Category: Articles

The hymn and phrase “Give Me the Bible” expresses a mindset that should be present in the hearts of those who want to please God. The beauty and profitability of God’s Word is remarkable. Such a blessing should cause a reaction similar to that in Psalm 119. Verse 97: Oh, how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Verse 103: How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Verse 105: Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

It is amazing how many problems mankind faces that have already been solved by God, with the solutions revealed to us in His Word.

The Bible teaches us how the world was created (Gen. 1:1), how mankind came to be (Gen. 2:7-25), and why we are here (cf. Ecc. 12:13).

The Bible informs us why we are doomed without Jesus (Rom. 3:23), but how can be saved through God’s mercy (Rom. 6:23). It tells us how to become a child of God (Rom. 6:3-6; Gal. 3:26-27) and how to be pleasing to Him after we do (1 Jn. 5:3).

God’s Word tells us how to develop character that will encourage righteous actions. The Bible teaches us how to be loving and humble (cf. Jn. 15:12-13; Phil. 2:3-8), kind (Jas. 3:13; Rom. 12:10), holy and pure (1 Pet. 2:9-12), faithful (2 Cor. 4:16-5:7), fervent (Rev. 3:15-19), honest (Col. 3:9), patient (Ps. 37:7), compassionate (Matt. 9:35-37), joyful (Phil. 4:4), and much more (cf. Gal. 5:22; Col. 3:12-15; 2 Pet. 1:5-8).

The Bible teaches us how to be good spouses (Eph. 5:22-33), how to be godly parents (Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4) and how to be godly children (Eph. 6:1-3). It instructs us how to move on from our past (Phil. 3:13-14), please God in the present (cf. Mk. 12:30-31), and look forward to the future (Heb. 6:19). The Bible tells us what activities to cling to and what to abstain from (Rom. 12:9; 2 Tim. 2:22). It gives  sound meaning to our work (Eph. 4:28; Eph. 6:7). It teaches us why and how to pray (cf. 1 Tim. 2:1-4), teach (2 Tim. 2:2), give (2 Cor. 9:6-15), and worship through song (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).

The Bible tells of the church at the universal (Acts 2:47b) and local level (Rom. 16:16). It instructs regarding the organization and work of the local church (cf. 1 Tim. 3).

The Bible teaches us about God, and how to draw near to Him. It shows us right speech, thoughts, and actions. It makes us “thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:17). It is able to build us up (Acts 20:32) and make us wise (cf. 2 Tim. 3:15).

There are many who desire wisdom, faith, joy, hope, peace, and assurance. There are many who desire to be good spouses, parents, and workers. There are many who desire to have the character the Bible produces in the hearts of sincere hearers. There are many religious people who want to be pleasing to God.

Yet, the source of knowledge for these things is often neglected. Those who long for the outcomes produced by God’s Word must first long for the Word.

May the words “Give Me the Bible” not only be sung sincerely, but be sincerely considered at all times. May we, like the Psalmist proclaim “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” God has done His part in supplying us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). May we appreciate this, and truly long for His Word, studying, meditating, and speaking of it frequently (cf. Ps. 1:2).

– Michael Hickox

The most influential leader to ever walk this earth is Jesus Christ.

Jesus has affected the lives of billions of people over thousands of years. He continues to have as large an impact today, nearly 2,000 years after He left this earth, as ever.

The Bible only contains a portion of the amazing things Jesus did (Jn. 21:25), but it provides enough to show why He was influential, and why His influence was for good.

Some of the attributes that made Jesus a great leader are unique to Him as deity and as the chosen Messiah, but much of what made Him so influential is applicable to us if we want to lead others to salvation.

Jesus “Practiced What He Preached”: Jesus not only told the way, He showed the way. After Jesus washed His disciples’ feet in John 13, He said “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (verse 15). Washing His disciples’ feet showed what meekness, humility, and selflessness is. He preached the importance of these principles in Matthew 5 (verses 3-5; verses 41-44). In John 13, He “practiced what He preached” (cf. 1 Pet. 2:21).

One of the greatest hindrances to leading others to salvation is the hypocrisy of some who do not practice what they preach. People who “say, and do not” (Matt. 23:3) are harmful to seed that is sown among non-believers. We cannot control the actions of all who claim to be Christians, but we must control our own actions to ensure that we are truly leading by example, like Jesus did (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1).

Jesus Cared Deeply for Others: One of the best examples Jesus showed is how to love others (Jn. 15:12-13). His care for our souls led Him to give His life, but He demonstrated care for others long before His death.

Jesus did not just “go through the motions” when He helped others. He had a caring, compassionate heart (cf. Matt. 14:14; 15:32; 20:34).

We should care deeply for others as well (Phil. 2:4-5). We can only lead others out of selfishness by showing them love. We must hate sin, but love sinners, just as God loves us (cf. Matt. 5:43-48).

Jesus’ Doctrine is Divine: Another significant reason for Jesus’ influence is that His doctrine comes from above, just as He, as deity, came from above (cf. John 6:38; 7:16).

His doctrine did not originate with man, but with God.

Consider the impact He had on some Jewish officers who heard Him speak (Jn. 7:46). Or the impact He had on those present during the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matt. 7:28-29).

His words had a powerful effect, and a positive effect, in large part because His doctrine is divine.

Divine doctrine is revealed to us today in His written Word. This truth has as much power today as it ever has.

God’s written Word is sharper than any two-edged sword, and convicts those who hear it with a sincere heart, just as the truth did in Jesus’ time.

Teaching the truth through word and deed has the power to lead others to salvation because God designed truth to work that way (Rom. 10:17).

Like Jesus, we can lead others to truth and help save souls from death. Many things we have not discussed can assist with this, such as prayer, humility, and a focus on our purpose.

It is vitally important though that we exemplify God’s will, care for others, and teach what is from above. Christ did each of these things to perfection.

To lead others to salvation, we must imitate Christ.

– Michael Hickox

John 20:30-31: And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.

After Jesus was raised from the dead, He appeared to some of His disciples (Jn. 20:19). Thomas, who was not with those who Jesus appeared to, was told that Jesus had been seen (verses 24-25). Thomas would not believe He had been raised unless he could physically see and/or touch Jesus (verse 25). After Jesus appeared to Thomas and Thomas recognized it was Him (verses 26-28), Jesus told him, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (verse 29). It is interesting that this is the “lead-up” to the statement made by John in verses 30-31.

None of us have physically seen Jesus as Thomas did, yet we must believe on Him to the extent that we give our lives to His service (Matt. 16:24-25). Worldly wisdom says to do so does not make sense. Yet, John 20:30-31 points out that we have sufficient reason to believe.

John himself was an eyewitness of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. John saw Jesus’ crucifixion (Jn. 19:26-27), and noted “he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe” (verse 35).

John saw Jesus after He was raised (Jn. 21:20), confirming the “disciple whom Jesus loved” “is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true” (verse 24).

Just as John and Peter were “eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Pet. 1:16), so too were “above five hundred brethren at once” (1 Cor. 15:6) and “all the apostles” (verse 7) who saw Him after He was raised from the grave.

Jesus’ works bore witness that God sent Him (Jn. 5:36). He fulfilled over a hundred prophecies written centuries before He walked on earth (Lk. 24:44).

He is the prophet that was like unto Moses (Deut. 18:15-19; Acts 3:22-26). He was the rejected teacher of Isaiah’s prophecy (Is. 53:1; 6:9-10; Jn. 12:38-41). He was hated without a cause, as the psalmist said (Ps. 69:4; Jn. 15:24-25), and His garments were parted (Ps. 22:18; Jn. 19:24) at His crucifixion.

Jesus’ words were confirmed by miracles, as He healed the blind (Mk. 8:22-25), lame (Jn. 5:5-9), deaf, and mute (Mk. 7:31-37). His apostles who spoke of Him had the Word likewise confirmed by miracles (Mk. 16:20).

The things written about Jesus do not convince all of who He is because not all hearts are what God desires.

Some hearts are hardened, following a “strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (2 Thes. 2:11).

Yet, there are some hearts that “heareth the Word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matt. 13:23).

When these hearts hear what is written about Jesus, they are convinced that He is the Son of God, and that every word spoken of Him in Scripture is truth. This belief causes them to make all changes necessary to follow Him (Matt. 16:24).

This seems foolish to a world that walks by sight, but when we open our hearts to the truth, it leaves zero doubt that One we have never physically seen is worthy to be obeyed, praised, and followed. The truth about Jesus is the evidence that produces faith (Rom. 10:17), and forms the foundation of the Christian’s life (2 Cor. 5:7).

Indeed, the things written about Him cause those with good hearts to believe, and leads to eternal life through His name.

– Michael Hickox

The book of Exodus records God leading the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage and delivering the Old Law to them through Moses. The Law included many specific, detailed commands. An underlying theme at the root of these commands was God’s charge, “ye shall be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44; cf. Leviticus 11:45; 19:2; 20:7,26).

The Israelites were to enter a land in which they would be surrounded by nations that did not know God. As a “nation under God,” the Israelites were to be different. They were commanded to be “an holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). This means they were to be set apart.

Soon after the Israelites entered Canaan, they forgot this responsibility. While the Israelites were generally obedient in the days of Joshua (Judges 2:7), the generation after this “knew not the Lord” (verse 10). They “forsook the Lord God” and “followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger” (verse 12). Instead of being holy, this generation of Israelites “fit in” with the world.

In response to this, God punished the Israelites (verses 14-15). Yet, He “raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them” (verse 16). Several judges were appointed over Israel, until the Israelites decided that having judges was not what seemed right in their eyes.

In 1 Samuel 8, the Israelites told Samuel, “thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations” (verse 5).

Samuel pleaded with them to not go down this path, but the Israelites demanded a king. Why? Verse 20a: That we also may be like all the nations…

God’s “holy nation” today is the church (1 Peter 2:9). Instead of being “like all the nations,” the church is to be “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.”

Yet, just as many Israelites wanted to be like the people around them, so too do many who are part of Christ’s church.

It can be embarrassing to be different. It can make one wonder if he or she is “odd.” For these reasons or others, many seek to follow God, yet fit in with the world at the same time.

This does not work. If we obey God and feel “out of place” in this world, we should remember that this is how we are supposed to be.

God doesn’t want us to be like the majority. The majority is headed for destruction (Matthew 7:13), and fails to glorify God. There are “few” who are headed for eternal life (Matthew 7:14). If we are in the second group, we will not “fit in.” We will be viewed as strange. This is how we should be.

This does not mean that to be pleasing to God, we should purposefully stand for the opposite of all that the majority stands for. Choosing hamburger over steak because the majority chooses steak does not make one holy. What does make one holy is submitting to God’s will.

Few people the Israelites came in contact with obeyed God. If the Israelites obeyed, their lives would be different.

So it is today. If we choose to obey God, our purpose for living will be different. The things we do with our time will be different. Our character will be different. Our conduct will be different. Our speech will be different. Our thoughts will be different.

For those who are not Christians, may you choose to become one and receive the life Christ offers. For those who are, may we not strive to be “like all the nations,” but instead let God transform us. The Israelites’ charge to be holy applies to us today: 1 Peter 1:15-16: But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, ‘Be ye holy; for I am holy.’

– Michael Hickox

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, a song written by Isaac Watts, gives a picture of what we should see when we think about the cross Jesus died on. The first verse states “When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride.”

Since “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), it is evident that no one earns salvation (Eph. 2:8-9). Instead, we “earn” “the wages of sin,” which is eternal death (Rom. 6:23).

However, through Jesus, we can be saved from sin and death.

Through Jesus’ death on the cross, it is possible to be redeemed (Eph. 1:7). Christ’s blood paid the ransom price so that we might be released from sin’s bondage.

Through Jesus’ death on the cross, propitiation for sins is possible (1 Jn. 2:2). A perfectly just God does not let sin go unpunished. Christ’s death offers the appeasement of God’s wrath against sin.

Through Jesus’ death on the cross, it is possible for man to be justified (Rom. 5:9). The guilty can be pronounced “not guilty” because the “just” (Christ) died for the “unjust” (us) – 1 Pet. 3:18.

Through Jesus’ death on the cross, it is possible for man to be reconciled to God (Col. 1:20-21). Though sin has separated us from God, the blood of Christ allows us to be brought back into harmony with Him.

Our consideration of this should lead us to be “poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3) and “pour contempt” on our pride. The cross should remind us of how powerless we are without Jesus.

The second verse of When I Survey the Wondrous Cross says, “Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my Lord; all the vain things that charm me most I sacrifice them to His blood.” The cross should remind us that all we have to boast in is what Christ has done for us (Gal. 6:14). Our own righteousness alone does not produce redemption, atonement, justification, and reconciliation.

The third verse of the song states, “See, from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down; did [ever] such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?”

Jesus was “wounded for our transgressions” and “bruised for our iniquities” (Is. 53:5). It is hard to comprehend the love He showed and the love God showed by allowing Him to die for us (Rom. 5:6-8).

The love of God and Christ should cause us to recognize what a shame it is when we mistreat Him by sinning. Sin may offend others, but it is foremost a displeasure to God (cf. 2 Sam. 12:13).

We sin against God every time we are disobedient. When we sin, we contribute to the cause that led to Jesus’ death on the cross.

The fourth verse of the song When I Survey the Wondrous Cross says, “Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small; love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Even if the earth belonged to us, giving this to Jesus would not be an appropriate response to what He has done. The only reasonable response to His sacrifice is to surrender ourselves to His will (Rom. 12:1). As 2 Corinthians 5:15 says, Jesus “died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.”

The benefits Christ made possible through His death are reaped by those who give their lives to Him who gave His life.

This first involves responding to the message of Christ with belief and confession of who He is, repentance, and baptism in the name of Christ “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).

After one becomes a Christian, the sacrifice of Christ motivates us to love God as He did (1 Jn. 4:19; 5:3), love others as He loved us (Jn. 13:34), and “walk in the light, as He is in the light.” In other words, obey Him. If we do so, the blood Christ shed on the cross “cleanseth us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7).

When what He expects of us seems difficult, think about what He did for us. It is hard not to be motivated to love and obey Him when we “survey the wondrous cross.”

– Michael Hickox