Truth Magazine

By Don Martin

A study of different biographies can be most rewarding. The word “biography” is a compound word from the Greek consisting of bio, meaning life and graphe, meaning to write or a writing. Hence “biography” means a writing of someone’s life. I immensely enjoy reading the biography of George Washington Carver. Mr. Carver was born in abject poverty, the son of a slave woman. In his late twenties he struggled to obtain a high school diploma and, when he was thirty four, obtained a degree in agricultural science. In 1894 he received his master of science degree. Thomas Alva Edison is also an inspiring example of overcoming severe handicaps. Edison received less than a year of formal schooling; notwithstanding, he has immeasurably affected and changed the lives of all of us.

Beloved, while there are many excellent biographies to consider I suggest there is one biography which transcends all biographies as far as the quality of the one considered and the contributions which he made to mankind, the man Christ Jesus. “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power,” Peter states, “who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38).

Jesus Was Obedient

To motivate the Hebrews to a higher and more constant level of obedience, the writer often employed the example of Jesus. Please consider such an instance: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb. 5:8,9). The very essence of Jesus’ life was to obey his Father. He expressed this desire in this manner, “. . my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34). Jesus could truthfully say, “for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29). Jesus “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Jesus was obedient – even to the death of the cross (Phil. 2:8).

Partook of Word

Necessarily involved in the acquiescence of Jesus to his Father was his dependency on the word of God. When Jesus taught and engaged in controversy, as he often did, he did not refer to his subjective feelings or to objective sources such as the teachings of the rabbis as his authority. He quoted Scripture (Matt. 19:4-6,8)! When the devil amassed every particle of power and persuasiveness at his disposal to defeat the Lord at the very outset of Jesus’ ministry, the Lord relied on Scripture. After each of the devil’s appeals through the lust of the flesh, pride of life, and the lust of the eyes, Jesus cogently responded: “It is written” (Matt. 4:4,7,10). Jesus believed in the total indispensability of the word. Hear him: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).

Jesus Desired Unity

In the shadow of the cross, Jesus’ primary concerns were not exclusively for himself. Consider his prayer, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (Jn. 17:21).

Concerned one, Jesus did not believe in nor practice our modern ecumenical unity. Jesus did not place “unity” over truth. In fact, Jesus – because he insisted on truth regardless – often caused division among his brethren (Jn. 10:19). Our Lord, I am convinced, would not be very successful as a modern “Church of Christ Preacher”! Jesus desires unity based on a conformity to the word of God (Jn. 17:8,14,17,19,20).

Jesus Loved Truth

One cannot help but be impressed with the profound love Jesus possessed for the truth. While the religious world, and more and more within the body of Christ, are clamoring for the suppression of truth, or at least parts of truth, Jesus unshackled the truth found in the Hebrew Scriptures and enunciated new, revolutionary truths (Matt. 5:21-48; Jn. 14:6). When in the presence of error, Jesus could not remain silent, even though such outspokenness would later cost him his life (Jn. 8:31-59). Jesus did not “just love to argue.” Jesus loved the truth! Beloved, truth was not any more popular in Jesus’ day than it is in our day. It was Jesus who told his brethren, “And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” And, “But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth” (Jn. 8:45,40).

Returned Good For Evil

Jesus taught: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). As we have seen, Jesus practiced what he preached. Jesus restored Malchus’ severed ear – one in the ungodly mob which had come to ruthlessly apprehend and later murder Jesus (Lk. 22:51). While suspended between heaven and earth on the cruel cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34).

Intelligent reader, please be informed that while Jesus taught and exhibited returning good for evil, he did not advocate nor practice passivity. Allow me to explain. Jesus taught that when one has been personally sinned against, he is to rebuke the trespassing brother (Lk. 17:3,4). However, such action is not retaliatory, but for the reclamation of the erring brother (Lk. 17:3,4).

Good Citizen

Jesus’ conduct relative to civil law was exemplary. It would seem that because Jesus had developed a reputation of being a “rebel” the tax collectors in Capernaum did not expect Jesus to pay tribute (Matt. 17:24-27). However, Jesus did pay his taxes.

Jesus was under the close scrutiny of all. They all with one accord were desperately seeking to find some fault in him (Matt. 12:10,14; 16:1). Jesus had exposed their sins and errors and they desired his destruction (Matt. 21:45,46). Jesus’ hypocritical brethren could not fault him and could not answer his arguments (Matt. 22:46). Hence, envy was evoked on their part (Matt. 27:18). It was this envy coupled with their severe hatred which caused them to crucify the Lord. What is my point? My point is this: if they could have established one infraction either from God’s law as such or from civil law, they would have!

Jesus Was Prayerful

Yes, even the incarnate Son of God depended on prayer. From an examination of Jesus’ life, you find Jesus regularly engaging in prayer to his Father (Jn. 17; Matt. 11:25-27). Jesus customarily prayed before he made important decisions (Lk. 6:12ff).

Jesus did not pray as many of his brethren did. His prayers were not pretentious and formalistic (cf. Matt. 6:5-15). Jesus prayed earnestly, sincerely, and fervently (Lk. 22:44).

Kind reader, when we consider biographies such as Carver’s and Edison’s, we are moved to believe that we similarly can overcome hindrances. We admire these men’s determination and refusal to accept defeat. Moreover, when we consider Jesus’ biography, if you please, we are moved to partake of godliness. Jesus, you see, is our exemplar (1 Pet. 2:21,22). We need to consider him more and marvel at his wonderfulness (Heb. 12:3). Truly, “Never a man spake like him” who “did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” (Jn. 7:46; 1 Pet. 2:22).

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 5, pp. 131-132
March 3, 1988

By Robert F. Turner

The sin of adultery is wide spread; and preaching salvation in Christ necessarily involves telling people guilty of adultery how they can be forgiven. “Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers . . . shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6.9-11). Adultery, like all immorality, is sin against our Holy Creator; yet God loved such sinners, and gave his Son to die in their behalf. They can truly repent, quit their ungodly ways, and have sufficient faith in Christ to be baptized for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38). God will forgive!

Those who come to God may then go astray, and James calls them “adulterers and adulteresses” (3:4). They have been likened to an espoused bride, presented as a pure virgin to Christ. Do you suppose it is easy on Christ to know his “bride” is unfaithful? Even Paul says, “I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband” (2 Cor. 11:2f). Yet, when spiritual adulteresses repent and pray God for forgiveness this “husband” becomes their Advocate and pleads their case as one who paid the price of sin in their stead (1 Jn. 2:1-2). God forgives, but not without anguish and pain. To truly forgive, the one who has been sinned against must bear the pain rather than demand his pound of flesh from the sinner. That is exactly what God does, in forgiving a sinner “for Christ’s sake.” Think about this! He who is wholly pure will “take back” his espoused who had “gone agadding.”

The prophet Hosea was instructed to cry out against the sins of God’s people, and he neither compromised nor spared priests or laymen in the process. But he was led through a symbolic experience that prepared him to understand God’s feelings (as the one sinned against), and to appreciate the depth of God’s mercy in forgiving Israel. He was told to take a wife from among the ungodly population. She was unfaithful to him, and bore children which were not his own. Her sin was denounced, and she was rejected and punished. But then, God told him to take her again, buying her at a price. Their conjugal relations were not immediately resumed, but eventually restoration was complete. Read the first three chapters of Hosea, and see Homer Hailey’s comments in Commentary on the Minor Prophets. Mercy and forgiveness, even at great cost, are attributes of the Heavenly Father, and of his children.

All this has been written to introduce a touchy problem that is more and more frequently found today among church members. A husband, or wife, becomes unfaithful. Sin will out (Num. 32:23), and an innocent partner is deeply hurt. The guilty party is filled with remorse and regret, truly repents, and seeks to reestablish relationships with his or her family. But the one “sinned against” will not be appeased. The pain is deep, trust has been broken, reconciliation is believed impossible. In my younger days I (foolishly?) accompanied a man to his home where he told his wife of his unfaithfulness and begged her forgiveness. I will never forget the explosion. The home, the children, their future – nothing salved her pride. She had been wronged (he could not deny that), and she would not forgive. I told him to be patient, the shock would wear off, and she would reconsider; but there was no change. I found myself in the difficult position of trying to persuade the “innocent” party to forgive the penitent guilty party.

I do not believe the Lord’s “except for fornication” was a new regulation, but was the starting of an exception implied in the “leave, cleave, and one flesh” God intended from the beginning (Matt. 19:4-9). Adultery violates the basic oneness of marriage. The “sanctified” nature of the union (that the children may be “holy,” 1 Cor. 5:14) is profaned by adultery. I believe the innocent party has the right to “put away”; and any who would take this article as an endorsement or compromise with immorality has seriously misread the material. However, Christ’s teaching does not obligate this putting away. On the contrary, taking the hurt and truly forgiving the offender brings us close to the very heart of Christian ethics. The home is a “greater cause” than one’s personal pride; and concern for one’s partner and the home should have precedence over personal. feelings. We have no desire to shift blame, but sometimes the reaction of the “innocent” gives a subtle hint of hidden conflicts which may have contributed to the infidelity in the first place.

Consider Jesus’ treatment of the woman taken in adultery (John 8:3-11). The woman’s guilt was not questioned, and her sin remained regardless of the use to which the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees put it. Jesus disposed of his tempters by saying, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” None are sin free in the absolute sense, but Jesus apparently referred to sins of intent or like nature to the woman’s sin. One by one her tormentors walked away, the K.J. says, “convicted by their own conscience.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more.” True, Jesus could accurately read the woman’s heart and know her penitence. But all forgiveness on our part must be on a basis of imperfect knowledge, yet we are repeatedly told to forgive (Matt. 6:15; 18:21-35). “The quality of mercy” is a God-like quality which he expects his children to cultivate.

It is very possible that genuine forgiveness of a wrong can weld a marriage into a closer and more understanding relationship. No, the sin is not helpful. It is heart rending, disruptive, breaking trusts that may take much time and faithfulness to restore. But true repentance followed by forgiveness means two hearts have been deeply touched. Both have suffered, and now gratitude and mercy can mature their respective subjects. The forgiven sinner should not dwell morbidly on the past, but remain regretfully aware of sin that required extra-ordinary love to be forgiven. And the forgiver has given up self in a way that enriches and refines one’s life.

When one learns his or her partner has been unfaithful, the flood of anger, shame, even self reproach is understandable. Some may feel this is the end of their world – and it has been severely shattered. But it need not be the end. Take time to wear off the first feelings. Reassess your options slowly, deliberately, prayerfully. Remember the Heavenly Father’s sacrifice of his Son that you might be forgiven your sins. Then, consider forgiving your mate. Perhaps you can repeat the Savior’s words, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 5, pp. 135, 151
March 3, 1988

By Garreth L. Clair

The Church was in the purpose of God as early as the birth of Saul of Tarsus (i.e. Paul the apostle to the Gentiles). In connection with this fact please observe the statement by the great apostle in Galatians 1: 15,16, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace. . . . To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood. ” From the reading it is obvious that God separated Paul from the time of his birth for the purpose of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles.

Since Paul was separated in the mind of God for the work of proclaiming the gospel message to the Gentiles from the time of his birth, we may safely deduce from this fact that the church was in the purpose of God as far back as before the birth of Paul.

Even further back in history God purposed the church for the church was in the purpose of God at the time of Moses. In Acts 26:22,23 we read, “Therefore having obtained help from. God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come – “that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to arise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” From this reading we learn that the prophets, including Moses, foretold the suffering of Christ on the cross. The apostle tells us that Christ purchased the Church with his own blood shed on the cross (Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25). Therefore, it is unthinkable that God knew his Son would suffer on the cross, but did not know and plan that through this action the church would come into existence. Therefore, God knew and had purposed at the time of Moses and the prophets the establishment of the church as a direct result of the shed blood of Christ on the cross.

Even further back in time, at the time of Abraham, God had purposed the church. Paul tells us that there was revealed to him a mystery, “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the Gospel” (Eph. 3:6). The promise mentioned here is the same promise made to Abraham (Gen. 12:3; 22:18). This is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham that all nations were to be blessed in his seed (Acts 3:25,26; Gal.3:26-29).

When God told Abraham that all nations were to be blessed in his seed (Christ – Gal. 3:16), he meant that the Gentiles were to be fellow-heirs with the Jews of all the benefits of membership in the one church (Eph. 1:22,23; Col. 1:18; Eph. 3:6,7). God could not plan for the Gentiles to be fellow-members of the body, which is the church, without planning the existence of the church.

And even further back than Abraham, the church was in the purpose of God before the foundation of the world. The expression, “foundation of the world,” has been understood by some to mean the beginning of the Christian dispensation. Because of this concept by some we present the following facts:

(1) Paul’s use of the expression in Ephesians 1:4 seems to be parallel with the expression “eternal purpose” in Ephesians 3:11.

(2) Peter speaks of Christ being foreknown before the foundations of the world, but manifest in these last times for you (1 Pet. 1:20).

a. The manifestation of Christ refers to his coming in the flesh – a period pre-dating Christianity. b. Peter speaks of the “foundation of the world” as a time prior to “these last times.” Consequently, the foundation of the world in this instance was more than the beginning of the Christian dispensation.

That being true, we can truthfully say that the church was in the mind of God since before the creation of the world. Please notice Ephesians 3:10, 11: “To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ” God therefore chose us “in Him” (Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love (Eph. 1:4).

In Ephesians 5:25-27 we are taught that the church for which Jesus died is to be holy and without blemish, the 6osen of Ephesians 1:4 involves the church of Ephesians 5:27. In view of that fact the church was in the purpose of God before the foundation of the earth. The apostle Peter further says we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, “who verity was foreordained before the foundation of the world” (Emp. mine, G.C.; 1 Pet. 1:18-20). Is it possible that God would have foreordained that Jesus would suffer as a lamb in sacrifice for the redemption of man’s sin and yet did not know that the redeemed would constitute the church?

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 5, p. 138
March 3, 1988

By Mike Willis

When a child is born,,the parents generally try to create a healthy environment in which the child can grow into maturity. Many of us have seen home environments which destroy the child physically, emotionally, -and spiritually. A young child in our area was recently put into scalding water for wetting her pants; she is physically scarred but the extent of her emotional scars is still unknown. Some children who are never physically abused are scarred emotionally by verbal abuse, criticism which destroys their self-esteem, neglect, and other forms of abuse. Some children are torn apart emotionally by divorce. As parents, we have a responsibility to make the home an environment in which our children can grow into maturity without being scarred for life emotionally, physically, or spiritually.

Every time a person is baptized into Christ, he becomes a newborn child of God (Gal. 3:26-27; Jn. 3:3-5). Sometimes the church provides such a poor environment for these spiritual babies to grow into maturity that they are scarred or destroyed. I would like to suggest some things which are necessary to have the kind of environment in which a child of God can grow into maturity.

1. Proper spiritual food. Even as a baby needs food for growth with different kinds of food at different stages in life, so also does the child of God need spiritual food to grow. The food which is necessary for growth is the word of God (1 Pet. 2:1-2). The diet of spiritual food must be geared to the need of the person – milk for the babe and meat for the more mature (Heb. 5:13-14). Through the teaching of the word, the child of God can learn how to cleanse his life from sin (Psa. 119:9), to prevent committing sin (Psa. 119:11), to put greater emphasis on spiritual matters than physical things (Psa. 119:25 – that his soul not cleave to dust), to build a hope for eternal life which comforts him in the hours of his affliction (Psa. 119:49-50), to hate every false way (Psa. 119:104), to find direction in life (Psa. 119:105, 130), etc.

Recognizing how important the word of God is to the development of the child of God, we see the need for a well-rounded program of Bible instruction in the local church. If the church is going to provide an environment in which spiritual babies may grow into maturity, they must have a good program of Bible instruction. They must provide classes for the new convert as well as the aged saint.

Churches which allow their pulpit to be filled with lessons not solidly grounded in the word of God are creating an environment in which their babes in Christ will starve to death spiritually. Anecdotes, humor, positive thinking philosophy, nor any other thing can do for the Christian what the Bible can. A child of God must be rooted and grounded in the truth that he might not be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14). If we judge that a mature Christian needs to be able to discriminate between the Lord’s church and denominationalism and to understand the differences between liberal churches and faithful congregations, we must make this a part of our teaching program. In the name of “balanced preaching,” some have completely eliminated from their teaching programs any thing which emphasizes the uniqueness of the Lord’s church or teaches our children the truth on the “issues” which have divided God’s people in our own day. By protecting these weak Christians from “controversy,” they have robbed them of part of what they need to grow into maturity as Christians. Many churches are full of weak, immature Christians who would choke to death spiritually on the kind of preaching which exposes denominationalism and liberalism. An environment which systematically eliminates preaching which exposes denominationalism is not the kind of spiritual environment in which healthy Christians can be produced!

2. An atmosphere of love. A child who grows up in a home which is full of fussing, fighting, and child abuse is scarred. What kind of atmosphere for spiritual maturation is a congregation which is full of internal strife and turmoil because Christians have not learned to get along with each other? Paul warned of the impact this kind of environment would have on Christians, “But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another” (Gal. 5:15).

Some churches have dwindled down to nearly nothing and still seem blind to the cause of their problems. Several strong-willed brethren are constantly “biting and devouring one another.” Business meetings are conflicts instead of men pooling their knowledge and resources to see what can be done to cause the kingdom of God in their area to grow. One by one, conscientious Christians who desire love and peace leave the congregation to attend elsewhere; some quit attending anywhere.

A warm spirit of brotherly love is needed in the local church; it is necessary to provide the kind of environment in which new-born children of God can grow into maturity. Christian people, therefore, should share each other’s sorrows and joys (1 Cor. 12:26); they should be hospitable people (Heb. 13:1-2; 1 Pet. 4:9). New Christians are able to grow in this kind of environment.

3. Discipline. Every home must have discipline. I can remember the impact of some of my father’s discipline on the family. On one occasion, he spanked my older sister when she thought she had gotten too big to spank; the rest of us walked the straight and narrow for many weeks as a result of that spanking. The chastening of the Lord is needed in the Lord’s church as well. Hebrews 12:5-11 contains an extended discussion of the benefits of the Lord’s chastening to produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness in the hearts of his children.

Sometimes we Christians have to serve as God’s instruments to chasten each other. “Brethen, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1). To think that I might live my entire life so perfectly that I never need to be rebuked is unrealistic. I was baptized at 12 years old; should I live to be 70, I will have been a Christian for 58 years. How likely is it that I will live 58 years without doing something which might necessitate my brethren calling upon me to repent? We need to create an environment in the church in which a brother can be rebuked for his sin and restored to his Lord without being driven away from the local church.

Brethren who are caught up in sin must be rebuked and called to repentance. Nevertheless, we must communicate to them our genuine love for their soul as the reason for our rebuke. We should have no spirit of vengeance or hatred! This kind of atmosphere is necessary for children to grow.

Something is happening to confession among brethren. How long has it been since you have seen a brother come forward and confess his sins? Have we created an environment in the local church in which people are too proud to admit they have sinned? Have we become so spiritual that no one in the local church ever falls into sin? Have we become so hardened in sin that we can go through the motions of worship, knowing of what sins we are guilty, but have no remorse for our sins and make no efforts to quit practicing them? We need an atmosphere in which any Christian can come forward and confess his sins, knowing that the Lord will forgive him and the brethren will have a greater respect for him because of his honesty in dealing with his sins.

4. Exercise. Most schools have a physical education department to provide opportunities for children to get the physical exercise they need to grow physically. Christians need to exercise in godliness (1 Tim. 4:7-8). Through exercise in godliness, one learns to distinguish truth and error (Heb. 5:11-14). We need to provide opportunities in the local church for Christians to exercise themselves in godliness. The man who becomes strong in prayer must practice praying; the man who is good in the pulpit must have opportunities to preach; the good song leader must have opportunities to lead singing.

We need training classes which give young men an opportunity to go before a congregation to make announcements, lead prayer, wait on the table, teach classes, and preach. We need an environment in the congregation in which a man who makes an effort is encouraged to keep trying, even when his performance of the activity was not the very best. When he makes a mistake, we need to pat him on the back and encourage him to try again. When he is obviously working in areas in which he can never succeed (Paul recognized that not all of God’s children could be teachers, 1 Cor. 12:29; I know that not all of God’s children can be song leaders), we should honestly and gently direct his energies toward activities in which he can succeed. This is the kind of direction and training needed for young Christians to grow.

Conclusion

One of the greatest weaknesses which I have witnessed among the churches has been the tendency for good, sincere Christians to sit back and allow stong-willed, belligerent brethren to create an atmosphere in which growth cannot occur. Righteous brethren are not looking for a fight or conflict. Consequently, they are reticent to become embroiled with brethren who are strong-willed and belligerent. However, our faithfulness to Christ demands that we make the local church such that a new-born Christian will have an environment in which he can grow into maturity. Whatever changes are necessary to create such an environment must be made; otherwise the church will not survive. In a spirit of love and good-will, brethren must make the necessary changes for this kind of atmosphere to exist where they worship. Is the local church where you are attending a congregation suited for a young Christian to grow? If not, what are you doing to correct the situation?

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 5, pp. 130, 150-151
March 3, 1988