Truth Magazine

By Larry Ray Hafley

Fanny J. Crosby penned the words to the comforting hymn, “Blessed Assurance.” Blessed assurance is blessed confidence. It is tied to that “blessed hope,” “which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Tit. 2:13; Heb. 6:19). The faithful child of God rests, reposes and resides in blessed assurance (1 Jn. 5:13).

Unfortunately, Baptist preachers and others have tried to taunt and tantalize Christians, saying, “You don’t know from one minute to the next whether you’re saved or lost, but,” they say, “I know I am saved forever and cannot be lost.” Thus, the Baptists’ blessed assurance is welded directly to the doctrine of the impossibility of apostasy, or “once saved, always saved.” Their alleged assurance is placed in a system of unconditional salvation. That is one way to secure blessed assurance. It is not the way of truth, however. Salvation is conditional (Jas. 1:12; Rev. 2:10), so our assurance is not in unconditional forgiveness.

Nazarenes and others have contended for “a second work of grace.” Simply stated, they believe the Holy Spirit performs an operation, an amputation, and cuts out the “old sinful nature.” Thus, some have denied that they sin at all (see 1 Jn. 1:8,10). This is another means of claiming blessed assurance. It is not, though, the Bible method. We do sin, so our assurance is not based on sinless perfection as some charge.

Other sectarian spirits have said that all sins, past, present and future, already are forgiven. The truth is that provision for the forgiveness of the sins of all men has been made (1 Jn. 2:1,2). But that is not the issue. The question is, “When is the provision applied and appropriated?” If the erring child of God has his sins already forgiven, why are not the sins of the alien also already forgiven? Christ is the propitiation for one as well as for the other (1 Jn. 2:1,2). If he automatically and unconditionally forgives the child of God who sins, then he must also- have forgiven the sins of alien sinners. The climax of that argument is universal salvation. The collapse of ‘that argument is seen in the- rec6gnition of ‘ the difference between the universal provisions of grace And the conditional application of those provisions.

Still others have argued that sins of the fleshly, carnal nature — the outer man, as they designate him, do, not affect the soul. There are various twists to this theory. The body sins, they aver, but the soul does not. The body, the outer man, is a child of the devil, they avow, while the soul, the inner man, is a child of God. If all of the above is true, please explain:

(1) Why did Paul say to cleanse flesh and spirit (2 Cor. 7:1)?

(2) Why does Ezekiel 18:20 talk of the “soul that sinneth”?

(3) How we can present our bodies “holy, acceptable unto God” (Rom. 12:1)?

(4) How we may glorify God in our body (1 Cor. 6:19,20)?

(5) Why did Paul say we are to “receive the things done in the body” (2 Cor. 5:10)?

(6) How “fleshly lusts” could “war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11)?

(7) Why are “both soul and body” to be destroyed in hell (Matt. 10:28)?

(8) Why did Paul say that saints have “crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Gal. 5:24)?

If the body sins, but the soul does not, or is not affected, how does one explain the passages above? But we are not through. Notice further:

(9) John says the Christian is to purify himself (1 Jn. 3:3), But the body cannot be purified and the soul does not need to be according to the doctrine noted above. So, how could one purify himself?

(10) How could the soul of an erring brother be 66sdved,from death” (Jas. 5:19,20)?

(11) Why did Paul pray that “your whole spirit and soul and body be preserv9d blameless” (1 Thess. 5:23)?

Catholics and others have taught that some sins are mortal and some are venial. Some sins condemn and some do not. Again, that is another step to the land of blessed assurance, but it is not in the path of truth. The Bible does not provide a list of “safe” sins, ones that will not be held against us, so our assurance is not in a distinction of sins,

How, then, does the faithful child of God have “blessed assurance”?

(1) In the Assured Word. One may cling to the truth and never be disappointed. Paul told Timothy, “But continue thou in the things thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (2 Tim. 3:14). The Hebrew writer wrote of “the full assurance of hope.” “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Heb. 6:10-12). Hence, when one diligently continues in the things he has learned from the word of God, he will, “through faith and patience inherit the promises.” In this context, there can be no doubt. This is “blessed assurance.”

(2) In The Assured Faithfulness of God. Paul knew he could trust in God’s power, ability and willingness to deliver on his promises (2 Tim. 1:12). Peter said, “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator” (1 Pet. 4:19). “In well doing,” one may work safely, knowing in whom he has believed. A man may fail to reward his benefactor. An employer may not pay an employee, but God is trustworthy. Therefore, the faithful child of God has the blessed assurance of God’s unchanging hand of grace, mercy and love. He is not unrighteous; he will not forget.

(3) In the Assured Sacrifice. The “offering of the body of Jesus Christ” is the basis, the foundation, of our “blessed assurance” (Heb. 10). The initial redemption of the alien sinner is accomplished through the offering or the sacrifice of the blood of Christ (Heb. 10; 1 Pet. 1:18,19; Eph. 1:7). It is the ground of all hope and assurance. When the sinner obeys the terms of pardon, when he responds to the conditions of faith, repentance, confession and baptism, he is cleansed by the blood of Christ (Rom. 5:9; 6:3,4,17,18; 10:9,10; Heb. 5:8,9; Acts 2:38).

Likewise, the child of God can appeal to the blood of the cross (1 Jn. 1:7; 2:1,2). As the alien sinner must comply with the conditions set forth in order to be forgiven, so the child of God, when he sins, must meet the terms of pardon (1 Jn. 1:9). He is not, as some would argue, forgiven while he sins. See the quote which follows.

“‘Through the priestly advocacy of Christ in Heaven there is absolute safety and security for the Father’s child even while he is sinning. . . .’

“. . . The New Testament writers do not contend that ‘there is absolute safety and security for the Father’s child even while he is sinning.’ Quite to the contrary, they warn against the peril of presuming to continue in grace while consenting to deliberate sinning. . . .” (Shank, Life In The Son, p. 133).

One who is “overtaken in a fault,” is not forgiven “even while he is sinning,” since he must be “restore(d)” (Gal. 6: 1). If he were forgiven by the blood of Christ as he sinned, how could Paul speak of his need to be restored? Further, one may “err from the truth” (Jas. 5:19). He is not automatically forgiven even as he errs or sins, for James shows he needs to be converted after he has erred from the truth.

Blessed assurance is inseparably linked to the blood of Christ. It cannot be moved, “seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25). The child of God, therefore, can trust in it as he penitently and prayerfully turns from “the error of his way.”

Through the years, denominational preachers have argued that obedience to commands dims and demeans the grace of God. It is a false charge. The Corinthians, for example, heard, believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8), yet they had “believed through grace” (Acts 18:27). The Ephesians were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:5). Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), still Paul said they were saved by grace (Eph. 2:5). Hence, conditions do not diminish or tarnish the grace of God. Accordingly, when an erring child of God is told to repent, confess and pray (Acts 8:22; 1 Jn. 1:9), the grace of God is not being belittled. Rather, it is being exalted. “For we have no, pan high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15,16).

One may present endless difficult scenarios and situations with respect to a person’s salvation. It is possible to “what if. . . ” and “what about. . . ” ourselves to distraction and confusion. I do not have all the answers. I do not even know all the questions. But, while there are a lot of questions I cannot answer, there are a lot of answers I cannot question.

Let us be content and rest in confidence and blessed assurance in the veracity of the word of God, in the integrity of the faithfulness of God and in the constant and continuous availability of the grace of God. As we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, we may know assuredly and believe confidently that an entrance shall be administered unto us abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:5-11; 3:17,18).

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 6, pp. 176-177
March 17, 1988

By Steve Wolfgang

Footnote Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed and Impoverished the Souls of Today’s Students (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987), pp. 56-60.

Allan Bloom, currently a professor at the University of Chicago, has had a distinguished academic career, teaching also at Yale, the universities of Paris, Tel Aviv, and Toronto. During the 1960s he was a professor at Cornell, resigning in protest over the capitulation of that school’s administration to campus radicals.

His Closing of the American Mind became an unexpected bestseller, indeed, something of a cultural phenomenon, during 1987. While we do not endorse everything in the book, several passages are well worth reflecting upon.

“The other element of fundamental primary learning that has disappeared is religion. As the respect for the Sacred – the latest fad – has soared, real religion and knowledge of the Bible have diminished to the vanishing point. . .

“The cause of this decay of the family’s traditional role as the transmitter of tradition is the same as that of the decay of the humanities: nobody believes that the old books do, or even could, contain the truth…. In the United States, practically speaking, the Bible was the only common culture, one that united simple and sophisticated, rich and poor, young and old, and – as the very model for a vision of the order of the whole of things, as well as the key to the rest of Western art, the greatest works of which were in one way or another responsive to the Bible – provided access to the seriousness of books. With its gradual and inevitable disappearance, the very idea of such a total book and the possibility and necessity of world-explanation is disappearing. And fathers and mothers have lost the idea that the highest aspiration they might have for their child is for them to be wise – as priests, prophets or philosophers are wise. Specialized competence and success are all that they can imagine.

“My grandparents were ignorant people by our standards, and my grandfather held only lowly jobs. But their home was spiritually rich because all the things done in it, not only what was specifically ritual, found their origin in the Bible’s commandments, and their explanation in the Bible’s stories and the commentaries on them, and had their imaginative counterparts in the deeds of the myriad of exemplary heroes. My grandparents found reasons for the existence of their family and the fulfillment of their duties in serious writings, and they interpreted their special sufferings with respect to a great and ennobling past. Their simple faith and practices linked them to great scholars and thinkers who dealt with the same material, not from outside or from an alien perspective, but believing as they did, while simply going deeper and providing guidance. There was a respect for real learning, because it had a felt connection with their lives. This is what a community and a history mean, a common experience inviting high and low into a single body of belief.

“I do not believe that my generation, my cousins who have been educated in the American way, all of whom are M.D.s or Ph.D.s, have any comparable learning. When they talk about heaven and earth, the relations between men and women, parents and children, the human condition, I hear nothing but cliches, superficialities, the material of satire. I am not saying anything so trite as that life is fuller when people have myths to live by. I mean rather that a life based on the Book is closer to the truth, that it provides the material for deeper research in and access to the real nature of things. Without the great revelations, epics and philosophies as part of our natural vision, there is nothing to see out there, and eventually little left inside. The Bible is not the only means to furnish a mind, but without a book of similar gravity, read with the gravity of the potential believer, it will remain unfurnished.”

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 6, p. 178
March 17, 1988

By Johnny Stringer

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God (1 Jn. 3:9).

In teaching on 1 John 3:9, brethren usually stress that the expression “doth not commit sin” denotes habitual action. John is not saying that the one who is born of God never commits a single act of sin. That idea would contradict other clear passages (1 John 1:8-2:1; Acts 8:13-24). The point is that the one who is born of God does not continue in sin as a way of life. When he sins, he repents of it and seeks God’s forgiveness (Acts 8:22).

The reason the one who is born of God does not and cannot habitually sin is clearly stated: “for his seed remaineth in him.” The seed of the new birth is the word of God (1 Pet. 1:23; Lk. 8: 11). The word of God, working as seed within the heart, will not permit one to persist in sin, but will influence him to be faithful (1 Jn. 2:14,24; Psa. 119:11).

Brethren often make these points in discussing this passage. This is good, but one question is often not adequately answered because a key point is overlooked. The question is, does this mean that if one becomes a Christian, he will never go into a life of habitual sin? The verse says that the one who is born of God does not continue in sin because the seed remains in him and prevents him from doing so. We know that sometimes one who becomes a Christian does later go into a life of habitual sin (1 Cor. 5:1; 2 Pet. 2:20-23), but John seems to be teaching otherwise. Does John mean to teach that if anyone was ever born again, he will not go into a life of sin because the seed remains in him and will prevent it?

The solution to this problem is found in a point that is often overlooked: the tense of the verb “is born.” The verb tense which John uses proves that he is not talking about everyone who was ever born again. He is not saying that anyone who was ever born again does not live in sin. The KJV says, “Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin.” It does not say, “Whosoever was ever born of God doth not commit sin.”

The KJVs translation of this verb is good. The Greek verb which is rendered “is born” is in the perfect tense. Concerning the prefect tense, Marshall says, “The Greek perfect can generally be taken as represented by an English present: a past action continuing in its effect down to the present, in contrast to an action wholly in the past” (The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, p. vii). Machen staes, “The Greek perfect tense denotes the present state resultant upon a past action” (New Testament Greek for Beginners, p. 187). Machen goes on to say that the perfect tense is never used unless the past action had a permanent result.

John’s use of the perfect tense, therefore, shows that he is talking not about everyone who was ever born again, but only about the one in whom the relationship begun at the new birth continues – the one in whom the seed continues to work. This is the one who does not habitually sin.

Concerning 1 John 3:9, Vincent says, “The perfect participle indicates a condition remaining from the first: he who hath been begotten and remains God’s child.” The famous B.F. Wescott comments, “The perfect . . . marks not only the single act . . . but the continuous presence of its efficacy. ‘He that hath been born and still remains a child of God.”‘ John is not talking about everyone who was ever born again. Completely out of his view is the one who was born again, but later rebelled against God; such a person is not one who “is born of God.” John is talking only about the one who continues to let the seed work in him. This is the one who does not habitually sin.

The Contextual Point

The point John is making in the context is that those who sin are not of God, but of the devil (v. 8). In verse 10 John divides men into two groups: children of God and children of the devil. He teaches that those who do evil are children of the devil, not children of God. Obviously, he is using the term children with reference to character. Those who partake of God’s character are his children, and those who partake of the devil’s character are his children. For this usage of the term children see Matthew 5:44-48-, John 8:39-44. All who obey the gospel do not continue to be God’s children in this sense; when they go into sin they are children of the devil (1 John 3:8,10).

In verse 9, John simply says that the one who continues the relationship begun at the new birth – that is, continues to be a child of God through the continued working of the seed – does not persist in sin, for the seed will not let him. Those who live in sin, therefore, no longer sustain the relationship that was begun at the new birth. Inasmuch as they have ceased to derive their character from God through the working of his seed, they have ceased to be his children.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 6, p. 174
March 17, 1988

By Wayne S. Walker

One of the great heroes of God’s word in the Old Testament was Noah. This example of faith lived during a very difficult time, when the people of the world were so wicked that the thoughts of their hearts were only evil continually and that God determined to destroy the earth with a flood. But Noah was a man who found grace in God’s sight because he was just, perfect in his generations, and one that walked with God. Therefore, God determined to save Noah and his family and commanded him, “Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch” (Gen. 6:14). There are several interesting lessons that we can learn and applications that we can make from a study of Noah’s ark.

I. Noah had a pattern to follow. He was told to make an ark. The wood was to be gopherwood. The proportions were to be three-hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. There were to be a window for the ark a cubit from the top and a door to the ark in the side. It is interesting to note that the dimensions in the Bible are common for any worthy sea-going vessel, unlike those mentioned in many of the ancient heathen flood stories. Also, based upon an eighteen-inch cubit, the total capacity of the ark would have been 3,500,000 cubic feet, plenty of room for all the animals and supplies that Noah needed to take.

Now, what would have happened if Noah had added a few cubits to come out with a length of 305 cubits? What if he had decided that he really did not need a window in the ark? What if he substituted oak or pine for the gopherwood that God had specified? It is not our desire to engage in a lot of fruitless speculation, but consider the following points. When Nadab and Abihu substituted their own fire for the fire that God had commanded, they were both consumed immediately with fire from heaven (Lev. 10:1-2). When Uzzah disobeyed the instructions of the Lord and touched the ark, he was struck dead on the spot (2 Sam. 6:1-7). Simply put, God has never allowed any deviation from his expressed will, so there is no reason to believe that Noah could have been saved by ignoring or rejecting what God said.

Moses also had a pattern given by God for building the tabernacle. “. . For He said, ‘See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mount” (Exod. 25:9, cf. Heb. 8:5). In a similar vein, the New Testament reveals God’s pattern for mankind today. We can be made free from sin only by obeying from the heart the form or pattern of doctrine to which we have been delivered (Rom. 6:17-18). Then after we are thus saved, the Lord has a “pattern of sound words” which he wants us to hold fast (2 Tim. 1:13). This-idea which we are hearing with increasing frequency, that we do not have nor do we need a “pattern” with regards to the church today, is plainly not taught in God’s word.

II. Salvation was found only in the ark. Let me ask you a question. How many people were saved outside the ark? Look at Genesis 7:13-16. “And all flesh died that moved on the earth . . . both men and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.” Reread the last sentence and notice the word “only” and the phrase “in the ark.” Again, “only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.” Very clearly, no one outside the ark was saved.

The apostle Peter tells us that Noah’s salvation is like ours. “. . . When once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism. . . ” (1 Pet. 3:20-21). Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives were all saved from the evil and ungodliness in the world. How were these eight souls saved? By water. Where were they saved? In the ark. As Noah and his family were saved from the unrighteous world by the waters of the flood, Peter says that we are saved from sin by baptism.

Baptism puts one into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). The body of Christ is his church (Eph. 1:22-23). Thus, when one is baptized into the body or church of Christ, he is said to be baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). The church is God’s ark of safety today for salvation is found in it. All spiritual blessings are found in Christ and therefore in his church (Eph. 1:3). This includes salvation. “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and he is the Savior of the body” (Eph. 5:23). The only people of whom Christ is ever said to be the Savior are those in his body or church. Those who teach that the church is unimportant, that one can be saved and go to heaven yet not be a member of the church, do not find that doctrine in the Scriptures.

III. There was only one door to the ark. God told Noah to put it there in Genesis 6:16. Its purpose is quite evident. “On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark. . . .So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in” (Gen. 7:13-16). There had to be a way by which Noah, his family, and all the animals that God had commanded to be taken could enter into the ark and be shut in by God for their protection. Once the door was shut, there was no other way in.

Similarly, as the church is God’s ark for us, there is only one door into it. In a different context, but making the same basic point, Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. . . . I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (Jn. 10:7-9). This truth is reinforced by many other passages of Scripture. Christ also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6). In Matthew 7:13-14, the Lord described two basic ways. One is broad, with a wide gate and room for many different routes. But it leads to destruction. The other is narrow or confined, with a gate that is strait or difficult. And only that way will lead to eternal life.

As we have already indicated, this way includes baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (Mk. 16:15-16; Acts 2:38). Since the only way to the Father is by Christ, we must find the way by which we come into contact with Christ. Paul wrote, “. . . As many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death. . . . Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death” (Rom. 6:3-4). The only way my Bible says that I can get into Christ, and thus come unto the Father, is by baptism. Many folks have the concept that we are all going to heaven, just traveling different ways. But the book of God does not say that there are many different ways, that it does not make any difference what one believes as long as he is honest and sincere. There is only one way.

Conclusion

God commanded Noah to build an ark. How did Noah respond? “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him so he did” (Gen. 6:22). The result of this obedience is revealed for us in Hebrews 11:7. “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Noah was not saved by “faith only” as some claim we can be saved. He was saved by a faith that prompted him to do everything exactly as God had told him to do.

As we conclude our study of Noah’s ark, we need to remember that Noah had to build the ark after a pattern and that God has commanded us to make all things in the church according to his pattern. We must also realize that as salvation in Noah’s day was available only in the ark, so salvation today is offered to mankind only in the church. And let us understand that the only door into God’s ark for us, the church, is through Jesus Christ by being baptized unto Him. These are simple, basic lessons. But they are recorded for our learning that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope (Rom. 15:4).

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 6, pp. 172-173
March 17, 1988