Truth Magazine

By Ron Halbrook

From the time of the Garden of Eden until now, a great battle has been raging between God and Satan for the souls of men. God has his people, Satan has his people, and there is no middle ground (Matt. 12:30). Each of us is in this battle on one side or the other. God calls on us to take a stand for truth and right, and to fight to the end.

Ephesians 6:10-18 describes this spiritual warfare and teaches us we must arm ourselves with the word of God to win the victory. “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore …” If we take our stand for God’s truth and stand with that truth in the battle, we will finally stand in victory. 2 Timothy 4:1-8 is a stirring call from an old soldier of the cross about to lay down his life as he urges a younger preacher to faithfully proclaim God’s word. Paul said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Let us consider some steps and stages in that great warfare for the hearts, minds, and souls of people.

1. We Must Obey the Gospel. When we obey the gospel of Christ, God removes us from Satan’s army and enrolls us in his own. We must know that we are lost in our sins and that God gave his Son as the perfect sacrifice for sin. This genuine faith in Christ includes repentance and water baptism, i.e., a spiritual birth resulting from the power of the gospel as revealed by the Spirit of God (John 3:3-5, 16). When we come to God by faith, repentance, and baptism, the blood of Christ washes away our sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16). Thus we pass from spiritual darkness to light, from death to life.

2. We Must Rise to Walk in Newness of Life. To be “baptized into Jesus Christ” is no mere ritual but means to be “buried with him by baptism” into his death. We are saved by his blood when baptized; then, just as he arose, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom.6:3-4, 21-23). The rest of our lives are spent serving God and truth, not Satan and sin.

Sprinkling is not Bible baptism because the burial is missing. Imagine burying a dead man by sprinkling a little dust on him! Denominationalism teaches that men are saved and then baptized, but that means a man is already alive unto God when buried in the water. To bury a live man is to kill him. That cannot be the picture of Bible baptism!

3. We Must Draw Close to God Each Day. The battle for souls puts us in a spiritual relationship with God or Satan. Each day we fill our hearts with God’s will or Satan’s will by listening to God’s word or to the sinful world. Satan’s servants delight “in the counsel of the ungodly, . . . in the way of sinners, (and). . . in the seat of the scornful.” God’s servant delights “in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Ps. 1:1-2). We pay daily homage to God by prayer and worship, or to Satan by worldly, sinful, ungodly talk. David said, “I will call upon God… . Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice” (Ps. 55:16-17).

4. We Must Take God’s Word as the Final Authority. God told Noah exactly how to build the ark. Noah respected God’s word as final: “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he” (Gen. 6:22). God gave Moses “the pattern of the tabernacle” and told him to make all things according to that pattern (Exod. 25:8-9). When Naaman accepted God’s instruction “and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God,” his leprosy was healed (2 Kings 5).

We today must respect God’s word as the final authority. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Pet. 4:11). We must speak where the Bible speaks, be silent where it is silent, call Bible things by Bible names, and do Bible things in Bible ways. God’s Word is the only authority, not preachers, friends, or the majority.

5. We Must Be Members of the Church of Christ. Jesus promised, “I will build my church,” only one church, his own (Matt. 16:18). All who obey the gospel are added to it by God himself (Acts 2:47). “Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body” (Eph. 5:23). If Christ is to be our head and Savior, we must obey the gospel and be added to his spiritual body, the church. He teaches his people to meet in each community to worship him and to spread the gospel. These local assemblies are called “churches of Christ” because they belong to him (Rom. 16:16). Each follower of Christ wears his name and no other: “The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:27).

The church of Christ is not a modem denomination but is the church we read about in the Bible. This church is scriptural in origin, name, doctrine, and practice, but denominational bodies are not. Christ did not authorize such names as Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, Jehovah’s Witness, or Mormon. He authorized singing in worship but not instrumental music (Eph. 5:19). Women are not to exercise “authority over the man” in the church by preaching, by leading prayers and songs, or in any other way (1 Tim. 2:12). Such things occur in churches made by men, not in Christ’s true church.

6. We Must Resist Every Step of Apostasy. Apostasy means departure from the truth, which God warned would come when “grevious wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (1 Tim. 4:1; Acts 20:28-29). Many steps of apostasy taken after the apostles died ultimately produced Roman Catholicism with its many false doctrines and practices. The Protestant Reformation repudiated many of these errors but retained others.

Those who restored the original gospel and church of Christ have suffered new cycles of apostasy. God’s people often have fallen back into the errors out of which we have come, like “the dog … turned to his own vomit again” (2 Pet. 2:22). Brethren have perverted the worship with instrumental music, entertaining quartets, and chorus performances. Some have accepted premillennial error. Others have embraced church support of human institutions (missionary societies, colleges, camps, child care agencies, retirement centers, etc.). Some churches now sponsor social meals, build kitchens, and organize ball teams. We must be reminded the church is not a social welfare institution or a recreational club (1 Cor. 11:34; 1 Tim. 5:16). Dangerous trends now developing include divorce-remarriage error, the influence of sectarian and liberal concepts, loose ideas on grace and unity, the positive-mental-attitude philosophy (avoid controversy, de-bate, calling names), misusing Romans 14 to promote unity-in-doctrinal-diversity, and the demand for softer preaching in general.

7. We Must Keep Unspotted from the World. “Pure religion” requires each Christian to “keep himself unspotted from the world. . . . Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (Jas. 1:27; 4:4). Souls will be lost when worldliness enters the hearts and lives of Christians. This danger comes when we are more interested in material than spiritual things. Worldliness comes through sexual immorality, social drinking, profanity, dancing, gambling (yes, including the lottery), and immodest dress (shorts, short skirts, swim suits, tank and tube tops, tight clothes, etc. in mixed company).

8. We Must Love God and Our Fellowman. All God teaches us hinges on loving God first and then “thy neighbor as thyself’ (Matt. 22:37-40). Love for God involves obeying his commands no matter what the cost. Love for our neighbor means seeking his true welfare. “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor” (Rom. 13:9-10). By teaching people the gospel in its purity and simplicity, we show the greatest love that can be shown. That is why Christ commanded, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark. 16:16; 1 Tim. 4:1).

Guardian of Truth XLI: 18 p. 12-13
September 18, 1997

By Edward O. Bragwell, Sr.

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2, NKJV).

It has been almost fifty years since I first became a Christian and a little over forty of those years have been spent in “full-time” preaching. In these years I have heard a lot of preaching  good and bad. I have been privileged to hear some of the greatest preachers among us in the last half of this century. Many of these men have already finished their course. A goodly number are still active. Some are still relatively young. They have exhibited a variety of personalities and styles. All of them have had one thing in common. When they preached, they taught you something from the Scriptures.

However, over the past several years, I have noticed a marked trend away from real teaching in the sermons that I am hearing. There are notable exceptions to this, but by and large I believe that such is the case. Other people my age and older have expressed the same concern to me. Many of our younger and a few older preachers are excel-lent speakers, but mighty poor teachers. Paul told Timothy to “preach the word” and to do it with “all longsuffering and teaching.” He also told him that “a servant of the Lord must . . . be . . . able to teach” (2 Tim. 2:24).

Too many sermons that I hear are replete with anecdotes, humor, exhortation, and even an occasional rebuke, but very sparse in the exegesis and application of the Scriptures. Illustrative anecdotes and humor, if not overdone and not for their sake alone, have their place in sermons. Exhorting and rebuking are essential parts of good gospel preaching. But, unless one firmly anchors his illustrations, exhortations and rebukes to the text and sound exegesis, his preaching is devoid of any real authority and spiritual value. Someone has said that the trouble with illustrationsis that they just illustrate  they don’t prove anything. One must turn to the text itself to really prove his points.

Why has this trend away from preaching that really teaches one something about the Bible developed? I am sure that I do not know all the reasons. One reason is that “people love to have it so” (cf. Jer. 5:31). To benefit from teaching, one much pay close attention, study, and think along with the teaching. This requires effort on the part of the hearer. It is much easier to be entertained by stories, quips, and one liners, or to be soothed by words that make us feel good about ourselves, than to have to follow a line of thought in a sermon that teaches. I believe television has contributed to this trend. The more popular TV preachers have mastered the art of performing for their audience. They are dynamic and dramatic. They are movers and shakers. Our young preachers have grown up with television. I think I can see the influence of the TV preachers on some of them  at least in style. I often come away feeling that I have witnessed a performance rather than having engaged in a study.

Churches usually mirror to some extent the kind of preaching they receive and endure. If the trend of which I have been speaking is not checked, I fear for congregations of Christ in the next generation. Israel was destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6). For a congregation to receive and maintain knowledge there must be teaching  much teaching. A congregation fed on a diet of preaching that exhorts and rebukes without the necessary teaching of the Scriptures may know what to do or not do, but they will not know why. Their faith will not rest upon a solid foundation.

Elders and other members need to wake up and demand preaching that is filled with teaching of the very text of the Bible along with sound exegesis and application. Preachers need to virtually lock themselves in their studies for an extended period each week and carefully study the Bible text. This takes time and effort. It may mean less time for recreation, socializing with brethren, and community public relations, but the time and sacrifice will be profitable to both the preacher and his hearers.

Churches need to use men in meetings who are known for their knowledge of the Scriptures and have a reason-able amount of ability to impart that knowledge to their audience  rather than just getting someone with a great personality and a gift of gab and the ability to keep their audience entertained. Remember the Bible says the Lord’s servant must be “apt (able) to teach”  not “apt to entertain” nor “apt to charm.”

We need to encourage more young preachers to be teachers rather than glorified cheer leaders and/or motivational speakers. After all, there can be no greater motivation than a good knowledge of what the Bible teaches.

Guardian of Truth XLI: 18 p. 21-22
September 18, 1997

By George Harris

God’s religion has never required passivism but rather activism. Anyone who wishes his Christianity to be passive, not requiring anything from him, such as salvation by faith only, not only misunderstands the word of God, but his religion is vain.

Introduction

The Bible is the inspired, infallible, inerrant word of God. It is “profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16, 17).

The Bible is not the religion of Protestantism, denominationalism, Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Shintoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, or any other ism. The Bible is the religion of God’s people as expressed from the mind of God, written in human language and practiced in the lives of his saints.

God’s religion has never required passivism but rather activism. Anyone who wishes his Christianity to be passive, not requiring anything from him, such as salvation by faith only, not only misunderstands the word of God, but his religion is vain.

The Essential

At what point does one become a Christian? Many in the so called “Christian world” would argue that one is a Christian when he believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Is this all there is to the requirements of the gospel of Jesus Christ or is salvation a broader journey of conviction, commitment and dedication? Certainly the alien sinner needs to grow in knowledge, graces and virtues, but one can never put the cart before the horse and expect to arrive at his destination.

While it is true that we must honor the authority and Lordship of Christ in order to be pleasing to him, upon what grounds are we going to base our sub-mission to the authority of Christ? There are only two alternatives. It will either be based upon our own concept of what we consider that authority to be, or it will be based upon God’s rev-elation of what the authority must be.

Despite the fact that there are so many religions today, and notwithstanding the fact that there are so many denominational churches in existence, according to the Lord, there are only two roads. The narrow road that leads to life, and the broad road that leads to death. This means that whatever our religious conviction or persuasion, we are either in the kingdom of Satan or the kingdom of God. We are either a child of Satan or a child of God. There is no in-between religion. The Lord accused the Jews of making void the word of God by their own traditions (Matt. 15:6; Mark 7:9). He told them that their father was the devil (John 8:44). They thought that God was their Father but their religion was not according to the word of God. Tradition then will not save us, unless it is the tradition that we have received from the apostles (2 Thess. 3:6).

We are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8) and faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17). Grace is God’s part of the scheme of redemption and faith is man’s part of the scheme of redemption. “Faith” is all that the word of God enjoins upon one to do in order to receive salvation. Faith or belief is an action verb that leads the sinner to do something in order to receive salvation. This action verb is used some 77 times in the gospel of John. In the eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews, all of God’s faithful of old showed their faith by works or deeds that characterized their faith, for faith without works is dead (Jas. 2:26). Also faith or belief is used in the Bible as a “synecdoche,” which is a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole. The Bible sometimes uses the word repent as a “synecdoche.” For example, Jesus said, “unless you repent you shall like-wise perish” (Luke 13:13). We would all agree that Jesus was not ruling out the fact that we have to believe on him in order to be saved. Yes, we are saved by faith, we are saved by repentance, we are saved by confession of faith, and we are saved by baptism. All are essential for salvation, but it is because of God’s longsuffering love, his gracious grace, and his marvelous mercy.

The good as well as the bad still need the atoning blood of Jesus Christ to wash away their sins. This requires regeneration, rejuvenation, and reconciliation. Christ must be enthroned in the heart of every creature in every nation (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15, 16). Yes, we are justified by a faith which is connected to the source of forgiveness, of life and salvation. That faith will lead us to obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord said, “Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). To disobey Christ would be to reject his authority and his Lordship. The apostle Paul quotes Isaiah’s prophesy when he said, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias says, Lord, who has believed our report?” (Rom. 10:16). The “report” is evidently the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. The necessary conclusion is the truth that faith or belief in the gospel involves obedience. One cannot enthrone Christ in his heart, welcome, honor, love, trust, and adore him and at the same time defy, disregard or disobey him.

At what point do we gain entrance into the kingdom of God, the church? Previous to “infant baptism,” baptism in the “Holy Spirit,” which is a part of the faith only doctrine, there was no confusion, hesitation or doubt on this point. The question asked and answered many times in the New Testament is, “What must I do to be saved?” The response on the day of Pentecost was “repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Repentance and baptism are essential for, unto (eis) (not because of) remission of sins The command given the disciples was to “go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:15,16). Belief and baptism are essential for salvation. Peter later likened baptism to the flood wherein the water saved those in the ark, just as baptism saved those that are in the church (1 Pet. 3:20, 21). Water then is the vehicle through which we are dead, buried, and risen with Christ, wherein the blood of Christ washes away our sins (Rom. 6:3-7).

If the great commission can be rejected, repudiated, repelled, or repulsed in any way, if its terms of entrance into the church, the kingdom of God can be departed, deviated, or diversed from, if its pattern either in whole or in part can be nullified as non-essential, then Christianity is not an authoritative system of religion and faith in its Fbunder is desolate, destitute, and deserted. If we can discard one part of the plan of salvation, then we can discard all, and if we can discard all, then we can discard Christ If on the other hand none of God’s word can be repudiated then it is our authority for everything in matters religious, and it is competent to be trusted, loved, cherishedand taught, and we must conclude that:

 

• There is no Christianity where there is no acknowledgment of Christ.

 

 

• Christ is not acknowledged where there is no scriptural faith in him.

 

 

• There can be no scriptural faith in him without obedience.

 

 

• The first act of obedience from the heart, of that pattern of teaching delivered, resting alone on Christ’s authority, believing that he is the Son of God, is baptism into the possession of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins.

 

It is obvious from a study of the New Testament that the example and practice of the apostles in the first century leads us to conclude that they understood their mission. They preached Christ crucified, and a part of leading people to Christ included immediate baptism. They were the first administrators in the church, and they led people to become Christians, not by faith only, but like the people of Corinth who heard, believed, and were baptized (Acts 18:8). If this was the practice in the church during the period of inspiration, then it is the practice for the church now. Baptism was fundamental to Christianity in the first century. If we would ever speak where the Bible speaks, let baptism continue to be fundamental to Christianity as the 20th Century draws to a close and we enter into a new millennium.

Guardian of Truth XLI: 18 p. 10-11
September 18, 1997

By Phil T. Arnold

I was surprisingly pleased to see the cover story of an issue of Newsweek magazine (May 12, 1997) entitled, “The Myth of Quality Time: How We’re Cheating Our Kids, What You Can Do.” Much of what it contains drives home the simple and obvious point  children and the home are a “full-time” job. Laura Shapiro, the author of the main article, writes, “Kids don’t do meetings. You can’t raise them in short, scheduled bursts. They need lots of attention, and experts warn that working parents may be shortchanging them.”

Two-career families and workaholic fathers of the seventies often felt tinges of guilt over the breakup of the nuclear home and sought for salve to soothe the stinging of their conscience. As usual, “experts” theorized a “better (?) way” to justify the abandonment of the home for the business world. The motto became “Quality Time.” The theory being that it doesn’t really matter how much time you spend with your kids, it’s how you spend the time. Arlie

Hochschild, author of The lime Bind, writes, “Instead of nine hours a day with a child, we declare ourselves capable of getting the ‘same result’ with one, more intensely focused, total quality hour.” The real result being a greater number of depressed, rebellious children lacking in the self-esteem “that comes from knowing your parents are really interested in you, really behind you,” says Ronald Levant, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School. Levant goes on to say, “I think quality time is just a way of deluding ourselves into shortchanging our children. Children need vast amounts of parental time and attention. It’s an illusion to think they’re going to be on your timetable, and that you can say ‘OK, we’ve got a half hour, let’s get on with it.’ Whenever time with children is in short supply, calling it “Quality Time” may make parents feel better but the results can still be devastating. Child psychologists are seeing more disturbed children. Teachers are reporting increases in discipline problems and class-room disruptions. “No wonder…” those “who work with children would like to get rid of the whole idea of quality time,” Shapiro writes.

The problem does not solely lie with “working mothers” but is aggravated by fathers caught up in the demands of a business world that may publicly project itself as family friendly, but privately “passes over” and frowns upon any-one who would dare place family above firm. Studies “clearly indicate that children whose fathers are thoroughly involved in their care do better socially and cognitively than kids whose fathers play a more marginal role.” The idea that “children are woman’s work” is another myth that needs to be exploded and is by observing the directives of God’s word (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21). Another misconception is that this time element is really only applicable to the newborn and toddler. While it is extremely important to get off to a good start (Prov. 22:6), kids do not shed their need for pa-rental “time” when they progress into adolescence and enter the teen years. In fact, the demands for parental time may become even more critical as they begin making what may well be “lifetime” choices.

What are some solutions to this problem of “time” and the home? Well, first of all, let us acknowledge that he who created us knows us best and knows what is best for us. Our culture, our career, and the cash do not alter the fact that our Father knows best (Isa. 55:8-9). We will never find a better way for ourselves and our families than the way prescribed by God. In his infinite wisdom, God has designed that women be “keepers of the home” (Tit. 2:5; 1 Tim. 5:14). This is not to say that it sinful for a woman to work outside the home, but it does often challenge her to remember what is to be her primary role  a homemaker. Men are to be the providers for the home. “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8). The man who is seeking a wife because “two incomes are better than one” or who believes that his wife should “pull her own weight by getting a job” is sadly out of step with the word of God. If you are not yet married, let God’s plan be your plan and make this your goal. If you are married, make conforming to this pattern your priority to have the home as designed by God.

Secondly, we must always realize that “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses” (Luke 12:14). I was also pleasingly astounded to see in the Newsweek articles quoted above that one proposed solution was simply to learn to live on less and adopt a more modest lifestyle. One couple even proposed selling their home and stepping down to a less expensive home in order to have more “quantity time” for the family. What a revolutionary idea! Learn to live within your means? How un-American! I realize that each family’s circumstances and choices vary. We would not propose to set ourselves up as either the judge or the standard. Yet, the lesson is obvious. The soul of a child (not to mention your own) is worth more than all the things that a “career” can bring (Matt. 16:26). For those still establishing their “lifestyles” and planning their families, set your goal to live on one in-come. For others, the choices may not be easy. It is always easier to move up in this world than move down. But realize that less will actually mean more  more time with family, more of a relationship that really matters, and more of an influence that can last beyond time. For some, the choices will be few because of the personal circumstance over which no one else should attempt to be judge. Pray to God for his providence that if possible your circumstance might change and for the wisdom that we all need to use whatever time we have wisely (Jas. 1:5; Eph. 3:15-17).

Guardian of Truth XLI: 18 p. 16-17
September 18, 1997