Truth Magazine

By Irven Lee

Death is taking one older preacher after another. Some of these men where brave soldiers when promoters of digression worked with much zeal and bitterness to persuade all of the churches to pool their resources into the hands of boards and brotherhood elderships, and to get ample equipment and personnel to turn the churches into social clubs. A prayer of thanksgiving is in order for these men who prepared themselves and then fought valiantly for truth and in opposition to pride and worldliness. Satan turned every man back toward denominationalism in spite f the worthy efforts of these good men, but a remnant was saved. I am sorry to see such able men pass off the scene, but that is the way of all the earth. It is appointed unto man once to die. All the apostles and great inspired prophets died after they served their own generation.

Where Are The Great Preachers?

I went to a funeral of a truly great preacher several years ago. Many good people were lamenting his passing. Preachers who had gained much from his great store of knowledge came from several states for that funeral service. Among other things he had been a preacher’s preacher, and had encouraged many young men tho came to him for help when they faced difficult situations and fearful responsibilities. Men of this caliber die, and men of lesser influence die also.

I heard some say at that funeral that, in a few years, we would no longer have any of that man’s stature left. Several may have felt that way. This statement was not, however, in harmony with truth in every way. Military heroes of the past have died, and able generals appear in each war. Paul and Timothy died, but great men have preached in America and elsewhere in recent years, and there will be more. I am confident that there are a few young men who work with the unselfishness and faithfulness that were in the life of the young man Timothy (Phil. 2:19-23). These men will soon be older and still, hopefully, serving their generation.

It is not necessary that every one be exactly like that special preacher whom you admire so much. It was necessary for Andrew to be like Peter in order to be an apostle. Every loyal servant of Christ can do a good work in his own way in the kingdom. It would be very fortunate if Christians everywhere could accept and honor all worthy preachers. Some will accomplish more than others, but there is work and room for all. There is no required personality pattern any more than there is a certain height, weight, and hair coloring required. Let each man be himself under the guidance of the Holy Scriptures.

A Time For Preparation

Age is related to the ability to preach effectively. We sometimes hear of some “boy wonder.” In such cases these boys may make mistakes, become egotistical, lose faith, and give up the work of preaching. It takes time as well as desire to become a great servant of God. Before one is desired as an able gospel preacher, he will need to know more about he Scriptures than the typical man or woman in the pews. If about any man in the audience can present a more useful lesson in a better way than the boy, the young man may not be supported financially to preach full-time to these people. This is understandable. People would not want the boy to be the surgeon when they must go into the operating room. There is some parallel in this regard between the doctor and the preacher. The child who would be an able preacher or an able surgeon must study long hours before the people are ready to count him an able man in either endeavor.

The young man who desires to preach may study much in his own room at home, listen to many sermons, make short talks in classes or special service at the home church, listen to wise people, and pray as he gradually grows into that useful preacher. It will not be a blessing to himself or to others if he jumps into the work over his head before he is well prepared to speak as the oracles of God. Sometimes we bury the people on whom the surgeon makes his mistakes. His work has fearful responsibilities. What happens when the unprepared man makes serious mistakes in the pulpit and in other aspects of church work? One should do all to stand before he takes his stand in battle with the skilled servant of the devil (Eph. 6:10-20).

Was John the Baptist nearly thirty years old when he began his public ministry? Did the Master begin His public work when he was about that age? I am not saying that all young men should wait until they are thirty to go into the work, but some might have accomplished more in a lifetime if they had waited longer and had been better prepared when they began. Some of the great workers today are in their twenties, and we say, “More power to them.” Giving an age when one should go into full-time preaching is a little like giving the exact age when one should be baptized or the exact age when a couple is ready to marry. The preacher should not go into full-time preaching until those who know him see that hie prepared to do a good work. The sons of Kohath, under the law of Moses, waited until they had reached the age of thirty to serve with the holy things in the tabernacle (Num. 4:1-4). Please understand that we all realize that there are some remarkable preachers that are younger than this. WE are only trying to suggest the need of patience to wait until the whole armor is in place. David did not run out to meet Goliath until he was very skilled with his sling. He could face a lion or bear in combat. He was young, but he was prepared to stand his ground (1 Sam. 17).

The young man who would preach should first learn to be an example. (Read 1 Tim.3:15; 4:12, 16; 2 Tim. 2:15; 2:21-26; Titus 2:7.) If he mows his lawn with only one very short garment on, many will think he is not ready to preach. If his beautiful young wife parades in public in such a way as to invite lust from those who pass by, many will think there should be some changes (Tit.2:3-5). Social drinking, foolish jesting, and any other things that come by way of atheistic entertainers need to be discarded. An able gospel preacher avoids the very appearance of evil.

There was and is such a need of laborers in the vineyard that we are encouraged to pray for more, but no soldier is needed in the army of the Lord without his sword and complete armor. The enemy is cunning (Matt. 9:36-38; Eph. 6:10-20). We may well pray for the young Davids who have gone out to meet their Goliaths. Spiritual strength includes zeal, humility, courage, purity, patience and other good traits. The word of encouragement or instruction given in good spirit may be worth very much to the worthy young man who would like to preach.

Physical strength fades away as age comes on bringing one into this last phase of life. With strength diminished, one becomes less effective in local work. Senility may cut one down before death. It is possible that the church may be weakened by the less effective preacher trying to cling to the work he has loved. May God help us to know when to sit down in the audience. The span of life in which one can be most active and useful is not long. It is as a vapor that appeareth for a little while and then vanishes away.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 10, pp. 302-303
May 16, 1985

By Ron Halbrook

P& when left to his own lusts finds himself wallowing in a moral morass. Immorality is a quagmire of quicksand-the more we exercise ourselves in it, the deeper into trouble we sink. Moral issues and decisions involve our daily attitudes and habits, especially our conduct toward other people. Moral behavior is virtuous, righteous, clean, noble, and pure. Immorality debases the person performing the sinful act and degrades other people who are touched by the deed. It is debilitating in that it weakens any moral fiber which remains, and degenerative in that it leads to ever lower standards of conduct. The remedy is the cleansing power of Christ and this remedy is urgently needed now!

The Quagmire Of Immorality

Romans I tells the depressing story of how the Gentile world was gradually enveloped in the oppressive darkness of immorality. Men left the love of God and busied themselves in the quagmire of sin until they were hopelessly sunk in its filth. Their uncleanness and vile affections engulfed them in “all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness.” These godless degenerates were “full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice” and were “gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful.” Fearing the laws and the penalties of neither God nor man, they reveled in their sins and gave “hearty approval to those” who joined with them (Rom. 1: 18-32, KJ and NAS).

Satan uses the momentary pleasures of sin to make it attractive to man and to hide its malignancy. The father of lies got Eve’s attention by questioning God’s law and denying its penalty. Then he hypnotized and deluded her by pointing to the delight of the flesh in food, by stimulating her desire with the fruit’s beauty, and by stirring in her the ambitions of pride. There is nothing profound or complex about the devil’s approach to man. It is simple and direct. He appeals to “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 Jn. 2:16). All of us are susceptible to such enticements. We cannot blame God, our bodies, “circumstances,” or someone else for our sins. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (Jas. 1:14-15).

Giving in to temptation is like scratching an itch-the more you scratch, the more it itches. Sin is a quagmire, ever pulling us deeper. Sin is a progressive disease, an all-consuming cancer. With individuals or with nations, the patient is terminal unless the remedy is found. “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment” (Isa. 1:5-6).

Issues Of Fornication And Abortion

Both in the church and in the world, the presence and the progress of sin is shocking. Adultery and fornication abound on every hand. Religious leaders excuse it as the “new morality,” which tickles the ears of people committed to the proposition that any message permitting four legs in a bed is “moral.” The divorce rate topped one million in 1975 and marked its first decline in 20 years in 1982 at 1.2 million. Even some gospel preachers are afraid to tell those who take mates in violation of Matthew 19:9, “It is not lawful for thee to have her” (cf. John in Mk. 6:18).

Homosexuality is widely tolerated as an “alternative lifestyle.” Incest and other forms of child molestation have been publicized recently. Police investigators say of the magnitude of this problem, “We’re just at the tip of the iceberg” (Houston Post, 25 Nov. 1984, D-1,9). As the cesspool thickens, some stores now “sell bestiality video cassettes over the counter and sadomasochism clubs equipped with elaborate whips and harnesses” (Newsweek, 18 Mar. 1985, pp. 58-67).

Closely related to sexual immorality is the abortion plague. Our nation has lost about 1,200,000 lives in all the wars of its history, but fornicators and murderers are slaying more babies than that every year by abortion in our land. Abortion is not the mere termination of a pregnancy but is the extermination of a human life. “Hands that shed innocent blood” are an abomination unto the God of all life and the voice of innocent blood cries out unto God for vengeance” (Prov. 6:16-17; Gen. 4:10). America is awash in the innocent blood of infants!

Issue Of Lasciviousness

Whatever stirs the desire for immorality is lascivious, including pornography, dancing, and immodesty. Lasciviousness has become an accepted way of life. The ideas “that arousal of desire” or “sexual stimulation” is “one of art’s functions” and that “graphic sexual depiction” is “good, clean fun” creates an atmosphere in which “a majority of Americans support access to sexually explicit material in private.” “Home porn is booming” through TV and VCR’s (Newsweek, 18 Mar. 1985, pp. 3, 5867). Suggestive magazines are as close as your nearest grocery and drug store counters.

The older cheek-to-cheek style dancing involves vulgar handling of the opposite sex, and the newer stand-and-shake style involves vulgar viewing of the opposite sex. In the modern style, certain parts of the body move “sexily from side to side” or make “sensuous gestures” (Time, 20 Mar. 1964, p. 62). A famous teacher of this vice explained, “First, the dances are too easy not to dance. Second, they’re too sexy not to dance . . . Aaah, the girls really love these dances . . . Now they can be as wild as they feel . . . On the dance floor they’ve got no inhibitions” (Saturday Evening Post, 27 Mar. 1965).

As the poet Ogden Nash said of people in their swim suits, “Their clothes are riddles complete with answers.” Sports have promoted shorts more and more until it is harder for people to have a native sense of shame about wearing them. One designer commented, “Ever since jogging shorts . . . short lengths have been acceptable.” Another observer noted of the recurrent desire for shorter skirts, “Short skirts are for looking at legs, not style” (Time, 22 Oct. 1984, p. 108). The Bible still teaches that God loves the meek and quiet spirit of modesty, and that lasciviousness will keep us out of heaven (Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Pet. 3:1-5).

The entertainment industry constantly increases the flood of lascivious and immoral influences. Songs, movies, and TV programs promote hedonism-“If it feels good, it can’t be wrong, so go ahead and do it.” Sins such as gambling and drinking are glamorized in beautiful media ads on popular TV programs.

Issues Of Gambling And Drinking

In the decade of the 1970’s, the number of people who gambled legally rose “more than 340 percent . . . . Over 100 million people gamble on a regular basis” (State Legislature, Oct. 198 1, p. 20). Eighteen states have government-run lotteries, and all but four states allow gambling in some form. Americans wager a trillion dollars annually, or $4,500 for every man, woman, and child in the nation (U.S. News & World Report, 30 May 1983). Gambling violates the love of God and of our fellow man (Rom. 13:8-10). It is covetous, wasteful (most wagers are lost), dishonest gain (no goods or services exchanged), and a work of evil against our neighbor.

In the 1980’s, the amount of liquor and beer drunk in America has declined slightly, after a decade in which consumption of all alcoholic drinks kept rising. But many drinkers are simply switching drinks, from liquor to beer or wine. Wine consumption continues to grow (Wall Street Journal, 14 Mar. 1984, pp. 1, 18), after it doubled between 1970 and 1980 (Time, 14 Jan. 1980, pp. 63-66). Sales of sparkling wine such as champagne bubbled up to $1.7 billion in 1984, “34% more than in 1983” (Time, 31 Dec. 1984, p. 50). The drop in some drinking may reflect the health fad and protests against highway slaughter by drunks, but also the largest group of beer drinkers-males, 18-24declined in population for the first time in years at the same time figures on beer consumption dropped. The bottom line is that peer pressure to drink is still strong, drinking is considered sophisticated and macho, many religious leaders and even members of the Lord’s church have compromised on the subject, and the nation is flooded with alcohol.

Christians who excuse “moderate” or “social” drinking fail to see that the ability to make proper judgments, in both spiritual and secular affairs, is weakened from the very first stage of drinking. We are warned against “banquetings” or “drinking parties” in 1 Peter 4:3 (cf. KJ and NAS), or the use of intoxicants even when “not of necessity excessive” (R.C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, p. 211). To protect ourselves from Satan’s subtle approach, we must “be sober,” a term meaning “free from the influence of intoxicants” and thus morally alert (1 Pet. 5:8; W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of N. T. Words, IV:44, 201).

Can we learn from experts who research the effects of alcohol on driving?

1. General Motors published an article on “How Much Is Too Much To Drink If You’re Driving?” It began:

First, you should understand that drinking any amount of alcohol can impair your ability to drive.

. . . For example, if you weigh 160 pounds and have had four beers over the first two hours you’re drinking, your Blood Alcohol Concentration would be dangerously beyond .05 percent, and your driving ability would be seriously impaired — a dangerous driving situation (Time, 4 July 1983).

2. Under the heading, “If You Drink, Don’t Drive,” we read:

. . . Drinking any amount of alcohol can impair your ability to drive . . . However, it is not true that beer or wine is less likely to make you drunk than so-called “hard” drinks. A 6-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce can of beer or 1 = % ounces of 86 proof whiskey have about the same amount of alcohol and will have the same effect on you (Alabama Farm Bureau News, Summer 1983, p. 5).

3. Information supplied by the automotive Information Council warns against the myth that “drinking beer or wine does not cause a problem.”

A driver doesn’t have to be legally drunk to make mistakes behind the wheel. The 140-pounder can be considered impaired after three drinks in two hours and that could cause errors in judgment and could lead to an auto accident (The Motorist [Journal of Alabama Motorists Assoc., AAA] Nov./Dec. 1983, p.3).

4. An article on “Drunken Driving” included this information:

A major study in Michigan showed that people who drink-even one can of standard beer-and then drive, have a three or four times greater chance of having an accident (Christianity Today, 5 Aug. 1983, pp. 10-11).

Just as drivers need to be alert, Christians need to be morally and spiritually alert by abstaining from all alcoholic beverages.

Cleansing Power Of Christ

Now is the time for men to see in our lives and to hear from our lips the light of God’s love and of God’s glory (Matt. 5:14-16). Christ said, “the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19: 10). The pardoned sinner will hear these uplifting words from the Savior, “Go, and sin no more” (Jn. 8: 11). Christ shows the morally upright that even they need pardon from sin. He shows the vilest sinners that even they have hope of pardon. Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, homosexuals, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, swindlers – all may be washed, sanctified, and justified by the cleansing power of Christ. Jesus is calling today, now, for you and for me to believe the gospel, to obey the gospel, and to rise from the waters of baptism walking “in newness of life” (Rom. 6).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 9, pp. 267-268, 276, 281
May 2, 1985

By Tom Roberts

Few things are more critical or dramatic than physical heart problems. One can been seemingly hale and hearty one moment only to be laid low the next. A heart condition can change one’s entire outlook toward life.

No less critical and dramatic is that condition of heart that is spiritual. We stand amazed at times to see faithful members (we thought) suddenly turn away from the Lord, the church and faithful service. How is it possible that someone can be faithful for years and then suddenly drop away from the Lord? I suggest that it only happened over a period of time while a spiritual heart problem lay hidden and suddenly manifested itself when the heart condition became critical. Then when the problem can no longer be concealed, an entire change in life style is seen. A Christian who used to be faithful is faithful no more; a father who used to set a good example before his children becomes a poor example – a teacher who used to love to stand before a class will no longer even attend. Yes, heart problems can change one’s entire outlook toward life.

But a bad spiritual heart takes a period of time to develop. One does not cease being a faithful Christian in a single moment. There are some subtle things that take place in the life of a Christian that may be difficult to spot that lead up to a “heart attack.” When we see a Christian fall away from the Lord, we have seen only the openly critical stage; much has already taken place in the heart that is not so readily visible, although extremely critical. Let us notice some background things that lead up to “heart attacks” of the spirit.

Losing the joy of salvation. David, the sweet singer of Israel, said. “Restore to me the joy of thy salvation” (Psa. 51:12). When David considered the forgiveness that he received from his sins, he rejoiced. Many of us have forgotten the feeling of cleansing that comes with salvation and the joy of knowing forgiveness. We take for granted the worship services and the fact that I have a right to participate. We forget the bittersweet joy of meeting around the Lord’s table. We fail to humble ourselves in prayer. We do not lose ourselves in the refreshing period of singing. Worship services become a tiresome bore, with a feeling of obligation rather than happiness. If this describes you, brother or sister, you have a heart problem. Unless it is corrected, it will get worse until you have a “heart attack” and die spiritually.

No interest in the lost. One of the things that indicates a spiritual heart problem is when you lose interest in the lost, either yourself or others. Each of us should dread sin and the terrible effects of it in our lives. Not only that, but we should be touched by the sins of others. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. The apostles moved out through their world with a sense of purpose, mission, and evangelism. Early Christians, when persecuted (Acts 8). went “everywhere preaching the word.” If it does not bother you to sit across the table from a member of your family who is lost, you have a heart problem. If you can sit in crowds at the stadium with never a thought of the thousands that are lost, you do not have the mind of Christ. If you can live by neighbors for years and never invite them to worship, gospel meetings, etc., there is something wrong. Indifference can be a deadly killer that leads to fatal heart attacks.

Discouragement. I know some Christians that are battle weary. It seems that life goes from one crisis to another. It matters little whether each crisis is financial, moral or of the family. After a while some people seem to experience battle fatigue. They just sort of wear out and give up. Suddenly one Sunday morning, such a person will decide to stay home rather than get up and go to an assembly of the saints. Wednesday night will be more of a bother than a help. It will suddenly no longer matter whether the children have the proper example before them. This Christian, smitten with one crisis too many, has a spiritual “heart attack” and tosses in the towel. How can we avoid this sort of thing? First of all, we need to be like Paul and affirm, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I must ream that I cannot fight life alone and unaided. Jesus has told us to cast all of our cares upon Him for He cares for us (Matt. 11:28ff). We need to have enough faith to know that Jesus is our Friend. He will help us bear up under the burdens of life. Don’t try to get to heaven on your own strength; it is an impossible task. Jesus will help you if you will let Him.

Conclusion

Are you having heart trouble? Do you find your love, zeal and faithfulness becoming more and more difficult to find? Friend, there is an answer. You need to find the Great Physician who can heal your heart disease. You need to drink deep of the waters of life (John 4), eat of the bread of life (John 4) and be led by the good Shepherd (John 10) to the pastures of eternal life. Don’t let a heart condition go untreated until you join that number (too large already) who have, like Demas, turned aside to the world. Go to the Lord and find the help that you need. Don’t pit it off; do it now! Don’t wait until you have a fatal heart attack that puts you beyond the reach of God’s grace. “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 10, pp. 289, 311
May 16, 1985

By Hoyt H. Houchen

God has demonstrated His power in different ways. God exercised His power when He said, “Let there be light: and there was light” (Gen. 1:3). God exerted His power when He “formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7). God manifested His power when Old Mount Sinai was enveloped by- smoke and fire, and when neither man nor beast was allowed to touch it (Ex. 19:13-17). God demonstrated His power on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ, when on that day, the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues (languages) “as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). We see God’s power demonstrated today as we are awed by the scope and magnitude of the universe, the majestic mountains and the expansive seas. God’s power is indeed observed in many ways, but the only power that God uses to save the human soul is the gospel of Christ. It is “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). The word 64power” is from the Greek noun dunamis, meaning “power, might, strength, force” (Arndt and Gingrich, Greek-English Lexicon, p. 206). Man cannot be saved by his own strength and power. He cannot be saved by his own plan or by his own works, apart from God’s way. Man cannot save himself (Jer. 10:23). It is only by the gospel, God’s power, that man is saved. Man must submit to it.

The gospel is “the good news” of man’s salvation. The word “gospel” (Gr. noun, euangelion) simply means “good news” (Ibid., p. 318). W.E. Vine states: “In the N.T. it denotes the good tidings of the Kingdom of God and of salvation through Christ, to be received by faith upon the basis of His expiatory death, His burial, resurrection and ascension” (Expository Dictionary of N. T. Words, Vol. 2, p. 167).

Since the gospel is “the good news” or “good tidings” of man’s salvation, it includes God’s plan of salvation-the scheme of human redemption. After declaring that the gospel is “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16), Paul then adds, “For therein is revealed a righteousness of God . . .” (v. 17). “For therein” (in the gospel) is revealed “a righteousness of God from faith unto faith.” James Macknight gives a clear and concise meaning of this verse: “The gospel is the power of God for salvation, to every one who believeth; because the righteousness of God’s appointment by faith, is revealed in it, in order to produce faith in them to whom it is preached” (The Epistles, Vol. 1, p. 185). The word “righteous” or ‘righteousness” has more than one application. While it is true that God is righteous, “the righteousness of God” in Romans 1:17 does not refer to an attribute of God. “The righteousness of God” in this verse refers to God’s plan for human redemption. The word “righteousness” is so used in Romans 10:3. Paul, referring to the Jews, wrote: “For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.” The Jews were not ignorant of His redemptive plan. Like many today, they were attempting to establish their own plan of salvation. R.L. Whiteside sums it up succinctly: “In the gospel is revealed a plan which makes men righteous.”

It is sad that some preachers today are not preaching God’s redemptive plan; in fact, they do not even mention it in their sermons. While my wife and I were visiting in another state, we heard a young preacher on a Sunday night. He preached a lesson that was true, as far as it went; but when he, extended the invitation, he simply said that if anyone wishes to respond he may come forward. This was all he said. Our immediate reaction was, respond to what? Any in that audience who were not Christians would never know from that sermon what to do to be saved. Jesus died that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name” (Lk. 24:47). But the preaching of repentance and baptism for the -remission of sins (Acts 2:38) seems to be a lost art in many pulpits of our present day. Sermons are sometimes preached when the specific terms of pardon are not mentioned. Too much else is coming from the modem pulpit. The right kind of preaching always includes the redemptive element. In fact, one who is not a Christian should never leave a service without knowing what to do to be saved. This does not mean that the steps of salvation must necessarily be given at the close of a sermon, as the preacher is stepping down from the rostrum; but somewhere in the sermon (beginning, middle or end), the redemptive element-the plan of salvation-should be included.

We should also remember that God’s redemption or offer of pardon is not only available to the alien but to the erring child of God as well. Forgiveness of sin is obtainable to both upon meeting God’s terms. To those not Christians, God has provided the necessary conditions (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; 8:36-39; 22:16, etc.). For the erring child of God, the conditions of repentance and prayer are provided (Acts 8:22). Redemptive preaching will not comfort the hearts of the lost (aliens or erring children of God), but it assures them of the hope of salvation when they adhere to it. When God’s terms of pardon are clearly set forth, the sinner is not left in a quandary as to how to be saved. Not only is hope offered to the sinner, but he also learns how he can obtain that hope.

It is sad that there is a “drought” of fundamental preaching. It is obvious that some, because of their academic attainments, abstain from preaching the plain, simple and unadulterated gospel of Christ. Reader, there is no substitute for that kind of preaching. It is the only kind that will save the world. While first principles are not all that is to be preached (we need gospel sermons on right living, worship, and work), yet we are not instructed to forget them. “Leaving” or pressing beyond fundamentals is not forsaking them (see Heb. 6: 1). Certainly, we are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18); but in doing so, let us not leave out the fundamentals God’s scheme of redemption-how men are to be saved. I am afraid that too many have allowed the devil to corrupt their minds from “the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3). The preaching of the cross was “foolishness” to those Greek philosophers at Athens in Paul’s day, but nevertheless to those who are saved it is “the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). May we as gospel preachers, never become so sophisticated that we cannot with force preach the plain simple story of the Cross with clarity.

Others, no doubt, will deal with the need for, and emphasis upon, distinctive preaching in this special issue. But the present obvious trend away from this kind of preaching is coupled with the failure to preach or even mention God’s plan of salvation. Emphasis is not being placed upon the church of our Lord as being distinct from every denomination upon the face of the earth. Many seem to be afraid to expose error, thus failing to expose the false teachers. We must not shrink from declaring “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Truth is to be preached in the right spirit and with the right motive, yet uncompromising, unwavering and with firmness. “Speaking the truth in love” is the admonition of Paul (Eph. 3:15), not “dressing down” an individual as such, but speaking and writing in love of the truth and in love of souls. Brethren, we must ever remember that our task is to preach the gospel to save souls. In fulfilling this responsibility, we must let those who are in error know where they stand (referring them to the Bible-book, chapter and verse) but with an attitude of kindness and humility, not harshly and with arrogance. All of us will do well to follow Paul’s advice (2 Tim. 2:25,26), “in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him unto his will.”

Preaching the gospel of Christ is a tremendous responsibility. It is more than declaring mere facts; it involves the task of presenting God’s redeeming love, the sacrificial death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for our salvation, and setting forth in unmistakable language, God’s conditions of pardon. Preaching should be characterized by a balanced diet, dealing with what God has given us to know. Fellow gospel preacher, let us never forget nor fail to declare those specific conditions of pardon as a part of God’s saving grace. May we never refrain from preaching what men must know in order to be saved. God-fearing and truth-loving brethren will never become weary when we preach the story that never grows old. May we never leave out the redemptive element in our sermons.

Brother, preach the fundamentals.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 9, pp. 263-264
May 2, 1985