Truth Magazine

By Dudley Ross Spears

Premillennialists thrive on the alleged thousand year reign of Jesus Christ on earth. They tell us that Christ will come back to set up the kingdom of God on earth and sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem. They believe this takes place in time and is a prelude to eternity. But they are most vocal and blatant in affirming that the Bible mentions the 1000 year reign (Rev. 20:2-6). They claim that if we take the Bible literally there is no doubt that Christ will set up a millennial kingdom when He returns.

We will test the view of the millennialists on the reign of Christ. They themselves affirm that the kingdom Daniel spoke of in Daniel 7:13 is the kingdom Christ will set up when He returns. Hal Lindsey, the voice of the millennialists, wrote, “The `Ancient of days’ who is described here is identified in Daniel 7:13 as `one like the Son of Man’ brought on the clouds of heaven – the One who will put down all human authority and establish His kingdom forever” (Late Great Planet Earth, p. 81). Pray tell me how the kingdom Christ comes to establish will be “forever” and a “thousand years” at the same time? Who takes the Bible literally?

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 13, p. 402
July 7, 1983

By S. Leonard Tyler

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1, AV). “Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction (`test,’ marginal reading) of things not seen” (ASV, emphasis mine to identify these words, SLT).

The different renderings of Hebrews 11:1 are very interesting. The word “substance” or “assurance” is translated from hupostasis meaning, “assurance, substance or confidence.” “Evidence” or “Conviction” is from elegmos, meaning a reproof, vindication …. which denotes a proof, proving, test, as in Heb. 11:1, `proving,’ R.V. marg., `test”‘ and is found in 2 Tim 3:16 (W.E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Vol. 3, p. 283, and Vol. 4, p. 88). Faith has evidence to sustain the assurance, the confidence, and the proving. Faith gives a basis or ground upon which true confidence can rest.

The gospel reveals these truths in respect to Christ, even as it reveals all spiritual things (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:3-4). We can see how evidence leads to faith in John 20:30-31). “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” Faith is produced and sustained by the word of God which was written for this purpose (Rom. 10:17). Paul so declares it in 1 Timothy 3:16. Perhaps, we have not come to appreciate and rely upon this statement as we should. It reads:

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen of angels, Preached unto the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up into glory.”

A Look At The Passage

“And without controversy” means no one may rightfully even question the greatness of the “mystery,” if he understands. This should create in the minds of all of us a keen interest in the “mystery” and give a desire to motivate effort to learn what the “mystery” really contains as revealed.

“The great mystery of godliness” is the revelation of the truth regarding God’s provisions through Jesus Christ for man’s salvation. “Mystery” has reference to something unknown or unrevealed, not to something unlearnable, mysterious in its very nature, confusing, and unattainable. This “mystery” is now reveal4d (Eph. 3:3-12; 5:32). Paul explains that one by reading can understand. This, according to the apostle was accomplished by Jesus Christ in whom we are to have “boldness and confidence by faith of him.” This was not known in ages past “as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.” The gospel is now revealed for the obedience of faith (Rom. 1:5; 16:26).

“Godliness” is explained by W.E. Vine: “. . . In 1 Tim. 3:16, `the mystery of godliness’ is godliness as embodied in, and communicated through, the truth of the faith concerning Christ” (Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Vol. 2, p. 162). One must imbibe these truths into his own heart and life to be of the faith “which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). Let us now notice the expressions used to impress upon men and women the evidence upon which assurance may be established with firm confidence – not imaginative, wishful, dreamy feelings or some sort of a mystic vision.

Firm Evidences Of Christ

(1) “God was manifest in the flesh” presents Jesus as indeed the Son of God. John so declares Him, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). This is the manifestation of the “mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations . . . . to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:26-28). This is also the basis and strength of John’s presentation as declared that the “fellowship is-with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:1-7). Jesus is the Divine Son of God sent for the redemption of all men (Gal. 4:4-5; Rom. 5:8).

(2) “Justified in the Spirit.” This is proven in the light of the following points. He was conceived of the Spirit (Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:35) and had the Spirit without measure (John 3:34). The Spirit was a sign to John by which to identify Jesus (John 1:32-34). The Spirit testified that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God by descending upon Him at baptism (Matt. 3:16). The Spirit vindicated Christ of all charges alleged against Him and confirmed that He is the Son of God (John 15:26; Rom. 1:4). Justified means vindicated and proven true or righteous. Christ is the genuine, Divine Son of God.

(3) “Seen of Angels.” The angels announced His birth (Luke 2:9-11) and they ministered unto Him after His temptations on the mount (Matt. 4:11). When he prayed in Gethsemane, an angel came and strengthened Him (Luke 22:43), and at His resurrection an angel watched over the tomb (Matt. 28:1-8). When the woman came to anoint the body of Jesus, two men stood by them who caused them to be afraid and to bow down their faces to the earth. The men said unto them, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:5-6). Christ is risen! He is alive!

(4) “Preached unto the Gentiles.” This happened first by Peter at the house of Cornelius (Acts 15:7-8), and Paul was a chosen vessel to the Gentiles (I Tim. 2:5-7). In Romans 9:30-33, Paul plainly shows that the Gentiles obtained unto righteousness by faith and Israel lost their place with God for refusing to believe in Jesus Christ. The Gentiles believed Jesus to be God’s Son.

(5) “Believed on in the world” declares that Jesus Christ was accepted in His own time to be the Divine Son of God. This is the essential truth for man’s salvation. Christ is the author and finisher, the perfecter, of our faith (John 3:16-21; Heb. 4:2-3; 11:1, 6; 12:1-3). Faith will accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Without that faith, a person cannot come to God (Mk. 16:15-16; John 1:12; 5:39-47; 8:24; 14:1-7; Matt. 7:24-27). “Believed on in the world” is given as one of the great facts of the “mystery” because it is a manifestation that Jesus was accepted by those with whom He lived as the Son of God, the incarnate Deity, as John so firmly declared (1 John 1:1-7). The inspired Word is given to produce faith and lead one to accept Jesus as both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:37-42; 8:37-38; Mk. 16:15-16; Heb. 3:12; 10:38-39; James 1:25; 2:17, 20, 24).

It is faith which worketh by love that brings salvation (Gal. 5:6; 1 John 2:22-25; 5:4-5, 9-13). Truly, Jesus was believed on in the world in spite of the forces of all false, human reasoning. The inspired Word of God reveals the only firm, proven reasons upon which faith in a Divine Personal Savior can be substantiated. It was a “great mystery” while kept secret, but now being revealed, it is understandable and sufficient to produce the faith which moves one to accept Jesus (Phil. 3:8-11; Gal. 2:20). This is God’s grace provided to give man the only way of salvation (Tit. 2:11-12). What a wonderful revelation. They believed and obeyed. We should follow their example. The message is trustworthy (2 Cor. 4:13).

(6) “Received up into glory.” This points to Christ’s ascension back to the Father (John 17:5; Acts 1:9). As Paul declared, “When he ascended upon high, he lead captivity captive and gave gifts unto men” (Eph. 4:8). Thus, Christ took His seat at God’s right hand with all authority in both heaven and earth (Acts 2:36; Eph. 1:18-23). The gospel of Christ is God’s power unto salvation to all who believe (Rom. 1:16-18). “O the depth of the riches both of wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways are past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again! For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Rom. 11:33-36).

Herein lies the substance, assurance, and conviction upon which faith is produced and sustained. Will you believe and imbibe these precious truths into your heart and life? After Jesus prepared the way, the Holy Spirit revealed it in an understandable manner to make it available and attainable to all men (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 10:34-35; Rom. 1:16-18; 1 Cor. 15:1-3). Will you hear, it, believe it, and obey it to the saving of the soul? God has provided – will you accept? The answer lies within your own reach. Your soul depends upon your answer. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world . . . who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee” (Titus 2:11-12, 14-15).

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 13, pp. 401-402
July 7, 1983

By Dudley Ross Spears

In 1947 brother Otis Gatewood was drumming up support for the work of “evangelizing” Germany. World War II left Germany a beaten nation and the ravages of that war brought a once proud and prosperous people l o their knees. The Marshall plan to refurbish Europe was in effect and Gatewood and his team set out to refurbish Germany in a “Church of Christ” style.

Gatewood made a speech at the 1947 lectureship at David Lipscomb College and in it said, “We at least can say that we must work for fifteen or twenty years, in order to have what we would like to have in that country” (1947 Lipscomb Lectures, p. 83). The “fifteen or twenty years” have more than passed and what Gatewood and his team wanted then is not what they have now. The passing of time has seen many changes in the German society. No longer is Germany a war-ravaged nation that eagerly seeks hand-outs, second-hand clothing, surplus food and charity packages. But when Gatewood and his team went to Europe, that is what they went with. They sought to convert people to Christ by first feeding and clothing them, hoping to reach their souls through physical means.

Gatewood also said in that 1947 lecture that unless the people are fed and clothed, they are not disposed to hear the gospel of Christ. Here is the exact statement. “We will be confronted with the problem of feeding the people, and unless we do so we cannot reach them with the gospel of Christ, but that is a gigantic task” (Ibid., p. 32). With the purpose behind the relief work being the saving of souls, the Gatewood expedition launched a gigantic program of feeding, clothing and entertaining the German people they could reach. One report says that three million dollars worth of relief was distributed. Much of this came from individual Christians, but the greatest segment was from churches in America.

Senkenberganlage 17 is the address of what was once a meeting house for one of the congregations in Frankfurt, Germany. Gatewood found a piece of property which was part of the University of Frankfurt and with the help of the mayor of Frankfurt was able to purchase it. Gatewood later wrote, “We even gave the mayor of Frankfurt butter for his bread when he could not get it. These citizens have not forgotten what we did to help them, and Oberburgermeister Kolb, the mayor of Frankfurt, has expressed his appreciation in numbers of ways that have been a great help to the church. The present location of our building in Frankfurt, Senkenberg Anlage 17, was made possible on one of the best streets in Frankfurt because of relief work we did” (Preaching in the Footsteps of Hitler, Gatewood, p. 74).

One cannot argue with the immediate success of the Gatewood plan. There were over eight local churches in the Frankfurt area by 1950, just three years following Gatewood’s speech at Lipscomb. In the book cited above there is also a report of the membership of the church in the Frankfurt area. By January 14, 1951 there had been 945 baptisms in Frankfurt alone and that the membership of the Niederrad congregation was 90 members by March 7, 1951. 2500 were being taught weekly in Frankfurt. At this point, Gatewood and others came to the decision to build a building for the church in Frankfurt. They located a choice location near the University of Frankfurt and bought it. Gatewood returned to the United States and raised $200,000 to build the building. Gatewood wanted a large auditorium and got it.

If you travel to Germany today and look for a meeting house at Senkenberganlage 17, you will look in vain. It is no longer there. In fact, the University bought it from the brethren. There was a plan to provide another building across the street. Having just recently returned from Germany myself, I can give you a first-hand report. The building that cost so much money and that was so important to the German work has been torn down and a huge high-rise office building is standing where it was. At one time there were congregations in Bornheim, Niederrad, Sachsenhausen and other locations in the greater Frankfurt area. Now, there is one small handfull of Germans meeting in the Frankfurt area.

One has to be somewhat. curious about the scripturalness and expediency of the Gatewood method of evangelism. It is the procedure that many churches of Christ seem intent on taking. Currently (May 1983) the liberal brethren are undertaking a similar effort in Ghana. They say, we will attempt to follow the pattern of the New Testament and that of the Poland Food Relief work in an effort to feed our brethren and others in Ghana. With God’s blessings we will use this terrible tragedy to also feed the souls of that most receptive people” (World Radio News, March-April 1983). There is nothing in the word of God that teaches churches to try and reach the lost through relief programs. In the pattern for the church, there is nothing that authorizes a general program of benevolence among those who are not Christians. Yet, the empty words of the liberal brethren continues, “. . . we will use this tragedy to also feed the souls of that most receptive people.” A Methodist preacher once told my father, that when you convert people to hamburgers and cokes, you have to keep them converted with hamburgers and cokes.

Time has demonstrated that people who are converted by the social gospel methods of feeding the hungry in order to teach them the gospel will not work. The experience of the Gatewood expedition in Germany, Austria and Switzerland has demonstrated this. Even if one could find some scriptural precedent for such a thing, would it be expedient? All who have engaged in such a method of reaching the lost admit that it is dangerous and likely to attract those who are more interested in the “fishes and loaves” than in salvation.

Senkenberganlage 17 is a good example of how the works of men come to naught when they are not founded on solid scriptural truth. Indeed, “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it” (Psa. 127:1). “Every plant that my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up” (Matt. 15:13). The gospel is the power of God to save the lost (Rom. 1:16). Until men are convinced they are lost is sin and in need of God’s saving power, they are really not subjects of the gospel. You may feed them, doctor them, entertain them and provide every physical benefit they want and possibly interest them in the gospel, but the only enduring work in evangelism comes through simple gospel preaching, good Christian living and persistent prayer for the strength that God supplies.

Germany is now an industrial giant. The German people do not now need care packages, but they do need the gospel. Truly, not many will obey the simple call of the gospel in Germany now, but those who are reached with the gospel alone will remain. We plead with all to return to the biblical pattern of evangelism for the church. May God help each of us to lay aside our own ideas and accept only what we know will be pleasing and acceptable to God. The social gospel concept has shown its own weakness and failure – the pure gospel concept remains the only way that a lasting work can be accomplished. Senkenberganlage 17 is a prime example.

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 13, pp. 399-400
July 7, 1983

By Ron Halbrook

As soon as sin entered the world, the promise of salvation entered. God promised to send the seed of woman to crush the head of Satan (Gen. 3:15). In Genesis 12:1-3, God promised Adam (1) “a land,” and (2) to “make of thee a great nation.” God revealed that in this prepared land and out of this prepared people He would bring salvation for all men: (3) “in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

When God’s people suffered in Babylonian captivity “for all her sins,” Israel was comforted by the assurance that even in this God was working out the purpose of salvation. “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God . . . . And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isa. 40:3; this prophecy was given before the captivity, but served its purpose of comforting Israel during her captivity). In closing the Old Testament revelation, God reminded Israel of this great promise: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare that way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 3:1). The last admonition of that revelation is: Remember the Old, “the law of Moses” – and Prepare for the New. “I will send you Elijah” to prepare the heart of Israel for her long-awaited salvation.

“The Time Is Fulfilled”

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins” (Mk. 1:1-5).

“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mk. 1:14-15). Jesus did not have to begin by telling the Jews about the true and living God; they had known Him since the days of Abraham. They only needed to turn their hearts back to God and hear the message of The Messiah.

“I Am Come Not to Destroy, But to Fulfill”

In Christ, the promise to Abraham was fulfilled. Why then was the Law of Moses “added” to divine revelation, over 400 years after “the promise”? “It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made” (Gal. 3:15-19). Had the prepared people of God been engulfed in the rampant sin of their day, the Savior could not have been born of a prepared people in a prepared land – God’s promise of salvation would have ended! God never planned to make “the inheritance of the law,” for He “gave it to Abraham by promise” (Gal. 3:18). But the law made God’s people conscious of sin and guided them through a world of sin, until the promise could be fulfilled.

When the Law of Moses was given, murder was very common, life was cheap. Adultery was widely practiced, morals were shameless. Unlimited divorce of wives by men was accepted; women were unprotected from the selfish and lustful whims of men. Profuse swearing with breaking of oaths was widespread, the word of men was unreliable. Blind, heartless retaliation for the smallest injuries was practiced – the absence of justice, mercy, and equity. The Law of Moses accordingly dealt with all these (Ex. 20:13, 14; Deut. 24:1-4; Lev. 19:12 and Num. 31, cf. Deut. 23:21-23; Lev. 24:17-22, cf. Ex. 21:24). God’s holiness was reflected in His holy law. His people were taught to be holy as He is holy.

But now Jesus began in His ministry to teach principles of the gospel which were higher and holier than even the great Law of Moses. Not that He wishes to destroy the principles of truth the Law contained nor its types, promises, and prophecies; but, He does underscore the temporary nature of that Law. Further, He began to show Himself, His gospel, and His kingdom to be the fulfillment of all the good embodied in the Law.

In Matthew 5, Jesus shows the spirit or attitude necessary for the reception of Himself, His gospel, and His kingdom (vv. 3-12). Notice that He is laying down principles applicable to His own kingdom; He refers to the willingness to suffer “for my sake” (v. 11), not for the sake of Moses and His law. Next, He shows the impact for good to be exerted by those in His kingdom (vv. 13-16). Then, He shows the superiority of His law and rule over that of Moses (vv. 17-48). Notice He begins this latter section, not by saying He will teach Moses’ Law, but that He will teach things to which Moses’ Law pointed or look forward: I am come to fulfill Moses’ Law!

No wonder that when He finished developing this lesson on the mount, “the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matt. 7:28-29). Remember the scribes were skilled in explaining Moses’ Law, and in that regard Jesus said, “All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do” (Matt. 23:2-3). But the teaching of Jesus went further and deeper than the Law of Moses, manifested the fulfillment of that Law, and prepared the hearts of men for His own kingdom.

The very things Jesus taught then, preparing hearts for His kingdom, are applicable now in molding our hearts for faithfulness in His kingdom. At times He taught those under the Law to obey the Law (Matt. 23:2-3), but at other times He taught principles and precepts which were higher and mightier than anything contained in the Law alone. This latter work was not only done on the mount when the lilies and birds could be seen, but also at night in private when men like Nicodemus came inquiring, drawn by the force of One Who spoke with divine authority (Jn. 3; notice what He taught applies today, as vv. 3-5).

With these things in mind, notice now that Jesus protects Himself from the charge of hatred for, or abuse and destruction of, the Law in Matthew 5:17-20. He urges no one to break even the smallest part of the Law, and, further, condemns the hypocrisy of those who can so easily explain the Law but who do not obey it themselves (cf. chap. 23). Jesus is not about to destroy the Law as an angry rebel, but is about to present Himself and His teaching as its fulfillment. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill,” he explains.

Now the importance of that introductory explanation is seen in what follows. Jesus is about to speak, not merely as the scribe who explains the Law, but as one possessing supreme authority – authority greater than Moses!

Authority above and beyond the Law! “. . . He spoke as if He Himself were an authority . . .” (Alfred Plummer, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, pp. 75-76). He spoke not merely as the messenger of God, but as the very Son of God. He spoke as only the Messiah Himself could speak – as the one to whom the Law pointed and for whom it awaited for fulfillment! “Could any one else speak in this quiet majestic way of `fulfilling the Law,’ or side by side with the Law place His own declarations: `But I say unto you”‘ (Ibid.). Six times Jesus states something the multitudes had heard read from the Law (w. 21,27, 31, 33, 38, 43), and six times He asserts His own majestic authority with these words: “But I say unto you” (vv. 22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44).

“It Hath Been Said”

In the series of teachings from the Law which Jesus discusses, is this one: “Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement.” Deuteronomy 24:1-5 restrained the practice of unlimited divorce enjoyed by men who made women expendable on the least excuse. Divorce required under the Law:

(1) A legal document, thus precluding oral divorce which pushed the woman out of her home on the basis of sudden anger, changing moods, and the selfish whims of her husband.

(2) A rational, stated reason – “a deliberate statement of the grounds,” a requirement which in itself puts brakes on the frequency of divorce by forcing the man to meditate upon the serious question of whether he is acting intelligently or capriciously.

(3) Finality of separation, thus offering the woman one form of protection from “man’s caprice; she was not to be lightly sent away, and,, when sent away by the husband after deliberately writing her divorce,” she could never be called back again after her marriage to another. Among other things, this also protects her second marriage necessitated by her first husband’s action – from destruction by the first husband who might decide on a whim to try to regain her.

(4) She was further protected by a prohibition of civil interference with the first year of marriage, i.e., the husband could not be called into military service during this time. Here, the new wife’s interests are set before those of the State. She is guaranteed both the joys of her husband in the early months of marriage, and, therefore, the time to secure her husband’s affections, “so preventing inconstancy” (quotations from homilies by J. Orr and R.M. Edgar, Deuteronomy in The Pulpit Commentary, pp. 383-386).

Some people argue that Moses allowed divorce only on grounds of adultery; this error is exposed by passages like Leviticus 18 which require the death of the adulteress. Deuteronomy 24 envisions cases of divorce on grounds which do not require the women’s death.

“But I Say Unto You”

In spite of the striking advances in respect for marriage and for woman guaranteed by the Law, Jesus claims divine authority and speaks as only the Messiah could in further elevating the sanctity of marriage. “But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”

The necessity of answering extremists who would obliterate the exception – “saving for the cause of fornication” -forces us at times to stress the exception. “Saving for the cause of fornication” means, “Whosoever shall put away his wife for the cause of fornication on her part is not responsible for her subsequent adultery.” In other words, he is free to put away an adulteress. When she goes to another man, the original husband bears no guilt in her pattern of sin.

But to dwell on the exception exclusively obscures another rich, important point. Against the backdrop of Moses’ time, the Law God gave Israel was a wonderful protection of marriage. But against the backdrop of that progress, the law of Jesus Christ is higher and holier still. Moses elevated the sanctity of marriage in His time, but Jesus Christ elevated it more abundantly! We may omit the exception for a moment, in order to stress the normal rule required under the reign of Christ: “Whosoever shall put away his wife . . . causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”

True vs. False Liberation

Marriage, the home, and woman are all exalted under the reign of Jesus Christ! In stark and cruel contrast to the holy power of His law, the world degrades the woman by destroying the home through allowing easy dissolution of marriage. Christ said He would send the Spirit of truth to convict the world of just such sin as this. The Spirit guided the apostles in writing such passages as Matthew 5. That testimony of the Spirit to the teaching of Christ truly convicts “the world of sin” – the sin of disobeying Christ (Jn. 14:26; 16:8, 13).

Yes, the easy and unlimited divorce of today is sinful. “The world” is held accountable for such, must be rebuked for it, and must be convicted of such sin . . . in order to be converted to Christ. Yes, brethren, the world is accountable for sin – contrary to the theory that the unconverted cannot be convicted of sin on the marriage law of the Monarch of the Gospel Age.

Sadly, what is popular in the world spills over into the church. The increasing divorce and remarriages on the part of saints, not for the cause of adultery, are sinful! Such is sinful and shameful, a blot upon the church. Let us hold high the high and holy law of Jesus Christ. This will exalt and protect both man and woman. It will exalt and protect the married life, making the home a healthy haven, as God intended, for husband, for wife, and for children alike.

When Satan’s servants appeal to men, “they promise them liberty,” but, “they themselves are the servants of corruption” (2 Pet. 2:19). But when we seek freedom from sin through obedience to the Son of God, “ye shall be free indeed” (Jn. 8:36). Much that is called “liberation” today is simply bondage to sin.

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 13, pp. 397-399
July 7, 1983