When God Came Near

Jeff Curtis

At the most basic level, the Gospel accounts are written presentations of the good news that God intervened in the world to rescue from sin and its consequences anyone who would accept His offer. He did this through His Son, the Messiah, a descendent of David. The commonly used word for this deliverance is “salvation.” Luke’s account emphasizes this theme from the beginning. We see some of its most important aspects in the account of Mary in chapter one.

Salvation: Because God Reigns. Like Matthew and Mark, Luke emphasizes that the events bringing salvation occurred because God was beginning His long-promised reign in the world. Both the verb “reign” and the noun form “kingdom” are used in Luke 1:33; “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 

Luke’s account also expresses the idea in other terms. In 1:28, Gabriel told Mary, “The Lord is with you.” In 1:35, he told her the she would conceive, then explained “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Mary also learned that the aged Elizabeth had conceived because “nothing will be impossible with God” (1:36,37). In 1:46-56, Mary exalted the Lord in words emphasizing His mercy, mighty deeds, and control over events. These points of emphasis remind us that we shouldn’t minimize God’s reign as we think about and declare the good news of salvation.

Salvation: About God’s Glory. Throughout Mary’s hymn of praise, chapter one makes it clear that only God should receive the glory for salvation. Three verses show this. In 1:46, Mary began her praise to God for what He was doing through he by declaring, “My soul magnifies the Lord” (ESV). The word rendered “exalts” in the NASB, refers to greatness. In 1:49, Mary used another form of the word, to reaffirm the “great things” the “Mighty One” was doing for her. She also praised His holiness (Psalm 99:3; 103:1; 111:9; Isaiah 57:15). In 1:50, citing Psalm 103:7, she added praise for God’s “mercy.” Mary’s praise reminds us that we must guard against the tendency to over-emphasize our own ideas and accomplishments. Without God, we are nothing.

Salvation: Because God Acts in History. Mary conceived while still a virgin because God took the initiative to enter the world to do what needed to be done for humanity’s salvation (Luke 1:27,34,35,37). He was completing what He had promised and begun in the Old Testament. From conception through death, Jesus experienced the lot of every person (Heb. 2:9-18). In His resurrection, He led the way to what is possible for every person (1Cor. 15:20-23). Paul emphasized that Jesus, God’s Son, was the first of a new creation (Romans 8:16,17; 2Cor. 5:17).

God’s power is available to us today (Eph. 1:19-23), both for our sanctification (1Cor. 1:30; 1Thess.4:1-8; Heb. 12:14) and our work of evangelism (Acts 1:8). To benefit fully from His power, we must remember three things: God’s rule, God’s glory, and God’s aim to change the world by getting involved in the lives of mankind.

A New Beginning

By Jeff Curtis

The people of Israel had to learn new goals, values and directions. Their former lives had consisted only of making a precise number of bricks per day. They had lived in slavery. At Mount Sinai, God was gave them a new beginning. The book of Numbers shows us four beginnings for Israel.

1. A new beginning in living. God had the camp organized into structural living. Each tribe was to camp by their particular standard.
2. A new beginning in worship. God’s tabernacle was constructed, and the people were soon to celebrate the Passover as God’s religious instructions were implemented.
3. A new beginning in military service. God raised an army, and the “numbering” (census) of Israel would partially determine who served.
4. A new beginning in hope and promise. The people would soon be ready to march away from Sinai toward Canaan, the Promised Land. The book of Numbers traces their successes and failures, their progression and their promises.

The kingdom of God gives us opportunities of service unto Christ our King. Paul said, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Just as God had planned in advance the activities He desired Israel to engage in as they marched toward His promise, God has planned for us to have useful and meaningful lives in Christ as we march toward His promised rest. Heaven (Heb. 3:7-4:11). Each day He gives us blessings and opportunities to serve Him. Do we have the faith to pray both for them to come our way and for the abilities to recognize and seize them when they come to us?

Four Reasons We Don’t Observe the Sabbath

by Ethan Jennings

Why doesn’t the church of Christ worship on Saturday? Isn’t it supposed to? This is what those among the Seventh-Day Adventists have asked. They claim that we fail to obey God by not worshipping on the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. They claim that we need to continue to keep the Sabbath just as the Jews in Old Testament days did.

When one examines the issue, he will find that there are many reasons we don’t worship on the Sabbath. Here are four reasons:

1. God wants us to worship on the first day of the week (Acts 2:42, 20:7, cf. 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Heb. 10:24-25). No command is given for worship on the Sabbath or seventh day of the week.

2. The Sabbath was for the Jews only. This is made evident in the phrase, “this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations” (Ex. 31:13). Whose “generations” does God refer? The Jews’ generations! We are not Israelites. We are not Jews. We were not slaves in Egypt nor our ancestors (Deut. 5:15). The Sabbath was for the Jews to observe, not us.

3. There is no command, example, or necessary implication in the New Testament for observing the Sabbath.

4. The Law of Moses (a.k.a. Law of God) was nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14-16). Therefore, it is no longer in effect. This includes the Sabbath!

This is not to say we can’t worship God in certain ways on the last day of the week. Sometimes brethren meet for gospel meetings on Saturdays, where there’s singing, praying, and preaching. This is not, however, a Sabbath observance. This is a day we sometimes choose to meet during the week. The first day of the week is the day mentioned in the New Testament for Christians to worship – not the Sabbath.

The Old Paths, 12/11/22