Collinsville-Troy CHURCH OF CHRIST

The Blessed Man of Psalm 1

-Dale J. Babinsky

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.

These are the opening verses of Psalm 1. This Psalm is sort of the introduction to the whole Book of Psalms. It sets the stage for the ongoing discussion of what the righteous man is like, what he does, what he thinks about, and what he avoids.

This psalm kicks off by telling us what a truly blessed life doesn't look like. It's an important warning: watch where you're walking, who you're listening to, and what you're settling into. There's a kind of slide that can happen:
• First, you just walk alongside the wrong crowd.
• Then you stop and linger where trouble hangs out.
• Before you know it, you're sitting down, totally comfortable with scorn and cynicism.

It's subtle. And that's the danger. The path away from God rarely feels dramatic—it's usually slow and sneaky.

Then we have the flip side. The person who's truly blessed loves the things God says. They're not just checking the Bible off a reading list. They delight in it. They chew on it, mull it over, carry it in their minds during quiet moments or busy days. They spend time meditating on the word of God. God's Word becomes like a favorite song stuck in your head. It becomes a guide for our lives.

This kind of person, someone who chooses God's wisdom over the world's noise, is like a strong tree planted near water (Psalm 1:3). Even when life gets tough, their soul doesn't dry up. Their life shows purpose and their faith continues to grow, season after season. The person who has God's word at the center of their life is able to truly prosper in what they do. It may not look like what the world considers success, but it is a life that is pleasing to God.

In today's world, it's easy to be swept along by whatever's trending. But Psalm 1 reminds us that where we walk, stand, and sit—who we listen to and what we value—shapes our life more than we think. So here's a simple challenge. Take a moment today to ask yourself, “What voices am I letting shape me?” And maybe crack open your Bible—not just to read it, but to let it shape you into the person God wants you to be.

-Dale J. Babinsky preaches for the Great Smoky Mountains Church of Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN.
-Article obtained from www.bulletingold.com

About the Toe...

-Renn Ferguson

Last Sunday, we looked at avoiding the ditches of legalism and liberalism. We noticed a few things that are characteristic of each extreme. To end the lesson, we discussed how we ought not speak for God. While we are called to preach the gospel, which includes the condemnation of sin (Acts 3:19, 17:30), we must be careful to not overstep our bounds. As Paul wrote about church discipline he said, "for what have I to do with judging outsiders? It is not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside" (1 Corinthians 5:12-13a). The judging here is the sense of sentencing someone or "punishing" them. There is a sense in which we are to do that to fellow Christians (church discipline), but we have no such right to do that to non-Christians, we can only call them to repentance. This demonstrates the fact that there is a degree to which we must judge but some measures of judgment (eternal sentencing) are left solely to God.

As a thought experiment, we discussed the person whose toe comes up out of the water while being baptized. What is God going to do with such a person? What if that person was totally ignorant of that fact for the rest of their lives, what will He do? In truth, we do not know. But my opinion is that in such cases we should err on the side of grace. However, I am not the judge. But what if that person is aware that they were not totally immersed? Should we just chalk it up to grace and not concern ourselves with it? Or should we baptize them again? It is my judgment that in such a case one should be baptized again and be totally immersed.

But wait! Isn't that legalistic? Perhaps, though I am not convinced it is. Would not the opposite position at the very least run the risk of presuming upon God's grace? This is why these matters are so challenging. However, I do not think God will fault us for doing exactly what He commands us to do. Many purport that if one is baptized again they are inherently trusting in themselves and not in God to save them. I would disagree. In my experience, those who are baptized again often do so out of a great love and respect for God. They understand that God is a precise God. Moses was commanded to build the tabernacle according to the pattern God gave him (Exodus 25:40, Acts 7:44). Suppose one of the craftsmen made a blunder. Would it be legalistic to have him correct his mistake? I think not. God has commanded us to do something specific -be baptized. He commands that we do it for a specific purpose -the remission of sins. Paul calls baptism a standard or pattern (Romans 6:17). I do not think that one who is rebaptized according to the precise pattern given to us is inherently being legalistic.

We must remember that there is a difference between obeying God and being legalistic.