Truth Magazine

By Tom M. Roberts

Introduction: Many states are now investigating gambling as a source of revenue. (Texas defeated part-mutual betting May 6, 1978 but it is back as an issue at this time. The Speaker of the House in Texas is a member of the church but on record as favoring gambling.) Many people look at forms of gambling (bingo, lottery) with favor.

Some say “Politics in the pulpit” when we preach against it but this is a moral issue that must be dealt with forthrightly. Other moral issues that some want left alone: abortion, pornography, etc. We must preach the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) both “in season and out” (2 Tim. 4:2).

I What is gambling?

A. Many Christians not prepared to deal with the basic issue (some oppose large wagers but will place small bets with friends).

B. Definition: “To play or game for money or other stakes; to hazard; wager, betting on the result of a game” (Webster).

C. Built into gambling is a “loss” principle: winners win only when losers lose. Illustrate:

1. 5 people put up $100 each on a bet.

a. The “house” gets $100 off the top for their take.

b. 1 man wins $400.

c. 4 men lose all. Remember: winners win only when losers lose.

2. Farming (often used by proponents of gambling) is not a corollary.

a. God ordained that men should eat bread by “sweat of thy face” (Gen. 3:19).

b. There is no built in “loss principle” in farming.

c. Rather, God’s law built into seeds is that seeds always produce more than the seed that is planted! This is the “harvest” principle.

3. The Stock Market is not a corollary.

a. The Stock Market is a source of funds to finance business enterprise.

b. It does not operate on a “loss principle” but a “work principle.”

c. An enterprise uses money invested by stock holders to increase its business and to repay a profit to the investor.

d. To illustrate:

(1) 5 people put up $100 each by purchasing stock.

(2) A corporation uses this as capital to expand, enlarge, etc.

(3) On services rendered (work performed), the corporation makes a profit.

(4) A dividend (profit earned) is paid to the investor.

II. What is wrong with gambling?

A. It is covetousness (desire for money that belongs to another; he must lose it for you to gain it): Col. 3:5,6; Eph. 5:5; Lk. 12:15.

B. Violates labor principle: Eph. 4:28 (gambling: a form of stealing).

C. Cannot harmonize with Matt. 7:12: the “Golden Rule. “

D. Violation of law of love: Matt. 22:39; 1 Cor. 13:4-6.

E. Involves evil associations: 1 Cor. 15:33 (Gambling attracts mafia, etc.).

F. It will destroy influence: Matt. 7:17-19.

G. Its fruit is evil: Mt. 7:17-19.

H. It leads away from God: Mt. 6:24.

I. It appeals to weaknesses in man and becomes addictive: Phil. 4:8; destroys self-control: 2 Pet. 1:6.

Guardian of Truth XXX: 24, p. 747
December 18, 1986

By S. Leonard Tyler

The story of Jesus’ healing the blind man of John 9 offers us a great illustration of one who knows Jesus as the Son of God. After the healing, the miracle was so recognized that no one, who accepted the man as the one who was blind, could doubt for a minute the greatness of the miracle. This is true of all the miracles of our Lord and His apostles. Miracles were performed to prove that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and the apostles were men of God. If the miracles were rejected or doubted, where was the proof? Surely, a great miracle had been performed and even his neighbors inquire of him, “How were thine eyes opened?” (Jn.9:10) And he answered them, “A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.”

They then took him to the Pharisees who also asked, how he received his sight? He told them the same story of how Jesus healed him. They questioned Jesus’ being of God and even branded the healed man as a hardened sinner but none could question the reality of the miracle. They rejected the facts because they refused to believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son. They, as it were, stopped their ears, closed their eyes, their hearts waxed gross, and were hardened.

They sought out his parents and inquired of them, “Is this your son whom ye say was born blind?” They answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind.” They did not know by what means that he could see or would not admit it. The Pharisees returned to the healed man and re-examined him. They branded Jesus as a hard sinner. The healed man explained that God did not hear or answer sinner’s prayers. And stated, “Since the beginning of the world such a thing as opening the eyes of one born blind was never heard of. If this man had not come from God, he could have done nothing.” They refused to be taught by such a sinner as they classified the healed man of being. They cast him out.

Jesus came to him and asked him, “‘Do you believe in the Son of man?’ ‘Who is he, sir, that I may believe on him?’ Jesus replied, ‘It is he who is now speaking to you.’ ‘I do believe, Sir,’ said the man, and he prostrated himself at his feet.” The King James Version puts it, “And he worshiped him.” To know Jesus is to commit oneself to Him. Do you know Jesus to be worthy of your commitment for life?

One must believe in Jesus before he can accept Him and that faith comes by hearing God’s word (Rom. 10:17). But that is why the Bible is written and the word is to be preached to every creature, the whole creation, to produce faith in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and man’s Savior (John 20:30-31). The gospel is God’s power unto salvation (Rom. 1:16-17). Unless one believes the message of the gospel of Christ, he can not really believe in Jesus as the Son of God (Heb. 4:2). Faith in Jesus produces a continuous life of faith. It is the “obedience of faith,” a life of faith, that leads one to Christ and holds him in the way of the Lord (1 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 11:1,6; 12:1-2). If one loses his faith or turns from the Lord, he can expect nothing from the Lord (Heb. 3:12) but, on the other hand, if one is faithful to the Lord, he will be blessed forever (Heb. 10:38-39).

How can this work? One must hear God’s word and believe in Christ before he can obey the Lord (Heb. 11: 1,6). The Word of God is so powerful and revealing that is the substance, evidence, sustaining source, and power of our faith. It is God’s message of faith (Heb. 11:1; 4:2). God’s word is so powerful, convincing, overwhelming and life challenging, even so uplifting into immorality, eternal peace and joy in the hope of life after death (Jn. 5:28-29; Rev. 20:11-15). It is true.

To Know Jesus

To know Jesus is to love Him, His word and all that His word teaches. If one is compelled to believe that Jesus is God’s Son, the Savior of all men through the message of the word, surely, he will fall deeply in love with the truth, God’s word. If you love the Lord, will you not love His word and treasure its holy precepts above any message of man. David’s attitude toward the Lord was sustained by his attitude toward His word. He said, “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven . . . . O how love I thy law! It is my- meditation all the day . . . . Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. . ., I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love” (Psa. 119:89, 97, 105, 113). Upon reading David’s attitude toward the word of Almighty God, no one will be shocked to hear his prayer, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, 0 Lord my strength and my redeemer” (Psa. 19:14).

David’s attitude of love and respect for the word of the Lord was so deeply impressed upon his heart that he evaluates the man of God not as only refusing the ungodly ways and lives of the wicked but as one whose “delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psa. 1:2). His delight and meditation is in the word of the Lord. Why? He knew and understood his Lord; read Psalms 139 and you can well understand the last two verses: “Search me, 0 God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Do you know the Lord in faith, in obedience and forgiveness (Rom. 5:1; 6:17-18; Col. 2:12; 3:1-4)? Then, surely, you love His word and delight in it. It will furnish the man of God unto every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

The story is told of a young lady who read a book containing material in which she was interested. But having completed the reading she passed her opinion upon it as being very dry and thoroughly boring. Later in her life, she met a young man and fell in love with him. She soon learned that he was the author of the book which she had thrown aside as dry and boring. She searched out the book and reread it. This time her opinion was expressed, “This is the best written and most interesting book that I have ever read.” Why the difference? She knew and loved the author.

Is this our problem in creating an interest in reading and studying God’s word? Are we acquainted with and know the Book, The Bible, but have not come to know and love its author? Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (Jn. 14:15,15:10). 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous.” If keeping God’s commandments, instructions is hard, grievous, you have a problem. Search your own heart, “For out of it are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23). “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matt. 12:34).

We recognize that it is only through the word of the Lord that we come to know, to understand, the Lord, but it is through acceptance of his truth that we come to believe, respect and love Him. John said, “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us” (1 Jn. 4:6). “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God” (1 Jn. 3:10).

We can show our love and advance in love for the Lord by standing and meditating more upon His word (1 Tim. 3:15;4:15-16; 2 Tim. 2:14-15; Heb. 5:14). This is not meditation by reaching out into the great transcendental, mystical space of God’s unknown. “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29). Do you know Jesus to love Him and serve Him?

Guardian of Truth XXX: 24, pp. 739-740
December 18, 1986

By Johnny Stringer

“Thy Will Be Done”

Since God knows what is best, it is best for His will to be done. We should deeply desire for His will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven.” His will is perfectly done in heaven, and we should desire for it to be perfectly done on earth. We know it never will be, because the earth is populated by imperfect men. Just think, however, what a wonderful world it would be if everyone on earth carried out God’s will.

It is only through doing God’s will that men can enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 7:21). Of course, no one perfectly does God’s will, but Christ has provided that we can be forgiven of our imperfections, so that it is as though we had carried out His will perfectly. When sins are forgiven, it is as though they had never happened.

Forgiveness, of course, is conditional (Acts 2:38; 8:22). The conditions include repentance. This means that in order to be forgiven of our sins, we must be determined to quit our sins. We cannot persist impenitently in violating God’s will and be forgiven.

How inconsistent it is for men to pray for God’s will to be done, yet make little effort to do God’s will in our own lives. It is inconsistent, also, to pray for God’s will to be done, yet fail to try to teach His will to others, If we really desire for God’s will to be done, we will try to do it ourselves and to lead others to do it.

“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”

It is right to pray for our material needs. We are taught to pray about all things that concern us (Phil. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:7). It is wrong, however, to pray with a covetous spirit, seeking to use prayer as an avenue to gratify our greed, To do so is to “ask amiss” (Jas. 4:3). To ask for daily bread does not reflect such an attitude.

We are not to offer this prayer with the expectation that God will provide food for us apart from our own efforts. We are taught to work for what we have (1 Thess. 4:11-12; 2 Thess. 3:10). The point is, if we do what we are able to do for ourselves, God will help us obtain the necessities of life.

Here is an illustration of the principle that God helps those who help themselves. If a man prays for food while making little effort to get a job, just hoping for a handout, his prayer is vain.

When times are hard and our outlook is bleak, we can pray to God while doing all that we can for ourselves, and trust Him to provide the help we need. Such trust in God brings comfort in the worst of times.

“Forgive Us Our Debts”

We owe God complete obedience. When we fail to obey (sin), we have failed to pay what we owe. We have made a debt we can never repay.

But our situation is not hopeless, for God is a merciful creditor Who is willing to forgive the debt. Forgiveness was made possible through the blood of Christ (Matt. 26:28; 1 Jn. 1:7). When we are forgiven, it is as though we had paid Him all we owed – as though we had given Him perfect obedience.

In the model prayer, Jesus taught His disciples to pray for forgiveness. This teaching is applicable only to God’s children – those who can address Him as our Father. Those who are not in God’s family must meet other conditions to be forgiven of their sins (Acts 2:38). Upon doing so, they become God’s children (Gal. 3:26-27) with the privilege of praying for forgiveness when they sin.

Prayer for forgiveness must come from a repentant heart (Acts 8:22). One who prays for forgiveness, but has no intention of quitting his sin, cannot be forgiven.

Moreover, Jesus makes it clear that God will not forgive Our sins if we are unwilling to forgive those who sin against us. To forgive them is to regard them as no longer guilty. As God’s forgiveness is conditioned on repentance, our forgiveness of those who sin against us is conditioned on repentance (Lk. 17:4; Eph. 4:32). We must love them before they repent, but we must continue to recognize their guilt until they have repented.

We do not deserve forgiveness; we deserve punishment. Let us ever praise God for His marvelous grace.

“Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil”

Recognizing our weakness and our susceptibility to temptation, we should pray that as God providentially intervenes in our lives, He will lead us so as to help us avoid temptation. It is obviously not God’s will to keep us from ever being tempted, but we trust that He will help us avoid temptations to whatever degree His wisdom will allow, preventing us from being overwhelmed by them. Through thus shielding us, He will deliver us from evil.

Praying for God to help keep us from being overwhelmed by temptations is like asking for our daily bread. We must do what we can to help ourselves. It is inconsistent for one to pray to be kept from temptation, and then deliberately and unnecessarily put himself into a position in which he will be tempted.

Inasmuch as temptation begins with lust (Jas. 1:14), we can help ourselves by avoiding activities which stir up our lusts (2 Tim. 2:22). For example, to pray for help in avoiding temptations, yet engage in lustful dancing or view provocative movies or TV shows is grossly inconsistent.

Concluding Thoughts

It is noteworthy that most of the requests in this model prayer are spiritual in nature. Inasmuch as prayer is an expression what is on our minds, is this not a pretty good indication of the kind of concerns that should weigh heaviest on our minds?

Guardian of Truth XXX: 24, pp. 742-743
December 18, 1986

By O.C. Birdwell, Jr.

Religious journals have long been used as an excellent means to get before the reading public different positions that are taken on numerous biblical and religious subjects. Since there are obvious differences on many subjects there needs to be a discussion of those differences in the light of Bible teaching. Most public debates, both oral and written, have been conducted in order to investigate these differences and establish truth. In past years many brethren were fearful of a position until it was tested in public discussion. If it was tested in such discussion and found to be untrue it was immediately rejected. Open and honorable religious discussion was regarded as the best way to establish truth. Religious journals were used as the most practical media for such discussion.

Many need to be re-educated to the purpose and need for religious discussion and debate. Too often, in our day, there is objection to even a small amount of friendly disagreement in a Bible class. Some refuse to take a religious paper lest there be what they call “a fuss” found somewhere on its pages. A number, including some preachers, have become so sensitive to any disagreement that if one thing they say is called in question, they will immediately impugn the motive of the one who questions, and in turn will attack his character, misrepresent what he says, and try to destroy his reputation.

In the Gospel Advocate (June 5, 1879), under the heading “Church Difficulty at Bowling Green, ” brother David Lipscomb had the following to say. What he said then is just as relevant today as it was when it was written over 100 years ago.

The expression “newspaper wrangle” in reference to the effort of brethren to teach truth and correct error through the papers savors neither of the courtesy of the well-bred gentlemen, nor the gentleness and kindness of the Christian. What is termed the “newspaper wrangle” has been the most efficient means of delivering the masses from the bondage of error, and developing the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, of all other instrumentalities within the last century. Indeed written and published exposure of error and defense of truth have been the means from the apostolic day down, above all others used by men earnest for the truth, for infusing truth, and eradicating error among the people.

A man who sneers at it advertises his own incompetency to appreciate the truth’s most honored instrument of defense and offense. He casts no obloquy upon what all sensible men know has established its character. Errorists of every hue, conscious of the weakness of error yet wedded to it, greatly oppose A newspaper wrangles.”

Brother Lipscomb did not, nor do we, make any defense of an ugly and unkind spirit on the part of anyone in the discussion of differences. Effort should not be made to bind personal opinion and human tradition on others. Let us not be contentious for our own will and way while contending for the truth. The fact that some are not honorable in discussion should not be an argument against all discussion. I fear for any people when open and honorable investigation, objection, and even rejection is suppressed. History shows that such people have all gone into apostasy.

Guardian of Truth XXX: 24, p. 743
December 18, 1986