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Assurance – Conviction – Approval

(Heb. 11:1,2)                             

Warren E. Berkley

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval,” (Heb. 11:1,2, NASB).

Faith, as stated by this inspired writer, involves three things: Assurance, Conviction & Approval. These three things are associated with faith.

Consider the opposites. The opposite of assurance is doubt. The opposite of conviction is uncertainty. And the opposite of approval is disapproval. If you want to have in your life – doubt, uncertainty and disapproval, no faith in God is required for those results. Do nothing in response to God; ignore the gospel, and you will have doubt, uncertainty and divine disapproval.

On the other hand, if you want assurance, conviction and approval, you must have faith in God. Most people want assurance, conviction and approval, yet they are not willing to find these results by the activity of faith in God. We should associate these things with faith and seek them by faith: Assurance, Conviction and Approval.

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him,” (Heb. 11:6).

He Can Raise The Dead!

(Jno. 11:1-44)

Warren E. Berkley

Though he was loved and cared for by dear friends and relatives, Lazarus of Bethany was sick and dying. Jesus was told of his friend’s serious condition but continued His work teaching. Then Jesus said, “our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up,” (Jno. 11:11). His disciples thought Lazarus was simply sleeping and would be all right. They said, “…if he sleeps he will get well.” But John adds, “Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep,” (Jno. 11:12,13).

“Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead’.” (Jno. 11:14). Jesus was glad He wasn’t there at the point of death, for the sake of His disciples. He intended to raise Him and His purpose was to supply another sign as evidence for belief (Jno. 11:15).

When Jesus came, Lazarus “had already been in the tomb four days,” (v.17). In Bethany, mourners were already gathered and comfort was extended to his sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha greeted Jesus, saying to Him: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give you,” (vss.21,22). Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again,” (v.23). Martha replied: “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day,” (v.24). Jesus said to her: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe?” (vss.25,26). Martha confessed, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world,” (v.27).

Next, Mary approached the Lord, repeating what Martha had initially said: “…if you had been here, my brother would not have died,” (v.32). Jesus saw her and the other mourners and was overcome by the touching sight. “Jesus wept,” (v.35). The Jews saw in Jesus the depth of his care for Lazarus and noted: “See how He loved him!” (v.36).

But the same frustration was expressed again: “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” (v.37).

Jesus came to the tomb and said, “Take away the stone.” Though warned of postmortem stench, Jesus showed no hesitation. “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (vss. 39,40).

^“Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.’ Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go’.” (Jno. 11:41-44)

There was the day when Jesus let a man die. But there was another day when He said, “Lazarus, come forth!” The delay of Jesus is explained by His knowledge of His complete mastery over death. He knew He was the Resurrection and the Life. It is a remarkable story in so many ways. My present purpose is to emphasize one thing. Jesus has the power to give life, when it seems there is no hope. These miracles not only supply evidence but demonstrate truth. In this case, the power of Jesus to give life.

He can give life to dead marriages. Some couples are legally married and perhaps their union is in keeping with God’s law. No divorce or separation is contemplated, but the relationship is dying or dead. They share a house, deal with children, pay the bills, file a joint tax return and perhaps come to a church building together. Every appearance is, they are married. But there is no joy of companionship; no satisfaction. Beyond that, building resentment and boredom. The answer is not divorce; don’t put asunder that which God hath joined (Matt. 19:6). The answer is Christ. Both husband and wife need Christ. If they will both love and obey Christ, there is the strongest possible basis to resolve problems and nurture a loving and permanent relationship. Christ offers to dead marriages, pardon, love and law. Jesus has the power to raise a marriage from the dead.

He can raise dead people, and that will happen someday. He said, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation,” (Jno. 5:28,29). There are people everywhere who simply ignore this or anything else the Lord said. They have ears but do not hear. This says, the hour is coming when all will hear! The time is coming when “all who are in the graves will hear,” and like Lazarus, they will come forth. But not all the dead will come forth to the same end. “Those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” Jesus has this power. He can raise the dead, and this will happen someday. “All who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth.” I need to hear His voice today. I need to listen to Him now, because someday I will hear Him and come forth – either to life or to condemnation. But ponder His promise: “He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

He can lift sinners from the spiritual death of sin to life in Him. Here is the condition of accountable people prior to their obedience to the gospel: “dead in trespasses and sins.” Paul wrote this: “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),” Eph. 2:1-5. The alien sinner lives on earth, but is dead in sin. The only way for the dead sinner to be brought back to life is to respond to Christ; to hear Him, believe on Him and act on that faith.

“The miracles of raising from the dead which Jesus wrought were intended not only for the assuagement of human sorrow, but for the satisfying of human aspirations. He drew the attention away from the great work to the greater Worker. In him was life; and by his incarnation and sacrifice he brought the life of God to this world of sin and death.”

J.R. Thomson, Pulpit Commentary

Born Unto You

by Kenneth R. Peden

Luke 2:8-14 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Unknown and insignificant to many, the shepherd’s life was one of hardship and isolation.  It was a job that paid meager wages, a job without glory and little recognition.  Being a shepherd was not a career choice.  In a society such as Israel’s, somebody must watch the sheep.  As a result, the poor man was able to carve his notch in society by hiring himself out to render this service to other men.

The hills of Judea were the work place of the shepherds.  The soil was rocky, the hills and mountains were rugged and treacherous.  The terrain was filled with wildlife from which the sheep must be shielded.  Judea was hot in the summer and cold in the winter, cold enough at night to take the sheep out of the fields and place them into the folds.  Being a shepherd was not necessarily back-breaking work, but it was certainly a lonely life almost sure to end in financial poverty.

God chose this class of men to be the first recipients of the greatest tidings ever revealed unto man kind.  Was this a mistake?  Could the angel have mistakenly delivered the message to the wrong people?  There was no mistake.  Unlike most monarchs, Jesus was a King for the people. “to all people.”  The angle from the Lord delivered the message with pinpoint accuracy to those for whom it was intended, the people.  The angel revealed "unto you a child is born." The Sovereign of the universe would come and be born to the people.  The king would not be born within the walls of a royal palace, but rather in a barnyard stall where He could experience from the first day, the life of the people for which He came to save; the humble, the poor in spirit, the meek.

What happened next I like to refer to as the poor man’s concert.   They, smelled like sheep, they were unshaven, dirty, and wearing their working clothes, yet these unsuspecting shepherds of Judea were the only guests invited to this heavenly concerto.  A heavenly host proclaimed the praises of God for what was revealed to man.  The peace that comes by knowing the Savior... now revealed. The love and goodwill that God bestowed on that day will never have its glory repeated.  For on that day we, the people, were given the Gift of God.  Emmanuel.  We should give thanks for the birth of the Savior who is Christ the Lord.  For without His birth, there could be no death and without His death, He could not become the firstborn from the dead.  Oh how great the salvation in Jesus! How generous the grace of God who made it possible for all people to be saved through faith.

Perhaps you feel as unknown and as insignificant as a nameless shepherd in Judea. Be assured the Lord knows who you are.  And though we never hear with our mortal ears the heavenly host praising God, on the day of your obedience to the gospel call, the heavenly chorus burst forth in songs of joy for the next measure of the poor man’s concert.

Website: www.careydillinger.com/bibl.htm

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Thoughts On Speaking In Tongues

Larry Ray Hafley

{Truth Magazine, Sept. 18, 2003}

The following request recently came to me:

Would you mind sharing your thoughts on 1 Corinthians 13:1; 14:2 and the issue of speaking in tongues. My brother is a Pentecostal, and we have discussed this issue (along with several other issues) at length. I have pointed out that tongues is being able to speak in other languages, which he agrees with but then he says it is also speaking in the tongue of angels - saying his spirit is speaking to God ­as he points out in the verses above. Can you offer some insight on the "tongues of angels" (13:1), and "For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries" (14:2)?

First, though Paul is using hyper­bolic (exaggerated) language to stress a point in 1 Corinthians 13:1­3, he gives no comfort to modern Pentecostalism. Men do have tongues, or languages (Acts 2:4, 6, 8, 11; 1 Cor. 13:1). Those tongues, or languages, are not incoherent, multi-syllable jibber jabber. Rather, they are coherent, comprehensible languages, as Acts 2 and 1 Cor­inthians 14 clearly show.

(Compare Cornelius and his household who spoke in tongues. Those present knew the languages spoken, for they knew they were magnifying God [Acts 10:46]. How­ever, they could not have known if they were magnifying or maligning God if they had not understood the languages. See 1 Corinthians 14:9, 16  -- "except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken. . . how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned ['the unlearned' one is simply the one who does not know the language spoken, LRH] say Amen at thy giv­ing of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?" Further, we know the languages spoken by Cornelius ["the Gentiles"] were understandable, for Peter said it reminded him of "the beginning" at Pentecost, and we know those languages were understood by those who heard them [Acts 2:4-11].)

Again, the tongues of men, the tongues men speak, are understandable, comprehendible. They are not "without signification" or meaning as are the vain babblings of Pentecostalism.

The same is true with the language of angels. Angels speak. They have a language or tongue (Rev. 5:2, 11, 12). It is not some sort of heavenly muttering or mumbling. Paul says though he could speak with the tongues of men and even of those of angels and did not have love, it would not profit him at all, spiritually speaking (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Throughout the book of Revelation, John heard and understood the speech of angels, and we can, too!

Second, as kindly as you can, explain to your brother that, if he is speaking and no one un­derstands him, he is violating what the Holy Spirit has said. The Spirit says that one who is not understood is to keep quiet (1 Cor. 14:9, 16, 17, 27, 28).

Again, the tongues of men, the tongues men speak, are understandable, comprehendible. They are not "without signification" or meaning as are the vain babblings of Pentecostalism.

"Yes, but what about 1 Corinthians 14:2?" The text says, "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries." Let us break the passage down, take it apart, and put it back to­gether again.

1. What is "an unknown tongue"? It is any language one does not understand. Russian is an "unknown tongue" to most of our readers. Why? Because it is not understood by them, it is an "unknown tongue." Is it, therefore, an unintelligible, "heavenly, prayer" language? No! It is only "unknown" in the sense that we do not understand it, but it is a real language that Russians understand. Now, if I speak Russian in an American assembly, I will be speaking in an "unknown tongue."

2. Though it is a language of men, I will be speaking "not unto men, but unto God." Why? "For no man understandeth him." Note it, please! The text does not say I will be speaking in an unknown tongue because it is some kind of esoteric, ecstatic "prayer language"! No, I will be speaking "not unto men, but unto God: for no man" will understand what I am saying! See that point? It is essential that you do so in order to understand the passage.

3. Even though I may be speaking great things, great mysteries of the wisdom and testimony of God, it is all for nought so far as the audience is concerned "for no man understandeth" me. If I, by the Spirit, am miraculously enabled to speak Russian and then use that gift before an American audience, I may be speaking the most profound mysteries of the kingdom of God, but I speak them to God and not unto man, "for no man understandeth" me.

1 Corinthians 14, it must be remembered, stresses that the audience, the church, must receive "edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (v. 3). The purpose of the as­sembly is for "the edifying of the church. . . that all may learn and be comforted (vv. 12, 31). In fact, "Let all things be done unto edifying"; that is, do nothing that does not edify (v. 26).

However, these things cannot be accomplished if one speaks in a language no one understands. Such speeches are "into the air" (v. 9). They cause brethren to see one another as barbarians (unlearned, untaught, v. 11). One cannot "amen" the prayer of another, "seeing he understandeth not what thou say est" (v. 16). Too, if one speaks in a tongue that none understand, both the unlearned and the unbelievers will say, "ye are mad" (v. 23).

Those who speak in tongues that are not understood produce confusion. They do not produce learning, edifica­tion, comfort, and peace. Hence, they are not to speak to others if there is no interpreter. "If any man speak in an unknown tongue (remember, an unknown tongue is sim­ply a language not understood by the audience), let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God" (vv. 27, 28). Pentecostal churches violate these words of the Spirit every time they engage in what they call "tongues speaking." (1) They often speak all at once, not in order. (2) More than two or three speak, and (3) they make no pretense of having an interpreter, "inspired" or otherwise (and any "interpreter" they might have would be, "otherwise," for there are no such gifts today [Acts 8:18; 1 Cor. 13:8-10; cf. Mark 16:19, 20; Gal. 3:15; Heb. 2:3, 4]).

(Addendum: In a letter to the fellow above, I suggested that he seek to arrange a public discussion with his brother's Pentecostal preacher on Holy Spirit baptism and speaking in tongues. If there is any response, I will keep you in­formed.)

The Plan of Salvation
By Jon W. Quinn


Plan #1

Announced by the apostles, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to new
believers in Christ who had asked what they must do:

"Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of sins and you shall receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit." (ACTS 2:38)

Plan #2

On the back page of a tract, sinner were urged to pray this prayer
to be saved. This prayer is not found in the Bible; nor were alien
sinners commanded to pray for their forgiveness.

The Sinner's Prayer:

"O' Lord, I accept that I am a sinner and that Jesus died for my
sins. I now accept Him into my heart as Lord and Savior asking for
your mercy and forgiveness in His name. Amen."

The editors of Expository Files are happy with plan #1 and
thankful to the God of all grace for it. We cannot recommend Plan
#2 at all, but will change our minds when this prayer can be shown
to us in the Bible.


Final Page

A Great Cloud of Witnesses

"Born Unto You"

The Wrath of God, Romans 1