Truth Magazine

By Joshua Gurtler

As Paul entered into the sin-ridden port city of Corinth in Acts 18:1, his expectations might have been running a little lower than usual. Paul had just arrived from Athens where he had received some ridicule as well as some fruit in the Lord, neither of which were to be compared to what was about to take place. He immediately joined himself to a couple of the same trade and he began making tents until his support from Macedonia arrived via the hands of Silas and Timothy (2 Cor. 11:9; Phil. 4:15; Acts 18:5).

What a great weight of responsibility now lay on the shoulders of the apostle to the Gentiles. Corinth was a sin-sick cesspool of the vilest sort, yet this was to be his audience for the next few months. He at once engaged in “testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 18:5). This effort was met with resistance in the form of blasphemies (Acts 18:6). What a discouragement this could and might have been, yet he continued his proclamation, next going to the house of Titus Justus (Acts 18:7). Here the word found the good soil of honest hearts and Crispus and his household were baptized (Acts 18:8).

We will take a moment to note the interesting fact that baptism was obviously considered a necessary element to enter the kingdom of God in the New Testament and attain all the privileges and blessings as a child of God. In case one may wonder whether the baptism here was only an isolated, unique incident to the Corinth church, we have but to turn and read 1 Corinthians 12:13 where we are told that the whole church in the city of Corinth was “baptized into one body” (see also 1 Cor. 1:14-16). Of course, shortly after this, thanks to the help of a band of some of Paul’s ungodly, closed-minded Jewish brethren, he was brought before the Roman Proconsul to stand trial. The charges were dismissed as a farce and Paul pressed on to Syria (Acts 18:12-18). This is the history of the beginning of the Lord’s body in Corinth to whom Paul eventually wrote at least three letters (see 1 Cor. 5:9).

I recently heard a sermon in which the preacher said, “The Bible is clear about the subject of salvation in the New Testament, and if anyone has any questions then all he needs to do is to sit down and read the book of Acts.”

How simple and yet how true. Why is it that mankind must question, criticize, and reject God’s biblical directives given for our own well being? The conversion of the Corinthian brethren, which involved hearing and believing God’s word, repenting of their past wickedness, confessing Christ as the Son of God and Lord, and being baptized into Christ for the remission of their sins, is the simple and repeated method we see in the Scriptures. Modern critics, the de- nominational world, and even some of our own brethren will mock the “five fingered plan of salvation” as being that which has its origin in man. Take away the fingers if you like, but what steps do we need more or less in order to gain entrance into the kingdom of God? I’ve also heard talk of doing away with the invitation at the end of every worship service and whether or not we should even mention baptism when we teach one the gospel of Christ! Change for the sake of God’s word is always a good thing, but change for the sake of change should always be questioned as to motive, consequence, and scriptural authority.

Inevitably, sin entered the body of saved believers in Corinth at which time Paul wrote a searing but loving letter of rebuke and admonition. “What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod or with love and a spirit of gentle- ness?” is how he put it in 1 Corinthians 5:21. The sins of fornication, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, thievery, drunkenness, reviling and swindling are listed as those that some had previously engaged in before their conversion (1 Cor. 6:9, 10). In the same letter we learn that some of them are back at it, adding even more sins to their already lengthy list. When Paul directs his first N.T. letter to the church, he specifically addresses the problems of division, quarrels, and sectarianism (ch. 1); jealousy and strife (ch. 3); arrogance (ch. 4); fornication and the tolerance of sin (ch. 5); taking a brother to law (ch. 6); misunderstandings of God’s marriage law (ch. 7); causing a brother to stumble from personal liberties (ch. 8); idolatry (ch. 10); headship and abuse of the Lord’s supper (ch. 11); spiritual gifts and the usurping of authority in the worship by women (chs. 12- 14); and misunderstandings on the resurrection (ch. 15).

Paul did not overlook these sins with such excuses as, “we need to give them time to grow” or “we might be too hard and run them off” or “we should tolerate their sin under Romans 14 since they are the weaker brethren” (1 Cor. 3:1, 2). Paul recognized sin in the camp and confronted it as such. This is our example and pattern which we too often fail. Frequently, we would rather look the other way when sin enters the church, and sometimes we may even fail to teach the “whole counsel” when speaking with a non-Christian. But all too soon we will stand before God almighty and render an account for the deeds we have done and the blood of the souls of mankind which stain our head and our hands (Acts 20:26, 27; Ezek. 3:18). If we don’t do our best to call for true conversion as Paul did the Corinthians and to keep the church pure, we may someday be the ones God is purging for the purification of his Church (Eph. 5:26, 27).

By Joshua Reaves 

I was speaking with a close friend and brother the other day and we were talking about different things that can cause spiritual problems in our lives. He was telling me that no matter what the problem seemed to be in his spiritual life, much of the problem came down to the question of humility. His point seemed very appropriate with the title of my article. Am I being humble enough to face God’s will and not turn the other way, or do I have too much pride to give up my own will and repent? No wonder Peter says in 1 Peter 5:5, “. . . God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” It seems that pride has always been one of man’s most powerful oppositions. It took a certain amount of pride for Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:1-6). It also caused Ahab to take a vineyard that was not rightfully his (1 Kings 21:2), and caused Peter to stand in the way of Christ carrying out the Father’s will (Matt 16:22, 23). Though Peter had the best intentions in mind, he was not yet willing to yield “self” and submit completely to the Father’s will. 

The Lord desires hearts that are willing to put away the pride of the old man and finally say, “Lord, thy will be done.” The Philippian jailer had the type of humble attitude that the Lord is pleased with. Acts 16:22 says that the magistrates commanded Paul and Silas to be “beaten with rods.” It goes on to say in v. 23, “And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.” This man, who was about to be transformed into one of God’s chosen vessels, may have actually beaten and ridiculed Paul and Silas. In any case, the Philippian jailer was commanded to make certain that Paul and Silas would not escape by placing them in the innermost prison and fastening their feet into stocks. Paul and Silas, refusing to let the circumstances keep them from rejoicing, began to sing songs of praise and continue in fervent prayer to the Lord. Paul was learning by experience the lesson which he afterward taught the disciples in the very same city, saying: “In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6, 7).

The prisoners must have heard the message of rejoicing and realized that God was behind it because as soon as a great earthquake opened the doors of the prison and loosened their chains, they froze in their places, so to speak, and did not try to escape (Acts 16:28). However, the jailer was not aware that none of the prisoners had escaped and drew his sword to take his own life. The jailer was convinced that taking his own life would be a much better fate than falling into the hands of the ruthless Roman government. If they had found the next morning that the prisoners had escaped, the death he would undergo would be dreadful at best. What was worse than that, the Philippian jailer was floating on the brink of eternal damnation. There seemed to be no hope left in the life of the Philippian jailer. That is, until the words of Paul came echoing forth from every prison wall, “Do yourself no harm for we are all here.” The Philippian jailer “ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas” (v. 29).

After he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” He was not asking what he should do to save himself from the anger of heathen gods, for his appeal would not have been to Paul and Silas, for they did not worship these gods. Neither did he ask what he should do to be saved from the wrath of his superiors; he had nothing to fear from them, since the prisoners were all safe inside the prison. The answer that Paul gave implies the meaning of his question; he was asking what he must do to be saved from his sins. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,” they replied, “and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31). 

Then the Philippian jailer took Paul and Silas to his house and they spoke the word of the Lord to him and all his household. The jailer took them the very same hour of the night and tended to their stripes, then immediately he and his family were baptized. Paul must have felt the irony of delivering this message of salvation to a man who was much like he had once been, a man who possessed a great status in the Roman government and was privy to the persecution of Christians. Surely this event had been on the mind of Paul as he wrote to Lydia and the rest of the saints in Philippi saying, “. . . in nothing shall I be ashamed, but with all boldness as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:20, 21). The Philippian jailer humbled himself and obeyed the word that Paul and Silas had presented to him. Then, in an act of Christ-like kindness, he took them to his own home and set a meal before them.

The Lord has promised us in Matthew 7:8 that “everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

We can learn much from the Philippian jailer. There is much to be said about his willingness to become a child of God in spite of his ever-growing status as a Roman citizen. So much can be learned from the way he treated Paul and Silas, showing a true transformation in spirit. But most of all, the Philippian jailer is a wonderful example of a seeker. He sought with desire, fear, and with a humble spirit that was truly pleasing to the Lord.

By Eric McKee

The faith that is able to save our souls is a living, active faith. It is a faith that takes God at his word and puts trust in him. It is a faith that will cause us to want to do whatever it takes to be found pleasing in the sight of the Lord. 

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen . . . By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible . . . Without faith, it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must be lieve that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Heb. 11:1, 3, 6). 

Faith is the foundation of all true conversions to the Lord and is essential to the salvation of all mankind. Therefore, it is important for us to understand what it really means to have faith in God. From where does it come? What is it? Is it the only thing we need? These questions can be answered by taking a look at the tiny story (only three verses) of Lydia found in the sixteenth chapter of the book of Acts. She was a human being who was found faithful in the eyes of God and attained salvation. Now, if we know that God accepted her, we can have confidence that if we follow her example, we will be accepted by him also.

 

In verse 12, we find that Paul and his traveling companions are visiting the city of Philippi to preach the gospel. They end up preaching to some ladies on the bank of the river. “On the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshiped God, heard us” (Acts 16:13-14). Now, a few obvious conclusions can be drawn from this passage. The first is that Lydia seems to be a religious, devout woman. She worships God; she prays to him; she keeps the Sabbath; she has faith. However, apparently something is missing in her life. Otherwise, why would these men be preaching the gospel to her? The answer is Jesus Christ. During his ministry, Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). So, even though Lydia had “faith,” she did not have the faith that saves, because she was simply unaware of the truth — the truth that Jesus Christ had come to this earth to die on the cross for her sins — the truth that could set her free (John 8:32). No matter how religious she had been in the past, she can now no longer have a relationship with God without also having a knowledge of the truth and a true faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:17 tells us, “Faith comes by hearing the word of God.” Before Paul and his companions came to the bank of the river, we find Lydia praying and worshiping the Lord. When the men arrive, Paul begins telling these women about Jesus. The words which he speaks produce faith in the heart of Lydia. Keep in mind that these things which Paul preaches are not from his own mind, but from the mind of God (2 Pet. 1:20-21). 

Verse 14 declares that “the Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.” Notice that her faith was not produced by the praying and worshiping she had done previously. It was not produced by a direct operation of the Holy Spirit on her heart. Her faith was produced from hearing the simple teaching of the Word of God. That is where the power of the gospel lies — in its ability to “cut a person to the heart” (Acts 2:37) —to cause a person to realize his lost condition and want to make the necessary changes in his life in order to be pleasing to God.

Let’s take a look at how the story of Lydia ends. “The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul, and when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying,

‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.’ So she persuaded us” (vv. 1, 2). Had Lydia been faithful to the Lord? By the reaction of Paul and the others, we can definitely make that conclusion. What then had Lydia done that had caused them to be persuaded that she had faith? We know that she must have done something, because we recognize that the Lord had saved her at this point. We are taught through- out the New Testament that there is something that must be done in order for one to obtain salvation. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). “Be doers of the word and not hearers only” (Jas. 1:22). That is the way in which faith works. We hear the Word of God proclaimed (or read it in our Bibles), and this produces faith in our hearts. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). 

Now, how is that faith made known? It is expressed through our actions. In James 2:14-26, James begins by asking, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have You believe there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble! For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” What good is it for a person to claim to have faith in God, yet neglect to do the things which he has commanded?

Now, go back to Lydia’s situation. In what way did she express the faith she had in Jesus Christ? We are told that she and her household were baptized. There is no way that she could have even known to be baptized unless she had been told to do so. Therefore, we know that Paul must have told her that baptism was necessary for salvation. Jesus had taught, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Peter, as he preached to the Jews on the day of Pentecost, said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Now, let us suppose that Lydia had not been baptized. Would she have been found faithful to the Lord? Remember: “Faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:17). If she had neglected to follow the prescription set forth by Jesus Christ, could she have received salvation? Let’s put it this way: if she had not been baptized, what would have been her motive? If a person truly has faith in God and wants to do what is right, why wouldn’t he be baptized when he is told to do so by Jesus himself? It is not that a person is trying to earn or merit his salvation, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). The simple truth is that if a person truly has faith in God, he will be more than willing to obey him — being baptized for the remission of his sins, just as Lydia and her household did. 

The faith that is able to save our souls is a living, active faith. It is a faith that takes God at his word and puts trust in him. It is a faith that will cause us to want to do whatever it takes to be found pleasing in the sight of the Lord. This is what we must have, the same faith that this woman Lydia possessed, for “without faith, it is impossible to please him” (Heb. 11:6).

By Neal Bahro

“There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what is called the Italian Regiment.” In Acts chapter 10 we are introduced to a military officer of the Roman army named Cornelius. He was a Gentile who was a good example to his household and prayed to God regularly (Acts 10:2). We also read that Cornelius was a generous man who gave alms to the people. In Acts 10:22 it is revealed that Cornelius was a just man who had a good reputation among the Jews.

One day, at the ninth hour, Cornelius was instructed in a heavenly vision to send for Simon Peter who would tell him what he must do (Acts 10:6). Now we begin to see how the actions of Cornelius demonstrate the kind of faith that he possessed. When the angel departed he sent for Simon Peter without delay. There are many people today who will gladly hear what God has to say to them, but they refuse to act on what is heard. James, by inspiration, tells us to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (Jas. 1:22). Cornelius heard and acted on God’s word.

Peter had a vision in which God told him not to call common what had been cleansed. Following this vision, he went to meet Cornelius when the servants came for him. We note that Cornelius wanted others to hear God’s word because he gathered his relatives and close friends together to await Peter’s arrival. Cornelius fell down at Peter’s feet showing that he did not have the proper concept of worship. Peter corrected him immediately, telling him to get up, that he was a man also. Sadly we see many people today who choose to worship a man or woman instead of God.

Cornelius was very eager to hear what Peter had to say. His desire to hear God’s will is a good lesson for all of us. Cornelius wanted to hear all things commanded Peter by God (Acts 10:33). Many people today will hear God’s word and treat it like a buffet, simply picking the things they like and leaving the rest.

When Peter began preaching, he taught that God does not show partiality but accepts those who fear God and work righteousness. Until this time the gospel had been taken to the Jews only. Gentiles were considered dogs (Matt. 15:26), but God had shown Peter in the vision that he should call no man common or unclean. The message Peter delivered to the Gentiles was similar to the one he spoke to the Jews on Pentecost, which was the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. As Peter was speaking the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles who were there. This is a very significant time in the spread of Christianity. Now God had extended salvation to not only his chosen people but also to the Gentiles. In Genesis 12:3 God told Abram “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” All people were now truly blessed, having access to salvation provided by the blood of Christ. Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

Peter continued speaking and commanded his hearers to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Now God had truly “granted to the Gentiles repentance to life” (Acts 11:18). We see once again, as in the other accounts of conversion, that baptism was a necessary requirement in order to be saved (1 Pet. 3:21).

When someone asks me, “What must I do to be saved?” I direct them to the Bible and point out that they must hear God’s word (Rom. 10:17), believe God’s word (Mark 16:16), repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38) and live faithfully until death. If anyone does this he can obtain that crown of righteousness which is available to anyone who desires it.

Cornelius was a devout man, a generous man, and a praying man. These things are good, but it was only by listening to God’s will and submitting to it that brought salvation to Cornelius and his household.