Truth Magazine

Churches Bar Straight Marriages in Ban Protest

“Nashville (AP) — Suzanne Prince married Hunter Allen at a friend’s home. That wasn’t the plan, but the couple had no choice because their church — Edgehill United Methodist doesn’t allow marriage ceremonies.

“The Edgehill congregation decided that until the United Methodist Church allows gay marriages, no marriage cer- emonies of any kind will be performed in their chapel.

“‘If the United Methodist Church wasn’t going to allow gay people to get married in the church, I agree that straight people shouldn’t either,’ said Prince, who’s been married nine months.

“. . . The National Council of Churches has no information on how many individual churches perform gay marriage ceremonies, or refuse to allow traditional marriages to protest bans on gay marriages.

“Edgehill’s policy was drafted when a pastor in Atlanta was disciplined for blessing a homosexual couple’s wedding, said Kathryn Mitchem, who chaired Edgehill’s Administra- tive Council that adopted the policy.

“‘We didn’t feel we were taking something away, more that we were making a public witness to the denomination,’ she said.

“. . . ‘By every standard we know, marriage is a union of a male and a female, made valid in the sight of God by bless- ing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,’ said the Rev. Riley Case, pastor of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Kokomo, Ind.

“Case is a member of the United Methodist Church Good

News, a group that supports traditional scriptural views. 

“‘If your primary loyalty is to the gay and lesbian agenda and not to the scripture or the care of persons who want marriage . . . I would question if they should call themselves Christians,’ he said” (The Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle [No- vember 11, 1997], B4). 

Real Adults Don’t Commit Adultery, Psychiatrist Says

“The Orlando Sentinel — If you’re a married person con- templating a dalliance, don’t tell Dr. Frank Pittman.

“The Atlanta psychiatrist and author of several books — including Private Lies: Infidelity and the Betrayal of Intimacy — has had it up to here with adultery in particular and with Americans’ notions of romantic love in general.

“Pittman enjoys dispelling what he calls the ‘myths of adultery.’

“Among them: ‘The idea that adultery is normal, expect- able behavior, that everybody does it, and that affairs can revive a dull marriage.’

“. . . given his own statistics — that one-half of married men and one-third of married women commit adultery — is there any way to forestall all this dallying?

“‘We’d do well to choose a better class of celebrities as role models,’ Pitmann says. The folks in People magazine, as well as ‘politicians, TV evangelists and other kinds of people who need to be celebrities are just not normal,’ he says.

“In addition, ‘It would be very nice if we saw movies about marriage that were not ridiculing it, or making it seem boring and silly,’ he says. Oh, and ‘stop justifying adultery with romance.’ Stop rationalizing irresponsible, destructive behavior with the idea that ‘if you’re in love, then it’s OK.’

“. . . ‘Children need to see courageous adults holding marriages together whether they’re in love or not” (The Indianapolis Star [November 20, 1997], A1).

Woodward Trial Sparks Criticism of Absentee Child-Rearing 

“Mark Patinkin, Providence Journal Bulletin — The real issue in the Louise Woodward au pair case, says Richard Gelles, isn’t whether the verdict and sentence were justified.

“‘It’s about how American parents raise children. Most,’ he says, ‘don’t: More than ever, adults delegate their most important job.’

“‘A generation,’ he says, ‘is being parented by parents who are not there, and cared for by caretakers who are often children themselves.’

“Gelles, a University of Rhode Island professor often called as an expert in child-abuse trials, has written 21 books on children’s welfare and directs a research program on family violence.

“Part of him, says Gelles, hesitates to question two-career couples who struggle nobly to balance work and family. But as a social scientist, he can’t ignore what his research tells him. 

“‘Having one parent there, present, that’s nature’s plan. That’s what kids need.’ 

“‘I think we’re playing with fire in a society that provides as little parental supervision for children as we do.’ 

“. . . ‘The one thing we know in the child development litera- ture,’ he says, ‘is that kids do best with a primary caretaker who’s truly there for them in every way.’ 

“. . . ‘The people I admire are those who make tough sacrifices for their kids, who say, “I could be a star, but I have something more important to take care of”’”(The Indianapolis Star [November 14, 1997], E1). 

Where The Ethical Line Is Drawn 

“Cal Thomas — The birth of the McCaughey septuplets produced joy and thanksgiving for the couple and their families. It has also produced a debate among medical ethicists, some of whom argue that Bobbi McCaughey should have aborted (euphemistically a ‘fetal reduction’) in order to limit the risk to the babies and reduce the cost to the taxpayers of giving birth to so many children.

“First, a definition. ‘Ethics’ is ‘the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation.’ This implies a standard by which an ethic may be measured. The McCaugheys accepted such a standard when they said that God had a plan for their children, and they never considered killing one or more of them.

“Medical ethicists abandoned such a standard when they endorsed abortion ‘choice.’ That Bobbi McCaughey made a choice favoring life over death isn’t enough for them. They have other concerns.

“Where the ethical line is drawn with indelible or disappear- ing ink, is relevant to what the medical profession will be allowed to do to the rest of us in the future. As medicine costs more, it will be necessary to consider whether life’s value can depreciate, like a car.

“. . . Some ethicists and commentators question the ‘right’ of women to have multiple births, suggesting the government may wish to regulate the practice. This sounds disturbingly like China’s policy of limiting couples to one child, with forced abortion for those who attempt to violate the law. Do we want to go there?

“. . . One category of life cannot be declassified without endangering others. If the unborn can be aborted, individually or ‘selectively,’ then why not kill the newly born and the elderly if they become ‘inconvenient’? If there is no God to govern in the affairs of men, then why shouldn’t government or medical ethicists or public opinion be our god?

“On the eve of the 25th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, we are quickly regressing to a raw, purely arbitrary utilitarian- ism increasingly hostile to the notion that life is sacred and unique among living things” (The Indianapolis Star [November 30, 1997], D2).

By Lewis Willis

No doctrine of the Bible is more ignored or misun- derstood than God’s law of pardon. Too many people are totally indifferent to the subject — they could care less. To those who are concerned, the truth must be known. That is the mission of this article.

What Does Pardon Mean?

The word translated “pardon” is from a Hebrew word, selichah, which means “a passing over, forgiveness” (Young’s 730). Job asked, “And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity?” (Job

7:21). His inquiry was to God. Why? Because it is God who does the pardoning: “. . . but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, . . .” (Neh. 9:17). Also, Micah wrote: “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy” (Mic. 7:18). The good news is that God is willing to pardon; that there is a law of pardon. When the Hebrew writer spoke of the new covenant God would make with man, one of its greatest effects would be, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb. 8:12; 10:17).

Pardon From What?

What do we need God to pardon? Job said we need pardon from transgression or iniquity. “Iniquity” is from a Greek word, anomia, which means lawlessness, wicked- ness, or unrighteousness (Vine 260). In a word, iniquity is “sin.” Isaiah said, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isa. 59:2). Consider these verses also: “Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

. .” (Ps. 6:8); “. . .destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity” (Prov. 21:15); “Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds!” (Mic. 2:1).

Who Needs Pardon? 

Obviously, all need pardon who are guilty of iniquity or sin. What this says is that we all need pardon, because we all have sinned. Paul wrote that, “. . . we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

. . . As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

. . . They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one . . . For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:9, 10, 12, 23). There is not, therefore, an accountable adult who does not need pardon. The question today is the same as it has always been: What must I do to be saved?

Who Has God Authorized To Answer?

I know that men are ready to give their answers about the requirements for salvation. However, would we not be wise, since God is the one who pardons, to inquire of him who he has authorized to answer? After promising to build his church, Jesus gave binding and loosing authority to the apostles (Matt. 16:18-19; 18:18). Just before Jesus went away, he told them: “Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained” (John 20:23). The Apostle Paul affirmed that God made them ambassadors (official representatives) to announce his terms of pardon: “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:18-20).

What Did God Authorize Them To Say?

He told them to go teach, or preach the gospel to all nations. Those who believed were to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:47). Men today do not seem to understand or respect this, but that is exactly what these passages authorized them to say.

What Did They Answer?

On the Day of Pentecost, in the city of Jerusalem, when the gospel was first preached by the apostles, thousands of Jews finally believed in Jesus. They were cut to their hearts with the knowledge that they had murdered the Son of God and they asked the apostles, “What shall we do?” They needed pardon and the apostles were the ones appointed by God to tell them how to receive it. When Peter answered the question, he told them what God had authorized them to say. He said, “. . . Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). These people heard the gospel, believed it, repented of their sins, and were baptized. They met all of God’s requirements for pardon. One has to wonder how modern preachers can tell people to do something different than the apostles required. Does modern man know better? Were the apostles wrong? Did God change his mind?

Have You Complied With God’s Law Of Pardon?

Remember now: All of us have sinned; God is willing to pardon; he told the apostles to tell us what to do to be pardoned; they told us to hear the gospel, to believe, to re- pent and to be baptized for the remission of our sins. Have you done what God requires you to do for the forgiveness of your sins? If not, do so today! We are ready to assist you in your obedience.

By Larry Ray Hafley 

My wife was shocked to find the following statement in a book written by a woman who is a member of the church — “Never in the entire Bible did any prophet, nor Jesus, nor the Apostle Paul present a five-step formula for giving the heart over to God.” 

In the 19th century, gospel preachers often taught the gospel plan of salvation to children and to unlearned and illiterate men and women. One convenient way to ground disciples in the truth was to hold up their hand and, grasp ing each finger one at a time, say, “Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, and be Baptized.” Sectarians began to ridicule it as the “five finger creed of the church of Christ,” the “five finger formula of the Campbellites,” and “five steps of the water gospel.” Christians were mocked and called “five steppers.”

Because truth was taught so simply with the “five finger exercise,” enemies of the cross made fun of the process. It was easier to do that than to show how it contradicted the word of God; so, they railed and reviled.

Omit Which Step?

If the Lord and the apostles never presented “a five-step formula,” which ones did they omit? Which should we leave out? Should we:

1. Omit Hearing? Since “faith cometh by hearing” the word of God, how can we leave it out (Rom. 10:17)? Je- sus said one must “hear (his) voice,” his word, in order to have spiritual life (John 5:25; 6:63, 68). One cannot trust in Christ until he hears “the word of truth” (Eph. 1:13). If a person never “hears” the gospel, he can never believe; therefore, we cannot omit hearing. 
2.  Omit Belief? Since “without faith it is impossible to please” God, how can we fail to include faith (Heb. 11:6)? Jesus said, “if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). The Lord said, “He that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16; John 3:18). Obviously, we must not omit faith as one of the “steps” one must take in order to be saved (Eph. 2:8, 9). 
3.  Omit Repentance? Since God “commandeth all men every where to repent,” how can we remove repentance (Acts 17:30)? Jesus said, “repent, or perish,” turn or burn (Luke 13:3). Christ connected repentance with the forgive- ness of sins (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38). Thus, we may not omit repentance as a “step” for the sinner to obey (2 Pet. 3:9). 
4.  Omit Confession? Since only those who confess that Jesus is Lord can be saved, how can we eliminate confession (Rom. 10:9, 10)? Jesus said, “Whosoever . . . shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father” (Matt. 10:32, 33). “If we deny him, he will also deny us” (2 Tim. 2:12). Hence, we cannot omit confession of Christ as a “step” “unto salvation.” 
5. Omit Baptism? Since baptism is “for the remission of sins,” how can we possibly ignore it (Acts 2:38; 22:16)? Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Baptism is one of the conditions with which one must comply in order to be saved in Christ (John 3:3-5; Rom. 6:3, 4; Gal. 3:27; 1 Pet. 3:21). So, we dare not omit baptism. 

Jesus and the apostles did indeed present the “five-steps” which some say were “never” given. Again, which “steps” shall we take away from God’s book (Rev. 22:18, 19)? In the conversion accounts in the book of Acts, which ones were omitted? Did the Ethiopian eunuch fail to repent? Did the Philippian jailer not confess with his mouth that Jesus is Lord? Was anyone ever converted who did not first hear the gospel? Which of the “five-steps” were omitted? Which ones may we exclude and still be saved? Those who ridicule the “five-step formula” need to tell us!

By Chris Nicholson 

“Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? So Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother. And he answered and said to Him, Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth. Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, one thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow me. But he was sad at this word, and went away grieved, for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:17-22, NKJV; cf. Matt. 19:16- 22; Luke 18:18-23).

The Ruler’s Desire

How profitable is it to ask at the feet of Jesus what we must do in order to inherit eternal life! This is what the young ruler desired to know. Mark pictures the scene. The young man was eager — expressed by his running; he was not afraid of the opinion of others, he made a public appeal to Christ; his respect for Christ is shown by his kneeling. There was no playing with words here; “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Christ alone is capable of showing us the way to heaven, since he is the way; he alone is incapable of deceiving us, since he is the Truth.

As seems to be the custom, one can search out for his own teacher. A person of great wealth can normally find the most popular teacher to give the desired answers. For this young man of wealth to bow before Jesus indicated tremendous respect. This ruler sought reassurance, some way of knowing for sure that he had eternal life. He wanted Jesus to measure and grade his qualifications, or give him some task he could do to assure his own immortality. The man did not understand that salvation is not earned. He did not understand what is impossible for man to obtain, can and will be given as a gift from God (Eph. 2:10). The man needed to understand that what he needed was not just to keep another commandment, but to submit humbly to the leadership of God. No doubt this young man sincerely desired eternal life. Who, with a understanding of the judgment to come, would not want it. But as we will soon see by his sad departure, he had no idea what would be required to do in obtaining it. We must ask ourselves if we truly want to know how to please God. Do we desire to be known by God or by men. Have we come to grasp the understanding of the royal law according to the Scriptures, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Jas. 2:8). We all need to ponder the words of Matthew 16:26, “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world and looses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Do we think ourselves beyond the possibility of falling from the grace of God because of our material possessions?

The Startling Reply

It is remarkable how Jesus dealt with the man. Christ meets him on his own ground. Stating the commandments which regulate man’s conduct toward his fellow man. “All these I have observed” testifies to a great moral ignorance on the part of the young man. Can you imagine standing face to face with Jesus and stating that you have kept all of the commandments listed? If only God is good, the man will later have to admit he has broken some of the commands. Jesus felt love for the man, and said, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me” (Mark 10:21). Jesus’ statement exposed the man’s weakness. In reality, his wealth was his god, his idol, and he would not give it up. He violated the first and greatest commandment (Exod. 20:3; Matt. 22:36-

40). This challenge exposed the barrier that could keep this young man out of the kingdom; his love for money. Money was more important to the young man than God. He would not turn his entire life over to God. What barriers are keeping you from turning your entire life over to God? 

The Young Man’s Disappointing Refusal

But he was sad at this word, and went away grieved, for he had great possessions (Mark 10:22). Did the man ever give his life entirely over to God? We do not know. We know that he went away feeling sorrow, not anger toward Jesus. The piercing words of Christ were felt in the soul of the man. This man’s wealth made his life comfortable and gave him power and prestige. Jesus was touching the basis of his security when he told him to sell all that he owned. He did not understand that he would be far more secure following Jesus than with his wealth. Have we come to that understanding yet? I mean really put this knowledge into practice? We must get rid of everything that has or may become more important than God. If your foundation for security has shifted from God to what you own, you must get rid of this weight. In Hebrews 12:1 we read, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sins which so easily ensnare us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Have you looked inward, with a sin- cere evaluation, and found the things that are weighing you down in your race for heaven? We all have our weights, and weaknesses toward certain sins. Christ loved us enough to die for us, and he also loves us enough to talk straight to us. If you are comfortable by the fact that Christ did not tell all his followers to sell all their possessions, then you may be too attached to what you have. In Jeremiah 9:2-24 we read, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the Lord.”

The story of the young ruler should be linked with the previous incident of the blessing of the children. In Mark 10:15 we read, “Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” This ruler could not enter the kingdom be- cause he would not receive it as a little child. His spirit was far removed from that of an obedient, trusting child. Jesus lead him through a test to realize that he hardly knew what keeping the commandments meant. In Matthew 22:37-40 we read, “Jesus said to him; You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as your- self. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Are you prepared to give all for the cause of the kingdom?