R.H. blog

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified,” 1 Cor. 2:1-2, NKJV. Paul’s conduct among the Corinthians was one of simplicity according to the flesh—this point he reiterates throughout the first few chapters of his letter with the reasoning “that no flesh should glory in [God’s] presence” (1 Cor. 1:29), but “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” Now, by no means is it to be thought that Paul was foolish or limited in his intellect among the Corinthians, but, rather, that he “determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Dear reader, it is upon this single foundation that all the wisdom of the universe is built. There is no facet of God’s creation that is alienated from the holy and almighty reality of Jesus Christ and the full implications of His crucifixion. There is no s

“For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them),” Romans 2:12-15, NKJV. “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God,” Romans 2:28-29, NKJV. The physical realm is ever a veil over our minds and a web of deception; God would have us know the Spirit of reality, the true being, and not merely th

“…M en, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless, He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness,” Acts 14:15-17, NKJV. It is a little acknowledged fact that God allows the nations to walk in their own way. In so doing, God removes His divine government from them, leaving the nations in a state of spiritual anarchy and moral disintegration. Outside of God, there is but one spiritual force that retains power over the sons of man: namely, evil. If God then removes His government, the government of Satan is all that is left (as long as God’s hand is upon a nation, Satan has no power to corrupt it). To “walk

“J esus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me…?’” John 14:9, NKJV Alas, this is the story of many modern-day Christians! It is remarkable how long the Holy Spirit may dwell within a person, and yet be utterly neglected—even suppressed—while the person professes a form of mere outward Christianity, a simple belief, but pursues no firm conviction or depth of knowledge. The Lord wishes His servants to know Him! By the power of the Holy Spirit within us, we may know Him in truth. If we quench that Spirit, He is yet with us, but we know Him not. On the Book of Acts T he book of Acts provides Christians of all time periods with direct and powerful insight into the carrying out of the Christian ministry. In the sermons of Peter, Steven, and, later, Paul, we see the repeated and heavy use of Scripture as the chief premise for all arguments; we see marked humility and glorification of God and the Holy Spirit; in short, we see the reiteration of perha

“T hen they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world,’” John 4:42, NKJV. We are as the Samaritan woman, who testified of the Lord Jesus and led others to Him, saying, “Come and see….” But salvation is of the Lord. We can be certain of the true salvation of those to whom we have ministered when they say unto us, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” In this we may greatly rejoice, that “we have decreased, but He has increased.” “T hen many came to Him and said, ‘John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.’ And many believed in Him there,” John 10:41-42, NKJV. What is the sign we now have? The truth. It was sufficient for these men—it is sufficient also for us. Jesus performed signs and wonders because of t

  “T ake heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him,” Luke 17:3, NKJV. This commandment of the Lord is simple enough, yet we are often frustrated when we attempt to reconcile to that other admonition of “turning the other cheek.” But to understand the meaning of each and their reconciliation, we have only to examine the context. Here the Lord, in speaking to His disciples, admonishes them regarding the treatment of a brother who has sinned: He does not say, merely, “if anyone sins against you….” Similar admonitions are delivered by Paul numerous times throughout the New Testament—that a brother who transgresses ought to be rebuked in love and “the spirit of gentleness.” In the verse at hand, Jesus particularly emphasizes that if a brother sins against you personally, you ought not simply to “turn the other cheek” but to rebuke him. Furthermore, He says: “if he repents, forgive him.” In Matthew 5:39-41, however, Jesus says: “But I

  “A nd this will be the sign to you: you will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger,” Luke 2:12, NKJV. “Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against,” Luke 2:34, NKJV. “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven,” Luke 10:20, NKJV. “For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation,” Luke 11:30, NKJV. The performance of signs and wonders was a help to the Lord’s ministry, but it was not the His ministry itself. More vital was His teaching, and the integral purpose—His death, burial, and resurrection. We see the irrelevance of “signs” expressed, even vehemently, throughout scripture, and are led time and time again to the only necessary sign: Jesus Christ Himself. In Luke 2:12, the “sign” t

“A nd He said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?’” Mark 4:13, NKJV. It is essential that we, as Christians, understand the Word of the Lord in its entirety—it is essential that we continually learn. We are not to feed solely on the milk of the Word, for then we are but moderately strengthened; we are not familiar with the full context and implications and are therefore incapable of accurate application. Rather, we must proceed to the meat of the Word, and pursue a full and accurate understanding of “all the parables.” The Lord has fully equipped us for this task—He has sent us the Helper and opened the avenue of prayer. We are without excuse. Jesus’ question to His disciples in Mark 4:13 has the tone of a reprimand, as though He genuinely expected His disciples to have understood the parable and was rather disappointed that they did not. It is as though He said to them: “Children, you ought to understand this, for it is simpl

“T ake heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from you Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let you left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly,” Matt. 6:1-4, NKJV. Why does the Lord urge us to such secrecy in this regard? In essence, because the righteousness of the children of God is not attained by works, but by the grace of God. The children of God must understand this and be humbled before God and man as mere servants—from this understanding shall inevitably come the good works the Lord desires. Not a vain attempt to prove to God or man a worthiness that does not