Truth Magazine

By Connie W. Adams

As Others See Us

I recently attended a gathering where I saw a number of my former school mates, some of whom I had not seen for awhile. Some of them are surely beginning to look old and wrinkled! Time takes its toll on eyesight, hearing, the gait and posture. Not to mention the memory. Some are battling debilitating illnesses. Some are bowed down with grief over the death of a spouse. Some have bounced back from bouts with cancer or other ailments. Conversations often turned to diets, medications and treatments. But growing older is part of life. “O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come” (Psa. 71:17-18).

H.E. Phillips

Recently I had two good visits with my dear friend and brother, H.E. Phillips. At that time he was in the hospital in Tampa. Because of his diabetes, it was necessary to remove his left leg just below the knee and a few weeks later he right leg was removed. For over a year he has been on kidney dialysis three times a week. He has maintained an admirable spirit through it all. His mind was clear and we spoke again of what has always been on his heart — “things concerning the kingdom of God.” He, Polly and their daughters need your prayers. “The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (Jas. 5:16). (Brother Phillips passed from this life on April 5, 2000.)

“Bashing”

It is interesting to watch the developing political scene. If one opposes the public record of his opponent or responds to charges of a foe, he is summarily accused of “bashing” his opponent in the race. The verb “bash” means to hit or smash. There is no doubt that sometimes politicians do exactly that. Sometimes they hit below the belt. But much of what is called bashing is not that at all. Which brings up another matter. Sometimes brethren are accused of bashing each other. Now it is possible to do that. But it is not bashing a brother to comment on, analyze, or even  oppose what he has publicly taught which you believe to be erroneous. If you call in doubt a brother’s character, his honesty, integrity, or if you attribute to him sinister motives, then you have certainly been engaged in bashing. But much of what is being labeled with this odious term is not that at all and it is strange that some who complain the most about bashing have themselves become the worst offenders in that department. “Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?” (Rom. 2:21). The Golden Rule applies in both directions.

Preacher and Congregation Converted
A recent letter from Edgar Samodal of Iligan City in Mindanao, Philippines is typical of many I have received over the years. I had the privilege of spending quite some time with him last year and hearing him present a very able gospel sermon. In telling of some recent activities, he reported the following:

December 3, we traveled again to answer an invitation for a gospel seminar hosted by a Baptist Church. They invited us because they wanted to hear the gospel fully. The Baptist denomination in Bobo-an is 350 kms. from Iligan City. Preachers who went with us are brethren Apatan, Armada and Calipayan. We are the speakers at the seminar which lasted two days. After question and answer it was successfully done resulting in 23 souls being baptized including their church “pastor.” As of now the sign board on their meeting house was changed to read “Church of Christ.”

Bobby and I spent more than 15 hours riding in the jeepney driven by Edgar. It was a was a thrilling experience to say the least. He maneuvered over bad roads through thickly populated areas with skill and speed. Since the speedometer was broken, we could not accurately determine the latter. But I nicknamed him “Jehu” of whom it was said, “He driveth furiously” (2 Kings 9:20). That is not the end of the story. When their fourth child was born, the son was named Jehu and Edgar now signs letters to me Jehu, Sr. We thank God for all the good being done by good brethren there.

The Villains

Have you ever noticed that in cases where corrective discipline has become necessary in a congregation that the chastised sinner is portrayed, either by himself or some of his relatives as a victim and those who administer the discipline as the villains? Forget about the drinking, or the fornication, or the teaching of error. Whatever wrong has been done cannot equal the censorious, judgmental harshness of those who are trying to save the soul of the sinner and protect the congregation from his evil influence, while at the same time obeying the clear teaching of scripture. And how often is it heard, “It was not what they did but HOW they did it”? If someone ever discovers HOW to practice corrective discipline in such a way as to please every offender would you please publicize that information for the benefit of those of us who don’t know HOW?

Church Ads

I have not been asked to say this. But I want to say a word about the advantage of church ads, such as appear in the last pages of each issue of this paper and several others. We travel a great deal in our work. Every year we buy the new edition of the Directory of Churches published by Guardian of Truth Foundation and we use it. But we have found the ads of much greater help. Sometimes they have extra information which helps to locate the building. The schedule of services is especially helpful, plus often having a choice of phone numbers to call. Since brethren purchase this service they tend to do a better job keeping information updated than is the case with the directory. If the congregation is located near a university, military base, or tourist attraction, it would be helpful to many to be able to find your ad. If you are not taking advantage of this, why not look over these ads and consider placing yours with us. The cost is reasonable and the service of great value to those who want to find brethren with which to worship when away from home.

P.O. Box 69, Brooks, Kentucky 40109

By David Dann

We read in Exodus 20 that as God was in the process of delivering his law to Israel through Moses, he gave his people ten basic commandments that they were to obey. Among other ordinances, these commandments include the instructions, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy . . . Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal” (Exod. 20:8, 13-15).

Many religious people today who claim to be Christians often stress the importance of keeping the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are held in high esteem as a code of religious and moral value. Even the youngest children are taught to memorize them and obey them.

As we notice the great importance placed on the Ten Commandments by so many religious groups, we must ask whether or not we are obligated to keep this set of laws today. According to the Bible:

1. The Ten Commandments were only given to the nation of Israel. It is clear that the instructions given in Exodus 20 were given by God to Israel. In fact, in reviewing the Ten Commandments with Israel, Moses said, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day” (Deut. 5:2-3). Obviously, the Ten Commandments were given to the nation of Israel and not to all the nations throughout history.
2.  The Ten Commandments were part of the Old Covenant. In Exodus 34 we read, “And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.’ And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments” (Exod. 34:27-28). The Hebrew writer refers to the tablets of stone that contained the Ten Commandments as “tables of the covenant” (Heb. 9:4). These Scriptures teach that the Ten Commandments were included in the covenant that God made with Israel at Mt. Sinai. (See also Deut. 4:12-14; 9:8-11; 1 Kings 8:9, 21).
3.  The Old Covenant has been done away with. While explaining the prophecy of Jeremiah regarding the plan of God in replacing the Old Covenant with the New Covenant, the Hebrew writer says, “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah’” (Heb. 8:7-8). He then concludes the thought in the following manner: “In that he saith, ‘A new covenant,’ he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away” (Heb. 8:13). Since the Old Covenant has been removed, and the Ten Commandments were included in the Old Covenant, we must conclude that the Ten Commandments have been removed as well. As Paul put it, Christ “took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Col. 2:14).
4. We are now obligated to keep the commandments of the New Covenant. The “New Covenant,” or “New Testament” was brought into force by the death of Christ (Heb. 9:16-17). Jesus referred to his blood which was shed at the cross as the “blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28). Since we are no longer under the Old Covenant and the Ten Commandments, does this mean we are free to murder, steal, and commit adultery? Certainly not. Nearly all of the principles contained in the Ten Commandments (with the exception of the command to keep the Sabbath) are repeated in the New Covenant, as revealed in such passages as Colossians 3:5, 1 John 3:15, Ephesians 4:28, and Matthew 5:34, as well as others. We should not murder, steal,  or commit adultery, not because the Ten Commandments say so, but because the gospel of Jesus Christ says so. The gospel of Christ contains the standard by which all nations will be judged (John 12:48; 2 Cor. 5:10).

Conclusion

The Old Covenant Law, including the Ten Commandments, has served its purpose. Paul explains this by using the following illustration: “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Gal. 3:24-25).

2121 Rathburn Rd. East, Apt. 106, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L4W 2X3

By Irvin Himmel

In the New Testament one reads about the church. For example, Paul wrote that the house of God “is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). When reflecting on his personal unworthiness to be an apostle, Paul acknowledged, “I persecuted the church of God” (1 Cor. 15:9). Who built this church which is mentioned, described, and discussed on the pages of apostolic writings? 

Neither Abraham Nor Moses

Abraham was a great and faithful man of God. Called of God to go into a strange land, he received special promises and became the head of the race that we commonly identify as the Messianic nation. Known as “the Friend of God,” he did not build the church.

Moses was divinely commissioned to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt. He was their lawgiver. He was the writer of the first five books of the Old Testament. He led the people during the trying years of wilderness wanderings. His was an illustrious career, but he did not build the church of the New Testament. 

Neither Solomon Nor Elijah

Solomon was a famous king who expanded the kingdom of Israel into an empire. He built a fine palace for himself and his crowning achievement was the building of the temple in Jerusalem. However, Solomon did not build the church.

Elijah was a courageous prophet who lived during the divided kingdom. He rebuked the wicked king Ahab for troubling Israel. He is remembered especially for his contest with the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. He and Moses appeared with Christ on the mount of transfiguration, but Elijah did not build the church. 

Not John the Baptist

Some religious people have argued that the church was established by John. Furthermore, some think that since John was called “the Baptist,”  the church should be called “the Baptist Church.” John was called “the Baptist” because he baptized, not because he was “a” Baptist religiously. And John did not start the church. John was already dead, according to Matthew 14, when the building of the church was still future (Matt. 16:18). John’s mission was to prepare the way for the Messiah. He was not sent to build the church.

Not Martin Luther

There is a church that wears the name of Luther; however, that church is not revealed in the New Testament. Martin Luther was not born until A.D. 1483. That is more than fourteen hundred years too late for him to have been the founder of the New Testament church. No matter how much we may admire Luther for his sparking the great Reformation in Germany, we dare not exalt him unduly. The church described in the Bible existed for centuries before Luther nailed his ninety-five theses on the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral and broke away from Roman Catholicism. One may read about Christians in the New Testament but not about Lutherans. 

Not John and Charles Wesley

The Methodist Church traces its origin back to the Wesley brothers, but they lived in the 18th century. Methodism had its roots in the Church of England. King Henry VIII had separated the English or Anglican Church from the control of the Pope of Rome in 1534. It was about two centuries later that the Wesleys organized societies that developed into the Methodist Church. The church of the New Testament was in existence in the first century. It was never referred to as the Methodist Church. The Wesleys could not have been the builders of the church of the Bible. 

Not Alexander Campbell

Born in the late 18th century, Alexander Campbell was a 19th century religious reformer. His quest for truth led him from the Presbyterians into close union with Baptists and then to bitter controversies with Presbyterians, Baptists, and other denominational leaders. Campbell pleaded with people to return to the ancient order of things. He urged individuals and congregations to discard from their faith and practice everything that is not found written in the New Testament of the Lord and Savior. Some of his positions in later years did not measure up to his plea. Whatever one may think of Campbell and his efforts, he came on the scene much too late to be the builder of the New Testament church. He made no claim to being the founder of the church described in the Bible.

Jesus Christ

In Matthew 16:18, after Peter had confessed him to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus said, “. . . And upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” This passage clearly identifies Jesus Christ as the builder of the New Testament church.

Jesus “purchased” the church with his own blood (Acts 20:28). He paid the price that there might be a called out body of people, a redeemed race, a chosen generation. He “loved the church” and gave himself for it (Eph. 5:25). The church belongs to him. It does not belong to Abraham, Moses, Solomon, Elijah, John the Baptist, Luther, Wesley, Campbell, or any other man. The church is Christ’s own purchased possession; it is peculiarly his.

Jesus is “the head of the church” (Eph. 5:23). He became its head after being exalted to the right hand of the Father in heavenly places (Eph. 1:20-23). Since the church is the body of people belonging to Christ, he is “the head of the body, the church” (Col. 1:18).

It is the Lord who adds people to the church (Acts 2:47). Obedience to the gospel results in salvation, and the church is composed of the saved. Jesus taught that people must believe and be baptized to be saved (Mark 16:15-16). We are “baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13). Jesus Christ established the New Testament church through the preaching of the apostles. All who respond to the gospel by obeying from the heart are brought under his headship and become a part of the glorious body which is his church.

Men have built numerous religious bodies, but no man is capable of building what the Lord established. Man may build something and call it a “church.” However attractive it may be, no man-made church is equal to, a suitable substitute for, or as important as the church built by Christ.

2820 Hunterwood Dr., S.E., Decatur, Alabama 35603-5638

By Violet McDaniel

The family was the basic unit of society in all the cultures that provide the background for early Christianity. The family was united by common religious observances and economic interdependence. The family consisted of the entire household — husband, wife, children, and sometimes other relatives and slaves.

Jewish marriages show many similarities to Greek and Roman practices. The marriage was a contract between families. There were two stages: the betrothal (or “acquisition” of the bride) and the wedding proper (taking the bride into the husband’s home). The betrothal had the legal force of marriage and could only be broken by divorce (cf. Matt. 1:18-19). The bride was prepared by bathing, anointing, and clothing with special adornments. She was escorted from her father’s house by an accompaniment of song, dance, and musical instruments. Weddings most often took place in the evening followed by seven days of festivities.

Divorce was uncommon among the Jews, but divorce was permitted by the Pharisees in the N.T. Some allowed divorce for any reason that displeased the husband — even poor cooking. Others believed there must be a serious moral lapse such as adultery. But there was a different standard for women — a wife could never divorce her husband, though under certain circumstances she could force him to divorce her. Divorce required little formality. A simple oral or written notice was sufficient. In Rome or Greece, by the first century, marriage could be terminated by the woman as well as the man, but under Jewish law only the husband could divorce his wife. A woman’s dowry (the daughter’s share of the parental estate) was returned to her in case of divorce. One reason divorce was not common among the Jews was that divorce placed a stigma on both parties and was considered to be a violation of the biblical ideal.

Women were to be unobserved in public. The veil was one symbol that reflected this status in society. The veil was a requirement for every married woman. In addition to being a symbol of modesty and virtue, the veil also indicated a woman’s married status and subordination to her husband. In keeping with the idea that women were to be unobserved in public, men were not supposed to look at married women, converse with women in public, or even give a woman a greeting when they passed on the street. The oral law stated, “Let no one talk with a woman in the street, no, not with his own wife.” It was unusual for a Jewish teacher to converse with a woman in a public place. The rabbis taught that women were not to be saluted or spoken to in the streets, and not to be instructed in the law. Jewish women were not as restricted in public appearance as Greek women, but did not have the freedom of first century Roman women. 

Eastern women were discouraged from going out in public at all. As in any social custom, exceptions existed, especially among the royalty and the wealthy. Often, a woman had to help her husband in business. In addition, religious festivals were occasions when men and women mixed in public. Women who lived in the country were not as inclined to observe the strict law regarding the veil. These women were more free to go out in public as they helped their husbands in the fields and sold produce. Particularly at harvest time, women would help in the fields and also help crushing grapes and olives in the presses.

A Housewife’s Day

Mothers then, as now, would have been occupied with household chores and watching the children. A house in the first century in a village was small, probably a square, flat-roofed building made of dried mud bricks with the exterior being white-washed. In villages, houses were clustered around small courtyards where the women did the laundry, cooked over charcoal or wood fires, and the children played. The houses were clustered together for protection and efficient use of land, leaving the open fields for cultivation. In these courtyards were chicken coops, dove cotes, woodsheds, straw sheds, and other small storage buildings. Animals were kept in the courtyards: sheep and goats were raised for meat, milk, and wool; chickens for meat and eggs; donkeys for carrying heavy burdens.

The houses usually had only one room, but might have had a second floor where married children lived. The doorway opened directly on the street. If there were windows, they were cut in the walls and veiled by curtains. The floor was hard-packed dirt mixed with clay and ash to make it as hard as cement and covered with a few straw or leather mats. Furniture was sparse, probably only a few wooden stools and a low wooden table.

On the outside, a wooden ladder led to the roof which had a parapet about eighteen inches high built around the edge (Deut. 22:8). Rooftop areas provided useful space for doing chores, drying clothes and flax, and in the hot summer months for eating and sleeping.

A Typical Housewife’s Day

The family’s day began at sunrise with a breakfast of curds and bread. Women would go to the village well early, carrying a jug to get fresh water for the day’s needs. The women carried the heavy water pots home on their head or shoulders. The well was the center of village life. One or two days a week the marketplace would be packed with farmers and merchants selling their wares. On these days, the women would buy provisions for the week. There was also a street of shops where craftsmen made and sold their wares — the blacksmith, carpenter, matmaker, potter, and basket-weaver. 

The daily tasks of women included baking bread (first she had to grind the barley between millstones), spinning, weaving, mending, washing, and making cheese and curds from goat’s milk in a goatskin churn. Suppers were substantial, but simple: bread and wine, and sometimes dried, salted fish or boiled chicken. People had a variety of vegetables to eat including beans, lentils, cucumbers, leeks, and onions. For dessert they might have nuts, melons, figs, grapes, or pomegranates. They did not have sugar but used wild honey and thick grape or fig syrup for sweetening. In warm weather cooking was done in the courtyard. On cold and rainy days cooking was done indoors on a portable clay stove fueled with charcoal or twigs. At mealtime the family sat on mats around the cooking pots, using bread as scoops to get the food. Probably these same mats were used as beds each night.

Clothing: A woman used the distaff and spindle to make yarn or thread from raw wool or flax. Galilee was known for its fields of sky-blue flax and sturdy linen cloth was made from flax fibers. Dying the thread probably was done at home also, or could have been done by the town dyer. After she made the thread or yarn she had to weave the yarn or thread into cloth. The typical loom in the first century produced cloth about three-feet wide. In Galilee, looms were often wider and a garment could be woven in one piece (see John 19:23). Over a tunic a man would have worn a loose-fitting outer garment, or mantle. The wife made her own clothes also. She wore the same type of tunic as a man, but her mantle was fuller, with enough fringe to cover her feet. Most women wore head coverings. Both men and women wore sandals which they probably purchased from the local sandal maker. 

Education: In a traditional Jewish village girls were not given regular schooling, but a girl’s mother taught her what she needed to know so she would be able to fulfill her role as a wife and mother. Among the most important lessons were the rules that pertained to Jewish law and tradition, particularly the dietary laws. A girl also learned how to set the table and to decorate and purify both table and home for the Sabbath and special holidays such as Passover. In learning how to make these preparations, she learned the customs and history that lay behind them. Training for girls in home making was not taken lightly. Girls also learned how to master such skills as spinning and weaving, treating illnesses with herbal remedies, and helping with the delivery of babies. Girls were also taught to play musical instruments since music was permitted if it was connected with religious festivities.

Because of household responsibilities, the Jewish wife and mother was exempt from certain religious observances. She was not required to go to Jerusalem for the various feasts, to observe the daily recitation of the shema, or to be present at the reading of the law. All women did not choose to be exempted as we have the example of Mary attending the Passover feast with Joseph (Luke 2:41). A woman could go no farther into the temple than the Court of Women. In synagogue services, women were bystanders.

Conclusion

The first century Jewish man thanked God that he was not born “a Gentile, a slave, or a woman.” This was one element in a prayer of thanksgiving that was in the ancient Jewish prayer book. Teachings in the Talmud emphasized however that every individual possessed equality, dignity,  and self-worth. But in practice this equality was defined in terms of strict male-female roles. The home was regarded as the primary sphere of expression and activity for a woman and the public arena was reserved for men. The rabbis taught that these two spheres were separate but equal. Though women did much of the hard work, they had a low position, both in society and in the family. 

Jesus dealing with women, for example his readiness to speak to and help the Samaritan woman (John 4), contrasted strongly with prevailing attitudes. In the New Testament Jesus often referred to women in his parables and included them among his disciples. In the early church, women helped spread the gospel and prophesied. 

Although the life of the first-century Jewish wife seems oppressive to us, those women found great fulfillment in the role of wife and mother, and she was revered in her role. 

Sources: 

Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity.
Biblical Illustrator, Winter 1991.
Reader’s Digest, Great People of the Bible and How They Lived.
Reader’s Digest, Jesus and His Times.

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