The lectures today were at a
rented venue on the main traffic circle at the center of the downtown area. It
was a nice Philippine hotel and our function room was on the third floor. One
of the owners was attending the lectures and has shown great interest in the
gospel. Her and her husband agreed to rent it at a very good rate and then gave
us a room twice as large as the one agreed and much nicer. It was a great deal
for the price! It was well air-conditioned, so I was very comfortable through
the day until about the last hour, and then only slightly warm. As is normal,
we got started almost an hour after the starting time I had been announced.
The first lesson preached was
on “Salvation and the Seed, the Word of God” from 1 Peter 1:22-25. We noted
that the power is in the seed to produce according to its kind. So, if we want
the salvation given by God, we must go to the right seed – the gospel of
Christ. The thoughts and feelings of man are not the standard, but that which
God directs of us in His word.
The second lesson dealt with
“God’s Use of the Prophets” from 2 Peter 1:12-21 and 1 Peter 1:10-12. The
lesson focused on the meaning of “inspiration” and how God inspired His word.
The point being that God caused the speakers and writers to say exactly what He
wanted them to say because He controlled their words. We also noted that those
words can be understood and cannot be changed.
In the Question / Answer
session just before lunch, the question of instrumental music in worship to God
was raised by a woman who was a principal at a denomination school in Bogo, at
the north end of Cebu Island. She was converted when I was preaching up there
several years ago. She asked on behalf of another lady, a so-called “pastora”
or denominational preacher, that she brought. We dealt with the fact that
singing can be shown as authorized in the NT because it was commanded and
practiced in the NT. We asked if anyone had a NT verse showing it was
authorized in NT times. All admitted that no such verse exists in the NT. I
then made the comparison with the practice of circumcision taken out of the OT
and commanded in NT times. Galatians 5:4 says the result of such was that they
were severed from Christ. We made the comparison with animal sacrifice and
David’s polygamy to show other cases where those in denominations would not
reach back to the OT for a practice approved then and try to say it can also be
practiced today.
The last lesson dealt with
“The Blood of Jesus and Salvation from Sin.” We started with the book of
Hebrews, especially chapters 9 and 10, to note that the blood of animals could
not cleanse man from sin, but only the blood of Jesus. We went back to the OT
to show that the blood always represented the life. Man has never been
permitted to eat the blood because it belonged to God since the “life” belonged
to God. When the Israelites offered animal sacrifices, they were always
instructed to give that blood at the altar as representing the life being
given. We then noted that that blood of an animal (or life of the animal) was
not of sufficient value to save a human who offered it. But the value of Jesus’
blood, as the perfect sacrifice, is sufficient in value to save all of mankind.
The question then comes of when we meet that blood and the gospel clearly shows
that it as the point of baptism.
