Category: Writings by W. Ross Rainey
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey,Cults, Part 4
Spiritism Spiritism, sometimes referred to as Spiritualism, is as old as antiquity itself, issuing from man’s desire to look beyond the grave. It can be traced back to the earliest books of the Bible (cf. Genesis 41:8; Exodus 7:11, 22:8:18). Thus, of all the cults, it is the only one mentioned in the…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey,Cults, Part 2
Capsule Comments On The Cults Christian Science Of Christian Science, Walter R. Martin has said, “This unusual system of theology is a mixture of absolute Idealism, Hinduism, Hypnosis, auto-suggetion and metaphysics all rolled into one homogenized unit, welded together by its extremely clever ‘founder,’ Mary Baker Eddy, and dressed up…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Cults, Part 1
Capsule Comments on the Cults Recently, a young sister in the Lord from my home assembly asked me if I would kindly visit her home on a certain afternoon. In her commendable zeal to witness to some adherents of the “Jehovah’s Witnesses” cult, she had inadvertently opened the way for…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Journeying Through Jude, Part 15
Continuing his overall theme of the Christian’s present responsibilities (vv. 20-23), Jude turns from the believer’s personal responsibilities in verses 20 and 21 to his relative responsibilities in verses 22 and 23. Thus these latter two verses have to do with personal evangelism and the compassionate, understanding, energetic, cautious attitude…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Journeying Through Jude, Part 14
2. Praying (verse 20b) . A key means to building yourselves up on your most holy faith is by “praying in the Holy Spirit.” This is an essential daily exercise if spiritual growth is to be a reality. Martin Luther once said, “I have so much business to do today that I…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Journeying Through Jude, Part 13
Not only were Jude’s readers to remember what the apostles had said about the apostates, they were to give attention to themselves. Thus we come to Jude’s second major thrust relative to the responsibility of true believers midst the world’s increasing and intensifying apostasy, and this, in contrast to the…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Journeying Through Jude, Part 12
The Duty of the Saints (verses 17-25) In the light of growing apostasy, what are true believers to do and how are they to conduct themselves as conditions throughout Christendom become worse and worse prior to Christ’s return for His Church? It is in this third and last main section…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Journeying Through Jude, Part 9
Grace And Peace “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you” (2 Peter 1:2) God loved the world — and long agoHe sent His Son to BethlehemThat living, all the world might knowThe wonders of His love for them.Those who have tried and found Him trueKnow this: “My peace I leave…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Journeying Through Jude, Part 8
Woe unto them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah (v. 11). At this point Jude was led by the Holy Spirit to single out three well-known representatives of evil in…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Journeying Through Jude, Part 7
Continuing his written portrait of apostate teachers, Jude states in verse 9: Yet Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. Here, the conduct of apostates is seen in…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Journeying Through Jude, Part 6
Having illustrated the destruction of the apostates in verses 5-7, Jude returns now in verses 8-13, with verse 16, to the subject of the false brethren who had stealthily made their way into the assembly of God’s people. It is in these verses that he delineates in considerable detail the…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Journeying Through Jude, Part 3
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ(verse 4). “From the days of Simon Magus to the present, “ wrote…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Journeying Through Jude, Part 2
Although Jude is one of the shortest books in the Bible, comprising only twenty-five verses, it has a very important place in the canon of Scripture. Being largely a book of judgment, the place given to this letter is the right one, for it serves as a fitting preface to The Revelation. As A.…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Journeying Through Jude, Part 1
The Writer There are seven Judes or Judases mentioned in the New Testament: The writer of this brief letter is the last in the list, Jude, the half brother of our Lord (Jude had a human father, whereas our Lord did not). The Scriptures certify that he became a believer…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Minor Prophets, Malachi
The Book of Gathering Gloom Key Word: Declension or Apostasy. Message: “Remember, Repent, Return, Rehearse” (Robert Lee).1 Or, as Eric W. Hayden has summarized: “The Sin of External Observance Without Internal Experience.”2 Key Verses: 3:8 — “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Minor Prophets, Zechariah
The Book of Restoration and Glory Key Word: Consummation. Message: “God’s Love and Care for His People” (Robert Lee).1 “The Keeping Power of God” (Eric W. Hayden).2 Key Verses: 1:3 — “Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Minor Prophets, Haggai
The Book of Action Key Word: Consider. Message: “God First in Life and Service” (Robert Lee).1 Or, as Walter A. Elwell has stated: “The basic message of the book of Haggai is simple: our spiritual state is more important than our material state. We must make a home for God, whether…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Minor Prophets, Zephaniah
The Book of God’s Severity and Goodness Key Word: Jealousy. Message: “I, the Lord thy God, am a Jealous God” (Robert Lee).1 Key Verses: 2:4 — “Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Minor Prophets, Habakkuk
The Book of Faith’s Problems Key Word: Justice. Message: “God’s consistency with Himself in view of permitted evil” (Robert Lee)1. Or, as Eric W. Hayden has highlighted Habakkuk’s message: “Living the Life of Faith.”2 Key Verse: 2:4 — “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him:…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Minor Prophets, Nahum
The Book of God’s Wrath Key Word: Doom. Message: “The Awful Doom of the Apostate” (Robert Lee).1 Or, as Dr. Merrill F. Unger has interpretively summarized Nahum’s message: “The prophet has one theme, judgment upon Nineveh, the capital of the mighty Assyrian Empire … and hence of Assyria, the ‘giant among…
Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded 