Truth Magazine

By Luther Blackmon

In Romans 1: 14 Paul wrote, “I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians; both to the wise and to the unwise.” Paul did not mean that the Greeks and Barbarians had done anything for him personally that placed him under obligation to them. But God had done something for him that had placed him under obligation to all men-to men of all nations.

We have sometimes heard a fellow referred to as a “self-made man.” This is a gross exaggeration. Some have to work harder than others to achieve their goals. But no one is the product, solely, of his own making. If he were, he would be an inferior product. Since Dr. Steele gave me my first spanking and started me breathing that good Texas air, I have both needed and received help. And there are many people, both living and dead, to whom I am debtor.

I am debtor to my parents first of all, and for many reasons. It was through them, of course, that God gave me this earthly life. My parents have long since departed this life, but to some extent parents continue to live in their children, long after they are gone. There are only two of us left now: My brother Hollis, who lives in Houston, and I. Our parents were of the old school that thought children should not only respect their parents, but any older person. I cannot remember having answered either of my parents, when they called me, with what! I said Sir, when Papa called me, and Maam, when Mamma called. It may sound trivial to some, but it was just one of those rules that taught me and the other children to respect authority beginning with our parents. Pardon me if I seem presumptuous, but I feel certain that if such rules had been laid down and enforced by the parents of this generation, there would be at least a minimum of “loud-mouths”, and “vulgar -show-offs” on the streets and campuses now.

I am debtor to my school-teachers. Due to circumstances in my family, I had to quit school in the ninth grade. My father became semi invalid. But, even so, I had several school teachers. They likewise taught us respect for others, and particularly for school teachers, who were not only older than we, but who, in their position, should have the respect of the students. And they enforced these rules. When they could not enforce them, there was somebody who could. I have seen big, husky boys, almost grown, grab the switch out of the teacher’s hand, when she started to whip him, break it in pieces and throw it down. But it didn’t end there. The father of Mr. Big shot then came into the picture, and sonny boy had to stand and let that little girl school teacher whip him until she was ready to quit. But a goodly number of these boys grew up to be responsible men at Bald Prairie, Texas where all this took place. After I started preaching I went there for meetings two consecutive years, and baptized 58 people. Some of them were boys who had felt the teacher’s switch and had to say “Maam” instead of “what.”

I do not think that there is a great deal wrong in this country today that could not have been prevented if the Casper-Milquetoast law makers and law enforcers, and parents whose children can hardly do anything bad, had imbibed a little more of the spirit of the old fashioned parents and school-teachers.

The greatest debt that I or anyone else owes however is that which we owe to God our Creator and to Christ our Redeemer. If we fail in everything we undertake to accomplish in this life, except to live and die in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall have been eminently successful. “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mt. 16:26)

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 24, p. 2
April 20, 1972

By Darwin Kerr

The Christian in the world! – The very core of the plan of God. The Christian – Divinities’ creation to exhibit the wisdom of Heaven before the denizens of doubt, disbelief and darkness. The Christian – God’s new creation, on which rests His final hope for accomplishing His purposes and receiving the homage that is His due.

God’s first work in the garden miserably failed Him. The antediluvian fared even worse. The postdiluvian was likewise a terrible disappointment.

God then made choice of a people to wear His name and justify the hope and confidence placed in them. But when they, “being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own…. did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God” (Rom. 10: 3), then He had another failure on His hands.

But because God so loved the world He thought within Himself: “I will send my son unto them, surely they will reverence my son” (Matt. 21:37). In him will I make my final effort to create a being worthy to stand before the world as my trusted servant and honorable representative to win the world for me (Matt. 28:19, 20). I will demonstrate to the world the value I place upon this new creation by spending Heaven’s greatest treasure to purchase him – the precious blood of my only begotten son (Jno. 3:16). To gain the love, trust and service of my new creation I will withhold from him nothing. I will grant to him now in this time a hundredfold and in the world to come eternal fife (Mark 10: 30). Above all I will adopt him into my family and he shall be unto me as sons and daughters. My only begotten son shall call him ‘brother'” (Gal. 4:5; 2 Cor. 6:18; Heb. 2:11).

And here he stands, the Christian, God’s crowning creation, His last hope for conquering the world.

But look at the world! Over three-fourths of its land area is under atheistic communist rule. God has been banned from the public schools and evolution is taught as fact. Statistic makers tell us that 1 out of 6 young women exchanging marriage vows is pregnant. Last year in Harris County, of which Houston is the county seat, 1out of every 1.26 marriages ended in divorce. Alcohol, drugs, pornography and hippyism is so common among all classes of such a permissive society that not even an eyebrow is lifted at such. High government officials are under indictment for wrong-doing while rebellion and anarchy seem the order of the day. Wars and rumors of wars are the foremost news stories.

Can we truthfully say the Christian is succeeding where his counterpart of, by-gone days has failed? Nay, verily!!

Brethren, I’m on a low limb. If someone can see a bright spot on the horizon, will you please write an article pointing it out? I am not speaking about my personal feelings. I’m an optimist and my faith is not weak. I am talking about the “here and now” situation, the Christian in today’s world. Is there any hope that he will succeed or has he already succeeded? Is he accomplishing God’s will upon earth or is he failing to get the job done?

These are serious questions and are asked in all seriousness. Can you answer them?

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 23, pp. 9-10
April 13, 1972

By Irvin Himmel

The doctrine of apostolic succession is, broadly speaking, the idea that all the apostles of Christ were to have men succeed them in their office down through the centuries.

Some religious bodies claim succession, not by an unbroken chain reaching back to the first century, but by a restoration of the apostleship based on special revelation. The Latter Day Saints (Utah), the Reorganized Church (Missouri), and the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) claim that their “apostles” are the true successors to the apostolic office, yet each disputes the claim made by the others.

Such groups as Roman Catholics, Orthodox Churches, and Anglicans maintain that their “bishops” are the true successors to the apostolic office. Obviously, someone is wrong.

The word “apostle” (apostolos in Greek) occurs 79 times in the New Testament. It means “a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders” (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, p. 68). It applies to “One sent as a messenger or agent, the bearer of a commission (Analytical Greek Lexicon, p. 47). In John 13: 16 the word is translated, “he that is sent.”

The New Testament speaks of “apostles” in at least three different senses:

(1) Of God. Jesus was sent into the world by the Father (John 17:18), therefore is referred to as “the Apostle” of our profession (Heb. 3: 1). Just as Moses was commissioned of God to lead the nation of Israel, Jesus was sent into the world to save the lost.

(2) Of Christ. The twelve were chosen and sent forth by Jesus Christ (Matt. 10: 1, 5). In the selection of Matthias, the Lord’s choice was made known by the lot (Acts- 1: 24). Paul was chosen by Christ in a special appearance (Acts 26:15-18; I Cor. 15:8).

(3) Of Local Churches. Paul and Barnabas were sent out by the church at Antioch in accordance with directions given by the Spirit (Acts 13:1-3). They reported back to that church (Acts 14:27). They were styled “apostles” (Acts 14:4, 14) because they were messengers or missionaries sent forth by the church at Antioch. Paul was an apostle of Christ as well as an apostle of the church. Epaphroditus was a messenger (apostle) of the church at Philippi (Phil. 2:25). In 2 Cor. 8:23 the messengers (apostles) under consideration were men chosen and sent out by local churches.

It is a serious mistake to suppose that the apostles or messengers of the individual congregations were successors to the apostles of Christ.

James the Lord’s brother may have been an apostle either of Christ or of the church at Jerusalem, or both. Some Bible students think the word “brother” in Gal. 1: 19 is used in the’ sense of “kinsman” and that this is James the son of Alpheus. Macknight advances this position. Others think that “brother” is to be taken literally and that he was called an apostle because he was a “pillar” in the church at Jerusalem (Gal. 2:9). Vincent says (Word Studies, Vol. 4, P. 91), “James is counted as an apostle, though not reckoned among the twelve.” There is absolutely nothing said about his being a “successor” to anybody.

It is true that Matthias was chosen to fill the ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell. However, the selection of a replacement for Judas prior to the establishment of the church does not prove that all the apostles were to have successors after the establishment of the church. The Bible says nothing about a “quorum” being kept complete, and there is not the slightest evidence that Paul was chosen to succeed anyone.

No one could be an apostle of Christ without being a witness of the risen Lord. This qualification is stressed in Acts 1:21, 22. Paul appealed to his having seen Jesus as proof of his apostleship (I Cor. 9:1; 15:8). An essential function of the apostolic office was bearing witness for Christ (John 15:27; Acts 1:8; 26:16). A “witness” is one who testifies about what he has seen and heard. Another witness might testify along the same line, but by the nature of the case, a witness could not have a successor as a witness. A man testifying in court might step down and another witness replace him on the stand, but the court would not admit one who has seen and heard nothing but who claims to be the “successor” of one who has testified. The men of our generation who claim to be “successors” to the apostles have not seen the risen Lord.

Another essential function of the apostles of Christ was revealing the truth. Jesus promised his apostles that the Spirit would guide them, into “all truth” (John 16:13). Peter affirmed that they were given “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1: 3). What they were taught, they wrote by inspiration (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). Since they were guided into all truth and that truth is preserved in the scriptures, men who believe and follow the scriptures are being guided by the apostles. It is just as important that we continue steadfastly “in the apostles doctrine” today as it was for believers, in the first century (Acts 2:42). The apostles of Christ performed a work of witnessing and revealing truth which is passed down to our day, not by succession in office, but through the infallible record of the New Testament.

If it be argued that apostles are needed today to oversee an ever-expanding church, I would remind the reader that the work of oversight is assigned to the elders (also called bishops or pastors) in the local churches (Acts 20:17,28; Tit. 1: 5; 1 Pet. 5:1-5).

Apostolic succession is a basic belief and regarded as highly important to Roman Catholics. James Cardinal Gibbons wrote, “Not only is it required that ministers of the Gospel should conform their teaching to the doctrine of the Apostles, but also that these ministers should be ordained and commissioned by the Apostles or their legitimate successors” (The Faith of Our Fathers, p. 33). Hundreds of religionists claim to be “legitimate successors” to the apostles of Christ, but they were not chosen by the Lord, they have not seen the risen Lord, and they do not teach what the apostles taught as revealed in the New Testament. Paul described such men in 2 Cor. 11:13.

“Few things have been more injurious to the cause of Christianity than the assumption on the part of ordinary office-bearers in the Church of the peculiar prerogatives of the holy apostles of our Lord Jesus “(Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature by M’clintock & Strong, Vol. 1, p. 311).

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 23, pp. 7-9
April 13, 1972

By John A. Welch

We can learn as much from the Lords parables by studying them in sets, as we can by looking at them individually. Indeed, we can often lose much of the Lord’s lesson by failing to consider the parables, as He taught them, in a consecutive order as a group. We will look two of the Lord’s series of parables.

The first, which we will consider largely by way of example, is in Luke 15. These are three similar parables of restoration, which the Lord uses to teach our various roles and responsibilities in restoring the lost. First, is the individual lost through his own ignorance, sough out by the shepherd, and returned. This is our basic responsibility for returning the lost. Next is the woman who finds the money which she has inadvertently misplaced. This emphasizes a greater responsibility for us to restore those who have been lost through our action, and perhaps little, or none of their own. Finally, the story of the personal responsibility of the individual to seek his own restoration. Thus, to have studied these parables separately would have been revealing, but when compared and contrasted as the Lord obviously intended for them to be, the lesson they teach is certainly a more comprehensive one of responsibility for losing and returning.

My failure to consider these parables in sets kept me from understanding, for some time, another of the Lord’s parables. This series is in Matthew 13:44-52. For some time, I considered that the first two parables in this series were precisely the same with a few different words. However, the idea that the Lord would needlessly repeat the same example in so short a space seemed pointless to me. They are not the same example at all.

The key to these parables lies in noticing what the Lord uses as His example of the kingdom. In the first parable the kingdom is the treasure which we may find, and should then be willing to give all for it. In the second parable, though, the kingdom is not the pearl, which corresponds to the treasure of the first parable, but the Lord states that in this parable the kingdom is the man who is searching. This is a complete reversal of the parable before, although the example is basically the same. Thus, just as we search and purchase the kingdom, so does the Lord look for those servants who are of great price to Him; and we know that He was willing to give His all to make us citizens of that kingdom.

We can find this lesson elsewhere in the Scriptures. In Luke 19:9, we find that Jesus came not only to save the lost, but to seek them out as well. In John 4:23, we are told that the Father is seeking those who are willing to worship Him in “spirit and truth.” As followers of Christ, our role was not to be merely the passive saving of those that stumble upon the truth, but an active search for those who would love the Lord.

To complete the series, though, the next parable suggests that all that is caught will not be worthy of that supreme sacrifice and thus, will be destroyed or thrown back. This is similar to the parable of the tares, as well as Paul’s statements in I Corinthians 3:12-15. There, some would build on the foundation precious metals and stones, things that would endure, while others would build things that the trial would destroy. How many of us have wasted precious time and years in fields which are of no value, casting our pearls before swine?

First lesson: We should first find for ourselves that treasure, the Lord’s true kingdom. Second lesson: Then as citizens of that kingdom let us serve Him, who has paid the purchase for them, in the search for other pearls of value. Third lesson: Let us not waste valuable time catching fish of no value to Jesus, but diligently and fervently press that real treasure and those valuable pearls ever more closely to our breast.

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 23, pp. 6-7
April 13, 1972