BEARING THE SINS OF THE FATHER
By Michael R. Baggett
The Bible clearly teaches that the son shall not inherit or bear the sins of the father, the soul that sins it shall die (Ezek. 18:4, 20). Everyone reaps what they sow (Gal. 6:7). God is a just God. Man is sometimes very unjust. When mothers abort their babies, they are making the baby pay for the mother’s sin!
Married or not, abortion as a means of birth control is wrong. But I want you to think about single women who live loose and immoral lifestyles who find themselves with child and abort the child. The child didn't have sexual relations outside of marriage. The child didn’t make the choice to live a careless immoral lifestyle. A child is always a possibility when childbearing aged women have sexual relations. The Bible says we reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7). So, when the woman finds herself with child, she is reaping what she has sown, but instead of being responsible and showing natural affection toward her unborn child, she goes to an abortion clinic and executes her own flesh and blood! Someone will say, “Oh, don’t say it like that!” Well, friends, she didn’t go to an abortion clinic to give the child a lollipop. I hear they are considering renaming the term abortion to something less violent sounding; it is still at its core called murder!
God never intended for the children to pay for the sins of the parent in any fashion, rather everyone is to be responsible for their own sins (Ezek. 18:4, 20). Isn’t aborting a child conceived out of fornication a case of punishing the unborn child for one’s own sins? You play, the child pays. Think about it. This is what abortion amounts to most of the time. And oh, how the crowds yell and mourn about Row versus Wade being overturned by the Supreme Court. These people want their easy abortions so they can keep on sinning and making their babies pay with their lives for the parent’s sins!
The soul of the aborted child is safe in eternity (2 Sam. 12:23; Matt. 18:3). The responsible mother and agreeable father will face God on the charges of murder! (Ex. 20:13; 22-23; Rev. 20:8). Forgiveness can be found in Jesus Christ along with true repentance, but a precious life has still been thrown away and you can’t get that back. God can forgive the worst offenders through Jesus (See 1 Tim. 1:13-16).
In closing, The Bible describes the precious life inside the womb as the careful work of God, consider the following passage:
“For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them” (Psa.
139:13-16).
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“And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man” (Genesis 9:5-6 KJV). |
HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE BIBLE?
By Dennis Abernathy
It has been said that more people praise the Bible than read the Bible, and more people read the Bible than believe the Bible, and more people believe the Bible than understand the Bible, and more people understand the Bible than obey the Bible. Unfortunately, that really does describe a lot of people. In a world where the Word of God is accessible to the majority of the population, many people never read the Bible. Others may read it, but blindly ignore its evidences of inspiration. Then there are those who acknowledge that the Bible is God’s Word, but their preconceptions and prejudices prevent them from understanding it. And finally, there are many people who understand much of what God commands of us in the Scriptures, but they do not obey it.
One reason this is so sad is the fact that God gave us the Scriptures to save us, and those who disbelieve or disobey God’s Word will not be saved! James 1:21 admonishes us to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” But merely having a copy of the Bible somewhere in your home, or even displaying the Bible in a prominent place, will not bring salvation. God’s Word must be received by faith, and embraced by obedience.
Jesus Himself spoke of the consequences of rejecting His message in the Scriptures. In John 12:48 He said: “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him. The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” To refuse Jesus’ Word is to reject Him! Even though many teach that one may “believe in Christ” and yet refuse to do what He says, to all such, Jesus says: when you refuse to accept My teaching, you refuse, in so doing to accept Me. And My Word, which you refuse, will be that which will condemn you at the Judgment! Thus, the message which proclaims life to the believer is the message which proclaims judgment to the disobedient!
Friend, please be careful that you are not like those who have
the Bible, but will not read it, or like those who read the Bible, but will not
believe it, or like those who believe it, but will not understand it, or like
those who understand it, but will not obey it.
Is Obedience Necessary?
By Dennis Abernathy
Amazingly, there are many people who do not believe that obedience is necessary for one to be saved. In March 23-26, 1948, Ben Bogard, renown Baptist debater, said the following in public debate: “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Salvation is by grace through faith, not through obedience. Then baptism is for those who have already been saved.” Porter-Bogard Debate p. 28. In April 19-22, 1938, Mr. Bogard also said: “I’m going to maintain that there is no act at all that any man in the Old Testament time or the New ever had to perform in order to be saved. Salvation is received by faith, and faith is the only thing you can do without doing anything. Faith submits to the Lord and doesn’t pretend to do; as long as you attempt to do you are working it yourself and not depending upon the Lord.” Bogard-Hardeman Debate p. 93. Like Bogard, many believe that salvation is by faith, and no act of obedience on the part of man is necessary to salvation. They believe salvation is by “faith only.”
What does the Scriptures say? Hebrews 5:8-9 says: “Though
He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; and
being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that
obey Him.” Again, Romans 6:17-18 says: “But
God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed
from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having
been set free from sin, you became the slaves of righteousness.”
Therefore, regarding salvation, the Bible joins faith and obedience, but many
separate them. In order for one to be saved or justified by faith, he must act
in compliance to God’s demands. Otherwise, it is faith alone, and faith without
any acts or works on the part of man is a dead faith (Jas. 2:20). “You see
then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” (Jas.
2:24). Thus, we are told that salvation is not through obedience, and one does
not have to be baptized in order to be saved, but the Bible says it is by
obedience, and one must be baptized in order to be saved (Mk.16:16; Acts 2:38; 1
Pet. 3:21; Acts 22:16).Which is it? Who do you believe? Think on these things.