Truth Magazine

By Ron Halbrook

Many Baptists have been embroiled in a controversy in recent years over the inspiration of the Bible. Some among them are teaching that the Bible is inspired in part, in a way, in a sense – but not fully, completely and entirely. Errors of historical fact, science, geography, and the like are included in the Bible, they say. From that view, they deny the account of Adam and Eve, miracles such as manna from heaven in the record of the Exodus, and the story of Jonah. Jesus defended every one of those events as literally true (Matt. 19:4; Jn. 6:32; Matt. 12:40). Jesus taught that every “jot” and “tittle” of the Old Testament was the inspired Word of God, and that people who reject any part of it are wrong, “not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matt. 5:17-18; 22:29-32; Jn. 10:34-35).

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Bible reflects the character of the One who inspired it – holy, pure, infallible, inerrant, and all-sufficient. We commend all Baptists who uphold this divine principle! They are right on this matter without a shadow of a doubt. But, if they are right on this great principle of truth, then they are wrong for not putting it into practice. If the Bible is the inspired Word and perfect plan of God, we must follow it in all things. To follow another way is to imply that the Bible way is not perfect, not sufficient, and not literally true for all ages of man. Why do Baptists who uphold the Bible as fully inspired reject the Bible pattern of teaching on the following points?

1. God planned, revealed, and authorized the local church as all-sufficient for the worship and work ordained for his people as a church (Eph. 1:22-23; 3:10-11; 4:7-12). Baptists reject that plan of God as perfect, infallible, and sufficient when they create human organizations such as “conventions” which plan and coordinate programs for the local churches to support. Controversy over the Bible’s inspiration has emerged in the Southern Baptist Convention and its related institutions – an organizational structure which by its very existence contradicts the divine origin and perfection of Scripture.

2. God gave each local church a plan to manage all its affairs under the leadership of men designated by three words meaning the same thing: elders (or presbyters), overseers (or bishops) and shepherds (or pastors). Each church had two or more of these leaders (Acts 14:23; 20:17,28; Tit. 1:5). Deacons were ordained as special servants for special jobs (Acts 6:1-7; Phil. 1:1). Strict qualifications were revealed for these two offices – elders who lead, and deacons who serve (I Tim. 3; Tit. 1). The work of a preacher is simply to proclaim God’s Word, a separate ministry from that of elders and deacons (Eph. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:1-5).

God’s plan is inspired, infallible, and inerrant, but Baptist churches and preachers reject it. “Not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God,” as Jesus said, a Baptist preacher will eliminate God’s plan of a plurality of elders or pastors in the local church, then usurp the name and office of a “pastor” to himself alone, and recognize deacons as a formal “board” with authority God never gave them. Why do people defend the Bible as the God-inspired rule, then refuse to follow it as the final, absolute, and inspired rule?

3. God called people who left sin and obeyed the gospel “believers” and “disciples” to indicate their focus on Christ -and then “Christians” to indicate that they belonged to Christ (Acts 11:26). Christ himself was to be exalted above the names of the men he saved and the doctrines he revealed, so his people were taught to wear his own “worthy name” and not the name of a man or a doctrine (Jas. 2:7; 1 Cor. 1:10-13). Sectarian, divisive names devised by men were strictly forbidden as carnal and sinful. God’s perfect and inspired Word speaks of “Christians” and “churches of Christ,” but men who defend the Word as inspired depart from it in order to embrace the sectarian terminology of “Baptists” and “Baptist churches” (Acts 11:26; Rom. 16:16). If we follow the Bible only as infallible, we will be Christians only in name or identity.

4. God authorized worship “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19). All Christians were to participate, “teaching and admonishing one another. . . singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16). God’s plan for our worship was holy, pure, and sufficient as he revealed it in Scripture. He did not reveal mechanical instruments such as harps and horns in the New Testament pattern. Nor did he authorize worship such as harps and horns in the New Testament pattern. Nor did he authorize worship as a spectator sport with the many entertained by the few in a solo, duet, quartet, or orchestral performance. On the one hand Baptists defend the Bible pattern as perfect and true, but on the other hand they depart from God’s pattern of truth by introducing human innovations into New Testament worship. If they are right, they are wrong.

5. The Bible speaks of those who have “fallen from grace” and who “depart from the faith” (Gal. 5:4; 1 Tim. 4:1). We accept God’s Word as eternal truth when we accept his grace. We fall from his grace when we reject and depart from his Word as eternal, infallible, inerrant truth. Baptist preachers misuse passages which speak of faith as a living and active principle in the human heart, and they stress the security for the believer promised in these passages (such as Jn. 10:27-30). Many Baptists teach once-saved-always-saved, once-in-grace-always-in-grace no matter what sins a person might commit. The Bible teaches no such security as that. Security relates to a living faith and “faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:26). We can leave the realm of genuine faith – “an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God” (Heb. 3:12). The Bible is infallibly true when it warns that we can lose our faith in the faith.

6. The church God planned and revealed was a spiritual fellowship with a spiritual mission – preaching the gospel to save the lost (1 Tim. 3:15). God’s plan for the church’s mission was perfect and final (Jude 3). Many Baptist churches have joined the trend toward social activities, recreation, entertainment, ball teams, parties, suppers, secular education, day-care centers, and gyms. This trend implies that the Bible pattern for the church’s mission is flawed, imperfect, and insufficient. Is God’s plan perfect or not?

7. The conditions of pardon or remission of sins in the New Testament included faith in Christ, repentance of sin, confession of Christ as Lord, and immersion in water (Jn. 3:16; Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 10:8-10; 1 Pet. 3:21). The New Testament is a perfect revelation of the gospel – we dare not add to it or take from it (Gal. 1:8-9; Rev. 22:18-19). Baptist preachers preach often from John 3:16 on faith but commonly ignore Mark 16:16 (“he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved”), Acts 238 (“repent . . . and be baptized . . . for the remission of sins”), Acts 22.16 (“be baptized, and wash away thy sins”), and 1 Peter 3:21 (“baptism doth also now save us”). Baptist doctrine puts salvation before baptism, but the gospel of Christ clearly puts salvation after baptism. If Baptists are right on the inspiration of the Bible, they are wrong for not preaching the plan of salvation which it reveals.

Baptist churches are right to insist upon the divine inspiration of the Bible, but the Bible does not mention the Baptist Church and many of its doctrines. It is not the church we read about in the Bible – the church of Jesus Christ. We love our Baptist friends and neighbors. We plead with them to act on their faith in the inspired Word by obeying the gospel in its original purity, by forsaking all sectarian names and organizations, and by following the New Testament pattern in all things. If we believe, preach, and practice exactly what is written in the New Testament, we can be the very same church as is revealed in the New Testament.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 9, pp. 266-267
May 5, 1988

By Mike Hughes

I have at times heard it said that something is good depending upon what it is compared with. I recently preached a funeral of a man that died at the age of 76 years old of health complications. This man had 19 and 16 great grandchildren.

I had been with the family since the onset of this man’s hospital stay; thus I became close to some of them. The night before the funeral I was helping some of the family chose music for the funeral. His grandchildren got together and said they wanted the “Grandpa Song.” I thought I had never heard of the Grandpa song so some of them started to explain it to me. I discovered the song they were referring to is “Grandpa tell me about the Good old days” by a country singing duo calling themselves the Judds. I wondered what place country music had at a funeral. One of the grandchildren is stationed in South Korea and so during the funeral after my portion of the service they played a tape tribute that he wrote to his grandpa. Right after this tribute the “Grandpa” song as they called it was played. As I set on the stage tears were brought to my eyes as I thought of my own grandpa who passed away in 1981.

The song has a line in it that says “grandpa tell me about the good old days when the line between right and wrong wasn’t so easy.” I thought of how significant that it is how much society has changed, how much it seems we have moved away from being a God-fearing nation. Probably in Grandpa’s day the line between right and wrong was none better. People weren’t apt to use the Bible to try to justify some form of sin they wanted to be engaged in. Grandpa could probably compare his day to his Grandpa’s day and say the same thing. I am but 36 years old and can see evidence of changes in my short life span.

There is another line in this song that I listened closely to; it goes “When promises were really something people kept not just something they would say and then forget.” I can remember my grandpa would speak of times when there were no contracts for everything but you would make a promise with your word and that would be the bond. Jesus says in Matthew 5:37 “But let your Yea be Yea and your Nay be Nay.” It does seem like we have gotten away from that.

There was another line that I heard in that song that I pondered on as I set staring at the casket of this grandpa. It goes: “Families really bowed their heads and prayed. Daddies really never go away. ” How many times today can you say that you have prayed with your families? Again Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-9 to ask, seek, and knock. How will we be able to have help in overcoming problems of society today without prayer?

As I notice various surveys today I find that there are more daddies and mothers going away today. If more mothers and daddies would follow the teachings there would be fewer “Daddies going away.” We live in a very selfish society, which I believe contributes to such a high divorce rate.

The second verse of this song started “Wonder back in the past, paint me a picture of long ago.” I wonder how many of the grandchildren whose grandpa is living have asked him to “paint me a picture of long ago.”

As grandpa’s what kind of picture would you paint of long ago? Sometimes this world does seem to have gone, crazy. We do call it progress and I truly don’t know.

Yes, it was unusual to hear a country song at a funeral service, but I do believe the words were appropriate to the occasion. As I sat listening to this song I was thinking how I wish I could see either one of my grandpa’s and ask them to “tell me about the good old days.”

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 9, p. 261
May 5, 1988

By Carl McMurray

Solomon said, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children” (Prov. 13:22, NASV). Some might argue that wealth is the point of his proverb and the inheritance of these children, but I would like to suggest that there is something else that is passed on in a family lineage. There is an inheritance that we give to our children and our grandchildren that is far more important and satisfying than wealth. There is an inheritance that may have an effect on following generations that money and such like can never equal. In an “I want. . . ” world, that is guided by “yuppies” and stock market figures, the Christian must give consideration to what we are really leaving to our children and our children’s children.

Our heavenly Father has always been concerned with the next generation of his children. Joshua 4:5-6 illustrates the planning of proper remembrances for Israel’s children so that they would have a visual remembrance of God’s care among them. The great Passover feast that God instituted for Israel was instituted with due concern for passing it on to the next generation (Exod. 12:26-27). Part of God’s lawgiving and promise as Israel approached Canaan included not only Israel taking God’s law to heart, but their children and grandchildren doing it also. He instructed them on how it was to be accomplished in Deuteronomy 6:2-9. Don’t forget how the Jews were rebuked by Nehemiah because they had neglected the above instructions of God and their own children’s teaching until their children could not even speak the language of Judah (Neh. 13:23-25). The other side of the coin is Abraham in Genesis 18:19, who is commended by God because he “will command his children after him.” It must be evident that God is certainly concerned about what we are leaving to our children.

Have you noticed that righteousness and wickedness often run in family lines. There are exceptions of course where children choose their own path and separate themselves from their lineage. But such seem to be the exceptions rather than the rule. Most children seem inclined to accept the inheritance that their parents leave them. In Genesis we are presented with two main family lines. They are represented by Cain and Abel. One is remembered for murdering his brother while the other is declared a “righteous man” in Hebrews 11:4. Obviously the literal lineage of Abel does not proceed far since he was murdered, but Genesis 4:25 tells us that Seth was given in place of Abel. Notice the difference in the two families from that time forward : The decendants of Cain distinguished themselves in a variety of ways. One built a city while another is looked to as the “father of those ‘who dwell in tents and have livestock.” Another is noted as the “father of all’those who play the lyre and pipe.” One is remembered for his forging and metal-work while another is even a murderer like Cain. The last thing we might note about this family is that it came to an end at the flood. In earthly pursuits this family seems to have excelled and passed this trait down through the family. There is no mention however of their relationship with Jehovah. We are left to infer that they contributed to the increasing wickedness in the world leading to its ultimate destruction by water in that day.

In the family of Seth however, we see a different picture. There are no notations of great deeds or accomplishments. This lineage however does produce a godly man who “walks with God” for 300 years before being “taken,” not seeing death. This family passed enough respect for Jehovah down through their generations that when the entire world became corrupt, one son of Seth is described as “blameless in his time,” one who “walked with God.” But, Enoch and Noah are not the only spiritually noteworthy individuals in this family line. It is the family of Seth that was chosen for the lineage of Christ. The children of this family seem to have had a good inheritance indeed left to them.

There is another striking parallel of this family practice that is even plainer than these already mentioned. In 2 Chronicles 22:1-5 we have the account of Ahaziah, king of Judah. Ahaziah is noted for his one year reign and his wickedness. The Scriptures explain that he was counseled to do evil by his mother and the house of Ahab. Ahab is dead at this time but when we remember that his wife Jezebel still lives and her daughter, Athaliah, is the mother who counsels Ahaziah, then the picture becomes clear. By Scripture, a man is declared to be wicked because he has been counseled that way by an evil mother and an ungodly grandmother. Is this not exactly the opposite of another notable man whose past is described in 2 Timothy 1:5. In that passage Timothy is declared to be possessed of a sincere faith, while the credit is given to a faithful mother and grandmother. With no stock market to invest in, there still seems to have been quite an inheritance that was left to these men.

It should be plain to us. We can and do leave an inheritance for our children and our children’s children. We can give them true faith to be a foundation for their lives and generations following will profit from the gift. Or we, by our actions, can counsel them to do evil. As the bumper sticker says, we may be “spending our children’s inheritance. ” Dedication and faithfulness or Sunday morning Christianity, which do your children see? When the stock market closes and the T-bills are matured, when the insurance is all cashed in, what are we really leaving to our children? The Scriptures point out that it can go either way. Will your grandchildren be walking in the light? Are you doing anything to make it as sure an investment as you are able? Just exactly what are you leaving your children?

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 9, p. 271
May 5, 1988

By Johnny Stringer

In a previous article, Scriptures were cited which conclusively prove that it is essential for us to be guided by God’s law. Those who believe that people can persist in violating the law of Christ in their worship and service to God are wrong.

It was also shown, however, that we do not depend just on law for our justification. We have more than law; we have grace by which we can be forgiven when we violate God’s law. Forgiveness, however, is conditional, and one of the conditions is repentance (Acts 2:38; 8:22). Hence, men cannot persist impenitently in violating God’s law and receive his gracious forgiveness.

Paul’s teaching in the book of Romans is often cited by those who teach that we are not amenable to law. Some of the statements most often invoked are found in Romans 3:19-4:8. Hence, we need to understand the real point of this passage.

First, we must understand the point Paul had been establishing in the context. He had begun in 1:18 to drive toward the conclusion that all men have sinned and therefore need the gospel. He showed that Gentiles had been guilty of sin, hence had not been justified by their manner of life; they needed the gospel. Then he showed that the Jews had failed to keep the law God had given them. Having failed to be justified by law, they needed the gospel.

After proving that the Jews had failed to be justified by the Law of Moses, Paul stated the conclusion in verse 20: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Why would no flesh be justified by the law? Simply because no flesh would perfectly obey the law. Inasmuch as all would violate the law, all would be condemned by it. The only way to be justified by law (law alone; no grace) would be to keep the law perfectly. Regarding the Law of Moses, Paul said that “doers of the law” would be justified (Rom. 2:13; 10:5); but no one “did” the law – not perfectly. All who did not continue in “all the things written in the book of the law” were cursed for their violations of the law, but no one continued in all the things of the law – not perfectly; hence, all were cursed by the law; none were justified by it (Gal. 3:10-12). Whenever one is described as keeping God’s law, the meaning is that his life was generally in accordance with the law; no one kept it perfectly except our Lord.

Paul’s point was that no one had kept God’s law perfectly so as to be justified by it. Men, therefore, needed another method of justification – a method other than perfect law-keeping. The experience of the Jew under the Law of Moses proved for all men for all time that man will not achieve justification by perfect law keeping. We need more than mere law; we need grace so that we can be forgiven when we violate God’s law.

In the text we are discussing, Paul’s statements regarding law must be understood in the light of the point under discussion in the context: Man had not kept God’s law perfectly so as to be justified by it; hence, men needed another method of justification. In this context, when Paul spoke of “the righteousness of God without the law” (3:21), he meant “the righteousness which we obtain by a means other than law. ” We do not become righteous simply by having a law and keeping it. We are indeed amenable to law, but we do not depend simply on law for justification. This would require keeping God’s law perfectly, and this is the thing Paul had been laboring to show that men had failed to achieve.

Similarly, in verse 28, when Paul said “that a man is justified by faith Without the deeds of the law,” He did not mean that we are not amenable to God’s law. Paul had been showing that we are justified by a method other than perfect law-keeping. Hence, “without the deeds of the law” means “without performing the deeds of the law perfectly.”

The point is, we stand righteous and justified before God not because we have lived in perfect obedience to divine law, but because we were forgiven of our sins through the blood of Christ when we submitted in faith to the Lord’s conditions. But we cannot stand righteous and justified before God if we persist in violations of divine law, for the conditions we must meet in order to be forgiven include repentance.

We will continue this study in or next article, particularly noting Paul’s usage of the word works in the passage we are considering.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 9, p. 264
May 5, 1988