Truth Magazine

By Cecil Willis

The Bible is the world’s most revered Book. In it are tremendous powers. It has the power to transform an individual or a nation. It has the power to wipe away the tears from the weeping eyes of those whose hearts have been torn by sorrow. It has the power to save a soul from death, and to hide a multitude of sins. God, being a rational Being, does nothing without purpose. When He gave us the message of the Bible, He had a very definite purpose in mind. The message of the Bible is called several different things. It is called “the Word” (2 Tim. 4:1-4), “the faith” (Gal. 1:23), “the gospel” (Rom. 1:16), “Christ” (Acts 8:5). But whatever it is called in the Scripture, it refers to the same organized body of religious truth, and it has a divine purpose. The Scripture itself tells us what the purpose of the Bible is. Paul tells us the purpose of the gospel is to save. He says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). The gospel is God’s only power to save, and all that are saved will be saved by the gospel. James says the word is able to save your souls: “Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls” (Jas. 1:21).

Yet while we must confess there is tremendous power in the word of God, we must also confess that the power inherent in the Bible is not being utilized. It is being wasted. Men and women are going daily to their graves with their souls lost. Is it the fault of the Bible that this happens? Not at all. For what God does, He does perfectly. He provided a perfect plan of salvation for mankind. Paul declares that “the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). There is ample power in God’s word to save the soul of every person. But since we know that every person is not being saved, there must be something hindering their salvation. Thus we want to point out some of the things that make the Bible void. The Bible is caused not to bring about the effect of which it is capable, because there are hindrances making it of none effect.

The Word Is Snatched Away

The first cause to which we call your attention that makes the Bible of none effect is that the Devil snatches away the word from the heart of those who hear it lest they should believe and be saved. In the Parable of the Sower recorded in Matthew 11 and Luke 8, Jesus speaks of a certain man who went forth to sow seed. Some of the seed fell by the way side, and the birds of the heavens devoured it. Other seed fell upon stony ground, some upon thorny ground, and some upon good ground. Jesus explains this parable so that we do not have to interpret it. He says, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. And those by the way side are they that have heard; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved” (Luke 8:11, 12).

The seed sown by the wayside should have been buried in fertile soil. Then the birds could not have devoured it. The word of God that is permitted to lie unappropriated in your heart is apt to be snatched away by the Devil that you may not believe and be saved. There are many people who know what the Lord requires of them, but who are hesitant to do it. The impression first made upon their heart by the preaching of the word is gradually weakened until the word of God is taken from them by the Devil, and they do not even put up a struggle with him. Friends, if you have learned what God wants you to do, do not hesitate to do it immediately. Satan has made the word of God of none effect in the lives of many simply because they have been hesitant to put into practice what they had just learned.

Denominationalism-Religious Division

Religious division is another thing that makes the word of God of none effect. Jesus recognized that this would be the effect of division. In John 17:21, we read an account of one of the prayers of Jesus. In it He was praying for His disciples. He prayed “that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us: that the world may believe that thou didst send me.” The prayer of Christ indicates that a divided world religiously makes unbelievers of the remainder of the world. I sincerely believe that the division that exists has made infidels of more people than the combined efforts of every infidel that ever lived.

Yet in spite of the prayer of Jesus, and in spite of the fact that He said division will result in unbelief, men continue to thank God that so many different “churches” (i.e. denominations) exist that a man can worship God as he pleases. The civil government should put no restraints upon the manner in which we worship. But God, the Creator of heaven and earth, has put restraints upon the manner in which we should worship Him. You should worship as God pleases, rather than as men please.

The people of the world see no more of Christianity and know no more of Christianity than they see in each of us who profess to be Christians. In denominationalism there are many things that are repulsive to right thinking men, and repugnant to any Bible student. Some see these objective features of denominationalism and suppose that these represent New Testament Christianity. And therefore they reply, “If that is Christianity, you can have it. I do not want any of it.” Therefore denominationalism, or religious division, contributes to the word of God being made none effect. People are being lost who could be saved by the word of God.

Hardened Hearts

Another thing that makes the Bible of none effect is the condition of the heart of those to whom we preach. Not every person reacts to the preaching of the gospel the same. We see examples of this on the day of Pentecost. Some of those present obeyed the gospel when they heard but one sermon. Others were hardened so that they began opposing gospel preachers and those that obeyed the gospel. While God intends that man be saved through the preaching of the gospel, He never undertakes to compel man to obey Him. One often is privileged to speak to people whose hearts are set on finding the truth. One speaks to others whose hearts are so closed that the Lord could not even reach them. Jesus found the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be of this disposition. Near the close of His life, as He gazed upon the city, and said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matt. 23:37). There are many today, who like the inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem, could quickly be saved but they will not.

We have no way to pry into the hearts of those who are closed to the preaching of the truth. It has been said that the latch string to your heart hangs on the inside. No preacher can open your heart to the truth unless you are willing for it to be opened. Jesus cannot come into your heart unless you open the door. He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). You alone can open the door to your heart that the truth might come in so that you can be saved. If you will not open your heart, the power of the Bible to save you will be made of none effect.

Jesus says there are certain people who fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah when he said “By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them” (Matt. 13:14,15). They had the ability to see and understand, but because of the hardness of their hearts, they would not. I am sorry to say that there are many people today who have the ability and the opportunity to understand and obey the Word of God, but they will not. This makes it impossible for the Bible to have the desired effect in their life. It makes it of none effect, at least in so far as they are concerned.

Traditions of Men

The traditions of men is another thing that makes of none effect the word of God. These doctrines that have had their beginning this side and outside of the New Testament make void the word of God. It is sad when we see people going about very zealously in their efforts to propagate that which cannot save a single soul, but which can take into torment both the teachers and those that hear them. The word of God is able to save you. The doctrines of men can do nothing but cause you to lose your soul. Paul warned the young preacher, Timothy, “Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee” (1 Tim. 4:16). This implies that if he did not take heed to both himself and what he preached, he could lose his own soul, as well as being responsible for the loss of the souls of those that listened to him.

Isaiah also prophesied concerning those who attempted to serve God by the traditions of men. He says “This people honoreth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men” (Isa. 29:13, quoted in Matt. 15:8,9). Jesus added another statement before He quoted the passage from Isaiah which we just cited. He said, “And ye have made void the word of God because of your tradition” (Matt. 15:6). The word of God can save the soul of man, but the word of God mixed with the traditions of men cannot save. Bread has the power to sustain life, but intermixed with a bit of poison it takes on the power to destroy life. Mix divine and human doctrines and you destroy the power of God’s word to save. You make it of none effect.

Observing Bad Examples

Most of the hindrances to one’s obedience to the gospel that we have studied thus far have been resident in the hearer of the word. But there are many who give the hypocrisy of professing Christians as their excuse for not becoming Christians. Paul, in Rom. 1:18, speaks of the wrath of God being “revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness.” The moral failures of those of us who wear Christ’s name has likely been responsible for the failure of the word to bear fruit in many instances. Jesus places a curse on those who cause others to stumble. He says, “but whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:6). We must take care that our life is above reproach. We must practice before we preach.

However, I personally am doubtful that these who use the hypocrisy of church members as their excuse for not obeying the gospel are any better off. When a man says he would become a member of the church if there were not so many hypocrites in it, I feel like saying, “Well, come on in, there is always room for one more!” The action of no man should keep me from obeying and serving my Lord.

We should permit the word to have free course in our lives, and it will bring about our salvation. God intended it to save us. Let us not hinder the truth in unrighteousness, lest the wrath of God be revealed against us.

Truth Magazine XIX: 50, pp. 787-789
October 30, 1975

 

Editor’s Note:

One of the great minds of the Restoration Movement was Alexander Campbell. Much has been written about him, possibly because so much was written by him. Robert Richardson, the author of the definitive autobiography of Campbell, recorded the following “Rules” saying that the `following qualifications,” were ” . . , necessary to attain excellence in the composing and pronouncing of sermons:’ ‘ Since these works are so hard to obtain, we reproduce these rules here for your reading.

” `1. The preacher must be a man of piety, and one who has the instruction and salvation of mankind sincerely at heart.

” `2. A man of modest and simple manners, and in his public performances and general behavior must conduct himself so as to make his people sensible that he has their temporal and eternal welfare more at heart than anything else.

” ‘3. He must be well instructed in morality and religion, and in the original tongues in which the Scriptures are written, for without them he can hardly be qualified to explain Scripture or teach religion and morality.

” ‘4. He must be such a proficient in his own language, as to be able to express every doctrine and precept with the utmost simplicity, and without anything in his diction either finical on the one hand or vulgar on the other.

” `5. A sermon should be composed with regularity and unity of design, so that all its parts may have a mutual and natural connection, and it should not consist of many heads, neither should it be very long.

” `6. A sermon ought to be pronounced with gravity, modesty and meekness, and so as to be distinctly heard by all the audience.

” `Let the preacher, therefore, accustom himself to articulate slowly and deliver the words with a distinct voice, and without artificial attitudes or motions or any other affectation.’ “

(Robert Richardson, Memoirs of Alexander Campbell. (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippingcott and Co.) Vol. I, p. 138.)

Truth Magazine XIX: 50, p. 786
October 30, 1975

By James W. Adams

In Southwest Texas where I was reared, they is a species of cactus known by the Mexicans as “tasajilla.” (I cannot vouch for the spelling.) It is made up of long jointed stems having extremely long thorns with wicked points. In that section there are also many rattlesnakes, enemies of man and beast, some attaining a length of six or seven feet. This venomous reptile is, however plagued by enemies. One of these is a long-legged bird known popularly as a “Road-runner” and by the Mexicans as a “Paisano.” It is commonly seen running across and along the highways of Southwest Texas. It has long black legs and beak and is mottled gray and black in color. Many rattlesnakes are executed by this innocuous looking creature.

The execution takes place in the following fashion: The bird will find the snake asleep; he will carefully gather a supply of the little spine-like joints of the “tasajilla” bush and with them build a fence or corral around the sleeping snake; having finished the fence, the bird will then fly at the snake and scream at in a high-pitched tone characteristic of the “Road-runner;” the snake will awaken and try to crawl away, but the spines of the “tasajilla” fence will prick his belly and he will draw back; the “Road-runner” will continue to fly at the snake and draw back quickly all the while uttering its shrill cry; the snake will strike and miss and be rewarded for its effort by pricking its tender underside on the “tasajilla;” finally, the snake will become so enraged and frustrated that he will bite himself and be destroyed by his own venom.

As in much of nature, there is a lesson for man in this circumstance. All of us, even Christians, are two-fold beings-body and spirit, animal man and spiritual man, carnal mind and spiritual mind. The animal nature of man, prompted by lust and passion when not controlled, is filled with deadly venom much as the rattlesnake. The Devil and his emissaries are well aware of this fact, hence constantly seek to arouse in the Christian this sleeping, deadly beast. Worldly men and false brethren are often tools of Satan in his efforts to destroy God’s children. Finding they cannot seduce God’s people otherwise, they will resort to persecution, innuendo, defamation of character, and misrepresentation of many species in an effort to stir up the Christian’s animal passion and cause him in fighting back to destroy himself with his own poison.

Christians must oppose evil and false doctrine within and without the church, but let us take care! The Devil and his emissaries are not limited as to weapons, but the Christian must not employ “carnal weapons” (2 Cor. 10:4) in his warfare. Let us not in anger and frustration generated by this fact destroy ourselves. Let us humbly and meekly bear the onslaughts of the wicked employing only truth as our weapon in withstanding his attack. Bitterness, hate, evil-speaking, innuendo, misrepresentation are the “carnal weapons” of the evil one. Faith, truth, loyalty, purity, and works of faith are the armaments of Christians. With these God can and will give us the victory!

Truth Magazine XIX: 49, pp. 781-782
October 23, 1975

By Irvin Himmel

In the days of the Judges, God allowed the Israelites to be oppressed by the Midianites for seven years. This affliction brought God’s people to their knees in repentance. A deliverer was chosen by the Lord to lead Israel against Midian. The chosen leader was named Gideon.

With 32,000 men, Gideon made preparations to wage war against the Midianites. God told him he had too many men. Large numbers mean nothing as God appraises things. Israel would have been lifted up with pride if the victory had been gained through the use of such a sizeable force. God told Gideon to let all who were fearful and afraid go home. That culled out 22,000!

The remaining force of 10,000 was still too large. God told Gideon to bring his men down to the water and put them to the test. All who bowed down upon their knees to drink were to be sent away. Gideon was told to retain the men who put their hand to the mouth, lapping the water from the hand with the tongue. The water test eliminated all of Gideon’s army except 3000.

Gideon took the 300 men who remained and divided them into three companies. Each man was told to take a trumpet and a pitcher with a torch inside it. In the middle of the night Gideon’s men quietly came close to the Midianite encampment and completely surrounded it. The torches were concealed inside the earthenware pitchers. When Gideon gave the signal, suddenly every man was to blow his trumpet then break his pitcher and hold his torch high, crying out, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.” The unexpected noise and commotion coming from all sides of the Midianite camp awakened the enemy, and in whatever direction he looked, torches were burning and men were shouting. Panic followed! The Midianites began slaying each other. Through this strategy and with God’s help, Israel was delivered from the oppressor.

How important it was that Gideon’s 300 men follow instructions. They had to move quickly and silently for the plan to work. The Bible says, “And they stood every man in his place round about the camp . . .” (Judges 7:21). If one man had dropped his pitcher and broken it before everybody was in position, the scheme would have failed because the enemy would have been alerted. Every man had to know his position, be in his place and ready to act according to the directions previously received, and stay in his place until Gideon was ready for his men to move against the confused Midianites.

This thrilling chapter of Old Testament history offers a timely lesson. Today, we need to find our place and stand in it. There is a work for which all are suited, but not everyone is capable of doing the same job. Sometimes a person is a good worker, honest, conscientious, dependable, and eager to do his best, but he may never be well-suited for the particular task he is undertaking. Problems often arise in business relationships because someone is out of place. Our ambitions sometimes surpass our abilities. Happy is the person who knows both his powers and his limitations, and who wisely finds the kind of work for which he is best equipped.

A good preacher may not do his best work in every field. Some good preachers are misfits in certain localities. It is fortunate when a preacher finds the kind of place for which he is best suited.

In the church of the living God, everyone needs to recognize his proper place and stay in that place.

Elders need to stay in their place. The overseers of a congregation are not dictators. Their place is not to make laws. Jesus Christ is the lawgiver. Elders are shepherds, but they are under Christ who is the Chief Shepherd. The oversight of an eldership is limited to the flock over which they are given the charge. Elders have no place meddling in the private business or personal affairs of the members of the congregation.

Deacons need to stay in their place. Deacons are qualified servants, not overseers of the church. In some congregations there is not a particle of difference between what the elders do and what the deacons do. While elders and deacons should work together closely, the differences in their qualifications and functions should not be ignored.

Preachers need to stay in their place. It is disgusting to me that some preachers seem to feel that they should oversee the flock. Although we cry out against the denominational “pastor system,” it is just possible that some of us accept it in effect. Preachers are to preach and teach, not set themselves over the elders, nor act as if having pontifical authority. This is not to say that a man could not be both a preacher and an elder if qualified and if chosen to be an elder, but I am saying that being a preacher does not entitle a man to usurp the eldership.

Women need. to stay in their place. The Bible puts limitations on women as to their work in the Lord. A woman is not to exercise dominion over the man (1 Tim. 2:12). Women are not authorized to be public proclaimers of the gospel. They cannot be elders in the church. Woman has a noble and glorious work in God’s kingdom, but she must stand in her place.

May we all study to find our place and recognize the importance of staying in our place. We find true happiness ourselves and we contribute to the joy of others by standing in our place.

Truth Magazine XIX: 49, p. 780
October 23, 1975