Truth Magazine

By Larry A. Bunch

The terms “withdraw fellowship” and “disfellowship” are used by me in the same sense as “withdraw yourselves” (2 Thess. 3:6); “have no company with” (2 Thess. 3:14); “from such turn away” (2 Tim. 3:6); “not to company with . . . not to keep company .. . . with such a one no not to eat” (1 Cor. 5:9, 11).

Those who have been withdrawn from should not be used in the public services of the church as this would make a mockery of the action taken by the church. Nothing should be done that would imply approval by the church of the ones disfellowshipped. Instead, the church must “mark” him (Rom. 16:17) and treat him as a “Gentile” or “publican” (Matt. 18:17). He is not to be received into the fellowship of the church and the withdrawing must be publicized so that all the brethren will not fellowship that one.

Even private association is restricted; a faithful Christian cannot keep social engagements with such a person (1Cor. 5:11; 2 Thess. 3:14). This is in order to make him ashamed of his sins, thus increasing the possibility of his being restored to the Lord’s service. He is not to be treated as an enemy, but admonished as a brother (2 Thess. 3:14-15; 1 Thess. 5:14). We ought to pray for him, convert him if possible (James 5:19-20), and restore him (Gal. 6:1). When the disfellowshipped repents, brethren must forgive him (Lk. 17:3; 2 Cor. 2:411).

QUESTIONS

1. “Shouldn’t everyone who is a member of a local congregation visit those who are to be the subjects of withdrawing before the church withdraws?”

Answer: This would be the ideal situation. However, I fear that this question (like many others relative to this subject) is asked not to gain information, but to excuse a church from withdrawing from anyone! Just because everyone who is a member of the church does not visit those being considered for withdrawing does not excuse the church from doing her duty. Many times representatives of the congregation will be chosen (in the absence of elders) to go visit the delinquent brethren and express to them the sentiments of the whole congregation in agreement with God’s Word. Can we not parallel this to the preacher teaching the next-door neighbor of a member of the church, instead of that member doing the teaching himself? The job is done, and the church can scripturally work through representatives of the church. In fact, if you will stop and think about it, that is the only way the church can act! The church in Philippi had fellowship with Paul, but it was through their representative (“messenger”) Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25). So the church may select some to go teach the brother in error and try to convert him, warning him that the church plans on withdrawing if he does not repent and serve God.

2. “Can the church withdraw from someone when it does not have elders?”

Answer: Yes. See my answer to question # 1.

3. “Is the withdrawing of fellowship a matter of individual responsibility, or is the whole church involved?”

Answer: It is a matter of individual responsibility AND the whole church is involved! Every Christian must be obedient to God in the matter of withdrawing fellowship. None can fellowship those withdrawn from, hence it is an “individual responsibility.” Yet, since all are involved in it, we have the “whole church” involved. Notice the phrase in 1 Cor. 5:4, “. . . ye being gathered together. . .,” hence in the assembly or involving the whole church. Notice that in the matter of a personal sin (Matt. 18:15-17) when the sinner does not repent the one sinned against does not “withdraw” but is to “. . . tell it unto the church . . .” and then when the sinner refuses to hear the church, he is withdrawn from.

4. “In ‘withdrawing of fellowship’ or ‘church discipline’ is anything involved other than teaching and prayer?”

Answer: Yes. We read in 1 Cor. 5:5, “To deliver such a one unto Satan. . .” Let us consider two phrases here:

(1) “to deliver” – “To give over to or alongside of” (Young’s Concordance). This same phrase is found in Matt. 5:25; 27:26; Acts 12:4; 1 Cor. 11:2; 15:3; 2 Cor. 4:11; 2 Pet. 2:4 and other passages. Hence to “deliver one to Satan” means we give him over to Satan, as an adversary might deliver one to a judge (Matt. 5:25) or as Paul delivered or gave over to the Corinthians that which he had received (1 Cor. 15:3). Notice that the Corinthians were not to deliver instruction to the one in sin (he had already received the teaching; he knew and the whole church knew that what he was doing was sin, 1 Cor. 5:1, 9), but were to deliver the individual himself unto Satan!

(2) “unto Satan” – This was simply an exclusion of the church’s fellowship from the individual in sin. Notice what was involved in ths:

a. “purge out the old leaven” (v. 7).

b. “have no company” (v. 9).

c. “not to keep company” (v. 11).

d. “with such a one, no, not to eat” (v. 11).

e. “put away the wicked man from among yourselves” (v. 13).

f. “sufficient to such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the many” (2 Cor. 2:6).

g. When they did what Paul told them to do (1 Cor. 5), they proved their obedience to God (2 Cor. 2:9).

So we can see that more is involved than just teaching the individual in sin and praying for him when the church “withdraws fellowship” from the unfaithful.

5. “How can the church ‘withdraw’ from brethren who no longer attend services and so have ‘withdrawn’ themselves?”

Answer: This question is perhaps asked more than any other. It fails to take into consideration the fact that fellowship or “association” with brethren is possible at other times and places than in the assemblies (cf., 1 Cor. 5:11). If the church cannot “withdraw” from brethren who have quit assembling with the church, then the church could not withdraw from the brother who is an adulterer, idolater, drunkard, etc. (1 Cor. 5), if that brother has “quit the services of the church.” Is there any fault in the following logic?

1) Old Leaven is Sin (2 Cor. 5:8).

2) Old Leaven is to be Purged Out (1 Cor. 5:7).

3) Therefore, Sin is to be Purged Out.

1) Non-Attendance is Sin (Heb. 10:25).

2) Sin is to be Purged Out (1 Cor. 5:7-8).

3) Therefore, Non-Attendance is to be Purged Out (i.e., those who do not attend).

1) Purged Out equals Have No Company With (1 Cor. 5:11).

2) Purge Out Non-Attendance (i.e., those who do not attend, Heb. 10:25 with 1 Cor. 5:7-8).

3) Therefore, Have No Company With Non Attendance (e.i., those who do not attend).

Remember, the subjects of discipline are those who refuse to repent of sin – they are walking in sin. The question of “When to Withdraw?” would have to be answered by: “When it is evident that the sin of forsaking the assemblies is not going to be repented of without discipline or withdrawing of fellowship.”

6. “If the church withdraws from one brother living in sin, then it must withdraw from all of them that are living in sin.”

Answer: That depends. This question fails to take into consideration that discipline consists of more than withdrawing fellowship (see “The Means of (How To) Discipline” part II of this series). One brother may be living in sin, know it, and refuse to repent of it. Another brother may be living in sin and not know it, hence he would have to be worked with and taught until he learns the truth and quits the sin involved in or he manifests an attitude of “I know the Bible teaches that, but I’m going to do this anyway.” If such an attitude is evident, then he would become a subject of disfellowship. This question or statement almost always comes up when the subject of withdrawing is discussed. A failure to distinguish between the “kinds” of discipline usually results in trouble and heartbreak in the local congregation instead of accomplishing the Lord’s will. Brethren are alienated, churches split and souls are lost because someone is withdrawn from who should have been taught instead!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Material used in this article did not wholly originate with me. As is usually the case in articles written and sermons preached, some of the material came from various sources. I want to express a special thanks for information gleaned from a tract by Cecil Willis entitled Church Discipline. The format I have used and in many cases the very words or sentences used came from that tract.

Truth Magazine XXI: 25, pp. 389-390
June 23, 1977

By Mike Willis

The word of God is so frequently extolled that we sometimes take the singing of its praises too .lightly. It is altogether proper that it should be given so much respect. Sometimes, however, the respect which we vocalize is never put into action in our daily living. I have gone into many homes where the Bible was revered but not read; most obvious that this was so was the placing of the “Family Bible,” a $30-40 Bible which was very beautifully bound, on the coffee table when no one in the family read it or tried to live by it. Such inconsistencies as these are what remind us of what James wrote; he said,

“This you know, my beloved brethren. But let every one be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty and abides by h, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does. If any one thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (1:19-27).

To vocally give respect to God’s word is insufficient, according to James. Let us consider what is necessary for man to do to be pleasing to God.

The Word of God

In the passage before us, James uses several terms to discuss the word of God which help us to understand his concept of it. I would like to discuss these with you:

1. It is a law (v. 25). One of the things which James called the word of God was a law. Many people today no longer think that Christians live under a law. They misunderstand the passages which teach that we are no longer living under the law of Moses and that we cannot be justified by law keeping (i.e., perfect obedience to any law); they conclude from these that we are no longer under a law. Let us not forget that if we are not under a law, there can be no sin since sin is simply the transgression of the law (1 Jn. 3:4). “Where there is no law, neither is there violation” (Rom. 4:15). Hence, if anyone is going to teach that there is no law for people today, he must accept the conclusion that there is no sin. James, however, did not accept this. He conceived of God’s word as a law for mankind.

2. It is a perfect law, a law of liberty. In contrast to the law of Moses, the law of Christ is perfect. The writer of Hebrews described the -law of Moses as one which had fault with it (Heb. 8:7). The problem with it was that it shut up all men under sin. Anyone who disobeyed the law of Moses was under the curse of the law. Inasmuch as the blood of bulls and goats could not atone for sin, the law of Moses by itself had no ability to redeem man. However, the law of Christ is a law of liberty. That is, it frees us from our sins; through the law of Christ, one can be freed from sin in order to become the servant of Christ.

3. It must be implanted (v. 21). The word of God must be planted in the hearts of men before it can do them any good. Jesus spoke of this same truth in giving the parable of the sower (Mt. 13); the word of God must be sown in the hearts of men. Of course, the other side of this is that men must “receive with meekness the implanted word.” We who hear the word preached must receive it, that is, take it into our hearts and treasure it as a prized possession.

4. It is able to save our souls (v. 21). The implanted word is able to save our souls. This is very similar to what Paul wrote in Rom. 1:16 where he described the gospel as “the power of God unto salvation.” Earlier in this chapter, James said, “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth” (1:18). This passage teaches that man is “born again” through the word of truth, the gospel.

Surely, we can perceive the respect which James had for the word of God. Yet, the main point of this passage is not “respect the word.” All of these descriptions of the word are given in passing as James teaches us his main point which is “be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.” In teaching this lesson, James contrasted two kinds of persons: (1) the forgetful hearer and (2) the doer of the word. Let us move on to notice his contrast.

The Forgetful Hearer

James described several things about this man which we want to examine. By knowing the kind of man we ought not to be, we can better know what God wants us to be.

1. This man is self-deluded (v. 22). He somehow thinks that he is made better by the mere fact that he has heard the word preached. Actually, he has only increased his responsibility. Prior to hearing the word, he may have been sinning in ignorance; after hearing it, his sins are willfully committed. Hence, his sins are of a different nature once he begins to sin willfully than they were when he sinned in ignorance.

Any man that thinks that he is somehow better because he has heard the message preached does not understand the method of sanctification taught in the Scriptures. Jesus said, “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). Man is sanctified when he hears the message preached and then obeys it. The mere hearing of the message does not make a person one whit better before God. However, when he hears the message and obeys it, his life is purified as he eradicates the evil which is in it and replaces it with moral virtues demanded by God. Hence, religion does not consist merely in the knowledge and belief of fundamental doctrines but rather in our being brought to a certain character in our daily living.

2. This man is religious (v. 26). The word “religious” which is used here refers to one who gives attention to the outward expressions of religion, the forms of worship. Hence, this man is one who is frequently’ present at the worship services, sings, listens to the sermon but never gets around to obeying the word. Through the years, a number of Christians have perceived Christianity to be going to church on Sunday. Theirs is a time-clock concept of Christianity. Christianity is the daily obedience to the word and not mere attendance to the outward forms of religion.

3. He is forgetful of God’s word (vs. 23-24). James compared him to the man who looked at his face in a mirror and went away having forgotten what he saw. I fear that many of us give more attention to our outward appearance than we give to our soul. We surely would not Appear in public looking untidy though many of us have no qualms of standing before God stained with sin. How frequently we look at ourselves in God’s word and then do nothing about it. How soon we forget what was said in the sermon and in the Bible class.

“Some, when the service is over, seldom think of anything but going home. Others will pass a remark about the sermon, and then dismiss the subject finally from their thoughts. A few will express more deliberately the pleasure with which they listened to the discourse; but perhaps even these are satisfied merely with having enjoyed it. The purpose of preaching, however, is not that the people may be ‘very much pleased,’ but that they may be profited, edified, and inspired to live an upright, generous, godly life. The highest praise that can be bestowed upon a Christian minister is not to tell him how much his preaching is enjoyed on sabbaths, but to let him see how well it is being translated into the life on the other days of the week. We live in a practical age; and the mission of the pulpit is as practical and definite as that of any other institution of our time. It is an agency for man-building, Its work is to promote the doing of the Word of God in the everyday lives of men. Those people, therefore, are the victims of a miserable self-deception who regard ‘hearing’ as the sum of Christian duty. Such persons have no idea of the nature of true piety. Their profession is nothing better than an empty form. They may be strictly orthodox in doctrine and evangelical in sentiment; but what does this profit, if their church-going carries with it no power to direct their daily life into the ways of holiness? A theologian is not necessarily a Christian. The ‘hearer only’ is on the road to final spiritual ruin” (C. Jerdan, “James,” The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 21, p. 17).

4. This man’s religion is worthless (v. 26). The word which is translated “vain” means “void of result.” This man’s religion does not accomplish what religion is designed to accomplish, namely, reconciliation to God. Hence, the person who is the forgetful hearer is not one bit more acceptable before God than he was before he heard the word.

Doer of the Word

In contrast to the forgetful hearer, the doer of the word is compared to one who looks in a mirror and sees defects in his appearance which he corrects. In this illustration, the mirror is God’s word. As the word is presented, we see ourselves as God sees us. Paul commented, “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you” (1 Cor. 14:24-25). The word of God exposes our faults and presents the kind of person which we should be. The doer of the word is one who looks intently at the mirror with the idea of changing the kind of person which he is.

Then, he obeys the word which he hears. The result in his life is obvious. He becomes “quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger” (v. 19); he puts aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness (v. 21). Then, he bridles his tongue (v. 26); visits the orphans and widows in their affliction (v. 27) and keeps himself unspotted from the world (v. 27). The result is a man who has changed his life. Whereas he had been a vile sinner who wallowed in the quagmires of sin, he becomes a man who tries to live by the commandments of God.

As a result, he is blessed by God (v. 25). This is the kind of hearer whom God approves. He is the kind of man whose life can be changed by the word of God, who brings forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

Conclusion

What kind of hearer are you? In just about every assembly which I have addressed, there have been men and women there who had heard God’s word often enough to be able to tell me what they needed to do to be saved. Yet, they never responded to God’s will. My friend, today is the day to obey God’s word. You who are using profane speech, now is the day to quit using it. You who are mistreating your wives, now is the day to repent and ask their and God’s forgiveness. You who are forsaking the Lord for week-end trips, now is the time to stop it and begin to serve the Lord each Lord’s day. Will you be a doer of the word of God?

Truth Magazine XXI: 25, pp. 387-389
June 23, 1977

By Earl E. Robertson

There are many reasons, good and right, given in the Bible for one’s motivation to follow Christ. These good things may be accepted and properly used; however, on the other hand they are often abused. The abuse made of them does not mitigate either the authoritativeness or the scriptural demand upon man in them. It just means that the one who so abuses God’s means of saving people will have to give answer to God in judgment.

Life

Some follow Christ because they want life. Prior to knowledge of and service to Christ the Bible says one is “alienated from the life of God” (Eph. 4:18). But Christ says, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). This life Paul lived; he said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). John says this life is in his Son (1 John 5:11). So does Paul affirm the same thing (2 Tim. 1:1; 2:10). This life is both present and future (1 Tim. 4:8).

Joy

Others follow because of the joy in doing right. When Philip had preached the gospel in Samaria, and the people favorably responded, Luke said, “there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:8). Yes, there is joy in giving up error of every description to embrace all truth that one may live acceptably before God. When one fails to so live he will, like David, know what loss he has sustained. David said after he sinned, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation” (Psa. 51:12). To the Christians scattered and suffering Peter writes about their “trial of faith” saying, “though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). He further writes, “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:13).

Physical Wants

Yet, others follow “. . . because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled” (John 6:26). What a mercenary reason! Jesus both saw this and told them about it. It is doubtful that such frankness and forthrightness changed them. One’s attitude and motivation must be right toward Christ and truth for one to properly follow the Lord. Some make a display today as though they are following Christ for the right reasons, but such service is only as long as they are on the receiving end. Take away foodstuffs, attention (even that demanded of a baby), benevolence, a job and-presto! they are gone some place else. They are looking for the “loaves and fishes,” not for opportunities to follow Christ.

Conclusion

Like one of old who affirmed that he would “follow thee whithersoever thou goest,” many today make this promise rashly. All should truly count the cost, know the reason, and then follow all the way he leads. When elders, preachers, and all saints have scriptural reasons to follow Christ the church is then the kind of church Jesus wants; but when the reasons are hidden, the motivation ulterior, that church will slowly die. Satisfying selfish motives often times prevents the development of other song leaders, additional elders, more preachers, etc. The practical aspect in following Christ will. easily and quickly be seen, so it behooves us to so follow him that others will be influenced to greater service too.

Truth Magazine XXI: 25, p. 386
June 23, 1977

By William C. Sexton

If we are to succeed individually or collectively, we must recognize, embrace, and support things that are “excellent.” Paul, writing to the church at Philippi, prayed for them that their love might abound more and more in knowledge and all judgment-to the end that they would be able to approve things that are excellent, so they might be sincere and without offence till Christ comes, being filled with fruits of righteousness. I wish to succeed myself, and I want everybody who reads this to be successful along with everyone whom I can influence in any way; therefore, this article is designed to challenge all to consider seriously the prayer of Paul and its implications for us today.

Love Leads to Recognition of “Excellent” Things

“Excellent” may be defined, “Unusually good of its kind; of exceptional merit, virtue, etc. . . surpassing.” That which may be classified as “excellent” stands out separate and distinct from the average or common things. It is that which is better, excelling in value. If one has a scale of values, the “excellent” is that which is at the head of the list. We see such recognition of “excellence” in school when there is a big “E” on the report card; in the community we give rewards for “excellency” in service.

The love of God is the motivating force, according to the scriptures, which moves one to seek knowledge! Love is that great force in the universe that moves the unmovable, and achieves that which cannot be achieved by any other or all other forces. Love brought Jesus Christ, the Son of God down from heaven to die for the sins of mankind (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:8). No other power or force could have achieved that. That love caused Jesus to lay down His life for His friends, and “greater love hath no man than this,” said Jesus (Jn. 15:13). The love of God will cause us to find the good and right, it will, likewise, cause us to find the wrong and abhor it.

The lack of Love is the downfall of many. Paul wrote of the second coming of Christ being surely preceded by a “falling away” and the development of the man of sin, who is the son of perdition. That one is to be consumed by the spirit of the Lord’s mouth and destroyed by the brightness of His coming. The man of sin was after “the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” It was to be “with all deceivableness of unrighteousness.” This was to be “in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10). Because they did not have that love of the salvation-truth, God would “send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (vs. 11-12). Thus we see that the love for the truth would have them to desire and seek till they found the truth; but in absence of the desire or love for it, God will allow them to be satisfied with something else-due to the fact that they love the pleasure of unrighteousness. Consequently, we had better have genuine love for the soul-saving message! Otherwise, we shall be lost eternally. The scriptures instruct us to “buy the truth,” then once we have purchased it by paying the price we are to refuse to “sell” it. (Prov. 23:23). The value of it is seen in the statement of Jesus, “ye shall know the truih, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:32).

Knowledge that one learns as he is motivated by the love will enable him to make proper judgment; he can discern, distinguish, and discriminate between evil, common, and excellent. One must be able to see the distinguishing features of sin and of good. Therefore, the very young and underdeveloped’ are unable to make some of the finer distinctions; they need time to grow and they require exercise of the faculties so as to discern good from evil (Heb. 5:11-14).

Love Leads to Approval of Things that are “Excellent”

With the intensified love of God in one’s heart, he will leave no stone unturned till he finds the truth, the facts, and with this knowledge he will understand things as they are and he’ll approve the things approved by God! He will see immediately the incompatibility of the Love of God and the love of the world (1 Jn. 2:15-17). The love of the world, consisting of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-these can’t exist in the same heart that has the love of God. He will see, also, that, the things approved of God are right and thus they do produce happiness, they rejoice the heart (Psa. 19:8).

His love for right will of necessity produce “hate” for all that is not in harmony therewith (Psa. 119:128). Jesus “loved righteousness, and hated iniquity” (Heb. 1:9) and the same attitude must be developed and manifested in the hearts of his followers. “Hate” does not necessarily mean malice and the feeling that we usually associate with the state of mind in which resides what we call hate. In some instances it means love less (Lk. 14:25-33). One must truly love less: father and mother, brother and sister, son and daughter; yea, even his own life, than he does Christ. Else, he cannot be His disciple. Therefore, love and knowledge and judgment enables one to put “first things, first.”

There are a number of “excellent” things. The “more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31; “excellent wisdom” (Dan. 5:14); “excellent spirit” (Dan. 5:12); “more excellent sacrifice” (Heb. 11:4); “more excellent ministery” (Heb. 8:6); “more excellent name” (Heb. 1:4). We need, then, to be able to identify each one of these, first. Secondly, we need to embrace then, take them for ourselves. Thirdly, we need then to spend our time, energy and resources supporting them. In time we hope to look at each one of these.

Love Leads to the Support of “Excellent Things”

Love, knowledge, judgment, and approval of things enables one to be sincere — that is honest and without hypocrisy. The Christian surely needs to put away all that is deceitful (1 Pet. 2:1). There is no need for one to pretend that he is something that he is not; such is the opposite of the character of one who belongs to Christ, the Lord Jesus.

Being sincere, then, one is able to be without offence-that is without falling down and being unable to get back up. All will make mistakes; however, he can and will correct them and turn to the Lord and be forgiven. He will not remain down and out of service, if he is sincerely seeking to serve the Lord. This will last till the second coming of the Lord, which is essential if one is to be saved ultimately (Matt. 24:11-13; Rev. 2:10). We see many who have gone a ways in serving the Lord, but then they grow tired and give up or give in. Somehow they seem to think I have done my part. Such will never be acceptable to the Lord; one must keep on keeping on!

As he sincerely serves without offence, he is looking for the return of the Lord, and he uses the message of the second coming to comfort the troubled and worried (1 Thess. 4:16). The Christian does not know the time of the coming of the Lord, but he is ready at all hours of every day, (Matt. 24:42-51). He will not have gone after the things the devil has held before him to intice him to leave the Lord and His cause to enjoy the pleasures of sin which are for a season (Heb. 11:25).

With these conditions prevailing, then one can be filled with the fruits of righteousness. He was created, actually, that he might produce fruit, (Rom. 7:4); that relationship is not productive unless one is active in the selective activity that is designed to bring forth others into this saved condition. “Filled” indicates that there is abundance-much fruit is being produced, and it is of righteousness, approved of God and beneficial to mankind.

One must be in the vineyard of the Lord, however, if he is to produce fruits of righteousness. One gets into the vineyard only by the process of hearing the gospel message of the Sonship of Jesus (Jn. 8:24; Rom. 10:17), repenting of one’s sin (Lk. 13:3-5), confessing one’s faith in Jesus (Acts 8:37), and is baptized in water for the remission of sins, (Acts 2:38). Many try to produce fruits of righteousness without being in the vineyard, and such is impossible. We need to see that if we have not been made righteous by God’s plan of righteousness (Rom. 1:16-17; 10:1-3) we cannot possibly be producing fruits of righteousness, even though we may be doing a lot of what is classified by some as “good works.” At the judgment all who depend on such will be disappointed, as we have been warned before hand (Matt. 7:21-23).

Thus the question that needs to be asked by all who read this is: Am I in the kingdom of Christ, having been born again by water and the Spirit, having had a love for the truth that I searched the truth till I found it and then obeyed it (Rom. 6:16-18)? Has that love motivated me to gain more and more knowledge, that I might make the proper judgment, discerning the truth and approving things that are “excellent” according to the scriptures? Am I sincere and without offence, continuing to produce fruits that are righteous? If such is the case, then the prayer of Paul is being answered in my life. If on the other hand, I have stopped short and been satisfied with less than that which is “excellent” then I need to know that the prayer is still unanswered it my life. But, while I am alive, I still have the opportunity to correct that and allow the prayer of Paul to be answered in my life.

Beloved, the potential for each is so great-for evil or good. What will it be? May we strive for excellence!

Truth Magazine XXI: 24, pp. 380-382
June 16, 1977