When Adam transgressed, he affected and infected all that would come after him. When God created man, He did so after His own likeness (Genesis 1:26; Genesis 5:1), but when Adam bore a son after the fall, the Bible says that Adam “begat a son in his own likeness” (Genesis 5:3). Adam’s sin came with dire consequences experienced by all. All those born of Adam’s seed bear Adam’s image (1 Corinthians 15:47-49) and the Bible points out that “in Adam all die” (1 Corinthians 15:22). At the same time, no man faces the eternal judgment of God for bearing Adam’s image, but he does so based upon his own practice of sin and refusal to accept God’s free gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.
In the most basic sense, punishment is directed toward those who have done wrong. Though any particular punishment may seem harsh by those receiving the punishment, God intended it to be a calculated response toward wrongdoing. Though there are some passages in the Old Testament that indicate punishment was directed toward the people of God (Ezra 9:13; Hosea 12:2), the vast majority of references demonstrate that it was intended for the enemies of God (Psalm 149:7; Proverbs 11:21; Isaiah 10:12; Isaiah 13:11; Isaiah 24:21; Isaiah 26:21; Isaiah 27:1; Jeremiah 25:12; Jeremiah 46:25). A careful study of the New Testament will strengthen the distinction as there are no references to God punishing His people.
As the world seeks to further weaken any distinctions between men and women, it becomes even more important to stand firm upon God’s principles. God has a defined order in the home and the worldly attitudes do not alter God’s precepts. Someone has to be the leader of each home and bear the responsibility. According to 1 Corinthians 11:3, the proper order is a woman submitted to a man, who is submitted to Christ, who is submitted to the heavenly Father. Christ’s submission to the Father in no way suggested inferiority to the Father, nor does a submissive wife indicate any type of inferiority to her husband. In fact, it takes a stronger woman to follow God’s plan of submission. A godly home follows the scripture even when it contradicts the generally accepted teachings of the day.
The Bible plainly points out that God is not the author (or originator) of the confusion in the life of any believer. In fact, God desires for every individual to have clarity of mind when it comes to the truths found in His word. He wants man to know for a certainty concerning his eternal destination, whether heaven or hell. God furthermore wants man to have perfect clarity in distinguishing sin from righteousness. Simply put, God has no desire for believers to live in a confused state of mind. Had sin never entered into the world, there would be no conflicting feelings or voices introducing the confusion so prevalent today. Yet, God’s truth becomes even more essential in order to clear up the confusion caused by sin and Satan.
The Bible points to the unsaved man as an enemy of God (Romans 5:10). Fortunately, those who have trusted Christ as Saviour have been reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18). This reconciliation transforms the enemies of God into His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). What a wonderful salvation! But there is more! The Lord Jesus has given the ministry of reconciliation to all those who have been reconciled. As such, we are to submit ourselves to the work of telling others how they too can be reconciled to God. Paul understood this and declared that he was a “debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise” (Romans 1:14).
It is easier to love those with whom we feel a common bond and share a special relationship. In fact, the Lord suggests as much in the scripture. When the Lord encouraged His people to love strangers, He did so by reminding them that they too had been strangers in the land of Egypt. By recalling their past associations, the Israelites would know how to better deal with those who were strangers to them. It would be good for them to recall some of the trials they faced when they were strangers in a strange land. With this in mind, they would know how to care for and minister to the strangers. Though Christians are not under the law and most are not Israelites, much can be learned from these truths. It becomes easier to love those to whom we can closely relate.
Prior to salvation, every individual comes to understand the need for forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness is directly associated to the nature of man’s relationship with God. Yet, apart from the need for initial forgiveness, most Christians have a very shallow concept of how the Bible defines forgiveness in general. According to scripture, forgiveness is directly connected to the covering of sin (Psalm 32:1). Psalm 32 does not stand alone as Psalm 85:2 exhibits the same association: “Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.” It is important to understand the Bible correlation of something being forgiven and covered. Interestingly, the Bible connects being forgiven and covered with financial expressions. For example, the Bible uses forgiveness as a financial term in Matthew 6:12. The term forgiveness suggests a removal of responsibility, while the term covered suggests that the debt was settled by another.
The Bible reveals that carnality infected and infested the first century Corinthian church. Divisions were commonplace as the believers were polluted by strife and envy. When the believers gathered together, every man did that which was self-pleasing. Every believer desired to be the center of attention rather than giving others first place. Every one of them had a psalm, or a doctrine, or a tongue, or a revelation, or an interpretation; but nobody sought to use those things for edification. Each of these things could have been used for good, but Paul said that the church being edified was most needed (1 Corinthians 14:5). As believers, every aspect of our service to God should seek to edify others. This most especially includes the times when we gather together.
The word church is frequently and almost exclusively used to refer to the building where the saints meet. A careful study of the scripture reveals that the church actually consists of the people. However, this passage also teaches that there is a proper behaviour when and where the saints assemble. It is a holy time meant to be accompanied by sobriety. In fact, believers are instructed that everything is to be done “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). As we approach the time of preaching or instruction, we should be ready to hear and slow to speak (Ecclesiastes 5:1-3). During the invitation, as the Lord moves in our hearts to repent and do right, we should pay [keep] what we vow [promise] (Ecclesiastes 5:4-7). Always keep in mind that the house of God is the pillar and ground of the truth and we should treat it as such.
The New Testament sheds light on two types of peace: peace with God and the peace of God. Peace with God is “through” the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1; Colossians 1:20). According to today's passage, this “peace with God” is experienced only upon one’s justification at the moment of salvation. Trusting Christ's payment through His death, burial, and resurrection remains the only basis for grasping this peace. Before a man trusts in Christ, he is God's enemy (Romans 5:10), but after salvation, he has been gloriously reconciled to God through the work of God's Son. No man earns this peace and no man can lose this peace to again become God's enemy because this peace is an everlasting peace.
