the voice of truth international, volume 42

8/8/2019 The Voice of Truth International, Volume 42

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'1 hou the WayEach time 1 sveak :t what 1 sav

" Be of Thy ~ o t d ,That those who Listen shall be blessed

For having heard.

L Of what I do let every moveBe first a prayerlThat in my touch of other hearts

1shall not err.

I nd when I walk my feet shall takeThy Chosen Way,

That those who hold my hand shall notBe led astray!


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A W O R D . .

Parents often make the mistake of thinking that the work they are doingwith their "minors" is also minor, that nothing counts much until the childrenare all grown up; but it is a rock-hard fact that they are becoming what weare talking, training, and living before them now, while they are still moldablematerial: Parents are in the process of rearing adults.

S TA F F :

Editor-Idhief: J.C. ChoateManaglng EdHoc Byron NicholsLayout Editors: Betty Burton Choate

Barbara A. OliverArt Consultant: Steven B. ChoateComputer Consultant: Bradley S. ChoatePmmotlon: Colin McKee, Bobby Tillman,

Sudh ir Mendiratta, Dale Grissom,Oran Rhodes, Mark Posey,Ray Bryan, Bob Marshall,Ken Willis, Dennis Larson,Don Hinds, Charles Salmon,Buck Davenport, James Warren.

Associate Editors for Foreign Editions:Roger Dickson, South AfricaSunny David, IndiaReggie Gnanasundaram, Sri LankaHenry Kong, SingaporeReuben Emperado, PhilippinesStephen Randall, AustraliaRod Kyle, New Zealand

THE VOICE OF TRUTH NTERNATIONAL ispublished by churches of Christ, as a non-profit effort.J.C. Choate (editor) P.O. Box 72, Winona, MS 38967,U.S.A.; Phone: 601-2831192; ax: 601-2831191.

In lieu of a subscription rate, a donation of$4.00 is suggested for single issues, $12.00 for fourissues. Make checks payable to World EvangellsmFoundation, and mail to Byron Nichols,2148 N.National, Sprlngfleld,M O 65803; Telephone: 4174362-7772.

Changes of address and articles for publicationshould also be sent to Byron Nlchols in Springfield.Please be sum to Include both old end new addressesso that the computer record can be corrected.

Readers' requests for articles on particular sub-jects will be considered. Comments and suggestionsregarding he content and appearance of the magazinewill be appreciated. Our goal is to strive for excellence.

George Akpa bl~W.T. All~sonO.P. BawdLeon BarnesWayne Ba n~ erRoy BeasleyV.P. BlackMa x~e . BorenT. P~ er ce rownRon BryantSalvador Car~ag aJack W. Carte r

Da v~d hadwellFrank ChesserBetty Burton ChoateJe r~l llneCharle s E. CobbGlenn ColleyWillard CollinsOwen CosgroveSunny Dav~dJerry Dav ~dso nHans Dederscheck

Da v~d effenbaughClarence DeLoach, Jr.Roger DlcksonB ~ l l ~ llo nBobby G. DockeryEarl EdwardsDemar ElamReuben EmperadoGarell L. ForehandRoyce Frede r~ckE. Claude Gardne rR. GnanasundaramMark HallGary C. HamptonJack Harr~manW. Douglass Harrls

Ray HawkGordon HoganTom HollandWayne JacksonAncil JenkinsDan JenkinsJerry JenkinsJimmy JividenDayton KeeseeTom KeltonDalton KeyMichael L. King

Mack LyonAvon MaloneCecil May. Jr.Bill McFarlandDon McWhorterJane McWhorterHollis M illerWayne MillerTim NicholsBill NicksFenter Northern

Don L. NorwoodBasil OvertonFrances ParrMax PattersonClayton PepperDavid PharrHarvey PorterG. F. RainesEulene RamseyJohn ThiesenBetty TuckerKen TylerDo n W. WalkerTex WilliamsWilliam Woodson


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J. C. CHOATEEDITOR IN -CHIEFToday's religious world is more

confused than ever. There are notonly all kinds of religions, church-

es, and cults, but added to this isfanaticism, liberalism, and material-

ism. To many who consider only the surface, it seems impossible to siftthrough the doctrines and to determine which is true and which is false. Nowonder so many give up and become unbelievers.

Most overlook the fact that we can bypass all of this confusion by goingdirectly to the Bible to learn the real and genuine truth of God. Why listen

to man, and blindly read his writings, when we can hear the Lord Himselfspeak through his word?In the Scriptures God has revealed His will for one and all. It is a pat-

tern, a set of blue prints, instructing us in all things pertaining to life andgodliness. The Bible is so simple and to the point that any person canunderstand and follow its teachings, if he is only seeking to do God's will.

Those who go to that inspired Book will learn the beautiful truths ofcreation and how God has dealt with man through history. The story contin-

ues with the virgin birth of Christ who lived among men, died on the crossfor the sins of the world, and arose from the grave as a resurrected Lord.The careful reader will learn of the gospel of Christ, the good news of salva-tion, the church that Jesus built, the kind of worship the Lord wants, the lifethe Christian must live, and the reward of eternal life in heaven for thosewho are faithful.


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Why wade through all the filth,rubbish, false teachings, philoso-

phies, and propaganda of yesterdayand today when it is possible tobypass that in favor of God's word,the truth, and the one and only way/ that leads to heaven?

But don't all religions claim toI be 'truth '? Perhaps they wouldI make that claim, but their teachings

1 are not supported by God's word.There is only ONE book of God,1 ONE truth, ONE Lord, ONE faith,

ONE church, ONE gospel, ONE

I name, ONE worship, and ONE way.These did not originate with me, oryou, or any man. It is the one and

only divine way, given by God forall to follow. Whether we travelthat way will depend on who wedecide to follow.

As Christians we accept Christwithout reservation as the Son ofGod, the resurrected Lord, as ourLord and Master, our Saviour who

reigns in heaven as King of kingsand Lord of lords, having all powerand authority in heaven and earth.Because we accept H im as such, webelieve in Him, in His words andHis promises. We believe that oneday He will return to receive us unto

Himself so that where Heis

we willbe and will abide with Him forever.Christians choose not to rever-

ence any man or school, or to suc-cumb to any movement, but to fol-low Christ only. We are pledged

not to accept any book but theBible, not to be a member of any

church but the one which belongs tothe Lord, not to wear any name butthe name of Christ, not to bow inworship to anyone else or anythingelse but the Lord, and not to liveany life but the faithful Christianlife.

How can anyone improve onthat choice? What would be betteror more rewarding?

But is this idealism possible?Certainly it is. The Christian life, astaught in the New Testament, issimple and to the point. Why?Because the Lord wants us to be

saved, not burdened down with rnis-understanding and confusion, won-dering what His will really is.

This is our plea to all peoplearound the world. By accepting andfollowing the Lord only, we will beunited since the Lord Himselfprayed, "that they all m ay be one,as You, Father, are in Me and I inYou; that they also may be one inUs, that the world may believe thatYou sent Me.

"And the glory which You gaveMe I have given them, that they m ybe one just as We are one:

" I

in them and You in Me; thatthey may be made perfect in one,and that the world may know thatYou have sent Me, and have lovedthem as You have loved Me" (John17:21-23). B


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O F TS

Byron NicholsManaging Editor

There is great value intruth. Surely truth is one of

the greatest commodities inthe world. Truth is so very

important that Jesus identified Himself as the personification ofit. The Lord said in John 14:6,"I am the way, and the truth,and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me."Solomon's wisdom led him to recognize the value of truth. He

admonished, "Buy the truth, and sell it not. . . . "

(Proverbs23:23). In spite of its remarkable value, truth becomes of noeffect if it is not made known. Truth cannot speak for itself, itcannot speak in its own behalf, it cannot tell what it wants said,it cannot make itself known- t is dependent upon us to dothese things for it.

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make youfree" (John 8:32). Notice that Jesus here said that freedomresults fi-om truth. Freedom is exceedingly important to everyperson in the whole world; thus truth is of the greatest impor-tance.

The church has been charged with the responsibility of4


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revealing the truth to others.J e sus com m iss ioned us t opreach the Gospel (the Truth)to the whole creation, makingdisciples and baptizing people

, in all nations (M atthew 28:18-I 20 ; M ark 16:15,16). Jesus

Iimplored the Father in behalfof His disciples , "Sanctify

1 them in the truth: thy word isItruth " (John 17:17). If peopleare to be sanctif ied by thetruth, God's Word, they mustbecome aware of the truth.The t ru th must be g iven a

voice, and Christians are that4 voice.

In Ephes ians 1: 13 PaulI calls that word of truth "the

gospel of your salvation. "Withou t hav ing hea rd theword of truth those EphesianChristians would not have hadan opportunity for salvation.Chr i s t i ans a r e Chr i s t i ansbecause they have learned andobeyed the truth. Those whoare no t Chr i s t i ans a re no t

Christians because they eitherhave not had the truth madeknown to them, or they haverejected the truth.

David dec la red tha t he

had no t se l f i sh ly h iddenGod's truth, but he had madethat truth known (Psalm 40:7-

10). Can we, as God's chil-dren today, do anything lessthan tha t? D are w e a l lowGod's truth to lie silently hid-den in our church buildings,or even in our hearts, while

the world plunges headlonginto eternity without a savingknowledge of that truth? Wemust become truth's voice.

There is a growing num-ber of people who believe that

there is no such thing as truththat is absolute and unchang-ing. It is bewildering to thinkthat such could possibly bethe case, but there are evenfolks within the church whohave yielded to this erroneousthinking. It is astounding tothink that anyone who says hebelieves in God and believesthe Bible could also believethat truth changes, that wereally cannot know anything.

The reason tha t th i s i s soastounding is the fact that theBible uses the word "know"and its related word forms lit-erally hundreds of times. If


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tru th is no t absolu te, if we welfare of the church dependscannot really know anything, large ly upon tho se who aresurely we must totally reject the elders, bishops, pastors,

the Bible, because it continu- ove rs eers . G od 's insp ir edally affirms tha tw ec an kn ow Word has charg ed eac h o fmany things, and that truth is these men with theresponsi-absolute and unchanging. b il ity o f "ho ld ing fa st t he

Christians must stand for faithful word as he has beentruth. We must be the voice taught, that he may be able,of truth. We must be willing by sound doctr ine, both toto live up to our commitment exhort and to convict thoseto stand with Jesus. Remem- who contradict" (Titus 1 9).ber, He said that we are either Elders, please lead us by yourfor Him or against Him example in standing for truth(Matthew 12:30). Someone and against error. Please leadhas said, "He who stands for us in being the voice of truth.n o th in g w ill f al l fo r an y- Please also lead us in doingthing." Surely that statement th e se th in g s " i n l o v e"has some validity. It is our re- (Ephesians4: 15).sponsibility to stand with and As great as truth is,it can-for Jesus and truth. not speak for itsel$ Truth can

While it is true that every save ,but on ly i f i t i s pro-

Christian is required to stand claimed by people. As God'sfor and speak up for truth, this children, we possess tremen-is especially so in the case of dous power- e possess thethose who serve as elders in truth of God. However, wethe church. God's people are can diminish the power of thefacing greater struggles today tru th by not sharin g it an d

than ever before in the entire declaring it. W hat a tragedy itlifetime of nearly all in the will be if we do not becomechurch. Please understand the voiceof truth so that soulsvery clearly- he situation is for whom Christ died can benot hopeless. However, the saved! 6

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

GODIn Defense of Jesus ...................... 9

..................orgiveness in Christ 11Is Your God on Welfare? ............. 1 3

......................hat Is God Like? 1 5I Stand Amazed .......................... 1 7

EVIDENCES

Jesus Christ: Fact or Fantasy? ..... 1 9Christianity Is True Because . . . . . 2 1

......................et There Be Light 24THE WOR D OF GOD

Love the Truth ............................ 27Is It or Isn't It? ........................... 29

.....................he Sacred Writing 3 0The Silence of the Scriptures ....... 32

.....................he Book of Books 3 3

DOCTRINE TO LIVE BYPrecious Faith ............................ 3 6Our King Is Coming ..................... 3 8

.....................aith Is Our Victory 4 0Go From Left to Right .................. 42Matthew 19:9 and Divine ......... 4 4

The Purpose for Church Discipline .. 46...ntroducing the Church of Christ 47

Obey Them Which Have the Rule ..49...omen As Elders and Deacons 5 1

DAILY CHRISTIAN IVING..........less the Feet of Those 53

.........New Word An Old Idea 55..............he Most Beautiful Fruit 56

......................................Smile 59When You Pray ........................... 6 1His Precious Promises ................ 63

..................essons from Nature 65

THE CHRISTIAN OMEA Good Husband ........................ 6 8The Power of Mothers ................. 70

Marriages Are Important .............. 72The Ideal Family ......................... 74

CHRISTIAN~TY N ACTION

Do We Really Care for the . . . ... 7 6..................ne Woman's Efforts 79

........en's Hearts Provide Soil 8 1..........eet for the Master's Use 8 3

S A LVAT I O N

.....................ur Need for Jesus 85..................alvation. God's Way 8 7........inding "Heart-Felt" Religion 9 0

..............he Seed and the Soil 92...ust Good Morals Do Not Make 95

TEXTUAL T U D I E S.........................lessed Be God 9 6

.............ome Thoughts on Unity 9 9

CHARTS AND OuTLfNESDespised and Rejected of en .. 100

..........he Purpose of Preaching 1 0 1.....................Rules to Live By 103

BIBLE QUESTIONS

.........id the Witch of En-Dor 105............hat Is the NT Church? 106

POEMS AND WRITINGS.....................ou Cannot Say "I" 1 0....................s Christianity Free? 1 4

.......................hough the Cross 20.............................od's Church 48.............................ight My Light 5 8

............................f I Thought 6 0...................iving the Way I Pray 6 2

A Lesson from the Spider ............ 64What Is a Mother? ...................... 67

...................s There a Way Out? 67What God Gives a Boy or Girl ....... 7 1

................hen the Story Is Told 75.............he Doorkeeper's Prayer 8 0

............................his Is for You 8 6Wonderful Amazing Grace ............ 8 9

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I Met the Strangest Man ............. 9 4If Jesus Came .......................... 104

FEATURES

Bible Word Power ....................... 25Puzzle from Ephesians ................ 35Quick Commentary ..................... 45Who Am I? ................................ 52Verse Search ............................. 8 4Puzzle Answers ............... Back Page

FROM HE H E A RT F . . .China .................................... -7The Involvement ....................... 111

HOW IMPORTANT ISTHIS MAGAZINE?

NEVER AS THE N E W FOR

KNOWING A ND DEFENDING THETRUTH BEEN GREATER TH AN IN

OUR PRES ENT AGE. ATHEISM,

H U M A N I S M , PA G A N I S M , A N DIGNORANCE AR E O N TH E RISE,

GAINING NEW STRENOTH.A IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE

L O R D ' S EOPLE EQUIP THEM -S E LV E S W I T H A T HO RO U GH

KNOWLEDGE OF H IS WORD, TO

P R O T E C T T H E M S E LV E S A ND

THEIR FAMILIES FROM BEING LE D

INTO ERROR. THAT IS ONE OFT H E P R I M A RY P U R P O S E S O F

THIS MAGAZINE.

THE S E C O N D G R E AT P U R -POSE FOR m E VOICE OF TRUTH

INTERNATIONAL S THAT IT MAY

BE USED AS A N EVANGELISTIC

TO O L F O R C H U R C H E S O F

CHRIST T H R O U G H O U T T H E

WORLD. *STUDY TO TEACH*

SHOULD BE OUR WATCHWO RD.

GOD HELP US TO HAVE A CON-SCIENCE FOR SOULS.

X C


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--We are told to be "ready to

give an answer (apology, defense)for the hope that is in us, yet w ithmeekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15).Paul was "set for the defense (sameword) of the gospel" (Philippians1 : 7). There are three charges madeagainst Jesus , based on John 2,which need replies: (1 ) that He was

rude to His mother; (2) that He wasan ascetic; and (3) that He encour-aged social drinking.

(1) At the wedding feast inCana of Galilee, His mother said toHim, "They have no wine" (John2:3). In reply, Jesus said, "Woman,

what have I to do with thee? Minehour is not yet come. " The word"woman" as used in Matthew15:28;Luke 22:57; and John 19:26 "is by

In no means disrespectful, but there isno satisfactory English equivalentfor it" (Shor te r Lex icon o f theG r e e k N e w Te s t a m e n t , byGingrich). Gingrich says it "is best

Defenseto omit the word in translation."However, most translators use theword "woman" in the sense of anyadult female. This is not disrespect-ful when we use it in the sense of"lady." W hen Jesus was on the

' f Jesuscross, He addressed His mother,"W om an , beho ld thy son ; son ,behold thy mother. " T h e s a m eword is used, and He was showingutmost concern for the welfare of

Bill Nicks His mother after His death.


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(2) One definition of an asceticis one who l ives as a monk, or a

hermit. Jesus certainly did not livethat kind of life, but show ed us whatit means to be the "salt of the earthand the light of the world" by livingamong men and influencing themwith His life and His teaching. Heencouraged marriage by attendingthis wedding feast in Cana; thus, asGod, He was in the home circle, glo-rifying the ordinary life of humans.He joined in the festivities, drankwine, and was not opposed to show-ing joy at the proper time.

(3) Jesus is often charged withencouraging social drinking of alco-

holic beverages. Did He change thewater into between 108 and 162 gal-lons of liquor for this feast? The

very tho ug ht is r idiculous! Theword for wine ("oinos") has a good

and bad use. The good use: winewas nutr i t ious , and when mixedwith wa ter, was non-alcoholic. Itrepresented prosperity, as "wine inthe cluster" (Isaiah 6 5 9 ). Its baduse is typified by the many warn-ings aga ins t drunkenness , as inP r o v e r b s 2 0 : l ; 2 3 : 2 9 - 3 5 ; a n dEphesians 5:18. We conclude thatthe "good wine, " as the governor ofthe feast called it, was non-alco-holic. Would the Prohibitor opposeHis own teaching, and encouraget h a t w h i c h w o u l d l e a d m e n t odrunkenness? Q

Bill Nicks is a former missionary toAfrica and is now serving on theisland of Trinidad in the West Indies.

You Cannot Say "I"You cannot say the Lord's prayer

And even once say "I,"You cannot pray the Lord's prayer

And even once say "My,"Nor can you pray the Lord's prayer

And not pray for one another;For when you ask for daily bread

You must include your brother,

For others are included in each and every plea,

From beginning to the end of it

It does not once say "Me!" - Anonymous1 0


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Hans J. Dederscheck

Forgiveness is to be definedas"to remit, to cancel, or a remissionof a debt" (Psalm 32:l; Matthew9:2; Luke 7:48). As we talk aboutremission of sins and forgivenesswe also need to refer to the expres-sion of "not to impufe" (Numbers12: l l ) .

Thus, forgiveness is seen as theact of the Lord which puts an end to

the unhappy s i tua t ion c rea t edthrough the transgression of God'slaws by disobedient men, a situationthat is offensive to God Almightyand which is grievous to man. Sindes t roys the r ea l r e l a t ionsh ipbetween a holy God and man. Man,as such, cannot do much to obtainthe forgiveness of sins. Here it isGod who acts in full sovereignty.In His mercy and longsuffering Herefuses to execute a judgment whichis deserved, and He grants man areprieve.

In the New Testament, empha-

sis is placed on the unmerited char-ac t e r o f fo rg iveness . M a t thew18 :23-35 g ives us an exce l l en texample of God's forgiveness ofs i n s . S i n f u l h u m a n b e i n g s a r eunable to rehabilitate themselves

before God. Man cannot save him-self. "And they were astonished outo f measure , saying am ong them-selves, 'Who then can be saved?'And Jesus looking upon them said,'With men it is impossible, but notwith God: for with G od all thingsare possible'" (Mark 10:26,27).

God loves man and wants toforgive him his transgressions if he

fulfills the conditions to obtain theforgiveness of sin through God'sgrace . "Th y s ins a re forg iven"(Mark 2:5). The forgiveness of sinsis the good news to men as a freegift from God if man accepts thecond i t ions God g ran ted : f a i th ,repentance, confession of faith, andbap t i sm in wa te r (Ac t s 2 :38 ;Romans 6:l-10 ). God is lookingforward to seeing man return to thefa the r ly home (Luke 15 : l l -32 ) .God 's compassion makes it possiblefo r man to r e tu rn to God eventhough he is an unworthy creature.

His return to the paternal home andto life makes it possible for fallenman to be restored.

Forgiveness of sins and restora-t ion of l i fe would be impossiblewithout Jesus Christ , the Son of


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God. Only Christ has the power toforgive sins. The death of Christ is

presented as a redemptive act whichmakes possible the remission ofsins. Jesus said: "For even the Sonof man came not to be ministeredunto, but to minister, and to give hisl i fe a ransom for ma ny" (Mark1 0 : 4 5 ) . O n l y J e s u s C h r i s t c a nrestore a spiritual life through Hisforgiveness of sins. Thanks to Him,every sin will be forgiven, exceptthe sin against the Holy Spirit.

As we look upon the church ofthe Christ, we will see that the for-giveness of sins is related to Christand the Christian life. This grace is

specia lly s ignif icant in bapt ism."Th en Pe te r s a id un to them ,'Repent, and be baptized every oneof you in the name of Jesus Christfor the rem ission of sins, and yeshall receive the gift of the HolyGhost"' (Acts 2:38). "And thatrepentance and remission of sinsshould be preach ed in his nameamong al l nat ions . . . . " (Luke24:47). Paul said: "Therefore weare buried with him (Jesus Christ)by baptism into death . . . knowingthis, that our old man is cruci;fiedwith him, that the boa'y of sin might

be destroyed, that henceforth weshould no t se rve s in" ( R o m a n s6:l-10).

It is a must for Christians to

Christian community is that of apermanent forgiveness of sins. It is

impossible to please God withoutforgiving others their transgressions(Matthew 6:12-14; 18:21-35; Mark11 25). "And when ye stand pray-ing , fo rg ive , i f y e h a v e o u g h tagainst any: that your Father alsowhich is in heaven may forgive youyour trespasses. But i fy o u do notforgive, neither will your Fatherwhich is in heaven forgive yourtrespasses."

There is no way to l ive withGod's forgiveness without forgivingthe sins of our fellow men. Thus forthe church of Christ forgiveness

does not concern only the things ofthe past. It is the living action ofGod which man knows in forgive-ness and which unceasingly opensthe future to him.

"In whom we have redemptionthrough his blood, even the forgive-ness of sins" (Colossians 1:14). "Inwhom we have redemption throughhis blood, the forgiveness of sins,acco rd ing to t he r i ches o f h i sgrace" (Ephesians 17). As God inChrist forgave our sins, so it is amust to forgive the sins of our fel-lowmen. It is impossible to imagine

a Christian community without apermanent forgiveness of sin fromall our heart. 8

forgive the sins of those who offend Hans J. Dederscheck is a n evangelistthem. The real a tmosphere of a in Vienna, Austria.


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He needso u r f u l -lest love,

W.T. Allison d e e p e s taffection,

and most sincere dedication. He w ants us to live for Him twenty-four hoursa day for all the days of our lives. But as for occasional donations to flatter

His pride, or some gift to appease His wrath, He can get along fine withoutthem.

Yet, it is surprising how many people think that God needs charity, orthat He seeks the "left-overs" and the "hand-me-downs," or thatHe should


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be sa t i s f ied wi th a token of ourtime, money, love, and energy-just the "souvenirs" of our lives.

Some feel that after they havemade their contribution on Sunday,o r v i si ted s ome s i ck pe rs on , o rtaught a Bible class that they have"done the i r good deed fo r theweek." Th ey have g iven to a"needy one" an d now the con-science may be at rest until the nex tdivine emergency arises.

In the m eant ime, everyth ingbelongs to us. Time is ours to useas we might see fit. Money is oursto spend as we desire. The bodybelongs to us and we can use it aswe please.

How different is the "GOD ONRELIEF" from the God of the heart!To the real Christian pure religion

does not consist of almsgiving, butof com plete, total, and full commit-men t to Him . The t rue bel ieverseeks Him with the whole heart .The life he lives in Christ has slainselfishness and his life is ". . . hidwith Christ in God" (Colossians3:3). He loves the Lord with ". . .al l t he hea r t , sou l , mind , andstrength" (Mark 12:30). His wholelife is spent is preparing himself andperforming greater service to Christ.

W h a t k i n d o f G o d d o y o userve? Is your God on "welfare," o rdoes He reign in your heart? DoesHe get a mere token obedience, or afull commitment? Is He an object ofcharity, or the Master of your life? B

W. T. Allison is the preacher for theCreekwood Church of Christ in Mo-bile, Alabama, U. S. A.

less than our ". . . bodies a living sacrifice . . . ."A token in money or time or talents or otherpossessions will not be accepted either. If we

follow the rule in force since the earliest recordin the Scriptures, we will not dare to give lessthan one-tenth - nd then our joyous and thank-ful hearts will look carefully to see what more we

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behold, thou art there. I f I take the

best pictureof the Crea

The Bib le behold, thou art there. If1 take thedeclares the ex- wings of the morn-

is tence of God ing , and dwel l inthe uttermost partso f t he s ea ; Eventhere shalt thy handl ead me" (Psalm

ed the heavenand the earth " (Genesis

The human mind can- took his little son with him tonot fully comprehend the steal some corn. As the manmeaning of God. The prepared to put the corn inbest picture man has the bag, he looked aroundof the Creator is in to s ee i f anyone wasthe person of His watching. The little boySon, Jesus Chr is t , replied, "Daddy, you did-who said, "He tha t n't look in one direction."hath seen me hath Frightened lest the boy had

seen som eone, the fatherasked, "Where? Where?"The son answered, "Daddy,you didn't look up." The

to Christ. In de-scribing an acceptable mannerof prayer, the Lord told the dis--ciples to "enter into thine inner cham- hide their sins from each other, butber, and having shut the door, pray to God Sees and knows everything.thy Father who is in secret, and the TI~ere re eyes above which watchFather who seeth in secret shall rec- o w conduct.

ompense thee" (Matthew6:6) . God M akes Heaven PossibleDavid recognized the omnipres- In describing the judgment toence of God, because he wrote: 'Yf come, the Lord revealed Jehovah asI ascend up into heaven, thou art the one who makes heaven possible.there: i f l make my bed in Sheol, The saved in that day of decision

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wi l l r e ce ive t he m essage , ". . .Come, ye bles sed of my Father,inherit the kingdom prepared foryou from the foun dation of theworld" (Matthew 25 :34).

A seventy-five year old friendof mine told me recently that shewas just waiting to live in a happierexistence. This lady has been sub-missive to God for fifty-six years,and she i s happy because o f herhope in the future. Heaven seemsnearer to her now than it did fiftyyears ago.

I read a story of a ship whichwas being tossed about by the w indsand waves of the sea. Passengerswere frantic; that is, all but one little

girl who sat calmly in her cabin.Another passenger asked her, "Whyare you not fiightened?'The childreplied, "Because my daddy is cap-tain of the ship."

Christ , the captain, can leadman to heaven, the existence madepossible by God for His children.

God Th e FatherJesus and Paul referred to God

as the Father. There are one hun-dred sixty-one instances recorded inthe New Testament in which Christreferred to God as Father. Paulwrote to the members of the churchin Corinth, "Yet to us there is oneGod, the Father, of whom are allthings. . . " 1 Corinthians8 :6 ) .

The late W. L. Oliphant told astory of a young father who lost his

wife in death. He was left to be bothmother and father to a little girl.

After the funeral the father andyoung daugh te r r e tu rned hom e .That night he took his baby girl toher room and tucked her into bed,turned out the light, and requestedthat she go to sleep. Through hertears she said, "Daddy, it is so dark.I am afraid. I can't go to sleep."

The child continued to cry untillate in the night. Finally, in an effortto be brave, she asked, "Daddy, willyou stay with me all through thenight?" "Yes, dear," replied th eheartbroken father, "I will stay withyou." "All right, Daddy," said the lit-tle one. "It's so dark I can't see you,

but I know you are here in the roomand will stay with me, because youare my father and because youpromised not to leave me, so I canstop crying and go to sleep."

The young man knelt beside hisbaby's bed and said, "Yes, God, it isdark - o dark I cannot see You,but I know You will stay with me,because You are my Father andbecause You promised not to leaveme. So, I too, will stop crying andgo to sleep."

The Christian can find great com-fort in the realization that the God ofthe universe is his Father, and that hecan talk to such a God in prayer. Q

Willard Collins is President-Emeritusof David Lipscomb University inNashville, Tennessee, U. S. A.


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I t has beenobse rved b y ag e n t l e m a nnamed Thomp-son that time is"the narrow valebe tween themountain peakso f two e t e r n i -ties." Creationis tha t momentin which eternitytouched u pont ime . T hethought has beenadvanced t ha tt h e a d v e n t o fJesus is another

occa s ion whe neternity invadedtime. Eternity isnot time stretch- Michael L. Kinged out, but rath- ;&

..* .

er, timelessness.God is infinite and is regulated ta in pe ak s" af o re m e n tio n ed .

by no boundaries other than by His Humanity is plagued by limitations,

own immutable nature, for "he is living in the "narrow vale," beingthe same yesterday, today, andfor valley people. We here see the infi-ever" (Hebrews 13:8). God is not nite contrasted with the finite. Theconcerned about time, for "He @aninfinite has no limitations regardingscends all the limitations o f time" time, power, knowledge, presence,(Conner); therefore, it is not diffi- etc. We speak of the "omni-attrib-cult to accept the fact that with God utes" of God- ll-powerful, all-"one day is with the Lord as a thou- knowing, and present everywhere.

sand years, and a thousand years as But man, on the other hand, is finiteone day" (2 Peter 3:8). G od, Christ, and burdened with limitations. Paulan d the Holy S pir i t are eternal spoke of the"bounds of our habita-beings represented by the "moun- tion" be ing de te rmined by God


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(Ac ts 17 :26) . The re a re l imi t sbeyond which we cannot reach and

abilities we cannot achieve-

Withmen this is impossible; but with Godall things are possible" (Matthew19:26). In this passage , Jesus wasrefering to salvation.

Moses called Him the "eternalGod" (Deuteronomy 33 :27), Isaiahdeclared that He is the "everlasting

God" (Isaiah 40:28), and Jeremiahsaid that He was the "everlastingKing" ( J e r e m i a h 1 0 :10) . Johnrevealed that God was the creator ofall things (John 1: 1-3), and Davidsays that He is from "everlasting toeverlasting" (Psalm 90:2).

Christ left the "mountainpeak"to visit the "narrow vale" to help the"valley people" in making thetran-sition from finite and temporal toinfinite and eternal. Paul taught thata change would occur because ofthe visit that Jesus made to the earth(Philippians 3 :20,2 1; 1 Corinthians15:51-58). The purpose, accordingto John, for Jesus' coming to theearth was to convey God's love inthe form of a sacrifice, that finiteman might become "everlasting,"which is another way of saying, "toshare the infinite" where time andlimitations are removed and man

conque r s t ime and t he g r ave t obecome a "mountain peak" personlike those of the godhead!

Why should the Christian haveproblems seeing himselflherself as

being able to "do all things throughChrist who strengthens me"

(Philippians 4:13), or that "we aremore than conquerors through himthat loved us" (Romans 8:37), andthat we are to be thankful to God"which giveth us victory throughthe Lord Jesus Christ" ( 1Corinthians 15:57)? We have aninfinite God, limitless in every way,

guiding, empowering us to salvation(Romans 1: 16) and enabling us toovercome every obstacle, even thefearfulness of death and the grave.Our primary fear should be what thedevil can do to us (1 Peter 5:s) tonegate the privileges through thehope of becoming eternal and in theresurrection, being raised to "eter-nal life" as opposed to "eternaldestruction " (John 5:28,29).

M a y o u r l i f e l o n g a m b i t i o nwhile here in this "narrow vale"be "to seek those things which areabove, where Christ sitteth on theright hand of God. Set your aflec-tions on things above, not onthings of the earth. For ye aredead and your life is hid withChrist in God. When Christ, whois our life, shall appear, then shallye also appear with him in glory"(Colossians 3: 1-4).

Do you not find thisamaz-

ing? 9

Michae l L. King preaches for theGrant Street congregation in Decatur,Alabama, U. S. A.


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J e s u sff; Christ:Hershel Dyer

There are fewpersons in the world. whose lives, directly

&& or indirectly, have notbeen inf luenced byJesus Chr i s t . Ye t ,

unknown millions ofthese are unwilling togrant tha t He is theSon of God; Moslemsare willing to concedethat He was a prophet,

good man, but theserefuse to acknowledgeHis divinity.

This raises the question: What shall we do with the Christ who is setforth in the four Gospel records? He is therein revealed to be the Son ofGod descended from heaven and who afterward ascended back to heavenwhere He now lives and reigns.

Is it reasonable to suppose that these writers, devoid of scholastic attain-ments, would or even could invent a Christ they did not comprehend?Imagine Peter contriving that incident where he boasted so vainly that hewould never deny the Lord, then relating how he cowardly denied Him withcursing and swearing, even saying that he did not know Jesus!If Peter, as


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an imposter, wanted to convince anybody that Jesus was the Son of God, aconfession that he reputedly had made more than once, why would he then

relate how he so completely disavowed that faith? And, remem ber, it isrecorded of all the apostles that they "$orsook H im andfled" (Matthew26:56).

The ring of truth and honesty is heard in all they wrote. If men hadconspired in their thinking and efforts to invent such a divine character forhuman belief, surely they would have revealed themselves as His unswerv-ing, indefatigable followers. The fact that they show themselves falteringand weak in their faith gives a greatly increased credibility to their accounts.O

Hershel Dyer has for many years been the preacher for the Tenth & Rockfordcongregation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A.-

hough the cross did make salvation possible, it presentssome of the most startling paradoxes known to man.

Itwas th e most tragic event in history . .

.Yet it was th e most wonderful thing that ever happened.

It was the saddest spectacle mankind ever beheld . . .Yet by it came the greatest joy.

The old rugged cross was Satan's greatest victory . . .Yet by the cross Satan suffered his most stunning defeat.

The cross was th e greatest exhibition of Divine justice . . .

Yetit

was the most wonderful demonstration of Divinemercy.It was through the cross th at God condemned sin . . .

Yet by it He forgave the sinner.The cross stands for God's hatred of sin . . .

Yet it was th e greatest proof of His love for the sinner.The cross was mankind's darkest hour . . .

Yet it was th e greatest of all lights.On that day th e sun, the S U N, refused to shine a t midday . . .

But on th a t day th e son, the S 0 N, became the light ofth e world. - ia Etowah, TN, Herald The Pamily


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Christianity I s True Because theEarly Disciples of All Cultures

Were Religiously UnitedRoger E. Dickson

In the book of Acts Luke gives one of the strongest arguments that canbe launched against man-made religions. If religions are man-made, thenany man that comes along can add to the teaching, and thus, cause divisionamong the followers. If the followers of any particular religion cannot find

divine authority for the teachings of the religion, then they will divide overthe pronouncements of great teachers of that religion.

Any religion that is closely linked to any particular culture is subject toisolation and division. Its own cultural orientation makes world propagationvery difficult. Man-made religions are often tied to the culture from which


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they spring. Because they are culturally linked, it is most difficult for suchreligions to be propagated to o ther cultures.

The problem also arises with the culture from which a particular reli-gion may have arisen. If the culture changes- nd all cultures do changewith time - he religion is often divided from within because of strugglesbetween conservatives and liberals within the religion and culture. Lukeargues that Christianity is above the culture of man. And by being above theculture of man, i t is applicable to all cultures of the world. This is a mostconvincing argument to prove that Christianity is the revelation of the oneGod of heaven who is the Father of all humanity.

Luke seeks to prove that Christianity is a God-revealed religion simplybecause the foundation principles of Christianity were based upon the sim-plicity of one gospel message and the few fundamental beliefs whichChristians must maintain in order to be saved. That one gospel message, heaffirms, originated from God, and not man.

The Disciples Preached One GospelThe central message of the disciples was the coming of Jesus to die for

man's sins, His burial, resurrection to give hope, and reign over all things atthe right hand of God. Men must obey this Gospel by immersion into thedeath, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2:38; 8:12,38; 10:47,48;16:15,33; 18:8; 1 9 5 ; 22:16). Jesus is also coming again and will judge theworld (Acts 17:30,31). Because Jesus is coming again to judge all, menmust m aintain a moral life of integrity and righteous living (Acts 24:25).

The message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus permeatesthe preaching o f the disciples. Luke records several major sermons whichinclude these central events of the Gospel. Peter preached the death, burial,and resurrection on Pentecost (Acts 2:22-32). He preached the same in thetemple (Acts 3 : 14,15). Peter and John preached this good news to theSanhedrin (Acts 4: 10). The apostles preached the same message every dayin the temple and from house to house (Acts 5:42). The disciples' belief inand preaching o f the Gospel united them in the ir outreach to the world.

The Disciples Preached Jesus As M essiahLuke centers his defense for Christians on the basis that they believed

Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. Theapostles preached "Jesus as the C hrist" (Acts 5:42). Paul preached "Jesusis the Christ" (Acts 9:22; 17:3; 18 5 ) . Apollos also preached that"Jesus isthe Christ" (Acts 18:28). The disciples' stand on this belief united them


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into one body of believers. They maintained their unity because theybelieved that this Jesus fulfilled all prophecies about the M essiah.

The Disciples Were Together And Expressed UnityOn Fundamental Teachings

After Jesus had ascended, the apostles returned to Jerusalem. "Theseall continued with one accord in prayer and supplication . . . " (Acts 1 14).On the day of Pentecost"they were all with one accord in one place" (Acts2: 1). Those who were baptized"continued steadfastly in the apostles ' doc-trine and fellowship . . . " (Acts 2:42). "Now all who believed weretogether, and had all things in common" (Acts 2:44). The "multitude ofthose who believed were of one heart and one so u l. . Acts 4:32). "Andthey were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch " (Acts 5 : 12). InSamaria, "the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken byPhilip" (Acts 8:6). Luke's defense on this point is clear. The community ofdisciples throughout the Roman Em pire were united as a group. TheChristians came from many different cultures. However, they were unitedby one Gospel into one church.

When unconverted and legalistic Jews attempted to destroy the unitedfellowship of the disciples by binding Old Testament laws on the church, thechurch rose up a s one to rid itself o f this divisive influence. Thus inJerusalem "the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter"(Acts 15:6). They made a decision to senda letter to the Gentile churches inorder to inform them that those who went out from Jerusalem to bind cir-cumcision on the Gentiles had received no such commandment (Acts15:24). "Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, tosend chosen men" to Antioch to deliver this letter (Acts 15:22). One ofthese men was Paul, who labored in agreement with all the disciples.

Luke has already written toTheophilus concerning fundamental moralteachings in the book o f Luke. In Acts he is showing the difference betweenthe unifying fundamentals of the church as opposed to the diversity ofbeliefs which are so characteristic of man-made religions.

Luke unceasingly delivers to all who would question the validity ofChristianity the argument that the one church was unified in its struggle

against Jewish persecution. The church was unified in its evangelistic out-reach to the world. It was unified on the fundamental doctrines concerningsalvation. 0

Roger E. Dickson directs the International School of Biblical Studies in CapeTown, South Africa.

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THERE

LIGHTWayne Jackson

On the first day of the creation week, God said,"Let there be light"(Genesis 1:3). For the very first time light existed. What is light? It is aform of energy that exists in "rays." God once asked Job, an ancient wiseman, "Where is the way to the dwelling of light?" (Job 38:19). It is anamazing fact tha t light does exist in a "way" (a path), and it moves inastraight line. Light travels at the speed of over 186,000 miles per second(640 million miles per hour). It takes the sun 's light more than eight min-utes to come to earth (the sun is 93 million miles away).

Everything that God made was " v e ~ ood" (Genesis 1:3 I), and that

includes light. Light is good because without it we could not see the clouds,the birds, the green grass, or the words on this page. We see objects clearlyor dimly, depending upon how many light rays fall upon them.

Light is good because without it plants could not grow and we wouIdnot have good vegetables to eat. Nor would we have meat to eat, for ani-mals must eat plants in order to live. Light is good because it kills manygerms which would be harmful to us if they grew as rapidly as they some-times can in the dark. Doctors are even using light to perform surgery.

Have you heard of laser surgery? How thankful we should be that Godmade light. 0

Wayne Jackson is the editor of Christian Courier and is a preacher in Stockton,California, U. S. A.


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I t Helps to Enrich Yo u r

BIBLE WOR31 POWER

A e you sure you are understanding the richestmeaning of the Bible? Test yourcomprehension of the following wordsused in the context found in Matthew 23. 1After making your choices, turn the page for

1 the correct answers.

1. scribe n.- A: an orator. B: a writer. C: a attendan t. D: Temple official.2. pharisee n.- A: separated. B: united. C: saved. D: sinner3. seat n.- A: bottom. B: sofa. C: piece of furniture. D: rank of teacher;

judge.4. phylacteries n.- A: drugs. B: garments. C: safeguards or preservatives.

D: utensils.5. synagogue n.- A: an assembly of Jewish worshippers. B: a townhall.

C: court. D: school.6 . rabbi n.- A: sir. B: my great one. C: teacher. D: preacher.7. abased v.- A: promoted. B: selected. C: chastised. D: assigned to alower rank.8 . exalted v.- A: cast out. B: to be included. C: raised to a summit of

dignity.9. pretense n.- A: yesterday's stra in. B: part of speech. C: to negotiate.

D: color.10. damnation n.- A: a sentence of punishment.B: foul language. C: a hot

place. D: to be rejected or ostracized.11. proselyte a4.- A: a weary traveler. B: one who has learned a doctrine.

C: a new convert to the Jewish faith.12. swear v.- A: to utter curse words. B: to offer as a witness for one's word.

C: to cross the fingers and hope to die. D: to raise your hand in a court oflaw.

13. sanctifieth v.- A: to separa te from the profane and consecrate for holy use.B: to dance axid sing. C: to speakin tongues. D: to be baptized .

14. cummin n.- A: to be travelling. B: a sm all seed of a garden plant.C: incense. D: a sacrifice.

15. sepulchres n.- A: a tomb or burial spot. B: a bier. C: w hte d stones.D: a cave.

16. hypocrites n.- A: sincere religious people. B: deacons. C: elders.D: an actor or pretender.

17. woe intej.- : a command to stop. B: an exclamation of grief.C: pronounce a curse. D. weep loudly.


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2. Pharisee-(Gk. pharisaios) A. separ- 10. damnation- (Gk. krima) A: a

ated. The Pharisees were extremely sentence of punishment. Jesusself-righteous and refused to have any warned that because the Phari-dealings with sinners, while ~esusmingled with them and found themmore open to his authority than thePharisees.

3. seat- (Gk. kathedra) D: rank orteacher; judge. The scribesand Phari-sees were highly respected instruc-tors of the law ofMoses. As membersof the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewishcourt, their views were consideredfinal in religious legal matters.

4. phylacteries- (Gk. phulakterion) C:safeguards orpreservatives. ThePharisees wore parchments on their sleevesand foreheads in pouches as preserv-atives against sin.5. synagogue- (Gk. sunagogue) A: anassembly of Jewish worshippers.

sees were planning to murderhim, as their fathers did theprophets, they were in danger ofthis judgment.

1 1. proselyte- (Gk. proselutos) C: anew convert to the Jewish faith.

12. swear- (Gk. omnuo) B: to offeras a witness for one's word. Jesuscondemnedtheirmeaninglessoathssaying that one's word was s ufi -cient. (See Matt. 5:34-37).

13. sanctifieth- (Gk. hagiazo) A: toseparate from the profane and

consecrate for holy use.14. cummin- (Gk. kuminon) B: asmall seed of a garden plant. Cum-

synagogues had their orig& during min was a small bitter-sweet herbthe Babylonian captivity. They were grown by the Jews. At harvestfound in every major town by the time they gave a tithe of the seed to theof Christ. They were centers forreligious instruction. Temple priests.

6, rabbi- (Gk. rhabbi) B: my great 15. sepulchres- (Gk. tophos) A:one; my honorable sir. A title of a tomb or burial spot. Jesus ac-

respect for teachers of the law. cused the Pharisees of being like7. abased- (Gk. tapeinoo) D: assigned whited sepulchres, outwardly all

to a lowly rank. Because the Phari- clean and washed. but inwardlvsees exalted themselves on the basis corrupt.of laws and ig- 16. hypocrites- (Gk, hypocrites) D:nored the spirit of the law, Jesus saidthey would be assigned to a lower an actor or pretender.rank. 17. woe- (Gk. ouai) b: an exclam-

8. exalted- (Gk. hupsoo) C: raised to ation of grief.a summit of dignity. Jesus said the

Vocabulary Scale.............................lessing that came poor in spirit 7- 10 correct.. goodwas entrance the kingdom 11-13 correct ................ Bible StudentGod. 14-1 5 correct.. .............. Bible Scholar


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Basic to translating truth into truth" (John 4:24).

daily l iving is the acceptance of Here are other "musts": Actstruth as absolute. 4:12; 9:6; 2 Corinthians 5:lO; 1

It is essential to believe that Timothy 3 :2; Hebrews 1116.truth is the final authority in reli- Jesus, "the truth" (John 14:6),gious practices and in everyday reli- taught that truth can behewn whengion. The truth is the expression of He declared, ' I n d y e hall know the

truth . . . "he divine wil lfor mankind. (J o h n 8 :3 2 ).

The truth is He also statedunderstandable, Love t ha t i f onekn ow ab le, an d wants to know,available to us. or has the de-No one can plead s i re to under-ignorance or con- s tand, he wi l lfusion and assert

meknow. "lfany

that one cannot man will do his

s p e c i f i c a l l y will, he shallknow how to be know of the doc-saved, how to trine, whether it

: Tru1-he of God, or

whether I speak

oneself in order of myself" (Johnto go to heaven 7: 17).by God's grace. Cornelius had

In an age of E. Claude Gardner the des i re toa c c e p ta n c e o f k n o w G o d ' s"relat ivism" and w il l , and hebeing "si tuat ional ," we must bereminded that there are absolutes.Here are divine imperatives; Jesusused the strongest word possible-

"must." H e sai d, "Yemust

beborn again " (John 3:7). Again H ec o m m a n d e d , "God is a Spirit:and they that worship Him must

worship Him in spir i t and in

found it (see Acts 10:33). If theWord of God cannot be known orunderstood sufficiently for us to besaved, it is because the Godhead

either could not or would not givethe divine will clearly. Who canaccept either of these extremes?

The Written Truth must not beignored with the foggy notion that


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we should follow the L iving Word (Jesus). Actually the two are insepara-ble. To accept or reject Jesus is the same as accepting or rejecting the writ-ten truth. Our Lord warned, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not mywords, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shalljudge him in the last day" (John 12:48).

The written W ord is more than giving general guidelines. It is notmerely a "love letter." Basic princip les, illustrations, narratives, and com-mands abound in the Scriptures.

The God of truth (Deuteronomy 32:4), Christ the truth (John 14:6), andthe Spirit of truth (John 14:17) endowed and inspired men to produce the

Book of Truth (see 2 Peter 1:21). We must accept or reject the NewTestament as the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice. It has clear com-mands to obey and examples to follow. From these we learn how to becomea Christian, how to w orship, and how to organize a congregation. To denythat religious authority is ascertained by direct commands, necessary infer-ences, and approved apostolic examples puts one into theological confusion.

It is of no value to encourage translating truth into life until we teachhow to ascertain authority. After we are able to accept the New Testament

as our divine creed, we then strive to bridge the gap between what the truthteaches and our personal practices. Belief of the truth without action andinvolvement in daily living is of no value. We should strive to get our "the-ory and practice" closer together, because it is important for us and also forothers we may influence (see Matthew5 : 16).

One's attitude toward the truth will determine the acceptance or rejection ofit. This thought was eloquently presented byN. B. Hardeman in his sermon,"The Reception of Any Truth Depends Upon Our Attitude Toward It." He

asked, ". . . what is your attitude tonight toward the Bible with reference to itsbeing a book ofAbsolute Authority? Is the Bible just a book of general direc-tions, outlining the general policy, with all details to be worked out by sanctifiedcommon sense, or is the Bible specific in those things that would lead a man outof darkness into the kingdom of God? Is it specific and does it go into detailwith reference to how the child of God ought to worship the Father?"

J. D. Thomas has written, "What we do say, however, is that the use ofcommands, examples and proper inferences are valid ways of learningGod's will about certain things, especially those that impart informationabout essential obedience (man 's response to God's requirements). 0

E. Claude Gardner is President-Emeritus of Freed-Hardeman University inHenderson, Tennessee, U. S. A.

2 8


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"All scripture is given by inspi- Therefore, the Bible is able to makeration of God and is profitable for us "perfect," and God has given us

doctrine, or reproof; or correction, "all things that pertain to life andfor instruction in righteousness: godliness. " If these are both trueThat the man of God may be per- (and they are), then the Bible mustfect, throughly&rnished unto every be the final and complete and per-good work" (2 Timothy 3: 16,17). Is fect revelation of Godto man. If it isit capable of makingthe "man of God"perfect, or isn't it?

"According ash i s d iv ine powe rhas given unto usall things that per-tain unto life andgodliness, throughthe knowledge of hi

that called us to glory and virtue"( 2 Peter 1:3). Did God give us "allthings," or didn't He?

Many notables (and not-so-notables) in the rel igious worldclaim that God has spoken directlyto them. This is a claim to whichmany have responded with disbelief

I and efforts of refutation. Am ongthis same select group to whom Godhas supposedly spoken there is alsothe claim of direction and guidancegiven by the Holy Spirit separateand apart from the Word. Becauseof these c la im s and those whoattempt to refute them, there is also

le ft a g roup o f peop le who jus taren't sure about it.

Le t ' s cons ider wha t we doknow for sure. We know that whatthe Bible claims for itself is true.

, hen no referenceto "perfec t" o r"complete" or"all things

" couldbe made. But wecan say emphati-ca l ly tha t Godand the HolySpirit do not actin the way which

some people claim. How can we beso emphatic? Because if God doesspeak directly to man today and theHoly Spirit does direct the lives ofpeople independent of the Word,then Paul and Peter were sadly mis-informed when they wrote the wordscited at the outset of this article.

Is the Word able to do what itclaims to do, or isn't it? The claimsof the Bible and the claims of thesepeople cannot both be true. Theclaims of the Bible, if true, excludeany further or separate guidance ormessages from God. The claims ofthese people, if true, exclude the

Bible from being the final, com-plete, and perfect revelation of Godto man. Is it, or isn't it? Q

David Deffenbaugh is a gospel preach-er in Harrison, Arkansas, U.S.A.


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Don L. Norwood

The Scriptures were written andpreserved by God's divine provi-dence so that mankind could come

to know fo r h imse l f God ' s w i ll(Joh n 20:30,3 1; Luke 1 3,4; Ro-mans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 1 0 :l l; 1John 5:13; 1 Timothy 3:14,15).

God ' s H o ly Sp i r i t i n sp ir ed(guided) the men whom God choseto write the Holy Scriptures (2 Peter1 :20 ,21 ; 2 Timothy 3 :16 ,17 ; 2Samue l 23 :2 ) . Ch r i s t H imse l fendorsed the Old Testament Scrip-tu res as be ing d iv ine (Luke 24 :27,44,45). Consider some of the

scriptural names that are applied tothe Sacred Writings (Romans3:2; 2Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Timothy 4:2; 2

Peter 3: 16).We a r e wa rned conce rn ing

what will happen to persons whowrest o r twist the Scriptures (2 Peter3: 16). The New Testament explainsthat a person must love the truth(the New Testament is the wholebody of truth brought to mankindthrough Jesus Christ- ohn 14:6;John 1 17), or God will cause theperson to be deluded, and thus tobelieve a lie and be damned as a


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result.God instructed the Hebrew peo-

ple: "You shall love the Lord yourGod with all your heart, with allyour soul, and with all your might.And these words which I commandyou today shall be in your heart;you shall teach them diligently toyour children, and shall talk of themwhen you sit in your house, when

you walk by the way, when you liedown, and when you r i se up"(Deuteronomy 65-7).

The New Testament Scripturesteach that a Christian has ". . . allthings that pertain to life and godli-ness in the knowledge of him whocalled you by his own grace andvirtue" (2 Peter 1 :3). This knowl-edge can be found on ly in theScriptures of the New Testament.The A postles of Christ were guidedby the Holy Spirit into revealing allthe truth (John 14:26; John 16:13; 1Peter 1 10-12).

The kings of Israel were com-manded by the Lord to have a writtencopy of God's law at hand all the timeand to be very careful to do as ittaught (Deuteronomy 17:14-19).

Human beings have the freemoral choice of learning and believ-ing God's Word (Holy Scriptures,the Bib le ) o r no t to do so .However, Christ said that those whobelieve the Gospel and obey it willbe saved, and that those who disbe-l ieve wi l l be condemned (Mark

16:15,16; John 3:36).The Bible (at least parts of it) is

three thousand years old. It waswritten over a period o f about 1600years by men inspired by the HolySpirit of God. It never contradictsitself, and its historical accuracy isperfect. It tells open ly about thegood and the bad deeds of peoplementioned in it. The prophecies

recorded in it have come to pass justas was predicted centuries before. Iteven named people long before theywere born and told what they woulddo. No ordinary human being couldwrite such things.

As the Psalmist wrote: "Yourwor d is a lamp to my feet and alight to my path " (Psalm 119:105).Man cannot guide his own life in amanner that God will accept (readJeremiah 10 :23 and Proverbs14:12). Without the guidance fromthe Word of the Son of God(Christ), mankind will be hopelesslylost and condemned to an eternalpunishment with the Devil and hisangels (Ephesians 2:l-3,11,12; John3:36; 2 Thessalonians 1 7-10).

How precious, then, are theSacred Writings to all mankind?Surely nothing compares with thevalue of these words of God, andman's learning and doing as theyinstruct. P

Don L. Norwood preaches for theLord's church in Mason, Texas, U.S.A.


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The Sllence of the

Owen Cosgrove

There a r e two marve lousaspects of the Holy Bible: what it

says and what it does not say.The restraint of the Scriptures isvery impressive to m e. If I hadbeen an eyewitness of the Lord'slife and had been writing a Gospelaccount by mere human power, Iwould have been tempted to writedetails of His physical stature and

appearance and other items that wouldhave become spiritual distractionsthrough the centuries. The Scripturesare complete. They say just enoughand they do not say too much.Anything that I would do to "touchthem up" would only defile them.

Going beyond the Scripturescan be just as serious as falling shortof them. The Bible warns againstleaving out part of the Word, but italso cautions against adding to it(Revelation 22: 18-20;1 Corinthians4:6; 2 John 9-1 1).

The early restorers pleaded,"Le t us speak where the Bib lespeaks and be silent where the Bibleis silent." Man is not free to makeup his own rules that go beyond theWord of God.

How many t imes have youheard someone defend an unscrip-

tural practice by saying, "The Bibledoes not say not to"? A doctor 'sprescription does not have to tell thepharmacist what NOT to put intothe medicine. To add unauthorizedchemicals or elements is to alter theprescription.

Whi l e h i s t o r i ca l l y we have

urged "calling Bible things by Biblenames and doing Bible things inBible ways," many congregationsand preachers seem bent on invent-ing catchy names, titles, phrases,programs, and ministries that areinclined to go beyond mere descrip-tions of Biblical activities. Theytend to add a whole new terminolo-gy to our work that clashes with thesimplicity and the honest directnessof the Bible. They belie our appealfor pure Biblical terminology.

Respect for the Word of Godinvolves appreciation for what itdoes not say, as well as for what itsays. D

Owen Cosgrove preaches the Gospelof Christ in Waxahachie, Texas, U.S.A.


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far the best book ina l l the wor ld . I tmer i t s our rever-ence, ou r respect,our love, our be lief,and our comple tetrust. I t deservesour subjection andour willing obedi-ence. Without thisbook we would beas helpless, hope-less nomads travel-ing the rocky roadto eternity with nopurpose , no map,-and no guide. W& it not for God's nature and promised destiny.book, the Bible, we would know The word "Bible" is not foundnothing of divine law, wil l , and within the pages of God's eternallove; we would know nothing of revelation to mankind. Thismatch-God's eternal purpose for man; we less book refers to itself as the lawwould be ignorant of Christ's sacri- (Psalm 1 19:97; Jam es 125), thefice, shed blood, intercession, and word (Psalm 119: 1I ) , the word ofadvocacy . W ithout the Bible we truth (2 Timothy 2:15), the oracleswould not know of our own sin, our of God (1 Peter 4:l I), scripture(2need for salvation; we would be Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 3: 16; Actswithout knowledge of our eternal 1 7 : l I ) , d o c t ri n e ( 2 J o h n 9 ; 2

33


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Timothy 4:2,3), and truth (John8:32; 17:17). The Bible describes

itself as a sword (Ephesians 6:17), afire and a hamm er (Jeremiah 23:29),a seed (Luke 8 :l I), a lamp (Psalm119:10 5) , and a l igh t (Psa lm119:105).

The Bible is not a "dead letter."According to the Hebrews writer,God's Word is both quick (alive)

and powerful (He brew s 4:12). Itwas by the word of God that theworlds were framed and the heavenswere made (Hebrews 11 3); Psalm33:6). The Bible quickens (Psalm119:50 ) , bege t s ( Jame s 1 :18) ,cleanses (Psalm 119:9), purifies (1Peter 1 22), converts (Psalm 19:7),saves (Acts 11 14; James I :21),pricks and cuts the heart (Acts 2:36-38; Hebrews 4:12), and will judgeus in the l as t day ( John 12 :48 ;Revelation 20: 12).

The Bible stands alone. It isunlike the books of man in that it isinerrant (Psalm 19:7; 33 :4), verballyand who l ly i n sp i r ed o f God (2Timothy 3: 16; 1 Corinthians 2: 10-13), and eternal (Matthew 24:35; 1

penmen.Through the ages, many and

various attitudes have been held bymen toward this Book of Books.Some have rejected it, some havewaged war against i t , some havebeen apathetic toward it, and someothers have loved, cherished, andrespected it. King Jehoiakim cutand burned his Bible because he

didn't care to hear or do what i tdemanded of him (Jeremiah36:23).Unl ike th is wicked king, Davidloved God's Word to the point ofmaking it his constant meditation(Psalm 1 19:97).

What is your attitude towardthe Bible? P

Dalton Key is the editor of Old Pathsand preaches for the North AmarilloChurch of Christ in Amarillo, Texas,U.S.A. -

0 ow I love Thy

law! It is my medita-tion all the day ..

Peter 1:24,25). While the books ofmen rise and fall with respect to How sweet are Thypublic acceptance and popularity,the Bible has throughout the years

words to my taste!

sustained a "best sel ler" s tatus.Other works are undergoing con- Yes, sweeter thanstan t rev isio n, y et ~ o d ' sook is honey to my mouth!"every bit as relevant today as it waswhen t in t etched out by the inspired (Psalm 1 1 9:97,103) .


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The Book of Ephesians for adults

Fill in the verse below by using the graph.

POWER

JESUS

ABUNDANTLY

WORK

HIM

FAR I IS I AT I WHO 1 THINK IALL I CHURCH I OR I WE I mrwl I

I

BYEPHESIANS

NOW GENERATiONS THAN 3:20-21

ASK CHRIST EVER TO THAT


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0 . P. Baird

"Sim on Peter, a servant andapostle of Jesus Christ to them thathave obtained a like precious faithwith us in the righteousness of ourGod and the Savior Jesus Christ" (2Peter 1: l) . Th e Christian's faithnow is as precious as the faith ofPeter and the other apostles and allthe early Christians. It is preciousbecause of the righteousness of God

and our Savior, Jesus Christ.Faith brings a person into thegrace and peace of God and ourLord J e sus , " G r a c e t o y o u a n dpeace be multiplied in the knowl-edge of God and of Jesus our Lord"(2 Peter 1:2). As our knowledge ofGod and His wi l l inc reases His

grace and peace increase in us, andour faith becomes more and moreprecious.

God's power gives us life andgodliness, "Seeing that his divinepower hath granted unto us a l lthings that pertain unto l ife andgodliness, through the knowledge ofhim who called us by his own gloryand virtue " (2 Peter 1 3).

The Christian's faith is preciousbecause God's promises are pre-

cious, ". . . he hath granted unto ushis precious and exceeding great

promises"

(2 Peter 1 4a). Faithbecomes more precious as we layhold of the promises.

Peter gives another reason whythe Christian's faith is precious.Speaking of the promises, he says,". . . that through these ye maybecome par takers of the d iv ine

nature. . . "

(2 Peter 1 4b). What isthe divine nature like? Speaking o fChris t , the wri ter of the book ofHebrews says, "Thou hast lovedrighteousness and hated iniquity "

(Hebrews 1 :9). That also describesthe person who has become partakerof the divine nature.

What was man like when Godcreated him? "And God createdman in his own image, in the imageof God created he him; male andfemale created he them " (Genesis1:27). When the man and wom anwhom God created listened to thedevil and believed what he said anddid what he suggested they becameunlike God. Some people are morecorrupt than others, but all responsi-ble people have s inned (Romans


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OwKing

IscomingCharles E. Cobb

Jesus Christ is the Christian'sKing. He lives, rules, reigns as "King ofkings and Lord of Lords " (Revelation 17:14; 19:16). He is the head over allthings to the church, and He is the Savior of the body. He lives today at theright hand of God while He waits for the time of His coming to claim His

own -those who have been redeemed by His blood.The majestic Jesus will come in His glory with all the holy angels withHim. What a spectacle of power, might, and splendor this will be. Thenations of men will behold His glory and the announcem ent has already beenmade, "Every eye shall see Him and they also who pierced Him . . . . "(Revelation 1:7). There can be no mistaking the event that is taking placewhen Jesus comes.

The idea that Jesus is coming back to THIS earth to set up His Kingdom

and rule from Jerusalem for a thousand years is a popular theory, but issadly lacking in genuine biblical proof. The Kingdom was to be establishedwhile some of the contemporaries of Jesus still lived (Mark 9:l ). We learnfrom the Colossian letter that the Kingdom was in existence and peoplewere being "translated" into it (Colossians 1: 13,14). The Kingdom, there-fore, is already in existence, and Jesus now rules over it as its king.

Date setting for the coming of Christ has been a popular speculationdown through the years. The plain teaching of the Scriptures is that no oneknows when Jesus will come again. "The day of the Lord will come a s athief in the night . . ." (2 Peter 3:10), while men are saying,"Peace andsafety," and others, "Where is the promise of His coming? All things con-tinue as they were from the beginning," the Lord "will descendfrom heavenwith a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of G o d .. . . " (1Thessalonians 5:3; 2 Peter 3:3,4; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). But, we do notknow the day nor the hour (Mark 13:32,33).

Just as surely as our Lord lives, just that surely He will come again.The faithful promise of the Son of God is,". . . I will come again. . . " (John14:3).

Jesus left the earth after suffering mockery, ridicule, unbelief, scourg-ing, and crucifixion. He will come again in glory, power, honor, and judg-


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ment.When our King com es, He will

call forth all of the dead, both smalland great (Revelation 20: 12). Menwho have gained prestige, promi-nence, and power will be called tostand before the Lord. Men whoselives have been a waste, who havelived a gutter-type existence, willstand before the Lord. The rich,

poor, bond, free, al l races fromevery walk of life will give answerto Chr i s t (2 Cor in th ians 5:lO).There will be no respect of personsand no escape when the King shallcome.

Men may seek to hide. Theym ay "with one consent begin to

make excuse."

Men may cry out inagony because they have been over-taken in their sins and discovered bythe Lord. The ir efforts to hide,make excuse, or cry in terror beforethe King will not prevail. The judg-ment of the Lord will be withoutmercy, for the mercy of God has

been granted while men lived withopportunity to make ready.

The plan of God is that Jesuswill, at His coming, deliver up theKingdom to God the Fa ther (1Corinthians 15:22-28). The King ofkings will have won the victoryover Satan and his hordes. He willbe the Conqueror over all and willpresent to the Father the victoriousKingd om. The c i t izens o f the

I Kingdom of Chr i s t and of God

(Ephesians 5:5) wil l be foreverblessed of the Father. All the trialsand troubles of earthly life will beover and there wil l be peace -

pure, beautiful, and lasting peace.Knowing that the King is com-

ing should cause every person towant to make ready for this gloriousevent. Those in Christ should livefaithfully (Titus 2: 11,12). Those

who are not in Christ should obeythe Lord and be in a state of readi-ness (Matthew 7:21; Mark 16:15,16;Hebrews 5:8,9). The message ofthe inspired apostle to those in sinon the day o f Pen t ecos t was ,"Repent, and be baptized every one of

you for the remission of sins . . . . "

(Acts 2:38). Those who obeyedwere added to the church (Acts2:41,47).

Our King is coming. If Jesus isnot your King, if you are not in HisKingdom, if you are not servingHim as your Master and Lord, it istime NOW that you should obey

His will while time yet affords youthe opportunity.

Why not plan to be one of thecelebrants a t the coming of theKing, rather than one who will beconfined to an eternity of miseryand punishment? The coming Kingwan t s you to be long to H im(Matthew 11:28-30). Q

Charles E. Cobb is editor ofTennessee Valley Christian, and helives in Scottsboro, Alabama, U. S. A.


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DOCTRINE TO LIVE BY

Faith Is Our VictoryRandall Caselman

" . . This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith"(1 John 5:4).

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things notseen" (Hebrews 11 :l ). One translation says,"Faith is the assurance ofthings hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." There is a lot of talk in

the religious community today about faith, what it is and is not.An under-standing of this subject is important to us as Christian people.

Faith is a knowledge of God. There can be no biblical faith withoutknowing God. Ignorance is the antithesis of faith, and is its enemy. Ourfaith is a result of knowledge. "So then aith comes by hearing, and hearingby the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). Hebrews 11:6 tells us we mustbelieve that He is. Genuine, victorious living is impossible without a faithin God. Don't eventry it .

Faith is mental assent. Faith is acceptance, acknowledgement of Godas God, as the Supreme Being, Creator of the universe, Sustainer of life,Grantor of salvation. "In the beginning God created . . . " (Genesis 1: )."In Him we live, move and have our being. . ." (Acts 17:28). "For God soloved the world that He gave . . ." (John 3:16). Many know about God butfail to acknowledge Him as Supreme and Sovereign.

Faith is trust and confidence in God's promise. This is where manyof us fail. We know the Bible, we acknowledge Him as Sovereign with ourlips, but we are still not sure we want to trust Him with our hearts."Theyhonor me with their lips," Jesus said, "but their hearts are far from me"(Matthew 15:8). Yes, we know about Noah's salvation, Abraham's bless-ings, Israel's deliverance, David's confidence, Elijah being fed by ravens,and the Sea of Galilee being calmed, but we fall short of letting God work inour lives. Faith is relying on God in our daily walk. Friends, God will seeus through. Trust Him. Believe that "He is a rewarder of those who dili-

gently seek Him"

(Hebrews 11 6).Faith is obedience. Even the casual Bible student knows that genuinefaith is not com plete until it is moved to act in accordance with the will ofGod. By Faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than did Cain


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(Hebrews 11:4). By Faith Enoch walked with God (Hebrews 11 5) . ByFaith Noah prepared an ark (Hebrews 11 7). By Faith Abraham, who,when he was called, obeyed (Hebrews 11:8). "We are saved by grace,through faith . . .

"

(Ephesians 2:8). Christ died for all, but all will not besaved. Universal salvation is not taught in the Bible. We must,individually,do what all have been asked to do- ubmit to the will of G od. Jesus said itbest: "I came to do the will of the Father. " James put it this way: "Faithwithout obedience is dead" (James 2:17). The devils know about God,acknow ledge Him as Sovereign. They have confidence in His Word, butthey do not keep the commandments. There is no submission, no contrite

heart. Ho w can we read the Bible and not see that faith demands aresponse? It always has. "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ isborn of God. This is love for God: To obey His commands. This is the vic-tory that overcomes the world, even our faith " I John 5:1,3,4).

Faith is our victory over guilt of sin. "To open their eyes and turnthem ?om darkness to light, andfrom the power of Satan unto God, thatthey may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them whichare sanct@ed by faith that is in me" (Acts 26: 18).

Faith is our victory over temptation. "Above all taking up the shieldof faith, wherein you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of Satan"(Ephesians 6: 16).

Faith is our victory over ignorance. "That from a child you haveknown the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvationthrough faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3: 15).

Faith is our victory over impatience. "Knowing this that the trying ofyour faith worketh patience " (James 1 3).

Faith is our victory in p rayer. "Ask in faith, nothing doubting. Theprayer of faith sha ll save the sick. The effective fervent prayer of the right-eous avails much " (James 1 6; 5: 15,16).

Faith is our victory over death. "He that believeth and is baptizedshall be saved. He that believeth not shall be condemned. For God so lovedthe world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth inhim should not perish, but have everlasting life. Receiving the end of yourfaith, even the salvation ofyou r souls" (Mark 16:16; John 3: 16; 1 Peter 1:9).

The victory is ours. Praise God! What changes would be made in mylife and in yours if we had this victorious faith! I need it, don 't you? 0

Randall Caselman is the preacher for the church in Bella Vista, Arkansas, U.S. A

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GoFromLeft To

RightTo GetIt RightTim Nichols

TRUTH CONCLUSIONS CONSEQUENCES

The l i t t le chart above is notintended to be a political statement.It is not a cure for dyslex ia. It issimply to illustrate, in a very abbre-viated way, the proper order to fol-low in a r r iv ing a t wha t we wi l lbelieve and do as followers of theGod of the Bible.

The chart is oversimplified, butit may hopefully provide somethinglike a map for us to follow as weattempt to understand and apply thewi l l of God to our l ives . M uchmore could be said about each ofthe elements of the chart than wewill have space for in this brief arti-cle.

G O D . We begin wi th God.This may seem to be out of order atfirst. After all, we can only know of

the existence of God by examiningthe evidence that is available to usin nature and in His written Word.But these proofs of G od's existence

came to us from God. They are sureand unmistakable to the unpreju-diced mind, to be sure , but Godcame first. The evidence may havearrived first in our minds, but Godhas been beh ind i t a l l f rom thebeginning.

TRUTH. God inspired men towrite the series of books that we callthe Bible. They reveal more aboutthe nature of God than we couldhave ever come to know by obser-vation of nature alone. They revealtruth about the nature of the worldand of man. They reveal the will ofGod for mankind. They provide uswith a clear point of contact withthe mind of God .

CONCLUSIONS. We takewhat God reveals and draw conclu-

sions about what He is saying to us.Honest, sincere, and humble peopletry very hard to conclude only thosethings that God's Word actually


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teaches. They synthesize all that the to rob you of the proper understand-Scriptures teach on any given sub- ing.ject, being careful to conclude no Never allow yourself to beginmore and no less than what they on the right and move to the left! Ifdirectly teach or truly imply. For you begin there you will go wrongthe humble servant of God, this every time. Do not let yourselfprocess is more than just an acade- begin with what you want to believem ic exer ci se . It is an ex ci tin g and do. If you begin there you willadventu re to seek ou t and to pre- devise a principle that will "justify"cisely discover divinely revealed your belief or practice and call it

truth. yo ur conc lusion. Yo u will the nCONSEQUENCES. Truth has move one more step to the left andconsequences. Right conclusions read into the Bible what is not there.have right applications to life. God You wi l l go to the Bib le in anrevealed truth that leads us to the at tempt to prove what you haveright conclusion that it is wrong for already decided to believe or do,a man to steal. Consequently, it is and you will "find" w hat did no twrong for me to steal; it is wrong originate with God.

for you to steal; it is wrong for him Some seem to begin at the rightto steal; it is wrong for her to steal. and work their way to the left whenAnyone who will begin with God, the application of God's truth justexamine His truth, and draw the seems too hard for them. Thoseconclusions that are demanded by who find themselves in adulterousan examination of that truth will marriages often move to the left inhave little or no difficulty under- search of "loopholes." Those whostanding the consequences of those seek to justify the sins of friends or

conclusions in the real world. How fami ly member s do t he s ame .to apply God's truth to life is much Preachers who must preach to audi-easier to understand than it is for ences that might be offended by themany to do . When the do ing actual consequences of truth arebecomes difficult, the understand- sometimes tempted to move froming, for some, becomes muddled. right to left. But all faithfuldoersHowever, if you start on the left and of the Word and all faithh l preach-work your way to the right, you will ers of the Word go straight downunderstand what you and others are the line- rom left to right. Ptaught by God to believe and do.S t rugg le , i f y o u mu st , wi th the Tim Nichols preaches for the Churchof Christ in Keys er, West Virginia,doing, but do not allow the struggle U.S.A.

4 3


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Matthew 19:9 and Divine HolinessFrank Chesser

God is independently, infinitely, and immutably holy. He sits upon the"throne of his holiness" (Psalm 47:8). He is of '3u re r eyes than to beholdevil, and cannot look on iniquity" (Habakkuk 1:13). Isaiah pictures theseraphim as fly ing about the throne of God crying,"Holy, holy, holy is theLord of hosts " (Isaiah 6:3). God is absolute holiness, untouched by even theshadow of sin.

Divine revelation and divine holiness are indubitably consistent. Anydoctrine that is contradictory to the holiness of God is a false doctrine. Suchis the case with regard to the limitation of God's law to marital relationshipsin which both partners are Christians. The earth's population is nearing sixbillion. Of this number, a very small portion are Christians. Sm aller still isthe number of marriages in which both partners share in the faith of theGospel.

Is it conceivable that our holy God would leave the teeming masses ofhumanity in pagan darkness, void of any law to govern and restrain theirsexual relationships? Are we to conclude that by divine design, the non-covenant world is allowed to wallow in the pit of sexual indulgence with asmany partners as they wish until they find themselves within the confines ofthe church? By His permissive will in the absence of law, would not God beencouraging animalistic sexual behavior am ong His ow n offspring?

This humanly devised doctrine is an offensive affront to the holiness ofGod. It is as incompatible with the nature of God and as easily discernibleas such as is the Calvinistic view of predestination and election, or theimpossibility of apostasy. It nullifies holiness and promotes sin.

This matter could not be more serious. This is not an ivory tower theo-logical debate on some abstract principle. It is an eternal destiny-determin-ing matter involving the souls of men and the unity of the church. The prin-ciple o f God 's holiness is overwhelming evidence for the fallacious nature

of this doctrine and those in kinship therewith and for the universal applica-tion and obvious import of Matthew19:9 and kindred passages. 0

Frank Chesser is the p reacher for the Lake Forest church in Jacksonville,Florida, U. S. A.


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Maxie B. Boren

There can be no doubt but thatthe church must exercise disciplinein any given situation that calls forit. By inspiration, the apostle Paulc o m m a n d e d t he chu rch i nThessalonica to ". . . withdraw your-s e lv e s f r om eve ry b r o the r t ha t

walketh disorderly, and not after thetradition which they received of us"(2 Thessalonians 3:6).

An example of such "disorder-ly" (i.e., the word means to be "outof step" with God's revealed will)conduct took place in Corinth inapostol ic t imes . A brother wasguilty of gross immorality in carry-ing on a s exua l a f f a i r w i th h i sfather's wife. The church had takenno action, so Paul wrote them a let-ter in which he instructed thembythe authority of Christ to take dis-ciplinary action against the brotherso that his "spirit may be saved"

(1Corinthians 5:5). This is obviously

5:19,20).A second reason is for the sake

of the church. When stringent mea-sures were taken against Ananiasand Sapphira, as recorded in Acts5 : 1-11, the t ex t in forms us th a t"great fear cam e upon the wh ole

church. " Brethren need to knowthat the church must remain pure asper the teachings of God's revela-t ion , and that immoral conduct ,false doctrine (Romans 16:17), anda "divisive spirit" (Titus 3: 10) willnot be tolerated.

After every reasonable efforthas been made in a loving and ten-der way to restore an erring brotheror sister, and that has failed, and theelders then deem it necessary totake discip

the voice of truth international, volume 42

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