The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is given to us as a guide from earth to heaven. It serves as something of a "road map" or a "way bill" to glory. We should be at least as careful in an attempt to follow it as we would be a road map to some place on this earth. Couldn't you imagine the confusion and frustration of a man trying to follow a road map to some place that was not on the map? What about a man starting from some place that he could not find on the map? He starts out and finally hits a little stretch of highway that he can find, and then suddenly he is again traveling a road which the map does not show.

The picture above, when we make a spiritual application of it, exactly describes a member of a denomination. Think with me a minute, if you will. A man does something he cannot read in the New Testament to be saved (as he imagines). Then he joins a denomination, which is something else he cannot find in God's word. He finds in the New Testament that he should sing. He sings, but adds mechanical music to his singing. He reads that he should eat the Lord's Supper and he does, but not every first day of the week, but when he wants to do so. He prays, but may have women leading public prayer~ and he teaches an alien sinner that he should pray for salvation. He gives of his means but he may do so through pie suppers, raffles, etc. He does missionary work but does it through some missionary society. He has a good benevolent program but most of the work is done by human societies. In fact, he does NOTHING as the Bible teaches.

It can be seen that the man I am describing is not following the Bible. He has transgressed the doctrine of Christ on every point. He has gone onward and has not abided in the doctrine. He hath not God! It is a pity but it is so. We can not help this man by ignoring him or by ignoring the fact that he is transgressing God's word. Let's tell him. We may save his soul. We will at least, deliver our own soul.

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XV: 23, p. 11
April 15, 1971