Tag: admonition

“Love One Another”

Neal Pollard

One of my favorite songs, “The Greatest Commands,” starts with this imperative. As that song urges us, “Love is of God” (1 John 3:10). Having a divine source and being a command, it ought to really grab our attention. John explains by reinforcing why we should love one another.

IT IS AS OLD AS TIME (1 John 3:11-13). When a Bible writer leaves his own culture and goes back to the beginning, you know the subject is important. Jesus does this with marriage (Mat. 19:3-9). Paul does this with women’s role (1 Tim. 2:8-15). John does this with love. He takes us back to the edge of Eden, using Cain and Abel as examples. He implies that Cain killed Abel because he did not love his brother (12). He also is teaching that love is a work, not simply a feeling (12). He then shows us that Cain’s way is the world’s way (13). John will stress that following the Lord’s way is how we overcome the world (4:4; 5:4), and the Lord’s way is to love one another. 

IT IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (1 John 3:14-16). It is a characteristic of the spiritually resurrected; it is how “we know that we have passed out of death into life” (14). We persist in a dead state if we do not love our brother (14). Hatred is the spiritual equivalent of murder (15; Mat. 5:21-26). At the other end of the spectrum, we know love by imitating Jesus and being willing to lay down our lives for the brothers (16). Building that kind of spiritual bond within the body of Christ matters so much to God! He wants us eliminating negative feelings, dissension, grudge-bearing, and animosity. He wants us building a spiritual bond that looks like the heart of Jesus, a heart that caused Him to go to the cross! What a challenge!

IT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FAKE AND GENUINE (1 John 3:17-18). Saying “I love you” is incredibly easy. It is three one-syllable words. But our actions so often betray our claim. Do we literally put our money where our mouth is (17)? If we see our brother in need, whether financially, emotionally, socially, or spiritually, but show callous indifference, we need to go back to verse 10 and start reading again! The simple, powerful admonition is, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (18). In the context of works, James says, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (Jas. 2:14-16). Just like faith without works, words without loving action are dead and useless! It makes our “I love you’s” false and dishonest.

IT IS KEY TO OUR CONFIDENCE (1 John 3:19-24). John says, “By this…” (19). By what? By loving in deed and in truth. By loving in deed and in truth, “we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him” (19). Look at all the conditional language in these verses. We should have confidence of our salvation if we love in deed and truth (19-21). We should have confidence that He will bless us and be with us if we keep this commandment to love one another (22-23). We should have confidence that we abide in God and He abides in us, if we keep His commandments (which includes, “love one another”)(24). John is not talking about cockiness or arrogance, but a blessed assurance that comes when we are striving to walk in the light (1:7). But, do not miss this point. Walking in the light necessitates brotherly love. You can’t have one without the other.

How should this change us? Won’t it kill grudges, feuds, avoidance, gossip, resentment, hostility, division, rivalry, suspicion, and the like? It will revolutionize the atmosphere of an entire congregation and the relationship between individual Christians in the congregation. It will draw us closer, into one another’s lives. Most of all, it causes us to imitate, please, and obey the God whose Son showed the greatest love of all (John 15:13)! 

Deuteronomy: The Second Giving Of The Law (XXXIII)

The Song Of Moses (31:30-32:52)

Neal Pollard

John sees a sign in heaven which he calls “great and marvelous,” a sign involving angels, a sea of glass mixed with fire, victorious saints standing beside that sea, “And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Rev. 15:1-2). Then, in Revelation 15:3 he quotes Deuteronomy 32:2-3. In one of our hymns, “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks,” there is a line that anticipates that as we rest in that fair and happy land, we will “sing the song of Moses and the Lamb, by and by.”

This song comes from God (cf. 31:19) and is first spoken by Moses (31:30) and then, of course, ultimately written down. It reminds us that Moses was not only familiar with Hebrew poetry, but he was the first to write it down (cf. Psa. 90). What can we learn from this inspired song, composed for Israel’s good?

It praises (1-4).  He proclaims the Lord’s name, and calls for others to ascribe greatness to Him (3). He calls God “the Rock” (cf. 15,18,30,31), indicating His steadfastness and dependability. He upholds God’s character as perfect, just, faithful, righteous, and upright (4). How many songs have followed this pattern, declaring to God in song in many different words, “How great Thou art!”?

It admonishes (5-6). Given the integrity and greatness of God, we certainly should not act corruptly, deny our heritage, and become crooked and perverse (5). Yet, this song charges, or at least warns, that such a response is never far away from us. This kicks off a big part of this song that could not have left the singers feeling warm and fuzzy. Notice the admonition: “Do you thus repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you” (6). For being a great and giving God, how could we repay Him with anything less than gratitude and obedience?

It reminds (7-14). The song is historical, looking back to an event that is still in the future for the first singers of it. The lyrics were for their descendants, to remember the giving of Canaan. This part of the song carries them through the deliverance and provision in the wilderness all the way through the conquest. It also contains a reminder of how choice and plentiful the resources are in this land. Don’t we need reminded, not only of the Lord’s substitutionary sacrifice through events like the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper? Don’t we need reminders of past blessings, especially our salvation from the wilderness of sin? As the song urges, “Roll back the curtains of memory now and then, show me where you brought me from and where I could have been; Remember, I’m human, and humans forget, so remind me, remind me dear Lord.”

It warns (15-27). The largest portion of this song is borne of divine love. It is a warning against forgetting! It foreshadows future apostasy and God’s inevitable response to it, in keeping with His perfect nature and character. The warning centers around the folly and destructiveness of idolatry, how God would respond to it with omnipotent punishment. We do not like warnings, but we benefit from them. They are deterrents from a God who supplies all our needs (cf. Phi. 4:19). 

It laments (28-33). Following this lengthy rebuke, there is the emotional response of a fallen, punished people. Note the lyrics, “Would that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would discern their future!” (29). The future defeat of apostate descendants was not the result of a God who lacked ability (31), but because they chose to plant and harvest unrighteousness (32-33). Weeping always follows wickedness, whether in this life or the next! 

It hopes (34-38). How does one respond and rebound from such a grim picture? Focus on God! The song shifts from earth to heaven. After their reaping the harvest of their unrighteousness, Israel could anticipate divine intervention: “For the Lord will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free” (36). In His deliverance, He would point out the futility of serving any rival (37-38). He points out that hope is only found in Him, and these singers would audibly say so. 

It highlights (39-43). From the hope springs the ending that connects back to the beginning. Remember the character of that praiseworthy God? He is unique (39)! He is able (39). He is eternal (40). He is just (41-42). He brings joy (43). He atones (43). What better way to end this momentous song than by pointing the worshipper to heaven? 

Following the song which followed the preceding instruction (essentially, the first 31 chapters, as we know it), Moses ends it this way: “Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess” (46-47).  The song was to touch their emotions, put their guard up, guide their descendants, bring them life, prolong their days, and fuel their mission. 

The chapter ends with God’s instructions that Moses ascend Mount Nebo, reminding him that he could not enter the Promised Land with the people because he “broke faith” with God and did not “treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel” (51). That mountain would be the place of his death after he had glimpsed that Promised Land (52). Though this is the fate of the great leader of Israel, this song is a vital part of his lasting legacy. We do well to study this song and be reminded of how God wants us to think when we worship Him in that way today. Our song service should be filled with all these elements, and our hearts should be tuned in to the God described in this powerful song! 

Proving Someone Wrong

Neal Pollard

I’m not talking about the thing too many people do on social media, where they nitpick others and put in so much effort in the “yeah, but..” game. That is ill-mannered and usually unwelcome. It usually also concerns something amounting to far smaller than a hill of beans. Instead, I refer to something God-directed and involving sin.  

A quick overview of Ephesians lays out a pretty straightforward outline. Chapters one through three lay out what a privilege it is to be a Christian. Chapters four through six speak of how privileged people behave, within the church, with the world, and their relationships, and even with the devil. The “proving wrong” section comes in the second half of the book, dealing with the world. If we isolate ourselves from the world, we cannot hope to be effective. If we allow ourselves to be influenced by the world rather than be an influence on it, we may find ourselves having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. In Ephesians 5:6-14, Paul issues a difficult challenge for us as we live before and within the world on a daily basis. How do we reprove the unfruitful works of darkness?

KNOW THE DIFFERENCE (6). Paul starts this paragraph, saying, “Let no one deceive you.” Context shows that the “these things” that drew God’s wrath involved three broad categories of behavior and three specific actions: fornication, impurity, greed, filthiness, silly talk, and coarse jesting. Paul says, in essence, “Don’t be deceived into thinking these things are OK. To promote ignorance in these areas, all we have to do is remain silent about them and never teach about them. Paul’s concern is about Christians being an influence on the culture, and that’s still the need today.  There are still a great many people in the world who think of Christians as those who avoid filthy speech and who have  objective moral standards about sexual matters. The world sees enough conformation; It needs to see transformation; That requires information! 

BE THE DIFFERENCE (8-10, 13-14). Paul is concerned about people functioning in the spiritual dark. He wants them to take the information (knowledge) he’s given them and let it show in their lives. He illustrates this lifestyle with the metaphor of light. Paul uses the word “light” five times in this one paragraph. Light has characteristics (8-9)–goodness, righteousness, and truth. Light is corrective (11-14)–it remedies problems that occur in its absence (blindness, fear, ignorance, etc.). Light makes visible what was invisible before. We live in a world in serious need of correction. The majority, walking in darkness, are on a collision course with spiritual death. We’re in a position to shine light on their path. Our schools, workplaces, communities, ball fields, and national institutions cry out from the darkness for guidance. Some of the best “reproving” (exposing) occurs when we are the Lord’s lights.

MAKE THE DIFFERENCE (7,11-12). This is the most uncomfortable part of this text. Beyond building our knowledge and setting an example, we must do something. We make a difference through abstinence (7,10), not partaking and having no fellowship with evil. Saying no when invited to participate in sin turns an uncomfortable spotlight on us. Being a “new man” (4:22) means a new behavior, which Paul describes in 4:25-32. The world feels judged when we avoid something we know is wrong. We also make a difference through admonition. Reproving (exposing) means to shine the light on something (we’re shining the Light of Christ onto it, 8). 

When doctrinal error is espoused, do we try to engage people (“in love,” 4:15) or do we just sit in silence? When moral filth is peddled and promoted, do we just go along to get along or do we stand up, stand up for Jesus? In chapter 6, Paul tells us that we’re Christian soldiers, which implies a militancy that must exist (11). Twice more, in 6:13-14, he repeats the charge to “stand firm.” Maybe we’ve witnessed people standing firm in a way that was unnecessarily offensive and unloving. That’s wrong!  But that doesn’t give us an excuse to cowardly avoid saying what needs to be said, no matter what it costs us. Nobody likes to be the bad guy, but God commands that we expose sin. 

Paul follows this instruction, saying “Therefore” (15). His words are written for a purpose. The reason for exposing darkness is that God has us here to make a difference. How we do it requires wisdom, but it is “what the will of the Lord is” (17). Let’s be effective representatives of Christ in this dark world. Let’s understand the urgency of our task and make the most of our time!

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Avoiding A Ride On An Ancient Cycle

Neal Pollard

It has been called “The Dark Ages Of The Old Testament.” During the period of the judges, there was moral, economic, social, political and religious decline. We often read that, during this time, the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

History keeps repeating itself in the book of Judges. The people do evil, God allows and oppressor to persecute them, the people turn back to God and plead for deliverance, and God raises up a deliverer to defeat the oppressor and deliver Israel. Here, we speak of the “cycle” of Judges: sin, servitude, sorrow, supplication, and salvation.

Their enemy invaders came from the East (Mesopotamia), the Southeast (Moab), the North (Canaan), the East (Midian and Ammon), and the Southwest (Philistia). It is interesting that Israel overcame Canaan in the militarily brilliant strategy orchestrated by God (Central Canaan—Josh. 7-8, Southern Canaan—Josh. 9-10, and then Northern Canaan—Josh. 11-12). As a result of Israel’s failure to utterly destroy the inhabitants of Canaan, the six oppressions came from the central, south, and north—each places where God had given them victory. What a reminder that when we don’t defeat the enemy, he will return! The enemy was sin!

Here is my summary of the book of Judges, as seen in Judges 2:16-19:

  • The rulers—“Judges”
  • The role—“Delivered”
  • The rescued—“Them” (Israel)
  • The rivals—“Those” (God’s enemies)
  • The ruination—“Plundered them” (oppression)
  • The refusal—“They did not listen to their judges”
  • The reveling—“Played the harlot after other gods”
  • The retreat—“Turned said quickly”
  • The right road—“In which their fathers had walked”
  • The role models—“Father, obeying the commands of the Lord”
  • The resolution—“They did not so”
  • The raising—“The Lord raised them up judges”
  • The relationship—“The Lord was with the judges”
  • The restoration—“Delivered them from the hand of their enemies”
  • The repentance—“The Lord was moved to pity” (KJV—“It repented the Lord because of their groanings…”)
  • The return—“When their judge died, they would turn back”
  • The retrogression—“Acted more corruptly than their fathers”
  • The resilience—“Didn’t abandon their practice or stubborn ways”

The judge was the savior of the people. Time and time again, the people put themselves in a position to need some serious rescue, and our long-suffering God was willing to soften His heart to their cries. Eventually, His patience ran out and even in this time period there were severe consequences. How often do we need the blood of Christ and the forgiveness of the Father? Often, we need forgiveness for the same sins repeatedly. We wonder how Israel could fall into the same traps, but we do well to identify and avoid them in our own times. We have the benefit of both Old and New Testament Scripture, and they would have only had the writings of Moses and Joshua when they lived. May we learn from these ancient lessons (cf. 1 Cor. 10:11) and stay off that ancient cycle.

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