Truth Magazine

By Jesse G. Jenkins

On the evenings of August 2, 3, 5, and 6, 1999 David D. Bonner and Jeffery S. Asher debated in Crockett School house in Amarillo, Texas and repeated the same on the evenings of August 23, 24, 26, and 27. Audiences were larger in Lufkin with about 250 -275 the first night and in the 100s the other nights. In Amarillo attendance ran under 200 the first night and estimated in the 80 to 90 range the other nights. The audiences behaved well as was expected,

Bonner was in the affirmative the first two nights and in the negative the last two nights in each place. Bonner’s affirmative was “RESOLVED: The Scriptures teach that Jesus, while on earth in the flesh had and used both human and divine attributes.” Bonner stated his job was easy for all he had to do was prove two attributes of humanity and two of Deity. He gave Scripture for ten points of humanity such as Jesus hungered, tired, slept, suffered, died, etc. He proved Jesus used attributes of Deity in several ways. He showed that he accepted worship as God (Matt. 4:10). He showed that a leper, a man born blind, wise men, a ruler and apostles worshiped Jesus as God. He showed Jesus forgave sins and that only God can forgive sins (Mark 2:5, 7). He gave several examples of Jesus forgiving sins. He asked the question, did Jesus accept worship and forgive sins as man or God?

From Matthew 4:1-3 he showed that Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread, and argued if Jesus had no power to do so, there would have been no temptation. There was temptation, so Jesus had the power to turn stones into bread. Bonner emphasized that if the power were the power of the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit would have had to sin for Jesus to use his power; there- fore the power was usable power that Jesus had, i.e., his own power.

Bonner showed that John 20:30-31 states the signs Jesus worked proved he was Deity. Asher argued that the signs in this passage referred to the resurrection. The fact that “signs” and “these” are plural did not seem to make any impression on him. Bonner showed that if Jesus’ signs, to which John here referred, were done by the power of the Holy Spirit, then his signs no more proved he was the Son of God than did the apostles’ signs prove they were Sons of God.

Bonner asked who empowered the seventy in Luke 10:19? There Jesus said: “I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. . .” (emphasis mine, JGJ). To this, Asher never replied.

For six nights Bonner tried to get Asher to tell why it denies the humanity of Jesus if he used his own power of Deity, when Asher teaches it does not deny his Deity to use only his humanity. Asher’s answer was “because Jesus came as a man.” If you can figure out how that answers the question, you are smarter than me.

Bonner surely sustained his proposition with adequate proofs.

The last two nights in each place Asher affirmed: “RE- SOLVED: The Scriptures teach that Jesus, while here on earth in the flesh, had both human and divine attributes but never used any of his divine attributes.” In an effort to prove this he argued that all Jesus did beyond what any human could do was by the power of the Holy Spirit. His major and virtually only argument to try to prove this was his pattern argument. He said that when you prove that baptism is a burial by Romans 6:4, then burial is understood wherever baptism in the name of Jesus is mentioned. This is the pattern. In this he is correct. But then he said that his showing that Jesus worked a miracle by the power of the Holy Spirit as in Matthew 12:28, established a pattern and that wherever Jesus did a miracle it was to be understood that he did it by the power of the Holy Spirit. But Bonner showed that Asher did not have a pattern because sometimes it is said Jesus did a miracle by the power of the Holy Spirit and sometimes by the power of the Father (John 14:10), and sometimes by his own power (Luke 10:19, John 2:7-11; 10:18). If baptism was spoken of as a burial in one passage, as a sprinkling in another and as a pouring in yet another, there would be no pattern for burial. Anyone should see that. Bonner argued that the Godhead worked in unanimity. He had a chart showing this to be so in creation, the resurrection, dwelling in the saint, work, word, etc.

Bonner asked Asher how he would prove that Jesus had divine attributes if he never used them? Asher’s reply was that both agreed that Jesus had divine attributes and thus there was no need to for him to prove it.

Asher said that Jesus learned that he was the Son of God, thus Deity, by his mother and father telling him. He said that Jesus had to learn and grow in God’s favor like any other child. He said that in Luke 2:46-47 Jesus was not teaching the doctors of the law anything, rather that he was asking them questions so he could learn. He said the reason the doctors of the law marveled was that Jesus’ perception was greater than normal.

In answer to Bonner’s argument that Jesus used an attribute of Deity in accepting worship, Asher said that accepting worship did not prove an attribute of Deity because the Caesars accepted worship and the pope accepts worship. Bonner pointed out that Jesus accepted worship with the approval of the Father, but not so with the Caesars and the pope. Asher also said that Jesus accepted worship because he thought he was God. As pointed out above Asher said Jesus concluded he was God by the testimony of his parents.

In answer to Bonner’s argument that Jesus used an attribute of Deity in forgiving sins (Mark 2:5, 10), Asher went to John chapters 4 and 5 and argued that because it says that Jesus did things by the power of the Father, it is understood that he forgave sins by the power of the Father, not his own power. Bonner pointed out that when we read Mark 2:1-10 it should mean the same to us as it did to them and that they certainly had no way of concluding Jesus was not doing this by his own power. To this Asher made no reply.

Bonner pointed out several times that this theory that Jesus never used his own power came about because several years ago some started accusing others of believing that man has to sin. Bonner said that he had never known a brother that believes man has to sin. He challenged Asher to name just one who so believes. No one was named by Asher. In their effort to prove that man can live an entire life without sinning and thus, never need the blood of Jesus they used Jesus as the example of one who did it. When it was pointed out to them that Jesus was not only man, but also God, they had to make him just man to hold onto their position that man can live an entire life time without sinning. First some of them said Jesus divested himself of his divinity, and attributes.

Then they said he remained Deity in person, but not in power and character. How one could be Deity in person without the character of Deity, they never could explain. For this reason or for some other reason, they then gave this position up also. (In fairness to Jeff Asher, I want to state that he says he never believed these first two positions but has always believed Jesus was Deity on earth, that he retained his attributes, but limited himself and never used them. But it is a fact that some of his fellows did teach these first two positions for several years.) They then came to the position that Jesus in the flesh was Deity and that he did have his powers of Deity, but limited himself and never used them. This is what these debates were about.

Bonner said that he believed that in theory man could live without sin, because when man sins, he chooses to sin, but practically man is not able to earn his salvation by sinless living and that if anyone ever said he did, he would make God a liar (1 John 1:10). See also Acts 15:10. Bonner had a chart that asked two questions: (1) What is the probability that man will not sin? Bonner’s answer to this was zero. (2) What was the probability that Jesus would not sin? Bonner’s answer to this was one hundred percent. Asher never answered these two questions.

Bonner used an argument he got from one who wrote in the Faith and Facts paper, that to say anyone had some- thing but could not demonstrate it was like clouds and wind without rain (Prov. 25:14). This writer in Faith and Facts said to say one could work miracles but could not demonstrate is like wind and clouds without rain. Bonner told Asher that to say Jesus had attributes of Deity yet never used them was like Proverbs 25:14 also.

Asher thinks that if one has an advantage over you in any way, he cannot be your example. Bonner used Philippians 2:1-8 to show the humility of Jesus. Jesus left heaven, came to earth to live as a poor person, and to die a cruel death. Bonner affirmed this is the greatest example of humility the world has ever seen, and affirmed no one could possibly duplicate this example in humility. It does look like Jesus had an “edge” in humility, does it not? Asher was challenged to tell if Jesus did have an “edge” in humility. So far as I can recall he gave no reply.

Asher took the position that Jesus is still a man in heaven. He said very little about this in the debate, but in the Friday morning open forum at Amarillo, this was discussed at great length. But the ones who took this position never did tell us how the raised spiritual, immortal body is still human.

Asher and those who agree with him teach that Jesus while on earth was at eternal risk. Asher did not say much about this in the debate, though David tried to get him to do so. What I am about to say was not in the debate, but as it is on the subject, I want those who read the review to consider this also. Was Jesus and thus our salvation at risk because he may have sinned. They think so; I deny it. But the important thing is the Bible denies it. Isaiah 42:1-4 says: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail (emphasis mine, JGJ) nor be discouraged till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.” Matthew 12:18-20 applies this to Jesus. The Holy Spirit said he would not fail, but Asher says he could have. I think I will take the Holy Spirit over Asher and others who agree with him on this.

All who believe that Jesus accepted worship, forgave sins, gave the seventy power and turned water into wine should have left the debate knowing that Bonner sustained his proposition and that Asher failed to sustain his. All Bonner had to do to sustain his position was to show that Jesus used his Deity in one thing. And he did more than that.

It appears to me that just about every argument they make, if carried to its consistent conclusion would deny that Jesus was Deity while on earth. They disavow this conclusion and I will not assign it to them. But I will assign inconsistency to them. And Asher did say in Amarillo that as to function, Jesus was just a man. Well if in function he was just a man, it would be interesting for them to tell in what sense he was Deity!

For Bonner, Jesse G. Jenkins moderated, C.A. Scroggins flipped charts, David M. Bonner kept time in Amarillo, but Robert Bond kept time in Lufkin and Keith Shackleford.

“ran charts” as used by Asher. For Asher, Ed Dye was to have been the moderator, but because of sickness, A.W. Goff moderated, Tim Coffee flipped charts, and Wayne.

Why me? What did I do wrong? Where do I go from here? Will I ever be the same?

On a given day, a chosen time, and a certain year, marriage between two people begins. At this moment in time neither plan on or can even fathom what happens next. The “next” can come in months or even years in this union, but it can come. Shock, disbelief, and anger fills the heart. Thoughts you never dreamed possible are ever present in your mind. Let’s deal with it as a Christian, with choices, feelings, and decisions.

Choices

Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” First, admit to yourself you are human. You cannot and should not expect yourself to deal with this alone. Look heavenward. Empty your very soul to God. Please stop this very moment and read Psalm 139 in its entirety. Who else knows you, except God? Lean on this knowledge — also lean on those that are like minded in Christ. Don’t shut yourself off from those that care. However, don’t look to them for decisions, but for the ability to help you cope and express yourself. If you find you cannot share your feelings, then diary them. Every day, or even in the middle of the night, write, “Dear Diary, I loved this person, I trusted this person, I believed in this person.” Why me? Pour out your thoughts to “Diary” and let it become a very personal communique. Write everything. Remember, there’s no one that hurts in the way that you do. Each one has to deal with his own hurt in a very personal way. Be human — looking to God.

Feelings

Don’t be disappointed with yourself for feeling anger. It’s natural to protect yourself and your feelings. The response is one that is mixed with questions of why, why, and why? How can this be? You feel beaten emotion- ally and abused physically. Go ahead, feel that way, but don’t “live” that way. When you do, you are not working through it, but to the contrary, you are letting the situation become a part of you. It can only burden you and become like a cancer that eats at your very soul. Don’t give that person the privilege of crushing you two ways. One by making your marriage and life together a lie, and two by setting the stage for you of a lifetime of despair. The first was not your choice, but the latter is! After sub- mitting to your human side, then start looking up and digging out. No one says it will be easy. Christ hung on the cross for us. That was not easy, but lifting our heart and soul heavenward is, for we know God hears our prayers. Reflect on 1 Peter 3:10, most especially verses 10-12. Humbling yourself and the admission to yourself and God that you are in need of help, is the beginning of the healing process. It all takes time.

Decisions

Where do I go from here? Only you can make that choice. Only you and God know what is in your heart and the directions you are leaning. Can your marriage be saved? Do I want to put back the pieces? Do I love this person enough to forgive and go on from here? If there are children involved, do I want to let go of selfish choices and give them a real home or have a “no matter come what may” attitude and make for “me” a life. If you are the hurting one and no children are involved and the sin of fornication is the reason, you have every right to put away and go on (Matt. 19). If there are children involved and you are the hurting one and your mate asks for forgiveness and shows remorse for his mistakes, then consider. You can forgive, forgetting is another matter. Don’t expect yourself to do that. Once you have forgiven and made the choice to unite once again as a family, then remember our Lord’s forgiveness of us. It is never brought up again. Forgiveness is acting like it never happened. Two ways to handle this. Prayer and more prayer. Also, that all important friend, your diary. You have got to believe in yourself and your purpose. Keeping your eye always on eternity (1 Cor. 15:58). Putting back what God hath joined together will not be in vain (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Ultimate purpose — ultimate gift.

Go back to Psalm 139 and reflect on God’s relation- ship with you and how he knows you. Reverse that and know God.

The very mention of this word often times sends chills down a person. In our society when we hear that some- one is addicted to something, or someone, it immediately brings to our minds certain words. Helplessness, lack of self-control. Webster even defines the word “addict” as such: “to give oneself up (to some strong habit) a per- son addicted to some habit, esp. to the use of a narcotic drug.”

My point is that this word often carries with it a negative meaning in our society. I believe that although it is true that some folks can and do become addicted to things that are harmful and that are certainly contrary to God’s teaching it is possible to be addicted to good things! By good things I mean something that is not wrong according to God’s holy word, something that violates no Bible principles. Yes I believe that if I want to be pleasing to God I had better be “addicted” to certain things.

Let me share with you some addictions all Christians need:

1. Study (2 Tim. 2:15). If I’m a Christian I better be addicted to the study of God’s word.

2. Prayer (1 Thess. 5:17). If I’m a Christian I better be addicted to prayer. I had better be talking to my God on a daily basis.

3. Truth (John 17:7). If I’m a Christian I better be addicted to the truth. It is truth that will set us free. “Thy word is truth.”

4. Self-control (Rom. 6:12). If I’m a Christian I better be addicted to controlling my flesh. I must not live after the flesh.

5. Souls of Others (Ezek. 3:18). If I’m a Christian I better be addicted to teaching others the gospel. For one day I will give an account of my love for or my lack of love for the souls of others.

Perhaps you can think of more things for which a Christian should be addicted. I believe you get the idea of what I am saying about the word addiction. It can and does carry with it a negative idea concerning some things in our society but I hope you can see the positive side of being addicted to certain things. Paul (1 Cor. 16:15) makes the following statement:

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas that it is the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints (KJV).

This word addicted here is the Greek word tasso which means “have set themselves.” The NIV uses the word “devoted.” The American Standard uses the word “set.” They were addicted or devoted or set to the ministry of the saints. Are we?

Just think of the parallels that can be made between an addict in our society and their addiction, verses a Christian that is addicted to God.

1. Can’t live without it.

2. Must have it.

3. Need it.

4. The will and desire to do whatever it takes to be near or have that for which they are addicted.

5. The changes that an addiction can cause in one’s life.

Yes if you’re a Christian, I hope you are addicted to Jesus and his word. If you are not, let me be the first to tell you just what you are missing.

There is no high that can take you higher than Jesus! There is no drink that can pick you up or do as much for you, like drinking from God’s holy word! Are you addicted to the gospel? If not, open up the Bible and read for yourself about the love God has for you and the provisions he’s made that you and I might have eternal life. Just remember being addicted to God is not only good for your body but it’s good for your soul too. Yes, like all addictions it’s going to cost you. But don’t all addictions.

By Tim Haile

Does it really matter how we worship God? Some say no, but what does the Bible say? “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). This verse tells us that worship is pre- scribed. That is, God has told us both what to do and how to do it. We must do what (“in truth”) God says to do, in the way (“in spirit”) that he said to do it! Men are not at liberty to just make up their own form of worship. In the area of religious service, God is not pleased with human ingenuity (Prov. 3:5-6; Jer. 10:23); he is pleased with human obedience (1 Sam. 15:22-23).

When it comes to our worship to God, we must cultivate a genuine desire to please God, and discipline ourselves to put God’s desires ahead of our own.

Almighty God Is the Object Of Our Praise

It is sinful when a person fails to properly honor God as his Creator. This sin preceded many others in a great list enumerated in Romans chapter one (Rom. 1:21, 25). For the most part, the Gentile peoples had abandoned and rejected the very God who had created and sustained them (Acts 14:17; 17:24-28). These sinners fabricated gods (idols) that would approve of their own sinful attitudes and actions. These idols were “dumb” (1 Cor. 12:2). They were incapable of even communicating with their misguided servants, much less doing anything for them. Isaiah 44:9-20 provides an excellent expose on the folly of idolatry. This type of outright idolatry is rare in our day, but is it possible that some people fail to give God the glory that he rightly deserves? I am afraid so.

People who do not appreciate the value of the object of their worship are not inclined to exercise great care in their worship. Those who know the Bible understand that God alone is worthy to receive our honor (John 4:24). When John fell down to worship an angel, the angel told him, “Do not! I am your fellow slave, and of your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God” (Rev. 19:10). When the crowds at Lystra attempted to worship Paul and Barnabas, Paul told them, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are human beings like you in every way . . .” (Acts 14:15). True worship is rendered, not to men and angels, but to the living God who made all things. We worship the God who loved us (John 3:16), the God who died for us (Acts 20:28; John

15:13), and the God who teaches us (1 Cor. 2:13). This God is ever present, all-powerful, and all wise. True worshipers are strongly motivated to “give glory” to their God by “continually offering up the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of their lips, confessing His name” (Luke 17:18; Heb. 13:15).

Does It Matter How We Approach God In Our Worship?

It is certainly possible for a person to worship God unscripturally. That is, either his attitude or his actions are wrong when he attempts to per- form his worship. Several examples could be cited. Cain’s “works were evil” in the worship that he offered unto God (1 John 3:12; Gen. 4:3). God killed Nadab and Abihu because they “offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not” (Lev. 10:1-2). Their actions constituted a corruption in worship. The same was true of the people in Malachi’s day. The people had “robbed God of tithes and offerings” (Mal. 3:8). He said they offered polluted bread and sick animals in their sacrifices to God, and that even their Governor would not be happy with that type of sacrifice (Mal. 1:8). What type of sacrifice do we offer when we approach God? Are there any signs that may suggest that our attitude or actions are wrong? Let us consider a couple of areas that may help us conduct a proper examination of ourselves (2 Cor. 13:5).

How We Behave During Worship

Worship is serious business, but I have attended places where the worship assembly was more like a community action meeting than a worship service. Rather than listen, concentrate, and participate, people would talk during prayers and singing. With some churches, members are so careless with their trash that the seats and floor of the auditorium will look like many movie theaters following worship services. Do some people forget that “all things are laid bare and exposed to the eyes of him with whom we must reckon” (Heb. 4:13)? God watches us in our worship assemblies. After punishing Aaron’s sons for their religious negligence, God told Aaron, “I will be sanctified in them that come nigh to me” (Lev. 10:3). This strong statement indicates that God does indeed care how we approach him in our worship.

How We Dress for Worship

Have you ever participated in a worship service in which the man who made the comments for the Lord’s supper, admonishing us to remember the sacrificial death of our divine Savior, was himself wearing a Goofy T-shirt? Please don’t get excited or upset. We are not suggesting any type of worship dress code, but we are suggesting that those who come “nigh unto God” to honor him, should understand the relative importance of such an occasion, and they should dress for that occasion. When Christians wear the same slouchy clothes to worship services that they might wear to a ball game or to a family outing, they say that their attitude towards the one event, differs in no way from the other!

Please consider the following principles from the Old and New Testaments. We do not appeal to these passages in an effort to establish a standard or dress code, but these examples do set forth basic principles about putting God first in all that we do, including what we wear in worship.

How would you dress if you were going for an interview with the Governor (Mal. 1:8)? Isn’t one much greater than the Governor with us when we gather for worship (Matt. 18:20)?

The Levitical priests were not to wear common clothes when ad- ministering their duties (Exod. 28). Christians are a “kingdom of priests before God” (Rev. 1:6).

The church is the bride of Christ (2 Cor. 11:2). Do you generally wear the same kind of clothes to a ball game that you would wear to a wed- ding? What do you wear to church services?

The Lord’s supper is a memorial supper designed by God for Christians to commemorate the death of Jesus on the cross (1 Cor. 11:23-29). Funerals are memorial services for the purpose of remembering and honoring the dead. How do you generally dress when attending a funeral service?

Should we be careful about what we wear to worship services? At the very least we can say that one should not have an apathetic, lackadaisical attitude about what he wears as he presumes to approach the God of heaven and earth, to worship him.

When We Arrive at Worship

Is it appropriate for people to consistently show up late for worship services? We know that it is sinful to forsake the assembly (Heb. 10:25), but is there anything wrong with partially missing the assembly? In order to have an assembly people must have agreed upon certain assembly terms. Of necessity, there must be a certain time and a certain place. These two factors are essential. These terms are accepted by persons who follow the approved apostolic example of joining a local church for the purpose of corporate work, study, and worship (Acts 9:26; 11:26). Let us understand that such local church assemblies are God’s way for his people to fulfill these duties (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 14:26; Acts 2:42). Willful negligence in failing to respect the meeting times and place of the local church constitutes disobedience to God.

Let us not think of church services in the same way we do a movie. It may be somewhat annoying to some people, but arriving at the movie a little late is not a sin. Willfully and consistently arriving at church services late reflects disinterest and apathy. It certainly shows that we have failed to “seek first the kingdom of God” as Matthew 6:33 teaches. It also suggests that we do not “love the Lord   . . . with all of our heart, soul, and mind” (Matt. 22:37). We have allowed something else to take God’s place.

For the Christian, worship to God is both a privilege and a responsibility. It provides us with a means of both thanking and praising the sovereign God of the universe. Let us therefore “come boldly unto the throne of grace” and serve God with diligence and zeal. Let us never be characterized by laziness and carelessness, for it is this attitude that will cause God to “vomit us out of His mouth” (Rev. 3:16). Neither let us be characterized by the rebellious spirit of Jeroboam that would allow us to set up our own golden calves of corrupt worship (1 Kings 12:28). Let us strive to be true worshipers, worshiping God in “spirit and in truth.”