Truth Magazine

By Ward Hogland

Brother Reuel Lemmons gave three big cheers for the pope in his March article in Action, a paper published on the West coast by Jimmie Lovell. He said, “Critical Cardinals have jumped all over the pope for his laudatory assessment of Martin Luther’s work, and his announced plans to preach in a Lutheran church.” He went on to say the cranky Cardinals have circulated a letter condemning the pope. What Reuel didn’t tell is that those so-called “cranky Cardinals” didn’t condemn the pope for speaking in a Lutheran church but for giving encouragement to Lutheran doctrine! Even the “critical Cardinals” knew that one cannot fit the round peg of Catholicism into the square hole of Lutheranism. On this basis I beg to differ with brother Lemmons. Instead of giving the pope three cheers I think he needs three kicks in the seat of the pants! There is a vast difference in preaching in a building and giving aid to the enemy by acquiescing to his doctrine.

After giving three cheers to the pope, he turned on his own brethren by making three serious charges. He condemned all Christians who claim we are the only Christians. He said, “The self assumed claim that we are the only Christians. ” Second, “We have arrived at ultimate truth, and if others want it they can come to us and get it.” Third, “The right to determine who is a Christian.” To justify his position, he used the old cliche “We are not that perfect in all our judgments.” Kind friend, have we drifted so far that we cannot identify a Christian? Have we become so bent by the logomachy of Calvinism that we stand for nothing? Brother Lemmons talked about Christians having the truth and others having to come to us to get it. The first part of his statement is truth; the second part is prejudicial! Who ever claimed that people have to come to us for truth? Kind friend, the truth is in the Bible.

He bemoans the fact we are the only Christians. Was the Lord the only true Lord? Was Noah and his family the only ones saved in the ark? Were the apostles the only ones to impart gifts of the Spirit? Is there only one true church? Is there only one Spirit, God, Body, Lord, Faith and Hope? If my brethren would stop giving cheers to the pope long enough to study their Bibles, they would find the word only is not so bad! You know, I do not know everything, neither am I perfect but one thing I know and that is that I must know the truth in order to be free. So at least, I can know something. Several years ago an infidel told me, “Hogland, we don’t know anything for sure.” I laugh at the time but now my brethren are telling me the same! Kind friend, you are not perfect but you had better know that baptism is essential to salvation, that the Lord’s Supper is to be observed every Sunday, that it is wrong to lie, steal and commit adultery, that the Lord established one church, that there is a God in heaven who loves you and wants you saved, and that he has given you the power of choice.

I differ with brother Lemmons on all three points. First, I believe Christians are the only ones to be saved. Second I believe we can know the identity of a Christian and third I believe the Christian must know the truth in order to be saved. Think it over because it is later than you think.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 10, p. 305
May 17, 1984

By Johnie Edwards

There are some things that just go along with salvation. The Hebrew writer said, “But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak” (Heb. 6:9). Let’s take a look at some things that accompany salvation.

The Gospel of Christ

In writing the Ephesians, Paul said, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13). The gospel and salvation cannot be separated, for you can not have one without the other! This is the reason it is written, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). It is by the gospel that we are saved as Paul wrote the Corinthians, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain” (1 Cor. 15:1-2). If you expect to see folks enjoy salvation, you will have to see that they are taught the gospel of Jesus Christ in order that they may obey it.

Greatness

Salvation is the greatest thing that has been offered mankind! If we were to gain the whole world and lose our soul, we would be cheated (Matt. 16:26). No wonder it is recorded: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation . . .” (Heb. 2:3). Salvation is great because it is one of the things that extends beyond the confines of this world. When the Lord comes the second time, He will bring eternal salvation for the faithful (Heb. 9:28). Greatness accompanies salvation.

Faith And Obedience

Obedience accompanies salvation. It always has and always will! The Holy Spirit said as He spoke of Christ: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb. 5:8-9). Faith put to work in obedience makes for a condition where one can enjoy salvation from past sins and, as Peter said, “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:9). If you believe that you can have salvation from your sins and expect to go to the heaven when you die apart from faith and obedience, perish the thought!

The Longsuffering of God

Many times God suffers long just to allow one to be saved. God does not wish that any die in his sins (Ezek. 33:11). Christ “is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). Again Peter said, “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation . . .” (2 Pet. 3:15). God may be waiting to send His Son the second time to allow you an opportunity to be saved! Would you please take advantage of the longsuffering of God?

Christ And The Church

Christ and the church accompanies salvation. It is recorded, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Yet, many have been led to believe that there is nothing in a name, and that one name is just as good as another. There is authority in a name! The saved are in the church for that is where the Lord puts the saved (Acts 2:47). Paul told the Ephesians that “Christ is the savior of the body” (Eph. 5:23) and the body is the church (Col. 1:18). “Salvation is in Christ (2 Tim. 2: 10). Are you in Christ and the church?

Faithful-Sacrificial Living

No responsible person can be saved without faithful living! The Lord said, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Without holiness “no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). Paul admonished the Romans “that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable. unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12: 1). You need to mark it down, in whatever book you mark things down in, that faithful-sacrificial living accompanies salvation.

We all need to learn the principle, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matt. 19:9).

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 11, p. 325
June 7, 1984

By John W. Hedge

Unbalanced preaching and teaching of God’s holy word, the gospel of Christ, is, in the ears of those full informed therein, comparable to the unbalanced tires on one’s automobile. Such preaching and teaching consists of “wresting the scriptures” (2 Pet. 3:15-16), of “perverting the gospel of Christ” (Gal. 1:6-8), and of failing to “handle aright the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). Unbalanced preaching reduces the Bible to a book of glaring contradictions and unworthy of acceptation by anyone.

In the beginning of the Lord’s church on earth there was no unbalanced preaching. Those who engaged in the noble work of preaching the only gospel designed to save the lost were inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:26; Matt. 10:19-20; Gal. 3:1-2). It was through the agency of those inspired preachers and writers of the gospel of Christ that the New Testament in its entirety has been given to all 4. mankind and for all time (Jude 3-4). Taking this as our sole “rule book” we find the following obligations made binding on all who would preach or teach God’s word in a way which would please Him.

First, they must “speak as the (written) oracles of God” (1 Pet. 4:11). Second, they must “speak the things which become sound doctrine” (Mt. 2:1). Third, they must “rightly divide (or handle aright) the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). By following these simple rules, there can be no unbalanced preaching and teaching of the gospel of Christ. All the unbalanced preaching, all the different “winds of doctrine,” as heard today have resulted from the different preachers who have ignored God’s simple rules governing them in their work. The unity, peace, and great progress attained by the early Christians is to be attributed to the fact that they “continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine” which was well balanced (Acts 2:42). Although there were twelve different apostles, each one being guided by the same Holy Spirit taught or preached the same things. This spells out clearly the unity of their preaching and resulted in the unity of all who believed it, and a continuation of such unity on the part of all who continued in it. Repeated warnings were given that some would “depart from the faith” by “giving heed to the doctrines of demons” and by following their own “pernicious ways” (1 Tim. 4:1-3). These predictions began to be fulfilled even in the days of the apostle Paul and have been on the increase through the centuries, and with more yet to come (2 Tim. 3:13).

Since the days of Martin Luther and John Calvin, the doctrine that “salvation is solely by faith” and “wholly by the grace of God” has been taught. Great emphasis has been placed upon the idea that man cannot save himself, which is true in the sense that he cannot devise and use a plan of his own making but untrue when it is applied to man in accepting God’s plan and abiding in it. Even some preachers who claim to “speak as the (written) oracles of God” have been heard to catch up the old refrain, “Man cannot save himself,” one “cannot be saved by good works” without any qualifications whatsoever. It is leaving such remarks in mid-air that constitutes unsound preaching. Perhaps when these remarks are made without due qualification by some of our careless preachers, it would be good for one to be present who believes that man can do nothing by which to save himself to shout aloud a hearty “amen.” Maybe this would cause the careless preachers not to leave such remarks in mid-air.

One of “our preachers” informs by letter that he now is emphasizing God’s grace more than emphasizing man’s works. This spells out clearly unsound preaching. I wonder if he would take time off to preach a series of sermons based on James 2, along with Philippians 2:11-12 and Revelation 22:12. Well balanced preaching requires that one not only preach “salvation by grace” but by doing “the works of God,” that is, the “works” which He has authorized us to do in His will. In all of our teaching and preaching we need to use “sound speech that cannot be condemned.” “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Prov. 25:11).

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 10, p. 303
May 17, 1984

By Bill McMilleon

In opening this article I suppose it would be advantageous to define what I mean by the term “personality.” Webster defines the word thusly, “the quality or state of being a person.” That definition will suffice for our study with the single proviso that we are studying a divine “personality.”

The purpose of this article is to show that the God the Christian deals with is not some abstract impersonal force but a God which has all the characteristics that constitute a personality. Some may consider this article as ridiculously unnecessary. After all, what Christian would deny the fact that God is personal (i.e. has an individual personality)? Ostensibly no Christian would assert such, but I believe that in a practical sense many do.

To demonstrate what I am referring to let me give a example. A lady once confided in me that when she thought of Jesus she associated Him with all the love, mercy and tenderness of a personal loving Savior. In contrast, she identified God (i.e. the Father) with judgment, severity and a certain aloofness. In short, she felt that she could really know Jesus but there was a certain abstractness when it came to understanding the Father. This kind of thinking makes a dichotomy between Jesus and God that does not exist.

In John 14:8 Philip requested of Jesus, “Lord show us the Father. ” Evidently even Philip had a mistaken concept concerning the Father and the Son. Jesus’ answer silences for all time those who would divorce the personalities and intentions of God and Jesus. Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father, how do you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (Jn. 14:9). In Hebrews 1:3, speaking of Christ, the inspired writer says, “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person . . . . ” Certainly we can see from this verse that whatever personal characteristics we attribute to one we must attribute to the other.

The attitude that associates Jesus with only those personality traits of mercy, love and tenderness and attributes to God such traits as severity, judgment and aloofness must be relinquished. A false view of God will hinder our having the proper relationship with Him. The truth is that Jesus is identified in the scriptures as one who is severe when confronting sin (see Jn. 2:13-16; Matt. 26:15; Matt. 18:6,7). All judgment has been given to the Son (Jn. 5:22). God’s stated purpose for doing this is that “all may honor the Son even as they honor the Father” (v. 23).

Further, it is the love of God (i.e. the Father) that gave Jesus for the redemption of the world (Jn. 3:16). His personal interest in our every problem is explicitly and undeniably declared in such passages as Philippians 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:6, 7. It is He that supplies our needs (Phil. 4:19). God is the one who will confirm, establish and perfect us (1 Pet. 5:10). Indeed, the Scriptures declare that He gives us “all things” relative to our spiritual welfare (Rom. 8:32).

What I have said in this article is not intended to detract from the truth that God does all of these things through Christ (Eph. 1:3). The very fact that it is through Christ reveals to us, in the best possible way, that Christ and the Father are “one” (Jn. 10:30).

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 10, p. 302
May 17, 1984