The Bible often defines words through their associations. For instance, the words salute, saluteth, and salutation involve a greeting.
On the day Stephen was martyred, a young man named Saul stood by and gave his consent to Stephen’s death. Apparently, that day greatly affected Saul.
A martyr is one who is killed for his faith. Only two individuals are specifically named as martyrs in scripture: Stephen and Antipas.
A man’s conscience resides within, yet its expression can be witnessed by others. Because of the testimony of his conscience, Paul rejoiced. According to scripture, that testimony was manifest to the world but especially among the people of God. Those who knew Paul knew that he served the Lord “in simplicity and godly sincerity.” He did not do everything right, but he exhibited a passion of heart to do right in all that he did. No doubt, this was a wonderful example to other believers who looked to Paul for guidance. They saw a man who sincerely loved the Lord and others and also gave every effort possible not to offend either.
Sin within a person’s life messes with man’s conscience. It begins by attacking man’s knowledge of God with the end goal of causing a complete rejection of God. Sinful man turns to many different devices in hopes of taking care of his sin-tainted conscience. He may seek to pacify his conscience by doing religious works. He also may try to forget that his conscience has been corrupted by a further turning toward the pleasures of sin. In both cases, he is left with a conscience in need of purging. Where can man turn to find the purging he so strongly desires? According to the Bible, only the blood of Jesus Christ can purge a man’s conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14).
Many people are quite zealous of following the traditions of men. For instance, the apostle Paul was so exceedingly zealous of the traditions of his fathers that he “persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women” (Acts 22:4). This same act has been true throughout church history. History reveals that many saints of God were severely punished and even put to death for rejecting unscriptural traditions such as infant baptism. In some cases, babies were ripped from the arms of their mothers and cast into lakes and rivers. Others were tossed into arenas with lions for rejecting traditions choosing to hold up scripture. Why? Because men are zealous of their traditions and will persecute to keep their ways intact!
Man’s opinion concerning the sinfulness of sin very rarely reflects God’s holy, perfect, and righteous declarations. This is because man does not think like God. The Lord expressed these sentiments in Isaiah 55:8-9 when He said, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, . . . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Even a cursory study of rebellion verifies these truths as a man generally thinks of it more lightly than he ought. Man describes rebellion as strong willed or independent; however, God provides an accurate description as He states that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” Because God likens rebellion to witchcraft, the Old Testament punishment for rebellion was likewise death (Deuteronomy 21:18-23). There can be no doubt as to the seriousness of this sin from God’s perspective.
Most problems have multiple solutions, yet some of the solutions yield newer and greater problems. Abram and Sarai knew the Lord wanted to give them a son. All they needed to do was to trust God to accomplish what He had promised. The problem—Sarai bare Abram no children. Instead of seeking the Lord for the proper solution to the problem, Sarai conceived what she believed to be a good plan. She wanted her maid Hagar to bare a son for them. This solution was indeed a solution to the problem, but it was not God’s solution. Hagar had a son, but this son turned out to be a thorn in the flesh of Abram and Sarai’s son Isaac. The problems resulting from their solution have lingered for millennia and continue to this day.
Man can, at times, readily recognize problems that arise, but often initially reacts with solutions to remove the problem out of sight. As the disciples looked out over the multitude in today’s passage, they saw thousands in a desert place with a lack of provisions. They quickly viewed what seemed to them as an insurmountable problem. As evening approached, they came to the Lord and suggested that He send the people away. The disciples were more comfortable with the problem if it was out of sight, out of mind, and not theirs to face. Their suggestion was an unacceptable solution. For this reason, the Lord put the problem back upon the disciples when He said to them, “Give ye them to eat” (Mark 6:37). In other words, the problem would not go away or solve itself. The Lord directed the disciples to find a solution and their turning a blind eye was completely unacceptable.
The question of an appropriate audience to receive witness of the resurrection may seem quite simple at first. However, the issue is somewhat controversial. Some erroneously teach that believers should only witness to Jews, while others teach that believers should witness to all except for Jews. Others might suggest that believers should not witness to any of the lost because God has chosen some to die and go to hell. These teachings exist for many reasons, none of which are scriptural. The biblical pattern for the New Testament church is that believers should “witness unto all men.” Everyone needs the opportunity to hear the gospel, despite his or her background or current living conditions. The whole world needs to hear that Christ has risen!
