Although the Bible repeatedly warns against fretting, believers fret because of others. Sadly, one’s worry can make the sin of others seem more desirable. We should not fret because of “evildoers” (Psalm 37:1), or “him who prospereth in his way (Psalm 37:7), or “the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass” (Psalm 37:7), or even “evil men” (Proverbs 24:19). Some believers may fret about these people because of their fears, but the scripture offers another reason why believers fret over the wicked. According to Psalm 37:1 and Proverbs 24:19, fretting over the wicked is directly associated to one’s envy toward them. Perhaps believers worry about these people so much because there is a deep-rooted desire to become like them. This desire can be rooted in the fact that those whom we fear are viewed as more powerful, more in control, and even more confident. Eliminate the envy and you will eliminate the fear.
The question of an appropriate audience to receive witness of the resurrection may seem quite simple at first. However, the issue is somewhat controversial. Some erroneously teach that believers should only witness to Jews, while others teach that believers should witness to all except for Jews. Others might suggest that believers should not witness to any of the lost because God has chosen some to die and go to hell. These teachings exist for many reasons, none of which are scriptural. The biblical pattern for the New Testament church is that believers should “witness unto all men.” Everyone needs the opportunity to hear the gospel, despite his or her background or current living conditions. The whole world needs to hear that Christ has risen!
A witness is one who testifies to the certainty of an event. As such, the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. By doing so, they were declaring the resurrection to be an absolute truth. The disciples physically witnessed the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ had been put to death, but was alive and well. Although no believer today physically saw the birth, life, death, burial, or resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can and should still testify to its truthfulness. In order to offer an adequate witness of the Lord’s saving grace, an individual must first have experienced the new birth combined with the witness of God’s indwelling Spirit (1 John 5:10).
Vengeance is not always executed in a swift fashion (Ecclesiastes 8:11). In fact, believers often grow weary because the wicked seem to prosper in spite of their evil deeds. Yet, the Lord will execute vengeance in His time. The Bible speaks often of “the day of vengeance” to come. This day is very likely a thousand year period (2 Peter 3:8) which will begin shortly before the second coming of the Lord and will end at the great white throne judgment following the end of the millennial kingdom. It will be a time when the Lord will refuse to spare the wicked (Proverbs 6:34) but will set things right for the Jewish people (Isaiah 34:8; Isaiah 61:2; Isaiah 63:4).
The believer’s life is loaded with benefits (Psalm 68:19), but one of the greatest of these benefits concerns the area of vengeance. According to scripture, vengeance is reserved for the Lord’s enemies (Deuteronomy 32:41; Judges 11:36), or adversaries (Deuteronomy 32:43; Jeremiah 46:10; Nahum 1:2), or the heathen (Psalm 149:7; Micah 5:15) but specifically upon “them that know not God” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). God does not deal with His people in vengeance, it is reserved for those who reject the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:8). When the children of God are disobedient, the Lord chastens, but He never takes vengeance upon His own.
Too many people have assumed that believers may freely rebuke in their own authority, but there exists no scriptural basis for this. The LORD gave us an excellent example when He said, “The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan.” When rebuking the Devil, the LORD emphasized the importance of authority. No believer should ever rebuke except according to the God-given authority of scripture. In Zechariah 3:2, the LORD was His own authority, but believers do not have any such authority in themselves apart from the Lord and His word. Paul spoke expressly about this when he charged Titus to “speak, exhort, and rebuke with all authority” (Titus 2:15). It is not sufficient to flippantly invoke the Lord’s name; one must base any rebuke upon the scripture. Henceforth, it is the Lord that rebukes, never the believer.
God designed and willed for the Christian home and the local body of believers to function as two of the closest experiences to heaven on this side of eternity. As believers, we ought to love one another (John 13:34-35) and serve one another by that love (Galatians 5:13). Rather than backbiting and devouring each other (Galatians 5:15), believers ought to give themselves to ministering to each other. In Paul’s epistle to the Corinthian believers, God led Paul to mention a family addicted to the ministry. At some point, this family decided to sacrifice their own gain for the sake of ministering to others. Because of this commitment, the Bible says that Stephanas refreshed the spirit of other believers.
Sorrows and tears fill the life of many people, yet one day all that will gloriously change for the child of God. Today, this world may laugh, mock, and ridicule the Lord and His people, but one day soon, the tide will turn. The Bible has some shocking truths. In fact, several passages attest to the fact that God will laugh at the wicked (Psalm 2:4; Psalm 37:13; Psalm 59:8). This may seem harsh, but God is gracious, merciful, and longsuffering. The Lord will never laugh at the difficulties of any to whom He has not first offered refuge and deliverance. In like manner, wisdom personified in the Bible warns her rejecters that she too will laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear cometh (Proverbs 1:26). On the other hand, the Bible assures a glorious future time of laughter for the people of God (Luke 6:21).
God cannot allow man to simply sin with impunity because of His holy and righteous character that demands a righteous judgment. Yet, the Bible proclaims that the Lord is “good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon” Him (Psalm 86:5). It is important to realize that the Lord’s ultimate desire involves His desire to forgive a man’s sins. Therefore, the key to a relationship with the Creator involves trusting wholly in God’s provision. This is what the Bible means by, “The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Punishment for sin is death and man’s singular hope rests in God’s mercy. Based upon this readiness to forgive, the Father sent His only begotten Son to shed His blood for the sins of the world. Salvation is not the end all for forgiveness. Even after salvation, the Lord desires for man to remain in close fellowship with Him, but sin separates. The Bible again holds the key when it says that the Lord “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). We are clean at salvation but must look to God for an ongoing cleansing.
This world, though it consistently fails to recognize and know the Lord, should consistently recognize Christ's conversation through the life of the believer. Our conversation should always match, or become, the gospel of Christ and the new life that we have in Him. Our conversation should be holy because the Lord is holy (1 Peter 1:15). In 2 Peter 3:11, we learn that the dissolving of this world ought to cause us to walk “in all holy conversation and godliness.” In other words, our practical Christian life should resemble the change inside of us that took place at salvation. Others should see the Lord Jesus Christ in our actions and in our way of life.
