| How many days is unleavened bread to be eaten during the Passover? | lookinguntojesus.net
Skip to main content.

I Am Resolved... Are You?

By William J. Stewart

It is the time of year again when folks tend to make resolutions with regard to changes they want / need to make. If changes are needed in one's life, the time to change is NOW, whether it is the New Year or not. In fact, the Christian must rise each day with a desire to be "renewed in the spirit of your mind" (Ephesians 4:23; cf. Romans 12:2). The child of God must always be diligent in self-examination, lest we come short of the calling of the elect (1 Corinthians 9:27; 2 Corinthians 13:5). Consider some spiritual items that we should be focussed upon in our lives.

Regular Bible Reading
If we truly believe that the Bible is the word of God, and that it affects the salvation of souls, then we should be a habitual student of it. Our Bibles should be opened daily. God's word is the food which we need for our soul. Jesus promised that if we hunger and thirst, we would be filled (Matthew 5:6). But we cannot be filled if we will not receive the food prepared for us. If some fed their bodies like they feed their souls, they'd starve.

(NOTE - You can download a Bible reading schedule HERE.)

Attendance
The psalmist declared,

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Psalm 84:10)

There is no better place to be than with God's people! The Christians of the first century gathered DAILY to study and worship (Acts 2:46; 5:42; 19:9; Hebrews 3:13). Wouldn't it be great! And yet some then, as there are some today, fail to assemble as they should with the saints (Hebrews 10:24-26). We cannot encourage our brethren if we are not at the assembly; in fact, we then become a discouragement. When we set aside assembling with Christians for other things, we say both to the Lord and our brethren that those other things are more important to us than praising God, encouraging fellow Christians, and preparing our souls for eternity.

Some will justify, 'Well, I'm there most of the time.' Friend, be glad that the Lord is there for us more than 'most of the time'. When is it OK to choose other events or people above the Lord?

I am resolved to be at every assembly of the local church that I am able to be at. To that statement, some will retort, 'Well of course, you're the preacher; you need to be there'. Friend, we may have different duties at the assembly, but that neither further obligates me, nor exempts you of the duty which belongs to every Christian to "not forsake the assembling of ourselves" (Hebrews 10:25). In the words of the late C.R. Nichol, 'If some can stay home, I can stay home.' It is equally wrong for all to forsake the assembly.

“The child of God must always be diligent in self-examination...”

Every Christian should put forth their greatest effort to be at all assemblies of the local church, and also, any classes made available through the week. Do not allow the temporal more importance than the eternal.

Character Building
If we are studying and assembling as we ought, then it will aid us in building the character which every child of God must have. Paul wrote,

...put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him... (Colossians 3:10)
And again,
...put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:24)
And yet again,
...whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)
And even one more time,
...we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

The children of God must bear the image of God in their hearts - the children should look like the Father! Let Him mold your heart in His likeness.

Evangelism
What a blessing to have the hope of eternal life, but with it comes the responsibility of sharing the message. Jesus came to seek and to save (Luke 19:10). He sent the apostles to seek and to save (Matthew 10:5-7), and then commanded that all who receive the word also go forth (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:1,4). Friend, let us resolve to share the gospel with our friends, our neighbours, our enemies, strangers - whomever we have opportunity to speak with. It is a message that will lift weights! It is a message that will remove sin! It is a message that will save souls from the devil's hell and preserve them in the glories of heaven.


What are you resolved to do? I am resolved to be the best Christian I can possibly be, to God's glory. To read His word and grow. To assemble at every occasion possible with the saints. To build my character in His image, and to share His word with those who are dead in sin.


Article Navigation:
12.28.2008 | Religious Freedom
01.11.2009 | Adorning The Doctrine Of Christ

Answering The Atheist

By William J. Stewart

The Atheist's Complaint:
How many days is unleavened bread to be eaten during the Passover? Deuteronomy 16:8 says six, but Deuteronomy 16:3; Exodus 12:15 and Exodus 23:15 all say seven days. Is there a contradiction?

Response:
The questioner needs to begin reading at verse 1 in Deuteronomy 16 to understand why Moses said "seven days" in verse 3, but then said "six days" in verse 8. It is not because Moses made a mistake; it is because the instruction in verse 8 does not take into account the first day - the Passover. Notice:

Verse 1-7 all deal with the Passover feast, a day upon which there was to be no leaven in their food or houses. Then, six additional days followed (v 8) upon which they were to have no leaven. After this (the Passover, plus the six days of unleavened bread), there was an assembly.

There is no contradiction.

This article is in response to Skeptic's Annotated Bible.