Truth Magazine

By Luther Blackmon

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 Jn. 2:15). The Bible refers to the world in three ways. One of these worlds is “a spiritual dominion and Satan is its ruler. Passages such as Heb. 1:2; Heb. 11:2; and Acts 17:24 refer to the physical universe as the “world.” In Jn. 3:16 “the world” means the people who inhabit the earth. I am sure that the prohibition of 1 Jn. 2:15 does not apply to the beauties of the world in which we live or the people who live here. The “world” of 1 Jn. 2:15 is the dominion of Satan.

Two Kingdoms

Christ is King of kings (1 Tim. 6:15). He has a kingdom and he sits on his throne, now. Satan also has a kingdom. Jesus said, “Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the prince of the world cometh and hath nothing in me” (Jn. 14:30). Again, ” . . . the prince of this world is judged” (Jn. 16:8-11). Paul said…… the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not . . .” (2 Cor. 4:4). Other scriptures could be given but these should be enough to show that Satan is the ruler of a spiritual dominion. This dominion is called “the world.”

Contrast and Conflict

Between Christ and Satan there can be no peace or compromise. We either fight in the army of the Lord or we fight against him and with his enemies. There is no middle ground-no man’s land-and the fellow who thinks he can be neutral will discover at the judgment that he has merely been a cowardly pacifist in the army of Satan. He is not even a “dedicated” sinner. James said, “ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God” (Jas. 4:4). Jesus said, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (In. 15:18-19).

The Nature of Satan’s Kingdom

The kingdom of Satan, like that of Christ, is not territorial. It is not a place. It is a condition, a relationship. A child of the devil and a child of God may share the same roof. They may be married to each other, and as far as the marriage relationship is concerned, they are one. But spiritually they are an eternity apart, serve different masters, and bear allegiance to different governments and kings.

Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Lk.17:21). Paul said, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith” (Eph. 3:17). The kingdom of Christ is composed of those in whose hearts he rules. To that extent his kingdom is within his subjects-this throne within their hearts. The dominion of Satan is likewise -composed of those who do his will. Paul said, “Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey (Rom. 6:17). The world of Satan is a matter of service rather than location.

Misconceptions

I was given a gentle rebuke by a very sincere lady for playing golf. She said, “it is of the world.” Some, like her, seem to think that everything we do is either a part of our Christian duty or it is “of the world.” I am not trying to defend my golf game. I am not real sure that there should not be some kind of punishment for a fellow who plays as lousy as I do, but not on the grounds that it is worldly. A thing is not worldly simply because it is not a Christian duty, or because it is in the world. It is worldly when it violates the law of God, either by act or association. Under given circumstances this could be true of any form of recreation, even pitching horseshoes. But pitching horseshoes is not worldly, per se.

Worldliness Defined

John defines the world as (1) Lust of the flesh; (2) Lust of the eyes: (3) Pride (vain glory) of life. And we would remind the reader that John says, “all that is in the world.” Therefore anything that is of the “world” is embraced in these things. Let us look at them.

“The Lust of the Flesh”

What is meant by “the flesh?” The answer to this question is not as simple as appears at first glance. Sometimes “the flesh” means only the physical body. But we make a mistake if we assume that it never means more than that.

Body is translated from the Greek soma; flesh from the word sarx. Paul speaks of the marks which he bore in his body (Gal. 6:17); he speaks of Abraham’s body as being as good as dead (Rom. 4:19); he urges us to present our bodies a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:2). In all these, body is a translation of soma.

The word flesh (sarx) is also used sometimes to denote simply the physical body. For example, Paul speaks of circumcision of the flesh in contrast with circumcision in the heart (Rom. 2:28). He speaks of his “thorn in the flesh” which undoubtedly means a physical, bodily affliction. But sarx often means more than flesh and blood and bones. Sometimes it seems to mean a disposition acquired by giving too much rein to the fleshly appetites. A notable example of this, it seems to me, is found in Romans, chapters 7 and 8. “So then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Rom. 7:25). Again, “For to be carnally minded (carnal also is from sari LB) is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:6-8). In his little book, Flesh and Spirit, William Barclay points out that “when Paul lists the works of the flesh in Gal. 5:19-21 he certainly begins with immorality, impurity and licentiousness, but he goes on from there to enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, the party spirit which are not sins of the body at all” (p. 18). The body standing alone is neither good nor bad. It is possible, however, for one to give place to the appetites of the body to such extent that he develops a disposition to be controlled by these bodily appetites. Then he is “Carnally (fleshly) minded.” In this condition he cannot please God.

Although the fleshly body is neither good nor bad of itself, it is, nevertheless, a bundle of appetites and desires. These appetites are not wrong. They were given us by our Creator. For every natural desire God has provided legitimate satisfaction. Even so, these God given propensities provide a door of access through which Satan many, if we are not careful, enter our lives and make us his slaves – a part of his “world.”

“The Lust of the Eyes”

The “lust of the eyes” means inordinate desire for things. In this category would fall covetousness, greed and like sins. The pursuit of things has caused many people to lose their perspective and their sense of values. Such became easy victims of Satan’s wiles. It may be a fine house, an address in an exclusive part of the city. It may be the desires to be rich-to make and hold money-just plain sordid money. Whatever it is, remember that unrestrained desire for material things is an open invitation to Satan to move in and take over. Such a one is his legitimate prey.

“The Pride of Life”

This includes a lot of things. But if I had to say it in one sentence, I would say that it is the inordinate desire to curry the flavor of our fellows, to be popular, to have the praise and approval of men. Popularity is not wrong unless it costs too much, but it nearly always does. Experience and observation, as well as the scripture, have proven that popularity often exacts a heavy toll.

Go to the homes for un-wed mothers and ask those girls about it. Most of them are there because they wanted to be accepted by a certain segment of our society. Ask them if they think it was worth it. Go to the penal institutions and ask those young men (and women) if they did not start the life of crime partly because they wanted to be popular with certain people. So they allowed themselves to be bullyragged by some social misfits with an inferiority complex, or sweet talked by some friends (?) who convinced them that an easy life as a big shot with lots of money-somebody that everyone would know-was their cup of tea-fruit just ready to be picked. Ask them if it was worth it.

Preachers too numerous to mention, and who once stood for the truth, have cast their lot with the degressive movement in the church. Some of them no doubt, did it for financial reasons. Others, because they like things nice and quiet. They would rather “switch than fight.” But I am persuaded that the majority did it because they began to feel the pressure from some schools, papers, big churches and big (?) preachers. They did not want to be “cast out of the synagogue.” I say this because I have not heard of one of them that gave a scriptural reason for his change. I must conclude, therefore, that they did it for other reasons.

Conclusion

Of all that we have said, this is the sum. Satan is the ruler of a spiritual empire which is called the “world.” It is not a place but a relationship. His subjects are those who do his will. His appeal is through the flesh, the outer man. By this means he is able, more often than not, to bring into captivity the inner man, the heart.

Man is a dual creature. He is composed of flesh and spirit. Paul describes this dual nature in these words. “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man; but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my- mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Rom. 7:22-23). Christ and Satan work from different directions. Satan works through the flesh to gain control of the spirit. Christ works on the spirit (heart-inner man) to control the actions of the flesh. This he does by the word of God. There is no other way by which he could do it, consistent with His plan. He created man a free agent, a creature of choice. Man can serve God or refuse to serve him, just as he likes. Therefore God will not exert a power over man that disregards his right to choose. The “direct operation of the Holy Spirit” fellows need to learn this lesson.

Where is your spiritual citizenship? Which country do you call home? The church of the world? The kingdom of Christ or the kingdom of Satan? You may say, “I don’t care.” But you will care. And there are others who care now. The Lord cares. Every faithful Christian cares.

The glitter of the world has blinded many millions. Satan sees to that. But you will see a day when you would gladly give all the pleasure you had in a lifetime for just one hour of relief from the consequences of your unfaithful life.

Truth Magazine, XX:13, p. 11-12
March 25, 1976

By Mike Willis

One of the most common titles ascribed to Christians is “believers” (cf. Acts 2:44; 4:32; 5:14). The word “believer” is translated from the Greek word pisteuo which is defined as follows: “to believe, also to be persuaded of, and hence, to place confidence in, to trust, signifies, in this sense of the word, reliance upon, not mere credence” (W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Vol. I, p. 116). The object in which one believes is not inherent in the word; it must be picked up from the context. Some were said to be believers in Moses (Jn. 5:46), the Scriptures (Jn. 2:22), Jesus (Jn. 3:36), and the Gospel (Mk. 1:15). The word pisteuo and its cognates occur so many times in the New Testament that one can by no means cover all of them in one lesson.

The Basis of Faith: The Revealed Will of God

Paul asserted the connection between faith which leads to salvation and the revealed word of God in the following passage:

“. . . for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord Is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; for Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!’ However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:10-17).

From the above, one can see that faith is soundly rooted in the revealed Scriptures. Faith is not a “leap in the dark,” as some infidel theologians assert. Asserting that the claims of Jesus and the existence of God cannot be proved conclusively, they believe that true faith is the leap beyond what the available evidence actually warrants. Such a faith is ignoble. It might be caused by personal preference, prejudice, or whatever, but it has no characteristics which commend themselves to us. If faith is nothing more than a “leap in the dark,” what makes the “leap” of the Christian any better than or different from the “leap in the dark” of the atheist, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, etc.? There is no virtue in the act of believing; virtue lies in what is believed. Saul surely acted on the basis of belief when he persecuted Christians; pagan idolators offered worship to false gods on the basis of belief. Both are examples of the act of believing but neither exhibited acceptable faith before God. The basis of faith is important!

Jesus asserted that one must accept as factual a revealed body of truth before he can be saved. He said, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:31-32). Statements which intimate that salvation is not conditional upon one’s knowledge and acceptance of a certain body of facts are diametrically opposed to what Jesus said. Such statements posit the virtue of faith in a religious emotion (i.e. the act of believing) instead of in what is believed.

The faith of Jesus Christ rests firmly and squarely upon the revealed word of God. One is exercising faith when he is walking in the path revealed in the Scriptures. When he is not in that path he is in darkness, regardless of how pure his intentions might be.

The Object of Faith

Jesus Himself gave the objects of faith when He said, “Believe in God, believe also in Me” (Jn. 14:1). The author of Hebrews said, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). The person who does not believe that “he is” is an atheist and, therefore, will not serve God. To believe that “He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” is to believe something about the character of God. No one would serve God unless he believed that service to God would render God favorably disposed toward him. One of the things which one must believe about God is that He is favorably disposed toward His creation (Jn. 3:16). To this must be added the innumerable aspects of God worthy of our praise, including His omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and holiness. The believer is one who accepts the right body of facts about God; the one who accepts the wrong body of facts about God is either an atheist or an idolater.

Faith must not only be exercised toward God but also toward Jesus. What one must believe about Jesus can be very well summarized in the following words: “The Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior of the World.” He is the Lord who possesses all authority (Mt. 28:18); He is the Christ-the Messiah of the Old Testament (Mt. 16:16). His humanity is recognized by the word Jesus; His deity is acknowledged by the phrase Son of God. His work of redemption is recognized by the confession that He is the Savior of the world. The man who disbelieves these facts about Jesus is not a “believer” and, therefore, not a Christian. Many denominational preachers call themselves “Christians” but deny everything except the humanity of Jesus. Such men are infidels and not Christians!

The Activity of Faith

(1) Trust. Faith not only involves mental assent to a certain body of facts, it also means “to place confidence in, to trust.” That the cognates of pisteuo, pistis and pistos, convey the ideas of “trust,” “trusty, faithful, trustworthy” is not to be overlooked. This shows another aspect of faith which is sadly overlooked today. Most of quickly admit that mental assent will not suffice to please God and would cite the example of the devils “believing and trembling” (Jas. 2:19) and the example of the Jews who believed in Jesus but did not confess Him (Jn. 12:42,43) as proof of it. Yet, in our zeal to add that one must obey Jesus (a perfectly legitimate activity of faith to be examined next), we have neglected the idea of trust which resides in the word “believe.”

The one who truly believes in God and Christ is one who repudiates every method, aside from Christ, which claims to be able to save him and appeals to Jesus for salvation. The believer is truly relying upon Jesus for salvation. Paul said, “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2 Tim. 1:12). The salvation rests, therefore, upon Jesus’ willingness and ability to forgive and not upon my ability to perfectly obey Him. The man who believes in Jesus is one who has repudiated his ability to save himself and trusts in Jesus for salvation. (In this connection, notice that, in 1 Pet. 3:21, baptism is said to be an appeal to God for a good conscience.) The man who truly trusts Jesus should not have anxiety. The things about which most men are anxious are things which he casts upon the Lord and “`the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). The believer can have a Christianity without ulcers, without denying the faith!

(2) Obedience. Obedience is as closely tied to faith as is trust. Since the sinner is utterly relying upon Jesus for salvation (and not upon one’s own intelligence), he submits to the instructions of the One upon Whom he is relying for salvation. (Note the expression “obedience of faith” in Rom. 1:5; 16:26.) The true faith is the faith which takes. God at His word and does what He says! That involves obedience. Where man does not take God at His word and obey Him, he is not exercising faith. Because of this aspect of faith, the word “faith” or “believe” can be used to refer to the sum total of one’s commitment to Jesus. Thus, one can be said to be saved by “faith,” not meaning “faith only,” but a “faith” which takes God at His word and does what He says.

Conclusion

To be a believer implies that one has studied the revelation of God and has reached the conclusion that the facts asserted therein are true. Accepting them to be true, the believer gives up every other foundation for acceptance before God and trusts altogether in Jesus for salvation. Trusting in Jesus, the sinner obeys Jesus Christ in order to be saved. As an expression of his faith, he repents of his sins and is baptized for the forgiveness of them. All who have done this can be properly described as “believers.” Are you a believer?

Truth Magazine, XX:13, p. 9-10
March 25, 1976

By Raymond E. Harris

The desire to look into the future and to know the unknown has been with man in all lands and ages. Since this is beyond the natural man, man has desperately looked into every dark corner and superstitiously accepted absurdly foolish methods attempting to gain the fulfillment of his longings. This quest for supernatural knowledge and power has inevitably led man away from God and into idolatry. Hence, in Deut. 18:9-14 God warned, “When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.” Hence, to turn to a witch, an astrologer or a diviner of any kind was and is to practice a form of idolatry and is strictly forbidden by God.

Ancient Astrology

From the most ancient times astrologers have been the “Dividers of the Heavens.” The earliest of such divisions appear to have been into the four quarters, north; south, east and west. Astrological tables of this character have been discovered in considerable numbers. This proves that the early prognosticators did not have any real understanding of astronomy. The unknowing astrologers simply functioned as priests and “Wise Men” of various idolatrous systems of religion as the planets became the objects of worship. It should be noted further that the evils of astrology were not limited to the “Heathen Nations.” Israel and Judah were both condemned for practicing such. In 2 Kings 17:16, the sin of rebellious Israel is clearly stated, “And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves and made a grove and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.” In 2 Kings 23:4-5 in the account of King Josiah’s reforms, we have the following: “And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel. And he put down the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.” From this we see how extensive and brazen Judah’s idolatry had become! They had set up a priesthood for worship of the sun, the moon, the planets and all the host of heaven and had the audacity to practice such in the temple of the Most High God.

Modern Astrology?

Astrology has evolved from the crude, ignorant, superstitious worship of the planets to the present sophisticated, ignorant, superstitious worship of the planets. It all began with the Babylonians. However, the mathematical working out of the order of the planets came from the Greeks. And so in the hands of the Greeks, astrology passed from a religion into the appearance of a science. In ancient times the planets were worshiped and diviners consulted them for the benefit of kings. But with the strong individualistic tendency of the Greeks, the fortunes of the individual became the most frequent subject of inquiry. From this sprang the idea of determining the character and future of a man from the position of the stars at his birth. Greece was indeed the birth place of the Zodiac.

Modern astrology continued to evolve as the Egyptians and the Jews added their significant elements. From the Egyptians came the concept of dividing the day into 24 hours. This allowed for more precision in time keeping. And from the Jews came the seven day continuous running “free week.” This evidently worked out better for them than the 10 day Egyptian week which attempted to divide the month into 3 equal periods. And eventually all of this jelled together in Egypt. Yes, astrology was born in Babylon, nurtured in Athens, practiced in Jerusalem and perfected in Alexandria. The writings of Claudius Ptolemy, in about 130 A.D. portray a system of astrology which, though modified in details, is in effect that in use today.

The Christian

Faithful Christians have always opposed astrology. This opposition has both an intellectual and scriptural foundation. To begin with astrology is an absurdity. The planets are material and physical in nature and are not seats of power which belongs to God alone. The divisions of the heavens (the zodiac) upon which the predictions are based are purely imaginary.

Secondly, Christians of more modern times have had the benefit of science to fortify what they had always known from the Bible. With the discoveries of Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler, it was shown that the earth is a tiny planet moving around the sun and that in fact our sun itself is but a small star among the myriad stars in the sky. Hence, our earth is not the center of the universe as astrology claims. This knowledge makes it all the more ridiculous to suppose that the relative positions of the sun, the moon, stars and planets at the exact moment of ones birth could dictate and control the lives of every person on our mini-planet earth! With the discovery of new planets such as Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, astrologers have been further embarrassed, but they refuse to concede their errors that so obviously identify them as practitioners of a false religion and a pseudo-science.

However, the Christian’s contempt for astrology comes mainly from his knowledge of God’s word rather than from the discoveries of astronomers and scientists. The child of God knows full well that the sun, moon and stars are the creations of God and not the source of some strange mystic power that molds and controls every living person. Not only do Christians understand that to turn from God and to any other source for supernatural guidance is idolatry, but they remember well how God’s men cried out against divination and enchantments from Moses to Daniel to Paul. In 1 Cor. 10:14, Paul briefly but clearly warned, “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.” Hence, the child of God realizes that astrology, which is idolatry, is a work of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21). He realizes astrology is an abomination to God and so he will leave it alone. Astrology should no more be looked upon as a joke or a light hearted and innocent pastime, than should witchcraft or spiritualism.

Remember, through the inspired word, God has provided for us doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness, that we may all be perfect (mature), thoroughly furnished unto all good works: Conversely, the stars are but material creations of God and they are not sources of wisdom or insight into the future.

Truth Magazine, XX:13, p. 8-9
March 25, 1976

By C. W Scott

The church of the New Testament was planned by the Lord to be a most glorious institution and one that should ever challenge the attention of men and women. Jesus Christ gave Himself in death upon the cruel cross on Calvary’s brow that He might purchase and gain for Himself a bride-the church, holy and unspotted by worldly things. Paul wrote to the Ephesian saints (chap. 5:25-27), “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” And Timothy was admonished and warned, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves . . . lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away” (1 Tim. 3:1-5).

On the one hand we view the beautiful bride of Christ, his church; it is a glorious institution, without spot or wrinkle, holy and unblemished by sin and its damnable influence. Then we behold the “perilous days” when men would be infatuated with worldly pleasure and thereby crowd God’s and heaven’s ways out of their hearts. They have “a form of godliness’ but deny the power and radiating influence of a righteous and godly church of Christians-the Lord’s righteous servants. The former picture is pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ but the latter view of desertion and apostasy is most damning, to the souls of men and most grievous in the eyes of the Lord. Therefore, only those who have been sanctified and cleansed “with the washing of water by the word,” and who “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,” may expect eternal redemption and communion in the heavenly home with God the Father, Jesus Christ and all of the redeemed of time.

The writer is aware that there is no such thing as “little sins and big sins” with God but more than a half century of personal observation forces me to proclaim that worldliness is truly one of the greatest of evils and a most challenging problem confronting Christian men and women along with young people today. The purity of the church in too many places is being corrupted and its pristine identity is being destroyed by pleasure-mad and thrill-seeking members. It is not a rare thing to find preachers condoning and even engaging in practices that have destroyed the spiritual life and power of so many Christians. Regardless of whether or not the writer can convincingly-establish the cause or causes of this harmful and calamitous condition, it is nevertheless a fact, an unquestionable fact, that the church of our Lord, in far too many places, is being overrun by pleasure-seeking worldlings who are unhindered by the united opposition of both elders and evangelists. Loyalty to Christ and zeal for the salvation of lost souls should awaken every faithful child of God to militant action against all sin in order that the children of God may no longer be hindered in their march of righteousness in conquest of everlasting life.

Worldliness is the Carnival of Death

Worldliness has been designated the “Carnival of Death” and Judas Iscariot in both his fall and tragic death justifies the title. “Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him (Christ) unto you? And they convenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver” (Matt. 25:14-15). It is the ugly picture of Judas selling his Lord and Savior. Silver looked very good to him and his worldly lust prompted him to trade off Jesus for thirty pieces of silver which would be today about half as many dollars. From that day to this the name Judas and “traitor” have become synonymous and men and women the world over have been made to despise his wicked actions. The name Judas no one choose to wear today. And his carnival in life ended with suicide as he hanged himself! How sad and how tragic an end to experience instead of victory in righteousness.

Reader, is there something in your life that’s drawing you away from Christ? Think and search your heart and life carefully. Are you engaging in pursuits and pleasures that are of the world, rather than those things that prepare you for the world to come? Brother or sister, are you seeking gain for time instead of for eternity? If this be true, is not the thing that is leading you apart from “the way of holiness” your selling price?

Lest any be deceived by the wily and crafty way of Satan, I desire to pull aside the curtain that your eyes may behold the scenes in the Carnival of Death to Spiritual Life. First, we behold Earthly Desire with its excessive longing for riches or the stuffing of the body to the starving of the soul. Riches are all right when used rightly but when “sumptuous living” is our main goal in life we are headed for certain destruction.

We are counseled by the Great Teacher, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things (necessities of life) shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33).

“A certain rich man” lusted for worldly earthly ease. In anticipation of his new and larger barns being filled to overflowing spoke to himself saying, “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:16-21). The rich man, also, participated in a carnival in life unto death. Beware! It does not pay to center one’s thought wholly upon worldly gain and carnal pride.

Look at the merry-go-round of Fleshly Desire of the Carnival of Death. The depraved lust, passion and appetites must be satisfied! Beer, whiskey and tobacco are main items in the daily menu of some professing Christians. One may hear them profess that they are saved but those hearing the claim really feel like replying, “Saved from what?” Father drinks the intoxicating beverages and “the weed” provides him with the opiate rest from the pain of dissipation. Mother follows his conduct with the endorsement of so-called “good society.” How can we expect anything good or worthwhile from the children of such a union?

The Holy Spirit and the apostle Paul warmed against such carnality in language no one can misunderstand. Will you carefully read and consider with me again the following words? “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption” (Gal. 6:7). Hear another of the apostle’s admonitions! “Dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man–(read it again) If any man defile or destroy the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor. 3:17).

Fellow Christians, Worldliness is the Carnival of Death to spiritual life! Let not the carnal and fleshly things of the world turn us aside from our high and holy calling in Christ Jesus. (Continued next issue)

Truth Magazine, XX:13, p. 6-7
March 25, 1976