[Biblemat] A) GOD HAS SPOKEN

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Saturday
morning to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.
Here is an article from my files:

GOD HAS SPOKEN 

     Change is a basic part of life -- inevitable.  Repentance de-
mands change (Acts 8:22).  Growth in righteousness requires
change, adding in one's life the principles that one has come
to understand (2 Pet. 1:5-11).  Change is essential to drawing
nearer to God (Jas. 4:7-9).  The extremity of it in the lives of
those who have been exceedingly and actively opposing truth
startles those who observe it.  Consider the change from being Saul the 
persecutor to being Paul the Apostle of Jesus
Christ (Acts 9:1-22), and consider the extremity of change in
the lives of the saints at Corinth (1 Cor. 6:1-11).  Much self-
discipline was required to maintain that change that had taken place (1 Cor. 
9:27).

     While change is necessary to obedience, some kinds of
change are not praiseworthy.  In the Protestant Reformation,
rejecting the false doctrines and wrong practices of the Rom-
an Catholic Church was surely praiseworthy, but the develop-
ment of human creeds to replace other human creeds was not good.  Rejection 
of the "holy days" of Catholic origin was
praiseworthy, as was rejection of Catholic authority and repla-
cing it with Bible authority.  Now, in our own time, we are see-
ing a great change from respecting and honoring Bible author-
ity to the elevation of human traditions once again -- a change that is not 
praiseworthy.

     Many people living today are unaware of the changes that
have taken place in their own chosen denominations.  Most of
the Protestant reformers rejected instrumental music in worship as being 
Romish, along with the "holy days" such as
Christmas and Easter.  Is it praiseworthy that instrumental
music has been restored in nearly all denominational groups
and tht most Protestants have "embraced Christmas" with all
of its religious traditions?  People look askance at Christians
who do not practice these things for which there is no Script-
ural authority, because most people have given up respect for Bible authority 
as the basis of their faith and practice.
Changes for the worse are inevitable, but faithful children of 
God must not be partakers of them (2 Pet. 2:1-3; Matt. 18:7; 1
Jno. 4:1; 1 Tim. 4:1-6).  Let us, therefore, be careful that our
changes are always for good, for truth, in obedience to God.
------- Gilbert Alexander.   </HTML>
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