Tom Bentley

• About this site

Marta Shutt

• About this site

Stephen Vance

• About this site

 The Person of Christ is a work by various authors about the most precious subject in all the scriptures - God's Son, Jesus Christ.  Some subjects include the Perfect Servant, the Eternal Sonship of Christ, the Incarnation of Christ, the Deity of Christ, the Impeccability of Christ, His Pre-existance, His Moral Glories, the Atonement  Work and others.

• About this site

Gary Sharp

• About this site

• About this site

THE HOLY SPIRIT
THE DISCIPLES AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
Were all the followers of Christ indwelt by the Holy Spirit before the day of Pentecost?

The true answer is, not one of them was. No doubt, as we shall see, the Spirit was with them in a sense, but the Lord distinguishes between this and His indwelling, in John 14:17" TARGET="_blank">John 14:17: “He dwelleth with you and shall be in you.” But earlier we read, “The Holy Ghost was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:39)." TARGET="_blank">John 7:39).
Later the Lord said, “It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you, but if I depart I will send Him unto you” (John 16: 7)." TARGET="_blank">John 16: 7). Does this mean that the Spirit had never been working on the earth before? No, far from it—He had, as we have seen, been always with His people, for we read of His workings throughout the Old Testament. He it is “Who moved (or brooded) on the face of the waters,” preparatory to the renovation of the earth (Genesis 1:2);" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 1:2); “who strove with men” (Genesis 6:3);" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 6:3); who filled His servants and came mightily upon them for special service, e.g., Bezaleel, Joshua, Samson, etc.; who moved holy men of God in the Old Testament to speak, and to write, e.g., David: 2 Samuel 23:2" TARGET="_blank">2 Samuel 23:2(see 2 Peter 1:21);" TARGET="_blank">2 Peter 1:21); and who was vexed with the rebellion of Israel (Isaiah 63:10)." TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 63:10). These various actions He performed as an Omnipotent and Omnipresent Divine Person. But it was later at Pentecost that He came down, Personally to indwell His people and baptise them into “the One Body,” and thus unite them to the Risen Christ in glory, in answer to the request of the Lord Himself.

W.H.

• About this site

• About this site

• About this site

• About this site

How are we to understand the words in Matthew 2:23" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 2:23 “He shall be called a Nazarene”?

Some connect them with the Nazarite vow, but how did that depend on living in Nazareth?

The exact words quoted are not to be found verbatim in any particular Old Testament Prophet, and the evangelist does not assert so much, but only, as it seems, that the sense of his quotation “was spoken by the prophets.” The phrase cannot refer to the Nazariteship of the Lord, because His consecration was not on the line of the Jewish vow of the Nazarite. He was not a Nazarite in the literal sense, and had He been, that would not have depended on His living in Nazareth. Indeed, this interpretation may be ruled out, for the words both in Hebrew and Greek are different—that for Nazarite being “Nazir” or “Nazeiraios,” whereas an inhabitant of Nazareth is generally “Nazöraios” or else (e.g., Mark 1" TARGET="_blank">Mark 1: 24 or Luke 4:34)" TARGET="_blank">Luke 4:34) “Nazarênos.” Some have thought the reference is to Nazareth, as a despised place, which would tally so well with our Lord’s name of Nazarene, which certainly conveyed the thought of reproach. However this may be, the more probable interpretation seems to be that which connects the words of Matthew with such a passage as Isa. ii. i, “There 8hall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Netzer (Branch) shall grow out of his roots.” The name “Nazareth” is probably derived from Netzer, from the bushes and shrubs which were a feature of the landscape, a fact that would thus recall the prophetic name.

W.H.

• About this site

• About this site

When Should Sisters Wear Head Coverings?

Earl Ritchie, Vancouver, BC

Recent answers in the Q and A section of Truth and Tidings have engendered correspondence by some who view the subject differently. It is not the intent of the board of T and T that the magazine become a forum for debate. But in light of the importance of this subject, we have invited an article with an opposing view. The article which follows was submitted by our brother Ritchie. We leave with our readership the article and the Q and A - but above all the Word of God. We also feel it vital to stress that when leadership in an assembly has requested head coverings at events such as those mentioned in the article, the spiritual response is "Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves" (Heb 13:17)." TARGET="_blank">Heb 13:17). God places no premium on rebellion.

AJH

When Should Sisters Wear Head Coverings?

This article is intended to help with the issue as to when head coverings should be worn. As with any other question about the conduct of a believer, it is essential that we be spiritually minded, looking for ways of pleasing God in our lives. First, most believers in assembly fellowship have some idea as to why we insist on head coverings for sisters and uncovered heads for brethren in the meetings. The reasons are to be found mainly in 1 Corinthians 11." TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 11. It would be a good thing for us to learn something about the "ships" in our NT: Lordship, headship, worship, and fellowship.

Let’s assume that we agree that covered heads and uncovered heads portray the important teaching of headship, that the man is the head of the woman, that Christ is the head of the man, and that God is the head of Christ. Let us agree that these statements in 1 Corinthians 11" TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 11 are for us as much as they were for those first century Christians. These are not notes on cultural practices or Paul’s ideas about how people should dress. Now the question is, when should the heads of the sisters be covered and the heads of the brethren be uncovered? If we take these instructions in the assembly setting we are probably very close to the answer because the epistle is addressed to an assembly, "The church of God which is at Corinth," and then broadened out to include us, "with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor 1:2" TARGET="_blank">1 Cor 1:2 ).

The question will then arise, what about weddings and funerals which could be considered private functions, not assembly gatherings? Actually, in both weddings and funerals we are drawing very close to the Lord; these functions are quite different from birthday parties or graduation parties. At a wedding or a funeral, the saints gather to pray, to read the Word of God, to speak out the gospel, and to be in the presence of God for comfort. Both the wedding of believers and the funeral of a departed saint could be included in the expression, "When ye come together" (1 Cor 11:17, 18, 20, 22, 33, 34)." TARGET="_blank">1 Cor 11:17, 18, 20, 22, 33, 34). Many good brethren have listed the various meetings of the assembly as portrayed in the N. T. but the fact that weddings and funerals are not on their list does not rule out the fact that these functions could be considered extensions of our meetings. These occasions are more than family gatherings for social purposes; they are cases of the assembly coming together to seek God’s blessing on a marriage union or the testimony and comfort of a funeral.

The commentary on Corinthians by J. Hunter in the What the Bible Teaches series, is very helpful here: "It must be stated that the N. T. knows nothing of one gathering of the saints being of a different order or rank from another ... Nor is it the presence of the bread and the cup, but the presence of God, that makes the assembly sacred" (p 125). In other words, when we have gathered for a wedding or a funeral, we are in the presence of God and we should observe the same norms of behavior and dress. How disrespectful and irreverent it would be for the brethren to sit through the whole wedding or the funeral with their heads covered; likewise how irreverent it would be for sisters to come bareheaded into a gathering which is specifically intended to join a brother and a sister in a relationship in which headship is exemplified.

The Word of God clearly marks out a difference between men and women. Our North American society is doing its best to blur the differences between the genders. Let us, as believers, follow the Word of God. Weddings and funerals could be considered extensions of assembly meetings where the saints have gathered to wait upon God for His blessing and, in the case of the funeral, to remember His kindness and grace in saving the departed brother or sister. Reverence, respect, and godliness should mark the day. We don’t need worldliness and irreverence to spoil these important days.

Weddings and funerals have a personal and private aspect as well. There is no reason why, with a little imagination and preparation, we cannot add the personal touch without violating principles of the Word of God. The wedding reception and the refreshment time after the funeral tend to be less formal and more relaxed thus providing opportunities for personal expressions of congratulations at weddings or condolences or memories after a funeral.

• About this site

• About this site

Genesis 3:15" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 3:15  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

Genesis 4:3" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 4:3  In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground.

• About this site

• About this site