Truth Magazine

By Kathleen Rogol

On November 29, 1984, sister Rita Warner, a member of the Piscataway, NJ church, quite suddenly and unexpectedly, passed from this life. The shock of the news was even greater to me because I had talked to her on the phone the night before.

Why write this tribute in her memory? Certainly out of respect. But out of a feeling of deep respect because she was an extraordinary woman and a dedicated Christian. This is written to serve as an example and source of inspiration to other sisters in Christ who are burdened with sorrows and difficulties in life as sister Warner was. But you too can have a rich, abundant fife and find the same joy she did by the same manner of life she lived.

I first met sister Warner when we moved to Piscataway, NJ, where my husband worked as an evangelist. Sister Warner was one of the first persons to welcome us there and, throughout our stay there, was very hospitable and supportive of all phases of the work of the church. Sister Warner taught a Bible class of young people. When the members came together to go door-to-door to pass out invitations to meetings, she was always doing her part.

Just before a gospel meeting, she bought fresh flowers for the building to add a touch of beauty. At a few minutes notice, she was ready many times to go to neighboring congregations (which in NJ are not very close) to attend gospel meetings, singings, or other get-togethers of Christians. Many times she visited the sick, the new members and encouraged many Christians to grow in the Lord.

When we moved from that area, she was there to help us with packing and other preparations for our departure. But the most amazing thing about sister Warner is yet to come.

Sister Warner was a widow. Her husband died many years ago when they had two small children, Glen and Jimmy. Not only did she have the difficult task of raising two boys alone, but in addition one of them had juvenile diabetes and often had to deal with complications so often associated with this disease.

Glen, the oldest son, attended Florida College a few years ago and since then returned and is doing a wonderful work spreading the light of the gospel in the Piscataway community as well as among students at Rutgers University. Glen always conducts Bible studies with students of that school. He finds his greatest joy in keeping busy in the service of the Master.

Although Rita had enough burdens to bear, one would never guess that she had any serious problems or difficulties. She was always smiling, cheerful, interested in and concerned for others.

She often talked with young people about their problems and, upon occasions, even helped some find jobs or a place to live. Never did I hear Rita talking or complaining about her lot in life, her burdens and problems; rather, she showed concern for others in their unfortunate situations. She did not ask for herself; she gave herself to others and totally dedicated herself to the Lord.

One time she came to services and had on a lovely black coat. She took it off, put it around my shoulders and said, “It looks good on you; it’s yours.” That’s just another example of the “good deeds” she had done out of love from her heart. This gave her much happiness. As Paul spoke of the Macedonians, so it was true of Rita Warner: “the abundance of (her) joy” was “giving herself first to the Lord” and to others -and that many times “in a great trial of affliction” (2 Cor. 8:1-2).

There was a woman in early New Testament times that the Holy Spirit saw fit to mention and expressed respect for her. In Acts 9:36 we read of Dorcas: “This woman was full of good works and alms deeds which she did.” These words of the Holy Spirit were penned by Luke, not only in tribute to her good life, but to serve as an example for all women through all ages to come.

Truly, we had a “Dorcas” among us in this twentieth century: Rita Warner. As Dorcas died, so did Rita. And as we can know of the good deeds of Dorcas because they were recorded in sacred history, so the life of Rita Warner will long live in the hearts and memories of those who knew her for her goodness of life and of those whose lives were touched and made better by her sincere concern for them.

Dear sisters in Christ, whether young or old, think of sister Warner. Do you have sorrows, burdens and difficulties in life? Do you want the quality of your life to become better with greater meaning and purpose? Let this tribute to sister Warner speak to you to encourage and inspire you to enrich and place your life on a more noble plane. Let this bring a blessing to your life as it did to hers because she found joy in service to God and in giving of herself and comforting others. In what measure that you give to others, in that measure you enrich your own life and find true happiness. No sorrow or tribulation can overcome you if you follow the example of this great servant of Christ.

Indeed a “princess of Israel” has fallen into the beckoning hand of death. But remembering her gives us courage to press on in the calling of Jesus Christ. It proves to us the worth of being devoted servants of the Lord. She cannot come back to us but we can use her example to get strength to travel to heaven in the after-awhile.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 1, p. 11
January 5, 1985

By Lewis Willis

Throughout the Bible, exhortations are given to parents to raise their children to be God-fearing and respectful. Parents are to bring up their children in the solemn understanding that the ideals they plant in their minds will be the ideals by which they will live (Prov. 22:6; 23:7). Any parent who is mindful of this duty will feel it as it weighs heavily upon his mind. His loving concern for his child is that which compels him to extend himself to provide those things needful for the present and future well-being of his child.

However, the anxiety of this duty to provide things needful is not all that bears upon the parent. While he labors to give food, clothing, shelter and medical care to his family, there are other forces at work. These forces are led by Satan and the intent is the destruction of the ideals which the parent has sought to instill. Apparently, Satan has achieved a great measure of success, but he has not done the job without help!

Ironically, many of these same parents have helped him! They have done so through neglect and indifference. They do not study God’s Word with their children in the home, nor do they make necessary sacrifices and put forth concerted efforts to study with them in the Bible classes offered by the church. This neglect has given these parents more time for lawn-mowing, fishing and relaxing, but it has left them with young people who are almost, if not altogether, beyond the point of being impressed with anything pertaining to godliness. Such is no longer interesting and exciting enough for today’s youth!

Young people are looking for that which is entertaining and exciting, and they have little trouble finding it. But, it is a discredit to our society that it must be said this excitement has been too frequently found in crime! Several years ago, in 1967, I filed a startling report issued by Evel J. Younger, District Attorney of the City of Los Angeles. At that time he said that 75% of the crime in this country was being committed by young people between the ages of 14 and 22 years. Since the incidents of crime has steadily increased since 1967 there is no reason to believe that the sad situation Mr. Younger reported has improved.

What has happened to our young people? Have they forgotten the ideals they were taught? Or, have these ideals been undermined by carelessness and neglect of the parents who have taught them? Certainly the young are able to see when their parents are inconsistent and do not do the things they teach them to do, such as, attending Bible classes, and worship services, praying, etc.

So, the burden of parents is to teach the lofty ideals expected by God and to live according to those ideals themselves. By doing so, they will set a worthy and effective example before their children. I certainly do not seek to establish myself as an authority on raising children for I have awaiting me, the same problems which many of you are now facing. And, the vice and corruption that prevails in our society does not make the task look easy or pleasant. But, the task is there nonetheless.

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). And, to the young people, the apostle Paul had this to say: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor thy father and mother . . .” (vv. 1-2).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 1, p. 18
January 3, 1985

By Raymond E. Harris

In Titus 1:7, we learn that a self-willed man by his very nature is disqualified from serving as an elder in the Lord’s Church. Peter gave additional warning by writing: “Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:3).

Sometimes we hear people trying to excuse their self-willed ways by saying, “It is just human nature to want to have your own way.” We strongly disagree with the foregoing because the Bible says that mankind was made in the image and likeness of deity (Gen. 1:26). The Bible tells us that God is love. And, the Bible is in fact an account of God’s age old struggle to redeem and save rebellious and lost mankind. If God had been self-willed, He would never have allowed Jesus to die for mankind and all would have been lost. The self-willed do not manifest “human nature” but rather Satanic nature.

In our New Testaments, the term self-willed is translated from the Greek word “authades.” The Greek scholar, W.E. Vine, defines the word to mean: “self-pleasing, denotes one who dominated by self-interest, and inconsiderate of others, arrogantly asserts his own will.”

The highly regarded R.C. Trench, in his Synonyms of the New Testament (pp. 326-327) writes of the self-willed: “He is one so far overvaluing any determination at which he has himself once arrived that he will not be removed from it.” Thus, Trench describes the self-willed as “stubborn and obstinate”! He continues his description of the self-willed by saying, “The man thus obstinately maintaining his own opinion, or asserting his own rights . . . is reckless of the rights, feelings and interests of others.”

In 2 Peter 2:9-12, the apostle Peter affirms that God will “reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.” He numbers among them to be punished, those that “despise government” (authority or law, R.E.H.), the presumptuous and the self-willed!

Truly, those who practice the “Golden Rule,” love their neighbors as themselves, and regard others as more important than themselves; expose the self-willed, lovers of themselves for what they are agents of the Devil!

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 1, p. 16
January 3, 1985

By Mike Willis

God is a spirit (Jn. 4:24). The only means which man has to obtain a knowledge of God is through His revealing Himself to us. Although man can know that there is a Creator from the things which are made, he cannot know whether there is one God or many gods, whether that God is evil or good, or whether He loves or hates us, etc. on the basis of observation of the creation.

We can know God because He revealed Himself through the inspired Bible. One of the means by which He revealed Himself to us is through the names He is called in the Bible. The Hebrew usage of names served not only as a means of designating someone but also as a means of describing him.

Among the Hebrews the name was never a mere sign whereby one person could be distinguished from another. It always remained descriptive; it expressed the meaning of the person or thing designated. The name bore the same relation to the significance of the thing or person as a word does to a thought. It was always the expression of it. Hence when a person acquired a new significance, or was in some sense a new man, he received a new name. Therefore Abram became Abraham; Jacob, Israel; Solomon, Jedidiah`beloved of God’ (2 Sam. 12:25). . . . And the same is true of God’s own names. Such a name expresses that which is known to men of the nature of God. When a new or higher side of the Being of God is revealed to men there arises a new name of God. Any name of God expresses some revelation of His Being or character.(1)

By considering the names by which God is designated, we can learn more about God.

Designations Of God

Here is a partial list of the names by which God is called in the Old Testament.

1. El, Eloah, Elohim. These are the most frequently occurring designations of God. El is the most general designation for God; Eloah is the singular form of the more widely used plural Elohim. Their derivation in Hebrew is not absolutely known, although many scholars suggest that they are derived from a root which means “to be strong.” The term points to God as “the strong and mighty One, or as the object of fear.” In Numbers 23:22, God is spoken of as the God who brought Israel out of Egypt who “hath as it were the strength of a unicorn (wild ox).” “For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of Lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible. . .” (Deut. 10:17). “This name properly represented One only Being, who revealed Himself to man as Creator, Ruler, and Lord. It was His own peculiar title, and ought to have been confined to Him. Accordingly we read, `in the beginning God (Elohim in the plural) created (in the singular) the heavens and the earth.”‘(2) This designation of God is a general one which might be equivalent to Deity.

The word Elohim is a plural noun. The significance of this plural has been variously interpreted. Here are some ideas: (1) the word reflects a time when Israel had a polytheistic concept of God; (2) the word designates the one God in conjunction with the angelic hosts of heaven; (3) the plural is used to designate unlimited greatness; the plural signifies the infinite fulness of the might and power which lies in the divine being and thus becomes an intensive plural: (4) the plural

form is used because God exists in three persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Of these explanations, only 3 and 4 are viable options if one accepts the Christian doctrine of God and the Bible as a divine revelation. Girdlestone commented:

. . .there is certainly nothing unreasonable in the supposition that the name of the Deity was given to man in this form, so as to prepare him for the truth that in the unity of the Godhead there are Three Persons.

As long as the passage above quoted stands on the first page of the Bible the believer in the Trinity has a right to turn to it as a proof that Plurality in the Godhead is a very different thing from Polytheism, and as an indication that the frequent assertions of the Divine Unity are not inconsistent with the belief that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God.(3)

The plural form of God as indicating a plurality of persons constituting the Godhead is also consistent with the plural pronouns of Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 11:7.

This word which should have been reserved for God alone, was corrupted to apply to pagan deities (cf. Psa. 95:3). It is also used to describe angels and even the judges of Israel (Psa. 82:1).

This name of God reminds us of His might and power in the creation of the universe. We should be reminded that we owe our existence and sustenance to the mighty God.

2. Adonai. The Hebrew word adonai is translated “Lord.” This points to God as the almighty Ruler, to whom everything is subject, and to whom man is related as a servant.”(4) God is the owner of the entire creation and, consequently, He demands unrestricted obedience of all of it.

The claim upon man which is indicated by this designation is well illustrated by Malachi 1:6-“A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honor? And if I be a master, where is my fear?” Jesus related this same idea when He said, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Lk. 6:46). The significance of the designation adonai is the absolute lordship of God over His creation and the consequent responsibility of His creation to obey Him.

One of the most significant facts about this word is that it was used as a substitute for Jehovah (YHVH). The Jews developed a superstition about pronouncing the name of God; hence, when they read the name YHVH (Jehovah), in the text, they pronounced adonai. Consequently, in the Hebrew text, the vowel points of adonai are written with YHVH.

This name of God calls upon each of us to submit to the revealed will of God. As our Lord, He has the right to command and we have the responsibility to obey. If we can understand the role of civil authorities and employers over us, we should certainly be able to comprehend the right of God to command us.

3. El Shaddai. The designation of God as El Shaddai occurs in passages which intend to impress us with His almighty power.

The name characterizes God as revealing Himself in His might; the LXX. do not understand the expression in the Pentateuch, but it is correctly rendered by pantokrator (Almighty, mw) in most passages in Job. It is no longer the powerful Divinity ruling in the world in general that is El-Shaddai, but the God who testes of Himself in special deeds of power, by which He subdues nature to the ways of His kingdom . . . (5)

The title first appears in Genesis 17:1 where God appeared to Abram and said, “I am the Almighty God . . . I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly . . . . Thou shalt be a father of many nations.” The significance of this designation is caught in such statements as, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” (Gen. 19:14).

The almighty power of God enables Him to perform anything which He promises to do for man. Hence, this designation of God points to the inexhaustible store of His bounty and power. Whatever God desires to do, He has the power to accomplish. Any promise He has given to man, He can fulfill.

4. The Holy One of Israel. This designation of God is a favorite of Isaiah, having been used 32 times in that book. The root meaning of kadosh is “to separate.” The word emphasizes the transcendence of God, His separateness above all other beings. The designation also points to His moral attribute of being without sin. The holiness of God makes sinful man quake in His presence (see Isa. 6).

The designation of God as the “Holy One of Israel” should constantly remind us of our sinfulness and our need of forgiveness through the precious blood of Jesus. It should cause us to be humble before Him who is without blemish or moral fault.

5. El Roi. When Hagar fled the presence of Sarah after conceiving Ishmael and after realizing that she was hated in Sarah’s sight, God appeared to her in the wilderness and promised to multiply her seed. He promised, “Behold, thou art with child, and shah bear a son, and shaft call his name Ishmael; because the Lord bath heard thy affliction” (Gen. 16:11). In response, Hagar said, “Thou God seest me” (Gen. 16:13-Thou art El Rot). This designation of God reminds us that He knows our needs and cares about our plight. Peter said, “Casting all your care upon him; for he: careth for you” (1 Pet. 5:7).

We have a God who knows our every need, even before we ask (Matt. 6:32). He sees every sparrow that falls. He knows the needs of the animals of the field, the birds of the heaven, the green grass and the lilies. He also is aware of my needs and responds to provide for them.

The Name Jehovah

The name Jehovah needs more personal attention. The name Jehovah is derived from the Hebrew tetragrammaton (four-letter word) YHVH. No on knows its correct pronunciation. The English word Jehovah is formed by using the vowel points of adonai (Lord) with YHVH. The more recent books use the word Yahweh rather than Jehovah to translate the divine name. In the AV, the divine name is translated Lord. To distinguish it from adonai, the AV uses `Lord” for adonai and “LORD” for YHVH. This designation of God occurs 6,823 times in the Old Testament.

The word Jehovah is the personal name of God. It compares with names such as Baal, Chemosh, and Diana-the personal names of pagan deities. In the name Jehovah, the personality of God is distinctly expressed.

The origin of this name for God is generally related to God’s appearance to Moses in the burning bush. When God instructed Moses to return to Egypt and lead His people out of bondage, Moses said, “Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exod. 3:13-14). Later He added, “I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty (El Shaddai), but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them” (Exod. 6:3).

The name YHVH is generally thought to be derived from the verb hayah, “to be.” The name points to God as the God who was, is, and always will be. As such, this name emphasizes the eternity and immutability of God. Inasmuch as the eternal God does not change (Mal. 3:6), the divine name Jehovah is an assurance that God will be true to His covenant. Though many centuries passed, God did not fail to fulfill His covenant with Abraham. The divine name Jehovah is just as much an assurance to us that Jesus will come again and receive us into heaven as it was an assurance that God would fulfill His covenant to Abraham. “God’s personal existence, the continuity of His dealings with man, the unchangeableness of His promises, and the whole revelation of His redeeming mercy, gather round the name Jehovah.”(6)

God is also called Jehovah Saboath (The Lord of Hosts). This is a compound name based on the name Jehovah. The Hosts of Jehovah are not the armies of Israel; they are the legions of angels available to accomplish God’s will. The name Jehovah of Hosts indicates the power of God to accomplish His revealed will, despite the forces of evil which might be aligned against Him. We are reminded that God has all of the unseen angels to accomplish what He desires. As such, those who are for us will always be greater than those who are against us. The forces of Satan can never overcome and conquer the forces of God.

New Testament Designations of God

“The variety of names which characterizes the OT is lacking in the NT, where we are all but limited to two names, each of which corresponds to several in the OT.”(7)

1. Theos. The word God is translated from Theos. This term is parallel to Elohim. It refers to the concept of Deity in the general sense. It can apply to Father, Son or Holy Spirit (Jn. 1:1; Acts 5:3).

2. Kurios. The word “Lord” is translated from kurios. It has the same basic idea as adonai; some passages in the Old Testament which contain the word Jehovah are translated in the New Testament by the word kurios, reflecting the Jewish usage of adonai in the place of YHVH.

3. Descriptive Titles. God is also designated the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega (a descriptive explanation of YHVH [see Rev. 1:4,8,17; 2:8; etc.]). He is known as the Almighty God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Each of these descriptive terms indicates something about God, such as His eternity, His omnipotent power, or His Lordship.

Conclusion

As we look at these designations of God, we are reminded that the God whom we serve is a mighty One, our Lord, the Almighty God for whom nothing is impossible, the Holy One, the eternal and immutable God who has the hosts of heaven to accomplish His will. Whatever He promises or wills, He has the power to accomplish. May we ever bow before Him in reverence and awe, loving and serving Him throughout this life.

Endnotes

1. A.B. Davidson, The Theology of the Old Testament, p. 37.

2. Robert B. Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament, p, 19.

3. Ibid., p. 22.

4. L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology, p. 49.

5. Gustav Friedrich Oehler, Theology of the Old Testament, p. 91.

6. Girdlestone, op. cit., p: 38.

7. James Orr, editor, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 1267.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 2, pp. 34, 54-55
January 17, 1985