On January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court of the United States issued their ruling in the Roe v. Wade case challenging anti-abortion laws in the state of Texas.  In a 7-2 decision the Court ruled that abortion on demand was a right guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.  Since that time, more than 56 million unborn babies have been killed in the United States.  There is perhaps no other single issue that has so deeply divided our nation, or evoked such strong passions among advocates on both sides of the argument.

The irony in this debate is that many of those who advocate abortion on demand without restrictions are also the most outspoken advocates of the protection of so-called endangered animals.  Many of them are also among the most vigorous opponents of capital punishment.  Thus, they propose and endorse hundreds of regulations and laws to protect unborn animals, but unborn humans may be literally torn limb from limb in the womb on the whim of the mother.  They demonstrate and protest against the execution of convicted criminals, but support and fund the wholesale slaughter of innocent babies.

We could not have arrived at this sad circumstance if we had remained obedient to the directions of God’s word.  Even a cursory reading of the scriptures reveals that human life is sacred to God and should therefore be treated as such.  In Gen. 1:26, 27 the scripture tells us that God created mankind in His image.  This means that human beings are different from the animals.  God endued humans with a spirit that will live forever.  This means that we are more important in God’s sight than the animals.

When Noah emerged from the Ark after the flood, God emphasized the sanctity of human life by decreeing the principle of capital punishment.  In Gen. 9:6 God said, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.”  God underscored this principle in the Ten Commandments by declaring, “You shall not murder” (Ex. 20:13).  In addition to this, God made provision in the Law of Moses for harm done to an unborn child.  In Ex. 21:22-25 God commanded that a man who caused harm or death to an unborn child should be punished, “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

To these commandments the wise man Solomon added this declaration:  “There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers” (Prov. 6:16-19).  Murderers obviously fall under “hands that shed innocent blood,” and how much more so those who murder unborn babies?  Theirs is the most innocent blood of all.

Sometimes abortion advocates try to justify this action by suggesting that an unborn child is not actually human until it draws its first breath outside the womb.  This is one reason why they refer to the unborn child as a “fetus.”  In Jer. 1:5, however, God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.”  God knew Jeremiah the person, even before he was born.  Jeremiah’s life was sacred, even in the womb, and so is every unborn child’s life today.  May God help us to recognize that human life is sacred, and treat it as such at every stage of life, from the womb to the tomb.

(The photo above is of an unborn child’s feet at ten weeks after conception.  Note that they are definitely human feet, complete with toes.  These “precious feet” are the symbol of the national Right to Life movement.)

One of the catch phrases that we often hear today is that doctrine divides, but love unites.  This idea is most often used as the justification for minimizing the differences that exist between various religious bodies.  The premise is that we should not be concerned about our doctrinal differences, but should instead emphasize our shared beliefs.  In this way it is asserted that we can enjoy fellowship and harmony with one another, and thus fulfill the Lord’s desire that all believers should be “one”.  The result of this kind of attitude is that “doctrine” becomes something bad.

While this attitude fits well in the politically correct world in which we now live, it is so obviously contrary to what the scriptures teach that one wonders how it survives.  The letters of Paul to Timothy and to Titus are generally referred to as the Pastoral Epistles.  This means that they are intended to guide the church in its beliefs and practices.  Yet, the one thing they emphasize more than anything else is the need to preach doctrine.  In particular, Paul spoke to Timothy and Titus about what he called “sound” doctrine.

This term appears some ten times in these three small letters.  In Tit. 1:9 Paul told Titus that overseers must be able to exhort in sound doctrine, and to refute those who contradict.  In 1 Tim. 4:6 Paul reminded Timothy that he was constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine that he had been following.  In 2 Tim. 4:3, 4 Paul warned Timothy that the time would come when people would not endure sound doctrine, but would turn away from the truth.  According to the apostle Paul, doctrine is neither bad nor unimportant.  It is absolutely necessary in order to be right with God.

The Greek word that is translated “sound” in these passages may also be translated “healthy”.  When we consider Paul’s comments on this subject from this perspective, we begin to see why it is so important.  We are spiritually fed and nourished by the words of scripture.  These teachings or doctrines are designed to make us spiritually healthy.  When we preach the whole purpose of God as Paul did in Ephesus (Acts 20:27), we are providing well-balanced spiritual food.  This “healthy” food is intended to make us spiritually strong enough to live righteously in the world.

We may compare the preaching of sound doctrine to a mother who prepares healthy food for her family.  That food will include some things that don’t taste as good as donuts or cotton candy, but which are more beneficial for our bodies than sweets.  It isn’t that she doesn’t want her family to ever enjoy the sweets, but rather that she knows they cannot survive on these things.  A mother who only served junk food to her family would be considered negligent, but how many preachers are doing this very thing each Sunday?  They are feeding their churches spiritual cotton candy instead of the healthy doctrine of scripture.

Does doctrine divide?  Yes, it does, but this is exactly what it is supposed to do.  It divides those who love the Lord and keep His commandments (Jn. 14:15) from those who do not love Him.  It divides the sheep from the goats, as the Lord Himself will do at judgment (Mt. 25:31-46).  At the same time, however, sound doctrine makes us spiritually healthy and prepares us to live with God in heaven for eternity.

Paul made it clear that a faithful preacher must teach sound doctrine.  If we truly love the Lord, and if we love one another, we will not substitute spiritual cotton candy for the healthy spiritual food of scripture.

We often speak of “getting off on the right foot.”  This is a way of expressing the desire to begin some new endeavor in the best possible manner.  Whether it is the first day of a new school year, the first day on a new job, the decision to marry the love of one’s life, or some other serious commitment, we recognize that it is important to begin well.  This is why we make preparations for these commitments.  We want to make the best start possible so we will have the best opportunity for success in them.

While it is not impossible to reach a successful conclusion after a poor beginning, it is typically very difficult to overcome a stumbling start.  We see this all the time in sporting events.  A horse that stumbles coming out of the starting gate is not likely to win the race, no matter how fast or strong he may be.  A football team that falls behind by a large margin in the first quarter is not likely to win the game, no matter how well they may play the final three quarters.  Sometimes a bad start can be overcome, but not very often.

The principle of getting off to a good start applies in all areas of life, but is especially important in terms of our spiritual walk.  The scriptures encourage us to begin our walk with the Lord early in life, because of the danger of straying so far away that we are unable to come to obedience later in life.  This was the counsel of the wise man in Eccl. 12:1, where he said, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, ‘I have no delight in them.'”  It is not impossible to overcome a lifetime spent away from the Lord, but it is not often that such a person turns to God.

Becoming a disciple of Christ early in life is one way in which we “get off on the right foot” in spiritual matters.  Whenever one obeys the gospel, however, it is just the first step in a journey that will last to the end of that person’s life.  When we understand discipleship in this manner, we see that every day we must “get off on the right foot.”  This is because each day takes us either closer to the goal of heaven, or farther away from it.  For this reason, we must “get off on the right foot” every day, and the beginning of a new year is a good time to begin this habit.

To “get off on the right foot” each day this year, there are at least three tangible actions that we may take in order to do so.  First, we must commit ourselves to the daily study of God’s word.  In Psa. 119:105 the psalmist said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  If we want to stay on the path that leads to eternal life, we must continue in God’s word.  In Jn. 8:31, 32 Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.”

Second, we must commit ourselves to regular times of prayer with our Father in heaven.  In Phil. 4:6 Paul said, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”  If we seek God in prayer every day, we will do much better each day.

Third, we must commit ourselves to faithfully assemble with the saints to worship God each Lord’s Day.  Regular participation in worship helps us to keep our focus on the path ahead and the goal of eternal life.  It draws us closer to God, and consequently helps us to keep from straying from the Lord.  David said, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.'” (Psa. 122:1).  This should be our attitude as well.

As we begin this new year, let’s all get off on the right foot by putting spiritual things first in our daily lives.  If we do so, this will be our best year ever, and we’ll be well on the way to a great conclusion in heaven!

When we reach the end of the year our thoughts move in two directions at once.  We look ahead with great anticipation to what the coming year may have in store for us.  We typically do so with optimism and hope that the new year will be better than the last one.  At the same time, we look back over what transpired in the year just concluding.  We may do so with nostalgia because of the good times we experienced or the good things that occurred.  Or, we might do so with sorrow or remorse because of some painful experience we had or some regrettable action we took during the course of the year.

This dichotomy of emotions is present even in our end-of-year celebrations.  Many New Year’s Eve gatherings end with the song, “Auld Lang Syne,” which calls to mind days long since passed.  Presumably the memory of those days is good, but even so this song tends to evoke feelings of sadness.  This may be because we instinctively understand that the past is gone and can never be duplicated.  Perhaps we’re made a little sad by this song because the fragile nature of life is so apparent to us.  We know that at any moment we may have made our last memory with a loved one.

Without becoming morbid about it, the ending of one year and the promise of a new one should make us stop and reflect for a moment.  What if this year, just concluding, is the last one we will experience in life?  If we knew that this would be the last time we would see our friends and families, might we do anything differently?  Might we take just a little more time with an aged parent or relation?  Might we show more patience with a child or teen ager?  Would we say, “I love you,” one more time to a wife or husband, son or daughter, or brother or sister in Christ?  Would we say, “I’m sorry, please forgive me,” to someone we’ve hurt, and really mean it?  Perhaps we would.

Those who are Christians have hope beyond this life that puts the frailty of life into perspective.  We know that it is appointed for us to die and after this comes judgment (Heb. 9:27).  We know that once we pass over from life to death there no longer remains any opportunity to change our eternal destiny.  As the rich man discovered in Lk. 16:19-31, we know that once we die our soul’s destiny is settled forever, whether for good or for bad.  This is why it is so important to obey the gospel by being baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38).

The urgency of the gospel is that when the Lord returns, He will do so to deal out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel (2 Th. 1:6-8).  If we had an early warning system that could alert us just before the Lord returned, we might wait until just before He came to obey the gospel, but the Lord said no one knows when He is coming again (Mt. 24:36).  In the same way that we do not know if today is the last day of our life, we do not know if today is the last day the earth will stand.

The truth is that we may never meet again on this side of death.  This being the case, I cannot allow this opportunity to pass without making the plea to be saved.  The love of God, and the fear of eternal condemnation, compels me to urge each one to believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Jn. 8:24), to turn away from sin (Lk. 13:3), to confess your faith in Christ (Mt. 10:32), to be immersed in water in order to be saved (Mk. 16:16), and to live faithfully until death (Rev. 2:10).

If we never meet again, I want you to know that I loved you enough to tell you the truth about your soul’s salvation.

If we never meet again this side of heaven, I hope to meet you there!

There are many songs which mark this season of the year.  Some of them are from a completely secular point of view, and they describe the many aspects of the holiday season.  Most of us enjoy these songs, such as “Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer,” or “Silver Bells.”

Other songs of the season come from a purely religious perspective, as they convey the story of the birth of our Lord.  Many of us enjoy these songs as well.  Some of them stir strong feelings in our hearts, such as “Silent Night,” or “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”  At the same time, however, some of us are often uncomfortable with these songs.  Our discomfort is not because they promote some falsehood about our Lord, although some, like “Little Drummer Boy,” are completely fanciful in content.  Our discomfort with these religious Christmas songs is due to the fact that they only tell the beginning of the story, and leave out the power of who Jesus is.

One of my favorite songs of the season is “Joy to the World.”  The words are by Isaac Watts and the music is by Handel, which is a rich pedigree in religious music.  (I have to confess, however, that my appreciation of this song is due in large part to a rendition of it done by Mannheim Steamroller some years ago.)  Like many religious songs of the season, this song evokes in most minds only the baby in the manger.  We know this because virtually no one sings “Joy to the World” at any other time than December.  One wonders if this is the only time of year that the world feels any joy about the Lord Jesus Christ.

In point of fact, only the first stanza of “Joy to the World” specifically relates to the birth of Jesus.  Each of the succeeding three stanzas extols the reign of the Lord, and with a decidedly millennial perspective at that.  If we are concerned at all about the truthfulness of our songs, perhaps this is one whose words are better left unsung at any time of the year.

The larger question, however, remains.  What is it about Jesus that should bring joy to the world?  Many will argue, in the spirit of the season, that it is His birth that brings joy to the world.  There is no doubt that joy was expressed at the Lord’s birth.  In Lk. 2:10 the angel told the shepherds that he had “good news of great joy which will be for all the people.”  But this is just the beginning of the story.  If Jesus is left in the manger, there is no joy at all, because another angel prophesied that “He will save His people from their sins” (Mt. 1:21).  The baby in the manger could not, and did not, accomplish this.

As God intended it from before the beginning of time, the joy which Jesus brings to the world is that He would be the perfect sacrifice for all the sins of the world, and that through Him mankind could be reconciled to God.  In Eph. 1:7 Paul said, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”

When the gospel was preached for the very first time, as recorded by Luke in Acts 2, the apostles did not preach the birth of Jesus.  They did not preach the baby in the manger.  Instead, they preached the crucified, resurrected Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:36).  At no time thereafter did any apostle, or preacher, or elder of the church preach joy to the world in the form of baby Jesus.  Their preaching was always “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).  Ultimately, joy to the world can only be found in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ who now reigns over His kingdom.  On the basis of this truth we may sing joy to the world each and every day.

In 1966 Elvis Presley recorded a song entitled, “If Every Day Was Like Christmas.”  The grammatical errors in the title notwithstanding, it was a modest success, reaching #2 on the Billboard list for Christmas songs that year.  This beautiful and moving song conveys the wish that the spirit of Christmas could be present all the year round.  It plays on the imagery of the season and the goodwill and love that is generally present during this time of year.  The conclusion of the song says, “If every day could be just like Christmas, what a wonderful world this would be!”  Most people, whether they are Elvis fans or not, would agree that the spirit of this time of year is a wonderful thing to behold.

Interestingly, for many of us the most endearing aspect of this season is not the receiving of gifts.  We actually appreciate the kindness, and generosity, and genuine love that pervade this season.  Even in the crush of Christmas shopping and preparing for family gatherings, people tend to try a little more to be patient and courteous to one another.  We are happy to wish perfect strangers a “Merry Christmas” as we pass them on the street or in the mall.  Ill-tempered and ill-mannered and evil people are still around, and still make their impact on society, but most of us try to be a little bit nicer at this time of year.

Another aspect of this season that is pleasant for many of us is that more people pay attention to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ than at any other time of the year.  They do so in overt ways, such as nativity scenes, bumper stickers proclaiming that He’s the reason for the season, and in special religious assemblies.  They also do so in more subtle ways by showing a more Christ-like spirit in their dealings with one another.  For believers it is always pleasing to see the Lord being honored, even if only briefly and, perhaps only superficially.

However, if we were to frame this wish in a truly biblical and solely spiritual context, what would it mean if every day were like Christmas?  First and perhaps foremost of all, if every day were like Christmas the whole world would focus its attention on our Savior and Lord, and would offer Him the homage that He deserves.  Every day we would proclaim that Jesus is the reason for what we are doing.  Every knee would truly bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (Phil. 2:9-11).

If every day were like Christmas, everyone would treat each other with kindness, courtesy, and generosity.  We would be gracious and forgiving to one another, and would not do anything to anyone that we would not want done to ourselves.  We would truly live the golden rule every day (Mt. 7:12).

If every day were like Christmas, we would not forsake the assembly on the Lord’s Day (Heb. 10:23-25).  We would never miss an opportunity to acknowledge the great gift that God gave in sending His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins.  We would make a special effort every Lord’s Day to be in the worship assembly.

If every day were like Christmas, we would never cease to offer songs of praise to God the Father for the wonderful blessings we have in Christ (Heb. 13:15).  We would never cease to offer prayers to God (1 Th. 5:17).  And, we would be generous in giving of our means for the work of the church (2 Cor. 8:3-5).

In short, if every day were like Christmas, all of us would be fully engaged in putting God first in our lives, and in living in obedience to His will.  No one would hesitate to publicly express his or her devotion to God.  All people would shamelessly proclaim and live their love for the Lord.  If I could have one wish this Christmas season, this would be my wish, and my prayer.