What you are referring to is the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) which was held in Glasgow on 31 October – 12 November 2021.  This event is a global United Nations summit about so-called climate change and how countries are planning to tackle it.

On the BBC website is an article entitled “Climate change: What is it and why is everyone talking about it?” https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/45880633

This website states that “When we talk about climate change, we are talking about global changes in the Earth’s average temperature.  The Earth’s average temperature moves up and down naturally, but it has been increasing more rapidly than it usually does. This change is impacting on the planet’s environment – which is everything natural around us; rivers, trees, plants, animals… everything!

“Scientists say many of the changes to the Earth’s climate are caused by human activity – this means things that humans are doing. Some of those things are: the burning of oil, coal and gas, waste, deforestation and urbanization and population growth.

“Scientists say the world is about one degree Celsius warmer than it was 300 years ago when the Industrial Revolution started and people began to work in factories. A very influential 2018 report by an international group of scientists said that if the planet’s temperature goes up by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, it will cause huge problems for the planet. Melting ice in places like the Arctic and Antarctic would lead to a rise in the Earth’s sea levels, flooding many coastal areas and islands. Extreme weather like heatwaves, droughts and storms would happen more often and become more severe.

“The 2018 report encouraged world leaders to make climate change a priority. It said countries needed to work together to limit the rise in temperature rise to 1.5 degrees and stop changes to the planet that would be a catastrophe for life on Earth.”

To clarify, we do not necessarily agree with the concept of man-made global warming or climate change, as presented by scientists and described in the above article. There are still many unanswered questions, including reports to the effect that data has been strongly manipulated to “prove” “man-made climate change.” Some scientists even go so far as to say that we are not overserving global warming, but rather another ice age. The late producer and inventor/originator of the American “Weather Channel” was a strong opponent of the concept of man-made climate change and filed numerous lawsuits to prove errors and misrepresentations, which all were dismissed when he died. The late famous writer Michael Crichton (“Jurassic Park”), who was also a doctor, challenged the concept of climate change as well.

We do not have to concern ourselves in this Q&A with the accuracy or inaccuracy of the concept of man-made climate change as it is the purpose of this Q&A to point out an altogether different problem.

We had a “talking shop” for 13 days with a rush at the end of the conference to agree to a deal acceptable to all those in attendance.

There have been many reports around the world about this conference, and for the sake of brevity we will just choose one report.   The Daily Mail reported on 14th November 2021 that “Cop26 president Alok Sharma today warned China and India they would have to ‘justify’ political scheming that hamstrung a global climate deal to protect their coal interests.   The Cabinet minister rounded on the Asian nations after the Glasgow summit last night agreed a watered-down deal on climate change following their last-gasp intervention. The Glasgow Pact was watered down at the last minute with the wording on a section covering unabated coal – the burning of coal without climate change mitigating technology – changed from ‘phase out’ to ‘phase down’, leading to angry responses from European and vulnerable countries. Mr Sharma, who appeared on the verge of tears and apologised for the change as Cop ended last night, insisted to Sky News that it had achieved ‘something remarkable’. But he added: China and India are going to have to justify to some of the most climate-challenged nations what happened.’”

There you have it in a nutshell.   Man’s inability to agree on something that they all felt was so important that so many of the world’s nations were gathered, but unable to agree fully on how to go about resolving the issue.

The world has many seemingly insurmountable problems but there is never the will with so many to look at this and many different issues that they all feel are crucial to man’s survival and for the common good.  Self-interest always seems to come to the fore.

What is the approach and understanding of the Church of God of which Jesus Christ is the Head?  True Christians are challenged to come out of the governmental and political systems of this world.

In our Q&A “Are Christians supposed to make this a better world?” we write:

“Jesus, during His earthly ministry, likened this world to a building. In Ephesians 2:20-22 the Church is likened to a building. Jesus, in referring to the present evil world, said it is built on a foundation of the sand of Satan’s way of vanity, covetousness, envy and jealousy, competition and strife, violence, rebellion, contention, unhappiness, suffering and death. THIS WORLD IS DOOMED TO CRASH! And great shall be the fall thereof.

“Jesus did not come to repair or remodel or make over this building — this world — this civilization. Its foundation is faulty — that of Satan. Its superstructure — its systems of government and legal systems of law and justice, its systems of faulty and materialistic education, its religions, its social systems and customs — all its superstructures faulty, producing discontent, unhappiness, contention, competition and strife leading to violence and destruction, anguish, suffering, poverty and death. Those are the supporting columns and beams of the superstructure of the building that is this world. Jesus did not come to reform this world — to bring it a ‘spiritual revival’ — to pray for it or to save it or any of its ways.” (see https://www.globalchurchofgod.co.uk/q-a-13266/)

The Church of God does not get involved in the politics of this world.   The fruits of it are plain to see and only the return of Jesus Christ can set right what is impossible with man in charge, ably guided and directed by Satan who is the god of this world (see 2 Corinthians 4:4).

As mentioned, we are not taking a position on the merits or demerits of the conference itself, nor on the accuracy or inaccuracy of reports, claims, scientific studies and records pertaining to “climate change,” but commenting on how it is impossible for man to fully come together in the perceived interest of all people – and the difference between the conference behaviour and its outcomes when viewed against biblical instruction.

And so, to the question: “Can true Christians learn anything from this conference?  There would have been many well-meaning people attending this conference but a good question to ask is “what were the fruits of it?”

(1) We are told to esteem others better or “higher” than self.  In Philippians 2:3-4 we read: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better [higher] than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”  While this was information given to the Church, by extension, it is a principle that works with those outside the Church too.   There would have been those at the conference who were sincerely trying to resolve what they saw as grave issues for mankind but many others, as evidenced by what happened, were interested mainly in how it seemingly or allegedly affected themselves and their countries.   Selfishness, which we are not to engage in, was on show as representatives of so many countries displayed this in their own narrow self-interest.

(2) The governments of this world don’t have the answers to the continual rise of man’s insoluble problems.  We only have to look at the state of the world we live in to acknowledge that man is out of his depth through his own self-imposed dilemmas.   It will get so bad that Jesus said, as reported in Matthew 24:21-22: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”   This clearly shows that things will get continually worse so that only the intervention of Jesus Christ will resolve man’s problems and put right the wrongs of the last 6,000 years.

(3) This conference highlighted man’s inability to look after this planet properly.   In Genesis 2:15 we read God’s instruction to our forefather, Adam: “Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”   Right from the time of the creation of man, God expected him to look after that which had been given to him.   History confirms how badly mismanaged this world has been. This is true regardless of the issue of climate change. We read in Revelation 11:18 that Jesus Christ will return to “destroy those who destroy the earth.”

(4) The objectives that were agreed, it seems, reluctantly by some and were “watered down” to accommodate others, may still not be met by some countries showing that man is regularly unable to keep his word and commitments.   What trust can you put in such people when you know that what they say and do are often two different stories?  In Joshua 21:45 we read: “Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”   This shows that when God says something He can be trusted.   In 1 Thessalonians 5:24, we read: “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”   God’s Word is His bond.   Man fails on a daily basis in this regard.

(5) It appears that concerns raised at this conference are not new.   In our weekly Update number 997 dated 20th November 21, there was a section headed “The Climate Change Scare” which reads as follows:

“The Editorial Board of the New York Post wrote on November 12:

“For the past two weeks in Glasgow, Scotland, world leaders have gathered at COP 26,  the United Nations Climate Change Conference to listen to the same message: Disaster is just around the corner.

“[But] consider this news story from 1972: ‘We have ten years to stop the catastrophe,’ said the UN’s environmental protection boss… for more than 50 years, the United Nations and the media have regularly predicted we’re on the verge of calamity… In 1982, after the catastrophe failed to materialize, the New York Times covered the second UN conference on the environment, which opened ‘amid gloom’. The piece quotes Mostafa K. Tolba, executive director of the United Nations environmental program, as saying that if things aren’t fixed by the turn of the century — the year 2000 — the world would face ‘an environmental catastrophe which will witness devastation as complete, as irreversible, as any nuclear holocaust.’

“In 1989, a senior UN environmental official [said] that if we didn’t fix climate change by 1999, we would have ‘Global disaster, nations wiped off the face of the earth, crop failures’… In 2004, the Guardian newspaper said a ‘secret report’ from the Pentagon to President George W. Bush said climate change would ‘destroy us.’ Among the predictions: Major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas. Britain is plunged into a ‘Siberian’ climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world…

“As of 2019, the UN said ‘only 11 years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate change’… That gives us until 2030 — or 58 years after the warnings of 1972. Advocates for change believe if they just scream louder… they’ll get the world to agree to a complete upheaval of modern life and trillions in spending…”

“Buenos Aires Times wrote on November 11:

“Pope Francis warned time was ‘running out’ to save the planet while expressing regret at his absence from climate talks in Glasgow, in a letter published Thursday… ‘this occasion must not be wasted, lest we have to face God’s judgement for our failure to be faithful stewards of the world he has entrusted to our care,’ wrote Francis.”

It is interesting to read how often these issues have been raised in the last half-century and the noises now being made have all been made before.  Many can be “frightened” by the prognostications of doom and gloom but the true Christian doesn’t need to take note of the new religion of climate change activism.   God knows what is going on and what will be needed in the future and our trust must be in Him not in fallible human beings.

In light of the many failed scientific predictions regarding the dangers of climate change and its terrible consequences, the question could be asked as to how real it really is. But again, the concern of this Q&A is to address the inability of man to solve any real or perceived problems.

(6) How many times was God mentioned in this conference about these world crises?   Quite probably His Holy Name was mentioned more in blasphemy than in invoking His help and thanking Him for His wonderful creation.   Satan has done a wonderful job in hiding the truth from the world at large so that God is seen as irrelevant or non-existent to so many.   Anyone expounding the truth about God and His Master Plan of Salvation would have been seen as odd, eccentric, or even worse.   There is no fear of God today.   “They do not say in their heart, ‘Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest’” (Jeremiah 5:24).

In Romans 3:9-18, Paul gives a crushing indictment about the Jews and the Greeks at that time, and by extension, mankind right up until today: “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.’ ‘Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit’; ‘The poison of asps is under their lips’; ‘Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.’ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.’ ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.’”

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary observes: “Here again is shown that all mankind are under the guilt of sin, as a burden; and under the government and dominion of sin, as enslaved to it, to work wickedness. This is made plain by several passages of Scripture from the Old Testament, which describe the corrupt and depraved state of all men, till grace restrain or change them. Great as our advantages are, these texts describe multitudes who call themselves Christians. Their principles and conduct prove that there is no fear of God before their eyes. And where no fear of God is, no good is to be looked for.”

Many will have been genuinely disappointed in the outcome of this long conference, but trust in and reliance on man is both unwise and misguided. The alleged concerns that delegates raised at this conference and all of the many real insurmountable problems that currently exist will not be eliminated by further conferences and agreements or man’s ingenuity, but only by the return of Jesus Christ who alone has the power and wisdom to resolve all of the issues that man has brought on himself.  And yes, Christians can learn from the recent climate change conference in that we must rely on and trust in God alone; and that man’s way and his thoughts need to be replaced by the righteous rule of Christ.

The Bible tells us not to trust in man, only God is totally trustworthy. Psalm 118:8-9 says: “It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes.  (Also see Psalm 40:3-4, Micah 7:5, Jeremiah 17:5.)

Scholars have identified 1,845 different biblical references to the second coming of Jesus Christ.   He will return to set up the Kingdom of God and, at last, human beings will learn the right way to live.   Based on what is happening in the world right now shows that that time is both necessary and imminent!

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

In the first part of this two-part series, we reviewed the background from where Lot parted company with Abram, as we read in Genesis 13:11: “ Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.”   We then saw that Sodom was destroyed as Lot, his wife and two daughters fled from the city.

Let us continue with the story, as we read Genesis 19:30-38

^“Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.  Now the firstborn said to the younger, ‘Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth.  Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.’  So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.  It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, ‘Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.’  Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.  The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.  And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.”

First, we note that the daughters made Lot drunk. Lot did not initiate his drunkenness, but he gave in to his daughters’ conduct of giving him too much wine to drink. Nevertheless, Lot should have resisted the temptation. We are reminded of the drunkenness of Noah, when his grandson Canaan abused him sexually, and when Noah awoke and realized what had happened and what Canaan had done to him, he cursed Canaan, Ham’s son, for his evil deed.

Then, we note that the daughters felt they had to make Lot drunk, in order to produce offspring with him, apparently understanding full well that Lot, being sober, would not have agreed to such action voluntarily.

It is quite possible that the culture that they had imbibed during their years in Sodom could have made their acts seem reasonable to them, and they could have become insensitive to sin after living amongst such a society for some years.  They thought that their family would not have any descendants and so took matters into their own hands.   It doesn’t seem like lust, more the desire to preserve their line and produce offspring.   However, it was against the instructions of God as we read in Leviticus 18:6-7, where the subheading in the New King James Bible is “the laws of sexual morality”:

“None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord.  The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness.”

Of course, this instruction was recorded in the Bible hundreds of years later than this incident, and so they may not have thought it to be a “big deal”.   Nevertheless, it was unnatural and an underhand way of deceiving their father. And, as mentioned above, they knew it was wrong and that their father, being sober, would not have agreed to it. The fact that the passage in Leviticus 18 was recorded later does not mean that the prohibition did not exist and was unknown to the daughters. It is also possible that Lot’s daughters were aware of his previous offer to the homosexual men, and they might have thought, if he could do that to us, we could also do this to him.

In addition, according to Unger’s Bible Dictionary, we read: “Barrenness in the East was looked upon as a ground of great reproach as well as a punishment from God” and perhaps their comment ‘there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth’ (Genesis 19:31) was a part of their thinking.”

Of course, this is not to excuse such behaviour but to show what they may have been thinking about.   We know that Sarah and Rachel went many years without bearing a child and the frustration that it caused both of them until they did finally bear a child. Sarah and Abraham sinned when they tried to produce offspring through Sarah’s maid Hagar, rather than waiting for God to fulfil His promise that Sarah herself would become pregnant, and the consequences were disastrous.

We all have to live with the consequences of our actions.   They did not put their reliance on God, (as Abraham and Sarah at first doubted God’s word as well.) We know that Galatians 6:7 reveals: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”  There are always consequences for our actions, whoever we are.

There were a lot of factors to take into account, but Lot’s daughters made a decision that would reverberate with the nation of Israel in the future.  Reviewing some of the commentaries about this incident are very helpful.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary states:

“See the peril of security. Lot, who kept chaste in Sodom, and was a mourner for the wickedness of the place, and a witness against it, when in the mountain, alone, and, as he thought, out of the way of temptation, is shamefully overtaken. Let him that thinks he stands high, and stands firm, take heed lest he fall. See the peril of drunkenness; it is not only a great sin itself, but lets in many sins, which bring a lasting wound and dishonour. Many a man does that, when he is drunk, which, when he is sober, he could not think of without horror. See also the peril of temptation, even from relations and friends, whom we love and esteem, and expect kindness from. We must dread a snare, wherever we are, and be always upon our guard. No excuse can be made for the daughters, nor for Lot. Scarcely any account can be given of the affair but this, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? From the silence of the Scripture concerning Lot henceforward, learn that drunkenness, as it makes men forgetful, so it makes them to be forgotten.”

As mentioned above, Lot did not become drunk “voluntarily,” but he gave in to his two daughters who gave him too much wine, and so, wanting to please them, he drank too much, which he should have refused to do. As a consequence, he became “insensible to their action” (Ryrie Study Bible).

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament says:

“But Lot’s daughters had so little feeling of shame in connection with their conduct, that they gave names to the sons they bore, which have immortalized their paternity. Moab, another form of ‘from the father,’ as is indicated in the clause appended and also rendered probable by the reiteration of the words ‘of our father’ and ‘by their father’ (Genesis 19:32, Genesis 19:34, and Genesis 19:36), as well as by the analogy of the name Ben-Ammi equals Ammon. This account was neither the invention of national hatred to the Moabites and Ammonites, nor was it placed here as a brand upon those tribes. These discoveries of a criticism imbued with hostility to the Bible are overthrown by the fact, that, according to Deuteronomy 2:9, Deuteronomy 2:19, Israel was ordered not to touch the territory of either of these tribes because of their descent from Lot; and it was their unbrotherly conduct towards Israel alone which first prevented their reception into the congregation of the Lord, Deuteronomy 23:4-5. – Lot is never mentioned again… even his death is not referred to. His descendants, however, frequently came into contact with the Israelites; and the history of their descent is given here to facilitate a correct appreciation of their conduct towards Israel.”

We read in the New Unger’s Bible Dictionary the following information about Moab and Ammon:

“Moab (perhaps ‘from father’).  The starting point for both was in the vicinity of Zoar. Thence the roving Ammonites went to the NE whereas the more peaceful Moabites remained near their ancestral home displacing the Emim (Deuteronomy 2:11; cf Genesis 14:5).

“Coming up from Egypt the Israelites approached Moab through the desert facing Moab outside the bordering circle of hills on the SE.   They were forbidden to molest the Moabites in the enjoyment of the land that they had taken from the Emim (Deuteronomy 2:9-11).   They therefore applied for permission to pass through the territory of Moab and, being refused, went around its borders.

“Moab did not fight against Israel for 300 years. The Moabites were only too friendly, sending their daughters to cultivate friendly relations with the Israelites and to entice them to their idolatrous services.

“The national deity of the Moabites was Chemosh (which see), mentioned only in Numbers 21:29; Judges 11:24; 1 Kings 11:7, 33; 2 Kings 23:13; Jeremiah 48:7, 13, 46.

“Ammon ‘inbred’, another form of Ben-ammi.  A nomadic race descended from Lot’s youngest daughter, as the more civilized Moabites were from the elder one.   Although the Israelites were forbidden to molest the Ammonites, Ammon was often in league with nations against Israel, such as with Moab (Deuteronomy 23:3-4); with Moab and Amalek (Judges 3:12-13), with the Syrians (2 Samuel 10:1-19), with Gebal and Amalaek (Psalm 83:7) and was almost always hostile, both before and after the captivity (Nehemiah 4:3 etc).

“The Ammonites were governed by a king (1 Samuel 12:12).   The national deity was Molech (1 Kings 11:7) often called Milcom (1 Kings 11:5, 33).

“The Ammonite names in the Bible shows that the language was akin to that of the Hebrews.

“Solomon set an example in marrying Ammonite women.   Rehoboam’s mother being Naamah. An Ammonitess (1 Kings 14:31) which example Israel was too ready to imitate (Nehemiah 13:23).”

The daughters did not trust God to provide husbands for them and took matters into their own hands with the consequences that we read about in 1 Kings 11:33.  This was in connection with Jereboam’s rebellion: “…because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David.”

The many bad decisions that Lot made together with living and being actively involved in an evil city which was full of sin meant that the daughters of Lot were exposed to so much that was wrong.   Further, it would seem that being concerned about their lineage caused them to behave in such a shocking way, and we must not immediately dismiss the concerns that barren women had in those days.  For example, Rachel, the wife of Jacob said “Give me children or else I die!” (compare Genesis 30:1).

These are reasons, not excuses for their sinful behaviour, but those reasons are in no way justifications for sin, and the consequences have been seen through history.  For us, there are many lessons to be learnt from this whole episode, as we read in 1 Corinthians 10:11: “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

One of the most important lessons that we can take from this story is to be careful about the company we keep, as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:33: “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’”    The ESV renders this as: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’”

In addition, God warns us not to be involved in the evil system of this world, let alone supporting it (compare Revelation 18:4; 2 Corinthians 6:17). Today, many say that even though they might be against abortion personally, they must support it as elected politicians. This double-standard and hypocrisy does not produce good fruits, and Lot might very well have given a wrong impression to his daughters, seeing him to be actively ruling and judging in Sodom. Today, many may not be in a position of simply moving away from a sinful city (even though it would be unwise to move into a sinful city such as San Francisco), but they must not be in any way become a supporting part of its sinful system.

Had Lot and his family understood this truism, they would have avoided what turned out to be very distressing and life-changing events.

Please note:

We also have these other Q&A’s on Lot and his daughters:

How Many Daughters Did Lot Have?

The Bible says that Lot was just or righteous. But did he not commit horrible sins? How can he then be called “righteous”?

Lead Writers: Brian Gale and Norbert Link

Whenever and wherever it is necessary, we try to give the background to any question which can give reasons and explanations that might not otherwise be taken into account.

Let us look into the background of Lot. He was the son of Abraham’s brother, Haran, and his wife was Milcah (see Genesis 11:27-29).   We may have read these events many times before, but it is helpful to review them again with the thought in our mind that we are all, to one degree or another, a product of our environment.   Bearing that in mind may give more than a clue as to why some terrible sins could have been committed.

In Genesis 12:1-4 we read:

“Now the Lord had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’   So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.”

We read in the following verse: “Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan” (Genesis 12:5).   They then went to other places and finished up in Egypt because of a severe famine (verse 10).

In chapter 13, we read that Abram left Egypt and became very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold, and Lot, who also had flocks and herds and tents, went with him.  Then we read in Genesis 13:6-7: “Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.  And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.”

Abram, being the considerate man that he was, offered a choice to Lot, even though it was he to whom God had made His promises. We read in verse 8-11: “So Abram said to Lot, ‘Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.  Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.’  And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east.  And they separated from each other.”

This was the first of a number of mistakes that Lot made when deciding to go east towards Sodom and Gomorrah, as we read in verse 13: “But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.” We also read that at first, Lot “pitched his tent even as far as Sodom” (verse 12), but later, he ended up living in Sodom (Genesis 14:12). It is important to see the events leading up to the sin that Lot’s daughters committed with their father, as we will discuss later.

In chapter 14, we read that Lot, who by that time dwelt in Sodom, was captured, apparently because of his goods and, as we will discuss, the stature and influential position that he had in Sodom, and he was then rescued by Abram. The narrative about Lot continues in chapter 19 where the sub-heading in the New King James Bible is “Sodom’s Depravity”.   Lot had chosen to live in a very sinful city.   We have covered the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, not just about their homosexuality, but all of the other sins that they were guilty of, and this can read in the following Q&A:

https://www.globalchurchofgod.co.uk/you-write-about-the-sexual-sins-of-sodom-and-gomorrah-but-werent-they-guilty-in-other-ways/

It was a city where Lot should never have gone to in the first place. But he did, and the consequences were dire for him and his family.

Let us move on to Genesis chapter 19:1-3:

“Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.  And he said, ‘Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.’  And they said, ‘No, but we will spend the night in the open square.’  But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.”

We read that Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. The Ryrie Study Bible remarks: “The gate of Sodom was the centre of public activity. Lot’s being there may indicate he was a judge in the city  (see 19:9).” The Application Bible adds: ”Evidently Lot held an important position in the government or associated with those who did because the angels found him at the city gate. Perhaps Lot’s status in Sodom was one reason he was so reluctant to leave.”

Elliott’s Commentary for English Readers states:

“This personal respect had made him close his eyes to the sinfulness of the people, and he had consented to live inside the town, and even to let its citizens marry his daughters.”

Lot showed the customary hospitality to the angels whom he probably did not recognize as such (compare Hebrews 13:2), but the problems were only just beginning, as we read in verses 4-5:

^“Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.  And they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.’”

To try and counter this affront to his guests, he made a terrible mistake, as we read in verses 6-8:

“So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, ‘Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!  See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.’”

To offer his daughters in such a manner to a baying mob was a shocking sin!   We read the following in Barnes Notes on the Bible:

“The wicked violence of the citizens displays itself. They compass the house, and demand the men for the vilest ends. How familiar Lot had become with vice, when any necessity whatever could induce him to offer his daughters to the lust of these Sodomites! We may suppose it was spoken rashly, in the heat of the moment, and with the expectation that he would not be taken at his word. So it turned out. ‘Stand back.’ This seems to be a menace to frighten Lot out of the way of their perverse will.”

The Application Bible comments:

“Possibly Lot was hoping… that the homosexual men would be disinterested and simply go away… [Lot’s] terrible suggestion reveals how deeply sin had been absorbed into Lot’s life. He had become hardened to evil acts in an evil city.”

Lot might even have thought that in offering his two daughters to these homosexual men, they would recognize the evil of their contemplated action and leave in shame (which of course did not happen), but to make such an offer was a terrible sin.

The locals continued to argue with Lot and the men (angels) came to the rescue, as we read in verses 9-11:

“And they said, ‘Stand back!’ Then they said, ‘This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.’ So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door.  But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.  And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.”

The family were then urged to leave the city – verses 12-14:

^“Then the men said to Lot, ‘Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place!  For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.’  So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, ‘Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!’ But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.”

In verses 15-17, we read that Lot and his family had to be persuaded to leave the city:

^“When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, ‘Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.’   And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.   So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, ‘Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.’”

Lot pleaded with the two angels that he be allowed to flee to a city named Zoar, rather than escaping to the mountains (verses 18-22).

Lot’s wife looked back which they were instructed not to do: “The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.  Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens.  So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.  But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (verses 23-26)

When we review the actions of Lot, we see the climate and culture that they, as a family, were subjected to and it does not make good reading:

Lot made the choice of going to live in the wrong place.

1. He chose to live in the sinful city and “sat in the gate” (Genesis 19:1) which was an important place and showed that Lot was a leading citizen, a judge and a ruler of some kind.
2. His family would be affected by their surroundings and the fact that Lot had become an active part of the “system” of Sodom. If he could behave in this way, then his family, including his daughters, must have believed that it could not be that bad.
3. He offered his daughters to the baying mob.
4. He was reluctant to leave Sodom even though he knew it was a rotten place and he had been told that God would destroy it (Genesis 19:15-17).
5. He allowed himself to become drunk, which we will examine, when terrible sins with his daughters took place.

In spite of all of these mistakes, we read in 2 Peter 2:6-8: “… and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)…”

The Benson commentary observes:

“And turning the cities of Sodom, &c., into ashes — When the inhabitants of those places were sunk into the lowest degeneracy; and condemned them with an overthrow — Punished them with utter destruction, both of their persons and habitations; making them an ensample — Not an example to be imitated, but an example to be avoided, as the word υποδειγμα, here used, signifies.

“Hence Jude, to express the same idea, uses the word δειγμα. And delivered just Lot — By the miraculous interposition of his providence; vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked — Exceedingly grieved by the lewd behaviour of the lawless Sodomites. For that righteous man, dwelling among them — Lot appears to have dwelt sixteen years in Sodom, after he parted from Abraham; a long space to abide in one of the lewdest and most outrageously wicked cities in the world, and not be tainted with their vices. Doubtless, as he was so exceedingly grieved with their lewd conduct from day to day, he often earnestly desired to leave the place… In seeing their base actions, and in hearing their lewd speeches, he vexed — Εβασανιζεν, tormented; his righteous soul from day to day — For their wickedness was incessant; with their unlawful deeds — The cry of which came up at length to heaven, and brought down upon them flaming destruction.”

(To be continued)

Lead Writers: Brian Gale and Norbert Link

In the first part of this two-part series, we covered a number of areas where we have to be careful about the company we keep.   Let us move on to the question of friends.

Our good and true friends are those who will be with us in the bad times as well as in good times.   They will not be fair-weather friends. We have to be aware of the admonition in Proverbs 16:28: “A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends.”

Proverbs 17:17 states that “A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.” A friendship that is underpinned by God’s Holy Spirit and the love of God will be able to withstand the inevitable ups and downs that life throws at us.   The Free Dictionary states that “Human beings necessarily depend on one another, as you can’t manage all by yourself; no man is an island.  This expression is a quotation from John Donne’s Devotions (1624).”

A very important and vital part of the company we keep is outlined in Proverbs 27:6: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”   Very often, we can bridle when we are told something that we don’t want to hear or don’t agree with, but a true friend we should cherish—one whom we can trust, someone who will be straightforward, honest and without hypocrisy towards us—and we should not resent and argue with those true friends who give us honest counsel.  And that is nowhere better expressed than in John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

As someone once wrote: “Fake friends are like shadows, always near you at your brightest moments, but nowhere to be seen at your darkest hour.   True friends are like stars, you don’t always see them but they are always there.  True friends are always there for you. Fake friends only appear when they need something from you.”

We also have to be on our guard against evildoers and not be complicit in any of their ways.  Psalm 26:5 gives clarity to those with whom we should not have friendship or fellowship: “I have hated the assembly of evildoers, And will not sit with the wicked.”

We are advised in Psalm 37:1: “Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.”

The Pulpit Commentary observes: “The feeling does not need to be eradicated, but only to be held in check. Faith in God’s retributive justice will enable us calmly to await ‘the end’ (Psalm 73:17),  in full assurance that ultimately God’s vengeance will overtake the wicked man, and he will receive condign (fitting and deserved) punishment. Neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. Envy is not a natural passion. To envy the evil-doers on account of their prosperity is at once a folly and a danger. Their position is really not enviable; and, if we allow ourselves to envy them, we shall be tempted to follow their example (see Proverbs 24:1)”  Again, the company we keep is a vital factor in our Christian lives.

Psalm 59:2 delivers a very similar message: “Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, And save me from bloodthirsty men.”

“The story is told of a farmer in a Midwestern state who had a strong disdain for ‘religious’ things. As he plowed his field on Sunday morning, he would shake his fist at the church people who passed by on their way to worship. October came and the farmer had his finest crop ever–the best in the entire county. When the harvest was complete, he placed an advertisement in the local paper which belittled the Christians for their faith in God. Near the end of his diatribe he wrote, ‘Faith in God must not mean much if someone like me can prosper.’ The response from the Christians in the community was quiet and polite. In the next edition of the town paper, a small ad appeared. It read simply, ‘God doesn’t always settle His accounts in October’” (William E. Brown in Making Sense of Your Faith).In Malachi 4:1, we read about the eventual and inevitable outcome of the proud and the wicked: “‘For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘That will leave them neither root nor branch.’”

Being aware of evil men and their schemes and plans is necessary so that we can avoid being in, and involved with, their wrong way of life.   It can be too easy to turn a blind eye to wrongdoing; that is, to ignore something that you know is wrong.

Another area to avoid is that of those who are very negative and seem to thrive on misery.

We’ve probably all heard the phrase that misery loves company and negative people can enjoy making others miserable.

“Misery loves company, and it’s really no big surprise either. While happier people can sometimes help balance this out, a miserable person is a force to be reckoned with, and one that if unwatched, will attempt to bring you down as well.  The thing is, no miserable person wants to see a bunch of happy, cheery people around them. If this were the case, then the term ‘misery loves company’ wouldn’t hold true. Having a miserable friend, spouse, or co-worker is bad enough, but dancing to the same miserable tune that they are is what you really want to watch out for.

“Why DOES misery love company? Is it out of jealousy? Is it out of resentment? Do miserable people just naturally attract one another? It’s actually a combination of all three, although which factors are weighted more heavily than the others will depend on the actual individual.  Most people that are happy with life generally don’t criticize or attempt to belittle others unless it was done to them first. I can always tell when someone is miserable though when I hear those kinds of questions…, it’s an obvious attempt at bringing you down to their level” (feelguide.com).

In these two Q&As, we have seen that we are not to walk with, or be envious of evildoers; we are not to be of the world and its ways, cling to those who flatter or be unequally yoked in any way with others who have a wrong mindset.   We are also to beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing, not to mix with the wrong crowd and stay away from those who are perpetually negative and spread misery.   Peer pressure can also be a stumbling block where the prevailing ethos in society or the company we keep can be a major distraction, if we are not strong enough in the faith to dismiss and remove this from our lives.

The importance of keeping good company cannot be over-emphasized, and good and true friends can help us in achieving our goal of making it into the Kingdom of God.   We must always keep in mind that “evil company corrupts good habits.”

Someone observed wisely that “You’re the coach: you pick the players on your team.  If you affiliate with people who are pessimistic, burned out, and negative, you’re likely to adopt those same views.”

We should surround ourselves, wherever possible, with uplifting and positive true Christians, whose guiding principles would be wholly positive and not disruptive to our faith in any way.

So, what are we to do about it?   Let us review a few verses that can be very helpful.

We can learn a lot from the Psalms, and the Scriptures below show what our approach should be:  “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners,Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).   The Pulpit Commentary observes as follows:

“(1) He ‘does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly’; i.e. he does not throw in his lot with the wicked does not participate in their projects or designs;

“(2) he standeth not in the way of sinners; i.e. he does not take part in their actions, does not follow the same moral paths; and

“(3) he sitteth not in the seat of the scornful; i.e. has no fellowship with them in the ‘scorn’ which they cast upon religion.”

Psalm 26:4-5 also delineates those with whom we should have no fellowship: “I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, Nor will I go in with hypocrites. I have hated the assembly of evildoers. And will not sit with the wicked.”

The Treasury of David opines: “So far from being himself an open offender against the laws of God, the Psalmist had not even associated with the lovers of evil. He had kept aloof from the men of Belial. A man is known by his company, and if we have kept ourselves apart from the wicked, it will always be evidence in our favour should our character be impugned. He who was never in the parish is not likely to have stolen the corn. He who never went to sea is clearly not the man who scuttled the ship.”

Psalm 111:1 tells us: “Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.”

We read in Barnes’ Notes on the Bible: “I will praise the Lord with my whole heart – With undivided affections; holding back nothing. I will allow nothing to be in my heart that would interfere with the fullness of praise; no coldness or dividedness of affection; no love for other things that would deaden my love for God; no suspicion respecting him that would chill my ardor; no unbelief that would drag me down to earth, while the language of my lips ascended to God.  In the assembly of the upright – With the righteous when they are gathered together for public worship.”

Further good advice can be found in Psalm 141:4-5: “Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies. Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.”

That is a good place to finish where the psalmist, David, prays for safekeeping from wickedness as the sub-heading to the chapter in the New King James Bible reads.   By being aware of the company we keep and opting for the only way that leads to salvation, we will reap the benefits for eternity!

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

For someone who is called by God into His true Church, the company that he or she keeps is of paramount importance.   When someone responds to God’s calling, they will repent, be baptised and receive God’s Holy Spirit as they start on their onward journey towards the eternal Kingdom of God (compare Acts 2:38).   Anything that is a stumbling block or hindrance to their progress is to be resisted with all of their might, and with help from God, that can be achieved.

We can’t choose our family but we can choose our friends.   As one old saying goes, “friends are the family you choose.”

The American entrepreneur and motivational speaker Jim Rohn said that “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Bearing this in mind, we should think about the people with whom we spend time, particularly bearing in mind the great calling that God has given us.

There will be those who may have no interest in our beliefs but on the face of it may seem to be good friends.  In such a case, we have to determine whether they will be a help or hindrance to our Christian Way of Life.

The Bible is clear about the importance of keeping good company.   We should all know about peer pressure.   Wikipedia defines this as follows: “Peer pressure is the direct influence on people by peers, or the effect on an individual who is encouraged and wants to follow their peers by changing their attitudes, values or behaviors to conform to those of the influencing group or individual.”  We know that younger people are much more prone to such pressure, usually wishing to be one of the crowd and not stand out as someone who is different, but older people can also be affected if they are not properly grounded.

It is vital that those people we spend time with are not those who want to influence our actions contrary to our beliefs.   Some may seem to be good friends, but at what cost?   We have to be alive and alert to the company we keep.   Peer pressure can be felt by anyone, and so we shouldn’t just think that this is just for other people to consider.

If we’re not careful, peer pressure can drag us into the ways of this world.   We are called to stand out from the evil ways of society which are in opposition to the right Ways of God.

The Bible has much to say about this, as we read in Proverbs 13:20-21: “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.  Evil pursues sinners, But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.”

The Book of Proverbs is packed full of advice to those who have ears to hear, and regarding the company we keep, we read the following in Proverbs 14:6-7: “A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, But knowledge is easy to him who understands. Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.”

We also read: “Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking” (Proverbs 24:1-2).

We are not part of this world or its ways, as Romans 12:2 reveals: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

We often use 2 Corinthians 6:14 in the context of marriage or business.  However, it is also a verse with much wisdom, showing us what our behaviour must be: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”

“The Apostle Paul used this powerful word picture to impress in the minds of the Corinthians how they should deal with people outside the church. The city of Corinth was a powerhouse of immorality. It was riddled with different temples for gods and goddesses. Temple prostitution was pervasive and there was a considerable number of people in [Corinth] who were sexually immoral.   For the citizens, sexual looseness wasn’t condemned, but rather tolerated and at times, even promoted” (https://becomingchristians.com).

In other words, it was pretty much like our current promiscuous, permissive, liberal and indulgent society.

We have to beware of those who may like to say that they are our friends but are not, as evidenced by their conduct.  “A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends” (Proverbs 16:28) and “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips” (Proverbs 20:19).

In Acts 20:28-30, we read the exhortation of Paul to the elders of the Church: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”   Now, while this is addressed to the ministry, the same principles apply to everyone in the Church.   Wolves in sheep’s clothing may even pretend to be our friends.

Deception can be everywhere, as Satan seeks to throw us off track, and being aware of the company we keep is vital.  1 Corinthians 15:33 contains a short but vital piece of advice: “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’”

There is an interesting passage of Scripture in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13:

“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.  Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.  But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.  For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?  But those who are outside God judges. Therefore ‘put away from yourselves the evil person.’”

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges observes:

“The Apostle would not have his converts flee from the world, as so many did in later ages, but remain in it and leaven it. This course must bring them into contact with many ungodly men, whose evil example they must not follow, but whom they cannot altogether avoid, unless they would retire altogether from the active business of life. But if any member of the Church bring dishonour on the Christian name by such sins as those which are named, the Christian is bound to shew his sense of such flagrant inconsistency and hypocrisy, by refusing even to sit down to a meal with him. It is not difficult to follow the spirit of such an exhortation now, though it may be impossible to observe its letter. We cannot help meeting men of depraved morals and irreligious lives in business or in general society; we can, nay we must, refrain from making such persons our associates and intimates.”

There are Scriptures that show that mixing with the wrong people is something that we must avoid.   Being part of an ungodly crowd must not be the guideline for us, even if they are of those whom we consider to be friends. You cannot hang out with negative people and expect to live a positive life.   It is also better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction!

Again, Scripture points the way ahead for us.  We read in Exodus 23:2: “You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.”

Of course, there will always be those who know better than the One who created us all; that is just the arrogance of man.  However, Proverbs 14:12 (also Proverbs 16:25) answers man’s audacity: “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

Wrong involvement with the world and its ways are addressed in James 4:4: “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Because we are not of this world, we see how the world’s reaction to our conduct is outlined in John 15:18-19: “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

Staying away from company that can distract us from our life-long career of following the ways of God is imperative.   Even allowing some small departures from the path we have been called to follow could ultimately be catastrophic for our future.

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

You may be referring to the phrase that was used in a sermon that “you have to be sold on the Way of Life” to be a true Christian.

When someone is called into the true Church of God, it is a unique calling from God, as we read in John 6:44 where Jesus said: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” In fact, Jesus repeated this in verse 65 of the same chapter, prefacing His comments with: “I have said to you…,” and then reiterating that a calling from the Father was necessary.

Unfortunately, today there are those who say that they have been seeking God and join a church of their choice, but that is not a calling from God. It is a priceless privilege to be called by God at this time, and He places in His church those whom He chooses.

The Free Dictionary online describes the phrase “to be sold on something” as an idiom, and idioms are classified as figurative language which is the use of words in an unusual or imaginative manner. It describes the phrase as follows:

“…to be confident in or convinced about something’s viability, veracity etc., often to the point of being enthusiastically supportive of it.”

When applying this phrase to our calling, it is surely much deeper and stronger than this dictionary definition. Our calling is not something to be taken lightly, and in the context we are discussing, it must also mean to be convicted or convinced of something, not just on a temporary whim but on a long term and permanent basis. Why? It is really very simple, as Matthew 24:13 reveals the answer: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved,” showing that our calling from God is one from which we must never shirk or on which we must never turn our back.

The famous parable of the sower in Matthew 13 is a perfect example of having to be sold on God’s Way of Life. Let us briefly review this parable, starting in verses 3-4: “Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: ‘Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.’”  This is explained in verse 19: “‘When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.’” A clear case of not being sold on God’s Way of Life.

Continuing in verses 5-6: “‘Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.’” This is explained in verses 20-21: ‘‘But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.’” Another clear case of not being sold on God’s Way of Life.

We read a further example in verse 7: “‘And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.’” This is explained in verse 22: “‘Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.’” A third case of not being sold on God’s way of life.

After three negative examples, we move on to verse 8 where we see positive outcomes: “‘But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.’” This is explained in verse 23: “‘But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.’” That must be our standard.

One of the most important things that anyone must consider when being called is to count the cost and to think through all of the implications of a complete change of lifestyle.

On the website gotquestions, under the heading of counting the cost, these observations are made:

“Jesus said a lot in those simple illustrations. He quickly put an end to the idea that He offered some kind of welfare program. Although the gift of eternal life is free… [it] requires a transfer of ownership… ‘Counting the cost’ means recognizing and agreeing to some terms first. In following Christ, we cannot simply follow our own inclinations. We cannot follow Him and the world’s way at the same time (Matthew 7:13-14). Following Him may mean we lose relationships, dreams, material things, or even our lives.

“Those who are following Jesus simply for what they can get won’t stick around when the going gets tough. When God’s way conflicts with our way, we will feel betrayed by the shallow, me-first faith we have bought into. If we have not counted the cost of being His child, we will turn away at the threat of sacrifice and find something else to gratify our selfish desires (cf. Mark 4:5, 16-17).  In Jesus’ earthly ministry, there came a time when… public opinion turned ugly. The cheering crowds became jeering crowds. And Jesus knew ahead of time that would happen.

“Jesus ended His description of the cost of discipleship with a breathtaking statement: ‘Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple’ (Luke 14:33; the New King James Bible says: “forsake”). ‘Renouncing’ may mean we give up something physically, but more often it means we let go emotionally so that what we possess no longer possesses us. When we become one of His, we cannot continue to belong to this world (1 John 2:15-17).”

We read in 2 Peter 2:20-22 what happens when someone who has been called by God turns his back on his calling: “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.’”

That is hardly a compliment to those who leave the true Church of God and go back into the world, as many have done over the years. We would certainly recoil or shrink from the comparison of returning to the mire but it applies clearly to those who have done so. If the sow was washed, she would revert to type and go straight back into the mire, and that is precisely what those who leave the true Church of God have done! Having come out of the world into the knowledge of the Truth, they then returned back into their former sinful worldly ways.

It certainly shows how deceived some can be, and we read in Jeremiah 17:9 that “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”

Being sold on God’s Way of Life means accepting, fully and completely, that it is the only way, and this will ensure that we will remain steadfast and loyal to Him, whatever life may throw at us. It is a full-time commitment that we buy into, and being sold on God’s Way of Life is the inevitable outcome which will ensure that we live forever in the soon-coming Kingdom of God.

It is a lifetime’s activity that has tremendous rewards in our life now for all eternity!

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)