Month: August 2025

The BIBLE VIEW #1016 — Sin Free?

In This Issue:
One Can’t be Sinless
I Stil Mak Mistaks
Guilty

Volume: 1016   September 1, 2025
Theme:  Not Perfect

One Can’t Be Sinless
Bill Brinkworth

When I was younger, my mother once confined me to my room until supper time because of my bad behavior.  While there, I was very upset about getting into trouble.

The guilt of not doing right and being punished was humiliating.  Making my mother upset also lay heavily on my heart.   I never wanted to disappoint her and have her punish me.

After retrieving my Bible from the bookcase and reading random passages from it, I felt even worse.  Although I don’t remember which passage affected me, I was reminded that my actions were sinful.  Conviction made me feel worse.

Soon, I made up my mind that I would never sin again.  In a short time, I don’t remember what I did, but even though I was the only one in the room, I had sinned again.  All alone, with no one to lead me astray, and I still sinned.

At that point, I realized that it was not possible not to sin.  Now that I am saved, I understand that I was discovering my soul may not want to commit iniquity, but my weak flesh had a mind of its own if I let it. 

As a Christian, we may be forgiven and may not sin as much as we did before being saved, but we are and always will be sinners, as long as we are in this body!  We may not want to break God’s commandments, but we can and too often will.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” I John 1:10
“What then?  are we better than they?  No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin.” Romans 3:9

Admitting one’s sins is essential, but it is just a starting point for getting ALL one’s sins forgiven and forgotten by God.  The crucial next part to have ALL one’s iniquities pardoned is to realize there is nothing anyone can do or pay to have their sins canceled.  Good deeds and acts will not pay the great price the sinner owes God.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

There is only one payment that God will accept to cover our transgressions.  Believing that God sent Jesus, His only Son, to pay our sin debt on the Cross is the only way.  That personal realization and trusting what He has done for us will then free one from sin’s ultimate penalty.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9  We can be saved from an eternity in a tormenting Hell.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12

Although we may still need to confess and repent of our sins daily to remain in fellowship with God, it does not mean we have to be saved again.
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30  “Sealed” indicates salvation is an official transaction that cannot be changed.
“Quench not the Spirit.” I Thessalonians 5:19

“My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” John 10:29  A saved sinner will not lose one’s salvation.

If one is not saved, they will experience an eternity of regret.  For those who are truly trusting Christ’s payment for their iniquities, you are forgiven.  However, get it right with God and purpose to do your best to flee temptation and sin with God’s help.

“When one is saved all their sins are forgiven, but refusal to clean out current iniquity can halt God from working in one’s life.” — Brinkworth

I Stil Mak Mistaks
Bill Brinkworth

I have been writing Christian material for over 40 years.  Thousands of articles have been produced.  However, despite my best efforts, I still make many mistakes.

All articles have been read and reread.  Each time I review the material, I find more errors and often discover a more effective way to express something.

My bookshelves have many grammar and writing books.  I have studied them and try to adhere to the rules, but still, not one article I have written in all those years has been without error. 

During and after writing, I carefully proofread what I have written.  Sometimes, I reread the article more than five times before I handed it to my wife for her to check.  Still, even with the two of us proofreading, there were still errors or improvements that could have been made.

Since she was unable to proofread my writing due to her illness, I use professional proofreading software to check the pieces I had written.  Those programs still find mistakes.  If I check the article with one program, another system will find errors that the other software did not detect.

Just before they are published, I reread them again.  Still, I find mistakes or more efficient ways to make a statement.

It is very discouraging to me that, despite the effort I put into the material, I still do not write “perfectly.”  The fact and truth of the matter is, no writer can proof their own work.  Other proofreaders may also still find more mistakes.

One printing company I am familiar with has put each of its publications through a rigorous 12+ point barrage of proofreaders.  Most have still found errors.

As hard as I try, I will always make mistakes in what I write.

Likewise, a person, saved or lost, will also make “mistakes,” however, their deeds are often sins.  Sin always has grievous side effects and usually regrets.  It must be avoided,

Try as the sinner may, iniquity will always be around the corner.  It is very difficult not to sin, especially in this God-rejecting environment. 

None of us is “good.”  We may have better moments, but sin can hijack one’s thought life or behavior.
“But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” Galatians 3:22

Because of an inherited sin nature, no thanks to Adam and Eve’s disobedience,  we will always sin.  Those who claim they do not sin are either ignorant of what iniquity is, are dishonest, or should be checked for nail prints in their hands  (Jesus was the only person who never sinned and His hands were nailed to a Cross).
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Romans 5:12

Because one will always sin, that does not give anyone the license to continue transgressing God’s commandments, nor does one need to stop trying to halt iniquity.  “Why, I keep messing up, so why try?” some mutter in exasperation.

When a born-again child of God sins, one does not lose one’s salvation.  No one has earned their salvation; it is a free gift of God, and He does not take back what He has given.
“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” II Timothy 1:9

Sin needs to be confessed to God, and with God’s help and one’s watchful attempts, it can be curtailed.  Draw closer to Him.  He will patiently help you get untangled from sin’s stranglehold.  You can succeed.
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.  And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” I John 2:1

We cannot be perfect because of our temporary, weak bodies.  However, one day we will not have to battle our sinful flesh and be discouraged by our sin.  God will one day give saved people a new body that will not sin.  Until that time, carry on doing his will and way.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“Real Christians are forgiven, but sin can still ruin one’s walk with Christ and make one’s life miserable.” — Brinkworth

Guilty?
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.  24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:  25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.  Amen.  26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.  28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,  31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Romans 1:22-32

The BIBLE VIEW #1015 — Creation

In This Issue:
God Created
Psalm 90 Touts Our Beginning
When You See God’s Handiwork
Who Was There in The Beginning
God Made It All
Who Tricked Adam and Eve to Sin?

Volume: 1014   August 18, 2025
Theme:  Creation

 God Created
Genesis 1:1-27, Condensed

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…  3  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light… 6  And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters…8 And God called the firmament Heaven… 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so… 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so… 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also… 21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good… 24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so… 26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

 

Psalm 90 Touts Our Beginning
Bill Brinkworth

Many people, especially those in the field of education, have created their own “science” about the Earth’s origin. However, God allowed the Psalm 90 prayer of Moses to reveal how all on Earth was created.  Knowing the truth, our future and lives can be different and more fulfilled. 

Moses revealed:

  • We have a place to live on this planet because of God (Psalm 90:1). It was not the result of some “big bang” somewhere and sometime in outer space. We have a dwelling place because of God.
  • God was here before the Earth was formed (Psalm 90:2).
  • Man was created from the dust of the Earth, and his body will return to it the same way (Psalm 90:3). Also: Eccl. 12:7.
  • Time means so much to man, as it is limited and precious, but it does not to God, who has eternity (Psalm 90:4-6).
  • God sees all we do, and when we violate what He desires, His anger can be poured out upon us (Psalm 90:7-11).
  • We do not have to live under God’s wrath. If we live the way He demands, we can have a different life (Psalm 90:12-17). We do not have to mourn and wrestle against life. We can have a peaceful, meaningful life while following His will and way.
    “O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” Psalm 90:14

The unbelieving and ungodly do not teach what God wants us to know. Their ever-changing theories and explanations may make sense to those who take God out of the equation, but they are not factual.  Who do you believe?  Man or God?

“The probability of life originating by accident is comparable to the
probability of the unabridged dictionary originating from an explosion
 in a print shop.” — Edwin Conklin

When You See God’s Handiwork
Beechcr

I have a sheet of paper on which there is a faint, pale, and not particularly skilful representation of a Hyacinth.  It is not half as beautiful as many other pictures I have, but I regard it as the most cherished.  My mother painted it, and I never see it without thinking that her hand rested on it, and that her thought was concerned in its creation.

Now, suppose you had such a thought of God that you never saw a flower, tree, cloud, or any natural object, that you did not instantly think, “My Father made it.”  How more beautiful would the Earth seem to you,  You would find that nature was a revelation of God, speaking as plainly as His written Word!


Who Was There in The Beginning
Bill Brinkworth

John 1 is an important chapter that establishes that God and Jesus are one. Although many squirm and scratch their heads at that truth, the Bible asserts the two are the same.

The chapter starts by reminding the reader of the teaching in Genesis 1:1. That verse declares the truth that in the beginning, God created Heaven and the Earth. 

John 1:1 further reveals that God’s Word that spoke all that we see and know into existence is God.  (Notice that “Word” in John 1:1 is capitalized, indicating it is a proper noun referring to a person.) As hard as it is for our minds to grasp, God’s spoken Word is a person.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

Further in this chapter, John 1:5-9, a man used by God, John the Baptist, is mentioned. One of that preacher’s missions was to reveal a “mysterious” person.  Four times (John 1:7-9), this Person was described as a “Light.” Again, it refers to a person as it is in capital letters.

Well, who is the person who is recognized as the “Word” and “Light”?  John 1:10-14 quickly answers the query. It is Jesus. He is the Word because He was there at the beginning of Creation. It is Jesus who:

  • Was in the world John 1:10).
  • Made the world (John 1:10).
  • Many did not recognize him as God in the flesh (John 1:10-11).
  • Gives those who “received” Him as Saviour the opportunity to be born into
    the family of God (“sons of God” — John 1:12-13).
  • Who “was made flesh.” Jesus was God in the flesh (John 1:14).
  • Lived among and was seen by man (John 1:14).

“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.  11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:10-14

Many struggle with what the Bible teaches about Jesus being the Son of God and God in the flesh. It is only Jesus who meets the qualifications mentioned above.  However hard it is to  grasp, even by Christians, it is what the Bible teaches. Jesus and God are one.

“Jesus is not humanity deified. He is not Godhead humanized.  He is God. He is a man. He is all that God is, and all that man is as God created him.”
— Spurgeon

God Made It All
Bill Brinkworth

Psalm 104 is a Hebrew hymn restating the Genesis account of Creation.  It reminds the Psalm’s singer of what God created in this universe and on Earth in six days.  Here, the God of creation is credited for His wonderful works in those days.

God’s creation of light (Genesis 1:2) is mentioned, as are all the other five days of what He did. The God-deniers and God-haters, of course, deny God’s account and resort to their theories of “accidental” developments of all the amazing wonders we have on this Earth and in the skies.

All the evolutionary “accidents” modern “science” claims to be the result of all on this Earth have never been proven, and those theories are constantly changing. Still, those ideas are widely accepted. 

In recent decades, a new scare tactic has been forced down the throats of a gullible public. It attempts to convince people that this planet will soon be uninhabitable or destroyed. This chapter refutes two of those accusations that are causing unproven fears.

The first biblical principle taught here (Psalm 104:4) crushes current political propaganda that the Earth will not be around or inhabitable forever. Our planet will experience geological upheavals and changes during the final days of sinful man, but it will be made new (Revelation 21:1).  However, the Earth is here to stay and is not going anywhere, thus saith the Lord!
“Who [God] laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.” Psalm 104:5

As for rising oceans that politicians have attempted to make citizens fearful of, God also says that there are boundaries that waters cannot cross.  Although panic is growing that polar ice will melt and cities and other lands will be flooded, it contradicts what God promises in His Word.  The waters will not invade any further than God has planned them to go.
“Thou hast set a bound that they [water] may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.” Psalm 104:9

Although government scare tactics repeatedly warn of Earth catastrophes man thinks he can control, the Creator of this planet decides what will become of what He has made. God says it will be here forever! 

Who do you believe, man, who has a political or financial agenda, or God who loves His creation and all He has made?
“The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.” Psalm 104:31

Who Tricked Adam and Eve to Sin?
Bill Brinkworth

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.  And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”  Genesis 3:1

The serpent in the Garden of Eden was Satan:

  • The serpent was identified as Satan.
    “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelations 12:9
    “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,” Revelation 20:2
  • Satan can transform himself into other things.
    “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
     II Corinthians 11:14
    “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ…” II Corinthians 11:3  (Satan can appear differently)
  • The serpent exhibited characteristics that the Bible later identifies with Satan, like deceiving, lying, and encouraging sin and rebellion against God.

The BIBLE VIEW #1014 — Baptism

In This Issue:
Down and Under
A Symbol
A Desert Baptism
Jesus’ Baptism

Volume: 1014   August 18, 2025
Theme:  Baptism


Down and Under
Bill Brinkworth

The Scriptures have much to say about baptism.  In Mark 1, one can glean some important facts about that step of obedience to God’s commandment.  Some of what is seen there would dispel what many think incorrectly about baptism.

In Mark 1:9, we read that even Jesus was baptized.  This should prick the hearts of those who are saved but never humbled themselves to be scripturally baptized.  If Jesus was baptized, certainly we should.

The fact that Jesus was baptized shows that those who believe baptism “washes away sin” are  wrong, as Jesus had no sin to wash away.  Baptism is simply a commandment that should be obeyed by those who have trusted Christ as Saviour.

When Jesus was baptized, God immediately spoke to Him, expressing that He was well pleased with what His Son had done (Mark 1:11).  When we follow Christ’s example by being scripturally baptized, the Father is also well pleased with one of our first steps of obedience.  Unfortunately, too many do not obey God in this area, and never grow spiritually because they have grieved the Spirit of God by their disobedience.  The rest of their lives may be affected by their never having taken that first step of doing what God had required of them.

Right after Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit directed Him to do something else (Mark 1:12-13).  If Jesus was not baptized, His ministry may not have gone any further.  Right after we show God that we will do whatever He tells us by obeying His first command, He will use us further.   God desires our obedience.

This instance also teaches that baptism is by immersion, not sprinkling christening water over a baby’s head.  We read in Mark 1:10 that Christ came “out of the water,” so He was physically in the water.  Christening does not picture the death, burial, and resurrection that immersion does in the baptismal waters.

When christening is performed today, it is done on babies.  In the Bible, all instances of baptism involve believers.  How can a baby know who Jesus is, let alone that what he is doing is picturing what the Saviour did for us?  Christening is not scriptural baptism and is a relatively modern denominational practice.

If you have been saved, have you obeyed God by being baptized?  God will be pleased if you obey Him in this area.  Your future spiritual growth may depend on it.

A Symbol
Oliver Green

Baptism is like a wedding ring; they both symbolize that a transaction has occurred.  A wedding ring symbolizes marriage, just as baptism symbolizes salvation.  Wearing a wedding ring does not make you married, any more than being baptized makes you saved.

To extend the parallel, if a person does not wear a wedding ring, you can usually assume that the person is not married.  So, it was in New Testament times that if a person was not baptized, they were likely not a believer.

On this, we must be clear, baptism is a symbol of salvation and only a symbol.  Like a wedding ring, it is such an effective symbol that it should never be taken for granted or taken lightly.

A Desert Baptism
Edited from a “Water Baptism” pamphlet by M. R. DeHaan

“Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.  And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?   And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.  And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.   And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.  And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.” Acts 8:35-39

The evangelist Philip was commanded by God to go into the desert.  There he had the opportunity to preach about Jesus to an Ethiopian eunuch.  The eunuch had been to Jerusalem to worship, but had come back from that religious center of ceremonialism and religion without anyone having told him how to be saved from a tormenting Hell.  

When Philip met the man, the eunuch was reading the Scriptures.  He was interested, but spiritually lost.  Philip preached to him the only way of salvation — by trusting Jesus’ sacrifice as payment for his sins. 

The man believed and then requested that Philip baptize him in a pool of water along the way.  Philip told him that it was his privilege to be baptized, upon one condition, that he believe and confess that Jesus was the Son of God.  After making that confession, Philip and the eunuch dismounted from the carriage, stepped into the water, and the eunuch was baptized by immersion. 

Notice the eunuch was an adult.  He was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ as the result of Philip’s teaching and preaching.  The man requested to be baptized.  Philip did not command him to be baptized, but said, “… If thou believeth thou mayest …”.  Baptism here was a privilege and a testimony, not a requirement for salvation.  It was voluntary on the part of the applicant, and it was by immersion.

After the eunuch’s salvation and baptism, Philip was supernaturally taken away, and the man went on his way rejoicing.

Jesus’ Baptism
H. A. Ironside

John’s baptism was unto repentance.  He announced the near approach of the kingdom of God and called upon the people of Israel to get right with God, that they might be ready to receive and enter into it.  Those who turned to  God, confessed their sins, and were baptized (Luke 7:28-29).
“For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.   And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.” Luke 7:28-29

Jesus had no sins to confess.  He had nothing of which to repent, yet He came to John for baptism, much to the desert preacher’s surprise (Mat. 3:13-14).  Jesus reassured John that he should baptize Him. 
“Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.  But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?  And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.  Then he suffered him.” Mat.  3:13-15

God’s son submitted to baptism as the divinely appointed way of declaring His interest in and identification with the godly remnant in Israel, who were waiting for His coming.  His baptism was a pledge to fulfil every righteous demand of the throne of God on behalf of those who owned their guilt and took the place of repentance before Him.  They were like debtors giving their notes to a creditor — acknowledging a debt they could not pay.  He, by His baptism, endorsed all their notes and made Himself responsible to pay all they owed.  On the cross, He settled for all when He endured the baptism of judgment in our place.

“Why should our Lord, who was without sin, have come to a baptism of repentance?  Because He was made sin for us.  For the same reason He suffered the curse of the law.   It became Him, being in the likeness of sinful flesh, to go through those ‘rites’ and purifications which belonged to that flesh.  There is no more strangeness in His having been baptized by John than in His keeping the Passovers.  The one ‘rite’, as the other, belonged to sinners, and among the transgressors He was numbered.”  — Alford

The BIBLE VIEW #1013 — Sacrifice

In This Issue:
Why Jesus?
He Gave All He Had
Sacrifice for the Furtherance of the Gospel
Much Was Sacrificed

Volume: 1013   August 11, 2025
Theme:  Sacrifice

Why Jesus?
Bill Brinkworth

While many ascertain “Jesus is the Saviour, “He is God’s son,” or ”He died for our sins,” many do not know why Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross was so essential.   Although having the correct answers about God’s only begotten Son is important, that knowledge alone will not get anyone a place in Heaven.  However, understanding why only Jesus’ death was necessary and trusting His sacrifice can save a sinner from an eternity in Hell.

The first glimpse of why God’s Son would have to die a terrible death on the cruel Cross was shown in the account of mankind’s first sin committed by Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:6).  After judging the two and Satan for diobedience, God had to kill an animal so the people’s nakedness would be covered with the animals’s skin.
“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” Ge 3:21”

The death of an innocent animal was the first sacrifice to cover sins.  Its death did not take away Adam and Eve’s sin; it only covered it.  It was temporary, and from then on, other animals were killed to cover the nakedness that followed afterwards.  Blood had to be shed to keep people’s inherited and committed sins covered.

After the flood, Noah built an altar.  He sacrificed innocent animals as an offering to the Lord, who spared them from the ravaging flood.  Blood had to be shed to please the Lord and show their gratitude.
“And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.  21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.”  Genesis 8:20-21

Later, Moses, the leader of Israel, was instructed to build the first place of worship.  It was a mobile tent that would be erected wherever God’s people traveled.  As lavish as the tabernacle was, worship of God was not complete unless animal sacrifices were performed.  Again, only the life-giving fluid of innocent animals was given to please God and cover mankind’s iniquities..

In time, the tent was replaced with a permanent Temple in Jerusalem.  The shedding of blood was still needed to please God, as a temporary appeasement for man’s sin.  God would and will not accept anything else to cover man’s iniquities.

The temporary blood sacrifices were performed during much of the Old Testament times.  However, at one point they were missed and at times not performed at all.  There was no “covering” of sins.

Finally, and a need realized from the beginning, God changed the offering of the temporary sin-coverings to one that would be sufficient for the rest of mankind’s time on Earth.  The one-time offering was the blood of God’s only sin-innocent Son, Jesus.

Jesus’ blood sacrifice was for all man’s sins.  The blood of animals was not sufficient to cover one’s sins from God’s memory.  Early animal sacrifices were only to prepare people for the perfect permanent sacrifice for iniquities that God allowed to be sacrificed.
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12
“And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17

God allowed one sacrifice that would blot out all of one’s sins to be offered.  It, again, included a blood offering from an innocent.  God gave his only born Son, Jesus, to be that sin offering.
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” I Peter 3:18
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6

For those admitting their sins and trusting Jesus’ death was payment for their sin, His sacrifice is enough to be payment for anyone who believes and asks.  One can be saved from eternal torment.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9
“And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” Hebrews 9:15

Good deeds, religious acts, self-denial, and being a nice person are unacceptable offerings that will not pay for the penalty of one’s sins, which is Hell.  According to God’s Word, the only means to have anyone’s sins forgiven is to have innocent blood as payment for one’s transgressions.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” II Timothy 1:9

Jesus was not just a man who died a cruel death.  He was the only sacrificial offering God will accept as payment for anyone’s iniquities.  Have you admitted you are a sinner deserving of an eternal Hell, and then are convinced that the only way to Heaven is by trusting Jesus’ sacrifice is enough?  Is Jesus your Saviour?

“The sacrifice of Jesus is the true reason for our salvation.” — Spurgeon



He Gave All He Had
Edited from the “Young People’s Weekly”

An account is told of a hero of the Chinese rice fields during an earthquake.  From his hilltop farm, a farmer felt the quake and saw the distant ocean swifly withdrawing from the shoreline like some animal crouching back for a leap.  He knew that the leap would soon be a tidal wave.

In the valleys below, he saw his neighbors working in the low fields that soon would be flooded and where many would perish.  “They must all come up here on the hill to survive,” he thought.

He had an idea that would get the endangered farmers quickly to safety.  His rice barns were dry as tinder.  With a torch, he set them on fire and rang the fire gong.

Soon, his neighbors saw the smoke and rushed to help.  From their safe perch on the hill, they saw the waters cover the fields where they had just left.

They quickly realized that their salvation was due to the quick sacrifice of their considerate neighbor.  He gave his all so that others would be spared.

A monument was erected in memory of his deed.  On the stone  was the motto, “He gave us all he had, and gave it gladly.”  All Christians should also have a similar concern for the souls of  perishing neighbors.

“It is what we give up, not what we lay up, that adds to our lasting store.”
 — Ballon

Sacrifice for the Furtherance of the Gospel
Heart and Life Bulletin

George Atley, a young Englishman with the heart of a hero, was engaged in the Central African Mission.  A party of natives attacked him.

He had with him a Winchester repeating rifle with ten loaded chambers.  The party was completely at his mercy.

Calmly and quickly, he summed up the situation.  He concluded that if he killed them, it would do the mission more harm than if he allowed them to take his life.  As a lamb to the slaughter, he allowed himself to be taken.  When his body was found in the stream, his rifle was also discovered with its ten chambers still loaded.

“One of our greatest concerns should be about the eternal residency  of our neighbors.” — Brinkworth

Much Was Sacrificed
Dr. R. W. Ketchum

Do not be indifferent to Christianity and take it lightly.  It was given to you by the blood of Christ and preserved for you by the blood of martyrs.

For almost the first three hundred years, Christianity was a forbidden religion.  Many of its adherents were publicly whipped and dragged by their heels through the streets until their brains ran out.  Some had their limbs torn off, ears and noses were cut off, and eyes were dug out with sharp sticks or burned out with hot irons.  To some, sharp knives were run under their fingernails.  Melted lead was poured on many.  Others were drowned, beheaded, crucified, ground between stones, torn by wild beasts, smothered in lime kilns, scraped to death by sharp shells, and killed by other horrendous means.

In 1651 in Massachusetts, Reverend Obadiah Holmes was ordered to be whipped by Governor Endicot for holding a prayer meeting in his home.  So severe was the whipping that for days he could lie only by resting  on the tips of his elbows and his knees, and yet when the last lash had fallen, he looked at his tormenters and, through bloodstained lips, cried, “Gentlemen, you have whipped me with roses!”

A redeeming Christ has given you a future filled with hope and joy.  Do not look lightly upon this thing called Christianity, which cost the Son of God His blood, and millions of His followers their lives.

“What is your offering for the cause of Christ.  If we don’t tell or show them,who will?” — Brinkworth

The BIBLE VIEW #1012 — What Are You Doing With God’s Word?

In This Issue:
Lessons Realized While Picking Blueberries
In One Ear and Out into the Fire
Forgotten Treasures

Volume: 1012   August 4, 2025
Theme:  What Are You Doing With God’s Word?


Lessons Realized While Picking Blueberries
Bill Brinkworth

We can see examples of biblical principles all around us.  We should expect to find these visual “parables” because the God who preserved His written Word for us is also the same One who created all in this universe.  He has not left you on your own.  He wants you to see and follow His way, and there are many ways to see it.

While picking blueberries from my sprawling bushes, I related many situations of that job to principles about our handling of God’s Word.  I was reminded that:

  • Although you think you picked all the juicy berries in front of you, when you look back at where you have already plucked, you find you missed some.  Often, they are hidden behind leaves or branches that shield them when picking from another direction.

    This brought to mind the many times I have read certain scriptures, but their principles were not understood at the time or were not relevant to me when I first read them.  However, when in need of specific godly advice, the same verse can be looked at from the angle of need, and it becomes a light or solution to a situation one is currently facing. 

    When the Bible is read, we may not always find something that applies to our lives at the time, but when it is needed, God allows us to understand His advice.
  • Sometimes good fruit has fallen off the bush and lies wasted at the base of the tree.  We often read the Bible with other things on our minds and miss God’s advice that could help us. 
  • Unharvested, ripe fruit laying at the base of bushes also pictures godly direction that one never bothered to glean from God’s preserved, Road-map for life.  Solutions to problems are close at hand, but the pages of the Bible are not opened to find them.
  • Sometimes berries have rotted or have been ruined by nibbling birds.  Too often, we read something in God’s Word and believe it means what we were previously told it meant.  We fail to study what other Scriptures say about the situation and believe in unusable, untrue doctrines.
  • Sometimes a strong wind came and blew much of the fruit off the tree.  Those wasting winds are like many false teachings that have been heard.  They invalidate the truth and value of God’s Word, causing people to pay no mind to the Bible’s advice.  Untrue statements like “A bunch of old men wrote the Book, and it is not what God said,” “There are errors in the Bible, and it cannot be trusted,” and “ Different versions say it better” convince too many to ignore the Bible’s truths.
  • Sometimes, intermingled among the branches, a wild, thorned blackberry bush manages to grow.  Among delicious blueberries, blackberries are tempting fruits, but they are not blueberries.  However, when picked, one gets scratched, and annoying chingers cause tremendous itching.  For the next few days, one regrets being tempted to pick those non-blueberries because of the painful scratches and the insect bites.

    Likewise, Christians who get sidetracked from doing God’s will and way by some unscriptural temptations many times regret straying from God’s direction for them.  Too often, wrong acquaintances, watered-down Bibles, unbiblical doctrines, and involvement in sin get one off-course from God’s direction, and it causes much regret.


Life certainly is not a bowl of blueberries.  There is not much easy-picking, and it requires much work and discernment.

Read and study God’s Word.  Pay attention to every Word because one day you will need His wisdom.  Do not be distracted by philosophies, opinions, or popular trends if they do not align with what is taught in the Bible.  God does not desire you to go through life without His help.  His Way is there for you to follow.  Read and apply His Truths.

In One Ear and Out into the Fire
Bill Brinkworth

God gave His Word to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36).  It was shown in hopes that the people of Israel, when they heard how their sin would be judged and punished by God, would repent and stop their wickedness.  That is always the first desire of God.  He does not want any to perish.
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9

Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, heard the Words from Jeremiah and recorded them on a scroll.  For an unspecified reason, the prophet was not allowed in the Temple.  Jeremiah commanded Baruch to read it, in his place, to an array of princes.  Fear struck the listeners, and they immediately wanted the king to hear God’s judgment by hearing the words of God.  “Surely, as they were touched and convicted, so will the king be,” they must have thought.

Jehudi was selected to read the prophetic words to the king.  Instead of being grieved and burdened as he heard a few pages read, the king cut them up with his penknife and threw them into the fire.  As more were read to him, he did likewise.  Soon, all the Words given to Jeremiah were destroyed.

Just ignoring the Words, however, did not lessen his responsibility to deal with the warnings.  As for the Word, it was simply rewritten, and today we have all the same Words that Jeremiah was given, plus some additional truths Jeremiah added.  God could preserve His Word then, and He is still doing it today in the preserved King James Bible for English-speaking people, despite all that man is trying to do to dilute His truths.

What is interesting is to see how these men handled what was heard.  The prophet heard, knew their source, and knew they were valuable to share with others so they could divert a terrible fate.  He knew how many would react, but he still made sure others had the opportunity to hear God’s Words as he had.  Today’s Christians should have a similar burden to want others to listen to the truths as taught in God’s Word.  If we do not tell others, who will?

The princes heard the same words and were afraid of what was prophesied to happen.  They too wanted another to hear it.  I am sure they were hoping their leader would help change the situation so God would not judge their nation.

The king reacted like so many do today.  He heard the words, was not convicted or disturbed, and burnt them up.  He did not do with the Truths as God intended.

Destroying or ignoring the truths from the Bible is certainly going on today.  God’s Word is ridiculed and demeaned.  We hear all the “arguments,” which include:

  • “Only the weak believe it.” However, are we not all “weak”?  Most do not recognize their weaknesses – yet!  I heard this defense from a man who was on his fifth marriage, and he is a young man.  He just does not see where he is failing, perhaps because he is comparing himself to other “weak” persons around him, and does not seem as “bad” as others.  If he and others would compare themselves to what the Bible says about their condition, actions, and sins, they might see a truly different picture of themselves.
  • “It is filled with errors.” People often say that, but most cannot give an example of an “error”.  The majority who have given the Bible open-minded study have concluded that there are no errors.

    Years ago, one website offered thousands of dollars as a reward to anyone who could find errors in it.  They never gave one cent of reward because no one could find a mistake.  None of the big talk about contradictions and errors proved true when they were challenged.  I have found that many who claim this excuse have never even read it for themselves, or have formed an opinion before they even read some of it.
  • “It’s too hard to understand.” Actually, the majority of the King James Bible is at a fifth-grade level.  The difficulty in reading and understanding it depends on whether or not the Holy Spirit of God is in the reader’s heart.  God’s Spirit is the only One that can allow anyone to understand it.
  • “It’s not important.” This is the excuse many use for not even attempting to read it.  It is shocking to know how few have read it at all, and even fewer that have read it from cover to cover — even amongst Christians!
  • They do not want to hear it.  They have already purposed in their heart not to obey the highest Authority.  This was the case of the king in Jeremiah 36.  He, like so many others, had his plans as to how he wanted to live his life and did not want any authority telling him how to live it.  It is when people realize their way does not work that they turn to God’s way and allow Him to lead them in the direction He desires for them.

How are you handling the Word of God?  Is it so precious to you that you are burdened to share it with others, no matter what it costs you in popularity, friendships, and others’ opinions about you?

 Are you believing every Word and trusting its Author, even though you may not initially understand it all?  Are you asking and allowing the Spirit of God to help you know His Word?  Are the truths within the pages of God’s Word so important to you that you make the effort to read and obey them, or are you allowing it to go in one ear and out into the fire as the king did, and not letting God’s Word influence and direct your life?  Read God’s Word and let Him show you His truth.

“… For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:48



Forgotten Treasure
Dr. Edmond

A man once entered a home in Germany and found it very wretched — no fire, no furniture, no food.  Everything bore the appearance of utter poverty.  Glancing around, he saw, in a neglected corner, a copy of the Bible, and when he went away, he said to the poor tenants, “There is a treasure in this house that would make you all rich.”

After he had gone, the people began to search the house for what they thought must be a jewel or a pot of gold, and found nothing.  They dug up the floor in hopes of discovering the hidden store of wealth.  Their labors were all in vain.  One day, the mother lifted the old Bible, and found written on the flyleaf these words, “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.” (Ps. 119:72)

“Ah!” she said, “can this be the treasure the stranger spoke of?”  So, she shared her thoughts with the rest of the family.  They began to read the Bible and were transformed in character, and the blessings of God came to stay with them. 

The stranger came back to find poverty gone, contentment and peace in its place, and a hearty Christian welcome.  With grateful joy, the family told him, “We found the treasure, and it has proved all that you said to us it would.”

“A man may read the numbers on a sundial, but he cannot tell the time of day unless the sun shines on the dial.  We may read the Bible over and over, but we cannot learn its purpose or words until the Spirit of God shines into our hearts.” — T. Watson