BRASS TACKS
A man once owned a general store. The store contained a long wooden counter. Nailed to it were two brass tacks, about 1 yard apart. They were used to measure various goods. The man was an upright, respectable citizen that operated his business as honestly as he knew how. After his death, his son took over the store, carrying on in the honest tradition of his father. One day someone laid a yardstick on the counter. It happened to lie across the invisible line separating the 2 brass tacks. To his amazement, the young man noticed that the distance between the tacks was 35 inches, not 36. Although only 1 inch short, the man realized that his father had unknowingly overcharged his customers for 3 decades.
The son was faced with a dilemma. If he corrected the error by moving a tack 1 inch outward, a visible mark would be left on the counter. Consequently, his father's honest reputation would be in jeopardy. But if he left the tacks in place, he would be guilty of doing something for which his father would have never approved -- selling people short. What should he do?
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Many people find themselves in a similar predicament when they consider obeying the gospel. By conceding that baptism by immersion is necessary to salvation, they feel they are betraying parents who were “sprinkled” or were never baptized at all. In an effort to “honor” their parents, some refuse to obey the Lord, a decision for which their parents would have never approved.
We must resist passing judgment upon those who have departed this world. Paul wrote, "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls" (Romans 14:4). The eternal destination of departed relatives is in the hands of a merciful and righteous judge. For our part, we must not allow the well-intentioned decisions of loved ones to decide our course, particularly in connection with salvation. Our responsibility is to respond to the truth as we learn it, not mimic the beliefs of others.
The aforementioned story purportedly ends with the son moving a tack 1 inch outward. He realized that his father would have wanted it that way. In the same way, good parents want their children to act on the basis of truth, not necessarily on what their parents believed.
Jesus, always Jesus!
Dennis
A man once owned a general store. The store contained a long wooden counter. Nailed to it were two brass tacks, about 1 yard apart. They were used to measure various goods. The man was an upright, respectable citizen that operated his business as honestly as he knew how. After his death, his son took over the store, carrying on in the honest tradition of his father. One day someone laid a yardstick on the counter. It happened to lie across the invisible line separating the 2 brass tacks. To his amazement, the young man noticed that the distance between the tacks was 35 inches, not 36. Although only 1 inch short, the man realized that his father had unknowingly overcharged his customers for 3 decades.
The son was faced with a dilemma. If he corrected the error by moving a tack 1 inch outward, a visible mark would be left on the counter. Consequently, his father's honest reputation would be in jeopardy. But if he left the tacks in place, he would be guilty of doing something for which his father would have never approved -- selling people short. What should he do?
********************************************************************************************
Many people find themselves in a similar predicament when they consider obeying the gospel. By conceding that baptism by immersion is necessary to salvation, they feel they are betraying parents who were “sprinkled” or were never baptized at all. In an effort to “honor” their parents, some refuse to obey the Lord, a decision for which their parents would have never approved.
We must resist passing judgment upon those who have departed this world. Paul wrote, "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls" (Romans 14:4). The eternal destination of departed relatives is in the hands of a merciful and righteous judge. For our part, we must not allow the well-intentioned decisions of loved ones to decide our course, particularly in connection with salvation. Our responsibility is to respond to the truth as we learn it, not mimic the beliefs of others.
The aforementioned story purportedly ends with the son moving a tack 1 inch outward. He realized that his father would have wanted it that way. In the same way, good parents want their children to act on the basis of truth, not necessarily on what their parents believed.
Jesus, always Jesus!
Dennis
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