[Biblemat] Bible Truths and Bible Questions updates

[Don Martin]

Don Martin with the update notification:

As always, I am pleased to inform you of new material to both Bible Truths
and Bible Questions.

The new Current Truth to www.bibletruths.net is, "I Timothy 5, Widows and
Church Versus Individual Action."  Here is an excerpt from the material (to
read the material in full, enter through the door on the home page of Bible
Truths and click on "Current Truth" in the directory):

     "...Residing in I Timothy 5 is some of the most extensive teaching on
the subject of the treatment of widows. The church had anterior to this
writing incurred the situation of needy widows (Acts 6: 1-7). While the text
of Acts 6 generally mentions the matter of assisting widows, I Timothy 5
provides specific and detailed teaching. The text also clearly shows that
there are restrictions placed on the church treasury and how it is to be
used.

     The text of I Timothy 5 decisively establishes the need to, ".honor
widows that are widows indeed" (vs. 3). That both "church" and "individual"
action is addressed, respectively, cannot be denied (vs. 16). In one
pondered case, certain individuals have primary responsibility and in the
same considered case, the church is not to act (vs. 16). Hence, the belief
that, "What the individual can do, the church can do and, conversely, what
the church can do, the individual can do" is not necessarily true. We shall
see in our study that the local church is presented as having structure,
functionality, and demarcation. The text of I Timothy 5 also presents a
gradation regarding benevolent responsibility concerning which many
Americans have totally forgotten. This gradation is children and/or
grandchildren are to first take care of their parents and/or grandparents
and the local church is not to be charged (vs. 3, 16). "Let the government
do it or the church take care of my parents," say many. Such a mentality
while prevalent is anti-biblical....."

There is new material in Bible Truths besides the new Current Truth.  For
instance, I have published many new PowerPoint sermons.  Some titles are as
follows:

"Once Saved, Always Saved."
"Church Growth."
"God's Grace has Appeared."
"The Future."
"What Does Nature Teach?"
"Bible Love, Not Namby-pamby Sentimentality."
"Individuality."
"Acts 20: 7, an Important Verse."
"Public Teachers."

These PowerPoint files are deliberately designed to allow you ease in
downloading and effecting reasonable changes in format, etc.  I also create
these presentations in the least amount of file size with the user in mind.
When on the home page of Bible Truths, enter through the door and click on,
"PowerPoint Sermons" in the directory.  Some even use these presentations to
send to others as religious electronic tracks.  I now have hundreds of these
sermons in Bible Truths.

We exhausted the storage space that our host for many years provided
(outgrew it), and we have had to relocate both Bible Truths and Bible
Questions to another, larger host.  However, everything works the same, same
URL, external links, etc.

The new Featured Question for www.biblequestions.org is, "What does 'but I
say unto you' mean?'"

    Question: What does "but I say unto you" mean?

     Answer: Our good question has reference to the famous expression spoken
by Jesus, "but I say unto you," found in Matthew 5: 21-48.

    One explanation is that Jesus is challenging the actual teaching of the
Law of Moses. It is obvious that Jesus is placing his teaching in contrast
to some teaching. Verses 21, 22; 27,28; 31, 32; 38, 39; and 43, 44 contain
the contrasts. Notice Jesus says, "ye have heard" and "it hath been said,"
not "it is written," as would have been the case regarding the Law of Moses
(see Matt. 4: 4, 7, 10). The law never taught "Thou shalt love thy neighbor,
and hate thine enemy," one of the contrasts (vss. 43, 44). Moreover, Jesus
has just explained that he did not come to "collide" with the law (vss. 17,
18). Jesus respected and kept the law, kept it sinlessly (Gal. 4: 4, Heb. 4:
15).

    Another explanation is Jesus is contrasting the perverted oral
traditions of the Jews with the true moral pronouncements of the law. I
suggest this explanation is correct. It is true that Jesus does present a
more sublime and spiritual explanation and application of God's moral laws
to the Jews than had been commonly experienced (see vss. 22, 28, 32, 34, 39,
44 ff.). However, he is not in conflict with the law God gave to the Jewish
Nation (Deut. 5: 1-3).

    Jesus had no tolerance for false doctrine and he sought to challenge it
on every occasion (see Mk. 7). The Sermon on the Mount, in which our famous
"but I say unto you" is found, is an expose of the doctrinal perversions of
the Pharisees (5: 19 20). The Law of Moses, as a system, was "nailed to the
cross" (Col. 2: 14, ff.). Jesus fulfilled the law (Matt. 5: 18, Rom. 10: 4).
However, God's moral codes continue in Jesus' law on a much higher and
consequential scale (Gal. 6: 2, Rom. 13, Jn. 15: 12, Heb. 10: 25 ff.).

Cordially,
Don Martin  dmartinbtbq at comcast.net

Check out our Web sites:  http://www.bibletruths.net
Ask and receive a Bible answer  http://www.biblequestions.org
Simply click on the URL to visit these sites.  You may print out the
material for teaching purposes, see the copyright provision on the home page
of Bible Truths.