As time winds down, the need for sobriety increases. Temptations are seemingly escalating from every angle and source. Even if sin did not have the ability to lure away a believer, busyness and hobbies tug at his heart to steal away one’s time and strength. The Devil labours to keep the believer from working while it is day (John 9:4) knowing that a sober believer gets much more accomplished for the Lord. While men are spiritually asleep (Matthew 13:25), the enemy has free reign to disrupt and destroy the lives of others. The apostle Paul saw this dilemma and warned “that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11).
Man does not change in order to be saved, but true salvation always brings about an evident change in the life of the new believer. Perhaps the change is less noticeable in some new believers and more noticeable in others; however, no change means no salvation. The change is not always an immediate outward change because it involves a change of the inward nature. A person who trusts Christ for salvation becomes a new creature (Galatians 6:15). It might be best to consider how this could be likened to a dog (Matthew 15:26-27) becoming a sheep (John 10:16). A new man now dwells within the new Christian to help combat and defeat the old sinful nature (Ephesians 4:22-24). Salvation is not merely the turning over of a new leaf; it is a new birth (John 3:3) where one is passed from spiritual death to spiritual life (John 5:24).
As already discussed, the word salvation is used throughout the word of God, but depending upon the context, the intended meaning varies. Failure to understand the different usages has led many to espouse some of the most egregious false doctrines. It is important to understand that the foundational meaning of the word salvation refers to deliverance. The vast majority of occurrences in the word of God actually refer to physical deliverance rather than a soul’s salvation. The word salvation can often be found within the context to describe the time when someone received deliverance from a specific trial or a threatening enemy. The most common usage today among believers relates to spiritual deliverance offered through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
The Lord loves to receive sacrifices from men. Yet, it is important to recognize that the Lord looks beyond the actual sacrifices and into the heart of those making the offerings. What He sees in the heart is far more important to Him than the actual sacrifice itself. This is because a man may offer the right sacrifices but does so from a heart of ungodliness. God does not approve of such sacrifices. There were individuals who lived in the days of animal sacrifices who brought sacrifices as prescribed by the law but did so with improper motives. The Lord said of these sacrifices that to Him, these sacrifices were an abomination. Though the nature of sacrifices has changed, the fact remains that men can, and do, offer sacrifices of praise or thanksgiving outwardly all the while their hearts are far from God (Matthew 15:8).
The Devil despises any praise offered toward God. Men who sacrifice to God demonstrate their valuation of Him. For this reason, the Devil longs to eliminate godly sacrifices. Daniel 9:27 references a future time known as Daniel’s seventieth week when the Devil will cause the reinstituted Jewish animal sacrifices to cease. In the present age, God has clearly shown that He has no desire for man to sacrifice animals. Instead, believers offer spiritual sacrifices to God thus demonstrating their praise and declaring their love for God. Just as the Devil will one day seek to end the physical sacrifices given to the Lord by the Jewish people, he presently works hard to keep New Testament believers from offering the spiritual sacrifices of praise to God.
As is often the case, men’s opinions and those of God are at opposite ends of the spectrum. For instance, man emphasizes celebrating the day of one’s birth and mourns the day of one’s death. Scripture points out that the day of one’s death is far better than the day of one’s birth. Why? The day of one’s death comes with very few questions concerning the individual. The person has lived his life and left behind a reputation, good or bad. However, when a child enters into this world, he does so with numerous uncertainties. What kind of person will he be? Will he love and serve the Lord, or will he live wickedly? Only a life fully lived answers these questions. Each day’s work contributes to a man’s reputation so that death leaves few questions.
The world justifies an almost unlimited range of reasons for divorce, but the Lord is much more narrow-minded. In fact, the Lord only offered one just cause for divorce in Matthew 19:9. An excellent cross reference (Deuteronomy 24:1) indicates that the fornication mentioned involves an uncleanness found within the woman that took place prior to marriage. If this be true, even adultery fails to qualify as scriptural grounds for divorce. One might argue that the Lord broadened this scope when speaking of the unbelieving spouse leaving the believer, but even there the Lord said to the believing husband, “let him not put her away” (1 Corinthians 7:12) and to the believing wife, “let her not leave him” (1 Corinthians 7:13).
Because of the hardness of man’s heart, God permitted man to seek a divorce. The Pharisees, who generally sought to broaden the law’s reach and its application, sought to expand the justification for a divorce. The Lord never condoned this type of perversion of truth but quickly told the Pharisees that God never intended for marriage to have an escape clause when a man grew weary or discontented. God introduced the bill of divorcement because of the hardness of men’s hearts. Even then, the Lord indicated very limited grounds for a biblical divorce. Divorce was never intended to be an option for the masses, and even in those cases where a bill of divorcement was justified or allowed, the Lord still preferred reconciliation between the husband and wife.
Marriage involves a relationship between a man and a woman, but what constitutes a scriptural marriage? Scripturally speaking, it is not merely “flesh joining flesh.” This is plain in that a man could marry a wife only to find that she had been unfaithful with another man to whom she was not married (Deuteronomy 24:1; Matthew 5:32). It is also clear that Shechem defiled Dinah, but then asked if she could become his wife (Genesis 34:1-4). The woman at the well had an improper relationship with a man, but the Lord declared that that particular man was not her husband (John 4:16-18). Instead, marriage occurs when God joins a man and a woman (Genesis 2:21-24; Mark 10:9), and it is often established by a ceremony with vows given to each other (Matthew 22:1-13; John 2:1-2).
God instituted marriage and He alone has the right to establish the rightful candidates to join together in this or any other union. Man has no God-given right to interfere with the precepts of God. Everything in creation declares that marriage always includes only a relationship between one man and one woman. Additionally, the marriage bounds are not subject to popular vote of society nor subject to modification by any court or law of the land. Its conditions are set by the highest law and the highest court. God could have presented Adam with another man, but He did not. In God’s eyes, marriage is a specific relationship fulfilled only between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:21-23), and any deviation of this is unseemly and an abomination to God (Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26-27).
