Truth Magazine

By Roy E. Cogdill

When Paul wrote the Roman Letter and said to the Roman brethren, “The churches of Christ salute you,” he was talking about independent, autonomous, churches in their own locality. They were of the same faith and order. They had been planted by the preaching of the same doctrine, “The doctrine of Christ,” and where the same seed had been sown it produced always the same fruit. The same gospel produced the same kind of Christians and the same kind of churches wherever it was preached.

These “churches of Christ” were not only of the same faith and order, they were equal and each of them perfectly, completely, and sufficiently constituted the church of Christ. They were identified, and can be today wherever the gospel is preached, by the same designation, teaching, worship, organization, and work. But they were not federated into anything. They did not pool their resources and join themselves together either in a human organization or in an amalgamated relationship of any kind. No local church can delegate any part of its resources, work, or responsibility to another local church and have all of its independence, autonomy, and its sufficiency left. This is just as certain as the fact that it takes all of the parts to constitute the whole of anything. Give a part of the parts away and the whole does not remain. Even our “brain trust,” Roy Deaver and Tom Warren, would have to agree with that.

The organization that characterized these local churches of Christ was as simple and unpretentious as all other elements of the scheme of redemption. God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound and bring to nought them that are wise, indeed! (1 Cor. 1:27). We do not have to presume or guess about the organization of the church any more than we do about the plan of salvation or the simplicity of its worship.

In each congregation or church it was God’s order that there should be elders, a plurality of them (Acts 14:23). This divine order was for every church. If every church had an eldership in God’s divine arrangement, then no eldership had the oversight of anything that belonged to more than one congregation. The only jurisdiction that God ever gave any eldership is the oversight of one church. This is abundantly established by the divine injunctions; “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers” (Acts 20:28); and “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed; feed the flock of God which is among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed; feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof” (1 Peter 5:1-2). This identified the elders who were to take the, oversight and it identified the flock which those elders were to oversee. When elders act in any other capacity, they are acting without authority (ultra wires) and are therefore guilty of lawlessness-“iniquity.”

Whenever any eldership anywhere plans a program of work, either in evangelism, benevolence, or edification, that involves in any way another congregation than the one which they are to “oversee,” they are acting without divine jurisdiction and therefore in defiance of divine authority. We believe with Brother E. R. Harper, of the Herald of Truth, when he said a good many years ago in the Tulsa Lectures, which are in print, that no congregation as the right to plan any kind of a program of work for which it is unable to pay. He does not agree with this now, but it is still the truth none the less. All such programs as present day “area rallies,” “area campaigns,” “area workshops,” “area conferences” or on a still bigger scale “brotherhood conferences or lectureships” are intercongregational activities and therefore bigger than God authorized anything to become. When congregations combine their resources, amalgamate their work, or centralize the oversight of their work under any arrangement, something bigger in the way of an organization than a local eldership is essential to direct it. Brethren may put it under an eldership, but when they do that eldership ceases to be a “local” eldership and becomes either an “area eldership” or a “brotherhood eldership.” This is just as disrespectful toward divine authority as it could be to form a human organization to do the work of the church.

This means that such programs as those promoted by the San Fernando Church, viz., The Valley-wide “Teacher’s Training Program,” or the Valley-wide “Women’s Meeting” are completely without New Testament sanction or authority. It means that any kind of “brotherhood wide” conference planned either by a local church or ‘by a “Christian College” is completely unscriptural. There is nothing wrong with people attending the services of a meeting held by another congregation when they are invited to it, Neither is there anything wrong with a meeting in which different speakers do the speaking or preaching. But when plans are made for a program to involve either the membership, resources or facilities of other congregations, someone has transgressed, and is exercising too much authority. It means also that a “brotherhood wide conference of preachers and elders” such as that recently held by the Herald of Truth Missionary Society in Abilene is as unscriptural as an “interdenominational ecumenical conference” and for the same reasons. It means that a “city wide or county wide conference” among the elders or “workshop” for them goes beyond (transgresses) the doctrine of Christ and therefore leaves God behind.

Ambitious elders thatr promote themselves into any such position establish of themselves a “hierarchy” just as certainly as if they were Roman Catholic Bishops. Give them time and they will grow into it. It also is true that “promoting preachers” who lead elders and congregations into such activity are worse than denominational pastors, they are parish priests and do not resemble either .in attitudes or work a plain Gospel preacher. Brethren, we should either practice “speaking where the Bible speaks and being silent where it is silent” or we should give up the claim and quit talking about it.

God’s organization in form includes “elders in every church,” “Saints, Bishops and Deacons” in the local church. In function it calls for the elders over the local church overseeing only the affairs of the local church and no more than that. When they take upon themselves any other function they pervert . God’s organization and that is just as sinful as changing the form of it.

Truth Magazine XIX: 48, pp. 755-756
October 16, 1975

By Larry Ray Hafley

Question:

From the Republic of the Philippines: “We say that the household of Cornelius received Holy Spirit baptism. We determined this according to the context of Acts 10. But did they not also receive the power to perform miracles which accompanied Holy Spirit baptism? There is no record in the Scripture that they did perform a miracle. Pentecostals will say, Cornelius was not able to perform miracles, but he did receive Holy Spirit baptism, and so with us (Pentecostals). So that not all who received Holy Spirit baptism can perform miracles.”

Reply:

Who said “there is no record in the Scriptures that they (Cornelius’ household) did not perform a miracle?” The Scripture says they did “speak with tongues.” That is a miracle as even Pentecostals will admit. So, their contention is false, and their alleged baptism with the Holy Spirit is not parallel. If they received Holy Spirit baptism, and no miracles are attendant, what is the purpose of their baptism in the Spirit?

Holy Spirit baptism was:

1) NOT given to remove inherited sin or total depravity. Cornelius was, prior to baptism in the Spirit, a good, just, God-fearing, devout, prayerful man (Acts 10:2, 22).

2) NOT given to purify his heart or soul. Our hearts are purified by faith in obedience to the gospel-“Seeking ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth” (Acts 15:9; 1 Pet,. 1:22).

3) NOT for remission of sins. Forgiveness of sins is to every one that believeth “through his name” (Acts 10:43). Cornelius was commanded to be baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 10:48). Water baptism “in the name of Jesus Christ” is “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).

4) NOT to save. Cornelius was to send for Peter “who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved” (Acts 11:14). They were to be saved by words told them. They were told to believe and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 10:47, 48). Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mk. 16:16). Holy Spirit baptism was not given to save. The gospel was (1 Cor. 15:1, 2; Rom. 1:16).

Now what is the modern day purpose of Holy Spirit baptism if it does not involve the miraculous? What use, what benefit is it? Cornelius’ household was baptized in the Holy Spirit to convince the Jews that the Gentiles “had been granted repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18), to convince the Jews that the Gentiles were gospel subjects who should not be hindered from baptism in the name of the Lord for the remission of sins (Acts 11:1-8; 15:711). Peter was called in “on the carpet” by the Jews in Judea because “Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised and did eat with them” (Acts 11:3). Peter defended his actions by saying he could not refuse them lest he “withstand God.” The Gentiles are gospel subjects by reason of the fact they received the “like gift” “as” the apostles did “at the beginning.” The Jews contending with Peter were convinced, not by another enactment of Holy Spirit baptism before their eyes, but by Peter’s testimony to that effect. In Acts 15:7-11, Peter again concluded that God put no difference between Jew and Gentile (Cf. Acts 10:34, 35). So, Holy Spirit baptism is not needed today to show that all men are gospel subjects. That was accomplished when the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius.

Again, what is the Pentecostal’s purpose of Holy Spirit baptism today if it does not involve the miraculous? It is not to remove depravity, not to purify souls, not for forgiveness, not for salvation. It is not needed to convince us that “in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted of him.” And if, as Pentecostals say, it is not necessary for miraculous gifts, please tell me what profit it is. And cite Scripture when you tell me-book, chapter, and verse.

Truth Magazine XIX: 48, p. 754
October 16, 1975

By Donald Willis

The Bible nowhere mentions gambling. Thus, many Twentieth-Century Christians ponder the “right or wrong” of such activity. Today’s young people do not accept the positions of those who preceded, but must examine every point to their own satisfaction. This is fine, except that it manifests somewhat of a “gnostic” attitude and a disrespect for the older saints.

Gambling is a recognized evolvement of society. It is truly big business. People participate in gambling from childhood throughout adulthood; from pitching pennies, flipping for cokes, Bridge, racing, and/or the casino. The Christian will examine the evidence and determine the rightness prior to engaging therein!

Gambling is Wrong!

Gambling is wrong because it is against the righteous principles of God (cf. 1 John 1:5ff). Gambling is the wagering of material goods for the purpose of multiplying them.

Gambling is covetousness, a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). It is idolatry; i.e., an inordinate desire for money. The desire for gain is often addictive. The gambler has no intention to work in order to obtain his goals (Ephesians 4:28), but seeks to gain through wagering.

Gambling violates the law of labor and exchange. God ordained that man earn his living by the sweat of his brow in earnest enterprise (Genesis 3:17-19; Ephesians 6:5-9). Paul commands, “. . . if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

Why would civil law be opposed to gambling if there was nothing wrong with it? Civil law often approves wrong activity, but generally opposes gambling! Vice, prostitution, and family neglect go hand-in-hand with gambling! Jesus said, “. . . by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20).

Conclusion

Gamblers do not love God, have little concern for their fellow man, and disrespect the laws of God and man. No Christian will engage in this unholy activity!

Truth Magazine XIX: 47, p. 749
October 9, 1975

By James W. Adams

Paul said, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15). He made this remark in connection with fervent exhortations to the brethren at Corinth to be generous in their giving for the relief of the “poor from among the saints at Jerusalem.” A reminder of God’s “unspeakable gift” would provide strong incentive for such giving.

For a study of that which makes God’s gift “unspeakable,” there is no better source than the text often called “The golden text of the Bible”: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The following facts make God’s gift “unspeakable:”

(1) The greatest Giver: GOD is the original and superlatively the greatest of all givers. Our text says, “God gave.” Here is the benefactor extraordinary of humankind. Paul said to the Athenian philosophers on Mars Hill, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring” (Acts 17:28). James said, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (Jas. 1:17). Paul also said, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy . . .” (1 Tim. 6:17). All that we have, are, and every hope to be comes as a gracious gift from the storehouse of Jehovah. No giver is so great as He.

(2) The greatest motive: infinitely pure, Divine love. Our text says, “God so loved that he gave.” The scheme of human redemption embodying the greatest gift of the ages, the gift “unspeakable,” was (as Brother H. Leo Boles used to put it so beautifully) “born of the womb of God’s love for humanity.” Too, Brother Boles used to describe God’s working out of the scheme of redemption through the Patriarchal Age and the Mosiac Age as an expectant mother knitting the “swaddling clothes” or the “layette” for her developing, cherished offspring that lay beneath, yet so close, to her heart. No merit or worth in the creature laid upon God the compulsion or necessity to make his gift. It was the product of pure grace and love.

(3) The greatest number of objects: Our text says, “God so loved the world that he gave.” Every sinful son of Adam’s race, from the first to the last, was the object of God’s love and giving. There is no fact more clearly taught in the word of God than the truth that Christ died for all men. “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead.” (2 Cor 5:14). “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Tim. 1:15). “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Tim. 2:3-6). As evidence of the universality of God’s gift note that Jesus, when he sent out the apostles with the “word of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19), told them to: “Go teach all nations;” “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature;” “That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations” (Mt. 28:19; Mk. 16:15; Lk. 24:46, 47). Our text says `Whosoever believeth . . might have everlasting life.”

(4) The greatest blessings: Our text says, ” . . . . might have everlasting life.” Earthly gifts from friends and benefactors are as perishable as time. Even God’s physical blessings are ours only until the “grave is our home.” But God’s gift “unspeakable” conveys to us blessings that transcend the realms of time. The “life” of God’s gift is “life everlasting.” Not only does it have “the promise of the life that now is, but also of that which is to come.”

(5) The greatest gift: The gift in its very nature is superlative. It is the gift of “God’s only begotten Son”-He who was God, the Eternal Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made …. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John l:l-3, 14). “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:5-9). The nature of the gift is enhanced when we consider the fact that Christ died for “sinners” and for those who were his “enemies.” Jesus once said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus died, not simply for friends, but for enemies: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Rom. 5:8-10).

It is small wonder then that Paul exclaimed: “Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.”

Truth Magazine XIX: 47, p. 747
October 9, 1975