Truth Magazine

By Arthur M. Ogden

Little study of the New Testament is necessary to learn that God expects His people to work. The saved are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained” (Eph. 2: 10), and Jesus went to the cross to “purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Tit. 2:14). It is plain then, God’s people have been spiritually created in Christ to be zealous of the good works God ordained.

Early Christians were made aware constantly that good works were to be performed. Titus was instructed to show himself “a pattern of good works” (Tit. 2:7). He was also to teach the brethren “to be ready to every good work” (3:1) and to “be careful to maintain good works” (3:10,14). Paul often reminded those addressed in his epistles to be ‘:fruitful in every good work” (Col. 1: 10; 2 Thess. 2:17; Heb. 13:21), and brethren were challenged to “consider one another to provoke unto love and good works” (Heb. 10:24). The works God ordained serve to draw praise and glory to Him from those who observe His people at work (Matt. 5:16; 1 Pet. 2:12). These texts and many more demonstrate that God’s people are to work.

I find that most Christians understand they are to work for the Lord but somehow fail to comprehend what to do or how to perform it. God has ordained what His people are to do (Eph. 2: 10) and has revealed it for our learning in the Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Failure to know what is required can be solved by a knowledge of the Scriptures (2 Tim. 2:15) and failure to know how to do the work can be resolved by determination. We learn to do what we understand we must do. The wise hear and do (Matt. 7:24-25). The foolish only hear (7:26-27) and then do as they please (Matt. 7:22-23).

Misconceptions

The knowledge that God’s people are to work coupled with the desire to be acceptable to Him with the least amount of effort has led to many errors and misconceptions concerning the performance of the work. Some evidently think their responsibility to work is discharged simply by attending one hour’s service a week, but a careful examination of Luke 9:23 and other related texts quickly dispels this notion. Following the Lord is a daily task that cannot be completed in one hour. Even faithful attendance of all local church services does not fulfill the requirements of Luke 9:23 for constant service. Something more is demanded and expected.

Others think passive obedience, i.e., not doing anything wrong, is all that ii needed, but James writes, “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your ownselves” (Jas. 1:22). Action is required. The house swept and garnished (Lk. 11:24-26) must be filled with deeds demonstrating positive action (1 Jn. 3:17-18; 1 Tim. 6:17-19).

Still others think the work done by the local church of which one becomes a part by local identity, viz., attendance, giving and encouraging those who actually do the works, is all that is required. Paul’s statement in I Timothy S:16 shows the fallacy of this reasoning. He said, “If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged, that it may relieve them that are widows indeed. ” It is evident that believers are burdened with responsibilities which are not to become the burden of the local church. One cannot, therefore, fulfill all God expects of him as a Christian by faithfully discharging his duty as a member of the local church. Additional work is required.

Some even have the far fetched notion that the only way God’s people work is for the local congregation to make donations from its treasury to various organizations involved in what is termed “good works.” If this philosophy were true, one could as reasonably raise his children by the local church making a donation to “Save The Children.” Such reasoning is without logic. In the first place, there is no scriptural authority for the local church to be involved in such activities but, even if there were, it would not relieve the Christian of his responsibility to do the works God specifically requires of him. The Bible teaches, “let every man prove his own work, . . . . For every man shall bear his own burden” (Gal. 6:4-5).

Teaching Neglected

Over the past third century, discussion of issues relating to institutionalism and the work of the local church have somewhat eclipsed our teaching concerning the Christian’s personal work. One could readily get the impression that God’s people only work through the local congregation, or that at least most of the work is to be done by the organized efforts of the local body. The institutionalist position in essence destroyed the need for the Christian to work. They argued that whatever the individual can do the local church can do. Naturally, if the local church does the work, the individual has nothing more to do. Some even went so far as to contend that if the Christian worked apart from the church he robbed God of the glory He expected to receive through the church (Eph. 3:21). The work God’s people are to do as individuals has in many cases been obscured.

The war against institutionalism had to be fought but the fight demanded more and more attention be given to the work of the local church and less to the individual. Hours otherwise spent teaching upon personal work were necessarily directed toward stemming the tide of digression. The result was, in many cases, brethren did not learn what God expected of them except as it pertained to their association as members of the local church. Satan could not be more pleased.

Two Ways To Work

All agree that God expects the local congregation to work. Numerous passages can be cited, and will be in future studies, authorizing the local church to function as a unit to do the limited work scripturally permitted. This is one way God’s people work, but it is not the only way. A study of the Scriptures reveal that the greater portion of work God anticipates from His people is to come from individual Christians doing their personal work. A percentage ratio might show 90% expected from individuals and 10% from the local unit. No one can do this work for us. The local church at work cannot substitute for it nor relieve us of the personal responsibility. The local church can only do what it is authorized by the Scriptures to do and, when it has done this, it still has not touched a single work assigned the Christian.

“Every tree is known by his own fruit” (Lk. 6:44), and “every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away” (Jn. 15:2). “Let every man prove his own work, . . for every man shall bear his own burden” (Gal.4:5).The burden of doing the works of God is upon every Christian. Paul “exhorted and comforted and charged every one” of the Thessalonians how to ” walk worthy of God” (1 Thess. 2:11). To the Colossians he was “warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom,, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:28). Why? Because every man must appear before the judgment seat of Christ (Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10) to give account of himself to God (Rom. 14:12) who shall judge “according to every man’s work” (1 Pet. 1: 17; Rev. 20:12-13), rewarding them accordingly (Matt. 16:27; Rom. 2:6).

The question then of whether the Christian must be involved personally in God’s work is answered. He must! Failure to do the work required on a personal basis would be disastrous (Matt. 25:4, 18, 45-46), and ignorance of the work to be done is inexcusable. God has ordained the works and made them known to us (Eph. 2:10; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Conclusion

Since God requires His children to work and since we shall be called to account for our actions, it behooves us to learn what we are to do as service to God. As pointed out previously, this involves learning what constitutes the Christian’s personal work as well as the work of the local congregation. In articles to come we shall give attention to God’s people at work from both vantage points.

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 20, pp. 629-630
October 20, 1983

By Wayne S. Walker

Nearly all the denominations, especially the Baptists and the Pentecostals, have what are called “Christian colleges, ” as do also the Christian Churches and even some “churches of Christ.” Practically every faithful congregation of God’s people have received numerous requests from colleges run by members of the church and often identified as “Christian colleges” soliciting support in some form or another. In fact, every now and then someone will ask me whether certain schools operated by brethren are really “Christian colleges” or not.

The basic idea behind the “Christian college” concept is a school where “Christian young people” can be educated in both academic and religious subjects while associated with other “Christian young people” in a moral, or “Christian,” environment, as it is sometimes stated. Many of the denominational schools require a “profession of faith” before a student can be enrolled, and they usually receive support from a certain denomination or a group of churches, being considered the educational centers for the supporting churches and the place where their preachers may go to train. The situation with many colleges among us is not that much different as sectarian ideas have a tendency to rub off on unwary saints. However, nowhere does the scripture speak of a “Christian college,” either in fact or in principle. Any college that does exist has no scriptural right whatsoever to do certain things which many so-called “Christian colleges” do.

No college has the right to call itself or be called “Christian” to begin with. This word is found just three times in the Bible (Acts 11:26, 26:28; 1 Pet. 1: 16) and is used only of people, never things – including colleges. The only entity that may properly be referred to as “Christian” is a believing, penitent, confessing, baptized follower of Christ. Also, the word is found only as a noun, not an adjective. Some people talk about a “Christian man” or a “Christian woman.” While this may not be necessarily wrong, why not just speak of men and women who are Christians and say, “He (or she) is a Christian,” thus speaking as the oracles of God (1 Pet. 4: 11) and avoiding any occasion for misunderstanding. But even allowing for that, it is absurd, not to mention unscriptural, to refer to “Christian” printing presses, literature, bookstores, markets, nations, and especially colleges. Christ did not die for them and they have no business wearing His name. There is no way a college can be thought of as being “Christian” in a true Biblical sense.

Nor does any college have the authority to receive funds from any church, at least according to the word of God, especially from a church that claims to be “of Christ.”

The use of the Lord’s money in the church treasury is clearly outlined in the Scriptures – saving the lost through preaching the gospel (Rom. 1:15-16; Phil. 4:15-17), edifying the saints by teaching and worship (1 Cor. 14:26), and relieving the needs of indigent Christians in certain situations (Acts 4:34-37; 11:27-30). The mission of the church is spiritual, not physical or temporal (Lk. 19:10, Rom. 14:17). The purpose of a college, on the other hand, is to provide a general education in such disciplines as mathematics, language, science, psychology, etc., and to make available the proper social, recreational, and entertainment facilities as are needed, regardless of how much “Bible” may be included or how “Christian” the atmosphere may be. Churches have no business underwriting such secular education. In addition, churches of Christ simply have no Bible authority to supply financial aid to any human-founded institution in the first place. And although they denied it for years, it is now known that some churches have been secretly supporting many of the “brotherhood colleges” all the while.

Neither should the colleges try to usurp the work God has given the church nor exercise any influence upon it. Paul wrote that “the church of the living God (is) the pillar and the ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15), not some manmade institution. When a college acts in such a way as to replace or supplant the work of the local congregation, it has overstepped its bounds whether it receives church money or not. It should then cease to exist lest it pervert God’s plan further and corrupt the Lord’s church more than it already has. Colleges have a way of becoming rallying points around which brethren will draw lines and form parties. They can exert an influence and wield power, in contradiction to the spirit of Matthew 20:25-28, of which we must be careful. And history reveals that most departures from the faith have begun in connection with church related schools.

There is nothing wrong with a group of brethren owning and operating an institution of higher learning to provide a general education for all interested young people in a moral environment, so long as that college refuses to accept church support and to usurp the work of the blood bought body of Christ. This writer has benefitted greatly from such a situation. However, let the local church, designed by God to be the support of the truth, and individual Christians also fulfil this obligation to ground young people in the Scriptures and train men to preach the word. Neither is there anything wrong with the college providing periods of instruction in the Bible and related topics as part of an eclectic ..curriculum; and even preachers may wish to obtain their schooling there. But this does not make the school a “Christian college,” for in reality, there can be no such thing.

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 20, p. 625
October 20, 1983

By John Smith

Four times in Ephesians 5 Paul compels husbands to love their wives. In Ephesians 5:25 the God of heaven inspired Paul to write, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself up for her.” We, who are husbands, have a sacred duty to love our wives to the extent that we would sacrifice our lives for their benefit. In v. 28 Paul further qualifies a husband’s love for his wife by saying that “husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies.” Just as we cleanse, protect, and pamper our bodies, so also we ought to do for our wives. That same verse connects loving oneself and loving one’s wife. When I fail to love my wife as my own body, I fail to love myself. Paul concludes with this same thought in v. 33, “Nevertheless let each individual among you also love his own wife even as himself.”

In 1 Peter 3:7, Peter says, “You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman, and grant her honor as a fellow-heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” God in this passage ascribes to man the responsibility of caring for and honoring his wife. The wife, by God’s design, is elevated to a position in which she is worthy of esteem. She is to be treated with special kindness and delicacy as one would treat a prized fragile piece of glass-ware. Many though seem to view their wives as garbage cans doomed to abuse and mistreatment. We as husbands need to have the care and gentleness of a glassmaker not the rough-shod manner of a garbage man.

Our wives are prized companions, confidantes, and friends. We need to communicate with them, share with them, laugh with them, and cry with them. The story is told of a man who solemnly repeated his vow to love, honor and cherish his wife. He pledged to do so in sickness and in health; in good times and in bad; etc. A few months later he isolated himself behind the evening newspaper and TV. He was no longer the friend, companion, and confidante that he once had been. Having taken it as long as she could, the wife resorted to her last trick – nagging! The husband exploded, sharply rebuking her for her rebellion. It is said that he didn’t see her for about a week – and then only out of one eye! Let us as husbands realize the precious gift given us by God and treat her as such (Prov. 19:14).

Paul in Romans 12:18 says, “If possible so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” Husbands, like it or not, our wives are a part of “all men” as it is used here in reference to the human race. A young man where I preach said of his girl friend, “It might be o.k. for Greg and Judy to argue and fight, but it is not o.k. for Bro. Potts and Sister Kyle.” This fellow, young in years and young as a Christian (4 months old!) made a very mature and insightful statement concerning his relationship with this young lady. Those of us whose wives are Christians need to realize that we are also brothers and sisters in Christ and ought to conduct ourselves accordingly.

Consider for a moment what effect it would have on troubled marriages if husbands would learn to love their wives as Christ loved the church. How easily might some of those problems be solved if the husband loved his wife as himself? How much more pleasant would many marriages be if the husband loved and cared for his wife as he did for himself? How many fights, arguments, and misunderstandings could be avoided if the husband honored his wife and treated his wife as a fragile vessel? What would happen to the divorce rate in this country if husbands fulfilled their God-given responsibilities to their wives?

But some might say, “I just can’t love my wife as Christ loved the church.” Then remember the words of Christ in Mark 12:31 when He repeated a commandment given by Moses, “You shall love your neighbors as yourself.” Husbands, we have no closer neighbor than our wives. For the one who still cannot bring himself to love his wife as himself, there is one last option. In Matthew 5:44 Jesus commands us to love our enemies. There you have it fellows. There is no way out. Anyway we view our wives the command remains, “Husbands love your wives.”

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 20, p. 624
October 20, 1983

By Earl E. Robertson

Salvation has to do with saving one from his own sins, not the sins of others (Ezek. 18:4, 20). Contrary to the old creeds which teach that all are born into this world with sin (inherited depravity), the Bible teaches babies are safe. Usually the Calvinistic theologian will offer Psalms 51:5 as proof that babies are born sinners. The passage reads, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” So, this passage is supposed to affirm that since parents are sinners their children are also sinners through inheritance! They tell us this means the children are born totally depraved in sin which they got from their parents! The Philadelphia Confession Of Faith says in “Article 10” of babies thus born unelected: “Others not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the Word, and may have some common operations of the Spirit, yet, not being effectually drawn by the Father, they neither will nor can truly come to Christ, and therefore cannot be saved.” This is then the alleged nature of newborn babies. David is not describing either his mother’s or his own moral condition; he is speaking of the condition of the world into which he was born. Acts 2:8 has identical language. Luke records the expressed feelings of the Jews at their hearing the apostles speak various languages, saying, “And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” They were not “born in a tongue”; they were born in a world wherein a certain tongue (language) was spoken. David was born in a world where sin reigned.

By taking the position of inherited depravity, the logical step to follow is the unconditional election. The creeds further say, “This effectual call is of God’s free and special grace alone, not from anything at all foreseen in man, nor from any power or agency in the creature co-working with his special grace; the creature being wholly passive therein, being dead in sins and trespasses, until, being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit, he is thereby enabled to answer this call . . . . ” No one denies the sinner is dead in sin (Eph. 2:1), but we do deny the sin is from anyone but the sinner himself. The creed says “grace alone” but the Bible says “grace through faith” (Eph. 2:8). The creed says the sinner is “wholly passive” in being saved, but Jesus says the one who enters the kingdom of heaven is “he that doeth the will of my Father” (Matt. 7:21). “Doeth” requires action; action is the opposite of passive! Salvation is actively received!

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 20, p. 623
October 20, 1983