There is one murder that far surpasses every other murder ever committed. That particular murder occurred when Jesus Christ was crucified.
The people of God are to be a people full of the love of God, and as such, they should place the utmost value upon the lives of the innocent.
Capital punishment is not confined to the Old Testament and is not done to the exclusion of God’s grace, but rather as an act of God’s just judgment.
Although one individual may possess both power and authority, the two are not identical. Authority is the right or responsibility to do something whereas power is the ability to do something. Unfortunately, the modern versions missed this truth when they translated Matthew 28:18. Instead of properly expressing that because of the resurrection the Lord Jesus had been given all power in heaven and earth, these so-called bibles suggest that He had been instead given authority. The authority already resided with Him, but the resurrection declared Him “to be the Son of God with power” (Romans 1:4). His resurrection from the dead gave Him the power over death by conquering the one who possessed the power of death (Hebrews 2:14).
Authority resides upon those who have the right to rule; but, unfortunately, it is not always combined with the ability to rule wisely. In the most basic sense, authority is the right and responsibility to rule others as given to one individual by another. The centurion in Matthew 8:9 expressed this truth when he said that his authority gave him the right to issue commands to his soldiers. The apostle Paul referred to his authority to call for the arrest and persecution of Christians (Acts 9:14; Acts 26:10, 12). This truth was also taught in the parable of the nobleman and his servants where the reward given was authority to rule over cities (Luke 19:17). Unfortunately, this desire for authority over others has been the source of problems and troubles throughout history.
Charity is the peak of Christianity (2 Peter 1:5-7). The Bible says that after salvation, charity is to be desired above all other things (1 Peter 4:8) and is the bond of perfectness (Colossians 3:14). Yet far too many people, Christians included, know so little about charity. God has not left man without answers, both simple and profound. First Corinthians chapter 13 offers the most vivid description of charity: charity suffereth long and is kind (1 Corinthians 13:4). It rejoiceth not in iniquity but in the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). It beareth, believeth, hopeth, and endureth all things (1 Corinthians 13:7). Out of all the wonderful things associated to charity, the Bible makes it clear that charity will have no part with envy.
During the Lord’s earthly ministry, His most malicious enemies were not common men or even the Roman government. His greatest enemies were the religious leaders charged with maintaining the spiritual purity of the people of God. How could those most religious create discord with the very One who gave them the dictates for the Jewish religion they claimed to defend? The answer is simple. It was envy! According to John 11:48, the religious leadership of Israel determined that they could not allow Jesus to continue teaching, preaching, and ministering to others. These leaders realized that all men would believe on Him causing the Romans to demote them. They would not allow this to happen. How far would they go to keep their place and nation? The Bible reveals that they would even cause the crucifixion of the innocent Son of God.
Envy is a heart problem that if caught early should never outwardly manifest itself to others. However, failure to recognize the existence of envy in one’s life and repent swiftly will yield to much greater future problems. Solomon’s first admonition to his son was that he not envy the oppressor. This warning was followed by a second admonition against choosing the oppressor’s ways. If a man envies the wicked, he will eventually be convinced to travel the direction that he once only envied. Long before an individual outwardly turns from righteousness to worldliness, he does so within his unrestrained thoughts. Failure to repent of these thoughts eventually yields to the unholy actions once deemed unacceptable.
For some people, giving to the Lord is the equivalent of going to the dentist to have teeth pulled. They would rather do anything than to dip into their finances for the Lord. Yet, there are others who rejoice in giving to the work of the Lord. What is the difference between these two groups of people? One group gives from a willing heart. The other group, if they give at all, does so grudgingly (2 Corinthians 9:7). While giving instructions to Moses concerning an offering, the Lord said, “of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering” (Exodus 25:2). The Lord commands His people to give, but He desires that the giving be willing. The right heart in giving will rejoice that he gets to give and never considers that he has to give (1 Chronicles 29:9).
What does it mean to give financially to the Lord’s work? Does it mean that we give to the Lord only to try and manipulate the spending of every dime? Does it mean that we give without concern whatsoever on how the money will be spent? In our passage, we find that believers should give with simplicity. Before we give, we should pray and insure that our giving is acceptable to the Lord. Is the church receiving the gift doing the Lord’s work? Is the money being used to reach the lost and edify the saints? Once certain that the Lord approves of our giving, we should strive to always give with simplicity. The money is the Lord’s and we must insure before giving that we are parting with control. To do otherwise means that we are not giving with simplicity.
