Truth Magazine

By Jeffery Kingry

A wise man once said, “A man’s character is the sum of all the decisions he has made in his life.” When we discuss character, and what makes people what they are, we overlook this simple fact. Have you ever wondered why some people are nothing while folks from the same background somehow turn out to be just the opposite. I believe the answer lies not in man’s environment or his genetic makeup, but in each man himself.

When I was a child a next door neighbor had a Japanese “pinball” machine. A lever was cocked and released and a small steel ball the size of a pea was launched up in the air to come clattering down, bouncing and careening off hundreds of little pins that changed the direction of the ball-till finally it came to rest in one of several cups placed about the interior of the machine. The object of the game was to hit the “jackpot” cup: the hardest cup to reach, right in the middle of the board, guarded on all sides by the pins of destiny. The “way” into the cup was barely large enough for the steel ball to pass. It would be no accident if the ball went in. We used to sit for hours, fascinated with the infinite variety of ways the ball would find to bounce down. On the rare occasion that the ball would hit the “jackpot” cup, we would painstakingly try to recreate the way that we had done it.

In a way, this is how life is. Only it is not the law of probability that determines whether we reach the “jackpot,” but the either-or choices we make day by day. The response we make to each decision we must make determines which way we are going to “bounce.” Every soul receives the same initial shot into the arena of life. All are confronted with the same “pins of destiny”: decisions that must be made. Life is lived a second at a time. Every man is confronted with choices-the responses of man to those choices makes him what he is. `Lot chose him all the plains of Jordan” (Gen. 13:11). Lot’s character was not fully formed when he stood with his uncle surveying the land seeking to make a choice where to pitch his tents. But the loss and sorrow he saw years later when his substance was destroyed, his wife dead, his sons and daughters gone, his youngest daughters corrupted and pregnant through incest, started when he made that first selfish decision to take the “best part” from Abraham. He chose the plain-he chose to pitch his tent towards Sodom-he chose to live in Sodom. Lot’s character developed in the opposite direction of Abraham.

Joshua knew the power of the right choice in determining character, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Josh. 24:15)! Our day by day choices make us what we are. So often we see a young person who walks the edge of what is right. She begins to wear her skirt shorter, her makeup thicker, her sweater tighter. The choices are made, the character is formed and before long she is lost to the Lord and her-family. Any who have eyes to see have witnessed it. The young man who is silently sullen, who uses “little deceits” to conceal his actions from those who might rebuke him. His parents and brethren might jokingly chide him about his long hair or the hickey on his neck. They are hurt and wonder “why?” when he grows to be a man that has no use for morality or godly living.

Responsibility Is Respond-Abiiity

Jay Adams in his book Competent To Counsel noted, “What is responsibility? Responsibility is the ability to respond as God says man should respond to every life situation, in spite of difficulties.” God declares that every man will be judged according to his deeds whether they be good or evil. This implies respond-ability in man. Man cannot approach God with his sins and seek to justify them by minimizing them, by imputing them to others, by blaming environment or circumstances. Man is responsible. He doesn’t have to sin. Every man has the ability to make right choices according to God’s word. “There hath no temptation taken you but such is common to man: But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able: but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13).

Each time we make a decision to do evil we step away from God and bend our character in the direction of Satan. Very many steps in the wrong direction produces a character more like the Devil than God. In the church we see brethren that ignore such passages as Matt. 5:23, 24 and Matt. 18:11-17 and let their brethren die in sin. The responsible Christian goes to his brother to change his behavior. Brethren who ignore sin in their own lives or the lives of others will reap the eternal consequences. What we are, and what we will be is determined by the choices we make now. Do we stand with God, or do we stand alone. What is your choice?

Truth Magazine XIX: 32, pp. 509-510
June 19, 1975

By Daniel H. King

I heard the phrase that heads this article at a football game a few years ago. It was shouted by a fan (obviously cheering for the winning side) to a group of agitated fans who were bemoaning the outcome of the game. How apropos that little sentence was! Anyone who participates in or watches an athletic contest should be quite aware that both teams cannot win. Somebody must walk off the field a loser. And, if one cannot enter the contest with the intention of being a “good sport” whether they win or lose, then they ought to stay out of the contest. It’s a matter of mental preparation, not necessarily for defeat, but for the possibility of defeat and a resignation as to how one will act when mere possibility becomes reality. To put it in the words of the unwitting sage: “If you can’t stand the heat: then get out of the kitchen.” Kitchens get hot, and games have losers. Those are simple facts of life, and those who cannot cope with reality should not place themselves in positions where their genuineness will potentially manifest itself.

But that phrase has more applicability than just to kitchens and sports. It may also be applied to the Christian life. Many people become Christians thinking that the life of the Christian will be a proverbial “bowl of cherries,” with its, consummation in heaven. And, after a few short bouts with the devil and temptation they go down for the count. When they find out that living the Christian life is, in reality, a daily contest with the devil and evil and that the church is full of fallible human beings like themselves, then they head for the kitchen door- the heat is too much! People need to go into the Christian life with a realistic view of what it is and will be like. The chances for spiritual longevity will be so much better if this is the case. Temptation will not cease when we become Christians, in fact, it may even get worse. I would imagine if I were the devil that I would not spend a great deal of my precious time on the terribly wicked, instead I would center my attentions upon those who spurned my powers. However, the evil one cannot tempt beyond our ability to resist (1 Cor. 10:13), and he will be forced to flee if he is resisted (James 4:7). Instead of despairing at temptation, the child of God ought to heed the advice of James, “Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations; knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:2,3). In addition, a healthy view of our fellow Christians will serve to make being a Christian more feasible. Very often we hear of people young in the faith being unsettled or even discouraged to the point of giving up, either by troubles in the church or by ungodly attitudes and actions on the part of those who ought to know and do better. Paul met immorality, hostility, division, hypocrisy, heresy, and personal rejection in the church at Corinth, yet the grand apostle was able to open his epistle with the words, “I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:4). Paul could have been overcome by the perversity of the Corinthians and thrown up his hands in despair. But he did not. He did his best to save their souls and his own and did not lose heart. Have any of us ever worshiped with brethren as spiritually bereft as the Corinthians? Even if we have, we still have no reason to give up and quit. Perhaps to worship elsewhere, and certainly to raise a cry in opposition to iniquity, but never to quit serving Christ. It is going to get hot in a kitchen, and it is going to be tough being a Christian, but we should neither give up cooking because of the heat, nor give up serving the Lord because it is sometimes hard.

Again, this pointed little maxim has its application for those of us who preach the gospel, as well. How many of us run into a little turbulence in a congregation, face hardship, or fail in some respect or another and throw up our hands in surrender? “I’ll just quit preaching. There are plenty of other ways to make a living without putting up with such and such.” Without mentioning the mercenary sound of such talk, we might simply recollect the veteran preacher Paul’s counsel to Timothy, “Be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry” (2 Tim. 4:5). No, preaching is not a picnic, and there are certainly times when the brethren can be a far cry from angelic, but that should not keep us from making due application of this admonition to ourselves. Little confidence should be placed in us as preachers if we are always crying, complaining, quitting, going to quit, or are constantly “on the limb” from trouble in churches where we have preached. If we cannot stand the heat, then we need to get out of the kitchen.

Truth Magazine XIX: 32, pp. 508-509
June 19, 1975

By Larry Ray Hafley

Question:

From Indiana: “Hebrews 11:5 states Enoch was translated that he should not see death, but Hebrews 11:13 states that all of these (I assume this to include Enoch also) died in faith. Could you possibly explain in your column this apparent contradiction?”

Reply:

Here is a case where an acknowledged assumption would make one verse cross another. So, why the assumption? The Hebrew writer says Enoch did not see death. He lists others who did-Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sara, Isaac, Jacob. Obviously, then, when he says “these all died in faith” he has reference to the ones who died and not to the exception which he himself lists.

Milligan’s Comments

Robert Milligan, in his commentary on Hebrews, addresses himself to this very question.

“. . . But of whom lea the Apostle here speak? Who are the `all’ who died in faith? Some, as Oecumenlua, Theophylact, and Prlmasius, think that our author refers here to the aforesaid faithful antediluvian Patriarchs, as well as to the postdlluvian. But in this they are manifestly to error. The context makes it quite obvious, that only Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob are included In this remark. They are the persons who received the promises (Gal. 3:161, and who might have returned to their fatherland had they been Inclined to do so. But they all preferred remaining as strangers and pilgrims to Cancan, because their hearts were set on the heavenly country into which they hoped to enter soon.

“Not having received the promises; What promises? Manifestly not the verbal promises; for these they did receive (Gal. 3:16): but the word `promises’ (epangVai) is used here to denote the things promised. These they did not receive during their earthly pilgrimage; they only saw them afar off, and `greeted them as the wanderer greets his longed-for home, even when be comes in sight of h at a distance; drawing to himself, as it were, magnetically and embracing, with inward love, that which is yet star off:” (Robert Milligan, Commentary on Hebrews, p. 400).

As Milligan suggests, Enoch was not a part of those who received the promises. Look at verse 15. “And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.” To whom does “they” refer? It does not include Enoch. He was not the one who was called out of Chaldea (Gen. 12:1-4; Heb. 11:8).

Conclusion

Admittedly, there are difficulties in some Biblical texts that we might not know as much about as we would like to know. However, let us remember that God is right, and His word is eternal. Let us be slow to charge those who were moved by the Spirit with writing error. We may unwittingly charge the Lord with mistakes in so doing. Examine, study, question and seek to learn more about what you do not understand. It is good that our querist has submitted this question, but let us all approach such questions with a deep reverence for the greatness of our God.

Truth Magazine XIX: 32, pp. 507-508

June 19, 1975

By Roy E. Cogdill

Standards are essential in our complex way of life today. Standards of weight, measurement, time, exchange, etc., eliminate confusion and uncertainty and simplify life for us. They are essential. But by what right and by whom are they established? For each to try to establish his own destroys any sort of standardization. Standards cannot be established by independent groups within the people for they would still vary so much that there would be no standard at all. There is but one way by which standards can be established and receive recognition and that is the function of government –authority-to prescribe the standards by which we are to live.

Each government has the authority and right to establish the standards by which its subjects are to live. They vary from country to country. In Canada, for example, a gallon measurement requires the equivalent of five American quarts. Their quarts, gallons, etc., are a fourth larger than ours in the United States. Why is this true? For the reason that they conduct their own affairs, under their own government, they have the right to establish the standards for their country even as we do for ours.

Religious Authority

Religious standards, however, cannot be determined by political power, or human wisdom, or authority. Religion is man’s relationship with God and is therefore regulated by the authority of God and not man. This is the dividing line between truth and error, divine and human authority. Jesus prescribed that it should be so.

In Matt. 16 when Jesus raised the question, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am,” his disciples replied, “Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.” This shows that confusion existed among the people as to the identity of Jesus and that they were divided in their opinions, as men always are. One of these opinions among the people was just as good as any of the rest,but none of them was any good at all for they were all wrong. Human doctrines in religious or spiritual matters are always wrong. “The way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jer. 10:23). Jesus said, “Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:6-9). Human doctrines and ways always conflict with the will and Word of God and make our religion vain.

Again, Jesus, when he was confronted with a challenge by the chief priests and elders of the people in the temple who demanded, “By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?”, drew the line again on the question of authority at exactly the same point-between what God says and what man says. In his reply he raised the question, “The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or men?” The universe is God’s domain and man is his creation. Sovereignty belongs to Jehovah and He, alone, has the right to rule over the hearts and lives of men and women. We are responsible to Him and accountable to Him. Our salvation depends upon pleasing Him. We must be directed, therefore, by His will and His Word.

The Standard: God’s Word

The only common denominator in religious affairs is the Word of God. It is the sole standard by which the truth of anything religiously can be determined. Until men are willing to recognize and be governed by it, there will be no end to confusion. False standards are commonly relied upon and they deceive and mislead us. Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” This is the one and only standard by which truth can be determined.

Man’s Intelligence

Sometimes men brush the Word of God aside with “But I think thus and so.” They make of their own intellect an idol and reject God when they thus reject His Word. God has not left the thinking up to us, nor are we indeed capable of doing it. God has done the thinking and left it to us to believe! This does not mean that the religion of Christ is unreasonable but that it is unreasoning. We walk by faith and not by the way things seem to us! (2 Cor. 5:7).

Then, often, people want to rely on their feelings. This writer talked with a man and his wife a short time ago, who wanted to testify that they had the Spirit of God dwelling within them and they could tell it by the way they felt. They would not be led by the Spirit through what the Spirit has revealed as the truth in God’s Word. Every passage of scripture offered, they brushed aside and wanted to disprove it’s testimony by their testimony as to what they felt. This is both unreasoning and unreasonable and certainly nullifies faith in the Word of God and the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Those who have the Spirit of Christ, and are therefore His, must walk, live, be led by the Spirit and this evidences that the Spirit dwells in them and that they are “in the Spirit and not in the flesh” (Rom. 8:116). Personal feelings could justify anything believed or done by anyone, heathen or Christian, if the individual was sincere.

Inherited Religion

Many others want to reject God’s standard of truth-His Word-in favor of their inherited tradition in religion. They are sure that the religion of their fathers is also good enough for them and they hesitate not to turn away from the plain declarations of the Word of God to’ stay with what their fathers and mothers taught them. This is ancestor worship, and destroys faith in God and His Word. This means that whatever religion one inherits from his fathers is true and right, whether it is Buddhism, Hinduism, Mohammedism, Catholic or Protestant. Acceptance of inherited religion as authoritative would cause one to conclude that the Jews are justified in their rejection of Christ as the Son of God, the promised Messiah, because their fathers did not believe in Him. No one could ever learn any better or be any better than his ancestors, if such a course is to be accepted.

Church Infallibility

Catholics believe that the church is superior in authority to the Word of God. The church is first in authority to them. Their traditions are next and the Word of God ranks with them below both of these. This makes it impossible to get them to recognize the truth until they can be taught that authority is not in the church, man, or human traditions, but in God and His Word. In discussing religion with Catholics, this writer has found it impossible to get anywhere until they are willing to listen to what the Bible plainly says. There must be a common denominator or there cannot be unity. Those who do not believe in Catholicism will not accept the dictum of their hierarchy, the voice of the church, or their human tradition, and Catholics will not accept the Bible. So with such an attitude, there is a stalemate until the Word of God can be established as the sole source of authority and the one and only standard of religion.

Truth Magazine XIX: 32, pp. 506-507
June 19, 1975