If V·; 6..t 7 )/~J. 7 )Ad <c- . '( • j/ <.'.1 I J

"Understendest thou what thou reedest?""How can I, except some man should guide me?"

(Acts 8:30, 31.)

._---_.__ ._._--------------------------------------VOL~.~l~I , _ ____ . ~ ..___:.N:.:.O::::..!_• ...=.2

GOD'S CRAZY PEOPLEWhen Paul spoke before King .A.grip-

pa , and those assembled with him,Festus, the Roman go v ern 0 r , criedout, "Paul, thou art be sid e thyself;much learning doth make thee mad."(Acts 26:24.) God's faithful servantshave often been accused of being mad,or crazy.

J, God's crazy people in time past.

r.lisha sent. one of the prophets totell Jehu that he was to become the nextking of Israel. When he had completedhis mi esion and had left, the friends ofJehu asked, "Wherefore came thismac (crazy) fellow to thee?" (2 Kings9:11.) The p e 0 p 1e of God, doing the

" - will of God, do not always appear sanein the eyes of the people of the world.

~ Christ was thought to be crazy bysome of the people of his day. Hisene~j es ace use d him of being out ofhis m i n t:. They said, "Thou hast acev' l , ,. (John 7:20, marginal reading:"lO 1 'lre crazy.") Again they sai d,"Say we ;L,t ',ell that thou art a Samal'-'it.u:.. and hast a devil." (John 8:"6,marg-i.lo.il rea J in g: "You are crazy. ".!l. ~-:; 52nd verse of the Sallie chaptertbt:~'sa.::, "3~w we know that thou hast.•. Ce v, 1." ("'You are crazy. ") Laterthe) ':;~L=,"He hath a devil and jf, mad.".-He L5 possessed of a demon and iscrazy.'! (-Au; 10:20.)

!.,C~ a.s fr:E:.1ds thought htr. men-ully iL. ..;,nd v. hen his friends heart'fill it. tt,oP, .• er., out to lay hold on him:••. ~ sad, He is beside himself."f"'lIe ~ '=:rala::ced. ") (Mark 3:21.)

~ Rie :0 Paul, "Paul, you are-'- TOIl; are crazy." The New Bllg-r.t. t% 1 S 51 a t io a Las Festus saying,~-"'i. }'IXL~ r:a.Ting; too much study

~ •• ~ ~ =ac.. .. (Act.s 26:24.) Ac-~ 7 C 1i::I De .-I.;.a..=.s translation, in

2C .]1, ••.. 5:::'!. Pa.ul sa.hi, "For if._.~. ~:TU fer Cod's g-;o!":.-."

II. Charucterta tio» of the mentallydisturbed.

The mentally ill are often obsessedwith one iuea, Normal people canohange their ',.ttention from one idea toanother, but often people with mentaldi stnrbance cannot be divided, or dis-tracted, from one particular notion.When they get something on their mind,it is hard for them to free themselvesof that thought. The prophet in thetime of Eli S h a was posaessed of oneidea, of delivering the message he hadfor Jehu. Christ was possessed of om,great propelling idea--to do his Fa-ther's will. To his disciples he said,"My meat is to do the will of him thatsent me , and to finish his work." (John4:21.) Paul was possessed of one greatidea=-to preach Christ and him cruci-fied. This he did before King Agrippaand Festus. When he had opportunityto defend himself and prove himself in-nocent of the false charges broughtagainst him by his enemies, he choseto preach Christ and him c r u c if i e d.When he wrote to the Corinthians, hesaid, "For I was de t e r m in e d not toknow anything among you, save JesusChrist, and him orucifiod." (1Cor. 2:2•.)

The mentally ill are often character-ized by burning zeal, and almost inex-Qau~W)l~ enCl.:gy. and furio,.ls drive .Chrr st had a burning zeal and inexhaust-ible energy. His d i s c i pi e s remem-bered that it was w r i t ten concerninghin. "The zeal of thine house hath eat-en me up." (John 2:17.) He engaged inhtr great work from morning to night.He showed his disotples the great ur-gency of work: "1 must work the worksof him that sent me, 'vI-liIe it is day:the night cometh, when no man canwork." (John ~:4.) Paul had the samekind of drive. He spent lus time preach-iJ1b publicly and from house to house,by day and by night. (Acts 20:20,31.)

The men t :l11 Y ill are sometimes

characterized by disinterest in thingsmaterially valuable. Christ had no in-terest in material things. Even thoughthe kingdoms of the world were offeredto him, he was not interested in the of-fer. (Matt. 4:8-10.) He said to. hisdisciples, "The Son of man came notto be ministered unto, but to minister,and to give his life a ransom for many. "(Matt. 20:28.) Paul had no interest inworldly honors and material posses-sions. He said that if any man had rightto trust in material things he had thatright because of his lineage. But hesaid, "What things were gain to me,those I counted loss for Christ. •• forwhom I have s u ff ere d the loss of allthings, and do count them but dung,that I may win Christ." (Phil. 2:7 18,)

The mentally ill seem to have nofear of being different. Christ had nofear of being different from the world.Paul had no fear of being different fromothers. In fact, he showed that God'speople must be different. "Whereforecome out from among them, and be yeseparate." (2 Cor. 6:17.)

III. God's crazy people today.

1. They are people who are obsessedwfthone Idea-s-of doingGod's will. Theyseek first the kingdom of God and hisrighteousness. (Matt. 6:33.) They denythemselves; they take up the cross dailyin order to follow Christ. (Luke 9:23.)With Christ they say, "Not my will,but thine be done."

2. Theyare people who are charac-terized by bur n in g zeal and constanteffort in behalf of the cause of Christ.They are determined to preach Christand him c r u c i fi ed to every soul whowill listen. They preach and teach inseason and out of season, under favor-able circumstances and under unfavor-able circumstances.

3. Theyare people Who are oharac-(continued on page 7)

GOD'S CRAZY PEOPLE(continued from page 1)

terized by far greater interest in spir-itual than in mat e ria I values. Theysorn et im ee give up lucrative positions.1 order to de v 0 t e more time to ex-

-tending the b 0 r d e r s of the kingdom.They look not at the things which areseen but at the t hi n g s which are notseen, not at the temporal but at theeternal. (2 Cor. 4:16-18.)

4. They are people who have nofear of being different--in fashion, inspeech, in conduct, in religion. Theyrealize that they are a chosen genera-tion, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,a peculiar people, that they may showforth the p r a is e s of him who calledthem out of darkness into his marvel-ous light. (1 Pet. 2:9.)

5. They are people who~peak strangethings. They say that there is onechurch, and that it is all sufficient.(Eph.1:22,23.) This seems strange tomany. They say that baptism is essen-tial to salvation. (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21.) This seems strangeto many. They speak as the oracles ofGod, and such language seems strangeto the world.

Actually, people with the eharacter-~stics of the insane have often been the

ODES who have accomplished the greatfeats of mankind. With the character-b-ticsofth8 mentally disturbed,Micr.aelangelo produced his master-pieces , Doctors, nurses, workers intimes of epidemic and disaster haves hr- W n the characteristics of the in-sane in their super-human efforts toall evtate human suffering.

An emergency exists today. Menand women are rushing he a d Ion g to,..t e r n 3. i destruction. "The wages of.;in is dt":tth." There is urgent :needior God' 5 crazy p eo p l e , with super-i:..una.."l ;>'!0rt. to preach Christ andhan crucified,-------------

DRHELIUS ... (continued from page 4)uno him .•ords ..•••her eby he and allItia I-ou••. ,,;"'.lld L" saved. Men were;;;aYed ~t .••~! on Pentcco st , Men arcsaTed :..:.at '111'1:. :-.0 .••·• ~{en must hear,beb~ C', .i:"_ :c",-,:. :ht- gospel of Christ.

o -..... C- •• " ~:._,~ "",.,,_ .••1 are persuasive.1.-= a.&. __ -- - .• - b--t- ....•.

CCI'""' ~ ..1.::' ,:~ cf ::.<: ;;05;: •cl are cl ear ,a.IIIl~";..;;_~.""" of :he gospel area•.ail ~:::~ :: :i~:.::>:;'••ill believe thebets a:a:: :c-=:. ::.:: ~:~r,".and5.

WHICH CHURCH SHALL I JOIN?(continued from page 5)

being saved. Preacher "B" teaches onecan fall from grace. As long as twopreachers honestly preach these, thepreachers are accepted by both groupsof believers as honorable men. Couldone man preach on Sunday morning inone c h u r c h that you cannot fall, andthen go to the other church on Sundaynight and preach that you can fall? Iftwo men can preach these contradictorydoctrines, could not one pre a c h bothdoctrines and be just as right?

The preacher who believes you can-not fall also says that baptism is byimmersion only. The pre a c her whothinks you can fall from grace believesthat one can be baptized by sprinkling,pouring or immersion. The religiousworld says this is all right. If one ofthese preachers died, could the othertake his place and preach both thoughts?Could he not pre a chon the first andthird Sun day s to one group of peoplethat they cannot fa 11 from grace, andto be pro per 1y baptized one must bei In III o r sed? Then on the second andfourth Sundays, could he not preach tothe other church that they can fall fromgrace and that they can be baptized byhaving water sprinkled on their heads?You may say one man can not preachsuch contradictory doctrines, but twomen can, if they believe that way. Doyou suppose God bel i eve s these twocontradicting doctrines when two preachthem, but will not believe them whenonly one preaches them? Do you sup-pose Christ will tolerate two men teach-ing two different doctrines, but will notallow one man to preach contradictorydoctrines?

DIFFERENT DOCTRINES DO NOTCOME FROM GOD. "FOR GOD IS NOTTHE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION, BUTOF PEACE, AS IN ALL CHURCHES OFTHE SAINTS." (1 Cor. 14:33.) One caneither fall from grace, or he cannot fallfrom grace. It cannot be both ways.If one man preaches both ideas he iswrong. If two men preach both ideas,ONE OF THEM is wrong. God doesnot "lead" one preacher to preach oneidea, and another preacher to preachthe other idea. A 11 pre a c her s whopreach what God wants preached (theBible) are preaching the same thing.The truth is harmonious. When thereis a difference, somebody is WRONG.

7

There is one faith (Eph. 4:4,5), andwe have no right to make two.

WHAT CHURCH SHALL WE JOIN?WHAT DOCTRINE SHALL WEPREACH? We shall preach the gospelof Christ. We shall join no church.The church of Christ is not a party orclub to join. It is a body of saved peo-ple. When one is pricked in the heartas a believer in Christ and wants to bea Christian, he is to repent and be bap-tized in order to the remission of hissins. (Acts 2:36-41.) He does this inorder to be saved. As a saved person,he is a part of that body of saved peo-ple. He did not join it, he became itChristian. The Lord added him as aChristian to the church. The Lord adds~ll saved people to the church. (Acts2:47.) If he adds all saved people tothe church, then there are no savedpeople outside the church. Those whoare saved are the ones who make upthe church of Christ.

It does matter what you believe. Itdoes matter what a preacher preaches.Error will cause the one who preachesit and the ono who believes it to be lost.(2 Jno. 9; Gal. 1:6-9.) Thus, truthsaves, but error causes one to be lost.lt does make a difference.

LITTLE THINGSFor the novelty of it, a man walked

from the Go Ide n Gate Bridge to NewYork City. He was asked what werethe greatest difficulties he had to en-counter on the road. The interviewersuggested that it m us t have been thegreat moun ta ins that exhausted hisstrength, the turbulent and swollen riv-ers he had to ford, the hazards of thedesert, or the biting winds; but to allthese obstacles the traveler said, "No. "But after a little he said, "Whatalmostdefeated me in my journey across thecontinent was the sand in my shoes."

Isn't it so? It's not the mountainousthings that keep the average person outof the kingdom of heaven but the trivialthings of life. A desire for more sleepon Sunday morning, the thought of mak-ing a little more money, a bit morep l e as u r e on Saturday night-s-and somany little pin chi n g grains of sand(prejudice and preconceived ideas) inthe mind. Undoubtedly these stand asthe greatest barriers to obedience tothe gospel. Do not allow any of theselittle things to keep you out of heaven.--Adapted.

"Understandest thou what thou readest?""How can l, except some man should guide me?"

(Acts 8:30, 31.)

VOL. V NO. 10

InMY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED"

--

War is terrible because of its de-structive nature: Property is de-stroyed, he a Ith is destroyed, life isdestroyed, morals are destroyed. Theend of the world will be an awesomeoccasion because of the destruction atthat time. "But the day of the Lordwill come as a thief in the night; in thewhich the heavens shall pass away witha great noise, and the elements shallmelt with fervent heat, the earth alsoand the works that are therein shall beburned up." (2 Pet. 3:10.)

The prophet Hosea tells of the saddestruction of Is r a e I, a great nationon c e reaching from the Euphrates tothe border of Egypt. (2 Chron. 9:26.)He shows that the reason for the de-struction was ignorance of God's word."My people are destroyed for lack ofknowledge: because thou hast rejectedknowledge, I will also reject thee, thatthou shalt be no priest to me: seeingthou hast forgotten the law of thy God,r will also forget thy children." (Hos ,4:6.)

Ignorance of God's word b r 0 ugh tabout the destruction of Israel. Let ussee what ignorance of God's word de-stroys today.

1. It destroys the honor and rever-ence _.ghtful ly due God. If we are ig-norant of the word of God, we cannotha V" 'ion appreciation for God as ourcreatc r , "And God said, Let us makeman in our image, after our likeness:and :'<:t them have dominion over thefish of the sea, and over the fowl oftile air. and over the cattle, and overall the ea!"th and over every creeping~:hat creepetb upon the earth. So~ created man in his own image, in-- ~e of God created he him; male~ f~e created he them." (Gen. 1:"~7.)

I[ .-e are ig r.o ran t of G('d's word,•• e&::I:X)~ ~.e an appreciation of God

as our preserver and benefactor. "Forin him we live, and move, and haveour being." (Acts 17:28.) "Every goodgift and every prefect gift is from a-bove, and comethdown from the Fatherof lights, with whom is novariableness,neither shadow of turning." (Jas. 1:17.)Wi tho u t knowledge of God's word wecan not know and appreciate his holi-ness, and power, and wisdom, andmatchless love. We must be s t rue kwith the fact that "lack of knowledge"of the word of God not only destroysthe honor and reverence rightfully duethe true and living God but exalts hu-man wisdom and human ways eventhough "the way of man is not in him-self: it is not in him that walketh todirect his steps ." (Jer. 10:23.)

2. Ignorance of God's word destroysGod's approval of us. Paul said, "Studyto show thyself approved unto God, aworkman that needeth not to be ashamed,rightly dividing the word of truth." (2Tim. 2:15.) Without study we cannotknow the will of God, and without knowl-edge we cannot do the will of God, andwithout doing the will of God we cannothave his loving favor. Because of ig-norance we then must be like God'speople of old, for though he gave themevery opportunity to know and do hiswill, they refused, "until the wrath ofthe Lord arose against his people, tillthere was no remedy." (2 Chron, 36:16.)

3. Ignorance of God'sword destroysany possibility of our salvation. "Sothen faith cometh byhearing, and hear-ing by the word of God." (Rom. 10:17.)Faith is a b sol ute I y essential to ourcoming to God. "But without faith it isimpossible to please him: for he thatcometh to God must believe that he is,and that he is a rewarder of them thatdiligently seek him." (Heb. 11:6.) Butthe faith that saves comes from aknowledge of God's word. Without thatknowledge we are with 0 u t faith, and

without faith we are without any hopeof s al va t io n, "For if ye believe notthat I am he, ye shall die in your sins."(John 8:24.)

4. Ignorance of God's word destroyshappiness and peace. "Blessed (happy)is the man thatwalkethnot in the coun-sel of the ungodly, nor standeth in theway of Sinners, nor sitteth in the seatof the scornful. But his delight is inthe law of the Lord; and in his law dothhe meditate day and night. And heshall be like a tree planted by the riv-ers of water, that bringeth for t h hisfruit in his season; his leaf also shallnot wit her; and whatsoever he doetbshall prosper." (Ps. 1;1-3.) Aslongas the children of Israel learned anddid God's will, they prospered, butwhen they fell into ignorance, they in-evitably fell into di sob e di e n c e andthereby brought themselves under thewrath of God. In knowi ng and doingthe will of God there is great joy. Paulwrote to the Philippians, "Rejoice inthe Lord always: again Iwill say, Re-joice ••• In nothing be anxious; but ineverything by prayer and supplicationwith thanksgiving let your requests bemade known unto God. And the peaceof God, which passeth all understand-ing, shall guard your hearts and yourthoughts in ChristJesus." (Phil. 4:4-7.)

5. Ignorance of God's word destroysany possibility of recognizing and over-coming the temptations of the devil. Inhis word God has let us know what sinis. (1 John 3:4; 5:17.) Uweknowanddo his will we adorn ourselves with theChristian's armor--the breastplate ofrighteousness, the shield of faithwherewith we shall be able to overcomeall the fiery darts of the evil one, thehelmet of salvation, and the sword ofthe Spirit, which is the word of God.(Eph.6:10-18.) With a true knowledgeof the word of God Christ was able to

(continued on page 7)

be ye stedfast, unmoveable , alwaysabounding in the work of the Lord,forasmuch as ye know that your la-bour is not in vain in the Lord."(1 Cor. 15:58.) "Be thou fai t h f u lu n t 0 d eat h, and I will give thee acrown of life." (Rev. 2:10.)In all of this, there must be OBEDI-

ENCE FROM THE HEART. It was thisthat brought the Romans to cease to beservants of sin and become servants ofrighteousness. (Rom. 6:17f.) J e s u s"became the author of eternal salvationto all them who obey him." (Heb. 5:8f.)

CONCLUSIONNow that you have come and see n

WHOHe is and WHATHe offers you,are you willing freely and immediatelyto meet His conditions? Many desireto have what He offers, but are unwill-ing to meet His conditions! What aboutYOU? "Come and see" how wonderfulis the fellowship with the Lord, andhow pea c e-g i vi ng the Hope you canhave only- in Him!--P. O. Box 339,Red Bay Alabama 35582.

"MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED"(continued from page 1)

-ercome every temptation of the devil..•••..rth, "It is written." (Matt. 4.) He hadto use only three little verses of scrip-ture from two chapters from one book,the Wok of Deuteronomy, under whichhe lived, but there is so much powerin the word of God, when properly ap-plted the devil cannot stand before it.

6. Ignorance of God's word destroysusefulness in the kingdom. Since thechurch is "the pillar and ground of thetruth" (1 Tim. 3:15), every member ofth e ch u r c h has the responsibility ofsupporting and upholding the truth bystanding in defense of it, and by takingit to others. Jesus said, "Go ye intoall ihe world, and preach the gospel toevery creature." (Mark 16:15.) Inview of this great responsibility Paulsaid, "For woe is unto me, if I preachnot the g o s p e l ," (1 Cor. 9:16.) Woeunto him who fails to preach the gos-pel. Woe unto him who preaches any-thing but the gospel. (Gal. 1:8,9.)

We must d i I i ge n tly seek to studyad kno",- the will of God, for ignor-Wee of his word costs too dear a price.It is destr..lctive of so much in this lifeand of any hope of the good and glori-ous life to come. Little wonder Hosea

HEAVENSh 0 u 1d we want to go there? For

many reasons, surely the an s we r is"Yes. "

1. It is real. If we believe the Bi-ble, the word of God, we believe thatheaven is a real place. It is mentionedover and over again in the word of God.The faithful child of God has an incor-ruptible and undefiled inheritance re-s e r v e d for him in he a v e n, (1 Pet.1:4.)

2. It is the dwelling place of God.Jesus taught his d i s c i p l e s to pray,"Our Father which art in heaven."(Matt. 6:9.) Surely we want to live soas to come into the glorious presenceof God in his heavenly home, for if wedo not, we must spend eternity with thedevil in end I e s s s u f fer i ng. (Matt.25:41.)

3. It is the dwelling place of Christ.Jesus said, "For I came down fromhe a v e n, not to do mine own will, butthe will of him that sent me." (John 6:38. ) Having accomplished all that Godpurposed for him to do on earth, hehas now returned to be at the righthand of the Father in heaven. (Heb.8:1.) Like Paul, we should have thedesire to be with Christ in that heaven-ly home. (Phil. 1:23.)

4. It is the dwelling place of angels.After the angels announced to the shep-herds the birth of Christ, they returnedto heaven. (Luke 2:13-15.) The faithfulangels are ministering spirits, "sentforth to minister for them who shall beheirs of salvation." (Heb. 1:14.) Heav-en must be a wonderful place if it isthe dwelli.ng place of God, and his HolySpirit, and Christ, and the angels.

5. It is the home of the redeemed.John saw a great number in white robesbefore the throne of God. And one ofthe elders asked him, "What are theseWhich are arrayed in white robes? andwhence came they?" But John said,"Sir, tho u knowest." Then the eldersaid, "These are they which came outof great tribulation, and have washed= ..==============said, "My people are des t r 0 y e d forlack of knowledge." (Hos , 4:6.)--B.N.

7

--------- ----,---....---,~---.----------.

their robes, and made them white inthe blood of the Lamb." (Rev. 7:9-15.)

6. It is a holy city. (Rev. 21:2.) Wehave never lived in a holy city on earth.At the present time cities, with theircrime and immorality, are most un-holy. It would be wonderful to live ina holy city.

7. ItisParadise, for there is nosorrow, no pain, no death, no curse,no night, there, (Rev. 7:17:21:4,5.)

8. It is at t a i nab 1e. When we aspenitent believers confess our faith inChrist, and are baptized in his namefor the remission of our sins, we haveentrance in t 0 God's earthly, and yetspiritual kingdom. (Rom. 10:9,10;Acts 11:18; Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3,4;2 Cor. 5:17; John 3:5.} Then, servingthe Fa th e r faithfully throughout life,we have this exceeding precious prom-ise: "For so an entrance shall be min-istered unto you a bun d ant 1y into theeverlasting kingdom of 0 u r Lor d andSaviour Jesus Christ." (2 Pet. 1:5-11.)

May we so live that heaven will be 'our eternal home!--B.N.

A FALLEN DISCIPLE(continued from page 5)

gression, once com m i t t e d, is done.There is no undoing.

The consoling part of all of this isth a t God does not require the undoingof our sins. He requires us to seekforgiveness on his terms. He requiresalien sinners to hear and believe hisinstructions, particularly relative toJesus andwhat he has done forthe sal-vation of man. He fur the r requiresalien sinners to confess their faith inChrist and upon this confession to bebaptized for the remissionoftheirSins. There is no other way for thealien sinner to have remission of sins.When a Christian Sins, he must repentof his sins, confess his sins, and askGod to forgive him. There Is no otheravenue open unto him if he wants for-giveness.

Even from a fall e n disciple thereare lessons worth learning. --1349 45thse., W., Birmingham, Ala. 35208.

VOL. XI

"Understamdeet thou what thou readesU" "liow can I, except some man should guide me?" (Acts 8:30,31.)

NO. 12

"SO GREAT A SAL VATION"

-

"How shall we escape, if we neglect so greata salvation?" (Heb. 2:3.)

1. This salvation is great because ofWHAT IT SAVES. It saves man, the crown-ing point of God's creation, the one made inthe image and after the likeness of God (Gen.1:26,27) - but one who has allowed that pre-cious image to be marred by sin. It saves evil,corrupt, and wicked man. "Know ye not thatthe unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdomof God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators,nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate,nor abusers of themselves with mankind, northieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor re-vilers, nor extoritoners, shall inherit the king.dom of God. And such were some of you: butye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but yeare justified in the name of the Lord Jesus,and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Cor. 6:9-11.)

But it also saves good men, men who aremorally good but still in need of salvation,"For there is no man that sinneth not." (1Kin.8:46.) Cornelius was a good man, "a devoutman, and one that feared God with all hishouse, which gave much alms to the people,and prayed to God always." (Acts 10:2.) Andyet this good man was commanded to send forPeter, who would speak to him words wherebyhe and his house could be saved. (Acts 11:13,14.) This salvation is great because it is for allmen, "For all have sinned, and come short ofthe glory of God." (Rom. 3:23.) Showing thatit is for all men, Jesus said, "Go ye into all theworld, and preach the gospel to every crea-ture. He that believeth and is baptized shallbe saved; but he that believeth not shall bedamned." (Mark 16:15,16.)2. This salvation is great because of

WHAT IT SAVES FROM. It saves from past

sins. Paul, in looking back over his past life,said that he was "before" a blasphemer and apersecutor, and yet he had obtained mercy.(1 Tim. 1:13.) God made a promise to all whowould enter into the new covenant by theirobedience to the gospel, "For I will be merci-ful to their unrighteousness, and their sinsand their iniquities will I remember no more."(Heb. 8:12.) On the day of Pentecost, follow-ing the death of Christ, Peter showed the peo-ple that they were guilty of crucifying the onemade both Lord and Christ by the God ofheaven, but he also showed them that theycould have remission of their sins: "Repent,and be baptized everyone of you in the nameof Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, . . ."(Acts 2:38.) When one is.baptized into Christ,he becomes "a new creature: old things arepassed away; behold, all things are becomenew." (2 Cor. 5:17.)This salvation is great because it saves from

every sin: "But if we walk in the light, as he isin the light, we have fellowship one with an-other, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Soncleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:7.)This salvation is great because it saves us

from the terrible consequences cf sin-in thislife and in the life to come. Even in this life"the way of the transgressor is hard." (Prov.13:15.) And in the life to come the sinner's suf-fering is without relief: "And the smoke oftheir torment ascendeth for ever and ever: andthey have no rest day nor night ... " (Rev.14:11.) But this great salvation saves onefrom such a horrible destiny.

3. This salvation is great because ofWHAT IT SAVES FOR. It saves one forhonor and respectability in society. The Chris-tian is appreciated and respected in the com-

munity because of the nobility of his characterand the useful, compassionate service whichhe renders to his fellowman, when,like Christ,he goes "about doing good." (Acts 10:38.) Heis saved for the greatest work to which mancan put his heart and his hand, and that iswork in the Father's vineyard in helping tocarry the gospel, God's power to save, to aworld lost in sin. Christ has commissioned hisown to go into all the world with this messageof salvation (Mark 16:15)-God's only way ofsalvation, and man's only hope of deliverancefrom sin.

I t is so great a salvation because it savesone for the heavenly home. "In my Father'shouse are many mansions: if it were not so, Iwould have told you. I go to prepare a placefor you. And if I go and prepare a place foryou, I will come again, and receive you untomyself; that where I am, there ye may bealso," (John 14:2,3.)4. This salvation is great because of HOW

IT SAVES. God's word said, "The soul thatsinneth, it shall die." (Ez. 18:4.) Since God'sword is always true (John 17:17), this meansthat all men are under the sentence of eternaldeath because all have sinned. (Rom. 3:23.)But God in his infinite love provided a way bywhich man might be redeemed from his sin,and from the eternal consequences of his sins.In this provision God sent his own Son to be"the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sinof the world." (John 1:29.) On the cross Jesusdied in behalf of all mankind, but for man tobe redeemed from sin, Christ's death must be-come the sinner's death. God has made thispossible in his great plan of salvation.Through the hearing and study of God's wordthe sinner is led to faith in Christ, and to re-pentance (Rom. 10:17; John 8:24; Luke13:3,5), and as a penitent believer is baptizedinto Christ, into his death. (Rom. 6:3,4.) Thusin this obedience he claims the death of Christin behalf of himself. Vicariously he has paidthe penalty for his sin, and he is redeemed bythe precious, atoning blood of Christ. (Eph.1:7.)This great salvation is the only salvation,

for without it there is no escape. As great as it

is, it may be lost by rejecting it, or by neglect-ing it, or by waiting too long to accept it. "Be-hold, now is the accepted time; behold, now isthe day of salvation." (2 Cor. 6:2.)-B.N.

"Blessed Is The Man"Dr. Wm. A. Phillips

The Bible is unique in the realm of litera-ture. It abides NO garbling of phrases. Itsexpressions are always progressive. Whetherin the positive or the negative atmosphere, thefollowing phrase is always dependent upon thepreceding one. For example: Baptism is of noconsequence unless preceded by repentance.(Acts 2:38.) And repentance is of no conse-quence unless preceded by faith. (Acts 8:37.)

Psalm 1:1 is a classic example of the nega-tive approach. "Blessed is the man that walk-eth NOT in the counsel of the ungodly, NORstandeth in the way of sinners, NOR sitteth inthe seat of the scornful." Let us examine thewords "walk," "stand" and "sit."WALK: 1. "To follow a certain course of life

whether it be good or bad." 2. "Mode of liv-ing, general conduct or behaviour. Sphere ofactivity. Walking with the saints of God orwith the imps of Satan." Paul warns in 1 Cor.15:33 that evil companionships corrupt goodmorals. (ASV.) Thus, those who walk in thecounsel of the ungodly have no choice but to,themselves, become ungodly. And havingbecome ungodly they proceed to take a stand.

STAND: "To take or maintain a position,attitude, or course of action." Thus, the man

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DECEMBER,1979Editor: Billy Norris

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"Understandest thou what thou readest?"

"How can I, except some man should guide me?"(Acts 8:30, 31.)

VOL. VI--------------------------------------------------------------N{NO.3

nIF WE NEGLECT SO GREAT SALVATION"In Hebrews 2:3,4 the question is asked,

"How shall we escape, if we neglect so greatsalvation, which at the first began to bespoken by the Lord, and was confirmedunto us by them that heard him; God alsobearing them witness, both with signs andwonders, and with divers miracles, andgifts of the Holy Ghost, according to hisown will?"

-

COMPLETE

This salvation is great because it iscomplete. It saves us from our past sins.Describing his condition "before" he obeyedthe gospel, Paul said that he was "a blas-phemer, and a persecutor, and injurious."11 Tim. 1: 1:3.) But when he was told toarise, and b« baptized, and wash away hissins. calling on the name of the Lord (Acts:22:Hi). he obeyed immediately. (Acts 9: IS.)Because he persecuted Christians, he con-sidered himself the chiefest of sinners; andyet he obtained mercy and forgiveness inhis obedience to the gospel. In reference tothis salvation he exclaimed, "This is a faith-ful saying', and worthy of all acceptation,that Christ J L.,US came into the world to<ave sinners; of whom I am chief." (1Tim.!:15.)

Even in a heathen world, Corinth wasnot ed for its wickedness; and yet theCorinthians obtained pardon. After Paulhad givl'n a long list of sinners--fornicators,idolaters. adulterers, thieves, drunkards,extortioners. etc.--he said, "And such weresome of you: but yP are washed, but ye aresanctified. but ye are justified in the nameof the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of ourGod." i l Cor. 6: 11.) Later in the sameepistle, he said, "Moreover. brethren, Ideclare unto you .he gospel which Ipreached unto you ..•••.hich also ye have re-eerved, and wherein !-e stand; by which ye~ sa\"ed;~;l Cor. 15:1.2.1 In the second~!.e he said. "Therefore if any man be inChr'.:St. he is a new creature: old things arepas:w:-d a'. a]': behold. all things are become-,- :2 Cor. 5:17.1

n,;s s,L·.ation is complete in that it savesfroc: ~ H iii! sins. s.zs iha: otherwise we.~ ':"1:':::::-":: if -a.'1? .ived not by tr.e great

principles of the gospel. Those who enjoythis great salvation have Christ. the perfectexample. to follow. (1 Pet. 2:21,22.) Heshowed that by a proper application ofGod's word every temptation of Satan couldbe overcome. (Matt. 4:1-10.)

This great salvation is complete in that itsaves from every kind of sin. "But if wewalk in the light, as he is in the light, wehave fellowship one with another, and theblood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth usfrom all sin." (1 John 1:7.) Paul said thatthough he was guilty of blasphemy heobtained mercy. Even those who crucifiedthe Son of God found pardon in their obedi-ence to the gospel on the day of Pentecost.When Peter accused them of crucifying theone whom God had made both Lord andChrist. they were pricked in their hearts,and asked, "Men and brethren, shat shallwe do'? Then Peter said unto them, Repent,and be baptized everyone of you in thename of Jesus Christ for the remission ofsins. and ye shall receive the gift of theHoly Ghost." They that gladly received hisword were baptized that day. being aboutthree thousand in number. Then the Lordadded daily to the church those that werebeing saved. those who were obeying thegospel as did the three thousand on the dayof Pentecost. (Acts 2:36·47.) Indeed it is agreat salvation because it saves from everykind of sin in the black catalog of sin.

It is a complete salvation in that it savesfrom the consequences of sin. It saves fromthe consequences of sin in this life. By in-spiration. and perhaps out of his own expe-rience. Solomon said, "But the way of thetransgressor is hard." (Prov. 13:15.) Davidfound t.he way of transgression to behard. Though forgiven of his sin, Davidsuffered the consequences of his sin withBathsheba through the remaining days ofhis life. (2 Sam. 12.) A young woman paid adear price for her sins when she lost the fineyoung man whom she loved because hecould not bring himself to accept her as hislife companion.

And yet the consequences of sin in thislife are insignificant as compared to the con-

sequences in the life to come. However dif-ficult and hard they may turn out to behere, they will sooner or later come to anend; but in the life to come the punishmentof sin knows no end. The rich man beggedfor mercy when no mercy could be extend-ed. (Luke 16.) In the last day the greatJudge will have to say to many, "Departfrom me. ye cursed. into the everlastingfire. prepared for the devil and his angels."(Matt. 25:41.) "And the smoke of their tor-ment ascendeth up for ever and ever."(Rev. 14:11.)

COMMON

The salvation offered to man lost and dy-ing in sin is great because it is common.common in that it is offered to all the sonsand daughters of Adam's raco. In describ-ing this salvaion, Jude said .••... I gave alldiligence to write unto you of the commonsalvation." (Jude 3.) The power of God tosave is the gospel (Rom. 1:16); and Christintended for this power to be made avail-able to all men in that he has given the reosponsibility to his disciples to go into all theworld and preach the gospel to every crea-ture. (Mark 16:15.) In writing to 'I'itusabout this salvation, Paul said, "For thegrace of God that bringeth salvation hathappeared to all men." (Tit. 2:11.) As allmen are guilty of sin, and all have a commonneed of salvation, God has provided for all acommon means of salvation in the gospel ofChrist.

COSTLY

It is a great salvation because of itscost. Four millenniums were needed in thedevelopment of God's great plan of salva-tion. It cost the blood of the prophets of oldas they brought the message of God to thepeople of their day; and, above all, it costthe precious blood of Christ the Son of God.Without his death, his burial, his resurrec-tion, there could be no gospel, no means ofsalvation for man lost in sin. (1 Cor. 15:1-4.)But Christ came from heaven and paid thedear price to make possible our salvation.Concerning the price that Christ paid, Paulsaid, "Let this mind be in you, which was

(continued on page 3)

The twenty-third Psalm is one of the verybest known sections in the Bible. It is so of-ten read or quoted at funerals or whendeath or calamity seems near. It ought tobe quoted in view of living, for it is a psalmof life rather than a psalm of death. The lit-eral background of the Psalm is that of ashepherd caring for his sheep, leading themto and from pasture and fold through woodand valley and ravine where dangers maylurk in each hidden place. This psalm is ametaphor depicting a spiritual application.These six verses show how Jehovah looksover his people even as the shepherd looksover his sheep. In this Christian dispensa-tion in which we live, Christ is our shep-herd. (John 10:11.) The Lord's people arehis sheep. Through the years, many artic-les have been published in this paper show-ing how we may become his followers--hissheep. At this point in this study, let eachreader make sure that he is really a followerof the Lord. If we are truly the Lord'speople, then there are certain necessarythings which we can rest assured the Lordwill provide. We shall not want for any ofthese.

I Shall Not Want For Food"He maketh me to lie down in green pas-tures." (Psalm 23:2.) The idea is that of ashepherd takmg his sheep to a good rangewhich suffices so that the sheep then liedown in contentment. The Lord providesfood for his people. This is literally so. InPsalm 37:25 we read: "I have been young,and now am old; yet have I not seen therighteous forsaken, nor his seed beggingbread." Jesus taught his disciples to pray:"Give us this day our daily bread." (Matt.6:11.) If the Lord's people will do as theLord directs, they will be provided for.More important than this is the fact that theLord provides spiritual food. He has giventhe sincere milk of the word and the strongmeat of the gospel to satisfy our hunger andspiritual things. (1 Peter 2:1,2; Heb. 5:12.)He has promised fulfillment: "Blessed arethey which do hunger and thirst after right-eousness: for they shall be filled." (Matt.5:6.) The Lord's people will not want forfood.

I Shalll'ot Want For A LeaderI shall not want for a leader, for the

psalmist said: "He leadeth me beside thestill waters ... he leadeth me in the paths ofrighteousness." (Psalm 23:2,3.) Our shep-herd. Jesus. leads us. We are to look untohim as the author and finisher of our faith.IHeb. 12:2.1 We are told that Jesus left us

Curtis E. I<~latt

an example and that we should follow in hissteps. (1 Peter 2:21.) The faithful baptizedbeliever can sing with much feeling: "Heleadeth me! 0 blessed thought! "

I Shall Not Want For Renewal"He restoreth my soul" is the claim of

Psalm 23:3. Followers of Jesus have agreat restorer. Through his word we arerenewed day by day. (2 Cor. 4:16.) When Ihave sinned and seek to be made new again,I have one who pleads my case before Godin heaven. (1 John 2:1,2.) Only my ownimpenitence will prevent this renewal.(Heb.6:6.)

I Shall Not Want For A Safe Path"He leadeth me in the paths of right-

eousness for his name's sake." (Psalm 23:3.)If I follow the good shepherd, I shall notwant for a safe path. Followers of God havelong been assured of a safe path. "Throughthy precepts I get understanding: there-fore I hate every false way. Thy word is alamp unto my feet, and a light unto mypath." (Psalm 119:104,105.) Christ, myshepherd, has given unto me everythingwhich pertains to life and godliness. (2 Pe-ter 1:3.) It is to the law and to the testi-monies of God we must go. They will safelyguide us through the valley. The save wayis the gospel way. (Romans 1:16.)

I Shall Not Want For Protection"Yea, though I walk through the valley of

the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."(Psalm 23:4.) Christians have the grandpromise of protection. We need not fearevil though we walk through the valley ofthe shadow of death. "... For he hath said, Iwill never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Sothat we may boldly say, the Lord is myhelper, and I will not fear what man shall dounto me." (Heb, 13:5,6.) We have no reasonto be afraid unless we provoke our protect-or, and then we have great reason to beafraid. He is able to destroy both soul andbody in hell. (Matt. 10:28.)

I Shall Not Want For Companionship"For thou art with me" is a most comfort-

ing statement. (Psalm 23:4.) Our shepherdis with his sheep. Christ dwells with hispeople in a certain sense. (Eph, 3:17.)Christ promised his disciples that wheretwo or three are gathered together in hisname there he will be. (Matt. 18:20.)Again, in giving the great commission, hesaid: ••... Lo, I am with you alway, evenunto the end of the world." (Matt. 28:20.) Ishall not want for companionship, for Jesusis with me. He is near, to comfort and cheer,

3

just when I need him most.I Shall Not Want For Comfort

"Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."(Psalm 23:4.) As the rod and staff of theshepherd was protection for the sheep andwould have been comfort if the sheep hadunderstood, even so our shepherd is armedand protects his sheep. That is a great com-fort to us, his sheep. When we conduct our-selves as we ought, there is no one who cantake us away. There is no one who can sep-arate us from the protecting love of Jesus.(Romans 8:35-39.) In the arms of Jesus weare safe no matter what takes place.

I Shall Not Want For Honor"Thou preparest a table before me in the

presence of mine enemies: Thou anointestmy head with oil; my cup runneth over,"(Psalm 23:5.) The assurance is given thathonor is sure for those who really follow theLord. That is still true. I shall not want forhonor. A banquet is prepared for me. I willdwell in the house of the Lord forever if Ilive as I am instructed. (1 Peter 1:7-12; 1John 3:2.)

A Most Gracious PromiseA most gracious promise is given to those

who follow the shepherd. "Surely goodnessand mercy shall follow me all the days of mylife: and I will dwell in the house of theLord forever." -- 1349 45th St., W., Bir-mingham, Alabama 35208.

••... SO GREAT SALVATION "(continued from page 1)

also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the formof God, thought it not robbery to be equalwith God: but made himself of no reputa-tion, and took upon him the form of a serv-ant, and was made in the likeness of men:and being found in fashion as a man, hehumbled himself, and became obedient untodeath, even the death of the cross." (Phil.2:5-8.)

After all that God has done in providingthis salvation, the tragedy is that not allmen will be saved. Some will not enjoy thisgreat salvation no doubt because. of ignor-ance of it. Some even oppose it. Perhapsthe greatest tragedy is that some will missit because of carelessness. It will be in theirgrasp, and yet they will let it slip awaythrough neglect: neglect that may show it-self as procrastination, or indifference, orgradual drifting and slipping back into thebeggarly elements of the world. But afterall, "How shall we escape, if we neglect sogreat salvation'l"--B.N.

As has probably always been the case,ours is a day when men in general have lit-tle regard for the Word of God. Anyfavorable thought that they might havetoward it, or any compliment that theymight pay it usually amounts to lip service,for the thought and compliment hardly everbecome manifested in a life of dependenceupon the Word and obedience to it. Evensome professing to be children of God aresometimes heard to refer to the "mereWord," as if to say that it is a weak and in-adequate Word. Such efforts to disregardand downgrade the Word of God are noth-ing less than manifestations of unbelief, forone cannot believe what God has said aboutHis Word and maintain the attitude thatmany have toward the Word. To believewhat God has said is to believe that God hasprovided for the spiritual well-being of Hiscreatures in His Word, which fully revealsHis will and is completely adequate to ac-complish every Divine purpose that God as-signed to it. Let us notice some of the fea-tures that the God of heaven has ascribedunto His Word.

God's Word Is RevealedGod has arranged for and worked out the

revelation of His will, those things that manneeds to k n .w about and to be concernedabout in this life. In Deuteronomy 29:29Moses made a distinction between thingssecret and things revealed: those thoughtsnot relevant to man's faith and obedienceare secret in that they remain undisclosedto the mind of man; but whatever Goddeems necessary to man's salvation hasbeen revealed. In 1 Corinthians 2:10, in ref-erence to God's former mystery, His wis-dom. or ,h. things that God has preparedfor them that love Him, Paul affirmed thatGod has revealed these things. What a glo-rious thought to consider: that the greatGod and architect of the universe and salva-tion has communicated Himself to men. Forthis very purpose Jesus came. (John 1:18.)~ow if Goo :-.d.."' revealed His Word to men,.• hy an' many dis.-at isficd with it? Why dr.some count :: as ::ot enough and insist thatGod continue to reveal in our lime? Thereason must be a dissatisfaction with andanbelit-f o.f His Word:

His ". onIls InspiredP3o:';; 5.l.id:..:12 Tirr.o'\. 3:16 that all Scrip-

t~ is inspired vf G.:':: it emanated fromGod J..l-<t as bre~~h froci an indi:•.idual. To~~ :o.r- Ul ~9i~ Wcrd. God assig:ledtar !••L';~ vi. rt'\"e~l.Y.t to) :ne Holy Spirit. ,1Cor. :::ij., b t!::.s "'30;0' God assured the

mE WORD OF GODBobby Graham

accurate transmission of both content andwords to convey the content from His mindto the apostles and prophets. Is it not ironicthat many would re-activate the Holy Spiritin this same work and have Him do Hiswork again? Why? Was His first workineffective or incomplete? If He resumedthe work of revelation, what more could Hesay than lIe has said? The need for believ-ing what God has said about His Word inHis Word is apparent.

His Word Is CompleteSo complete is the revelation of the Word

of God that Paul said "even the deep thingsof God" have been made known. Peter saidthat God gave a knowledge of all things per-taining to life and godliness. (2 Pet. 1:3.)Second Timothy 3:16-17 declares that theinspired Scriptures are complete in the usesthat may be made of them=doctrine, re-proof, correction, and instruction in righteousness-vand the benefit that may begained from them=completing of the man ofGod and fully supplying him unto everygood work. God has not forgotten or omit-ted from His Word anything.

His Word Is AdequateGod designed His Word in such a fashion

that it might do all that He wanted it to do.As we study the Word that He gave, we areimpressed with the great design that Godhad and the tremendous power inherent inthe Word, if it is to accomplish His design.Such a thought should not surprise us, how-ever; for the same power that Jehovah ex-erted in creating the worlds and that Hecontinues to exercise in upholding all thingswas available to Him in the framing of Hisrevelation and in the work that He seeks toaccomplish by it. The Word of God canproduce faith (Rom. 10:17; Acts 15:7), sanc-tify (John 17:17), save (Jas. 1:21; Rom.1:16), complete a man (2 Tim. 3:17), andgive him an inheritance. (Acts 20:32.) If itneeds to be done and has to do with thesoul, God's Word can do it. To doubt ordeny such is to disbelieve God. Yet we hearsome saying that man's own experiencemust confirm the Word. Such is anoutgrowth of the godless philosophy of existentialisrn that has been promoted andpawned off by unbelievers, though some donot realize it. What they need to realize isthat the Word of God does not need addi-tional confirmation.

God's Word Is ConfirmedJust as the Lord arranged for the revela-

tion and proclamation of His Word. He also

provided for its confirmation. He did notexpect men to believe the preaching of Pe-ter just because Peter preached it: He sup-plied proof for what Peter said that observ-ers might know Peter's preaching was fromGod, not men. The confirmation came inthe form of miracles wrought by Peter (oranother apostle or person empowered by anapostle). The miracles were not intendedfor all people. even during the first cen-tury-just those observing them. The factof miracles was, no doubt, related to manynot observing them. If it was the Lord'spleasure to have some rest their belief onthe testimony of someone who saw the mir-acles, why are men suddenly alarmed tohear that faith today must depend on theaccredited testimony of the Word of God?(John 20:30-31.) This is exactly what theBible teaches! Enough miracles (signs) arewritten of to generate faith in Jesus Christas God's Son. The Lord apparently neverknew that miracles must continue, as someinsist.

His Word Is UnderstandableRegardless of what some "learned" men

claim. God's Word can be understood. Fur-thermore, one knowledgeable in theScriptures cannot avoid admitting that theBible writers believed and said that all menof faith could understand the Bible alike.God's Word is not, in most cases, suscep-tible to different understandings. While itis true that man's intellect must be em-ployed to understand the Bible, it is alsotrue that any understanding that conflictswith whatever else the Bible teaches is amisunderstanding. Knowledge of God'sfree gifts is possible (1 Cor. 2:12), as is anunderstanding of God's will. (Eph. 5:17.)

His Word Is BindingSome treat God's Word as if it were a rec-

ipe that does not need to be followed or agame plan that is flexible. It is not; for mancannot change it in any point. Nor can hedisregard if he would please God. WhenJesus gave the Great Commission, he con-ditioned salvation upon faith in the gospel.He further told the apostles to teach bap-tized believers to observe all things that Hecommmanded. (Matt. 28:20.) Does thissound like something that can be loosed atwill or brought up to date'! It certainlysounds like a pattern to be followed, or or-dinances to be heeded. (1 Cor. 11:2.)

Lord, help us to know the truth, to loveit, and to believe it so that we might obey itand follow it through all of life in order to besaved by Him who revealed it.--1214 Con-dover Rd., Richmond, Virginia 23229.

"Understandest thou what thou reedest?""How can I, except some man should guide me?"

(Acts 8:30, 31.)

VOL. V NO.8

Preparing The Heart To Seek The Law Of The Lord"For Ezra had prepared his heart

to seek the law of the Lord, and to doit, and to teach in Israel statutes andjudgments." (Ezra 7:10.)

In seeking the law of the Lord, justany heart will not do. This passageshows that one must prepare his heartto see k th e 1a w of the Lord. TomPayne read the Bible, but with the ideaof seeking to destroy it. His heart wasnot truly and properly prepared.

How does one prepare his heart toseek the law of the Lord?

essential to man's salvation, they havea good, secure feeling. No doubt Evehad a good feeling when she decided itwas best for her to eat of the tree ofthe k now led g e of good and evil; butfeelings could not take the place of theauthority of God's word. King Saullistened to the word of the people andsubstituted their word for the authorityof God's word; but it did not work.(1 Sam. 15.) Many listen to the preach-er without seriously and painstakinglychecking his word by the authority ofthe word of God.

I. BY RECOGNIZING THE AU- II. BY REALIZING OUR NEED OFTHORITY OF GOD'S WORD•. In the GOD'S LAW. Young Solomon, realtz-beginning God told Adam and Eve that ing his need of God's guidance, said,they were not to eat of the tree of the '--:,'.'I am but a little child: 1 know not how

,-~owledge of good and evil. This com:"/ to go out or come in ••. Gi~e therefore, .mand was given with the authority of thy servant an understanding heart to

the one who by his word created the judge thy people, that I may discernheavens and the earth. Byhis supreme between good and bad .•. " (1 Kings 3:authority God told them that in the day 7-9.) .Jeremiah clearly and accuratelythey ate of the forbidden fruit they stated our need of God's guidance, "0would surely die; but they listened to Lord, I know that the way of man is notanother word. The serpent said, \lYe in himself: it is not in man that walk-shall not surely die." Since the devil's eth to direct his steps." (Jer. 10:23.)word pro v e d to be a lie, and God' s @~his wor<L.Qod has given us light toword proved to be true, Adam and Eve give us understanding and to direct ourhad to suffer the consequences of their ,_~~.~2§'"(Ps , 119:130,105.) His word istransg resston. In d e ed, they brought the power to save our souls, to furnishthemselves under the sentence of death; Ils completely unto eve r y good work.they lost their paradise on earth and (Rom. 1:16; 2 Tim. 3:16,17.) Itis per-their former rel attonship with God by fect. (Jas. 1:25.) How desperately wenot recognizing the supreme authority need to prepare our hearts by realizingof God's word. (Gen. 2,3.) our need of it.

If our hearts are to be prepared to III. BY DESTROYING HUMANseek the law of the Lord, we must re- JUDGMENT AND REMOVING PREJU-alize that God's word has a IItho r i ty DICE FROM OUR HEARTS. God hasover our feelings, over our conscience,friends, loved ones, preacher, ,rriest,~, s y no d, _convention, discipline,

••• creed book.

~ Today, as in times past, peoplehave put great confidence in their feel-ings. E v e n though they may not havemet all the conditions God has made

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provided a wonderful plan of salvationthrough Jesus Christ his Son; and yett his pia n is deliberately designed todestroy human judgment. (1 Cor. 1:18-25.) Some of God's commands art)galling to human judgment, for in hiswisdom man just cannot see the needfor them. God again and again in his

word tells us that we are to be bap-tized to be saved (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21): but humanjudgment calls it a work and rebels ataccepting God's plain command.

God told Abraham to offer his sonI s a a c as a burnt offering. (Gen. 22.)This command was contrary to humanj u d gmen t, but Abraham, because hewas a man of faith, did not rebel. Hedid what God told him to do, and there-by demonstrated his faith. !tis stranget hat those who claim to have so muchfaith are the very ones who rebel ataccepting God's word in regard to bap-tism. By hearing them preach, or indebate, we can see that they have ,lv",en m u eh time and thought to devisingways to get around the passages whereGod's word is so plainly stated in re-gard to the essentiality of baptism.

IV. BY STUDYING AND MEDITAT-ING UPON THE lAWOF THE LORDDAY AND NIGHT. God told Joshua,"This book of the law shall not departout of thy mouth; but thou shalt medi-tate the rei n day and night, that thoumayest observe to do according to allthat is written therein: for then thoushalt make thy way prosperous, andthen thou shalt have good s u o c e s s. "(Josh. 1:8.) Paul said, "Study to showthyself approved unto God, a workmanthat needeth not to be ashamed, right-ly dividing the word of truth." (2 Tim.2:15.) All should long for a knowledgeof God's word, for in it he reveals ourorigin, our purpose for being here, ourpossible destiny. In it he lets us knowhow to live and have "good success" inhis sight, how to make our way "pros-perous," and how to be saved to enjoyhis wonderful blessings in this life andthe life to come.

V. BY BEING WILUNG TO APPLYGOD'S lAWS TO OURSELVES. 'Woen

(continued on Pille 7)

PREPARING THE HEART •.•(continued from page 1)

Nathan the prophet told Davili_qg!l,Larich man who had entertained a travel-er by taking the poor man's only little

- ewe lamb, David was so incensed hesaid, "As the Lord liveth, the manthat hath done this thing shall surelydie: and he shall res to r e th e lambfourfold, be c au s e he did this thing,and because he had no pity." But Na-than answered, "Thou art the man."(2 Sam. 11, 12. ) David had taken an-other man's wife, all that the man had,while David as king had everything,wives and wealth, and all that the heartcould desire. He could see the sin ofthe man who took another man's lambbut not his own sin in taking anotherman's wife and in having the man killedin order to have the woman. We pre-pare our hearts to seek the law of theLord when we are ready and willing toa p ply his great principles to our ownlives.

Whatwill be the result of our trulypreparing our hearts to seek the lawof the Lord?

1. We will do it. "For Ezra pre-pared his heart to seck the law of thoLord, and to do it." There will be noquibbling, no mental reservations, norebellion, no dissatisfaction, but hum-ble, joyous, full and complete obedi-eace.

2. Wewill teach it to others. "ForEzra pre par e d his heart to seek the•.•• of the Lord, and to do it, and tote.ch in Israel statutes and judgments ."TIle riches of God'sword are so great,~ &tory of the cross so wonderful,we ~ teach it to our family, to ourZ??iptnrs, to all the poor, Sinful, dy-_sons and daughters of Adam+s race.•••• ye into all the world, and preach•• r;ospel to every creature." (MarkM:lS.)

•••• is your heart in relationship toa.WIDn! of God?--B. N.-.e te:i.l \.IS that one can be a Chris-•• ei6o:s aseemblmg for W 0 r s hip.•••• LN1i is specific on this and asks• Fwe.:K fo~ the assembling. We

~.:: • ~ :::.e example and teaching••••• .....-..=::IIeS nIber than the example- - ±,.; 01. !::le~ wn.o .•'ould ignore•• wris ud examples that teach__ ~5 •. ili ~ ""Jcship. --In'en-., ej"IEU Uk Oracles of God;'

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BARRICADES IN THE NARROW WAY(continued from page 5)

and many are "overcome by evil" rath-er than "overcom(ing) evil with good."(Rom. 12:2,21.) In Galatians 5:19ff theins pi red writer gives a catalogue of"works of the flesh" and concludes that"those who do such things shall not in-herit the kingdom of God!" James re-minds us that "friendship with the worldis enmity with God" (Jas. 4:4); and thisis exactly what Satan desires, for heknows that this is one way of blockingthe way to heaven for us.

LAZINESS. Salvation is indeed Ei:grace, but those who would "lay holdon eternal life" provided by our Lordmust be "good stewards." Jesus likensthe kingdom of heaven to a man goingout to "hi re lab 0 r e r s into his vine-yard." (Matt. 20:1.) The "one talent"man of Mat th ew 25 did not use thatwith which he was intrusted, and sowas declared to be "wicked and sloth-ful." As a reward he was "cast intoouter darkness, where there shall beweeping and gnashing of teeth." Thec h u r chat Laodicea was" neither hotnor cold," but lukewarm and indiffer-out; und JOSUI:! surd, "I will spue theeout of my mouth." The unfruitfulbranch shall be "cut off and cast intoth e fire." (John 15:1-6.) The apostlePaul admonishes, " ... be ye stedfast,unmovable, always a b 0 un din g in thework of the Lord, fo r a sm uc h as yeknow that your labors are not in vainin the Lord." (1 Cor. 15:58.)

Thus, Satan would be just as happyto see us fall, from hardships, con-formity to the world, or becoming lazyand f r u it le s s, as to see others hin-dered from entering the way by otherthings; yea, and even by OUR BAD EX-AMPLES!

Howbadly do YOUwant to go to heav-en? Satan does not want you to make it,and thus the barricades. God and HisSon destre that you obtain eternal life;and they have provided it foryou. Theydescribe in the Inspired Scriptures "theway of truth"; and we are assured thatwe can so live as to be "more than con-querors through him that loved us ••• "(Rorn, 8:37.) By the he I p of God weCANsurmount all of Satan's barricadesand make it to the end of the "narrowway" and to eternallife--but it dependsupon how strong is our desire to do so IWecannot do it alone; but with "the pow-

7

BE NOT UNEQUALLY YOKED...(continued from page 3)

yoked with unbelievers in doing thesethings is that which is forbidden. Thisis not to say that it is all rig h t forChristians to mar ry un be Ii ev e rs.There is ample evidence elsewhere inGod's word to show the impropriety ofsuch unions. If 2 Corinthians 6:14-18refers to the making of mar ria g e s,it also refers to the obligation of end-ing the marriages when the Christianslearn about this, for the instruction is,"Wherefore come out from them and beseparate, saith the Lord, and touch notthe un c Ie a n thing; and Iwill receiveyou." (2 Cor. 6:17.)

Relationships Wholly Christian

There are 0 the r relationships in-volving many things where Christiansonly act together. In these the unbe-liever is excluded just as the Christianis to be excluded from the first rela-tionships of our discussion. These un-ions which are peculiar to Christiansare such things as prayer and fellow-ship in the Lord's sup per and in thecommon pursuit of the religion of theLord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Heretho Chr lstinn must not be yoked withthe unbeliever.

As a body, the church is not to beyoked with unbelievers or worldlinessor with th e innovations of the world,either. This is just as unequal yokingas on the individual basis.

Come Out from Them

"Wherefore com e out from amongthem, and be ye separate, saith theLord, and touch not the unclean thing:and I will receive you, And will be aFat her unto you, and ye shall be mysons and daughters, saith the LordAlmighty." (2 Cor. 6:17,18.)--134945th St., W., Birmingham,Al. 35208•

er (dynamite) of God"--"the gospel ofChrist"--we can blast away all of Sa-tan's barricades I

Study, that you might understand Hiswill. Comply with His conditions of sal-vation--bothin order to become a childof God and to serve him faithfully, thatyou might hear Him say, "Well done,thou good and faithful servant: ••• enterthou into thejoyof thy lord, " Do not letthe Devil cheat you out of your reward I--P.O.Box 339, Red Bay, Ala. 355t~2.

In the short book of 2 John, thewriter sets forth some obligations thatare common to all that claim to be thepeople of God. We must understand, ofcourse, that our obligations are reallyto the Lord Himself rather than to thetruth; but since God used the truth toconvey His will to men, then our re-sponses to God can also be referred toas responses to the Word of truth.

These obligations are shared by allmen. Whether a man is a Christian ornot, he is 0 bliga ted to the God whomade him and continues to provide forhim. The non-Christian, as well asthe Christian, has a responsibility toknow, believe, walk in, confess, abidein, and preach the truth of God. Letus study these obligations one by one.

Knowing the Truth

In the first verse of this short let-ter of John, he emphasizes k now ingthe truth. Correct knowledge must al-ways precede correct action. The re-ligious world g e n era 11y is evidencethat the quality of k now 1e d g e deter-mines the qua 1it Y of one's religiouspractice. It is absolutely imperativefor men to com e to k now the will ofGod--the t r u th--in order for them topractice the truth and please God. Ina courtroom the 0 n 1y guarantee thatjustice will be executed is the truth. Ifthose involved do not have a c c e s s toall the truth and the truth only, theycan give no assurance that justice willprevail. The destiny of souls dependsupon knowing what God has made known.How thankful men should be for Hisrevelation!

Accepting the Truth

In the second verse John says thatthe truth is "in us." In order for thetruth to be in us, we must first acceptthe truth: we must believe it. Know-ing the truth is useful only if we believewhat we know to be the truth. There is

&10 virtue in a mere knowledge of the~ruth. If a parent knows the truth of

what his child is involved in but doesnothing to help the child with the prob-lem, the truth that he knows has prof-ited no one.

OBLIGATIONS TO THE TRUTHBobby Graham

Walking in the Truth

John rejoiced to learn of his chil-dren (an affectionate reference to hisconverts) w a I kin g in the truth. In 3John, verse four, he sa i d t hat therewas to him no greater joy than hearingthat his children were walking in thetruth. As one ear n est Iy concernedabout the spi ritual we If are of these,John was del i g h t e d that his formerconverts we r e continuing to practicewhat he had taught them. Manywhostart in the truth fall by the waysidefor various reasons. An urgent needis for men to continue to walk accord-ing to God's will. "As ye have there-fore received Christ Jesus the Lord,so walk ye in him: rooted and built upin him, and stablished in the faith, asye have been taught, abounding thereinwith thanksgiving." (Col . 2:6-7.)

Friend, what is your condition be-fore God? Are you daily strivingtowalk according to His will, or are yousatisfied to know the truth and to de-pend upon your past pe rfo r manc e?What a risk many are taking in failingto keep on in the service of the Lord!

Confessing the Truth

In the seventh verse John spoke ofsome of his day who would not confessthe truth of Jesus' being the Son of Godand the MeSSiah in the flesh. Thesame writer said of some Jewish ru-lers, "Nevertheless among the chiefrulers also many believed on him; butbecause of the Pharisees they did notcon f e s shim, lest they should be putout of the synagogue: for they lovedthe praise of men more than the praiseof God." (John 12:42.)

The New Testament indicates thatmen m u s t confess with their mouthsthe fact that Jesus is the Son of God inorder to enjoy the remission of theirsins. (Rom. 10:9-10.) Jesus told theapostles whom He was sending forth topreach that they could either confess ordeny Him by their preaching and theirlives. (Matt. 10:32-33.)

Abiding in the Truth

"Whosoever transgresseth and abid-eth not in the doctrine of Christ hathnot God. He that abideth in the doc-

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trine of Christ, he hath both the Fatherand the Son." (2 John 9.) The doctrineor teaching of Christ includes all thatJesus Him s elf taught and all that Heauthorized the apostles guided by theSpirit to teach. The sum of that teach-ing is the standard. Its limit 1s theboundary line beyond which no man cango with God's blessings. Man has al-ways tended to be dissatisfied with Di-vine revelation and to go beyond it.He must not if he would please God. Ifhe cannot find it in the Scriptureseither g e n era II y or specifically, heshould leave it alone.

Preaching the Truth

Sin c e the preaching that men hearoften becomes the basis of their faith,it is essential to preach the truth. "Ifthere come any unto you and bring notthis doctrine, receive him not intoyour house, n e it her b 1d him God-speed." (2 John 10.) In our preachingwe must sound forth all the truth with"out compromise. We must also takecare that we include nothing but thetruth. Truth mixed with error is moredangerous than all error, for deceptionis more likely. The preaching of a gos-pel preacher is necessarily narrow inthat it can consist of only the truth.

Loving in the Truth

In the opening verse of 2 John, thewriter spoke of his love in the truth forthose to whom he wrote , While childrenof God are to love all men and do goodunto all men, they bear a special rela-tionship to 0 the r s who have receivedthe truth and are walking in it. Out ofthis special relationship, they are tomanifest a special love for one another.

May we be more keenly aware of thetruth as a revelation from God and ourobligations to Him on the basis of truth.--1214 Condover Rd .• Richmond, Va ,

0-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>o GOSPEL GUIDE 0• Post Office Box "'118 i<) RII••• llvllle, Alobama 35653

¢ Editor: Billy Nortis .~ ,V SINOLI!: SUBSCRIPTION <>• U.SO ptr year In advanci _o BUNDLES ~<> 25 - U .50 per tI1tltllhl SO - $S.OO ".r mOlllh 0• Billed Quart.rlY •<>-<>-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"And a certain Jew named Apollos,born at Alexandria, an eloquent man,and mighty in the scriptures, came toEphesus. This man was instructed inthe way of the Lord; and being ferventin the spirit, he spake and taught dili-gently the things of the Lord, knowingonly the baptism of John. And he be-gan to speak boldly in the synagogue;whom when Acquila and Priscilla hadheard, they took him unto them, andexpounded unto him the way of the Lordmore perfectly." (Acts 18:24-26.)

This introduces an evangelist by thename of Apollos. He was quite an out-standing man. He was e 10 que n t--agifted speaker. He was mighty in thescriptures, that is, he was well versedin the scriptures and he knew how touse them. He spake boldly. He wasfervent in the spirit--his spirit. Hespake with burning zeal. He was in-structed in the way of the Lord. Heknew God's promises concerning Christ.When he arrived at Ephesus, he did whathe should have done. He began to teachboldly in the gathering place of the Jews.

'- He Needed To Be Right

With a 11 his outstanding qualifica-tions, Apollos had one great deficiency.He knew only the baptism of John. Anumber of years had passed since Christhad come to earth, died, and ascendedto heaven. For an extensive time,some had taught the baptism authorizedby Jesus. Thousands, by this time,bad heard, had believed, and had beenbaptized into Christ for the remissionof sins. But Apollos was unaware ofany of this. He knew only the baptismof John. Something was lacking. Heneeded to be right.

It was imp 0 s sib I e for Apollos toguide others into being right when he,himself. was not right. In referenceto teaching, years before this, Jesusbad taught: "And if the blind lead theblind, both shall fall into the ditch."(Matt. 15:14.) The tea c her is to beright in all essential mat t E' r s beforethose whom he teaches. "These thingscommand and teach. Let no mall de-spise thy youth, but be thou an exampleof the believers, in word, in conver sa-

Curtis E. Flatt

tion, in charity, in spirit, in faith, inpurity." (1 Timothy 4:12.) A falseteacher will lead others into the errorwhich is his regardless of how sincerehe may be. Apollos was a mightyteacher but Apollos needed to be right.

He Thought That He Was Right

Not only did Apollos need to be rightin order to properly guide others, hethought he was right. That is very ap-parent. He taught d i l ig en tl y and hespake boldly. In addition, his attitudein being willing to be taught shows thathe thought he was right. There is noth-ing in any way to indicate insincerityon his part. He thought he was right.

He Was Not Right

Even though Apollos thought he wasright, he was not right. His thinkingthat he was right did not make him right.He must have been honest and sincerebut he was honestly and sincerely mis-taken. If anyone is right because of thefact that he thinks he is right, then ev-ery honest and sincere person is rightregardless of what he thinks. Thatwould soon eliminate the need of Christ.It would soon e 1im i n ate the need ofChrist ever to have come to this world.It would eliminate anything and every-thing God has said, for somewherethere are those who honestly and sin-cerely disagree with all that God es-tablished in r e l i g ion. Having givensome thought to this, who can agreethat a person is right only on the basisof being honest and sincere? When ev-ery man does what he thinks to be right,pandemonium, confusion, and wild tu-mult is the res u 1t. It was that wayonce in Israel. "In those days therewas no king in Israel, but every mandid that whie h was right in his owneyes." (Judges 17:6.) Please go back,dear reader, and read that chapter andnotice wher e they went and what theydid by each one doing what see m e dright unto him. The scene of chaos inthe religious world today is the resultof so many p eo p l e doing what seemsright unto them, and then maintainingthat as long as they are honest and sin-cere, they are right. Apollos was notright, and his thinking that he was rightdid not make him right.

3

What Made Him Right?

What was done to change Apollos?What made him right? What made thedifference? Several things contributedto changing him from one who waswrong to one who was right.

To begin with, he met some peoplewho were interested in him and also inhis being right. Acquila and Priscillaheard him. They knew that he was notadequately informed and t hat he wasthereby in error. They knew that John'sbaptism, although divinely authorized,was out of date. They knew that whathe preached could never put people intoChrist, could never make them mem-bers of the Lord's church, could nevermake them children of God, and couldnever give them the benefit of the shedblood of Jesus. Thus, they took himunto them and taught him the way of theLord more perfectly. This was thecontribution they made to his c h a n g efrom wrong to right.

Then, the at tit u d e of Apollos hadmuch to dowith his change from wrongto right. When he learned of that whichwas lacking, he rectified it immediate-ly. From what is said of him and hiswork i m m e d i ate I y after this and inFirst Corinthians, one could hardlyreach any conclusion but that Apollos,himself, was baptized in the name ofthe Lord Jesus. He would hardly re-quire others to do that which he him-self had not done. His example isworthy of following. When one learnsthat he has been incorrectly baptized,he 0 ugh t to be baptized as the NewTestament teaches immediately. Peo-ple , who have the wholesome attitudethat Apollos had, will do so.

Apollos came to Ephesus preachingbut knowing only the baptism of John.But from that point on, how differentit all is! "And when he was disposedto pass into Achaia , the brethren wrote,exhorting the disciples to receive him:who, when he was come, helped themmuch which had believed through grace:For he mightily convinced the Jew s ,and that publickly, shewing by thes c rip t u res that Jesus was Christ. "(Acts 18:27,28.)

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PETER'S SERMON AT THE HOUSE OF CORNELIUS

-- "Of a truth I perceive that God is norespecter of persons: But in every na-tion he that fcareth him, and workethrighteousness, is accepted with him. "(Acts 10:34,35.)

These are the beginning w0 r d s ofPeter's sermon at the house of Corne-lius where the gospel was first preachedto the Ge n t i1e s. No effort had beenmade by the apostles to preach to anysave the Jews up until this time. Peterhad gone to Caesarea under direct or-ders from the Spirit. Whcn he arrivedin that city and entered the house ofthecenturion, he was informed of the an-gel's message to Cornelius instructinghim to send for Peter. It was then thatPeter "opened his mouth" and preachedthe gospel to this devout but unsavedman.

1. Peter called attention to the factthat God is no respecter of per son s.This was probably as much for the ben-efit of those Jewish brethren who hadaccompanied Peter as it was for Cor-nelius. The apostle himself had per-ceived this 0 n 1y wit h i n the past fewdays, if not on that same day. Threethings contributed to this new light onthe part of the apostle. (1) The visionhe had seen in Joppa four days beforeby which he learned to call no man"common or unclean." (2) The Spirit'siastructions for him to gowith the menwDo had come from Cornelius "doubt-lag nothing." And (3) the testimony ofCornelius concerning the angel that in-sttu<cted him to "Send therefor-e to Jop-••• and call hither Simon, whose sur-al:::e!5 Peter ... who, when he com-_. shall speak unto thee." The gos-,e is i n ten d e d for all men of every..noa. race, and class.

L Peter told them who it is that is• ?table .•ith God. The word "ac-....-.:r- oeeotes 0 now h 0 is regardedkwai:JI .•• Willie Go<ldocs not respect•• ~r"SCX: 0( rn en he docs not "accept"•• 8IeL Ot.'x:r_ise a II men would be__ 4oJx.. 5~~.29.) But acceptance•• CiGC n:q~res r••o things. (1) Man- lea: God. "But in every nation•••• 5eL..~::'GJd ••• is accepted with•••••• l-\..:"'"-5l ~:.i..3.J T his "fear" is

•

Earl Kimbrough

dread of displeasing God." It is thekind of fear Jesus spoke of when Hesaid, "but rather fear him wh i chisable to destroy both body and soul inhell." (Matt. 10:28.) (2) Man mustwork righteousness. "But in eve r ynation he that feareth him, andworkethrighteousness, is accepted with him."To work righteousness simply meansto do God's will. (Cf. Matt. 3:15.) Oneworks righteousness when he obeys thegospel of Christ.

3. .reter r e late d the ministry ofJesus. (Acts 10:31-41.) Several thingsabout that ministry are stressed. (1)Jesus was sent by God to preach peaceto the children of Israel. This peacewhich Jesus preached is peace with Godthat comes through the forgiveness ofsins. Wit h 0 u t the coming of Jesusthere could be no peace with God eitherof Jew or Gentile. This peace whichJesus preached is realized only in Him.(Eph. 2:14-17.) (2) His ministry beganwith his baptism by John. (Acts 10:37.)(3) The nature of Jesus' ministry is setforth. He was anointed with the HolySpirit, He performed miracles "in theland of the Jews," and God was withHim in all that He did. (4) His ministryended with His death, burial, and res-urrection. Of these things He had chos-en witnesses who had accompanied Himthroughout all His ministry beginningwith the baptism of John. Peter wasone of these c h 0 s en witnesses. And(5) the present position of Jesus is de-clared. Peter said, "he is Lord ofall." Peter perhaps told Cornelius thewords Jesus spoke before His ascen-sion: "All power is given unto me inheaven and in earth." (Matt. 28:18.)

4. Peter informed Cornelius aboutthe great commission. "And he com-manded us to preach unto the people,and to t est i fy that it is he which wasordained to be the Judge of quick anddead. To him give all the prophetswitness. that through his name whoso-ever believeth in him shall receive re-mission of sins." (v.42,43.) The pro-phets had foretold these things. "Thusit is written, and thus it behoovedChrist to suffer, and to rise from thedead the third day: And that repentanceand rem is s ion of sins s h 0 U1d be

4

preached in his name among all nations,beginning at Jerusalem." (Luke 24:46,47.) This command was given unto theapostles just be for e Jesus ascended."Go ye into all the world, and preach thegospel to every creature. He that beltev-eth and is baptized shall be saved; buthe that believeth not shall be damned. "(Mark 16:15,16.) Surely the words"among all nations," "all the world,"and "every creature" now took on newand more significant meaning to Peter,as they soon would to all the apostles.The conversion of Cornelius paved theway for the gospel to be spread by theapostle Paul to the far-flung boundariesof the Roman Empire. (Col. 1:23. )

5. Peter told Cornelius what to doto be saved. This was the cause forwhich he had been sent. "Who shalltell thee words, whereby thou and allthy house shall be saved. " (Acts 11:14.)But the sermon Peter preached to Cor-nelius was interrupted. While Peterwas speaking "the gift of the Holy Ghost"was poured out upon the centu.rion Il.odhis h 0 use h old. This event actuallyoccurred near the beginning of Peter'ssermon. "And as I began to speak, theHoly Ghost fell on them, as on us atthe beginning." (Acts 11:14,15.) Thatthe Spirit did not fall upon Cornelius tosave him is evident from two facts.(1) He was to be saved by the words ofPeter, yet the Sp i r i t fell before thewords were spoken. (2) The Spirit fellon Cornelius in order to bear witnessto the truth--that the Gentiles" shouldhear the word of the gospel, and be-lieve." (Acts 15:7-9.) Peter said theheart of Cornelius was purified by faith.(Acts 15:9.)

Cornelius was saved by faith but notby "faith only." The faith that causesone to be accepted with God is the faiththat "works righteousness." Cornelius'faith moved him to repent. (Acts 11:18~And it moved him to be baptized in thename of Christ. "And he commandedthem to be baptized in the name of theLord." (Acts 10:48.) Baptism in thename of the Lord 1s bap t 18m for thoremission of sins. (Acts 2:38.) Peterpreached to Cor n e 1ius that he mightunderstand, believe, and obey the gos"pel. It was necessary that be speak

(continued on page 7)

GOD'S CRAZY PEOPLE(continued from page 1)

terized by far greater interest in spir-itual than in mat e ria 1 values. Theysometimes give up lucrative positionsin order to de v 0 t e more time to ex-tending the b 0 r d o r s of the kingdom.They look not at the things which areseen but at the t h i n g s which are notseen, not at the temporal but at theeternal. (2 Cor. 4 :16-18.)

4. They are p eo pIe who have nofear of being different--in fashion, inspeech, in conduct, in religion. Theyrealize that they are a chosen genera-tion' a royal priesthood, a holy nation,a peculiar people, that they may showforth the p r a i s e s of him who calledthem out of darkness into his marvel-ous light. (1 Pet. 2:9.)

5. They are people who speak strangethings. They say that there is onechurch, and that it is all sufficient.(Eph.1:22,23.) This seems strange tomany. They say that baptism is essen-tial to salvation. (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21.) This secms strangeto many. They speak as the oracles ofGod, and such language seems strangeto the world.

Actually, people with the character-'- istics of the insane have often been the

ones who have accomplished the greatfeats of mankind. With the character-istics of the men tall y d i s t u r h e d ,Michaelangelo produced his master-pieces. Doctors, nurses, workers intimes of epidemic and disaster haves how n the characteri stics of the in-sane in their super-human efforts toalleviate human suffering.

An emergency exists today. Menand women are rushing he ad 1o.n g toe t ern a 1 destruction. "The wages ofsin is death." There is urgent needfor God's crazy people, with super-human effort, to preach Christ andhim crucified.

CORNELIUS ... (continued from page 4)unto him ..·.•.-or-ds .. wher-eby he and allhis house should be saved. Men weresaved that way on Pentecost. Men aresaved that way now~ Men must hear,belteve . J.!1U obey the gospel of Christ.

Q.The facts of the gospel are persuasive,.the commands of the gospel are clear,

and th e p r o :n i 5 e 5 of the gospel area va i 1a b l "" to :111 who will believe thefacts aod obcy :n0 commands.

WHICH CHURCH SHALL I JOIN?(continued from page 5)

being saved. Preacher "B" teaches onecan fall from grace. As long as twopreachers honestly preach these, thepreachers are accepted by both groupsof believers as honorable men. Couldone man preach on Sunday morning inone c h u r c h that you cannot fall, andthen go to the other church on Sundaynight and preach that you can fall? Iftwo men can preach these contradictorydoctrines, could not one pre a c h bothdoctrines and be just as right?

The preacher who believes you can-not fall also says that baptism is byimmersion only. The preacher whothinks you can fall from grace believesthat one can be baptized by sprinkling,pouring or immersion. The religiOUSworld says this is all right. If one ofthese preachers died, could the othertake his place and preach both thoughts?Could he not pre a chon the first andthird Sun day s to one group of peoplethat they cannot fa 11 from grace, andto he pro p 0 r Iy buptlzcd (1110 must bei IIImer sed? Then on the second andfourth Sundays, could he not preach tothe other church that they can fall fromgrace and that they can be baptized byhaving water sprinkled on their heads?You may say one man can not preachsuch contradictory doctrines, but twomen can, if they believe that way. Doyou suppose God bel i eve s these twocontradicting doctrines when two preachthem, but will not believe them whenonly one preaches them? Do you sup-pose Christ will tolerate two men teach-ing two different doctrines, but will notallow one man to preach contradictorydoctrines?

DIFFERENT DOCTRINES DO NOTCOME FROM GOD. "FOR GOD IS NOTTHE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION, BUTOF PEACE, AS IN ALL CHURCHES OFTHE SAINTS. 11 (1 Cor.14:33.) One caneither fall from grace, or he cannot fallfrom grace. It cannot be both ways.If one man preaches both ideas he iswrong. If two men preach both ideas,ONE OF THEM is wrong. God doesnot "lead" one preacher to preach oneidea, and another preacher to preachthe other idea. A 11 p r '-'a c her s whopreach what God wants preached (theBible) are preaching the same thing.The truth is harmonious. When thereis a difference, somebody is WRONG.

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There is one faith (Eph. 4:4,5), andwe have no right to make two.

WHAT CHURCH SHALL WE JOIN?WHAT DOCTRINE SHALL WEPREACH? We shall preach the gospelof Christ. We shall join no church.The church of Christ is not a party orclub to join. It is a body of saved peo-ple. When one is pricked in the heartas a believer in Christ and wants to bea Christian, he is to repent and be bap-tized in order to the remission of hissins. (Acts 2:36-41.) He does this inorder to be saved. As a saved person,he is a part of that body of saved peo-ple. He did not join it, he became aChristian. The Lord added him as aChristian to the church. The Lord addsall saved people to the church. (Acts2:47.) If he adds all saved people tothe church, then the rea r e no savedpeople outside the church. Those whoare saved are the ones who make upthe church of Christ.

It does matter what you believe. Itdoes matter what a preacher preaches.Error will cause the one who preachesit and the one who believes it to be lost.(2 Jno. 9; Gal. 1:6·-9.) Thus, truthsaves, but error causes one to be lost.lt does make a difference.

LITTLE THINGSFor the novelty of it, a man walked

from the Gold e n Gate Bridge to NewYork City. He was asked what werethe greatest difficulties he had to en-counter on the road. The interviewersuggested that it m us t have been thegreat m 0 u n ta ins that exhausted hisstrength, the turbulent and swollen riv-ers he had to ford, the hazards of thedesert, or the biting Winds; but to allthese obstacles the traveler said, "No. "But after a little he said, "What almostdefeated me in my journey across thecontinent was the sand in my shoes."

Isn't it so? It's not the mountainousthings that keep the average person outof the kingdom of heaven but the trivialthings of life. A desire for more sleepon Sunday morning, the thought of mak-ing a little more money, a bit morep l e a sur e on Saturday night--and somany little pin chi n g grains of sand(prejudice and preconceived ideas) inthe mind. Undoubtedly these stand asthe greatest barriers to obedience tothe gospel. Do not allow any of theselittle things to keep you out of heaven.--Adapted.

"Understandest thou what thou reedest?""How can I, except some man should guide me?"

(Acts 8:30, 31.)

VOL. VI NO. 11

MEASURING GOD'S LOVE"That Christ may dwell in your

hearts by faith; that ye, being rootedani grounded in love, may be able tocomprehend with all saints what is thebreadth, and length, and depth, andheight; and to know the love of Christ,which passes knowledge, that ye maybe filled with all the fulness of God. "[Eph. 3:17-19.]The love of God and Christ passes

knowledge, and yet Paul prays thatwe may know this love. The KingJames Version, quoted above, usesthe word "comprehend." TheAmerican Standard Version of 1901,more accurate in using words with thepresent day meanings, uses the word"apprehend." We may not be able to-comprehend, to understand fully, thelove of God because of its greatness,but we can apprehend it, that is, wecan know this wonderful love to theextent of our own finite limitations.One who may not be able to see themountain's cloud-capped peak mayexplore its base. One who may not beable to see the illimitable stretches ofthe ocean may be able to know theneighboring bays.Paul says that we might apprehend

the breadth, length, height, and depthof God's love. This means then thatGod's love has dimensions, that itdoes have certain limitations, that itis measurable. No one knows all aboutelectricity, and yet man has found theway to measure it through a meter.John 3:16 is the meter that

measures God's love for man. "ForGod so loved the world, that he gavehis only begotten Son, that whosoeverbelieueth. in him should not perish,but have everlasting life. "

I. It measures the length of God'slove.

It reached out even to the gift of hisSon, to be the lamb of God, to die for

the sins of all mankind. It reached outto provide salvation through thegospel of Christ. (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor.15:1-4.) But God's love does not reachbeyong the sacrifice of his Son to savelost man. If one does not acceptChrist, no other sacrifice will beprovided. "For if we sin willfully afterthat we have received the knowledgeof the truth, there remaineth no moresacrifice for sins." (Heb. 10:26.)God's love does not reach beyond

the terms of the gospel to save lostmen. Jesus said men must believe inhim, must repent, must confess theirfaith in him, must be baptized in orderto be saved, and must continue faith-ful unto death. (John 8:24; Luke13:3,5; Matt. 10:32,33; Mark 16:16;Rev. 2:10.) God's love does not reachout to provide salvation by faith only,special experiences, joyful feelings, di-rect operation of the Holy Spirit, orany of the other multitudinous waysman has devised for salvation of thelost.

It is a fearful thing to try to stretchthe love of God too far. "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,shall enter into the kingdom of heav-en: but he that doeth the will of myFather which is in heaven." (Matt.7:21.1

II. It measures the breadth of God'slove- "whosoever."

It reaches out to all men. "For thegrace of God that bringeth salvationhath appeared to all men. Teaching usthat, denying ungodliness and world-ly lusts. we should live soberly,righteously, and godly, in this presentworld." (Tit. 2:11,12.) So far as salva-tion is concerned it reaches out only tothose who believe (John 3:16), andwho show their faith by obedience- tothose who live soberly, righteously,and godly in this present world. "He

that believeth on the Son hath eternallife; but he that obeyeth not the Sonshall not see life, but the wrath of Godabideth on him." (John 3:36, ASV.)

It is a fearful thing to try to stretchthe breadth of God's love too far-byadding "only" to "believe." Such aneffort to broaden the love of Godwould nullify other commands whichhe has made essential to salvation.Christ taught that repentance isessential. "I tell you, Nay: but exceptye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."(Luke 13:3.) Christ taught thatbaptism, as well as faith, is essential."He that believeth and is baptizedshall be saved; but he that believethnot shall be damned." (Mark 16:16.)Christ taught that we are to observeall his commands. (Matt. 28:20.) Inall of his dealings with man God hasnever permitted him to take libertieswith his word, but, to the contrary, hehas warned both in the Old Testamentand the New Testament that there isto be no deviation from his word,either by adding to it or by takingfrom it. "What thing soever Icommand you, observe to do it: thoushalt not add thereto, nor diminishfrom it." (Deut. 12:32.) The very endof God's revelation to man is thewarning that we must respect hisword exactly as he has given it. (Rev.22:18,19.)

III. It measures the depth of God'slove.

It reaches down to those guilty ofthe blackest sins, even to those whocrucified the Son of God, to theabominably wicked Corinthians, toSaul of Tarsus, who in persecutingChristians- when once he had learnedthe truth- considered himself thechiefest of sinners. The blood of Christis of such efficacy as to cleanse "fromall sin." (1 John 1:7.)

(continued on page 7)

MEASURING GOD'S LOVE(continued from page 1)

God's love does not reach beyondnAath and into hell to save those who

oughout life have spumed his graceand defied his will. It is a fearful thingto try to stretch the depth of God'slove to provide a "second chance," or"baptism for the dead," or Purgatoryas a means of salvation for those wholived and died in disobedience. "Andit is appointed unto men once to die,but after this the judgment." (Heb.9:27.)

IV. It measures the height of God'slove.

It is this dimension that may be sodifficult for us to understand. Whocan comprehend a love so great that itreaches down to lowly, sinful man andoffers to him the joys and felicities ofeternal life in the heavenly home, inthe very abode of God himself, perfectin his power and wisdom and holiness?

Recognizing the dimensions ofGod's love, will you obey the gospelthat you may be the recipient of it inthis short life, and then in the life that

)ws no end in the Father's eternallmme?-B.N.

MEN OF CONVICTIONS(continued from page 4)

approved unto God, a workman thatneedeth not to be ashamed."2. Do not allow prejudice, tradi-

tion, emotion, crowds, big preachersor big churches to confuse and blindyou to the truth.

3. Learn to take the Bible andsupport your convictions.4. Do not be weaklings concerning

your convictions. Resolve, "I shallnot be, I shall not be moved" -notuntil the Bible proves I am wrong. Donot be ashamed of them. SandyKoufax, a Jew, was not ashamed torefuse to pitch on one of their "holydays."

5. Do not encourage and support~trines and practices you know to.:<>ntrary to your Bible-based con-victions.

6. Do not drop them when youbegin courting or when you go to col-lege.-Route 3, Box 175-A, Athens,Alabama 35611.

GOD'S PLAN OF PARDON(continued from page 5)

body of Christ and thus brought intoChrist. (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3-6.) Thenhe must henceforth yield his total selfto a life of service to the Master."Know ye not, that to whom ye yieldyourselves servants to obey, hisservants ye are whom ye obey;whether of sin unto death, or ofobedience unto righteousness? ButGod be thanked, that ye were theservants of sin, but ye have obeyedfrom the heart the form of doctrinewhich was delivered you. Being thenmade free from sin, ye became theservants of righteousness." (Rom.6:16-18.)

The Divine side of our salvation(the Saviour, the Spirit, and theScriptures) will never fail. The humanside depends on you and me. Haveyou given genuine obedience to theLord who can pardon your sins? Ifnot, your sins are still with you andwill cause you to perish eternally.-2710 21st Ave. South, Lethbridge, Al-berta, Canada.

LACK OF CONFIDENCE-THE BESETTING SIN

R. L. Whiteside

The besetting sin of the humanfamily is a lack of confidence inGod.'- manifested in every kind of de-parture from the word of God. If ourconfidence in God were what it shouldbe. we should never want to turn asidefrom His Way.

Eve lacked confidence in God. andso she followed the devil: Adamlacked confidence in God, and so hefollowed his wife. Why did Abel dewhat God said, and why did not Caindo what God said? Abel had confi-dence enough in God to follow hiscommands; Cain did not. No mantoday would depart from the plainWord of God if he had full confidencein God; and the elders of Israel wouldnot have asked for a king, had theynot lacked confidence in God'sWay.-via The Challenger, Red Bay.

7

"THE LAW OF FAITH"(continued from page 3)

unseen faith, and without blessing.Only a working, moving, obedientfaith will bring us God's blessings ofgrace.

"Boasting Is Excluded"

Some erroneously conclude that ifanything is required of the sinner thensalvation is not by grace, and that thesaved person would have reason to"boast." However, in our text of Ro-mans 3:27 Paul declares that "the lawof faith" rules out boasting.

The God of grace has laid down inHis "Law of Faith" certain require-ments which will bring certainblessings. By our submitting to Hislaw we receive the blessings of Hisgrace, and have nothing of which toboastl- "Boasting Is Excluded."Noah built an ark, to the saving of

eight souls from the flood; but he hadnothing of which to boast, for he hadonly followed God's wisdom. In Luke17:10 Jesus says that when men doGod's commandments they shouldconclude "we are unprofitableservants: we have done that whichwas our duty to do."

God has, according to His wisdom,set forth in the "law of faith" a plan ofsalvation which has "made foolish thewisdom of this world" (1 Cor. 1:20),and thus when man obtains Hisblessings by submitting to that law,he knows that "no flesh should glory(boast) in his presence." (1 Cor. 1:29.)

"Examine Yourselves"

In 2 Corinthians 13:5 the inspiredwriter urges, "Examine yourselves,whether ye be in the faith .... " Youcan, by comparing your behavior with"the law of faith," determine whethervou are "in the faith." You can by thisdetermine whether your life nowpleases God; and if not, what you"lack yet."You can become a "child of God by

faith" (Gal. 3:26), "walk by faith" (2Cor. 5:7), be "faithful unto death"(Rev. 2:10), and receive "the crown oflife" when this life is over-and whenyou shall have done this you will havenothing of which to boast- but shallthen truly know the'; Amazing Grace"of God!-P. O. Box 339, Red Bay,Alabama 35582.

WHO IS ON THE LORD'S SIDE? V

In Exodus 32:26 a very interestingquestion is asked: "Who is on theLord's side?" At the time this wasasked, a rich period in Israel's historywas in the making. Moses had beencalled back to Egypt to deliver hispeople from bondage. He and Aaronhad been before Pharaoh time andagain in behalf of the people. God hadused Moses to bring plagues upon theEgyptians to change their attitude to-ward the Israelites. Moses had led thepeople to the wilderness, across theRed Sea, and up to the place where theLaw of Moses was given. God hadcalled Moses up into the mountain toreceive the ten commandments. Whilehe was there, the people, with Aaron'shelp had made them a golden calf toworship. God sent Moses back downto the people who had corrupted them-selves. He found them dancing nakedin worship to this idol thus violatingthe first two of the ten command-ments which he then had in his hand.After disposing of the calf, Mosessought to separate between the trueand false followers. He stood in thegate of the camp with this word uponhis mouth: "Who is on the Lord'sside?" Only the Levites were on hisside. This is still a pertinent question.Let us consider it.

Not Everybody

In considering who mayor may notbe on the Lord's side, let it first be un-derstood that not everybody is on theLord's side. Many are against, him.Jesus said that many were goinganother way. "Enter ye in at the straitgate: for wide is the gate, and broad isthe way, that leadeth to destruction,and many there be which go inthereat: Because strait is the gate,and narrow is the way, which leadethunto life, and few there be that findit." (Matt. 7:13,14.) The Lord foreversettles this. Many are not on theLord's side. Who is?

Not Everyone Who Thinks He Is

Not everyone who thinks he is onthe Lord's side actually is on his side.People know that they believe on theLord and thereby assume that they

Curtis E. Flatt

are on his side. They mean to be on hisside. They think they are on his sidebecause they believe in him. However,all of us know that there are certainmovements or projects of men inwhich we believe and even support inour hearts, but we are not a part ofthem unless we do whatever is re-quired to be a part of them. The samething is true with being on the Lord'sside. Believing in him is not enough toput us on his side. King Agrippa be-lieved. Paul knew that he did. ButAgrippa was not on the Lord's side.(Acts 26:27.)People may be religious, even very

religious, and think they are thereforeon the Lord's side. Cornelius was veryreligious. He was a devout man. Hefeared God with all his house. He gavemuch alms to the people. He prayed toGod alway. He was very religious.(Acts 10:2.) But he was not on theLord's side. Peter had this revealedunto him and proceeded to tell himwords whereby he and his house couldbe saved. (Acts 11:14.)

People may obey the gospel, havethereby remission of their sins, and beadded to the Lord's church, and thenstill come to a period when they arenot on the Lord's side. To a group ofchurch members like that Jesus sentthis message. "I know thy works,that thou art neither cold nor hot: 1would thou wert cold or hot. So thenbecause thou art lukewarm, and nei-ther cold nor hot, I will spue thee outof my mouth." (Rev. 3:15,16.) Werethey on the Lord's side?

The Sons Of Levi Were

Moses found that the sons of Leviwere on the Lord's side. Why? Theimplication is that they had done whatthe Lord commanded. That is what ittakes to be on the Lord's side in theChristian dispensation. Jesus, him-self, said this: "Not everyone thatsaith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enterinto the kingdom of heaven; but hethat doeth the will of my Father whichis in heaven." (Matt. 7:21.) Thosewho do his commandments are on hisside. J <lSUS told his disciples: "Ye aremy friends, if ye do whatsoever I com-mand you." (John 15:14.) John wrote:

6

"And he that keepeth his command-ments dwelleth in him, and he inhim." (1 John 3:24.) In the closingscene of the Bible we read of the onewho has a proper relationship with J e-sus-one who is on his side. "Blessedare they that do his commandments,that they may have right to the tree oflife, and may enter in through thegates into the city." (Rev. 22:14.)People who do what the Lord tellsthem to do are on the Lord's side.

We Are On One Side Or The Other

We are either on the Lord's side orwe are against him. Many peoplewould rather be neutral. They have nodesire to oppose the Lord. Neither dothey really want to do what he says.They would rather not be involved.But none can do that. Weare either onhis side or else we are against him."He that is not with me is against me;and he that gathereth not with mescattereth abroad." (Matt. 12:30.)This was what Jesus, himself, had tosay about the matter.

Are You On The Lord's Side?

Are you on the Lord's side? You cantell! It is not that difficult a matter toknow. You can tell if you believe inJesus. (Acts 16:30,31.) You can tell ifyou have repented of your sins. (Acts17:30.) You can tell if you have con-fessed your faith in Christ. (Romans10:9,10.) You can tell whether or notyou have been baptized for the remis-sion of sins. (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38;Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21.) These arecommanded. These are all acts ofintelligence which any of us canassuredly know. None of it is left up tofeelings. Once having gotten on theLord's side you can tell if you arebeing faithful to the cause you haveespoused. (Rev. 2:10.)

I again say that you can tell if youare on the Lord's side. Are'you?-1349 45th St., W., Binning-ham, Alabama 35208.

Some men think they are saintsbecause they arc selective in their sins.

"Understandest thou what thou readest?"

"How can I, except some man should guide me?"(Acts 8:30, 31.)

VOL. VII NO. 5

THE COST OF NOT BELIEVINGChrist made plain the cost of dis-

cipleship- the cost of believing. "Andit came to pass, that, as they went inthe way, a certain man said unto him,Lord, I will follow thee whithersoeverthou goest. And Jesus said unto him,Foxes have holes and birds of the airhave nests; but the Son of man hathnot where to lay his head." (Luke9:57,58.) Jesus was letting the manknow that if he followed him, he couldnot expect great earthly rewards, thatthere was a certain cost to disciple-ship. On another occasion he said,'And whosoever dot.h not bear his owncross. and come after me, cannot bemy disciple .... So likewise, whosoeverhe be of vou that forsaketh not all thathe hath: he cannot be my disciple."(Luke 14:27,33.) Discipleship requirescross-bearing and sacrifice. It requiresputting the kingdom before all else.(~latt. 6:33.1

But. on the other hand. we shouldfigure the cost of not believing.

Examples Of The Cost OfNot Believing

In the eleventh chapter of Hebrewsa long list of the faithful is to befound, but Adam's name is not there.God gave to him a paradise and madeprovision for his happiness and well-being in every way. "And out of theground made the Lord God to growevery tree that. is pleasant to thesight. and good for food; The tree oflife also in the midst of the garden,and the tree of knowledge of good andevil." (Gen. 2:9.) Because of lack offaith. resulting in disobedience, Adamforfeited this beautiful and fruitfulplace for a world of work and woe.(Gen. 3.) Adam and Eve paid a fearfulprice for not believing.Moses was a faithful servant of

God. but on one occasion God toldhim and Aaron that. they did not be-

lieve in him. This was in the wilder-ness when God told Moses to speak tothe rock that water might come forthto quench the thirst of the people.Instead of doing exactly as God toldhim, Moses said to the people, "Hearnow, ye rebels, must we fetch you wa-ter out of this rock?" and he smote therock twice. The water came forthabundantly, and the people drank,but God said to Moses and Aaron,.. Because ye believed me not, tosanctify me in the eyes of the childrenof Israel, therefore ye shall not bringthis congregation into the land whichI have given them." (Num. 20:12.) Itis undeniably evident from thispassage that faith and obedience areinseparable. When Moses disobeyed,God said that he did not believe.When people believe, they do exactlywhat God says. Their faith is demon-strated in obedience. Later Godshowed the promised land to Mosesand said, "I have caused thee to see itwith thine eyes, but thou shalt not goover thither." (Deut. 34:4.)

Adam and Moses are not the onlyones who constitute examples of thecost of not believing; all unbelieversmust pay a fearful price. "But thefearful and unbelieving, and theabominable, and murderers, andwhoremongers, and sorcerers, andidolaters, and all liars, shall have theirpart in the lake which burneth, withfire and brimstone: which is the sec-ond death." (Rev. 21:8.) The cost ofnot believing is condemnation. "Buthe that believeth not is condemned al-ready." (John 3:18.)

Wisdom Of Believing

God has always given sufficientevidence and reason for faith upon thepart of man. Without exception hisword has been proved true over andover again. It has been thoroughly

confirmed by fulfilled prophecies,miracles and mighty works. I t is hisword, which is truth (John 17:17),that is the basis of faith: "So thenfaith cometh by hearing, and hearingby the word of God." (Rom. 10:17.)

The cost of not believing that JesusChrist is the Son of God is a price toogreat for anyone to pay. The evidencethat he is the Son of God is soabundant, is so strong that it cannotbe successfully denied. Read Luke 1,Matthew 1, Matthew 14:33, Matthew16:16,17, John 1:33,34, John 11:17,Matthew 27:54. If it turns out, then,that Christ is indeed the Son of God,the unbeliever has everything to lose,for he must stand in judgment beforethe very one whom he has not believedand whom he has denied. Alljudgment has been committed to theSon. (John 5:22.)The cost of not believing that

baptism is essential to our salvation isa price too great for one to pay. Jesussaid that it was a prerequisite to sal-vation: "He that believeth and isbaptized shall be saved; but he thatbelieveth not shall be damned."(Mark 16:16.) Salvation is the resultof obedience to all the conditions re-quired by God. Here we see in thispassage, faith and baptism-not faithalone, not baptism alone, for both areset forth as essential to the desired re-sult- salvation. Condemnation is theresult of disrespect for and disobedi-ence to any requirement of God, evenone requirement of God. "But he thatbelieveth not shall be damned." "Buthe that believeth not is condemned al-ready." (John 3:18.) One who believeswill obey all commands. He will gladlyto baptized that he might be saved. Infact, his faith is the reason for his be-ing baptized, for human judgmentwould not lead him to follow thiscourse. Strangely, those who are so

(continued on page 7)

them that obey him." In Revelation22:14 we read, "Blessed are they that'10 his commandments, that they mayhave right to the tree of life, and mayenter in through the gates into the.ty." True, "God is not willing thatmy should perish ... ," and He has pro-vided salvation for "the whole world,"out that salvation will be enjoyed by.mly those who obey His will. (d.Matt, 7:21.)

Law-And Obedience To ItDoes Not Nullify Grace!

In Romans 3:27 we read, "Where isioast ing then? It is excluded. By.vhat law? of works? Nay: but by theaw of faith." As we have seen in~phesians 2:8f, salvation is by God'strace, through man's faith. The{oman Christians had been "justified)y faith," through which they had'access into God's grace" (Rom.i:1f), but we see just when this justifi-.ation came, as recorded in Romansi:1-18. They ceased to be servants of.in and became servants of righteous-less when they obeyed from the hearthe will of God ... and so may you be!

<'inal Judgment-By The Law Of God

"- John said (Rev. 20:12), "And I sawhe dead, small and great, stand.efore God; and the books were.pened: and another book was.pened , which is the book of life: andhe dead were judged out of thosehings which were written in thelooks (God's law-cgm) according toheir works." Jesus cautions (John2:48), "He that rejecteth me, and re-eiveth not my words, hath one thatudgeth him: the word that I havepoken (God's law, through Christcgm), the same shall judge him in therst day."Dear reader, may we urge you to

ubmit to "The Law Of God," thatou may be the recipient of His grace,nd be prepared to be judged by Hisaw when this life is over! -1744.teiner Ave., S.W., Birmingham,vlabama 35211.

"When brethren get where theyAnnot talk like the New Testament,"~n they no longer think like it. If

ley thought like it, they would talkke it talks." - James P. Miller,'nmklinRoad Sermon Series, Vol. 5.

THE COST OF NOT BELIEVING(continued from page 1)

vocal in claiming so much faith areoften the ones who repudiate baptismas being essential to salvation. Intheir "great" faith they have madequite a study of how to get aroundMark 16: 16, Acts 2:38 and otherpassages of scripture showing clearlythat the Savior of men has placed bap-tism as an essential condition in hiswonderful plan of salvation.

I t is not enough for one to believe inand submit to baptism as only a con-dition of church membership. In thatcase he does not believe what Christsaid: he does not believe that baptismis essential to salvation. Then, he doesnot believe what Peter said on the dayof Pentecost, when he spoke as theHoly Spirit gave him utterance-Acts2:38, that baptism is for (unto) the re-mission of sins-or what Peter said in1 Peter 3:21. Then, he does not believewhat Paul said in Romans 6:3, thatbaptism is into Christ, into the deathof Christ, wherein he shed his pre-cious, atoning blood. You can readilysee, then, why the Lord would say,"But he that believeth not shall bedamned," for the one who believes notrejects passage after passage, placesinterpretations on passages to justifywhat he wants to believe-and all thewhile calls this faith.

If it turns out that baptism isessential to salvation the unbelieverhas everything to lose, for he will haveto stand in judgment before the veryone who said, "He that believeth andis baptized shall be saved." (Mark16:16.)-B.N.

"LOOKING INTO THE LAW OFLIBERTY"

(continued from page 3)answer which the scriptures gavethem. We must be careful as to ourmotive. Why do we look and search?Is it to know what to do to be blessedof God or for some other reason? Onlythose with the right motive will beblessed.

Please remember! The man wholooks in the right place with the rightattitude and the right action will findsomething which is of real value.-1349 45th St., W., Birmingham, Ala.35208.

7

ARE OUR PREMISES SOUND?(continued from page 4)

man, the publican and the thief on thecross were never joined or married toChrist in a spiritual union; becausethis was something that did not takeplace until He was raised from thedead. Hebrews 9:16,17 shows us thatthe will or testament of Christ did notgo into effect until after He died. Sothose living before the cross were notunder that will and testament.

Premise IV

In the Lord's work we must not addto or take from the word of God. Weshould use it as a pharmacist fills aprescription, or as a contractor followsthe plans of the architect. The doctordoes not need to write, "Don't addparegoric, or don't add digitalis." Thepharmacist and the contractor will notadd these.This premise is established by such

passages as Revelation 22:18,19,2 Timothy 1: 13, 2 John 9,10 and2 Timothy 3:16,17.-Rt. 3, Box 175A,Athens, Alabama 35611.

HOW IS YOUR T.V. WORKING?(continued from page 5

burden, comfort in his sorrow, and joyto press forward ... where does he go?

The answer is the Heavenly Father.The child of God can call on theFather in prayer and pour out his soulto Him. He will understand if you buthave a penitent heart. Yes, when sinenters our life, something must bedone to correct the situation or ourpicture to the world becomesdistorted.

How is your television working?Yes, my friend, what condition is yourspirit in this very day? What sort ofan image of Christ do you show to thelost world? In that great day of judg-ment you will answer to God for howyou are now living. Are you ready?-2710 21st Ave. S., Lethbridge,Alberta, Canada.

"You cannot divide people whenthey stand on the Word of God. Whenmen and women stand on the Bible,and the Bible alone, speak where theBible speaks and are silent where theBible is silent, they cannot be divid-ed." -James A. Allen; F;/l,S. S., v.s

"Understandest thou what thou readest?"

"How can I, except some man should guide me?"(Acts 8:30, 31.)

VOL. VII NO.3

WHO NEEDS CHRIST?Many have thought that they did

not need Christ. "His own" did notneed him, for, "He came unto his own,and his own received him not."(John 1:11.) The people of Nazareth,where he grew up, did not need him,for they sought to kill him. When heread in the synagogue a prophecyfrom Isaiah, and applied it to himself,they were filled with wrath, andthrust him out of the city, and soughtto cast him headlong from the brow ofthe hill upon which the city was built.(Luke 4: 16·30.) The scribes, Phari-sees. elders, chief priests did not needhim. for they too sought at differenttimes to destroy him. The people ofJerusalem did not need him, for hisplea to them was of no avail: "0 Jeru-salem. Jerusalem, thou that killestthe prophets, and stonest them whichare sent unto thee, how often would Ihave gathered thy children together,even as a hen gathereth her chickensunder her wings, and ye would nut."(Matt. 23:37.) Even some of his owndisciples did not need him, for they"went back. and walked no more withhim." IJohn 6:66.)

Everyone Needs Christ

Those who thought that they didnot. those who would not receive him,those who sought to destroy him.those who turned back from him. all ofthem desperately needed Christ.The devoutly religious need him.

When Peter preached to people on theday of Pentecost. he was preaching tovery religious people. people who hadtravelled great distances from manycountries to be in Jerusalem for thefeast of the Pentecost. people who aredescribed as "devout men out of everynation under heaven." And yet thesedevoutly religious people were guiltyof sin and in need of salvation. Theyno doubt were satisfied and secure intheir religion until Peter's preaching

pricked their hearts and convincedthem of their sin and error. It wasthen that they asked, "Men andbrethren, what shall we do?" Thesepeople who were so devoutly religiousunder the law of Moses were told torepent and be baptized in the name ofChrist for the remission of their sins.(Acts 2:37,38.)

The morally good need Christ.Cornelius was a good man, "A devoutman, and one that feared God with allhis house, which gave much alms tothe people, and prayed to Godalways"; and yet he was told to sendto Joppa for Peter who would tell himwords whereby he and his should besaved. (Acts 10:2; 11:13,14.) Thoughmorally upright, he needed Christ. Heneeded to obey the gospel, God'spower to save. (Rom. 1:16.)

The dreadfully wicked need Christ.Even in a morally corrupt heathenworld Corinth was noted for its wick-edness. When Paul came to thatplace, he was determined to bring thegospel of Christ to them, "For Idetermined not to know any thingamong you, save Jesus Christ, andhim crucified." (1 Cor. 2:2.) The gos-pel reached into the hearts of some inthis evil place, for Paul said, aftermentioning a long list of sinful people,"And such were some of you: but yeare washed, but ye are sanctified, butye are justified in the name of theLord Jesus,. and by the Spirit of ourGod." (1 Cor. 6: 11.) He further saidthat they were saved by the gospel.11 Cor. 15:1,2.)

The so-called "wise, .. the rich, thepoor, all people need Christ. (1 Cor. 1;\Iatt. 19.) All need Christ because allneed salvation. "For all have sinned,and come short of the glory of God."(Rom. 3:23.) "And thou shalt call hisname Jesus: for he shall save his peo-ple from their sins." (Matt. 1:21.)

Why All Need Christ

1. We need his gospel. It is thepower which God has provided for oursalvation from sin. "For I am notashamed of the gospel of Christ: for itis the power of God unto salvation toevery one that believeth; to the Jewfirst, and also to the Greek." (Rom.1:16.)

2. We need his blood. "But if wewalk in the light, as he is in the light,we have fellowship one with another,and the blood of Jesus Christ his SoncIeanseth us from all sin." (1 John1:7.) "Forasmuch as ye know that yewere not redeemed with corruptiblethings, as silver and gold, from yourvain conversation received by tradi-tion from your fathers; but with theprecious blood of Christ, as of a lambwithout blemish and without spot." (1Pet. 1:18,19.)

3. We need his church. He pur-chased it with his precious blood (Acts20:28), and he is the savior of it. (Eph.5:23; 1:22,23.) It is that which will bedelivered up to God when the endcomes. "Then cometh the end, whenhe shall have delivered up the king-dom to God, even the Father; when heshall have put down all rule and allauthority and power." (1 Cor. 15:24.)

4. We need his example. "For evenhereunto were ye called: becauseChrist also suffered for us, leaving usan example, that ye should follow hissteps: who did no sin, neither wasguile found in his mouth." (1 Pet.2:21,22.)

5. We need his great principles ofconduct to govern our behavior. "Yehave heard that it was said by them ofold time, Thou shalt not kill; and who-soever shall kill shall be in danger ofthe judgment: but I say unto you,That whosoever is angry with hisbrother without a cause shall be in

(continued on page 7)

WHO NEEDS CHRIST?(continued from page 1)

danger of the judgment: and whoso-ever shall say to his brother, Raca,shall be in danger of the council: butwhosoever shall say, Thou fool, shallbe in danger of the hell of fire." (Mutt.5:21,22.) "Ye have heard that it wassaid by them of old time, Thou shaltnot commit adultery: but I say untoyou, That whosoever looketh on a wo-man to lust after her hath committedadultery with her already in hisheart." (Matt. 5:27,28.)6. We need the love of Christ.

"Greater love hath no man than this,that a man lay down his life for hisfriends." (John 15:13.) Without thislove that caused him to lay down hislife for us there would be no hope ofsalvation.

7. We need his intercession."Wherefore he is able also to savethem to the uttermost that come untoGod by him, seeing he ever liveth tomake intercession for them." (Heb.7:25.) "My little children, thesethings write I unto you that ye sinnot. And if any man sin, we have anadvocate with the Father, JesusChrist, the righteous: and he is theoropitiation of our sins: and not for

---ours only. but also for the sins of thewhole world." (1 John 2:1,2.)

Though many may not realize it, weall need Christ. for only he can supplythese things so vitul to our presentand to our eternal well-being. - B.N.

The only instrument that Samuelused. or that God permitted him touse. in trying to turn the Israelitesfrom their evil course, was the powerof truth. The only instrument that wemay legitimately use in keepingothers from going astray is the swordof the spirit, the power of the truth.We can't use pressure; we can't use"politics." We can't use anythingexcept teaching and persuasion basedon the word of God. Those who willnot be converted by the truth cannotbe converted. When the Israelitescould not be stopped in their mad rushfor a king by God's word, then Godtold Samuel to let them go ahead. SoGod doesn't want us to use anything

~Y in trying to get people to doright except the power of Ilis word inteaching and persuading.-Harris J.Dark. Gice Us A King, Franklin RoadSermon Series. Vol. I.

WHY BE BAPTIZED?(continued from page 4)

not verbalization (in the sense ofempty claims).

You Have The Opportunity

Do you realize that the present isthe only opportunity that you have?The past is gone forever and cannot berecalled. The future is yet to comeand, in fact, may never come for youor for any. The time that you learn theLord's will on this important matter isthe time for obeying it. Do not put offthis urgent act of obedience. You canput off material affairs, and should, inorder to render your obedience to theLord so that you might claim all of thebenefits promised you in the word ofthe Lord. Will you not use this occa-sion for being baptized?-Route 6,Box 207, Athens, Alabama 35611.

"THE GRACE OF GOD"(continued from page 5)

boasting then? It is excluded. Bywhat law? of works? Nay: but by thelaw of faith." Anything man does byfaith (the instructions of God, Rom.10:17) gives him no reason for boast-ing over the blessing he receives in re-turn!

None Saved, But By God's Grace

Although the Bible does not teachthat salvation is "wholly of grace," itvery clearly teaches that everyaccountable person who fails to availhimself of God's unmerited favor,through his obedience by faith (d.Rom. 5:lf; 6:17f), shall be lost!(Consider Romans 1:16; 6:1-18; 2Thess. 1:7-9.)

If you would be saved-from yoursins here, and from the bottomlesspits of hell in the world to come- thenyou must do His will. Believing thatJesus is the Christ (John 8:24), repentof your sins (Luke 13:3), confess yourfaith in Him before men (Matt.1O:32f), and be baptized "unto theremission of sins." (Acts 2:38; Mark16:16.) Then, as a child of God, "bethou faithful unto death," and He willgive you the "crown of life." (Rev.2:10.)

In all of this-acting by faith=- youwill avail yourself of the "amazinggrace" of God, come into His favor,

7

HOW DOES GOD WORK?(continued from page 6)

into the kingdom of heaven; but hethat doeth the will of my Father whichis in heaven."

2 Thessalonians 1:7-8: "And to youwho are troubled rest with us, whenthe Lord Jesus shall be revealed fromheaven, with his mighty angels, inflaming fire taking vengeance on themthat know not God, and that obey notthe gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ..."Hebrews 5:9: "And being made per-

fect, he became the author of eternalsalvation unto all them that obeyhim .... "What must I obey to become a child

of God? Jesus said, "He that believ-eth and is baptized shall be saved .... "(Mark 16:16.) On the day of Pentecostwhen the multitude cried out, "Menand brethren, what shall we do?"Peter replied, "Repent, and bebaptized everyone of you in the nameof Jesus Christ for the remission ofsins, and ye shall receive the gift ofthe Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:37,38.)Ananias said to Saul of Tarsus, "Whytarriest thou? arise, and be baptized,and wash away thy sins, calling on thename of the Lord." (Acts 22:16.)There are people who actually seem

to dictate to God how he shall work intheir lives. They demand that Godcome down and save them. They bar-gain with God to serve him providedhe gives them some tangible sign ofhis presence. In short, many peoplewant to set the conditions that Godmust meet if he wants to save them!

God has spelled out clearly in his re-vealed word how He works with menand what His will is. The question is,are you going to be content to makeGod's will your will and be obedient toHis commandments?Or will you vain-ly imagine your own way you thinkGod should work and reject His wordand give up hope of eternal life? If youbelieve on Jesus Christ, then repent ofyour sins and be baptized in order tohave your sins washed away, thusbecoming a child of God.-907 CarsonLane, Jacksonville, Alabama 36265.

and have nothing of which to boast;but to fail to meet these divine re-quirements is to reject lIis grace, andcondemn your eternal soull-1744Steiner Ave., S.W., Birmingham,Alabama 35211.

"Understandest thou what thou readest?"

"How can I, except some man should guide me?"(Acts 8:30, 31.)

VOL. V NO. 1

«YEKNOW NOT WHAT YE ASK""Then came to him the mo th e r of

Zebedee's children wi th her sons,worshipping him, and desiring a cer-tain thing of him. And he said un t 0her, Whatwilt thou? Shesaithuntohim, Grant that these my two sons maysit, the one on thy right hand, and theother on the left, in thy kingdom. ButJesus answered and said, Ye know notwhat ye ask." (Matt.20:20-22.) Theirimproper petition was prompted by amisunderstanding of the m is s ion ofChrist and the nature of his kingdom.Apparently James and John and theirmother had in mind that the kingdomof Christ was to be an earthly kingdom,and in view of the establishment ofsuch a kingdom they des ire d promi-nent places.

Even though they might not haveunderstood the true nature of the king-dom of Christ, they could have remem-bered the tea chi n g which Christ hadgiven in regard to humility and the wayto true greatness in his kingdom. Be-fore they made their request, whenJesus and his disciples came to Ca-pernaum, he asked them, "What wasit ye disputed among yourselves by theway?" But they held their peace, fort h e y had disputed among themselveswho should be greatest. "And he satdown, and called the twelve, and saithunto them, If any man des ire to befirst, the same shall be last of all andser-vant of all." (Mark 9:33-35.) Afterthey made their request, he taught thesame lesson, "And Jesus called themunto him, and said, Ye know that thep r in c e s of the Gentiles exercise do-minion 0 v e r th e m, and they that aregreat exercise authority 0 v e r th e m.But it shall not be so among you: butwho s 0 eve r will be great among you,let him be your minister; and whoso-ever will be chief among you, let himbe your servant: even as the Son ofman came not to be ministered unto,

but to minister, and to give his life aransom for many." (Matt. 20:25-28.)

Improper petitions are made to Godtoday because of a misunderstanding ofthe will of God. Later the same apos-tl e John said, "And this is the confi-dence that we have in him, that, if weask anything according to his will, heheareth us." (1 John 5:14.)

1. Some ask for God to performmiracles today when actually miraclesh a v e long since served their intendedpurpose. God confirmed his wordthrough the use of miracles, but whenonce the word was perfected, there wasno fu rth ern e ed for miracles. Toclaim such a need today would be todiscredit the "perfect law of liberty."(Jas. 1:25.) "So then after the Lordhad spoken unto them, he was receivedup into heaven, and sat on the righthand of God. And they went forth, andpreached every where, the Lord work-ingwith them, and confirmin~ the wordwith signs following." (Mark 16:19,20.)"How shall we escape, if we neglect sogreat salvation; which at the first be-gan to be spoken by the Lord, and wasconfirmed unto us by them that heardhim; God also bearing them wit n e s s,both with signs and wonders, and withdivers miracles and gifts of the HolyGhost, according to his own will?"(Heb. 2:3,4.)

The apostle Paul, discussing spirit-ual gifts in the twelfth, thirteenth, andfourteenth chapters of First Corinth-ians, shows that when once the mir-acles had served their pur po s e theywere to cease. "Charity never faileth,but whether there be prophecies, theyshall fail; w h e the r there be tongues,they shall cease; whether there beknowledge, it shall vanish away. Forwe know in part, and we prophesy inpart. But when that which is perfectis come, then that whi eh is in part

shall be done away." (1 Cor. 13:8-10.)Since the gospel has been given in itsper f e c t ion, and will completely andperfectly furnish one unto every goodwork, there is no further need for thespiritual gifts to confirm the word ofthe apostles and early disciples. (Jas.1:25; 2 Tim. 3:15-17.)

II. Some ask for the baptism of theH0 Iy Spirit today when the baptism ofthe H0 Iy Spirit has long since servedits purpose. Ch r i s t pro m i sed theapostles that the Holy Spirit would bewith the m to bring to their remem-brance that which he had taught them."But the Comforter, which is the HolyGhost, whom the Father will send inmy name, he shall teach you all things,and bring all t hi n g s to your remem-brance, whatsoever I have sa i dun t 0you." (John 14:25.) Again he prom-ised them, "Howbei t when he, theSpirit of truth, is come, he will guideyou i n to a 11 t rut h: for he shall notspeak of him s elf; but whatsoever heshall hear, that shall he speak: and hewill s how you things to come." (John16:13.) Before Christ ascended intoheaven to return to the Father, hepromised the apostles, "For John trulyb apt i zed with water; but ye shall bebaptized with the Holy Ghost not manydays hen c e.... But ye shall receivepower, afte r th at the Holy Ghost iscome upon you: and ye shall be wit-nesses unto me both in Jerusalem, andin all Judaea, and in Samaria, and untothe uttermost part of the earth." (Acts1:5-8.) A few days later this promisewas fulfilled, as seen in the very nextchapter of Acts: "And when the day ofPentecost was fully come, they wereall with one accord in one place. Andsuddenly the r e c am e a sound fromheaven as of a rushing mighty wind,and it f~lled all the house where they

(continued on page 7)

"YE KNOWNOT WHAT YE ASK"(continued from page 1)

were sitting. And there appeared untothem cloven tongues, like as of fire,-,d it sat upon each of them. And theyJre all fill e d with the Holy Ghost,

and began to speak with other tongues,as the Spirit gave them u t te ran c e."(Acts 2:1-4.)

Thus t h r 0 ugh the fulfilling ofthepromise of Christ to the apostles, theywere empowered to preach the word sothat people gathered in Jerusalem frommany different nations could every manunderstand what was being said, evenin his ow n 1ang uage. (Acts 2:5,6. )Later Cor n e 1ius and his house, thefirst Gentile converts, were also bap-tized in the Holy Spirit. "While Peteryet spake these words, the Holy Ghostfell on all them which heard the word.And they of the circumcision which be-lieved were astonished, as many asearn e with Peter, because that on theGentiles also was poured out the gift ofthe Holy Ghost. For they heard themspeak with tongues, and magnify God.The n Peter said, Can any man forbidwater, that these s h 0 u 1d not be bap-tized, which have recei ved the Holy'~~ost as well as we." (Acts 10:44-47.)

,,-_ter when Peter gave a report to the.Jerusalem church about his taking thegospel to the Gentiles, he said, "Andas I began to speak, the HolyGhost fellon them, as on us at the beginning.The n remembered I the w0 r d of theLord, how that he said, John indeedb a p ti zed with water; but ye shall bebaptized with the Holy Ghost. Foras-much then as God gave them the likegift as he did unto us, who believed onthe Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, thatI could withstand God?" (Acts 11:15-17.)

The New Testament record showsthat the baptism of the Holy Spirit oc-curred twice--when the apostles wereb apt i zed on the day of Pentecost inkeeping with Christ's pro m is e, andwhen Cor n e I ius and his house werebaptized in the same way as the apos-tles "at the beginning," the day ofPentecost. On both occasions the pur-pose of the baptism of the Holy Spiritwas to bear wit n e s s of the truth, tomake possible the pre a chi n g of the

•pel to both Jew and Gentile. Nowt this purpose has been fulfilled one

would be as ki ng in vain for the bap-~ism of the Holy Spirit.(To be continued next month in Part II)

WHYDO PEOPLE SIN?(continued from page 6)

that, whereas they "did run well," theyhad been "hindered," and had been" re-moved from him who called (them) intothe grace of Christ." (Gal. 1:6ff; 5:7.)The apostle Peter warns, "But therewere false prophets among me people,even as there shall be false teachersamong you .... " (2 Pet. 2:1.) Johncautions, " ..• believe not every spirit,but try the spirits whether they are ofGod: because many false prophets aregone out into the world." (1 John 4:1.)

This danger reminds us of the im-portance of CAREFUL EXAMINATIONof "every teaching" I As the Bereansof old (Acts 17:11) we need to "searchthe Scriptures daily, wh e the r thoset hi ng s were so." We need to "watchand be sober"(1 Thes. 5:6); be on guardlest Satan entrap us by deception!

Then others are decei ved into think-ing they can" sow to the flesh," and yet"reap of the Spirit." "Be notdeceived;God is not mocked: for whatsoever aman soweth, that shall he also reap"!(Gal. 6:7.) We SHALL reap; and weshall reap AS WE HAVE SOWN! If wesow in sin, we shall reap the "wages"of sin!

Conclusion

Here are five reasons why p e 0 p l esin, and you might thinkof many more;but the one thing we must not forget--"the wages of sin is death," regardlessof WHYwe sin! The WHYwill not ex-cuse us at the J UDG MENT! -- P. O.Box 339, Red Bay, Ala. 35582.

Need Of Far More Personal WorkIf the question should be asked to-

day, "Who is on the Lord's side?" howmany would res p 0 n d? Of those whobelieve that they are on the Lord'sside, how many would readily respondto the request to spend several hourseach wee k going from house to housein an effort to "seek and save" the lost,in an effort to ferret out people who arelost, who are willing to recognize thatthey are lost, and whowant to do some-thing about it. We are convinced thatthere are many people who fall into thiscategory but only few members of thechurch are out trying to find them.Those who are really on the Lord'sSide will be out doing the Lord's work.

7

FIRST BOUND VOLUMEThe first four years--48 issues--of

GOSPEL GUIDE are to be bound in ahardback volume. Thiswill be a ratherrare volume s i nc e only about fifteencopies will be available. Anyone in-terested in 0 b t a in in g a copy shouldwrite to GOSPEL GUIDE, Post OfficeBox 488, Russellville, Alabama 35653.

WORD OF APPRECIATIONForty-eight is sue s--not including

the present issue--have now beenprinted and distributed. This could nothave been accomplished without the helpof a number of faithful Christians whoare truly interested in getting the gos-pel to as many people as possible. Weare deeply indebted to a good number ofmen who have taken their time, withoutcompensation, to write articles settingforth the word of God. Some of thesemen may speak to several hundred peo-ple each Lord's day, but in writing inGO SPEL G UI DE they are extendingtheir teaching to thousands.

As regular readers will know, somewriters have articles each month. Oneman, however, has not missed writingfro m the very beginning of the paper.We want to give special thanks to Cur-tis E. Flatt, who works with the Bel-view Heights congregation in Birming-ham, Alabama. There have been forty-eight issues of GOSPEL GUIDE, andCurtis had had an excellent article ineach of the forty-eight.

In addition to the writers, withoutwhom we could not get out the paper,there are others whohave helped faith-fully with the mechanical and distribu-tion work in getting out the paper. In-deed without a 11 these people offeringso freely of their time and ability therecould be no GOSPEL GUIDE, and to allof them we offer an expression of gen-uine gratitude.

Nor would it be right to overlook thecongregations and individuals who havesubscribed to GOSPEL GUIDE and whoare making a tireless effort to dissem-inate the gospel through the printedpage. Without these subscribers all ourefforts would of necessity have to stop •Also certain individuals, through theirgenerosity, have made possible sendingGOSPEL GUIDE into foreign lands.With so many having a part, we can bethankful for the first four years.

When we consider the RESULTS orFRUITS of so me be h a v i 0 r we aremade to wonder WHYpeople behave inthat particular manner. This is cer-tainly true with SIN! The importanceof our sub j e c t is indicated in that towhich SIN will eventually lead. God,through Ezekiel (Ezek. 18:20), says"The soul that sinneth, it shall die."The inspired apostle Paul says in Ro-mans 6:23, "For the wages of sin isdeath ..• "; and we know that the "death"in each of these passages is not PHY-sIcAL death; for even the rig h t e 0 u shave an appointment with physicaldeath (Heb, 9:27); but it must refer to"the second death" of Revelation 21: 8...In view of this, it would seem that ev-ery accountable creature would deter-mine NOT to sin. But the apostle says." ... all have sinned •..• " (Rom. 3:23.)

Then WHY do people sin? I believethere are at least f i v e basic reasonswhy men Sin.

Some Sin Because of Ignorance

God said, "My people are destroyedfor lack of knowledge." (Hos. 4:6.)The apostle Paul said of his people, the.Iews , " ... they being IGNORANT ofGod's righteousness and going about toestablish their own righteousness, havenot submitted themselves unto therighteousness of God." (Horn. 10:1£.)You m i g h t question the WHYfor theJews' ignorance; but there is no argu-ment but that ignorance, in some sense,kept them from submitting to the right-eousness (commandments -- Ps , 119:172) of God.

The idolatry of the Athenians (Acts17)was at least to some degree attrib-uted to ignorance. (v. 23.) But then wesee God's attitude toward such in Paul'swarning, "A n d the times of this igno-rance God w inke d at; but now com-mandeth all men every where to re-pent." (,v, 30.)

~Iore teaching, preaching and study-ing would help to eltrninate this sourceof sin. There are many people in re-ligious error who would not be if theywould, as the Bereans (Acts 17:11),"search the Scriptures daily .... "

WHY DO PEOPLE SIN?Charles G. Maples, Sr.

Unbelief Causes Sin

Although the source of FAITH is theWo rd of God (Rom. 10:17), there aremany people who KNOWwhat the Wordsays (they are not IG NOR ANT); butthey simply do not BELIEVE it! Godsaid to Moses, "Becauseye BELIEVEDME NOT, to sanctify me in the eyes ofthe childrenofIsrael.,." (Num. 20:12.)Moses KNEW God said "Speak" to therock; but he STRUCK the rock. He, asCain, Nadab and Abihu, and millions ofpeople today, just did not BELIEVE hehad to go "strictly by the Word of God"!

The Jews failed to en t e r into theland of promise, not because of igno-rance of God's commands, but "becauseof UNBELIEF." (Heb. 3:19.) SomeofJesus' own disciples were character-ized by "unbelief" (Mk. 16:14), andmany of His disciples of today evidencethe same!

Pleasure Promotes Sin

No one who gives fair judgment willconclude that there is no pleasure insin. Moses, according to the inspiredwriter (Heb. 11:25) refused the "pleas-ures of sin." Yes, it is but "for aseason," and the price ("wage"--Rom.6:23) certainly makes him a foo 1 whogives himself over to pleasure; butthis is, in our time and affluent soci-ety, one of the m a j 0 r enticements tosin. In the parable of the sower (Luke8) 0 U r Lor d said the "rocky ground"hearer is one who allows" cares, rich-es and P LE A SUR E" to choke out thefruit-bearing that would otherwise re-sult. It is because of this brtett'pleas-ure" t hat people become fornicators,gamblers, drunkards, "and such like,"(Gal. 5:19-21.) But Moses comparedthe "pleasures" with the "recompenceof reward" and cast his lotwith the peo-pIe of God I He may have been temptedby the "pleasure" to sin, but he, un-like so many today, knew it was notworth the PRICE he would have to pay.

Love for Money

M0 n e y, within itself, is NOT evil,as some have concl uded; but the in-spired apostle says, "For the LOVE ofmoney is the root of all kinds of evil."(1 Tim. 6:19--ASV.)

6

We have inspired record of aber of cases where the love for 11

was the root of evil. Peter says (~2:15) that for the "hire of wrongdsome "forsake the right way," aBalaam. Judas betrayed his Lo:thirty pieces of silver. Demetriuhis fellow craftsmen would rathemen continue in idolatry than 101

wealth they obtained from theirof shrine making, should the robey the truth preached by(Acts 19.)

Surely there are multitudes itime who for the love of material \neglect their eternal souls, as drich man of Luke 12. For monewalk in the way of sin, which wiin tor men t s, where all their weven if they could "take it with tlcould not obtain for them one morrelief from agony!

Deception

The first sin committed by tlman race was attributed to deceThrough subtility the serpent de,Eve (2 Cor. 11:3); and ever smrtime this has been one of Satan' f

effective devices.We can deceive ourselves. ']

the case when we judge ourselverbetter than we really are. Thetie P a u I war n s, " •.• not to tlhimself more highly than he 0 u Ithink; but to think soberly ••. "12:3); and again, "For if a mar:him s elf to be something, wheinothing, he deceiveth himself."6:3.) The Laodiceans had d e c«th ems e Iv e s into thinking the"rich, and ..• have need of no thbut the Lord considered them "wed, and miserable, and pooblind, a nd naked." (Rev. 3:17.:points up the importance of SELAMINATION!

We can be deceived ~ otherespecially by FA LS E TEA C("ministers" of Satan). "Bevfalse prophets •.• " (Matt. 7:15)warning of our Lord. "Take heno man deceive you" (Matt. 24:another. The Galatians had beceived by perverters of the gos]

(continued on page 7)

"YE KNOW NOT WHAT YE ASK"(continued from page 1)

were sitting. And there appeared untothem cloven tongues, like as of fire,and it sat upon each of them. And theywere all fill e d with the Holy Ghost,and began to speak with other tongues,as the Spirit gave them utterance."(Acts 2:1-4.)

Thus through the fulfilling of thepromise of Christ to the apostles, theywere empowered to preach the word sothat people gathered in Jerusalem frommany different nations could every manunderstand what was being said, evenin his own language. (Acts 2:5,6.)Later Cor n e 1ius and his house, thefirst Gentile converts, were also bap-tized in the Holy Spirit. "While Peteryet spake these words, the Holy Ghostfell on all them which heard the word.And they of the circumcision which be-lieved were astonished, as many ascame with Peter, because that on theGentiles also was poured out the gift ofthe Holy Ghost. For they heard themspeak with tongues, and magnify God.The n Peter said, Can any man forbidwater, that these s h 0 u Id not be bap-tized, which have r e c e i ve d the HolyGhost as well as we." (Acts 10:44-47.)Later when Peter gave a report to the

'-" Jerusalem church about his taking thegospel to the Gentiles, he said, "Andas I began to speak, the HolyGhost fellon them, as on us at the beginning.The n remembered I the w 0 r d of theLord, how tha t he said, John indeedbapti zed with water; but ye shall bebaptized wi th the Holy Ghost. Foras-much then as God gave them the likegift as he did unto us, who believed onthe Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, thatI could withstand God?" (Acts 11:15-17.)

The New Testament record show sthat the baptism of the Holy Spirit oc-curred twice--when the apostles wereb apt i zed on the day of Pentecost inkeeping with Christ's pro m i s e , andwhen Cor n e Iius and his house werebaptized in the same way as the apos-tles "at the beginning," the day ofPentecost. On both occasions the pur-pose of the baptism of the Holy Spiritwas to bear wit n e s s of the truth, tomake possible the pre a chi n g of the

aospel to both Jew and Gentile. Now~at this purpose has been fulfilled one

would be ask i n g in vain for the bap--tism of the Holy Spirit.(To be continued next month in Part II)

WHY DO PEOPLE SIN?(continued from page 6)

that, whereas they "did run well," theyhad been "hindered," and had been" re--moved from him who called (them) intothe grace of Christ." (Gal. 1:6ff; 5:7.)The apostle Peter warns, "But therewere false prophets among the people,even as there shall be false teachersamong you .... " (2 Pet. 2:1.) Johncautions, " •.. believe not every spirit,but try the spirits whether they are ofGod: because many false prophets aregone out into the world." (1 John 4:1.)

This danger reminds us of the im-portance of CAREFUL EXAMINATIONof "every teaching"! As the Bereansof old (Acts 17:11) we need to "searchthe Scriptures daily, whethe r thoset h in g s were so." We need to "watchand be sober"(l Thes. 5:6);be on guardlest Satan entrap us by deception!

Then others are decei ved into think-ing they can" sow to the flesh," and yet"reap of the Spirit." "Be not deceived;God is not mocked: for whatsoever aman soweth, that shall he also reap"!(Gal. 6:7.) We SHA L L reap; and weshall reap AS WE HAVE SOWN! If wesow in sin, we shall reap the "wages"of sin!

Conclusion

Here are five reasons why p e 0 p Lesin, and you might thinkof many more;but the one thing we must not forget--"the wages of sin is death," regardlessof WHYwe sin! The WHYwill not ex-cuse us attheJUDGMENT! ---Po O.Box 339, Red Bay, Ala. 35582.

Need Of Far More Personal WorkIf the question should be asked to-

day, "Who is on the Lord's Side?" howmany would res p 0 n d ? Of those whobelieve that they are on the Lord'sSide, how many would readily respondto the request to spend several hourseach wee k going from house to housein an effort to "seekandsave" the lost,in an effort to ferret out people who arelost, who are willing to recognize thatthey are lost, and who want to do some-thing about it. We are convinced thatthere are many people who fall into thiscategory but only few members of thechurch are out trying to find them.Those who are rea 11y on the Lord'sside will be out doing the Lord's work.

7

FIRST BOUND VOLUMEThe first four years--48 issues--of

GOSPEL GUIDE are to be bound in ahardback volume. Thiswill be a ratherrare volume sin c e only about fifteencopies will be available. Anyone in-terested in obtaining a copy shouldwrite to GOSPEL GUIDE, Post OfficeBox 488, Russellville, Alabama 35653.

WORD OF APPRECIATIONForty-eight is sue s--not including

the present issue--have now beenprinted and distributed. This could nothave been accomplished without the helpof a number of faithful Christians whoare truly interested in getting the gos-pel to as many people as possible. Weare deeply indebted to a good number ofmen who have taken their time, withoutcompensation, to write articles settingforth the word of God. Some of thesemen may speak to several hundred peo-ple each Lord's day, but in writing inGO S PEL G UI D E they are extendingtheir teaching to thousands.

As regular readers will know, somewriters have articles each month. Oneman, however, has not missed writingfro m the very beginning of the paper.We want to give special thanks to Cur-tis E. Flatt, who works with the Bel-view Heights congregation in Birming-ham, Alabama. There have been forty-eight issues of GOSPEL GUIDE, andCurtis had had an excellent article ineach of the forty-eight.

In addition to the writers, withoutwhom we could not get out the paper,there are others who have helped faith-fully with the mechanical and distribu-tion work in getting out the paper. In-deed without a 11 these people offeringso freely of their time and ability therecould be no GOSPEL GUIDE, and to allof them we offer an expression of gen-uine gratitude.

Norwould it be right to overlook thecongregations and individuals who havesubscribed to GOSPEL GUIDE and whoare making a tireless effort to dissem-inate the gospel through the p r in t e dpage. Without these subscribers all ourefforts would of necessity have to stop.Also certain individuals, through theirgenerosity, have made possible sendingGOSPEL GUIDE into foreign lands.With so many having a part, we can bethankful for the first four years.

"Understendest thou what thou readest?""How can I, except some man should guide me?"

(Acts 8:30, 31.)

VOL. I NO. 12December 1969

"WHEN THOU ART CONVERTED" i/vineyard afterward repented. (Matt. 21:28,29.) He changed his mind and wentand worked. Be for e conversion onemight engage in activities not becom-ing to a child of God, but in repentanceone turns from those practices to walkafter the example of Christ.

Jesus said to Peter, "Simon, Simon,behold, Satan hath desired to have you,that he may sift you as wheat: but Ihave prayed for thee, that thy faith failnot: and when thou art con vcr t c d ,strengthen thy brethren." (Luke 22:31,32. )-I. When people are converted, they 3, In conversion one's state isare changed. The American Standard changed by baptism. One's mind mightVersion renders the passage, '.'~E_be changed by faith, and his practice by~tllOu <l:J:'t!~r: ':l: e d again." Chril?.t repentance, but he is still in the stateprayed that Peter might be conv(3I!~ of sin. "For all have sinned, and come~l!e ~~tur~ ihatJJ.!;LIDight shortofthe glory of God." (Rom. 3:23.)b~h~nge_d from weakness to strength, When, however, one is baptized, hisfrom deni~Jesus-had prophe- state is changed, his sins rem i t t e d.sied--to steadfastness. "Repent, and be baptized everyone of

you in the name of Jesus Christ for theremission of sins." (Acts 2:38.) Beforebaptism one is in the kingdom of dark-ness, but after baptism one is in thekingdom of God's dear Son. Paul saidthat he was delivered from the powerof darkness and was translated into thekingdom of his dear Son. (Col. 1:13.)Before b apt ism one is out of Christ,but when one is baptized, he is bap-tized into Christ, where is every spir-itual blessing. (Eph. 1:3.) "Know yenot, that so many of us as were bap-tized into Jesus Christ were baptizedinto his death. . .. But God be thanked,that ye were the servants of sin, butye have obeyed from the heart that formof doctrine w h i c h was delivered you.Being then made free from sin, ye be-came the servants of righteousness."(Rom. 6:3, 17, 18.) When 0 n e obeysfrom the heart the form of the death,burial, and resurrection of Christ bybeing baptized, he is made free fromsin-- his state is changed from guilt topardon.

II._When people are converted, theyare constant i~' Lor(Ji"s service:They constantly'~ the word of God.When they first obey the gospel, theyrealize that they are newborn babes inChrist and need to feed upon the sin--cere milk of the word that they may

1, In conversion t hat results inthe s a I vat ion of the soul one's mindmust be changed by faith. "So thenfaith cometh by hearing, and hearingby the w o r d of God." (Rom. 10:17,)On the day of Pentecost Peter and theother apostles were accused by someof being full of new wine. These peoplehad an ugly, hostile attitude toward theapostles, Peter proved that they werenot under the influence of wine , but thatall that was happening that day was infulfillment of prophecy and accordingto God's will. Peter further proved tothe people that they were guilty of cru-cifying the one who m God had madeboth Lord and Christ. When they heardthis, knowing that Peter's charge wastrue, they were pricked in their hearts.Hostility had now turned to humility,anger to anxiety, wrath to Willingnessto do God's will. When the great factsof the gospel were pre s en ted, theirminds were changed by faith. (Acts 2:13-38.) ~"-------- -.

2. In conver sicn one' 8 pracUct: ischanged by repentance. Repentance isa change of mind brought about by god-ly sorrow and that leads to a change inone's conduct. Paul said that godlysorrow works repentance. (2 Cor. 7:10.) Jesus said that the son who toldhis father that he would not work in the

grow thereby unto salvation. (1 Pet. 2:2.) They constantly worship. They donot forsake the assembling (Heb. 10:25), but, like David, are glad to go intothe house of the Lord. (Ps. 122:1.)They constantly pray. They pray with-out c e a sin g. (1 Thess. 5:17.) Theywant to talk to their Father and do talkto him every day. They co n s ta n tl y~ork in going about doing good in thename of Christ and in helping to spreadthe kin g d 0 m through tea chi n g andpreaching the word. There is so muchwork that needs to be done, and thetruly converted will cons tantly put theirheart and their hand to it. The build-ing needs to be cleaned. The yardneeds to be kept. Classes need to betaught. Visits need to be made. 'I'ractsneed to be distributed. The desolateneed to be encouraged. The unfortu-nate need to be helped.

III. When people are con v e r ted,they are charged to s t r en g the n thebrethren. "And when thou art con-verted, strengthen thy brethren." Theconverted strengthen their brethren bytheir good example, by their great faithand courage, by their boundless zeal.Peter answered the charge of Christ.He set a great example of faith andcourage. He stood forth be for e theenemies of Christ on the day of Pente-cost, proclaimed to them the gospel,and impressed upon them their guiltand their need to do God's will. (Acts2.) Later, even though he was chargedby the enemies of Christ not to speakany more in the name of Christ, hismouth could not be stopped. He said,"For we can not but speak the thingswhich we have seen and heard." (Acts4:20.) Being let go by the council, hefurther strengthened the brethren bypraying with them that they might speakthe word of God with boldness. (Acts4:23-31. )

Partial conversion is a tragedy--(continued on page 7)

"WHEN THOU ART CONVERTED"(continued from page 1)

when thc mind is not fully changed byfaith, when the practices are not fullychanged from the world, when one isnot constant in his servlcc to the Lord.Jesus told about an unclean spirit goingoutofa man and seeking another place,but the unclean spirit said, "I will re-turn into my house [rom whence I cameout." When he came back, he found thehouse empty, swept, and garnished. Ithad not been filled with good. Then theevil s p i r i t went out and found sevenother spirits more wicked than himself,and they all entered into the man. Je-sus said that the last state of the manwas worse than the first. (Matt. 12:43-45.) Jesus was applying the teachingto the wicked generation of his day, buteven so it shows the plight of the par-tially convcntcd.

When one is truly converted, he willbe changed by the gospel, he will beconstant in his so rvlcc to the Lord, andhe will be a sour-ce of st r cngth and en-cou rngcmcnt to his brothr-cn.

THANK YOU(continued from page 2)

their willingness to share their knowl-___ edge of the word of God, we could not

have publ ished the paper. By writingthey have multiplied t h e i r usefulnessin the service of Christ, [or every ar-ticle has gone into the hands oi severalthousand people. Since the paper goesthroughout the United States and intoCanada, we would like to have soundand godly rnen from each section of thecountry sending ar ti cl es to us, articlesthat fit the design which we have for it.

BLINDNESS

Phys ical blindness is t r a g i c be-cause it shuts out the beauties of theheavens which ceclar e the glory of Godand of the earth which shows his handi-work. Spiritual blindness is far moretragic bee a use it shuts out truth, bywhich men may be made free from sin.(John 3:32.) By closing their eyes totruth the spiritually blind are actuallyblind to their own best interest.

A \\'hen .~l: open our eyes to truth, we~o open our eyes to our own needs,:0 the fie I ::ls white :.lI1tOthe harvest,ind to the g lor i e s of the he a v en 1yiorne.

SALVATION(continued from page 3)

these fee l i n g s become his constantcompanions. This fact need not con-tinue to be true, however. Even in thegarden our merciful Father held forththe hope for a day when these enemiesof peace and happiness would be doneaway. (Gen. :3:15.) In a very realsense, everyone born into this world isan Adam. You were once as sinlesslyperfect and pure as Adam was beforehis fall. The meanest. vilest criminalthat ever lived was once as pure as thenew-fall en snow. Actually, each of ushas his own personal fall. Adam's fallis ours only in the premonition his fallgave that his children would be no bet-ter than he. But, as I said, each of us,when born, has the same chance Adamdid; and we, like Adam, have forfeitedour lives. Such has been the case of allmen except one; and in that one is theonly hope man has for salvation. Jesuswas sinlessly perfect. He needed notto die for his own sins, for he had none.He died for sinful men to save them. Itis not for man's finite mind to fathomthe depths of God's mercy and redemp-tion. It is enough to know that we arebought with a price, l' e d e e me d, thatour sins have been washed away, re-mitted, blotted out, purged, atoned for,and ex pia t e d , that ChI' is t tasted ofdeath for every man, that he throughdeath brought to nought him who hadthe power of death. (1 Cor. 6:20; Eph.1:7; Acts 22:16; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 2 Pet.1:9; Rom. 5:11; Heb. 2:9,14.) Howfruitless to d i s c u s s the diverse andspeculative theories men have advo-cated concerning the atonement whenGod has so richly and simply set forththe idea of the atonement and man'sredemption. These are the things ac-complished by the life, death, and res-urrection of Christ.

HOW SALVATION FREES US

The gospel is God's power unto sal-vation. But, how does it free us fromthe curse of sin? First, it strikes atthe root by enabling the guilt of sin tobe removed. The gospel itself does notactually forgive our sins, but it is theagent or means by which the blood ordeath of Christ forgives us of our sins.When sin is forgiven, the fact of guiltis blotted out for all past sins. Withremoval of the ract of guilt, the feelingof guilt also flees away. The burden

7

is lifted from man's shoulders. Sincespiritual death is the result of sin andonly of sin, when sin is remitted, deathis no more; and man is truly made alive.(Eph. 2:1,2.) Instead of anxiety he hasthe assurance of a son that his Fatherwill provide if he seeks first the king-dom of heaven. (Matt. 6:33.) By hisobedience to the gospel, man movesfrom sorrow to joy, from fear to an-ticipation.

As you have read this article, haveyou been aware that you are eitherguilty, dead, anxious, sorrowful, andafraid--or forgiven, alive, content,blessed, and assured? My desire isthat if you are caught in the toils ofsin, you will avail yourself of the wayof escape God has provided and knowthe peace that passeth understanding,

AND YE WOULD NOT(continued from page 5)

world after understanding His will, itwill be because "yo would not" renderobedience to the loving Saviour. Itwill be because you "will not come" toChrist on His terms. They are plain-ly taught in His word. You can andshould read, understand and obey themnow. Your last opportunity may benearer than you think! ! !

OUR USE OF OLD TESTAMENT(continued from page 6)

Lord. (Aets 2:47.) They were not re-quired to burn incense, offer animalsacrifices, build an ark, keep the Sab-bath or go to Jerusalem to worship; butthey were required to render the samekind of OBEDIENCE as was required ofAbraham, Noah or Moses. Those whohad thus submitted to God' s wtll+-ex-pressed in times past directly, as toNoah and Abraham, or through Moses,but now through HIS SON--turned to theNEW C OV E NAN T to know what theywere to do in worship, service anddaily living. To the same WE musthearken if we would please our God amisave our eternal souls.

Esau bartered away his birthrightfor a dish of soup. Herod was willingto give away half of his kin gel 0m forthe sight of an immoral dance. Therace of Esau still lives, men who selltheir spiritual birthright for a mess ofpottage- -for the gratification of pas-sion, for the acquisition of money, forthe acclaim of men.

Even to think about discovering atthe judgment that our religion is vainand has been vain is a most horriblethought. Yet, there is such a thing asvain religion. "If any man among youseem to be religious, and bridleth nothis tongue, but deceiveth his ownheart, this man's religion is vain."(James 1:26.)The word "religion" is a word which

refers to the externals of divine serv-ice. These externals may be genuine orthey may be in vain. Even heathensmay have the externals of divine serv-ice, thus religious. Some in Athenswere religious but were not even ac-quainted with the God of the Bible."Ye men of Athens, I perceive that inall things ye are too superstitious (re-ligious-ASV)." (Acts 17:22.) Theyhad the externals but these were vainor worthless. The word "vain" meansto be of no real value or importance,hence, worthless. Several things aresaid about vain things in the New Tes-

'- tament. Let us consider these.Not In Christ-Vain Religion

The religion of people who are not inChrist is said to be vain. "Forasmuchas ye know that ye were not redeemedwith corruptible things, as silver andgold, from your vain conversation(behavior or manner of life) receivedby tradition from your fathers .... ··(1 Peter 1:18.) Before they had beenredeemed, theirs was a vain w av .After they were in Christ they h~dthat which was real. (1 Peter 1:3-5.)One may be very religious but still notbe in Christ. Cornelius is an excellentexample of this. (Acts 10:1-3.) He wasa devout man who feared God, but hewas not a Christian. He had not yetbeen baptized into Christ where allspiritual blessings are. (Acts 10:48;Eph. 1:3.) People get into Christ whenthey are properly baptized. (Romans6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27.) Legion is thenumber of those who are religious buthave not been baptized into Christ.

_The only possible conclusion is thattheir religion is vain. What a horriblethought!

Believing But Not Doing-Vsin Religion

People, who profess to believe but

"VAIN RELIGION"Curtis E. Flatt

do not do what is required, have a reli-gion which is vain. Some people callthis hypocrisy. The New Testamentcalls this vain religion, no matterwhat else it may be. "But wilt thouknow, 0 vain man, that faith withoutworks is dead?" (James 2:20.) Whatmakes that man vain? Is it not that heprofesses to believe but does not dothat which is required? When menprofess to believe that which is rightand then do this, they are assuredthat their labor is not in vain in theLord. (1 Cor. 15:58.) This was thecharge that Jesus made against hispeople, the Jews. "The scribes and thePharisees sit in Moses' seat: All there-fore whatsoever they bid you observe,that observe and do; but do not yeafter their works: for they say, and donot." (Matt. 23:2,3.)But, how about your religion, dear

friend? Do we profess to believe thenecessity of giving diligence to know-ing the will of God? (2 Tim. 2:15.) Dowe give this diligence or is our religionvain? Do we profess to believe that wehave to obey Jesus? He said: "Go yeinto all the world, and preach the gos-pel to every creature. He that believ-eth and is baptized shall be saved; buthe that believeth not shall bedamned." (Mark 16:15,16.) Do wereally believe that we have to obeyJesus. or is our religion vain? We pro-fess to believe that we must live godlyand righteous lives. (James 1:17;Titus 2:11.12.) But. do we really tryto do this. or is our religion vain? Weprofess to believe that Christiansmust love one another. iHeb. 13:1.1But is our religion pure or vain?

Teaching Wrong Doctrine-Vain Religion

Jesus said that the religion of somepeople, during his lifetime. was vainbecause they taught for doctrine thecommandments of men. (Matt.15:8,9.) Each one ought to be extreme-ly careful what he teaches, whether itbe from the pulpit or at mother's knee.If it is not authorized of God in theNew Testament, one spends his timeand effort in vain when he teaches it.We ought all to investigate that whichwe believe as to whether or not it came

2

from God. Otherwise, it is vain, nomatter how dear it may be to us. Theadmonition sent to the church at Cor-inth is timely for each one: "Examineyourselves, whether ye be in the faith,prove your own selves. Know ye notyour own selves, how that JesusChrist is in you, except ye be repro-bates?" (2 Cor. 13:5.) If the religion ofGod's chosen people deteriorated to areligion which Christ called vain, whatguarantee do you have that your reli-gion is not vain, too? One has only oneguarantee, and that is the applicationof the above quoted admonition.

An Example

An example of vain religion is givenin our text. One who does not bridlehis tongue has a vain religion. Thereason such religion is vain is that itdisregards the requirements of thelawgiver and judge. "For he that willlove life, and see good days, let himrefrain his tongue from evil, and hislips that they speak no guile: Let himeschew evil, and do good; let him seekpeace, and ensue it. For the eyes ofthe Lord are over the righteous, andhis ears are open unto their prayers:but the face of the Lord is againstthem that do evil." (1 Peter 3:10-12.)

Following and practicing the reli-gion of Christ is a serious matter. Heset the standard. He requires that weobey. If we change the standard orfumble carelessly along the pathwayof life, one day we will discover that ithas all been in vain. 'What a horriblethought: -1349 45th Street, West.Birmingham. Alabama 35208.

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Editor: Billy Norris

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VOL. VI

"For Demas hath forsaken me, hav-ing loved this present world .... " (2Tim. 4:10.) This is a sad statement,for Demas was one of promise. He wasengaged in the Lord's work and asso-ciated in that work with one of thegreatest of the Lord's servants, withthe apostle Paul. He was with Paulwhen the apostle wrote the epistles tothe Colossians and to Philemon. (Col.4:14; Phm. 24.) But by the time hewrote the second letter to TimothyPaul had to say, "For Demas hath for-saken me, having loved this presentworld." This would not only suggestthat Demas had forsaken Paul buthad also quit the service of Christ.

Who Is A Quitter?

The word does not have a goodconnotation, for it suggests a shirker,even a coward. From the spiritualstandpoint. it is one who quits assem-bling with God's people.In quitting the assembly he quits

the Lord. for Jesus said, "For wheretwo or three are gathered together inmy name. there am I in the midst ofthem." (~Iatt. 18:20.)In quitting the assembly he quits

the Lord's tcork, Christ has given theresponsibility to his people of carryingthe gospel to others. (Mark 16:15.)But the one who quits assemblingwith God's people more than likely isgoing to feel little responsibility forteaching others that which can savetheir souls. Having obeyed the gospelat one time, he knows that it is thepower of God unto salvation. (Rom.1:16.) He has had opportunity toknow that every precious soul is worthmore than all the world. (Mark 8:36.)But a quitter will hardly have concernfor either the gospel or lost souls.In quitting the assembly he quits

supporting the Lord's work. Chris-tians are told, "Now concerning the

"Understandest thou what thou readest?""How can I, except some man should guide me?"

(Acts 8:30, 31.)

QUITTERScollection for the saints, as I havegiven order to the churches of Galatia,even so do ye. Upon the first day ofthe week let everyone of you lay byhim in store, as God hath prosperedhim, that there be no gatherings whenI come." (1 Cor. 16:1,2.) God's peopleare to support the work of the Lord bygiving on the first day of the week asthey have been prospered, but thequitter does not do this. He receivesfrom the Lord, but he does not returnto the Lord that which rightfully be-longs to him. Everything belongs toGod, for "the earth is the Lord's, andthe fulness thereof (1 Cor. 10:26), andyet God requires that only a reason-able portion be returned for his work.But the quitter does not returnanything to carryon the Lord's work.He simply robs God. The Israelitesrobbed God and were cursed. (Mal.3:8-10.) The thief cannot enter intothe kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9,10.)In quitting the assembly he quits

the Lord's table. And yet Jesus said,"This do in remembrance of me." (1Cor. 11:24.) It is a communion withChrist, with his body and with his pre-cious blood. (l Cor. 10:16.) But thisapparently makes little difference tothe quitter.In quitting the assembly he quits

the Lord's people. He is not meetingwith them to teach and admonish oneanother, to edify and to be edified.(Col. 3:16; Rom. 14:19.)

Why Would One Quit?

At one time he pledged his completeallegiance to Christ with the confes-sion, "I believe with all my heart thatJesus Christ is the Son of God." (Acts8:37.) The Christ to whom he pledgedhis loyalty has not changed. He is thesame Christ who suffered and died forhim, "the same yesterday, and to day,·and for ever." (Heb. 13:8.) Nor has

NO. 9

the loving God, or the Holy Spiritchanged. Why then would he want toturn his back on them?There may be many excuses. "My

job makes it hard for me to get there.""I don't care for the preacher." "Theyare not friendly." "The services aredull and draggy." There, however, isusually one basic reason why onequits: other interests have come inand filled the heart of the quitter,crowding out the desire, the faith, thecourage that characterize every true,faithful child of God.

What Are The Results Of Quitting?

1. The quitter joins a very largeand undesirable crowd. Through theages people have been turning awayfrom the Lord. In Samuel's day Godsaid in effect, "They have not quityou, Samuel; they have quit me. Theyhave not rejected you; they have re-jected me." (1 Sam. 8:7.) Some ofChrist's own disciples "went back,and walked no more with him." (John6:66.) Judas Iscariot quit the Lord forthirty pieces of silver. (Matt.26:14-16.) Christ said, "It had beengood for that man if he had not beenborn." (Matt. 26:24.) The quitterfollows the crowd along with Demas.2. The quitter joins Satan in oppos-

ing God's eternal purpose to saveman. (Eph. 3:8-10.) The church as the"pillar and ground of the truth" hasthe responsibility of supporting andupholding the truth. (1 Tim. 3:14,15.)Though a member of the church, hereally is on Satan's side and shamesthe truth by his own defection.3. The quitter sets a terrible exam-

ple. One of the first lessons Godtaught man was that he was hisbrother's keeper. He had a responsi-bility for his brother's welfare. (Gen.4:9.) By his example the quitter says

(continued on page 7)

QUITTERS(continued from page 1)

to all upon whom his influence mayfall, "It is not necessary to be stead-fast, unmovable, always abounding inthe work of the Lord." Thus opposingGod's will in his own life he becomes astumbling block to others. Concerningone who would cause others tostumble, Christ said, "It were betterfor him that a millstone were hangedabout his neck, and that he weredrowned in the depth of the sea."(Matt. 18:6.)

4. The quitter disobeys God. Godtells him not to forsake the worship,to be steadfast. (Heb , 10:25; 1 Cor.15:58.) By quitting he turns his backon the will of God for him.

5. The quitter will spend an eterni-ty in hell. "And Jesus said unto him,No man, having put his hand to theplough, and looking back, is fit for thekingdom of God." (Luke 9:62.) Petershows the deplorable state of the quit-ter: "For if after they have escapedthe pollutions of the world throughthe knowledge of the Lord andSaviour Jesus Christ, they are againentangled therein, and overcome, thelatter end is worse with them than thebeginning. For it had been better forthem not to have known the way ofrighteousness, than, after they haveknown it, to turn from the holy com-mandment delivered unto them." (2Pet. 2:20,2l.) The one who knows theLord's will and does not do it "shall bebeaten with many stripes." (Luke12:4 7 . ) The fearful, the unbelieving"shall have their part in the lakewhich burneth with fire and brim-stone: which is the second death."(Rev. 21:8.)

What Should Be Done AboutThe Quitter?

Every effort should be made toretrieve him. The owner seeking fruitfrom his fig tree, and finding none,said to the dresser, "Cu tit down,"but the dresser replied, ..Lord, let italone this year also, till I shall digabout it. and dung it: and if it bearfruit, well; and if not. then after that

.-thou shalt cut it down." (Luke• 13:6-9.1 But the quitter has the reo

sponsibility of repenting, or elseperishing. [Acts 8:22; Luke 13:3,5.) Ifsuch a one does not repent, indeed hewill perish.-B.N.

NEW WORLD TRANSLATION(continued from page 5)

in Colossians 1:16-17 where four timesin two verses the word "other" is in-serted: "For by means of him all(other) things were created .... " Thisleaves the false impression that Jesusis a created being. Without the addi-tion to God's word that the NWTmakes in Colossians 1:16-17, this pas-sage defeats beyond doubt the Watch-tower theory that Jesus is not Diety.

Other Perversions

Among many other NWT perver-sions of the Bible we will notice a few:Acts 20:7 . "On the first day of the

week when we were gathered togetherto have a meal." The word "meal"does not belong in the text, but shouldbe "breaking bread" as the KingJames and American Standardversions say. The NWT perversion ofthis verse makes it appear that thedisciples were eating a common mealrather than eating the Lord's Supper.

1 Corinthians 16:2 . "Every first dayof the week let each of you at his ownhouse set something aside in store ashe may be prospered so that when Iarrive collections will not take placethen." If this reading sounds a littlestrange to you, it is because the ex-pression "at his own house" does notbelong in the text. It was arbitrarilyinserted by the Jehovah's witnesses.Besides the fact that the NWT is falsein that verse, when compared to thecontext, it is seen to be senseless. Thereason for Paul's command in 1Corinthians 16:2 was that "there beno gatherings when I come." (v. 3.)Yet the NWT rendering of verse twowould defeat that purpose. When Paulcame, all the brethren at Corinthwould still have to gather what theyhad set aside in their homes!John 1:4 . "What has come into

existence by means of him was life... "If you look for this 'in a reputabletranslation of the Bible, you will notfind it because it was added to theBible by the Watchtower Society.These errors and perversions could

be multiplied, but these should be suf-ficient to show that the claim ofaccuracy of the New World Transla-tion of the Holy Scriptures is emphat-ically false. If you are a Jehovah'switness or if you are studying thatway of thinking, remember what God

7

NOW(continued from page 6)

Satan till he is old, then bear a goodcrop of fruit for the Lord. I know ofmen who have obeyed in old age, butnot until they had lost their children;and now they cannot win them.

4. If God does not have yourservice, Satan will. One cannot beneutral. "He that is not with me isagainst me; and he that gathereth notwith me scattereth abroad." (Matt.12:30.)5. Man's mind is so constituted

that he becomes hardened to the mosthorrifying situations. Death is allaround us: men die of sudden heart at-tacks, disasters strike and kill, acci-dents take a terrible toll. But we feelsafe and unalarmed. Just so, sinnersbecome hardened to the tenderappeals of the gospel and the terriblethreats against those who spend theirlives in the service of Satan. Paulwrites about those whose consciencesare seared as with a hot iron. (1 Tim.4:2.) When one's conscience loses itstenderness God has no way of bring-ing him to obedience and righteous-ness. Procrastination has the effect.ofhardening the heart or conscience.-Route 3, Box 175-A, Athens,Alabama 35611.

"The churches of Christ in thewhole land owe it to themselves, andto the high and just ground they havetaken, to guard with sleepless vigil.ance against even a semblance of aninnovation on the practices andusages of the apostolic church.

•.Apostasies begin with things that'have no harm in them,' and end inruin. At first they creep, but in theend, they stride continents with asingle step. Finally, we say, Watch,Bewaret v= Moses E. Lard, Lard'sQuarterly, 1864.

said concerning those who would addto or take away from His word IReve-lation 22:18-19) and what Paul saidregarding false prophets who comebringing "another gospel." (Galatians1:6-9.)The New World Translation, pub .

lished by the Watchtower Society anddistributed by the .Iehovah's witness-es is not a true translation of the scrip-tures, but a perversion of God's holyword.-Box 21, Brilliant. Ala. 35548.

This article is offered as special en-couragement to those who are neglect-ing their duty toward God. Many arein this category. No effort will bemade to excite, but to give sensiblereasons and Bible teaching on why thedisobedient should become obedientnow. "Knowing therefore the terror ofthe Lord, we persuade men." (2 Cor.5:11.)Th~.word of GodsaysllQ}Y_j§.1h\3

_t4ne to obey. "Behold, now is the ac-cepted time; behold, now is the day ofsalvation." (2 Cor. 6:2,) "To day if yewill hear his voice, harden notyotij:hearts." (Heb. 4:7.) It is not God'swill that any lost person wait a fewweeks, wait till the meeting, or evenwait till next Lord's day. God says,

'>;» "Now"; andif anyone should die while-Whlting for a convenient time, hewould stand in God's judgment with-out excuse. This is true whether theneed be obedience by an alien sinner ora backslider.

The Word Is A Sufficient Warning

The word of God is a sufficient-'-" warning, even though one may say he

is not impressed by the mere readingof it. One may say, "The preacherdoes not appeal to me; he does not stirmy emotions." This will not excusehim _Jh~.CJL man.jl!. Hades did notconsider Moses and the p-rophetssu-f:-···-5~. as_ay'arning· iohlsflve 10sC-

. brethren. He wanted the sensation-·-a1ism ·ofa warning from one risen f;~m-the dead. Abraham considered Moses'and the prophets enough. (Luke16:27-3L1~Preachers are commanded to;> "preach the word: be instant in

season. out of season; reprove,rebuke. exhort .•••.ith all longsufferingand doctrine." 12_Tirn.4:2.) They arenot required to be sensational, makethe hair stand on end. or fill the sinnerwith horror. ~ot many preachers arecapable of making such appeals; but ifthe most humble preacher can readthe word accurately and earnestly,and read such passages as 2 Corinthi-e ans 6:2. 1 Peter 4:16,17 and 2 Thessa-loBians 1:7-9. he can leave the sinnerwithout excuse for delaying obed i-enee.

NOWGardner S. Hall

Consider the direct, brief, personalappeals of the Old Testament proph-ets. They prepared no elaborate, hom-iletically perfect discourses, withparts one, two and three, adornedwith studied eloquence and floweryphrases. The power that struck fear.inthe hearts of kings was their "Thussaith the Lord," Thus beginning theydelivered usually short messages ofwarningor the determined judgmentsof God. As an example see Nathan'smessage to David concerning David'ssins. (2 Sam. 12:1·12.) The man ofGod from Judah used seventy wordsin his rebuke of Jereboam's idolatrousworship. (1 Kings 13:1-3.) Note Eli-jah's twenty-five words to Ahab in 1Kings 17:1. .•Hear the word of theLord," they said, and they delivered itwithout embellishments.

Examples Of Conversions

VIe now urge the importance ofprompt obedience by the examples ofconversions in the New Testament.About three thousand persons gladlyreceived the word and were baptizedon the day of Pentecost, and theyheard only the one sermon preachedby Peter that day. (Acts 2nd chapter.)Philip preached to the Ethiopian offi-cer as they rode in a chariot, and theofficer welcomed the opportunity to bebaptized. He seemed to exclaim, "See,here is water; what doth hinder me tobe baptized?" (Acts 8:26·39.) Saul ofTarsus had not eaten or drunk any-thing for three days when Anaias,sent by the Lord, arrived to tell himwhat to do to be saved. But when thepreacher commanded him to "arise,and be baptized, and wash away thysins, calling on the name of the Lord"(Acts 22:16), he attended to that obe-dience, then took food and wasstrengthened. (Acts 9:18,19.) Whenthe Philippian jailor learned the dutyof baptism, he obeyed the same hourof the night, which was sometimeafter midnight. (Acts 16:25,30·34.)

So far as the record goes, those whowere not baptized immediately werenever obedient. Felix trembled at thepreaching of the gospel; but he said,"Go thy way for this time; when I

6

have a convenient season, I will callfor thee." (Acts 24:25.) He was livingin adultery and sought and receivedtainted money. It is never convenientto give up these sins, or any others.Doing so might well be compared tocutting off the right hand or pluckingout the right eye. (Matt. 5:27-30.)

No doubt there is significance in thestatement concerning the five-talentman: "Straightway he that receivedthe five talents went and traded withthem." (Matt. 25:16, RevisedVersion.)

Why Obey Now?

Surely all who have heard the wordof God and respect it intend to obeysometime before life ends. Why do itnow? Here are some reasons.

1. Delay is rebellion against God.If a child shouldresporid,ll Daddy, I·will obey your command sometime-I'll obey when I get ready; but I don'tintend to now." that would be a rebel-lious attitude. No child so talks whorespects his father.

2. Delay to obey the gospel is themost serious gamble one can make.Life is so uncertain and death is sure.One's life-span is represented figura-tively as a day. (John 9:4.) Some of usknow our sun of life is low above thewestern hills. But such is true of manywho have not lived more than sixtyyears. No one can know for sure justwhere the sun of his life is. Thousandsnow in their teens will not live tocelebrate the dawn of 1975. When wevisit a large cemetery we see thegraves of those who were born early inthis century; but we also see themarkers of many who were born in the'40's, '50's and the '60's.3. Now is the fruitful time of life.

The Psalmist describes the man who"bringeth forth his fruit in his sea-son." (Psalm 1:1·3.) There is a timefor a tree to blossom, a time for it toput on young fruit, and a time for thatfruit to mature and ripen. A treecannot successfully bear matured andripened fruit if it waits till fall to blos-som. It is difficult for a man to serve

(continued on page 7)

QUITTERS(continued from page 1)

l upon whom his influence may'It is not necessary to be stead-r ovable, always abounding inOh!. of the Lord." Thus opposing~will in his own life he becomes abling block to others. Concerningwho would cause others toble, Christ said, "It were betterm that a millstone were hangedt his neck, and that he wereled in the depth of the sea.";.18:6.)The quitter disobeys God. Godhim not to forsake the worship,steadfast. (Heb. 10:25; 1 Cor..) By quitting he turns his backe will of God for him.I'he quitter will spend an eterni-hell, "And Jesus said unto him,an, having put his hand to theh, and looking back, is fit for theom of God." (Luke 9:62.) Peterthe deplorable state of the quit-For if after they have escapedrllutions of the world through:nowledge of the Lord andrr Jesus Christ, they are again~led therein, and overcome, theer worse with them than thelin):" For it had been better for110t to have known the way ofousness. than, after they haveit, to turn from the holy com-nent delivered unto them." (220,21.) The one who knows thewill and does not do it ..shall be1with many stripes." (LukeThe fearful. the unbelievinghave their part in the lakeburneth with fire and brim-which is the second death."H:8.)

hat Should Be Done AboutThe Quitter?

ry effort should be made toe him. The owner seeking fruitis fig tree, and finding none,I the dresser, "Cut it down,"~dresser replied, "Lord, let it.his year also, till I shall dig.t , and dung it: and if it bearrel~d if not, then after thatIha.cut it down." (LukeI But the quitter has the re-bility of repenting, or else19. (Acts 8:22; Luke 13:3,5.) Ifone does not repent, indeed he'ish.-B.N.

NEW WORLD TRANSLATION(continued from page 5)

in Colossians 1:16-17 where four timesin two verses the word "other" is in-serted: "For by means of him all(other) things were created .... " Thisleaves the false impression that Jesusis a created being. Without the addi-tion to God's word that the NWTmakes in Colossians 1:16-17, this pas-sage defeats beyond doubt the Watch-tower theory that Jesus is not Diety.

Other Perversions

Among many other NWT perver-sions of the Bible we will notice a few:Acts 20:7 - "On the first day of the

week when we were gathered togetherto have a meal." The word "meal"does not belong in the text, but shouldbe "breaking bread" as the KingJames and American Standardversions say. The NWT perversion ofthis verse makes it appear that thedisciples were eating a common mealrather than eating the Lord's Supper.

1 Corinthians 16:2 - "Every first dayof the week let each of you at his ownhouse set something aside in store ashe may be prospered so that when Iarrive collections will not take placethen." If this reading sounds a littlestrange to you, it is because the ex-pression "at his own house" does notbelong in the text. It was arbitrarilyinserted by the Jehovah's witnesses.Besides the fact that the NWT is falsein that verse, when compared to thecontext. it is seen to be senseless. Thereason for Paul's command in 1Corinthians 16:2 was that "there beno gatherings when I come." (v. 3.)Yet the NWT rendering of verse twowould defeat that purpose. When Paulcame, all the brethren at Corinthwould still have to gather what theyhad set aside in their homes!John 1:4 - "What has come into

existence by means of him was life... "If you look for this 'in a reputabletranslation of the Bible, you will notfind it because it was added to theBible by the Watchtower Society.These errors and perversions could

be multiplied, but these should be suf-ficient to show that the claim ofaccuracy of the New World Transla-tion of the Holy Scriptures is emphat-ically false. If you are a Jehovah'switness or if you are studying thatway of thinking, remember what God

7

NOW(continued from page 6)

Satan till he is old, then bear a goodcrop of fruit for the Lord. I know ofmen who have obeyed in old age, butnot until they had lost their children;and now they cannot win them.4. If God does not have your

service, Satan will. One cannot beneutral. "He that is not with me isagainst me; and he that gathereth notwith me scattereth abroad." (Matt.12:30.)5. Man's mind is so constituted

that he becomes hardened to the mosthorrifying situations. Death is allaround us: men die of sudden heart at-tacks, disasters strike and kill, acci-dents take a terrible toll. But we feelsafe and unalarmed. Just so, sinnersbecome hardened to the tenderappeals of the gospel and the terriblethreats against those who spend theirlives in the service of Satan. Paulwrites about those whose consciencesare seared as with a hot iron. (1 Tim.4:2.) When one's conscience loses itstenderness God has no way of bring-ing him to obedience and righteous-ness. Procrastination has the effect ofhardening the heart or conscience.-Route 3, Box 175-A, Athens,Alabama 35611.

/

"The churches of Christ in thewhole land owe it to themselves, andto the high and just ground they havetaken, to guard with sleepless vigil-ance against even a semblance of aninnovation on the pruct.iccs andusages of the apostolic church.

"Apostasies begin with things that'have no harm in them,' and end inruin. At first they creep, but in theend, they stride continents with asingle step. Finally, we say, Watch,Beware!"-Moses E. Lard, Lard'sQuarterly, 1864.

said concerning those who would addto or take away from His word (Reve-lation 22:18-19) and what Paul saidregarding false prophets who comebringing "another gospel." (Galatians1:6-9.)The New World Translation, pub-

lished by the Watchtower Society anddistributed by the Jehovah's witness-es is not a true translation of the scrip-tures, but a perversion of God's holyword.-Box 21, Brilliant, Ala. 35548.

s

is,-

L.

S

"Understandest thou what thou reedest?""How can I, except some man should guide me?"

(Acts 8:30, 31.)

VOL. VI NO.2

Christ "loved the church, and gavehimself for it; that he might sanctifyand cleanse it with the washing of wat-er by the word, that he might presentit to himself a g lor i 0 u s church, nothaving spot, or wrinkle, or any suchthing; but that it s h 0 u I d be holy andwithout blemish." (Eph. 5:25-27.)This passage tells us that the churchfor which Christ gave himself is glor-ious, that is, honorable, esteemed, ofhigh repute. Surely if Ch r is t g a v ehimself for it, it should be highly es-teemed.

I. The church for which Christ diedis glorious because of its position inits relationship to Christ.

Everything about our Lord is glori-ous. His voice is glorious. "And theLord shall cause his glorious voice tobe heard." (lsa. 30:30.)

His n a me is glorious. (Neh. 9:5.)His body is glorious. "For our con-versation (citizenship) is in he a v en;from whence also we look for the Savi-our, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shallchange our vile body, that it may befashioned like unto his glorious body... "(Phil. 3:20,21.) His gospel is glori-ous. "In whom the god of this worldhath blinded the minds of them whichbelieve not, lest the light of the glori-ous gospel of Christ, who is the imageof God, should shine unto them." (2 Cor.4:4.) His appearing shall be glorious-"looking for that blessed hope, and theglorious appearing of the great God andour Saviour Jesus Christ." (Tit. 2:13.)

The c h u r c h for which Christ diedmust be glorious because it partakes ofhis glory as his bride. (Eph. 5:25-32.)

The c h u r chis glorious because itpartakes of Christ's glory as his body.The Fat her put" all things under hisfeet, and gave him to be head over allthings to the church, which is his body

«A GLORIOUS CHURCH"... " (Eph. 1:22,23.) Writing to mem-bers of the" church, Paul said, "Nowye are the body of Christ." (1 Cor. 12:27.) Since Christ is g lor i 0 u s in allcharacteristics, and the church is onewit h Ch r i s t as his bride and as hisbody, in th is intimate relationship itmust be honored and esteemed. Anywho think they exalt Christ while cast-ing reflections upon the church, actu-ally dishonor Christ himself.

II. The church for which Christ diedis glorious because of its purpose. Thepurpose of the church is to make knownthe "manifold wisdom of God." (Eph.3:10.) The word "manifold" meansmanifesting itself in a great variety offorms. (Thayer.) Indeed, every char-acteristic feature of the church makesknown the wisdom of God. Thiswisdomis seen in the duration of the church. Itwill continue forever. (Eph. 3:20,21.)The wisest of men have never been ableto establish an institution that will en-dure forever. The 0 u t rea c h of thechurch show-: the wisdom of God. Itnot only is universal in its scope, but itreaches out to heaven itself, for thereits head, the Lord Jesus Christ, is atthe right hand of God. The wisest ofmen h a v e n eve r been able to set upsuch an institution. The organizationof the church, the laws given to governit, all make known the wisdom of God.

But the purpose of the church is alsoto make possible the salvation of man.Paul describes it as the place of rec-onciliation by the cross, that is, throughthe sacrifice of Christ. (Eph. 2:16.) Itis the place where man, who left Godby reason of his Sins, may return byobedience to the gospel and be recon-ciled to the One whom he offended.Christ purchased the church with hisblood. (Acts 20:28.) But it is by theblood of Christ that we are redeemedfrom sin. (Eph. 1:7.) It is abundantly

----------.------------------~ ------

evident, then, that if we are to be re-deemed by the blood of Christ, wemustbe in that which he redeemed with thatprecious blood. Onewould be making aserious mistake in embracing the ideathat the church is not essential, and thatit has no real part in man's salvation.

III. The church for which Christ diedis glorious be c au s e of the exorbitantprice paid for it. In consideration ofthe value of the materials used in theconstruction of the tabernacle, the costwas great. (Ex. 25:1-9.) But the costof Solomon's temple was even greater.Solomon "made silver and gold at Jeru-salem as plenteous as stones." (2 Chron.1:15.) At least 183,000 workers wereused in the construction of this magni-ficent structure. (1 Kings 5.) But theprice paid for the church was far great-er. It cost the life blood of the onlySon of God. (Acts 20:28.) And again,one would be making a serious mistakein thinking that the church has no partin man's salvation, when God paid sucha price for it.

IV. The church for which Christ diedis glorious because of its purity. "Hus-bands, love your wives, even as Christalso loved the church, and gave himselffor it; that he might sanctify and cleanseit with the washing ofwater by the word,that he might present it to himself aglorious c h u r c h, not having spot, orwrinkle, or any such thing; but that itshould be holy and without blemish."(Eph.5:15-27.) When one obeys thegospel, God's power to save, and isadded by the Lord to the church (Acts2:47), he is cleansed from every Sin;he is a new creature in Christ, with theold things passed away, and all thingsbecome new. (2 Cor. 5:17.) He is towalk in "newnessoflife." (Rom. 6:3,4.)He is to be pure in mind. "Finally,brethren, whatsoever things are true,

(continued on page 7)

"A GLORIOUSCHURCH"(continued from page 1)

whatsoever things are honest, whatso-ever things are just, whatsoever thingsare pure, whatsoever things are lovely,whatsoever things are of good report; ifthere be any virtue, and if there be anypraise, think on these things." (Phil.4:8.) As a child of the living God, withChrist ruling and reigning in his life,with only the purest of thoughts fillinghis heart, he will be pure in speech,pure in conduct, and t h u s c a use thechurch to have the glory that Christ in-tended for it to have in its purity.

V. Tho church for which Christ diedis glorious in its perfection, in its all-sufficiency. The responsibility Godgave the church lies in three areas: inevangelism, in preaching the gospel toall the world; in edification, in teach-ing and encouraging every member togrow in grace and know Ie dg e of theLord Jesus Christ; and in benevolence,in supplying the needs of those lackingamong God's people. (Eph. 5:11,12.)The success of the early church inmeeting its responsibility clearly showsthat it is capable of doing all that Godhas given it to do. Since the Godheadhave do ne the i r part in making the

'-' church glorious, it is for us to see thatits glory shines forth into the hearts ofall men everywhere.--B.N.

"TELL USPLAINLY"(continued from page 2)

we s h 0 u Id live soberly, righteously,and godly, in this present world." (Ti-tus 2:11,12.) "Do all things withoutmurmurings and disputings: That yemay be blameless and harmless, thesons of God, wi tho u t rebuke, in themidst of a crooked and perverse na-tion, among whom ye shine as lightsin the world." (Phil. 2:14,15.) Yes,Jesus has B p 0 ken p Ia in Iy about themanner of life his disciples are to live.

Whatever You Do

The Lord has spoken plainly. Hehas even said that whatever we do weare to do it in harmony with his in-structions. "And whatsoever ye do inword or deed, do all in the name of theLord Jesus, givmg thanks to God ande the Father by him," (Co!. 3:17.) TheLord bas spoken plainly about every-thing for which we need instruction.--1349 45th St., W., Birmingham, Ala,35208.

"I AMNOT ASHAMED"{continued from page 3}

ashamed; but let him glorify God inthis name." (I Pet. 4:16, ASV.) Weare told by Luke that "the disciples (ofChrist) were called CHRISTIANS firstat Antioch." (Acts 11:26.)

I am not only not ashamed to wearthis name, s e par ate and apart fromany h u ma nl y given name, such as ischaracteristic of "Christendom"; I amnot ashamed in any place or in any cir-cumstance to be so identified. WhenJesus was arrested and carried beforePilate his disciples fled, and even theapostle Peter denied Him, beingashamed to be identified with Him.May God help us, who wear that name,never to be ashamed to con f e s s Hlmbefore any men! Jesus warns in Luke9:26, "For whosoever shall be ashamedof me and of my words, of him shallthe Son of man be ashamed, when heshall come " (You will note thatJesus says, " and of my words .... "It was to this that Paul specifically re-ferred in 0 u r t ext --and this we willconsider in our next tssue.)

I heard an old preacher put it thisway one time, with reference to con-fessing the Christ: "I'd be ashamed tobe afraid, and I'd be afraid to Laashamed!"

IN SUMMARY: If one will call myattention to any par t of God's divinearrangement, I will declare, "I'm notashamed of that"; but wherein man hasin any way altered or marred that ar-rangement, I AM ashamed, and praythat my God will help me to be no partof it!

Every professed disciple of Christshould conduct his life in such a man-ner that God will never be "ashamed tobe called his God." (Heb. 11:16.) WhenI come to face my Lord in the judgmentI pray that I shall have so lived that Iwill "not be ashamed before him."(1 John 2:28.) And this, my dear read-er, I urge you to prayerfully consider.Are you ashamed of the Lord? Is Heashamed of you ?--P. O. Box 339, RedBay, Alabama 35582.

"All scripture is given by inspira-tion of God, and is profitable for doc-trine, for reproof, for correction, forinstruction in righteousness. " (2 Timo-thy 3:16,17.)

7

"GENERATION ... KNEWNOT... LORD"(continued from page 4J

2:18, God delivered them "because oftheir groanings by reason of them thatoppressed them and vexed them."

As the name of the book from whichwe are t a kin g this lesson indicates,this was the period of the judges in Is-rael. Tim e and again, Israel wouldforsake the Lor d, fall into apostasy,then cry out for mercy, and God wouldappoint a judge to deliver them. Wemight wonder how God could continueto show mercy unto such a s tub bo r nand sinful people. Before we criticizetoo harshly, however, we ought to takea look at what the Lord has done forus, and in the light of that examine ourown lives; and perhaps we will not pic-ture ourselves as so much more right-eous than the an c i e n t Jew sl Paulwrites in Romans 5:6-8, "For when wewere yet without strength, in due timeChrist died for the ungodly. Forscarcely for a righteous man will onedie: yet peradventure for a good mansome would even dare to die. But Godoommendeth his love toward us, inthat, while we were yet Sinners, Christdied for us. "

Christ did not die for us because wedeserved it, but despite the fact that wewere ungodly and yet in our sins. Willwe be stubborn and continue to disobeyand forsake the Lord in the face of themat chi e s s grace and mercy he hasshown unto us? We have less excusethan the wicked ge ne ra ti 0 n we haveread about in Judges 2.

Before your heart is closed andyour conscience seared, you s h 0 u Idaccept the Lord's deliverance. As Is-rael cried out for mercy, you shouldcall upon the name of the Lord. (Ro-mans 10:13-17.) This calling is ac-complished by do i n g the will of God(Matthew 7:20), which consists ofh~ing the Word of God and believing (Ro-mans 10:17), repenting of your sins,and being baptized for the remissron ofyour sins. (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16.)

Live this l i f e in such a way that itmight not be said in the judgment thatyou were with i n a "generation whichknew not the Lord. "--Box 21, Brilli-ant, Alabama 35548.

In John 10:24 we read of the Jewsgathering around Jesus and saying untohim: "How long dost thou make us todoubt? If thou be the Christ, tell usplainly." Jesus obliged them by speak-ing plainly even though his answer wasnot what they wanted to hear--"Thenthe Jews took up stones again to stonehim." (John 10:31.)

Jesus, either in person or throughthe revelation of the Spirit, has spokenplainly in regard to every question forwhich man needs an answer. He hasnot an s we red every question aboutwhich man may question, but he hasanswered every one which man needsto know about. He has given unto usall things which pertain to life and god-liness. (2 Peter 1:3.) The apostles,s h 0 r t 1y before Jesus left this earth,were told: "Howbei t, when he, theSpirit of truth, is come, he will guideyou into all truth .... " (John 16:13.)Thus Jesus, either in person or throughthe revelation of the Spirit, has spoken.He has spoken p l a i n 1y. We need notguess. We need not speculate. Weneed not turn to tradition. We need tolisten to Jesus who has spoken plainly.

Lord, Is There a Way to Heaven?

Lord, in the midst of this maze ofhuman speculation and tradition wheresome say one thing and some another,is there a way to heaven? Tell usplainly. The prophets had said so inthe long ago. "And an highway shall bethere, and a way, and it shall be calledThe way of holiness; the unclean sbal;not pass over it; but it shall be forthose: the wayfaring men, though fools,shall not err therein." (Isaiah 35::L)Jesus spake plainly about this. "Enterye in at the strait gate: for wide is thegate, and broad is theway, that leadethto destruction, and many there be whichgo in the r cl a t: Because strait is thegate, a n d narrow is the way, whichleadeth unto life, and few there be thatfind it." (Matthew 7:13,14.) That isspoken plainly. Can we understandthat plain speech?

Lord, What Must One Do to Be Saved?

Lord, when so many voices giveconflicting measages , tell us plainlywhat one must do to be saved. The

Curtis E. Flatt

Lord himself said: "He that believethand is baptized shall be saved." (Mark16:16.) To those who already believedPeter, being guided by the Spirit, said:"Repent, and be baptized everyone ofyou in the name of Jesus Christ for theremission of sins ...• " (Acts 2:38.) Toanother, who already believed and hadalready repented, the message givenwas: "And now why tarriest thou?Arise, and be baptized, and wash away.!!!Y sins, call i n g on the name of theLord." (Acts 22:16.) Is this not spokenwith plainness? What is there aboutthis which is hard to understand?

Lord, How Can W~Know If We AreChristians?

Lord, people who believe and prac-tice all sorts of conflicting things ve-hemently affirm that they are Chris-tians. Tell us plainly as to how we cantell whether or not we are Christians.Lis ten to his statement about this in1 John 2:3-5: "And hereby we do knowthat we know him, if we keep his com-mandments. He that saith, I knowhim, and k e e pet h not his command-ments, is a liar, and the truth is notin him. But whoso keepeth his word,in him verily is the love of God per-fected: hereby know we that we are inhim. " This 0 ugh t to be plain enoughfor any of us. The Spirit directed theapostles to use g rea t p Ia inn e s s ofspeech. (2 Cor. 3:12.) Furthermore,we read in Romans 8:16 this: "TheSpirit itself bcar eth witness with ourspi r it , that we are children of God."This is saying that our actions in be-coming and remaining Christians mustbe in agreement with the testimony oftr;e Holy Spi r it=-the word of the Lordwho speaks plainly.

Lord, I Am Satisfied thai I Am aChristian

Lord, I am sat is fi e d that I am aChristian. Isn't that enough? The Lordspake plainly about such things. TheLord always sought to do thewill of hisFather in heaven. He did not seek toplease himself. Listen to him speak:"I can of mine own self do nothing: asI hear, I j u dg e: and my judgment isjust; because I seek not mine own will,but the will of the Father which hath

2

sent me." (John 5:30.) Again, he said:"For I do a 1way s tho s e things thatplease him." (John 8:29.) Theonlywaywe can please God is to follow what hesays in his word. I must not be satis-fied that I am a Christian un till amsure that I have done what the Lordsaid that p e 0 pie m u s t do to becomeChristians.

Lord, Is There More than One Church?

Lord, all about us there are hun-dreds of d i ff ere n t churches, e a c hteaching something which differs fromthe others. Tell us pi ai n 1y. Is thisaccording to heaven's will? The Lordtells us plainly. He promised to buildone church. (Matt. 16:18.) Through theapostles he plainly tells of one church.There is one body. (Eph. 4:4.) Thatbody is the church. (Eph. 1:22,23.)Christ is head of one church. "And heis the head of the body, the church."(Col , 1:18.) '''For as we have manymembers in one body, and all membershave not the same office: so we, beingmany, are one body in Christ and everyone members of another." (Romans 12:4,5.) The Lord has told us plainly thatthere is one church. If we will searchwe will learn that he tells us how toidentify it. It is then a challenge to usto find the one which he speaks soplainly about.

Lord, How Do You Expect Christiansto Live?

Lord, religious people about us havedifferent standards of righteousness.Tell us plainly what you expect of us sofar as manner of Ufe is concerned, Hehas spoken plainly. "For the graoe ofGod which brings salvatton hath ap-peared to all men, Teaching us that,denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,

(continued on page 7)

o-o-o-o·o·o·~o-~o·o·o<> GOSPEL GUIDE 0• POll Office Box "88 •o RUliellvllle, Alabama 35653 0O• ,0- Editor: Billy HOlTi, <j

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"A GLORIOUS CHURCH"(continued from page 1)

whatsoever things are honest, whatso-ever things are just, whatsoever thingsare pure, whatsoever things are lovely,whatsoever things are of good report; ifthere be any virtue, and if there be anypraise, think on these things." (Phil.4:8.) As a child of the living God, withChrist ruling and reigning in his life,with only the purest of thoughts fillinghis heart, he will be pure in speech,pure in conduct, and t h u s c a use thechurch to have the glory that Christ in-tended for it to have in its purity.

V. The church for which Christ diedis glorious in its ~rfection, in its a11-sufficiency. The responsibility Godgave the church lies in three areas: inevangelism, in preaching the gospel toall the world; in edification, in teach-ing and encouraging every member togrow in grace and k now led g e of theLord Jesus Christ; and in benevolence,in supplying the needs of those lackingamong God's people. (Eph. 5:11, 12.)The success of the early church inmeeting its responsibility clearly showsthat it is capable of doing all that Godhas given it to do. Since the Godheadhave done their part in making thechurch glorious, it is for us to see thatits glory shines forth into the hearts ofall men everywhere.---B.N.

"TELL US PLAINLY"(continued from page 2)

we s h 0 u Id live soberly, righteously,and godly, in this present world." (Ti-tus 2:11,12.) "Do all things w itho u tmurmurings and disputings: That yemay be blameless and harmless, theSODS of God, wi tho u t rebuke, in themidst of a crooked and perverse na-tion, among whom ye shine as lightsin the world." (Phil. 2:14,15.) Yes,Jesus has spoken plainly about themanner of life his disciples are to live.

¥rbatever You Do

The Lord has spoken plainly. Hebas even said that whatever we do weare to do it in harmony with his in-structiOIl.5. "And whatsoever ye do inword or deed, do all in the name of theLord Jesus, giving thanks to God andthe Father by him." (CoI. 3:17.) TheLord bas spoken plainly about every-~ for YihichVie need instruction. --1349 -45th se.. w., Birmingham, Ala.35208.

"I AM NOT ASHAMED"(continued from page 3)

ashamed; but let him glorify God inthis name." (1 Pet. 4:16, ASV.) Weare told by Luke that "the disciples (ofChrist) were called CHRISTIANSfirstat Antioch." (Acts 11:26.)

I am not only not ashamed to wearthis name, separate and apart fromany hum a n Iy given name, such as ischaracteristic of "Christendom"; I amnot ashamed in any place or in any cir-cumstance to be so identified. WhenJesus was arrested and carried beforePilate his disciples fled, and even theapostle Peter denied Him, beingashamed to be identified with Him.May God help us, who wear that name,never to be ashamed to co nf e s sHimbefore any men! Jesus warns in Luke9:26, "For whosoever shall be ashamedof me and of my words, of him shallthe Son of man be ashamed, when heshall come " (You will note thatJesus says, " and of my words ..•. "It was to this that Paul specifically re-ferred in 0 u r t ext --and this we willconsider in our next issue.)

I heard an old preacher put it thisway one time, with reference to con-fessing the Christ: "I'd be ashamed tobe afraid, and I'd be afraid to Leashamed!"

IN SUMMARY: If one will call myattention to any par t of God's divinearrangement, I will declare, "I'm notashamed of that"; but wherein man hasin any way altered or marred that ar-rangement, I AM ashamed, and praythat my God will help me to be no partof it!

Every professed disciple of Christshould conduct his life in such a man-ner that God will never be "ashamed tobe called his God." (Heb. 11:16.) WhenI conie to face my Lord in the judgmentI pray that I shall have so lived that Iwill "not be ash a m e d before him."(1 John 2:28.) And this, my dear read-er, I urge you to prayerfully consider.Are you ashamed of the Lord? Is Heashamed of you?--P. O. Box 339, RedBay, Alabama 35582.

"All scripture is given by inspira-tion of God, and is profitable for doc-trine, for reproof, for correction, forinstruction in righteousness." (2 Timo-thy 3:16,17.)

7

"GENERATION ... KNEW NOT .•• LORO"(continued from page 4,

2:18, God delivered them "because oftheir groanings by reason of them thatoppressed them and vexed them."

As the name of the book from whichwe are t a kin g this lesson indicates,this was the period of the judges in Is-rael. Time and again, Israel wouldforsake th e Lo r d, fall into apostasy.then cry out for mercy, and God wouldappoint a judge to deliver them. Wemight wonder how God could continueto show mercy unto such a stubbornand sinful people. Before we criticizetoo harshly, however, we ought to takea look at what the Lord has done forus, and in the light of that examine ourown lives; and perhaps we will not pic-ture ourselves as so much more right-eous than the an c i e n t Jew s I Paulwrites in Romans 5:6-8, "For when wewere yet without strength, in due timeChrist died for the ungodly. Forscarcely for a righteous man will onedie: yet peradventure for a good mansome would even dare to die. But Godcommendeth his love toward us. inthat, while we were yet Sinners. Christdied for us."

Christ did not die for us because wedeserved it, but despite the fact that wewere ungodly and yet in our sins. Willwe be stubborn and continue to disobeyand forsake the Lord in the face of themat chi e s s grace and mercy he hasshown unto us? We have less excusethan the wicked generation we haveread about in Judges 2.

Before your heart is closed andyour conscience seared, you s h 0 u 1daccept the Lord's deliverance. As Is-rael cried out for mercy, you shouldcall upon the name of the Lord. (Ro-mans 10:13-17.) This calling is ac-complished by do i n g the will of God(Matthew 7:20), which consists ofhear-ing the Word of God and believing (Ro-mans 10:17), repenting of your Sins,and being baptized for the remission ofyour sins. (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16.)

Live this 1i f e in such a way that itmight not be said in the judgment thatyou were with i n a "generation whichknew not the Lord. "--Box 21, Brilli-ant, Alabama 35548.

The quo ta ti 0 n above is part of astatement made by the apostle Paul inRomans 1:16. It had to do with his at-titude toward the gospel of Christ andhis r e a d l n c s s to preach It, even inRome. Paul was not, in spite of itsunpopularity, ashamed to be a discipleof J e s u s the Ch r i s t. He was notashamed to do all in his power to pro-mote a cause which he had once triedto destroy. (Gal. 1:23.) This does notmean, however, that there was nothing,even with i nth e church, of which hewas not ash a m e d. He was certainlyashamed of some things in the churchat Corinth, as indicated in his firstletter to them. Ho was ashamed of theearly defection of some Galatinn Chris-tians. (Gal. 1:6ff.)

I AM ASHAMED: There arc manythings in the realm of religion, even inwhat is called "Christendom," ofwhiehI am ashamed: and I would ccrtal nly beashamed to be a proponent of such ,The heathen and the unbeliever chideus because of the many DIVISIONS inwhat is called "Christianity." Yes, Iam ashamed of t his i mag e t hat theworld has of the family of God; and Iwould certainly be ashamed to promoteor to be the cause of such!

Jesus prayed that "they all may beone; as thou, Father, art in me and Iin thee, that they also may be one inus; TIL-\T THE WORLD MAY BELIE\'ETHAT THOU HAST SENT ME." (Johr.17:21.) One of the greatest causes ofU~BELIEF is the divis ions amongthose who pro f e s s to be disciples ofChrist; and yet I hear men, even re-ligious leaders, "thank God" for thesemany factions! I would be ashamed topicture my Lord as being responsiblefor such contradictions!

I would be ashamed to "go beyondthe doctrine of C h r i s t" for authorityfor anything in religion. This showsDISRESPECT for His teaching, sug-gesting that He either could not or didnot adequately instruct us in the Scrip-tures, while He affirms that He did!(2 Tim, 3:16f.) This disregard for theLIMITS laid down in His Word has oftenc a use d the aforementioned DIVISIONWithin the Lord's church, and continuesto do so. I am ashamed of this!

Charles G. Maples, Sr.

am ashamed of many things in thelives of PH 0 F E SSE D Christians--members of the Lord's church, thoseclaiming a II e g ia n c e to Christ whiles o rv l n g uno tho r mu sto rl This, theapostle Paul saw in the church at Cor-inth. It seems that many in the churchtoday have t a ken Paul's statement inPhilippians 1:20 ("in nothing I shall beashamed") literally, after having takenit out of its context! They seem not tobe ash a m e d to be "conformed to theworld." (Rom. 12:2.) They seem to beashamed of almos t nothing! The state-ment of Jeremiah 6:15 is very appli-cable to man y professed Christians:"Wore they u s h a m e d when they hadcommitted abominations? Nay, theywere not at all ashamed, neither couldthey blush .... " I would be ashamed toappear in public dressed (or undressed)as many of them do. Iwould be ashamedto use my tonguo (w i t h w h i chI haveconfessed Christ and pray to God) inthe way that many "church members"do, in profanity, goss ip, backbiting, etc

Yes, there are many things in re-ligion, even in the church of our Lord,which embarrass me; especially whenthey are called to my attention by anunbeliever--I am ashamed! But I domy best to show them that my Lord isnot responsible for such, nor does Heapprove, yea, that such is abominableunto Him!

I AM NOT ASHAMED of God's di-vine arrangement, nor of any part of it!Although the Lord's scheme of redemp-tion is "foolish" to "the d is put e I' ofthis world" (1 Cor. 1:20), I am not inthe least ashamed of it.

1. I am not ashamed of THE IGNO-MINIOUS DEATH OF THE "FOUNDER"OF CHRISTIANITY. Death by cruci-fixion was cons ider ed the most shame-ful way by which one could be put todeath. (cf. Heb. 12:2.) But I am proudto proclaim that my Lord loved, notonly "the world," but ME enough to diethat shameful death! That death madesalvation available to all the descend-ants of Adam who had, and have sep-arated themselves from God by theirsins. He "gave himself for our sins."(Titus 2:14.) Yes, the Head of Chris-tianity was crucified, but thanks be to

3

God, the grave could not hold Him. Hewas raised on the third day; and I amnot ashamed to proclaim that!

II. I am not ashamed of THE SIM-PLICITY OF HIS PLAN OF SALVA-TION. You will observe from His"commission" to his apostles to "preachthe gospel," and their carrying out ofthat charge, that He requires that thesinner who would have the benefits ofHis grace BE LIEVE that He is theChrist, R E PEN T of his sins, CON-FEss his fai th in the Christ and BEBAPTIZED. (Matt. 28:19f; Mk. 16:15f;Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 2:38.) This is "toosimple" for many, just as washing inJordan to have his leprosy healed wasto Naaman, (2 Kings 5.) But I am notashamed of it; nor am I ashamed to af-firm that any alien sinner who desiresto be saved MUST conform to this samesimple plan.

III. I um not ashamed of His SIMPLEAHHANGEMENT FOR WORSHIP. Itseems that most of the religious world,even ill 0 s t PROFESSED followers ofChrist, ARE. The y destre, and thushave instituted, much more "pomp" andshow in their worship. They have intro-duced into their worship many thingswhich the Christ has not authorized.

In His covenant Christ has author-ized thatwe partake of the Lord's sup-per on the first day of the week (Acts20:7); have congregational singing(Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16) with no authorityfor the addition of mechanical instru-ments; give of our means as the Lordhas prospered (1 Cor. 16:1-2); prayunto God (Acts 2:42); and engage in astudy of His Word. (Acts 20:7.) Thisis very simple--too simple for "wise"men! But of such I am not ashamed.Those who are ashamed of or unhappywith such have introduced things intotheir worship which stand only in thewisdom of men (1 Cor. 2:5), and thustheir worship is "vain"! (Matt. 15:9.)I would be ashamed!

IV. I am not ashamed to wear HISNAM E IN THE DIVINELY ASSIGXEDNAME FOR HIS DISCIPLES. The apos-tle Peter says, "But if anyone sufferas a C H R 1ST I AN, let h i ill not be

(continued on page 7)

"A GLORIOUS CHURCH"(continued from page 1)

whatsoever things are honest, whatso-ever things are just, whatsoever thingsare pure, whatsoever things are lovely,whatsoever things are of good report; ifthere be any virtue, and if there be anypraise, think on these things." (Phil.4:8.) As a child of the living God, withChrist ruling and reigning in his life,with only the purest of thoughts fillinghis heart, he will be pure in speech,pure in conduct, and t h u s c a use thechurch to have the glory that Christ in-tended for it to have in its purity.

V. The church for which Christ diedis glortous in its perfection, in its all-sufficiency. The responsibility Godgave the church lies in three areas: inevangelism, in preaching the gospel toall the world; in edification, in teach-ing and encouraging every member togrow in grace and k now led g e of theLord Jesus Christ; and in benevolence,in supplying the needs of thOSE(lackingamong God's people. (Eph. 5:11, 12.)The s u c c e s s of the early church inmeeting its responsibility clearly showsthat it is capable of doing all that Godhas given it to do. Since the Godheadhave done their partin making the

__ church glorious, it is for us to see thatits glory shines forth into the hearts ofall men everywher ev-v Bc N.

"TELL US PLAIHL Y"[contmued from page 2)

we should live soberly, righteously,and godly, in this present world." (Ti-tus 2:l1,12.) "no all things wi tho u tmurmurings and disputings: That yemay be blameless and harmless, theSODS of God, without rebuke, in themidst of a crooked and perverse na-tion. among whom ye shine as Iightsin the world." (Phil. 2:14,15.) Yes,.Jesus has spoken plainly about themanneroflife his disctples are to live.

¥''hatever You Do

The Lord has spoken plainly. Hehas even said that whatever we do weare to do it in harmony with his in-struenona. "And whatsoever ye do inNOrd or deed, do all in the name of theLord Jesus, giving thanks to God andLe Father by him." (Col. 3:17.) The~rd has spoken plainly about every-:bing for which we need instruction.--:M9 45th St., W., Birmingham, Ala.;5208.

"I AM HOT ASHAMED"(continued from page 3)

ashamed; but let him glorify God inthi s name." (1 Pet. 4:16, ASV.) Weare told by Luke that "the disciples (ofChrist) were called CHRISTIANS firstat Antioch." (Acts 11:26.)

I am not only not ashamed to wearthis name, s e par ate and apart fromany hum a n I y given name, such as ischaracteristic of "Christendom"; I amnot ashamed in any place or in any cir-cumstance to be so identified. WhenJesus was arrested and carried beforePilate his disciples fled, and even theapostle Peter denied Him, beingashamed to be ide n t i fie d with Him.May God help us, who wear that name,never to be ashamed to co nf e s sHimbefore any men! Jesus warns in Luke9:26, "For whosoever shall be ashamedof me and of my words, of him shallthe Son of man be ashamed, when heshall come ...• " (You will no t e th atJesus says, " ... and of my words •.•• "It was to this that Paul specifically re-ferred in 0 u r t ext --and this we willconsider in our next issue.)

I heard an old preacher put it thisway one time, with reference to con-fessing the Christ: "I'd be ashamed tobe a f r aid, and I'd be a f r aid to Laashamed!"

IN SUMMARY: If one will call myattention to any par t of God's divinearrangement, I will declare, "I'm notashamed of that"; but wherein man hasin any way altered or marred that ar-rangement, I AM ashamed, and praythat my God will help me to be no partof it!

Every professed disciple of Christsbould conduct his life in such a man-ner that God will neve r be "ashamed tobe called his God." (Heb. 11:16.) WhenI coree to face my Lord in the judgmentI pray that I shall have so lived that Iwill "not be ash a m e d before him."(1 John 2:28.) And this, my dear read-er, I urge you to prayerfully consider.Are you ashamed of the Lord? Is Heashamed of you?--P. O. Box 339, RedBay, Alabama 35582.

"All scripture is given by inspira-tion of God, and is profitable for doc-trine, for reproof, for correction, forinstruction in righteousness." (2 Timo-thy 3:16,17.)

7

"GEHERATIOH ... KHEW HOT ... LORO"(continued from page 4J

2:18, God delivered them "because oftheir groanings by reason of them thatoppressed them and vexed them. "

As the name of the book from whichwe are taking this lesson indicates,this was the period of the judges in Is-rael. Tim e and again, Israel wouldforsake the Lor d, fall into apostasy,then cry out for mercy, and God wouldappoint a judge to deliver them. Wemight wonder how God could continueto show mercy unto such a s tub bo r nand Sinful people. Before we criticizetoo harshly, however, we ought to takea look at what the Lord has done forus, and in the light of that examine ourown lives; and perhaps we will not pic-ture ourselves as so much more right-eous than the an c i en t Jew s ! Paulwrites in Romans 5:6-8, "For when wewere yet without strength, in due timeChrist die d for the un god Iy. Forscarcely for a righteous man will onedie: yet peradventure for a good mansome would even dare to die. But Godcom mend e th his love toward us. inthat, whilewe were yet Sinners, Christdied for us."

Christ did not die for us because wedeserved it, but despite the fact that wewere ungodly and yet in our Sins. Willwe be stubborn and continue to disobeyand forsake the Lord in the face of themat chi e s s grace and mercy he hasshown unto us? We have less excusethan the wicked g en era tl 0n we haveread about in Judges 2.

Before you r he a rt is closed andyour conscience seared, you shouldaccept the Lord's deliverance. As Is-rael cried out for mercy. you shouldcall upon the name of the Lord. (Ro-mans 10:13-17.) T his calling is ac-complished by doing the will of God(Matthew 7:20), which consists oihear-ing the Word of God and believing (Ro-mans 10:17), repenting of your sins,and being baptized for the remtsston ofyour sins. (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16.)

Live this l I f e in such a way that itmight not be said in the judgment thatyou were with in a "generation whichknew not the Lord. "--Box 21. Brilli-ant, Alabama 35548.

VOL. VI

"Understandest thou what thou reedest?""How can l, except some man should guide me?"

(Acts 8:30, 31.)

NO.4

«WHO IS ON THE LORD'S SIDE?"This is the question which Moses

asked when he came down from themountain and found the children ofIsrael worshipping the golden calf.(Ex. 32.) This question implies a con-flict between good and evil, the Lord'sside and the devil's side. It was aconflict existing in the time of Moses,and it is a conflict existing today. Weare involved in this battle. There is noneutral ground, no place forcompromise. Aaron in trying to be onboth sides miserably failed the Lord'sside. Jesus said, "No man can servetwo masters: for either he will hatethe one, and love the other; or else hewill hold to the one and despise theother. Ye cannot serve God and mam-mon." (Matt. 6:24.) And further hesaid, "He that is not with me isagainst me; and he that gathereth notwith me scattereth abroad." (Matt.12:30.) The psalmist said, "Ye thatlove the Lord, hate evil." (Ps. 97:10.)

"Who Is On The Lord's Side?"

1. People who respect and obey hisword. God had previously given thecommandments, "Thou shalt have noother gods before me," and "Thoushalt not make unto thee any gravenimage." (Ex. 20:3,4.) The peopleshowed that they were not on theLord's side by disobeying these com-mands. The people in the majorityshowed that they were on the devil'sside, for when Moses asked thequestion, of all the tribes of Israel,only the sons of Levi gatheredthemselves unto Moses. Today weshow whose side we are on by our alle-giance. Jesus said, "If ye love me,keep my commandments." (John14:15.) And again, "Ye are myfriends, if ye do whatsoever I com-mand you." (John 15:14.)

In the gospel, under which we liveand by which we shall be judged in the

last day (John 12:48), God has givencertain commandments. "And this ishis commandment, That we shouldbelieve on the name of his Son JesusChrist, and love one another, as hegave us command men t ." (1 John3:23.) "And the times of thisignorance God winked at; but nowcommandeth all men every where torepent." (Acts 17:30.) "And hecommanded them to be baptized inthe name of the Lord." (Acts 10:48.)"Go ye therefore, and teach all na-tions, baptizing them in the name ofthe Father, and of the Son, and of theHoly Ghost: teaching them to ob-serve all things whatsoever I havecommanded you: and, 10, I am withyou alway, even unto the end of theworld." (Matt. 28:19,20.) We show,then, that we are on the Lord's side bybelieving in Christ with all our being,by repenting and turning from oursinful practices, by being baptized inhis name that we may walk "in new-ness of life" (Rom. 6:4), and, havingbeen baptized, by observing all thingswhatsoever he has commanded. Sincethere are only two sides-the Lord'sside and the devil's side-and thosewho are on the Lord's side identifythemselves by obedience, then thosewho fail to obey are in the other camp,standing opposed to God and his will.

2. People who listen to God ratherthan to men are the ones on the Lord'sside. "And when the people saw thatMoses delayed to come down out ofthe mount, the people gathered them-selves together unto Aaron, and saidunto him, Up, make us gods, whichshall go before us; for as for thisMoses, the man that brought us upout of the land of Egypt, we wot notwhat is become of him." (Ex. 32:1.)And Aaron listened to the peoplerather than to the Lord God who hadsaid, "Thou shalt have no other gods

before me; thou shalt not make untothyself any graven image." By mak-ing them a golden calf, by listening tothe people, Aaron showed that he wasnot on the Lord's side. Many doc-trines are in the world, and many ofthem may be represented by men ofadmirable character, by men whowork and sacrifice for their cause, butunless their word is the word of God,those who follow them are making themistake that Aaron made in the longago when he listened to men ratherthan to God, and thereby showed thathe was not on the Lord's side.

3. People who live above sensualsatisfaction are on the Lord's side.The people who wanted a god theycould see also wanted a religion theycould enjoy in satisfying the fleshlyappetites. When they had theirgolden calf, they had a religion thatsatisfied their sensual desires. "Andthey rose up early on the morrow, andoffered burnt offerings, and broughtpeace offerings; and the people satdown to eat and drink, and rose up toplay." (Ex. 32:6.) This seems to bedescriptive of the kind of religion thatis so pleasing today-the kind that al-lows the people to eat and drink andplay.

4. People who love God more thanthey love their own are on the Lord'sside. When Moses asked the ques-tion, "Who is on the Lord's side?" andsaid, "Let them come unto me," "Allthe sons of Levi gathered themselvestogether unto him." (Ex. 32:26.) ThenMoses said to them, "Thus saith theLord God of Israel, Put every one hissword by his side, and go in and outfrom gate to gate throughout thecamp, and slay every man his brother,and every man his companion, andevery man his neighbor. And the chil-

(continued on page 7)

"WHO IS ON THE LORD'S SIDE?"(continued from page 1)

dren of Levi did according to the word. ~Moses: and there fell of the people_ .at day about three thousand men."(Ex. 32:27,28.) It must have been adifficult task for the sons of Levi tocarry out this assignment, but theyshowed that they loved God morethan they loved their rebellious breth-ren, and by doing what God told themto do, they associated themselveswith Moses on the Lord's side.

People today are sometimesconfronted with the situation wherethey haved to show whether they loveGod more than members of family.Jesus said, "He that loveth father ormother more than me is not worthy ofme: and he that loveth son ordaughter more than me is not worthyof me." (Matt. 10:37.) When a familyis divided, it is a grievously tragicmatter; and when a family is dividedover religion, the one who causes thedivision had better be sure, by givinga "thus saith the Lord," that thecleavage is brought about by thegospel rather than by the doctrines

commandments of men.

5. People who remain faithful intime of popular apostasy are on theLOrd'8 side. Among the children ofIsrael the great majority turned away.The movement was indeed a popularone. Twelve tribes turned to the calf;only one, the sons of Levi, gatheredthemselves unto Moses on the Lord'sside. (Ex. 32:26.) In this event, andin other similar episodes in the Bible,we see the value of even one trulyfaithful man. Aaron went along withthe crowd. Moses, a true man of God,waxed hot with anger when he saw thedefection of the people, took thegolden calf, ground it to powder,scattered it upon the water, and madethe children of Israel drink their falsegod. By this great man Israel wassaved that day from idolatry and de-struction. Today when one has totake a stand against popular and yetf_ religious movements, his namel~ slandered, his position may benusrepresented, friends may be lost;but if his cause is right, he will proveto be a savior of the people, and,above all, will be on the Lord's side.

Why Be On The Lord's Side?

1. God has a claim to our alle-giance. He made us. (Gen. 1:26.) Hesustains us. (Acts 17:28.) To him wemust look for all the good that wehave and enjoy in this life, and to himwe must look for the salvation of oursouls.

2. His side is the side of right, andhonor, and happiness. His way isabove ours as the heavens are abovethe earth. When people, by theirobedience, are on his side, they arehappy; they are honorable; they areheaven-bound.

3. It is the winning side. The devilis going down. (Rev. 20:10.) "Andthe world pas seth away, and the lustthereof: but he that doeth the will ofGod abideth forever." (1 John 2:17.)

4. It is the side we will some daywish we had chosen. "N ot everyonethat saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shallenter into the kingdom of heaven; buthe that doeth the will of my Fatherwhich is in heaven." (Matt. 7:21.)

Let us then be on the Lord's side bydoing his will, by serving him faith-fully throughout this life, that we mayhear him say in that great day, "Welldone ... enter thou into the joy of thylord." (Matt. 25:21.)-B.N.

"ENTIRELY UNIMPORTANT?"(continued from page 2)

in each case before, we have citedScripture to sustain the truth and todeny the opening statement. If younow disagree with these Scripturesconcerning the "one church," whatright do you have to demand that Iagree that the blood of Jesus issuperior to the blood of animals? Whyinsist that Christ, not Buddha, is theSavior? After all, if you can denywhat the Bible teaches about thechurch, why cannot someone elsedeny what it teaches about Christbeing the Savior? Surely, you see thatthe Bible is right. You see the truthabout the church- "There is onebody." Now that you see the truth,accept it, believe it, obey it and besaved. (1 Pet. 1:22; Heb. 5:8,9.)- P.O. Box 327, Russellville, Ala.35653.

7

HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE(continued from page 6)

there is present in the text or in thecontext some evidence to the con-trary. When there is evidence sug-gesting that the verse could not meanwhat it says in a literal way, then thelanguage is figurative, but just ascapable of conveying the intendedtruth as if it were literal. In such pas-sages as Psalms 119:28, 164; Luke13:32; Matt. 26:26-27; and 1 Cor. 1:17it is evident that the literal statementis untrue; it follows that the state-ment must be figurative- that is, thewriter's purpose is to say somethingbesides what the literal statementsays.Learning these points and being

aware of them as we study the Biblewill help us much as we try to learn ofGod and His will.-1214 CondoverRoad, Richmond, Virginia 23229.

NO PROGRESSIVE REVELATIONThere are no successors to the

apostles. In order for one to qualify asan apostle, it was necessary for him tobe an eyewitness of the resurrection ofJesus Christ. (Acts 1:22.) And no manwho has lived since the days of theapostles can truthfully lay claim tosuch a qualification. Therefore, everyman who has sat on the papal throneof the Vatican from the post-apostol-ic, apostate age of the origin of RomanCatholicism until the incumbent popemust be justly classified as a usurperand an impostor. This is true also ofthe so-called Council of the Twelve inthe Latter Day Saints denomination.

Upon the demise of the last apostle,the age of inspiration terminated, andfrom that distant day God has defiedman to add ought to his word. Thisforever precludes the possibility ofso-called progressive revelation andpositively proves every such claim tobe altogether spurious and withoutfoundation in the Bible or out of it.From the Isle of Patmos to the pres-ent, the New Testament has been theonly standard of authority by whichto maintain the faith and sustain thechurch. And such is the only possiblehope of preserving the faith inviolatefor future generations and until theend of time.-Charles M.Campbell.Contending For The Faith, FranklinRoad Sermon Series, Vol. II.

I attend church services. I attendthese services regularly. Many do notattend regularly. Many do not attendat all. noes this make any difference?Has God left the matter up to UR todecide? Is God just as pleased whenwe do not attend? These are impor-tant questions. Since I attend churchservices and since I feel that I am obli-gated to attend, I would like toexplain why I attend.

IDo Not Attend For Some ReasonsI do not attend church services in

order to please myself. While I ampleased with the services much of thetime, that is not why I attend. I donot attend church services to be seenof men. I know that I will be seen andI am concerned about my influence,but I do not attend to be seen of men.People, who have this as their motivefor attending, have their reward.(Matt. 6: 1-3.) I do not attend churchservices to visit. While I enjoy beingwith people who attend, visiting is notmy reason for attending. I do not at-tend church services to be enter-tained. Is that not the reason someare not happy with church services?They may well have come for thewrong motive to begin with. Is thisnot the reason for some of the innova-tions in the services? This is still thebest argument I have ever heard forthe use of a mechanical instrument inworship. It sounds good. It pleasesthose who have come to be enter-tained. I do not attend services to fillmy stomach. More and more, I seepeople '.~!-", will confess that they at-tend bec",:.;;;eof what they call fellow-ship but ·••.hich actually is just the eat-ing of a common meal together. Weare told to take care of such matters atsome other place and time. (1 Cor. 11:21,22,34., These are not valid reasonsfor attending church services.

To Obey Christ

Plainly stated. I attend churchservices to obey Christ. I stronglybelieve that I cannot obey Christ insome essentials without attendingchurch services. There are. at least.three commandments which I disobeywhen I do not attend these services"

Curtis E. Flatt

When I do not attend theseservices, I break the commandment toassemble. That is a command: "Notforsaking the assembling of your-selves together, as the manner ofsome is, but exhorting one another:and so much the more, as ye see theday approaching." (Heb. 10:25.) Icannot obey that command withoutattending church services.When 1 do not attend these serv-

ices, I break the commandment tobreak bread-Lo partake of the Lord'ssupper. Jesus said to do this. (Luke22:19.) The apostle Paul, in plain lan-guage, restated this command. (1 Cor.11:24 ,25.) The apostle's exampleteaches us to do this upon the firstday of the week. (Acts 20:7.)When Ido not attend the services of

the church, I break the commandmentto lay by in store upon the first day ofthe week. Few commandments aremore plainly stated: "Upon the firstday of the week let everyone of youlay by him store, as God hath pros-pered him, that there be no gatheringswhen I come." (1 Cor. 16:1.) Thus Iattend church services to obey Christ.

To Grow SpirituallyI attend church services in order to

grow spiritually. The necessary in-gredients for spiritual growth are tobe had at these services. The teachingof God's word takes place at theseservices. (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 14:19;Heb.5:12.) God's word is the food forspiritual growth. (1 Peter 2:2.) Ifsomeone says: "I can study God'sword without attending church serv-ices"; then let it be remembered thatabsence from the things which takeplace in these services makes one to beweak, sickly, and asleep. "For thiscause many are weak and sicklyamong you, and many sleep." (1 Cor.11 :~)O.) If you are interested in beingstrong and healthy and wide awakespiritually, you will be attendingchurch services, too.

To Set A Good ExampleFurthermore, 1 attend church

services in order that I may set a goodexample. We all know that attendingservices does not automatically make

3

one a good example. But we alsoknow that observers are quick to seethat there is not much to our religionif we do not think enough of it to be apart of the gatherings. The poet put itlike this:

Melissa is a Christian,Wonder how I know?

Every time the church bell rings,Melissa's got to go.

This is one of the ways in whichChrist's followers show their loyaltyto him. He said: "If ye love me, keepmy commandments." (John 14:15.)We have heard the statement made bychildren: "Daddy doesn't go. I don'thave to go." I attend church servicesto set a good example.To Contribute To The Functioning Of

The ChurchI attend church services to contrib-

ute to the functioning of the church.Most everyone wants the church tocontinue. Most people want thechurch to be functioning in its mis-sion, or at least in that part of its mis-sion which has to do with the better-ment of society. But without themembers attending the services, thechurch cannot continue long to func-tion in the work of benevolence whichthe Lord assigned to it or in the func-tion of saving souls. When the mem-bers of the church cease to meet andworship and work together, thechurch ceases. A corning together isnot only necessary for a gathering 01the necessary finances and for a plan-ning of work, it is necessary for amaintenance of the work. In the NewTestament the church carne togetherto hear of the work. (Acts 14:27.) It isalso necessary for the church to cometogether for disciplinary action. (1Cor. 5:4.) It is necessary for thechurch to corne together in order tcfunction. I attend church services foithat reason.

How About You?I have explained why I att enc

church services. I am persuaded tha:I have valid reasons to do so. Hovabout you? Can you, from the NevTestament, show why it is not important to attend? -1349 45th St .• W.Birmingham, Alabama 35208.

"But we are sure that the judgmentof God is according to truth againstthem which commit such things. Andthinkest thou this, 0 man, that judg-est them which do such things, anddoest the same, that thou shalt escapethe judgment of God?" (Rom. 2:2-3.)

There may be some things about"the judgment of God" which we willnot comprehend until we stand, inthat final day, before the Christ to bejudged. But there are a number ofthings about it of which we can be cer-tain. The apostle Paul, in the abovepassage of Scripture, says, "But weare sure that the judgment of God isaccording to truth .... " God's Word ofTruth makes a number of thingsabout the judgment very clear.

There Shall Be A Day Of Judgment

" ... He hath appointed a day, in thewhich he shall judge the world inrighteousness by that man whom hehath ordained; whereof he hath givenassurance unto all men, in that hehath raised him from the dead." (Acts17:31.) The Hebrew writer assures usthat judgment is just as certain asdeath. (Hebrews 9:27.)

Although many of us who knowwhat the Bible teaches on this mattermay not conduct our lives in a mannerindicative of our assurance of such, weare certain that there shall come a dayof judgment- no doubt about it!

Every Accountable SoulShall Be There

"Thinkest thou this, 0 man ... thatthou shalt escape the judgment ofGod?" Most people apparently thinkthey shall escape the judgment, butthey are in for a great surprise! Hearthe inspired writers: "So then every-one of us must appear before thejudgment seat of Christ .... " (2 Cor.5:10.) " ... It is appointed unto menonce to die and after this the judg-ment .... " (Heb. 9:27.1 "And I saw thedead, small and great stand beforeGod ... and the dead were judged ... "(Rev. 20:12.)Every one of us has an appoint-

ment at His judgment bar- and we

--_._- ---------------------------_._---

"THE JUDGMENT' OF GOD"

Charles G. Maples, Sr.

shall keep that appointment=- of this"we are sure"! There is no way we can"escape" it. We can only prepare tokeep that appointment.

The Judge Shall Be Christ

The Son of God, who aied in ourstead, and who would now be our Sau-ior shall then be our judge. Note againActs 17:31-God has appointed thatwe shall be judged "by that man ...raised from the dead." The apostlePaul says, as we noted in 2 Corinthi-ans 5:10, that we shall appear beforethe judgment seat of Christ." In Mat-thew 21)::-31 ff Jesus is pictured "on thethrone of his glory ... " and with "allnations" gathered before Him, he will"separate them," placing some on hisright and some on his left- and fromthere all shall be ushered into eternity.

How would you feel if after a judgehad many times offered you full par-don for crimes committed, you shouldcome before him to be sentenced,having rejected his offers of pardon?Millions shall stand before JesusChrist, having rejected, and that formany years, His offers for forgivenessof sins, and hear Him say, "Departfrom me, ye cursed, into everlastingfire ... "! Of this "we are sure" - theChrist who now offers salvation, willthen be our Judge.

There Shall Be One Standard

One of the most generally acceptedphilosophies in the religious world isthat "it doesn't make any difference"what one believes, "just so long asyou are sincere." How often we hear of"the church of your choice" and" thefaith of your choice"; referring to dif-ferent systems of religion. If this wereacceptable unto God, then there couldbe no standard for judgment!However, the Word of God teaches usthat there shall be one standard, bywhich all shall be judged-the Wordof God; not the doctrines of men!Jesus tells us in John 12:48, "He

that rejecteth me, and receiveth notmy words, hath one that judgeth him:the word that I have spoken, the sameshall judge him in the last day." We

4

are warned to stay within "thedoctrine of Christ" (2 John 9), andfind authority in the covenant ("in thename") of Christ for "whatsoever yedo in word or in deed." (Col. 3:17.) Itis by His covenant, the New Testa-ment, we shall be measured! Wecannot then appeal to "what my folkshave always believed," or to "the doc-trines und commandments ofmen"(Matt. 15:9)-of this we are, orshould be, certain!

Preparation Must Come In This LiCe

In the abundance of instructions wehave concerning "the judgment ofGod," at which Lime we will accountfor our conduct in this life (2 Cor.5:10), we are warned that allpreparation for that judgment mustcome before the end of this life!

In Matthew 25:1-13 the five"foolish virgins" simply waited toolate to make preparation; they shouldhave gotten the extra oil earlier, as didthe five "wise virgins." By the timethe foolish virgins had gone to obtainextra oil and returned, "the door wasshut"! It was too late! Just so it shallbe for millions of foolish souls in thatday of judgment!

I know many people who "aim to"make preparations who will probablywait too long; death will overtakethem, or the Lord will call an end totime, and they will be ushered beforeHim to be judged- "unprepared tomeet (their) God"! Jesus concludesthat parable with, "Watch therefore,for ye know neither the day nor thehour wherein the Son of man cometh."(v. 13.) "Now is the accepted time ... "(2 Cor. 6:2.) Make preparations now.It will be too late when you standbefore the Judge-of this we areassured!

Judgment Shall Be Individual

"So then everyone of us shall giveaccount of himself to God." (Rom.14:12.) In the "judgment of God" wecannot hope for someone else to ac-count for our behavior. We shall notbe accredited with the obedient livesof others; no more than we shall be

charged with another's disobedience."Be not deceived; God is not mocked:for whatsoever a man soweth, thatshall he also reap. For he that sowethto his flesh shall of the flesh reap cor-ruption; but he that soweth to theSpirit shall of the Spirit reap life ever-lasting." (Gal. 6:7f.) I shall accountfor my life, and you shall account foryours. Hear the apostle Paul again in2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must allappear before the judgment seat ofChrist; that every one may receive thethings done in his body, according tothat he hath done, whether it be goodor bad." It is your conduct that youshall account for. It is my conductthat I shall account for. Of this weshould be certain!

Eternity Follows

-

There is one other thing about "thejudgment of God" which God hasmade clear, and thus of which "we aresure" - a never-ending eternity fol-lows. If we are admitted into heaven,it shall be for eternity- wonderful! Ifwe are "cast. ..into outer darkness:there shall be weeping and gnashingof teeth"; and that for eternity-horrible!

Some would have you believe thatthe reward of the righteous shall benever-ending, but that the punish-ment of the wicked will be only for amoment; that when they are cast intohell they will be immediately annihi-lated. The Word of God does not soteach; but to the contrary, the punish-ment of the wicked shall be just aslong as the reward of the righteous.Several passages make this clear; butone is sufficient to make us"sure"-~latthew 25:46, "And theseshall go away int.oeverlasting punish-ment: but the righteous into lifeeternal ...

Conclusion

Hear our introduction text again:"Weare sure that the judgment ofGod is according to truth .... " Theonly things concerning the judgmentof which we can be sure is that whichthe Word of Truth reveals. Every manwho is accountable can be sure ofthese things. Being assured of thesematters. may we all make preparationto "stand before the judgment seat ofChrist." -Po O. Box 339, Red Bay,Alabama 35582.

THE POLLUTION OF SINDonald R. Givens

When man is in the devil's terri-tory, doing his bidding, he is wearinga yoke of bondage. In the camp of thedevil we are having fellowship withunrighteousness and are yoked withdarkness. (See 2 Cor. 6:14-18.) Whilein this spiritual bondage we are yokedwith all filthy and ungodly people.Truly, it is the worst kind of pollution,the pollution of our souls in sin.

While a person is wearing the yokeof bondage to sin, he is controlled byhis baser desires, and love of the worldis uppermost in his heart. The HolySpirit through John warns us thatthose who love the pollutions of thisworld will perish, but he that does thewill of God will abide forever. (1 John2:15-17.) Those who mind carnalthings will perish along with theiridols.

If a person will take on the yoke ofobedience to Christ, his love and af-fection will be transferred to spiritualmatters and things of everlasting im-portance. To those who have acceptedthe yoke of Christ, thus throwing offthe pollutions of this age, Paul says:"If ye then be risen with Christ, seekthose things which are above, whereChrist sitteth on the right hand ofGod. Set your affections on thingsabove, not on things on earth." (Col.3:1,2.)

Freedom From Bondage

Those who throw off the yoke ofSatan and cleanse themselves fromthe defilements of this world, will findtrue freedom in Christ. "Stand fasttherefore in the liberty wherewithChrist hath made us free, and be notentangled again with the yoke ofbondage." (Gal. 5:l.) There is a won-derful freedom awaiting those whotake on the yoke of gospel obedience.Jesus declares "you shall know thetruth, and the truth shall make youfree." (John 8:32.) Obeying gospeltruth gives us freedom (Romans 6:16-18), and it purifies our souls fromthe rotten pollution of sin. (1 Peter1:22.)

5

Freedom From The Mire Of Iniquity

Those under the yoke of slavery tosin are engulfed in the pollutions thatmire them. "While they promise themliberty, they themselves are the serv-ants of corruption; for of whom a manis overcome, of the same is he broughtin bondage. For if after they have es-caped the pollution of the worldthrough the knowledge of the Lordand Saviour Jesus Christ, they areagain entangled therein, and over-come, the latter end is worse for themthan the beginning. For it had beenbetter for them not to have known theway of righteousness, than, afterhaving known it, to turn from the holycommandment delivered unto them."(2 Peter 2:19-22.)

What a terrible tragedy it is for onewho has known the cleansing of theword to turn back again to the filthycorruption of the world. The wholecatalog of fleshly pollutions, whichwar against the spirit, is found listedin Galatians, chapter five.

But a beautiful change is effectedwhen we accept the yoke of obedienceto King Jesus. Paul describes it inthese words: "But ye are washed, butye are sanctified, but ye are justifiedin the name of the Lord Jesus, and bythe Spirit of our God." (1 Cor. 6:11.)This sanctification from all worldlypollutions is made possible by belief inChrist, repentance of one's sin,confessing the Master, and immersionin water for the forgiveness of all one'spast transgressions. By gospel obedi-ence, God will separate you from thepollution of sin and you can standforth as a blood-bought citizen of thekingdom, a member of the royalpriesthood and holy nation.

Which will you have? Pollution orcleansing?-2710 21 Ave. S., Leth-bridge, Alberta, Canada.

Men in the face of death have beerheard to utter regret at having beeran atheist, infidel, agnostic, skepticor sinner; but one has never beerheard to say that he regretted being I

Christian.

"Understandest thou what thou readest?"

"How can I, except some man should guide me?"(Acts 8:30, 31.)

VOL. VII NO. 11

HOW NOT TO UNDERSTAND THE WORD OF GODLast month we listed certain ways

not to understand the word of God.Now we call to your attention addi-tional ways that hinder understand-ing, and how we may avoid these hin-drances as we strive to gain a trueknowledge of God's will for us.

A good way not to understand theword of God is to follow haphazardreading practices. Reading where theBible happens to fall open will notbring us to a knowledge of God's will.Due to the manner in which the bookis bound, it may always fall open atthe same places; and under these cir-cumstances we could never learn thecomplete revelation of God. Some-times in great haste people read onlythe shortest chapters, or people readonly favorite passages. These prac-tices could not bring us to an under-standing of God's word. Then some-times people may read only from asense of duty. to count chapters andnot to meditate upon. or to digest andimplant the word of God in one'smemory.

A good u'ay not to understand theword of God is to read it to justifywhat ue uant to do. Balak, the kingof Moab, sent rewards to Balaam tocome and curse the children of Israel,but God told Balaam not to go: "Thoushalt not go with them; thou shalt notcurse the people: for they are blessed."(Num. 22:12.) When Balak sent mes-sengers more honorable, and rewardseven greater, Balaam wanted to go.Though God had told him plainly thathe was not to go, he said to the mes-sengers, "Now therefore, I pray you,tarry ye also here this night, that Imay know what the Lord will say untome more." [Num. 22:19.) It is evidentthat he wanted to go and that hewanted to find some word "more"from the Lord that would justify his

going. If we read the Bible with a prej-udiced mind to justify what we wantto do, it is altogether possible that wewill place the wrong interpretation ona passage to make it say what wewant it to say. Some, wanting tojustify their "social" drinking, refer toPaul's instruction to Timothy, "Drinkno longer water, but use a little winefor thy stomach's sake and thine ofteninfirmities." (1 Tim. 5:23.) Do all thepeople who use this passage to justifytheir drinking have stomach trouble,and do they all no longer drink water?Why would this passage be used sooften and not the ones which stateplainly that the drunkard shall not in-herit the kingdom of God, or the onewhich says that those who have woeare those who tarry at the wine? (1Cor. 6:10; Provo 23:29,30.)

A good way not to understand theword of God is to read it to justifywhat we want to believe. Suppose onewants to justify instrumental music inworship. He could find reference tovarious instruments in a number ofthe Psalms, for example Psalm 98:4-6;but this would no more justify the useof instrumental music in worshipunder the gospel of Christ than itwould the use of burnt offerings, forthey also are referred to in the Psalms,for example, Psalm 51:19. One youngman thought that he had found scrip-tural authority for the use of mechan-ical instruments of music in the NewTestament; but it turned out that hehad a New Testament, with Psalms,and because of a lack of understand-ing he thought that the Psalms were apart of the New Testament. Music inworship authorized in the NewTestament both by example and com-mand is singing. (Matt. 26:30; Eph.5:19; Col. 3:16.) Since we are livingnow under the New Testament, wemust engage in practices authorized

by it, and not by the testaments orcovenants of former times whichserved their purposes and were takenout of the way. (Col. 2:14.)

A good way not to understand theword of God is to show greater inter-est in the speculative and the un-known than in the required and the es-sential. God has made the conditionsof salvation abundantly clear in theNew Testament. Jesus in the days ofhis ministry on earth taught that menmust believe in him or die, that theymust repent or perish, that they mustbe born of water and the Spirit to en-ter into the kingdom of God. (John8:24; Luke 13:3,5; John 3:5.) In giv-ing his great commission he set forththe same requirements, that the peni-tent believer must be baptized in orderto be saved. (Matt. 28:18-20; Luke24:46,47; Mark 16:15,16.) The apos-tles under this commission preachedthe same conditions of salvation forthe alien sinner, as seen in every caseof conversion recorded in the book ofActs. (Acts 2; 8; 9; 10; 11; 16; 18.)Though the requirements of salvationare set forth so plainly, too often menshow little or no interest in these mat-ters while showing great interest inmatters that are speculative and havenothing to do with one' s obtaining theforgiveness of his sins and the salva-tion of his soul. They find great inter-est in taking prophecies of the OldTestament and applying them toevents of the present time, eventhough these prophecies have longsince been fulfilled as God has re-vealed in his word.

A good way not to understand theword of God is to fail to apply theproper rules of interpretation. Instudying the word of God one needsalways to consider each passage with-

(continued on page 7)

etc. - and in every case his faithmoved him to obey the will of God. Hewas then "counted as righteous."With respect to the specific case allud-ed to by Paul in our text, hear Jamesin James 2:21-23, "Was not Abraham

- our father justified by works, when hehad offered Isaac his son upon thealtar? Seest thou how faith wroughtwith his works, and by works wasfaith made perfect? And the scripturewas fulfilled which saith, Abrahambelieved God, and it was imputedunto him for righteousness .... "

Consider the case of those Chris-tians at Rome to whom Paul was writ-ing. "Know ye not, that to whom yeyield yourselves servants to obey,his servants ye are to whom ye obey;whether of sin unto death, or ofobedience unto righteousness? ButGod be thanked, that ye were theservants of sin, but ye have obeyedfrom the heart that form of doctrinewhich was delivered you. Being thenmade free from sin, ye became serv-ants of righteousness." When did God"count" those people righteous? Theyhad to have faith. We read in Romans1O:9f, "If thou shalt confess with thymouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt be-

'-'lieve in thy heart that God hath raisedhim from the dead. thou shalt besaved: for with the heart man belieu-eth unto righ teousness; and with themouth confession is made unto salva-tion." We see also in this that beforethey were counted as righteous, theyhad to confess faith in Jesus as Christ.In the first four verses of Romans sixwe see that they also repented of sinsand were "baptized into JesusChrist. ,. In verse four we are told thatthey were raised to "walk in newnessof life." They were ..then made freefrom sin" and "became the servants ofrighteousness." (vs. 16-18.1

We can thus determine exact lvwhen God counted their faith fo-rrighteousness; and any person todavwho has that same kind of faith will be"counted" by God as "righteous."How is your faith "counted" by Him?If yours is a faith which will lead you:0 the same kind of obedience as was

.aracteristic of Abraham, then your. Ith shall be "counted unto (you) for:Ighteousness. " -1744 Steiner Ave3.W., Birmingham, AI. 35211. .,

HOW NOT TO UNDERSTAND ...(continued from page 1)

in the thought of its context-thatwhich precedes and that which followsin the text. Passages that may be dif-ficult or seemingly obscure are to beinterpreted in harmony with parallelpassages that are clear and unmistak-able. One passage must never be ar-rayed against another, for God doesnot contradict himself. Other factorsof interpretation to be considered are:who is speaking, who is spoken to,who is spoken of, is the language liter-al. is it figurative, etc.?

A good way not to understand theword of God is not to divide it rightly.If one does not have an understandingof the difference between the Old Tes-tament and the New, he would be mis-erably handicapped in coming to anunderstanding of God's will for him inthis dispensation wherein all liveunder the last will and testament ofChrist. One should realize the divi-sions within the New Testament: thatthe first four books were written to es-tablish faith in Christ as the Son ofGod; that the book of Acts shows theestablishment of the church and howthe apostles went out and preachedunder the great commission and whatpeople did in obeying the gospel forthe remission of their sins; that thetwenty-one epistles were written toshow Christians how to conductthemselves and carry on the Lord'swork; that the last book, Revelation,the book of prophecy, was written toencourage the people of God to befaithful, even unto death, for in theend evil will go down, righteousnesswi~l prevail: and God's people, thefaIth!ul, w.IlI have the privilege ofdwelhng WIth the Father amid thejoys of heaven forever and ever.-B.N.

THE FAITHFUL FEWThank you, God, for the faithful fewWho do the things they're asked to do:Who labor and toil in the workAnd never criticize or shirk. '

Who visit the sick and help .the poor,And teach God's word from door to door.Who when prospered, always give,And are concerned with the lifethey live.

Who never miss, but always attend,And will be faithful to the end,That they may enjoy that home aboveWhere all is joy and peace and love. '

-The Examiner, W.Watts, Editor.

7

CONTINUING IN THEPERFECT LAW

(continued from page 3)

Continue To Share It

To really continue in the perfect lawof liberty, there is another thing toconsider. Christians have the obliga-tion of sharing that word. (2 Tim.2:2.) If it is good enough for you, it isgood enough for others. People whoactually continue in the word are peo-ple who share it with others as theyhave ability and opportunity.Do you want the blessings which

are promised of God? They are avail-able to those people who hear andobey his word and then continue in it.-1349 45th St., W., Birmingham, AI.35208.

THE LORD'S SUPPER(continued from page 4)

nation to ourselves, not discerning theLord's body; that is, not viewing thesupper as having representativevalue. Whenever we fail to considerwhat is represented in the elementsthen we fail to discern the body of theLord."For this cause (failing to benefit

from such discernment and reflection-BLG) many are weak and sicklyamong you, and many sleep." (1 Cor.11:30.)-Rt. 6, Box 207, Athens, AI.35611.

GOSPEL IMPERATIVES(continued from page 5)

righteousness." (Acts 17:30,31.)The realization that we must all

stand before Christ in judgmentshould be a powerful incentive to re-pentance. It is a solemn thought. Re-m~mber, we cannot get by with any-thmg. In the courts of men criminalsdo evade justice. But we cannot inChrist's judgment. "All things arenaked and opened unto the eyes ofhim with whom we have to do." (Heb.4:13.) "Wherefore judge nothing be-fore the time, until the Lord comewho will both bring to light the hiddenthings of darkness, and make mani-fest the counsels of the hearts."(1 Cor. 4:5.) This should awaken usall. It should cause sinners to cry"What must we do to be saved?"-':Route 3, Box 192, Athens, AI. 35611.

"THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE" v

If there is anyone reaction to dutycommon to all men, it must beexcuse making! This was man's firstresponse to God's instructions. WhenGod confronted Adam with his dis-obedience, his response was, "The wo-man whom thou gavest to be with me,she gave me of the tree, and I dideat." (Gen. 3:12.) You will note thatAdam did not attempt to deny his dis-obedience, but tried to excuse himselfof responsibility by blaming his wife.And 10, this attitude has passed on toall of his posterity. Ever since thattime men have been "by nature"excuse-makers!

This characteristic was true ofmany other Bible characters. Aarontried to excuse himself of blame forthe idol he had formed, by pleading,"Thou knowest the people, that theyare set on mischief." (Ex. 32:22.)Moses tried to excuse himself fromduty to God with, "I am noteloquent. .. I am slow of speech." (Ex.4: 10.) This was pretty much the re-sponse of Jeremiah to God'sassignment for him, ..... Ah, LordGod: behold, I cannot speak: for Iam a child.tt.Ier. 1:6.) Then considerthose fellows in Luke 14: 18. "They allwith one con- en t began to makeexcuse." When you consider their ali-bis. you might. as others. respond,"How ridiculous:" But they were nomore ridiculous than we areron st a n t ly hearing people rn a k etoday:

But. here is a thought w h ic h Iwould call to your attention about allof those Bible examples. Do you geethe impression that the Lord excusedany of them? No? Then what aboutour (your) excuses?

The title of our theme is an expres-sion found in Romans 1:20. Those towhom the apostle specifically refershere. as being "without excuse" werethose who had known God- butglorified Him not, They received Hisllessings but showed no gratitudetoward Him. They professed to bewise, but were as fools. They hadchanged the glory of God into theimage of inglorious man. (Where Godhad made man in His image; these

Charles G. Maples, Sr.

men had made God in the image ofman!) They had changed the Truth ofGod into lies of men, as in Galatians1:6-9. Though they had known God,they had come to "worship the crea-ture more than the Creator" - theyhad turned from the true God to idols."For this cause God gave them up"!And they were without excuse!

But I believe that in the light ofwhat we have revealed in the contextof this statement, as well as manyother Scriptures, all men who are now,or shall be, eternally lost are, andshall forever be, "without excuse "!

l. The Grace Of God- offering sal-vation "to everyone." (v. 16.) Theapostle Peter says, "God is not willingthat any should perish ... " (2 Pet. 3:9.)Those who are lost are so contrary tothe wishes of God. The apostle Paulsays, "The grace of God that bringethsalvation hath appeared unto all men..." (Titus 2:11.) Those who "shall bepunished with everlasting destructionfrom the presence of the Lord ... " (2Thes. 1:7-9) will not be able to blameGod-they cannot use as an excuse,"God was against me; He didn't wantme to be saved; He didn't provide formy salvation."

II. The Atoning Death Of Christ.The basic facts of .. the gospel ofChrist," to which the apostle refershere. are His death, burial and resur-rection. (1 Cor. 15:lf.) Jesus "gavehimself for us. that he might redeem:"5 from our iniquities ..... (Titus 2:14),and that "while we were yetsinners ..... (Rom. 5:8.) He was willingto pay the price in the stead of everysinner=- "rhe wages of sin is death"!(Rom. 6:23.)

I n so far as most people (Matt.'i :13f) are concerned "Christ died invain." for. although He died in theirstead, they reject His offer of salva-tion - they will not submit to His will,by which they could be "baptized intohis death," and be raised to "walk innewness of life." (Rom. 6:3f.)

But, will they be excused? Jesuspleads, "Come unto me, all ve thatlabor and are heavy laden ... '" (Matt.

4

-- --~-------------

11:28.) As with "Jerusalem," Heinvites and pleads, but they "willnot"! (Matt. 23:37.) They are withoutexcuse!

III. The Revelation-complete andclear-of what the Lord requires ofthem to be saved. No accountablecreature will be able to plead ignor-ance as an excuse. If they do notknow, it is not Heaven's fault. Theycan know, for in "the gospel...thepower of God unto salvation" isrevealed both the wrath of God andthe righteousness of God. The Psalm-ist declares, ..... all thy command-ments are righteousness," (Ps.119: 172.) In the gospel is revealed allthe requirements of the alien: (1)That he must have faith in Jesus asthe Christ (John 8:24); (2) he mustrepent of his sins (Acts 2:38); (3) he isto confess his faith in Christ beforemen (Rom. 10:9f; Matt. 10:320;(4) he must be baptized unto theremission of his sins. (Acts 2:38.) Inthe gospel is also revealed Hiscomplete guide for the child of God forworship, work and daily living. (2Tim. 3:16£.) No one will be excused onthe basis of ignorance. God has madeknown His will, and we are charged to"read" (Eph. 3:3f), "study" (2 Tim.2:15), that we "be not unwise, butunderstanding what the will of theLord is." (Eph. 5:17.)

IV. God's Warnings - revealedin the gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:18),will leave "without excuse" thosewho wind up in "the lake that burnethwith fire and brimstone." (Rev. 21:8.)They will not be excused because theywere not sufficiently warned! HearHim: " ... depart from me, ye thatwork iniquity" (Matt. 7:23); "cast yethe unprofitable servant into outerdarkness: there shall be weeping andgnashing of teeth" (Matt. 25:30);" ... these shall go away intoeverlasting punishment" (Matt.25:46); ..... the Lord shall be revealedfrom heaven with his mighty angels,in flaming fire, taking vengeance onthem that know not God, and obeynot the gospel of our Lord Jesus

(continued on page 7)

E YOU AFRAID OF THE TRUTH?Tom Moody

22 we read of a wickedamed Ahab. Ahab, king ofdecided that he wanted theRamoth in Gilead. This wouldmore conquest to add to hiside. Ahab called King Jehosha-ing of Judah, and asked him tohim to take Ramoth in Gilead.ehoshaphat had more respectd than did King Ahab; heIt that before they went tothey should first see whatwill was. To humor Jehosha-King Ahab gathered foursd of his own prophets andthem about going into battle.rse, they told him it would bewas the Lord's will that theygo. (v. 6.) Jehoshaphat knewey were "yes men," that theyray what Ahab wanted to hear;anted to hear another prophet.

1 Jehoshaphat said, Is theree a prophet of the Lord besides,

.«ht enquire of him? "Andh'- Israel said unto Jehosha-'here is yet one man, Micaiah,I of Imlah. by whom we may~of the Lord: but I hate him;doth not prophesy good

iing me, but evil." (1 Kings

ce Ahab's answer. He did note prophet of God because he-vil about him: Does that soundr? Do you know someone whotins that the preacher "preaches.? Have you ever gotten a little-d "'hen the preacher "preached"" Did you ever stop to thinkvou "'ould stop sinning thatthe preacher would then stop

at YOu",? If old Ahab hadto d.; God's will. Micaiah

!:ad good things to proph-~ ~t Ahab did not want

.-lL ~ wanted to sin.die !::.:~.. ~Ecaiah told_ .~: :.: battle. he

.::1••••111... _"-.:...l..:: ... -=-::: :::-.y·••.'ay:: God.

Good Preachers Want To Help

Ahab did not realize that Micaiahwas trying to help him. Many todaydo not realize that preachers and otherfaithful Christians are trying to helpthem. Preachers are not winning anypopularity contests by confrontingpeople with their sins. Good preachersare not trying to win any popularitycontests, but are simply trying to helppeople get to heaven. Sadly, Micaiahwas not able to help Ahah, becauseAhab was so afraid of truth that hewould not even talk to Micaiah aboutit.

There are those today who do notwant to talk with their best friends ormembers of their families w han itcomes to a religious subject. Why?? Isit because they, like Felix of Acts24:24·25, are so afraid of truth thatthey tremble when they hear it? Whyshould anyone be afraid of examininghis religious beliefs by the word ofGod? If you have the truth, you havenothing to fear by examination. If youare wrong, you have everything togain by learning of your error and cor-recting it.

Do not have the attitude of old KingAhab who hated the man who"preached at him" or of Felix who wasso terrified at truth that he could notstand to hear it; but have the attitudeexpressed by Isaiah as he wrote byinspiration, "Come now, let us reasontogether, saith the Lord: though yoursins be as scarlet, they shall be aswhite as snow; though they be red likecrimson, they shall be as wool."(Isaiah 1:18.)-Box 21, Brilliant,Alabama 35548.

HOW DOES THE BIBLE ... ?(continued from page 5)

upon churches to finance them. Thechurch itself should do all the workGod designed it for. Neither shouldthe church devise methods for doingthings that do not belong to her mis-sion; for instance, athletics, socialmeals, entertainment, halloween par-ties, etc. There is no scripturalmethod for doing something the scrip-tures do not authorize- somethingnot in the divine pattern. -- Route :1,Box 175-A, Athens, Alabama 35611.

7

"THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE"(continued from page 4)

Christ, who shall be punished witheverlasting destruction from thepresence of the Lord, and from theglory of his power." (2 Thes. 1:7-9.)Indeed, if we heed not these warnings,we shall be "without excuse"!

V. God's Longsuffering will leaveevery lost soul "without excuse."They will not be excused with "Ididn't have time." The apostle Peterstates in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is notslack concerning his promise, as somemen count slackness; but is longsuf-[ering to us-ward, not willing that anyshould perish, but that all shouldcome to repentance."

Dear reader, the fact that you arestill alive, able to read this, is an ex-pression of God's longsuffering-wanting you to prepare for eternity!He says, ..... now is the accepted time:behold now is the day of salvation." (2Cor. 6:2.) And, through James (4:13)He warns, •.... whereas ye know notwhat shall be on the morrow. Forwhat is your life? It is even a vapor,that appeareth for a little time, andthen vanisheth away." 'Watch there-fore, for ye know neither the day northe hour wherein the Son of mancometh"! (Matt. 25: 13.)

If you or I should be condemnedwhen we stand before the great Judge,who now offers salvation, we will in-deed be without excuse-we shall be"speechless"! (Matt. 22:12.)-P. O.Box 32}9. Red Bay, Alabama :35582.

"This book (Acts) is, therefore, awitness of apostolic doctrine andprimitive Christianity; a rule andguide for the government, discipline,and the order of the Church; an armywhich furnishes the Church withweapons in its conflict with antichrist;a repository that offers a remedy forevery soul-destroying disease engen-der~d by errors in the faith andoffences in the life and conduct ofmen; a storehouse which abundantlynourishes faith, patience and hope; amirror and a stimulus, promoting loveand its appropriate works; a treasuryabounding in learning and sound doc-trine." =Stark e, quoted in Lange'sActs, int., p. 2.