Category Archives: Bible Authority

Buy the Truth and Sell It Not

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One of the most important attitudes one can have in striving to go to heaven is that of intense zeal for the truth of God. Too often, people settle on something far less than the truth. Remember, a counterfeit, though it may look relatively genuine, is nevertheless worthless.

Likewise, we cannot enjoy the benefits of truth by getting pretty close. We must take our position firmly on the truth. “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

There are many among us who, like Pilate, would ask, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Many do not believe in absolute truth. The Bible, however, is absolute, unchanging truth. “Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalms 119:89). The belief that there is absolute truth is fundamental to one who desires to “buy the truth and sell it not” (Proverbs 23:23).

One Can Be Wrong

It is a fact that anyone can mistakenly be wrong. Paul, when speaking of his past manner of life, before his conversion, said, “I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day” (Acts 23:1). Yet he was before a “persecutor, and a blasphemer, and injurious” (1 Timothy 1:13). How could he have lived in all good conscience when he had been so wrong? The answer is simple. He thought he was right. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25). The fact that we can be wrong means that it does not behoove us to close our minds to further investigation. Jeremiah said, “Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16).

Faith vs. Opinion

Naturally, study brings us to certain conclusions. All of us live by certain principles. But upon what do our conclusions rest? All too often they rest upon mere opinion. Realize that if something is a matter of faith, then God must have said something about it. We cannot know the words of eternal life by opinions. One man’s opinion is just as good as another man’s; but no man’s opinion is worthy to be compared to God’s.

You would not want to risk crossing the ice over a river merely because somebody thinks you can. Neither should we risk trying to go to heaven by the opinions of men. The difference between an opinion and conviction is that an opinion is usually a spur-of-the-moment conclusion someone comes up with based upon skimpy premises, if any. A conviction is a conclusion based upon evidence which has been thoroughly studied and meditated upon.

God has given us a wonderful book. It furnishes man with doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness, that he may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible is our evidence. It is the truth. When believed, it becomes subjective faith. The Bible did not come from men, so there need be no question about its reliability. It was given unto men though, and designed so they could understand it when they read it (Ephesians 3:3-5). This is not to say that all the Bible is simple to understand. There are difficult portions of it that demand much study. The matters of conversion to God and everyday living are simple and easy to understand. What many find difficult about such matters is the application of that which may be so simple to understand.

Feelings – A Poor Standard

Do not base your conviction upon some peculiar feeling you might have. Feelings are a poor standard of truth. We have already mentioned Paul. We might mention Jacob also who believed with all his heart that his son Joseph was dead, but that did not make it true. Remember, God has given us revelation, facts. Our convictions must rest upon these facts or else we will find ourselves upon shifting sand.

Conscience – Not a Reliable Guide

Neither is conscience a reliable guide in determining whether your convictions are sound or not. The conscience is very pliable to begin with. Our conscience is usually formed at a tender age. At that time it may be trained to approve good or evil. When we reach maturity our conscience alters and becomes almost unchangeable. From then on it tells us only

whether we have done as we learned to do or not. Changing the conscience then is a slow, difficult project. If your conscience were trained correctly, well and good. If it were trained incorrectly, then it will approve even when you do things that are really wrong, because it was taught that which was wrong. “Let your conscience be your guide” is therefore poor advise.

This brings us back again to the fact that we must ultimately make our stand upon the word of God. Everything is to be judged by it.

By Bob Waldron

Beyond Acts 2:41

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The gospel was preached (Acts 2:14-36).  Some of the hearers believed what was preached (Acts 2:37).  These believers were told what to do to receive the salvation, which comes only from the Lord (Acts 2:38).  The hearers were encouraged to respond to the word of Almighty God (Acts 2:39-40).  Three thousand souls obeyed the gospel call by submitting to water baptism (Acts 2:41).  Every authentic Christian should be able to recall this story for several reasons: 1) The plan has not changed, 2) They followed this same pattern in order to become a Christian, 3) Acts 2 is pregnant with vital information from answering basic questions about salvation to exposing the false views of Pentecostalism, & 4) This is the history of the church of our Lord; the history of the church of which they are members.  Unfortunately, it appears knowledge & practice has ceased beyond Acts 2:41.

Acts 2:42 is a verse which addresses the church’s responsibility of service.  This Scripture helps us to understand our duty as members of a local congregation.  Listen to your Bible!  In Acts 2:42, the Bible teaches, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching & the fellowship, to the breaking of bread & the prayers.”  Devote means “to dedicate one’s self to a cause.”  Christians are devoted people.

  1. Christians devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching.  It is through reading & studying we serve ourselves, which in turn serves God, our brethren, & the world through the means of worship, fellowship, & evangelism (1 Timothy 4:13, 2 Timothy 2:15, & 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
  2. Christians devote themselves to the fellowship.  It is through the sharing of Christ’s blessings we serve the brethren.  It is because of our relationship with God & our brethren’s relationship with God that we have fellowship with one another.  This relationship should run deep for several reasons: 1) We are now children of God by faith (Galatians 3:26), 2) We are workers together with a common goal (1 Corinthians 3:9), & 3) We have been transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2).  We should draw strength by our coming together & not seek ways to avoid one another.
  3. Christians devote themselves to the breaking of bread.  It is through worship we serve God.  Love sent outward is called affection.  Love sent downward is called grace.  Love sent upward is called worship.  Communing with God with brethren of like precious faith is not something we do out of duty or convenience, but because of gratitude & love (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  It is the will of God!
  4. Christians devote themselves to prayer.  God talks to us through His word, but we talk to God through prayer.  What is the subject of our supplication to God?  Are our prayers totally selfish or do we pray for the salvation of those who are lost?  Do we pray for opportunities to reach out?  Do we pray for God to touch the hearts of those who do not know our God & have yet to obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ knowing what their end will be if they don’t (2 Thessalonians 1:8)?

By Antoine Holloway

The Mission of the Church

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While at the church building one day, I received a phone call from a middle-aged man who was in financial trouble. It seems he and his family had made some poor decisions and wanted help. I told him that the church did not have a fund for those who are not members of the church but did help out those who were members. I asked, “Are you a Christian?” He answered defensively, “No, but . . . you are a church. How dare you not help us out! What kind of church are you anyway?” I interrupted by saying we would be happy to help him with what we did have. His self-righteous, “you owe me a living” speech stopped. I invited him to come to the building with his family and we would sit down together to study the Bible. I told him that I wanted to share with him the precious message of salvation. The Lord did not tell the church to be a general benevolence society but did want His church to “sound forth” His word as did the Thessalonians (1 Thess.1:8). I asked him, “when would you like to get together to talk about the gospel of Christ?” Our conversation ended abruptly with “so . . . uh . . . you’re not going to help us?

The original purpose of God for His church was spiritual in nature. When Jesus wrote to the seven churches of Asia in Rev.2-3, He chose the figure of “lampstands” to describe them. Each congregation of God’s people is to shine forth the light of Jesus Christ to the world. In Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth, he told of their teaching God’s word, relating with one another in various situations, using spiritual gifts properly and believing in the resurrection. This is consistent with all the other letters and books we find in the New Testament. All were to teach the truth and build up each other spiritually. Even in chapter 16 when Paul discussed helping the needy, he talked specifically about those who where needy saints, not those in the world. When Jesus described His kingdom to Pilate, He said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (Jn.18:36). Jesus’ mission was spiritual in nature; “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk.19:10). Paul wrote the first letter to Timothy so that he might know how he was to conduct himself in the house of God, “which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim.3:15). Peter described the church as a “spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet.2:5). As Paul spoke of the work of the church at Thessalonica, he said, “from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth” (1 Thess.1:8). The fact is God gave His church a vital, urgent, eternally valuable role to fulfill — to spread the blessed gospel of Christ to the world and to edify the saints so that each might grow up to maturity. The only time we find the New Testament church involved with helping out the needy financially is when a need arose among the saints because of some distress. If we are going to be faithful to the charge of God as His church, we must be careful not only to follow the details of His will but, even more importantly, to be committed to the main principles of what our mission is all about.

The “social gospel” began in the 1800s during a time of developing social conscience in this country. Labor unions and other organizations were formed to deal with social injustices. At the same time, many in the religious world were beginning to question and even deny the inspiration of the Bible. It followed that if belief in the inspiration of the Bible was eroding, then the ideas of salvation from sin, eternal life and eternal damnation began to fade away also. The mission of Jesus, and therefore the religious world, was twisted into a social reform movement. The emphasis changed from saving man from his sins to helping man cope with this life to bring about a utopia on this earth.

This movement has had a lasting effect on the religious world and has even affected those who have been striving to restore New Testament Christianity. From the 1950’s to the present, churches calling themselves “of Christ” have jumped onto the bandwagon of the social gospel. There is a “Church of Christ Disaster Relief Fund” dedicated to respond to natural disasters on the behalf of the “Church of Christ”. There are “Church of Christ” retirement homes, hospitals, orphans homes, family life centers, gymnasiums, racket ball courts, day care centers, schools, medical missions and “fellowship” halls. All of these pervert the purpose for which God established His church. As individuals, we need to respond to the needs of others as opportunity and ability allow but the Lord’s church has a more specific charter and is to respond to a more urgent need. This is a need that has eternal consequences, a disaster that has been self-inflicted on literally billions of souls – sin. We have the answer: the message of Jesus.

Some seek to justify the giving of food for the belly, games for teens and entertainment for all ages to get people in their doors so that they can convert them with the gospel. Jesus didn’t play these games. When He performed a miracle to prove His Divinity and some followed because of the food, Jesus rebuked them sharply (John 6). If we convert people with hot dogs, they will leave when the hot dogs are gone. The gospel is God’s power to save (Rom.1:16). It is what convicts our hearts of sin, righteousness and the judgment to come (John 16:7-13). If someone is truly interested in his relationship with God, he will be attracted by the gospel. We have a choice to make. Do we follow the movements of men or the word of the Lord? Let us follow the dictates of God that each local group of Christians may be a lampstand holding forth the word of truth in the midst of a lost and dying world.

 

By Jeff Archer

A “Peaceful Feeling”

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I recently heard someone justify a conclusion (an unbiblical one, by the way) by saying, “I just felt that God was giving me a peaceful feeling and that He wanted me to do this.” Perhaps you’ve heard similar statements, or even said something like that yourself. It seems very common to me for people to reason this way today, perhaps in part because of the emphasis on relative truth, i.e. what’s true for you may not be true for me. Most often we hear this when matters of religious doctrine are discussed. There are even religious groups that teach that if you pray hard enough about their doctrines, God will give you a warm feeling to confirm its truth so you can believe it. Because this is at the heart of much error in serving God today, however sincere and zealous, we must examine it in light of the Bible’s teaching. Does God confirm truth by giving us certain feelings?

Throughout the Gospels Jesus shows us how to know the truth. When challenged by the religious elite He often pointed directly to the written Scriptures. In Matthew 19:4 Jesus addressed the Pharisees’ question about divorce by saying, “Have you not read…?” then teaching straight from Genesis 2. In Luke 10:25-26, when the lawyer asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus directed his attention back to the Scriptures:

“What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” Although Jesus Himself—being the Son of God—was “full of truth” (John 1:14), He didn’t defeat His critics’ attacks by saying, “I know in My heart this is true.” Instead, He showed them what the Bible said.

Jesus also taught His disciples to base their faith on the written Word. Jesus repeatedly asserted to His followers that He must suffer rejection and death (Luke 9:22; Mark 8:31); the necessity of these events was written in the Scriptures. After the resurrection, to give them further evidence that what they witnessed was true Jesus “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). Jesus saw the written Word as having God’s divine authority, such that the truth was found in them. You don’t see Jesus teaching His disciples to trust their feelings, but rather to look to God’s word.

Apparently the apostles learned the lesson. When teaching in the Thessalonian synagogue, for instance, Paul “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead” (Acts 17:3). Paul found the truth in the Bible, just like his Master.

More examples could be multiplied, but these ought to be sufficient for the point: we know what’s right by looking at what God has written, not by what we feel. To put it another way, Jesus never taught that we will know what’s right when we feel it’s right. In fact, plenty of times God told people to do things they didn’t want to do, like when Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son (Gen. 22). On the flip side, Saul persecuted Christians with a “perfectly good conscience” but he was entirely wrong (Acts 23:1).

God does promise us a peace that surpasses all comprehension when we pray and make our requests known to God (Phil. 4:6-7). This is not, however, the kind of peace that governs our decisions or guides our footsteps. Peace is a result of bowing ourselves in submission to God’s will, even when we do not like what He says. That’s what we’re doing when we pray “Your will be done.” This quietly trusting peace is much different than the one that reasons, “I feel good about such-and-such, so it must be right.” The former peace rests upon doing God’s revealed will, whereas the latter deceives itself into thinking that what I want is what God wants. Let us not be led astray with faulty thinking!

I must admit that it certainly is appealing to follow my feelings; in fact, that’s what I would rather do! But the Bible warns us to not trust ourselves for a reason. “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart; I test the mind, even to give each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds” (Jeremiah 17:9-10). Those who follow their hearts can be led to do anything because there is nothing to check their impulses. This results in nothing good and every evil. “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 14:12).

Ultimately, when Jesus points us to the Scriptures He teaches us that crucial lesson from Proverbs: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6). Let us be warned. Trust God, not yourself. Truth is found in Him, not you.

By Emerson Brown

Search the Scriptures

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[Editor’s Note: The following article was written by Rody Gumpad and was first published in Truth Magazine, Volume 43. Rody and his wife, Tessie, have long labored in the Philippines for the Lord and the church at Chapman, though not presently, has been able to play a small role in that work through some financial help, and an even greater role through its prayers.

Rody’s work is appreciated and we are grateful that he will be spending today through Wednesday with us teaching and reasoning with us about the Scriptures.

Welcome, brother Rody and sister Tessie Gumpad!]

The church is the kingdom (Colossians 1: 13) and Christ will deliver the kingdom up to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24). Are you a member of the Lord’s church, or the Lord’s kingdom?

Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). We need to be like the Bereans who “searched the scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11). The Scriptures were written by holy men (2 Peter 1:21) through the inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16). These writings are compiled and now called the Bible. The Scriptures tell us about . . .

  1. God. The Scriptures tell us that there is only one God. “But to us there is but one God . . .” (1 Cor. 8:6). The one God is composed of three personalities. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7). The record of Matthew 3:13-17 shows that these three are separate persons: The Father in Heaven, the Son on earth, and the Holy Spirit like a dove. Paul said in 1 Timothy 3:15 that the one true God is “the living God.”
  2. The World. The Scriptures tell us, “God that made the world and all things therein . . .” (Acts 17:24). Also, the Psalmist said, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Ps.19:1). Above all, God also created man in his own image (Gen. 1:26-27). In John 3:16, the record says, “For God so loved the world . . .” And in 1 John 1:9-10, John said, “that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him . . . and to be the propitiation for our sins.”
  3. Christ And His Church. The Scriptures tell us, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son . . .” (Gal. 4:4). Peter declared that the Son of God is the Christ (Matt.16:16). The Father said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matt. 17:5). Jesus claimed, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matt. 28:18). “. . . there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). In Matthew 16:18  Jesus promised to build his church. The word “church” came from the Greek word ekklesia, “to call out.” The church then in New Testament Scriptures means “a called out body of people,” men and women (Acts 8:1-4) who believed and were baptized for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:37-38, 41, 47). They were called “Christians” (Acts 11:26), the children of God (Rom. 8:16-17), and the family of God (1 Tim. 3:15). The church is the body (Col. 1:18) and Christ is the savior of the body (Eph. 5:23). The church is the kingdom (Col. 1: 13) and Christ will deliver the kingdom up to the Father (1 Cor. 15:24). Are you a member of the Lord’s church, or the Lord’s kingdom? If not, why not?

By Rody Gumpad

Buy the Truth and Sell It Not

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One of the most important attitudes one can have in striving to go to heaven is that of intense zeal for the truth of God. Too often, people settle on something far less than the truth. Remember, a counterfeit, though it may look relatively genuine, is nevertheless worthless. Likewise, we cannot enjoy the benefits of truth just by getting pretty close. We must take our position firmly and foursquare on the truth. “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

There are many among us who, like Pilate, would ask, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Many do not believe in absolute truth. The Bible, however, is absolute, unchanging truth. “Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalms 119:89). The belief that there is absolute truth is fundamental to one who desires to “buy the truth and sell it not” (Proverbs 23:23).

One Can Be Wrong

It is a fact that anyone can mistakenly be wrong. Paul, when speaking of his past manner of life, before his conversion, said, “I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day” (Acts 23:1). Yet he was before a “persecutor, and a blasphemer, and injurious” (1 Timothy 1:13). How could he have lived in all good conscience when he had been so wrong? The answer is

simple. He thought he was right. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25). The fact that we can be wrong means that it does not behoove us to close our minds to further investigation.  Jeremiah said, “Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16).

Faith vs. Opinion

Naturally, study brings us to certain conclusions. All of us live by certain principles. But upon what do our conclusions rest? All too often they rest upon mere opinion. Realize that if something is a matter of faith, then God must have said something about it. We cannot know the words of eternal life by opinions. One man’s opinion is just as good as another man’s; but no man’s opinion is worthy to be compared to God’s.

You would not want to risk crossing the ice over a river merely because somebody thinks you can. Neither should we risk trying to go to heaven by the opinions of men. The difference between an opinion and conviction is that an opinion is usually a spur-of-the-moment conclusion someone comes up with based upon skimpy premises, if any. A conviction is a conclusion based upon evidence which has been thoroughly studied and meditated upon. God has given us a wonderful book. It furnishes man with doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness, that he may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The Bible is our evidence. It is the truth. When believed, it becomes subjective faith. The Bible did not come from men, so there need be no question about its reliability. It was given unto men though, and designed so they could understand it when they read it (Ephesians 3:3-5). This is not to say that all the Bible is simple to understand. There are difficult portions of it that demand much study. The matters of conversion to God and everyday living are simple and easy to understand. What many find difficult about such matters is the application of that which may be so simple to understand.

Feelings — A Poor Standard

Do not base your conviction upon some peculiar feeling you might have. Feelings are a poor standard of truth. We have already mentioned Paul. We might mention Jacob also who believed with all his heart that his son Joseph was dead, but that did not make it true. Remember, God has given us revelation, facts. Our convictions must rest upon these facts or else we will find ourselves upon shifting sand.

Conscience — Not a Reliable Guide

Neither is conscience a reliable guide in determining whether your convictions are sound or not. The conscience is very pliable to begin with. Our conscience is usually formed at a tender age. At that time it may be trained to approve good or evil. When we reach maturity our conscience alters and becomes almost unchangeable. From then on it tells us only whether we have done as we learned to do or not.

Changing the conscience then is a slow, difficult project. If your conscience were trained correctly, well and good. If it were trained incorrectly, then it will approve even when you do things that are really wrong, because it was taught that which was wrong. “Let your conscience be your guide” is poor advice.

This brings us back again to the fact that we must ultimately make our stand upon the word of God. Everything is to be judged by it.

By Bob Waldron

Fully Equipped for Perilous Times

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“Perilous times will come” – II Timothy 3:1-17 contains a warning of difficult times.  The first century church did not live in an idealized world, nor do we!  Early Christians faced immorality, internal and external doctrinal errors, and a hostile environment that was pagan and secular.  Paul warns Timothy in this chapter of even more difficult times to come.  We can learn much from their experiences.

“Men will be lovers of themselves” – The characteristics of wicked men are described.  Heart-sins are described (lovers of self, of pleasure; not lovers of family or of God; covetous, proud, unthankful, unholy, heady, etc.).  The Christian needs a defense and a weapon that will pierce and guard his heart.

“Having a form of godliness” – Difficult times will be made more difficult by the work of evil and false teachers.  These professors of religion had a form of godliness (some of the externals seem to be present) but they deny the power of true religion (verse 5).  False teachers often do their work privately and underhandedly.  They look for prospects who are weak and prey on their weakness.  These teachers are in sharp contrast with the teaching and character of the true teacher presented later in this chapter.  The false teacher’s true character will be revealed in due time, as was the character of the opponents of Moses.

“You have carefully followed my doctrine” – The combination of wicked hearts encouraged by perverted teachers led some to persecute God’s servants.  Paul’s own experience (vs. 10-13) is evidence of this fact.  He was a genuine disciple in doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and patience.  Verse eleven (and much of the book of Acts) shows the many persecutions he endured.  Yet out of all those trials God delivered Paul.  He becomes, then, a pattern of endurance to help every Christian endure in faithful service in the times in which we live!

In some ways there are the best of times, in other ways, the worst of times, to paraphrase Charles Dickens.  We have great potential, great opportunities, and great visions of work to be done.  But, we also have adversaries on every hand.  What is the path we should follow?

“You continue in the things which you have learned” – Verses 14 through 17 give us the answer to our questions.  The way to deal with our current situation is by the use of the Power of God as revealed in His holy scriptures.  Timothy is instructed to take specific actions; we must follow these same actions in the twenty-first century.  These actions are as follows:

Continue in the things we have learned – verse 14.  The scriptures we have learned, which have given us assurance, are from an unchanging God.  Times may change, evil may take on a new face, but God is the same.  We have an unchanging Christ in a changing, and ever-degenerating world.  He is the anchor of our hope, and the anchor of our soul.  We must proceed with confidence in God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit as we face whatever the world brings against us.  “If God be for us, who can be against us?”  Rom. 8:31.

“From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures” – Faithful teachers have illustrated the trustworthiness of our faith.  Timothy had seen the fruit of faith in his mother and grandmother.  They had instilled the teachings of the Old Covenant into young Timothy (2 Tim. 1:5, 3:15) and he had therefore been prepared to receive the gospel preached by Paul and others.  The knowledge of the scriptures made Timothy “wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (verse 15).

“Holy Scriptures” (verse 15) are literally “sacred writings”.  These are not the words of a newspaper, novel, or even that of a well-written essay.  They partake of the nature of the One who gave them.

“Wise for salvation through faith” – “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” v. 16.  The “sacred writings” of the Old and New Testaments were designed for our spiritual well-being.  “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).  Jesus encouraged (John 5:39) the reading of the Old Testament which would point people to Him.

“That the man of God may be complete” – Since the Holy Scriptures are divine in origin, they are profitable for every task the teacher has.  The scriptures are all that is needed for the “perfect” (complete, fully furnished) teacher to effectively do his work.  Every Christian “man of God” (verse 17) longs for a complete guidebook for all his work.  The Holy Scriptures supply that need.  The scriptures equip us for doctrine, righteous living, and for reproof and correction.

“The Last Days”, “The Christian Age, “The Gospel Age” all refer to the time in which we live.  Our need for guidance in a wicked world has not changed.  We need not despair, God has met our needs in the blessings promised in the scriptures.

L.O. Sanderson has well-stated the great value of the scriptures in the chorus of his song “The Precious Book Divine”:

   “Holy Bible, book divine!

Precious Treasure, thou art mine.

Lamp to my feet and a light to my way

       To guide me safely home.”

 

By Carl Witty

The “Misleading” of the Holy Spirit

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The 1980s will surely be remembered as the decade when so many “Spirit-led” projects failed.

The fall of Jim Bakker with his PTL empire and Heritage USA will long be remembered. Jim Bakker could hardly speak without referring to what the Spirit was leading him to do. His explanation for the collapse of his empire was: “God has me on a roller-coaster ride” (Time, March 30 1987).

Oral Roberts built his $150 million City of Faith “on direct orders from God” (Time, Nov 6, 1981). Roosevelt Greer, Rex Humbard, and Pat Robertson attended the dedication. Barbara Mandrell sang the national anthem. President Reagan sent a congratulatory letter. Further, in 1983 the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Roberts sent out “millions of letters saying Jesus appeared to him and told him God had chosen Roberts to find the cure for cancer” (Jan. 18 1983). The (Nashville) Tennessean had a news item, however, in its 15 September 1989 edition that said, “Roberts announced Wednesday the City of Faith hospital will be closed by the end of the year and the Oral Roberts University School of Medicine will close after the current school year” (Guardian of Truth, Nov. 1989, p. 25).

Jimmy Swaggart was once called the “King of Honky-Tonk Heaven” by Newsweek. He raised $142 million in just one year (1989). Because of sexual misconduct, however, his ministry is also foundering. An article by Bill Crews (Park Forest Proclaimer, July 22 1990), reports that the number of Swaggart’s TV viewers has fallen 83 per cent and that enrollment in his college has declined from 1451 to 419. Throughout the buildup of his ministry, Swaggart credited God for the growth that had taken place.

These examples of “Spirit-led projects” gone awry are truly signs of the times in which we are living. We frequently hear people claiming that the Spirit is leading them to do this or that. Often the very activity into which the Spirit is supposedly leading them is contrary to the teaching of the Spirit-inspired Scriptures. Several observations are in order.

  1. The Spirit on occasions did directly lead men of the first century into specific fields of labor. The Spirit told Philip to join the eunuch in his chariot (Acts 8:29), then caught Philip away after he had baptized the eunuch (Acts 8:39).The Spirit told Peter to go with the messengers Cornelius had sent (Acts 10:19, 20). The Spirit gave the orders for the beginning of the first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-4).The Spirit forbade Paul to preach in Asia and Bithynia as he traveled westward on his second journey, and then through a vision directed his feet toward Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10).
  2. Whenever the Spirit did directly lead men in the first century, the results were always favorable. The eunuch was baptized and went on his way rejoicing (Acts 8:38,39). Cornelius and those with him were converted, becoming the first fruits among the Gentiles (Acts 10:44-48).Paul’s first journey resulted in much fruit, and when he went into Macedonia on his second journey, his work resulted in the beginning of great churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea.
  3. The Spirit did not so completely take over the lives of men in the first century that every move made by them was “Spirit-led. ” More often they were left to make their own decisions and plans. For instance, plans for a second journey were formulated in the minds of Paul and Barnabas, and when they went separate ways, “Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; and Paul chose Silas . . . and he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches” (Acts 15:39-41). Had the Holy Spirit directed that Paul and Barnabas go on this journey as he did on the first, they would have been defying his directions in going separate ways. But these were their plans, and they had every right to change their plans.

Later, Paul made his own plans to go to Rome and Spain after completion of his third journey, and he asked the Romans to pray that he could come to them “with joy by the will of God”(Rom. 15:23-33). Had these plans been made through the direction of the Spirit, our faith might well be shaken, for these plans did go awry. But they were Paul’s own plans which fell through just as some of our plans fall through.

  1. The tragic failure of “Spirit-led” projects of our generation is proof that they were not truly instigated by the Holy Spirit. Had the Spirit truly instigated them, they would have been successful. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 Jn.4:1).
  2. The Spirit does lead us into various fields and activities through the revealed word, leading us through the directions he gave to the inspired men of the first century. As we read the Spirit’s directions to Peter to go to Cornelius, the Spirit is leading us to go to people of all races without prejudice. As we read of the Spirit’s directions to Paul not to turn aside into Asia and Bithynia, he is leading us to ever expanding territories in our world. As we read of the Lord’s encouragement to Paul in his time of despair in Corinth (Acts 18:9, 10), he is encouraging us in our time of despair.
  3. We do believe that God’s continues to work within our lives, “choosing our changes” on occasions, but his providential workings should not be confused with the direct leadings of the Spirit in the first century.

Paul wrote of certain ones in his day who were inflated without cause, taking their stand on visions they had seen, rather than holding to the Head
(Col. 2:18,19). Such people always seem to take on an air of superiority, lightly regarding those who simply take their stand on revealed and confirmed truth. Paul did not want the Colossians to be intimidated by such people in his day, and we must not be intimidated by such people in our day.

The Spirit leads through the word he has revealed. When all fully realize that the Scriptures are the product of the Holy Spirit, and that whenever we read the Scriptures he is speaking to us, teaching us, and leading us, most of our problems over the Holy Spirit will vanish.

 

Bill Hall

But What If They Won’t Be Drawn?

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“‘Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.’ This He said, signifying by what death He would die.” John 12:31-33

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Rom. 1:16

What wonderful news—the crucified Lord is to draw all to Himself and His gospel is God’s power to save! Yet some are not interested in the gospel and feel no need for Jesus in their lives; the lifted up Christ and His teaching do not appeal to them. So what are we to do? This is an issue of real concern to all who care about the lost, which is to say the vast majority of people around us, often including friends and family. People are headed down the broad way and seem to have no interest in the message we are proclaiming, so what are we to do?

Many, with all good intentions, have largely given up on reaching the souls of men and have come to emphasize providing for the physical needs of people. They stress ministering to the homeless, helping the poor, bringing about social justice, etc. Certainly every Christian should do good as he has opportunity (Gal. 6:10), but this is never pictured as the kind of work New Testament churches did. In fact, as collective bodies their benevolent activities were limited to relievingthe needs of saints (Acts 11:27-30; Rom. 15:25-31; et al). Though Christians on an individual basis may give assistance to anyone, to lose our emphasis on the salvation of souls is to forget the very reason Jesus came to the earth (Luke 19:10) and to fail to supply that which people need most. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matt. 16:26

Others are still very interested in reaching the lost and saving their souls, but because those whom they seek to reach are not interested in the gospel, they begin by trying to soften the hearts of the lost and create an opening for the gospel through things they know to be appealing to people. Rather than simply holding forth the crucified Christ, they offer food, fun, and “fellowship” as a means of attracting one to the church assemblies or creating an opportunity to talk about Jesus. While we do not question the motives of many of those who have turned to such attractants, we do strongly question the biblical validity of offering food and fun as an evangelistic tool.

First, we have no record of any church or individual using food and games as “door openers.” Study carefully Acts, the book of conversions, and you will find people preaching the word, reasoning in the synagogues, teaching publicly and privately, talking of God in the market, etc., but you will not find any indication they appealed to the flesh in seeking to save souls.

Second, shouldn’t we learn something about the carnality of this approach from Jesus’ refusal to provide more loaves and fishes in John 6? The day before the Lord had miraculously fed a great multitude, a multitude  which was not attracted with the promise of being fed, but when they came the next day and made it clear they expected to be fed again (John 6:26, 30, 31), Jesus refused to feed them and told them they had missed the point of yesterday’s miracle.

“Jesus answered them and said, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.’ ” John 6:26, 27

The feeding of the 5,000 on the previous day was intended as a sign; i.e. evidence that would point them to Jesus as the Son of God and the One who could give them the true bread of life, but they had missed it. All they seemed to see in Jesus was One who could fill their bellies and He refused to accommodate them. When that day ended, Jesus had not offered more or better food, but simply watched as the carnally minded “went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:66).

Closely related to this is the approach that so fears people turning away that it ends up failing to challenge people with the true demands of the gospel. While it is imperative that we not bind what God has not bound (cf. Col. 2:20-23 with its manmade restrictions), are we not to do as Jesus who challenged the great multitudes following Him to bear the cross, count the cost, and forsake all (Luke 14:25-33)? Does our Lord really want us to so soften the gospel that it accommodates those He compared to thorny ground? It is sad when the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life have more appeal to people than the crucified Lord, but Jesus would have us to continue to simply preach His word and allow men’s hearts to determine their response. Luke 8:4-8, 11-15

If we are like our Lord we want all to be saved (2 Pet. 3:9), but if we believe our Lord we know it won’t happen (Matt. 7:13, 14) and to change His gospel and its approach is to be accursed.

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” Gal. 1:8, 9

 

John Gibson

Books “Missing” From the Bible?

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By Ethan Longhenry

In recent times we have seen an explosion of material alleging that the Bible that we have is not complete. Many theories have been advanced that speak of all kinds of other books that were “banned” from the Bible, “taken out” of the Bible, and other such ideas, and that such was done by the Catholics in the fourth century. These ideas, which have been circulating for some time, have received renewed interest on account of the popularity of a book by Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code), and the movie based on that book. There was also the unveiling of the discovery of the “lost” Gospel of Judas. Many reports, taking advantage of the popularity of this subject, have aired stories involving professors and some “authorities” from various denominations talking about these various books and calling into question the validity of the Bibles we possess. Perhaps you have heard something about these stories or read some of the information, or perhaps have seen the movie or the television shows. Maybe you are wondering: were there books taken out of the Bible? Can we trust the Bible?

Unfortunately, the subject matter at hand is rather obscure and most often left to the academic community, and involves a lot of names and people from days gone by. We will try to make some sense of this matter now.

We should first say that yes, there are books claiming to be gospels or letters of Apostles or other such works that were written in the second through fourth centuries. These books are not present in the Bible.

It is important to note, however, exactly why these books are not present in the Bible. They are not present in the Bible, not because they were banned from it or taken out of it by some conspiring Catholics, but because they were not written by the Apostles, and more often than not, were written by a group of heretics called the Gnostics. The Gnostics were people who mixed Greek philosophy and Christianity and developed a religion unsuitable to either. On the Christian end, they were roundly condemned even in the New Testament on account of their denial that Jesus was really a man, that He really died, and that the God of the Old Testament is the one true God. We can read about such matters in II Timothy 2:16-18, John 1:1-18; I John 1:1; I John 4:2-3; and II John 1:7, where both Paul and John teach against the ideas that the resurrection was past and that Jesus was not born in the flesh, both concepts present in Gnosticism and featured in the various gospels and other works attributed to them. We can see why, then, the Gnostic writings were rejected.

These “missing” books were never really missing; we knew of their existence because the early Christians who opposed them would write about their beliefs and the books they were writing.

In the end, we must recognize that these books are not in the Bible because they have no right to be in the Bible. They were not written by inspired men, the majority of them were written by people who were trying to advance views contrary to those found in the New Testament, and they were rejected on the basis of sound deliberation, and rejected as soon as they were written. Let us not be disturbed in our faith because of these books, and we can be confident in the truth of the Bible.

 

Quotes Worth Pondering

“Grace is giving to another what they don’t deserve. Mercy is not giving to another what they do deserve.”

“External criteria such as money and numbers have never been the biblical measure of a church’s success.

Faithfulness, godliness, and spiritual commitment are the virtues God esteems.”

“The church at Laodicea was affluent but asleep . . . materially rich but spiritually poor . . . outwardly impressive but spiritually empty.”

“Great indeed are our opportunities, great also is our responsibility.”

“You’d be surprised how quickly seconds turn to minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days and years. Do what you need to do now. Do not wait.”