Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

Salvation is sometimes mentioned as an event which occurs at a moment in time when the believer submits to baptism (Mk. 16:16); at other times, it is looked at as an ongoing process (1 Cor. 1:18 – see NASB); in other texts it points toward the future salvation of mankind at the second coming of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:5). It is, therefore, altogether proper for the apostle Paul to write to the “saints,” in Philippi as follows:

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure (2:12-13).

There are many lessons from this passage regarding our need to work out our salvation which we need to impress upon our minds. Please consider this text with me.

Independent Christians

There is a fundamental need for every person who becomes a Christian to learn to stand independently from every other man because of his relationship to Christ. I do not mean by this that every Christian should try to be an island; rather, every Christian needs to grow up into a mature person in Christ able to be weaned from the person who led him to Christ. Hence, Paul rejoiced that the Philippians had learned to be obedient to the Lord “not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence.” We Christians need to be active in helping those who become Christians to learn to mature in Christ and learn to be obedient to the Lord without our encouragement. They need to learn to stand with God, regardless of what happens to every other Christian.

Christianity is an intensely personal relationship with the Lord. Hence, Paul wrote, “work out your own salvation.” Paul could not work out their salvation for them; the bishops in Philippi could not work out the salvation of the saints in Philippi. Every individual must personally work out his own salvation.

In Fear And Trembling

The working out of one’s salvation is to be done “in fear and trembling.” God is not to be viewed only as a God of love who sent His Son to die for our sins. He is also described as a “consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29) by the same writer who said, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). Hence, the Christian needs to be reminded that his relationship with God is not so secure that he cannot fall from grace. Rather, his relationship with God is such that he can maintain fellowship with God only so long as he is walking in the light (1 Jn. 1:6). So, with fear and trembling, he needs to constantly give attention to his daily walk to stay in the light to be sure that he does not step outside the bounds of God’s grace.

Such a man has “fear and trembling” because he knows the nature of sin and what it does to one’s relationship with God. Sin is something which God despises; indeed, its nature is such that it always separates a man from God (Isa. 59:1-2). The Christian should realize that the commission of sin always separates a man from God.

Frankly, I have a little trouble understanding how those who believe that the perfect obedience of Christ is imputed to the believer so that his sins of ignorance and weaknesses of the flesh are not imputed to him could admonish a man to walk “in fear and trembling.” They have already assured such a person that the sins which they commit have no effect upon the relationship which they sustain to God. Here is a sample of the kind of writing I mean:

One who is in Christ does not fall out of Christ upon the commission of sin because we were all sinners when we were incorporated into Christ . . . . In Christ, sins committed are sins forgiven when they are committed; yet he who is concerned about his salvation will repent and ask for forgiveness because he is of such mind, the mind of Christ . . . (R.L. Kilpatrick, The Ensign Fair, Vol. VI, No. 8, p. 16).

For the life of me, I cannot understand why a man would need to walk “in fear and trembling” if his sins are unconditionally forgiven before and without repentance and prayer. Yet, Paul urged the Christians to walk before God “in fear and trembling.”

God Worketh In You

After admonishing the Christians to “work out their own salvation with fear and trembling,” Paul turned to say, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Some have perverted this verse to teach their Calvinist doctrines of illumination and irresistible grace. They teach that the ability to believe the gospel is given to man by God through an irresistible act of grace; this irresistible grace is also what causes man to want to do the will of the Lord.

This idea makes nonsense out of the admonition given in verse 12. Why should Paul write “work out your own salvation” if both the ability to will and to work out one’s own salvation had to come from the Lord? Furthermore, this doctrine states that this extension of God’s grace to man is irresistible; therefore, if irresistible grace is extended how could a person keep from working out his own salvation? I think that our readers can see that this admonition presupposes the free-will of man to choose to work out his own salvation or to not work it out.

Furthermore, this Calvinist doctrine makes the example of Jesus Christ which is held before the Philippians worthless. In the earlier verses in this chapter, Paul urged us to imitate Christ (2:6). Christ was one who humbled Himself and became obedient unto death (2:8). His obedience came as a free act of His own will (Lk. 22:42 -“nevertheless, not my will but thine be done”). Because He was obedient unto death, “wherefore God also hath highly exalted him” (2:9). This example cannot be imitated by man according to Calvinist doctrine. Man, according to the Calvinist point of view, does not have the ability to will to do the will of God; he is totally depraved and unable to do any good. Hence, the Calvinist interpretation of this verse is nonsensical.

Let it be further noted that the statement “God . . . worketh in you” does not mean “irresistible grace.” The word energeo is defined as “to be operative, be at work, put forth power.” It, however, does not refer to an irresistible operation of God. The same word appears in Eph. 2:2 to describe the “spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” Is it to be understood in that context to refer to an irresistible force leading us to sin? It also appears in Rom. 7:5 to describe the “motions of sins . . . did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.” Are we to understand that this was some kind of irresistible force operating that caused men to sin despite their efforts to resist temptation? If so, the promise of God means nothing for He said, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7). It seems to me that if we are going to define energeo in Phil. 2:13 to mean an irresistible operation of God, we are going to be forced to define the word in a similar way in these other passages.

We are left then with explaining the manner in which God worketh in us to will and to work His good pleasure. The passage simply states that God causes us to will to do His good will. The passage does not state how God causes us to will to do His will. The Calvinists present a theory regarding how God causes us to will to do His will; this theory is inconsistent with other biblical passages. I would like to suggest that the only force which God uses upon us to cause us to will to do His will is moral argument. In this, I would like to suggest some of the things which God does to cause us to will to do His will.

(1) The divine love of God is a force of God which causes us to will to do His will. His love for mankind is seen in the giving of His Son; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. . . ” (Jn. 3:16). “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). The love which God has for us causes me to want to act to do His good will. (2) The love of Christ is a force which causes us to will to do His will. The love of Jesus is seen in His willingness to lay down His life – to bear the punishment of our sins – in order that we might be saved. Paul wrote, “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead” (2 Cor. 5:14). John said, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19). The love which Jesus manifested toward us causes me to want to do the will of God. (3) The beauty of holiness causes me to want to do the will of God. The life which is most attractive is that life which is lived in obedience to the will of God. “Godliness . . . is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Tim. 4:8). When I look at the characteristics of the persons with whom I come in contact, I am more impressed with the devoted saint who, in the fall of his life, still clings to the wife of his youth, has raised his children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and, consequently, is surrounded by God-fearing children and grandchildren, and is respected by his fellow saints for his faith and his fellow men for his demeanor in life. When I contrast this life with even the best that atheism, agnosticism, humanism, and other philosophies have to offer, I am impressed with the Christian life. Indeed, the beauty of holiness causes me to want to do the will of God. (4) The fear of hell causes me to want to do the will of God. The Bible teaches that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23), the second death – one’s portion in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone (Rev. 21:8). My desire to escape the torments of hell is a force which causes me to want to do God’s will.

These factors used by God are the things which God uses to work in me to will to do His will. There is nothing in the Scriptures which teach that God works on me through some irresistible force causing me to want and to do His good will. Rather, these moral arguments and forces are used by God to draw men to Him (cf. Jn. 12:32). Man has the freedom to choose whether to resist the Lord and to open the door of his heart unto Him.

Conclusion

Beloved, I hope that you have personally accepted responsibility to be active in working out your own salvation in fear and trembling. The moral inducements of the Lord constrain you to give your life to Him as a living sacrifice to Him.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 16, pp. 259-261
April 19, 1979

By Donald P. Ames

One of the most aggravating things in talking to Mormons is that when their claims are refuted, they promptly come back with such statements as, “But later facts have changed all that, arid now it is viewed differently,” or “But we have read other books which show scholars now agree with us.” Of course these “other sources” are never with them and not specifically pinned down either.

Recently Titus Edwards (who preaches for the Hessville church in Hammond, Indiana) and I had a discussion with a couple of Mormon elders. Several times they referred to the Smithsonian Institute as having material on hand confirming the Book of Mormon. When we showed them a statement by that institution printed in 1959 completely disavowing any support for the Book of Mormon, they promptly came back with the statement that events within the last ten years had completely reversed the Institution’s position, and that our information was now completely out of date.

So, finally, in order to get off ground “zero,” Brother Edwards and I decided to write the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. (Dept. of Anthropology) and ask for their “latest” position. Unfortunately, the two Mormons discontinued the study before our reply returned. However, in case you are also answered as these Mormons answered us, here is the reply I received in the mail as of March 16, 1978. 1 believe it is more than adequate.

Your recent inquiry concerning the Book of Mormon has been received in the Smithsonian Department of Anthropology.

The Book of Mormon is a religious document and not a scientific guide. The Smithsonian Institution does not use it in archeological research. Because the Smithsonian Institution receives many inquiries regarding the use of the Book of Mormon as a guide to archeological researches, and in connection with Mormon statements about the origin and relationships of the American Indian, we have prepared a.”Statement Regarding the Book of Mormon,” a copy of which is enclosed for your information. This statement includes answers to questions most commonly asked about the Book of Mormon.

Statement Regarding The Book Of Mormon

1. The Smithsonian Institution has never used the Book of Mormon in any way as a scientific guide. Smithsonian archeologists see no direct connection between the archeology of the New World and the subject matter of the Book.

2. The physical type of the American Indian is basically Mongoloid, being most closely related to that of the peoples of eastern,, central, and northeastern Asia. Archeological evidence indicated that the ancestors of the present Indians came into the New World-probably over a land bridge known to have existed in the Bering Strait region during the last Ice Age-in a continuing series of small migrations beginning about 30,000 years ago.

3. Present evidence indicates that the first people to reach this continent from the East were the Norsemen who arrived in the northeastern part of North America around A.D. 1000. There is nothing to show that they reached Mexico or Central America.

4. There is a possibility that the spread of cultural traits across the Pacific to Mesoamerica and the northwestern coast of South America began several thousand years before the Christian era. However, these appear to, be the result of accidental voyages originating in eastern and southern Asia acid show no relationship to ancient Egyptian or Hebrew cultures.

5. We know of no authentic cases of ancient Egyptian or Hebrew writings having been found in the New World. Reports of findings, of ‘Egyptian influence’ in the Mexican and Central American areas have been published in newspapers and magazines from titre to time, but thus far no reputable Egyptologist has been able to discover` any relationship between Mexican remains and those in Egypt.

6. There are copies of the Book of Mormon in the library of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.

A list of books dealing with the history of .the Indian and of archeology in the New World was also included for further reading. I believe this readily shows, however, there has been no change in the position of the Smithsonian Institution in the past 20 years, and such obvious misuse and misstatement of these facts by Mormons (many honestly ignorant, but repeating what they have been told — and some probably just not honest) casts a heavy cloud of distrust over any statement of archeological findings they allege “prove” the Book of Mormon (most of which is alleged by their own Brigham Young University).

So, the next time they tell you “These facts have been altered since 1959,” show them this, and remind them this is dated 1978!

Truth Magazine XXIII: 16, p. 258
April 19, 1979

By Hoyt H. Houchen

Gratitude has become a rare gem in the world that is dominated by cold and selfish calculations. The word “thanks” is becoming more and more obsolete. So many in our generation seem to think that the world owes hem everything. Gratitude occupies no part of their thinking, much less does it find any expression in their vocabulary. Increasing numbers of our young people are becoming bums – moochers on society, getting all they can without a word of appreciation to anybody for anything. Dejected by a generation of ingrates, some reflections upon gratitude is appropriate.

Repulsive as it is, pity must also have a place in our hearts for so many youngsters who, having had improper guidance (or none at all) from their parents, are frustrated. It is my conviction that the impudence, ingratitude, selfishness, and indolence so common among our youth today reverts almost entirely to home background A look at the homes from which so many of these bums and ingrates have come would indeed be revealing. We can be sure that genuine love, in most instances, was unknown or at least about. Expressions of kindness and appreciation were probably never heard. When I was growing up my parents taught me at an early age to be polite and thank others for favors granted. This was a part of my early training and it was instilled into me as a part of my Bible teaching. I was taught to be respectful to grownups. The Lord has blessed us with three fine sons and three fine daughters-in-law. They are also teaching our grandchildren to be thoughtful, thankful, and appreciative. This kind of training was no doubt yours too, for at least most of you, so the previous comments are not intended to convey any impression of boastfulness. For what I have received, I am very grateful. But in contrast to this kind of home training, many of our boys and girls are never taught the lessons of thankfulness and appreciation.

Ingratitude has always been common to man. We recall that on one occasion Jesus healed ten lepers (Lk. 17:11-19). Only one of them was appreciative enough to come back to the bountiful Lord and say, “thanks.” “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, with a loud voice glorifying God; and he fell upon his face at his feet, giving thanks: And he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were not the ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there none found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger?” Pitifully, our Lord expressed His disappointment of those who were ungrateful. Notice that the majority were ingrates.

We are surrounded by young people who parade about the word “love” on placards, drive about our streets with the word on their bumper stickers and make it their main talking point. Yet, the very ones who make “love” their forte are among the most surly, rude, defiant, and ungrateful among human beings. Many of them are leaches who suck all the blessings and advantages. from the body of society, but never realize the true meaning of “love.” Like Joseph Fletcher, author of Situation Ethics, who makes “love” the glorified “it” in his book but admits that it is a “semantic confusion” (see p. 15 of his book), so, many of his young followers are just as confused and do not begin to know what real love is. Living as bums and moochers and expecting a “hand-out” is not expressive of the kind of love taught in the Bible. For one thing, love expresses itself in gratitude and giving. The love of God expressed in Jn. 3:16 is the most generous and bountiful manifestation of love on record. Our love to God is measured by service that we render to Him – the keeping of His commandments by faith to the very best of our ability (Jn. 14:15; 1 Jn. 5:3). Humbly we realize that there is no way by which we can repay God, who so bountifully gives us “richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17). We sing the beautiful song with such a wonderful sentiment, “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.” But actually we cannot count all of our blessings; they are too numerous. However, we can try to enumerate them and at the same time thank the Lord for the ones that we are not aware of, giving a general thanksgiving for all of them.

Abundant are the verses in the Bible which refer to thankfulness. Such passages are: “And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17); “Giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father” (Eph. 5:20); “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward” (1 Thess. 5:18); and, “. . . in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6). The Psalms of the Old Testament radiate praise and thanksgiving.

Properly, emphasis should be placed upon the Christian’s life, work, and worship; and while he should excel in all of these areas, gratitude must not be slighted for it too is an essential part of him. While we despise the ungrateful attitude which is so apparent in the world about us, how many of us as Christians express our gratitude to others? We are debtors to God and a niagra of praise and thanksgiving should come from our lips daily to Him. But we also owe much to our fellow-men, and especially Christians. Has the absence of gratitude had its effect upon us? Is it gradually fading out of our lives? Will it be a forgotten virtue in our posterity? Are we headed for a future generation of ingrates? Husbands, wives, children, parents, how long has it been since you sincerely expressed your gratitude for each other? Brethren, when have you expressed appreciation to the elders who serve well in the congregation where you are a member for their work? When was the last time that you expressed thankfulness to faithful deacons for their untiring, and too often unnoticed, efforts? How long has it been since you gave that sound and faithful gospel preacher a word of encouragement or some expression of appreciation? Or, when have you told that godly brother or sister in Christ how much his or her faithfulness encourages you? A genuine word of thanks can make the day for one who may be despondent or discouraged.

In a world where selfishness and greed have made it cold and dark, Christians can yet kindle the fire of gratitude and light the lamp of thanksgiving so that warmth and light will again prevail. Appreciation can be learned by those who have never known it. A sincere “thank you” costs so little, takes such little time to say, but means so much. Let us thank God for every wonderful gift of His love. Let us thank others for all that they have done and are doing for us. And, I thank you so much for sparing a few moments of your time to reflect with me on gratitude.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 15, pp. 251-252
April 12, 1979

By Ed Harrell

We need not to “think of men above that which is written” (1 Cor. 4:6). And yet we take encouragement from others, we admire feats of great spiritual courage, we can be lifted up by the faith of others. There is, in short, a social aide to Christianity.

We seem bound and determined to speculate about what is the greatest in the kingdom, and yet our speculations are so superficial and absurd. I want to tell you about some Christians – common people – people you don’t know, people you will meet only at the Judgment Day. I cannot judge their destiny any more than we can judge that of the great and the powerful, but I know what they meant in my life. If telling their stories can partially correct the assumption that the great men in the kingdom of God are those in the public view, then we may learn to think of men as we ought.

My family and I (seven in all) recently attended a small congregation (nine that day) in Minnesota. They had invited. me to come and speak and we arrived a bit late because the Minnesota roads were in a condition which generally paralyzes Alabamians. At any rate, we worshiped and I spoke without the usual introductions and social amenities.

At the close of the service an older brother stood and said a few words. I did not know him before (though he is a man with a fine reputation in that region) and have not seen him since spending a pleasant afternoon with him, his wife, and his son’s family. But in a few moment’s time he deeply influenced me and my family.

He said something to this effect: “It is so wonderful to be able to worship with brothers and sisters in Christ. What a rare encouragement it is to meet with such a fine Christian family from the South.” As he spoke, tears began to flow down his cheeks, voice choked, and he apologetically paused to wipe his eyes. He continued haltingly to tell “how the gospel came to that part of Minnesota.” It was a touching story of the conversion of honest hearts in a lonely land. The service closed with an emotional prayer led by the younger brother.

It was a moving experience. I had a large lump in my throat. I shall not soon forget it. My children are not strangers to being lonely Christians. We have held services alone in our own home. But as we traveled home that evening we agreed that something special had happened in our lives because we had been allowed to worship with these saints. How grand beyond comparison it is to meet with those of like precious faith. What must heaven hold for us. What a privilege it is to worship together. We don’t feel guilty that we worship regularly with hundreds of other Christians; we rather feel blessed more than we could have ever known before. And, oh, how we remember our brother in his isolation and we wish we could somehow put our shoulders under his burden. He thought my simple sermon helped him, but truly he helped me. Let us now praise famous men.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 15, pp. 250-251
April 12, 1979