Norbert Link will be speaking this Sabbath, October 19, on true and righteous judgment.
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at the appropriate time, just click on “Connect to Live Stream”.
Please explain Romans 13:3, stating that "rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil." I could think of many rulers who are a terror to good works. Also, do we have to obey civil rulers and their laws in everything?
Paul is talking here about rulers in general, who uphold certain laws to guarantee a civil and peaceful harmonious lifestyle amongst their citizens. Paul is referring to the submission to and the enforcement of civil and criminal laws, such as theft or murder.
Paul is not talking here about the Hitlers or Neros, etc., who are encouraging their citizens to betray Christians or the Jews, so that they can be killed. We need to remember Christ’s statement to OBEY the Pharisees in all that they tell the people, but later, Peter did not obey them when they told him not to preach in the name of Christ. Christ would not obey them, either, to follow their rules of ceremonial washing, or to have no contact with “sinners.” So, Christ was talking about matters which were not in conflict with God’s word. (Notice, too, that John the Baptist openly rebuked Herod for committing adultery with his brother’s wife (Luke 3:19-20). Also, Daniel refused the obey the order of king Darius, not to pray to God, and his three friends disobeyed the order of king Nebuchadnezzar to worship the golden image).
In John 19:11, Christ told Pilate, “‘You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the GREATER sin.”
Christ is giving here an implicit forewarning of accountability and judgment on those — including rulers — who are evil. We are to be ambassadors of Christ and of the Kingdom of God. As such, we still need to be subject to the laws of man, as long as they are not in conflict with the laws of God.
Also, in Luke 4:6, Satan states to Christ that all authority over the kingdoms of this world have presently been given to Satan, and that it is he who gives it to whomever he wishes. Christ does not dispute this claim. In fact, we read that Satan is the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2) and the “god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), who still has a throne on this earth (Rev. 2:13). He and his demons are the current rulers over this world (Eph. 6:12), inspiring civil leaders to obey their will (1. Cor. 2:7-8).
Today, this world is cut off from God, and it is subject to the rule of Satan. God had placed Lucifer on the throne of this earth, but he rebelled and became known as Satan. When he inspired Adam and Eve to sin, God gave mankind 6000 years to find out for themselves that we need God. Still, God decreed that Satan is to remain on his throne, until Jesus Christ comes back to replace him and to restore the government of God on this earth. In that sense, there is “no authority except from God” (Romans 13:1), and all authority “has been given from above” (John 19:11), in that God has not yet replaced Satan and his demons and in that they cannot do anything which God does not ALLOW them to do. At times, God might even directly intervene to insure that a particular person takes over rulership in a particular country, so that God’s overall plan for mankind can be fulfilled (Ex. 9:16). But, we are not to follow them, or their laws, when they are opposing God.
The Broadman Bible Commentary has this to say about Romans 13:3:
“…State officials as rulers deserve the loyalty of Christians only when they do approve good conduct (vv. 3-4a). The corrupt politicians who appeal to the Christian conscience to protect their unjust reign of terror and tyranny should be totally repudiated… As God’s public servant the ruler is to promote the good against the bad.” (p. 257).
The German “Lexikon zur Bibel,” by Fritz Rienecker, points out, under “governing authorities” [“Obrigkeit”]:
“The Bible instructs us, because of God, to obey the governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13-14), and to pray for them (Jer. 29:7; 1 Tim. 2:2). The reason is, that every authority is appointed by God and that it is His servant (Romans 13:1,4)… There is, however, a limit to obedience. That limit is reached, when the instructions of the authority prevent a human being from obeying God (Acts 4:19; 5:29). This freedom, not to follow the will of the authority, Peter defends before the spiritual authority of his own people.”
"That's Good, That's Bad"
Growing up we used to play a game called “That’s Good, That’s Bad”. One person would start a scenario and then everyone would chime in accordingly and say, “That’s good!”, except for the next person in the circle who would say, “No, that’s bad because…” and then everyone would say in unison, “Oh, that’s bad!”, except for the next person in the circle who would say, “No, that’s good because…” and so on and so forth.
For example:
A young man went riding on his favorite horse one day.
That’s good.
No, that’s bad because he fell off and broke his leg.
Oh, that’s bad
No, that’s good because a war broke out and he wasn’t able to be recruited.
Oh, that’s good.
No, that’s bad because…
It was a good opportunity to teach us as children that not everything that seemed good was good nor was everything that seemed bad,bad.
The same is true for us today as adults in God’s Church. We are enduring many trials and sometimes we may wonder to what end. We may ask ourselves how anything good could possibly come out of what I am going through now. We can rest assured knowing that God is working out a purpose in our lives, one in which He is refining us and shaping us into His image.
There is a reason for what we are going through now and many times when we say, “Oh, that’s bad”, God is saying, “No, that’s good!”. During these times of hardship it is our part to be happy with whatever state that find ourselves in and to be thankful in all things as God does a GOOD work in us.
Doctrine! — How Important?
Edwin Pope plans to continue to speak relative to the doctrines with part 2 of his sermon entitled – “Doctrine! … How Important?”
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at the appropriate time, just click on “Connect to Live Stream”.
Preaching the Gospel & Feeding the Flock
Our new booklets, “And
Lawlessness Will Abound” and “The
Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord” were distributed
at our Feast sites in Canada and the U.K. The booklets will be distributed
to the rest of our readership shortly.
Please explain 1 Corinthians 7:14, as it refers to our children.
1 Corinthians 7:14 reads, “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified
by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband;
otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.”
The Ryrie Study Bible gives the following correct explanations of this passage:
“The
presence of a believer in the home sets the home apart and gives it a
Christian influence it would not otherwise have. A believing partner,
therefore, should stay with the unbeliever. However, this does not mean
that children born into such a home are automatically Christians. They
are holy in the sense of being set apart by the presence of one
believing parent.”
Christ makes it very clear that one must be
called by God to have access to God. Generally, when Adam and Eve
sinned against God and were driven out of the garden of Eden, God cut
Himself off from mankind. Christ says in John 6:44, “No one can come to
me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” In this day and age, God
the Father calls or draws only very few. Most people today simply
cannot understand the truth of God, because God has not chosen to
reveal it to them yet (compare 1 Corinthians 1:26-28; 2:6-14). He will
do so later, in His due time (compare Romans 11:26; Ezekiel 37:11-14,
23-28).
Today, most people are still spiritually “unclean,” that
is, God has not cleansed them yet from unrighteousness (compare Romans
6:19; Eph. 4:17-19). But those whom God has called, He has called them
“in holiness,” and not “to uncleanness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7).
God
has decreed that the children of those whom He calls in this day and
age do have access to Him. They are already called — like the rest of
us — “in holiness.” They are not spiritually “unclean.” Even if only
one parent is a Christian, his or her children are “holy” — that is,
they CAN be blessed by having a relationship with God (compare Proverbs
20:7). They still must respond to their calling and choose to take
advantage of the privilege that God has bestowed on them —
nevertheless, God considers them “holy” — they have been set apart for
the holy purpose of walking in God’s way of life.
Netservices
Edwin Pope plans to speak relative to the doctrines
with a sermon entitled – “Doctrine! … How Important?”
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org
at the appropriate time, just click on “Connect to Live Stream”.
Need For Hearing
This Sabbath, Norbert Link will be presenting the sermon, “The Need for Hearing.”
On Monday, September 16, is the Day of Atonement. Edwin Pope will be covering important aspects of the meaning of that annual Holy Day in his sermon “A World At One With God.”
This will be the last Update prior to the Feast of Tabernacles, which will begin Friday evening, September 20. Our next Update is scheduled to appear on October 4th.
We wish all our members, supporters, and readers a rewarding and uplifting Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles.
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at the appropriate time, just click on “Connect to Live Stream”.
A special note: All of the Feast services will be broadcast on the Internet, beginning with opening night. For dates and times please go to www.COGNetServices.org
Feast of Trumpets
This Sabbath is the Feast of Trumpets. We will be broadcasting two services over Internet, covering important aspects of the meaning of the Holy Day.
In the morning, Dave Harris will be presenting the sermon, “The Way of Peace.”
In the afternoon, Norbert Link will be speaking on the reasons why Jesus Christ will return to this earth.
We wish all our members, supporters, and readers a rewarding and uplifting Feast of Trumpets.
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at the appropriate time, just click on “Connect to Live Stream”.
Sabbath For Jews Only?
Isn’t the Sabbath for the Jews only, and didn’t God introduce the Sabbath to the Jews for the first time in Exodus 16?
It is not correct that the Sabbath is mentioned for the first time in Exodus 16, or that God introduced the Sabbath to the people at that time. The Sabbath is mentioned in the very second chapter of the Bible, where God set it aside as HOLY, to be USED by man for a HOLY purpose.
God created the Sabbath at the time when He created man. We read in Genesis 2:2, “He RESTED on the seventh day from all His work…Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work.” The word for “rested,” in the Hebrew, is “shabath,” and it means, according to Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, “to cease, rest, keep Sabbath.” God created the Sabbath at the time of the creation of man, by RESTING or ceasing from His work, and He “sanctified” that day, that is, He “set it aside for a holy purpose.”
Later, we read, in Exodus 20:11 that God had “rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the SABBATH day and hallowed it.”
Also, we read that God made the Sabbath for MAN — not only for the Jews or the Israelites (Mark 2:27).
The reason that God had to re-introduce the Sabbath to the people in Exodus 16, is that they had come out of slavery in Egypt, where they had FORGOTTEN to keep the Sabbath. They were under hard bondage and forced to work every day, and they were obviously not allowed to keep the Sabbath. So, in time, they got used to not keeping it. Note what God said to Moses, after they had, for the first time, gone out on the Sabbath to gather manna: “HOW LONG do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the LORD has given you the Sabbath…” (Exodus 16:28-29). The people had not kept God’s Sabbath for a very LONG time — that’s why God is asking, “HOW LONG do you refuse” to keep it holy?