Truth Magazine

For a number of years much discussion has been given to the idea of the Guardian of Truth Foundation owning its own property wherein all of its business could be conducted. Some four years ago efforts were made to activate a program whereby this actually could be realized. We rejoice with our friends all over this nation that we now have real property and will, beginning this month, function from this property.

Why Bowling Green? Prior to the critical illness of brother Cogdill he was the guiding hand in this foundation, and it was his consensus of judgment and that of the board to make Bowling Green home for the Foundation’s business operation. this city is a University town; has excellent geographic proximity to many churches; close to most printers and binderies we use; and, being situation on I-65 makes it easily accessible. The Post Office is a distribution center and this is a plus for moving mail!

For a long time we have worked from three locations in three different sates. The store in Fairmount, Indiana and editorial offices in Dayton, Ohio will, along with the typesetting and layout work of Tompkinsville, Kentucky move into this Bowling Green prop0erty the first part of June. We will be able to perform much better under one roof; our services to our customers should prove to be much more efficient.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who has in any way contributed to the making of the Guardian of Truth Foundation. Your subscriptions to the Magazine, your purchases from the store, the cash contributions you have made to this end all go into the making possible this property and this business. We thank you! We will have a walk-in trade at this store in addition to the mail and phone orders. You will be able to come and comfortably shop for your religious materials.

We promise to serve you well and with courtesy! We covet your continued business with us and ask for the opportunity to serve you in supplying you your book and literature needs.

Brother Robert Whitehead and his wife Marilyn have operated the Bookstore for several years and do not wish to move from their home in Indiana. Brother O.C. Birdwell, Jr. will become manager of the store in Bowling Green. He will have his wife Frances and son Alan employed with him. The Guardian of Truth Bookstore can supply all books that are in print. We are a business and O.C. Birdwell assumes the task of continuing the service, as manager, that has made Guardian of Truth Bookstore the service institution that it is.

Edited for out-dated information

– Earl E. Robertson

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 11, p. 321
June 7, 1984

By Mike Willis

The 13 February 1984 issue of The Journal Herald, the local newspaper in Dayton, Ohio, related the story of a thirteen year old boy who saved his brothers’ lives. The newspaper related how William Holsclaw saved the lives of his three and four year old brothers. The family was living in a trailer house which caught on fire. His father awoke early in the morning to find flames in a hall between the room where he had been sleeping and the boys’ bedroom in their small mobile home.

He ran outside, broke a bedroom window, and told William to help get his two brothers out. His father related what happened. “He stood there and handed me them babies out while he was cooking. He never looked up or hesitated a minute, he did just what he was supposed to do. The flame were in there coming up his backside. He was on fire, I could see him, but there wasn’t a thing I could do except grab the babies. I didn’t think he was going to get out, but he made it . . . . All he had on was a T-shirt and underwear, and the shirt was burning on his back while he got the boys out.” The last newspaper account I saw stated that William was in critical condition but was expected to survive the ordeal.

This thirteen year old lad demonstrated what brotherly love is all about He endured pain – excruciating pain – in order to save the lives of his brothers. He put his own safety second to their good. Surely we can learn a lesson from this beautiful example of brotherly love.

A Reminder Of Jesus

This incident reminds us of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Jesus left the beauties of heaven to come to this land of sin and sorrow. For thirty-three years, He lived among men. During these years, He went about doing good. He healed the sick, made the blind able to see, enabled the lame to walk, restored the bodies of lepers, and cast demons from the demon possessed. He preached the gospel of God’s love for mankind, calling upon men to repent and obey the Word of God.

Because the common people heard him gladly, the Jewish leaders became jealous of Jesus and plotted His death. They paid one of Jesus’ close associates to betray Him into their hands. They went through the forms of justice in Jesus’ trials and then crucified Him. They nailed Him to a cross and then stood around to watch Him die. They mocked and ridiculed Him, hurling abusive speech toward the sinless Son of God.

Jesus endured the cross because He had our good in mind. Like William Holsclaw whose body burned while he passed his brothers out the window, Jesus suffered the pain of Calvary – its physical suffering and humiliation – in order that you and I might be delivered from sin. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” Qn. 15:13).

Our Love For One Another

The love which Jesus displayed for us is the kind of love which He commanded us to show one another. The apostle John wrote:

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another (1 Jn. 4:11).

We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he had not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That we who loveth God love his brother also. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat him also that is begotten of him (1 Jn. 4:19-5:1).

Sometimes we act as if love is some warm, mushy feeling which we have toward someone else. That love is more than some warm feeling of endearment should be obvious from the divine command to love one’s enemies (Matt. 5:44). The good Samaritan obviously did not have such warm feelings toward the man who fell among thieves. He did not even know him. Yet, he demonstrated love toward his neighbor (Lk. 10:25-37). Love is an act of the will, not of the emotions. It demonstrates itself by what it does. In reading 1 Corinthians 13, Paul’s unparalleled description of love, notice that Paul used verbs to describe love. He described love by showing us what love does: “charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things” (13:4-7).

John emphasized the same truth when he wrote, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 Jn. 4:18). John was not denigrating the expression of love. If a person loves someone else, he should tell them. Too many suffer loneliness in spite of the fact that they are loved by many simply because their loved ones never get around to telling them how much they love and appreciate them. However, love goes much beyond the mere expression of words. It shows itself by its deeds.

The mother who tenderly nurses her sick child back to health is showing her love. The woman who cares for her father-in-law who has been paralyzed by a stroke is demonstrating her love. The thirteen year old boy who stood with flames burning the shirt off his back and passed his younger brothers out the window demonstrated his love for his brothers; his body will bear the scars of his love for the rest of his life. These acts show love in deed and in truth.

Our love toward one another should demonstrate itself. John wrote, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he

laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” (1 Jn. 3:16-17).(1) Here are some ways in which our love should display itself:

1. We should relieve the physical needs of each other. In a period of high unemployment, some of our brethren have suffered financially. We must be careful not to become calloused toward these brethren. Sometimes we depend upon food stamps, unemployment, and other federally-funded programs to such an extent that we show little human compassion toward our brother. A man may have been out of work for months and no one from the church ever ask him, “What can we help you with?” or slip him a $20.00 bill. We almost want to reduce the unfortunate to the point of having to beg before we help him.

Human compassion toward one another should characterize the saints. I am reminded of Barnabas selling his property to relieve the needs of his brethren (Acts 4:36-37). How many of us would be willing to sell our second car or rental property in order to relieve the suffering of our unemployed brother?

2. We should demonstrate love in our relationships within the local church. Sometimes the church looks like some of the best people acting the meanest toward one another. Envy, jealousy, bitterness, abusive speech, gossip, suspicion, and evil surmising sometimes are rampant in the local church.

Some of us are so bound and determined to stand up for our rights that we destroy the local church. When brethren allow their rights to destroy the local church, they have abused their rights. 1 Corinthians 9 should be studied carefully by every brother who is worried about standing up for his rights. In that chapter, Paul emphasized that he had the right to be married, to forbear working and be supported by the local churches, and to eat meats. Nevertheless, he willingly refused to exercise his rights in order that he might win more people for Jesus Christ (9:19-22). He then warned brethren to be careful in the exercise of their personal liberties not to become the occasion of another person stumbling, thus falling from grace themselves (cf. 9:24-10:12).

There are times when we might have the right to press our point but would be much advised to keep our mouths shut, bear some injustices for Christ’s sake, and go on living for Jesus in order that the peace and tranquility of the local church might not be disturbed. Peter said, “. . . for charity shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8). Paul added, “And let the peace of God rule(2) in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful” (Col. 3:15).

Because some brethren with inadequate understanding of love might judge otherwise, we need to emphasize that rebuking a sinner in the hope of causing him to repent is an act of love. Sometimes men conclude that elders hate a brother from whom they lead the congregation in withdrawing fellowship; others conclude that bitterness and hatred exist when one brother rebukes the false doctrine taught by another brother. Both are mistaken. Men take the time to call these errors to the attention of the erring brother for the express purpose of leading him to repentance. Such men love the soul of the erring brother and want to see him in heaven. Consequently, when they see him err from the truth, they seek to restore him to the Lord. When brethren learn this truth, they will no longer look upon every disagreement printed in periodicals as “preacher fights” generated by hatred, variance, bitterness, and strife. Generally such exchanges are written by conscientious brethren with the highest regard for each other. Each participant who is attempting to persuade the other to his point of view is convinced that he has the truth and is sincerely trying to convince the other party. In pressing his points, he may sometimes overstate his case, become too zealous, or in some other way make a rash statement; however, generally such discussions spring from love for each other’s soul and are healthy to the people of God.

Brotherly Love: An Evidence Of Salvation

John repeatedly used brotherly love as a criterion for determining whether or not one was saved.

He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him (1 Jn. 2:9-10).

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother (1 Jn. 3:10).

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him (1 Jn. 3:14-15).

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God (1 Jn. 4:7).

The knowledge that we have brotherly love gives our heart assurance and confidence before God (1 Jn. 3:19). The person who feels bitterness, hatred, variance, and strife toward his brother surely must question his personal salvation before God. The brother who backbites, gossips, spreads rumors and malicious lies about his brother surely must know that he is lost, regardless of how highly regarded he might be by some brethren. To have a genuine assurance of salvation, let each of us manifest brotherly love toward each other.

Conclusion

Young William HoIsclaw who rescued his younger brothers while his flesh was burning with fire gave us an example of how we ought to love one another. From his exemplary conduct toward his fleshly brothers, let us resolve anew to manifest a lovely and loving disposition toward our brethren in Christ.

Endnotes

1. One cannot pass this text without comparing it with John 3:16. John 3:16 tells us of God’s great love toward us in giving His Son to die for our sins in order that we might be saved through faith in Him. 1 John 3:16 ties that thought together with out obligation to show the same kind of love toward one another.

2. The word here is brabeuo which means “to be an umpire, to direct, control, rule.” Things which make for peace should be the rule which determines our conduct. In our working with one another, we should allow those things which will promote harmony and peace to be our guideline for determining which course of action we will follow.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 11, pp. 322, 345-346
June 7, 1984

By Philip A. Owens

(Introductory Note. Phillip Owens does the work of an evangelist with the Holland’s Gin Church of Christ on Upper Elkton Rd. in Limestone County, near the County Seat at Athens. After being disturbed by Edward Fudge’s corrupt influence a few years ago, the congregation has benefitted from the steadying influence of Alvin Holt for some time. Phillip is now carrying on the work in a fine way. At 24 years of age, he is among the many fine young preachers who have a good grasp on fundamental principles of the gospel. Midfield is his “home” congregation, where his parents and grandmother still attend. His dad has served long and faithfully as a deacon. Phillip expresses himself clearly -there is no uncertain sound when he preaches Christ and Him crucified. I am happy to commend him to our readers, and to encourage him to develop his talents in using the pen as well as the pulpit as a medium of proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ. Ron Halbrook, 541 Midfield St., Midfield, AL 35228)

Is the grave man’s dreadful end, after which he has no existence and should therefore “grab all the gusto” because d6you only go around once in life?” Or is there life after death? The sad but yet true sentiment of many is the former. But we can and ought to rejoice that the God of Heaven has promised a life with blessings beyond comprehension for the faithful. While life everlasting is promised few, only because few will accept Jehovah’s salvation on His conditions, an existence is also promised for the unfaithful and disobedient. This life will continue forever (the same as for the righteous), but in the most horrid, dreadful, and torturous conditions imaginable. Yes, “If a man die,” he shall live again. But what of this afterlife?

Living Again

Job asked our question and answered it within the same verse. “If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare would I wait, Till my release (change – KJV) should come” (Job 14:14). The release or change that Job stated would come after death intimates the general resurrection of all men, about which Paul expressly wrote in the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians. Christ also answered the question in language we can’t help but understand when He said, “Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.” (Jn. 5:28,29).

If we were not promised anything after this life, in many ways we would be in no better conditions nor have any greater hope than the beasts of the field. Indeed, “If the dead are not raised . . . we are of all men most miserable” (1 Cor. 15:16,19). With Paul, we could truthfully say, “If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Cor. 15:32). It seems though, that many do not believe the foregoing, but rather have the rich man’s attitude: “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry,” concerned about physical life, but indifferent concerning their destiny after death. But to more fully comprehend Biblical teaching relative to afterlife, we need to know something about physical life itself.

What Is Life?

Man is a composite being. When God Almighty breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life, he became a living soul or being. Physical life animated his physical body. This was done miraculously at the beginning. Through the natural laws of procreation which God set in force, man and woman produce offspring which have physical life. But man was distinguished from the lower creation in that God “created man in his own image” (Gen. 1:27). The image in which God created man was that God gave man an eternal spirit which would abide forever. “God is a Spirit,” and since “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom on God,” God gives all men a spirit or soul – something which does not consist of flesh and blood – so we may enter Heaven (Jn. 4:24; 1 Cor. 15:50). But James says “as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:26). Therefore, if physical death is the separation of body and spirit, life is the joining and intertwining of body and spirit.

What Is Death?

But the body returns to dust, and in some tragic cases, no remains are found after death. Is the physical body then revived or “changed” when man shall “live again”? No, for some would have nothing to change. So the end for our physical bodies is the grave. But since death is simply the separation of body and spirit, what happens to the spirit? It returns “unto God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7) in a place God designed for man’s spirit until the day of judgment. This place for disembodied spirits is called Hades, vividly pictured and designated by Christ in Luke 16 as a place of conscious bliss or torment. Therefore, death is not a ceasing to exist, but a separation of one’s spirit from his body. The body returns to the natural elements which compose it, ceasing to live; the spirit continues to exist and forever will! (Matt. 25:41,46; Acts 24:15; Rom. 2:7; Gal. 6:8).

An interesting observation is here in order concerning death being only a separation. In Revelation 21:8, John said, “But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.” All must die physically; it is an appointment everyone must meet, except the Lord return first (Heb. 9:27). But the “second death” does not refer to a body and spirit separation – it has already occurred. This separation is from God and the blessings he bestows upon the faithful. Hear Paul’s inspired commentary: “At the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thess. 1:7-9). Therefore, we all die once, but sadly, many will die the second death. It is this death we are to dread; both if we are unprepared.

Where Will We Live?

Job said his “change” would come, as all of ours will. That change will be when God raises our spirits from Hades and clothes them with an immortal body, destined for one of two places – Heaven or Hell. It is interesting to note that as Paul discusses this very subject, illustrating the resurrected body as a grain sown and springing forth into a different body, he later said, “I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed” (1 Cor. 15:5 1). The “change should come” which Job anticipated is therefore the same “change” about which Paul so definitively wrote, and precedes our sentencing.

When we are sentenced by “the righteous judge,” there will be no higher court to which we may appeal. God’s sentencing is irrevocable, and our destinies unalterable. Following sentencing, the righteous will “inherit the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world.” It is described as a place where neither hunger, thirst, tears, nor anything unclean can enter, and where saints are “before the throne of God; and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them” (Rev. 7:15). Such glory, rest, peace, and the majesty of God is unfathomable.

While on the other hand, God’s sentencing will deliver the disobedient and unfaithful into outer darkness, where excruciating pain causes weeping and gnashing of teeth. This everlasting abode for many is described as a lake of fire that burns with fire and brimstone, and into which the wicked are cast, helplessly bound “hand and foot” (Rev. 21:8; Matt. 22:13).

Yes, “If a man die” he shall live again. Where we live now is immaterial. After death though, where will mean everything. Are you prepared to die? We all shall live again; by God’s grace and our faith and obedience it will be in Heaven. Without our humble submission to His will, eternal punishment is our lot. Accept His grace offered by obedience to His terms for salvation. Believe that Christ is God’s Son (Jn. 8:24), repent of your sins (Luke 13:3), confess Christ (Acts 8:37), be buried in baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3,4), and live faithfully until the end. It is God’s desire and man’s only hope to live eternally with God.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 10, pp. 308-309
May 17, 1984

By Ron Daly

If not explicitly stated, the above title is at least implied by persons who are determined to compromise their convictions (?) In religion or who are ignorant concerning the teaching of the New Testament relative to conformity in doctrine.

This relatively recent change in attitude toward the authority of the Bible is attributed to several factors, viz. (1) a general misapprehension of what constitutes fellowship in the New Testament (1 Jn. 1:5-10); (2) a false concept of love which has led some to become soft towards error, i.e., many believe that exposing error in explicit terms (such as Jesus did with regard to the Pharisees in Matt. 23) does not emanate from a heart filled with concern, but is the product of an arrogant, conceited heart; (3) ecumenical councils established to promulgate a “unity in diversity” concept in religion; (4) the erroneous view that adherence to doctrine is irrelevant (i.e., the view that one must accept the basic fact of the gospel. [viz, the deity of Christ, and the basic act, immersion in water] but other differences, even doctrines diametrically opposed to one another are not grounds for the withholding of fellowship). None of the constituents of the “Let Us Agree To Disagree” philosophy are in harmony with the Scriptures and ought to be unequivocally rejected!

In matters of doctrine there can be no “agreement to disagree.” One’s teaching (doctrine) conforms to the New Testament or it does not. A doctrine is scriptural or it is not. One is in fellowship with God and God’s children based on the truth or he is not (Jn. 17:17, 20-22). One is abiding in the doctrine of Christ or he is not (2 Jn. 9-11)!

The “Let Us Agree To Disagree” theory has no logical stopping point. If we may “fellowship” the Christian Church with its perversions of worship (e.g., instrumental music, choirs, et.al.) Claiming that the differences are only doctrinal, what about Baptists who wear religious titles of distinction, teach the impossibility of apostasy, and deny the essentiality of being in the New Testament church in order to be saved? What about Methodists who practice sprinkling and pouring for “baptism” and teach that infant membership is scriptural? What about Presbyterians who teach inborn sin, and the direct operation of the Holy Spirit? What about Pentecostals who practice “tongue speaking,” perform “miracles,” and claim present day immersion in the Spirit? Are these not doctrinal matters? Can we not “Agree to Disagree” in these areas? No, friends, we cannot!

One reason why religious discussions are so uncommon is, the majority of professed “Christians” have resolved that it does not matter what one believes as long as one loves Jesus and is honest. But, they have conveniently forgotten that Jesus said, “If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments . . . he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me . . .” (Jn. 14:15, 21). The apostle John penned these words, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 Jn. 5:3). So, the denominational view that doctrine (i.e, the teaching of God’s word, including the keeping of His commandments, obedience) is not essential, and therefore, insignificant is fallacious! In matters that concern any concept (fundamental) of Christianity, the faith, or the gospel, there can be no “agreement to disagree,” because there is only one faith (Eph. 4:5; Gal. 1:6-9) , and anyone or anything that differs with it is wrong (2 Jn. 9-11)!

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 10, p. 307
May 17, 1984