THE FATE OF THE DEAD

1
THE FATE OF THE DEAD

• 2ND Address
• WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

2
THE FATE OF THE DEAD WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• QUESTIONS

• Why do we need a Statement of Faith?
• Isnt our word good enough?
• No man-made document is without errors.
• The Bible is our Statement of Faith.

• We will never agree on what the Statement of
  Faith actually says.
• How precise does it need to be stated?

3
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• PROVERBS 2323
• Buy the truth, and sell it not also wisdom,
  and instruction, and understanding.

• The Truth as we know it is the compilation of
  items that constitute the Gospel.
• Each item is an element of the Truth that was
  bought and must not be sold.

4
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• 2 KINGS 2213
• Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the
  people, and for all Judah, concerning the words
  of this book that is found for great is the
  wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us,
  because our fathers have not hearkened unto the
  words of this book, to do according unto all that
  which is written concerning us.

• Without having access to things being written
  down they had forgotten Gods law.
• Likewise, without a Statement of our Beliefs
  being written out it would only be a matter of
  time and we would forget them ... and start to
  disagree!

5
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• OUR ECCLESIAL CONSTITUTION

• Our Brethren chose to write it down.
• This is first of all an appropriate way of
  communicating with later generations.
• In the sea of Christendom it defines who we are.
• It requires effort and integrity to keep it as a
  uniting document.

• 1. That we are a Christadelphian ecclesia (not a
  church) an assembly of called out ones from the
  world.
• 2. That we accept as our basis of faith and
  practice the teachings of the Holy Scriptures
  defined positively and negatively in the
  Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith and
  Commandments of Christ appended hereto.

6
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• BASF CLAUSE 24

• Even with the amendment, this statement is clear.
• It is not made vague by referencing underlying
  principles.
• It is our understanding of what the Scriptures
  teach.

• That at the appearing of Christ prior to the
  establishment of the Kingdom, the responsible
  (namely, those who know the revealed will of God,
  and have been called upon to submit to it), dead
  and living obedient and disobedient will be
  summoned before his judgment seat to be judged
  according to their works, and receive in body
  according to what they have done, whether it be
  good or bad.

7
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• The body of knowledge that we call the Gospel
  was fully revealed, once, for all time.
• The written record is the only way we have access
  to it.
• Very thankfully it is been translated into our
  native tongue.
• Likewise, we are thankfully to have the ability
  to read it for ourselves.

• JUDE 3-4 NKJV
• Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to
  you concerning our common salvation, I found it
  necessary to write to you exhorting you to
  contend earnestly for the faith which was once
  for all delivered to the saints.

8
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• It was in the wisdom of God to have things
  written down so that the Truth could be passed
  from one generation to another.
• It was through the blessing of our God that the
  truth of those words was not altered.

• ROMANS 154
• For whatsoever things were written aforetime
  were written for our learning, that we through
  patience and comfort of the scriptures might have
  hope.

9
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• There is no spiritual value in writing down
  teachings that are merely the commandments of
  men.
• We regularly verify that what our brethren wrote
  100 years ago was in fact, the Truth.

• MATTHEW 157-9
• Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you,
  saying,
• This people draweth nigh unto me with their
  mouth, and honoureth me with their lips but
  their heart is far from me.
• But in vain they do worship me, teaching for
  doctrines the commandments of men.

10
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• Many words and deeds related to the work of Jesus
  were never recorded.
• Not being recorded, those words and deeds cannot
  help us in our present life.
• However, the deeds that were recorded are
  sufficient to extend the offer of life to many
  people who never personally met the Lord.

• JOHN 2030-31
• And many other signs truly did Jesus in the
  presence of his disciples, which are not written
  in this book
• But these are written, that ye might believe
  that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and
  that believing ye might have life through his
  name.

11
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• There was to be no mistake about what God said
  it was written down.
• The angel personally wrote it in stone.
• God didnt need to change anything.
• There was no room for additions.

• DEUTERONOMY 413
• And he declared unto you his covenant, which he
  commanded you to perform, even ten commandments
  and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

12
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• All of the people could see the writing.
• Presumably all the people could read it.

• DEUTERONOMY 274,8
• Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over
  Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which
  I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou
  shalt plaister them with plaister.
• And thou shalt write upon the stones all the
  words of this law very plainly.

13
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• All of the people could see the writing.
• They did not have a choice about whether they
  would obey it.
• Any person who would not accept a particular
  part, nevertheless fell under the curse.

• DEUTERONOMY 2726
• Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words
  of this law to do them. And all the people shall
  say, Amen.

14
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• DEUTERONOMY 1119-20

• God saw the need to write things down.
• This was done for our benefit due to the fact
  that ideas so quickly enter and leave our mind.
• To keep the spirit of this example we need to
  be constantly reviewing our Statement of Faith.

• And ye shall teach them your children, speaking
  of them when thou sittest in thine house, and
  when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest
  down, and when thou risest up.
• And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of
  thine house, and upon thy gates.

15
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• ACTS 1519-20
• Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not
  them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to
  God
• But that we write unto them, that they abstain
  from pollutions of idols, and from fornication,
  and from things strangled, and from blood.

• It was necessary to write in order for them to
  see that the decree came from the Apostles.
• Word of mouth could not accomplish the same it
  would not have had the same authority.
• Word of mouth would have led to various
  renditions and finally discord.

16
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• DEUTERONOMY 1718-19
• And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the
  throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a
  copy of this law in a book out of that which is
  before the priests the Levites
• And it shall be with him, and he shall read
  therein all the days of his life that he may
  learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the
  words of this law and these statutes, to do
  them

• The king obviously had access to the book of the
  law in order to make another copy.
• God saw the benefit of copying it out .
• This would also provide him with a personal copy
  to direct his steps throughout his life.

17
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• DEUTERONOMY 3119
• Now therefore write ye this song for you, and
  teach it the children of Israel put it in their
  mouths, that this song may be a witness for me
  against the children of Israel.

• In His wisdom God saw the need to memorize parts
  of His word.
• By singing it and making a melody to go with it,
  it may have been hard to forget.
• For this song to act as a witness those who
  sang would have to pay attention to the details.

18
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• PROVERBS 33
• Let not mercy and truth forsake thee bind them
  about thy neck write them upon the table of
  thine heart

• To inscribe these things on the table of the
  heart was to make them permanently before ones
  consciousness.

19
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• 1 CORINTHIANS 1440
• Let all things be done decently and in order.

• So we agree to put together an order and
  structure that breathes harmony and peace into
  our meetings.
• A written Constitution and Statement of Faith,
  honoured by all, supports Godliness.

20
WHY WRITE IT DOWN?

• There is little value in writing something down,
  for all of the foregoing reasons, when some have
  absolutely no intention of honouring what has
  been written.
• Personal integrity is essential!

• PSALM 151-2
• Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who
  shall dwell in thy holy hill?
• He that walketh uprightly, and worketh
  righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his
  heart.