Many unsaved people practice astrology (i.e., horoscopes) and other unscriptural use of the signs in the heavens. Believers should reject these practices.
In every way, God is greater than man. A man would have to be a thief to claim equality with God. Yet, Christ thought it not robbery to be equal with God.
Although the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin, some things cannot merely be undone. With or without forgiveness, sin has certain consequences.
The Bible offers two circumstances to truly define death: the departure of the soul (Genesis 35:18) and the departure of the spirit (Genesis 25:8).
The children of Israel were a thorn in the flesh of the Egyptians. The Israelites multiplied and grew stronger with each increase in affliction. In an effort to change this pattern, Pharaoh sent out the edict for the midwives to kill all the Hebrew male children at the time of birth. Because they feared God, the Hebrew midwives refused to obey the command. What would the world have missed out on had the midwives obeyed? In the very next chapter, the Bible tells of the birth of a baby boy. He was hid until he could no longer be hid, and then he was released into the care of the Almighty God. According to the law, this boy should have been killed. His name was Moses (see Exodus 2:1-4).
The Lord took great pains in ensuring that the details of creation were just as He desired. He left nothing to itself in hopes that it would turn out, but knowingly cared for the smallest details. David understood this truth but declared that this care extended beyond the initial creation. Not only had God created and cared for the initial creation, but David proclaimed that he was also “fearfully and wonderfully made.” In order to add some context to his statement, David acknowledged that he spoke of the time when he was in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). If this were not enough, several other passages identify the Lord as the One who formed the child within the womb (Isaiah 44:2, 24; Isaiah 49:5; Jeremiah 1:5).
A tremendous spiritual and physical battle wages around the value of life and the determination of when life begins. Unfortunately, Christians have incorporated the unscriptural terminology of the world by allowing the opposition to define these most important matters. This is especially true concerning the birth of a child. According to the Bible, a woman who is expecting is said to be “with child” (Genesis 16:11; Matthew 1:18). Modern terminology removes the direct association of the unborn to life. Sadly, the termination of the unborn life is simply labeled as an “abortion” rather than murder (the ungodly shedding of innocent blood). To abort means the cancellation of a mission. A woman who is “with child” has another living soul “with” her. As time progresses in the child’s development within the womb, the mother becomes “great with child” (Luke 2:5) until she is “ready to be delivered” (Revelation 12:4; see also 1 Samuel 4:19; Isaiah 26:17).
The days preceding the flood were evil in many ways, but they were specifically identified as days filled with violence. In fact, the LORD specifically told Noah, “The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” In Ezekiel’s day, the scriptures declare, “the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence” (Ezekiel 7:23). The presence of excessive violence expresses much concerning the nature of any time (past or present). Although the Lord promised not to destroy the earth again with a flood, worldwide violence moves the Lord to bring judgment.
One of the most important issues that every believer must face involves the question of ultimate authority. The Pharisees abused their God-given authority by “laying aside the commandment of God” and replacing it with “the tradition of men” (Mark 7:8). They simply transgressed “the commandment of God” in order to obey and follow their tradition (Matthew 15:3). Through these unwise actions, they plainly declared that the traditions of men were their ultimate authority rather than God and His word. As a result, the Lord Jesus said they made the word of God of none effect. This same truth applies today. When a man accepts men’s traditions as superior to the scripture, he makes scripture ineffective for God’s intended purposes. The Bible must be believed in order for it to be effectual (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
Meddling in the problems of others is a dangerous practice resulting in unforeseen outcomes. The Bible uses two comparisons to help convey the danger involved with meddling. Proverbs 17:14 compares meddling to the letting out of previously restrained water. The idea is that meddling with the problems belonging to others is like personally opening the gates once restraining a large body of water. The second comparison is found in Proverbs 26:17. The Bible says, “He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.” When someone does this, the dog turns upon the individual. Both of these warnings demonstrate the grievous dangers involved in unnecessarily meddling in the affairs of others.
