The Auburn Beacon
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

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All Joy and Peace in Believing 
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One Thing I Do 
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We Must Broaden Our Vision
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Our God He is Alive
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The Final Stages of Israel's Apostasy

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 God, who made
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University church of Christ

 

Assembly Times

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Divine Authority and the Creation

by Connie W. Adams

 

One in authority has the right to command, direct, and enforce obedience. He also has the right to administer punishment to the disobedient. When the one having ultimate authority empowers others to act upon his will, then in that manner he authorizes action. One who assumes authority not granted by the one who has the right to empower acts with presumption and flaunts all authority.

In divine matters, as they relate to man, authority springs from the creation. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Gen. 1:27). If there is no divine creator, then there is no creation, the universe is the product of chance, man himself is an accident of nature and there is no basis for moral or spiritual authority. This is the very premise from which the secular humanist works. He boldly proclaims "There is no God" and "Man is the measure of himself."

Order in the Universe

But if God created the universe, then order flows from his power to make whatever exists. In God's speech to Job he asked, Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth? Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder; to cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man; to satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth? Hath the rain a father or who hath begotten the drops of dew? Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? (Job 38:4, 22-31).

Start with the premise that "God is" and the existence and order in the universe makes sense. If God made it all and it functions according to his power, then we are spared all the hand wringing about global cooling, global warming, depleting the ozone, running out of water, running out of wood, running out of food, and all the anxieties concocted in the humanist mind. That is not to say that man should not be a good steward of the world God made for us. But he did make it for us! The God who made it is still in charge. The unbeliever with all his vaunted wisdom and arrogant self-assurance cannot form one drop of dew on the ground, cannot make it rain, nor stay the terrifying rumble of an earthquake, nor stop the force of a hurricane. The authority of the Almighty rules in the universe.

Order in the Moral Realm

Because God made man, man is subject to divine law. If there is no God, then there is no basis for moral order. Much of the chaos which is evidenced by all forms of crime and immorality grows out of a disrespect for divine authority. If man has evolved by chance then he has no standard for moral behavior except whatever he imposes upon him-self. This is the spring from which situation ethics flows. But if God made us, he has the right to determine what is moral conduct and to call us to account for disregarding his authority over us.

This point was forcefully driven home by Paul on Mars Hill in his speech to the Athenian philosophers. Read Acts 17:24-31. Go on, and read it. Notice verse 24: "God that made the world and all things therein." Then look at verse 26: "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation." Look at verse 28: "For in him we live, and move, and have our being." Verse 30 informs us that "God commands all men everywhere to repent." Why is that? Now look at verse 31: "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

Do you see the progression? God made the world and all things therein. In him we live and move and have our being. Therefore, God calls upon us to repent. Why is that?

He has appointed a day of judgment. God made us, expects something of us, and will call us to account for that responsibility. The Creator has authority over the creature. Paul's question to the Romans is pertinent. "Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonor" (Rom. 9:20-21)?

With notable exceptions, the morals of this nation are a shambles. How did we come to such a sad state of affairs? The creature has scorned his Creator. We have fallen into the same pit into which the Gentile nations plunged as described by Paul in Romans 1:18-32. When they knew God, they did not glorify him as God (v. 21). Did they have abundant evidence of his power and majesty? Oh yes! They had the whole universe as testimony to the existence and power of the Almighty (v. 20). But they became ungrateful, filled with vanity and arrogance. While they boasted of their great wisdom they in reality became fools. As their hearts became darker and darker they made idols to satisfy man's innate desire to worship something. The end result of all that was moral chaos. Everything from homosexuality to murder followed. How and why did this happen? The creature lost respect for the Creator. As in the world at large, even so among those who claim to follow Christ, moral looseness grows out of waning respect for the authority of God to rule in our hearts and direct the affairs of life. Happy is the one who seeks the Lord, gropes after him and finds him, though he is not far from every one of us (Acts 17:27).

Guardian of Truth - December 21, 1995

 

 

 

  Other Articles by Connie W. Adams
In Remembrance of These Things

The Perception Is ...
Sound Speech or Sound Silence?
Protecting Churches From Error
The Problem of Private Lust
The Trend Among the Young Preachers
Old Song, New Singers
Umbrella Religion
Lest Anyone Should Deceive You





 


 

The Northern Virginia Bible Study
Feb 25, 28 and March 1

The Apostles and the Local Church

Studies led by Larry Rouse

Download the current outlines:
Lesson 1 - Words
Lesson 1 - Words (With Full Scriptures Printed)

Lesson 2 - The Local Church and the Words of the Apostles
Lesson 2 - The Local Church and the Words of the Apostles (With Full Scriptures Printed)

Lesson 3 - What Is the Place and Purpose of the Contribution

Lesson 3 - What Is the Place and Purpose of the Contribution (With Full Scriptures Printed)

Lesson 4 - How Do the Apostles Words Instruct Us Concerning Doctrinal Differences?
Lesson 4 - How do the Apostles Words Instruct Us Concerning Doctrinal Differences? (With Full Scriptures Printed)

Click Here for Audio and Additional Resources



The Character and Attributes of God

Download the current outlines:
Lesson 1 - Diligently Seeking God
Lesson 2 - A Holy God
Lesson 3 - A Jealous God
Lesson 4- The Wrath and Longsuffering of God
Lesson 5 - The Love and Forgiveness of God
Click Here for Audio

Monthly Bible Study in Lagrange
at the Eastside church of Christ in LaGrange, Georgia

Overcoming the Present Apostasy by Larry Rouse

 

Saturday October 9, 2010


9:30 AM
- How do We View the Bible?

Outline
PowerPoint
Audio

 

Saturday December 11, 2010

9:30 AM - How Do We View the World?

Outline
PowerPoint

 

 


University church of Christ

 

Assembly Times

 Sunday

   Bible Classes (9:30)

   AM Worship (10:20)

   PM Worship (6:00 pm)

 Wednesday

   Bible Classes
(7:00 PM)

 

Location

449 North Gay Street

Auburn, AL 36830

Click Here for Specific Directions



 

Overcoming the Present Apostasy

Sermon Series by Larry Rouse

Piscataway, NJ Nov 20-22, 2009

 

 

Friday Night 7:30

Lesson1 - How Do We View the Bible?

Outline
PowerPoint
Audio

Saturday Night 7:30

Lesson 2 - How do we View the World?

Outline
PowerPoint
Audio

Sunday Morning 9:15
Lesson 3 - How do we View God's Order for Leadership?

Outline
PowerPoint
Audio

Sunday Morning 10:00
Lesson 4 - How Do We View the Local Church?

Outline
PowerPoint
Audio

Sunday Morning 11:00
Lesson 5 - How Do We View God's Instruction on Fellowship

Outline
Audio

For Additional Information, Audio and Outlines Click Here

 


Recent Bulletins:

The Auburn Beacon - Dec 26, 2010 Edition

The Auburn Beacon - Dec 19, 2010 Edition

The Auburn Beacon - Dec 12, 2010 Edition

The Auburn Beacon - Dec 5, 2010 Edition

The Auburn Beacon - Nov 28, 2010 Edition


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