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House Rules Posted By Pastor Ricky Kurth On March 1, 2019 @ 2:41 pm In Bible Study Articles,Two Minutes With the Bible |  When Paul left the island of Crete, he left Titus behind to “ordain elders in every city” (Tit. 1:5). As we read on, Paul explains why the churches in those cities needed spiritual leaders urgently: “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision” (Titus 1:10). Crete’s churches needed leaders to deal with some “unruly” men. The word unruly means someone who refuses to be ruled. Of course, the only thing you should allow to rule your life spiritually is the Bible. That’s why Hebrews 13:7 describes spiritual leaders as “them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God.” But that means that the “unruly” men in Crete must have been men who didn’t want to be ruled by God’s Word.  And since they were “specially…of the circumcision” (Tit. 1:10), they probably didn’t want to be ruled by what Titus taught them from God’s Word, that “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision” (Gal. 6:15), and so refused to “walk according to this rule” (v. 16). Unruly Jews in those days preferred to be ruled by the Law of Moses instead. They were proud of being “Moses’ disciples” (John 9:28), and wouldn’t want to hear that “we are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:15). Perhaps you are thinking, “Hold on, Pastor! The Law was part of the Word of God, and you just said that those unruly men didn’t want to be ruled by the Word!” They didn’t!—that is, they didn’t want to be ruled by the Word of God for today. They wanted to be ruled by the Law, the Word of God from the previous dispensation. But if you’re not allowing your spiritual life to be ruled by God’s Word for today, you’re not being ruled by God’s Word. To make matters worse, we know that these unruly Jews were teaching others that they were under the Law, for Paul called them “unruly and vain talkers…whose mouths must be stopped” (Tit. 1:10,11). And we know that Timothy had the same problem in Ephesus where he was stationed (I Tim. 1:3), for Paul told him, “…some…have turned aside unto vain jangling; desiring to be teachers of the law…” (I Tim. 1:6,7). As you can see, there were also unruly talkers in Ephesus who wanted to teach the Law to others. And did you notice Paul called their words “vain jangling?” That matches Paul’s description of the “unruly and vain talkers” in Crete (Tit. 1:10). And that confirms that the trouble in Crete was being caused by this same desire to be teachers of the Law. By the way, that word “vain” means empty.  The Law was full of God’s blessing for the Jews to whom He gave it, but it is empty of God’s blessing for those of us who are not under the Law, but under grace. So if you don’t want to be an unruly Christian, just do what Paul tells us to do in Philippians 3:16,17: …let us walk by the same rule… be followers together of me.” The only way to avoid being an unruly Christian is to follow Paul’s teachings of grace! The Law of Moses was fine for “the house of Israel” (Acts 2:36), but not for “the house of God, which is the church” (I Tim. 3:15). If you’re not walking by Paul’s rules of grace, you’re walking by the wrong house rules!

Mark’s record of our Lord’s commission to the eleven clearly states: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). As to unbelievers, baptism, of course, did not even enter into their case, thus the record goes on to say, “and he that believeth not shall be damned [condemned].”This passage has always presented a problem for Fundamentalists who cling to the practice of water baptism and deny the special revelation committed to Paul for the present dispensation. The result has been that some change the meaning of this passage, while others contend that the last twelve verses of Mark 16 are not in the inspired originals.To change this passage to read, “He that believeth and is saved ought to be baptized,” is simply to pervert and misrepresent the written Word of God. If a minister in the pulpit can lightly do this to one passage, beware of him; he may do it to others too.As to the argument that the closing portion of Mark’s Gospel is not in the original, we reply that one cannot look into this contention without concluding that it is part of the inspired text.First, it must be remembered that we have no original manuscripts of the Bible. Second, the manuscripts we do have contain it in the ratio of 300 to 1. Third, the Vatican and Sinaitic manuscripts, which do not contain it, leave spaces where it has been omitted. Fourth, we have translations earlier than our oldest manuscripts which do contain it. Fifth, we have the writings of fathers who lived still earlier, containing quotations from this passage.The most conclusive evidence, however, is that contained in Peter’s testimony at Pentecost. Surely Peter was working under the “great commission” at this time. Surely, also, he was better able to interpret the commission than we are. The Lord had already “opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). With eyes thus opened, the apostles further sat under Christ’s special instructions for forty days before His ascension (Acts 1:3). And to cap it all, we read that “THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST” (Acts 2:4).Surely, under such conditions Peter could not have misinterpreted his commission. And are the terms laid down in Mark 16:16 omitted from his offer of salvation, or does he change or minimize them aught? Indeed not! He emphasizes them as he says to his convicted hearers:“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).Surely, Spirit-filled Peter, taught for forty days by Christ, with his understanding opened to God’s revealed plan, would not have demanded water baptism for the remission of sins if he had not been instructed to do so. Those who would seek to eliminate Mark’s record of the commission to the eleven (later twelve) have this further fact to face. Sad to say, some also misrepresent these words of Peter’s by substituting three periods or an “etc.” for the words “for the remission of sins.”Peter interpreted the rest of the Mark commission correctly too, for as it says, “these signs shall follow them that believe,” and he promised that “the gift of the Holy Spirit” (for miraculous power) would follow repentance and baptism.Unless Fundamentalists are ready to interpret and proclaim the message of Mark 16:15-18 as Peter did, they should acknowledge that we are to labor, not under the so-called great commission given to the eleven, but under that much greater commission given by the ascended Lord to Paul and to us (2 Cor. 5:14-21); that commission in which water baptism has no place, but the all-sufficiency of Christ and His finished work is the theme.

Many religious people take the Lord Jesus Christ as their pattern in life. They call Him “The Great Example”. When problems arise, they ask themselves: “What would Jesus do?” They seek salvation by “walking in His steps”.While our Lord’s moral and spiritual virtues are indeed worthy of emulation, there were many details in His conduct which we should not imitate. For example, none of us would be in a position to pronounce upon the religious hypocrites of our day the bitter woes which our Lord pronounced upon the Pharisees of His day — simply because we all have so much of the Pharisee in us.Certainly we cannot be saved by “following Christ,” or striving to live as He did. His perfect holiness would only emphasize our unrighteousness and condemn us. He came to save us, not by His life, but by His death. “CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS” (ICor.15:3), and sinners are “reconciled to God by the deathof His Son” (Rom.5:10).But God has given us a pattern for salvation. It is none other than the Apostle Paul, the chief of sinners saved by grace. Hear what he says by divine inspiration:“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, THAT CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS, of whom I am chief” (ITim.1:15).Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, remember, had led his nation and the world in rebellion against God and His Christ. He was “exceedingly mad” against the disciples of Christ and “breathed threatening and slaughter” against them. Why then, did God save him? He goes on to tell us in the next verse:“Howbeit [but] for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, FOR A PATTERN to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting” (Ver.16).The moral: Take your stand with Paul. Admit you are a sinner and his Saviour will save you too.

Occasionally the Lord’s apostles are charged with acting arbitrarily in choosing Matthias to take Judas’ place. It is said that they first chose two candidates and then asked God which of these two He would have to fill the vacant position. Paul, according to some, was actually God’s choice for Judas’ place. But this charge is not based upon the record of Scripture. 1. The apostles, with Peter as their chief, had been given authority to act officially in Christ’s ab-sence (Matt.16:19; 18: 18,19). 2. They acted upon the Scriptural declaration that another apostle should be chosen to fill Judas’ place (Psa.109:8; cf. Acts 1:20). 3. Their action was bathed in many days of united prayer (Luke 24:49; cf. Acts 1:12-15), and when two candidates were found they again prayed and left the final choice in the hands of God (Acts 1:24-26). 4. Probably only two (Matthias and Joseph Barsabas) were eligible, for only those could qualify who had followed Christ continuously from the day of His baptism by John until His ascension to heaven (Acts 1:21,22; cf. Matt.19:28, “Ye which have followed Me”). 5. Paul would not have been eligible, for he had not even seen Christ during His earthly ministry (ICor. 15:8). 6. The conclusive proof that the eleven acted in the will of God in this matter is found in the fact that the Scripture clearly states that Matthias “was numbered with the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:26) and that “THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT” (Acts 2:4). Men out of the will of God are not filled with the Holy Spirit. Thus Paul stands separate and distinct from the twelve as the apostle of the present dispensation of grace (Eph.3:1-3).