Barnes church of Christ

Did you and I have a beginning? Yes, I began to be March of 1939. No, this not what we call my birthday but month I was conceived! When my mother conceived me I was a human being. Jesus became a human being at the time Mary conceived him. This is also the way all of us began to be!
There are nations that start the age of a person from conception, and they count your age as one year old at birth. So just back up nine months from your birth and that is how old you really are. If I remember correctly, South Korea is one nation that counts their age as one when born. This would work for America but we have a hard time getting a woman to tell how old she is and would make her one year older than she is the way we do it.
The point is that Jesus had a beginning, in his flesh and blood being. John put it this way: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14). As pointed out in the first article on this subject; the words “was made” is the Greek word, “ginomai,” and means “to cause to be.” (Strong). Notice how Luke puts this: “To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.” (Luke 1:27) Then, read these words also from Luke: “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall beover shadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Here are the words of Matthew: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of Holy Spirit” (Matt. 1:18). Mary was not found with child of Joseph or any other man but of the Holy Spirit. Here we have both his humanity (of Mary) and of the Holy Spirit (His Deity) the Son of God. John use the words, “The Word (Diety) was made flesh” (his humanity). Yes, Jesus had a beginning; a time when he was not and a time when he was! At the same time, he had no beginning – God!
To answer our first question, which was: Did Jesus have a beginning, a time when he was not and a time when he came into being! This also answers the our other two 2) Can God be tempted and 3) Was Jesus tempted?
First, can God be tempted? One verse will answer this, James wrote: “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:” (James 1:13) God cannot be tempted! But this put us in a state, of answering this question: “Was Jesus tempted, if so, and he was, how can he be God. As we have pointed out, Jesus was both human and God and it was through his humanity that he was tempted and not his Deity! Here are few verses that will show his humanity: “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matt. 26:9). Jesus prays in his humanity. As he said, “not as I “(his humanity) then “but as thou wilt,” the will of Deity! How deep was his prayer, let Luke tell us: “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” This was his humanity, as Deity does not have sweat but humanity does. How grateful are we of Jesus and his humanity? Before continuing let us once more recall the word in Hebrews: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15-16). How grateful are we for the humanity of Jesus?
Second, was Jesus tempted and how can it be so? Jesus in his humanity he was tempted but not his Deity! God cannot be tempted; hear James once more: “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:” Never say, “God is tempting me!” Let James tell us how we are tempted: “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1”14-15).
Jesus was both Deity and human! If we lose sight of this we will miss the greater part of the four gospel accounts! Yes, Jesus in his humanity he was tempted just as we are but in his deity he was never tempted!

– Frank R. Williams

Did Jesus have a beginning! Was Jesus tempted as we are? Can God be tempted? These three questions demand answers! Years ago, I was sitting a Bible class when at the end of the class the teacher asked; If Jesus was tempted, he was God, and God cannot be tempted?” One lady in the class spoke up and said, that she was not going there. As this was the question and we should deal with it! But does the Bible go there?
The New Testament is generally understood that Jesus was tempted in all points as we are: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin;” (Heb. 4:14-18) and yet, God cannot be tempted: “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” ( James 1:13) Just how can these two points be true? If Jesus was God and he is, how can he be tempted, as he was and still be God?
First, let us answer the first question: “Did Jesus have a beginning?” Here we turn to John who wrote: ”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1) The one referred to as the “Word,” is God! Now what happened to this “Word?” Turning to verse fourteen, John wrote: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (verse 14) The key words are: “The Word was made flesh!” God the Word was made something he was not at the beginning. In fact, he was made “flesh.” The key words are “was made.” This is the Greek word “ginomai” which means “to cause to be.” The “Word” was made something he had not been before at a certain point in time! Looking now Matthew where he wrote: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). At the conception, Jesus was “made flesh” and come into being, as the “Word was made flesh!” Thus, Jesus as savior, but in order to be a savior, he had to be flesh and blood. It is through his “blood” that we are saved! As the old song goes: “Nothing but blood!”
A second text which must have our attention is Isaiah: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). The name “Immanuel” means “God with us!” And what did “the Word” become, but flesh! Thus, God with us! As John wrote: “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us!” Let me point out that the pronoun “us” does not mean “us” today, as our eyes have never looked upon God in the flesh, as we know him through the New Testament! Nevertheless, we know him, and we know that “God, the Word” was made flesh and blood and by God in the flesh we are saved! If we do not know him, we cannot be saved, as John wrote: “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 2::3). John went on to write: “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (Verse 4).
You can now see that it is imperative that we know Jesus, who was while upon this earth, as if we do not know him, we cannot be saved and this means to know by keeping his word! Yes, God was made flesh and dwelt among us (those at the time Jesus lived upon this earth)! Clearly, Jesus could only be tempted in his humanity, flesh and blood!
It is the hope that the reader will understand the subject of Jesus better now than before, even though we will have more articles to follow! We will look at Jesus in the flesh, yet, without sin!

Frank R. Williams

In this concluding article on the Holy Spirit we will prove that the points made in the first three articles are true! To this point, we have pointed out three things¨1) the apostles received “power” after the Holy Spirit came upon them; 2) this “power” enabled the apostles to speak by inspiration; 3) that this “power” enabled the apostles to do miracles which confirmed that their words came the Holy Spirit and 4) that this “power” enabled them to lay hands on others to impart spiritual gifts.
First, only the apostles did receive “power” as promised them by the Lord Jesus Christ. As Luke wrote: “But ye shall receive power, after that Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Act. 1:8) This became a reality on the first Pentecost after the Lord was resurrected, once more as Luke penned: “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). Here the apostles received the promised “power’ which enabled them to preach the gospel by inspiration and confirmed it with ‘tongues; that is they spoke in languages which they did not know by natural means. This marks the beginning of the age of Christ. Paul put it this way; “which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:13). The “power” which the Holy Spirit gave to the apostles enabled them to speak by inspiration.
Second, this “power” received by the apostles enabled them to lay hands on others and impart “spiritual” gifts. Luke wrote: “Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this “business you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business” (Acts 6:3). Please notice that one of the qualifications was that they had to be “full” of the Holy Spirit. This means that the apostles had already laid their hands upon them and this means that no one upon who the apostles had not laid their hands were to be considered. This is true as every time the phrase is used, a miraculous event followed. Such as when Mary conceived: “and it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luke 1:41-42). Notice when Elisabeth was “filled with the Holy Spirit” she said: “blessed art thou among women” and “blessed is the fruit of thy womb,” which would be Jesus! Every time one is said to be “filled” or “full of,” the Spirit, something miraculous follows! How did Elisabeth know this? She was “filled with the Holy Spirit.” You can look this up for yourself. Therefore, the seven had already had the apostle’s hands laid upon them!
Third, those upon whom the apostles had laid their hands on could not impart spiritual gifts to others. Let us notice this in the text. Luke wrote that the apostles heard that many had obeyed the gospel, they send John and Peter to them. Why was this done? Let Luke tell us as he wrote: ”Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” Let Luke tell us how this took place when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, see this, for more proof as he wrote: : “And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money“ (Act 8:18). Please notice that Simon did not offer Philip any money! Why not? Because Philip, even though he had the hands of apostle laid upon him, he could not do same to others! Simon did not offer him money! Thus, only the apostles could impart spiritual gifts!
Let me call your attention to this truth. It was the “power” the apostles received and not the personal, bodily Holy Spirit which some claim. No one had to have the personal Holy Spirit to dwell within them. What they needed was the “power” of the Holy Spirit. The apostles imparted “power” to the ones who had hands laid on them but they could not do the same.

Frank R. Williams

Is it necessary that Holy Spirit personally, bodily, dwell within the apostles of Christ? Oh, it is so simple! If we would only think about it from our own personal need! What about the word of God, does it not have the “power” which Paul wrote: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16” Is the “gospel of Christ” God’s power unto salvation, or do we need something else? No, not in any way! When we have the gospel given by inspiration, and confirmed by miracles, what else do we need? Are we so unsure of the word of God?
What kind of faith do we have in the word of God? We believe it, but we need something else, the Holy Spirit, to dwell in us, so we can be sure that we are saved! If anyone needed more than the word of God, to confirm their salvation, it would have been those first Christians but then, they saw the miracles being done in their presence. They also had, some of them, miraculous gifts but these gifts were not to confirm their salvation but to confirm the word of God. These gifts were not to confirm their salvation, but to confirm word of God; it does not confirm our salvation. Let us keep in mind, God does not do the unnecessary! If one thing will do it, God does not use two things!
Without going too overboard, is it not a lack of faith in the word of God, to need the personal, bodily, indwelling to prove that we are saved? Then, there is this, how do you know the Holy Spirit personally dwells within you? Well, the New Testament says so! So, we went from the word of God; then, we come back to it to prove the indwelling of the Holy Spirit! The apostles of Christ had the “power” which came from the Holy Spirit but even they did not have this so-called personally, bodily, Holy Spirit dwelling in their bodies. Then, there is the question, did they depend on the so-called personal indwelling, or did they have all the three areas of the Holy Spirit. By this, is meant: inspiration, confirmation, and the ability to impart spiritual gifts. But, keep in mind, these three areas were not to assure them of their salvation! Their faith in the word of God was all they needed, and it is all we need today!
As apostles traveled from place to place, what did they do? They did miraculous things, then, they preached the gospel unto the lost. After the folks had obeyed the gospel, then, they imparted spiritual gifts unto some of them but not unto all them. The new converts did not need this so-called personal Holy Spirit to dwell within, as they heard the confirmed word of God and had obeyed it; then, they were saved and they knew they were saved. They needed nothing else to assure them that they were saved! Remember, Jesus said to the apostles that they would receive “power” after the Holy Spirit came upon them, then they would be his witnesses throughout the earth! So, why did the apostles of Christ need this “power?” To preach by inspiration, to confirm what they preached, and to impart spiritual gifts to others. One of these was only given to the apostles and this was the ability to lay hands on others and impart spiritual gifts, but not to confirm their salvation. This was done, so others could preach the gospel and confirm it!
We today confirm our salvation and that of others, by appealing to the word of God! If we do what the gospel says we must do, then, we know we are saved! Do we really need anything else? Are you sure about that? Do you need more than the inspired, confirmed, word of God? If so, why? What is missing in your faith in the word of God, the gospel of Christ?
No, even the apostles of Christ did not have a so-called personally, bodily, indwelling of the Holy Spirit. What they had was the fulfillment of the promises Jesus had made to them, that they would receive “power” after the Holy Spiriit came upon them on that great day of Pentecost! Here is another question as we conclude this third article. Did those on the day of Pentecost need a personal, bodily, indwelling of the Holy Spirit for them to know that they were saved? No, not in any way! They received the inspired, confirmed gospel which they heard from the mouths of the apostles of Christ! Just look at them on that great day. Having obeyed the gospel, they would have looked at the apostles and told them, we need something more! God forbid!

Frank R. Williams

Many among us believe that the Holy Spirit’s being, his person, dwelled within the apostles and even us today. However, is this true? Is it necessary for the Holy Spirit to personally dwell in one for person to have spiritual power? Is it necessary for the Holy Spirit to personally dwell with the Christian for the Christian to know that he is saved? These are most important questions that need to be answered!
First, let us take the apostles of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Did the Holy Spirit personally dwell within them? Here attention is called to the promise Jesus made to them. It is recorded by Luke in Acts one, verse eight; which reads: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Is Jesus promising the personal Holy Spirit to dwell within the apostles or is he promising something else? It is my firm belief that Jesus is promising something else, which he names within the text. The Holy Spirit was and did come upon the apostles is not a question of debate. But other than the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles, just what did Jesus promise?
Jesus said they would receive “power” and that from the Holy Spirit coming upon them. Just what was this “power?” This power would be that they would speak by inspiration as they delivered the gospel, that they would confirm the words which they spoke by miracles, and that they would be able to import spiritual gift to others. These three things the apostles did through the action of the book of Acts and which they wrote about in the letters to the churches. We will look more at this in a few moments. But first, all one has to do is reason with the text written.
We have spent so much time in trying to prove that the Holy Spirit personally, bodily, dwelled within the apostles that we have overlooked the facts given in the text. Did Jesus promise that the Holy Spirit would come upon the apostles, yes! But what did this do for the apostles? Read what Luke wrote in Acts: “And they were all filled with the Holy spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). Being “filled with the Holy Spirit” is equal to having “power” to speak with “other tongues” in this case! This was necessary so they could speak to each group present that great Pentecost day. The lost were going to be saved on that day, having heard the gospel, and seeing it confirmed by the “tongues” which the apostles spoke. Was it necessary for the Holy Spirit personally to dwell within the body of the apostles for them to speak the gospel and confirm it with “tongue” speaking? No! Not in any way! This is to demean to Holy Spirit and his power, which he imparted to the apostles just as Jesus said he would (Acts 1:8, 2:4).
Here is a good question: “What was the purpose of the apostles being filled with “power,” if it was not to preach the soul saving gospel to the lost, while confirming it with “signs?” Those on the day of Pentecost needed proof that the apostles were in fact, preaching with “power” of the Holy Spirit and this required the supernatural. In this case, it was their speaking with “tongues!” One might ask, if present on that day, how do we know that you (the apostles) are speaking the word of God? It was not the “tongue” speaking that enabled the lost to be saved but what was spoken in “tongues:” the gospel. Remember, it is the “gospel of Christ” that is God’s power unto salvation (Rom. 1:16). It was not the Holy Spirit filling the apostles with the words alone, but also confirming it with signs, in this case, the tongues in which they spoke.
This would be repeated many times throughout the book of Acts of the Apostles! The apostles would speak the gospel and confirm it with signs; both coming from their being filled with “power” which came from the Holy Spirit. This would result in near 3,000 souls being saved on that great Pentecost day, as Luke wrote: “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41)
Therefore, the question: “Was it necessary for the Holy Spirit to dwell personally, bodily, within the apostles for them to do their work?” The answer is “no!” To demand that the Holy Spirit must personally, bodily, within us today, is to question the power of the gospel of Christ! It is the gospel that converts us today and not the personal Holy Spirit dwelling in us! Don’t demean the gospel of Christ and the power within it!

Frank R. Williams

There is no greater subject that gets the attention than that of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is said to do many things, even today. However, the Bible does not reveal such! The greatest activity of the Holy Spirit was seen in the apostles of Christ. But, this is not his first activity, as he was active in the creation. He appears first to us in the opening statement of the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). It is not seen in English but in the Hebrew text, in the word “God,” which is the Hebrew word, “elohıym” which is translated God which appears to be singular but in Hebrew it is plural. It is all that is God, as we might say, the Godhead! His activity is seen clearly in creation of man, where Moses wrote “the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (Gen. 1:2) Here is the first action of the Holy Spirit, “And the Spirit of God moved.”
However, this would soon be followed with these words, which once more includes the Godhead: “And God (Elohiym) said, “Let us make man in our (plural) image, after our (plural) likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (Gen. 1:26). Notice it was the Moses who wrote: “let us (plural) make man in our (plural) image.” This is followed with: “So God (plural) created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” It is important that we notice this is not the action of the Holy Spirit alone but there are members of the Godhead, acting as one, which the Godhead is one!
With the above information in our minds, let us move to the New Testament as this is the place of much debate! There are at least two major questions before just here: 1) did the Holy Spirit dwell in the apostles personally and 2) does the Holy Spirit personally dwell within the human body? That the Holy Spirit acted in the first century is without debate! Here attention is called to the apostles of Christ as they are prepared to fulfill the apostolic commission. Luke recorded it this way: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4). It was the Spirit that gave the apostles “utterance” as they begin to speak on that great Pentecost day. It was unlike any other Pentecost! The gospel of Christ was preached for the first time in the age of Christ. Let me say a word about why I use the phrase, “age of Christ.” It is because it is the beginning of the rule of Christ and he will continue to rule as King over his kingdom until he returns to take his people home! Now to the question, were the apostles full with the literal Holy Spirit or were they filled with what the Holy Spirit gave them? The evidence is that they were filled with what the Holy Spirit gave them to speak, the gospel of Christ! The Holy Spirit does not have to literally dwell within in order to impart the gospel or for that matter, to give the power to do miracles of another nature, such as raising the dead! No, the only thing necessary is for the Holy Spirit to impart the ability to do things of an unhuman nature! The grand scheme of things was the written confirmed New Testament, which was as Jude wrote: “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). Notice that “the faith which was once delivered,” the idea of “once for all time delivered!” This was the primary work of the Holy Spirit in the “age of Christ!”
To reduce the subject to question, “Does the Holy Spirirt personally dwell within the human body today is simple to miss the mark!” God dwelt within one human being and that was Jesus of Nazareth and no one person is such. As John wrote of Jesus: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18).

Frank R. Williams

The general pattern of our law today follows the same as the case of Jesus Christ. He lived, he died, and here is where the case of Jesus is so drastically different; he lived again and his ﾓlast will and testamentﾔ was put into force, it became law and unchangeable law!
Here we will follow the word of Hebrews, as the writer put it: ﾓAnd for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.ﾔ (Heb. 9:15). Before continuing, it is necessary, that we ask, ﾓfor what cause?ﾔ You see, Jesus had a greater ﾓcauseﾔ than anyone else in all times; ﾓthat by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament.ﾔ Without the blood of Jesus, without his death, the sins committed from Adam and Eve, though the writer is not addressing these sins here, as he wrote: ﾓtransgressions that were under the first testament,ﾔ Adam and Eve were not under the ﾓfirst testament,ﾔ but before it! Nevertheless, the point the writer is makingﾔ is that ﾓthe transgressions that were under the first testamentﾔ were forgiven by means of the blood of Jesus, just as well as the sin committed during the second testament, the last will and testament of Jesus, may be forgiven by the same blood!
Now, let us return to the text, as it reads: ﾓFor where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator livethﾔ (Heb. 9:17-18). Now our writer returns to the normal state of affairs, a man lives and writes a ﾓlast will and testament,ﾔ then he dies, the will is read and only then, is it put into force. Many people desire, for some reason of their own, to have the terms of the ﾓlast will and testamentﾔ to be enforced before becomes law! It is true, that the person who makes a will, is totally free, to have some of the terms enforced before he dies, as it all belongs to him! He is free to do with it, the things that belong to him, as he pleases! He can give out that which is his at anytime but once he dies, the terms of the will are then law and cannot be changed!
As Jesus when introducing the Lordﾒs Supper, ﾓFor this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sinsﾔ (Matt. 26:28). The New Testament was sealed with the blood as it runs through it from beginning to the end! It covers all those who are baptized into it. Paul wrote: ﾓFor as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christﾔ (Gal. 3:27). Some people, denominational people, question the necessity of baptism in order to be saved, while Paul teaches that it is in baptism that we ﾓput on Christ,ﾔ that we have our sins forgiven (Acts 22:16) when Paul was told: ﾓAnd now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.ﾔ It is in baptism that our sins are washed away and in so doing, we are ﾓcalling on the name of the Lord.ﾔ
Oh yes, this is part of the ﾓlast will and testamentﾔ of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God! It was not enforced before his death but after his death and no man, nor group of men have the power, the right, to change even one word of it, not now, not ever!
So, you desire to be saved! The blood of Jesus is within the his ﾓlast will and testamentﾔ just as his teaching is! Hear John once more just here: ﾓWhosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Sonﾔ (2 John 9). One last verse in conclusion: ﾓAnd hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in himﾔ (1John 2:3-4).

–Frank R. Williams

The will or testament of the now dead man is to be read but not changed! The terms of the will is to be put into force; in other words, action to see that everything written in the will is now law. The ones in charge of this were at first the twelve apostles as identified by Luke: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. “ (Acts 2:1-4). This is the beginning of the Apostolic Commission as outlined in Matthew 28:20, Mark 15:15, and Acts 1:8).
Jesus had promised the apostles that the Holy Spirit would guide them “into the truth.” Let us take the time to make a point that is so often overlooked. Generally speaking, our good brethren has gotten this correct. Jesus told the disciples this truth, before his death: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 15:26). What is my point? The pronouns “You and Your” in this context does not have you and me in it! It is to the apostles and only to the apostles! The Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth, starting on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts two, when Peter stood up the eleven and began to speak as the Holy Spirit gave him utterance! Thus things Peter and the other apostle spoke the term of the last will and testament of Jesus Christ, the Son of God! This went on through the history recorded in Acts of the Apostles. Thus, the apostolic commission!
The books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are in part the “last will and testament” of Jesus. Many people have trouble determining what is and what is not part of the “last will and testament” of Jesus and what is not. Generally speaking, it is not all that hard. Clearly when Jesus says, “ye have heard” he is not going to talk about something that is part of the old law, as he concludes with, “but I say unto you!” When Jesus is looking forward, these things are part of his “last will and testament.”

Frank R. Williams

It is good to prepare a will before death, as this is the only sure way to get your life’s belongings parted as you wish! I have reached the age that I need to prepare a will, or in my case, a trust. It is hard to face the fact that is going to happen, and the older we get, it is sooner than later. As we look at what we have to whom we want things to go, we realize that many of these things we have, the things we have collected, and that are dear to our heart, no one really wants them! This is a sad state to think on such things. Time is running out and death will come, like it or not. The document we are talking about may be summed in one word, a testament.
What is a testament? Here is one definition I found and it seems to cover the subject: “a person’s will, especially the part relating to personal property, ‘father’s will and testament’, synonyms: last will and testament – last wishes – bequest(s).” As it relates to the Bible, the following is given: “in biblical use) a covenant or dispensation. a division of the Bible. See also Old Testament, New Testament. a copy of the New Testament.” Almost everyone who knows anything about the Bible, knows there is a both an “old” and “new” testament! They may not handle the Bible with this knowledge but they do know that one is the “old” while the other is the “new.” If I were to write a will/testament, it would be called the first, that is, if I wrote a second one, which would be called the new one. A lawyer might ask, “Is there a new testament?” Does this not remind you of the Bible itself? Yes, right there in bold print are the words “Old” and “New” Testamentss. Do people, in general, give heed to these two words? Not really! Yes, they know that the two words are there, and they may in fact, read them but do not handle the two parts of the Bible in this manner. If you were to tell them to turn to the New Testament and read a passage, they will do so. Let us say, you tell them to turn to First Peter chapter two, and verses two, through five. Then you call upon them to read it, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” Oh, such a beautiful passage, so full of meaning, but it relates only to those who follow the New Testament. They would not turn to the Old Testament thinking they would find the passage, that is, unless they know nothing about the Bible. This reminds me of my own earliest years, I knew nothing of the difference, and I would just let lthe pages turn between my fingers. So, I never found out that the writings of Peter were in the New Testament. I truthfully might not have known just where I could find it, as it relates to the other books. In my youth, we had what were called, “Bible quotes” and teacher would call a passage, and those in the class could find it first and would read the passage. Needless, to say, I never was the first one to read the passage. Sadly, there are many today who are much like me in my youth. This is so sad!
Nevertheless, we do have an old and new testament in the Bible; yet, it is one book! Never has any two books worked together as does the old and new testaments. The new Testament puts light upon the darkness of the Old Testament. We sometimes say, and correctly so, that the Old Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. If this were not truth, how would we know who Isaiah fifty-three refers to? How would we know that the kingdom passages found in the Old Testament point the kingdom of the New Testament? This brings us to this point, some people have little to no idea what they are teaching when they say, yes, it is true, the Old Testament promises a new kingdom and the New Testament starts out the view that the kingdom is ready to be established but then, because the Jews rejected Jesus as the Christ, God established the church in its place. Now sadly, these people do not understand just what they have done to the New Testament. They destroyed the inspiration of the Old Testament; thus, the New Testament as well. If God foretold, and he did, that he would establish a new kingdom better than that of David but could not do it mainly because of the failure of mankind! Let man be found a liar and God be true! And so, it is! God did establish his kingdom and he crowned Jesus as king and put him at his own right hand in heaven.
Peter, on the day of Pentecost by the Holy Spirit, “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also known, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance” (Acts 2:22-28). Did it take place? Let Peter answer: “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know,”
Act 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance” (Acts 2:29-33). It was not David of whom Peter spoke but Jesus! There is the new kingdom, of the New Testament; there is Christ and not David; and there the people of God find themselves after being born again!
Let us here start with the words of Hebrews: “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.” (Heb. 9:16). Before you can put a “new testament” in force, the one who wrote it, must of necessity die! Otherwise, he is free to change any part of it, so long as he lives! Now, notice the next words: “For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth” (Heb. 9:17). Upon the death of Jesus, just as Peter preached on the first Pentecost after the death of Jesus, it was Jesus that David wrote and not of himself. It was Jesus who sits at God’s own right hand and from here he rules over his own kingdom! It is here, in the new kingdom, that his servants serve God in Christ.
Yes, there is an “old” testament and there is “new” testament and it is the second one that is is force today! It is the New Testament that we must go to get the answers of life; hear Jesus: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). This is nothing more or less, than saying, New Testament is “the truth, and the life: and no man cometh unto the Father, by it!”

Frank R. Williams

Is the plan of salvation really a subject of debate? Most all members of the Lord’s church are aware of this plan and can give it. True, the words “plan of salvation” are not a New Testament phrase, but it identifies something that is true in the simplest terms. Brethren may give it differently, as some will give the five points as follows: 1) believe, 2) repent, 3) confess, 4) be baptized, and 5) live faithfully; others my say it is: 1) hear, 2) believe, 3) repent, 4) confess, and 5) be baptized; while still others may say: 1) hear, 2) believe, 3) repent, 4) confess, 5) be baptized, and 6) live faithfully. There may be others who express it a little differently, but it all comes out just about the same and when not expressed in the correct terms, when someone gives it in any way, if it is generally agreed upon. Therefore, it may come as a surprise to hear that someone really disagrees with the whole subject!
True the words, “plan of salvation,” are not in the New Testament and we are big on “speaking where the Bible speaks and being silent where the Bible is silent;” but there are areas that need a means of identification, such as “the five acts of worship,” which the same people do not like. There are some who just do not like anything that is organized. For instance, no one has come up with six acts of worship, of course, we can leave one off, but we would be short is expressing the worship. There are some “highly intellectuals” who are “born in the negative mood” and they have a dislike for anyone to disagree with them!
If someone were honestly asking you, “What must I do to be saved?” what would you tell them? You might say, “Well, you have to believe, in other words, you to have faith.” Would you be wrong? No, not as far as you went. When you teach them and are sure they now believe, you then, tell them the next “step” is to repent of your sins. This could go on through the whole plan itself was given. If I recall correctly, it was Walter Scott who was the first one to hold up five figures and give the plan as he had come to understand it. However, it was not as given today and there are reasons for this. If you have studied history of the churches of Christ in America, who are fully aware that those first preachers were working their way out of denominationalism, and they did so one “step” at a time. They had to change what they taught from time to time. Remember, they were coming out “the darkness of false teaching” and had to study their way out. Earl West said it best, “It was a search for the ancient order of things.” Those who object to the word “order” also object to West’s use of the word “order.” But God is an organized being! With these few words before us, we are now ready to dive into our subject.
It is always best to see how the apostles answered or addressed a question or subject. So, here was the question coming from those who were lost: “Men and brethren, what shall we do? “(Acts 2:37). This is the first time such a question had been asked and the first time an answer had been given; therefore, it is the best place to start our subject: “Is there really a plan of salvation?” As we look at Acts two, and hear the words of Acts two, verse thirty-seven, let us understand they were believing lost people! Therefore, Peter was addressing, he was answering a question, coming from the lips of those who believed what he had just preached. This is seen in Luke’s words, “Now when they heard this….”. Peter was to answer their question as directed by the Holy Spirit which had just been given him and the other apostles as recorded in Acts two, verses one through four. All we must do is let Peter answer ours and their question, which he did in verse thirty-eight: “Then Peter said unto them, 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 Spirit.” This is the first time after Jesus had given them, the apostles, orders to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Then, Jesus addressed the responsibility of those who heard the gospel: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (verse 16). Was there order to Jesus words? Yes, of course, Jesus had order to his words; he gave a plan, if you will, “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,” and no others! Peter gives the same plan in Acts two, though in different words as he was dealing with the reality of the lost; therefore, “repent and be baptized.” It must not go without noting, that Peter said, “repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for (unto) the remission of sins.” The subject was the forgiveness of sins, as they understood, that they were lost! If, we should so find that other words are given in answer to the same question, asked or unasked, does it mean that Peter was wrong in Acts two, verse thirty-eight? Of course, not!
With the above in mind, we shall let Peter answer for himself. In Acts three, verse eighteen, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Did Peter make a mistake? No, not in any way! Once more he was addressing those who understood that believeth came first; therefore, he starts with “repent” and then he threw us a curve. He uses the word “convert.” This is the Greek “epistrepho” and means: “to revert” to a former state, and “turn (about, again) (Strong). Some people have in their mind that “repentance” is a turning but this is not the case! Repent means: “to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider” and is the Greek, ‘metanoeo.“ So no, repentance is not a turning but the determination to turn seeing we have been wrong! Once more we ask, was Peter wrong in giving this answer? No, and no, again! In the case of Saul, he was told by the inspired Ananias to “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Here baptism stood by itself! There was no belief, repentance, or confession! Does this mean that Saul did not have to believe, repent, or confess? No, not in any way! He already believed and had repented and would make the good confession. I can just hear some saying, ,”Oh Frank, you have started putting things into the text that are not there!” To which I say, Once there, always there! God did not play with us about the “plan of salvation!” We must not over look Lydia, as she: “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul:” And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized,…” (Acts 16:14-15). She was “baptized” and not one word is said about her believing, repenting, or confessing! Did she do these things? Of course, she did! One more case! He is referred to simply as the jailer: “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31). Here it is! Just “believe” and you are saved! No, this is no different than the other cases and if we should read of a hundred more cases, they would all be of the same kind!
Let the “intellectuals” spew forth their wild venom but it will not change what the inspired preachers said in the first century and what faithful gospel preachers say today! Just think of this way. What greater question is there, than the one about the salvation of our souls? Preachers today sure do not stand above those inspired preachers of the first century! What is the answer to the simple question: “What must I do in order to be saved?” Will the “intellectuals” speak where the New Testament speaks or not, that is the question!
No, in the above we did not cover the confession! Let Paul handle this problem, that is if it be, a problem! Paul addressed this subject: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:10). Please, notice that “confession” is made “unto salvation!” This is not a confession of our sins, but that Jesus is Lord, Lord of my life! With this I am prepared to put on the Lord Jesus Christ in baptism! Confession is an announcement to all the world, “Jesus is Lord of my life and I bow before him, and his will is supreme in my life!
So, is there a “Plan of salvation” given in the New Testament? Yes! Can it be found? Yes! It is if binding on us today? Yes! Get yourself in a place so you can hear the gospel!

Frank R. Williams