........"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11).
........It is testimony to the high justice of God that following the voluntary, deep humiliation of Jesus that the Father would highly exalt him. As low as Jesus was brought in obedience to God by coming in the form of a servant and dying in a shameful manner, so high would He be exalted when He completed the task of the salvation of humankind.

........The story is told of the blacksmith known for his strong faith that had a great deal of illness. He was challenged by an unbeliever to explain why his God would let him suffer. He explained, "I take a piece of iron, put it into the fire to bring it to a white heat, then I strike it once or twice to see if it will take temper. I plunge it into water to change the temperature, put it into the fire again, and then I put it on the anvil and make a useful article out of it."
........"If it will not take temper when I first strike it on the anvil, I throw it into the scrap heap and sell it for a half-penny per pound. I believe God has been testing me to see if I will take temper. I have tried to bear it as patiently as I could, and my daily prayer has been, 'Lord, put me into the fire if you will; put me into the water if you think I need it; do anything you please, O Lord, only do not throw me on the scrap heap.'"
There are many trials that afflict us in life. The apostle Paul describes the struggles of life in 2Corinthians 5:1-8 as groaning in an earthly house. Paul knew firsthand the difficulty of suffering as he had pleaded with the Lord to remove his "thorn in the flesh" (2Cor. 12:7-10). The Lord told him he would have to endure his thorn and allow the grace of God to sustain him.
........I suspect that what Paul wrote in chapter five was closely related to what he experienced in chapter twelve. He groaned under the burden of his physical body but he knew that Jehovah had promised a "habitation which is from heaven" (2Cor. 5:2). To walk by faith is to look beyond the anguish of the test of fire here to the blessing of being present with the Lord. It takes eyes of faith to be able to look beyond the here and now and embrace our citizenship in heaven. "Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2Cor. 4:16-18).
........Paul had his share of being put in the fire and often was placed in the cool water. These things were of little importance to the life of Paul as he disciplined his body to bring it into subjection to completion of his race in life (1Cor. 9:24-27). The Lord put Paul on the anvil of life to make a useful tool of him. "If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward" (Rom. 8:17-18).
Life is not without suffering. The joy of heaven would be diminished if we experienced life without suffering. How meaningful is Revelation 21:4 when we look to the day when God takes away our tears, our sorrows, our crying, our pain and death. It shows the love of God for mortal man as he suffers in the flesh below. While life is sometimes thrown into the fire and sometimes thrown into the cool water, when the Lord finishes with our life on the anvil of time, we will made into a beautiful ornament of His choosing in the eternal home He has prepared. "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him" (James 1:12). ............................... Top of Page .....

........The light turns green, but the man doesn't notice. The woman waits, but the man doesn't notice the light change. The woman begins pounding on her steering wheel and yelling at the man to move. The man doesn't move. The woman is going ballistic inside her car, ranting and raving at the man, pounding on her steering wheel and dash. The light turns yellow. The woman begins to blow the car horn and scream curses at the man. The man, hearing the commotion, looks up, sees the yellow light and accelerates through the intersection just as the light turned red.
........The woman is beside herself, screaming in frustration as she misses her chance to get through the intersection. As she is still in mid-rant she hears a tap on her window and looks up into the barrel of a gun held by a very serious looking policeman. The policeman tells her to shut off her car while keeping both hands in sight. She complies, speechless at what is happening. After she shuts off the engine, the policeman orders her to exit her car with her hands up. She gets out of the car and he orders her to turn and place her hands on her car. She turns, places her hands on the car roof and quickly is cuffed and hustled into the patrol car. She is too bewildered by the chain of events to ask any questions and is driven to the police station where she is fingerprinted, photographed, searched, booked and placed in a cell.
........After a couple of hours, a policeman approaches the cell and opens the door for her. She is escorted back to the booking desk where the original officer is waiting with her personal effects. He hands her the bag containing her things, and says, "I'm really sorry for this mistake. But you see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn and cussing a blue streak at the car in front of you and then I noticed the "Choose Life" license plateholder and the "Follow Me to Sunday School" bumper sticker and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk, so naturally I assumed you had stolen the car.

.........The goodness of God is declared in many scriptures (Ex. 34:6-7; Psalm 25:8; 31:19; 33:5; 34:8; 52:1; 73:1; 86:5; 100:5; 103:8; 119:68; 145:8-9; Lam. 3:25; Acts 14:17). To say that God is good is to make an assessment
about His perfect nature. Nothing is lacking in God. His goodness is perfect; nothing can be added to make His goodness better. The name God, in English, comes from the term "good." The original Saxon meaning of the English word God is "The Good." The Hebrew term for "good" that is descriptive of God's perfect character is also translated into English by such varied terms as merciful, kindly, loving kindness, favor.

.........Created things and beings are declared good by God (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). Although the goodness of creation is derived from God, God's goodness is inherent in the essence of His very being. Hence, Jesus could declare that "no one is good but One, that is, God" (Matt. 19:17; Mark 10:18). God is not defined in terms of goodness, but rather goodness is defined by the nature of God.

.........People observe the goodness of God because experiences with Him demonstrate that his activity is good. Psalm 107 provides such an observation. The central theme of Psalm 107 is that God is good. Because the Psalmist had experienced the goodness of God, he could exhort, "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 107:1, 106:1; 118:1; 136:1; 1Chron. 16:34). This exhortation to give thanks was specifically addressed to the redeemed who had been recipients of the goodness of God, i.e., thus, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so" (Psalm 107:2). This psalm declares that God is good because he redeemed his people "from the hand of the enemy" and gathered them "out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south" (vs 2-3). These specifics regarding redemption have influenced many scholars to believe that Psalm 107 was written when the Israelites were in Babylonian exile. Even so, the message of this psalm has universal application.

.........Psalm 107 is divided into seven sections. After the introductory exhortation (vs 1-3), the next four sections portray how God, in His goodness, redeemed His people. He delivered them out of the wilderness (vs 4-9). He broke the bonds of prisoners (vs 10-16). He restored the sick (vs 17-22). And He showed his power to mariners in the sea (vs 23-32). The sixth section declares that God is good in his governance of nature and human events (vs 33-42). The last section indicates that the wise will observe and understand God's loving kindness (v 43).

.........The Psalmist describes God's goodness in terms of redemption and governance. God's goodness is evident because He redeems his people from their perils. Four times the plight of God's people is described (vs 4-5; 10-12; 17-18; 23-27). Each time "they cried out to the Lord in their trouble" (vs 6, 13, 19, 28). Each time God delivered His people (vs 6-7; 13-14; 19; 28). Each time the Psalmist expressed his desire, "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!" (vs 8, 15, 21, 31). And each time a description is given about God's blessings to those who had cried out to him (vs 9, 16; 20, 29-30).

.........The Psalmists observes that God's goodness is evident in his governance over nature and human events. He declares that God has power to turn "rivers into a wilderness, and the water springs into dry ground; A fruitful land into barrenness." This He does because of "the wickedness of those who dwell in it" (vs 33-34). Conversely, God can turn "a wilderness into pools of water, and dry land into water springs." (v 35). The implication is that in this way God rewards the righteous who dwell there. "There He makes the hungry dwell, that they may establish a city for a dwelling place, and sow fields and plant vineyards, that they may yield a fruitful harvest. He also blessesthem, and they multiply greatly; and He does not let their cattle decrease" (vs 36-38). The prophet Nahum expressed a similar thought, "The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him" (Nahum 1:7).

.........God is just in his governance over humanity. When the righteous "are diminished and brought low through oppression, affliction and sorrow, He pours contempt on princes, And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way; yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, And makes their families like a flock" (vs 39-41).

.........All who are righteous respond to God's goodness by recognizing it and ceasing from iniquity (v 42). Finally, the Psalmist declares that "whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the loving kindness of the Lord" (v 43).

.........Many other scriptures also declare God's goodness. A panoramic overview of the Old and New Testaments indicates that God's goodness is made known by His activity. God's goodness is demonstrated in creation and in His provisions for all living creatures (Psalms 145:8-9; Acts 14:17; James 1:17). His goodness is observed in his providential care (Gen. 28:8, 14; 1Kings 17:9) and guidance (Gen. 50:20) of those who love and trust Him (Psalm 34:8; Ezra 8:22; Rom. 8:28). God's goodness is also indicated by His statutes (Psalm 119:64, 68).

.........God's goodness is supremely manifested in His redemption of believers from their sins. Through the Law of
Moses and the Levitical priesthood, God provided atonement for the sins of Israelites (Ex. 29:36; Lev. 6:7; Deut.
32:43; Prov. 16:6). "Good and upright is the LORD; Therefoe He teaches sinners in the way" (Psalm 25:8). "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You" (Psalm 86:5).

.........No where is God's goodness more greatly demonstrated than in the giving of his Son (Luke 2:10-11; John 3:16) to redeem believers from their sins (Rom. 5:6-8; Titus 2:11). Eternal redemption is through the blood of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24; 1Cor. 1:30; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:12, 15). This salvation is made known through the gospel (Mark 1:1, 15; Luke 4:18; Rom. 1:16; Eph. 1:13; 3:6; 1Tim. 1:11; 2Tim. 1:10).

.........If the Psalmist, who lived before God's eternal plan of redemption had been disclosed, had reason to thank God for his goodness, (and he did) surely we, to whom that plan of eternal redemption has now been made available, should have greater reason to thank God for his goodness. "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" (Rom. 2:4; 2Peter 3:9). Recognition of God's goodness should prompt thanksgiving, praise, love and obedience. "We love Him because He first loved us" (1John 4:19). Therefore, "give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so" (Psalm 107:1-2). We can thank God not only for redemption from various plights in this life, as did the Psalmist, but also, like angels in heaven, we can thank God for his goodness in providing eternal redemption (Rev. 7:9-12). (11/03)

........"Church discipline" is part of God's plan to restore erring Christians (Gal. 6:1; 1Thes. 5:14; 2Thes. 3:6). A question frequently asked is, "What about when a Christian stops attending services?" No one denies that such is sin (Heb. 2:3; 10:25). Further, so far as we know, everyone agrees that we should try to restore one in such a state (Gal. 6:1). The subject of this article deals with our responsibilities in the event that the erring brother or sister fails to respond to this effort at restoration. What does the Bible say we should do in such cases?
.........1. Christians have responsibilities to brethren beyond the local church. One example of this is seen in Gal. 2:7, 9. Paul and Barnabas were given "the right hands of fellowship" by Peter, James and John. In other words, they were commended by these brethren, and this in spite of the fact that Paul and Barnabas did not belong to the same local church as did Peter, James and John. Commendation is one obligation we have to faithful brethren who are not members where we worship. What if the church at Jerusalem had decided to support Paul and Barnabas in their missionary efforts? Such support is an extension of fellowship beyond the local church level (Phil 4:15, ASV). What if Paul or Barnabas taught error and became unworthy? A local church who knew of them and their teaching could rightly "mark and avoid" them in spite of their not being members of that church (Rom. 16:17-18). There are at least three reasons for such an action: To make sure that local church or its members did not (1) support them (Phil. 4:15), (2) commend them (Gal. 2:7, 9; Acts 18:27), or (3) receive them (2John 9-11). What we have said under this point is noteworthy because it shows that members of a local church have responsibilities toward known, unworthy non-member Christians. We now turn to a popular argument with regards to our subject.
......... 2. What is the significance of "among you" in 1 Cor. 5? We ask this question for the following reason. Brethren who deny that a church can withdraw from Christians who quit attending argue, "In the New Testament, every time a church withdrew from someone, the offending party was in attendance at the local church." This comes from the belief that the words "among you" in 1 Cor. 5:1 mean, "In attendance at the church there." The verse reads, "It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even found among the Gentiles, that one of you hath his father's wife" (1 Cor. 5:1, my emphasis, sw). "Among the Gentiles" does not mean "in the churches of the Gentiles." Rather, it clearly means "among their association, among those they mix with." In light of this clear contextual meaning of "among," the fornicator may or may not have been in attendance at Corinth. His not being in attendance is seen to be at least possible when one considers the solution to this situation which Paul commanded in vs. 9-13 (see next paragraph, below). However, this is an aside from our main point here which simply is this: "Among you" clearly has a broader meaning than some brethren would have us believe. Moving along in our text we see that v. 2 speaks of this sinner being "taken away from among you." The word for "among" here is the same one used in 2Thes. 3:7 where it speaks of Paul's association with the brethren at Thessalonica, which also may include his time in their assemblies but is clearly broader than this. In light of these facts, the contention that "among you" means the offending party was attending services is not born out by the words of the proof text. Nor is it born out by the remedy Paul seeks when he tells them to "deliver such a one unto Satan" (v. 5). What did he mean by this? He went on to tell them "not to keep company" with such a brother and to "put away that wicked man from among yourselves" (vs. 11, 13). These terms explain "deliver to Satan" of verse five. However, they also tell us something more about the words "among you." The word "company" of verse 11 also appears in verses 9-10 where it is used of the kind of company one keeps with those of the world. Please notice again that, while this may include associations in assemblies of the local church, it is clearly broader than this. Paul says that they are not to have this kind of company with an erring brother, "no not to eat" (v. 11). This is also broader than the assemblies as Paul forbids them to eat at the place where they assembled (11:22). Thayer defines the word rendered "company" as, "to mix up together, to keep company with, be intimate with" (p. 601).
This word also appears in 2Thes. 3:14 where it is used inconjunction with "withdraw yourselves" in 2Thes. 3:6. Putting all this together we conclude that Paul is telling them to cut off social contact with the person, to subject him to social exile. From this brief study we see that the contention that withdrawal is only to be carried out when the offender is in attendance lacks support from a passage to which its advocates appeal. Further, as we put words together we see a significant similarity in the words "deliver such a one unto Satan," "not to keep company," "put away the wick-ed man from among yourselves," "withdraw" and "mark and avoid" (Rom. 16:17-18). They all speak of nearly identical, if not identical, actions which, while having applications in the assemblies of the local church, are broader than this. With this fact in mind and the meaning of "withdraw" fixed we are now ready to look at a familiar argument.
......... 3. "You can't withdraw from someone who has already withdrawn themselves." This argument sounds logical on the surface. However, it breaks down upon investigation. Both times the word"withdraw" is used in the above sentence it has a different meaning. The following rendering demonstrates this truth: "You can't withdraw from (socially exile) someone who has already withdrawn (quit attending services) themselves." If someone quit (withdrew from) my baseball team could I refuse to have anything to do with (socially exile) them? Of course I could! (I speak of what is possible and not what would be proper behavior.) The above contention (point 3.) depends on the ambiguous use of "withdraw" and also is without foundation in scripture. As we established above, brethren have responsibilities to Christians beyond the local church and a member who quits attending services is certainly walking disorderly. Hence, such a one should be withdrawn from if other efforts to restore him fail. But can we learn anything from these other efforts at restoring such a one? Please read on.
......... 4. What does "church discipline" include? I have never heard of anyone who says that we should not visit and admonish a Christian who quits attending services. Such is in harmony with 2Tim. 2: 24-26. The word "instructing" appears in verse 25 ("correcting" ASV). It is defined, "1.The whole training and education of children, 2. Whatever in adults also cultivates the soul, especially by correcting mistakes and curbing the passions; hence a) instruction which aims at the increase of virtue b) according to biblical usage chastisement, chastening" (Thayer p 473). It is rendered "discipline" in Eph. 6:4 in the NASV. When we try to restore someone we are disciplining them. This word (for "instructing," 2Tim. 2:25) also appears in 1Tim. 1:20 and is rendered "may learn." We established above that "deliver to Satan" in this verse is used of withdrawal or social exile (1Cor. 5:5, 11, 13). Hence, we see that whether we go and admonish a non-attender or withdraw from him, the church is exercising discipline in either case. It is hard for me to see how one can defend the former practice (as most do) and then argue against the latter.
......... The Bible says that local churches have a responsibility to discipline members who fall into sin. The arguments which would make a distinction in the church's responsibility towards those guilty of other sins and those guilty of quitting attending are not valid. Hence, a church has an obligation to withdraw from members who quit attending after other efforts to restore such brethren have failed.