One of the greatest and most amazing teachings of the New Testament is that of resurrection. To understand that "as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22) gives me a foundational undergirding for my life and belief system.
The belief that human beings have immortal souls is not only non-Biblical, but also undercuts the significance of resurrection. The penalty of Adam's sin is death. If man has an immortal soul, then he does not really die. Upon death he would only lose his body, but still remain a conscious being. Satan's very lie to Eve was, "You shall not surely die." (Genesis 3:4) Death is the cessation of life.
Of course, entire belief systems have evolved to explain what happens when a man dies. If upon death I am immediately judged and sent to heaven or hell, there does not seem to be any real purpose for resurrection. The only thing being resurrected would be my body. But if I am already in heaven, why would I want my body back?
The New Testament makes it clear that judgment occurs not immediately upon death, but rather when Christ returns. Those who have died "in Christ" are the first to be raised and become Christ's bride. They are the ones promised a heavenly reward. The rest of the dead are subsequently also brought back to life and then judged and sentenced. They are given an opportunity to repent, accept Christ, and live eternally on this earth which will be restored to a state of perfection.
All of these events are triggered by the return of Christ. Eugene Peterson writes the following in his introduction to 1 & 2 Thessalonians in "The Message":
"The Christian faith has always been characterized by a strong and focused sense of future, with belief in the Second Coming of Jesus as the most distinctive detail. From the day Jesus ascended into heaven, his followers lived in expectancy of his return. He told them he was coming back. They believed he was coming back. They continue to believe it. For Christians, it is the most important thing to know and believe about the future.
"The practical effect of this belief is to charge each moment of the present with hope. For if the future is dominated by the coming again of Jesus, there is little room left on the screen for projecting our anxieties and fantasies. It takes the clutter out of our lives. We're far more free to respond spontaneously to the freedom of God."
A strong belief in the coming return of our Lord and the resurrection of the dead should have a grip on our lives. It should influence our decision making, our hopes, our goals. Learning now to live as an integral part of the body of Christ should have priority. We are promised that "as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." (1 Corinthians 15:49)

"One day Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all." (Luke 6:12-19)

Some of the disciples were introduced to Jesus when He went to Jerusalem. Later, walking by the Sea of Galilee, He called those men to follow Him. They went back to fishing. He went by and called them again, at which time, the record tells us that they finally got the message and left everything to follow Him.
Jesus picked twelve out of the large number of disciples He had. Notice that Jesus prayed all night to His Father. Why? He was going to choose twelve men to be His apostles. He spent the entire night in prayer before making His choice.
One of the apostles turned out to be a traitor. Another apostle denied Him but later repented. Notice, however, that God's men are always chosen. In John 15:16, we read, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."
This has been a great encouragement to me. I did not call Him, but He called me. That is wonderful news. It gives me great comfort. The Lord found it essential and practical to spend the entire night in prayer before selecting the twelve apostles. People chosen for God's work should be selected on the basis of much prayer.
The robe of Elijah did not fall by accident upon Elisha; it fell providentially. Very often, the present-day procedure by churches for choosing people to fill an office is far from God's standard. We follow our feelings and consult our own selfish desires. We use human measuring rods rather than God's measuring stick. We should spend time with God before making our decisions. Remember these things when you participate in your church’s elections.
Now, after choosing His apostles, Jesus enters into another part of His ministry. Multitudes were healed on this occasion. In our Lord's day, literally thousands of people were healed. The people whom the Lord healed did not have to do anything. Our Lord would even heal them at a distance. The healings performed by the Lord were genuine and we have Luke's statement to prove it. Take your problem to the Great Physician. He is the best doctor you can consult, and you don’t have to be on Medicare to get Him to take your case.

Historically, Bible Students have been pacifists, people who feel it is wrong to take up arms against fellow humans. Many of our brothers have worked in alternative service rather than the armed services. Some have even gone to jail for their convictions. Some segments of the “movement” have kept this stand, making sure their young are taught how to develop a history of taking a pacifist stand when possible; some Berean Bible Students have not kept this tradition. Some young people from Berean churches have chosen to join our armed forces. Of course, this is their individual decision, but I can’t help but think that some of us could have done a better job explaining why this is not the best choice for a Christian in this age.
I do not feel this way simply because pacifism is a Bible Student tradition. We should not keep a tradition simply because it is “our” tradition. It is just as true that we should not give up a tradition because it is a tradition. We need to reinforce, reconstruct or remove traditions based on their agreement with Scripture and their ability to help us live out our Scriptural beliefs more fully. Pacifism can do this for us. It is a position and belief that helps us conform to the way Jesus chose to live while he ministered on Earth. It is a belief that ALL humans are sought by Jesus and are loved by God. Therefore, we would never want to take another human’s life.
Jesus chose to live his human life as a pacifist. However, he did get violent at times. The cleansing of the temple showed him physically and verbally aggressive. His dealings with the teachers of his day showed verbal aggression as well. Jesus did not live a wimpy pacifism. He stood his ground when it was time. However, when it came time for life or death, he chose to lay his life down instead of taking others’. He claimed he could have had legions to defend him, and the death toll would have been complete against his enemies, but it was not the time for this in God’s Plan. There will come a time. When Jesus fully establishes his Kingdom throughout the earth he will fight, as will his faithful body members. Yet even then, the point will be reconciliation and grace, the establishment of true, Godly justice for ALL. Our wars never actualize these ideals.
It is incongruous to say we follow Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and then take up arms against fellow humans, humans Jesus died to redeem. Am I saying I think it is wrong for Christians to fight for their country? Yes. We all do things that are wrong; we all make wrong choices, often for what seems like right reasons. It is not like pacifists don’t err in other areas of their lives! I respect the fact that men and women who make this choice feel they are doing the right thing by God and country. I simply disagree. No country in existence today is doing God’s will. Some within them may be trying, but we need to remember that Satan is the prince of this world until Christ overthrows his kingdom.
Consider this: in pledging your allegiance to a country to the point of being willing to kill others for it, you are placing your allegiance to your earthly country above your citizenship in heaven. Your heavenly citizenship should matter most. Some would point out that pacifists take advantage of other aspects of their earthly citizenship, like voting. True. We should do good unto all men as we have opportunity, and we can use our privileges in our country to try to do good.
Some might also argue that we wouldn’t have our privileges if pacifists were in control. There is no way to know this. That reasoning seems to sell God short. If his people were more obedient, we have no idea how history might develop. My view is that God would overrule in ways we can’t imagine. We sometimes assume the forces of evil have more control than God. With that said, I would add that if God chose not to intervene that pacifism is still the correct approach. Our obedience to his will, in his way, is more important than any other consideration.
We need to remember a very important doctrine when considering pacifism. Jesus died a ransom for ALL, to be testified in due time. Now is the time to testify to the ransom sacrifice of our Lord and Savior. This ransom is proof of God’s wild and unbelievable love for us: he loves us, at our worst. He loves us, no matter whom or what we are. He loves us despite what we do, not because of what we do. He loves us because he is LOVE. He loves us so much he was willing to let his son die to create a way to restore relationship with us. Jesus, who does nothing except for what the Father tells him, chose love over hate, turning the cheek versus retribution, laying down his human rights instead of claiming them. This love extends to those who wish to harm us, those who wish to destroy our way of life (which is NOT Kingdom standards!!), and those of different race, religion and culture.
There is nothing about pacifism that is easy. It takes more courage than “standing for our rights,” or protecting our own. That is easy and natural. Pacifism sometimes makes no earthly sense at all. But God is pleased for us to follow Christ’s example-which includes suffering at times. We may not be able to explain why, but we trust God enough to walk this path. Imagine how hard it was for Jesus to let evil men abuse him and kill him when he knew all he had to do was say one word.
It is easy to describe situations where pacifism seems impossible, Nazi Germany, your family being attacked, etc. God is in the business of impossible. What has to be understood is your willingness to follow even when you see no way through a situation. Pacifism requires a wild, reckless and hopeful trust in our God and his Son.
I am glad that, in our church, we specifically try to teach our young to become pacifists and conscientious objectors. The fact that we train them how to establish their conscientious objection status is something that will impact them throughout their lives. If they decide to adopt the position, it will take courage to stand up to peers who look down on this choice. Pacifists are always a minority. Making sure our young understand things about us and our beliefs that are unique is important. Those of our young that agree with our teachings are the ones that will continue sharing these understandings into the future. They are our church’s future until the Kingdom comes. This is good for us, but we need to do more.
I feel we should take the next step and speak out against war. We need to do more than have a position. We needn’t wait for a draft to act on our beliefs. There are plenty of unjust situations where nations or other groups use force. It is easy to speak out against “unjust” wars. We should be willing to speak out against supposedly “just” ones as well. We should support peace movements and marches. We should especially be open to the idea of working with faith-based peace movements. This may be a stretch for some, but it can be an excellent way to witness for peace.
This is not the church’s time to change things through earthly power or violent means; it is not Armageddon, we do not have our new bodies. We are not ancient Israel either; we have not been specifically instructed by God to do violence to others or to force his law or ways on others. Contrary to some views, this country is not a Christian country and we are not here to force the Kingdom of God upon others. While the Christian influence has helped us, no doubt, there are just as many unchristian influences in our country. Pacifism turns “natural law” on its ear. It can help build a Christian presence in our culture. It flies in the face of earthly reason and is totally dependent on God’s grace. Pacifism is something worth pursuing.

The idea of holiness can incite a range of viewpoints. Sometimes ‘holiness’ is viewed as the same as ‘perfection’-which cannot be attained in our natural life. Another perspective equates holiness with a boring lifestyle- a dismal choice indeed! Fortunately for us, holiness begins with God. “He who called you is holy.” The command was given: “Be holy in all you do; for it is written: Be holy because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1: 13-16) Holiness is not optional! Since God has commanded this He has also made provision for us. Jesus has redeemed us from the crushing power of sin. As Christians we have the power to choose to have the mind of Christ. Jesus is our example of holy living. He sought the Father’s counsel through prayer, was compassionate, loved what was right, and hated all evil.
Our responsibility is to recognize the necessity of personal, practical holiness. Who is the person that can truly worship Jehovah? Who may “enter His holy hill?” “Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to slander others or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise persistent sinners and honor the faithful followers of Jehovah and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who do not charge interest on the money they lend, and who refuse to accept bribes to testify against the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.” This quote from Psalms 15 aptly describes a holy life. It is imperative that all of our thoughts and actions are scrutinized for conformance to the Father’s will. He has promised to give us understanding. Holiness must be taken seriously. We are to “make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12: 14)
The Hebrew and Greek words for ‘holiness’ have the thought of being separate and apart from others. I stand in awe as I consider the majesty of Jehovah God. He says of himself “My thoughts are not your thoughts (as the natural mind thinks) nor are my ways your ways….as the heavens are higher than the earth so are My ways than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55: 8-9) Holiness is not limited to a set of rules/regulations. Holiness is not a somber facial expression while speaking 15th century English using your lowest vocal range. Neither is holiness isolation or arrogance.
The Heavenly Father’s purpose was to reconcile humanity to himself through Jesus Christ. Likewise, as ambassadors for Christ we are to encourage others to seek God and the wonderful saviour Jesus Christ. Holiness does separate us from the fallen practices and attitudes of this world. We are to avoid even the appearance of evil or impropriety. Our speech is not that of crude jokes or innuendoes, but rather “speaking as it were the utterances of God.” (1 Peter 4:11). Holiness is living our lives in conformity to the revealed instruction of the Bible and the character of God. A careful study of Father’s word is actually stimulating to holiness. “You will make me know the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy.”(Psalm 16:11)
I pray that our lives would reflect the characteristics of holiness expressed in the hymn:

“TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY”

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy lord; abide in Him always, and feed on his word. Make friends with God’s children, help those who are weak; forgetting in nothing, his blessing to seek.
Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; spend much time in secret with Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus, like him you shall be; thy friends in thy conduct his likeness shall see.

Larry Urbaniak has written a brief, but detailed explanation of this puzzling story told by Jesus. If you would like a copy, please request it. It is a six page article. If you would like it sent via email, please request it at urbaniakjoyce@hotmail.com. If you want a copy given (or mailed) to you, please request it in person or write to Larry at 601 Glenwood Lane, Lombard, IL 60148.