Truth Magazine

By Leslie Diestelkamp

For several years brother Mike Willis and I have corresponded regarding our differing convictions on the subject of continuous forgiveness for the faithful Christian. Repeatedly he has asked me to write an affirmative on this subject. For several reasons that do not need to be identified here, I have hesitated to do so, but my reluctance to do so was not at all to avoid making my conclusions known. In fact, in the last four years I have preached in about 53 meetings in 17 states, and in almost every one I have preached at least once on “Grace,” including some expressions about continuous forgiveness. Likewise, in my own publication (Think) I have occasionally written on these matters. So, you see, I have not avoided the subject.

Now I have decided to comply with brother Mike’s request to express my convictions in Guardian of Truth for these reasons: (1) I want to “set the record straight” with his readers, and (2) I want his readers to realize that Mike’s view is not a prevalent one. (Note: His “Letters” column in GOT does show that some agree with him, but I am convinced that 90% of brethren do not so agree. They don’t write to him, they write to me and to others who differ with Mike. In all of those 53 meetings mentioned above only three men have stated a disagreement with what I preached.)

My Affirmation

1. I affirm that the Scriptures teach that a child of God who lives in sin — who continues in the practice of sin — who walks after the flesh and not after the Spirit — will receive no forgiveness as long as he continues thus (Rom. 6:1,2; 8: 1; Gal. 5:19-21; Rev. 21:8). Such a person is not a faithful Christian, and I find no way to offer hope for him in that condition.

2. I affirm that a faithful Christian — one who “walks in the fight” (1 Jn. 1:7) and who “walks not after the flesh but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1-4) does indeed sin even while he is faithful. Understand, his sin is not an act of faithfulness and God does not approve of it, but his life is a life of faithfulness and God does approve of it. How can God approve of a life in which there is a sin? He forgives and then does not reckon that sin against the faithful one (see. Rom. 4:7, 8). John says, “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves” (1 Jn. 1:8), but of the same ones John says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (Jn. 2: 1). Yes, we do sin and 99.44% of the readers of this article will admit it. But we don’t live sinful lives — we don’t continue in sin — and we don’t cease to have the favor of a merciful God — and most of our readers agree with that statement also!

3. I affirm that forgiveness for the faithful Christian is altogether conditioned upon: (a) forgiving others (Mt. 6:12,13); (b) confessing sin even confessing sins of which we are unaware (Lk. 18:13; Psa. 19:12); (c) repentance and prayer (Acts 8:22). There is no hope for the child of God who will not forgive others, nor for the one who will not confess and pray as did the publican, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” and as did David, “Cleanse thou me from secret faults.”

4. I affirm that (a) continuous cleansing is an absolute necessity for the faithful Christian because he does sin and even may be unaware of some of his sins; (b) continuous cleansing for the faithful Christian is a genuine reality because God has promised that, through the blood of Jesus, we have full forgiveness as we walk in the light; (c) continuous cleansing for the faithful Christian is without any satisfactory alternative because if such is not so, then there is no hope at all for any of us. If the blood of Christ does not keep us cleansed (while we walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit), then unless we die with a prayer upon our lips we may indeed die lost, and every hour of every day and night would be a day and an hour of misery and fear.

Summary

Remember, what I affirm has nothing to do with the alien — he has no relationship with God (Rom. 6:23); he has no mediator until he obeys Christ (Rom. 6:17,18; 2 Tim. 2: 10). Remember, also, what I affirm provides no hope for the unfaithful child of God unless he turns from his unfaithfulness, for “if we sin willfully” and if we trod under foot the Son of God, there is nothing but vengeance in store for us (Heb. 10:26-29). Indeed, “if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world” through Christ and “are again entangled therein, the latter end is worse than the beginning” (2 Pet. 2:20).

But remember, dear reader, there is consolation and hope for the humble, contrite child of God who resists evil and who draws near to God (Jas. 4:7,8). Our hope is not in merit of our own. Paul said that his desire and hope was that he “would be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Phil. 3:9). Please, dear reader, do not ask me if you are good enough to go to heaven. I’ll disappoint you. I’ll have to say “No.” But you can go to heaven, though you never earn it yourself, because of the goodness and love and mercy and grace of God. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8,9). Do you believe it? I do!

There is no automatic forgiveness, no unconditional salvation. And there is no security apart from faithfulness. But, totally by grace God did provide a way of salvation, by genuine faith we accept that free gift of God-which we receive at obedience and which we retain by faithfulness. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

Coming Next

If you are reading this in Guardian of Truth, then it means that brother Willis has agreed to also publish in the next issue a “Necessary Negative.” Look for it.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 11, pp. 336, 338
June 6, 1985

By Leslie Diestelkamp

It had been just over eleven years since I had visited Nigeria, and this 21st day of January 1985 was to bring to me a rather king and frustrating awareness of drastic change. The big cities in which I had lived and worked in former years are now so much larger — indeed, they are huge metropolitan areas now, with expressways and high-rise apartments, etc. The traffic, which we used to think was the world’s worse, is so much more congested now.

But the changes that thrilled me were in the churches. Twenty-five years ago we started from scratch in Lagos and now there are perhaps 33 congregations, some of them quite large. But numerical growth is not the whole story. All across the land-from the eastern border to the western boundary, churches are now very active in evangelizing other areas. They are now contributing large sums each week and are supporting many preachers, both in local work and in new fields. Twenty-five years ago, a congregation of 250 people may have given the equivalent of $10.00. Today they may give a sum equal to $400. Even eleven years ago, when I was last there, such contributions were unheard of, and almost no churches were able to support preachers.

A great middle-class has arisen in Nigeria. In former times there were the rich and the poor-mostly poor. But today there are many who are neither rich nor poor, but who do have some degree of prosperity.

Super-Inflation

Do you complain of inflation here in the U.S.? Just to give you a very few examples which represent almost everything, consider these prices we observed today in Nigeria (in U.S. dollars):

1 box of Ritz-type crackers: $ 4.00

One smallest can Baked Beans: 4.00

Kraft cheese slices (10): 5.50

Small Quaker Oats: 10.00

Tire (for mid-sized car): 500.00

I hope those churches that are supplementing wages for some native preachers will take note of this inflation. And remember, native foods and other necessities are proportionately costly.

Results Of Support

Throughout the years I have advised and recommended some American support for native preachers so that they could devote full-time to gospel work and not have to struggle every day for food and shelter for their families. A few Americans have not agreed with this policy, saying that the native churches should carry their own load. Today’s conditions proved the wisdom of supporting the preachers. Every church of which I am aware that now supports its, preachers and/or others in new fields is one that was nurtured by a preacher supported by Americans. Some churches seem no larger and no stronger than they were many years ago, and usually these are churches that have had to exist without a good, zealous preacher to teach, train and evangelize.

For instance in Lagos, most of the churches have,been started by other older churches and/or by zealous preachers who had time to devote to that kind of work because they were partly supported by American churches. The last church I started in 1961 and that I left in its infancy, is now a congregation of about 250 people (335 the Sunday morning I was there this time) and averages over $250 weekly contribution. They have started one or two new congregations and must do so again because they have outgrown their facilities. They can do this because they have a highly skilled membership, are trained in the Scripture, and are capable of giving up many members without destroying the old church.

Even in outlying areas-towns and small cities-growth and strength are evident in properly nurtured places. One church in a good town-a church that started 12 or 15 years ago-now has an attendance of around 500 and is supporting its own preacher and several others. Let me give you the budget for one church that is an old oneformerly rural but now engulfed in the expanding nearby town-and that had been big but not very active. Now, with proper teaching, they post the following budget (annual in U.S. dollars).

Preaching $6250.00

Poor and needy 1000.00

Bread & Fruit of the vine 607.00

Bibles, sons books, etc 750.00

Meetings, etc 1217.00

Building project 5000.00

Electric 625.00

Gen. expenses 2000.00

Total $17.449.00

Needs

Several worthy preachers need some supplemental support. Some good men need a few good books which they would gladly buy, but governmental restrictions that do not allow their money to be sent out, prevent them from purchasing the books. Such books will have to be sent to them by us. Some churches need song books and communion equipment, and for the same reason as given above, they cannot order them from overseas.

Conclusion

It was a real joy to be associated with my son Karl in this great work. Though I prefer to preach (than to listen), in this case and especially because of my chronic voice trouble, I was happy to sit and listen to Karl preach with such force and respond to their good questions with such clarity, at the same time demonstrating more patience than I can usually have. His attitude was indeed a manifestation of love for truth plus a genuine love for people. Karl preached about twice as much as I did, which is about the way we planned it. He told the people there that he had been commissioned by my family to keep me well (I think he meant that he should “bring me back alive”), and he did a good job of that. I told the people there that “I shall see your face no more” (see Acts 20:25), but I hope Karl can return in 2 or 3 years to carry forward the influence we have there.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 11, p. 334
June 6, 1985

By Frank Jamerson

Some contend that a person who has been baptized “because of remission of sins” has obeyed God, even though he did not understand the true purpose of baptism. They often ask, “Did you understand everything about baptism before you were baptized?” Their conclusion is that if you did not know everything about it, and yet obeyed God, then they could obey God without knowing the true purpose of it.

Before answering the basic error in this reasoning, let us ask some other questions. (1) Does a person have to understand the true action of baptism in order to obey God? Suppose one loves God and wants to obey Him, but has been taught that sprinkling is baptism. Is that acceptable? (2) Does a person have to be baptized for any purpose? Suppose he believes that baptism is not essential at all! If he does not have to do it for the right purpose, must he do it for some wrong purpose in order to please God? (3) Let’s go one step further. Suppose a person “loves God” and wants to obey him but does not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Is there some reason that he must believe John 8:24, but does not have to believe Mark 16:16?

The basic thing wrong with the argument is that it does not distinguish between not knowing everything and obeying error. There is a vast difference between these two things. Must one know everything about the Divinity of Christ in order to believe in Him? If so, who can say that he truly believes in Jesus? The man who has been taught that Jesus was just a “good man, but not the Son of God,” has believed error. He has not believed in Christ! There is a difference between “perfect knowledge” of Christ and believing error about Him. The same is true of any other subject. One can obey the truth without knowing everything about it, but if he has been taught error, and obeys it, he has not obeyed truth.

In the apostolic age people were told the purpose of baptism before they were baptized (Acts 2:38; 22:16). There is no record of anyone being told to be sprinkled, or to be baptized because of remission of sins. They did not have to know all the arguments about why immersion was necessary in order to be immersed. They may not have known all the reasons why baptism was essential for salvation, but they were “baptized for the remission of sins.” Yes, one can obey truth without knowing everything about it, but if he has been taught error, and he obeys that, he has not obeyed truth!

We may be able to see the point more clearly by comparing baptism and the Lord’s supper. If a person observes the Lord’s supper because he “loves God,” but he has been taught that water can be used instead of the fruit of the vine (as the Mormons do), has he obeyed God? What if he observes it, using the right elements, but does it for the wrong purpose? (See 1 Cor. 11:23-29!) One who substitutes water for the fruit of the vine is making the same mistake as the one who substitutes sprinkling for immersion. One who observes the Lord’s supper for the wrong purpose is like the one who is baptized for the wrong purpose. Neither is obedience to God.

In the Bible, what did men do who had been baptized for the wrong purpose? In Acts 19:1-7, we read of about twelve men who had been baptized with John’s baptism. When they learned that John’s baptism, which had been in effect at one time, was no longer in effect, they were “baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” They did not say, I ‘Well, God knew that we were sincere, so He will credit the right purpose to what we did,” or “you did not know everything about baptism yourself, so the purpose of our baptism is not important. ” They changed, and obeyed the truth!

A person does not have to possess “perfect knowledge” to obey any truth, but there is a vast difference between that and obeying error. You cannot believe error and obey truth!

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 12, pp. 355, 366
June 20, 1985

By Jimmy Tuten

Someone has said, “We have become keepers of the aquarium instead of fishers of men.” Most brethren seem content to “keep house” or to “hold our own.” We know that evangelism (the Greek term euangelizo means to proclaim glad tidings, euangelion is the good news we proclaim, euangelistes is the messenger who delivers good news and evangelism is the act of teaching men the gospel and bringing them to Christ) is the most pressing need of the church of the eighties. In particular, what is commonly referred to as “personal evangelism” is almost a thing of the past. Each day of delay in taking the gospel to the world, beginning at home, is to make the task of world evangelism bigger. The population of the nations of the world is mushrooming. If we neglect evangelism (personal evangelism is an important part of the over-all task), and omit it, all else is of little consequence. If we are unquestionably sound in doctrine but save no souls, what does it matter? If we erect notable edifices for assemblies and have outstanding lectureships and special classes, but fail to evangelize, it is all in vain. No matter how scriptural our worship is and the amount of edification derived from it; though our sermons are beautiful, scriptural and true, if we are not personally involved in the collective (1 Tim. 3:15) and individual (Rom. 1: 14) obligation of bearing the good news of salvation by winning souls to Christ, we fail. Most of the growth most congregations experience at the present comes from those who transfer from other congregations. Should we grow by gathering members from sister congregations and those who move in from afar, but not reach out in the name of the Lord to our neighbors who stand condemned in the judgment? No other accomplishment, however noble, will compensate for failure in this crucial area. If we have a name that we five, and a sparkling reputation, but do not seek the lost, we are sinners.

When zeal for the lost is omitted, serious consequences befall the church. The function of evangelism is vital and essential to the survival of the church. The decline or stagnation of God’s people in an exploding world population means a drastic reduction of our influence. In view of God’s judgments throughout the Old Testament always coming when there was not enough salt left to preserve, will we hasten the judgment day by reducing our influence? How can a diminishing church salt society with Christian morals and ethical standards? Evil men will wax worse and worse (2 Tim. 3:13). Too, a lessening interest in personal work is the root cause of most of our present problems. If we would get busy in saving the lost and think less of our reputations, we will not have time to scrutinize in a rupturing manner those who are working at evangelism, whether preachers, journalistic editors, or whosoever. The bottom line is that when a congregation ceases to be committed to saving the lost, she will ultimately cease to be faithful in other areas and will reach a state where she has nothing worth propagating. We are talking about the very pulse and heartbeat of the church. Where it stops, we are dead!

Why then do brethren not do personal work?

They Do Not Know

It is axiomatic that we cannot teach what we do not know. Far too many today cannot relate to others in an understandable way the simple plan of salvation with scriptural references. Just as God’s people of old were destroyed because of a lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6), the brotherhood is on the brink, of chaos. If we ourselves do not fully grasp from a biblical standpoint who we are and what we are, how can we teach the uniqueness of the Lord’s precious body (Eph. 5)? It is no wonder that the church is becoming denominational and some have already gone throughout the community apologizing for sounding sectarian in preaching one church. We cannot continue in what we do not know (1 Tim. 4:16). How can we be a people of the Book when we do not know the Book? Brethren, it is time to get serious about your study of God’s Word. If all you know to do is to load the filmstrip (some can’t do this without tearing it) and plug in the electricity, you are not ready to teach a “home study” or anything else! Ignorance is not bliss and I weep for spiritual Israel, the church.

They Do Not Care

To be a Christian is to be a caring person (Rom. 12:15). Some do not know enough Bible to care about teaching it. Too many are not convinced that people who have never obeyed the gospel and/or not serving Jehovah faithfully in the church are lost. So many are lacking a deep-seated conviction pertaining to basic Bible doctrine. No wonder brethren are now saying, “There are sincere, knowledgeable, and devout Christians scattered among the different denominations” (Rubel Shelly). If we do not really believe that people in the world are lost, why should we care for them? There are more than four billion people in this world and more than 99% of the ones of a responsible age and mind are lost in sin! Less than 1/100th of 1% of the world’s population have embraced the real truth of the gospel. Brethren, don’t you care enough to try to change the situation by working in your circle of influence? God cares enough not to want anyone to perish (2 Pet. 3:9). Shouldn’t you? Jehovah’s sacrifice of His Son was the expression of a desire that all men “be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). Don’t you care about the countless individuals out there in the world who worship in vain and teach for doctrines the commandments of men (Matt. 15:9)? And what about our own brethren who are going beyond the doctrine of Christ (2 Jn. 9)? We would not be what we are if someone had not cared for us. Who cares? How tragic! He who lives to himself and dies to himself, to himself and none beside, lives as though Christ never lived, as though He never died.

They Will Not Work

There are brethren who know the truth and care a little that millions are going to hell-they just don’t care enough to go to work on the matter! Some will not work because there are too many sluggards in the body of Christ. I know a preacher who has a booklet entitled: “How To Sell Without Working.” It was compiled from the combined experience of 25,000 salesmen over a period of twenty years. There are eight pages in the booklet, and all of them are blank! There is no way to save, souls without working at it. I think of “always abounding in the work of the Lord” ( Cor. 15:58), and I shudder. Brethren, if we know and if we care, let us work at the privilege of saving souls!

They Will Not Persist

There have been times when brethren knew the truth, cared enough for lost souls to go out and work at converting them to Christ. But, they didn’t work long enough! They gave up too soon. What if Peter had given up on the day of Pentecost before exhorting “with many other words” saying, “save yourselves” (Acts 2:40). Would the number who gladly received the Word have been about 3,000? What a golden virtue persistence is. The difference between persistence and stubbornness is that one is a strong will and the other is a strong won’t. Galatians 6:9 says that we should not be weary in well doing, for in due season we will reap, if we faint not. The anchor man on a mile relay team was told by his coach: “Son, if we are going to win this race, you are going to have to start running as fast as you dan and gradually run faster.” There is a difference between persistence and aggravation, perseverance and obnoxiousness, continuance and irritation. We need to learn these differences and not despair just because someone says, “Don’t push me!”

We should not give up simply because someone may appear unreachable. I learned this in South Carolina during my first preaching experience. There was a fine veterinarian who was a Catholic. I had dined with him on several occasions, and on each, I was trying to muster courage to ask him to let me study with him. I was persistent in associating with him until I finally blurted out to him, “I want to study with you!” I almost had a cardiovascular attack when in a split second he said, “I’ve been wondering when you were going to get around to that.” He then picked up his Bible and we studied together, even though the study had to continue on the way to and at a farmyard while he engaged in surgery. Yes, we baptized him. About eight years later there was a sweet, elderly gentleman who attended once at the insistence of his wife whom I had recently baptized. He bragged, in a good-natured way, that he had not been to church anywhere in forty years, and “there ain’t no preacher got to me yet.”‘ I was determined. I studied with him weeks without end. But I couldn’t baptize him. So I cooled it for a few weeks. One evening, I put the fishing waders that I had been using for Everglade fishing in the trunk of my Ford and went to his house with the determination that I would baptize him that night. I did I Since then I have baptized a dozen or more “faithful attenders” that other preachers had given up on. We need to be persistent in the Lord’s great cause.

Conclusion

What it all boils down to is that one cannot take “Go” out of the great commission (Matt. 28). We are like modern day salesmen whose only sales come from those who come to us. Too many time people have to come to us and express their desire to study instead of our going to them to express our desire to study with them. The last words of our Master were get up and go! Read it for yourselves (Matt. 28; Mk. 16). It will serve as a good reminder.

We had better get busy, for the first soul we may save may be our own!

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 11, pp. 332-333
June 6, 1985