deeply in debt to the members of Berean because you have given far more love and support than I have returned.

            These past months I’ve often alluded to the love and support given during my wife’s illness. We approach Thanksgiving this year with hearts full of gratitude for kindnesses and considerations in this trying time. This illness has restricted much of my ability to look after the physical and emotional needs of the congregation. But once again, there is considerable help from our deacons and others of our leaders. Some have gone beyond the call to help care for the sick and hurting among us.

            This help is invaluable. I often feel inadequate for this ministry. Thankfully, the Lord has helped me keep up my studies. I am relaxed and strengthened as I study and prepare for sermons, and then have the pleasure of giving you the fruits of this labor.

            Though I have no right to ask, I humbly request for more prayers and indulgences. It does not appear our struggles will end soon. Only by a miracle of God’s grace can we expect an immediate change. God does not promise this, but we do claim His promise to be with us in the trials and to sustain us daily with His mercies.

            God works through His people, which for us means His mercies become real through your love and support. We are thankful for the Lord and for you His faithful servants. We cannot continue without your willingness to stand with us. We look for better days, but we are content to be used in whatever ways God sees fit. What shape this will take we do not know. We trust the Lord to reveal this in His good time.

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: ^[13] But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Today in our study of 1 Thessalonians we consider the opposition of the world that hates Christ. The persecution of Christians is a theme common to the apostles. Suffering is often addressed by the writers of the New Testament because of the terrible persecution inflicted on them by an empire that was hostile to Christianity. One of their greatest challenges was to get new converts to buy into it as the badge their faith was real. In 1 Peter, Peter hits on the theme in every section of his letter. He tells his readers to rejoice in their salvation even though they experience terrible trials.

When Jesus called twelve men to be His disciples, He warned that following Him and witnessing for Him and remaining true to the faith would not be an easy path to follow. Although the gospel of Christ is the only hope for a world awaiting the wrath of God, people reject this message and they often do it with hatred and sometimes with violence.

The tone of 1 Peter makes it clear that suffering for Christ is not to be unexpected. Peter says, “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” The explanation for these trials comes in 4:13 and is attributed to the sufferings of Christ. To paraphrase Peter, he tells persecuted Christians, “Don’t be surprised when people hate you and want to kill you. If you desire to follow Christ, you will not receive better treatment than He received.” The reason for this should be easily discerned even if we do not consider the natural negative disposition of men towards the gospel. We can approach the problem from another angle which is simple deductive reasoning in the comparison of our lives to Jesus Christ.

What kind of man was Jesus? He was kind, compassionate, considerate, supremely loving, temperate, patient, self-sacrificing, perfectly righteous, and a dozen other superlatives that could be added. How was Jesus treated? He was abused, accused, told He was from Satan, and run out of town. He was called a glutton and a drunkard; He was accused of sedition and finally cruelly crucified. All of this happened to the perfect God-man, and yet He never struck back at anyone that wanted to harm Him.

Now consider your life. How do you compare to Jesus in any of these areas? I am sure you have some good traits, but each of us even at our best falls far short of Christ’s example. The indignation we feel when treated badly is just one more example of our inability to match His standard. So, how will we be treated being imperfect as opposed to the perfect Son of God? Not for a minute should we expect better treatment.

Reading this you may say, “How depressing! Is it really worth it?” This is when you should remember Peter’s answer to this question. 1 Peter 1:6 says this is a temporary condition. In 4:13, he says Christ will appear in His glory and you will be exalted and honored with Him. The worst trial you face for the cause of Christ will be worth it when you come to the realization of your final salvation. Never fear what anyone can do to you. As Peter says in the last verse of the fourth chapter, you can commit the keeping of your soul to Christ. He is the powerful Creator who speaks the word and vanquishes all enemies!

                                                            Pastor V. Mark Smith

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  (2 Timothy 2:15)

The letter of 2^nd Timothy is one of three Pastoral Epistles written by Paul to instruct both Timothy and Titus in their duties as pastors of the Lord’s the churches. The term “pastor” means “shepherd.” The chief duty of a pastor is to shepherd the flock of God. When Jesus was speaking to Peter after the resurrection, He asked, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?” Peter responded, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee,” to which Jesus rejoined, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:15). This statement is equivalent to, “If you love me, shepherd my sheep.”

Our King James Version has rendered the first part of 2 Timothy 2:15 as “Study to show thyself approved.” This translation is good if we understand what “study” meant to the translators. Commonly, we take this to mean, study as in hitting the books to prepare for a final. This kind of study is implied, but the more accurate rendering of the word is diligence—Be diligent to show thyself approved unto God. Paul is instructing Timothy to be diligent about teaching the people of God. He is to use all physical and spiritual means to search the scriptures and impart truth to God’s people. This diligence will cause him to receive God’s approbation.

Superimposing Jesus’ words to Peter upon this text, Paul instructs Timothy to shepherd the sheep with the utmost care and concern for their spiritual welfare. A pastor wears many hats and is charged with many responsibilities, but the most important of these is teaching the Bible. Our spiritual strength comes from God’s word. Even regeneration itself is a product of the Holy Spirit’s work using the scriptures to bring us to repentance and faith. Peter wrote: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Peter 1:23). After salvation, the Bible continues to be the Christian’s strength for daily living. Later in 2^nd Timothy, Paul writes that scripture is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). The result of knowing scripture is that we become mature in the faith and equipped to perform every good work enjoined upon us by our salvation in Christ (2 Timothy 3:17).

With these facts in mind, the meaning of 2 Timothy 2:15 for the pastor, is unmistakably clarified. The pulpit ministry is the most important work of the church. We can do without programs if we must; we can do without socials if we must; we can do without any of the peripherals of ministry, but we cannot do without the Word. The pastor will stand before God and give an account of how faithfully and diligently he fed the people with the Word.

I am concerned that we are very clear about the doctrines of the Bible. We will not abandon the teaching of justification by faith alone; we will not abandon God’s demand for righteous, holy living. We will not abandon the call of complete repentance from sin, nor the wrath of God because of sin, nor the punishment of eternal hell for unbelievers. Accompanying these doctrines, this church will do its best to teach her people to know Christ better. Faith is increased by knowledge and knowledge comes from being a diligent student of God’s word.

                                                            Pastor V. Mark Smith

No matter his physical age, every Christian begins his new life in Christ as a baby. We are born again through the operation of the Holy Spirit, and at that moment we are new to the faith, new to the kingdom, and new in understanding. Paul said we are a new creation in Christ. Our former lives have passed away, and the born-again baby wakes up to a new world (2 Cor. 5:17). His desires are changed, his friends will change; his view of self and of the world has changed. The new Christian immediately begins to wrestle with all these differences while at the same time he is under attack by Satan to compromise and mitigate the effects of those differences.

            It is at this point the new Christian is most vulnerable. Since his understanding of the new life is minimal, he is easily susceptible to false doctrine. Like a young child, he is impressionable and trusting of anyone that carries a Bible and purports to speak for God. This is the earliest stage of his sanctification. The foundation of faith that he receives at this point may indeed shape him for the rest of his Christian life. If he is bound by false teachings or even lack of teaching in this early stage, his growth will be seriously stunted. This is truly a problem since it is very hard to find churches that care much at all about doctrine. Some preach truth, but the scope of truth is limited.

            Some years ago, I had two men from a local Baptist church come to my door to invite me to church. One of the men was a deacon and I was thrilled these two had come to see me. They were vocal and unintimidated in their faith, which I found to be very refreshing. I looked forward to sitting with them for a few minutes to discuss the Bible. While I commended these men for their zeal, I soon learned discussing the Bible with them was not much of an option. They knew very little about scripture. This was understandable if they were novices and new to the faith. However, as I stated, one of these men was a deacon and had been approved by the church for his position.

            It is easy to think we are mature if the standard we measure by is less than what it should be. According to Paul, the first step of maturity in the faith is a doctrinal one (Eph. 4:14-15). We must be grounded and settled in the Word of God to grow. We begin with the simpler doctrines of the Word; we feed on these, and when they are mastered we add more substantial doctrine course by course. In this way, we move on from infancy to adulthood.           

            The responsibility of feeding the children of God rests with ministers (Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11-12). The responsibility of eating is yours. The pastor prepares the spiritual food for you each week, but you must be present to partake. If you are absent from the teaching of the Word, the sanctifying process is slowed to a crawl. For this reason, many Christians that should have grown up long ago are still spiritual babies.

            Our subject today is the conclusion of our miniseries on Proofs of the Preacher. I have the responsibility to feed you the word as Paul says a nursing mother will draw her child close for nourishment and care. I am to give you the whole counsel of the word (Acts 20:27). However, I cannot feed you and you will not grow unless you come to the table to eat. You will prove the preacher as you test and obey the word. Let’s be sure we’re working together for the good of the body, the church of Jesus Christ.

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)

In 1 Thessalonians 5, we have studied Paul’s view of the Christian’s sanctification as we wait on the Lord to return. Paul also discusses how God made His choice to separate us from the world of unbelievers. In the message today, we take care to emphasize God’s divine selection and the infallible purpose of Christ’s death on the cross. We are not strangers to Paul’s explanation of these doctrines having spent many weeks on the subject in our Romans class discussions of chapters 7 and 8.

The question I pose in this article is this: Did another apostle confirm Paul’s teaching or is he out on a limb by himself? You and I know this could never be since all the scriptures are Holy Spirit inspired. Let us consider the apostle Peter and his affirmation of Paul on these subjects.

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (1 Peter 1:2) 

Most of you that know me well know that I am drawn to this verse in which Peter mentions one of my favorite subjects of scripture, the doctrine of election. Proper understanding of this doctrine is what I would call a sea change. It radically alters our view of self. The heart of man is naturally against it. We will not come to it easily and yet when God gives understanding it begins to sink into the soul and overwhelms us with His graciousness. It is not popular doctrine because it is designed to take away our bragging rights. It removes any thoughts that in any way we have part in our salvation.

The second verse also contains the doctrine of sanctification. Not only is the sovereign God singularly responsible for His choice of lost sinners, but it is also His work alone to make them fit to enter fellowship with Him. The scriptures teach that we are vile and wicked while God is perfectly righteous and holy. If I could put it this way, we cannot sit in the same room with God. His holiness cannot allow any sinner to approach Him. For this, we must be changed. We must be made holy in order to come into His presence. This is what the Holy Spirit does in our sanctification.

 A third doctrine taught in this verse is the end to which we have been chosen. We are chosen to obedience. We are chosen to follow Christ and produce good works for His kingdom. We are chosen to obey the commandments of Christ which is the evidence of our salvation. The absence of these good works reveals that sanctification has not taken place—that we have not been purged from our sins. All those that are chosen, called, justified, and sanctified will be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29-30).

 A fourth doctrine found in this verse is the means by which all of this is accomplished. It is by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. It is by His sacrifice on the cross that our sin debt to God is satisfied. We are released from the guilt of our sins and justified in God’s sight by this once for all offering that Christ made on the cross. All the doctrines of God’s word are centered on this all-important fact. If not for Christ’s blood, our election could not result in salvation. If not for the cleansing of His blood, we could not be sanctified in order to fellowship with God. If not for the power of His blood to change our wicked hearts, we would never have the desire to obey God.

Though Paul and Peter have different purposes in their letters, we find the support for their teachings are the same underlying doctrines of the faith. They preach the same Christ; therefore, they are in perfect harmony concerning the Father’s selection of His people, the Son’s vicarious suffering for them, and the Holy Spirit regenerating work to bring them to repentance and faith. Since the apostles agree, why shouldn’t we?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

From time to time, I feel the importance of emphasizing the value of our members attending all the services of Berean Baptist Church. We are studying the last part of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians which speaks of sanctification and the evidentiary change in a believer’s life. Someone said, “Two things are at stake here. One, your own soul is at stake, so you need to understand whether you’re a real Christian or not. Secondly, the church needs to be observant about this so that we deal with the people for their own sake and for the protection of the church.”

            What issue is so important that your soul is at stake because of it? What is so important that the church must be protected from it? The issue is sin and the belief that a person may profess to know Christ and yet continue to live in sin. Your soul is a stake because there are many in fundamental churches today that teach it is not necessary for a believer to submit to the Lordship of Christ, but may assent to the bare facts of the gospel, believe in Christ, and yet continue to live the same lifestyle of sin that was lived before. The problem with this preaching is that it gives false hope to those who believe their souls are safe from hell, when in fact, the lack of a radical, demonstrated change in a person’s life reveals the person has not actually been saved by the grace of God.

            The apostle John makes this very clear with his arguments in 1 John concerning the nature of sin, the work of Christ, and the contrast between believers and unbelievers. Sin is the character of the devil, and habitual sin could not be the character of a person who has become a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Those who are born again have received the indwelling Spirit of Christ. They have a new nature with new desires. John also argues from the standpoint of Christ’s work. He tells us in the third chapter that Christ was manifested to destroy the works of the devil. Christ’s power over Satan is demonstrated immediately upon a believer in the work of salvation. The power of Satan to blind the sinner’s heart against the gospel must be broken. This is accomplished in regeneration when the sinner is brought to spiritual life in order to repent of sin and believe the gospel. Christ’s power does not stop upon initial belief. When the individual becomes a child of God, the sustaining power of God’s grace enables him to persevere in the faith. We are in the process of being conformed to the image of Christ. If a Christian could continue living the same life as before, at least three biblical doctrines must be denied—the new birth as a new creation in Christ, perseverance of the saints, and progressive sanctification. In effect, Christ’s present work in the believer is completely nullified.

            Also, in 1 John 3, the apostle makes this statement in verse 10: “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil; whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God…” This is the King James translation which we advocate at Berean. But in addition to the KJV, the ESV, NIV, NEB, RSV, CEV, NASB, and the Amplified Bible among others, all translate this to the same effect. All of these are very clear that a life of righteousness is evidence of the new birth. The preceding verses are emphatic in making the point that a true believer will demonstrate his salvation by a life of holiness.

            Your soul is at stake over this issue. Receiving the Lordship of Christ is evidence that you have been genuinely converted. The health of the church is at stake because an increasingly unregenerate membership will be death to the preaching of the gospel. I am afraid many that miss church could be greatly benefited by such teaching. Often, they are the ones who need it most. Examine your life. Are you one of them?

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith

            How are Christians to live as we expectantly await the coming of our Lord? Since the time Christ founded the church and ascended to the Father, the church has eagerly anticipated the time of His return. The disciples thought it would be nearly immediate, believing as they watched Him ascend that His absence would be momentary as He made all things ready for the establishment of His kingdom.

            Our studies in 1 Thessalonians showed that the late timing of His return was confusing causing the Thessalonian church to believe they had missed it. The common opinion was that since Christ had not quickly returned something was radically wrong. The critics of Christianity scoffed at the believers’ hope asking, “Where is the promise of His coming? All things are just as they were and will continue as they are.” The delay and the scoffers fueled the doubts of God’s people and led them to despair.

            In this letter to the Thessalonians, Paul corrected the high points of their confusion and redirected their thinking. Once he had them on the right track, he settled into the mode of putting into practice their enlightenment of the truth. The terrible calamities of the last days would not be theirs. They were not living in the darkness of despair with judgment hanging over their heads as were the enemies of Christ. They were new creatures in Christ. They came out of the blindness of hopelessness with the promise they would obtain their final salvation. No matter how long it takes for the Lord to return, we will never be overtaken by any of Satan’s tricks.

            The Lord does not want us to live in despair, and yet many times I heard the comments of members after the end times sermons that Christ must soon return, or they won’t be able to bear the terrible direction our country is headed. I often caution believers to be patient. Perhaps patience is the greatest virtue because it lets God be God. He works in His time not ours. We have no promise that it won’t be another two thousand years before Christ returns. Time means nothing to God because He is timeless.

            This part might seem like an odd ray of hope, but there is no believer who will fail to see Christ and be rid of this world in any longer time than the span of one lifetime. Do you understand? You will see Christ soon whether He returns to earth in one year or one thousand.

            I believe Paul made this clear to the Thessalonians. The business at hand is preparing to see Him whether in death or in the rapture. His delay does not stop our preparedness and obligation to sanctification. One way or another, our redemption is near. Our focus cannot be what enemies, the government, the squad, or anyone else does. Our focus is the worship of Jesus Christ. Paul concludes the Thessalonian letter on this very topic—the worship of Christ in the church.

            It is perfectly fine to wish for, hope for, and pray for Christ to return. In fact, Jesus said we are to pray the Kingdom will come. It won’t until Christ’s returns, so obviously praying for it is appropriate. Invest in that hope, but if it is not realized in your lifetime, seeing Christ will be. See 1 Thessalonians 4 to learn that the end of life for a believer is to fall asleep and in a split second awaken to be with Christ forever. It is not too long to wait for patiently because it happens in God’s time.

                                                                                    Pastor V. Mark Smith

Can Hell be Hotter?

For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; ^[3] How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (Hebrews 2:2-3)

            One of the most serious errors of today’s evangelical movement is the construction of a god and of a savior that is very much different than the one presented in scripture. The modern fallacy is to believe the God of the Old Testament was very harsh, unforgiving, and much too demanding. We read the Old Testament laws given to Moses at Mount Sinai and we shudder at the consequences ordered by God to make restitution for breaking those laws. There are many examples that could be given, but one that comes to mind is the sin of adultery. God said, “And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death” (Leviticus 20:10). These laws are difficult for the modern hearer because the god that has been constructed today is one that would never think of punishing evil doers so harshly; and certainly He would never punish anyone in an eternal Hell. And yet in the book of Hebrews, we learn these laws were given to man through the administration of the holy angels of God. God’s holiness demanded such punishment so that scripture says the penalty paid is a “just recompense of reward.”

            Churches today offer salvation from a god that is much less demanding. This god loves you and is unconcerned with your petty indiscretions (re: actual crimes against His holiness!). You owe nothing to God, but He owes everything to you. There are no requirements, no real standards—all you need do is acknowledge He has something to offer.

            These verses in Hebrews are some of the strongest refutations in scripture about this idea of God and His Christ. Hebrews affirms that God is just in giving a penalty for the transgression of His law. What is more amazing from these scriptures is that the demands of God are not decreased because we have entered the New Testament era, but are rather intensified. In the Old Testament, angels were attendant at the giving of the law (Ps. 68:17), and prophets such as Moses taught it to the people. Obedience was expected even though the law itself could never bring anyone into a personal relationship with God. “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God” (Hebrews 7:19).

            The better hope is the Lord Jesus Christ and knowledge of Him is through the gospel. The writer makes a simple but profound argument. Christ is God’s own Son, the express image of His person (1:3). He has spoken, not angels and not men, and His gospel is the only way to come into a saving relationship with Him. If the hearers of the Old Testament Law could not escape God’s punishment for disobeying an inferior law given through angels and men, how much less can we expect to escape punishment for disobeying the superior law which actually brings salvation (Rom. 8:2) and was given by the One who sits in majesty on high (1:3)?

            Rather than God demanding less today than He did in the Old Testament, He demands incredibly more. Punishment for rejection of God’s message today is far greater than it was then. To put it simply, Hell has become hotter! We will not escape it if we neglect salvation in Christ.

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith