Category: Articles

At the beginning of His “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus taught “the beatitudes,” in which he described the person who is blessed by God. One characteristic of those blessed by God is meekness. Matthew 5:5: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Meekness is often viewed as a weakness by the world. In God’s eyes, it is a strength. Jesus showed meekness (Matthew 11:29), and God expects us to show meekness to all (Titus 3:2).

Meekness involves humility, gentleness, submissiveness, and mildness of temper. This virtue allows God to direct our steps.

One who proudly believes he or she does not need guidance from anyone will not “receive with meekness the engrafted Word” (James 1:21).

God is our Master, and we must meekly allow Him to steer us in the direction He wants us to go. Submissiveness should be applied to certain earthly relationships (Romans 13:1; Ephesians 5:21-22; 6:1; 6:5), but it must be foremost directed toward God.

Those who are meek are often belittled by those of the world (cf. Numbers 12:3; Amos 2:7). Because the meek do not “fight back,” they are often seen as “weak.”

Yet, God defends the meek (Psalm 147:6), and we should all “seek meekness” (Zephaniah 2:3) in order to be one who finds favor with God.

– Michael Hickox

2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

The Creator of this universe communicates to us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet.  1:3). How He does this is not a “mysterious” thing, or something only done for a select few. Rather, it is through the Bible. As the Word of our sovereign God, the Bible is infallible.

Many, like Pilate, ask the question “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Jesus answered this when praying for His disciples in John 17:17: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth.

The infallible truth contained in God’s written Word, the Bible, is not only available to satisfy man’s curiosity about how the world came to be. God’s Word leads to something more significant than knowledge alone…our salvation.

The Gospel is the “power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). The Bible teaches about the dreadful condition our souls are in due to sin (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). Yet, it also teaches how we can have forgiveness of sin through God’s grace. This gift is not earned, but God requires obedience in order to receive it (Phil. 2:12). The works of obedience He requires are all revealed in the Scripture He has authored.

Despite this, many ignore the Bible.

“Self-help books” are popular, but “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” are neglected. Thoughts of men are praised as profound and powerful, but thoughts of God are brushed aside.

This may be due in part to a belief that the Bible is outdated. God gave an answer for this in 1 Peter 1:24-25: For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the Word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.

Another reason some ignore the truth is because it does not “make sense.” Using our own wisdom, we might expect something different than what God teaches.

It takes humility to realize that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1 Cor. 3:19). Instead of trying to fit God’s will to our pre-conceived ideas about right and wrong, we must change our ideas of right and wrong to fit God’s will. When we do the latter and hear God’s Word with the right heart, we will have no doubt that it is truth from Him.

Once we recognize the Bible as truth from God, we should desire it as a newborn babe desires milk (1 Pet. 2:2).

The Bereans referenced in Acts 17:11 showed this attitude. They “searched the scriptures daily.” This verse does not tell us how much time they dedicated each day to studying. Nor does the Bible “spell out” exactly how much time meets God’s “minimum requirements” of study. If we hunger and thirst for God’s Word though, we won’t want to put our Bibles down.

As we study the Bible, we learn both through the Old Testament, which was “written for our learning” (Rom. 15:4), and the New Testament, which contains the commands, examples, and inferences that apply directly to us today (cf. Matt. 26:28; Col. 2:14).

Following God’s guidance in the Bible does not come naturally. It takes meekness to let God direct us (James 1:21). We must humble ourselves as little children when hearing the Word (Matt. 18:3-4).

As we approach the Bible, we must remember that there are questions mankind has that God does not answer. We must be careful not to “fill in the blanks” with our own opinions (cf. Rev. 22:18).

Yet, we must also recognize that God has revealed all we need to know about why we are here and who we are to be. The most important questions for each of our lives are answered by the Creator through His Word.

God does not speak verbally to us today, but He does communicate through another means: the Bible. May we use it faithfully.

– Michael Hickox

A challenge many struggle with is dealing with past mistakes.

We must recognize the severity of our sins (cf. Luke 18:13), and have godly sorrow that produces repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10). Once we have done what God requires to have sin forgiven though, that sin becomes a part of our past and should be viewed accordingly.

Remembering past sins in ways God desires is important.

Just as Paul was humbled by his past mistakes (1 Corinthians 15:9), we too should realize we are nothing without God’s grace. Remembering sins we have committed should help us show compassion toward individuals who struggle with mistakes we once did. Furthermore, the saying “experience is the best teacher” can apply to mistakes we have made, helping us not only to teach ourselves, but to warn others.

Remembering sins of the past in ways that haunt us, though, can be destructive.

Doing so can lead an individual to be hesitant to do the work of the Lord, out of fear he or she is not “good enough.” It can cause one to be hesitant to speak out against sins, for fear he or she will be a hypocrite. It can “beat one up” internally as the joy, hope, and peace that should exist in the mindset of Christians is replaced with sorrow and anxiety. This is a problem, but it is one God’s Word provides answers to.

Apart from Jesus, every man and woman who has lived on earth has sinned (Romans 3:9-10).

David was at one time an adulterer, liar, and murderer (2 Samuel 11). Peter was at one time a denier of Christ (Matthew 26:69-74). Paul was at one time a persecutor of Christians (Acts 9:1-2).

Later, David’s sin was forgiven (2 Samuel 12:13). Peter played an important role in the establishment of Christ’s church (Acts 2:14-41; Acts 10), and became an elder of a local church (1 Peter 5:1). Paul was God’s appointed apostle to the Gentiles (Ephesians 3:7-9), and was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about half of the New Testament. These men had sinned in the past, but were useful to God because they were repentant.

In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Paul warned the church at Corinth about those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. In verse 11, He said “and such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

Christianity is not about who we were, but who we are. If we have done what God requires for Him to forgive a sin, why dwell on the harm it caused? We do not want to take lightly any thoughts of future sin or present sin, but past sin that has been forgiven should not torment us.

The church that Jesus built is composed not of individuals who have never sinned, but of individuals who know they have sinned and therefore need a Savior to escape eternal punishment.

To any who believe they can never be good enough to be accepted by God, consider that Jesus said “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).

He is the “great physician” who will spiritually heal any who will submit to His teachings. But we must start obeying Him.

To those who have been healed but still struggle with the past, consider that “God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” to give eternal life (Titus 1:2) to those who will repent and turn to Him. If we reject this gift out of worry we have done too horribly to be forgiven, we deny the gift Jesus gave His life for.

We cannot change the past. But we can resolve to obey God moving forward.

Won’t we all make that choice and proclaim with Paul “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Won’t we forget “those things which are behind”, and reach forth to “those things which are before”, pressing “toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

– Michael Hickox

In John 7, Jesus taught at the feast of tabernacles. Some of the chief priests and Pharisees, determined to “bring Him down,” “sent officers to take Him” (verse 32). When the officers returned empty-handed, the Pharisees asked why they had not brought Him. Their response was “Never man spake like this man” (verse 46).

The officers were not inspired when they spoke these words. Yet, their perception of Jesus is a good indication of how unique His speech was. Consider a few of Jesus’ teachings that were perceived as different:

“He That is Greatest…”

The world perceives greatness as “moving up the ladder.” Those who “get to the top” are considered great. Yet Jesus said “he that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11). Jesus did not come to earth to win a popularity contest or acquire great wealth (cf. Luke 9:58), but to serve mankind (Matthew 20:28). He taught that those who do likewise are truly great (cf. Philippians 2:4-5).

“Love Your Enemies”

The world urges getting “revenge” on those who treat us poorly. Such might be seen as “standing up for oneself.” Yet, Jesus said “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Jesus taught that vengeance belongs to God (cf. Romans 12:19-21).

“Except Ye…Become as Little Children”

In another passage where Jesus spoke of greatness, He taught, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). The Bible teaches that we are hopeless without God (cf. Romans 6:23). Though the world may stress pride and “self-sufficiency” as honorable character traits, Jesus stressed humbling ourselves as little children who  recognize our need for Him.

“Blessed are the Meek…”

The world sees meekness as weakness. Yet, the Lord said “blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Much like humility, meekness is necessary for allowing ourselves to be guided by God. Meekness does not mean yielding to sin in order to submit to others, but it does involve proper submission, and allowing ourselves to be molded like clay by our Master. This is not a weakness, but rather a strength, according to our Savior.

These are just a few examples of things Jesus spoke that may have been perceived as different by those who heard Him. They may seem just as different today.

Jesus’ speech was this way because He taught wisdom from above rather than the wisdom of this world (cf. John 7:16).

May we heed Christ’s “words of eternal life” (John 6:68), realizing it is His doctrine, and not the world’s, that leads to salvation.

– Michael Hickox

The question above was asked in Paul’s letter to the Galatians (Gal. 4:16). In this letter, the Holy Spirit through Paul addressed Judaizers who “added” their false doctrine to Christ’s truthful doctrine.

Paul rebuked the Galatians who heeded the Judaizers’ false message (cf. Gal. 1:6-9).

Because of Paul’s genuine love for others (cf. Rom. 12:9), he often opposed error like that in Galatia. He did not pretend to love by encouraging sin, but zealously cried “danger” when he saw others on a dangerous path.

In asking the question, “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?,” Paul confronted a common reaction to warnings of danger. Instead of hearing constructive criticism as guidance that may help one improve, such guidance is often viewed as an “attack.”

If we are unknowingly driving down a dead end road and someone lets us know, we might thank them and turn around.

Yet, when many individuals are taking the broad path that leads to destruction, any who point such out are seen as enemies. Help is neglected, and defensiveness sets in.

This typical reaction makes it even more difficult for someone who genuinely cares to point out error, which should make us even more appreciative when one does so.

Those who love us enough to warn against sin should not become enemies, but friends.

May we heed the message of what God requires of us to be saved, instead of becoming angry at His messengers

– Michael Hickox