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 Last
Will and Testament
A feature of common law has come down to us from as early as the
Hebrew nation through the Grecian and Roman empires. A man may make
a statement concerning the disposition of his estate after death,
but such a statement is not of force until there has been the death
of him who made it. While living he has the right to do as he wills
with his estate, no matter what his statement may have said. This
statement is called his last will and testament. Even though it is
so called, he may make another, and if it can be shown that there is
a later one the former is superseded. This is described as
characteristic of what is commonly referred to as the New Testament.
"For where a testament is, there must of necessity be the death of
him that made it. For a testament is of force where there hath been
death: for it doth never avail while he that made it liveth.
"(Hebrews 9:16-17).
While he was upon the earth Jesus had the power to forgive sins.
Since the New Testament had not been made effective by his death, he
could make any conditions he chose, or could make forgiveness
without conditions, without the necessity of abiding by the
conditions of his will which would later be effective.
"Son, which is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say,
Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath
authority on earth to forgive sins..." (Matt. 9:2-6).
People fail to see this point which is made so clear in Hebrews.
When we are striving to impress upon people the necessity of obeying
the will of Christ in being baptized in order for God to forgive
their sins, they will respond that Jesus forgave this man without
his having to be baptized and that he can forgive them in the same
manner. They must be made to realize that the New Testament did not
avail while he that made it was alive on earth, but that now it has
been made effective by the death on the cross. While he was upon the
earth he could command his disciples to "Go not into any way of the
Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans: but go
rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matt. 10:5, 6).
But the New Testament, which has become effective by reason of his
death, positively removes such exclusiveness: "Go ye therefore and
make disciples of all the nations... " (Matt. 28:19). This feature
is further emphasized by Peter:
"Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in
every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is
acceptable to him." (Acts 10:34,35).
The man today can as easily exclude the Gentiles from the gospel as
he can teach that a man can be forgiven on the same terms which the
Lord used while he was on the earth. Men must learn that now the
will of the Lord is in effect and that its conditions must be met in
order to obtain the promises.
The most effective misapplication made by people today in this
matter is the use of the thief on the cross as proof that they do
not have to be baptized to be forgiven of their sins. When the Lord
said to him, "Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:42)
Jesus had not yet died, making the New Testament effective. He could
forgive this man's sins just as he did with the palsied man to which
reference has already been made.
We are not saved under the same conditions as the palsied man or as
the thief on the cross. He could do as he chose with his powers
while he was alive on the earth. But now that his will is become
effective by his death, it avails and we will have to be content
with and abide by its terms and conditions. It is by this "will we
have been sanctified" (Heb. 10:10), and not by the ordinances of the
Old Testament, nor by the words of Jesus to the palsied and the
thief, nor by his temporary commission to the Israelites only. So
much misunderstanding comes from so much failure to handle aright
the word of truth. ~
by Robert C. Welch
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Curses!
By Steve Klein
Today we have experts and scholars on every subject imaginable -
from global warming to cotton farming. Timothy Jay is expert on
cursing. He's made quite a study of it, written two books about it,
and talks about it often to his students at the Massachusetts
College of Liberal Arts where he is a professor of psychology. Mr.
Jay recently reported that swearing among adolescents and pre-teens
in America is on the rise. He estimates that the average adolescent
uses roughly 80 to 90 swear words a day.
Mr. Jay further observed that cussing is a behavior that is often
learned in the home. "It starts as soon as they learn how to talk,"
he says. "At a young age, they're attentive to emotions. When you're
swearing to be funny or when you're angry, that just draws them
right to it." In a Gallup Youth Survey published in 2001, 46 percent
of teens surveyed admitted to using profanity at least several times
a week or daily, while 28 percent said they heard their parents
cursing on a regular basis.
The experts also say that casual cuss words are often used as
"fillers" when the speaker is having trouble expressing his or her
self. P.M. Forni, author of Choosing Civility: The 25 Rules of
Considerate Conduct observed that indeed "The profanities are the
fillers. They take the place of a more sophisticated way of
speaking." My daddy used to say that when a man cussed he was just
showing his own ignorance.
What is the cure for this cussing epidemic? The Bible suggests a
number of remedies. If you are having trouble in this area, or know
someone who is, why not try or recommend the following?
1. Keep your mouth shut. If you can't express yourself without
saying a curse word, then just don't express yourself. "A fool vents
all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back." (Proverbs 29:11).
"Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles"
(Proverbs 21:23).
2. When you talk, talk less. The more words you speak, the more
likely you are to say something you shouldn't -- using a curse word
as "filler." "In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he
who restrains his lips is wise" (Proverbs 10:19).
3. Think about how you want others to perceive you. It is a fact
that the use of profanity makes a person seem less intelligent and
more worldly. "Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive" (Proverbs
17:28).
4. Think about the example you are setting for others. People learn
the use of language by hearing others use it. Whether we're talking
about the words that a child learns from parents, or the words
children learn from each other at school, we pattern our speech
after the examples set by others. This implies that each of us also
serves as a pattern for the speech of others. Paul told Titus to
show himself to be "a pattern of good works" using "sound speech
that cannot be condemned" (Titus 2:8).
5. Stay away from people and situations that make you angry and
tempt you to lose control. "Make no friendship with an angry man,
and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a
snare for your soul" (Proverbs 22:24-25).
6. Follow the example of Christ. Jesus didn't curse. Not because He
didn't have opportunity to curse or because people never provoked
Him. He had plenty of opportunity and provocation. But He "committed
no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth who, when He was reviled,
did not revile in return" (1 Peter 2:22-23). In this, He left an
example for us.
Can the plague of profanity in our culture be reversed? Perhaps. For
that to happen, each individual Christian must determine to set the
example! "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is
good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the
hearers" (Ephesians 4:29). ~
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Why Capital Punishment, but
Not Abortion?
By Whit Sasser
Many feel that those who are anti-abortion and pro-capital
punishment are grossly inconsistent. But is that true? An
explanation is found in the matters of guilt or innocence and the
"sword" of the government. First let us consider the matter of guilt
or innocence. Does it make a difference whether a person is innocent
or guilty, as to the justification of being put to death? The thief
on the cross thought so (Luke 23:39-41). One of the seven things
that are an abomination to God is the shedding of innocent blood
(Proverbs 6:17).
On the other hand, there is a use of the sword in execution that is
not vain. As the thief indicated, they were getting what they
deserved because of their crime. Even the apostle Paul said, that
death for a proven crime was acceptable in Acts 25:11. Romans 13:3-4
teaches that the civil government is executing wrath with a sword on
evildoers as a minister of God. In other words, it is God's ordained
place for them to punish, even capitally, the wrong-doer with a
"sword" of vengeance. So, the slaughter of the innocents (abortion)
is a thing God abhors, while the putting to death of criminals by
the civil government, is not only permitted, it is one of their
God-given purposes for existing.
Capital punishment is not forbidden by God in the commandment not to
kill. It is similar to the issue of corporal punishment of children.
Some see the spanking of a child as abusive and a violation of the
instruction of God against striking another person. But, not so! The
same Bible that says one, says the other and there is no
contradiction. And so it is with capital punishment...the Bible law
against killing another is the condemnation of either, 1 ) putting
to death the innocent, or 2) taking the law into your own hands and
slaying even a guilty person. Both of these are murder, whereas the
civil power's use of execution as a means of punishing a crime, is
not. ~
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