Truth Magazine

By Larry Ray Hafley

There is never a time when tactics, technique and style should replace simple preaching of the testimony of God (1 Cor. 2:1-5). Our age does not need an old gospel in a new package. Our age does not need a new gospel in an old package. Our age does not need a new gospel in a new package. It needs the gospel – “preach the word.”

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Well, the gospel “ain’t broke,” and it does not need amendment or repair. Men, though, are broken on the reef of sin, and they need mending in the glad haven and harbor of God, with the anchor of their souls made both sure and steadfast. This can only be accomplished in, by and through the gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16).

Efforts to project a new, handsome, winsome, inviting, exciting image of the church to the world should be discarded. With all boldness, using great plainness of speech, the sinner should be shown his true status and the hope he can have through the blood of the cross. Besides, the image of the church is not the thing to project; it is the image of Christ that we must erect.

The tenor and trend of our era is to smile and superficially “love” a sinner unto repentance and into the kingdom. Yes, the goodness of God leads to repentance (Rom. 2:4), but that very goodness declares wrath, indignation, tribulation and anguish against its opposers (Rom. 2:3-11).

True, scriptural love includes hatred of sin and “every false way.” It involves a casting down and a rooting up of iniquity and error (2 Cor. 10:35; Tit. 1:9-13; 2:15; 2 Tim. 4:24). It is neither loving nor loveable to fail to hate and expose what God hates and opposes.

The sinner must know God’s hatred of sin and his wrath against it (Rom. 1:18). The sinner must see himself as he is in God’s view, i.e., condemned and unclean. Preaching that truly converts, truly convicts (Acts 2:36,37). The gospel order is conviction followed by conversion. The sinner, like the son of Luke 15, must come to himself. He must see himself in the hog lot of the muck and mire of sin. It is a stinking, filthy sight, but every erring creature must recognize his condition, his guilt, in all of its ugliness.

If the Lord hated the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes (Rev. 2:6,15), can we show tolerance and indifference toward false doctrines of our day and be pleasing to him? Evidently, some think we can. Attempts are being made to present the truth in a more positive, appealing manner, one that will not rankle or offend those who subscribe to false doctrine. Obviously, one should not preach to see how many people he can revile, reproach and repulse, but the “new image” orators rarely speak negatively against anything except those rude, crude preachers who speak negatively. Their harshest words are not directed at false doctrine, but at those who speak pointedly against false doctrine.

It used to be that gospel preachers would carry their Bible and the creeds of men into the pulpit. They would quote the denominational doctrines, name the churches that held to the views presented and then use Scripture to deny the doctrines of men and affirm the doctrine of Christ. How long has it been since you have seen this done? “Ye have heard that it was said . . . but I say unto you” is the type of preaching needed today. It is not popular. It does not tickle or delight the ears of men, but it is the kind of preaching that will convict and convert the honest and good heart.

Knowing God’s power, knowing God’s sovereignty, knowing God’s holiness, knowing my true state in sin, and then seeing what God has done for me when I deserve nothing but have earned condemnation this enhances and increases my appreciation for the grace, mercy and love of God. How could he love me? Why would he save me with the awful cost of the sacrificial humiliation and death of his Son? I do not deserve it! Still, he freely gave it all for me.

So, to preach the true grace of God, one must preach the truth in love, preach the gospel of God’s hatred of sin and false doctrine and preach of his love for the sinner (Eph. 4:15; Jn. 3:16). When the convicted, condemned sinner sees his plight, he will respond more readily to the love of God in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 11, p. 328
June 2, 1988

By Garreth L. Clair

In this article our attention is directed to two figures of speech used to describe the church. The first to be discussed is the “building” analogy found in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. The New Testament contains a number of figures by which the church of Christ is described, each figure used describing at least one characteristic of the church of Christ. When all of the figures by which the church is described in the New Testament are put together, we have a beautiful picture of the glory, majesty, beauty, and greatness of the divine institution.

In reality the only complete term is the church of Christ; all the other figures point out characteristics but the term “church of Christ” is inclusive of all the figures in the Scripture. Where the terms “body,” “building,” “bride,” “family,” “kingdom,” “the called out,” etc. all describe a feature or features about the church of Christ, the term “church of Christ” includes all the features. From this point of view we will discuss the two figures in our present study.

The “Building”

In the first place the nature of the building in the context of 1 Peter 2:5 is a “spiritual house,” meaning a house not constructed of material substance of any sort but built of “living stones.” The “living stones” are those that Peter is addressing in the beginning of the epistle, “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ” (v. 2). The building feature here is simply the idea that the spiritual house (the church of Christ) is made up of saved people.

In the second place from that contained in 1 Peter 2:7,8 no disobedient person or unbeliever may become a part of the “spiritual house” (building). Since those who would be a part of the spiritual house are the saved ones it follows that the living stones are those who have complied with Christ’s conditions of pardon. They have:

1. Heard God’s Word (Rom. 10:17).

2. Believed in God (Heb. 11:6).

3. Believed in Christ (Jn. 8:24).

4. Repented of past sins (Acts 17:30).

5. Confessed faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9, 10; Acts 8:37).

6. Been baptized (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38).

Through immersion (Rom. 6:3,4).

For remission of sins (Acts 2:38).

7. Are steadfastly abiding in Christ, doing his will from the heart (1 Cor. 15:58; Jn. 15:4; Eph. 6:6; Rev. 2: 10; 2 Tim. 4:7,8; 1 Jn. 2:28).

From these facts it is apparent, no one may be a “living stone” in God’s “spiritual house” if he has not met the conditions of pardon, regardless of how sincere he may be.

The “Body”

The “body” analogy is one of the most interesting figures of the church of Christ for a number of reasons; in the first place the human body is a unit of many different parts, each part playing an important role for the human condition as a whole. This is how the church of Christ is to function. This figure points out a fact that is so important to the success of the ekk1esia of Christ in its local function.

There are at least two ways to look at the “body” analogy. One is from the concept contained in the statement of Acts 2:47 and that in Ephesians 5:23, etc. As we look at this concept (figure), we learn that Christ is the head of the body (the body being made up of all the saved ones), which body functions without an earthly organizational structure.

The second concept is a consideration of the church (ekklesia) in its local sense (i.e., Jerusalem – Acts 6:1-7; Antioch – Acts 13: 1; other local churches – Acts 16:5); one can hardly deny the existence of local congregations in the face of such scriptural evidence. To this concept the idea in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 may be best utilized. The idea of all the parts of the human body fitting the nature of the local congregation and its members is interesting as we look at the text. The context may well apply to the spiritual gifts and the attitude of the whole church toward their use and the individual’s attitude toward his particular gift. That the concept is in the text surely none would deny, but the ideal function of each local church is similar, that all the parts of the local ekklesia function as instructed from Christ (Heb. 5:8,9). There may be no unity, peace, joy, order, etc., where the individual members in a local congregation struggle for positions against the divine order; there is an office established by Christ in local churches (Acts 11: 30; 14:23; 15:2-6; 20:17; 1 Tim. 5:17-19; Tit. 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:1; etc.). This office ought to be respected not only by the members but by those who occupy it. The role of each member is needed; without the proper function in the congregation of each member the church will not function properly as the human body will not function properly if some of its members are malfunctioning.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 11, p. 325
June 2, 1988

By Roger Shouse

Each generation of Christians faces challenging problems that they must identify and overcome in order to make a noticeable impact in the lives that they touch. The 1980’s are no different. The obstacles in our path toward heaven today are not the same as brethren faced in the 1960’s. In the course of time some will conquer these hindrances and go on to excel in Christ Jesus. Others will succumb to these temptations and drift in a lifetime of lackadaisical service and indifferent faith to the Lord.

One of the prevalent things I see and hear today is the attitude many have toward preaching and Bible class topics. The high gloss and glitter of the 1980’s forces us to hide our eyes to faults and shortcomings and accent only the positive and the successful. This thinking can best be summed up by the title of a book, I’m Ok, You’re Ok. This does not take away from positive preaching. Any preaching to be effective will have to be positive, powerful and personal. But I’m not ok, and neither are you! We are sinners being saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. We are in constant need of the blood of the precious Lamb. We need provoking, we need encouraging, we need prodding. Paul told Timothy to “reprove, rebuke and exhort” (2 Tim. 4:2).

I’m ok, you’re ok thinking makes one look over the congregation and say, “I’m a pretty good member.” When one measures himself with the Word of God he says, “I owe my neighbor the gospel, and I can try a little harder next time Lord!”

I’m ok, you’re ok attitudes also make us shy away from repenting of our sins. We are told to confess our sins (1 Jn. 1:9). Regardless of the nature of the local church, we should strive to acknowledge wrongs and follow the Lord believing we can become all things that he tells us.

Can you see this attitude today? Don’t be ignorant of such false schemes and fall into the trap before it’s too late. Are you growing in the Lord? Are you bearing fruit unto the Lord? Do you bring glory to God in all you do? I’m not ok, I’m forgetting the past and I am pressing on to the upward call in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:13,14).

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 11, p. 333
June 2, 1988

By J.F. Dancer, Jr.

A reader in Tennessee requested that I comment on the question of saints of God making contributions into a community fund usually designated as “The United Way,” “The United Fund,” “Community Chest,” etc. I don’t know what it is called in Grenada (if we have such). The comments I will make will be true in the Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama campaigns as I am familiar with them and have received literature from them describing their work, who gets the money and how it is divided.

Christians are to be benevolent (Eph. 4:28). This is to be directed toward needy brethren (Acts 2:44,45; 4:34,35; 11:27-30) and to those deserving needy of the word (Jas. 1:27; Lk. 10:25-36) but they cannot give to those people or organizations that promote false teaching (2 Jn. 9-11; 2 Thess. 3:10) or laziness or immorality. When we do this we become partaker of the deeds these do which God says are “ungodly.”

Most “United Way” campaigns include the Salvation Army, Catholic, Methodist, Jewish and Lutheran organizations. These are all false religions! The donations do not go directly into the treasuries of these religions but are funneled to some charitable or family counseling organization that is controlled by the particular church. Thus it goes to support the teaching of the particular church. Usually the USO is included which is an organization that provides dances and beer for service personnel. These dances are based upon the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21) to which children of God have to stand opposed and apart.

To try to get around objections to supporting such organizations most of these united fund gathering campaigns suggest you “designate” what organization you want to receive your money. Note. they won’t allow you to make a check directly to the Boy Scouts, etc. because then it would have to go there. Your check is to be made to the fund. They then take out their share to pay operating costs and then they put it into the common fund. Each organization receives the percentage of the collected funds that was agreed upon before the money was collected. No attention is paid to the designations! It is just a ruse to beguile people who object to some of the organizations included so they will go ahead and contribute to the fund. Many businesses strive (and thus pressure employees) to have 100 percent participation and use this way to get it. Some make your contributing to this fund a requirement of your employment.

For a Christian to give (even a few dollars) to the support of false religions or to some organization that sponsors immoral events is to be “unequally yoked” with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14). God (through Paul) said we are not to be so yoked (2 Cor. 6:14-17). Saints have to have the courage to refuse to give into the common fund that uses the money collected in a manner contrary to Bible teaching. We are to be benevolent but in a way that will enable God to be glorified and his word to be upheld. It is not so in these united fund campaigns. You may be ridiculed and pressured (I have known some to be fired from a job) to make you conform but remember the admonition of Paul in Romans 12:2 to be not conformed to the world! You belong only to God (Tit. 2:14) and everything you do is to be done in such a way that God will be glorified.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 11, p. 323
June 2, 1988