CONDITION OF SOCIETY

“Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel, for the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: there is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land” (Hosea 4:1 NKJV).

The condition of society in Hosea’s day is an apt description of the condition in our society today. It is a condition that upsets God and will result in judgment upon the guilty. Thus we want to note three conditions which greatly upset God: lack of truth, lack of mercy, and lack of knowledge.

Lack of truth – “There is no truth . . . in the land.” This lack of truth represents a lack of character in the land, as spelled out in verse 2, “By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed.” This sounds a lot like our society today which is filled with crime and immorality. Being greatly displeased, God will surely bring judgment if there is no repentance of these evils.

Lack of mercy – “There is no . . . mercy . . . in the land.” When we consider the cruelty and injustice in our society, we quickly realize the lack of mercy and compassion. With all the crime and violence resulting in broken homes and broken lives, little is being done to oppose and remove this scourge from society. If the leaders in society had any mercy and compassion, they would go after these evils with a vengeance.

Lack of knowledge – “There is no . . . knowledge of God in the land.” Folks today are ignorant of God’s will and His way because they do not know Him. People do not read or study the Bible, or attend church as they ought. Spiritual ignorance abounds in our land. This is the worst ignorance of all. No ignorance is as perilous and destructive as ignorance of God. We have increased our knowledge in many areas - we can split the atom and travel to the moon - but we do not know God well at all.

(Adapted from Butler's Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Sin is not weakness, it is a disease; it is red-handed rebellion against God and the magnitude of that rebellion is expressed by Calvary’s cross!”

Oswald Chambers (1874 - 1917)

Scottish Evangelical Bible Teacher and Military Chaplain

Word Study

Endure hardship

In 2 Tim. 4:5 we read, “But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry!” (NASB).

Endure hardship is the Greek word kakopathéō (κακοπαθέω = kak-op-ath-eh'-o). It means to suffer physical pain, hardship, troubles, problems, difficulties, evils or distress. In classic Greek kakopathéō means to suffer misfortune or to be in distress. In the Septuagint, kakopathéō was used only once (Jonah 4:10), and carried the idea of labor over. In the New Testament, kakopathéō was frequently used to describe the hardships inherent in military service. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we must all voluntarily and patiently endure hardship and suffering for the gospel’s sake.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“And David said unto him, fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually” (2 Sam. 9:7 KJV).

Did You Know…

Taking the vow of a Nazarite meant that a person could not eat grapes, cut their hair, or touch a dead body (Num. 6:2-9).

Bible Quiz

How did Peter view baptism?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: According to the Lord Jesus, what is it that causes a man to be defiled? Evil that comes from the heart (Mark 7:20-23).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“ADVOCATE”

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous!” (1 John 2:1 NKJV).

1. Meaning – ADVOCATE speaks of the Lord Jesus as our mediator, intercessor, and lawyer.

2. Insights – God does not want His children sinning. But if we sin, all is not lost; we still remain children of God. The fellowship will be disrupted because of sin, but the Father-child relationship still continues. How, then, is the fellowship restored? The believer has One who speaks to the Father in his defense; our Advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. Confession and repentance of sin brings forgiveness.

Did You Know – Christian History

Martin Bucer was born November 11, 1491, in Alsace, France. He was a German Protestant Reformer.

Originally, Bucer took the vows of a Dominican friar and studied under Erasmus. Later, Bucer met Martin Luther and heard him teach. In 1521, he became convinced of Luther’s assertion that faith alone is needed for salvation (Eph. 2:8-9) and that the Bible is the sole source of one’s faith (2 Tim. 3:16).

When Bucer moved to Strasburg, France, he became the pastor of a parish and sought to spread the Reformation in France and Italy. While in France, Bucer met John Calvin, who had been exiled from Geneva. During his time with Calvin, Bucer influenced Calvin’s views on worship and liturgy and encouraged the younger theologian to return to Geneva.

One of Bucer’s goals was to reconcile differences among the Reformed denominations. For example, the followers of Luther and Zwingli disagreed on the theology behind the Lord’s Supper. Luther held to the view of consubstantiation, which teaches that Christ is spiritually present in the elements of the Eucharist. Zwingli held to the belief of memorialism, which teaches that the Lord’s Supper is done in remembrance of what Jesus did for believers on the cross. Bucer held to a middle view between Luther’s and Zwingli’s beliefs and maintained that Christians from both camps could join in unity. This attempt at reconciling both views culminated in the Marburg Colloquy of 1529, but it did not end with the unification that Bucer had hoped.

Bucer not only attempt to reconcile denominations within Protestant circles, but he also tried to bridge the gap between Roman Catholics and Protestants. Bucer took part in Charles V’s attempts at Catholic and Protestant reconciliation at the Colloquy of Regensburg in 1541. While agreeing on certain issues, there was disagreement on justification. The Protestants held that Scripture taught that works are not needed for salvation, but the Catholics urged the inclusion of works for perfecting salvation. Luther along with the Protestants, including Bucer, rejected the declaration.

In 1549, Bucer was forced to leave Strasbourg; he moved to England at the request of Thomas Cranmer. While in England, Bucer became a professor of divinity at Cambridge University. Bucer died in Cambridge in February 1551, and was buried in the university church. In 1557 Catholic Queen Mary considered even the memory of Bucer so dangerous that she had his bones dug up and burned; his demolished tomb was subsequently restored by order of Queen Elizabeth I. While not as widely known as Reformers such as Luther, Calvin, or Zwingli, Bucer had a wide influence and is best known today for his commitment to compromise.

A Little Humor

In a discussion on church attendance, Peter made this comment, “I don’t know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“True repentance means not only a heart broken for sin but also from sin!”