Duck Season

“The story is told of a certain African tribe that learned an easy way to capture ducks in a river. Catching their agile and wary dinner would be a feat indeed, so they formulated a plan.

“The tribesmen learned to go upstream, place a pumpkin in the river, and let it slowly float down into the flock of ducks. At first, the cautious fowl would quack and fly away. After all, it wasn’t ordinary for pumpkins to float down the river! But the persistent tribesmen would subsequently float another pumpkin into the re-gathered ducks. Again they would scatter, only to return after the strange sphere had passed. Again, the hungry hunters would float another pumpkin. This time the ducks would remain, with a cautious eye on the pumpkin; and with each successive passing, the ducks would become more comfortable, until they finally accepted the pumpkins as a normal part of life.

“When the natives saw that the pumpkins no longer bothered the ducks, they hollowed out pumpkins, put them over their heads, and walked into the river. Meandering into the midst of the tolerant fowl, they pulled them down one at a time. Dinner? Roast duck.”1

There is much deception in this world. We need to be cautious and on guard with the things we hear and read. In life, the pumpkins of false doctrine and error keep subtly coming at us. There are dangerous teachings around us at all times. Sometimes because of the volume of information coming at us through television, radio, the internet, and social media, we let our guard down and we begin tolerating them. We can feel safe when we are not. We can very easily get caught in “the snare of the devil” (2 Tim. 2:26) and be led astray into error and unsound doctrine if we don’t keep our focus on the truth of the Word, rightly divided.

“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13).

This verse shows that Paul had no grand illusions that the world would become better and better. Rather, by divine revelation, he wrote that things and people will only get “worse and worse.” Paul informs us that, as the dispensation of grace progresses, deception will only go from bad to worse, and it will get so bad and out of hand that deceivers will believe their own lies. After peddling their lies for so long, they will actually come to believe them personally. Of course, we know that they are ultimately being deceived by Satan (2 Cor. 11:13-15; Rev. 12:9).

We visited Mount Rushmore earlier this year. As we were walking in, I noticed a booth set up by Jehovah’s Witnesses in the free speech area. There were a few people staffing the booth. As I looked at the booth and literature and knowing some of their deceptive, false teaching, it made my blood boil. On our way out, I saw an older man setting up a little chair and a simple sign with the gospel on it, right across from the Jehovah’s Witness booth. His hat said, “Jesus is my Boss.” I went over to him and thanked him for his boldness and willingness to be a light for the Lord. He was a dear brother in Christ. His name was Gary, and he had driven his motorcycle to Mount Rushmore from West Virginia just to sit there and pass out gospel tracts and share the truth. He thanked me for my encouragement and asked that we pray for him together. My family prayed with him, all of us holding hands in a circle. It struck me how the truth was made known by Gary very simply and humbly, with a small sign and some gospel tracts. He was just being a lighthouse for the truth.

Rather than telling Timothy to go after deceivers to correct the lies that they believe, Paul advises,

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (2 Tim. 3:14).

Timothy needed to rely on what he knew to be true: what Paul had taught him. What Timothy learned from Paul, and had been assured about, was the revelation of the Mystery, the body of truth for this present dispensation of grace (Eph. 3:1-9).

We’re never going to right all the wrongs or correct all the lies people believe. It’s a waste of valuable time to try. We simply need to keep our focus on the truth and the proclamation of it. We need to do what Paul instructed Timothy to do, to “continue” or remain steadfast in the teachings of “the Word of His grace” (Acts 20:32) that the Lord committed to Paul. We must “continue” to stand for the message of grace committed to the Apostle Paul and “continue” to grow in our knowledge of it. By knowing and obeying God’s truth for today as found in the letters of Paul, we are protected from falling prey to the devil’s schemes and being pulled down into error and false doctrine.

Notes:

  1. Wayne Cordeiro, “How Hunters Tempt and Nab Wary Ducks,” Preaching Today, accessed September 3, 2017, http://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2013/april/7042213.html

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.


Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Was Peter Competent to Interpret the “Great Commission”?

Mark’s record of our Lord’s commission to the eleven clearly states: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). As to unbelievers, baptism, of course, did not even enter into their case, thus the record goes on to say, “and he that believeth not shall be damned [condemned].”

This passage has always presented a problem for Fundamentalists who cling to the practice of water baptism and deny the special revelation committed to Paul for the present dispensation. The result has been that some change the meaning of this passage, while others contend that the last twelve verses of Mark 16 are not in the inspired originals.

To change this passage to read, “He that believeth and is saved ought to be baptized,” is simply to pervert and misrepresent the written Word of God. If a minister in the pulpit can lightly do this to one passage, beware of him; he may do it to others too.

As to the argument that the closing portion of Mark’s Gospel is not in the original, we reply that one cannot look into this contention without concluding that it is part of the inspired text.

First, it must be remembered that we have no original manuscripts of the Bible. Second, the manuscripts we do have contain it in the ratio of 300 to 1. Third, the Vatican and Sinaitic manuscripts, which do not contain it, leave spaces where it has been omitted. Fourth, we have translations earlier than our oldest manuscripts which do contain it. Fifth, we have the writings of fathers who lived still earlier, containing quotations from this passage.

The most conclusive evidence, however, is that contained in Peter’s testimony at Pentecost. Surely Peter was working under the “great commission” at this time. Surely, also, he was better able to interpret the commission than we are. The Lord had already “opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). With eyes thus opened, the apostles further sat under Christ’s special instructions for forty days before His ascension (Acts 1:3). And to cap it all, we read that “THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST” (Acts 2:4).

Surely, under such conditions Peter could not have misinterpreted his commission. And are the terms laid down in Mark 16:16 omitted from his offer of salvation, or does he change or minimize them aught? Indeed not! He emphasizes them as he says to his convicted hearers:

“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).

Surely, Spirit-filled Peter, taught for forty days by Christ, with his understanding opened to God’s revealed plan, would not have demanded water baptism for the remission of sins if he had not been instructed to do so. Those who would seek to eliminate Mark’s record of the commission to the eleven (later twelve) have this further fact to face. Sad to say, some also misrepresent these words of Peter’s by substituting three periods or an “etc.” for the words “for the remission of sins.”

Peter interpreted the rest of the Mark commission correctly too, for as it says, “these signs shall follow them that believe,” and he promised that “the gift of the Holy Spirit” (for miraculous power) would follow repentance and baptism.

Unless Fundamentalists are ready to interpret and proclaim the message of Mark 16:15-18 as Peter did, they should acknowledge that we are to labor, not under the so-called great commission given to the eleven, but under that much greater commission given by the ascended Lord to Paul and to us (2 Cor. 5:14-21); that commission in which water baptism has no place, but the all-sufficiency of Christ and His finished work is the theme.

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.


Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Ghost Writers in the Sky – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

 

Summary:

The Bible was written by men like Moses and Paul, but it was Holy Ghost written by God. We know that “scripture” (v.16) means the books of the Bible, for Paul quoted one of them when he asked “what saith the scripture?” (Rom.4:3).

It is taught that a third century council determined the canon of which books should be in the Bible, but Peter knew that Paul’s epistles were “Scripture” as they were being written (II Pet. 3:15,16). The prophets identified which epistles were Scripture (I Cor. 14:37).

We know no books are missing from our Bible because the Bible has 66 books and Isaiah has 66 chapters. The first chapter of Isaiah has things in it that remind you of the first book of the Bible (Isa. 1:2,9), and the last chapter has things that remind you of the last book of the Bible (Isa. 66:22; Rev.21:1). Each chapter in between in Isaiah has things that remind you of the corresponding book in the Bible.

The Greek word for “inspiration” (3:16) means God-breathed. You have to breathe out to form the words that come out of your mouth, and that’s what God did with the words that proceeded out of His mouth in the Bible (Mt. 4:4). The breath of God gives life (Gen.2:7) and the Bible is alive (Heb.4:12) and powerful enough to give life (John 6:63). When you expire the life-breath of God leaves you, so when God inspired the Bible His life breath entered the words.

People say that men wrote the Bible and not God, but one of those men said that God spoke by him (I Sam. 23:2). But they didn’t take dictation, for the Bible writers all had their own style that reflected who they were. Luke was a doctor (Col.4:14) and wrote like one (Acts 3:7). But they all spoke “as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (II Pet. 1:21)

Inspiration is what makes God’s word “profitable” (3:16). God’s Word doesn’t profit us financially if we obey it like it did for Israel, but it can still give us the “profit” of “peace” and “righteousness” (Isaiah 48:17,18). You’ll never have peace without righteousness, by the way. It is “lying words, that cannot profit” that say that salvation delivers you to sin (cf. Jer. 7:8-10).

But the Bible is only profitable if it is rightly divided (II Tim. 2:15). If it isn’t divided at all, you’re going to think obeying God’s word will profit you as it did Abraham and Job. If it is wrongly divided between the Old Testament and New Testament, you’re going to think you’re not saved every time you sin (I John 3:9: 5:18). The Bible must be divided between Paul’s epistles and the rest of the Bible.

But the Scriptures couldn’t profit us unless God preserved them, which He promised He would (Isa. 40:8; Mt.5:18). There are no tittles in our KJV, but we know it is still God’s Word because Paul spoke God’s word in Hebrew (Acts 22:1-22) and it was still God’s word when Luke wrote it down in Greek even though it was a translation. But we know other versions are God’s Word because God knows how to use other words to say “the same words” (Mt. 26:39-44).

The Bible is profitable “for doctrine” (3:16) or teaching because it is the only thing that is sure. Peter said it was more sure than what he saw with his eyes and heard with his ears (II Pe. 1:16-19). Yet when we say God no longer gives the gift of healing, our Pentecostal friends often say He is because of something they think they’ve seen.

“Reproof” (3:16) is what you give someone who isn’t acting right. 14 of the 17 times the word appears it is used to speak of how a father reproves his son for not acting right (in Proverbs). Reproof was given to children with the rod (Pr. 29:15). “Correction” (3:16) is what you give someone who isn’t thinking right according to what you taught him (Ps. 94:10,11). Children were corrected with the rod as well (Pr.22:15).

God reproved and corrected the children of Israel with the rod (Jer. 2:19) of Babylon. But God is not reproving us to-day. We are His sons (Gal.4:6) and you correct adult sons with words. God corrects us with the words of Scripture.

Break With Tradition

The early part of my Christian experience was closely identified with a denominational church that held dogmatically to the Acts 2 position. They were resting comfortably on the bed of tradition, and used its covers as security blankets to insulate themselves from the reality of God’s Word, rightly divided. But with me it was somewhat different. I kept tossing and turning and was unable to get a good night’s sleep, spiritually speaking. Something was wrong with the bed that I had climbed into, but I was unable to put my finger on the problem. The more that I studied and taught the Scriptures, the more restless I felt.

Tradition said, “Teach what Jesus taught.” But Jesus taught, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles…But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:5,6). Tradition said, “Walk where Jesus walked.” But Jesus miraculously walked where no man has ever set foot before: “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea” (Matt. 14:25). Tradition said, “Obey the commandments of Jesus.” But Jesus commanded, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17,18). Tradition said, “The Church, the Body of Christ began in Acts Chapter 2 on the day of Pentecost.” But the narrative says, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom
ye [unbelieving Israel] have crucified, both Lord and Christ [Messiah of Israel]” (Acts 2:36).

When I pointed these inconsistencies out to those in spiritual leadership at the time, I was politely told not to take these things so seriously. They felt that it was far more important to win lost souls to Christ than to quibble over such insignificant matters. The Word of God insignificant—God forbid the thought! Thankfully for the sake of these religious leaders, we are not living under the former dispensation lest fire come out of heaven to consume them. Little wonder the Church is in such a state of confusion. Not long after this encounter, the Lord graciously opened the eyes of my understanding to the revelation of the Mystery.

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.


Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

The Least in the Kingdom?

“What did Jesus mean when He said the least in the kingdom was greater than John?”

“…Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matt. 11:11).

Some feel that the Lord was speaking of Paul, since the apostle uses the word “least” to describe himself twice (1 Cor. 15:9; Eph. 3:8). However, “the kingdom of heaven” of which the Lord spoke was the kingdom that will one day be established on earth for the redeemed in Israel, and Paul was never a part of that kingdom, nor will he ever be.

In that kingdom, all the redeemed will be filled with God’s Spirit, who will “cause” them to walk in His statutes (Ezek. 36:27). Because of this, the least member of that kingdom will be incapable of sinning, and so will exceed the righteousness of even a man as holy as John. Speaking of the kingdom, the prophet declared,

“…he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them” (Zech. 12:8).

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.


Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Berean Searchlight – December 2017


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The Definition of Evil – 2 Timothy 3:13-15

 

Summary:

The mass shootings we’ve been seeing are evil, but the evil that will wax worse (v.13) in the last days (3:1) is the kind associated with “seducers” (v.15). Religious seducers who have a form of godliness (v.5) and seduce people spiritually by creeping into their houses by means of Christian radio, TV, the internet, etc. (v.6). That means our last days will be different than Israel’s last days, when God’s opponents won’t creep into your house to seduce your spiritual life, they’ll bash your door in take your physical life (Mt.24:9).

The reason Paul says seducers will wax “worse” in the last days is because that’s what Satan’s been doing during this entire dispensation, seducing people (II Cor.11:13-15). I Peter 5:8 is what he’ll be doing in the Tribulation, not today. Today Satan is an angel of light, and his ministers are ministers of righteousness. There’s nothing deceptive about a roaring lion!

Paul says in the last days religious charlatans will be “deceiving, and being deceived” (3:13). In time past God said both were His (Job 12:16) because if a prophet was deceived God deceived him (Ezek. 14:9). He did this to make sin worse so He could punish them (14:9,10). Their sin was the “pollution” (14:11) of idols (cf. Ezek. 20:31,39; 23:30) so God judged them by letting them be carried captive to Babylon, a land of idols, so they’d get sick of idols.

But here we have a dispensational difference. God is not deceiving religious leaders so He can judge us. He corrects our sin with grace, not judgment (Titus 2:11,12). He doesn’t judge us for our sin, He reminds us that He judged Christ for our sins. If that doesn’t constrain you to live for the Lord nothing will (II Cor. 5:14,15).

This is why when Paul goes on to tell Timothy what to do when evil men and seducers get worse, he doesn’t tell him to deceive people with error! He tells him to “continue” in the things he learned from Paul (II Tim. 3:14). That’s the cure for the seductions of religious hucksters, as Timothy had been “assured” (v.14).

But how had Timothy been assured of the things he learned from Paul? God assured people of things in different ways. When they killed the Lord, they perhaps thought He could never judge them as He said He would (John 5:22). But God “assured” them He’d judge them by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17:30,31).

How would that assure Timothy that Paul’s message was true? Well, Paul preached salvation through Christ, and just like a dead judge can’t judge men, a dead Savior can’t save them! When Paul preached a risen Savior, that proved his message was true.

Paul’s manner of life assured the Thessalonians his message was true (I Thes. 1:5) when he didn’t quit in the face of adversity (I Th. 2:1,2), didn’t deceive or flatter men as others did (2:3-5), didn’t seek their money as others (2:6) and didn’t bully them as others (2:7,8). His personal testimony also gave them this assurance (2:10), and that’s an assurance you can give others that Paul’s message was true as well! All these things assured Timothy as well, plus how he saw the grace Paul preached working in his life.

But Timothy needed more than Paul’s message to combat religious seducers. Paul reminds him that he also knew the Old Testament as well (3:15). When he says the OT made him wise to salvation, that sounds like he was saved by reading the OT before he met Paul, but Paul was his father (I Tim. 1:2) not just his teacher (cf. I Cor. 4:15).

When Paul said the Old Testament Scriptures “are able to make the wise unto salvation,” he was referring to a salvation that they could still make Timothy “wise” to (Ps. 19:7).In context, he was talking about being saved from religious seduction. We need a whole Bible to resist that!

This salvation comes “through faith which is in Christ” (3:15). Not faith in Christ, not our faith in Him. Faith which is in Christ, His faithfulness (cf. Rom. 3:3). Deceivers will always say you have to be faithful to God to stay saved. The thing that will save you from that is remembering Christ is faithful to you!

Being Right vs. The Truth

“I don’t want to be right. I want the truth!” That’s what a brother in Christ told me on the phone one day here at Berean Bible Society. I thought it was a tremendous statement. It showed the godly mindset of the person on the other end of the line.

So many have their focus on being right — that is, winning arguments and debates — and are inflexible when it comes to the possibility of being wrong. Many stubbornly dig in their heels and just want to feel that they are right, even when there is Scripture against what they believe. The truth is what is most important.

In 2 Corinthians 13:8 we read, “For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.” The truth never changes. There is always the possibility that our fallible opinion of what we think is right is not the truth. Our focus needs to be on whether what we believe is the truth of the Word of God. We must conform our thinking to God’s Word and have a humble, teachable heart that is willing to change if we are shown truth on a subject or passage on which we might be wrong. We must always have the spirit of a Berean and search the Scriptures to see if what we hear and what we believe are, in fact, the truth.

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.


Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.