Inoculation Against Falsehood

June 14, 2024

A quote often attributed to the Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels says, “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.”  This seems to have become a motto for many in the world.  Our world is awash in lies, deception, and hypocrisy.  The lies that emanate from the lord of this world, the devil, are repeated over and over until people start to believe them.  Things that were once common sense and bedrock truths are now questioned by many.  This is especially true in human morality and behavior.  I’m sure you can think of some big, obvious lies that the masses are starting to believe.

Of course, we are not immune to falling for these lies ourselves.  Continuously repeated lies can seep into the church and pull us away from the truth.  We must be careful not to get sucked in.  What can we do to inoculate ourselves against the lies?

We must know the truth!  And where do we find the truth?  Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:17 NASB95) The truth about mankind, our condition, what is right and what is wrong, and all matters of our eternal destination are found in the word of God.  We need to know the word and be grounded in it!

We must know the truth, and we must love the truth!  Those who do not love the truth are in great spiritual danger.  Paul warns the church at Thessalonica that one day “the man of lawlessness” will be revealed.  He will come with “all the deception of wickedness,” and people will perish, “… because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved…” (2 Thessalonians 2:10 NASB95) It is not enough to know the truth.  Even the devil knows the truth.  As children of God, we must continually cultivate a love for the truth. 

Finally, to inoculate ourselves against the lies of this world, we must remove what is false from our own lives.  As Peter wrote, “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” (1 Peter 2:1 NASB95) Notice that we must put away deceit. This is more than just not telling lies. It means putting away any attempt to be crafty or cunning.  It means not doing things like leaving out critical information in order to bait people into believing something untrue.  Notice also that we are to put aside hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is putting on a mask to mislead people about your true purposes and motivations.  People who love truth will always strive to put away any kind of falsehood.  As we do so, we will prepare our hearts to accept the truth and to grow in salvation.

—Scott Colvin

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Decoupling from the Culture

June 14, 2024

Can you imagine living in a world described in this way: “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” (Genesis 6:5-6 NASB95) This was the condition of mankind just before the flood.  Mankind’s wickedness was great.  Every plan and intention of man was sinful.  Every thought in their heart was evil continually.  It had gotten so bad that God was grieved over it.  And God said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:7 NASB95)

And yet, in all of this darkness, there was one bright spot shining like a beacon.  “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:8 NASB95) The whole world had turned against God, but Noah walked with God.  The whole world had allowed themselves to sink into depravity, but Noah kept God’s commands.  The world had closed their hearts to the teaching about God, but Noah was a preacher of righteousness. (2 Peter 2:5) “… Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9b NASB95)

It seems that our world today is becoming increasingly immoral, corrupt and violent.  There is a sickness that pervades our world that is caused by sin.  Things may have not yet degenerated to where they were in Noah’s day, but it would do us well to learn from the life of Noah and imitate his faith.  Noah had to make a decision to decouple himself and his family from the debauched world he lived in.  Do you need to do the same?  This decoupling will not happen on its own.  The corrupt current of our culture will suck in anyone who does not actively paddle against it.  This corrupt current will overwhelm you and your children unless you do something about it. 

We need to resolve to walk with God!  We need to resolve in our hearts and minds that no matter what everyone else is doing, we will follow Him!  Even if everyone else is fixated on evil, we need to resolve to fix our hearts on what is good.  While everyone else fills their minds with wickedness, resolve that you and your house will fill your minds with the things of God.

I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I know one thing:  I want to find favor in the eyes of the Lord!  I want to walk with God!  Let’s renew our resolve to do just that.    

—Scott Colvin

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The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

June 4, 2024

“But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin…” (Mark 3:29 NASB95) What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?  Some Christians worry that they may have committed this sin. This is understandable because of the gravity of Jesus’ words. People wonder, “Have I ever said anything irreverent about the Holy Spirit? Am I lost forever?” Let’s take a closer look at His statement.

What is the background of this warning?  You can read the context in Matthew 12, Mark 3, and Luke 12.  Jesus had just healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute.  The crowds were amazed at Jesus’ power, but the Pharisees said, “This man casts out demons only by the power of Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.” (Matthew 12:24 NASB95).  Beelzebul is another name for Satan, as the text makes clear (see Matthew 12:26, for example).  Jesus knew what they were thinking in their hearts and said to them, “How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mark 3:23-24 NASB95) After pointing out the absurdity of their claim, Jesus gives the warning that whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin.

To blaspheme is to speak evil of someone.  It is to denigrate, revile, disrespect, or slander.  The Pharisees were blaspheming the Holy Spirit because they were saying His work (casting out demons) is by the power of Satan.  This is the unforgivable sin—to attribute the work of the Spirit to Satan.  Mark makes this clear when He explains Jesus’ statement by saying, “Because they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’” (Mark 3:30 NASB95) They were persisting in their blasphemy.

But why is this sin unforgivable?  Remember, the work of Jesus was empowered by the Spirit (see Luke 4:18-21).  If this is true, and a person continues to attribute the work of the Spirit to Satan, what hope is there for that person?  How can they ever come to Christ for forgiveness and salvation if they think Jesus’ work empowered by the devil?  As long as someone continues in this blasphemous stance against the Spirit of God, they will never come to Christ, and they will never be able to receive forgiveness from God!

Can someone commit this sin today?  Perhaps not exactly in the same way.  We have not had opportunity to see Jesus cast out a demon or do any other miracles while He was on earth.  But in another sense, remember that it is the Spirit of God who gave us the word of God, which gives us the wisdom that leads to salvation.  If someone today engaged in blasphemy against the Spirit by calling Him evil, then that person could not be saved because they would never come to Christ for salvation.  However, if you are worried about having committed the unforgivable sin, then rest assured that you have not.  The fact that someone would worry about it shows that they do have a repentant heart that does have reverence for the Spirit of God. 

—Scott Colvin

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Your Role as a Priest

May 28, 2024

Do you take your role as a priest of God seriously?  Perhaps you didn’t realize that if you are in Christ, you are a priest of the Most High God.  Or perhaps if you did realize it, you’re not sure what it all means, practically speaking.

The New Testament makes it clear that each member of the body of Christ is a priest of God.  The apostle Peter writes, “… you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5 NASB95) He also says a few verses later, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light… ” (1 Peter 2:9 NASB95)

We can look to the Old Testament to understand what it means to be a priest.  What did God expect of His priesthood?  What kind of people were they to be?  We get a good picture of what God expected of them in Malachi chapter two.  God was not pleased with His priests at that time, and He sent them a message through the prophet to teach them what they ought to be and how they should live. 

First, a priest must honor and revere God.  This awe for God drives everything else that we do as priests. God speaks of the priesthood He established with Levi and says, “My covenant with Him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.” (Malachi 2:5 NASB95).

Second, a priest must strive to live a life of righteousness.  Speaking of Levi, God says, “…unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness…” (Malachi 2:6 NASB95) As priests of God, we must be careful how we speak and how we walk.

Finally, a priest must be a keeper and a messenger of sacred knowledge.  “True instruction was in his mouth… he turned many back from iniquity… for the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 2:6-7 NASB95) How will men come to know God unless we, as priests of God, learn of Him and share our knowledge of Him with others?  Priests of God should be the kind of people that others come to for instruction in the way of the Lord. 

May God help each one of us to take seriously our role as priests.   

—Scott Colvin

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The Work of the Spirit: Creating Unity

May 28, 2024

Unity among brethren is very important to God. Jesus, just before going to the cross, prayed for unity.  He prayed, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:20-21 NASB95)  Jesus wants all who believe in Him to be one.  Yet division exists, both within congregations and between congregations.  How can we achieve the oneness that Jesus so fervently prayed for?  From where does unity come?

Unity in the church is a work of the Spirit of God.  Paul urged the church at Ephesus to walk in a manner worthy of their calling, “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3 NASB95) Unity is created by the Spirit.  We must make every effort to preserve the unity that He created.

How did the Spirit create unity?  It is the Spirit who placed us into the one body of Christ.  “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13 NASB95) When we were baptized into Christ, the Holy Spirit transferred us into the one body, the church.  This was done by His power.  We were made to drink of the one Spirit at that time.  Each one of us in Christ has become a partaker of the one Spirit, and because of that, we are one.  The problem is that sometimes we let our flesh rule instead of the Spirit.  When this happens, unity can quickly be destroyed.

The Spirit not only creates unity in the church, but He helps us maintain unity as well.  How so?  First, understand that the Spirit gave us the word and helps us understand the word. (1 Corinthians 2:13-14) Understanding the word is absolutely necessary for unity.  We must be unified on truth.  Second, think of the fruit that comes from the lives of those walking by the Spirit:  Love, peace, patience, gentleness, self-control, among others. (Galatians 5:22-23) These Spirit-given traits always preserve unity.  It is when we fail to walk by the Spirit that we find enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, and things like these (Galatians 5:20-21) These things are certainly not of the Spirit of God, and they always destroy unity. 

May God help us to preserve the unity that the Spirit has created among us.  Let us walk by the Spirit, be unified in our love of the truth, and enjoy the rich blessings that come from brothers and sisters walking in unity.

—Scott Colvin

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The Work of the Holy Spirit: Knowing God’s Love

May 17, 2024

How do you get through tough times?  There are many among us who are going through some very difficult situations.  How do you get through it all?  What keeps you going?

Paul writes in Romans chapter 5 that because we have been justified by faith in Christ, because we have peace with God through Christ, and because we are standing in His grace, we can rejoice in hope.  As Christians, we can rejoice, even in our tribulations, because we know that they are bringing us closer to God.  We can rejoice in tribulations, knowing that “tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope…” (Romans 5:3-4 NASB95) And hope helps get us through every challenge.  We have hope in Jesus!  We can be growing in that precious hope—that confident expectation that one day God will make all things right, that He will wipe away every tear, that we will live with Him eternally.

But hope is something that you cannot see (Romans 8:24-25).  We hope for things that will happen in the future—things that certainly will not disappoint us.  But the challenges we face are happening now.  Is there anything that can help us to persevere now? 

This is where the work of the Holy Spirit comes in.  “And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5 NASB95)  The Spirit was given to those in Christ to help them in the here and now.  He does this by pouring the love of God into our hearts.  When we go through trials and heartache, God knows that it is critical that we have a deep, abiding sense of His love for us.  His love for you is something that can be known and experienced.  The experience of His love helps us to get through the hard times while we wait in hope for all He has promised us.

We learn something similar in the third chapter of Ephesians.  Paul prays for the brethren that they would be strengthened in their inner being through the Holy Spirit, so that Christ would dwell in their hearts, that they would be rooted and grounded in love, and so that they would be able to comprehend the incalculable dimensions of Christ’s love. (Ephesians 3:16-19) It is through the Spirit’s indwelling that they would, “Know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19 NASB95)

May God help us, through His Spirit, to comprehend the incomprehensible love of Jesus.  Now and always, may we experience the love of God being poured out within our hearts through the Spirit He has given us.

—Scott Colvin

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The Family of God

April 30, 2024

“Let love of the brethren continue.” (Hebrews 13:1 NASB95)

This verse teaches us that we are brothers and sisters in the Lord.  We are a family—the family of God.  What is the nature of God’s family and how does one become a part of it?  It is a spiritual family, not a physical one.  By this I mean that we must be born into God’s family through supernatural means.  When we were immersed into Christ, God caused us to be born again, not of human flesh and blood, but of His Spirit (John 3:5-6) We were born again, not of human will, but of the will of God. (John 1:12-13).  We were born into His family, not of perishable seed, but imperishable seed, through the living word of God which we received. (1 Peter 1:23) God’s family consists of all of those who have been reborn in this way and can truly call God their Father.  In other words, God’s family is the church of Jesus Christ.  What a blessing that God has allowed us to be a part of His family!

But being a member of a family comes with family obligations.  Just as we have obligations to our physical family, so too we have obligations to our spiritual family.  The main obligation in any family is to love one another.  And in the family of God, we are to love one another deeply.  We are to love one another sincerely and fervently from our hearts (1 Peter 1:22) This brotherly love is the overarching obligation that fulfills all other obligations.  For example, if we love one another, we will spend time with one another.  If we love one another, we will serve one another.  If we love one another, we will encourage one another.  We will forgive one another when there is a squabble.  When a member of the family is in trouble, we will drop what we are doing and come running to help.  Are you fulfilling your family obligations?  Are you making brotherly love a priority?

It’s not all obligation, you know.  You and I will reap great rewards for continuing in brotherly love.  What better place to find a sense of belonging than with the family of God?  What better place to cultivate deep, lasting friendships than with God’s children?  What better place to find purpose in life than with the church of the Living God?

May God help us to grow in our love for one another!       

—Scott Colvin

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The Discipline of a Father

April 18, 2024

Godly masculinity is becoming a lost art.  Or maybe it is more accurate to say that the principles of godly masculinity are being purposefully obscured by evil forces in our world. Society tells us that men should be weak.  Society says that men are incompetent, bumbling, and unaware.  Society tells us that any useful information a man may have to offer is not “helpful,” but rather “mansplaining.”    Society tells us that masculinity is “toxic.”  Of course, a man may come to have any one of these negative qualities, but I am speaking of those who are striving to be godly men and fathers.

The disparagement of godly masculinity is perhaps most damaging when it comes to fatherhood.  The world sees child raising as primarily the mother’s role.  Mothers have a tremendous role to play, but so do fathers!  God designed men and women to operate and to think differently, and both mother and father need to bring their strengths to the table. 

One of the God-given roles of fathers, in particular, is to bring discipline into the child’s life.  As we read in Ephesians chapter six, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4 NASB95) To discipline a child is to provide guidance in responsible living.  To instruct a child is to warn them about and discourage improper behavior.  In other words, children need to be trained in the right way and warned about the wrong way.  This can be done through conversation, through appropriate punishment, and through modeling godly behavior for our children.  All of this should be done in a way that does not provoke our children to anger, but rather in a way that encourages them and builds them up (even if it creates sorrow for a time).

What kinds of things can we train and warn our children about?  Fathers, do you have a running list of things that you want to teach your children?  Things like:  Always tell the truth; never compromise what is right; treat your mother with respect; do your work heartily for the Lord without whining or complaining; respect your elders; be generous; be busy for the Lord; always prioritize worship, bible study, and prayer.  What things are on your “need to know” list?  What are you instilling in your children?

Fathers, the Lord expects us to provide discipline and instruction for our children.  Don’t let the world cow you into letting your children run headlong into an unrestrained, undisciplined life!  Do it because you love them. Do it because you are following the example of our heavenly Father who disciplines us out of love.  “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom he receives.  It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Hebrews 12:6-7 NASB95)

—Scott Colvin

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The Work of the Holy Spirit: Help in Weakness

April 9, 2024

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27 NASB95)

It happens to all of us.  We face weakness in life.  Sometimes it is bodily weakness that plagues us. Illness, chronic pain, problems that come with advanced age—all of these physical problems can be a tremendous challenge that can leave us feeling weak.  Sometimes we struggle with spiritual weakness.  Discouragement, fear, worry, temptation, and things like these can get a foothold in our heart and weigh heavily on us. And of course, when we face these things, as Christians, we turn to God in prayer.  But have you ever faced a challenge so heavy that you don’t even know what to say to God or what to ask of Him?

In those moments it is a great comfort to know that the Holy Spirit is there to help. This is one of the reasons why the Holy Spirit dwells within us—to help us when we are weak.  This passage tells us that even when we do not know how to pray as we should, the Spirit Himself intercedes for us.  The Spirit goes to God on our behalf with groanings that are too deep for words.  Even when we do not know how to pray, still there is a communication coming up from us to God through the Spirit.  As our Father looks into our hearts, He knows the mind of His Spirit who dwells there.  And since there is perfect oneness between God the Father and God the Spirit, the Father knows exactly what we need even when we don’t know how to ask.

In all of this we see a very important reason for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  The Spirit of God dwells within us to make this inexpressible communication to God possible.  Though some teach that the Holy Spirit is the word of God, or that He works through the word only, here we see a work of the Spirit that is not through the word, but through a profound communication from our heart to God’s.

We should take great encouragement from this passage.  The Holy Spirit helps our weakness.  The Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and because of this our loving Father knows exactly what we need, even when we do not.

—Scott Colvin

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Sharing in the Resurrection of Jesus

April 2, 2024

The resurrection of Jesus Christ means everything to us as Christians.  Our faith is meaningless without it.  As Paul wrote, “… and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17 NASB95) But Jesus has been raised from the dead, and He is alive forevermore!  And because of His resurrection, amazing things have happened—and will happen—to those who belong to Him.

Because Jesus was raised, you have been raised with Him.  When you were baptized into Christ, you died with Jesus, were buried with Him, and were raised up with Him (Romans 6:3-4).  At the moment of your baptism, through faith, you were made alive with Him!  As we read in Ephesians chapter two, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” (Ephesians 2:4-6 NASB95) Not only were we raised with Jesus, but God seated us with Him in the heavenly places.  This is a current reality for those in Christ—a spiritual reality which must be understood through the eyes of faith.

Because Jesus was raised, we have been raised spiritually, and we will be raised bodily.  There is a glorious day coming when Jesus will return and resurrect our mortal bodies.  Our bodies will be raised in power and in glory (1 Corinthians 15:43).  They will be raised imperishable. (1 Corinthians 15:50).  They will be changed in the twinkling of an eye(1 Corinthians 15:52).  Our bodies will be transformed to be like His glorious body. (Philippians 3:21) “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29 NASB95)

May we praise God with all our hearts this day for the resurrection of Jesus Christ—a resurrection which He has graciously allowed us to participate in.    

—Scott Colvin

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