Know Your Bible
VOL. 5                           October 1, 2006                           NO. 37

"Prove All Things"

    The statement which is being used as the title of this article may be found in 1 Thess. 5:21. God has placed upon man the responsibility of choosing between good and evil; right and wrong; truth and error; God's way and man's way. There is only one way that man is able to make this choice and that is by proving all things. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." This is God's commandment and man's responsibility.

    Just as the only way for man to make a wise choice is to "prove all things", there is also one way of proving all things--try them by the word of God. The Bible is the standard, or test, by which all things are to be tried. It is inspired of God and is able to furnish the man of God completely unto every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16,17). It is not to be added to or taken from. (Rev. 22:18,19; 2 Jn. 9).

    Men are constantly engaged in "proving all things" in religion, but they fail in many instances to "hold fast that which is good" because they use the wrong standard of authority.

(1) The Modernist subjects all things to the test of his own mind. He asks him-self what he thinks of a principle of truth or of a religious practice. He does not inquire of the Bible. Since he proves all things by his own mind, and since his mind is not capable of knowing what is good in all things (Jer. 10:23) he is apt to choose the wrong thing.

(2) The Catholic proves all things by the authority of the pope of Rome. He subjects even the Bible to the authority of the pope and accepts or rejects its teachings at the will of the head of the Catholic Church. His standard of authority is the mind of the pope.

(3) The Denominationalist must submit to the creed or discipline of his denomination. If it is without authority, why does the denomination have it? The Methodist Discipline was published by the Methodist Church for the purpose of telling men how to become and remain Methodists. The Presbyterian Confession of Faith was published by the Presbyterian Church to instruct men how to be and remain Presbyterians. The Baptist Manual was published by the Baptist Church to guide men into becoming and remaining Baptists. The Book of Mormon tells men how to become and remain Mormons. On and on one could go citing books, manuals, and creeds put out by men for guiding people to and into their religious institutions. All such books and creeds and manuals are written by HUMAN BEINGS! Those who endeavor to "prove all things" by such books are appealing to human minds as the standard of authority in religion.

CONCLUSION: (1) The Modernist uses his own mind as the standard of authority in religion. His mind is human. (2) The Catholic appeals to the mind of the pope as his standard of authority. The pope's mind is human. (3) The Denominationalist looks to the men who wrote the creed of his particular denomination as the standard of authority. The minds of these men are human. So, all of these are in the same boat -- they are all seeking to prove all things by human authority! This is what happens when man abandons the word of God as the only guide to faith and practice in serving God.

---John D. Cox

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Blessings

    While driving, I have a tendency to read the messages posted on denominational announcements boards. While some messages are misused scriptures, or advertisements to unscripturally raise funds, sometimes you see useful messages that you need at that moment.

    The other day I saw a sign that read, "Add to Your Joy by Counting Your Blessings." The first thing that came to my mind was the song "Count Your Blessings." Every time I sing that song, I think of the statement my grandfather made about it. He said, "There is not enough time to count the infinite blessings God has bestowed upon us." This statement is true. How could we not see the infinite blessings when we look out over the landscape, up at the vast blue sky, and into the faces of our family members? Above all, the greatest blessing that God has given us is His word, the Bible. In the Bible we can read of the blessings which are still to come for those who remain faithful.

    Before I read the sign, my mind was full of everyday happenings but after I read the sign, I let those thoughts drift away as I thought of the blessings I saw before me. It is amazing how true the statement "Add to Your Joy by Counting Your Blessings" is. The next time you think you have so much to handle or maybe life is too much to bear, just stop and look around. Gaze up at the sky, watch the clouds float by, or ponder the millions of shining stars set before you. If you will look at all the blessing you are surrounded by, then the bad will not seem so terrible anymore. Jesus says in Luke 12:22-31 that we should not worry for anything, we can just look at the birds and the flowers and see that if he takes care of them so well then he will surly take care of our needs.

    If we would count our blessings instead of our cares, we would see our riches instead of our debts, and smiles instead of frowns. Let us learn from the story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-32. From this story, we see that we must realize the blessings which are waiting for us in our Father’s house instead of dwelling upon the cares of this life. Have you counted your blessings, and in doing so, increased your joy?

---Verlin Cox

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***SENTENCE SERMONS***

Religion is no different than many other things: the less you invest in it, the poorer the quality of it.

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Some folks give according to their means, and others according to their meanness.

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Usually the chains of a habit are too small to be felt until they are too strong to break.

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People usually get at odds with one another when they try to get even.

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Some people will praise DEAD saints and persecute LIVING ones.

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Guard your thoughts because what you think, you are.

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When a person doesn't thirst for righteousness, the sermons seem dry.

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Page 3

 
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