Truth Magazine

By Carol R. Lumpkin

The “new Life” begins with a “birth,” a birth in water and in the Spirit. Jesus, while speaking to Nicodemus, said; “Verily, verily, i say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:5). Peter adds, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (Pet. 1:23).

The power which produces this new life is the gospel of Jesus Christ. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). There is no promise of this new life separate and apart from the gospel (God’s word).

Jesus said, while talking to his disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jn. 14:6). Jesus also said; “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath-sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me” (Jn. 6:44-45).

. Paul adds some additional light on the subject when he said, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:13-14).

In our journey from sin to righteousness, it is essential for us to hear the gospel preached, or to be self-taught; that we might understand and believe in Jesus. When faith, which cometh by hearing (Rom. 10:17), is produced in our hearts, then we have the right to move ahead toward being saved. Faith which does not involve one in further obedience is a dead faith (Jas. 2:17-18). Hear what our Lord said; “But as many as received him, to them gave he power (the right, privilege – crl) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name” (Jn. 1:12). So Jesus teaches that the believer has the right to become a son of God. A point of concern should be that the believer is not a son of God the moment that he becomes a believer.

When Peter had preached to the Jews ..on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), the Jews asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). There is no evidence that the Jews were at that moment saved, even though they were believers. As believers they were blessed with the opportunity to become sons of God. Peter wasted no time in telling them what to do to be saved. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

The “new life” was realized ,by the Jews when they.. had obeyed what Peter told them to do. This “new life” was realized when they had been baptized. “‘Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: arid the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41).

When the sinner obeys the gospel plan of salvation he becomes a new creature in Christ. When this has been done he has been born of the water and of the Spirit. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Those who begin this “new life” and continue unto the end of life will receive the crown of life, eternal life (Rev. 2:10), enjoy all spiritual blessings while they live (Eph. 1:3); and take up their cross and follow after Jesus so long as they live (Matt. 16:24).

Those who begin this “new life” and then turn back in sin should be aware of what Peter said. “But if after they have escaped the pollutions of this world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, then after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandments delivered unto them” (2 Pet. 2:20-21).

Those who know not God and who do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ need to consider carefully the words of Paul. “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thess. 1:7-9).

In view of what God’s word teaches on this “new life,” and what is going to happen to those who do not have it: does it not seem the wise thing to do to obey the gospel of Jesus Christ? It will reward us in this life and even more so in the life to come.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 48, p. 770
December 6, 1979

By Lynn Trapp

Recently, I received an announcement from a church here in the Denver area concerning a rummage sale they were having. Their advertisement mentioned some items that the church for which I preach was needing and was looking for, so I decided to go take a look-see. As it turned out, this was the Wheat Ridge Heights “Church of Christ.” Among the things they were selling were some old issues of Leroy Garrett’s Restoration Review. Naturally my interest, at that point, was stirred, so a discussion ensued between myself and the preacher, Dr. C.W. Zenor.

Zenor wanted to know what “wing” of the church of Christ I was associated with. I informed him that I was not in any “wing” of the church. (It is fascinating to me that Garrett and Ketcherside are always objecting to the numerous groups in the “restoration movement” and, yet, they are the only ones I ever hear speak of the church as having “wings” or “branches.”) At this point, I referred to seeing the Restoration Review copies and wanted to know if he agreed with Garrett’s concept. At that, Dr. Zenor made a statement which suggested the title for this article. He said, “We would consider Leroy Garrett to be considerably to the right of us.”

Now, anyone who is aware of the degree of liberalism into which Leroy Garrett has fallen will be just as shocked as I was to find someone in the “Church of Christ” who considers Garrett to be more conservative than themselves. Yet, that is what Zenor said. Of course, I was not one to leave the matter there. I had to know how that could be, so I asked Zenor specifically what he had in mind. What he said in reply to that is even more amazing than his previous statement. In describing the difference between himself and Garrett, Zenor said, “Leroy Garrett believes in the literal inspiration of the Bible, the literal virgin birth, and the literal resurrection.” What significance he may put on the word “literal,” I do not know. I do not understand how there could be a figurative virgin birth, but those are Zenor’s exact words.

Now, is Garrett to be exonerated because the “classical liberals” in “the church” consider him to be a conservative. By no means. When brethren are taught over and over again that doctrinal differences do not affect one’s fellowship with God and should not affect one’s fellowship with false teachers, what argument can be used to refuse a man like C. W. Zenor the right to preach for them. It is liberalism in its earliest forms, the rejection of the need for Bible authority in all that we do, which leads one to be permissive of fellowship and unity and that in turn leads one into the extreme of liberalism taught by men such as Zenor. Brethren, when you are hearing the sweet speeches of a man enticing you to find a way to fellowship the liberals remember that C.W. Zenor and others of like persuasion are down the road somewhere beckoning you to deny the basic principles upon which the gospel is founded.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 47, p. 765
November 29, 1979

By Thomas L. Andrews

Many times society is tolerant and even encourages things that are contrary to God’s will. Such is the case concerning divorce. Jesus had the opportunity to teach the truth on the subject after being questioned by the Pharisees (Mt. 19:3-12). It is sinful to divorce, or put away, a marriage partner. The only exception to this rule is in the case of sexual unfaithfulness of one – fornication. Notice that it is a rightful conclusion to say: Every divorce involves sin.

Consider verse nine more carefully. The person (whoso) that marries the one put away commits adultery. Divorce makes it possible for more than one person to become an adulterer. When we consider that as the result of a divorce, four people could ultimately be guilty of adultery, the sinfulness of divorce is magnified.

How serious is adultery? The Bible teaches that as such an adulterer cannot inherit eternal life (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21). The situation that is in existence today is heartbreaking. Knowing that no adulterer shall inherit the kingdom of God, it saddens me to find out that about half of the people I meet are divorced. Many times when we are very sympathetic concerning a matter, we try to work things out to find a solution. Dear reader, do not be guilty of trying to change God’s truth relative to the subject of marriage.

God recognizes the marriages of all people whether they are Christians or not. John the Baptist condemned Herod for taking his brother’s wife (Mk. 6:17-18). Herod was guilty of adultery even though he made no profession of trying to follow God. The matter of the Corinthians demonstrates that God recognizes the union of people while they were yet heathens (1 Cor. 7:12-13). Yes, God recognizes the moral conduct of men before they become a Christian. Repentance requires an adjustment of wrongs which a person has committed (as much as is within his power) before a person becomes justified in the sight of God. The sins a man commits before becoming a Christian will be remembered with regret after he is a child of God. The life of Paul is a clear demonstration of this fact.

Some people would say that a person may marry as many times as they wish and get as many divorces as desired before becoming a Christian. Then, after they have demoralized all the people they can, they may present themselves for baptism, and God will forgive them without them endeavoring to correct crimes they have committed prior to this time. This is one of the most dangerous and untruthful ideas a person can have. I dare not think of the outcome, if this theory were to be advocated to the young of the country. This removes any restraint that ever was and, more importantly, it is contrary to God’s will. Alas, no doubt this type of thinking has been involved in the causes for the decay of the home as we have seen in America.

No man or woman with a living wife or husband not guilty of fornication can marry another without being guilty of adultery. There is no lapse of time that will purge the cohabitation of its sinfulness. To become a child of God one must repent. This involves the confession of sins and correcting of wrongs. The illustration of the horse thief teaches a valuable lesson. The horse thief, in order to repent, must take back the horse that does not belong to him. What about the man that has a wife that does not belong to him? He must give her up! Anything short of this shows a lack of faith in the heart and a lack of genuine repentance. A service to God cannot be done half way.

After Jesus gave the commandment in Mt. 19:9, the disciples decided that it was best not to marry. Christ’s law was so different from the custom that was accepted in their day. If a man was to cleave unto his wife and remain with her all of his days, he had better think about it. Amen!

Here is the point: the trouble with the question of divorce is not a failure to understand the teaching of the Bible, but a lack of faith and courage to do what it requires. The truth of God does not change with the whims of society.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 47, p. 764
November 29, 1979

By Dudley Ross Spears

The church of Christ is very different from any other religious body or affiliation on earth. It is so different that often people have misconceptions about the church. It is so unlike the denominational concept of “the church” that it is often difficult for us to convince our friends that we are no part of denominationalism. We are sometimes called “Campbellites” by others, because some people think Alexander Campbell founded the church of Christ. This paper is written in the hope of clarifying and explaining why the church of Christ is not a denomination and not the child of any man, living or dead.

Anyone who thinks that Alexander Campbell founded the church of Christ must be mistaken – either honestly or otherwise. He was apparently quite a man in his day, but regardless of his greatness, he was still merely a man. Through his writing and preaching he sought to call men back to Christianity as it was from its infancy. He wrote a letter one time to the editor of the “Commercial Bulletin” in New Orleans and said, “I have always repudiated all human heads and human names for the people of the Lord, and shall feel very thankful if you will correct the erroneous impression which your article may have made in thus representing me as the founder of a religious denomination.” He denied till his death any connection at all with either the founding of or the participation in a human denomination.

Like all gospel preachers, Campbell and others associated with him, urged people to return to the New Testament as the only standard of religious authority. That is what those of us who are members of the church of Christ today are continuing to do. We preach that every creed of man, every manual of any kind of church, every catechism or any other human code of rules and regulations should be all laid aside. We preach that all people who want to be Christians and members of the church of Christ should discard human names, items of worship not found in the New Testament and human organizations. It is our plea that all of us return to the New Testament for our religious foundation.

It is true that Alexander Campbell had a great part in bringing New Testament Christianity to our land, but false that what he did makes the church today a “Campbellite Church.” Campbell was merely a sower of the seed, the word of God (Luke 8:11). The mere fact that he planted it by preaching it in its purity and simplicity would not make those who believed the preaching of the gospel and obedience to the gospel “Campbellites.” Brother W. Curbs Porter used the following illustration that says it very well. “The unadulterated word of God – the word of God as the only rule -when planted by Campbell, Stone, Scott, Curtis Porter or anybody else will produce nothing but Christians – members of the church of the Lord. The seed does not produce according to the man who plants it but according to the nature of the seed that is planted” (Porter-Myers Debate, p. 127). In his own very clever style he also said, “When Alexander Campbell planted that seed in the hearts of men, did it make them Campbellites? Not any more than an acorn, dropped by a woodpecker, would produce woodpeckers” (Ibid.).

The gospel is the seed which is planted in the hearts of men and women. Jesus said in Luke 8:13 that the “seed is the word of God.” When that seed is planted (preached) and received (heard with understanding), it will produce Christians today like it did in the first century when Paul. Peter and other inspired men preached it. In Brother Porter’s example, a woodpecker may drop an acorn in Kentucky that is picked up in Tennessee, but if and when that acorn germinates and grows it will produce an oak tree. It is still an oak tree because God promised that seed will always produce after its kind (Gen. 1:12).

The church of Christ began on the first Pentecost day after the resurrection of Christ from the dead. The beginning of the church of Christ is recorded in the second chapter of “Acts of the Apostles.” On the day, the first gospel sermon was preached, announcing the risen Christ. Men and women under conviction of sins, called for help from the Apostles. They asked, “What shall we do?” They were told to “repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” (Acts 2:38). They must have understood exactly what was necessary because verse 41 says, “Then they that gladly received the word (that Peter spoke) were baptized.” It continues to say that there were about 3,000 souls saved that day, all of which were added to the church (see verse 47). This is the first reference to the church as something to which people could be added. Before this time, the church is referred to in prospect, as something coming into being, but not yet established.

This church was no part of a denomination. There was no “joining” to do – no “church covenant” to learn simply a church. The word “church” meant to them and means to us simply “the called out” or “called together” people. One can easily see that the calling was done through the gospel of Christ (read 2 Thess. 2:14). Those who obeyed the gospel of Christ with true faith in their hearts answered the call and were members of the church. It was as simple as that. The complications have come in our day. We have made the matter so complex by the departure from the original pattern that it is difficult for people to get a clear grasp of anything like the church Jesus built, the church of Christ. Someone said, “Men today have cut the pattern to fit their cloth.” How true that is! The pattern, blueprint or what you please to call it, is simply the New Testament. While the gospel may be subjected to human interpretations, no human interpretation of the gospel is the blueprint. Nothing in addition to-nor in subtraction from the gospel can be the blueprint. We do not need interpretations of the gospel. We need only to read, study and practice what it says.

The church of Christ was founded by Jesus Christ. He said to Peter, “And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). He promised to build His church – not your church or my church – but His church. It seems that men figured that He did not keep His promise so they began building “their” churches. If Jesus failed to build His church He did not keep His promise. Jesus did build the church. He purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28). After He ascended to Heaven, He became the head of the church. “And hath put all things under His feet an(I gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:22-23). In the context of this passage, Paul is extolling the power of God that was demonstrated in the raising of the body of Christ from the dead. On such a demonstration of unleashed power is the church given a head – Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the head of only the church of Christ. Since He is head of only one church it is reasonable that He is head of only one body. It would be freakish and a monstrosity for one head to be attached in any way to a plurality of bodies. Men pay money to see such things in carnivals and side shows. Jesus is not a freak, nor a side-show oddity. The inspired writers did not paint such a picture of the Lord. He promised to build His church (singular), purchased the church (singular), became head of the church (singular), and will honor only one church (read Matt. 15:13).

Jesus Christ is the bride-groom of the church of Christ. The church is called His bride (2 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:23). He was no polygamist, nor was He an unfaithful husband. He is the husband and groom of only one wife – His church. The church honors Christ by wearing His name. Any group professing to be the church of Christ and not wearing His name could not possibly make their claim valid. Different local churches were referred to as, “churches of Christ” (Rom. 16:16). Every local church of Christ must be identified with Christ by name if they claim to be His bride.

It is not difficult for you to understand the church of Christ, if you are willing to lay aside all human ideas, prejudices and practices and just take the New Testament as your guide for the remainder of what future you have. You can be a member of the church of Christ by doing no more or less than sincere folk did on that first Pentecost after Jesus rose from the realm of the dead. As a member, you must meet with other Christians to worship God. This is done every first day of the week when Christians meet to partake of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:23-27). In the worship there is also prayer, singing and giving of our means. God is honored in the worship by the teaching of His word (Acts 2:42; Col. 3:16). If you belong to something that is not according to the pattern, this article is written to urge you to be a Christian, a member of the church of Christ, nothing more or less.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 47, pp. 762-763
November 29, 1979