Truth Magazine

By Cecil Willis

This is now the ninth lesson which we have devoted to trying to learn the proper relationship existing between the Law of Moses and the Gospel of Christ. We also have sought to demonstrate from God’s Word the attitude that one should have toward the Law of Moses. This week’s points will be taken directly from Paul’s instructions to the Galatian brethren recorded in the book of Galatians. We recognize that every cause has an effect; every antecedent a consequence; and every “now” an “afterwards.” So there are certain consequences of going back to the Law of Moses. We are not referring only to those, who like the Jews accept only the Old Testament, but we are referring to anyone who professes to be a Christian, wearing the name of Christ, and yet relies upon the Old Testament as a source of authority in religious matters under this Christian dispensation. Some of the Galatian brethren were attempting to take a portion of Judaism, and intermix it with Christian teaching; thus they corrupted both. Paul said there are consequences of such a practice.

Consequence: Paul Labored in Vain

First of all, Paul said if they went back to the Law, he had bestowed labor upon them in vain. “Howbeit at that time, not knowing God, ye are in bondage to them that by nature are no gods; but now that ye have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how turn ye back again to the weak and beggarly rudiments, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage over again? Ye observe days, and months, and seasons, and years. I am afraid of you, lest by any means I have bestowed labor upon you in vain” (Gal. 4:8-11). The apostle Paul had gone on evangelistic tours, and he inevitably went into the synagogue of the Jews to dispute with them, to try to persuade them that they should be amenable to the Gospel of Christ instead of the Law of Moses, since Christ had nailed the Law to His cross. These Galatians were some that he had been able to reach, and he had persuaded them to forsake the imperfect Law of Moses, and follow the perfect Savior of the World. His sacrifices had been immense that enabled him to go preach to these people. Now, they were on the brink of returning to the weak and beggarly rudiments of the Law from which Paul had labored to free them. If they went back to the Law, Paul had wasted his time and effort on them. He had worked in vain.

Consequence: They Suffered in Vain

A second consequence of going back under the Law was one personal to the Jews who were going back. They had suffered in vain. Paul said, “O foolish Galatians, who did bewitch you before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth crucified? This only would I learn from you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now perfected in the flesh? Did ye suffer so many things in vain? if it be indeed in vain” (Gal. 3:1-4). One of the reasons why some of the Jews, who had accepted the Gospel, were going back to the Law was persecution. Their former Jewish brethren, still under the Law, were making it rough on these Jews who had obeyed the Gospel. Paul rebuked the Hebrews for giving up, and going back to the Law without shedding their blood. He said, “Ye have not resisted unto blood, striving against sin” (Heb. 12:4). But why were these brethren suffering? Or why had they already suffered so much? It was merely because they had left Judaism and had become Christians. Now, if they already had suffered for being Christians, and were now going to give up their Christianity for Judaism and the Law, they suffered in vain. They should have just remained Jews, religiously, and averted any persecution. But there are consequences far more serious than these of going back to the Law. To these we now turn.

Consequence: Christ Profits Nothing

A third consequence of going back to the Law of Moses is stated in Galatians 5. Paul said, “For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing” (Gal. 5:1,2). To go back under the Law is to forfeit the profit we have through Christ. This is a most serious consequence, yet the vast majority of religious people today go back to the Law of Moses for authority in religious matters. Circumcision is a part of the Old Testament Law, so in receiving circumcision, they were giving up the blessing they enjoyed through Christ. Paul taught that if they could be saved by observing the Law, or by living as best they could under the Law, the death of Christ was needless: “I do not make void the grace of God: for if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nought” (Gal. 2:21).

The Jews had the Law of Moses long before Jesus Christ came to the earth. Now they are placed in the position of going back to that which they had before Christ died. If the Law of Moses could save them-if righteousness is of the Law-then Christ died for no good reason. If they can be saved by the Law, why was it necessary for God, in the fulness of times, to send His Son to die a horrible death on a cross?

One of the reasons why Christ died was to redeem us from the curse of the Law, and now these people, having once tasted the goodness of the grace of God, want to go back under the Law. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree” (Gal. 3:13). Now if Christ died to redeem us from the curse of the Law, and they were to go back under the Law, so far as these individuals are concerned Jesus’ death was to no avail. The course of the Law was that it condemned all those who lived under it, for all sinned, and no forgiveness could be had under the Law without the death of Christ. Jesus died for the salvation of those under the Law, as well as for us in the Christian age. Heb. 9:15 reads, “And for this cause he is the mediator of a new covenant, they have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” So if there was no curse under the Law, Christ died for nought. And if they now went back to the Law, so far as they were concerned, Christ still died for no good reason. Let us again read Gal. 5:2,3: “Behold I Paul say unto you, that if ye receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing. Yea, I testify again to every man that receiveth circumcision, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.”

The fourth consequence of going back under the Law is that one is a debtor to do the whole Law. Paul said if one received circumcision, he is a debtor to do the whole Law (Gal. 5:2,3). The reasoning back of this statement simply is that one cannot be justified both by the Law of Moses and the Gospel of Christ. It has got to be by one or the other. If one chooses to give up the blessed promises of the Gospel in exchange for the Old Testament system, he must completely forfeit any blessing based on Christ, and rely solely on the Law of Moses. But under the Law of Moses, the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin, therefore if one is to be saved by the Law, he must do the whole Law.

Notice carefully, friends, what Paul said. He declared that if one tried to bind circumcision, one part of the Law, he was morally obligated to keep the whole Law. This principle is equally as applicable today. If one wants to bind the Sabbath (Saturday) worship upon himself or any other, he is obligated to keep all the other portions of the Law. If one is going to cite the Old Testament usage of mechanical instruments of music as his authority for their use today, Paul said, “he is a debtor to do the whole law.” This means, if you are giving up the Gospel authority in one instance, you have staked your hope of eternal life on the Law of Moses instead of on Jesus Christ. Therefore to be saved by the Law, one must keep all the Law’s ordinances, so do the whole Law.

If we could get people to realize this one principle, certainly they would not argue that anything done in the Old Testament worship is permissible in New Testament worship. If one takes one thing from the Law, he is obligated to do the whole Law.

The fifth and final point which Paul made as a consequence of going back to the Law is found in Galatians 5:4, the very next verse from the ones we have just read: “Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace.” Notice he said that if you try to be justified by the Law, you are severed from Christ and fallen from grace. What does it mean to be severed from Christ? Jesus Christ is life. John said, “in him was life and the life was the light of men” (Jno. 1:4). Now to go back to the Law is to be cut off from Christ, or severed from Christ. So to be severed from Christ is to be severed from life. It is to be lost. He emphasized this point by saying that to try to be justified by the Law is to be fallen from grace.

There is a prominent religious organization that teaches that once one becomes a child of God, it is impossible for that person to so sin as to be eternally lost in hell. They express this doctrine by saying, “once in grace, always in grace.” But Paul not only said it is possible to fall from grace, but he declared that if a fellow tries to be justified by the Law, or should try to justify his actions by referring to the Old Testament, not only is it possible for such an individual to fall from grace, but he already has fallen. To go back to the Law of Moses is to fall from grace and to fall from grace is to be lost.

In conclusion let us review the five consequences, as stated by Paul, of going back to the Law of Moses: (1) Paul’s labor had been in vain (Gal. 4:8-11); (2) They had suffered in vain (Gal. 3:1-4); (3) Christ will profit nothing (Gal. 5:2); (4) Ye are debtor to do the whole Law (Gal. 5:3); (5) Ye are severed from Christ and fallen from grace (Gal. 5:4). May God help us to remember these points from God’s Word when we are tempted to cite the Old Testament in justification for our practice in the New Testament era.

Truth Magazine, XX:12, p. 3-5
March 18, 1976

By William V. Beasley

For me to confess simply, “I have sinned” would not really be noteworthy to any who reads and believes the Bible. Concerning the alien Paul said, “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23), and to his “little children” (Christians) John wrote, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). In the same context we are admonished to “confess our sins” (1 John 1:9).

While I do not believe the backslider must publicly acknowledge specific sins when he returns to his first love, it is, if my understanding is correct, specific sins when James said, “Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed” (Jas. 5:16). It is in this private, specific confession of sins “one to another” we so often fail.

A little discretion is in order. Do not place a stumbling block before the weak, or a temptation before the brother or sister who may gossip. A penitent confession taken out of context would be a “juicy tidbit” to the one who goes about as a busybody (1 Pet. 4:15).

Yes, it is hard, at first, to acknowledge specific sins. Our pride gets in the way. It is even hard for many to confess specific sins to God. Oh yes, we pray, “God, forgive me for I have sinned.” But how often do we pray, “Forgive me for lusting, for lying, for speeding (yes, it is a sin – Rom. 13:1-7), for evil surmising, etc.?”

No, God does not need us to tell Him what we have done; He already knows. We need to confess our sins that we may be forgiven. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). May God help us to so do!

Truth Magazine, XX:12, p. 2
March 18, 1976

By R. L. Morrison

Christians seldom backslide by a “blow-out.” It is the “slow leak” which takes the heavy toll. I mean, one seldom goes into apostasy all at once, it is a gradual process. Undoubtedly, some do not intend to do it at all, but they do anyway.

“Take heed brethren, lest there be in any of you and evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Heb. 3:12). Some people think a child of God cannot depart, and the way some brethren live and act makes one think they are of that number. But inspiration says a brother can depart. God did not warn us of something which is impossible for us to do.

We do not stand still. We either make some forward progress or we slip backwards. The change may not be apparent but it exists nonetheless.

We are exhorted to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest we should let them slip (Heb. 2:1). This could describe a row boat on the shore of a stream. The boat swings with the current until finally it is drawn away and carried down the stream with it. It may seem safe but the continual pull of the current will eventually cause it to drift away. So it is with the child of God when he allows himself to drift with the world. It is a deceitful process. The result is eternal loss.

Christians must guard against carelessness and indifference lest Satan gain the advantage and overthrow our faith.

Truth Magazine, XX:11, p. 13
March 11, 1976

By Larry Ray Hafley

From Florida: `Do we have scriptural authority for `chain prayer?’. . . It is being practiced here at the college, and as it brings back memories of my days in the Baptist church, this is a matter of great importance to me.”

It is much better to hear of college students engaged in prayer than in a chain or succession of dirty jokes and immoral jesting. All agree with this, but it does not answer the question.

First, what is “chain prayer?” A chain prayer is a succession of petitions, supplications, intercessions, and thanksgivings delivered by two or more persons. It is a sequence of prayers uttered by various ones in order. This is my understanding of “chain prayer.”

Second, is it scriptural? It is scriptural for Christians to come together to pray (Acts 4:23-31). “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5). “He (Peter) came to the house of John. . . where many were gathered together praying” (Acts 12:12). In Philippi, Luke begins the record of the events that led to the conversion of the jailer with these words, “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer” (Acts 16:16). Later, in the prison, “Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God and the prisoners heard them” (Acts 16:25). At the conclusion of his farewell to the Ephesian elders, Paul “kneeled down, and prayed with them all” (Acts 20:36). “And they all (disciples at Tyre) brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore and prayed” (Acts 21:5).

One way for several to pray would be for certain ones to pray audibly in succession; hence, a chain prayer. That is one means. It is not the only manner to pray, nor would it always be the most appropriate, but it is one way that several could pray. Such a method would be generally authorized.

Abuse and Admonitions

A practice is not wrong simply because it can be abused; however, some chain prayer procedure is fraught with danger. Guilt by association is not totally fair, but chain prayer has had its glory in denominationalism, Pentecostalism, emotionalism, and in unscriptural escapades of all kinds. Our inquirer opened the door for such comment when he said, “It brings back memories of my days in the Baptist church.” No, a thing is not essentially wrong because Baptists do it, but some items bear close watching due to their popular association and acceptance by known spiritual outlaws. Chain prayers under certain circumstances are one such item, in my judgment.

In times of deep emotional distress, Christians have assembled to pray, and they have used what would be called “chain prayer” as they have poured out their pleading and bleeding hearts unto the Father of all mercies. So, in moments of strong emotions, prayer offered in succession may be a natural outpouring of kindred spirits. No criticism is given of fervent prayer addressed in chain form unto God, provided, of course, that all other factors connected to the situation are scriptural.

What are the dangers of chain prayers? One may develop the idea that such prayers are the most “intimate” and “thrilling” way to approach God and that those who “merely” pray privately “don’t know what they are missing.” It is easy to use the chain prayer format to be seen of men (Matt. 6:5, 6). The environment of some chain prayer services is not wholesome. Our querist, it is hoped, did not refer to the modern day chain prayer phenomenon; at least, he did not mention it. Our reference is to the habit of some chain prayer advocates who hold hands and stand in a circle with the lights dimmed or the room darkened. Such an atmosphere is used to produce a spiritual “high.” It allows the participants to take a religious “trip” into the mysterious world of “pious” sensualism. Under these circumstances, prayer is a substitute for pot (marijuana). Since the members of the group are Christians, they are not on drugs, but their chain prayer circle is merely a subtle replacement for the “trip” pot smokers take in a dimly lit, incense filled room. I do not charge that affairs like this are what our querist has in mind. I say that this is the practice of some and that similar acts can occur; it is a dangerous trend, I fear.

“But Brother Hafley, didn’t you say earlier that deeply stirred emotions often are connected with informal chain prayers?” Yes, but the emotions were the father of the prayers, while frequently the chain prayers are the father of induced and contrived emotions. Aroused, undefined “feel goodishness” leads to all manner of wild speculations and fanciful sensations. Thus, they are not at all parallel to what was earlier described.

Summary and Conclusion

Brethren may gather and pray in orderly succession. The modern chain prayer concept is filled with perils and pitfalls. The abuses of this means of prayer are not easily avoided. The dangers of chain prayer are real and warnings should be constantly urged. “Feelings” and “leadings” of one’s emotions and impulses should be generated and motivated by the word of God. Guide your heart and life by the Spirit of God as revealed in the Book of God, the Bible. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and learn not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thing own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil” (Prov. 3:5-7).

Beware of staged and planned piety that requires “a certain atmosphere.”

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