Learning And Being: The Salt Of Your Family & The Earth

Train up a child in the way

he should go, and when

he is old he will not

depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

And because you are sons,

God has sent forth the Spirit

of His son into your hearts,

crying out,

“Abba, Father!”

Ephesians 4:6

            This day above all other days I am reminded of the truth of this wonderful proverb: God has blessed the rearing that I received from my mother, and my father. This song: “There’s A Bible On The Table,” and the verse that states that dad after dinner read to the family the Bible, is exactly what I needed even though I did what I should not have done and sinned. It was that Sunday, (Don’t remember the month), pastor Dean Hudson was preaching and at the end of the service gave an altar call. That was the day that my parents who lived as Christians and taught their children what it means to be a Christian gave way to the faith God implanted into me and I as one of His sons, now believed: The Spirit crying out, “Abba, Father!” Mom died twelve years ago with the family all around her bed, and I and my Sister Susan standing at her head, even singing some of mom’s favorite hymns. Sad, of course, yet, a joy to know that my mom and later at the age of 92 my dad, both have now gone home to be with God, and were one of His sons and daughters. It is us; parents, who hare called to live and teach Christianity to our children and even when they go astray believe that God has put His spirit into them and there will come a day when they will return to God. The day is coming when they will no longer by absent and eternity will by ours with them and all of God’s children, no more death, pain, and sorrow. Joy fills my soul and heart as I think upon this fact: God will bless your and mine, effort to live our faith and to teach our children about Jesus Christ. It is not soccer, or dancing, or any sport, or anything placed above that which we as Christians called to do: teach ourselves, and our children about the Lord Jesus Christ. If there is time for other things: then do it, but do it by living the faith God has given: be the witness you are called to be and left here on earth until you either go to God in death, or be called with Jesus on the Last Day. It is never too late! Start now!

            Paul speaking to the Romans, none Jews, and to those Jews who by means of the dispersion lived in Rome said: “Ιδε” and imperative and middle word that means Behold, or look, and interjection calling to their attention: “Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and mike your boast in God and know His will, and approved the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, and instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law” (Romans 2:17–20). A major problem with the Jews and many Christians today is that of legalism. Not the keeping of the Ten Commandments, that is not negotiable; it is that there is much addition to the law and by keeping those additions to the law you boast. Look! I do this, or that, or speak in tongues, or attend meetings, shouting, dancing, and acting slain, etc., and of course the minor law of things, minor inasmuch as they are done without solemnity, that are important such as communion, when, where, how, who, can partake, and have all forms of instruction by means of such legalism that your are so confident that you are a guide to the blind. Are you? Do you study, read the early Church fathers, and others even though you don’t, or have not counsel to read, those who may oppose your suppositions? Do you inspect what you expect? Or is it just a form: “μόρφωσις” an appearance, a semblance, of knowledge of God, or do you and have your truly worked out the Scriptures so that you fully are not just making some scheme according to your presuppositions, or doctrines that you have accepted, blindly if not inspected.

            Listen to Paul: “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? for ‘the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,’ as it is written” (Romans 2:21–24; cf. Isaiah 52:5; Ezekiel 36:22). Is it as the old adage goes; “Don’t do as I do, do as I say;” apply to you?

            This is our yoke, it may seem heavy but it is not heavy for we have the Holy Spirit to aid us in our search for the truth, and for our daily living as a witness, and ambassador for Jesus Christ. Maybe you did not have parents that taught you the Bible, don’t fret; you have the Bible, and good teachers of the truth from God’s word and not from their own opinions, and for those who have had good Bible teaching parents and have wandered from the truth, return, NOW!

            Let me end this blog this way: PRAISE GOD! For my parents!

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

            And whose hope is the LORD,

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

            Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not fear when the heat comes; But its

            Leaf will be green, and will not be

Anxious in the year of drought.

                                    Jeremiah 17:7–8

You are the salt of the earth

Richard L. Crumb

Judging By The Law Of God: Are We To Judge?

For there is no partiality with God.

for as many as have sinned without law,

and as many as have sinned in the law

will be judged by the law (for not the hearers

of the law are just in the sight of God,

but the doers of the law will be justified;

for when Gentiles, who do not have the law,

by nature do the things in the law, these, although

not having the law, are a law to themselves,

who show the work of the law written in their

hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,

and between themselves their thoughts

arousing or else excusing them) in the day

when God will judge the secrets of men

by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Romans 2:12–16

            So often is there a cry that we are not to judge people. This cry has no foundation in Scripture or in any common sense. Two things need understood when it comes to judging a person. First, we cannot know who are and who are not converted Christians, and as to their salvation which is a free–gift of grace by God. That alone is for God prerogative and not ours. Secondly, we judge a person as to their lives, their actions and this accordance with the law for it is God’s law that is our guide in this matter: “But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things” (Romans 2:2). Yes, it is God who has the final judgment. We who are to fight against all unrighteousness must use this same foundation by God revealed in Scripture. We, as Christians, do not sit apathetically, and by doing so give tacit approval of such unrighteousness, no, we are to clear out from the congregation those who are willfully, and unchangeably, sinning. God is not partial and He will judge both the Jew and the Gentile by His law. Man is made in the image of God and this has a meaning that we have the ability, a moral law within us, and can choose to do what is right even if we do not have the law. Do we do this perfectly? No! But it is done as can be seen in such documents as Hammurabi's Code of Laws, list of 282 laws governing almost every part of life to ensure that society would be protected from such evils as are presently found in our present day culture. Whether one has the Ten Commandments given to the Jews or not does not matter for we know what is right and good towards one another and not to do so is to blaspheme God who gave to man His law, both written and in our hearts. Every nation has laws against murder, stealing, false accusation; history tells us that even incest governed by such as Hammurabi's Code of Laws, #157. If any one be guilty of incest with his mother after his father, both shall be burned. Prostitution, fornication, all covered by this ancient law and many others: Hammurabi's Code of Laws, #130. If a man violate the wife (betrothed or child-wife) of another man, who has never known a man, and still lives in her father's house, and sleep with her and be surprised, this man shall be put to death, but the wife is blameless. Paul in this letter to the Romans, inspired by the Holy Spirit to be written and codified into our Bibles for us does not give that which has always been condemned, by God, and by men, and yet we so willfully ignore that God will not be mocked by our refusal to obey His law. We cry out: “There is a war against Christians!” It is true that there is, but we so often bring condemnation upon ourselves because we say: “Do as I say, and not as I do!” We allow sin to reside in our congregations, and that by our own disposition towards sin, and a false idea that we are not to judge such unrighteousness as though by lowing our standards somehow we will aid others to rise to the standard we preach and not do. These pagans show the law of God even though they may ascribe such law to other gods, and we who have the law as revealed by God in His revealed word to us, seem to militate against the law making excuses for why the law is not our guide in all things of life. For instance: I just had a conversation about keeping the Sabbath as required by the Ten Commandments and yet there was an outcry against making this law to be active in today’s world. Is not our culture different from that of Moses day, therefore, we must not keep the law, we can work, do anything we desire to do. Of course, it is better if we go to Church first. Although many are dressed like some beach bum: (although this would not happen in our work where we have to meet with owners, or in sales, etc.). So often we do not set aside time to keep the day holy. There are those who believe to be holy due to their fact they are “Christian,” and yes, by God you are holy, except in this life our holiness is shown to the world that we live by the law for we are taught the law, in our Churches, and Bible studies, in our own reading of the Bible. Our dispositions are our secrete things and God will judge us by the Gospel. Are you, and me, disposed towards God? Are we willing to believe that God will bless us and care for us when we do the things that He has commanded? Are you living for the “now” and not for the eternal? Is your life a living witness to the glory of God? I do hope and pray that this is true of you and of me and that our lives are being lived according to His perfect law.

Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.

As it s written: “That You may be justified in Your words,

and may overcome when You are judged.

                                                Romans 3:4; cf. Psalm 51:4

Live Your life to the glory of God

Richard L. Crumb

You Are The Watchman For Truth

Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:6

That is, along with whom ye also are: and he does not say, that he called the others with you, but you with the others. For if in Christ Jesus there is neither bond nor free, much less is there king and private man. For even ye were called and did not come over of yourselves.

      This taken from the Homilies of St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407 A.D.) Archbishop of Constantinople on the Epistle of St. Paul the apostle to the Romans.

            I begin this blog with the above Scripture and quotation from St. John Chrysostom to remind us that we are not our own for we are of the elect, called by God and this not of ourselves. Men both in some Churches and in the world at large have much difficulty with this doctrine and hold to the doctrine of Free Will. Free Will is only free if there is no original sin. Only Adam and Eve had pure Free Will. From their sin and fall from grace all men are subject to original sin and the soul of man is so infected that the will is no longer free but contaminated with sin and all that man is left with is Free Choice. Yes, the will is involved, but the will is not Free. Our election is some magnanimous, simple indescribable that God would elect a person for salvation and that to His glory. Our election is not Free, it is by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His ascension to the right hand of the Father making intercession for the elect. The grace of God is our peace and yet many have such high thoughts, so puffed up, and yet salvation is not by what a person does, salvation is by grace and grace alone. Some in their search for this peace have devised many theologies that are heretical and have assigned themselves to others: this is separation from the truth. Those who have devised such heresies do not abide, or as the Greek states: (μένει: remain), even though they enjoy common grace. Unless God is their object, and that is the God of the Bible and not some anthropological God, as with the Mormons, there is not profit and are at war with those who teach the Bible in truth and in words that are misleading. Many of the heresies have such good words and seemingly speak what Orthodox Christianity speaks and yet upon examination there is to be found a veil of truth hiding the harm. Here is what is taught by the Mormons and this seems so much like any Christian Church; but let is examine what is taught:

Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and the Son of God. He is our Redeemer. But what do we mean when we say He is the Savior of the world? The Redeemer? Each of these titles point to the truth that Jesus Christ is the only way by which we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. Jesus suffered and was crucified for the sins of the world, giving each of God’s children the gift of repentance and forgiveness. Only by His mercy and grace can anyone be saved. His subsequent resurrection prepared the way for every person to overcome physical death as well. These events are called the Atonement. In short, Jesus Christ saves us from sin and death. For that, he is very literally our Savior and Redeemer.

Hidden is that by Jesus Christ as our Redeemer we can “return” to our Heavenly Father. Mormons teach that we are gods, and that we came from heaven, alive before in heaven, awaiting our time to be placed upon the earth in a body, and that we will “return” back to heaven redeemed. Read their Doctrines & Covenants and this will be shown taught that God is a man, and that Jesus is another God, and that may preexisted in heaven before becoming man on earth. This is but one example and it is clear that they are not abiding with the God of the Bible. There is no gain for the Christian if they approve or in some way accept teachings that are not of God and are of man–made doctrine. This is an offense to God! Break through the veil hiding what they actually believe and teach and the heresies seen.

            Paul in Romans begins with such good news of our election and what God has done through His Son Jesus Christ and then sets forth that man is inexcusable for not knowing God and this even is He shown by the natural world. After pointing our the sins that are of offense to God and that God will judge men by what they have done in this life, and their disposition for doing those offending things, Paul then speaks: “But glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile” (Romans 2:10). Is it peace the object of your search for God? Faith is shown by our works and our works of they be of God bring glory and peace, and honor, and if not of God, or teach that which is not revealed to us by God then our peace has as its foundation error. Paul says that those who work for good have peace and honor and glory first to the Jews and this leaves us with the question: What Jew does he mean? Furthermore, what Gentiles is he referring too? Paul was referring to those who were before Jesus Christ’s coming and in this part of the writing Paul had not come to Grace, and was still looking back to earlier times. Paul was demolishing the separation between Jews and Gentiles so that when he writes about grace; he will not be accused of a new and degrading doctrine. In earlier times, grace was not set forth as it was now after the coming of Jesus Christ; therefore Paul sets forth establishes that there now is no difference and all can receive grace. This by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and this received by faith, that faith that God gives freely and to some before the foundation of the world.

“They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:14)

As God can send a nation or people no greater blessing than to give them faithful, sincere, and upright ministers, so the greatest curse that God can possibly send upon a people in this world, is to give them over to blind, unregenerate, carnal, lukewarm, and unskilled guides. And yet, in all ages, we find that there have been many wolves in sheep's clothing, many that daubed with untempered mortar, that prophesied smoother things than God did allow. As it was formerly, so it is now; there are many that corrupt the Word of God and deal deceitfully with it. It was so in a special manner in the prophet Jeremiah's time; and he, faithful to his Lord, faithful to that God who employed him, did not fail from time to time to open his mouth against them, and to bear a noble testimony to the honor of that God in whose name he from time to time spake.

Taken from George Whitfield: Selected Sermons: The Method of Grace

Be Wary: Read and Study the Bible

Richard L. Crumb