Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

One of the beliefs which is becoming more widespread is “agnosticism.” An agnostic is one “who thinks it is impossible to know whether there is a God or a future life, or anything beyond material phenomena.” The word is derived from the Greek verb ginosko which means “to know.” With the privative alpha, the word denotes that one cannot know.

Agnosticism begins with the idea that one cannot know for sure whether or not there is a God. However, by the elimination of God and divine revelation, agnosticism leads to the conclusion that one cannot know anything certainly; one can only reach close approximations of what is or is not truth. Furthermore, what is truth for one person may not be the truth for others, according to agnosticism.

Divine Revelation Enables Us To Know The Truth

The Christian believes in the existence of God based on the evidence which exists (his conclusion is not a blind leap in the dark). Furthermore, the Bible claims to be a divine revelation from God (2 Pet. 1:19-2 1; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; etc.). The Bible’s claim is supported by the evidence of prophecy, internal unity, the testimony of Jesus, historical accuracy, and scientific accuracy. The only logical explanation of the Bible is that it is a revelation from God to man.

The Lord Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:32). This statement affirms that (1) there is an objective truth; (2) this truth can be known; (3) knowledge of this truth is essential in order to receive deliverance from sin.

Because God has revealed His will to us, we can know the truth and know it certainly. Each of us needs to manifest the humility to recognize that he might not have considered part of God’s word on any subject or might have misunderstood some part of the revelation. Hence, when anyone presents biblical evidence, the open-minded Christian will consider what the Bible says and alter his beliefs to bring them into harmony with the Bible. However, once one’s understanding is in harmony with what the Bible says, he can know and speak that truth with certainty. This is not true because the individual is so learned; it is true because God revealed it! When his understanding is what God revealed, He has the truth of God and can speak it with certainty.

The attainment of that understanding is not impossible. We have preached and believed for years that man can understand the Bible and can understand it alike. I know what God said about murder and have no reluctance to speak with certainty in saying that murder is sinful. I know what God spoke about stealing and have no hesitancy in stating that God condemns stealing.

In recent years, some have been influenced so greatly by infidelity that they act as if one cannot know anything with certainty. We see certain areas affected by this “agnosticism.”

We Can Know For Sure

1. In Morality. With the popular acceptance of situation ethics, men have concluded that man cannot be certain about whether or not some things are wrong. Our society has begun to conclude that the homosexual lifestyle is an acceptable alternative, that no-fault divorce and subsequent remarriage should be readily available, that pre-marital and extramarital sexual relationships should not be considered sinful, that abortion is an acceptable means of birth control, that drunkenness is a disease, and many other things contrary to sound doctrine. Some brethren have been affected. They find themselves unable to determine what is right regarding divorce and remarriage, they do not know God’s will about social drinking, some have a hard time speaking very certainly about abortion, and some treat drunkenness as a disease to such an extent that the drunk is somehow not responsible for his conduct. This is the influence which agnosticism is having in the church.

Christians can know for certain that homosexuality is a sin (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Rom. 1:26-27), that fornication and adultery are sinful (Gal. 5:19-21), that remarriage after a divorce for any cause other than fornication is adultery (Matt. 19:9), that the taking of human life is murder, and that drunkenness is sinful (1 Pet. 4:3). When Christians speak as if one cannot know for sure whether or not things such as these are wrong, their uncertainty manifests a lack of confidence in the revealed word of God.

2. The Number of Churches. In recent years, some brethren have begun to doubt what the Bible says about the number of churches which Jesus built. Jesus said, ‘ ‘I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18); Paul said that there is only “one body” (Eph. 4:4), which he had previously identified as the church (Eph. 1:22-23). Hence, the Bible is clear in stating that there is only one church.

Some brethren are writing that our insistence upon one church is sectarian and narrow-minded. They act like one cannot know for sure how many churches are acceptable to God. We can know for sure. We do not have to be agnostic about how many churches there are. God has spoken! Men no longer believe in the oneness of the church because they have lost confidence in God’s word.

3. The Worship Which God Accepts. We can know for sure what kind of worship God accepts and what kind He rejects (Matt. 15:8-9). We can know that God accepts the observing of the Lord’s supper on the first day of every week (Acts 20:7); we can know that He accepts prayer offered in Jesus’ name (Jn. 16:23-24); we can know that He expects us to give of our means on the first day of every week (1 Cor. 16:1-2); we can know that we should preach apostolic doctrine (Acts 2:42); and we can know that congregational singing is acceptable to Him (Eph. 5:19; 1 Cor. 14:15).

We can also know that those who pervert and change the worship are under condemnation (Matt. 15:8-9). Hence, we can know that failure to observe the Lord’s supper on the first day of every week does not please God, that prayer in the name of Mary is sinful, that taking a collection on some day other than the first day of the week violates God’s word, that preaching something other than apostolic doctrine is displeasing to God, and that using mechanical instruments of music in worship is a transgression of the word of God.

When someone says that we cannot know for sure what kind of worship pleases God, he manifests a lack of confidence in God’s word. We are not in an agnostic stance in reference to worship. We need not think that we can only offer the kind of worship we think to be pleasing to God and keep our fingers crossed that He will accept it. We can know because God has revealed His will in the matter.

4. What A Man’s Spiritual Condition Is. In recent years, some brethren have lost the ability to determine whether a sinner is saved or lost. They write as if it is impossible to know for sure. Those who speak confidently on the subject are judged to be guilty of judging others. The men who teach that one cannot know the condition of the man who uses mechanical instruments of music in worship seem to have no trouble in judging to be lost those of us who confidently teach that those involved in this perversion of worship are lost.

You can ask some brethren, “Are those who use instruments of music in their worship saved or lost?” They respond that they do not know. You ask them, “What is the condition of a Christian who preaches that church support of human institutions is not wrong, who participates in it, and who encourages others to join in this sin?” They respond, “I do not know.”

I do not pretend to know the hearts of men. However, I do know that God has revealed that those who distort the worship of God through their human traditions render their worship vain (Matt. 15:8-9). 1 do know that God promised to root them up (Matt. 15:13). 1 do know that those blind followers of these blind leaders will fall into a ditch (Matt. 15:14), which I understand to mean that they will die and go to hell.

The reason why I am working to get men out of these apostate religious organizations is because of the conviction that they are lost., However, some brethren cannot tell whether or not they are lost. They preach that we cannot know the condition of those who are involved in the sins mentioned before. To this degree, they are agnostics! Their agnosticism is extinguishing their evangelistic fires.

Conclusion

Brethren, we need to be preaching what the Bible says with confidence that it is the truth. This is not the time for uncertainty and unclear sounds coming from the pulpit. This is the time to speak boldly what God has revealed.

We can advance beyond “agnosticism.” We do not have to stand in a “I cannot know” position. We can know because God has spoken. Because God has spoken and spoken so clearly that man can understand Him, we can advance beyond agnosticism.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 8, pp. 226, 248-249
April 18, 1985

By Mike Wilson

Our culture thrives on diversity. The author of the recent best selling book, Megatrends, says, “Everything comes in 33 flavors.” Try shopping for a car and you will be overwhelmed with how many brands, sizes, shapes, and colors there are. Unfortunately, this wide diversity of choice has spilled over into the realm of religion. In the context of denominational selection the name “Christian” has been so maligned that it is even worn by some who have no respect for God, the Deity of Christ, and the integrity of the Bible.

To theologians who treat choosing a church like buying a car, the pronouncement of Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14 seems out of place: “Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it.” Truth by its very nature imposes limitations and marks out the boundaries.

The path of least resistance, on the other hand, is the path approved by the consensus of popular opinion. People like to remain uncommitted on life’s most crucial questions. It is easy to walk the fence. Any deviation from the middle ground is looked upon as extremism. There would always be those swayed so much by peer pressure that they would not publicly acknowledge their allegiance to Christ for fear of expulsion from the synagogue (cf. John 12:42-43). To such moral cowards, the Lord says, in essence, “Take your stand! ” The prophet Elijah was considered a troublemaker for using similar language. He called the Israelites whose affection was divided between Jehovah and Baal to make such a choice: “How long go ye limping between the two sides?” (1 Kings 18:21).

There would never be a time when a clear, sharp line of distinction would have to be drawn more decisively than in the battle between truth and error. After telling the multitudes gathered on that Galilean hillside about the two ways, Jesus turns His attention to the subject of false prophets (Matt. 7:15-20). The New Testament is replete with similar warnings. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 Jn. 4: 1). We are expressly forbidden to engage in any action which might imply endorsement of a false teacher (2 Jn. 9-11). Such men, having been sternly tested with the gospel, are to be declared “anathema” (Gal. 1:8-9). Paul would not tolerate the Judaizing heresy even for “an hour.” His reason is clear: “that the truth of the gospel might continue with you” (Gal. 2:5). False teaching cannot be defeated with compromise!

Perhaps the chief characteristic of false teaching, other than its deviant content, is the deception with which it is propagated. Jesus warned that men would “come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves” (Matt. 7:15). To penetrate that deceptive outward veneer, we must become expert fruit inspectors.

The fruit reveals the true character of the tree. A man’s conduct, and especially his teaching (cf. Matt. 12:33-37), says much about the man. Paul declared that some “deceitful workers” in Corinth were masquerading as apostles of Christ (2 Cor. 11:13). Many unsuspecting listeners would prove to be vulnerable to their subtle techniques.

If our stand against evil influence is not taken firmly and decisively, that influence will spread like a cancerous growth that goes undetected until it is too late! Jesus called the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees “leaven” (Matt. 16:6, 12). A little leaven does indeed leaven the whole lump (1 Cor. 5:6-7). A fornicator maintaining a status of “good standing” with the church would create an ungodly influence that would permeate the entire church. Such was Paul’s argument to the Corinthians. The same apostle likened the “profane babblings” of Hymeneus and Philetus to a deadly “gangrene” that spreads through the tissues of the body (2 Tim. 2:17).

It is sometimes objected that we take stands of conviction that are too firm for too little study. It is true that the cause of truth has not been served well by unqualified men whose poor exegesis suffers from a lack of diligent study. There are others who confuse the fight for truth with the ungodly spirit of selfish ambition and contentious rivalry. Such abuses need to be exposed, but they do not negate the need for conviction in waging the war against error.

False teachers must be attacked on many fronts. Some are emphasizing the enhancement of personal relationships and other social trivialities while failing to denounce the immorality of our decadent society. Others do not respect God’s word, God’s church, and God’s worship – and then they preach unity in diversity on these matters! Still others cheapen the Lord’s plan of salvation with Calvinistic heresy. Consequently, many who do not have a right relationship with God have been given confidently-stated false assurances. The situation in Christendom today causes the lingering memory of false prophets who cried out, “Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jer. 8:9).

On the Day of Judgment, there will be preachers whose hands are stained red with the blood of those to whom they refused to tell the truth. Every elder, teacher, preacher, and Christian of any influence should take these things to heart.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 8, pp. 225, 249
April 18, 1985

By Kenneth Thomas

Preachers of the gospel of Christ and perhaps many other Christians today lament the fact that the preaching of Christ seemingly doesn’t meet with as much acceptance as it once did in the history of the world. I have heard men such as James P. Miller speak of the numbers who used to obey the gospel in a week long gospel meeting being from fifteen to thirty with several restorations as well. The same message today in a meeting of the same duration often produces “no visible results.” I was privileged to preach for a week in a gospel meeting and spend that week with brother and sister Miller when he was working with the church in Merritt Island, Florida. I shall never forget what brother Miller said the last evening of the meeting. “Brethren, there has been enough gospel preached this week to save the whole world, yet no one his responded.” Brother Miller recognized, as did 1, that the lack of responses was not a fault of the message or of the messenger. It was the type of hearts into which the message fell. Read the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23).

Many Hearts Are Not Conditioned For The Gospel

God desires the salvation of every soul of man (Jn. 3:16; Heb. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:3-4; Rev. 22:17; 2 Pet. 3:9). But, God has a predetermined plan whereby man may be saved, and the gospel is designed so as to have the desired effect on only that type of heart. Perhaps God knows already who they are, but they are free moral agents nonetheless to respond or reject the preaching of the gospel. Example: The Lord Jesus spoke to Paul on one occasion saying, “For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: For I have much people in this city” (emphasis mine, ket, Acts 18: 10). Our job as Christians and preachers of the gospel is to preach the word and leave the end results to the Lord (I Cor. 3:6). God has promised that His word “will not return unto Him void, but will accomplish that whereunto He sends it” (Isa. 55:6-11). What He sends it forth to accomplish is to convict the honest heart and him them to humble submission to Christ’s will. The gospel is “God’s power to save” (Rom. 1:16) and it hasn’t lost any of its saving power. Maybe we try too hard sometimes to say just the right thing to our listeners when we should be more careful to relate exactly the message found in Scripture, for it is not man’s speaking ability that converts one to Christ, it is still the gospel which both draws and saves (2 Thess. 1:13-14; Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-2). I am convinced that when we find the kind of person which God has determined will be saved, they will respond to the message from heaven. I believe such is taught also in Ephesians 1:1-4. Due to technology, affluence, denominationalism, humanism, etc., there are not as many honest and good hearts in our present society who will be touched with the love story of the Cross. This accounts for our lack of success occasionally in my estimation.

There is another factor which breeds lack of success in soul winning also, and that is the fact that we have (because fewer per capita will respond) become so negative that we have come to expect failure or non-conversions when we teach and preach, and our lack of confidence is perhaps transmitted to the would be converts. You have to believe in your message and its power! One other factor enters the picture also. It seems to me that more and more members of the body of Christ aren’t completely convinced that folks who haven’t obeyed the gospel and been added to the Lord’s church are really lost. I believe this accounts for the lack of efforts being expended in many cases by the rank and file members of the body of Christ. If we do accept the fact that all who are “out of Christ,” hence out of His church are lost, how can we possibly do so little in many cases to attempt reaching them with the gospel? When faith begins to fail you can just watch and evangelism begins to suffer also. How many times over the last few years have you heard someone say, “gospel meetings are a thing of the past” or some kindred statement?

Churches Where The Members Are Teaching Home Bible Study Classes Are Still Growing

The above being true proves what I have thus far stated. There are still those who will listen, we just have to work more and find those honest and good hearts who are “hungering and thirsting after righteousness” (Matt. 5:6). Show me a person like the Ethiopian of Acts 8 and I too can use God’s word and convert him in one session like Philip did by “preaching unto him Jesus” (Acts 8:27-39).

Prophets And Even Jesus Had Some Failures

The next time you begin to feel down trodden and rejected because the one you attempted to convert went away in a rage, remember Samuel the prophet who, when God’s people wanted a king, thought he was being; rejected. God said, “They have not rejected you, they have rejected me that . . . I should not reign over them” (1 Sam. 8:7). Jesus the Christ was the master teacher of all times and did you know that He too experienced failures in so far as conversions were concerned? Well, He did and you know it wasn’t His inability to “say the proper things,” it was because of the people. See John 6:53-69. Some who did believe were not willing to give up the position they occupied on the religious scene and would not confess Him for fear of being put out of the synagogue because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:42-43). Jesus told why some were not converted “. . . they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which sayeth, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed-, lest at anytime they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them” (Matt. 13:14-15). You see even Jesus would not force Himself on them; their free will was respected.

The Apostle’s Success Sometimes Discourages Us

How often we read of the first gospel sermon and the 3,000 who obeyed the gospel and were added by the Lord to the church (Acts 2:22-38, 41, 47) and lament the fact that folks just do not respond today as they once did. That is probably true as I have already stated due to various factors, but did you ever stop and think how large that audience was on Pentecost? Besides, they were already believers in the one true God and expecting the Messiah to come. All they really had to be convinced of was that this Jesus of Nazareth whom they had turned over to the Romans to crucify was Him and that He had in fact been raised and exalted. But I’m convinced that it was a small number from among them that accepted Peter’s revealed truth and responded. Later we learn that the number came to about 5,000 men (Acts 4:4). But with Jews (devout men) from every nation under heaven present, this was still a small percentage. My point is, there were many non-conversions on Pentecost so we should not despair just because not everyone will respond favorably to the gospel today. Besides along with all of the successes of the first century preachers and teachers, don’t forget to read of the examples where they were threatened, beaten, imprisoned and where the people rejected their message, contradicted and blasphemed, etc. See Acts 4:1-21; 5:17-42. Paul spoke of the Jews in this fashion, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Rom. 10:1-4). So, for the most part, the nation of Israel rejected God’s plan whereby they could have been saved,. even though we have record that over ~,000 were converted. Things haven’t really changed all that much perhaps after all.

As successful as he was, the apostle Paul even though divinely inspired to speak every word just as given him by the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:7:13) was unable to lead some folks to Christ. Consider for example governor Felix before whom he appeared. We are told, “And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a more convenient season, I will call for thee” (Acts 24:25). Then before King Agrippa, Paul speaks of his own conversion and related the events leading up to it including Christ’s appearing unto him and telling him him what to do and how he was not disobedient. Aggripa said to Paul, “. . .Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:1-29).

Lest we become discouraged at our lack of success we should consider also what Paul said in the Corinthian letter. “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom (human wisdom, ket): But we (the apostles, ket) preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:21-24). Too often today members of the body of Christ are just shattered if when they teach, folks contradict, blaspheme and consider the message foolish. It will appear so to the one whose heart is not honest and good and we should be prepared for it. We need to learn to “shake the dust from off our feet” and go on seeking those who are God’s people, the honest and good hearts.

In conclusion I hope I have made it plain that the gospel is still God’s only saving power (Rom. 1:16-17). We must believe our message and the fact that all who have not obeyed the gospel and been added to the Lord’s body are yet lost (2 Thess. 1:6-10; Rom. 3:23; 6:23). We must then go forth with zeal to find those honest and good hearted people who will respond favorably to the gospel and while we may have to teach many more today to have results, we will still have the desired results. Brethren, let us “preach the word, be instant in season and out of season . . .” (2 Tim. 4:1-2).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 7, pp. 208-209
April 4, 1985

By Donald Willis

The local high school presented the stage production of “Annie” prior to the New Year. My daughter assisted in the production by playing with the orchestra. Like a doting Father, I sat through the entire production thinking the most outstanding part of it was the orchestra performance.

“Annie” was an unwanted child kept in an asylum run by a drinking matriarch whose primary interest was the money she received. “Annie” was a cute young lady who would steal the heart of anyone. Daddy Warbuck would take one of the children from the home into his home for the Christmas holiday, and this year he had “Annie” sent into his home. He fell in love with the child, and wanted to adopt her into his family.

The setting for the program was the years around the Great Depression (I recall those years myself). Life was truly difficult. Income was limited. Stock market almost was not. Everything was gray.

“Annie” introduced the song, “Tomorrow,” in which she assured the adults the sun would come out, and that life would continue. She injected the positive element into a dismal society.

It seems to me that we need these same affirmations of faith in the providence of God, and that all is well with His people upon the earth. It seems that negative thinking produces negative results! Positive thinking produces positive results! God is for His people, He is on their side. He desires to see them successful! Man often will not permit God to assist him in life. Many have lost their dependence upon God.

Christ is that fountain of living water. The source is adequate, the ingestion is refreshing, the adsorption is life giving. One can have confidence in the continuing effect in one’s life.

God is the light with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (Jas. 1:17). God is not an unsteady light, a blinking light; there is no variableness. Man is unsteady, often one cannot depend upon man. But not so with God. We can have confidence in Him. Surely the “sun will come out tomorrow” because of God’s love and reliability.

Get out of the doldrums, step into the glorious light of the assurance of God, and be confident!

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 8, p. 228
April 18, 1985