Radio Program

     This  is  to notify the readers of my blogs, who live  in  Indiana, Ohio,
Alabama and Tennessee, that God willing, beginning April 10th I will host
a radio program. The name of the program is "THE BIBLE IS RIGHT."
It will air from 4:15 till 4:30 PM in Indianapolis, In. on station WBRI 
1500 on the AM dial,  and in Huntsville, Alabama  from 5:15 to 5:30
PM on station  WBXR 1140 on the AM dial. I was informed by the
stations' national headquarters that the potential number of listeners is
about 4 million!

     I will address specific issues, explain biblical texts, and receive
questions from the audience. It is my prayer that God will be glorified
as a result of the work on the radio network.

                                                                                                  RD

When Were They Forgiven?

     Luke tells us that when the Jews delivered Jesus up to the Romans for
crucifixion, that while on the cross, Jesus prayed to God, "Father, forgive
them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

     Many people have assumed that Jesus was asking God to forgive his
murderers on the spot, without any conditions except the fact that they
were acting in ignorance. It is my studied conviction that they are wrong
in their conclusion for the following reasons.

     First, the fact that they were ignorant was not an excuse for their sin
of crucifying the Savior. Peter told the Jews in Acts chapter 3, "Now, fellow
Israelites, I know you acted in ignorance as did your leaders. But this is how
God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his
Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may
be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the
Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you;
even Jesus." (Acts 3:17-20) If they were forgiven while in a state of ignorance,
Peter didn't know it because he says in effect, they needed to repent and turn
to God because they had sins that needed to be wiped away.

     Second, if those for whom Jesus prayed were forgiven at the time he
prayed, they themselves didn't know it because on the day of Pentecost,
when Peter told them that they crucified Jesus, whom God made both Lord
and Messiah, "they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other
apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' " (Acts 2:36-37)  They were asking,
"What shall we do in order to be released from the guilt we have incurred?"

     Third, if the Jews were forgiven at the time Jesus prayed, the Holy
Spirit didn't know it. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit from heaven
to guide the apostles into all the truth and to teach them what to say when
proclaiming the message of salvation. (Jno. 14:25-26; 16:13) On the day
of Pentecost, the apostles spoke as the Holy Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:4)
The Holy Spirit through Peter told them to "Repent and be immersed so that
your sins may be forgiven." (Acts 2:38) In the Spirit's mind, the guilt of the
people for whom Jesus prayed was unforgiven till they heard and obeyed
the words from the apostles' mouths.

     Fourth, there were conditions that the Jews would be required to
meet in order to be forgiven. The Spirit through Peter said, "Repent
and be immersed." They had not met the conditions of forgiveness at
the time Jesus prayed, so they could not have been forgiven at that time.
Why would they repent when Jesus prayed, as they thought they were
doing the right thing by crucifyng the Lord?

     The  prayer  of  Jesus  was  a  request  that  when  the  gospel is
proclaimed and the terms of pardon stipulated, that the Jews who
comply would receive  pardon of their heinous sin of crucifying God's
sinless Son. God forgave them on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:1,38)
                                                                                             RD

Copyright 2011
,
    

Rom. 6:3-4 And The Necessity of Immersion

     One  of   the most hotly debated topics in the religious world is whether or
not a person must be immersed in order to be saved. Many private and public
discussions  have  been  conducted  on this  topic.  The  question  cannot  be
answered    by   human   emotions,  tradition,  or   appealing  to   non-biblical
sources. We must appeal to the word of the living God as the rule of faith and
practice. It holds the answer to the question. (Jas. 1:25; 2 Pet. 1:3)

     In  my  judgment, one of the simplest and most unassailable agruments in
sacred scripture that proves the absolute necessity of being immersed in order
to be saved  is a statement by Paul  in his letter  to the  brothers  and  sisters
in Rome.

     "Do you not know that all of us who have been immersed into Christ Jesus
were immersed into his death? We were buried therefore with him by immersion
into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
we too might walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6:3-4)

     A couple of important questions are in order: Can a person be saved from
sin without being "in Christ?"  No.  The scriptures teach us that salvation is  in
Christ. (Acts 4:12; 1 Thess. 5:9; 2 Tim. 2:10) Can a person be saved from sin
without receiving the benefits of the blood of Christ? No.  The scriptures teach
us  that  we  receive  forgiveness through his blood. (Mat. 26:28; Rom. 3:25;
Eph. 1:7)

     In view of the answers to the foregoing questions, it is therefore conclusively
proven that immersion is essential to salvation. Why? Because Paul said so!
How? He says we are "immersed into Christ Jesus" and we are "immersed
into his death." Paul uses "immersed" in both phrases and in both phrases the
act of  immersion is followed by the preposition "into" (eis) in Greek. This is very
significant because the preposition "into" (eis) informs us that a transition takes
place when one is immersed. When a person is immersed he goes from one place
or relationship "into" another place or relationship! He goes from being "out of"
Christ Jesus where there is no salvation, to being in Christ where there is salvation.
He goes from being without the benefits of Christ's death to being in his death
where there is deliverance through his blood! According to Paul, one enters both
states "through" immersion. (v.4) Paul also says, "we were buried therefore with
him through immersion!" There is no "newness of life" prior to immersion because
there is no new life out of Christ, and  a  person  is  not  in   Christ until  he  is
immersed.

     So, in the mind of Paul the Lord's apostle, there is a direct correlation between
immersion and salvation from past sins. His argument is simple and indisputable.
Friends, those of you who have not been immersed should act today. It is God's
will that you receive the benefit of divine grace and mercy by being immersed
into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Mat. 28:19)

                                                                                                                RD

Copyright 2011

1 Cor. 13:8-13

     "Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues,
they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and
we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I
became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly,
but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I
have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but
the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:8-13; ESV)

     In 1 Corinthians chapters 12, 13, and 14 Paul discusses various aspects
of  spiritual  gifts. The   phrase   spiritual   gifts   refers   to  the  miraculous
endowments, that  were  bestowed  on  believers in the age of the apostles
through   the  laying  on  of  the  apostles'  hands.  (cf. Acts 8:14-19; 19:6;
Rom. 1:11) In  chapter 12  Paul  details  the  enumeration of the gifts. In
chapter 13  he  discusses  the  cessation of  the gifts, and in chapter 14 he
discusses the regulation of the gifts.

     The question before us is this: is there anything in the context of Paul's
discussion of spiritual gifts that tells us  when they would end? The answer
is yes. How do we know?

     Paul says "Love never ends." Love, intense interest in the well-being of
others, is permanent. It survives time and eternity. "God is love," that is, he
is characterized by love, and all that he does is motivated by love. (1 Jno.
4:8,16) He immediately names three things that will pass away and cease;
prophecies  (miraculously  speaking  forth or disclosing  the  will  of  God);
tongues (spoken languages that were not learned by ordinary methods,
but  were miraculously bestowed  by  the Holy  Spirit.); and knowledge
(miraculous  understanding  or  insight). The three gifts   mentioned   are  
a   part   of   those  enumerated  in  chapter  12, therefore by the figure of
speech known as synecdoche, in which a part of   the  named  items  stands 
for  the  whole,  prophecies,  tongues, and knowledge are representative of
all spiritual gifts.

     The text clearly says that the gifts will cease. When will they pass away?
Notice that Paul says, "we know in part and we prophesy in part, but
when  the  perfect  comes,  the  partial  will pass away." Instead of  "the
perfect" the NRSV more accurately says, "the complete"  to represent the
Greek phrase "to teleion." The gifts, which are "in part" would pass away
or cease when "the perfect" comes. I believe it is significant that the  gifts 
Paul  mentions; prophecies,  tongues,  and  knowledge were revelatory gifts.
They were the miraculous manifestations through which the word of God
was conveyed to the nations. None of the individuals who were endowed
with the gifts, separately  contained  the  totality of God's  word on every
subject. Each  person  had  a  "part"  and  when  all  the parts were made
known through the people who were thus endowed, the means by which
the bestowal occurred would be taken away. The miracles would cease. 

     This is especially apparent  when we take note of the illustration Paul
uses in the context. "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought
like a child, I reasoned  like  a  child. When I became a man I gave up  
childish ways." (13:11)  The one  who  was a child is the same one who
became  a  man. There was  simply a  different stage of development or
maturity.  Just so,  the  state of   infancy   ("in part")   gave   way   to the
full-grown  ("the complete")  in  the  sense, that the  information  which 
was   initially  in  men  in   varying   "degrees"   was  made available   in 
complete and  final  form  and constitutes the new covenant. All spiritual 
gifts have ceased because "the complete" has come. Thanks  be  to  God
for his complete revelation!

     The  best   lectures   I   have   ever   heard   on 1 Cor. 12, 13, and 14 
were  delivered by Alan E. Highers. The lectures  are available as a three
volume  set  of   CDs   from   Freed-Hardeman  University's  Recording 
Department. His arguments are biblical, clear, logical, and unassailable.
                                                                                                             RD

Copyright 2011

What is a Bible Scholar?

     It is often alleged that biblical scholarship is determined by colleges or
universities attended, degrees obtained, vocabulary used, and accolades
bestowed. Those  things may constitute  the  criteria  used  by academia
to define scholarship, but  they  are  not  the true bases upon which one
defines biblical scholarship.

     The right kind of education is very important. It gives one some of
the   needed  tools  for   his  own  mental  development,  and   for  his
contributions  to  humanity. A  person  should  seek  to  attain as much
education as he needs to "keep his feet on the ground." There is nothing
inherently wrong with being both religiously and secularly educated. We
want to avoid intellectual snobbery on both sides of the academic fence.
There are people who have attained educational status at the "doctorate"
level, yet they find no grounds for boasting. They let the facts speak for
themselves. Instead of calling undue attention to themselves, they resolve
to  "hide  behind  the cross,"  and  allow  the  word  of  God  to be the
centerpiece of their life's work. (1 Cor. 2:1-5)

     Academic achievements alone are not the basis of true scholarship.
Evidence of this can be seen in the fact that many men and women who
have PhD's are unable (or unwilling) to understand the simplest texts in
God's word. (Mat. 16:18; 25:46; Acts 2:38; Eph. 5:19, etc.) They have
spent many years learning, but are unable to come to the knowledge of
the truth.

     Genuine  scholarship  involves  thoroughness  of research, depth of
thought, mastery of material, and accuracy of  reasoning. These are the
things for which God's scholars strive, regardless of where they obtained
their  education. A  Bible  scholar   is   a  person  who  has  spent  years
believing,  loving,  thoroughly  researching, applying, and defending  God's
word against all attacks in and out of the kingdom of God.
                                                                                                   RD

Copyright 2011

Homosexuality or Homosexual Abuse?

     It is sometimes alleged that God's word does not condemn homosexuality
(consensual sex between two males) as an act, but the condemnation rests
on homosexual abuse (forced sex or the rape of one male by another male).
The only way to decide the issue is to allow the sacred scriptures to speak for
themselves.

     First, we want to be emphatic: God loves all people regardless of their
condition. The word "love" (agape)  means to have high interest in the well-
being  of  others. (Jno. 3:16)  The issue is not whether God loves all human
beings. God loves everybody, including homosexuals!

     Second, we want to be clearly understood; God desires all people to be
saved  regardless  of  their  animosity  toward  him or the depth of their moral
corruption. All  people  will  not be  saved  because all  will not  appropriate
God's  grace that he extends to them. Nevertheless, God "desires" all people
to be saved. (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9) God desires that homosexuals be saved.

     It is important therefore for us not to be detoured by "side issues." There
would be no debate if it were a matter of God's love for homosexuals. That
issue has been settled, and all informed people who oppose homosexuality
love the homosexuals, and they teach that God loves homosexuals. The
issue is this: does God's word condemn the act of homosexuality or only
so-called homosexual abuse?

     Homosexuality has always been understood as a violation of God's will
for mankind. It was wrong during patriarchy, Judaism, and in these days, the
age of the N.T.

     In Gen. 19, when the angels entered Lot's house, "the men of the city, the
men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded
the house; and they called to Lot, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight?
Bring them out to us , so that we may know them." (verses 4-5; NRSV) The
men of the city wanted to "know" them. The word "know" (yada) means to
"know sexually, to lie with." (A Bilingual Dictionary of the Hebrew and 
Aramaic Old Testament, Ludwig Koehler & Walter Baumgartner, page
365)  The men of Sodom wanted to have sexual relations with the angels who
entered Lot's house. Lot's reasoned response was "I beg you, my brothers,
do not act so wickedly." (v. 7) He knew that Yahweh's will was not for men
to lie with men as with women, so he offered them his daughters. (v. 8) In
this  context  the  condemnation  rests  on  the  act  itself,  not some alleged
homosexual abuse.

     Homosexuality was also understood to be wrong during the time when
Moses' law was binding on the nation of Israel. Yahweh through Moses said,
"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." (Lev.
18:22; NRSV) In this text it is the act itself that is condemned. "You shall not
lie with a male as with a woman." The phrases "lie with" and "as with" show
sexual intent; hence sexual intimacy is indicated. These phrases show us that
Yahweh condemns the act of homosexuality. He calls it  "an abomination."
In the eyes of Yahweh  homosexuality  is an  atrocious evil. It is an act that
God detests. Homosexuality was a capital offense under the law of Moses.
(cf. Lev. 20:13)

     The  new   covenant   also  expresses   God's   disdain   for   the  sin of
homosexuality.    Paul     places      it     under     the    classification      of
"degrading   passions,"   "unnatural   intercourse,"   "indecent   acts,"  and
"error/deviation."   (Rom. 1:26-27)   It   is  the  act itself that is degrading,
unnatural,  indecent,  and perverted. It  is  a  deviation  from  that which is
according  to  God's standard for male and female relations. Paul  says both
partners in a  homosexual  relationship  are  "wrongdoers,"  and  they "will
not inherit the kingdom of God." In order to be acceptable with God, they
must be "washed," "sanctified," and "justified" in the name of the Lord Jesus
and by the Spirit of our God. As long as they practice the sin of homosexuality
they are neither "washed," "sanctified," or "justified." (1 Cor. 6:9-11)

     Homosexuality is an act that God's word declares to be sinful, against
nature,   degrading,   indecent,   and  therefore   unacceptable   to   God.
Homosexuality itself  is  an  act  that  involves abuse of one's body, mind,
partner,  society,  God's  law,  and  soul!  God  desires that homosexuals
repent, cease their evil practices, and  be  immersed  into  the name of the
Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy Spirit in order to receive the
forgiveness of their sins, including the sin of homosexuality (Mat. 28:19;
Acts 2:38)
                                                                                                          RD

Copyright 2011