For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. (Joh 12:43) But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD. (Eze 11:21 ) If ye love me, keep my commandments. (Joh 14:15) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (Joh 14:21) He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. (Joh 14:24)
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1Jn 2:4)
"And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt." (Exodus 13:17-18)
No driver enjoys having to take a detour, but there is usually a very good reason for it, and we accept it with little question. A divinely prescribed detour in our personal goals, however, often becomes a focus of complaint and discouragement. Detours and delays of one sort or another occur in the life of every Christian, but they are always for good reason. Remember Christ taught that when we have "been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things" (Matthew 25:21). Trials and detours prepare us for greater responsibility and blessing.
The experience of the children of Israel is a prime example. What started as a detour of perhaps 100 miles developed into a delay of 40 years before they were actually prepared to enter the Promised Land. A mob of slaves--carnal and fearful, selfish and complaining, critical and greedy, worldly and idolatrous--somehow had to become a nation of responsible citizens--disciplined and courageous, industrious and law-abiding, God-fearing and spiritual. This transformation required time and chastening and miraculous guidance, but it was all for their ultimate good and for God's glory.
What God does with His own is by definition right, and we'll understand it better later on. "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (Hebrews 12:11). HMM"
If you never watch another video regarding the issues of Darwinism and scientific naturalism, please watch this video. It is about an hour long but well worth the time.
In it, Dr. John Angus Campbell, a Darwinian skeptic, provides an excellent analysis of the rhetorical approach of Darwin in the Origin of Species. It examines how Darwin uses that approach to masterfully, "convince" and "convict" the reader that serious problems for the hypothesis, such as the geologic column and the lack of transitional fossils in the fossil record, are not "problems at all", if one just uses their imagination. It demonstrates how Darwin masterfully makes a case for his hypothesis and leads the undiscerning reader into accepting the hypothesis based on logical fallacies and self-reinforcing speculations and delusions.
The last few minutes of the video discusses the very real suppression of evidence and intellectual discussion of challenges to Darwinism, both in the scientific academy and in academia, and how, this reality is in and of itself, damaging to the intellectual enterprise.
Please watch it. You will not be disappointed.
"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." (Romans 6:22)
There are several words translated "servants" in the New Testament, but the most common is doulos, as in our text, and its actual meaning is "bondservants," or "slaves." Its root meaning is to tie or bind and was commonly applied to the slaves in the Roman empire at the time of Christ.
The apostle Paul had reminded the Roman Christians that they were the slaves of sin (Romans 6:17) before they had been saved, having yielded their members "servants to uncleanness and to iniquity" (v. 19). In Christ, however, "being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" (v. 18 ). Those who are slaves to sin will ultimately receive the wages of sin, which is death (v. 23), but the wages (or "fruit") of righteousness is holiness and everlasting life, as Paul answers us in our text.
Thus it is not a burden, but a high privilege to "become slaves to God." Paul even called himself, though an apostle, a "slave of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1; etc.), and so did James, Peter, Jude, and John (James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1; Revelation 1:1). We are certainly no better than they, to say the least, so we also need to recognize that if we are genuine Christians, we are slaves of Christ. Since "ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men" (1 Corinthians 7:23), much less "slaves of sin," but of Christ.
This means, of course, that we belong to Him, and He has the right to do as He wills with His own. We have been "bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20), and we owe Him full obedience. As a slave is expected to respond to the voice of his lord, so we must hear and obey His Word, without equivocation. "So now yield your members |slaves| to righteousness unto holiness" (Romans 6:19). HMM"
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