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FOCUS ON THE SCRIPTURES

April 14, 1999.

Revised: November 15, 2002, January 01, 2003 & April 10, 2003

Unity Of Faith In Christ

In order for those of us who express allegiance to Jesus to achieve the Unity of Faith experienced by the early Christians, which is faith in and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, our thoughts and our actions must conform to His teachings and His commandments and not to the precepts of men. His teachings and His commandments along with all of the ideas in the Bible are contained in the words of the Bible, and in order that His teachings and His commandments may be clearly perceived, the words need to be rightly understood.

Jesus

Writing in Volume III of "Evenings With The Bible," Isaac Errett had this to say regarding the common salvation experienced by the early Christians: "The bond of fellowship in this new community was faith in and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who put their trust in him as Savior and Lord, and were willing to repose in him for salvation and trust in him for guidance, were, on this simple faith, admitted at once, through baptism upon his name, into Christian fellowship; and those who, being thus baptized, held fast this faith and walked in his commandments, were held in fellowship. Beyond this, nothing was required of them. Whatever their differences of race, of social condition, of opinion or prejudice touching anything and everything else but Christ, or whatever their peculiarities of taste and of habit, of manners and of customs, of education and of training, of language and of civil government, if they were "one in Christ Jesus" those differences were not allowed to interfere with the claims of Christian brotherhood. Upon a common faith, through a common baptism, as those who stood upon a common level of sin and need, they were brought into one common relation as children of God and subjects of the Lord Jesus, and made partakers of a common salvation. Their unity was unity of faith and of spirit - a faith resting on the Christ as its object, a spirit of love and devotion and holiness derived through their faith in him, and their union was most emphatically union "in Christ."

It is, perhaps, the most eminent peculiarity in our Lord's teaching that he invites confidence in himself as the basis of all spiritual good. It is not, Accept this postulate; nor, Be convinced of the truth of this proposition; nor, Receive this body of doctrine; nor, Subscribe to this philosophy; but, Believe in Me, Come to Me, Follow Me. ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ ‘He that believeth on Me shall not abide in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ ‘If any man serve Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, there shall also my servant be.’ When the Father consummates his gracious designs in behalf of our race, and makes his last best gift to a perishing world, it is no longer a law, written on tables of stone, nor a ritual to enchant the senses, nor a volume of statutes to regulate conduct by external limitations, nor a voice of thunderous power, to hold men in a paralysis of fear; but - "This is my beloved Son, in whom I delight; hear Him."

And when the apostles went forth to convert men and build up this new brotherhood, they knew nothing among men but Jesus Christ and him crucified. "Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God," was their sole theme, to all peoples, under all circumstances, in all places. Their answer to Judaism, to Paganism, to proud philosophers, to glittering rhetoricians and charming orators, to kings and nobles, to peasants and slaves, to the wealthy and the poor, the refined and the degraded was evermore: "This Jesus, whom we preach to you, is life and salvation. He that hath the Son of God, hath life; he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life; for God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." The one aim of their preaching was to convince men of this, and to persuade them to put their trust in the Son of God and obey him. They demanded an instant surrender of everything for the sake of Christ; and just as soon as any one voluntarily avowed his faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and is willingness to submit to him, he was accepted, and baptized, and added to the company of believers, no difference who he was, or what he had been, or what he might still be in other respects. "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest be baptized." "You are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus; for as many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. There is neither Greek or Jew; there is neither bond nor free; there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Whatever their former differences, in the fervor's of redeeming love they were all melted into a common tenderness, and, like melted metals poured into a new mold and taking on a new form, they were all delivered into the gospel "mold of doctrine" (Rom vi. 17, 18); and, obeying from the heart this gospel of salvation, came forth in the likeness of Christ, being freed from sin and made servants of righteousness. If these Jews, Samaritans and Gentiles of various creeds had been asked, why do you, who formerly had no dealings, who were full of hatred and strife, now love each other and live together in peace and harmony? They would have said, "All our old differences are swallowed up in our mutual love of Christ Jesus. Through the love of God in Christ all our enmities have been slain; we are dead to all that once made our life; in Christ we are new creatures - old things are passed away, and all things are new."

Notice now how these new communities were held together. Of course the power of prejudice must more or less assert itself. It is seen, even in the first church planted by the apostles in Jerusalem, where the old jealousies between the Hebrews and Hellenists come to the surface (Acts vi.), and momentarily disturb the harmony of a community which had just been described as "of one heart and one soul." It is seen at Antioch, when Jewish Christians insist that the Gentile converts must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses (Acts xv. 1). It is seen throughout the churches in Gentile lands, wherever the Jewish element is found in the combination. Rome, Corinth, Colosse, and the churches of Galatia, were all severely tested by the uprising of Jewish bigotry, and some of them by the manifestations of Gentile licentiousness; while the churches of Asia Minor were likely to be flooded with the mischievous speculations of the Gnostics, which threatened to sweep away all the landmarks of the faith which the apostles taught. In the Apostolic methods of dealing with these difficulties, three things strike us as of great significance.

1.

2.

3.

It is, we think, finally established, that the center of attraction to which all Christians were bound, and around which all Christians revolved, was Christ Jesus our Lord; and that faith in Him, love of Him, obedience to Him, formed the bond of fellowship among Christians.

Having seen that the bond of fellowship in the apostolic churches was faith in and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, it remains to show how and why this was the all-sufficient and only-sufficient bond.

Men are held and swayed by leaders. This ever has been, ever will be so. The diffusion of intelligence and the progress of education among the masses makes no difference in this respect, except that the leadership must be wiser and worthier. Men will ever look for some embodiment of that which they are disposed to love and honor; and when they find it, or fancy that they find it, their confidence gathers about such a leader, their enthusiasm is kindled by his presence, and they follow him to victory or to death. They lose all differences in their common devotion to him. Every one knows how true this is in military life. It is true in political life, also. Nor is it less true in intellectual life. In philosophy, a few great minds have ruled the world of thought; and there is a subtle tyranny, vastly more powerful and more slavishly obeyed today than our modern philosophers are at all willing to admit, of Plato and Aristotle, and a few other "great lights" in the philosophical heavens. They are orbs to which even modern leaders of thought are but satellites. And the greatest of all these leaders -Plato- after his matchless mastery of the most profound and intricate problems of the intellectual and moral universe, felt and acknowledged his own need of just such an incarnation of truth, wisdom and goodness as Christianity now offers to a world groping in darkness.

In religion, with its mighty and awful problems of life and death, duty and destiny, sin and holiness, the origin and the end of things, the multitude have never been able to rise to abstract conceptions of truth, or to draw inspiration from abstract reasonings. The hero worship of the world, and the universal sway of idolatrous religions, prove this. Among the Jews, it was Moses rather than Jehovah, who led them; or rather, Jehovah led them through Moses. "Speak thou unto us and we will hear thee," said the Jews to Moses, "but let not God speak to us any more, lest we die." In the absence of leaders, that nation soon came to the verge of destruction; every upward and onward movement was under some God-given leader whom they could honor as standing in the place of God to them, and in a common devotion to whom they could forget their strifes and alienations. Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Elijah, are notable instances of this.

But for humanity at large there was needed a leader infinitely transcending all ordinary leaders in knowledge, wisdom, power, and the perfection of holiness. He must be man - one with humanity in its interests and feelings, who could know and sympathize with its woes and its helplessness; and he must be God - worshipful in the divine perfection of his nature, and capable of guiding human nature through all the intricate labyrinths of this life to a worthy destiny, and able to redeem it from the curse of sin and of death, and lift it to glory, honor and immortality. He must be near us and with us and of us, to be loved; he must be infinitely above us to be adored, He must know all truth, so that when he speaks we can believe him. He must speak as an oracle the great truths which reason can master. He must reveal as a God, not reason as a philosopher; he must furnish demonstration in facts, not plausibilities or probabilities in hypotheses. Then can men surrender themselves to him in the blissful repose of faith, and follow where he leads the way, through life or death, saying, "I know in whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have committed unto him against the day of death and eternity." Such a leader is given in Him of whom it was said, "Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and a commander to the people." Jesus came not as a reasoner, to prove that what he affirmed of the great problems of life and death, sin and holiness, heaven and hell, God and man, was logically correct, but as a witness - "the faithful and true witness" - to testify to what he knew of all these things. He came not to expatiate on the charms of virtue and rectitude, but to go before men in the ways of goodness and holiness - their Leader in the conquest of sin and the exemplification of obedience to the will of god. He came not to break the bond of false authority that men might be free to follow their own ways; but a Commander, clothed with authority over conscience and heart and life, to bind men in willing bonds to the everlasting laws of truth and right. "He of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness. and sanctification, and redemption."

It will be readily seen, now, why the apostles were so sensitive to every indication of a tendency to establish other leaderships. Paul would not, as a rule, allow himself to baptize his converts, "lest any should say I had baptized in mine own name." When they began to say, I am of Paul, I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, Paul rebuked them as "carnal," and told them they walked as men, and not as Christians. He well understood that the unity of fellowship would be subverted the moment that Christians began to "glory in men" as leaders, rather than in Christ. Also, it will be seen, when others were beguiled by a philosophy, falsely so called, he warned of its dangers, and pointed them anew to Christ, "in whom dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily," and urged them to hold to the Head, "from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God" (Col ii. 19). The remedy for every ill, the safeguard against every danger, was Christ. As long as faith in Christ was firm, and love to Him was warm, the apostles saw no evils that could not be overcome; but they took the alarm the moment they discovered the existence of anything that threatened to subvert the common faith in Christ. Here, they were uncompromising, intolerant.
 

There never was a more tolerant religion than primitive Christianity, of opinions, customs, prejudices that did not assail its vital truths and principles; nor one so rigidly intolerant of everything that put these in jeopardy or called them in question. The pagan religions of that time were "liberal" - that is, they recognized each the others as entitled to respect; and they would all have tolerated Christianity, provided Christianity would have tolerated them. But Christianity would have no fellowship with anything out of Christ. It proclaimed the Jewish religion effete, and the heathen religions false and destructive. It was in this uncompromising spirit that it won its early triumphs. The "lords many" and the "gods many" that courteously offered a place for Christ in the Pantheon, if he would only acknowledge them as fellows in divinity, were all denounced as false. "For as there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him" ( I Cor. viii. 6). The integrity of the church today, and the certainty of its triumphs, depend on adherence to apostolic teaching in this respect. No compromise so far as Christ and his authority are concerned; the broadest freedom in all else.

Look at ecclesiastical history, and trace the corruption's of Christianity. They have mainly two fountains. 1. Philosophy, substituting its unsubstantial speculations for simple trust in Jesus as the Way, the truth, the Life. 2. Human leaderships, dividing the affections of Christians, and winning them from obedience to Christ to obedience to the doctrines and commandments of men. Christ must be re-enthroned in the hearts of men as the only Lord. Just as fast as we get back to Christ - His teaching, His spirit, His laws, and ordinances, His supreme and undisputed authority over conscience, heart and life, we get back to the unity and universality of the church.

Religious doctrines based on humanly devised principles, deductions and inferences have been and are being taught by some  as the very Word of God. Make no mistake about it, such doctrines are not the Word of God. They are, in fact, the teachings and precepts of men.
 

"On the part of Truth there cannot be, and on the part of Philanthropy there ought not to be, any truce between Truth and error. They are naturally, necessarily, and, therefore, eternally antagonistic. Satan is the oldest liar in the records of eternity. -But there are the deceiver and the deceived, and these are not to be assimilated, nor in any way confounded, or represented as one and the same. We are all, at times, more or less erratic, being under the influence of erroneous views and principles, without perceiving, designing or intending it. The conviction, and still more the acknowledgment of this fact, should temper our mutual intercourse, and moderate our censures of those whom we regard as less gifted, or more erratic than ourselves; provided only, that they exhibit an ingenuous, candid, and consistent deportment throughout; fairly and fully using all means in their power to form a correct judgment of the real views, positions, or issues of those whom they assail" (Millennial Harbinger, February, 1857).

The teachings of Christ as presented by the writers of the New Testament, were recorded in the Greek language that was in common use during that period. New Testament Greek is without a doubt an excellent vehicle of expression. We are fortunate, indeed, that these writings have been preserved in various manuscripts in the original language. "Heaven and earth will pass away," said Jesus, "but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35 NASB). We can know the truth and we can and should "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3 NASB). We can and should be "examining the scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11 NASB). We can and must reject the "teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men" (Matthew 15:8-11 NASB), as having any authority over Christians in religious matters, this is essential.

Jesus said: "He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on my own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment, what to say, and what to speak" (John 12:48-49 NASB).

Some teach that if we believe John 12:48-49, we might as well discard the rest of the Bible. They say that we are not to be judged by the teachings and commandments of Christ, but rather by Apostolic precedents, necessary inferences, laws of exclusion, and a Theology styled as Pattern Theology.

Where, in the Bible, in any version, are these doctrines taught? And, by what authority does anyone teach these doctrines as the word of God? And, where in the Bible, in any version, did Jesus or his Apostles teach these doctrines as the word of God?

There is no biblical authority for these doctrines, in any version, and they are not the doctrines of Christ.

The potential for evil in these doctrines is enormous and we must not let them go unchallenged.

According to these false doctrines, sin is not the violation of the law of Christ or the teachings of Christ also referred to as the commandments of Christ and the doctrine of Christ. Those who teach these doctrines would have you believe that sin is the violation of their teachings. The precepts of men, are cleverly disguised and clothed in such unscriptural language as underlying principles, necessary inferences, Pattern Theology, laws of exclusion and Apostolic precedents.

Who is it that determines the underlying principles, and what are the inferences and which inferences rise to the level of necessary inferences as opposed to arbitrary inferences? Who is it that determines the principles from which the deductions are derived that are taught both principle and deduction as the very Word of God; and with the force of law; and when disobeyed results in sin? Who is it that determines what are Apostolic precedents and which Apostolic precedent has the force of law and when disobeyed results in sin? The answer, of course, is men not God.

These false doctrines are directly responsible for most of the divisions that exist today in the body of Christ. We must vigorously resist these doctrines. These doctrines are clearly the product of hell itself. Such are the foundation and fountain of all corruptions of Christianity from the beginning until now and are not the doctrine of Christ. "Serious issue?" You bet your eternal life it is.

Hear the words of Jesus: -- "Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:6-9 KJV).

Hear the words of John the Apostle: "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ; hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds" (2 John: 9-11 KJV).

The first four books of the New Testament contain the record of the teachings and life of Jesus Christ and include His final instructions to the Apostles - "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20 KJV). That is what the rest of the Bible is all about: it is the record of the Apostles and their converts going into all the world teaching men of all nations to observe the teachings of Christ. "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts 8:4 KJV).

They taught the words of Jesus, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15 KJV). "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love" (John 15: 10 KJV). In fact it was their mission to teach all things that Jesus had commanded and this they did. Whether it had to do with anger, bitterness, wrath, murder, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, seditions, heresies, drunkenness, or other similar sins, they were uncompromising in their presentation of the words of Christ. And they were equally quick to teach the words of Jesus regarding love, forgiveness, salvation, joy, meekness, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, kindness, temperance, and other virtues and fruits of the Spirit. In short, they were committed to teaching the words of Christ, the teachings of Christ, the law of Christ, the doctrine of Christ; and they did not teach for doctrines the commandments of men.

When Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan, "the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:16-17 KJV).

Later, on the Mount of Transfiguration; "Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow-, so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles- one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. For he wist not to say; for they were sore afraid. And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him" (Mark 9:2-7 KJV).

Hear Him is the message throughout the New Testament.

In the closing chapter of the last book of the Bible, we have these words "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city" (Revelation 22:14 KJV).

On the mount of transfiguration it is Jesus, not Moses, and Elias, and Jesus. It is Jesus, hear Him. Today it is not humanly devised principles, necessary inferences, Pattern Theology, laws of exclusion and Apostolic precedents, and Jesus. It is Jesus, hear Him.

We must believe Jesus when he said "He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself, but the father which sent me, he gave me a commandment what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak" (John 12:48-50 KJV).

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought also to walk, even as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye heard from the beginning" (1 John 2:3-7 KJV).

"Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight" (1 John 3:22 KJV).

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3 KJV).

Serious issue? You bet your eternal life it is.

"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will" (Hebrews 2:3,4 KJV).

Early Christians had to deal with the issue confronting us today: Are we to believe God or men?

We must reject the "teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." There are essentials of faith in Christ and there can be no compromise here. The words of the Lord Jesus Christ must be the focus of our teaching. "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth --- from such withdraw thyself" (1 Timothy 6:3-5 KJV).

The teaching for doctrines the commandments of men undermine the clear teachings of the Word of God and the supreme authority of Jesus Christ. They are the fountain of all corruptions of Christianity from the beginning until now. I plead with you, in the name of Christ and for the sake of His Church - reject these doctrines.

The Restoration pioneers, faithful to Christ, tirelessly taught that we must not give into evil but rather overcome evil with good. They fully understood that it was possible to be under the influence of erroneous views and principles, without perceiving, designing or intending it. They understood well, that Satan is the oldest liar in the records of eternity, and that the deceiver and the deceived are not to be represented as one and the same. They understood that we are not to substitute the teachings and speculations of men for the simple trust in Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life. They contended earnestly for the "faith which was once delivered unto the saints."

They believed in the inspiration of the teachings of Christ and the Apostles as recorded in the Greek language that was in common use at the time they were originally delivered. They understood well, that the King James Version was translated in the year 1611, not from the original writings, but, from 12th century manuscripts called the Textus Receptus. They knew that the manuscripts, styled the Textus Receptus, were not the original writings of the Bible, but rather hand written copies of copies of copies handed down over 1200 years. They understood that many English words in common use in the year 1611, had entirely different meanings even in the 1800's. They, also, were familiar with the instructions given to the King James translators in connection with the translation of these manuscripts. It is no wonder, then, that they pointed out the many instances in which original Greek words were not translated, and original Greek expressions were mistranslated into English, as well as Greek words that were transliterated into English in order to camouflage their true meaning. They pointed out, that, there were many instances where deliberate interpolations exist, even in the Textus Receptus manuscripts, as well as the English version, and that all of this was done to support the "teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" which were at that time being taught and practiced in the Anglican Church. Well, enough said on this subject. We probably should address it at another time in more depth. I have referred to this subject in this way, in order to make clear the following: The doctrine that has been taught that the King James Version of the Bible is the inspired version is simply not true; it is, in fact, a false doctrine. "There can be no compromise between truth and error. They are naturally, necessarily, and, therefore, eternally antagonistic" (The Millennial Harbinger, February, 1857). The King James version of the Bible was not good enough for Paul and Silas. It did not exist in the days of Paul and Silas. It was not the version used by the early Christians and it was certainly not the version referred to by the Apostle Paul and Silas.

We must not permit present day emissaries to win us from obedience to Christ to obedience to the doctrines and commandments of men. We must, from now, and until Jesus calls us home, focus our attention on Christ - His teaching, His Spirit, His words, His laws and ordinances, His supreme and undisputed authority over conscience, heart and life.

Contrary to some speculations, the facts presented in the original writings to be believed, are ascertainable, as well as are the commands to be obeyed, even the complex issues. This is due in large part, to the fact that they are recorded in the very precise vehicle of expression - New Testament Greek. I ask you: "Is it simply an accident that this language was in common use at this particular juncture in history, referred to in the scriptures as "when the fulness of time was come" (Galatians 4:4)? I think not. It was when the fulness of time was come that God sent forth his Son. We have not been left without a true guide. We can know the truth, but we have to ask, and seek, and knock, and be willing to be guided by truth.

We should encourage our "Church Leaders" to continue, in earnest, an in-depth training in the word. "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment" (James 3:1 NASB).

We should hold our Christian Colleges, Universities and Seminaries in the highest esteem. They are devoting themselves to the education of our young people in a Christian environment. They are preparing them for a fruitful life in Christ and in the work of HIS Church. We should, also, encourage our young people to seek a higher education in a Christian environment.

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hyms and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Colossians 3:15-16 NASB). In the original language, the Greek verbal expression "enoikeito" translated "Let dwell"is in the 3rd person, singular, present tense, and in the imperative mood, the mood of command or entreaty and is therefore not an option but the commandment of verse 16. The expressions "didaskontes" translated teaching; and "nouthetountes" translated admonishing; and "adontes" translated singing; are all participles and not expressions in the imperative mood, the mood of command.

In Conclusion:

Jesus said:

Jesus said: "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. You will know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:15-16 NASB).

"Therefore every one who hears these

It is no longer a law written on tables of stone, but - "This is my beloved son in whom I delight; hear Him."

Let us get back to the Unity Of Faith In Christ; and let us encourage one another, in truth and love, and so much the more as we see the day approaching.

James S. Davis

E-mail: jamesdavis@focusonthescriptures.com

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"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE™,  © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

© 1999, 2002, 2003 by James S. Davis. All rights reserved.