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20
Feb
2023

Biblical Church Membership

Church Membership

Nothing could be more biblical than church membership, right? Churches disagree with one another on a great many things, but there are a few things they all agree on. One of those is that attendees should officially and formally join the congregation by placing membership. This is such a common and accepted practice that almost no one questions it. 

Would it surprise you to learn that the New Testament says nothing about formal church membership? The Bible paints a very different picture of what belonging to a church looks like than what most of us envision. In fact, most Christians have a conceptual framework about church membership that has more in common with corporate legal entities than with the New Testament Scriptures.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Church
13
Feb
2023

Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob's Ladder
Photo: freebibleimages.org

Jacob had bargained for his brother Esau’s birthright and then deceived his father to obtain the covenant blessing. The plan that his mother, Rebekah, hatched for him to receive the blessing had worked, but it came at a big cost. Esau was furious with his brother and planned to kill him once their father, Isaac, was dead. Jacob had to leave his home and seek refuge with Rebekah’s brother. On his way there, he saw a vision of stairs leading to heaven. In this dream, he saw what we call Jacob’s Ladder.

Sending Jacob to his mother’s family was more than just a cover story to protect him from Esau. Isaac and Rebekah wanted to make sure that Jacob did not marry a Canaanite woman. The fact that Esau had married Hittite women made life bitter for his parents (Gen 26:34-35).

Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?” (Gen. 27:46 ESV)

So, Jacob was sent away to Rebekah’s family to find a wife (Gen 28:1). Something very strange, interesting, and special happened to him on his way to Paddan-aram.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Genesis
06
Feb
2023

Was Jacob Foreordained To Receive The Blessing?

Foreordained
Photo: freebibleimages.org

The story of how Jacob came by the birthright and blessing is more complex than it may first appear. It began in the womb with a struggle between brothers. It was such an unusual circumstance that it led their mother, Rebekah, to inquire of God about the situation. God told her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger” (Gen. 25:23 ESV). Was Jacob, the younger brother, foreordained by God to receive the birthright and blessing? Or, did God merely foretell how the future would unfold?

If the only Scriptures which commented on this situation were found in the Genesis passages, we might not be able to get an answer to our question. The language of Genesis 25 and 27 could reasonably infer either option. So, what Scriptures help us to find out if God foreordained Jacob to inherit the blessings?

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Genesis
30
Jan
2023

Birthright And Blessing – Are They The Same Thing?

Birthright

In Genesis 27:36, Esau laments that Jacob, “took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” The birthright usually belonged to the oldest male heir in a family. The oldest son, usually, received double the inheritance of his younger brothers. With this double portion came the responsibility of caring for the extended family which would include the widow of the deceased and any unwed sisters. Thus, the double portion of the material inheritance was to ensure that the recipient of the birthright had the means to take care of the family. 

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Ancient Customs, Genesis
23
Jan
2023

Does 1 Timothy 4:10 Teach Universalism?

Universalism

Universalism is the false teaching that all people will ultimately end up in heaven. According to Universalists, one can die in denial of Christ and/or open rebellion to God and still go to heaven. They teach that there will be a reconciliation between all mankind and God in the afterlife. So, according to this notion, in heaven we’ll be palling around with the likes of Adolph Hitler, Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, etc. These men committed the vilest sins imaginable and, presumably, died never regretting their rejection of God. Universalists say we’ll see them in heaven.

God saves all those who have obedient faith in Him. Therefore, God would have even saved men such as those mentioned above if they repented of their sins and placed their trust in Jesus. That is, if they had done so before they died.

Back in the 1990’s, someone at my church announced that we had a new brother in Christ. We were told that Jeffrey Dahmer had repented of his sins and was baptized in prison.1 I can still remember my shock that God had just let a serial killer off the hook! It violated my sense of justice.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in 1 Timothy