1 00:00:00,300 --> 00:00:02,610 - How many times have you had a discussion 2 00:00:02,610 --> 00:00:06,020 with someone about religion about general 3 00:00:07,210 --> 00:00:11,357 or perhaps some Bible topic or a teaching from the Bible, 4 00:00:11,357 --> 00:00:14,670 and you quote a Scripture reference 5 00:00:14,670 --> 00:00:17,129 to kind of prove your point on something, 6 00:00:17,129 --> 00:00:20,700 or you quote the Bible in order to explain 7 00:00:20,700 --> 00:00:25,653 why you believe what you believe or do what you do, 8 00:00:26,750 --> 00:00:28,620 and the other person that you're talking to 9 00:00:28,620 --> 00:00:31,337 simply dismisses your argument by saying, 10 00:00:31,337 --> 00:00:35,373 "Well, that's just your interpretation. 11 00:00:38,023 --> 00:00:39,183 "That's just your interpretation. 12 00:00:40,531 --> 00:00:42,287 "You know, everybody's got an interpretation." 13 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,410 It seems that the politically correct approach 14 00:00:46,410 --> 00:00:48,830 to the Bible nowadays is that it is open 15 00:00:48,830 --> 00:00:51,230 to everyone's personal and individual 16 00:00:51,230 --> 00:00:53,753 understanding and interpretation. 17 00:00:55,740 --> 00:00:57,710 If this would be true, it would mean 18 00:00:57,710 --> 00:00:59,730 that anyone's interpretation would be 19 00:00:59,730 --> 00:01:03,010 as good as anyone else's, and every preacher 20 00:01:03,010 --> 00:01:04,820 and every church would be correct 21 00:01:04,820 --> 00:01:08,390 because there would be no objective truth, 22 00:01:08,390 --> 00:01:10,830 only each person's interpretation 23 00:01:10,830 --> 00:01:14,053 of what is correct and true biblically. 24 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,740 Well, just to set the record straight, 25 00:01:18,740 --> 00:01:21,950 we in the Churches of Christ do not hold the idea 26 00:01:21,950 --> 00:01:26,610 that the Bible is subject to personal interpretation, 27 00:01:26,610 --> 00:01:28,640 no matter how sincere or dynamic 28 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:31,443 or popular the speaker happens to be. 29 00:01:33,100 --> 00:01:35,630 On the contrary, we believe that there is a way 30 00:01:35,630 --> 00:01:40,530 to arrive at objective truth and come to the knowledge 31 00:01:40,530 --> 00:01:44,573 of exactly and precisely what the Bible teaches. 32 00:01:45,510 --> 00:01:47,580 So in my lesson this morning, I'd like to briefly 33 00:01:47,580 --> 00:01:50,126 review with you the history of how we arrived 34 00:01:50,126 --> 00:01:53,613 at this important conclusion. 35 00:01:54,597 --> 00:01:57,240 Now, I've noticed that a lot of new Christians, 36 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,823 as well as the recent generation that grew up in the church, 37 00:02:00,823 --> 00:02:03,254 are not always as knowledgeable 38 00:02:03,254 --> 00:02:05,982 about the history of the Churches of Christ 39 00:02:05,982 --> 00:02:09,321 as are the older generation. 40 00:02:09,321 --> 00:02:11,570 It's important to know our history 41 00:02:11,570 --> 00:02:16,570 because it explains why we do the things we do 42 00:02:16,675 --> 00:02:21,310 and why we do the way we do, and it also demonstrates 43 00:02:21,310 --> 00:02:22,930 the important and real differences 44 00:02:22,930 --> 00:02:25,580 between ourselves and other religious groups 45 00:02:25,580 --> 00:02:28,393 who also believe in Jesus Christ. 46 00:02:29,330 --> 00:02:32,670 Now, two men who were significant 47 00:02:32,670 --> 00:02:36,060 in shaping the thought of our brotherhood, 48 00:02:36,060 --> 00:02:40,600 Thomas and Alexander Campbell, they were father and son. 49 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:44,580 Lived during the 1700s and 1800s. 50 00:02:44,580 --> 00:02:48,130 These men reasoned that words had the power 51 00:02:48,130 --> 00:02:50,363 to convey precise meanings. 52 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:52,875 They were ministers. 53 00:02:52,875 --> 00:02:54,980 They were scholars, Bible scholars. 54 00:02:54,980 --> 00:02:58,050 They taught that words supplied the reader 55 00:02:58,050 --> 00:03:01,730 with sufficient information that enabled the reader 56 00:03:01,730 --> 00:03:05,900 to come to a logical and clear understanding. 57 00:03:05,900 --> 00:03:08,507 For example, take the sentence, 58 00:03:08,507 --> 00:03:12,930 "Mary Smith is 45 years old." 59 00:03:12,930 --> 00:03:16,520 These words, they argued, had the ability 60 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,630 to convey precise information that could clearly 61 00:03:19,630 --> 00:03:23,060 be understood by the reader of the sentence. 62 00:03:23,060 --> 00:03:25,946 These words, when you put them together and read them, 63 00:03:25,946 --> 00:03:30,030 left very little room for different interpretations. 64 00:03:30,030 --> 00:03:32,047 You couldn't read this and say, 65 00:03:32,047 --> 00:03:34,869 "Oh, Mary Smith is 39 years old," 66 00:03:34,869 --> 00:03:39,200 or, "This sentence says that Joe Smith is 45 years old." 67 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:41,160 No, no, the sentence is very clear. 68 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:45,660 Mary Smith is 45 years old. 69 00:03:45,660 --> 00:03:48,140 They further reasoned that since the Bible 70 00:03:48,140 --> 00:03:52,600 was made up specific words, with sufficient study, 71 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,761 a person could be able to clearly understand 72 00:03:55,761 --> 00:03:58,350 what the Bible actually said. 73 00:03:58,350 --> 00:04:02,238 After all, the Bible is made up of words. 74 00:04:02,238 --> 00:04:05,502 So when they studied the Bible with this understanding, 75 00:04:05,502 --> 00:04:10,490 they discerned and discovered three important things 76 00:04:10,490 --> 00:04:13,650 that the Bible said about itself, 77 00:04:13,650 --> 00:04:17,260 three things that help them or anyone else, 78 00:04:17,260 --> 00:04:22,260 for that matter, learn to interpret the Bible accurately. 79 00:04:22,370 --> 00:04:25,960 In other words, if one was guided by these ideas 80 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:28,730 in reading and interpreting the Bible, 81 00:04:28,730 --> 00:04:31,920 they would consistently arrive at the objective truth 82 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,080 contained in the Bible and available to anyone 83 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:38,460 who searched the Scriptures to know and be sure 84 00:04:38,460 --> 00:04:41,300 of God's will and God's word. 85 00:04:41,300 --> 00:04:45,600 So three things that the Bible taught about itself. 86 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,163 Number one, it taught that it was inspired. 87 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:53,947 In 2 Timothy, the passage we just read, Paul writes, 88 00:04:53,947 --> 00:04:57,107 "All Scripture is inspired by God 89 00:04:57,107 --> 00:04:59,217 "and profitable for teaching, for reproof, 90 00:04:59,217 --> 00:05:02,040 "for correction, for training in righteousness." 91 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,957 And a like Scripture in 2 Peter 1, 92 00:05:04,957 --> 00:05:08,537 "For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, 93 00:05:08,537 --> 00:05:13,537 "but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." 94 00:05:14,620 --> 00:05:16,882 And so one conclusion that can be drawn, 95 00:05:16,882 --> 00:05:19,622 if the Bible is inspired by God, 96 00:05:19,622 --> 00:05:22,060 one conclusion that can be drawn 97 00:05:22,060 --> 00:05:24,540 is that it has authority in matters 98 00:05:24,540 --> 00:05:27,370 of religion and morals, divine authority. 99 00:05:27,370 --> 00:05:30,630 After all, if the Bible is inspired by God, 100 00:05:30,630 --> 00:05:32,650 what it says comes from God. 101 00:05:32,650 --> 00:05:35,477 And who has a higher authority than God? 102 00:05:36,348 --> 00:05:38,570 And so this idea definitely guides 103 00:05:38,570 --> 00:05:41,730 our response to what the Bible teaches. 104 00:05:41,730 --> 00:05:44,756 Second major idea they discovered. 105 00:05:44,756 --> 00:05:47,820 The Bible is complete. 106 00:05:47,820 --> 00:05:50,630 2 Peter chapter one verse two and three writes, 107 00:05:50,630 --> 00:05:55,097 or Peter writes, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you 108 00:05:55,097 --> 00:05:58,107 "in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 109 00:05:58,107 --> 00:06:01,451 "seeing that his divine power has granted to us 110 00:06:01,451 --> 00:06:06,451 "everything pertaining to life and godliness." 111 00:06:06,860 --> 00:06:08,190 Who granted? 112 00:06:08,190 --> 00:06:09,380 God granted. 113 00:06:09,380 --> 00:06:11,140 God granted what? 114 00:06:11,140 --> 00:06:12,550 Everything. 115 00:06:12,550 --> 00:06:15,930 God granted everything to whom, he said? 116 00:06:15,930 --> 00:06:19,415 To us, us meaning the apostles, the church. 117 00:06:19,415 --> 00:06:20,887 Granted what? 118 00:06:20,887 --> 00:06:24,147 "Everything pertaining to life and godliness, 119 00:06:24,147 --> 00:06:26,757 "through the true knowledge of him who called us 120 00:06:26,757 --> 00:06:29,440 "by his own glory and excellence." 121 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,227 Another like Scripture, Jude 3. 122 00:06:32,227 --> 00:06:34,187 "Beloved, while I was making every effort 123 00:06:34,187 --> 00:06:36,647 "to write to you about our common salvation, 124 00:06:36,647 --> 00:06:38,209 "I felt the necessity to write to you 125 00:06:38,209 --> 00:06:42,040 "appealing that you contend earnestly," 126 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:43,484 you fight for, you fight for, 127 00:06:43,484 --> 00:06:47,280 "you contend earnestly for the faith." 128 00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:49,520 In the Bible, when it says, "the faith," 129 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:51,700 it means the body of teaching. 130 00:06:51,700 --> 00:06:54,477 When it's just "faith," well, that's belief or trust. 131 00:06:54,477 --> 00:06:55,310 "I believe. 132 00:06:55,310 --> 00:06:56,187 "I have faith in you. 133 00:06:56,187 --> 00:06:57,660 "I have faith in God." 134 00:06:57,660 --> 00:06:59,970 But when the Bible says, "the faith," 135 00:06:59,970 --> 00:07:02,970 it's referring to a body of teaching, doctrine. 136 00:07:02,970 --> 00:07:06,107 So Jude says, "I felt the necessity to write to you, 137 00:07:06,107 --> 00:07:10,089 "appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith." 138 00:07:10,089 --> 00:07:12,177 And what about the faith? 139 00:07:12,177 --> 00:07:16,920 "Which was once for all handed down to the saints." 140 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:17,984 How much faith? 141 00:07:17,984 --> 00:07:19,360 All faith. 142 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:20,490 What faith? 143 00:07:20,490 --> 00:07:22,320 The whole body of doctrine. 144 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:23,560 Given to whom? 145 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:25,350 Given to the saints. 146 00:07:25,350 --> 00:07:26,760 And when was it given? 147 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:27,930 Once for all. 148 00:07:27,930 --> 00:07:30,015 In other words, there is no more. 149 00:07:30,015 --> 00:07:32,517 And so these passages teach us 150 00:07:32,517 --> 00:07:36,490 that all of the information that God intended men to have 151 00:07:36,490 --> 00:07:40,080 regarding his life here and in the hereafter 152 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:42,160 has already been given. 153 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:44,840 The Bible says that there is no further 154 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:47,063 revelation from God to come. 155 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:49,970 We have it all. 156 00:07:49,970 --> 00:07:52,365 Now, we don't have everything that God knows, 157 00:07:52,365 --> 00:07:56,266 but we have everything that God wants us to know. 158 00:07:56,266 --> 00:07:58,871 Everything that God wants us to know 159 00:07:58,871 --> 00:08:02,770 has been given to us once and for all. 160 00:08:02,770 --> 00:08:04,668 A third important idea. 161 00:08:04,668 --> 00:08:08,680 The Bible is understandable. 162 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:10,990 The Bible was not designed to be 163 00:08:10,990 --> 00:08:14,380 a book of hidden truths or mysteries. 164 00:08:14,380 --> 00:08:16,530 Many tried to describe it in these terms, 165 00:08:16,530 --> 00:08:18,270 especially in the Middle Ages, 166 00:08:18,270 --> 00:08:20,861 where Bibles were kept away from the common man 167 00:08:20,861 --> 00:08:24,250 and meant only for priests or scholars. 168 00:08:24,250 --> 00:08:28,360 However, Paul the apostle teaches the exact opposite of this 169 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:31,990 in 2 Timothy chapter three verse 15. 170 00:08:31,990 --> 00:08:35,667 He says, "And that from childhood you have known 171 00:08:35,667 --> 00:08:38,157 "the sacred writings, which are able to give you 172 00:08:38,157 --> 00:08:40,827 "the wisdom that leads to salvation 173 00:08:40,827 --> 00:08:43,310 "through faith, which is in Christ Jesus." 174 00:08:43,310 --> 00:08:46,040 Notice here, Paul doesn't say that you have to 175 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:48,900 be educated or wise in order to 176 00:08:48,900 --> 00:08:51,120 begin to understand the Bible. 177 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:53,430 He says that you become wise, 178 00:08:53,430 --> 00:08:56,010 especially towards the things of God, 179 00:08:56,010 --> 00:08:59,863 as you study God's word, even from childhood. 180 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:04,200 So you're a child, and as you study the Scripture 181 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:08,360 as a child, you begin to gain knowledge and wisdom 182 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:10,400 that will lead you to salvation. 183 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,070 You don't have to be wise to begin studying. 184 00:09:13,070 --> 00:09:17,100 You become wise as you study the Scriptures. 185 00:09:17,100 --> 00:09:21,200 And so the rediscovery and teaching of these principles 186 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:23,790 had a profound effect on the conclusions 187 00:09:23,790 --> 00:09:26,410 they drew when studying the Scriptures 188 00:09:26,410 --> 00:09:28,530 in light of these basic principles 189 00:09:28,530 --> 00:09:31,130 concerning the Scriptures themselves. 190 00:09:31,130 --> 00:09:33,290 In other words, if the Bible was 191 00:09:33,290 --> 00:09:37,430 inspired, complete, and understandable, 192 00:09:37,430 --> 00:09:40,280 then other things were also true. 193 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:45,280 For example, there was no need for modern day prophets, 194 00:09:45,419 --> 00:09:50,170 no such thing as new revelations from God, 195 00:09:50,170 --> 00:09:51,810 and therefore these prophets 196 00:09:51,810 --> 00:09:56,520 and these new revelations were false, unnecessary. 197 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:58,433 If these principles were true, 198 00:09:58,433 --> 00:10:01,710 then all the information that I require 199 00:10:01,710 --> 00:10:04,970 for living the Christian life was contained in the Bible. 200 00:10:04,970 --> 00:10:07,470 No need for extra books or revelations 201 00:10:07,470 --> 00:10:10,860 to know God's will or Jesus's teachings. 202 00:10:10,860 --> 00:10:13,132 And if these principles were accurate, 203 00:10:13,132 --> 00:10:16,860 then everyone who had the ability to read and think 204 00:10:16,860 --> 00:10:19,790 could understand and benefit from God's word, 205 00:10:19,790 --> 00:10:22,350 not just clergymen or scholars. 206 00:10:22,350 --> 00:10:24,880 Even more importantly, each person could 207 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:27,180 understand and respond to the gospel 208 00:10:27,180 --> 00:10:30,030 based on reason and normal intelligence 209 00:10:30,030 --> 00:10:32,090 without the help or the need 210 00:10:32,090 --> 00:10:35,810 of divine intervention by the Holy Spirit. 211 00:10:35,810 --> 00:10:39,740 Yes, man was sinful and lost without Christ, 212 00:10:39,740 --> 00:10:42,650 but not so morally depraved that he could not 213 00:10:42,650 --> 00:10:45,795 understand and respond to God's offer of salvation 214 00:10:45,795 --> 00:10:48,950 through the gospel of Jesus Christ. 215 00:10:48,950 --> 00:10:51,430 So armed with these conclusions, 216 00:10:51,430 --> 00:10:55,040 that God had given all the information and revelation 217 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:57,990 that he was ever going to give in the Bible, 218 00:10:57,990 --> 00:11:02,490 and that this information could be understood by everyone, 219 00:11:02,490 --> 00:11:07,000 the Campbells and others of a like mind of that period 220 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:09,610 began an intense study of God's Word 221 00:11:09,610 --> 00:11:13,711 to find out what exactly did God want to teach them. 222 00:11:13,711 --> 00:11:17,430 Many of the things that they learned had been taught before. 223 00:11:17,430 --> 00:11:22,430 For example, they confirmed the idea of the deity of Christ. 224 00:11:22,458 --> 00:11:25,530 Their studies confirmed also 225 00:11:25,530 --> 00:11:27,950 the universal need for salvation. 226 00:11:27,950 --> 00:11:31,150 They also understood about the person 227 00:11:31,150 --> 00:11:32,490 and the holiness of God. 228 00:11:32,490 --> 00:11:35,630 These things had been well documented in the past 229 00:11:35,630 --> 00:11:39,870 and were confirmed with the studies that these men made. 230 00:11:39,870 --> 00:11:43,180 However, they also learned and taught things 231 00:11:43,180 --> 00:11:45,980 which had been lost throughout the centuries 232 00:11:45,980 --> 00:11:49,900 or had been ignored or had been taught incorrectly. 233 00:11:49,900 --> 00:11:52,010 Some major biblical concepts 234 00:11:52,010 --> 00:11:54,683 that they reintroduced were the following. 235 00:11:56,224 --> 00:11:59,320 The New Testament reveals the true pattern 236 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:02,812 for the organization and function of the church, 237 00:12:02,812 --> 00:12:06,030 2 Timothy chapter one verse 13. 238 00:12:06,030 --> 00:12:09,421 You see, until that time, it was tradition 239 00:12:09,421 --> 00:12:13,490 or it was the church leaders that determined 240 00:12:13,490 --> 00:12:15,750 how the church should be organized, 241 00:12:15,750 --> 00:12:18,120 who should lead the church. 242 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:20,280 Human beings in religious authority 243 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:24,700 had the last word in church affairs, not God's word. 244 00:12:24,700 --> 00:12:26,972 Another important concept. 245 00:12:26,972 --> 00:12:31,972 We should always justify our religious practices 246 00:12:32,410 --> 00:12:35,200 and beliefs with Scripture. 247 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:39,150 In other words, what you believe about or from God 248 00:12:39,150 --> 00:12:42,020 should be supported by the Bible. 249 00:12:42,020 --> 00:12:44,560 They taught that what you do in worship 250 00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:48,280 or church organization or spiritual practice and development 251 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:53,280 always needs a Bible basis, a Bible example, 252 00:12:53,650 --> 00:12:57,140 a command, a teaching, or a biblical logic. 253 00:12:57,140 --> 00:13:00,190 They also reemphasized the important biblical command 254 00:13:00,190 --> 00:13:01,950 that Christians should not go beyond 255 00:13:01,950 --> 00:13:04,270 what is written in the Bible. 256 00:13:04,270 --> 00:13:07,110 For example, 1 Corinthians chapter four verse 6, 257 00:13:07,110 --> 00:13:08,837 Paul writes, "Now these things, brethren, 258 00:13:08,837 --> 00:13:12,027 "I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos 259 00:13:12,027 --> 00:13:14,630 "for your sakes, so that in us you may not learn--" 260 00:13:14,630 --> 00:13:15,977 Excuse me. 261 00:13:15,977 --> 00:13:19,337 "For in us, you may learn not to exceed what is written, 262 00:13:19,337 --> 00:13:22,419 "so that no one of you will become arrogant 263 00:13:22,419 --> 00:13:24,269 "in behalf of one against the other." 264 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:28,370 This teaching gave rise to the idea 265 00:13:28,370 --> 00:13:33,340 of the silence of Scripture, which was and continues to be 266 00:13:33,340 --> 00:13:36,860 a bedrock principle among Churches of Christ to this day. 267 00:13:36,860 --> 00:13:38,970 We sometimes hear about these things, 268 00:13:38,970 --> 00:13:40,860 but we don't quite know where they come from 269 00:13:40,860 --> 00:13:42,560 and how they develop. 270 00:13:42,560 --> 00:13:46,550 And so the silence of Scripture idea teaches the following. 271 00:13:46,550 --> 00:13:51,550 If the Bible says or commands or instructs in some way, 272 00:13:51,710 --> 00:13:54,917 by an example or a logical conclusion, whatever, 273 00:13:54,917 --> 00:13:58,830 if the Bible says that we should do something, 274 00:13:58,830 --> 00:14:03,731 then we should simply do what it instructs and nothing else. 275 00:14:03,731 --> 00:14:06,610 That's the silence of Scripture. 276 00:14:06,610 --> 00:14:08,690 This is why most Churches of Christ 277 00:14:08,690 --> 00:14:12,830 do not instruments of music, for example, in public worship. 278 00:14:12,830 --> 00:14:14,240 I mention that because that's 279 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:16,327 the most oft asked question of us. 280 00:14:16,327 --> 00:14:17,987 "Why do you guys not use instruments? 281 00:14:17,987 --> 00:14:19,920 "You got something against music?" 282 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:21,908 No, we don't have anything against music. 283 00:14:21,908 --> 00:14:24,203 No, no, the principle of silence 284 00:14:24,203 --> 00:14:28,509 is what prohibits us from using music, 285 00:14:28,509 --> 00:14:31,830 instruments of music in public worship. 286 00:14:31,830 --> 00:14:34,760 You see, all the information in the New Testament 287 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:39,650 about music in public worship specifically instructs 288 00:14:39,650 --> 00:14:43,890 the church to sing without the use of instruments. 289 00:14:43,890 --> 00:14:46,818 And so the Bible tells us what to do 290 00:14:46,818 --> 00:14:50,950 when gathering publicly to worship God. 291 00:14:50,950 --> 00:14:54,630 It tells us to sing, and thus, by doing so, 292 00:14:54,630 --> 00:14:59,630 eliminates everything else: bands, parades, drama, whatever. 293 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:03,810 Now, when the Bible gives no instruction on a matter, 294 00:15:03,810 --> 00:15:05,950 then we're to use godly judgment 295 00:15:05,950 --> 00:15:08,610 and do things in a decent and orderly manner. 296 00:15:08,610 --> 00:15:09,670 How do we know that? 297 00:15:09,670 --> 00:15:12,900 Well, Paul tells us that in 1 Corinthians 14 verse 40. 298 00:15:12,900 --> 00:15:14,814 Everything is covered. 299 00:15:14,814 --> 00:15:17,434 Every situation is covered. 300 00:15:17,434 --> 00:15:22,434 We have instructions for every type of thing that we face. 301 00:15:22,990 --> 00:15:26,972 And so using this approach to Bible study 302 00:15:26,972 --> 00:15:31,170 helps us to consistently and accurate determine 303 00:15:31,170 --> 00:15:33,558 what the Bible teaches. 304 00:15:33,558 --> 00:15:36,380 Now, in trying to determine who has 305 00:15:36,380 --> 00:15:38,619 correctly interpreted the Bible, 306 00:15:38,619 --> 00:15:41,664 we need to question not the conclusions first. 307 00:15:41,664 --> 00:15:46,560 We need to question the approach that the person has used 308 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:49,870 in order to arrive at their conclusions. 309 00:15:49,870 --> 00:15:51,810 You see, the Bible itself teaches us 310 00:15:51,810 --> 00:15:54,500 what our attitude must be if we wish to 311 00:15:54,500 --> 00:15:56,800 interpret the Scriptures in such a way 312 00:15:56,800 --> 00:16:00,370 that we're saying what God says and not what we think, 313 00:16:00,370 --> 00:16:04,520 and especially not what we feel. 314 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:07,600 The worst sentence to use 315 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:10,560 in a Bible study is, "I feel that--" 316 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:12,086 Yeah, no, no. 317 00:16:12,086 --> 00:16:15,739 What you feel about the Bible doesn't count 318 00:16:15,739 --> 00:16:18,639 in interpreting what it says. 319 00:16:18,639 --> 00:16:21,580 The Bible teaches us that in order to arrive 320 00:16:21,580 --> 00:16:24,237 at correct interpretation, we must 321 00:16:24,237 --> 00:16:29,097 believe that it is God's word, in other words, inspired, 322 00:16:29,097 --> 00:16:31,650 accept that it is complete. 323 00:16:31,650 --> 00:16:33,840 There is no more information. 324 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:37,410 And it is meant to be understood for everyone, 325 00:16:37,410 --> 00:16:39,330 not just the specialists. 326 00:16:39,330 --> 00:16:42,569 And so the Campbells and others did a great service 327 00:16:42,569 --> 00:16:45,380 in that they established this criteria 328 00:16:45,380 --> 00:16:48,810 as the basis for proper study of the Bible. 329 00:16:48,810 --> 00:16:51,210 For example, if you approach Bible study 330 00:16:51,210 --> 00:16:53,050 with the idea that it's inspired 331 00:16:53,050 --> 00:16:55,010 and complete and understandable, 332 00:16:55,010 --> 00:16:58,890 you will arrive at accurate and correct conclusions 333 00:16:58,890 --> 00:17:01,030 in a consistent manner. 334 00:17:01,030 --> 00:17:06,030 Well, this movement grew quickly because people began 335 00:17:08,380 --> 00:17:10,760 to study the Bible in this way, 336 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:13,650 and they discovered correct biblical conclusions 337 00:17:13,650 --> 00:17:16,770 about all kinds of things, salvation for example, 338 00:17:16,770 --> 00:17:18,388 and especially the role of baptism 339 00:17:18,388 --> 00:17:21,870 in the process of salvation, who to be baptized. 340 00:17:21,870 --> 00:17:23,340 How should we be baptized? 341 00:17:23,340 --> 00:17:24,840 Why should we be baptized? 342 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:26,490 When should we be baptized? 343 00:17:26,490 --> 00:17:28,410 What happens when we're baptized? 344 00:17:28,410 --> 00:17:31,890 All of these ideas were rediscovered. 345 00:17:31,890 --> 00:17:35,837 The church and how it should be organized. 346 00:17:35,837 --> 00:17:40,633 It helped people eliminate organizing the church 347 00:17:42,300 --> 00:17:44,390 simply based on tradition. 348 00:17:44,390 --> 00:17:47,170 And we learned much more about the Holy Spirit 349 00:17:47,170 --> 00:17:49,510 and his influence, what the Holy Spirit 350 00:17:49,510 --> 00:17:52,500 actually did and didn't do. 351 00:17:52,500 --> 00:17:54,170 They didn't try to reform-- 352 00:17:54,170 --> 00:17:56,000 These men didn't try to reform 353 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:58,070 the churches that they were in. 354 00:17:58,070 --> 00:18:00,090 That had been tried and failed. 355 00:18:00,090 --> 00:18:05,010 They tried to restore biblical teaching and practice. 356 00:18:05,010 --> 00:18:09,160 You see, the process of restoration 357 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:12,800 doesn't try to fix what is broken or even in error. 358 00:18:12,800 --> 00:18:16,925 Restoration attempts to bring back or to reestablish 359 00:18:16,925 --> 00:18:19,930 what was originally in place. 360 00:18:19,930 --> 00:18:24,093 Now, from this original work of Campbell and others 361 00:18:24,093 --> 00:18:26,856 and likeminded preachers and teachers 362 00:18:26,856 --> 00:18:30,790 came the Churches of Christ, originally referred to 363 00:18:30,790 --> 00:18:33,270 as the Restoration Movement. 364 00:18:33,270 --> 00:18:36,140 The idea was an attempt to restore 365 00:18:36,140 --> 00:18:38,396 biblical or New Testament Christianity 366 00:18:38,396 --> 00:18:41,540 in the place of denominational Christianity 367 00:18:41,540 --> 00:18:43,864 that was born out of the Reformation movement 368 00:18:43,864 --> 00:18:48,270 brought about by Martin Luther and John Calvin and others. 369 00:18:48,270 --> 00:18:50,540 Now, the first members of the Churches of Christ 370 00:18:50,540 --> 00:18:51,800 did not become members 371 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:54,640 because they wanted to join a new church. 372 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:58,010 No, they became members as they discovered 373 00:18:58,010 --> 00:19:00,670 how to become simple Christians 374 00:19:00,670 --> 00:19:03,720 according to God's word and not according 375 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:07,410 to manmade teachings or religious traditions. 376 00:19:07,410 --> 00:19:09,412 For example, if you were baptized 377 00:19:09,412 --> 00:19:12,290 after reading this passage, let's say-- 378 00:19:12,290 --> 00:19:15,000 And I picked this because this is why I was baptized. 379 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:18,037 This is the passage that brought me to the water. 380 00:19:18,037 --> 00:19:21,794 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved, 381 00:19:21,794 --> 00:19:26,350 "but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned." 382 00:19:26,350 --> 00:19:28,820 I want to tell you, if you were baptized 383 00:19:28,820 --> 00:19:32,908 on this passage here, you were pretty solid. 384 00:19:32,908 --> 00:19:34,478 You were pretty solid. 385 00:19:34,478 --> 00:19:37,989 You were truly saved based on what Jesus himself 386 00:19:37,989 --> 00:19:41,854 actually said in the Bible, not what some theologian said 387 00:19:41,854 --> 00:19:45,020 or your catechism said or your prayer book said 388 00:19:45,020 --> 00:19:46,850 or your minister taught, no. 389 00:19:46,850 --> 00:19:49,120 You were saved according to what Jesus 390 00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:53,100 specifically said in the Bible. 391 00:19:53,100 --> 00:19:54,490 This gave you confidence. 392 00:19:54,490 --> 00:19:55,757 Somebody said, "Are you sure you're saved? 393 00:19:55,757 --> 00:19:56,767 "How do you know you're saved?" 394 00:19:56,767 --> 00:19:57,990 "Well, Mark 16." 395 00:19:57,990 --> 00:19:59,190 And I remember at the beginning, 396 00:19:59,190 --> 00:20:01,820 the only passage of Scripture I knew by heart was this one. 397 00:20:01,820 --> 00:20:03,587 "You sure you're saved?" 398 00:20:03,587 --> 00:20:04,420 "Oh, yeah." 399 00:20:04,420 --> 00:20:05,675 "How do you know?" 400 00:20:05,675 --> 00:20:06,967 "Mark 16 says if you believe Jesus 401 00:20:06,967 --> 00:20:09,127 "and are baptized, you'll be saved. 402 00:20:09,127 --> 00:20:10,097 "I have believed. 403 00:20:10,097 --> 00:20:11,217 "I have been baptized. 404 00:20:11,217 --> 00:20:13,451 "Therefore, I am saved." 405 00:20:13,451 --> 00:20:15,780 This built your faith. 406 00:20:15,780 --> 00:20:18,750 This was a source of joy and peace and comfort 407 00:20:18,750 --> 00:20:21,531 that no one could take away from you. 408 00:20:21,531 --> 00:20:24,140 It was true on the day you believed it. 409 00:20:24,140 --> 00:20:26,300 It was true on the day you obeyed it. 410 00:20:26,300 --> 00:20:29,400 It was true on a good or on a bad day, 411 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:32,050 and it remained true on the final day of your life 412 00:20:32,050 --> 00:20:33,990 when staring death in the face. 413 00:20:33,990 --> 00:20:37,120 Such was the power of truth personally discovered 414 00:20:37,120 --> 00:20:40,863 and believed from God's Word. 415 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:47,400 These spiritual pioneers used this newfound approach 416 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:50,751 along with the knowledge and faith that it produced 417 00:20:50,751 --> 00:20:54,490 to establish churches strictly based 418 00:20:54,490 --> 00:20:56,730 on the teachings of the New Testament, 419 00:20:56,730 --> 00:20:58,450 and by the 1950s-- 420 00:20:58,450 --> 00:21:02,190 Fast forward from the 17, 1800s to the 1950s. 421 00:21:02,190 --> 00:21:04,400 These New Testament churches became 422 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:07,430 the fastest growing religious movement in America 423 00:21:07,430 --> 00:21:12,430 with thousands of congregations located all across the USA. 424 00:21:13,110 --> 00:21:18,110 Today you and I, we are the inheritors of this movement. 425 00:21:19,260 --> 00:21:22,570 As the New Testament churches of the past, 426 00:21:22,570 --> 00:21:27,510 we also believe that the Bible is inspired by God 427 00:21:27,510 --> 00:21:31,800 and thus the final authority in spiritual and moral matters. 428 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:36,120 This explains our effort at knowing it and obeying it. 429 00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:38,590 We also believe it is complete 430 00:21:38,590 --> 00:21:42,010 and therefore our only inspired guide. 431 00:21:42,010 --> 00:21:44,090 This is why aside from the elders 432 00:21:44,090 --> 00:21:45,961 who oversee each local church, 433 00:21:45,961 --> 00:21:49,390 the only leader and head of the universal church 434 00:21:49,390 --> 00:21:52,720 is Jesus Christ, who exercises his leadership 435 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:55,690 through the Holy Spirit and his word. 436 00:21:55,690 --> 00:21:58,580 And we also believe, because we believe 437 00:21:58,580 --> 00:22:00,231 that the Bible is God's Word, 438 00:22:00,231 --> 00:22:03,748 we focus most of our religious energy as a church 439 00:22:03,748 --> 00:22:05,830 into the study and the practice 440 00:22:05,830 --> 00:22:08,350 of God's word, which is the Bible. 441 00:22:08,350 --> 00:22:12,350 And this explains why we set aside three periods a week, 442 00:22:12,350 --> 00:22:14,790 Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night, 443 00:22:14,790 --> 00:22:17,057 for study and worship and fellowship. 444 00:22:17,057 --> 00:22:18,607 "Why do you guys meet so often?" 445 00:22:18,607 --> 00:22:20,957 "Because we want to study the Bible." 446 00:22:22,130 --> 00:22:23,430 Why is that important? 447 00:22:23,430 --> 00:22:25,310 Because it's God's word. 448 00:22:25,310 --> 00:22:27,760 Because it teaches us how to be godly people. 449 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:29,880 Because it's the word that will bring us to heaven. 450 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:30,907 That's why. 451 00:22:30,907 --> 00:22:32,512 Wouldn't that be something worthy of studying, 452 00:22:32,512 --> 00:22:36,140 worthy of making time for? 453 00:22:36,140 --> 00:22:40,093 You know, I believe that most of the denominational world 454 00:22:40,093 --> 00:22:44,160 falls into error concerning their interpretation today 455 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:49,160 because they deny one or all three of these principles here. 456 00:22:50,940 --> 00:22:53,320 Roman Catholicism, they believe that the Bible 457 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:57,502 is inspired, but they don't believe that it's complete. 458 00:22:57,502 --> 00:22:59,450 And it's not possible to understand 459 00:22:59,450 --> 00:23:01,911 without the help of the Catholic Church. 460 00:23:01,911 --> 00:23:04,720 So they have added human traditions, 461 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:08,369 all kinds of doctrines actually forbidden by the Bible, 462 00:23:08,369 --> 00:23:10,760 the worship of Mary, for example. 463 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:13,250 I mean, the doctrine of the infallibility of the pope. 464 00:23:13,250 --> 00:23:16,470 The pope is infallible when speaking, 465 00:23:16,470 --> 00:23:20,070 as they say, ex cathedra, from the chair of Peter. 466 00:23:20,070 --> 00:23:22,490 Some people say, "Yeah, so that's a doctrine from God." 467 00:23:22,490 --> 00:23:26,373 Really? Why was it only introduced in 1870? 468 00:23:32,270 --> 00:23:37,163 Against the wishes of the college of the cardinals, 469 00:23:38,010 --> 00:23:39,810 and yet it passed somehow 470 00:23:41,103 --> 00:23:44,423 without a shred of biblical support. 471 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:49,660 Protestant denominations, they believe 472 00:23:49,660 --> 00:23:52,600 that the Bible is complete and understandable, 473 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:54,803 but not fully inspired. 474 00:23:55,900 --> 00:23:57,980 This has given rise to trends 475 00:23:57,980 --> 00:24:02,250 for them doing all kinds of things that are unbiblical. 476 00:24:02,250 --> 00:24:03,840 Some people wonder, how is it 477 00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:06,260 that a certain Protestant church 478 00:24:06,260 --> 00:24:08,074 will have a practicing homosexual 479 00:24:08,074 --> 00:24:12,627 as an elder or as a pastor of that church? 480 00:24:12,627 --> 00:24:13,500 How does that happen? 481 00:24:13,500 --> 00:24:15,010 Well, the only way that happens 482 00:24:15,010 --> 00:24:17,440 is by denying the writings of Paul 483 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:21,233 concerning homosexuality are inspired. 484 00:24:22,070 --> 00:24:25,970 If you can throw out parts of the Bible as you wish, 485 00:24:25,970 --> 00:24:27,511 you can introduce all kinds of stuff 486 00:24:27,511 --> 00:24:31,250 to your practice of Christianity. 487 00:24:31,250 --> 00:24:34,760 And modern sects, they believe the Bible 488 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:36,560 is inspired and understandable, 489 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:38,430 but they don't believe it's complete. 490 00:24:38,430 --> 00:24:40,860 And so every group has its prophet or founder, 491 00:24:40,860 --> 00:24:43,140 and many charismatics rely 492 00:24:43,140 --> 00:24:45,780 on the revelation and visions of their members 493 00:24:45,780 --> 00:24:48,840 to continue and clarify their teachings. 494 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,720 Every time you compromise one of these three principles, 495 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:56,250 you go off the track with your conclusion. 496 00:24:56,250 --> 00:24:57,353 This is my point. 497 00:24:58,620 --> 00:25:00,920 So Churches of Christ came into being 498 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:03,840 defending the principle that to correctly 499 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,580 interpret Scripture, you must approach it 500 00:25:06,580 --> 00:25:11,230 as, A, inspired, B, complete, and completely understandable, 501 00:25:11,230 --> 00:25:14,630 not one or two of these, all three of these. 502 00:25:14,630 --> 00:25:16,430 This is what I believe and teach 503 00:25:16,430 --> 00:25:20,030 and what Churches of Christ all over the world teach today. 504 00:25:20,030 --> 00:25:22,240 And why do we do so? 505 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:23,607 Well, the Bible itself tells us, 506 00:25:23,607 --> 00:25:25,467 "The things which you have heard from me 507 00:25:25,467 --> 00:25:27,327 "in the presence of many witnesses, 508 00:25:27,327 --> 00:25:29,757 "entrust these to faithful men who will 509 00:25:29,757 --> 00:25:31,580 "be able to teach others also." 510 00:25:31,580 --> 00:25:33,350 Now, those are the marching orders 511 00:25:34,996 --> 00:25:36,110 for teachers in the church 512 00:25:36,110 --> 00:25:38,100 from the very beginning, were to take 513 00:25:38,100 --> 00:25:40,010 what they were taught, that body of faith, 514 00:25:40,010 --> 00:25:42,500 that body of doctrine, and pass it along 515 00:25:42,500 --> 00:25:45,610 without compromising its integrity 516 00:25:45,610 --> 00:25:48,500 from one generation to the other. 517 00:25:48,500 --> 00:25:50,720 And our task today is the same thing. 518 00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:52,960 We have to take the body of teaching 519 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:57,010 and pass it on to the next generation intact. 520 00:25:57,010 --> 00:25:59,467 So next time somebody says, "Well, it depends 521 00:25:59,467 --> 00:26:02,887 "on your interpretation," your answer should be, 522 00:26:02,887 --> 00:26:06,167 "No, it depends on God's interpretation, 523 00:26:06,167 --> 00:26:07,927 "and you can only find that out 524 00:26:07,927 --> 00:26:09,297 "if you believe that the Bible 525 00:26:09,297 --> 00:26:13,240 "is inspired, complete, and understandable." 526 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:15,129 Well, one thing that the Bible makes very clear 527 00:26:15,129 --> 00:26:17,812 is how a person can be saved. 528 00:26:17,812 --> 00:26:20,090 When you read the entire New Testament, 529 00:26:20,090 --> 00:26:22,403 you find out several things about salvation. 530 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:27,147 First of all, you find out that everyone is lost. 531 00:26:27,147 --> 00:26:30,110 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," 532 00:26:30,110 --> 00:26:31,477 and, "The wages of sin is death, 533 00:26:31,477 --> 00:26:35,280 "but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ." 534 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:37,636 How can we misinterpret that? 535 00:26:37,636 --> 00:26:40,950 "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." 536 00:26:40,950 --> 00:26:43,010 How can we interpret that as meaning 537 00:26:43,010 --> 00:26:46,260 some have sinned or just a few have sinned 538 00:26:46,260 --> 00:26:48,010 or almost everybody has sinned? 539 00:26:48,010 --> 00:26:50,200 No, no, it says, "All have sinned," 540 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:52,690 so everyone is lost and needs to be saved. 541 00:26:52,690 --> 00:26:54,470 Another thing we discover. 542 00:26:54,470 --> 00:26:56,997 No one can save themselves. 543 00:26:56,997 --> 00:27:00,108 "For while we were still helpless." 544 00:27:00,108 --> 00:27:02,332 What is it we don't understand about the word "helpless"? 545 00:27:02,332 --> 00:27:04,480 Paul is saying, "Helpless." 546 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:05,987 We can't do anything. 547 00:27:05,987 --> 00:27:08,933 "At the right time, Christ died for the ungodly." 548 00:27:08,933 --> 00:27:11,240 Another thing we learn. 549 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,350 Salvation is through Christ and Christ alone. 550 00:27:14,350 --> 00:27:17,270 The only way to be saved is through Jesus Christ. 551 00:27:17,270 --> 00:27:20,911 Acts 4:12, "And there is salvation in no one else." 552 00:27:20,911 --> 00:27:24,660 Again, how do you misinterpret "no one else"? 553 00:27:24,660 --> 00:27:28,130 Can that mean something else than no one else? 554 00:27:28,130 --> 00:27:30,510 And what does he say afterwards? 555 00:27:30,510 --> 00:27:33,877 He says, "For there is no other name under heaven 556 00:27:33,877 --> 00:27:37,890 "that has been given among men by which we must be saved." 557 00:27:37,890 --> 00:27:41,260 There is no other name that you can name, 558 00:27:41,260 --> 00:27:43,650 no religious leader, no philosophical leader, 559 00:27:43,650 --> 00:27:48,650 no religious guru, no supposed god, no force, nothing. 560 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:54,028 There's nothing under heaven by which 561 00:27:54,028 --> 00:27:57,650 we can be saved other than Jesus Christ. 562 00:27:57,650 --> 00:28:00,500 Christianity is an exclusive religion. 563 00:28:00,500 --> 00:28:01,550 People don't like that. 564 00:28:01,550 --> 00:28:05,540 That's not politically correct in this day and age, 565 00:28:05,540 --> 00:28:07,070 but what does the Bible teach? 566 00:28:07,070 --> 00:28:09,030 Well, the Bible teaches that Christianity 567 00:28:09,030 --> 00:28:10,510 is an exclusive religion. 568 00:28:10,510 --> 00:28:12,150 There's only one person by which 569 00:28:12,150 --> 00:28:14,450 we can be saved, and it's Jesus. 570 00:28:14,450 --> 00:28:19,017 Another thing we learn, that Jesus's cross is what saves us. 571 00:28:19,017 --> 00:28:22,177 "And he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, 572 00:28:22,177 --> 00:28:25,085 "so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, 573 00:28:25,085 --> 00:28:27,800 "for by his wounds you were healed." 574 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:30,961 In other words, the method of salvation 575 00:28:30,961 --> 00:28:35,150 is a thing called vicarious atonement, vicarious atonement. 576 00:28:35,150 --> 00:28:38,778 God's justice demands payment for sin. 577 00:28:38,778 --> 00:28:43,778 Jesus pays our debt for sin with his death on the cross. 578 00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:46,450 Vicarious atonement. 579 00:28:46,450 --> 00:28:48,643 Peter says it in a more poetic way. 580 00:28:48,643 --> 00:28:52,247 "He bore our sins in his body on the cross, 581 00:28:52,247 --> 00:28:54,950 "so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness." 582 00:28:54,950 --> 00:28:57,017 He says it again in a different way. 583 00:28:57,017 --> 00:29:01,170 "For by his wounds you were healed." 584 00:29:01,170 --> 00:29:02,820 Vicarious atonement. 585 00:29:02,820 --> 00:29:04,890 And then finally, not the last thing, 586 00:29:04,890 --> 00:29:06,690 but the last thing I'll mention. 587 00:29:06,690 --> 00:29:10,950 Faith is expressed in repentance and baptism. 588 00:29:10,950 --> 00:29:13,867 Mark 16 that I just read. 589 00:29:13,867 --> 00:29:16,667 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved, 590 00:29:16,667 --> 00:29:19,420 "but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned." 591 00:29:19,420 --> 00:29:23,310 Why will the person who disbelieves be condemned? 592 00:29:23,310 --> 00:29:26,313 Because he disbelieves, not because he wasn't baptized. 593 00:29:26,313 --> 00:29:29,180 He's condemned because he doesn't believe, 594 00:29:29,180 --> 00:29:30,040 and if he doesn't believe, 595 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:32,500 you can be sure he won't be baptized. 596 00:29:32,500 --> 00:29:34,467 And then in Acts 2:38, Peter says, 597 00:29:34,467 --> 00:29:36,337 "Repent. Each of you be baptized 598 00:29:36,337 --> 00:29:38,537 "in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness 599 00:29:38,537 --> 00:29:40,767 "of your sins, and you will receive 600 00:29:40,767 --> 00:29:42,330 "the gift of the Holy Spirit." 601 00:29:42,330 --> 00:29:45,140 What happens when you repent and are baptized? 602 00:29:45,140 --> 00:29:47,583 You receive, A, forgiveness, 603 00:29:47,583 --> 00:29:51,387 and B, the gift of the Holy Spirit. 604 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:54,440 And so faith-- 605 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:55,273 Excuse me. 606 00:29:55,273 --> 00:29:57,300 Salvation comes through faith. 607 00:29:57,300 --> 00:29:59,420 And how do we express our faith? 608 00:29:59,420 --> 00:30:01,840 We express it through repentance. 609 00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:04,220 Do we express our faith by coming forward? 610 00:30:04,220 --> 00:30:05,330 No. 611 00:30:05,330 --> 00:30:07,770 Do we express our faith by raising our hand? 612 00:30:07,770 --> 00:30:08,650 No. 613 00:30:08,650 --> 00:30:10,847 Do we express our faith by saying the words, 614 00:30:10,847 --> 00:30:13,380 "I accept Jesus as my personal Savior"? 615 00:30:13,380 --> 00:30:14,213 Is that how we do it? 616 00:30:14,213 --> 00:30:15,692 No. 617 00:30:15,692 --> 00:30:17,942 Do we express our faith by mentally thinking, 618 00:30:19,237 --> 00:30:20,780 "Jesus, come into my heart"? 619 00:30:20,780 --> 00:30:21,613 No. 620 00:30:21,613 --> 00:30:22,978 What does the Bible say? 621 00:30:22,978 --> 00:30:25,930 Never mind what you think. 622 00:30:25,930 --> 00:30:27,080 What does the Bible say? 623 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:29,850 How do you express the faith in a biblical way? 624 00:30:29,850 --> 00:30:31,468 Well, you repent of your sins, 625 00:30:31,468 --> 00:30:34,190 and you're immersed in the water in the name of Jesus. 626 00:30:34,190 --> 00:30:38,123 That's how you express your faith according to the Bible. 627 00:30:39,598 --> 00:30:43,050 What God says about salvation is clear, 628 00:30:43,050 --> 00:30:46,210 and it is understandable. 629 00:30:46,210 --> 00:30:49,010 If you're not saved in this way, then you're not saved 630 00:30:49,010 --> 00:30:51,950 in the way that the inspired word of God teaches 631 00:30:51,950 --> 00:30:54,463 that a person should be saved. 632 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:57,959 That's a hard truth. 633 00:30:57,959 --> 00:31:01,276 Never mind what your grandmother said. 634 00:31:01,276 --> 00:31:06,063 Never mind what or how your uncle taught. 635 00:31:07,076 --> 00:31:09,964 Never mind what your great-great-grandmother-- 636 00:31:09,964 --> 00:31:14,290 what she did concerning salvation. 637 00:31:14,290 --> 00:31:18,730 God will judge everyone in a just and righteous manner. 638 00:31:18,730 --> 00:31:22,000 I say this, I take the right to say this to you 639 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:24,313 because my dad died when I was 15. 640 00:31:25,421 --> 00:31:28,270 I never even had a chance to share the gospel with him, 641 00:31:28,270 --> 00:31:30,930 but I am assured that God will judge him righteously. 642 00:31:30,930 --> 00:31:34,007 Whatever God judges him, I will say, 643 00:31:34,007 --> 00:31:36,047 "Amen, that is the right judgment." 644 00:31:37,495 --> 00:31:39,950 I will not question God's judgment 645 00:31:39,950 --> 00:31:42,563 on my mom or dad or anything else. 646 00:31:43,753 --> 00:31:47,853 The Lord knows what they knew. 647 00:31:47,853 --> 00:31:50,510 They Lord knows what they obeyed. 648 00:31:50,510 --> 00:31:52,860 We, on the other hand, have the opportunity 649 00:31:52,860 --> 00:31:55,210 to restore the teaching of the New Testament 650 00:31:55,210 --> 00:31:57,500 and stop the tide of error on this 651 00:31:57,500 --> 00:32:00,320 and other important biblical matters. 652 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:02,400 We'll be judged on the things we know 653 00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:05,010 and have been taught today in our generation, 654 00:32:05,010 --> 00:32:07,980 so let's obey and walk in the measure of light 655 00:32:07,980 --> 00:32:12,300 that we've been given in our understanding of God's word. 656 00:32:12,300 --> 00:32:15,560 To ignore this would not honor 657 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:17,820 or help those who came before us, 658 00:32:17,820 --> 00:32:20,300 and I'm sure that if they were here today, 659 00:32:20,300 --> 00:32:24,170 they would encourage us to obey God's truth. 660 00:32:24,170 --> 00:32:27,400 And so I encourage you to accept the idea 661 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:30,009 that God's word is understandable and clear, 662 00:32:30,009 --> 00:32:32,860 especially when it comes to salvation. 663 00:32:32,860 --> 00:32:36,240 Why would God make salvation like a mysterious thing 664 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:39,110 that's too hard for anyone to understand? 665 00:32:39,110 --> 00:32:41,759 He's made it very clear, very open. 666 00:32:41,759 --> 00:32:44,277 (laughs) People say, "Why do you people 667 00:32:44,277 --> 00:32:45,587 "in the Churches of Christ-- 668 00:32:45,587 --> 00:32:47,007 "You're all about baptism. 669 00:32:47,007 --> 00:32:50,153 "Why do you concentrate so much about baptism?" 670 00:32:50,153 --> 00:32:53,290 Could it be because the Holy Spirit mentions it 671 00:32:53,290 --> 00:32:55,963 at least 10 times in the book of Acts alone? 672 00:32:57,928 --> 00:33:00,043 Would that be a reason maybe? 673 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:05,049 That of the dozens of times baptism is mentioned 674 00:33:05,049 --> 00:33:07,730 in the New Testament, it's always mentioned 675 00:33:07,730 --> 00:33:10,600 in connection with a person's salvation? 676 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:13,573 Could that be a reason why we sort of focus on this? 677 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:19,873 While others are focusing on when Jesus is going to return, 678 00:33:21,053 --> 00:33:24,090 and what's the meaning of the Russians 679 00:33:24,090 --> 00:33:26,030 getting new rockets or something, 680 00:33:26,030 --> 00:33:29,220 and trying to figure out the religious context of that, 681 00:33:29,220 --> 00:33:31,603 while others are trying to figure that out, 682 00:33:33,180 --> 00:33:34,753 we're trying to tell people, 683 00:33:34,753 --> 00:33:38,900 "Repent and be baptized and save your souls." 684 00:33:38,900 --> 00:33:41,037 That's a much surer message (laughs). 685 00:33:42,075 --> 00:33:44,283 That's a much surer message 686 00:33:44,283 --> 00:33:49,283 that will produce a much greater harvest of souls. 687 00:33:49,460 --> 00:33:52,822 And so if you need to respond to the invitation to be saved, 688 00:33:52,822 --> 00:33:56,985 if you need help to study the Bible more accurately, 689 00:33:56,985 --> 00:33:59,230 many people here ready to study with you. 690 00:33:59,230 --> 00:34:01,390 Whatever you may need this morning 691 00:34:01,390 --> 00:34:04,530 in answering the invitation call, 692 00:34:04,530 --> 00:34:05,960 Bob's going to lead us in a song. 693 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:07,810 Let's stand and sing that. 694 00:34:07,810 --> 00:34:09,310 Please respond if you need to.