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The Cornerstone
This is the Stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the Chief Conerstone." Acts 4:11
Pulbished to Support the Work of the West End Church of Christ, Richmond, Virginia
Volume 9 * Number 13* April 1, 2007
WHAT KIND OF RELIGION
DO YOU HAVE?
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:27
What kind of religion do we have? Is it pure? Is it undefiled? To God and the Father what kind of religion we have matters.
Visiting orphans and widows in their time of need demonstrates a religion that is active. This point is made earlier by James when he said, "But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, …" (verse 22) Pure religion works at living like the Master.
Pure religion also involves the individual being pure…undefiled. This happens when we keep ourselves unspotted from the world. We live here but we do not set up home here. We do not conform to this world but transform our lives to that which is good, acceptable and the perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)
For many, their religion is like a wheelbarrow, one that is easily upset and must be pushed. For others it is like a bus which is ridden only when it travels their way. And for others it is like a spare tire which is only used in case of an emergency.
So what kind of religion do you have? Again, James reminds us that what we are doing is "before God and the Father" God knows the answer to our question. Do we?
Stacy CrimAn Empty Tomb In Palestine
David Padfield
The photograph above is of a small tomb near Haifa in Israel. The tomb was discovered several years ago as construction workers were preparing the roadbed for a new highway.
Obviously this is not the tomb in which our Lord was placed after his death. However, it does give us some insight into ancient tombs.
As you look at this photograph you are reminded of how Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus and "laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb" (Matt. 27:60).
If you look carefully you can see a small trough in which the round stone was rolled to close the cave. You can see how easy it would have been for Roman soldiers to secure the door by "sealing the stone" (Matt. 27:66).
You can also understand why the Apostle Peter had to "stoop down" when he went to examine the
empty tomb on that early Sunday morning nearly 2,000 years ago (Luke 24:12).There are a lot of tombs in Israel, but none contain the body of Jesus, for "He is not here, but is risen."
&
Human Sacrifice
Joe Fitch
"Abraham. . . take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering" (Gen. 22: 1,2). What a heart rending command for a father! Reason cried that it was contrary to God’s promise —"in Isaac shall thy seed be called" (Gen. 21:12). Furthermore, God had never accepted such sacrifice. Nevertheless, Abraham sadly journeys to Moriah. Isaac and his father leave the servants and ascend the appointed mount. "Where is the sacrifice?" asks Isaac. From a heart that believes in God’s power to raise the dead (Heb. 11:19), Abraham replies, "God will provide himself a lamb." Rocks are stacked to form an altar. Wood is laid on it, and the fire is ready. Finally Isaac is bound on the altar.
Now the test! Abraham raises a knife to slay his son, but an angel stays his hand. God says, "Now I know thou fearest God." Abraham then sees a ram caught in the bushes and offers the ram as a sacrifice.
Now, did God change his mind about what sacrifice he wanted? No! Though the ram is offered in sacrifice, the ram is not the sacrifice of this account. Isaac was laid on the altar, but from the beginning he was not the sacrifice God sought. Before the angel appeared, God received his sacrifice. It was Abraham who was offered to God, and he was completely sacrificed when he raised the knife to kill Isaac. His will, his logic, his emotions as a father, his whole being had to be subdued to obey that command. God received human sacrifice.
The Jew brought a calf for a burnt offering. It was just as God commanded, yet it was not the calf God wanted. "I am God,... every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills" (Psa. 50:10). God wanted the man who brought the calf. He sought the Jew in complete and voluntary submission to God’s will. He was pleased with such human sacrifice and satisfied with no less.
Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Matt. 16:24). Thus, discipleship demands self denial. That means putting God above emotions when you must choose between God and family. It means putting God before self when you really want to do something that God forbids. Self denial means blindly obeying a command though you do not see why it should be necessary. Self denial is human sacrifice. It is self offered to God on the altar of unconditional obedience.
"I beseech you therefore. brethren by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1). Through the centuries many godly men have offered themselves as martyrs for their faith in God. All Christians must first offer themselves to God in simple obedience. We must love God enough, trust him so completely, submit our will to his so thoroughly, and anchor ourselves in hope so securely that we will do anything he says — simply because he says it. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:" (Gal. 2:20).
Plain Talk January 1971
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