Know Your Bible

VOL. 12 February 3, 2013 NO. 1

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FALSE CONCEPTS OF GOD

Many people have wrong concepts (ideas, notions, views) of (or about) God. All that we know about the nature, character and Will of God is what we learn from the Scriptures. The Scriptures are the only reliable source of information relative to these matters (2 Tim. 3:16,17).

One's concept of God will affect his attitude and thus the worship and service that he renders to God. It is important that we do not have a false concept or view of Him.

Here are some false concepts or views of God:

1. That God (the Father) has a flesh, blood and bones body as we have. This false concept of the Father is believed and taught by Mormons. (See Doctrines and Covenants, 130:22),

In Jn. 4:24 Jesus said: "God is a Spirit..." We learn from Lk. 24:39 that Jesus said: "...for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have." Also see Matt. 16:17. Christ was in the form of God prior to His coming to earth in the fleshly state. Phil. 2:5-8. It follows then that God, the Father, does not have a flesh, blood and bones body as we have.

NOTE: In view of these facts from the Scriptures, we must conclude that the above concept of God is false!

We are made in the image of God in that He is a Spirit and we have a spirit (Gen. 1:2; Jas. 2:26; Heb. 12:9).

2. That God Is Too Good To Severely Punish Those Who Disobey Him.

When Nadab and Abihu "offered strange fire before the Lord, which He commanded them not, fire went out from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord." (Lev. 10:1-3). NOTE: This is a case where God severely punished Nadab and Abihu for their disobedience.

When "Uzzah put forth his hand to stay the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen had stumbled, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God" (2 Sam. 6:6,7).

God has also promised to take vengeance on and to punish the wicked in the last day. (2 Thess. 1:7-9; Matt. 10:28; 25:41,46; Mk. 9:42-48; Rom. 2:8,9; Heb. 10:27-31; Rev. 19:20; 20:10; 21:8).

NOTE: The concept that God is too good to severely punish the wicked is a false view!

3. That God Is A Respecter Of Persons.

In Acts 10:34,35, Peter plainly said: "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons..." and Paul declared in Rom. 2:11 that "...there is no respect of persons with God." (Also read 1 Pet. 1:17; Jas. 2:1-4). NOTE: For one to say that God is a respecter of persons is to contradict the Scriptures! Read carefully such passages as Matt. 11:28-30; Jn. 6:37; 1 Tim. 2:3-5; Rev. 22:17; 2 Pet. 3:9, etc. Let us make sure that we do not have the wrong concepts (views) of or about God!

---Carrol Ray Sutton

in The Instructor, Vol. 49, No. 12, Dec. 2012

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LOOK UNTO REALMS ABOVE

A principle that is important to the teaching process is stated clearly by John Milton Gregory in his book, The Seven Laws of Teaching. Gregory says: "Since attention follows interest, it is folly to attempt to gain attention without first stimulating interest."

Remembering my high school days in study hall, I must agree with Gregory. I can recall 'reading' page after page in a book and being unable to remember a single idea from the book because my mind was on a basketball game to be played that night. The book didn't occupy my attention because I, at the time, wasn't interested in it.

This gets to the heart of the problem of brethren who don't study the word of God publicly or privately. They simply aren't interested. They are more interested in reading "Good Housekeeping", "Newsweek", "Reader's Digest", or "True Story" than in reading the Bible. They are more interested in seeing what's on TV than seeing what God has said. They are more interested in spending time with a hobby than in spending time with God.

The apostle Paul commended the Bereans for their nobility in studying the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11). He told the Ephesians that they could understand the scriptures if they would read. He then exhorted them to be not foolish but understanding God's will (Eph. 3:4; 5:17).

It's not likely, though, that we'll stimulate brethren to study God's word until we interest them in going to heaven. It may be that brethren in this country have it so good on earth that they don't think any more about going to heaven than I did about the book I was supposedly reading in study hall. That being true, it's no wonder the Bible doesn't occupy their attention. Brethren, we've simply got to wake to the fact that - 70 years and it's all over here. Then what? Until we set our hope on Christ and our affection on things above (1 John 3:3; Col. 3:1-4), the BOOK describing those things cannot possibly hold our attention.

---L.A. Stauffer

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HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?

· You went through an entire song service without even thinking about what you were singing?

· You bowed your head and closed your eyes during the prayer, but you really didn’t become involved in the prayer?

· You were more interested in when the preacher would finish the sermon than in what he was saying during the sermon?

· You allowed some minor noise near you to completely upset you so that you could not really worship?

These and many other things often happen, don’t they? Here are some ways to avoid them:

1. Don’t come to services expecting to be entertained - this is not the purpose for our assemblies.

2. Be a participant rather than just a spectator.

3. Prepare yourself mentally before coming to worship.

4. Resolve that you are going to worship no matter what others do. There are many distractions, but we accept them. We do not condone noise in worship, but let us be determined that it will not keep us from worshiping.

5. Examine your motives for worshiping – and do so often. Doing things by habit can become a problem if we are not careful.

6. Don’t think that services have to be conducted in new, innovative, or highly emotional ways to be meaningful.

7. Bring your Bible and follow references during the lesson.

8. Take notes during the sermon. The time will pass faster and you will retain more of the lesson.

9. Make a list of words in the songs which are unfamiliar to you and find their definition later.

---Selected

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