Truth Magazine

By Robert H. Farish

Brother Randy Harshbarger has requested me to write about “Brother James W. Adams’ Role in the Institutional Fight. “I am glad to have this opportunity to publicly recognize and express appreciation for James’ sacrificial efforts to stem the tide of digression which developed in the waning years of the 1940s and early 1950s.

Before considering the role which brother Adams played in the controversy, it is in order to briefly consider what the 49controversy” was all about. Some brethren began to think of the church general or universal as being made up of all congregations, rather than simply the individuals who had been “called out” by the gospel. In the former apostasy, of about a century before, attempts were made to activate the church universal by a missionary society. The missionary society was promoted as a means of “congregational cooperation.” The same sort of thinking in the latter apostasy inspired the so-called “sponsoring churches” as a means of “congregational cooperation.”

Not only did institutionalism pervert the organization of the church, it also adopted ideas of the so-called “social gospel.” The mission of the church was secularized. Physical and social needs which belonged to the individual were shifted to the church. This in brief is what it was and is “all about.”

Brother Adams was with those, who were in the forefront, in contending for scriptural authority for the work of the church and for that work to be done by “the church, moving in its congregational capacity alone.” Those who are acquainted with James, either through hearing him speak, or reading what he wrote, are impressed with his familiarity with the Scriptures, his logical presentation, his firmness of conviction, yet fairness of treatment of an opponent.

Brother Adams had two articles in the first issue of The Gospel Guardian. The title of one of these articles was “Defending the Gospel or Placating the Germans.” Some Lutheran preachers had charged that “American bombers had destroyed their organ.” The brother who was selected to answer the charge, made the statement that “that was not done by Christians.” Brother Adams pointed out that, “It is not true that every soldier of World War II was not a Christian.” This presumption of authority by “sponsoring churches” to speak for “the churches of Christ,” continued to crop up over the years.

This article on institutionalism by brother Adams in the first volume of The Gospel Guardian, was followed by eighty-two (82) more articles dealing with the organization of the church, the mission of the church and scriptural cooperation. These articles appeared over a period of twenty years. During this twenty year period, James wrote a total of one hundred and forty articles. Eighty-three of these were exposing the errors of “institutionalism.” The sheer volume of articles, opposing the various facets of institutionalism, is very impressive. And when the high quality of the writings is also noted, we can begin to grasp what a debt of gratitude we owe to our brother. This vast volume of scriptural, logical, understandable material was not produced casually with but little time and effort! Respect for the truth, combined with love for God and concern for the purity of the church, and not the desire for riches, fame or any other base motive prompted James to so wholeheartedly throw himself into “contending earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

A “Special Number” of The Gospel Guardian, dealing with the “institutional” problem was published in 1956. The article, “How New Testament Churches Cooperated,” was written by brother Adams. This should, in my judgment, be put into tract form. It would complement the tract, I ‘The Church and Organizations” which was written by James and is in print.

Time and space forbid a more detailed treatment of the writing which brother Adams did in combating the efforts to exchange the divine organization of the church for human arrangements and to activate the church in social, recreational and other activities not authorized by the Lord.

Thank you, James, for your work.

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 23, p. 715
December 3, 1987

By Johnie Edwards

God’s use of the rainbow and Jessica Hahn’s is quite different! In USA Today (September 25-27, 1987), Jessica Hahn (Jim Bakker-PTL Secretary) was quoted as saying she “asked God for a sign” when she posing for a topless picture for Playboy. She said, “I looked up and saw a rainbow over Lake Michigan. I said, Thanks, God.” What some people will do with the Bible to try to get God’s approval.

Misuse Of The Rainbow

Did you ever read about the rainbow in the Bible? I have and I never knew that the rainbow was a sign from God to pose naked! The people who think God speaks to them today by some kind of sign can come up with whatever they want. The first thing folks need to understand is that God does not make known his wishes by signs today. The Apostle to the Hebrews said, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Heb. 1: 1-2).

The Bible Rainbow

Please take your Bible and read Genesis 9:18-17 concerning the rainbow revealed in the Bible. Do you see anything in the Bible story that comes anyway close to the story of a sign to pose naked?

Purpose Of The Rainbow

The rainbow in the Bible was a sign from, God. But just what was it a sign for? The rainbow was a “token of a covenant between God and the earth” (Gen. 9:13). The rainbow said, “And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there anymore be a flood to destroy the earth” (Gen. 9:11).

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 22, p. 684
November 19, 1987

By Charles F. Davis

“Now the spirit speaketh expressly that in that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Tim. 4:1,2, KJV). From the aforementioned passage of Scripture, it is obvious that Timothy, the young evangelist for Jesus Christ, was fully cognizant of the gravity of this malignant growth called apostasy. The great apostle Paul, who was Timothy’s father in the gospel, penned the above exhortation to the young evangelist to alert him of this impending danger which would soon confront the children of God. These perilous times, which the elect, according to the foreknowledge of God, were about to undergo, were similar to the days when physical Israel was plagued by false prophets. “But there were false prophets among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Pet. 2:1, KJV).

My beloved brethren, apostasy is not a foregone conclusion, neither is it lying dormant; but rather it is a deadly process which is ever evolving from generation to generation. As a gospel preacher, I am appalled at the nonchalant attitude possessed by saints of God concerning this vital subject. Brethren, we have lost our conviction for the truth (John 8:31, 32) and we have lost our sensitivity for the New Testament pattern of worship. We are no longer speaking where the Bible speaks and being silent where it silent (Col. 3:17; 1 Pet. 4:12). We have become silent where the Bible speaks for fear of reprisal of man and have become outspoken where God has been silent (Rom. 10:1-3).

What is the cause of this spiritual blight which has permeated itself throughout the body of Christ? I believe part of the answer to the question lies in the definition of the word itself. Webster’s 7th Collegiate Dictionary (p. 42) defines apostasy as “renunciation of a religious belief; to defect from a faith.” This is exactly what the apostle Paul had in mind when he actually described the proponents of apostasy in Acts 20:29, 30; “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you not sparing the flock. Also of yourselves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them.” This is the same cause the prophet Isaiah gave for apostasy when he said, “for the leaders of this people cause them to err and they that are led of them are destroyed” (Isa. 9:16). When religious leaders, elders, deacons, ministers defect from the faith and become heretical in their teaching, inevitably apostasy will follow.

It is an inherent impossibility to accurately measure the catastrophic effect apostasy will have on the body of Christ in the future because it is an ever evolving process. However, I will say this, if our future is anything like our past, we are in for the battle of our lives or should I say souls! Allow me to illustrate.

Thirty years ago the following practices were considered unauthorized by members of the Church of Christ, but are now considered to be an abnormality when churches do not have or do not practice such:

Fellowship halls

Kitchen facilities

Group singers

Collections being taken up on any day of the week

Church sponsored playgrounds, gyms and grocery stores

Church support of “Christian Colleges” such as Southwestern Christian College in Texas.

Brethren, these innovations are called the social gospel and they are a form of apostasy because they are not a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I shall use a syllogism to illustrate a major premise: Every practice the church engages in without authority is apostasy. The minor premise: The social gospel is unauthorized by the New Testament Scriptures. Conclusion: The social gospel is a form of apostasy. Therefore, I plead with every member of the body of Christ to examine yourselves to see whether you be in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 22, p. 676
November 19, 1987

By Hoyt H. Houchen

Question: If God sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matt. 5.43), why does he not send rain to Ethiopia or other drought-stricken areas to alleviate suffering? For what reason or purpose does an all-good all-powerful, loving God allow evil and suffering in this world?

Reply: For centuries man has struggled with the problem of human suffering. When he has tried to solve the problem purely from a philosophical approach, he has come to accept the existence of it solely as a matter of fact. He resolves to live by the old Epicurian philosophy, “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may die” (which is termed by its modern counterpart Hedonism), which makes pleasure the chief aim or goal in life.

False conclusions are reached because they are based upon false assumptions. For example, some attempt to explain the problem with one assertion, and that is that people always get what they deserve. But this is not always true. Both the righteous and the wicked suffer and both are often blessed. Innocent children sometimes suffer, not because of any fault of their own, but due to sins committed by others. The little boys in Florida who are afflicted with Aids is an example. Job was not made to suffer because of any sin that he committed, although he was accused of sin by his three friends. God blesses all with physical blessings, the righteous and the unrighteous. “He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). As both the good and the evil are blessed, so both also suffer disaster; but it is not true that God causes all human suffering. He allows it, but he is not always responsible for it. When men take it upon themselves to blame God for all the suffering in the world, they presume to question his morality, goodness and righteousness.

Why do innocent people suffer? Directly or indirectly, sin is the cause of all human suffering. Children often suffer as the result of someone else’s mistake. For instance, a drunken driver hits a child and kills him. God did not cause the child to die. He was victimized by a drunken driver. While it is true that God has the power to prevent such tragedies from taking place, it is not for us to question God’s operations. God answered Job out of the whirlwind, “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2) Or, we can well ask, “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor?” (Rom. 11:34)

The age old question has been asked repeatedly, why does God allow pain, sickness, suffering and death in the world? Remember that, at the beginning of man’s existence, there were none of these tragedies. Man inhabited the beautiful bowers of Eden where there was no sickness, pain, suffering or death. But man sinned, thus sin entered the world and as a result these things exist. Death came as the result of “sin (Rom. 5:12). Succeeding generations suffer the consequences of sin (the transgression of God’s law) that was committed in the garden of Eden.

While misfortune in life often seems unfair, we must not direct the blame to God. As to the drought-stricken people in Ethiopia and other places, God, who is omnipotent, can intervene and prevent such conditions from occurring; or, he may step in and correct the condition by sending rain, but sometimes choosing not to do so. He may allow human suffering, but the blame for it must not be placed at his feet. No more should he be blamed with such weather catastrophes than he should with the tragedy of a child with Aids (due to no sin of his) or the child who is injured critically or who dies as a result of a drunken driver. God is not the cause of such disaster, but he is able to comfort and make pain more bearable. Paul, who suffered affliction, mental anxiety, persecution and disaster was well qualified to write to the brethren at Corinth: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Cor. 1:3,4).

May we never falsely accuse God of being cruel or unjust, but we may look to him for consolation and hope in a world where there is suffering, pain and death. Let us trust him, respect his word, obey it and live by it so that we can live eternally with him in heaven where there will be no suffering, sorrow, pain and death. In that better place there will be none of these things. This should encourage us to strive for that wonderful home of the soul which God has prepared for the faithful.

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 22, p. 677
November 19, 1987