Truth Magazine

By Cecil Willis

Let us begin this article with a question posed by Jesus: “For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26). The implications involved in the answer of this rhetorical question are tremendous indeed.

Man has a Soul

There are many people who deny that man has an immortal soul within him, but these individuals are not believers in Biblical teaching. Let us note some passages pointing out the fact that man does consist of more than just the body. The, Bible states that “God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7). Solomon said in Ecc. 3:21, “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?” Jesus clinched the point in Matt. 10:28, as he said, “And fear not them who are able to kill the body and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.”.Peter said, “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls unto him in well doing as unto a faithful creator” (1 Pet. 4:19). Once more Paul said in Heb. 10:39: “We are riot of them that draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Furthermore, James said that the body without the spirit is dead (Jas. 2:26). So’ we can see that the Bible teaches that man does have a soul or spirit, and that the body without the spirit is dead. Every man, rich or poor, wise or unwise, bond or free. Jew of Gentile, has an immortal soul which is of greater value than all the possessions of the world.

The Soul has Value

Implied in the question, “what shall a man be profited if he gain the whole world, and lose his soul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” is the affirmation that the soul of man is of transcendent value. It is impossible for one to measure the value of his soul in tangible things. Man cannot; with his finite sense of values, realize the infinite value of his soul. The only standards of worth and value that man can know and comprehend are those by which we evaluate materials in this life, but one’s soul cannot be classified with this group of things. The worth of the soul is not to be judged by monetary standards, by stocks and bonds, or by houses or lands.

Since I, myself, cannot properly sense its tremendous worth, I am unable adequately to impress your mind with its value. Were I to comprehend its infinite worth, words would be insufficient to express it. Let us try, though, by physical standards of value, to get some concept of the worth of the soul.

Every year, millions of dollars are made through the oil industry, even to the extent that we commonly think of oil as a symbol of riches. Think of the many industries dependent upon the oil industry, and all the money that is made through this giant business: hundreds of millions of dollars annually! After thinking of all this wealth, turn now to the spirit of a small child, and so incomparably greater is the soul in value that we need not speak of it.

Go to the great shipping centers of the world and stand there watching the valuables to which we have been referring, and still there is no comparison between them and just one soul.

Think, now, of the staggering cost of war! Billions of dollars have been added annually to our national budget because of the terrific cost of such engagements. Add to this the cost of every war since the beginning of time (and our imagination will not permit us to picture such a figure) and still it is incomparable to the soul.

Fill the world itself with money, and one would be foolish, indeed, to exchange it for a soul. So Christ said, “What shall a man be profited if, he gain the whole world?” All that the whole world holds is not equal in value to that priceless gem which the poorest of us have been given.

Who Values Our Souls?

We can better understand Christ’s question and the value of one’s soul when we consider how much interest is manifested in the human soul by all the higher powers of the universe. First, the Devil is deeply interested in every soul of the earth. But remember what kind of an interest it is that the Devil has in our soul. Is it malicious or benevolent? All who read the Bible know the answer to that question. When God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden of Eden, giving them complete happiness, Satan had no rest until he had tempted and seduced them into sinning in order that he might wreck their happiness. When Job and his sons were living charitably and happy, he assailed them with his wicked intents. All are familiar with his efforts to destroy the saving power-which Christ alone could bring unto mankind-by tempting our Lord. The Devil’s interest in our soul is that he might destroy both body and soul in hell.

The soul has been shown to be of great value by the keen interest which the angels have in it. Jesus said, “See that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 18:10). Paul said, in referring to the angels, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Heb. 1:14). Christ again said, “Even so, I say unto you, that there is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:10). When such great characters as the angels in the presence of the God of heaven show interest in man’s soul, surely it must be of great value.

Again the soul of man is shown to be of great worth because of the supreme interest which God has shown in it. The reason for God’s interest in man’s soul seems only to be because the soul is created in the image of God. God said, “Let us make man in our image and after our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). The body of man is not made in the image of God, but the soul (or spirit) is. God gave His Son, His only Son, that man’s soul might be redeemed from eternal destruction. One is not willing to give a son, much less his only son, for a cause in which he is not vitally interested, but such was the interest which God showed in the saving of man. Such was the intrinsic worth attached to man’s soul by God. The Lord wants us to preserve that valuable soul which He has given us, so He gave His only begotten Son in order that we might do it. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing’ that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

Also the human soul is of greatest value, because of how much Christ was willing to give for its salvation. When one has given his life for a cause there remains nothing more that he . can give. He has given all. “Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our life for our brethren” (1 Jno. 3:16). Since Christ paid the greatest price to save our souls, they certainly must be of greatest value.

What are You Exchanging?

Notice now, the last part of the question, “Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” This should cause us to think seriously. Now is the time of exchange. We might exchange our time, thoughts, labors and energies now for the salvation of our souls eternally, but in eternity it will be too late. There is a time coming when I cannot give my time in the saving of my soul for time will be no more; my energy cannot be given for it shall have been expended. It takes all that one can do to save his soul plus all that has been done by God. Some now will exchange their souls for a moment’s pleasure, but in the day of judgment they would exchange an eternity of physical pleasure to save their souls, but the offer will be futile and rejected.

What are we doing now to save our souls? Eternity will be too late. Now is the accepted time. A realization of this should inspire us to greater consecration day by day and to make diligent effort to exchange our souls for an eternal reward rather than for a world.

Truth Magazine, XX:2, p. 3-4
January 8, 1976

By Larry Ray Hafley

Question:

From Illinois: “Matthew 21:42-44-Verse 43 says, ‘The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.’ To what nation did he refer?”

Reply:

To ascertain the answer to the question, we must: (1) observe the context; (2) determine who the “you” is – “shall be taken from you” (?); (3) understand the nature of the kingdom of God.

The Context

Jesus is addressing “the chief priests and the elders of the people,” Jews (Matt. 21:23). He upbraids them for not believing John the Baptist who came unto them “in the way of righteousness” (Matt. 21:32). He then reveals that their rejection of John is typical of their history. Jesus accomplishes this by means of a parable (Read Matt. 21:33-44). Old Testament prophets had been sent unto the nation of Israel to call them to repentance, but the prophets had been beaten and murdered (Vs. 35, 36; Cf. 2 Chron. 36:15, 16; Neh. 9:26; Acts 7:51, 52). The householder in the parable sent his son, the counterpart of whom is Jesus. The husbandmen killed him as the Jews were to kill Christ (Matt. 16:21; Acts 2:22, 23). What will the Lord do to those husbandmen? “He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen. Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matt. 21:41-43). The “you” is the unbelieving Jewish nation.

The Jews must repent or perish” (Lk: 13:3). Moses was told of a prophet who would come. That prophet was Christ (Deut. 18:15-19; Acts 3:22, 23). “Every soul which will not hear that prophet, (Jesus) shall be destroyed from among the people” (Acts 3:23). In other words, “if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (Jno. 8:24). If the Jews would not hear and reverence the Son of God, they were to be “miserably” destroyed (Cf. Matt. 21:41; Acts 3:23). Romans 11:20-23 is a divine commentary on Matt. 21:41-43 and Acts 3:22, 23. Because of unbelief the Jews were broken off. All who do not continue to God’s grace shall likewise be “cut off” and “destroyed form among the people.”

Nation

The “nation” in Matthew 21:43 is NOT: (1) an earthly nation or country; (2) all Gentiles; (3) all believing Gentiles, excluding Jewish believers. This can be seen from the fact that the kingdom of God was never given to a fleshly nation; it was never given to all Gentiles; it was never given to Gentiles, excluding Jewish believers. To whom, then was the New Testament kingdom given? When we find to whom the kingdom was given, we will find the nation.

Christians, the saved, constitute spiritual Israel, Abraham’s seed, a holy nation. “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit; not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God” (Rom. 2:28, 29). “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. . . . And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:26, 27, 29). “For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of god and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3).

Those redeemed “by the precious blood of Christ,” who “have in obedience to the truth purified (their) souls,” who “have been born again . . . through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Pet. 1:18-23), these “as living stones” are built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:). “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Pet. 1:9, 10).

The saved, therefore, are the nation to whom the kingdom has been given. This includes “both” Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:11-18). All who believe and are “obedient to the faith” are “reconciled unto God in one body,” the church (Rom. 3:22; 6:7, 18; Eph. 2:16), “for there is not respect of persons with God.” The kingdom of God is “not of this world” (John 18:36). It is not an earthly, fleshly nation. It is not “eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). The saved, those whom He has washed from their sins in his blood are “made . . . to be a kingdom” (Rev. 1:5, 6). “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13). “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:28).

Truth Magazine, XX:2, p. 2
January 8, 1976

By Larry Ray Hafley

Acts 10; 11:1-18; 15:7-11 describe the conversion of Cornelius and his household. The events in the text have a specific purpose. When the whole scene is seen, a plain illustration of the gospel system of salvation is set before us. True, there are exceptional miraculous occurrences, but these all pertain to conditions and situations which existed then but which do not inhere today.

Limited Happenings

1. The Appearance Of The Angel: The work and purpose of the angel of God was to bring Cornelius, the lost man, unto Peter, the preacher, who would tell him “words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved” (Acts 11:14). Observe that limited angelic function (Acts 10:3-7, 22, 30-32; 11:13, 14). The angelic appearance was not: (A) “To open his heart so he could believe.” The gospel preached by Peter did this (Acts 15:7); (B) To encourage him to “seek,” “get,” “feel,” or “experience” the Holy Spirit. The angel’s mission was to bring Cornelius and Peter together by telling Cornelius what to do-“send for Peter.” He fulfilled his duty. He departed and was not employed again in the conversion of Cornelius.

In Acts 8:26, an angel of the Lord spoke unto Philip. This was the reverse of Cornelius. In the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch, the angel told the preacher to “arise and go.” In Acts 10, he told the sinner to send for the preacher. We need not, however, expect an angel to appear to one today. We have the word of the apostles in the New Testament (Eph. 3:3, 4; 2 Thess. 2:15); hence, there is no requirement for an angel to do the work he did when he warned Cornelius to send for Peter.

Take a good look at your life today. Be reminded that life is like a vapor and while traveling through it we are determining our destiny in the future life. We do not know what the future holds but we know who holds the future-God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

2. The Vessel Which Descended Unto Peter: You may read the account for yourself (Acts 10:9-17; 11:510). Peter did not know what this vision meant, but he soon learned. “God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28). This strange vision did not: (A) Convince Peter that Gentiles should be allowed to be baptized. The gift of the Holy Spirit accomplished that purpose as we shall see later in detail (Acts 10:44-48); (B) Give Peter a special plan by which Gentiles could be saved distinct from the means employed to save the Jews. The effecting of justification was the same to Jew and Gentile (Acts 10:47, 48; 11:18; 15:9, 11; Rom. 1:16). What then? The vision achieved what Acts 10:28 says it did; namely, “I should not call any man common or unclean.” Therefore, Peter concluded, I can lawfully “keep company” with a Gentile.

Does anyone demand such convincing today? Obviously not; so, we dare not assume that a “certain vessel” will descend unto a preacher today. The purpose of that descending vessel was completed once for all.

3. The Spirit Speaking To Peter: The Holy Spirit actively led and directed the course of a number of First Century evangelists. “The Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them . . . . So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost departed” (Acts 13:2, 4). “Now when they had gone throughout Phyrgia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bythinia: but the Spirit suffered them not” (Acts 16:6,7). “Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot …. (and after the baptism of the man in the chariot) the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip that the eunuch say him no more” (Acts 8:30, 39).

The Spirit spoke to Peter, but what did He say? He instructed Peter to go with the men sent from Cornelius and not to have any reservation about going (Acts 10:19, 20; 11:12). That is all the Spirit said to the apostle. Note that the Holy Spirit did not: (A) “Speak to Cornelius’ heart;” (B) “Lay a special message on Peter’s heart to give to the Gentiles;” (C) Tell Peter to share his “thrilling Holy Ghost experience” with Cornelius and urge him and his house to “get it.”

4. The Pouring Out Of The Gift Of The Holy Ghost: On the Gentile household of Cornelius, the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out as it was on the apostles at the beginning as is recorded in Acts 2 (Acts 10:44, 45; 11:15). Before one assumes a position relative to this pouring out of the gift of the Holy Spirit, he needs to understand its meaning or purpose. Why was the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out on the Gentiles? The importance of that question, and its answer, can hardly be overly emphasized. If one does not pause and ponder the purpose, he will soon find himself engulfed in a number of subjective ideas and doctrines.

First, when it occurred, what did Peter conclude? He – was there. Upon seeing the Holy Ghost fall on the Gentiles,’ he concluded, “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord” (Acts 10:47, 48). Should our immediate reaction upon reading the account of the occurrence be any different than Peter’s upon seeing it? To Peter it said, we cannot refuse to baptize Gentiles. This was its point to an apostle. How dare I conjecture more than an apostle of the Son of God?

Second, the Jewish brethren in Judea heard that Peter went in and ate with the uncircumcised Gentiles. They desired and deserved an explanation. Acts 11:1-18 is Peter’s answer as to why he dared eat with the Gentiles. Peter said that the falling of the Holy Ghost on the Gentiles, “anon us at the beginning” forced him to draw a conclusion. “Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was 1, that I could withstand God” (Acts 11:17)? To refuse the Gentiles would have been tantamount to opposing God! Peter said the gift of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles revealed that they, too, were accepted. The Jewish inquirers asked no further questions about Peter’s behavior. “When they heard this, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18). That was their decision as to why the Spirit fell on the Gentiles. Why should we say it had a different goal? Indeed, how can we say there was another aim for it?

Third, in the great dissension and disputation about whether or not the Gentiles should be required to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses in order to be saved (Acts 15:1-5), Peter referred to the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Acts 15:7-11). The fact that the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe is established because God “bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us.” Watch Peter’s use of the giving of the Holy Spirit. What did, it prove? Peter says it showed that the Gentiles should be saved through the grace of the Lord just as the Jews were.

Three times the gift of the Spirit on Cornelius’ house is used to prove that Gentiles are subject to the gospel. Does that point need to be founded again? No, because in Acts 11 and 15:7-11, Peter cited it. God did not pour out the Holy Spirit again in Acts 11 and 15 to establish the fact. Rather, Peter preached the purpose of it, and that is what we should do. We should not: (A) Encourage others do seek the same gift. Peter did not; (B) Say that what fell on Cornelius will also come to other believers. Peter did not; (C) Teach that the giving of the Spirit to Cornelius proves anything other than the fact that Gentiles are now saved by grace just as the Jews are (Rom. 10:1-13). Peter did not.

Unlimited Happenings

There are some things about the case of Cornelius that are true in every circumstance of New Testament conversion.

1. It is still true “that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34).

2. It is still true that men need to hear words whereby they can be saved (Acts 11:14). Faith is produced by the gospel (Acts 15:7; Rom. 10:17). Even the devil knows that (Lk. 8:12)!

3. It is still true “that through his (Jesus’) name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43). John says that in believing we may have life through His name (Jn. 20:30, 31). Those who believe on Jesus’ name are given the right to become the sons of God (Jn. 1:12). Hearts are purified by faith (Acts 15:9). The faith that purifies is that which is obedient to the truth. “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth” (1 Pet. 1:22).

4. It is still true that we are commanded to be baptized in the name of the Lord (Acts 10:48). In Acts 2:38, repentance and baptism were declared to be “in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins:” The command to be baptized in the name of the Lord will continue as long as men need to be saved (Mk. 16:16).

A Simple Conversion

When the miraculous elements of the narrative about Cornelius are rightly understood, we see a simple demonstration of salvation by grace through faith. The same is true of other conversions in the New Testament. Compare Acts 8:26-40 and 16:25-34. Let us not be carried away and led astray by fanciful reasonings regarding certain miraculous acts which are limited to the particular situation described in the text. Today, we should not expect an angel to appear to tell us to hear an apostle any more than we should expect an earthquake to take place in a conversion sequence as it did in Acts 16:26. But we must still hear, believe and obey the gospel in order to be saved (Matt. 7:21; Heb. 5:8, 9).

Truth Magazine, XX:1, p. 12-14
January 1, 1976

By Austin Mobley

This is one of the most searching and sobering questions in all the Bible. James is asking, “Of what character is our life?” The question pleads with man to stop and take an inventory. Before making plans for the future, determine what sort of life you are living, make the necessary corrections, then let the will of God guide all future activities.

Paul viewed his life in three perspectives (2 Tim. 4:68). RETROSPECTIVELY: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” INTROSPECTIVELY: “I am now ready to be offered.” PROSPECTIVELY: “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness . . .”

God’s Word teaches what our life ought to be as we travel through this pilgrim land and warns that we will give an account at the judgment (2 Cor. 5:10-11). What is Your Life?

Retrospectively

What has your past life been? With many, youth is a mistake, middle age a losing struggle, and old age spent in regret. Quite frankly, if most of us could live our lives over we would make some drastic changes. However, our past is compared to “water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again . . .” (2 Sam. 14:14). Since it is impossible to recall the past and live it over, let us be “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before . . .” (Phil. 3:13).

Introspectively

What is your life now? This we can and must do something about. Your life is:

A Schoolroom. “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Two young children observed that their grandmother studied her Bible frequently and one asked the other, “Why does grandmother study her Bible so much?” The other replied, “I guess she is studying for her final exams.” How true this is. We will be judged by the Word (John 12:48), and in essence, the more we study, the better prepared we are to “pass our final examination.”

Parents must teach their children to love God and their fellow man. Do not send them to a place of worship; take them. Children learn best by example. Merely telling them a thing is not fully teaching them. A deep, abiding faith in God which your child has seen in you may well be his strength and light when all else fails.

A seedtime. There are two ways in which man sows in this life; by words (Matt. 12:36-37), and, by deeds (Rev. 20:12). God has established an unfailing law in both the physical and spiritual fields. His law says we will reap exactly what we sow (Gal. 6:7-8). To think that one can sow to the flesh and reap of the Spirit is to attempt to mock God but “God is not mocked,” said Paul. Many sow wild oats during the week and go to church on Sunday to pray for a crop failure!

A dressing room. Actors dress to complement the part they play. This is true of life in general. Paul demonstrates the uniform of the Christian by listing the armor of God (Eph. 6:11-18). He, admonished, “Put on the whole armor of God.” God does not want His children to be half-clothed. If in this life the garments are kept unspotted by sin, we are assured that, in the life to come, we will “walk with him in white.”

Life is a book. Each day a page is written. The deeds of the day are sentences forming the paragraphs. The attitudes of the individual are the punctuation marks. Each year marks a new chapter. When death comes, the final chapter is finished. How will your book read when it is all put together? Will it be a story of faith, courage, hope, consecration, or will it be a cheap “paperback” on the “not recommended” list? Review what you have written to date. How does it read? What do you expect the remaining chapters to contain? It is your book! If we could write another edition of our life, we would spend a lot more time proof-reading!

Prospectively

What shall your life be? A blessing or a curse? Will the world be made better by your pilgrimage or would it have been better had you never lived? The future is uncertain but we are sure of one thing; it will be a gateway into eternity (Heb. 9:27). Man holds no option on life. The divine verdict is, “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Gen. 3:19). Death is no respecter of persons. It strikes both rich and poor, proud and humble, young and old, prepared and unprepared. Today man is in the prime of life; tomorrow he is in the city of the dead.

Conclusion

Take a good look at your life today. Be reminded that life is like a vapor and while traveling through it we are determining our destiny in the future life. We do not know what the future holds but we know who holds the future — God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Truth Magazine, XX:1, p. 11-12
January 1, 1976