Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

The book of Acts records several cases of conversion which show us what is necessary for a man to do in order to be saved. We can conclude that, since God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), whatever was necessary for those first century persons to do for salvation is exactly what is necessary for us to do in order to be saved. Hence, the records of conversions in the New Testament are intended to demonstrate to us what is essential for a man to do in order to be saved.

Historical Background

The circumstances which brought Paul to Philippi are revealed to us in the book of Acts. After the conference in Jerusalem regarding whether or not a man had to be circumcised in order to be saved, Paul and Barnabas decided to visit those churches which they had established on their first journey in order to confirm them in the faith. When a dissension arose regarding whether to take John Mark with them on this trip, Barnabas and Paul separated. Paul took Silas and journeyed overland to Derbe, Lystra and Iconium. In Lystra, Timothy joined Paul and Silas as a co-worker. The Holy Spirit would not allow them to preach in Asia and Bithynia; consequently, they moved further west until they came to Troas. At Troas, Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help u$” (Acts 16:9). Concluding that the Lord had called them to preach in Macedonia, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke (he joined the group in Troas) departed for Philippi.

Arriving in Philippi, they located the place where Jewish women were meeting on the Sabbath to worship God. Paul spoke to the women, resulting in the conversion of Lydia and her household. Paul and his group resided with her and continued to work in Philippi.

A Miracle and Trouble

While working in Philippi, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination began following Paul and Silas for several days and said, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). Like Jesus, who refused to accept praise from demon possessed individuals, Paul cast the evil, spirit out of the woman.

The woman had been used by her masters for gain because her spirit of divination enabled her to predict the future. When the masters saw that they had lost their source of income because of the miracle of Paul (indeed, to them money was more important than the woman), they created a disturbance and brought Paul and Silas before the city officials. They charged these two evangelists with disturbing the city and teaching customs which were unlawful for Romans to observe. The city magistrates had Paul and Silas beaten and cast into prison, charging the jailer of the city to keep them safely.

Though they had been beaten and placed in stocks (an instrument for torture), Paul and Silas’ spirits were not broken. At midnight, these two godly men lifted their voices in prayer and in singing hymns of devotion to God. The prisoners heard them as also did God. God responded by sending an earthquake which shook the foundations of the prison, caused the prison doors to open, and loosed the bands which held the prisoners. The jailer was awakened by the earthquake and ran outside to be sure that none of his prisoners escaped. When he saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword in order to commit suicide, assuming that the prisoners had escaped.

(One should notice the contrast between the religion of the pagans and that of Christ. The Christians who had been beaten and cast into prison where they were further tortured patiently endured this persecution. During their suffering, they lifted their voices to worship and praise God. The pagan, on the other hand, saw the prison doors opened and concluded that the prisoners had escaped. Knowing that he was responsible for these prisoners with his life, he decided that it was more expedient to commit suicide than to be put to death by his superiors. His pagan religion gave him no reason to wan! to live any longer. Christianity gave its disciples reason to praise God in the face of problems; paganism left men ready to commit suicide in the face of their problems. The reason that we are seeing such a rapid increase in suicide today is because paganism is becoming more prevalent.)

Paul saw him about to destroy himself and shouted, “Do thyself no harm: for we are all here” (Acts 16:28). The jailer called for a light and came in trembling before Paul and Silas and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul responded, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31). Though some want to stop reading at this verse, let us continue with the text, “And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house” (Acts 16:32-34).

Answering Life’s Most Important Question

Without a doubt, the most important question in life is, “What must I do to be saved?” The answer which we give to that question will influence our eternal destiny. Hence, let us be sure that we see the proper answer to the question before us.

There are some that would have us to believe that there is nothing that man can do to influence his eternal destiny. Indeed, they teach that God predetermined who would be saved and who would be lost prior to the foundation of the world. Then, He sent His Son to die on Calvary solely for those whom He predestined to salvation. Man is saved if God chose Him for salvation, regardless of how he might live and regardless of his beliefs. He is saved unconditionally because God chose to save him. It appears to me that if this were true Paul could not have answered the question “What must I do to be saved?” as he did. His reply should not have been, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Rather, it should have been: “There is nothing that you can do to be saved. You cannot be saved unless God has chosen you for salvation before the foundations of the world were laid. If He has chosen to save you, you will be saved regardless of what you do; if you were not chosen for salvation, what you might try to do to influence your eternal destiny is not going to influence it in the least. Hence, there is nothing that you can do to be saved.” Hence, the answer which Primitive Baptists and other Calvinists give to the question is unacceptable to those who want to obey the Scriptures.

Others try to limit man’s response for salvation to “faith only.” They are the ones who quote Acts 16:31 out of its context to leave the impression that all that was necessary for the jailer to do to be saved was to believe in Jesus Christ. The answer which Paul gave to this jailer must be understood in its context. When this man asked what he had to do to be saved, he was an unbeliever. The first thing that an unbeliever must do to be saved is to become a believer. Hence, Paul’s answer was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus . . . .” the next thing that the text states is that Paul spake unto him the word of the Lord. This man could not become a believer before he heard the word of the Lord. He had to hear the word of the Lord and believe it before he could be saved.

However, notice that the jailer changed his mind toward Paul and the gospel. Prior to Paul preaching to him, the jailer was persuaded that Paul and Silas were troubling the city and teaching customs which Romans could not observe. Consequently, when he received the prisoners into his charge (after they had already been beaten), he placed them in stocks to torture them. After he had heard the word of the Lord preached, he took them and washed their stripes. This denotes a change in his conviction about the gospel and these preachers.

The text relates that the jailer was baptized “the same hour of the night” (Acts 16:33). Why was this man baptized in the middle of the night? Why did Paul go to so much trouble to baptize this man immediately? If he had been like the Baptists whom I have seen, he would have told the man that he was saved the moment he accepted Jesus as his personal Saviour and that at some convenient time the church would have a baptismal service at which time he would be baptized. Though the church was already planted in Philippi and services would have been conducted after that night, Paul baptized him in the middle of the night. Why?

The only reasonable explanation of why Paul baptized this man in the middle of the night is that it had something to do with his eternal salvation. The question which was asked pertained to eternal salvation; it was, “What must I do to be saved?” The reply was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus ….” When the jailer returned from having been baptized, the Scriptures relate that he rejoiced, “believing in God with all his house” (16:34). His response to the gospel in baptism was understood as what was necessary to make him a believer, one who is a child of God.

That this explanation is true is seen from the other statements in Scripture regarding the purpose of Bible baptism in water. Study them in their context for yourself:

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (Mk. 16:16).

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 Ghost (Acts 2:38).

And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away they sins, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16).

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 3:21).

These Scriptures harmonize with what I have stated regarding the conversion of the jailer. He was baptized the same hour of the night in order to be saved, to have his sins washed away.

Conclusion

We conclude that an individual must believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, repent of his sins, and -be buried with Christ in baptism in order to have. his sins washed away and be saved. This is exactly what the jailer did that night when Paul preached to him. That is exactly what every other individual did who has been saved by the grace of God following the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.

My friend, have you faced this most important question in life: “What must I do to be saved?” If you have not, I beseech you to face it now. Life is too short and eternity is too long, heaven is too great and hell is too horrible for you to slip from this life into that eternal world unprepared. If you are unsaved, you need to believe in Jesus Christ, repent of your sins, and be immersed in water in order to be saved. Is there any better time to respond to heaven’s offer of grace than today?

Truth Magazine XXIII: 13, pp. 211-213
March 29, 1979

By Jimmy Tuten, Jr.

In recent years many blunders have been made in the realm of religion. People have accepted without investigation certain teachings, only to find later that these teachings were contrary to the Scriptures. Gullibly accepting all that comes along in religion results in drastic consequences, and is contrary to the Bible (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11-12). Trafficking in uninvestigated areas of Christianity is a dangerous channel through which it comes. What we receive in the “name of Christ” could very well be the teaching of Satan in disguise. Before accepting any form of religious teachings, assurance that it is of God should be evident. Then and only then should one yield oneself to it. Teaching received will either be for our spiritual advancement, or for our spiritual deterioration.

Look Before You Leap

There is an anti-Christian spirit working in this present age, inspired by the forces of error. False prophets “are gone out into the world” (1 Jno. 4:1-3). There is a great conflict pictured in many different ways throughout the Bible, i.e., Christ and the tempter, Christ and the world, error and truth, the church and the world, etc. In this conflict between truth and error, one could easily lose himself in the skirmishes. However, we dare not face eternity without assurances that truth is being embraced. Carelessness in this respect could result in the everlasting destruction of one’s soul.

Remember the story of the vacuum cleaner salesman? He entered into a home and scattered feathers over the rug. To further demonstrate his product and its efficiency, he threw ashes on the floor and placed sawdust on the couch. After littering the room, he turned to the lady of the house, and said, “Now, madam, I’ll show you how the Busy Bee Electric Vacuum cleans in a jiffy. Where is your nearest electricl outlet?” To the amazement of the salesmen, the housewife replied, “We are not wired for electricity.” What a blunder. In religion, people make similar blunders every day. People “join” churches without looking into their origin, their doctrine, or their organization. Under such conditions one could easily be led astray. Our Lord gave the solemn warning, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing (Matt. 7:15). No question in religion should be too small for our careful scrutiny.

Churches of Christ espouse a plea for a complete restoration of New Testament Christianity. Many have come to see that Christianity must be undenominational, that division must be rejected and that man-made creeds and human teachings must be spurned disdainfully and completely. The New Testament should be our only guide and rule of faith, with Christ Jesus as our only creed. God’s people should be known only as “Christians.” They should not wear human names. Because people do not understand its plea and are in ,darkness as to its nature, they miss its greatness and are not interested in becoming members of it. To them, the greatness of the Lord’s church is lost in the maze of confusion produced by opinions and creeds of men.

Why You Should Investigate The Church Of Christ

You should investigate the church of Christ because it, and it alone, is the body Purchased By The Blood Of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28). Jesus gave Himself for it, and the very nature of this price places a solemn obligation upon. all who are members of this blood-bought institution. This challenges the best that is in its members, and at the same time, it offers a challenge to those who are not a part of this body for which Jesus died. He purchased only one church with His blood. Are you a member of it? If not, you should be.

You should investigate the church of Christ because it is the only institution built by Jesus (Matt. 16:16-18). Since Jesus is its founder and builder, He offers blessings eternal in nature. This man cannot do, for his institutions are limited to his feeble ability to extend benefits. Salvation is offered only in the church built by Jesus (Acts 2:47). All other churches will be uprooted (Matt. 15:13).

You should investigate the church of Christ because it is the House Of God (1 Tim. 3:15). The church is God’s family and those in it are His children (1 Jno. 3:1-2). If one fails to become a member of it, he fails to become a member of the greatest institution on earth. This is also a failure to become a child of God. If you are not a member of the Lord’s church, you deprive yourself of all the blessings that the Father in heaven offers to His children. You are not a member of God’s family, if you are not a part of that which is the family of God.

You should investigate the church of Christ because it is The Habitation Of God (Eph. 2:19-22). God dwells in the church and through it He carries out His will in saving men on earth. God’s habitation is pure, and those who are translated out of darkness into the kingdom of God should remain unspotted from the world (Col. 1:13). Being a member of the church means that you are a part of a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5), that offers up “spiritual sacrifices” unto God. Through this institution there is hope in this world and the world to come.

Conclusion

Dear reader, if you have never become a part of the church for which Jesus died, do so today! You cannot join it, but God will add you to it, if you will obey His commands. God adds to the church (Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 12:18), but He adds only the saved to it. Who are the saved? Notice Acts 2:38: “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit!” Yes, if you believe that Jesus is the Christ, you can be baptized into Christ and into the body which is the church (Col. 1:24; Gal. 3:26-27; 1 Cor. 12:13). If you are a member of the Lord’s church, but have been out of duty, restore yourself to your first love before it is too late.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 13, p. 210
March 29, 1979

By Dan Walters

The New Testament speaks of only two kinds of doctrine: that which is of God and is, therefore, sound doctrine; and that which is of man and, thus, unsound. The doctrine which God has revealed to man is called “sound doctrine” (Titus 1:9; 2:1; 2 Tim. 4:3), “the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42), “good doctrine” (I Tim. 4:6), “the doctrine of Christ” (2 John 9). and “the doctrine which is according to godliness” (1 Tim. 6:3). The doctrine which is of man’s own invention is called “other doctrine” (1 Tim. 1:3), “doctrines of devils” (I Tim. 4:1), “doctrines of men” (Col. 2:22), and “strange doctrines” (Heb. 13:9).

The doctrine which is of God has a positive effect upon those who believe and obey it. It changes their lives for the better and leads to eternal salvation. The doctrine which is of man has the opposite effect. Teaching and obeying the doctrine of God brings salvation to the teacher and to those who hear him (1 Tim. 4:16). Teaching and obeying the doctrines of men causes one to worship in vain (Matt. 15:9), to “depart from the faith” (1 Tim. 4:1), to have not God (2 John 9), to be childish and unstable (Eph. 4:14), to be “proud, knowing nothing” (1 Tim. 6:4), and to be “accursed” (Gal. 1:8).

Some Christians have become discontent with this simple classification of sound and unsound doctrine. The advocates of unity-in-diversity have found it necessary to divide the doctrine contained in the New Testament into three kinds: (1) that which must be obeyed in order to become a Christian, (2) that which is of a purely moral nature, and (3) that which is of a specifically religious nature and applies to those who have already become Christians. They argue that the first is essential; if this is disregarded, one remains a lost alien sinner. They say that the second is also essential; one who violates God’s moral law and will not repent should be withdrawn from. But they maintain that the third may be violated with impunity; one who is already a Christian may teach and practice man’s doctrine without the need of repentance, so long as he is sincere.

The most effective argument in support of this position is that since salvation is by the grace of God and must not rest upon the wisdom of man, a Christian must not be expected to understand all of God’s teaching, especially that part that must be determined by deductive reasoning. Some brethren have come to the conclusion that direct commands must be obeyed, but that approved apostolic examples and necessary inferences are optional. But even if this were valid, it would not end the problem of division. “Let your women keep silence in the churches” (1 Cor. 14:34) is a direct command. Yet brethren argue about whether this and certain other commands apply to modern Christians. There is no point of doctrine so clear that it is not disputed by some sincere person who believes that he is a faithful Christian. Thus the unity-in-diversity position must eventually lead to a belief in salvation by faith only.

Pat Boone, the apostate, now believes that a faithful Christian can continue to be a member of any Prostestant denomination or of the Roman Catholic Church. He believes that no one should be withdrawn from except for being a moral reprobate. His position is more logical than that of many of our brethren who are following the Ketcherside line. It is a fact that many good and sincere persons misunderstand the action and purpose of baptism. If we insist that they must understand and obey this doctrine to be saved, is not this allowing salvation to depend upon man’s wisdom rather than God’s grace, according to the familiar logic?

If all the references to doctrine in the New Testament, both sound and unsound, are noted, it will be seen that the word applies to the first principles of the gospel (Heb. 6:1, 2), to morality (Rev. 2:14, 15), and to religious teaching applying to Christians (Col. 2:22; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; Rom. 16:17). All of the directions we have received from Christ are essential doctrine. They are also law. Those who have respect of persons “are convinced of the law as transgressors (Jas. 2:9). First John 3:4 says, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law.” So if it is possible for a Christian to commit sin, then a Christian lives under the rule of God’s law. Under every dispensation of religion God’s law has included those things which we call “moral” and those things we call “religious.” God has never allowed the religious part of the law to be disregarded. In fact, religious sins under the Law of Moses were punished even more severely than moral sins. Will any brother affirm that we are no longer subject to any religious laws, or that breaking a religious law of the New Testament is not a sin? If not, then teaching or practicing an unsound religious doctrine is a sin that requires repentance. There is no promise of salvation to those who die in sin, whether they be alien or Christian. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins” (1 John I :9). Where does this leave the Christian who refuses to repent, confess, and ask forgiveness?

The whole question boils down to whether God has promised to save every sincere believer in Christ, even if he has been deceived into a continual practice of sin, moral or religious. Brethren of the modern persuasion are heading toward “faith only” and “once saved, always saved.” There is no scriptural support for the idea that some doctrine is essential and some is not.

One is made to wonder why so many intelligent young men are attracted to this worn-out theory which is the essence of denominationalism. The answer seems to be a widespread disillusionment with the restoration movement because it is assumed to be a failure. This assumption is based upon two facts: (1) that the majority of the so-called Christian world has not accepted it, and (2) that those who have accepted the basic principle are divided into many hostile parties.

It must be realized that numbers are relatively unimportant, and that faithful children of God have been a minority in every age. In the time of Noah there were only eight; in the time of Elijah there were 7,000, still a small remnant of Israel. All the preaching of John the Baptist and of the Savior resulted in only 120 faithful disciples who waited for the kingdom on the day of Pentecost. Yet this does not indicate that John and Jesus were failures!

It must also be realized that religious division and hostility have occurred among God’s people since the day of Cain and Abel. 1 Cor. 11:19 says, “For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.” “Heresies” means factions or sects; they will continue to be born, to grow, and to die. Yet this does not prove that those who are faithful to God and His doctrine have failed, or that they are responsible for the divisions. It is our duty to preach and practice sound doctrine without counting heads to see how many are in agreement. If we are in agreement with Christ, it is enough.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 12, pp. 203-204
March 22, 1979

By Earl Robertson

The apostle John wrote, “Love not the world”, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

This is not popular language to the world or worldly people in various churches. The command of John is imperative making it a prohibition. The fight God waged through Christ against the world must likewise be seen by every armor- carrying saint today. Some people seem to think the world does not need fighting-just do not love it! To have the love of God (objective) one must oppose the world; having such is the very antithesis to loving the world.

John declares, “The world passeth away, and the lust thereof.” This just means that all who love and gain the world cannot keep it. Neither can one take it with him when he leaves (1 Tim. 6:7). Furthermore, the world can never completely satisfy one who indulges in it. Man lives by every word that comes from God (Matt. 4:4), and this is what satisfies.

John says the world is made up of three things: (1) Lust of the flesh, (2) Lust of the eyes, (3) Pride of life. These three cover all the means through which sin becomes a reality. Giving vent to sensual passions is sin. All who do so do it at the expense of virtue and man-hood. While one lives like an alley cat he has no respect-from himself or others. The lust of the eyes involves the lust for wealth. With this motivation, one often lays aside his sympathy, benevolence, and honesty. In his madness he grabs even for that of others. One has to give away all his convictions in his “pride of life.” This man wants everybody to speak well of him and pat him on the back while he goes about being “every man’s dog who will hunt with him!” One who so loves the world has lost his virtue, his honesty, and his convictions! Of what value is this man to anything that is good? Of what value is he to a church? None at all! Yet some churches will keep such within their fellowship.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 12, p. 202
March 22, 1979