by Barry Newton

Admittedly, the tongue is difficult to control; and we have all made mistakes in one way or another. But like every form of sin, malicious gossip is something the Lord takes very seriously. Praise God for forgiveness. However, this does not justify ignoring any problem which we might have in this area; we must seek to change and conform our lives to His will. God wants our tongues to be tools in His service, not the enemy's.

Which of the following is not gossip:

___ Slandering someone

___ Spreading a lie about someone

___ Telling the truth about someone, so that the person will be hurt by what you say.

As you guessed it, all of these constitute gossip. Just because something is true (or you think it is true) does not make it OK to share with others. What is the motive for sharing something? Does it conform to edifying, building up or even training someone how they ought to go? Or does the motive arise out of something much darker? Might a juicy piece of information be shared to show that I am in the know? As people dedicated to growing more and more into the image of Christ, what can we do?

1. Do not listen to gossip. We can let a person know that we do not want to know the inside dirty scoop on others. We enable others to sin, if we passively allow others to fill us with trash.

2. Deliberately pray for your enemies. Instead of spreading the news about why they are so terrible, pray for spiritual growth in their actions and behavior.

3. Focus on doing good towards and blessing that person you might be tempted to slander. If our energy is focusing on loving others, then there is less room available for evil motives to sneak in.

4. We can pray for ourselves and one another that we might resist temptation.

May we not sin through those words we choose to say! May our LORD use our words as choice tools in His service.

by Barry Newton

A few weeks ago I was talking with someone who has embraced an American Indian philosophy. He told me all about sweat lodges and the symbolism involved in them. He excitedly claimed that the trees and the animals are our brothers. On the one hand, he expressed his suspicion of Europeans and "their religion" because of their track record. On the other hand, he appeared to make an attempt to be magnanimous and to build legitimacy for his Indian philosophy by claiming that we are both working for the betterment and healing of people. He said he could accept me as being in a different path toward the same goal.

While many people today might not share all of his beliefs, I suspect that a large number of people do evaluate just about everything based upon whether it is broad-minded. Accordingly, I would suspect that many would gravitate to his claim that different religious paths can be equally viable. As we dialogued, a number of thoughts and questions cascaded through my mind. A couple of these were:

"I wonder how my fellow Christians would have responded to him?"

"How can I show this person, who is obviously sincere, that true Christianity is not just another philosophy of life among equals?"

At the onset, we should at least acknowledge what the Scriptures claim. The message they were intended to communicate do not permit a view of Christ and serving him as simply being another ethically beneficial philosophy among equals for living life. You can start with the crucifixion of Jesus.

Scripture claims that all the peoples of the world are guilty and stand in need of being declared righteous before God. And furthermore, there is only one solution to this problem - Jesus' death on the cross on our behalf and our subsequent incorporation into Christ (Rom. 3:23-25).

The story of Jesus presented in the Bible is not a tidy little message which can be contained in a box that will sit nicely on a shelf as merely being an equal among other religions. The gospel calls people to respond to Jesus or be lost. Clearly, the gospel's intended message is that whether someone admits its truthfulness or not will not alter the fact that Jesus is the only way to the Father and our only hope (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

But do these claims have any teeth? Are they merely assertions or is this the way that things really are? The shackles of merely being another ethically viable philosophy fall off of containing Jesus and his message by his resurrection from the dead. This was God at work! His resurrection verified that his death was indeed a sacrifice for all of humanity. From a human perspective, Christianity either rises above all other religions or falls down to simply being another humanly contrived path among equals depending upon whether Christ historically rose from the dead. The evidence reveals that the tomb was empty Sunday morning, not because someone stole his body but because death could not hold him. (See www.sjchurchofchrist.org/redeemerlv.shtml)

Since the message proclaimed by Christ and about Christ is reliable, all of humanity has a responsibility to respond to it, since God will judge the whole world by the One whom God raised from the dead (Acts 17:30,31). What will matter for my Indian friend, and for all other people one day, is whether they have trusted in Jesus by obeying the gospel.

by Barry Newton

It was not because there was a lack of conviction or a deep passion for the message that a problem existed. The crisis Jeremiah encountered involved a simple but fatal activity which boiled down to inbreeding.

An amazing story unfolds before our eyes from Jeremiah 23. Anyone today, who might lightly dismiss the power of what it would have been like to have been caught in the dynamics which were at work, would be leaving themselves wide-open to repeating being whisked away by forces equivalent to a raging torrent. So what was happening?

To put the story in modern terms, a bunch of preachers were reading each others books, attending each other's lectures and building upon each other's messages in order to present to God's people a powerful solidarity in proclaiming a comforting message./1 Unfortunately, their message originated no higher than their own imaginations; their message did not come from the LORD./2 But with the people wanting the message to be true and relying upon the claim that it was from the LORD, the reality that it was actually man-made could in no way diminish their appetite to readily consume it and find comfort in it.

Inbreeding is always a danger when any group only listens to itself. For example, how will those who embrace the common Protestant teaching of salvation by faith alone be able to arrive at an accurate understanding of the text if they only listen to their proponents and would refuse to dialogue with their detractors about the text? Conversely, if we totally disengage ourselves from dialoguing with those with different understandings, might not we also be subject to inbreeding? While we may be confident in our understanding, should we not always remain open to receiving the legitimate message of the text ... even though it might be different than what we currently think is true? Our allegiance should be to the faithful message of the text.

In order to avoid the ditch of inbreeding, it would be quite human to over-react and thus plummet off the other side of the road into the ditch of becoming a butterfly. If someone were to flatly assert that truth equally comes from many sources or that we should listen to all voices, then life becomes the flimsy flitter from one attractive flower to another with no particular guiding direction or ability to distinguish the quality of each message.

Responsible discipleship requires more than the naivety of inbreeding or the flittering to embrace every new and appealing idea. The path the Jewish Bereans chose illustrates a responsible approach to those who claim to present truth. They examined the Scriptures daily to see if the message they were hearing was true./3 They neither walled themselves off nor did they wildly embrace something just because it was new. They tested the message they heard against Scripture. As a result, they embraced the truth of the gospel and became disciples of the Lord.

Scripture reveals what is true; Scripture is the standard./4 We have been repeatedly warned that personal feelings and experiences are unreliable./5

1/ Jeremiah 23:30, 27, 17 2/ Jeremiah 23:16, 21, 25-27, 32 3/ Acts 17:11 4/ 2 Timothy 3:16-17 5/ Romans 10:2; Galatians 1:8, Deuteronomy 13:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

by Barry Newton

When making plans for the future, everybody likes to receive approval. And the stakes become even more intense when it is not just someone else's opinion but God's commendation which is desired. The more important our plans are to us, the stronger will be the desire to hear Scripture affirming that we are at least justified in our plans.

One subject which can stir very strong feelings is, after divorce then what? For young people, those who are married as well as those who are divorced, the study of godly options after divorce is beneficial.

It is imperative that you, the reader, understand that this article only seeks to address the question, "as a child of God who is divorced, what does God want me to do?" Reread the last sentence until it clearly sinks into your mind that this article omits any attempt to answer any aspect about what has already happened whether it be divorce or remarriage. This is only about looking at what biblical options are available to a Christian who is currently divorced. Ready?

God's people embedded within the permissive city of Corinth had a question or two for Paul about marriage. Starting with 1 Corinthians 7:1, Paul responded to their concerns. To these people who were wanting to serve God, we discover Paul recounting Jesus' commands regarding what a divorced person seeking to do God's will can do (1 Cor. 7:10,11). Later in 1 Corinthians 7:39, by inference we also discover a third option. These three options are:

1. Remain single

2. Be reconciled to your spouse

3. After the former spouse dies, the Christian could remarry someone who is in the Lord.

To a church which was so tolerant in its thinking that it was proud to have a man who was married to his father's wife (1 Cor. 5:1,2) and who needed to be told that Christians ought not to join themselves with harlots (1 Cor. 6:15,16), these teachings might have sounded quite extreme. Perhaps this will also seem severe to the ears of our permissive generation. But as hard as it might be to hear, scripture consistently proclaims that to remarry before a spouse dies involves adultery, unless someone has divorced the other for the cause of infidelity (Mk. 10:11,12; Rom. 7:3; Matt. 5:32; 19:9; 1 Cor. 7:39; Matt. 5:32; 19:9).

It is also noteworthy that enmeshed within the marital context of 1 Corinthians 7, Paul informs us of the universal principle he had recommended in all the churches. This principle involved a person remaining in that situation in which God had called him (1 Cor. 7:17,20,24). The idea is to "bloom where you are planted." Applying this to a divorced person who responds to the gospel, Paul would be underscoring that the divorcee can serve God as someone who is single.

This study about options after divorce contains lessons for all of us. To the young person dedicated to serving God, before you marry someone, thoughtfully consider whether this Christian you want to marry has the godly character and commitment to go the distance with you until you die. If you have doubts about it lasting that long, realize what your options will be as a divorcee who desires to follow God's ways. To those who are married, do not look at divorce as an easy way out of a difficult situation which can provide you with an automatic divinely approved "Get Married Again" card. To those who are divorced, Scripture provides three options as well as a fourth one if your spouse was unchaste.

None of us can change the past. Praise God that sins can be forgiven. What we have control over today is what we will choose to do today and what plans we make for tomorrow. As disciples dedicated to serving God, let's determine to act in a manner today which will uphold God's will. And for those who are married or for whom contemplating marriage is within God's will for them, weigh seriously what it would mean to faithfully serve God as a divorced individual in order to help you act responsibly and appropriately today.

by Barry Newton

This was not the first time the question had plagued his mind. Since Christians are supposed to be loving, is not a gracious broad-mindedness which accepts, tolerates and validates other's perspectives the loving approach? Sometimes it is easy to discern what we should choose at the crossroads. At other times, the choice might seem murky or worse yet, perhaps even the wrong path might look like the right way to go.

If we wish to hear God's message and not merely an empty echo of our own thoughts, we must resist the temptation to handle Scripture selectively. This is true, regardless of our feelings about tolerance, acceptance and inclusion. What is needed is an understanding of God's message which seamlessly incorporates each part into its proper place within the whole. Let's take a look at some of the pieces.

Clearly a case can be made that tolerance, acceptance and inclusion are good and godly values. Jesus taught that people should not judge others lest they be judged./1 Those who desire to serve Christ are to accept one another just as Christ has accepted them./2 Furthermore, God's people are to keep matters of personal conviction private between themselves and God./3 Add to all of this that through Christ, God is working to unite everything in heaven and on earth/4 and it should be clear that tolerance, acceptance and inclusion are godly values.

And yet at other times we find scripture just as forcefully upholding intolerance, rejection and exclusion. God's people are instructed to judge those within the church in order to exclude certain ones./5 Christ does not accept everybody; even some who call him Lord will be rejected./6 There are false doctrinal perspectives which should be reproved and rejected./7 And finally, God does reject and pour out His wrath upon some people./8

Are we to understand these seemingly contradictory principles belong to a consistent message from God? Yes. And the keys to understanding the harmonious intent of the Scriptures are quite simple. 1) Give each good value its proper priority. That is, avoid transforming what was intended to be a secondary value into becoming the dominant organizing principle and standard for behavior. 2) Use Biblical words with biblical definitions; do not infuse new definitions into them.

What are the highest values which should drive our life? First, love God and then love others as we love ourselves./9 Loving God and all that this means is the standard for determining what is right and wrong.

What happens when someone replaces the priority of loving God with another godly value? Take for example, peace. Peace is a a fruit of the Spirit and is obviously a godly principle. Yet, it would be wrong to elevate peace to the role of determining what is right and wrong, for this would dictate that we were to make peace even with what is evil. Similarly, whether we are to be tolerant or intolerant is determined by the higher principle of what it means to love God and obey Him.

Neither inclusion, acceptance and tolerance nor exclusion, rejection and intolerance were intended to be the measuring stick for determining what is good or bad in every situation. God would have us welcome all sinners to respond to Christ, and yet we are to be intolerant of rebellious unrepentant sinfulness within the church. In fact, whenever any godly principle is divorced from being controlled by the higher principle of what it means to love God so that the subordinate principle becomes an end unto itself, it will become twisted into something horribly evil.

There is a difference between how political correctness and God will paint the perfect picture of love. The former would have us accept, tolerate and include all diversity, even immorality and what God has revealed to be lies. On the other hand, God teaches us that it is in everybody's best interest for us to pursue what is truly good and to reject what is evil. At times, to love God and seek the well-being of our neighbor can prescribe being intolerant of what is hurtful to our neighbors and to those around them.

1/Matthew 7:1 2/Romans 15:7 3/Romans 14:22 4/Ephesians 1:10 5/1 Cor. 5:12-13 6/Matthew 7:21-22 7/Galatians 1:6-9 8/Romans 1:18 9/Matthew 22:36-39