Truth Magazine

By Norman E. Fultz

By midweek, it was being reported that the eight-part, twelve-hour television novel, Roots, the Saga of An American Family, was the most watched television show of all time. Shown the last week of January, 1977, it ran for eight consecutive nights with the audience reportedly growing from night to night as viewers from the previous night told others and they joined the audience. Admitting a certain degree of intrigue with the chapters, I saw, and confessing an empathy with the plight of the hapless slaves, I nonetheless wondered if all owners and other “whites” were so cruel and devoid of the milk of human kindness, and all slaves so meek and mild as portrayed. But this article is not really intended as a review of what was apparently a “smash.” We have another thought in mind.

The Bible has much to say about roots, and there are some worthwhile lessons for us in what it says. The television series had to do with ancestral and geographical roots of the characters who were the subject of the story. Ancestral roots are given some attention in scripture as well. The prophetess Deborah was a root “out of Ephraim” whom God raised “against Amalek” (Judges 5:14; 4:5). Every genealogy is a tracing of one’s roots, and Jesus was a branch growing out of the root of Jesse (Isa. 11:1, 10; 53:2; Rom. 15:12; Rev. 5:5; 22:16). But let us turn our attention to our own roots, not of the fleshly ancestral, but of the spiritual.

The root is immensely important. A plant whose root is diseased will wither, become fruitless and die. Jesus impressed the importance of a good root in good soil in the parable of the sower. Of the man who receives the seed into stony places, though he hears and receives the word with joy, Jesus said, “Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended” (Mat. 13:21).

As the parable of the sower also illustrates, where the root is planted is important. Spiritually speaking, every man has roots. The wicked or evil person has roots (Job 18:5, 16). His roots are in the Devil (John 8:44), and the fruit he bears redounds to iniquity (Rom. 6:19-21). On the other hand, the root of the righteous (Prov. 12:3) is in Christ (Col. 2:6-7). He becomes as a tree planted by the rivers of water whose roots spread out broadly and deeply to take in nourishment and drink in the moisture (Psa. 1:1-3; Job 20:19). Not only does “the root of the righteous yield fruit” (Prov. 12:12), but he is able to stand while others wither in the heat and drought of adversity and misfortune. Jeremiah put it beautifully. “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit” (17:7-8).

The root of the wicked will dry up and his light will be put out (Job 18:5, 16). Those who cast away the law of the Lord, “their root shall be a rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust” for they were of those “that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter” (Isa. 5:24, 20).

But, friend, the plants of God will not be rooted up (Mat. 15:13). Where are your roots, in Christ or in the Devil? You can partake of the joy of hope of those who are rooted and grounded in Christ. In your faith, put Him on in baptism (Gal. 3:26-27). Become “rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith” (Col. 2:7).

Truth Magazine XXI: 48, pp. 762-763
December 8, 1977

By Roland Worth, Jr.

At this season of the year, it is good to take a minute or two of time to review some of the things we do not know about Christ’s birth. Among them are these facts:

(l) The year Christ was born in.

(2) The month He was born in.

(3) The day He was born.

(4) The specific location in Bethlehem of the birth.

(5) The number of ‘wise men.” (We know the number of presents they brought but not the number of people who brought the gifts.)

(6) What country or countries the “wise men” were from.

(7) What their racial or ethnic ancestry was.

(8) What their names were.

What we do not know about Christ’s birth has been the fertile breeding ground for tradition, tradition that Protestants have often unthinkingly adopted from the Roman Catholic Church that gave birth to it. Is it not rather odd that the very same people who will obstinately reject the Catholic tradition concerning Mary’s birth and life will adopt that same Church’s tradition concerning the details of Jesus’ birth?

Protestant friend, the next time you hear your preacher speak of the month or day or year in which Jesus was born, the next time you hear him refer to the number or country of origin of the “wise men,” take a little of your time, hand him your Bible and ask him to prove what He has said from the pulpit. You will quickly discover that He has no Scripture but only tradition to rely on.

If he attempts to dismiss your question with a remark such as “it doesn’t really matter” why not ask him, “What happened to our claim to be a Bible believing church?” At this point you are likely to be greeted with either indignation or a stony silence. Either way you will have the answer to your question: That instead of being part of a church that really accepts the Bible you are part of a church that has substituted Roman Catholic tradition for Scripture.

At that point we would urge you to seriously investigate the church of Christ, a church that refuses to accept Catholic tradition concerning the birth of Christ. There and there almost alone are you going to get away from the spiritual relics such as Christmas observance that Protestantism has inherited from Catholicism.

Truth Magazine XXI: 48, p. 762
December 8, 1977

By Irven Lee

False doctrines and practices in religion are condemned by several means in the Bible. Many are mentioned as being wrong in the sight of God and as being of such nature that they will prevent our inheriting the. kingdom. For example “All liars shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8. Read also 1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Gal. 5:19, 20; Col. 3:5-11). Even though many things are so specifically named and condemned, they are among the very common sins. Many people show little concern for the will of God.

There are many things just as certainly condemned by broad principles. We list a very few. “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may give to him that needeth” (Eph. 4:28). He does not here list all the good and acceptable occupations, but He does necessarily imply that some occupations are good and some are not.

“It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak” (Rom. 14:21). The eating of flesh evidently referred to the eating of animals whose blood had been sprinkled before some image or idol god. Almost the entire eighth chapter of First Corinthians is taken to emphasize this principle. This great chapter concludes with the words “if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend” (1 Cor. 8:13). The “nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak” makes it very evident that this has a very broad application.

Another way by which God condemns some things in spiritual matters is by saying absolutely nothing about them. The New Testament does not say. thou shalt not offer animal sacrifices, thou shaft not count beads in worship, or thou shaft not use an instrument of music in worship. It does not say that the church must not establish central national agencies to collect funds from churches and then disburse them under the guidance of the board of the society, or that the church must not build a banquet hall or play house under the name of a fellowship hall. Honest people who have not learned to respect the silence of the scriptures include any such practices as they desire and, in defense of the innovations, ask where the Bible says that we should not do this or that. They then further charge that we are making a law where God made none when we suggest that they are not scriptural. They are the ones who take the liberty to add a law to His perfect law of liberty.

The Holy Spirit made it clear through Peter that grace and peace are multiplied through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, and that His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through that knowledge (2 Peter 1:2-4). In other words He left nothing out of His perfect law that will help in our quest for life and godliness.

Many are the times that my brethren have pointed out that the inspired scriptures will furnish the man of God completely to every good work (2 Tim. 3:14-17). Are we forgetting this completeness of His revelation? The inspired writer of Hebrews took a few verses to effectively argue that Christ could not be our high priest without a necessary change of the law since Christ came of the tribe of Judah and Moses, in giving the law, said nothing concerning a priest of the tribe of Judah (Hebrews 7:11-14). It was not necessary for Moses to say that one of the tribe of Judah could not be a priest. One of the tribe of Judah was automatically eliminated because Moses said nothing about a man being a priest if he were of that tribe. It is very important for us to remember this principle. It would take a long freight train to carry all the Bible if it had been necessary for each writer to specify all the things that are unlawful every time he gave a law. Who could own such a book? Who could ever read it all? Think of how tedious it would be.

He gave us a perfect law that will give us all things that pertain to life and godliness and that will furnish us completely to every good work. He then said, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9). How could man over emphasize this teaching? What could be more dangerous to the unity of the church and to our spiritual welfare than to ignore this? We need to be silent where the Bible is silent.

Another inspired plea for us to stop where the Bible stops is in Rev. 22:18, 19. The Lord there warns that if we add to the word, He will add the plagues to us. It is important for us to do all that He commands for if we take away, He will take away our part out of the holy city. This passage would refer especially to the book of Revelation, but the ~ principle is repeated often throughout the Bible (See Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Prov. 30:6). Man is presumptuous to add a bit of his own human wisdom to try to improve God’s law.

God gives general laws that necessarily imply things that would make possible the carrying out of the general commandments. God told Noah to build an ark. Noah was not adding to God’s law when he used hammers and saws and all other necessary tools to carry out the command. We are not adding to God’s law when we have song books to be used in carrying out the command to sing. The songs are implied .in the command to sing. The meeting house is implied in the

command to meet. Things necessarily implied are not additions. People who preach on “where there is no pattern” in defending some unscriptural practice err grievously. Blind followers will fall into the ditch with them (Matt. 15:9, 13, 14).

For a thing to be expedient in spiritual matters it must expedite the carrying out of a law of God. God has not authorized the church to enter into the field of entertainment. Therefore the gymnasiums, ball fields and courts, etc., could not be scriptural expedients.

Truth Magazine XXI: 48, pp. 761-762
December 8, 1977

By O. E. Watts

On Christmas cards we have seen made-up pictures of the shepherds and the wise men at the manger at the same time. Pageants and tableaus often portray this supposed “togetherness.” Matt. 2:2 shows that Jesus was born before the men from the East made inquiry at Jerusalem. Properly translated their question was, “Where is he who has been born?” (Green, Berry, RSV, NASB, NIV). This proves that they were not at the stable the very night of his birth.

A close study will convince anyone that the visit of the shepherds that night was at least forty days before the Magi arrived with their gifts. Matt. 2 and Luke 2 record five events in the early life of the Savior. These are:

1. The birth of Jesus.

2. The visit of the shepherds.

3. The journey to Jerusalem (taking Jesus).

4. The visit of the wise men.

5. The journey to Egypt.

Luke 2:22-24 (with Lev. 12:3-4) shows that the baby boy was not presented at the temple in Jerusalem (3, above) until he was at least forty days old. The shepherds had gone to the manger the very night that he was born. See “this day” and “even now” in Luke 2:11-15. When the wise men reached Bethlehem (4) the parents and the child were not at the stable. They lived in a house at that time (Matt. 2:11). After their visit an angel of the Lord told Joseph to take Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt. He did this immediately according to verses 13 and 14. So in the above list of five happenings, 1 and 2 were on the same night. Number 5 began very soon after 4. Hence, the “forty days” and No. 3 had to be between these two pairs of events. The visits of the two groups of men were separated by a period of time of at least six weeks.

This time sequence has been pointed out by others. But there is an additional proof which this writer has not seen presented. This is in the offering of the two birds for a sacrifice according to Luke 2:24. Only the very poor were permitted to offer the second bird as a substitute. Read Lev. 12:6-8. The provision of God’s law in ordinary cases was that this sacrifice was to be a lamb. It is certain that the young couple would have wanted the best in connection with the one they knew to be the Son of God. If the expensive gifts given them by the Magi (Matt. 2:11) had been presented before their trip to Jerusalem they would have offered a lamb. They could have afforded one. We must conclude that visit of the wise men followed the forty days and the sacrifice at Jerusalem. These records harmonize in a remarkable way. This causes us to praise the Lord for His wisdom and goodness in giving us this history as He did.

Truth Magazine XXI: 48, p. 760
December 8, 1977