Truth Magazine

By Phil T. Arnold

Shortly after moving to Oklahoma City in the mid 80s, I made an opportunity to pay a visit to the meeting place of the Oakcrest Church of Christ which is a stone’s throw from our building. One of the preachers there took me on a tour of their then recently completed complex. He showed me their offices, the large auditorium, the extensive classrooms, and teaching resource room. When we came to their kitchen and “fellowship hall,” he was almost apologetic and attempted to justify such an elaborate facility for dining as containing only those things donated by members with nothing coming out of the general treasury of the congregation.

You see, he knew that I had come not for a tour of their facility but to attempt to arrange an opportunity to discuss some of the differences that existed between us. One of which being the involvement of the church unauthorized social matters, including church sponsored social meals. He had declined the invitation assuring me that he was aware of and had previously thoroughly studied our differences and felt that a discussion would prove unproductive. He also assured me that Oakcrest would never become “one of those liberal churches like Quail Springs and Mayfair” (his words not mine). As proof of this he said, “There’ll never be one of those family life centers at Oakcrest. The elders here would never stand for it.”

Well, fifteen years have now come and gone. The preacher I visited with has long since moved on and there have been at least some changes in the eldership that I am aware of. In addition, there is now a large building on the north side of their complex — a “family life center” or, perhaps more accurately, a gymnasium — the previously dreaded indication of a “liberal” church according to the previous preacher.

Such a progression is no surprise to those who have watched the departure of the so-called “mainstream” churches of Christ in their march toward apostasy. Brethren have moved from meals in the “meeting house,” to elaborate facilities to better accommodate such, to the “church gym” and full involvement in the social realm as the work of the church. The Bible authority to justify (?) one, justifies all the rest. “And whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17).

From around the country comes disturbing news of the continued apostasy of churches of Christ through unscriptural departures and denominational imitation.

For example the Woodmont Hills church of Christ in Nashville made the news once more with their official invitation to Billy Graham of “Crusades for Christ fame” to encourage him to come to Nashville. At least three other churches of Christ in the Nashville area have also publicly committed themselves to work with the Graham Crusade. And no, Billy Graham has not changed his teaching. He still denies that baptism is “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), believes in the doctrine of original, inherited Adamic sin (Ezek. 18:20), the impossibility of falling from grace (Gal. 5:4), and that Jesus does not now reign over his kingdom but must return to the earth and reign in Jerusalem for 1,000 years (Col. 1:13). He uses mechanical instruments of music in worship (Eph. 5:19), and continues to invite people to be saved by “faith only” (Jas. 2:24; Mark 16:16) and then join the church of their choice, thus denying the Bible teaching concerning the one church (Eph. 4:4; 1:22, 23). Yet, this false teacher is being set forth as a teacher with “a reputation of honesty, accountability and moral uprightness” (see Matt. 7:15 and 2 John 9-11). How far they have gone! (Quotations concerning Billy Graham are from Reubel Shelly, preacher for the Woodmont Hills Church of Christ.)

As another example of where some “churches of Christ” are headed, note the following letter from the Monterey Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas concerning a “pastor” of the Monterey congregation baptizing an infant in the building of a United Methodist Church:

To Our Brothers and Sisters at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church,
Thank you for allowing us to use your building on November 18. The families involved were from two different backgrounds and saw a need to unite their faith and family through the sacrament of baptism. Because of your generous spirit, a household has been encouraged to continue their faith tradition. We of the Monterey Church of Christ are grateful to have you as our partners in spreading the good news of Jesus in our community and the world. May God bless your ministry richly.

Baptizing infants! Brothers and sisters at a denomination! “Partners” with a denomination! Encouraging people “to continue their faith tradition”! Acting like Christ? When did Christ ever encourage people to continue in human tradition (Matt. 15:8-9)? When did he ever join them in unauthorized religious activity (Matt. 15:13-14)? When did Christ ever . . .? How far they have gone!

Yes, there are those among “mainstream” churches of Christ who are voicing opposition to such blatant departures from the word and compromises with denominationalism. But their cries are falling on a lot of deaf ears attached to heads that have not been filled with the word of God, an understanding of what the church of the Bible is all about, and the need for Bible authority for all that we practice. Is it any wonder they have gone so far and more and more are going that same way.

Let us not be smug or resort to “I told you so.” Let us lament any departure from the truth. Let us take warning (1 Cor. 10:12). Let us be ever diligent to be the church we read about in the New Testament that truly does belong to Christ because we follow his teaching (Col. 3:17). Let this also be a warning to us about worshiping with a congregation that merely wears the name “church of Christ” without any further investigation.    

From the Evangelizer, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

By Walton Weaver

The word “fool” appears 56 times in the King James Version of the Bible. Of these, 48 of them are in the Old Testament and eight in the New Testament. Most of the Old Testament references are in the wisdom books of Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, but primarily in the book of Proverbs (32 occurrences). The most familiar in the book of Psalms is the passage which says that the one who says in his heart there is no God is a fool (Ps. 14:1). My own favorites from the book of Proverbs are the following:

He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool (10:18).

It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom (10:23).

He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart (11:29).

The way of the fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise (12:15).

A wise man feareth, and deparateth from evil: but the fool rageth and is confident (14:16).

A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent (15:5).

Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool (19:1)
It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling (20:3).

Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words (23:9).

As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool (26:1).

As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly (26:11).
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards (29:11).

Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him (29:20).

In the New Testament, Jesus called the rich farmer of Luke 12:13-21 a “fool” because he worked simply to store up more and more of the fruits of his labors while ignoring God in his life. Paul also used the word to identify people in various situations (1 Cor. 3:18; 15:36). When he found it necessary in 2 Corinthians to glory somewhat in his own sufferings in order to defend his apostleship, he conceded that he was using the language of a fool (2 Cor. 11:23; 12:6, 11).

Who Is A Fool?

So what does it mean for one to be a fool? Basically the word “fool” means “without reason, senseless, foolish” (Arndt-Gingrich, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 72). The word “foolish” appears almost 50 times in Scripture, so the two words, “fool” and “foolish,” when added together are used about 100 times in the King James Version of the Bible.

When looking for self-acclaimed fools in the Bible we probably should not count the times Paul admits to acting as a fool in speaking of his sufferings as an apostle. Paul was not really acting foolishly, but he certainly was made to feel like a fool, and others no doubt would consider him to be acting foolishly by using his own sufferings in his defense. It made him appear to be glorying in himself. If we omit Paul, as I am convinced we should, then the only time we have a frank admission from anyone in the Bible that he had been a fool is when Saul, the first king of Israel, said, “I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly” (1 Sam. 26:21, emphasis mine, ww). 

Saul is a clear case of one who truly played the fool. There is no room for doubt here. He is one who had acted without reason both before God and in his treatment of David, and Saul was honest enough to see it and admit it. This is not usually true of those who act this way. But notice, first, before Saul began to play the fool . . .

Saul Had Much Going For Him

Like others who had gone before, and many who have came after him, there were many things that were true of Saul that if used as intended they would have made him do better.

1. He was from a prominent and wealthy family. Saul’s father is described as “a mighty man of valor” (1 Sam. 9:1). His father being of great wealth and substance shows that his family was of high consideration in the tribe of Benjamin, even though Saul himself, “adopting the common forms of affected humility which Oriental people are wont to use” (Jamieson, I, Part 2:154), describes it as “the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin” (v. 21).

2. He was a choice young man and handsome. The word “goodly” in 1 Samuel 9:2 is rendered “handsome” in the NASB. The verse goes on to say that “there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he,” i. e., a more handsome man. In addition to this, he was a head higher than any of the people. When we put it all together we have a man with the strength and looks of youth, and a very good-looking young man at that! As one person put it, “a gigantic stature and an athletic frame must have been a popular recommendation at that time in that country.” But has there ever been a time and a country where such a young man did not receive a “popular recommendation”? Such a person, at least from the physical side of his makeup, was surely very well suited to serve as king over Israel.

3. He had a changed heart. After Saul had been chosen by God as the first king of Israel, according to 1 Samuel 10:9, “God gave him another heart.” This appears to be a way of informing that God was instrumental in leading Saul in another direction and enabling him to now give himself wholly to the administration of his kingdom. With his new heart Saul was no longer burdened with other matters such as being concerned about his livelihood. Instead he now had the heart of a statesman, a general, a prince. Matthew Henry describes this change in the following way: “A new fire was kindled in his breast, such as he had never before been acquainted with: seeking the asses is quite out of his mind, and he thinks of nothing but fighting the Philistines, redressing the grievances of Israel, making laws, administering justice, and providing for the public safety; these are the things that now fill his head” (Commentary on the Whole Bible, 2:260).

4. He was a humble man. First, notice Saul’s response when he is first informed by Samuel of God’s plan to appoint him as king over Israel. Even though Samuel does not say he is God’s choice in these words, his question to Saul, “And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house?” implies as much. Saul clearly understood what he meant, and with this understanding, he asked Samuel, “Am not I a Benjaminite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Wherefore then speakest thou so to me?” (1 Sam. 9:21). In other words, “I’m not important enough to be king over Israel, am I?”

Second, when they were looking for Saul to present him to the people he was hard to find. He was not seeking the attention of the people, even after he had been told what God had planned for him. Where was he found? The Bible says “he was hid among the stuff” (1 Sam. 10:22). His humility is apparent in this statement. He was not seeking a place of prominence in God’s kingdom. This is one of the most important qualities for success in God’s work.
5. He was numbered among the prophets. Saul was told that he would meet a company of prophets who  would prophesy, and that he also would receive the Spirit of God, “and . . . prophesy with them, and . . . be turned into another man” (1 Sam. 10:5-6). It was after this promise that God gave him another heart and the signs promised to him were fulfilled. After Saul prophesied as promised, the people began to say one to another, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Sam. 10:10-11).

We might think that in light of all these advantages, surely such a man would not fail, would he? But in spite of all of these things in his favor:

He Still Played The Fool

It is sad to hear from Saul himself, “God is departed from me, and answereth me no more” (1 Sam. 28:15). What had Saul done to lead him to this sad conclusion, “I have played the fool”? Several things may be noted.

1. He disobeyed God. The fact that he disobeyed God belongs at the top of the list. And he did so more than once. The first example of Saul’s disregard for God’s word is when he went up to Gilgal ahead of Samuel and offered a burnt offering unto God. Samuel had told him to go ahead of him, “and, behold, I will come down to thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and show thee what thou shalt do” (1 Sam. 10:8). But Saul got impatient while waiting for Samuel. The Bible says that he waited for the seven days as instructed, but when Samuel did not arrive in the specified time Saul took it on himself to offer up the burnt offering (1 Sam. 13:8-10). When Samuel arrived he rebuked Saul for his misdeed and said he had acted foolishly: “Thou has acted foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee” (1 Sam. 13:13). Because of his disobedience Samuel told him that God would take his kingdom away from him and give it to another, even to the David, “a man after his own heart” (vv. 13-14).

Saul also disobeyed God when he failed to slay Agag and he “spared . . . the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them” (1 Sam. 15:9). God had told him that he was to “smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass” (v. 3). Samuel described Saul’s sin as “rebellion” against God (v. 23). As in the former case, so in this instance as well, Saul’s attempts to justify his actions were rejected. He finally admitted, “I have sinned” (v. 30), but it seems to have been an empty confession, and it was too late.

2. He became envious of David’s successes. We are impressed with the unselfishness that seemed to characterize him before when he refused to destroy the sons of Belial for not bringing gifts to the new king (1 Sam. 10:27). Evidently it was expected that they bring such gifts. But Saul “held his peace.” Yet after Saul had disobeyed God and he had been told that the kingdom would be taken from him, we see a different man. When Saul returned from the slaughter of the Philistines, “the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Sam. 18:6-7). Upon hearing this, we are told, “And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him. . . . And Saul eyed David from that day and forward” (vv. 8-9). A wise man tells us that envy “is the rottenness of the bones” (Prov.14:30). Saul had developed this terrible disease.

3. He imagined troubles that were not there. It is easy to become delusionary when we are jealous of others. We begin to imagine things that are not true. Saul simply would not believe that David would do him no harm and that he actually sought what was good for him. Jonathan told Saul to stop sinning against David, “because his works have been to theeward very good” (1 Sam. 19:4). But Saul would not believe him. When one reaches this state of mind he gives meaning to words that are not there, and he begins to interpret things that people do in the opposite way in which they were meant. He begins to fear the worst and becomes afraid of troubles that will never happen. Saul had become like that.

4. He was unfair to David. Saul was telling David he loved him while trying to kill him. He told his servants to go and tell David “secretly,” “Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king’s son in law” (1 Sam. 18:22). It’s hard for us to imagine that Saul would give David a wife (his younger daughter, Michal, who loved David, v. 20) only to take her back. But that’s what he planned. It was only a pretense of love on Saul’s part to provide him with an opportunity to kill him. David was the greatest asset to Saul’s kingdom, but Saul did not have the good sense to see it. David had respect for Saul and loved Jonathan, Saul’s son, as if he were his own son. He had opportunities to kill Saul but always spared his life.

Big men like David do great things in the kingdom of God. Little men like Saul are envious of those who are able to do more than they can — or else do it better, and they get on the wrong track by majoring in trifles and do everything they can to destroy them. When they do, like Saul, they do no more than “play the fool.”

1820 Hairston Ave., Conway, Arkansas 72032

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 modern 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 “grievous 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, debate, 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). 

3505 Horse Run Ct., Shepherdsville, Kentucky 40165-6954

By Jim McDonald

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of Jehovah; and on his law doth he meditate day and night.

The first Psalm is without a heading, assigned to no author, therefore its human authorship is uncertain. We accept all 150 psalms as the inspired work of the Spirit, but the human instrument through whom he moved is not known in that Psalm. David is author of about half of the psalms and at least five other men are named: Asaph, Moses, Solomon, Teman, and Heman. Since several of the Psalms are ­without a heading, they could have been written by any of these men or by some other of whom we know nothing. The first is a sort of ­introduction to the whole book, a collection of psalms that had been in writing for at least 500 years.

The blessed (happy) man is the subject of this Psalm. He is viewed from two perspectives: negative and positive. He is blessed because, of what he is not and on the other hand of what he is. Such a perspective should not be surprising for every balanced life is composed of these two elements. Could it be otherwise?

The words of a song of yesterday go like this: “Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative and don’t mess with Mr. In Between.” Such a philosophy would make a battery useless. Both negative and positive posts are necessary for the car to function. Such a philosophy. equally renders useless the life of a Christian. Trials are those things­ which bring out sturdiness in us and sharpen our resolve to do right. No child can properly develop without both negative and positive instructions from his parents. Parents cannot say “Yes” all the time any more than they can say “No.” Both things are needful to a child’s proper training and development.

The Ten Commandments illustrated the necessities of “do’s” and “don’ts” in the life of the ancient Israelite. The New Testament reveals that the noble Christian must also have these two qualities. We must deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (negative); we must live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world (positive) (Tit. 2:11). Pure religion is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction (positive) and keep oneself unspotted from the world (negative) (Jas. 1:27). Read also Romans 12:1f.

The blessed man is blessed because of what he does not do. He does not:

1. Walk in the counsel of the wicked;
2. Stand in the way of sinners;
3. Sit in the seat of scoffers.

These three things show sin’s progressive nature. Paul wrote: “Evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse” (2 Tim. 3 :13). James said: “Each man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed and the lust when it hath conceived beareth sin, and sin, when it is full grown bringeth forth death” (Jas. 1:13f).

On the other hand, the blessed man is blessed because of what he does. “His delight is in the law of Jehovah and on this law doth he meditate day and night.” This passage reflects an attitude of love and respect. The blessed man loves the Scriptures. He loves them because:

1. Of their origin. He believes they are the sole oral revelation the Creator of this world has made to mankind.

2. Of their worth. They are “Sweeter than honey and the droppings of the honeycomb” (Ps.19).

Need it be observed that any one who loves the Scriptures will be obedient to them? The blessed man is an obedient one. “Blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have a right to the tree of life and enter by the gates into they city” (Rev. 22:14).

From The Gospel Teacher, Lufkin, Texas