Truth Magazine

By Lloyd L. Nash

This statement was made by the apostle Paul to the Roman brethren warning them to abstain from sin, because the pay-off is death. He goes on to say that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

“What is sin?” one may ask. The Scriptures say that it is the transgression of the law (1 Jn. 3:4). So, when one transgresses the law of the, Lord, he or she commits sin, and sin separates man from God (Isa. 59:2). It caused Adam and Eve to be driven from the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3), and it caused the great flood in the days of Noah (Gen. 6,7). It will cost us our eternal crown if we practice sin. Let us not be taken by it.

The Works Of The Flesh

My friends, Galatians 5:19-21 lists a number of things that break the law of the Lord. Whether we like it or not, these things are sinful in the sight of our Lord. Paul tells us how to avoid fornication (1 Cor. 7:2), as well as other sins (1 Thess. 5:22). We do not have to be taken by Satan’s craftiness. So often, the subject of homosexuality is brought up. On radio and television talk shows, they always refer to some human authority. Occasionally, a lady may cite a passage of Scripture. She is quickly ignored.

Let us look at this sin from a Bible standpoint. It seems to be that the Bible is more and more overlooked as the source of Divine authority on this subject. Let’s face it: according to the Scriptures, God created the woman to be a help meet for man (Gen. 2:20-24; 1 Cor. 11:9-10). Now, if God had wanted two men in the beginning, He could have made it so. But, He did not decree it that way. He made man and woman. This is God’s way for the world to be replenished. Whenever this is changed, sin is committed.

Look at Sodom-the men of Sodom-for example. They changed the plan, and God rained down fire upon them (Gen. 19:1-24). When we look at verse 1, we see the angels coming to Sodom. An old, righteous preacher sitting in the gate, whose name is Lot, invited them to spend the night with him. They said nay. However, he insisted that they stay. They went in, and he fixed food for them. They did eat (v. 3). Before they lay down, the men of the city compassed the house, both old and young. People came from every quarter, calling to Lot to bring them out that they may know them. This lets us know how low their morals were (v. 5). In verses 6 through 8, Lot goes out to plead with them and offer them his two virgin daughters. They would not accept them. They told Lot to stand back and made an attempt to break down the door (vv. 9-11). Now, we can see how wrong it was then, and it has not changed in the sight of God.

In both the Old and New Testament, God condemns gay living. Let’s look at Romans 1:18-32. I hope that all who read this will study each verse well. You can see in verse 25 that sin had made man change the truth of God into a lie in their minds. Look at what it has done to the women in verse 26 and to the men in verse 27. In verse 28, even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, He gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient.

So now, my friends, do not think that because God allows these things to go on today that He is pleased with them. If you harden your heart against the Lord’s laws long enough, He will send a strong delusion. This delusion will cause you to believe a lie and be damned for it (2 Thess. 2:11-12). Those who practice homosexuality cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10).

However, there is hope for those in this condition. If you are guilty, you can quit, obey the gospel of Christ, and be saved. And such were some of you (1 Cor. 6:11), meaning that they had repented of their sins and been baptized in accordance with Acts 2:38 and Acts 18:8. This shows us that if any will give up his wicked ways (Isa. 55:7) and obey His will, that person can be saved. God is not willing that any should perish (2 Pet. 3:9), but that all should come to repentance. If so done, God will translate you from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear Son, having over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not redeemed you by His blood (Col. 1: 13-14). convenient. continued from previous page of his sins cannot share God’s spiritual blessings (Lk. 13:3). The man who will not confess Christ does not share in God’s spiritual blessings (Matt. 10:32-33). The man who will not be baptized cannot receive remission of his sins (Acts 2:38) or be saved (Mk. 16:15-16; 1 Pet. 3:21).

My friend, all spiritual blessings are in Christ. Are you in Him?

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 21, pp. 647, 663
November 1, 1984

By Mike Willis

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. . . (Eph. 1:3).

With these words, Paul began the heart of his letter to the church at Ephesus. I committed this verse to memory as a young lad and its truths become more important to me as I grow older. Please consider these lessons from this verse.

All Spiritual Blessings

Not all of God’s blessings are spiritual. God has bountifully blessed us with physical blessings as well. He is our Creator (Gen. 1:1) and Sustainer. He gives “us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with gladness” (Acts 14:17). “For in him we live, and move, and have our being. . .” (Acts 17:28). (See Psalm 65:9-13) for praise to God for His work in sustaining His creation.)

This verse teaches that “all spiritual blessings” are “in Christ.” Neither this verse nor any other verse teaches that all physical blessings are “in Christ.” The Scriptures teach that God’s physical blessings fall on the righteous and unrighteous just alike (Matt. 5:45). The prosperity of the wicked has been a problem for the righteous to understand (See Psa. 73); yet even these verses demonstrate that God’s physical blessings are not limited to those who are “in Christ.”

This is a lesson of which we need to be reminded. Those who are associated with the PTL, the 700 Club, and faith healing ministries teach that God’s physical blessings are especially directed toward the righteous. Who has not witnessed someone on one of these programs relate his testimony? He describes his abject and desperate condition before he became a Christian in words similar to these, “I was suffering from some disease, I had lost my job, my wife and I were having marital problems, our children were running with the wrong crowd, and my creditors were hounding me.” After he tells about giving his life to Jesus, he then relates his present condition in words like this, “Now I feel good and am healed of my disease, my wife and I are happier than we ever have been, my children ‘ are little darlings, and we have more money than ever before.” The implications of these testimonials is that God’s physical blessings are especially directed toward the righteous. No verse in the Bible teaches that. The life of Jesus and Job verify that this is not a true doctrine.

In Christ

Paul stated that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings “in Christ. “

“In Christ” designates a relationship which the believer sustains to Jesus.(1) All of God’s spiritual blessings are made available to man through Jesus Christ. He is the “water of life” which so quenches man’s needs that he never thirsts again (Jn. 4:13). He is the “bread of life” which so fills a man that he never hungers again (Jn. 6:35). Every spiritual need that man has is completely satisfied in Christ.

The implications from this statement are obvious. We do not need to keep searching as if God had other spiritual blessings for man which are not available to those of us who are in Christ. Hinduism Islam, Buddhism, Shintoism, and any other so-called “world” religion do not have any spiritual blessings for man which are not available in Christ. I need not to fret that I have never read the Koran, Bhagavad Gita, Rig- Vedas, or other “holy” books. I do not need the writings of Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, Ellen G. White, Reverend Moon, or any other prophet claiming to have received a latter day revelation. If all of God’s spiritual blessings are available to me in Christ, I can be perfectly content knowing that I have all that God has for man when I have the revelation of Jesus Christ in the Holy Bible.

The person who is not in Christ does not participate in or share any of these spiritual blessings. Regardless of how good, honest, and sincere a man might be, unless he is in Christ, he does not share the spiritual blessings of God. All of God’s spiritual blessings are in Christ; none of them are outside of Christ. Unless you are “in Christ,” none of these spiritual blessings are available to you.

The Blessings In Christ

Paul did not leave us in doubt as to what blessings God has made available to us in Christ. Consider some of them:

1. “He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him” (1:4). Some only read “he hath chosen us” and then declare the Calvinist doctrine of predestination. What this verse teaches is that God chose to make men holy (sanctified and set apart) and without blame (having no sin chargeable to one’s account) before Him. This was to be done through Jesus Christ. Hence, through Jesus Christ, I can enjoy the spiritual blessings of being holy and without blame. (See also Eph. 5:25-27.)

2. ”Adoption as children” (1:5). God also adopted us as His children by Jesus Christ. As a child of God, I can call on God as my Father (Matt. 7:7-11). God could have chosen a variety of relationships toward us. He could have been indifferent toward this world, as the Deists imagine; He could have been amused by this world, as some ancient people thought of the gods of the Pantheon; He could have been filled with animosity toward us. Instead, He chose to adopt us as His children. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. . .” (1 Jn. 3:1).

3. “He hath made us accepted in the beloved (1:6). Those of us who were alienated from God have been reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ.

4., We have “redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (1:7). In Jesus Christ, our sins have been forgiven through the purification which comes when His blood washes them away. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can wash away sins (cf. 1 Pet. 1:18-19). This is another spiritual blessing which God has given us in Jesus Christ the forgiveness of our sins.

5. He has “made known unto us the mystery of His will. ” The revelation of God’s will toward mankind was given through Jesus Christ. We do not have to grope in darkness, searching to find out God’s will. He has revealed it to us in the gospel. The work of the Holy Spirit in revealing God’s will to us was the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to the apostles (Jn. 14:26; 15:26; 16:13).

6. He gathered together in one all things in Christ (1:10). Men of every background are united in Christ. Male and female, bond and free, Jew and Gentile, black and white, rich and poor are reconciled to God in one body by the cross (cf. Eph. 2:16). The unity which we have in Christ Jesus is a spiritual blessing from God.

7. “We have obtained an inheritance” (1:11). In Christ, I have a hope for inheriting the blessings of heaven. I have “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven” (1 Pet. 1:4) for me. I look forward to receiving eternal life, living with God, and having all of the evils of this world removed (Rev. 21:4). This is the “one hope” of Ephesians 4.

The Fulness of God

The blessings which God has for us in Christ are available in the church. The church is the body of people for whom Jesus gave His life (Eph. 5:26), “that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (5:27). The spiritual blessings which God has for us in Christ are available to those who are in His church.

Consequently, the church is the “body of Christ, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (1:23). The fulness of God’s blessings to man is in the church. Many religions look for the fulness of God’s blessings at some future time when Jesus will return to this earth and rule on this earth for a thousand years. That is in conflict with what Paul revealed. He stated that Jesus is presently reigning over everything (1:20-21) and that the church is the fulness of God’s blessings to us.

We do not look forward to a future earthly kingdom. We look foward to the second coming of Christ, the judgment, and our eternal home in heaven.

How To Get “In Christ”

Inasmuch as being in Christ is important in order that one might inherit these spiritual blessings, we need to know how to get into Christ. The Lord told us how to get into Christ.

In order to get into Christ, a man must hear the gospel preached, believe it, repent of his sins, confess his faith in Jesus, and be baptized (immersed) in water. Paul wrote, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27).

The man who does not believe in Jesus cannot share God’s spiritual blessings (Jn. 8:24). The man who has not repented

of his sins cannot share God’s spiritual blessings (Lk. 13:3). The man who will not confess Christ does not share in God’s spiritual blessings (Matt. 10:32-33). The man who will not be baptized cannot receive remission of his sins (Acts 2:38) or be saved (Mk. 16:15-16; 1 Pet. 3:21).

My friend, all spiritual blessings are in Christ. Are you in Him?

Endnotes

1. Those who hold a doctrine of the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit need to carefully examine this language. To be “in Christ” does not mean that I enter into the physical body of Jesus and dwell in Him. Rather, it means that I sustain a spiritual relationship to Him. The same is true when one reads that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. It does not mean that the Holy Spirit comes inside my body, which would be an incarnation of Deity and destroy the uniqueness of Jesus; rather, it means that I enter a spiritual relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII; 21, pp. 642, 662-663
November 1, 1984

By Daniel H. King

The title of this article sounds like an impossibility, rather similar to what one encounters in ideas like “square circles,” “straight curves,” “loud silences,” “light shades of black,” etc. And, of course, it is. But it is an impossibility which many Christians since the origin of the church have tried to make a reality.

One finds some scriptural support for the existence of the idea in Paul’s argument in the Roman letter: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein,” (6:1-2); in Galatians also Paul had to treat the problem: “But if, while we sought to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also were found sinners, is Christ a minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build up again those things which I destroyed, I prove myself a transgressor” (2:17-18).

By very definition, the child of God cannot persist in sin. Paul says that we have “died to sin” and so cannot continue to live as we once did. Becoming a Christian therefore demands, on the part of the one who is “converted” the determined decision to give up the practice of sin. If a person has not so decided, he should not make any pretense out of a confession of faith or of a baptism in water. To do this is to declare a clean break with sin. If one has not made such a decision then the profession of Christianity is, by definition, a farce and a facade. The practice of sin in the life is a constant admission that what one has professed is a lie; as Paul puts it: “I prove myself a transgressor.”

Something else needs noticing here also, however. It is almost natural for such hypocrisy to reflect upon the One who instituted Christianity, whether deserved or not. In other words, Christ gets a black eye out of every such situation. Every “sinning Christian,” i.e. every one who makes the profession but does not live the life, soils the reputation of Jesus Christ among the sons of men. “Is Christ a minister of sin?” wrote the Apostle. He is not and never has been -but it seems so to the unbelieving when they behold sin in the life of the Christian.

Some of the strongest language in the Bible is reserved for this problem. It is said, for instance, that the Son of God is “crucified afresh, and put to an open shame” (Heb. 6:6), t hat He has been “trodden under foot,” the blood of His covenant has been counted “an unholy thing” and the “Spirit of grace” has been insulted (Heb. 10:29).

So, Christian, before you begin to take up anew the practice of sin, remember that you solemnly promised to give up sin when you named the name of Christ. There is no such thing as a “Christian sinner.”

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 21, p. 643
November 1, 1984

By Shelby C. Smith

One is lost when he refuses to obey Christ and His word. “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the words that I have spoken, the same shall judge you in that day” (Jn. 12:48). Another reason that some are lost is that they will not believe. “For if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24).

Others refuse to repent. “I tell you, Nay, but, except ye repent, ye shall die in your sins” (Lk. 13:3). Others will not confess Christ. If one denies Him here, Christ will deny them before the Father in heaven (Matt. 10:33). There are those who will refuse to be baptized. Christ is the author of eternal salvation unto all who will obey Him (Heb. 5:8,9). In the great commission Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned” (Mk. 16:16).

But now let us look at some things that will cause one to be lost after having accepted and completed the requirements set down by Christ to become a Christian.

1. Works of the flesh. Paul gave a long list of these in Galatians 5:19-21 and then added, “they who do such thing shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” “For to be carnally minded is death” (Rom. 8:6).

2. Love worldliness. John said, “The whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19). “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

3. Not being faithful. “For if we willfully sin after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins” (Heb. 10:26). Again, “For if, after they have escaped the defilements, of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first” (2 Pet. 2:20). “And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Tim. 4:4).

If you are interested in losing your soul, the devil is always busy and eager to be of service, and provide a way. It is not necessary to do all these things to be eternally lost; any of them can cause one to be lost. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all” (Jas. 2: 10). Peter said the devil is as a roaring lion walking about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

In the last day many will come, expecting to get into heaven; but our blessed Lord tells us: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21).

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 20, p. 632
October 18, 1984