Truth Magazine

By Ron Halbrook

It is sometimes argued that people in unscriptural marriages should remain in them because they have made a covenant to do so. It is said that a person in an unscriptural marriage should not get out of it because to do so would be to break his marriage bond. Such a person should preserve the sanctity of his family relationship rather than become guilty of covenant breaking, we are told. This view is in error for several reasons.

When God Does Not Join Them

God ordained marriage and he joins people in marriage only if it is according to his will (Gen. 2:24). “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matt. 19:6). God does not join two homosexuals in marriage no matter how many vows, ceremonies, and covenants they participate in. Their immoral relationship may be called “marriage” only in an accommodative sense, i.e., they profess and pretend to enter the relationship of Genesis 2:24 known as marriage. Their “covenant” is a farce and a fiction. There is no true “marriage bond” joining them together in the sight of God. There is no “sanctity” to a “family relationship” not sanctioned or sanctified by God.

The same objections stand against polygamous marriages, according to plain statements of God’s law in the gospel age. The Lord, who ordained marriage and who joins people in marriage, said, “Let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband” (1 Cor. 7:2). God did not say, “Let every man have his own wives, and let every woman have her own husbands.”

Likewise, the same objections stand against other un scriptural marriages, according to plain statements of God’s law in the gospel age. The Lord, who ordained marriage and who joins people in marriage, said, “Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery,” and, “Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (Matt. 5:32; 19:9). When people marry contrary to God’s law, God recognizes it only as sin and rebellion against Him. Yes, Jesus spoke of people entering such relationships as marrying, for that is what they profess and pretend to do, but he also pronounced it to be nothing more or less than “adultery.” Such people do not go to the bed of purity in true marriage but go to the bed of impurity in adultery (Heb. 13:4).  In other words, such a relationship is unscriptural, unauthorized, impure, immoral, and an abomination in God’s sight!

There is no “sanctity” to homosexual, polygamous, or other adulterous relationships — even when they are put under the name of “marriage.” To attempt to give them the aura of “sanctity” is bold, brazen, highhanded rebellion against the authority of God. Such is the spirit of the “man of sin . . . , the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:3-4).

Fruits Meet for Repentance”

To enter such immoral relationships is to defy the God of heaven, and to continue in them is to persist in defying God. The Bible teaches consistently that people in unscriptural marriages need to repent and to “bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” by getting out of them (Matt. 3:8; Acts 26:20). For instance, when the Jews married Gentile wives contrary to the law of Moses, Ezra as God’s prophet demanded this very thing: “Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure; and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives” (Ezra 10:11). In order to come to the Lord, they had to get out of their un- scriptural marriages.  The marriage of Herod to Herodias was incestuous adultery. John told Herod to repent and get out of this marriage: “It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife” (Mark 6:18). Herod could not have come to Christ while remaining in this adulterous marriage. When a brother at Corinth persisted in marriage with his father’s wife, Paul commanded the church “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan” (1 Cor. 5:1-5). The church erred by tolerating this man. In fact, the brethren were proud to have him — perhaps he was a good song leader or could make impressive talks at the Lord’s table. This man could not come to Christ and find forgiveness unless he got out of his union with this woman, no matter what vows, ceremonies, and commitments had occurred.

Breaking a Covenant with Satan

But, someone protests, if people get out of unscriptural marriages, aren’t they “breaking a covenant”? Yes, they are breaking a covenant witnessed and sealed by Satan rather than God. When the commitments of marriage are made to form an unscriptural and adulterous union, they are vows and promises to live in sin. A person sins by making such vows and commitments, not by breaking them. Saul vowed with letters representing civil authority to cast Christians into prison — he promised to sin. Had he refused to break this promise, he could not have come to Christ in baptism (Acts 9:1-2, 18). After his remarkable conversion, forty Jews “bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul” (Acts 23:12). These men needed to “repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” (Acts 26:20). To have kept their covenant would have been sinful, to break it righteous. Vows and promises to live in sin, even those made before legal authorities and friends, ought not to be kept. “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Promises, vows, commitments, and covenants to sin are themselves sinful. To vow to live with someone as a mate in marriage when God forbids it is to vow to live in sin. It is a covenant committing these two people to live in immorality and rebellion against God. What ought to be done about such a promise? To ask is to answer. Such a covenant is “a covenant with death, and with hell,” i.e., a deal with the devil, but it shall not stand nor deliver people from the wrath of God. The only hope for deliverance through Christ is in forsaking such a covenant (Isa. 28:14-20).

Separating Valid Obligations from Sin

Someone may ask what should be done about financial and moral obligations which were created while living in sin but which can be fulfilled without committing sin. For instance, suppose Saul had borrowed a coat or rented a donkey when he went in search of Christians to imprison. Must he return the coat and pay the rent? Yes, no sin is involved in meeting such obligations. Suppose a polygamous man obeys the gospel. Can he continue to live with several wives? No, sin is involved in maintaining unscriptural and adulterous marriages. Suppose a man like Herod obeys the gospel. Can he continue to maintain his unscriptural marriage? No, sin is involved in maintaining unscriptural and adulterous marriages.

Might it be possible to provide some association, moral training, and material needs to the children born through adulterous unions? Yes, a person should try to fulfill such obligations to the best of his ability without participating in anything sinful. That is true even of children fathered outside any pretense of marriage, as often happens. The father will find his efforts to fulfill his duty to the children fraught with difficulties and constant, painful reminders of his sin. A father who walks away from such children compounds his sins, but occasionally a mother prevents the father from performing his duty. The mothers of children born of adulteries sometimes leave the area and cut off all contact between the father and the children. While that is painful for the father and the innocent children, all must realize that this pain is the tragic result of his committing adultery, not of his obedience to God. Had he obeyed God from the beginning and avoided adultery, he would not be facing the bitter fruit of his sin. Had he continued in an unscriptural and unsanctified marriage, he ultimately would have reaped an even more painful and shameful harvest from his sins.

Consequences and Complications

Many temporal consequences afflict the adulterer and the adulteress even after they seek and find forgiveness of their sins. At times, it seems only a Solomon could unravel all the tangled complications which may follow. The knotty problems and unutterable sorrows which attended David’s life after his sin with Bathsheba are instructive in this regard. Such consequences are not limited to the sin of adultery. When Paul remembered his past sins against God’s people, he thought of himself as the very chief of sinners, though he knew God had forgiven him (1 Tim. 1:15). There must have been times when he saw, perhaps even in his dreams, the relatives of people he had mercilessly persecuted, and found his heart throbbing in his throat. God warned long ago, “Good understanding giveth favor: but the way of the transgressor is hard” (Prov. 13:15).

Let those who are weary and heavy laden with the weight of sin in adulterous marriages know that God will forgive the sinner who forsakes his sin (Matt. 11:27-30). Let them know it was a sin to enter such a marriage, which is no marriage at all under divine law, but which is the moral equivalent of adultery and an abomination to God. The alien sinner must come to Christ by faith, repent of every sin, confess Christ’s name, and submit to him in baptism for the remission of sins (Gal. 3:26-27). But, he cannot maintain an unscriptural marriage. The Christian who errs by entering an adulterous marriage must repent of it, confess it, and seek God’s forgiveness in prayer (Acts 8:22). But, he cannot maintain an unscriptural marriage. Let the sinner know that as a result of his sin, he will reap temporal pain, including the pain of seeing the innocent suffer from his sin, but know too that God can bind up his wounds. Let him come to God with a poor, humble, contrite heart, trembling before God, and he will forgive and guide us all to a home in heaven (Ps. 51:17; Isa. 66:2). Do not be deceived by those who say the sinner can come to Christ while maintaining the sinful covenant of an unscriptural marriage.

 

At the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, there is a sign reading, “Known But To God.” There are some things known but to God:

1. The Hairs Of Our Head. Most people do not know how many hairs there are on their head. God does. Jesus said, “But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7). And, yet folks want to worry about things over which they have no control.

2. When A Sparrow Falls. It is asked, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father?” (Matt. 10:29). I have no idea how many sparrows fall on the ground, do you? This is known only to God. Surely he cares for us. “. . . ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:7).

3. The Thoughts Of A Man. The Psalmist penned, “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of a man, that they are vanity” (Ps. 94:11). I do not know what men are thinking, unless they tell me. God knows our every thought! “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11). The only way that we can know the mind of God is to read what he has revealed in the Bible. So, we need to quit saying, “I know what you are thinking,” when we don’t know the thoughts of a man.

4. The Number Added To The Church. I often see men trying to guess as to the number of members in the Lord’s church. This is known only to God. We can read in Acts 2:41 as to how many were baptized on Pentecost, “Then they that gladly received the word were baptized     . . .” “. . . And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47). Do you know how many that is? I read of “multitudes” being added to the Lord (Acts 11:24). Can you tell how many that is? There are some things known but to God.

5. When Christ Will Return. Time and date setters, as to the second coming of Christ, have come and gone over the years. And he has still not come! Jesus said of his second coming, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32). Peter said that Jesus will return as a “thief in the night” ( 2 Pet. 3:10). So be ready!

6. What We Will Look Like In Heaven. If you will read Philippians 3:21, 1 John 3:2, and 1 Corinthians 15:36-54, you will know all that any man knows about it. There are some things known as, “the secret things” which “belong unto God . . .” (Deut. 29:29).

By Clarence W. Fell

For many people the very idea that any book could be more loved and trusted than the Bible is nothing less than blasphemy. Yet, it’s true. What is even  more surprising is that some people who love and trust these other books claim allegiance to the Bible!

Many people are surprised to learn that there are seven books more loved and trusted than the Bible. Let’s look at those seven books to see if they are worthy of your love and trust.

For many people the very idea that any book could be more loved and trusted than the Bible is nothing less than blasphemy. Yet, it’s true. What is even more surprising is that some people who love and trust these other books claim allegiance to the Bible! Other embrace these books and don’t even realize that they are doing so.

How could this be? Especially when Jesus warns, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). How could people follow some other book than the Bible? As you will see, it is actually very simple. In fact, you could be a victim of one of these false books and not even know it.

The Book of Opinion

This book is probably the most popular of the seven. It is frequently used  to replace the actual study of God’s word. You know that people are using this book when they say something like, “It just seems to me. . . “

When people build their hope on the Book of Opinion they are headed for trouble because the Book of Opinion is not inspired. It is not the gospel (Rom. 1:16).

Compare the ever popular “It just seems to me . . .” statement to the teaching of Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death,” or Jeremiah 10:23, “It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”

The Book of Opinion does not lead to eternal life. Toss it out. Build squarely on the Bible. After all, it is the word of God, not the Book of Opinion, that will judge you in the last day (John 12:48).

The Book of Emotionalism

Quotes from this book often include the phrase, “I just feel in my heart . . .” It is amazing that anyone would use this book for spiritual guidance. Proverbs 28:26 warns, “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.” Yet, it is a popular book in many religious circles.

The danger of this book is further seen when we consider that everyone feels that he is right. No one becomes part of a religious group because he feels that the group is wrong.

If feeling right makes a person right then most people will be saved and Jesus was wrong. He said, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 7: 21; cf. Matt. 7:13- 14; Rom. 10:1-3).

Don’t trust the Book of Emotionalism. Toss it out. Build squarely on the Bible. It is the Bible that makes man wise unto salvation (Rom. 1:16; 2 Tim. 3:15; cf. John 8:32).

The Book of My Preacher Says

Many people substitute this book for study. The problem with this book is that everyone has his own version and the versions are as different as night and day. If this book was truly inspired by God then all the versions would be the same because God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33).

God anticipated this book and warned, “If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:9). It does not matter who your preacher is, or what he thinks; the Holy Spirit has told him, if he teaches anything different from the Bible he is wrong. You are to count him among the “ac- cursed” (2 John 9-11).

God is not inconsistent. After inspiring Galatians 1:9, God will not contradict himself by telling your preacher to preach a different message than the Bible message.

Preachers can make mistakes and be wrong. Don’t trust the Book of My Preacher Says. Toss it out. Build on the Bible.

If you feel a little guilty about double checking your preacher ’s teaching then read about the Bereans.

They were praised for double checking the teachings of the Apostle Paul (Acts 17:11). If Paul can stand double checking, then certainly preachers can today. The truth has nothing to lose and everything to gain when double checked.

The Book of Sincerity

This book is being used when you hear the phrase, “It doesn’t matter what you believe, just so you are sincere.” Most people are sincere, yet that does not make them right. Sincerity alone is not enough.

Paul said that Jesus will take vengeance on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 1:8). He also said that those who do not obey the truth will receive tribulation (Rom. 2:8-9).

While we must be sincere, we must also be right. Those who are sincerely mistaken are in for a rude wakening in the judgment day (Matt. 15:14). Toss out the Book of Sincerity. Build squarely on the Bible.

The Book of Tradition

Quotes from this book sound some- thing like, “It was good enough for Grandpa, so it’s good enough for me.”

Jesus scolded people for mixing tradition in with the word of God (Matt. 15:8-9).

There is no doubt that following the religion of our ancestors will bring us to be eternally with them. The question is: “Where will it be? Be careful! Just because grandpa did it does not make it right.

Toss the Book of Tradition out. Build squarely upon the Word of God.

The Book of Want-To Some people think that just because the majority want to, that makes it OK. Folks, it just isn’t so. If a mil- lion people believe in a stupid idea, it is still a stupid idea. The majority walk the broad way that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13-14).

To assume that the “want-to” of the majority is acceptable to God is the ultimate in pride and arrogance. We please God by following his word, not the “want-to” of man. (cf. 2 Tim. 4:2-5) Toss the Book of Want-To out. Build squarely on the Bible.

The Book of Up-Dating Quotes from this book sound something like, “We need to get with the times.”

To up-date the Bible is to doubt the sufficiency of the original (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:3). Up- dating necessarily infers that the Bible is not good enough the way that God wrote it. Now tell us. Where is the man or woman qualified to judge God’s word in this manner?

It gets worse. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My word will endure forever” (Matt. 24:35). Was Jesus right or wrong? If the Scriptures need up-dating, then Jesus’ word did not endure but grew old and in need of repair. Are you really willing to take such a stand against the Scriptures and call into question the power and Judgment of God?

Toss out the Book of Updating. Build squarely on the Bible.

There you have seven books that some people love and trust more than the Bible. Others have been deceived. Are you a victim? Take the test and see.

Take the Test!

Paul said, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5).

Instructions: Answer the questions based on what your church teaches. Then list the verses that teach what your church teaches. (Ask your preacher for help if necessary.) Finally, compare your answers to the verses listed.

1.  Is the name of your church in the Bible?

Give the verse. See 1 Cor. 1:10-13.

2.  Does your church use titles such as Pastor, Reverend, or Father?

Give the verse. See Matt. 23:8-11.

3.  Does your church teach that obedience is not necessary to be saved?

Give the verse. See Heb. 5:9; Matt. 7:21; 2 Thess. 1:8.

4.  Does your church teach that baptism is optional?

Give the verse. See Luke 7:30; 2 Thess. 1:8; 1 Peter 3:21.

5.  Does your church teach that denominational division is of God?

Give the verse. See John 17:20-23; 1 Cor. 1:10-13.

6.  Does your church observe the Lord’s Supper once a year, twice a year, quarterly, or monthly?

Give the verse. See Acts 20:7.

7.  Does your church teach that you just have to be sincere for God to save you?

Give the verse. See Matt.7:21-23; 1 Peter 1:22.

8.  Does your church teach once saved, always saved?

Give the verse. See John 15:1-6; 1 Cor. 9:27

9.  Does your church borrow practices from the Old Testament? (such as candles, incense, instrumental music, or priestly garments).

Give the verse. See Gal. 3:23-25; 5:1-4; Heb. 8:7.

10. Does your church baptize infants?

Give the verse. See Acts 8:12.

11. Does your church have women preachers?

Give the verse. See 1 Tim. 2:12.

12. Does your church practice sprinkling or pouring for baptism?

Give the verse. See Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12.

13. Does your church teach that if God did not specifically speak against any of the things listed above that it is all right to practice those things?

Give the verse. See Lev. 10:1-2; Gal. 3:15; Rev. 22:18-19.

14. Does your church refer to any of the other seven books to authorize their practice of any of things listed above?

Give the verse. See Gal. 1:6-9; 3:15; Rev. 22:18-19.

By Donnie V. Rader

Psalm 34 is a Psalm of David. It is an acrostic (Alphabetic) Psalm where in Hebrew each line begins with the successive Hebrew alphabet. However, it is irregular. One letter (vau) is missing and another (pe) is repeated. It is the second such Psalm. The twenty-fifth Psalm is one also.

The title of the Psalm says, “A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.” This refers to the events of 1 Samuel 21:10-15 where David, because he was afraid, acted like he was crazy before Achish, the king of Gath. The Psalm does not indicate any attempt to vindicate David’s action. In fact, in the Psalm, David makes no reference to his conduct. He makes no comment upon it. He merely recalls his feelings at the time of his deliverance. We are not to assume that this was necessarily written at the time of the events of 1 Samuel 21.

A quick reading of this Psalm suggests there are two divisions: (1) vv. 1-10 and (2) vv. 11-22. Charles Spurgeon calls the first part a hymn and the second a sermon. The first ten verses deal with thanksgiving and praise for deliverance. The last twelve deal with instruction.

The Point Of Psalms 34

The point of the Psalm is that Jehovah is our provider, protector, and deliverer. Albert Barnes wrote, “The general purport and bearing of the Psalm, therefore, is to furnish an argument for trusting in God in the time of trouble, and for leading such a life that we may confidently trust him as our Protector and Friend” (Barnes Notes, Psalms, I:286).

We also learn some lessons about the fear of God and the blessings that those who fear receive.

An Outline

1. David’s Praise Toward God (vv. 1-10)

a. Pledge to praise God always (vv. 1-3).

b. David’s experience: The Lord heard and delivered

(vv. 4-7).

c. God blesses those who trust and fear (vv. 8-11).

2. Instructions To Fear (vv. 11-22)

a. How to fear God (vv. 11-14).

b. The blessings of those who fear (vv. 15-22).

A Closer Look At The Psalm

David begins with a pledge to praise God at all times (vv. 1-3). In every circumstance and situation whether in trials and darkness or calmness when all is bright. In this, he makes a statement of his dedication and devotion of which he is not ashamed (v. 2). He stirs others to magnify God’s name with him (v. 3).

In the next four verses David tells of how he cried to the Lord and the Lord heard and delivered him from his enemies. He shows his confidence in the Lord. It is in this section that he introduces us to the fear of the Lord (v. 7). His point is that the Lord protects and delivers those who fear God.

Verses 8-10 describe how God blesses those who trust him and fear his name. He said, “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear him” (v. 9). He concludes the first part of this Psalm saying, “But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing” (v. 10).

The second part of the Psalm (vv. 11-22) is instructions to fear God. First, he invites all to come and learn about the fear of God (v. 11). In the next verse he tells us that those who fear God are the ones who truly enjoy life and see good days (v. 12). The writer then tells us how to see those good days (thus telling us how to fear God): (1) Control the tongue (v. 13). (2) Depart from evil (v. 14). (3) Do good (v. 14). (4) Seek peace, and pursue it (v. 14).

Verses 15-22 tell of the blessings that those who fear God receive. The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous (those who fear) and his ears are open to their prayer (v. 15, cf. 1 Pet. 3:12). The Lord delivers his people from their troubles (vv. 17, 19). He redeems the soul of his servants (v. 22).

Lessons About Fear From This Psalm

There are several practical lessons we learn from this Psalm about the fear of God.

1. Fear must be taught (v. 11). If we fear God, we have been taught to fear God. If we want our children to fear God, we must teach them to fear God. When we wonder why some of our children have no use for God or his word, we would do well to consider that maybe we didn’t teach them to fear God.

2. What it means to fear God. The term “fear” is equated with several other expressions in the context. These terms serve as a commentary on what is involved in fearing God. What verses 7, 9, and 11 refer to as one who “fears,” v. 8 describes as one who “trusts in him.” Verse 10 says “seek the Lord.” Verse 15 calls this one “righteous.” Verse 22 says he is a servant.

3. The Lord protects those who fear him (vv. 7, 15, 17, 19). The Lord cares about his people. He delivers them from their troubles.

4. The Lord blesses those who fear him (vv. 8-10). God gives us all that we need (2 Pet. 1:3). There is no promise that the Lord would give us all we want. He did promise that he would grant all we need. While the young lion may hunger, his people will not lack any good thing (v. 10).

5. Those who fear God are those who really enjoy life (v. 12). Those who seek pleasure from life without the fear of God, have no idea what real joy is. In fact, they don’t really understand what life itself is all about.

6. God’s listens to those who fear him (vv. 15-22). What a privilege to have God’s ear tuned to our request! Such an honor is not granted to just anyone. It is an honor bestowed only on those who fear God.