Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thystim, which worshiped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us (Acts 16:14-15).

In these two short verses, the conversion of Lydia is recorded. She joins the few women mentioned in the Bible. Like most of the rest who are mentioned, she was a significant person. Among the women of the Bible are Deborah who led Israel in battle against Sisera, captain of the Canaanites, Esther who saved her nation from extinction under wicked Haman, Rahab who declared her faith in Jehovah’s ability to conquer Canaan by hiding the two spies, Mary who gave birth to Jesus, Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist, and many others – all of whom are significant and important people.

Lydia’s Moral Character

Lydia was a princess in character, although not in station. She is described as a “seller of purple,” referring either to purple fabric or purple dye used to color the fabric. In either case, she was a business woman dealing with the upper class in her society; hence, she was a woman of some means. Like the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31, she sold her goods in the market place.

She is described as a “worshiper of God.” The significance of that might not impress us at first glance. She was not a native of Philippi where Paul met her; rather, she was from Thyatira, a city in the province of Asia listed among the seven churches of Asia later in the book of Revelation. Thyatira was approximately 300 miles from Philippi. Unlike many who claim to be Christians, Lydia took her worshiping habit with her when she traveled. Some Christians who worship God regularly while at home seem to leave their religion at home when they travel. They go away to some far city and neglect the worship of God. They are too caught up in their business or recreation to find time to worship God. Lydia was not of that character.

Lydia worshiped on the Sabbath day. Sometimes we forget that the Sabbath day was not universally set aside as a day of worship in New Testament times. The day was set aside for worship in Galilee, Judea, and Samaria. We have no reason or evidence for believing it was observed by the general populace in pagan cities during the first century. Hence, when Lydia closed her shop to “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy,” she acted differently than was the common practice around her. Her business competitors sold on the Sabbath day. Yet, she did not let her desire for money cause her to forsake her obligations to God on the Sabbath day. Her job was not more important than the service of God. Some Christians excuse themselves from worshiping God on the Lord’s day by saying their obligations to their job take precedence over their obligations to Jehovah. Lydia was not of that character.

Lydia worshiped even though there was no synagogue. As Paul arrived in Philippi, he found no synagogue in which to preach. “And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted ‘ thither” (Acts 16:13). These women worshiped by the river bank because they had no synagogue in Philippi,at which to worship. How many of us would have excused ourselves from our obligations to worship God we’re our business to take us to some far away city where there were no brethren worshiping? Some Christians move into an area where the church is meeting in a store front or old building on the wrong side of town (or even in a nice building at the corner of First and Main) but never worship God. Lydia was not of that character.

Lydia was a hospitable woman. This is shown by her inviting Silas, Timothy, Luke and Paul to stay in her house during their preaching stay in Philippi. How many of our readers are that hospitable? I have visited some congregations which have trouble getting enough members to sign the list to feed the preacher during a meeting. Some congregations with large memberships put the visiting preacher in a motel. There is -nothing sinful with this practice and some preachers prefer to stay in a motel. However, I hope this is not done because there is no one willing to open his home to a visiting preacher. Certainly Lydia was not of that character.

Sometimes we call attention to the moral character of Cornelius prior to his conversion (Acts 10:1-2). He was a devout man who feared God, gave much alms to the people and prayed to God always. Yet, he was a lost man. Friends, Lydia was not one whit behind Cornelius! She was a wonderful person – yet lost in her sins.

“Whose Heart The Lord Opened”

The Scriptures teach that the Lord opened Lydia’s heart (Acts 16:14). This implies that her heart was previously closed in some sense. Some imagine that Lydia’s heart was closed because of original sin – that she was totally depraved. The denominational doctrine of inherited depravity teaches that, as a result of original sin, man is “utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil.” Obviously, this is not the sense in which Lydia’s heart was closed. Her offering prayer and assembling with women on the Sabbath day to offer worship to God, demonstrates that she was not “utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil.” Whatever the explanation of this text may be, total inherited depravity will not explain the facts.

In what sense was Lydia’s heart closed? Her heart was closed in the same sense as every other Jewish person’s heart was closed toward Christ. Assembling to worship on the Sabbath day is evidence that Lydia was a Jew. As a Jew, she lived in expectation of the coming of the Messiah and, no doubt, shared the typical expectations that the Messiah would be a great military ruler over an earthly kingdom who would overthrow the Roman government and inaugurate the kingdom of Israel with political headquarters in Jerusalem. To such people, the preaching of Christ crucified was a stumbling block (1 Cor. 1:23).

How was Lydia’s heart opened? Lydia’s heart was opened the same way that every other Jew’s heart was opened – through the preaching of the gospel. Notice that Lydia heard Paul preaching before her heart was opened. Hence, Paul preached to Lydia, explaining how Jesus died on Calvary for the sins of mankind. He preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus to Lydia, even as he preached it to every other person. He preached the message of the, gospel, demonstrating that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies; he showed that Jesus was the Christ. The heart of Lydia which was closed through the mistaken concept of the Messiah was opened through the preaching of Paul which showed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ of prophecy.

If the Lord saves anyone without the preaching of the word of God, Lydia would have been a prime candidate. There is no evidence that there was a single preacher working on the entire continent of Europe. She was good, honest, and sincere in her devotion to God. She desired salvation. She prayed to God. God did not operate directly upon the heart of Lydia to save her from sin. In answer to her prayers, God sent Paul who told her how to be saved. God does not save anyone separate and apart from the word of God.

The Lord Opened Lydia’s Heart

Some teach that the Lord operates directly upon the hearts of men to make them willing and able to receive and obey the gospel. They find comfort in Acts 16:14, supposing that the Lord directly operated on the heart of Lydia to enable her to obey the gospel.

To understand why Luke would record, “whose heart the Lord opened,” we need to carefully consider the context. In Acts 15:40, Paul and Silas began their second missionary journey from Antioch of Syria. When they came to Derbe and Lystra, Timothy joined them (Acts 16:1). After going throughout Phrygia and Galatia, they wanted to go to Asia, but the Holy Spirit forbade them (Acts 16:6). They traveled to Mysia, intending to preach in Bithynia “but the Spirit suffered them not” (Acts 16.7). From thence, they came to Troas where Luke joined them and Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia crying, “Come over into Macedonia, and help us” (Acts 16:9). Concluding that the Lord wanted them to preach in Macedonia (the first recorded instance of preaching in Europe), they sought a ship to travel to Macedonia. They found one which left for Macedonia that very day. They sailed a straight course to Macedonia. The reference to a “straight” course indicates that the ship did not have to “tack” (take a zigzag course); they had a favorable wind which enabled them to cross the Aegean Sea in two days (a return trip in Acts 20:6 took five days).

I can imagine the conversation of the four preachers, Luke, Silas, Timothy, and Paul, as they sailed the Aegean. “We surely were lucky to rind a ship sailing for Macedonia in port at Troas. Who can believe that it just happened to be sailing today and that they had room for us on board? And now, just look at this favorable wind which is blowing! ” Luck and fate had nothing to do with it. The hand of God was working providentially to bring them to Philippi in answer to the prayers of these godly women. When Luke looked back on the circumstances which led to the conversion of Lydia, he wrote, “whose heart the Lord opened.”

Lydia’s Obedience To The Gospel

The Scriptures report that Lydia “attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized. . . ” (Acts 16:14-15). The preaching of the gospel leaves. man with things to attend; the preaching which produces faith (Rom. 10:17) directs man to the obedience of faith (Rom. 1:5; 16:26).

Why was Lydia baptized? The most obvious answer is that Paul’s preaching demanded baptism. Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk. 16:15-16). When Lydia heard Paul preaching, she attended to her need for baptism. Lydia is not like that group of men who make excuses for not being baptized. She did not put off to the indefinite tomorrow her obligations to God which should be met today. When she heard the conditions for salvation, she attended to them, being baptized. Her faith led her to obey the gospel.

A Case Of Infant Baptism?

Luke said, “And when she was baptized, and her household. . . ” (Acts 16:15). Some think they see in the household conversions an evidence for infant baptism. The Presbyterian, Albert Barnes wrote,

No mention is made of their having believed, and the case is one that affords a strong presumptive proof that this was an instance of household or infant baptism. . . . It is just such an account as would now be given of the household or family that were baptized on the faith of the parent (Notes on the New Testament: Acts, p. 241).

John Albert Bengel said, “Who can believe that in so many families there was no infant? And that the Jews, who were wont to circumcise, and the Gentiles, who purified them by washings, did not also present them for baptism? (New Testament Word Studies, Vol. 1, p. 860).

The other “household conversions” do not offer as strong evidence for infant baptism as does the household of Lydia. At Cornelius’ household, those who were baptized believed and spoke in tongues (Acts 10:44-48). The household of the Philippian jailor believed and rejoiced in the Lord (Acts 16:34). The household of Stephanus (1 Cor. 1:16) was addicted to the ministry of the word (1 Cor. 16:15). None of these things can infants do. Hence, the records of these household conversions contain statements which exclude infants from the conversion.

Lydia’s household does not constitute evidence that infants were baptized in New Testament times. The word “household” (oikos) means “the inmates of a house, all the persons forming one family, a household.” It would include Lydia and those who worked with her in her trade, including her servants, In order for Acts 16:15 to be evidence for infant baptism, notice the assumptions which must be made:

1. One must assume that Lydia was married. Some business women are unmarried.

2. One must assume that Lydia had children. Some married people do not have children.

3. One must assume that these children were infants. Many children of married people are well past the age of accountability and fully able to make a decision to obey the gospel. If Lydia was married and had children, her children might have been old enough to become Christians.

4. One must assume that Lydia had her children with her in Philippi. She was from Thyatira. Many traveling business people leave their children at home when they make a business trip. Assuming that Lydia was married, she had children, and her children were infants, we still have to assume that she had her children with her.

5. Having granted all of these assumptions, we still have to assume that these infants were baptized. There is nothing in the text that says they were.

Nevertheless, this is the strongest evidence that is available to support infant baptism. Seeing the insufficiency of the evidence, we conclude that infant baptism was not authorized in the New Testament. The truth of the matter is that infant baptism was devised by man because he concluded that infants inherited the sin of Adam and were in need of salvation at birth. Recognizing that man had to be baptized in order to be saved, they concluded that infants also needed to be baptized. Hence, the practice of infant baptism was devised to answer the needs of the unscriptural doctrine of inherited total depravity.

Conclusion

There are many lessons to be learned from Lydia. May her example inspire each of us to attend to the things which God would have us to do. What reason can you offer, which God will accept, for not obeying the gospel? Do not be deceived by Satan into postponing till the future what you know you need to do today!

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 4, pp. 98, 118-119
February 19, 1987

By Hoyt H. Houchen

Question: Please explain Isaiah 45:7 where God says, “I create evil. ” Does not only good come from God?

Reply: We read in Isaiah 45:7: “1 form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am Jehovah, that doeth all these things.” This verse raises the question: did God actually create only good?

God’s original creation was very good (Gen. 1:31). Also, we are told that God “cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man” (Jas. 1:13). Since God is moral (sinless), moral evil is contrary to His very nature. God, then, does not create moral evil.

In what sense does God create evil? The NASB translates Isaiah 45:7: “The one forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all this.” The word rendered by the NASB, “calamity” is the Hebrew word rah, which basically means “evil” (either moral or misfortune evil). God is addressing Cyrus (v. 1), the Medo-Pqrsian king who was later to “subdue kingdoms.” Specifically, he would capture Babylon because of the wickedness that prevailed in that city. God was using Cyrus as His instrument to inflict this punishment. The prophecy was uttered more than a hundred years before Cyrus was born, but it was all literally fulfilled. So, in view of the meaning of the Hebrew word in the verse, and the context of the verse, the word “evil” which God creates refers to the calamities as punishment upon wicked nations. God, therefore, does not create moral evil, but calamities or misfortunes come upon man as a result of his sin (see Ezek. 18:20; Rom. 5:12; 6:23; Jas. 1: 14,15).

There are instances in the Old Testament when God brought calamity upon people as a result of their moral evil or wickedness. Because of wickedness, God destroyed the earth with water, sparing only Noah and his family (Gen. 6:5-8). God afflicted the Egyptians with ten plagues because of the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 7-12). God smote the Philistines with a great discomfiture and tumors while !he ark of the covenant was among them (1 Sam. 5:9). Hell is created by God for those who are disobedient to His will (Matt. 25:41; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 21:8; etc.) These are examples of evil which God created – calamity, adversity, misfortune – all punishment as a result of moral evil. He did not create the moral evil. God created man a free moral agent. When man violates God’s moral law, it is man, not God who is responsible for moral evil.

In 1 Samuel 16:14, we are told, “Now the Spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Jehovah troubled him.” This verse has posed a problem for some in that they assume that this is a cause of moral evil coming directly from God. But actually, Saul’s sin broke fellowship with God, and God allowed the evil spirit to trouble him. Again, this serves as an example of the evil consequences that come upon those guilty of sin or moral evil. The same truth is illustrated again in Saul’s case (1 Sam. 18: 10). God is the author of moral law and He is also the author of consequences which follow because of the violation of that law (1 Jn. 3:4).

Not all physical disasters today such as floods, tornados and earthquakes are due to sin (Lk. 13:1-5). Christians suffer in such calamities along with the wicked. Neither is it to be supposed that all suffering or affliction is the result of sin (see Jn. 9:2). In fact, Christians may suffer affliction as a means of chastisement (Heb. 12:7-9). Persecution is an example (2 Tim. 3:12). Chastisement of Christians should motivate them to greater faith. We all suffer misfortunes in life – illness, disappointments, loss of loved ones and many more, but the Christian looks forward to heaven where none of these exist. Men do often blame God for consequences which result from their moral evil.

A simple solution is not always found for the problem of evil in the world, but we do know that God does not create moral evil and we can always be assured that whatever God does is right and in harmony with His moral character (Gen.18:25).

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 4, p. 101
February 19, 1987

By Jimmy Tuten

Introduction:

A. Matthew 5:8; 6:20-21; 12:33-35 – The thought content of these passages is:

1. The religion of Jesus Christ is a “heart religion.” But it is not the “heart felt religion” of Pentecostalism where assurance of salvation is based on how one feels, rather than what the Word of God teaches (Rom. 8:16-17).

2. All obedience to God must come from the heart and God is not pleased unless the heart is right with God.

3. What the Bible teaches about the heart and what men think about it are poles apart. It is vital that we know what the Bible heart is.

4. In the New Testament the heart stands for the entire inner life: the capacity of a person to feel, think, and resolve, with emphasis on thinking and willingness.

B. Churches of Christ have been accused of having a heartless religion. Such is not the case. The thesis of this lesson is to demonstrate this point.

Body:

I. The word “heart” in the Bible means mainly the center and source of the whole inner life (F. Wilbur Gingrich, Lexicon). In the heart:

A. Sin is committed (Matt. 5:28).

B. Forgiveness is granted (Matt. 18:35).

C. Condemnation is felt (1 Jn. 3:20).

D. Thought is formed (Mk. 7:21).

E. Speech is born (Matt. 12:34-37).

F. Obedience is given (Rom. 6:17).

G. Doubt (Mk. 11:23), decision (2 Cor. 9:7), deception (Jas. 1:26), belief (Rom. 10:9), sorrow (Jn. 16:6) and assurance are all affairs of the heart.

II. Members of the body of Christ walk by faith and not by fleshly feeling (2 Cor. 5:7). Our true heart felt faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17), and our heart is attuned to God’s Word. Our feelings are the result of our faith, and not our faith the result of our feelings. Christians believe in “heart felt religion” the way the Bible teaches it. Not the kind the denominations espouse.

A. “I feel it in my heart” is no more a standard to determine salvation than saying “I feel in my heart that my bank balance is correct,” “I feel in my heart that this board is 6 feet long,” etc.

1. The reason: this is subjective and subject to change depending upon the person, “experience, ” etc. One needs an objective standard in all fields.

B. The Bible says you cannot trust your feelings when it comes to salvation (Prov. 28:26; Jcr. 10:23; Prov. 14:12).

C. We are to trust in God (Prov. 3:5), for He has given Scripture to make one wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15; 2 Pet. 1:3).

III. What is the heart that must be converted? A thing is known by what it does, i.e., a farmer farms, a teacher teaches, etc. The major functions of the heart may be classified in four groups; from these one can learn what the heart is that must be changed.

A. It has an intellectual process (thinks, Matt. 9:4; Heb. 4:12; – reasons, Mk. 2:8; – understands, Matt. 13:15; – believes, Rom. 10:9-10).

B. It has emotional processes (loves, Matt. 22:37; despises, 2 Sam. 6:16; – rejoices, Psa. 33:21; – suffers anguish, 2 Cor. 2:4; -may be stolen, 2 Sam. 15:1-6).

C. It has the process of will (a will that purposes, Acts 11:23; 2 Cor. 9:7; – determines, 1 Cor. 7:37. This is the process of the will).

D. It has the process of conscience (pricked, Acts 2:37; – cut, Acts 5:33; – condemns, 1 Jn. 3:20-21).

E. When one thinks of the heart he must take into account all of these things.

IV. What can happen to my heart?

A. It can be stolen (2 Sam. 15:6).

B. It can be hardened (Ex. 7:15).

C. It can go from a person (2 Kgs. 5:21).

D. It abides with a treasure (Matt. 6:24).

V. The condition of the heart.

A. In early life it is pure (Matt. 183; 19:14).

B. When sin enters the heart, it is poisoned, i.e., the intellect is clouded, the emotions are corrupted and the will is paralyzed. In this state the heart is:

1. Evil (Gen. 6:5; 8:21).

2. Deceitful (Jer. 17:9).

3. Corrupt (Eph. 4:18).

C. We are responsible for this and we must change the heart (there is no salvation without a change of heart, Matt. 5:8; 1 Pet. 1:22; Jas. 4:8).

VI. How is this change of heart brought about?

A. The intellect is changed by testimony (God affects this with evidence that produces faith (Jn. 20:30-31; Rom. 10:17). Illustration: An attorney labors to change the minds of a jury with reference to his client. He wants the jury to think, reason, understand and believe that his client is innocent of the charges against him. Therefore he sets before the jury testimony which he considers necessary to convince them and to cause them to have a desired attitude toward his client.

B. The emotions are changed by loveliness, i.e., by God’s love (Rom. 5:8; Jn. 3:16; 2 Cor. 8:9). Illustration: When a young man tries to win the affections of a young woman, he does not resort to intellectual arguments. He shows his own affections and does things for her.

C. The will is changed by motives (goodness of God, Rom. 2:4; – fear of judgment, Acts 17:30-31. These are powerful motives inducing obedience). Illustration: Parents place motives before their children to induce obedience. A drunken father and/or husband may be won back if the proper motives are placed before him.

D. The conscience is changed by fight-doing (Active faith must follow understanding what God has done through Jesus, His Son, Jas. 2; Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 4:17). Illustration: A man who has mistreated a fellow man (if he is honest and knows how God feels about it) can never have peace of mind until he has done what he can do to correct it.

Conclusion:

1. Hebrews 4:7, “Today if ye shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

2. The story is told of a young woman who was greatly distressed because she could not “experience” a change of heart. Someone pointed out to her that her heart had already been changed, with the exception of her conscience, i.e., she already believed in Jesus, had a tender feeling for Him and wanted to serve Him. She needed to act on the desire to serve Him by obedience. Like the Eunuch of Acts 8 her biblical “heart-felt” action would rejoice. She too could go her way rejoicing!

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 4, pp. 106-107
February 19, 1987

By Irven Lee

“Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42,43). This is a clear word picture of a sad situation. These many rulers were almost certainly among the better educated and more highly respected citizens in the land. They were men of influence, and they loved their chief seats too much to risk offending the Pharisees, which was the strictest sect among the Jews (Acts 26:5).

The Pharisees coveted the praise of the chief rulers, also (Matt. 23:1-7). Each group was happy to have the praise of the other. It was a matter of you praise us and we will praise you. You scratch my back and I will scratch yours! Was not that prize a vain thing? They paid a great price to obtain it. The chief rulers would not confess their belief in God’s Son. They pleased men rather than God.

There was no way to confess faith in Christ without facing the ugly sarcasm and hate of the Pharisees. The ninth chapter of John tells the story of Christ’s healing a blind man. That grateful man took his stand in defense of the One who had healed him, and his wisdom was evident in the answers to those who reviled him. His parents were like the many chief rulers who believed. They showed no gratitude to the One who had given sight to their son who had never seen.

“His parents answered them, and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: but by what means he now seeth, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. These works spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him” (John 9:20-23). They were not as ignorant as they professed they were. They refused to express confidence in and gratitude for the One who had done so much for their son. This seems to be an incredible thing. What will some people do to win the praise of men?

The threats of the Pharisees and other prominent Jews had its desired effect. Many bowed before them and did not stand for their convictions. How many other such men were there in Israel in those days who were very quiet about their beliefs? None knows, but there must have been many like the parents of the blind man and the chief rulers to which reference was made. If they had boldly proclaimed their faith in Christ the eyes of many others might have been opened through their influence.

There was some basis in the mind of Christ for selecting Peter, James, John and others to be apostles. They were not highly educated or socially prominent men (Acts 4:13). They did have some preconceived ideas about the kingdom that hindered their understanding of the mission of Christ (Matt. 20:20-28). Our Lord selected men who could be rebuked without turning back (John 6:66). They could hear truths that shocked them without losing faith (Matt. 19:23-25).

Jesus could say to the apostles: “Blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear” (Matt. 13:16). The god of this world had blinded the eyes of some (2 Cor. 4:4). They could not see because they would not look, and they could not hear because they would not listen. Preaching to people like this is somewhat like casting pearls before swine (Matt. 7:6; 13:15). Being willing to do the will of God has something to do with our ability to understand it. “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17).

Nineteen hundred years ago there were men who would not pay the price to boldly teach the truth. Are there such people in America today? When men go out to sow the word, do they find the wayside soil, the shallow soil, and the thorny ground, as well as the good soil? Can there be any doubt? There must be many that know better than their behavior would indicate. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). Paul was not ashamed of the gospel because he knew the power and love it involved (Rom. 1:16). Timothy was one of the truly great men of that first century, but he was warned not to be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord or of the persecuted saints (2 Tim. 1:8). If Paul needed the prayers of saints that he should speak boldly as he ought to speak, and if Timothy needed to be warned, surely we must need the same (Eph. 6:19,20).

“And, behold, there was a man Joseph, a counselor, and he was a good man, and a just . . . who also himself waited for the kingdom of God” (Luke 23:50,51). Joseph and Nicodemus gave our Lord’s body honorable burial. That must have taken courage on that day when the Christ had been mocked, scourged, and crucified by the mob, but what of Joseph’s record before. He had been a secret disciple for fear of the Jews (John 19:38)! Joseph is mentioned as being rich and honorable and, on this special day, as being bold. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John mention Joseph’s good deed in the matter of the burial of the body of Christ. Think how much more beautiful the word picture would have been if he had been a bold friend of the Christ while He lived rather than a secret disciple in those days.

Could we find men who are honorable counselors among the more liberal churches who realize that the praise of men is a dominant force among them? Would they like to stand with us if it did not entail being called an “anti” or some other such unpleasant name. Please, come on out of the darkness and stand in the light for the sake of your soul, your family’s welfare, and for the influence you could have on your neighbors. Love would cause you to obey (John 14:15,21,23).

It is still true that those who would live godly lives in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). Men are needed who will do the work of an evangelist and endure the affliction that follows the good work. If you teach the truth as it is in Christ you will be called a legalist, a bigot, a trouble maker, and such, and you will be regarded as being narrow, but you will please God.

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 4, pp. 99-100
February 19, 1987