Truth Magazine

By Hoyt H. Houchen

Question: In Philippians 4.13 Paul wrote, “I can do all thins in him that strengtheneth me. ” Does that mean that Paul could keep himself out of jail, avert physical death, sustain himself by turning water into wine (grapejuice) and multiplying fishes and loaves just as Jesus did? Please explain what Paul is teaching in this verse.

Reply: First, we need to see that the word “all” which appears in the Scriptures is often United. For example, “for all have sinned, and all fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 2:23). The word “all” in this verse is limited to those who are mentally capable and morally responsible. Infants have never sinned because they are not morally responsible. The word “all” is limited in Romans 8:28: “And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose.” The word “all” here is limited to the things in the context of the verse. Paul does not include the devil and his work in the “all things.” Sinful acts do not work together for good. So, the word “all” in this verse has to be taken in a United sense. To what do the “all things” refer? They refer to the things Paul has mentioned: the redemption does not include everybody without limitation. To include every deed and every circumstance of our lives in the “all things” is to miss the whole train of thought (see vv. 17-27, etc.). The “all” things work together for good only to (1) those who love God, and (2) those who are called according to his purpose. These are the ones mentioned in the verse. Those who love God are those who keep his commandments (Jn. 14:15; 1 Jn. 5:2), and those who are called are those who have been called by the gospel (2 Thess. 2:14); that is, those who have responded to it by obeying it (Acts 2:41, etcJ. This calling through the gospel and our response to it is referred to in 2 Timothy 1:9: “who saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ.”The word “all” is limited in 1 Corinthians 9:22 where Paul said of himself: “I am become all things to all men.” Did Paul mean that he became anything (without limitation) to all men? Certainly not. Paul was simply saying that he complied with customs as a matter of expediency, if there was no sacrifice of truth. In other words, he could forego his personal rights and liberty, provided no principle of truth was violated or compromised.

The word “all” (Gr. pantas) in 2 Corinthians 9:13 is limited. The ministering to needy saints is the subject under consideration in this chapter (v. 1). This point is important to determine the context of verse 13. Paul wrote in verses 12 and 13: “For the ministration of this service not only filleth up the measure of the wants of the saints, but aboundeth also through many thanksgivings unto God; seeing that through the proving of you by this ministration they glorify God for the obedience of your confession unto the gospel of Christ, and for the liberality of your contribution unto them and unto all.” Those who teach that a church is scripturally authorized to do unlimited benevolence seize upon the phrase, “unto them and unto all,” and conclude that the “all” are those (non-Christians) in addition to needy saints. The phrase “all men” in the King James Version is in italics and is therefore not in the Greek. To determine who are the “all” in verse 13, it is very important to note that the word “contribution” (ASV), “distribution” (KJV) is translated from the Greek noun koinonia, “fellowship.” The fellowship extended, then, is “unto them and unto all. ” The noun koinonia is found nineteen times in the Greek New Testament, and never denotes a communion or relationship of Christians with non-Christians. The meaning of pantas (all) is therefore obviously limited. “All” refers to other saints, saints in addition to those in Jerusalem. If “all” is to be interpreted to mean “all men” without limitation, then we cannot imagine how sizeable that contribution must have been! It would have been a contribution large enough to be extended to every man upon the face of the earth. The idea of the phrase “unto them and unto all” is that the “fellowship” contribution went to “them” (the poor among the saints in Jerusalem, Rom. 15:26), and beyond them it went “all” Jewish saints, creating thanksgiving and good will upon their part toward the Gentiles for their contribution of thoughtfulness and generosity. These are but a few examples where the word “all” is limited.

The word “all” in Philippians 4:13 is also limited. Paul wrote: “I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me. This is not an outburst of egotism. He is not saying that he can take a deep breath and jump to the moon, avert physical hunger and death; but rather, as we have seen in other passages, the statement must be kept in context. Thayer says that the plural panta, translated “all things” is: “of a certain definite totality or sum of things, the context showing what things are meant” (Greek-English Lexicon, p. 493). What Paul is saying is this: regardless of the circumstances in which he found himself (such as those described in vv. 10-12), by the help of God he could accomplish what God wanted him to do.

When we keep the text in context, we will avoid wild speculations and fanciful notions.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 21, p. 645
November 3, 1988

By Donald P. Ames

In John 9:31 we read, “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, he hears him.” This passage has been frequently referred to by some to prove God will not hear the prayer of a non-Christian. (Possibly it was once so used in a debate against the “mourner’s bench” concept – I do not know.) But such is not the idea of this passage, and this we shall try to demonstrate in this study.

First of all, the Jews said, “We know.” They did not say “We think” or “in our opinion.” Now how did they “know” this? It had to come from God’s word (O.T.), so this ought to help us understand the basis for their statement and what they “knew.” Turning back to Proverbs 28:9 we read, “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination. ” This statement was made to the Jews regarding their own actions. Again, in Isaiah 1: 15 God told the Jews that “when you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood” (see also Psa. 34:15; 66:18). This served as the basis for what the Jews “knew” in John 9:31.

In these passages there is no parallel to the argument made by some today that John 9:31 proves God will not hear the prayer of a non-Christian. For that to be so, God would have had to tell the Jews (his people) that he would hear their prayers, but would refuse to hear the prayers of a Gentile. God did not state such, and in Jonah 3:7-10 we have a clear example where he heard such, which refutes any such argument from these passages in the O.T.

In each of the passages in the O.T., God did not hear the prayers offered by the Jews (his own people!) because of their sins and rebellion. The Gentiles are not even mentioned in these passages! It was based on this information that the Jews condemned Christ in John 9:31. Note the accusations: “He does not keep the sabbath” (9:16), “He is not from God” (9:16), “This man is a sinner” (9:24), he was not a disciple (follower) of Moses (9:28). He was also accused of being a deceiver (7:12), being a Samaritan, having a demon (8:48) and being guilty of blasphemy (10:33; 5:18). Thus, to them he was indeed a rebellious, disobedient “sinner” who could not possibly expect to be heard by God, per the plain statements in the O.T.

Now let us also note some other passages. In Acts 10:2 Cornelius was praying to God. His prayer came to God’s attention (10:4) and “has been heard” (10:31).

We do not know what Cornelius was praying for, but it was not for salvation, as he did not yet even know he was lost! Again in Acts 9:11, God told Ananias Paul “is praying.” He had been heard! This is not “mourner’s bench” salvation nor is salvation offered to a non-Christian on the basis of prayer. Yet the facts are very plain that both men, non-Christians, were praying and had been heard!

Some argue these two were “special cases.” Why? Is God a respector of persons (Rom. 2:11)? Or is it that they have assumed an argument (contrary to the O.T. basis and to the context of John 9:31) and this is the only way to escape the obvious statements found in Acts 9 and 10 that so plainly contradict their conclusions.

Note this fact also: the statement in John 9:31 was not based on the belief Jesus was a Gentile and hence had no access to God (as some try to argue about non-Christians). They knew he was a Jew (John 7:41). They accepted him therefore as a “child of God.” But though such, he was branded as a “sinner” – of such low character that God would not even be interested in the prayers of such a rebellious person – and they had the O. T. to prove it! Again, there is no way to fit this case to the argument God will not hear any prayer of a non-Christian.

The truth is that the “sinner” of John 9:31 is not at all talking about a non-Christian (or a Gentile), but of a “child of God” (as in the O.T.) who would not even listen to the law of God. He would not “worship” God or “do his will.” He had no right, such being the case, to expect God to listen to him. These conditions are necessary today even if a Christian expects to be heard by God (read 1 Jn. 3:22). This was the frame of mind of the “sinner” who went down justified in Luke 18:13-14. This same reverence and submissiveness was also apparent in the attitudes of the “sinners” who were heard in Acts 9 and 10.

The true parallel to John 9:31 is found in 1 Peter 3:7, where a Christian (a child of God – parallel to the Jews of the O.T.) is told if he doesn’t treat his wife right (as told by God), God will not hear his prayers (and Psa. 34 is quoted as evidence in 1 Pet. 3:12!).

Let us beware that we do not make false arguments to reply to false positions, and thus reach other false conclusions. Keeping the statement in John 9:31 in its proper context will make it much easier to understand correctly – and to apply properly.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 20, p. 613
October 20, 1988

By Steve Wolfgang

Footnote “Tithes,” Christian Baptist, I (February, 1824), 144.

Alexander Campbell, who mercilessly exposed the hypocrisy of the churches of his day, published this widely circulated story: “A certain woman found by the wayside a lamb perishing with cold and hunger. She had pity upon the lamb, and took it unto her house and nursed it and brought it again unto life. And it came to pass, that the lamb grew up and was a goodly ewe, and had a large fleece. And the poor woman sheared the ewe, when, lo! the priest came unto the woman and said, ‘The first fruits of everything belongs unto the Lord – and I must have the wool.’ The woman said, ‘It is hard,’ the priest said, ‘It is written’ and so he took the wool. And it came to pass, that soon after the ewe yeaned and brought forth a lamb, when, lo! the chief priest came again unto the woman and said, ‘The firstling of every flock belongeth unto the Lord – I must have the lamb.’ The woman said, ‘It is hard,’ the priest said, ‘It is written’ – and he took the lamb. And when it came to pass that the woman found that she could make no profit from the ewe, she killed and dressed it; when, lo! the chief priest came again unto her, and took a leg, a loin, and a shoulder, for a burnt offering. And it came to pass that the poor woman was exceeding wroth because of the robbery; and she said unto the chief priest, ‘Curse on the ewe. Oh! that I had never meddled therewith! And the chief priest straightway said unto her, ‘Whatsoever is cursed belongeth unto the Lord’ – so he took the remainder of the mutton, which he and the Levites ate for their supper. “

This story, as much as Campbell’s early writing, stung the pompous religious leaders of his day, as Jesus’ teaching infuriated the hypocritical leaders of the Jewish religion. Such teaching strikes at the core perversion of institutional religion. Churches become human institutions manipulated for the benefit of man. The force that sustains most popular religion today is not love of God but man’s craving for position and money.

Every servant of the kingdom is worthy of his hire, but one must never let his service be dependent on human reward (Matt. 6:18). Christians must discern between the honest servant and the greedy religious official who uses religion for financial gain and personal pride (2 Cor. 11: 19-20).

I fear the man who dresses in $250 suits and alligator shoes, while traveling the world in haste and importance soliciting funds to support himself and his projects.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 20, p. 614
October 20, 1988

By John A. Smith

In the May 1988 issue of Focus on the Family, Seattle juvenile detective Myrle Carrier listed seven things that troubled teens want to tell their parents. Detective Carner, a 20 year veteran of the Seattle police department, has spent the last eight years investigating juvenile crime and listening to troubled teens tell their stories. He asked these young people: “If your parents were seated with us, right now, what would you like to tell them?” The answers are deserving, I believe, of our consideration and a biblical examination.

1. Keep Cool

“The number one thing kids in trouble with the law want their folks to know was how to keep their cool. In other words, Mom and Dad, don’t lose your temper in a crunch. Don’t blow your top when things go wrong. Kids need the reassurance that comes from controlled responses.”

Solomon asserted this as a good general rule of life: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. . . . A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention” (Prov. 15: 1, 18).

Our children deserve to see the example of people whose lives have been transformed and molded by Jesus Christ (Rom. 12:1-2), thus possessing the essential qualities of meekness and gentleness. When trouble arises our children can see these qualities put to the test and come to better appreciate them and us. Parents who react in rage, losing their temper, show themselves to be just as troubled as their teens. Why would a teenager listen and heed counsel from someone like this?

During troubled times, teens need parents who will remain calm to help them still the turbulent waters.

2. Please Show Us Who’s Boss

“Most young people I talked with want their parents to be strict . . . they want parents who are consistent and fair in dishing out discipline. Kids need the security of specific boundaries, and they need to know there are consequences for going over the line.”

Parents who do not discipline their children and provide family leadership demonstrate a failure to love. Solomon asserted that: “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly” (Prov. 13:24). That discipline must begin while they are young and continue through the teen years. In Proverbs 19:18 Solomon said, “Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction.”

In addition to the wisdom which Solomon received from God, he had the benefit of his fore-fathers’ experience reinforcing these truths. The godly prophet Eli did not restrain his sons and those two undisciplined young men became the downfall of his house. Samuel’s untaught sons were not much better (1 Sam. 8:1-3). David had set a miserable example as a father. A failure to discipline his sons resulted in one becoming a rapist, another led a rebellion against his father, and when Solomon ascended to the throne another tried to revolt against him.

Solomon was sadly well acquainted with the trouble a parents brings upon his children and himself when discipline is not properly exercised. Most of us are acquainted with those who are setting themselves up for a life of misery and their children for failure by not restraining them and setting boundaries. Solomon warned parents in Proverbs 29:15: “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.”

The Hebrew writer rightly affirmed that “no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:11). It is not always easy to accept or provide discipline. But, a failure to discipline is far more bitter, troublesome, shameful, and heart-breaking.

Parents, we need to listen to God and our children and provide them with loving, consistent, fair discipline.

3. Don’t Blow Your Class

“If you’re 40, don’t try to act 16. Your kids don’t want you to act like them. What they really want is for you to be a parent, some one they can look up to.”

Parents, we need to give our children something for which they can strive. We need to be examples of mature steadfast sons of God. Can we say, as Paul did to the Philippians, “join in following my example” (Phil. 3:17) to our children? If we dress like and act like children we certainly cannot!

Our children need and deserve parents. Let us determine to fulfill the role which we have chosen for ourselves!

4. Please, Light A Candle

“Many troubled kids I speak with . . . are looking for a genuine spiritual dimension in their lives. They are saying, ‘Please tell us that God is not dead, sleeping, or on vacation. We need to believe in something bigger and stronger than ourselves.”

Those parents who have the spiritual interest and foresight to “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4) will provide the needed “candle.” A part of our “candling” will involve sparking the spiritual curiosity of our children that they might develop into candles to light the world (Matt. 5:16). Our children need to be nurtured – that is fed a steady diet of good nourishing spiritual food (not just a “junk food” diet of spiritual fluff).

God very specifically and carefully called upon the fathers of Israel (fathers sit up and take notice, the spiritual training of our children is not the exclusive realm of mothers!) to provide their children with a knowledge of him and his ways. In Deuteronomy 6:7-9 God says: “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” God simply calls upon fathers to use the everyday affairs of life to teach their children important spiritual lessons.

Parents, we need to teach our children that God exists and that he made them, regardless of what textbooks might say. Our children need to know that fife is sacred and that they are important to God. They need to know of his Son who loved them enough to die to redeem them from sin. They need to know of his church and the important function which they can have in it.

Are we providing our children with a spiritual foundation upon which they can build their life?

5 . Scare Us

“Get tough, Mom and Dad. If you catch your kids lying, cheating, stealing, swearing, or boozing, then discipline them. Let them know why what they did was wrong. And when they need punishment, dish it out. But also let them know that you love them, even when they let you down.”

We’ve already discussed the need for discipline, but Carner here reminds us that the discipline must be tempered and administered with love. When our children disappoint us the most, we need to love them the most. Brother Wilbur Jacobs once told me that he disciplined his children when they deserved it and loved them when they didn’t. I believe brother Wilbur spoke great words of wisdom.

When our children misbehave, we have an opportunity to teach them by example an important quality of God. He loved us and extended his hand of mercy while we were yet sinners (Rom. 5:8). His love did not lead him to overlook our sin or easily dismiss it. But it did lead him t9 provide a way of escape from sin (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 22:16).

Parents need to be tough and loving. The two are not mutually exclusive, but great compliments of one another.

6. Call Our Bluff

“Did you know that kids don’t really want everything they ask for? They want parents who won’t be intimidated when they threaten to drop out of school, or to run away from home.”

As parents we need to pray for wisdom. The wise parents will know just how far to go in calling their child’s bluff. A mother of three boys told me the story of one of her sons threatening to run away from home. She asked him the reasons and then decided to join him! Needless to say he stayed at home and never used that threat again.

Parents need to remember who is the boss and not be intimidated by their children.

7. Be Honest With Us

“Finally, kids want to be told the truth. It doesn’t do any good to try to fool your kids. They know you better than you know yourself. They know when you’re telling it like it is, and when you’re not. All kids want their folks to be real.”

Honesty is an important quality in any relationship, but it is especially needful in parenting. It has been a basic expectation of man from long ages past included in the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:16) and also in the law of Christ (Col. 3:9).

Parents need the trust and respect of their children if they are to lead them. Trust once broken by dishonest parents may become unrepairable. We need to be up front, honest, and sincere with our children.

Dishonest parents will raise dishonest children. Hypocritical parents will raise another generation of hypocrites. As a general rule children become what their parents mold them to be. What types of mold have we presented?

Conclusion

Carner reports that every ten minutes in this country:

10 kids attempt suicide

105 kids quit school

618 high school seniors smoke marijuana

20 girls between the ages of 15-19 become pregnant

8 out of the 20 will have an abortion

Our nation is filled with troubled children. If you are the parent of a troubled teen, you need to listen to them, love them, and work with them to find help. If your children are still young, then you still have the opportunity to lay for them a foundation of happiness and productivity. You need to take advantage of it.

Carner concludes his article by saying, “Not every parent has to deal with delinquent children, but every parent has ears to hear them. Now that these youngsters have spoken, are you willing to listen?” Let me add – once you hear will you respond?

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 20, pp. 609, 630-631
October 20, 1988