The Law And Grace
By H. E. Phillips
There are many who cannot imagine grace existing where law is. The
two are not compatible in their view of scripture. However, When one understands
the
meaning
of grace and law in the word of God, the two cease to be incompatible and become
essentially related to each other. God’s grace and God’s law are
given to the same person, and both are for his salvation.
God Always Requires Obedience
It would be incredible for any man who claims to honor and respect
the Bible at all to say that God will bless and save one who disobeys Him. Passages
are
too numerous and plain to argue that point. God will take vengeance upon all
those who do not know Him and who “obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (2 Thess. 1:8). This results in everlasting punishment from the
presence of the Lord (vs. 9). Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the
will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21).
Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were driven from the presence of
the Lord because they sinned:
they did not obey the word of God. I Samuel 15 contains a good lesson on what
constitutes genuine obedience to God. King Saul was told explicitly what to
do with the Amalekites and their cattle. He decided to save the king alive
and some
of the best cattle. When Samuel heard the bleeting of the sheep, and the lowing
of the oxen, he knew that Saul had not obeyed the voice of the Lord. Saul claimed
to have obeyed the command, but God said he had rejected the voice of the Lord,
and for that he was rejected as king of Israel. He did not obey the voice of
the Lord because he did what he wanted to do instead. Saul finally confessed, “I
have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord...” Disobedience
is sin!
- Preacher of the Word, August 11, 1996
Be Not Conformed
By H. E. Phillips
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable,
and perfect,
will of God” (Rom. 12:2). This is a very demanding statement of the Holy
Spirit. In the context of requiring us to present our bodies a living sacrifice, “holy,
acceptable unto God” we are to “be transformed” into the
person that is “good, and acceptable, and perfect, according to the will
of God.
We must not be conformed (suschematizo).
W. E. Vine says of this word: “to
fashion or shape one thing like another...” Con is a prefix meaning: “with,
together,” and becomes a part of the word to which it is connected. Form means “to
make, shape, mold, or fashion”. This verse says we are
not to permit ourselves to be shaped, molded, or fashioned like the world.
If one permits that of himself, he disobeyed the God of heaven. The meaning
is that
Christians must not allow themselves to take the shape or form of this world.
World is from eon which refers to a long period of time. “This
eon” refers
to this wicked dominion where Satan is its god (Gal. 1:4; 2 Cor. 4:4). It is
the eon of this cosmos. The form of this eon (world) is described in Ephesians
4:17-19: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth
walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is
in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have
given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” Christians
should not permit themselves to partake of the character, manners or bodily
appetites of the citizens of Satan’s world. “For all that is in
the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, is not
of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:16). No Christian must
permit his/her body or mind to take the form of the lust of this world, the
domain of
Satan. Read Philippians 3:20.
- Preacher Of The Word, March 3, 1996
Speak The Truth!
By H. E. Phillips
It seems to be the growing demand of this age to silence any statenients that go contrary to our traditional thinking and practice. Many will plead for the silent treatment on the plan of salvation because it will “offend” some of our neighbors. Others will “suggest” that no good purpose can be served by causing strife among brethren by being too pointed in our teaching. That is the way apostasy developed in all periods of past history. We must speak the truth at all cost. Remember, sin and error are not keeping silent. We shall contend for our cause at all cost. We shall speak the word in season and out of season. Who will stand on the Lord’s side?