Truth Magazine

By Roy E. Cogdill

In order to know the truth and determine what is truth, we must have a standard by which to measure truth religiously as in all other affairs of life. The right to prescribe a standard does not belong to men. He is incapable of doing so. Furthermore, sovereignty belongs to God and He must be allowed to rule in the hearts of men. God, therefore, has the right to set up a standard by which truth may be known and measured. He has done so in His Word. Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). God’s will is right. God’s Word is truth. “Let God be true, but every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4).

This eliminates the false standards by which the world would establish the truth in religion such as one’s own intelligence, one’s own feelings, inherited traditions handed down from the fathers, and ecclesiastical authority. Truth can be established by none of these. They would eliminate and destroy God’s standard entirely.

Human Wisdom

Another false standard that needs to be eliminated from the hearts of many people is the idea that truth can be established by human wisdom. So many people are willing to reject a plain statement of the Word of God because some learned man in the wisdom and ways of the world has declared it to be otherwise. This, of course, impeaches the wisdom of God. God declares that His thoughts are higher than man’s thoughts and His ways are above man’s ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). Paul said, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (I Cor. 1:21). God has revealed His words so that “babes” might understand (Luke 10:21). Language is simpler and plainer in the Word of God than in any other literature ever written. Paul said of his preaching to the Corinthians, “my speech and my; preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (I Cor. 2:4-5). We should fear, “lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3).

Opinion of Majority

Many people are also deceived by popular approval and reason that so many people cannot be wrong. If we find any consolation in the approval of numbers, it is because we do not believe Christ. He said, “Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matt. 7:13-14).

Later Revelation

Perhaps, however, there is no false standard that men accept that has led as many astray as the false claim to a “later revelation.” Multiplied millions of the earth have been led into the darkness of Roman Catholicism by the claim that their hierarchy makes that only they can understand the Bible and that revelation is continuing from God to them. Every cardinal doctrine peculiar to Catholicism has come through the church and the priesthood, and much too late to be any part of the Gospel of Christ revealed by the Holy Spirit through the apostles. The historians that are Catholic, writing under the approval and authority of the church, have freely admitted the development of their doctrines and practices through the centuries, and through their councils they are constantly setting forth new doctrines and demands or rulings. If revelation, is continuous and Catholicism is right, then the Word of God is not worth believing and following.

Among these claims to “later and progressive revelation” is the system of Mormonism founded by Joseph Smith upon ,the ridiculous claim that he was led by God to dig up some plates out of the earth and by this means he was given a later revelation-the doctrines of Mormonism. No system of religion, heathen or civilized, has ever been founded upon a more ridiculous myth. Yet it has deceived thousands of people and caused them to reject the Bible. One cannot be a Mormon and believe the Bible. Mormonism is a system of infidelity and it can be easily established from their official writings and publications that they do not believe what the Bible claims for itself.

In addition, other systems founded upon so-called revelations, all of them in direct conflict with the Bible and its claims, are Adventism, Christian Science, and professed “Spirit filled and guided” preachers among denominational bodies. The system of Adventism actually originated in its principal teaching with William Miller, but Ellen G. White came along and claimed that she was caught up into Heaven and many things made known to her, all of which is completely contradictory to what God has revealed in the Bible.

So-called “Christian Science,” though actually it is neither Christian nor scientific, is a system of doctrine given expression by Mary Baker Glover Patterson Eddy. According to her spurious claims, the Bible was a sealed and undisclosed revelation until she appeared with the “Key To The Scriptures.” According to this, and the same is true of all claimed later revelations, until these later revelations came along the truth was not known, though the Bible had been in the world hundreds of years before any of them existed.

It should be apparent that in these fallacious claims to “later and additional revelations” there is a complete rejection of the Word of God. Consider the following facts and then believe, if you can, that the Bible is true, and yet the claims of “later revelations” can also be true.

1. The Holy Spirit was to reveal all truth through the apostles (John 16:13).

2. Divine wisdom and power has furnished us unto all things that pertain to life and Godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

3. The scriptures breathed of God are sufficient and profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness and furnish the men of God thoroughly and perfectly unto every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

4. We are forbidden to go beyond the scriptures ,(2 Cor. 4:13; 1 Cor. 4:6; Gal. 1:6-11, 2 John 9-11; 1 Peter 4:11; Rev. 22:18-19).

5. The faith has been “once’=once for all time to come-delivered to the saints and we must contend earnestly for it (Jude 3).

6. It will be bound in heaven and by it we will be judged in the last day (Matt. 16:19; John 12:48).

7. It is inerrantly inspired both as to word and teaching (1 Cor. 2:10-13).

Conclusion

If what the Bible claims for itself is true, then all human systems are founded and exist only in unbelief of the Bible. If it is not true and its claims are false, then there is nothing worth believing in any system of religion. It is the Bible, only the Bible, and all of the Bible versus all of the creeds and doctrines of men or there is nothing at all. Men must take their choice. Friend, where do you take your stand?

Truth Magazine XIX: 33, pp. 521-522
June, 26, 1975

By William C. Sexton

Having seen that personal evangelism consists of individuals contacting others and telling them the message of Christ as to his love for them and his plan by which they can be saved and having seen that this is a very important activity from the standpoint of the worker and the receiver, we now look at how it is done or the manner in which we may approach this all important activity. For every person who has been awakened to the identity and significance of this activity, there has been a burning desire to know as much as possible about how they can be an effective worker in this. And as the old saying goes, “where there is a will there is a way,” is true here. If one has been sufficiently aroused regarding the great need for this, he is ready to not only receive all the information that is presented to him, he is ready to go to work searching for pertinent information which will aid him in achieving his goal. Thus, if is to this person that we turn our attention, for he who is not really interested will find more than enough excuses (Luke 14:16-24).

1. Preparation-twofold. If one is to be as efficient as he is capable of being, then he must prepare! And when one is dealing in the most valuable merchandise in the universe-the souls of people-then he ought to be as prepared as he can be. However, I believe that many back away and keep on feeling their inadequacy and never really get to doing the work; this must be avoided! It is true that each of us will always feel inadequate for such an important job, if we are really wise as to the true nature of the work. But we must avoid the pitfall of indefinite postponement. Many allow their feeling of inadequacy, their sense of unpreparedness, to keep them waiting until it is too late. Sometimes the Lord prematurely calls them or the person they were wanting to win for Christ home. Do not allow this pitfall to engulf you, beloved.

First, one must know his Bible and how to present it effectively. One may know his Bible quite well and yet not be able to present it effectively to another because he lacks the organization or arrangement of the facts in his mind so as to have command of them. Likewise, he may have just “read” his Bible and thus remembers a lot of “loose-ended” facts but when he talks to a person about them, he “just talks;” he says very little that can be seen as a unit of significant information. He really affirms no real clear proposition with materials to sustain it; he really leaves no clear and concise plan for the person to consider. Therefore, one needs to find the facts, arrange them in his mind so as to be able to draw upon them, and then develop a plan of presentation. As he goes along, he can see if he is departing from the planned journey, and if he finds that he is off the track or has left out something, he can make a correction. But if one does not know where he is going, he cannot possibly tell if he ever gets there or not.

Secondly, one needs to know his people, how they are likely to react, etc., and what a certain reaction indicates. None of us can be so expert on reading other people’s behavior that we can always be absolutely positive that we clearly understand what is behind every act, but we can and should know that people will react in certain ways depending on their character, etc. We will not find all people to be the same (Matt. 13:3-23; Mark 4:2-20; Luke 8:4-15). Some people will not allow the word to penetrate their hearts, having been preconditioned by false doctrine, prejudice, and indifference. Others will receive the word emotionally and quickly but will not have root to stand the sun of hardship. Still others will receive the word and make some progress but then become involved in the cares of this life to the extent that the word of God is choked and they become “unfruitful.” Nevertheless, there are those who will hear the word and allow it to penetrate their hearts and produce understanding and, the heart being “honest” and “good,” will be moved to comply and continue to meet the difficulties of life and beat off the temptations to commit evil; this person will bring forth fruit! This is the person we are looking for. This is the character that we must seek out and communicate the message of salvation.

So, when we have seen the person reject the word, not understanding it, we need to know that such is an indication of the condition of the soil. We. need to remember, I believe, that in time that person’s heart may be softened by events, experiences, and contacts with others. So, we need not write him off until he passes from the scene. However, we need not spend all of our time on such a character when it is clear that he is not so conditioned to be receptive to the word; there are others who are so conditioned. We need to find these and work with them

When one is converted and makes progress but falls away under the stress that is sure to come, we need to un- understand that some will act in this way. We need not accept defeat at the first “fall” because all stumble in their spiritual life and some can be rescued; thus we need to rally to their rescue. However, if we are unsuccessful in our attempts, let us not give up or in; instead, let us face reality and continue to seek out those who are receptive to the word of God, the seed of the kingdom.

So, part of the preparation is being prepared to accept partial success, knowing that there shall be different reactions. The reactions are indicators of the inner condition of the heart, and the inner condition determines whether they will accept or reject the word; their reception or rejection determines the benefit they shall receive from the Grace of God, the death of Christ, and the revelation of the Spirit.

2. Requirements. To be a successful personal evangelist, one must have “heart-power,” plus “head power,” plus “foot-power” (cf. Homer Hailey’s book, Let’s Go Fishing For Men, p. 15). One has to have committed his life to Christ and be putting him “first” (Matt. 6:33; 16:24). Only the person who has come to realize his sinful condition, has seen the terribleness of it, turned to the Lord, and experienced the remission of sins is capable of converting others. He who has had the impact of sin and forgiveness thrust upon him can feel no relief unless he tries to share with others the great relief that he has found. To this person, it is not a “job” to talk to others about their soul, it is something he “must” do.

Heart power, though, is inadequate. Fire can and will provide warmth which is needed when it is controlled but when it is out of control, it, is destructive. So, it is with a heart overflowing with the joys of the forgiveness of sins without some “head-power,” some reasonableness, some real logical thinking. Trying to understand the prospect’s background is essential to being successful in the activity of soul saving. He who will rush into a dangerous situation without recognizing the gravity of it is not wise and manifests no head power but rather a lack of it.

Having a heart overflowing with the joys of salvation, having planned and thought out the best way to approach a person and carry it through, one is still short of the goal: Nothing will take the place of “foot-power.” One still must make the contact, arrange for an appointment, and keep the appointment. Some do well in the first two steps but then fail to complete the chain of steps which are essential to complete the conversion. Foot-power is probably the hardest to deliver. Developing the will to go, and then going is the only chain of events that will be successful.

Thus stated another way, dedication, information, and will are all essential elements of personal evangelism. If one is lacking in any of these departments, he will fail to be a successful soul-saver! These requirements are within the reach of each person who will endeavor to improve himself.

To be continued.

Truth Magazine XIX: 33, pp. 518-519
June 26, 1975

By Cecil Willis

Christians are exhorted to “sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord: being ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness and fear.” One of the fundamental foundations of Christian’s faith is the belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Hence, this article is an effort to explicate the reasons why we as Christians account Jesus as the Son of God. We are undertaking to give a reason for our hope.

Limitations in this Article

It is not the purpose of this article to prove the existence of Christ. Unbelievers and believers alike can join hand in hand in the belief in the existence of the person, Christ. Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, testified to the existence of Christ. He says: “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was (the) Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him of the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the , divine prophets foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are, not extinct at this day” (Antiquities of the Jews, Book XVIII, ch. 3). There are many who question the genuineness of . this passage from Josephus, but it is doubtful if these same individuals would question it, were it a denunciation of Christ. But the existence of Christ is not dependent upon this historical fragment, whether it be genuine or not. If Christ did not exist, if He is a nonentity, someone should explain his unparalleled influence upon mankind for the past nineteen centuries.

Nor are we attempting to prove that Christ was a great man. He certainly was a great man, but He is more than merely a great man. There are some religionists, some churches, who have no higher goal than to elevate Christ to the position of a great man. They attempt to prove he was the world’s greatest teacher, the world’s best philosopher, the world’s most successful psychologist, the world’s noblest moralist. And Christ is all of these. But to leave Christ defined as just the greatest man that ever lived is to leave Him inadequately described. He is also the Son of God! The Christian’s faith in Christ is that he is the Son of God. And therefore we address ourselves to the responsibility of showing some of the reasons why we account Christ as the Son of God.

Prophecy

Man has come to regard historically conditioned proofs as the strongest. Prophecy is founded in history. The prophets were real men who made their predictions in the presence of other men. These prophecies were made centuries before the existence of Christ. The earliest promise of the coming Messiah is made in the first book of the Old Testament, virtually in the beginning of that book. In Gen. 3:14,15, God said to the serpent, “Because thou hast done this (viz., beguiled the woman), cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shaft thou go, and dust shah thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shaft bruise his heel.” Almost every Biblical scholar takes this to be a reference to the coming Christ. Again in Isaiah 9:6, 7, the prophet said: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.” This statement, applicable to Christ Jesus, was made nearly eight hundred years before his birth.

About a century later, the weeping prophet Jeremiah, added to the large number of prophecies concerning the coming Christ, when he said: “Behold, the days come saith Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness” (Jer. 25:5,6).

Many other prophecies could be , quoted from the Old Testament, but space will not permit us to do so. The tribe from which he was to come is foretold (Isa. 11:1); his birth was so carefully depicted in prophecy that the village in which it was to occur is named (Micah 5:1,2); he was to be betrayed by one of those given an office by him (Psa. 69:25); his suffering was described (Isa. 53); and finally his resurrection (Psa. 16), and ascension were declared in prophetical statements (Daniel 7:13, 14), all, made hundreds of years prior to their occurrence. Altogether, there were approximately three hundred details of the life and work of Christ foretold by the divinely inspired prophets.

When we turn to the New Testament, and see the record of the conflict between belief and unbelief, we see the importance Christ attached to the Old Testament prophecies in substantiating his claims. On one occasion, when speaking to a group of Jews, he said, “Ye search the scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me” (Jn. 5:39). They were searching the Old Testament scriptures, for these were all they had at the time Jesus made this statement, and he said “these bear witness of me.” So confident was Jesus of the fact that prophecy established his identity as the Son of God that he told them they could not accept the Old Testament without accepting him. He said, “For if ye believed Moses, ye would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (Jn. 5:46, 47). They were logically impelled either to accept Moses and Christ, or to deny both; the people to whom Jesus spoke were in the inconsistent position of trying to accept Moses, but deny the One of whom he spoke. So prophecy is one of the strongest foundations of Christian’s faith in the deity of Christ.

Virgin Birth

For Jesus to be the Son of God as we believe the Scriptures teach he is, he must have been born of a virgin. His virgin birth is the second proof or reason we offer to support our faith in his divine sonship. The virgin birth of Christ was a subject of prophecy. In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet said, “Therefore . the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Since the Revised Standard Version was released in 1952, considerable discussion has been devoted to the meaning of the word “virgin” in this passage. Of course, the discussion centered around the meaning of the Hebrew word so translated. Isa. 7:14 is not the only time this word occurs. It is also used in Deut. 22: 23, 24, a passage in which it unquestionably refers to a virgin, one who has never known man. So this other Old Testament usage should indicate that the word is properly translated with the English word “virgin” in Isaiah’s prophecy. He was telling us that Jesus was to be born of a virgin. Notice also that Isaiah said the birth of Jesus would be a “sign.” What would be the significance in a young woman, even a young married woman, bearing a son? There would be nothing extraordinary in such a happening. But if a maiden, who was a virgin, should bear a son, this would be a “sign” such as God promised, by which mankind could recognize the Messiah. In Matt. 1:23, the inspired writer quoted Isaiah’s prediction, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son.” So Jesus’ birth was to be an extraordinary event. There was never any birth before like it, or since.

If Jesus was not born of a virgin, he was born of a human father, and a human mother. Therefore, he would be wholly human. And if wholly human, he would not be divine in any sense, and certainly could not be called the Son of God. If he was but a man, born of human parents, then he is not the world’s greatest man. For Jesus taught that He was the Son of God, born of a virgin. If he was not so born, his teachings concerning himself, as well as those of his disciples, were untruths. But because of his virgin birth, we believe him to be the Son of God.

Miracles

Yet another thing that causes us to believe in the deity of Christ is his works. We mean by these “works” the miracles performed by Christ. Jesus Christ was willing to stake the truthfulness of his claims upon this one point alone. He said, “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do them, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father” (Jn. 10:37, 38).. We read an instance of the public’s response to the works performed by Christ when we read the account of Nicodemus coming to Christ. He believed on Christ because of the miracles he performed. He said, “we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him” (Jn. 3:2). The apostle John emphasized that the miracles done by Christ should make us believers. He said, “Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name” (Jn. 20:30, 31). When one contemplates His miracles, he knows they were not the works of a mere man. He walked on water, healed lepers, made the dumb to speak, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, the blind to see, stopped storms, cast out demons. None of these are the works of man, but are the result of divine power.

Resurrection

The climactic event, proving to us the divinity of Christ, was his triumphant ascension from the grave. When Jesus was yet alive, He promised His disciples, that even though He were to die on the cross, He would rise again. He predicted the truthfulness of His claims, and teaching, upon the fact that He would rise from the dead. No other teacher, before or afterwards, has made such a claim. No founder of any religion, save Christ, has been willing to base the truthfulness of His claims upon His ability to come from the grave. They dare not! In Matt. 16, Jesus said the gates of Hades would not prevail against the building of His Church. He meant that He was going into the tomb, and even though His church could not have been built when this event came to pass, nevertheless he would accomplish His promises. He came forth to do what he said he would do.

We have the witness of both His friends and His enemies that He actually died on the cross. Afterwards we have the unwavering testimony of above five hundred brethren that He had come from the grave. The apostle John mentioned the intimacy with which he and others had known the Lord. He said, “That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life” (1 John 1:1). They knew Him well before His death, and then they did all of these things with him; closely associated with Him, after His resurrection. So we do have good historical proof that Jesus was raised from the dead. Paul says that Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4). So His resurrection is conclusive proof that he was God’s Son, for if He was raised, and He was, then God had to raise Him. So by the resurrection He was shown to be the Son of God with power.

The prophecies He fulfilled, His virgin birth, His works, and His resurrection are a few of the more outstanding reasons why we recognize Him as the Son of God. And recognizing Him to be God’s Son with all authority, we humbly submit to His will in all matters.

Truth Magazine XIX: 33, pp. 515-517
June 26, 1975

By Franklin Burns

“And when they had appointed for them elders in every church . . .” (Acts 14:23). The passage before us contains the earliest mention of the appointment of elders, yet these were by no means the first elders appointed. ‘Paul and Barnabas, when sent to Jerusalem with a contribution for the poor saints, delivered it to “the elders” (Acts 11:30). This shows that there were elders in the churches in Judea. Titus was left in Crete that he might set in order the things that were omitted, and appoint elders in every city (Titus 1:5). James took it for granted that the churches he addressed ordinarily had elders, by directing in his general epistle, that the sick should call for the elders of the church, to pray for them and anoint them with oil, with a view to their recovery (James 5:14). Several congregations that have been established for years still do not have elders. In view of Bible teaching on elders the situation points up the need for more serious concern in many places.

This is a curious situation, and is approximately equal to claiming that we have business but no managers, or organizations without leaders. Such things just do not happen, but are caused by sinful neglect (in all cases where qualified men exist but are not appointed, or where no effort is made to develop qualified men). Two equally bad situations exist among such churches: (1) Some such congregations have what we may call “acting elders,” whether or not we acknowledge the truth of their eldership. These congregations have men functioning as elders; it does not make a particle of difference (from a practical standpoint) if we give them the title elders or not. From a religious standpoint it does matter.

(2) In many churches, no one “takes hold” or “acts” on matters which need attention. Many functions of the local church are crippled or totally neglected. Try as we will, we cannot effectively get around troublesome passages such as Acts 14:23 and Titus 1:5. As usual the Bible condemns our arrangements whenever we try to do things our way rather than follow scriptural commands and examples.

Churches in the first situation described above have often had men who guided and oversaw the congregations down through the years. These men are elders (in practice) in every sense of the word, and sometimes good ones, too. Their leadership is accepted almost without question by the congregation. The only thing lacking is the formal acknowledgment that these men are elders and have been carrying ‘on the business of that high calling for years. Why are they not scripturally appointed and recognized? That is a good question, but unfortunately there is no ready answer. The simplest and most painful answer would most likely be the rebelliousness of the congregation and its stiff-necked determination not to give in to clear scriptural authority. The congregation has decided that elders are not needed and prefer to operate without them. They seem to think “we have always gotten along without appointing elders, so why should we do so now?” It would appear that the congregations in question do not consider 1 Pet. 5:2 to be very important and have agreed to ignore that and other annoying passages.

When we refuse to follow divine commands on the eldership, we are crippling the church and therefore depriving ourselves of the divine, plan for carrying out our primary mission: to carry the gospel to the world. All other functions of the church are impaired, too when God’s plan and wisdom are not respected. If a congregation has qualified men but no elders or is making no effort to develop them, then that congregation is to that extent in error.

Not only do we need to study this subject, a lot of us need to do something about it. How much longer can this or that congregation go hobbling along in direct disobedience to the Lord’s command? It is strange that we are so sensitive about some errors, and so willing to accept others with nonchalance. We would disfellowship a man for playing an instrument of music when we are singing praises to God. We are not nearly so excited about men taking over the flock and being “lords over God’s heritage” (1 Pet. 5:3) without any scriptural authority for their actions. ,When we encourage or allow men to “take hold” of positions and functions without the divine method of appointment, we are encouraging them to “take hold” also of authority beyond that intended by, God even for scriptural elders. In other words, such men are likely to become tyrants or dictators, as the sad experience of some churches show. The Lord has commanded that congregation’s be led by elders and has gone into detail as to the qualifications of such men. We can see and know those within our congregation who possess the traits that fit men to be overseers of God’s people.

What must an elder be? See 2 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-14. Those qualifications may displease and disappoint many of us. That is too bad, because the Lord provided them. As a people we always have a number of reasons ready to explain our shortcomings, and no doubt there are numerous explanations as to how a congregation can follow the Bible and still have ‘elders who are unseen and unknown. Nevertheless, He does not leave any convenient loop-holes. We must approach the study of these scriptures with the conviction that they are “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We realize that an appeal to the scriptures for our authority carries very little weight with those who do not regard the scriptures as inspired of God, hence, our concern and efforts are directed toward those who receive “the word of the message not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13).

Truth Magazine XIX: 33, p. 514
June 26, 1975