Truth Magazine

By Larry Ray Hafley

No disciple doubts or denies the necessity of edification. That Christians must be built up by the word of God that they may “grow up into him in all things” is beyond dispute or discussion (Eph. 4:12-16; 1 Pet. 2:2; Jas. 1:21). Much of the New Testament was written to the saved “that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God” (1 Tim. 3:15).

This is the process of all the natural realm. After the begettal and birth, there follows the long period of nurture and admonition. After the plowing and planting, there is care and cultivation to insure the harvest. Likewise, after the conviction and conversion of the sinner, there is confirmation and exhortation to evade temptation, endure tribulation and enjoy salvation (Matt. 28:20; Acts 2:42; 14:21, 22).

In all arrangements, organizations and institutions, whether human or Divine, there must be constant impartation of information to maintain strength and attain growth. However, when any society or company begins to feed on itself, it becomes a parasite sucking out its own life’s blood. It is as though one began to eat his own body for food and nourishment. He may temporarily feed himself, but the outcome is obvious. “But if ye bite and devour one another take heed that ye be not consumed one of another” (Gal. 5:15).

Is this repulsive self cannibalizing occurring in the kingdom of God? A businessman recognizes the need for staff meetings, for internal reorganization and sales motivation, but if he spends his time waxing and polishing the store and his retail force and fails to attend to the consumer, he will die. If the business has too much refinement, too many inter-personnel memos, though all are designed to improve the company, and neglects the customer, the business will fail. Again, is this happening among the Lord’s people?

Not Now, Not Later, Not Ever

This is not the time, if there ever was such a time to turn and feast and focus our eyes upon an institutional body. The Jews did so. They could see a man healed, but they only wanted to debate the sabbath issue. They could connive and conspire and bribe and lie and put an innocent man to death, but they certainly did not want to be in the judgment hall at the wrong time, “lest they should be defiled” (Jn. 18:28). They could twist His words and with unashamed deceit and dishonesty attempt to discredit His mighty deeds, which they acknowledged as such (Jn. 11:47; 12:10, 11; Matt. 12:24; Acts 2:22), but they could not allow their victim to remain on the cross, “(for that sabbath day was an high day)” (Jn. 19:31).

Word studies and technical, critical examination and consideration of the word of truth are good, but we do not need to know how many angels can reside on the head of a pin. A nation needs arms. Let it produce swords, spears and shields. They must be kept in repair. They must be clean and shining, but they are for use on the enemy, not against one another. Who was it that originally said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand”? Hint: It was not Abraham Lincoln.

The United States was nearly destroyed by civil war. The kingdom of God will not be annihilated or exterminated, but if its citizens turn on one another in wrath, pride, envy and evil surmising, they will be cast out, spewed out, broken off and delivered unto Satan. Diotrephes, men, will not do it, but the One who rules “with a rod of iron,” and “with the sword of his mouth,” and Who walks “in the midst” of the churches will consume them.

Conclusion

The world, our friends, neighbors and relatives are perishing in the clutches of atheism, humanism, sensualism and denominationalism. In this land of Bibles and churches, ignorance, superstition and vain worship prevail. Churches of the Lord suffer from the influence of the world, from the evils the holy apostles and prophets warned us of (Acts 20:28-32; 2 Pet. 2:1, 2; Jude 3, 4). All of these errors, departures and sins must be opposed with meekness and fear. However, we cannot afford internal bickering, backbiting and contention in the name of contending for the faith. Wisdom and greatness in the kingdom of God’s dear Son are not determined by envy, strife and division. Jealousy and selfish ambition “descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish” (Jas. 3:15). “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 19:21).

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 3, p. 79
February 3, 1983

By Dan Walters

“The law” in the book of Romans usually refers to the Law of Moses, but some brethren wish to interpret it as law in general. Paul says that Christians “are not under the law, but under grace?” (Rom. 6:15); this and similar passages are used to prove that we are not under any type of legal system. Some who believe this have also taught that those who lived before Moses had no law; that the only law given prior to Moses was the one law which God gave to Adam concerning the tree of knowledge. Romans 5:13 says, “For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not inputted when there is not law.” Some think that sin was not, therefore, imputed to the Patriarchs, and that those who lived under that system could not justly be held responsible for their evil deeds. Brother Bryan Vinson, Sr., rightly says that “the presence of sin in the world is here affirmed, but that it can be imputed where there is no law is denied. The conclusion, then, is that law existed, and coextensive with law was the existence of sin, because sin is transgression of law.” Lard holds that the word “law” here is “used to denote law, the breaking of which was to entail death.” Death had already entered the world through the sin of Adam, and men died physically as a result of this sin rather than by reason of their own sins.

It is important to show that the Patriarchs were not literally without law, anymore than we are literally without law today. Did God give any specific law to the Patriarchs which applied generally, rather than only to specific individuals, as in the command of God to Noah concerning the ark? A good proof that He did is found in Genesis 9:1-7. Here we have the following commands: (1) not to eat blood, (2) not to commit murder, (3) not to allow a murderer to live, and (4) to be fruitful and multiply. A history of that period indicates that there were other moral laws of which mankind was aware. Those who perished in the flood were punished because of their wickedness (Gen. 6:5). Those who died in Sodom and Gomorrah were punished because of their sin (Gen. 18:20). Sin, being a transgression of the law (1 John 3:4), they had to have law in order to transgress it. To make this doubly clear, 2 Peter 2:8 refers to the “unlawful deeds” of those in Sodom. Certainly nothing can be described as unlawful in the absence of law.

It is also held by some that the Gentiles, who lived at the same time that the Law of Moses was in effect for the Israelites, were literally without law. Romans 2:12 says, “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law.” This verse refers to the Gentile world. Lard explains that the law the Gentiles had was in the form of tradition, and not in the form of direct revelation as was the case with the Jews. But they did have a form of law, and they were held responsible. A good example is the case of the people of Nineveh, described in the book of Jonah. They were Gentiles. Yet God held them responsible for their wickedness (1:2) and would have destroyed them, except they repented (3:10). In the book of Daniel, we find that King Nebuchadnezzar was accused of “sins” and “iniquities” and warned to “break off” these transgressions (Dan. 4:27). As a result of his sins, Nebuchadnezzar was condemned by God to live as an animal for a period of time designated as “seven times” (Dan. 4:28-37). This shows that, despite the fact that Gentiles were never subject to Moses’ law, they were subject to a moral law which proceeded from God. In fact all men since the creation have lived under law, though not under the law of Moses. Christians are freed from the legal system of Moses, which did not provide for remission of sins and therefore was the “law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:1), but they are still under a form of law. Thus it is correct to speak of the three dispensations as (1) the Patriarchal Law, (2) the Law of Moses, and (3) the Law of Christ.

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 3, p. 78
February 3, 1983

By Wayne S. Walker

We often talk about restoring primitive, New Testament Christianity. We are usually referring to the abandonment of denominationalism and the restoration of first-century patterns of mission, work, worship, organization, and message of the Lord’s church. This is a needed and noble effort. -“We speak where the Bible speaks and we are silent where the Bible is silent” should be a practice rather than just a motto. Congregations which make and actually try to keep this plea are often called sound or loyal, others being referred to by such terms as liberal; digressive or institutional. But there is more to first-century Christianity than a few outward forms, although these are important and without them all else would be vain.

1. The early Christians were a lot like Jesus, who had “not where to lay his head” (Lk. 9:58). Jesus did not own a home; He had to borrow a donkey to ride into Jerusalem; in fact, the only things we can assume He actually owned were the garments which were parted and gambled for at His crucifixion. And most of His followers were known for their relative poverty also (1 Cor. 1:26, 2 Cor. 8:2). Yet today, we seem many brethren more concerned with a nice house, a new car, modern conveniences, the latest clothing, etc., rather than the work of the church. Keeping up with the Jones has led a lot of so-called Christians to become merely church-goers; or even worse, nothing more than church-members (name on the roll). Of course, there is nothing wrong with having money, comforts, and a reasonable good life; but aren’t some of us overdoing it? We have a tendency to attach too much emphasis to material possessions nowadays (Mk. 10:23-25; 1 Tim. 6:6-10, 17). Worldliness is sapping the life out of the church.

2. First-century disciples “rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name” (Acts 5:41). These simple, humble, but dedicated and convicted people were willing to risk and, if necessary, lose security, property, limb, and even life for Christ’s sake. And yet we think we are “suffering above and beyond the call of duty” if our religion might cause the loss of some “friends,” the approval of our family, or the esteem of the social leaders in our area. As a result, several have become “ashamed of the gospel of Christ” (Rom. 1:16) in deed, even though they may not admit or even recognize it, as evidenced by their non-committal attitude. It is sometimes called “chameleon religion.” Many children of God (and sometimes even whole churches) have fallen into what might be called “Laodicean lethargy” because they are more concerned about building an image for themselves in the community than doing God’s will.

3. New Testament children of God, as well as those of earlier periods in our own nation, could always be identified because they lived “soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world” (Tit. 2:12). Although they did not strive to be “odd-balls” or non-conformists just for the sake of being eccentric, they were different even as Peter indicated in 1 Pet. 2:9-12. However, modern times have ushered in the “neo-Christian,” more tolerant and “open-minded” about sin than before. So now, Christians dress (or undress), curse, drink, smoke, fill their minds with smut, and divorce, etc., just like the world around them to the extent that it is next to impossible to tell who is the Christian and who is not by the way they live. Brethren, these things ought not so to be!

4. Followers of Christ in ancient times were known for their liberality in terms of giving. They were generous, benevolent, charitable. They even sold lands and other possessions in order to have the money, when it was needed, to give so the church could carry on its work (Acts 4:32-37). And they gave in other ways too – helping the needy, visiting the sick, etc. (Gal. 6:10, Jas. 1:27). One problem today is that elders do not have enough faith and foresight. Instead of planning a work (within reason, of course) and asking each member to give for it, thus providing a goal to be reached, they let things drift along on the basis of what they already have or have always done, taking care of only the bare essentials (i.e., paying the preacher and the bills) because “we don’t have enough money for anything else”; and then complain because the brethren don’t give more! How many of us have ever sold, given up, or gone without something so that we could give more? Sacrifice – we do not even know the meaning of the word in our prosperous and affluent society.

5. Primitive brethren also engaged in extensive “personal evangelism.” We are told that “daily, in the temple and at home, they ceased not to preach and to teach Jesus as Christ” (Acts 5:42). Even as persecution arose, “They that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). They did not leave this work to full-time preachers or a select few who were “trained” for it. Every Christian was an “evangelist” in one sense or another. And so far as we know, this is the only method by which the gospel was spread and the church increased in those days. How long has it been since you talked to someone about his soul? In spite of all the television shows, radio programs, newspaper articles, magazine advertisements, and bulletins we may use, the Lord’s church will never grow until every individual Christian fills himself so full of joy and God’s word that he will be driven to share the good news with others.

This is not to say that these qualities do not exist anymore today, that the church is failing. There are many devoted Christians; I know some of them. God’s people in this generation have great possibilities. But these trends seem to be developing among us as they have in every pervious era and I mention them only to warn us to be on guard. Unless each one of us has the kind of attitude displayed by the people of God of the first-century as revealed in the New Testament, we cannot be the kind of influence He wants us to be in this life, and we simply will not get to heaven.

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 3, p. 77
February 3, 1983

By Lewis Willis

No, this is not the title of the latest 007 movie or the title of a CIA thriller or the latest rage on the best seller list of current novels, though I do admit that is sounds like it. In fact, I think an imaginative person might turn it into a money-making production.

On second thought, imaginative people have already turned it into quite a productive fund-raising idea. It is the life blood of every “faith-healing ministry” in the country. And to illustrate the effectiveness of “The Placebo Effect” in raising funds, just observe the big buildings, technical equipment trailers and the deceived masses who gather around the users of “The Placebo Effect.” Remove it from these ministries and they would quickly die a natural death – as surely as a person dies when his “blood” is gone.

The Akron Beacon Journal (August 21, 1982) reported a visit from one of these faith healers to our area. On September 11, at the Hudson Holiday Inn, she participated in a two day symposium of the Association for Research and Enlightenment, Inc. The Association grew out of the work of psychic Edgar Cayce. The seminar included ESP experiments, lectures on the development of psychic ability and the testimony of “faith healer,” Olga Worrall. Mrs. Worrall is listed in Who’s Who of American Woman and she is the author of a book, The Gift of Healing. This Cleveland native is one of the most researched healers in the nation. She helped open the New Life Clinic at the Mt. Washington United Methodist Church in Baltimore. She reports she discovered her clairvoyance as a child. At that time, she had visions of people she did not know, only to discover that these people died about the time she “saw” them. She says, when she lays hands on people, “sometimes wonderful things happen. Tumors disappeared, and things of that nature.” Because she feels her “gift” is God-given, there is no charge for the treatment. However, if you wanted to hear her tell about the treatment, it would have cost you $59.00 in advance or $69.00 at the door, if you went to the seminar. If you only wanted to hear her speech, it cost you $6.00 at the door.

With regard to the great research that has gone into her work, Science Digest reports that most scientists and doctors attribute the favorable results of the testing to “sloppy research” and attribute the apparent cures affected by faith healers to “The Placebo Effect.” The Beacon Journal defines “The Placebo Effect” in the following manner: “A placebo is an unmedicated preparation given to a patient to humor him or to be used as a control in an experiment. Thus, a placebo effect is a cure effected by causing a patient to believe he is being cured” (my emphasis, L.W.).

Any physician will tell you that many patients can be “cured” if you can make them believe the treatment given will bring about the cure. And our national hypochondria presents both physicians and faith healers with an ever present reserve of “patients.” Furthermore, both the physicians and faith healers are making a fortune off these people who “think they are sick.” Obviously you do not have to have much “power” to “heal” a person who only thinks he is sick. The measure of success at every healing “ceremony” (as you know, not every case is healed) is determined by the number of people susceptible to “The Placebo Effect.” And I can do the same thing for those folks that Ernest Angley, Rex Humbard or Oral Roberts can do for them. Come to think about it, I could probably pay off my car with a healing service on the parking lot out here if there was just some way to certify those who are susceptible to the power of suggestion.

I surely would like to see Mrs. Worrall, or one of her buddies try using “The Placebo Effect” on some of the following situations: (1) In Matthew 8:23-27, Jesus calmed a storm to the amazement of His disciples. Do you suppose “The Placebo Effect” would work on a tornado? (2) In Matthew 14:15-21, Jesus fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fishes. Any faith healer who would like to attempt this feat with “The Placebo Effect” has an invitation to try and I volunteer to supply the loaves and fish! (3) In Luke 4:1-6, the Lord produced such a draught of fish that the fishermen’s nets broke in bringing them aboard ship. This happened after they had fished all night without success. Do you suppose “The Placebo Effect” would work for the frustrated fisherman? And, (4) Find one of these fellows who will try “The Placebo Effect” on raising the dead, as Jesus did in Mark 5:35-42 and John 11:38-46. I will volunteer to drive them to the “cemetery of their choice.”

I am persuaded that you could look for five years for a faith healer who would attempt any of the above and be unsuccessful in your search. And, I think we all know why! Let the hypochondriacs be victimized and let the spiritually blind applaud. But, let not our faith be shaken by “The Placebo Effect.”

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 3, p. 76
February 3, 1983