Truth Magazine

By Ron Halbrook

Could This Book Change Your Life?

Francis J. Winder’s book defending instrumental music in worship is entitled Music of the Saints. It was published in 1980 by The Restoration Press, 11977 S.E. Kehrli Dr., Milwaukie, Oregon 97222. The cover and the title page carry the following words:

Written TO BE UNDERSTOOD . . . for those WHO WANT TO KNOW

Publisher’s WARNING: “Read this at your risk!”

(This book could DRAMATICALLY change your life!)

In spite of the dramatic trumpets, this book will not change your life unless you are among the ignorant and blind who are always susceptible to certain leaders who love the darkness. Nothing can be done for people of this attitude, though there may be some souls mixed among them who are open to the simple truths of God’s Word when it is proclaimed. Those who harden themselves in blindness cannot be brought to repentance, but who can always benefit from observing their course.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children . . . . Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone (Hos. 4:6; 17).

Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch (Jesus speaking, Matt. 15:13-14).

A long overdue admission regarding the Lord’s Supper is made in Music of the Saints, which admission dramatically warns us against the destructive results of the blind apostasy which this book represents.

Singing Clearly Authorized

The truth about the music of the saints is the same today as it was when the New Testament revelation was completed. The passages which mention music in worship among God’s people as they serve Him on this earth, whether the worship of an individual or of a group, indicate vocal music. Singing is authorized by direct statements and commands, by divinely approved apostolic examples, and by necessary implication in these passages:

1. Jesus and His disciples “sung a hymn” after He ordained the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 26:30; Mk. 14:26).

2. In prison, Paul and Silas “sang praises unto God” (Acts 16:25).

3. The prophets had foretold the gospel age, when God would be glorified among the Gentiles – “I will . . . sing unto thy name” (Rom. 15:9, quoted from Ps. 18:49).

4. In prayers and songs from the heart or spirit of man to God, understanding and edification must be given to those who hear – “I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (1 Cor. 14:15).

5. Music in worship must come from the heart, be spoken, and teach those around us – “speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19).

6. The same thoughts are conveyed again – “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16).

7. The prophets pictured the Messiah as one who went among His people, identifying with them and sharing their lot -“in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee” (Heb. 2:12, quoted from Ps. 22:22).

8. Christians are to “offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb. 13:15).

9. “Is any merry? let him sing psalms” (Jas. 5:13).

If we speak as the oracles of God speak (1 Pet. 4:11), if we speak where the Bible speaks and remain silent where it is silent, we can offer vocal music in worship to God with the certain authority of His Word. No one denies this. Furthermore, not one thing in Winder’s book changes this certain truth.

Four Basic Arguments Repeated

Winder’s Music of the Saints gathers just about every argument that has been used in the public defense of the instrument since its introduction in 1859 among churches professing restoration. J.W. McGarvey noted in the Millennial Harbinger of 1864 (“Instrumental Music in Churches,” pp. 510-14) that four basic arguments were being utilized to defend the instrument. These have been repeated ever since, and again by Winder.

First is the argument that instruments were used in worship before the New Testament era. Winder elaborates the point at length, citing passage after passage. For years, 2 Chronicles 29:25 has been marked in red ink in my Bible, where “the commandment of the Lord by his prophets” set specific instruments “in the house of the Lord.” That is just how simple it would be to prove the mechanical instruments belong in New Testament worship – just cite the passage where the Lord put them in!

Second, Winder refers to the mention of harps in Revelation 5:8; 14:2; and 15:2, in the heavenly vision given to John. In this vision of highly symbolic figures, harps represent the melody of praise, as is evident from the context in which they are used. In addition, the scenes pictured in these passages do not represent God’s people on earth doing anything. This appeal to the vision of Revelation shows the dire extremity of the proponents of the instrument in search of an argument to sustain themselves.

Third, Winder attempts the time worn silence-givesconsent argument, proposing that the absence of a specific prohibition against instruments constitutes permissive authority for thier use. If there were first generic authority to “make music” in worship without prohibition of some particular kind (such as instrumental), the generic authority would suffice. But in the absence of such a general command, and in view of the certain authority for saints to sing in worship, only singing is authorized. Winder never deals with Hebrews 7:14, which illustrates the binding nature of biblical authority. Jesus dared not pretend to be a priest under the Old Law because He wis of Judah, “of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.” God’s specific approval of a given thing in a class of things serves as a specific prohibition of all others in that class. In the class of “music,” only singing is given approval in New Testament revelation for the worship of saints on earth. Therefore, the instrument is prohibited by the binding nature of God’s authority revealed in Scripture. Winder’s silencefor-consent idealeads to a ridiculous extreme on the Lord’s Supper, noted below.

Fourth, Winder appeals to the old “aid” argument. But mechanical instruments are far more than simple aids to singing – they produce an additional kind of music in the face of God’s approval of only the one kind, vocal. Winder’s blindness on aid versus addition leads to his perversion of Bible teaching on the Lord’s Supper, to be noted.

In Search Of An Argument That Will Stand

Winder tries his hand at the psallo argument, which has become something of a sugar stick to instrumental advocates during this century. From the Greek word psallo come “psalms” and “making melody” in Ephesians 5:19. Instrumental people attempt to find a harp or some instrument somehow implied “in,” “under,” “around,” or “about” the word psallo as used in the Scripture. The problem is that this makes the instrument a command, not optional, and condemns to hell everyone who worships without it! The instrument cannot be both present and absent in the passage at the same time. Ira Boswell had trouble with this dilemma in his 1923 debate with N.B. Hardernan (a classic debate reprinted by Guardian of Truth Publications), as did Tom Burgess in his Documents on Instrumental Music (1966), as does Winder. Whether studied in Greek or English, Ephesians 5:19 clearly authorizes singing and just as clearly says not one thing about man-made instruments of music.

Claiming that worship is nothing but an emotion, Winder pleads that the instrument is not acually in worship so cannot be an addition to worship. This leads him to say that no physical action is necessary for worship and that the Bible reveals no pattern of actions for acceptable worship. The truth is that God has revealed acceptable acts of worship in every age of His dealings with men and has punished those who deviated from it (see Lev. 10: 1-3; 1 Kgs. 12-13). Also, when instruments were authorized, God considered them as in the worship (2 Chron. 29:25-28). “Praise him with the psaltery and harp . . . . Praise him upon the loud cymbals” (Psa. 150). When the instrument is used while praises are offered to God, the use of an instrument becomes part of the worship activity. Worship includes emotions but is something more than emotion. Jesus in John 4:24 said we must worship “in spirit and in truth.” “In spirit” is from the heart, the seat of emotion. “In truth” is action according to divine instructions. During 1900-1901 Hall L. Calhoun tried this worship-is-only-emotion idea on M.C. Kurfees, was answered thoroughly, and eventually gave up the practice of instrumental music and its defense.

Unity-in-diversity is proclaimed by Winder. If brethren will not accept the instrument, they ought to accept those who do use it as sound brethren serving the Lord in an acceptable way, says Winder. He compliments “noninstrument brethren” and churches who have accepted and used him in preaching – such as “the Tigard, Oregon congregation” where “Claude Guild and Woodrow Hughes” preach, and congregations in “Ohio, Washington, Oregon and California” where “Capt. Houghton G. Gross” has preached (Music of the Saints, p. 1). As for those who believe instruments in worship are sinful and who refuse to bid godspeed to people who use them (2 Jn. 9-11), Winder strains io find adequate descriptions: “anti’s” “abysmally ignorant,” “fight against God,” “heretic,” “rebel,””immoral,” “wicked,” and “church-splitters” (pp. 35, 37-8, 69,138, 150).

“On The Same Principle”

The real high (or, I should say, low) point of Winder’s book is his attempt to grapple with the Lord’s Supper. If another kind of music can be added to vocal, why cannot foods other than unleavened bread and grape juice be added to the Lord’s table? Hear Mr. Silence-Gives-Consent, Aid, Worship-Is-Emotion Winder:

To make it a matter of DOCTRINE, that we MUST always have potatoes and gravy, and pie and cake (or other food) along with or in addition to the emblems, would be as unscriptural as to insist that we MUST NEVER HAVE THEM.

Should one wish to include such material things as meat, potatoes, cake etc., along with “theemblems” in the assembly, we would have NO SCRIPTURAL RIGHT to condemn such an act. The members would still be truly worshiping . . . (p. 121).

If we meet to “REMEMBER”, and to partake of the “emblems” for the purposes for which He gave them, and we feel that other things did not interfere or hinder but rather definitely contributed TO the worship, I am sure that God would bless our worship.

A Christian dare not judge his brother in motives, in conscience, in customs or in worship. If GOD has NOT made such laws or restrictions, men dare not.

So, to re-empbasize the point, it would NOT be a sin or unscriptural to have “meat and potatoes”, “pie or ice cream”, or any other healthful, helpful food “on the table” as an aid in our worship, providing that our spiritual purpose was to meet HIM there, and to thankfully remember Him for His death and ALL that He means to us, physically as well as spiritually (p. 123).

Consequently, to add material food, such as apple pie or ice cream, as some have scornfully suggested, would NOT of itself be sinful, since IT VIOLATES NO LAW AGAINST ITI It would SUBSTITUTE NO ORDINANCE for it (it might complement it!); IT WOULD SET ASIDE NO TEACHING about it; it in NO WAY WOULD DISHONOR CHRIST. . . . And on the same principle, neither can the use of GODIS INSTRUMEN73 in the WORSHIP of God, be condemned (pp. 125-26, all emphasis original).

In the same context, Winder says that sprinkling could be instituted along with immersion, just so the same person receives both. But if we can add to God’s Word, why can we not also take away? If we can add sprinkling, why not take away immersion; or, add ice cream and potatoes, why not take away the other emblems? Some liberal Protestants who sprinkle have also tried hamburger and Pepsi at the table. Some Chinese people who sprinkle are using biscuits and sugar cane juice on the Table (Christianity Today, 11 Dec. 1981, pp. 42, 44-45). It’s the “same principle.”

If our service to God is nothing but an emotion and there !s no. pattern for acceptable worship, the final logical end is universalism. Every person who has an emotion of worshipping God will be saved. But even that sounds like a restrictive pattern – that a person must have a certain emotion to please God. Let’s not be so legalistic about salvation. Why not say that everyone will be saved regardless of what emotion he has or what action he does? Either there is a pattern of truth and of acceptable service to God, or there is not. Winder cannot have it both ways!

Winder acknowledges his debt to R.M. Bell, F.W. Strong (both deceased), Tom Burgess, and David L. Eubanks. Will the latter two men endorse Winder on the Lord’s Supper? Brethren, let us be reminded as to why we have fought the instrument in worship all these years, and why we mustfight it yet! “On the same principle” that instrumental music can be defended, every innovation and apostasy conceivable to man can be justified. “On the same principle,” the authority of God’s Word means exactly nothing. “And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” on the same principle.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 16, pp. 502-504
August 16, 1984

By Johnie Edwards

A barrier is an obstacle that in some way restricts. A barrier may be installed on a highway to deter traffic from a place that workmen want to keep out traffic. There are some things that will definitely keep folks out of heaven. It is written about heaven, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27).

Pride Is A Barrier To Heaven

Sometimes pride keeps folks from seeking after God. The Psalmist said, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts” (Psa. 10:4). Those filled with pride will just not humble themselves enough to seek after God and retain God in their thoughts. Pride fills the heart in such a way that one is deceived into thinking that he is just too high to fall. God’s people in the Old Testament had his problem. “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high: That saith in his heart, who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord” (Obad. 3-4). If you want to gear up for a good fall, just be filled with pride. Solomon said, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). Pride allowed to have its way in your life will serve as a barrier to heaven.

Lack Of Bible Knowledge

You cannot obey that which you do not know! Not knowing has always been a problem among the people of God. Isaiah said of Israel, “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider” (Isa. 1:3). Hosea attributed a lack of knowledge to the destruction of God’s chosen people in Old Testament days. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shall be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” (Hos. 4:6). If we don’t know, we can’t do, and if we fail to do, we will not be able to enjoy heaven. Jesus said, “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 which is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21).

You see, “being ignorant of God’s righteousness” causes people to go “about to establish their own righteousness” and consequently will “not submit themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Rom. 10:3). In light of these truths, all of us need to get to studying the Word of God, even to overflowing with truth, that we might know to do ourselves and teach others. We need a revival of Bible study and we must get back to Bible study if we expect to go to heaven when we die! It’s that simple.

Loving The Praise Of Men More Than Of God

Most people have an ego problem. Men are tempted to please those who fill their ego with that they like to hear. All of us like to receive praise from others for a job well done. Perhaps there is not enough appreciation shown for those who work hard and get the job done! But we all must be careful lest we become so hungry for some praise that we let that praise become a barrier to heaven. I recall visiting a sick man in a hospital and asking if there was anything that I could do for him. He responded, “What about a few kind words?” The desire to be heard of men led some in the days of Jesus to “sound a trumpet” before they prayed “in the streets, that they may have glory of men” (Matt. 6:2). It is said of the chief rulers that “many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42-43).

Loving the praise of men more than the praise of God, sometimes keeps elders from doing their job as elders and keeps preachers and teachers from laying it on the line like it ought to be. Lest the desire to please men become a barrier to heaven, we need to develop the attitude expressed by Paul when he said, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10).

Worldliness Is A Barrier To Heaven

There is a vast difference in God loving the world (Jn. 3:16) and our being in love with the world. John said, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 Jn. 2:15-16). Worldly lust and pride that is allowed to dictate to us, rather than be governed by the word of God, will keep us out of heaven. Somebody is quick to say, “We live in the world and cannot keep from being a part of it.” This is so, but it is like the situation with a ship. The ship is in the water but when water begins to get into the ship, there will be problems!

Worldliness gets into church members and they begin to miss the services of the church, they often will drink socially, re-arrange their priorities to be less concerned about the things which once were spiritually important to them. Then, pretty soon, they are of no real value to the Lord and the church; if this continues, the worldiness will be a barrier to heaven.

Denominationalism

Denominationalism has taught people that anything is all right with God, just as long as they are honest and sincere. Folks have reasoned, that if anything will be accepted by God, why do anything at all? After all, God is just too good to allow any to be lost! But we must remember that Paul said, “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off” (Rom. 11:22).

With many hundreds of religious denominations all teaching conflicting doctrines and ideas, many people are confused and just throw up their hands and quit. They think that if all those religious people can’t understand the Bible alike, surely I never could. This concept will keep a lot of people out of heaven.

A failure of denominational churches to teach the truth causes many to obey a false doctrine. John said, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son” (2 Jn. 9).

Sin Is A Barrier To Heaven

Sin drove Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden (Gen. 3). Sin kept many of God’s people out of the land of Canaan. Sin separated man from God. Isaiah said, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isa. 59:1-2).

Attitude toward sin seems to have changed in the minds of a lot of people. It seems that, to many, sin is just not as bad as it once was! We need to realize that sin is sin and every generation needs to be taught what sin is and what sin will do for them. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). How long has it been since you sat down with your young people and talked to them about sin? Young people as well as the old need to know that sin “is transgression of the law” (I Jn. 3:4) and that one can be guilty of sin either by failing to do what God says (Jas. 4:17) or by committing acts of wrong doing. One is as bad as the other, for both are sin!

Sin is a barrier to heaven. For, “there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27).

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 16, pp. 500-501
August 2, 1984

By Mike Willis

In recent years, some Christians seem embarrassed to state that they believe that there is only one church. One is judged to be narrow-minded and bigoted if he believes that there is only one church. After all, we are reminded, there are good people in all denominations.

Too, the general rejection of the Bible as the one standard of right and wrong has resulted in agnosticism. One cannot be sure about anything, if he has rejected the Bible as his absolute standard for determining right and wrong. The uncertainty that characterizes the non-Christians with reference to pre-marital and extra-marital sex, homosexuality, drinking, and other things (whether they are merely personal preferences of taste or sin) has spilled over into the church. The result is that some can no longer tell whether immersion, congregational singing, partaking of the Lord’s supper on the first day of every week, and other items pertaining to the worship, work and organization of the church are simply matters of personal preference of the members of the church of Christ or divine law. Some among us no longer believe that sin is committed by using instrumental music in worship, by observing the Lord’s supper on Thursday night, and organizing a sponsoring church.

The popular phrase is, “We are Christians only, but not the only Christians. ” Some believe that there are faithful Christians in all denominations. They charge that we are arrogant if we believe that we are the only group in possession of the truth. Yet, they are unwilling to tell us which truths the denominations teach that we repudiate.

A new generation has come and some do not believe in the oneness of the church. Is there one church or many churches? Let us allow the Bible to answer this question.

The Bible Says There Is One Church

On several occasions, the Bible affirms that oneness of the church. Jesus said, “. . upon this rock I will build my church. . . ” (Matt. 16:18). The word “church” is a singular noun. Jesus said “church” and not “churches.”

The early apostles believed in one church. Paul wrote, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:4-6). The numeral one means “more than zero and less than two.” We understand what it means with reference to one God, one Lord, and one Spirit. It means exactly the same thing when it is used to refer to one body. The apostle had previously told us what the “body” was; he identified it as the church (Eph. 1:22-23). Hence, the doctrine of the oneness of the church is expressly taught in Scripture.

There Is Only One Plan Of Salvation

Directly connected with the doctrine of the oneness of the church is the idea of how an individual is saved. The church is composed of the saved (Acts 2:47). Those who contend that there are saved people in all denominations must contend that there are any number of ways of being saved. The manner in which a Catholic is “saved” is different from the manner in which a Baptist is “saved.” If both are saved, then there must be more than one way to be saved.

The Scriptures only reveal one way to be saved from sin. Man is saved from sin through the blood of Jesus Christ. The manner in which one appropriates the saving blood of Jesus is through believing in Him, repenting of his sins, confessing his faith in Jesus, and being baptized (immersed) in water (Mk.16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 8:36-38; 22:16). Since the great commission was given, no accountable person has been saved without complying with these conditions, so far as the revelation of God records.

Those who are trying to be saved by a system of meritorious works cannot be saved. Those who are trying to be saved by faith only cannot be saved. The good, honest and sincere cannot be saved by sincerity (cf. Saul of Tarsus-1 Tim. 1:12-16; Rom. 10:1-2). The only manner in which one can be saved is through Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12). One is saved through Christ when he appropriates the blood of Christ by meeting the conditions which Christ gave in order for man to be saved.

Those who contend that there are saved people or Christians in all denominations must contend that there are a number of Yays to be saved’. I wish that some of our brethren who believe that there are faithful Christians in all denominations would just be bold enough to say, “I believe that one can be saved by faith alone” (as most Protestant denominations teach) or “I believe that one can be saved by doing good works” (as the Catholics teach). That is the necessary implication of saying that there are saved people in all denominations. If that is not what they believe, then they must believe that there is only one way to be saved and that those who have not complied with it are lost.

Can One Stay Saved In A Denomination?

When confronted in this manner, those who hold that there are Christians in all denominations will sometimes say, “I am referring to those in denominations who have obeyed the gospel.” Let us grant that there might be a few souls who have obeyed the gospel in denominations. The next question is, “Can one stay saved while in these denominations?”

If I thought a Christian could stay saved while worshipping in a denomination, I certainly would quit trying to get people to leave denominations and become a part of the blood-bought body of Jesus Christ. I would quit preaching sermons which emphasized the organization, names, mission, and worship of the church. I would quit preaching sermons which condemned denominations which are started by man, governed by men, worship in any manner which pleases men, are organized in ways judged best by men, and are called by names selected by men. I would quit telling men that the Lord’s church, as revealed in the New Testament, is divine in origin, given a pattern for worship, given a pattern for organization, and called by names which exalt and glorify God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I suggest to you that one of the reasons that the content of gospel preaching in the pulpits of many churches of Christ has changed is that some preachers have started believing that one can be saved and stay saved in modern denominations. How long has it been since you have heard a sermon which showed the difference in the Lord’s chruch and denominationalism? (Some of us have simply neglected these topics, although we continue to believe in the oneness of the church. We need to remember that every generation must be taught the same fundamental truths and reminded of them.)

When a person worships in a manner not authorized and approved by God, he sins. Jesus Himself said, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:8-9). I still believe what Jesus said. He said that when men do not worship according to the will of God, they sin. Some have the idea that one can worship anyway he pleases and still be one in whom God is well-pleased.

If there are some few in the denominations who have obeyed the gospel to be saved from past sins, they are the exception and not the rule. Their worship in these denominations is a violation of God’s will and, therefore, sinful. Their sins separate them from God. Hence, a person cannot stay saved in the denominations of men.

We are forced back to the conclusion which our forefathers preached to us, not because we want to hold to our “church of Christ traditions,” but because our forefathers taught what the Bible says. That conclusion is that there is but one church. The Lord adds all of the saved to the church and none of the unsaved (Acts 2:47). There are none of the saved which He overlooks or adds to some other body than His church.

Those who are not in the Lord’s church but in some denomination of man must leave those denominations, even as the pagans and Jews in the first century had to leave their man-made religious organizations, in order to be saved by Jesus Christ. They could not be saved by Jesus Christ while continuing their idolatry or Judaism.

When these truths were preached fearlessly and forcefully, the Lord’s church prospered. Thousands of people left the denominations of men to become a part of the church of Christ. Men could see the difference in human denominations and the Lord’s church as revealed in the Scriptures. They renounced their allegiance to human creeds and committed themselves to Christ and His word.

As the years have passed, some in the Lord’s chruch have quit preaching those first principles of the oneness of the church. Indeed, they are embarrassed when others preach the oneness of the church. They do not want some visiting Baptist to get the impression that we think he is not saved. Their preaching emphasizes positive mental attitudes, love, joy and peace, home and family, and other topics which could be preached in any denomination in the United States. During these same years; the church has nearly quit growing and these brethren cannot understand why. I suggest that one reason is that we have quit preaching the first principles.

Like those in the first century, many today will judge us to be narrow-minded and sectarian because we teach the oneness of the church and the one way to be saved. Nevertheless, we must stand for what the Bible reveals.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 17, pp. 514, 533-534
September 6, 1984

By Larry Ray Hafley

Christians always seem to be on the defensive. “Why doesn’t your church have a piano or an organ?” “Why do you all have communion every Sunday?” “I know you’re a Christian, but what kind?” “You mean your church doesn’t have fund raising sales?” “While being baptized, you have to be dunked?” These and other statements have been uttered countless times, and they probably always will be. As members of the body of Christ, we are made to feel that our position is on trial, that we forever must “explain” what we believe. We are the “odd balls” who appear weird and strange with our “funny” beliefs. While it is true that we must prepare to give an answer (1 Pet. 3:15), it is not true that we must feel like we are the religious freaks of the day. Actually and factually, the reverse is true. Relax. Christians are the only ones who truly contend for views that no one denies. Our position is unassailable. In the majority of cases, no one doubts that what we do is right.

For example, consider:

(1) Immersion. Ask a Catholic priest, a Methodist minister, or a Presbyterian preacher if it is wrong to immerse adult believers. He will agree it is not sinful to do so. You see, there are discussions about sprinkling infants, but no one says that immersion is a sin in and of itself.

(2) Singing. Ask a Baptist preacher or a Pentecostal pastor if it is a sin for a congregation to come together and sing. He admits it is not wrong to do so. Even those in the Christian Church will not say that congregational singing is contrary to the doctrine of Christ.

(3) Weekly Lord’s Supper. Do you know a denominational preacher who will argue that it is a sin for disciples to break bread upon the first day of the week? Most, of course, do not do it, but they do not believe it is contrary to the Scriptures to do so.

(4) Weekly Giving. It is for certain that no preacher will say it is a sin to give of your means upon the first day of every week! Do you know of a church that teaches that a weekly collection is against the doctrine of Christ? Me neither.

(5) Christian. Is there an Episcopalian or Lutheran anywhere who would argue that it is wrong for a child of God to be referred to as a Christian? No. Many sectarian names are dearly held by their devotees, but no one says that being called a Christian is an error.

The points that Christians are most often questioned about really are not items of dispute. So, my brother, do not feel like you are a persecuted soul who is always on the defensive. Everyone believes that adult believers may be immersed, congregations may sing, take communion and give of their means each Lord’s day, and one may wear the name Christian. Your position is not debatable. Now, if they want to do something else, that is their problem. They must defend their doctrine. They are on the defensive. The ball is in their court. The proverbial monkey is not on your back; it is on theirs. You relax.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 16, p. 491
August 16, 1984