Truth Magazine

By Ron Halbrook

When should a person be baptized? When he understands and accepts the gospel of Christ in his heart, or some time later?

Infants and young children should wait. The Bible does not teach infant baptism. The Great Commission says, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Faith must precede baptism, but infants and small children do not yet have the ability to understand  much less believe  the gospel.

At some age, we reach an understanding of right and wrong and we have the ability to make a moral choice between the two. It is not merely a matter of choosing to obey our parents, and receiving their approval, or to disobey them, and receiving their disapproval. It is a matter of choosing in a deeper sense, making a moral choice between right and wrong. When a person reaches that age of responsibility and chooses to break the commandments of God, he be-comes guilty of sin. Thus, the Bible says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

Christ died to save us from the guilt and condemnation of our sins. His death provided a perfect sacrifice for sin: Sin was punished in such a way as to offer pardon to the sinner. He died for our sins, but he did no sin. This is the basis of salvation rather than any merit in ourselves (John 3:16; Rom. 5:6-8).

Salvation is offered to all men but not forced upon any-one. The conditions upon which we make the choice to receive or to reject salvation include faith in Christ, repenting of sin, confessing Jesus as God’s Son, and being immersed in water by his command (Acts 2:38; Rom. 10:10). There is no merit in man when he accepts these conditions; rather, he throws himself upon God’s love, mercy, and grace by yielding to these conditions.

When we accept the truth of the gospel in our mind, should we delay our baptism until later? No, we should be baptized immediately! Just accepting the truth in our hearts will not save us, for we are not saved by faith alone (James 2:24). We must immediately repent of our sins (Acts 2:38), immediately confess Jesus as God’s Son (Acts 8:37; Rom. 10:9-10), and immediately be baptized for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38-41).

In Acts 2:40-41, the sinners were baptized “the same day” when they believed the truth  they did not wait. In Acts 8:35-38, the eunuch was baptized as soon as he believed the gospel and confessed Christ  he did not wait. In Acts 16:32-34, the jailer was baptized “the same hour of the night”  he did not wait. In Acts 22:16, Ananias told Saul, “And now why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord”  he did not wait.

Why did they not wait? Because until they were baptized, they were still lost in their sins. If they died before being baptized, they would have been lost forever! When a person learns his house is on fire, does he leave immediately or does he wait until a later time to leave? He leaves immediately because he does not want to risk his life! When a person learns the truth of the gospel and knows he is lost in sin (his spiritual house is on fire!), he needs to obey immediately  without delay! We do not know when our life may end through disease or sudden accident, or when the Lord will return. To obey the gospel is urgent!

The denominations delay baptism because they teach that a person is saved the moment he believes in Christ, but such teaching is from Satan. We are saved by faith, but only when faith acts to receive forgiveness in baptism. We are not saved by faith only (James 2:24). Dear sinner friend, flee the denominations with their “faith only” doctrine. Obey the original gospel of Christ  be forgiven through the blood of Christ  let him add you to the church of Christ  receive a home in heaven at the side of Christ!

Guardian of Truth XLI: 5 p. 9
March 6, 1997

By Mike Willis

Recent discussion about the nature of Jesus has resulted in one group of brethren taking the position that Jesus gave up the use of his divine at-tributes in becoming a man. The motivation to adopt this position is to show that Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are. We are in agreement that Jesus overcame temptation without resorting to the use of his divine at-tributes, but not with the arguments made to defend it.

These brethren believe that Jesus made a decision before leaving heaven not to use his divine attributes while on earth. Therefore, the Jesus who came to earth did not have available to him his omnipotent power, omniscience, omnipresence, holiness, and other attributes. The Jesus in which these brethren believe is a Jesus who learned the will of God through the study of the Old Testament. Whatever he knew about God had to be learned through the same channels available to you and me. To believe otherwise would give Jesus an “edge” in resisting sin and, therefore, destroy his example in resisting sin. This concept of Jesus is not true to the biblical text.

The Jesus of the New Testament Was Aware of His Pre-existence With the Father

This is obvious from a plethora of Bible texts. Consider the following:

1. John 3:12-13. Jesus claimed to testify about heavenly things be-cause he had been with the Father. “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (John 3:12-13).

2. John 6:33. Jesus claimed to be the bread of life come down from heaven (John 6:33, 38). The Jews were offended by his claim because they correctly perceived it was an affirmation of his deity (6:41-42). Jesus re-plied by affirming that he was the living bread come down from heaven (6:51) and stated that he would ascend back to heaven (6:62).

3. John 7:29. Jesus claimed to know God, not because he read about him in the Old Testament, but because he came down from heaven. “But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.” He again declared his intention to return to heaven from whence he came (7:33-34).

4. John 8:14. Jesus affirmed the certainty of his knowledge based on his having come from heaven. “Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.” If all Jesus depended upon for knowledge was the Old Testament, the Jewish leaders had equal access to knowledge as he had and his claim to superior knowledge based on his having been from heaven is incorrect. He continued, “Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world” (8:23). “I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him” (8:26). “I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father” (8:38). He spoke the truth that he had heard of (para: in the presence of, before; not “about”) the Father (8:40). He claimed to have “proceeded forth and came from God” (8:42).

5. John 8:56-58. He lived before and knew Abraham.

6. John 13:3. Jesus knew that he had come from God and was going back to God. “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father” (John 16:28).

7. John 15:15. Jesus made known to his disciples what he had heard from the Father.

8. John 17:5. Jesus was aware of the glory he had with the Father before the world was created. “And now, 0 Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” He was in full possession of his remembrance of what he had experienced as deity prior to the incarnation.

9. John 17:24-25. He was aware of his Father’s love for him before the world was created.

When Jesus was incarnated, he was fully cognizant of his pre-existence and relied upon his memory of his pre-existence for certainty about what he taught as a man. A Jesus without memory of his pre-existence is not the Jesus of the New Testament.

Jesus of the New Testament Was

Aware of His Deity

1. John 4:10. When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, he said, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” (John 4:10). Jesus manifested a self-consciousness that he was deity.

2. John 5:23. “That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.”

3. John 8:58. Jesus affirmed himself to be the “I AM” (cf. Exod 3:6). “Before Abraham was, I am,” he said.

4. John 10:30. He claimed, “I and my Father are one.”

5. John 10:38. He stated that he was “in the Father” and the Father was “in him.” “…that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.” Compare also John 17:21.

6. John 14:3,6. His explained to his disciples his intention to return to the Father to prepare a place for the disciples who loved and obeyed him. Men have access to the Father only through him.

7. John 14:9-10. Jesus told Thomas that if one had seen him he had seen the Father.

8. John 16:15. All things that belonged to the Father were his: “All things that the Father hath are mine.”

Our brethren who deny that the baby Jesus was any different than us in so far as his knowledge was concerned need to tell us when Jesus became aware of who he was. When did Jesus become aware that he was God? Did he know that in the womb, when he came from the womb, when he was a child, when he was baptized? Just when did Jesus become aware that he was God the Son?

Jesus of the New Testament Claimed to Be

Able To Do What the Father Could Do

1. John 5:19. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” Jesus both knew what the Father did and had the ability to do the same.

2. John 10:17-18. He had the power to lay down and take up again his life. “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

Jesus’ claims to be able to do what the Father does and to both lay down and take up his own life are affirmations of his omnipotence. A Jesus that had nothing but delegated power is not the Jesus of the New Testament. H.P. Liddon correctly observed,

But if the miracles of Jesus be admitted in the block, as by a `rational’ believer in the Resurrection they must be admitted; they do point, as I have said, to the Catholic belief, as a distinct from any lower conceptions respecting the Person of Jesus Christ. They differ from the miracles of prophets and Apostles in that, instead of being answers to prayer, granted by a Higher Power, they manifestly flow from the majestic Life resident in this Worker (The Divinity of Our Lord 158).

Jesus performed miracles because of his own inherent power as the incarnate God, not through delegated power as the apostles did.

Jesus of the New Testament Knew All

Things the Father Did

1. John 5:20. “For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel” (John 5:20).

2. John 10:15. He knew the Father just as well as the Father knew him. “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

3. John 21:17. Peter confessed that Jesus knew all things.

The affirmation that Jesus knew all things that God the Father does and knew the Father just as the Father knew him are affirmations of his omniscience. Peter was correct when he said that Jesus knows all things. How sad that brethren would become so wedded to their mistaken under-standings of a couple of texts (Mark 13:32; Luke 2:52) that they reject all of these other statements about Jesus to hold on to a peculiar interpretation of those texts.

Jesus of the New Testament Knew

What Was in Man

On several occasions, the Scriptures speak of Jesus’ awareness of what was in man. He had this knowledge not because of incredible perception or the Holy Spirit gave it to him, but because he was God. John records that Jesus “needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man” (2:25). The first time he met Simon, he was able to look at the rock-like character traits he possessed and told him that he could be called “Cephas” or “Peter” (rock, see John 1:42). The first time he saw Nathanael, he saw his character and said, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (John 1:47). He was fully aware that the woman at the well had been married five times and was living with someone who was not her husband, even though no one had told him; he knew every-thing she had done (John 4:16-18, 29, 39). He was fully aware of Judas’ betrayal of him, knowing his character weakness when he chose him and his plans for delivering him into the hands of the Jews, even though Judas carefully concealed these plans from him (John 13:11, 18). “For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him” (John 6:64).

Jesus of the New Testament Was Completely

in Control of His Own Destiny

One of the things that impresses a person as he reads John’s gospel is the Lord’s awareness of his own time to die. He was fully in control of the sequence of events that led to his death. His destiny was not mere happenstance or accident. The Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, was in full control. He spoke of this often.

When his mother asked him to turn water to wine, he said, “Mine hour is not yet come” (John 2:4). His life was on a divine plan to be lived as ordained by God. He was aware of plots against his life that would have led to a pre-mature death and was thereby able to escape them (John 5:13-16). He told his disciples who attended the Feast of Tabernacles, “My time is not yet come” (John 7:6, 8). When Jesus spoke in the Temple no one arrested him because his time was not yet come (John 8:20). He knew just when the hour for the Son to be glorified had come (John 12:23). This was the very hour for which he had come into the world (John 12:27).

When the time for his arrest came, Jesus knew exactly what was to occur: “Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?” (John 18:4) When they moved to arrest him, they “went backward, and fell to the ground” (John 18:6). This miracle demonstrated that he had the power to stop his arrest had he so chosen. He was the one in control of the events, not the Jews, Herod, or Pilate.

Conclusion

Those brethren who believe in a Jesus without divine attributes are quick to affirm that they do not deny the deity of Christ. They also are quick to tell us that the Jesus whom they serve had to “grow in knowledge” the same as any other human being. This raises a problem for them.

The Jesus of the New Testament is eternal. He was fully aware of everything that had ever occurred in human history. He knew the revealed word of God because he was one with the Father who revealed it. He knew all that things God had done and intended to do. Did the incarnate Christ forget all of these things when he be-came a man? Did the Christ develop a divine case of Alzheimer’s disease? Did he lose his mind? Perhaps our brethren can explain to us how the Jesus whom they worship was limited in knowledge to what other men know inasmuch as he personally knew all things of human existence (he had omniscience before his incarnation and therefore knew all things) and had participated in the revelation of God’s will to man!

I cannot understand how these many passages of Scriptures can be harmonized with a concept of the nature of the incarnate Son that affirms that he only knew what he could learn by human effort and human experience, read from the Old Testament, and know through inspiration. This Jesus is not the Jesus of the New Testament.

Guardian of Truth XLI: 5 p. 2
March 6, 1997

By Connie W. Adams

One thing which convinces me that the church is a divine institution is the fact that it has survived the sorry example set by so many of its members, and especially some who set themselves forward as preachers of the word. If ever there was a crying need for the admonition that Paul gave to Timothy to “be thou an example of the believers” surely that time is now.

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity . . . Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt save thyself, and them that hear thee (1 Tim. 4:12-16).

Timothy’s youth could not be discounted when his teaching was fortified by such character as to make him a worthy example of what every believer ought to be, whether young or old. Note that Paul instructed him to take heed to himself as well as to the doctrine. Faithful servants of God ought to preach the truth and nothing else. But they ought to live the truth as well. Failure to do that blunts the force of truth in human hearts and causes the name of God to be blasphemed among unbelievers. It has a devastating effect upon the hearts and lives of the weak and tender children of God.

The Preacher and His Conduct Toward All

Paul continued his instruction concerning the need for Timothy to set a right example and take heed to himself as well as to the doctrine: “Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity” (1 Tim. 5:1-2). The “elder” of verse one is not an overseer of the congregation, but a reference to the deference toward age which youth should show. Treat older men as a father. Younger men should be treated as equals (brethren). Give to older women the respect due mothers. Please observe the next ad-monition: “the younger as sisters, with all purity.” What was the need of that qualifying phrase? It was needed for the same reason Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:22  “Flee also youthful lusts.”

Bad Examples of Believers

1. Debt evaders set the wrong example. While churches should be taught to adequately provide for those who devote their lives to the work of the gospel, faithful servants of the Lord must learn to live within their means and to do so graciously, without murmuring. Things bought on credit should be paid for. Desire for “things” should never outweigh sanity and financial ability. How embarrassing it is for a congregation, or its elders, to be approached by local businessmen for satisfaction of an unpaid debt after a preacher has moved.

2. Immature conduct sets the wrong example. The work of preachers is sometimes beset with disappointments and frustrations. Pulpit fits and temper tantrums in business meetings are not calculated to inspire confidence and respect. Falling apart under pressure ill befits those who preach to others that they should “gird up the loins of your minds, be sober” (1 Pet. 1:13). Preachers who are too quick on the trigger to move, rather than see a problem through, often contribute to instability in the work they leave behind. Some have larger egos than the brethren are able to feed. One such preacher was reminded by an exasperated brother that “When we sing `How Great Thou Art’ we are not singing to you.”

3. Gossip peddlers set the wrong example. Preachers rail against gossip and its attendant evil about as much as any other infraction of divine law, yet many of us are the worst offenders of all. There is a brotherhood grapevine which swings from coast to coast and border to border which elevates the most unsubstantiated rumor to the status of hard, cold fact. Often fellow-preachers are the victims of the careless lips of suspicion peddlers who relish the fact that they are definitely “in the know.” It becomes “common knowledge” that certain preachers are looking to move when they have never even thought of it, all because someone learned that the elders in another place called just to ask if they might be willing to consider a move. This writer has received several phone calls at times from places looking for a preacher all because somebody, for some reason, started the rumor that I was “looking” when there was not an ounce of truth to it. Brethren have been charged, tried and convicted in absentia of doctrinal and sometimes moral deficiencies based on false reports spread by suspicious minds and wagging tongues. “Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?”

4. Envious preachers set the wrong example. “Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife: and some also of good will” (Phil. 1:15). So it was when Paul wrote those words and so it is now. Some are eaten up with envy and jealousy because of the esteem in which some of their fellow-laborers are held. Even as in Paul’s day, they may be spurred on to greater activity not so much for the love of souls as for the purpose of cornering a greater portion of the glory out of which they feel cheated. Why should a preacher in a meeting feel a tinge of injury to hear local brethren speak words of praise for the local preacher? Why should the local preacher feel hurt when brethren who hear him every week say kind things about a visiting speaker? In each case, why not “rejoice with them that rejoice”? It is a blessing that all of us are not alike. Each has his unique way of presenting the truth. All any of us can really do is sow the seed or water that already sown by others. None of us has the power to give the increase. I read somewhere that it is amazing how much we can accomplish when we don’t care who gets the credit.

5. Preachers who are too familiar with the sisters set the wrong example. It is painful to speak of these things. The cause of Christ has suffered severe damage in the last few years through this very thing. There seems to be a virtual epidemic of this malady. The scenario is all too familiar. A good brother who is happily married, sets out to “counsel” with a sister who is having marital problems. He lets his guard down, violates his own rule to have either his wife present on such occasions or else, one of the elders, or an older sister, so as to “provide things honest” in the sight of God and man, and the rest all too frequently becomes history. He feels sorry for her and in trying to help, imposes confidences from his own life. Additional “counseling” sessions are required and before long compassion merges with infatuation which is reciprocated, and there it goes. The news gets out and hasty resignations follow, or else firings, much to the dismay of the congregations involved. Even when sincere confessions of wrong are made, the after effects live on to embarrass the church and to haunt the involved preachers for the rest of their lives. The wages are high.

My brethren, these things must stop. The cause of our Lord is far too important for any of us to give in to such temptations to the destruction of our own families, the detriment of our own souls and the retardation of the greatest work in the world. We need less “counselors” and more preachers of the word who will tell troubled people what the word of the Lord has to say in a setting that is beyond reproach and which leaves no occasion for the adversary to speak reproachfully. We do not need to hear confidences and intimate information which our wives cannot hear, or one of the elders, or an elderly sister. If you are a single preacher and one of the elders is not available, or there are none where you preach, then ask one of the older sisters to go with you. You may, or may not, know more about the Bible than she, but she will know a whole lot more about life than you do and can merge her wisdom with your knowledge to help the troubled.

Conclusion

We cannot expect the churches to grow in number or spirit without faithful and fearless preaching of the word of God. That preaching must be done by men who believe what they are saying enough to practice it in life. Purity of character adds an extra earnestness and confidence which is missing from those who know good and well they are masquerading behind pulpits to cover serious character flaws. Oh yes, I know none of us is perfect in the absolute sense, but fellows, surely we can do better than a growing number have in the last few years. “Be thou an example of the believers” (Editorial, Searching The Scriptures, November 1982).

Guardian of Truth XLI: 5 p. 3-4
March 6, 1997

By Lance Bailles

It’s not easy to teach children’s Bible classes. We all owe a very great debt of gratitude to those kind and talented souls who sacrifice their time and sometimes their sanity to open young hearts to the message of Jesus Christ. Let me explain why these teachers deserve more than ordinary credit.

First, they have to deal kindly with rude children. Many parents are unaware of how disruptive their children are behind the closed doors of the Bible class. There is picking, hitting, and ridicule between the students. Some children get up and begin playing with objects in the room, writing on the board, or taking “R & R” trips to the rest room. Every time this happens, the teacher has to stop teaching in order to put the class back in order. Sometimes, there is so much chit-chat and playing around between the students, that the teacher spends more time trying to keep order than he does teaching.

Second, they have to deal with shabby curriculum. Much of what the church gives to the teacher in the way of class books is not worth the paper it’s printed on. Frequently, the material is totally out of proportion with the age group it was supposedly meant for. Sometimes it can be so simplistic that the whole lesson can be done in five minutes, and other times it can be so complex that it is impossible for the student to do (like some of the reading work I have seen for K-1st grade). This forces every teacher into the position of having to invent learning activities, not just to supplement their given curriculum, but often to completely replace large unusable portions of it.

Third, they have to be understanding with hard-headed adults. Some of the most disruptive children in Bible classes have parents who will defend junior no matter what. To tell a parent that his child is disruptive in class often times invites nothing but abuse onto the teacher, so that on occasion the teacher is asked to apologize to the trouble maker, instead of the other way around. Other parents are so fragile in their faith that if they were told that their child is disruptive, they will leave the church altogether. Frequently, these dysfunctional parents put teachers into a situation where they have to weigh the possibility of losing an entire family by refusing an unruly child into class, or admitting him at the expense of not being able to teach the other children. This happens more than you think.

Fourth, they have to deal with unrealistic expectations from the church. On occasion, a teacher may find himself teaching in a church where parents, the preacher, or the elders are harboring extreme views, like, only “adult songs” should be sung in class, or they think that the teacher shouldn’t use crayons, or that the pictures in the curriculum are harmful to young minds, or a myriad of other petty and paranoid things that occupy the thinking of some brethren. Often, the teacher is expected to agree with the scruples of every child’s parent, which is impossible. Worst of all, the preacher and/or elders may have never taught anything but high school and adult classes, with the result that their rules and expectations for the younger classes wind up being silly and absurd, sort of like how management is depicted in the comic strip “Dilbert.”

There are a few things we can do to improve the situation for our teachers: First, don’t wait for the teachers to tell you that they are running out of supplies. Check the classrooms regularly and restock them with new supplies. This includes buying new desks or chairs when they are broken. Secondly, encourage the teachers to decorate the classrooms. Being stuck in a dark, cramped, mildew smelling room doesn’t make anybody exited to go to class. Third, the next time your preacher writes curriculum for the primary grades, drop it in the garbage. From this rule, you should only accept those who have taught those grade levels for many years, or older preachers and elders who have spent decades dealing with these problems through their wives. Fourth, if you’re one of those good churches that teaches your teachers how to teach, make sure you include a session on how to maintain order in the class. What good is it to know how to teach if the class is so unruly that they are unable to learn? Fifth, quit buying workbooks that your teachers can’t use, and start finding workbooks that they can use. Call your bookstore and browse over some of the more recently published stuff..Finally, praise your Bible class teachers over and over again. They endure a lot of stress in order to teach our children, and we are told to give honor to whom honor is due (Rom. 12:7).

Guardian of Truth XLI: 5 p. 1
March 6, 1997