Truth Magazine

By Garreth L. Clair

During the lifetime of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ upon this earth, no church was established. Although a great deal of information about the church of Christ is discussed during the lifetime of John and Jesus, the church did not become a reality until after the death of both. These facts indicate that the period of the gospels and the first chapter of the book of Acts were a period preparatory for the establishment of the church of Christ. To this concept we present the following lessons:

I. The work of John the Baptist (i.e., The baptizer). John’s work was to herald the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven (the church). “And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:1,2).

A. John was the messenger to prepare the way before the Lord (Mal. 3:1).

B. He was Elijah who was to appear before the “great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Mal. 4:5).

C. John was the friend of the bridegroom whose work was to decrease while that of the bridegroom (Lord) was to increase (Jn. 3:29,30).

D. He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness (Isa. 40:3; Jn. 1:23). The kingdom (church of Christ) was to begin in Jerusalem and the law was to go forth from Zion (Isa. 2:2-4) but the work of John the Baptist and the message he preached started in the wilderness of Judea.

II. John was not in the Kingdom of Heaven (i.e., the church of Christ). Please observe the following facts in this connection:

A. Jesus said of John, “Verily I say unto you, among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist, not withstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matt. 11:11). If John was as great as any before him, but the least in the kingdom was greater than he, it follows that John was not in the kingdom. Why was he not in the kingdom? Could any man be called great by our Savior if he lived in disobedience to God? If the kingdom was in existence at this time and John was not in it, he was living in disobedience to God by not being a part of it (Matt. 23:13).

B. John the Baptist was not in the kingdom for the same reason that Adam, Noah, Abraham, etc. were not in it; John lived and died before the kingdom of the Messiah was established and, therefore, had no opportunity to become a citizen in it.

C. John could do all God expected of him without entering the kingdom; but those of us living today live during the existence of the kingdom, we therefore have the responsibility to become a part of it (Col. 1:13,14).

III. John died before Jesus promised to build his church. We read in Matthew 14:1-12 about the events leading up to and the death of John the Baptist, but following in chronological order in Matthew 16:13-20 we read of Jesus’ promise to build his church sometime in the future.

There is no absolute way of determining how many months passed between these two events. But it is certain that John had been dead sometime before Jesus made his promise on the coast of Caesarea Philippi to build his church. Since John died before the church was established, his work could only be a preparatory nature. It was John’s work to prepare material out of which Jesus Christ would eventually build his church.

Church Not Built During Jesus’ Earthly Ministry

In the next phase of this lesson we want to examine the work of Christ during his approximately 33 years on this earth as a living human being. In this phase of the study we want to establish as fact that Jesus did not build a church during his earthly existence. In establishing this fact we direct your attention to the following set of biblical facts:

I. The personal ministry of Christ did not begin where the prophets predicted the kingdom would begin. Notice the following:

A. Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and did immediate work among the disciples of John (Jn. 1:35-51).

B. He left the vicinity of the Jordan on the third day and was attending a wedding in Cana of Galilee (Jn. 2:1ff).

C. After this we find him going through Galilee and finally coming to Nazareth where some sought to kill him (Lk. 4:14-30).

II. In the second place the work of Jesus during his personal ministry was not directed toward all nations as the prophets predicted regarding the nature of the coming kingdom:

A. Jesus addressed a woman of Canaan, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24).

B. Jesus teaching did not extend to any of the nations around about Israel, only to the Jews.

III. All the teaching by Jesus pointed to the establishment of kingdom (church) in the future:

A. As John the Baptist had been teaching, so did Jesus teach, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mk. 1:14,15).

B. Jesus lived under the law of Moses; he recognized the authority of the Mosiac law and taught men to obey it (Matt. 23:13). Even though he lived under and taught men to submit to the law of Moses he taught that a great law (i.e., kingdom, church, government) was soon to be established (Matt. 5-7).

C. In spite of all his teaching about the coming kingdom, Jesus did not tell his disciples everything about it as is evident from John 16:12,13.

In this final phase of the lesson let us now examine the work of the twelve apostles during Christ’s personal ministry. Observe the following facts about the apostles’ work:

I. The work of the apostles did not begin in Jerusalem during the personal ministry of Christ as the prophets predicted.

A. Jesus was in Galilee, not Jerusalem, when he called the twelve apostles and gave them their authority (Matt. 10:lff; Lk. 9:1-6).

B. The Old Testament prophets predicted that the kingdom would begin in Jerusalem and that the law of the kingdom would go out from that city. Consequently, the work of the Twelve at the time of Christ’s earthly life was not for the establishment of a kingdom (church) but was preparatory.

II. The Twelve were instructed by Christ during his earth ly ministry to preach to Jews only (Matt. 10:6).

A. The prophets said that the message of the coming kingdom would be for all nations when it was established in the last days of the Jewish dispensation (Isa. 2:2-4; Dan. 2:24-45; Mic. 4:1-5; etc.).

B. The limitations of the Twelve and their ministry during the lifetime of Christ is clearly established from the statement recorded in Matthew 10:5-7, as follows: “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

III. The apostles of Christ were given a limited commission, they were limited to specified territories in their work during the life of Christ; notice the following facts:

A. The prophets had said that when the kingdom arrived they should go into all nations (i.e., “all nations would flow into it”). Jesus limited the apostles (Matt. 10:5).

B. When Jesus later gave the commission that we refer to today as the great commission in Matt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15,16; Lk. 24:46-49. The apostles were then told to “go into all the world,” for then the time for the establishment of the predicted kingdom had come.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 6, pp. 168-169
March 17, 1988

By Hoyt H. Houchen

Question: Matthew 12.31,32 states that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven. Hebrews 6.4-6 speaks of those who cannot be renewed. Hebrews 10. 26 speaks of no sacrifice remaining to cover sins.

If all these sins bring the same condemnation as any other sin (eternal damnation) and those sins can be forgiven upon the same condition as any other sin (repentance),- what, if any, real distinction is the Bible trying to make concerning them?

Reply: Sin is sin in the sight of God and there is no sin which is lesser or greater in his sight. Nowhere in the Scriptures is it even implied that one specific sin will condemn the soul, while another specific sin will not. Sin is the transgression of God’s law (1 Jn. 3:4) and spiritual death is the penalty for that violation (Ezek. 18:20; Rom. 6:23). God, then, does not make a distinction between sins. First, we need to consider the three passages in the question.

Jesus said in Matthew 12:31,32: “Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come.” there is a great deal of misunderstanding as to what Jesus is teaching in these verses. Some readily conclude that the “sin against the Holy Spirit” is the unpardonable sin; that is, it is possible for one to commit a sin for which he can never obtain pardon. The Bible, however, nowhere teaches that there is an unpardonable sin. To the contrary, it is evident that God will forgive a person of any sin if he will repent of it. God grants full pardon for any sin when one complies with his conditions – that he genuinely repents, and then ceases the practice of it. (See Isa. 55:6,7; Heb. 9:17; etc.)

Some attempt to harmonize 1 John 5:16 with Matthew 12:31,32 by concluding that both passages are teaching that there is an unpardonable sin. The truth is, that neither passage is teaching such. In 1 John 5:16 where the “sin unto death” is mentioned, the writer is referring to any sin which a brother will not confess (1 Jn. 1:9). It is understood, of course, that repentance precedes the confession. If a brother will not repent and confess his sin, he is impenitent; and in such a state, prayer for him will not avail (Jas. 5:16). In Matthew 12:31,32 Jesus is teaching that the “blasphemy” or “si against the Holy Spirit” is the rejection of God’s final revelation to man. There were the prophets in the Old Testament, followed by John the Baptist. Then came Jesus, and finally the written revelation of the Holy Spirit. To resist the message of the Holy Spirit is to reject the final message of God’s will to man, this revealed in the sacred writings of the New Testament. This is a denial of deity (the disbelief of the virgin birth of our Lord, his miracles, his death, burial, resurrection and ascension into heaven). It would be the willful denial of all this, in spite of the preponderance of divine testimony. The fact remains, however, that salvation is obtainable by the one who commits this sin if he will repent of it and thereby surrender his will to God. There is no salvation to one who blasphemes or sins against the Holy Spirit. It is only when he repents that he can procure forgiveness.

The author of Hebrews 6:4-6 wrote: “For as touching those who are once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” As is true of the first passage under consideration (Matt. 12:31,32), Hebrews 6:4-6 is not teaching that the ones guilty of falling away after experiencing the things mentioned can never be saved unconditionally. The phrase, “it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance” is very often glided over without careful observation. The phrase does not say that these persons can never be saved, regardless of whether they try to be or not; rather, it says that it is impossible to “renew” them again to repentance. The “impossible” in this verse refers to those who are making the effort to restore the fallen. It does not refer to the ones who need to be restored. In such a state, those described in this passage have rejected Christ and the atoning power of his precious blood. They have rejected that which would save them. Thus, it is impossible to bring them back while they continue in their rejection. They had experienced the great spiritual blessings named – nothing could be told them that they did not know. As long as they are in this condition, they themselves will not repent. But since people who have fallen away have repented, it is obvious that it is not impossible for them to do so. The fact remains, therefore, that when they cease their rejections and repent they can come back and the Lord will accept them. If they do not repent, it is impossible for them to be restored.

The final passage (Hcb. 10:26) is teaching the same thing in principle as the former two. It reads: “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins.” Just as a willful rejection of the Holy Spirit’s message (Matt. 12:31,32) and a rejection of God’s provisions (Heb. 6:4-6) makes it impossible for one to be saved unless he is willing to repent, the same is true in this passage. As the message of the Holy Spirit is the final divine message to mankind, the blood of Christ is the final sacrifice. Those who reject it reject their only and final hope. The Hebrew letter was written to prevent apostasy. In this passage is a warning against a complete falling away from Christ. The Greek construction, “sin willfully,” is with a present active participle denoting a condition. Therefore, in this condition, the idea being to deliberately keep on sinning after having received the knowledge of the truth, there is no sacrifice for sin that remains. The only thing that does, however, is “a certain fearful expectation of judgment” (vs. 27). The only way to obtain pardon of this willful sin is to repent of it.

There is no distinction between the sins of the aforementioned passages (Matt. 12:31,32; Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26) and other sins mentioned in the Bible; but they do distinctly warn of the danger of willful sin. They deal with an attitude the stubbornness of the human will. This is what makes repentance so difficult in such a case. So, while sin is sin and one stands condemned for any sin until he repents of it, the passages under consideration distinguish themselves by emphasizing the danger of and issuing a warning against this kind of sin – willful rejection of the truth. It is not impossible for one to repent of any sin, but until one changes his attitude of willful rebellion to the will of God, he will not repent. All of us must repent of every sin of which we are knowledgeable, ask forgiveness, trust in God’s grace and mercy for those of which we are not knowledgeable and change our attitude to humility if we have willfully sinned, and then repent. All of us need to observe these solemn warnings from God’s Holy word.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 5, pp. 133-134
March 3, 1988

By Ron Halbrook

Christ said, “I will build my church . . . . the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 16:18-19). “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10). Jesus did not pretend to be a social and political reformer. He did not establish his church or kingdom for social and political purposes. “My kingdom is not of this world,” he told Pilate (Jn. 18:36). The kingdom or church of Christ is spiritual in nature. It is concerned with the remission of sins and with the hope of eternal life in heaven (Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 1:3-5).

At the heart of the gospel is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-8). When we are immersed in water by the authority of Christ, we identify with his death for the remission of our sins and with his resurrection in order that we may live a new life (Rom. 6:14). Christ took unleavened bread and fruit of the vine to represent his body and blood, and ordained that this supper of the Lord be kept in his kingdom every first day of the week (Matt. 26:26-29; Acts 20:7). He ordained that we give of our material prosperity for the work of his kingdom every first day (1 Cor. 16:2; 4:17). The pattern of worship included prayers, songs, and teaching of God’s Word (Acts 2:42; Eph. 5:19).

In other words, all scriptural worship directs our hearts and souls to the God who made us and the Christ who saved us! We are not to exalt and celebrate men – but God! It is good to remember the godly lives and lessons of men of faith, in so far as they point us to God (Heb. 11:1-12:4; 13:7). But Christ does not authorize special seasons and celebrations in the church centered upon men (Gal. 4: 10-11). All such special days in the church are human rather than divine appointments, and are therefore sinful (2 Jn. 9).

The church of Christ in the Bible never celebrated the lives of social and political reformers. The Lord’s true church does not do so today. Carnal minded men in the religious world have at different times and places promoted special services to celebrate the lives of such men as Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and Martin Luther King, Jr. The folly of such carnal proposals can be seen in the simple fact that all of these men held views which contradict the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whatever good they may have done in worldly affairs, they were enemies of the gospel.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), author of the Declaration of Independence and father of our country, believed in God and said that Jesus taught the highest morals known to man. But Jefferson believed that Jesus did not complete his teaching, was not inspired of God, and was not the divine Son of God. The virgin birth, miracles, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus were denied by Jefferson.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-68), hailed by many as a great preacher as well as a social and political reformer, denied God’s direct and miraculous inspiration of the Bible (1 Cor. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16). He regarded as myths the prophecies of the Bible and the virgin birth of Jesus recorded in Matthew 1 and Luke 2. King denied the literal deity of Jesus, and Jesus told such unbelievers, “Ye shall die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24). “I’m not concerned with the New Jerusalem” in heaven but with social reforms on earth, King said of his work (Life Magazine, Nov. 1960, p. 134). King’s many adulterous affairs are no longer hidden (see Time Magazine, 19 Jan. 1987, p. 24). The Bible warns against false teachers “having eyes full of adultery” – men who preach “liberty” while “they themselves are the servants of corruption” (2 Pet. 2:19).

No, Christ did not authorize the church to celebrate the lives of social and political reformers! Such activities violate the authority of Christ and degrade the church. Stubborn hearted men answer, “We will do it anyway – Bible or no Bible!” When we oppose such activities for their lack of Bible authority, Satan will put into the hearts of some men to reply, “You are just a racist!” Name-calling cannot settle the issue. In fact, such a reply reflects a racist mentality by trying to prejudice our readers because of the race of the author of this article. Could a black preacher point out the absence of Bible authority for the church to celebrate Jefferson without being a racist? We oppose the church celebrating Jefferson (white) or King (black) – and for the same reason – Christ did not authorize it.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 5, p. 141
March 3, 1988

By Steve Wolfgang

Footnote, Helen Parmley, “Southern Baptists Rest Paid Ministers,” Lexington Herald-Leader, Oct. 12, 1987, p. A- 1.

DALLAS – Dallas churches pay their senior ministers more than any other city in the country. And the nation’s highest paid minister is a Southern Baptist pastor in Dallas whose total annual compensation is $149,150.

A survey to determine the compensation for people in the ministry or related jobs in 10 American Christian denominations finds that Dallas ministers and Southern Baptist clergy are the best paid in the United States.

The survey ranked Kentucky 12th among the states and Lexington 19th among the cities in the level of pay for senior ministers of all the denominations.

The churches in the Southern Baptist Convention are autonomous, operated independently, like a franchised business. They do not make pastors’ salaries public.

The study finds striking differences among denominations and”regions in the average senior pastor’s total compensations.

Heading the list are Southern Baptists, who pay their senior pastors an average annual package of $50,458. Presbyterians run a close second at $49,934, and Episcopalians are third, with an average of $46,811.

Independent Churches of Christ reported the lowest average – $31,908, with the Nazarenes, at $33,420, and Disciples of Christ at $34,069, second and third from the bot tom, respectively.

The survey also shows that Baptist provisions for their ministers’ retirements are among the lowest.

Disciples were just above the 10 percent level recommended in the study. But along with the Baptists, the United Methodists, the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, Assemblies of God, the Church of Christ and the Nazarenes all were below 10 percent.

Denominationally, Presbyterians, Lutherans and Episcopalians pay well above the average retirement package, at 11 percent of total compensation.

The survey was conducted by the Ministers’ Financial Services Association of Lubbock, Texas. The company gathered information from nearly 1,000 congregations in 10 Christian denominations.

The association examined the full financial package for pastors in the Assemblies of God, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Episcopal Church, Independent Churches of Christ, Lutheran, Nazarene, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Southern Baptist and United Methodist churches.

The response from Roman Catholics was so small that even though the results were published, they were not considered by those who took the survey to reflect an accurate picture of the compensation received by priests.

Among the 10 denominations, the average compensation package for the senior minister of a church is $42,481. The total includes base salary, housing and utilities allowances, insurance and pension payments and other benefits.

The average pay drops considerably for an associate minister, whose average full compensation is $34,424, and a minister of pre-school education, whose average pay package is $20,789.

Overall, among those surveyed, the second-highest paid church position is that of the minister of music, except in many larger churches, where the second-highest paid staff member is the business administrator.

Michael J. Springer, executive director of the Ministers’ Financial Services Association, said that when compared with the $50,525 median income for people across the nation with graduate education – equivalent to seminary – many ministers “could possibly be significantly underpaid.”

Geographically, the Sun Belt warms up the most to its preachers. In ranking of clergy pay state by state, the survey shows that the South and South Central regions dominate the top of the pay charts.

Fifteen of the top 20 states are in those two regions. Every state in the South Central region except Kansas was in the top 20. Ranked in order, the most generous are Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, New York, California and North Carolina.

Besides Southern Baptists, in the six-state South Central area of the United States, the highest total compensation for senior ministers of churches are: Christian (Disciples), $64,786; Independent Church of Christ, $48,000; Episcopal, $111,808; Lutheran, $52,549; Methodist, $114,988; Nazarene, $85,962; Pentecostal, $95,280; Presbyterian, $128,992; Roman Catholic, $15,072.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 5, p. 139
March 3, 1988