Truth Magazine

By Ron Halbrook

The only sure and safe way to avoid all forms of religious idolatry is to follow the New Testament pattern of faith and practice. Unity blesses those who adhere to that standard. Naturally, they will be separated from all who act upon some other principle. the Holy Spirit admonished first-century Christians to hold fast the form or “pattern of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13). The pattern was binding and exclusive, not optional. Timothy was to charge hearers to “teach no other doctrine” (1 Tim. 1:3).

The message inspired by the Holy spirit was first proclaimed through apostolic men, then presented in writing. This inspired Word constituted the pattern. “These things write I unto thee . . . that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of god, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:14-15). The things proclaimed by apostolic men and presented in writing by them were all-sufficient, and binding for all ages (2 Tim. 3:16-1’7; 2 Pet. 1:12-15). The pattern of sound words revealed the will of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; the life and work of Jesus Christ; the scheme of redemption; the conditions of pardon; the graces of godliness to be developed in our lives; the origin, work, worship, organization, doctrine, and discipline of the church; and the hope of eternal life.

Many churches of Christ are slipping away from the New Testament pattern and separating themselves from the Lord (Rev. 2:5). An excellent tract by Cecil Willis identifies “The Taproot of Digression: No-Pattern-Ism.”

The history of man is the history of his digressions from God’s divine will. Man has, at one time or another, perverted and polluted every divine provision of God. He has corrupted the sacred worship, distorted the organization of the church, and perverted the divine mission of the church. Again and again, man has changed the unchangeable. Herein has been the source of a multitude of digressions.

Brother Willis then explained, “The basic assumption of the digressive is that there is no New Testament binding pattern.” The question of “freedom” and “unity” are always raised by the digressive. He wants “freedom” to change the New Testament pattern, and considers those who deny this freedom as disturbers of the peace. Faithful men recognize that in adhering to the pattern there is freedom from the chaos of idolatry. Either there is a pattern of there is not; here are two irreconcilable concepts of what it means to serve God.

Leroy Garrett argues, “Those who look for a `fixed pattern’ might well give up their search. There is no pattern of Christian worship in the Scriptures.” There being no pattern of what must be done, none of the following can be excluded: “coffee and doughnut session” as part of “social or corporate worship,” “children’s church,” “a symbolic candle-lighting to enhance the Supper,” “choirs,” “counseling and group therapy,” and, of course, instrumental music (Restoration Review, October, 1978, pp. 142-46). Garrett thrilled to report, “A Church of Christ in the Dallas area recently had a candle lighting as part of its worship and edification” (p. 160). It is not deviation from the pattern which causes division, he says; rather, the “fatal error” is “restoration ism,” the idea that “the New Testament constitutes a fixed pattern,” also called “legalism” (p. 148). Carl Ketcherside reports that he had a private, true conversion experience 27 March, 1951, escaping “legalism and tradition,” while Robert Meyers explained that he only gradually reached “the wisdom of uncertainty,” “Christian” agnosticism, the concept that “one can never know very much for sure” (pp. 152-58). These men have tested the heady wine of no pattern-ism and gotten gloriously drunk on it.

In discussing “A Restoration of the Ancient Order of Things,” a young preacher named Alexander Campbell (1788-1866) wrote in 1825 that before inquiring “what was the ancient order of worship . . . . it may be expedient to consider whether there be any divinely authorized worship in the assembly of the saints.” He saw two irreconcilable answers: “Either there is a divinely authorized order of Christian worship in Christian assemblies, or there is not.” Campbell then reduced no-pattern-ism to its logical absurdity, as follows.

On the supposition that there is not, then the following absurdities are inevitable. There can be no disorder in the Christian assembly, there can be no error in the acts of social worship; there can be no innovation in the department of observances; there can be no transgression of the laws of the King. For these reasons, viz. Where there is no order established there can be no disorder, for disorder is acting contrary to established order; where there is no standard there can be no error, for error is a departure or a wandering from a standard; where there is nothing fixed there can be no innovation, for to innovate is to introduce new things amongst those already fixed and established; and where there is no law there can be no transgression, for a transgression is a leaping over or a violating of legal restraints. Those, then, who contend that there is no divinely authorized order of Christian worship in Christian assemblies, do at the same time, and must inevitably maintain, that there is no disorder, no error, no innovation, no transgression in the worship of the Christian Church – no, nor ever can be. This is reducing one side of the dilemma to what may be called a perfect absurdity (Christian Baptist, Vol. 2, pp. 239-43).

If there is no pattern, Campbell pointed out, that various assemblies of worship could be devoted to nothing but dancing, singing, shouting, running, lying prostrate on the ground, reading, listening to a speaker, sitting silently, waving palm branches, crying, or playing an organ. To exclude any act from worship, a person must refer to some fixed standard.

Ephraim’s idols originated in a spirit that refused to be restrainted by a set pattern of teaching. The same spirit is producing the same results today. Ultimately, nothing revealed in the New Testament can escape the destructive hand directed by the spirit of no-patternism. The only way to avoid the total destruction of New Testameqt faith and practice is to hold fast the pattern of sound words.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 10, pp. 165-166
March 8, 1979

By Mike Willis

When a person is trying to communicate anew thought to someone else, he must use things which both of them understand to bridge the gap of the areas in which their knowledge differs. When Jesus revealed to us the kingdom or church which He planned to build, He made use of several terms to describe this new relationship into which we enter. , He used such terms as Household of God, Kingdom of God, Body of Christ, Temple of God, etc. One of the terms which He used was the term church, translated from the work ekklesia. Each of these words convey to us some aspect of the Lord’s people with which we need to be familiar. Let us consider what can be learned about God’s people from the fact that they are called the church.

The Meaning of the Term

The English word “church” is derived from the Greek word kuriakos which means “belonging to the Lord.” Today, the term is used to refer to a building for public worship, all of the denominations in the world, a peculiar body of “Christians” united under one form of government and believing one creed (a denomination), and a local congregation. The Greek word ekklesia did not bear this meaning. Ekklesia is composed of the preposition ek (out) and klesis (a calling). Hence, the word simply means “the called out.”

The word was used to refer to secular assemblies which had been called out for some particular purpose (cf. Acts 19:32, 39, 41). Stephen used it to refer to the Jews who had been called out of Egypt by Moses (Acts 7:38). However, the word took on a technical meaning to refer to those who had been called out by Jesus Christ. When referring to those called out by Christ, the word is used in a universal sense to refer to all of God’s people (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 5:23-25) and in a congregational sense (1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1).

The Nature of Our Calling

Inasmuch as we are the called out body of Christ, let us notice several aspects of this calling.

1. It originates with God. Paul wrote, “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2 Tim. 1:8-9; cf. 1 Pet. 1:15; Gal. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:24). Hence, this calling originated with God and can be called a “holy” calling (2 Tim. 1:9) or a “heavenly” calling (Heb. 3:1). There is something impressive to me about the fact that God has called me!

2. We are called into the fellowship of God’s Son. “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9). God has called us; He has called us into the fellowship of His Son. What a blessed privilege to have joint participation with God’s Son.

3. We are called out of darkness. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). One cannot have fellowship with God while walking in darkness (1 Jn. 1:6); consequently, our divine calling leads us out of darkness and into light.

Other things which participate in the nature of our calling might be listed as follows: (1) we are called to be children of God (Rom. 9:25-26; 1 Jn. 3:1); (2) we are called to be saints (1 Cor. 1:2; Rom. 1:6-7); (3) we are called to be in His kingdom (1 Thess. 2:12). From these considerations, we can see why the term “called” can be used to refer to the fact that a certain person has been saved. Hence, the “called of God” are simply the saved people of the world (Rom. 1:6-7; 8:28; 1 Cor. 1:24; Jude 1). This “calling” frees us from our burden of sin and saves us by the blood of Christ. It is a calling to freedom (Gal. 5:13) – freedom from sin and freedom of bondage to the Mosaical law.

We Are Called To Sanctification

Every as we are called out of darkness, we are also called unto sanctification. Paul wrote, “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (1 Thess. 4:7). In this context, Paul was showing the Thessalonians that the call of the gospel was a call to moral holiness. They should abstain from fornication and possess themselves in sanctification and honor (v. 4).

This simply shows our responsibility as a result of this call. Men are sanctified through the word of God (Jn. 17:17). We are initially set apart unto God when we are baptized (1 Cor. 6:11). Then, we start the process of sanctification — that continual process whereby we seek to remove sin from our lives and replace these sins with moral virtues. Hence, we are to “walk worthily” of our calling (Eph. 4:1-3). Having been called out of darkness, we are expected to walk in the light (1 Pet. 2:21-24). We are to press on to perfection in accordance with our upward call (Phil. 3:13-16). This call of God is a call to depart from sin and to walk in moral purity.

The Hope of Our Calling

Paul said that there was but “one hope of your calling” (Eph. 4:4). The Scriptures testify that (1) we are called unto glory (i Pet. 5:10), (2) we are called to inherit a blessing (1 Pet. 3:9), (3) we are called for entrance into the eternal kingdom, and (4) we are called to inherit eternal life (1 Tim. 6:12). We understand, therefore, what the one hope of our calling is. We have the hope of being blessed to live forever with God in the bliss of leaven. We have the hope of escaping the torments of hell. God has called us unto eternal life.

The hope of the Christian’s calling is not limited to some kind of better life on this earth below. The hope of his calling is not to make this world a better place in which to live. The hope of the Christian’s calling is the mansion in the Father’s house prepared for us by Jesus (Jn. 14:1-3). Plainly and simply, we have been called to go to heaven.

How Are Men Called?

Many who admit that the Bible teaches that God’ people are “the called of God” have no proper concept of how the call is made. They have been taught that they an to expect a call from God through a direct operation of thk Holy spirit. Hence, they are waiting for God to call them. Some of them have been waiting for years, begging and pleading for God to save them in the meantime. I met one such man in Indiana. He had been pleading for God to save him for five years without success.

To men tormented by their failure to receive a direct operation of the Holy Spirit, the truth of God’s word should sound refreshing. Paul wrote, “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 2:13-14). Notice that this passage teaches us that men are called through the gospel, not through some better-felt-than-told experience which is incorrectly labeled the direct operation of the Holy Spirit.

The call of the gospel is directed to all men. Listen to the call for yourself. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). Listen to the call of the gospel again: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you,a and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30). Here is how Jesus calls men. The call has already been given. We have no reason to wait for any other call.

The Church Is The Called Of God

The church is simply composed of those men who have heard the voice of the Savior calling them – calling them out of darkness into light, calling them into the fellowship of His son, calling them to be children of God and saints, calling them to inherit a blessing, calling them to enter the eternal kingdom, and calling them to inherit eternal life. They have heard the call and answered it. They have fled to Jesus for refuge. They have forsaken the paths of darkness and dwelt in the paths of light.

This being so, let us draw some conclusions. Since the church is simply “the called out ones,” none of those who have been “called out” are outside the church. By definition, they are one and the same. A man is not one of God’s called out people unless he is a member of the church. No man who has not answered the calling of God is properly a member of the church. The saved, the church, and the “called out” are synonymous.

Are you a part of the church? Have you heard the calling of the Savior and responded to it? If not, why not do so immediately?

Jesus is tenderly calling thee home,

Calling today, calling today;

Why from the sunshine of love wilt thou roam

Father and farther away?

Jesus is calling the weary to rest,

Calling today, calling today;

Bring Him thy burden and thou shalt be blest;

He will not turn thee away.

–Fanny J. Crosby

Truth Magazine XXIII: 10, pp. 163-165
March 10, 1979

By David Edwin Harrell, Jr.,

Integrity, as most of us know, is a small, literate and generally good-humored magazine edited by Hoy Ledbetter in the interest of the liberated “party” in Church of Christ. In September, 1978, the magazine noted the publication of the booklet A Journey Toward Jesus as follows: “For a free copy of an interesting booklet, A Journey Toward Jesus, consisting of extended correspondence between Bruce Edwards arid Edward Fudge (formerly staff writers for Truth and. Gospel Guardian, but no longer tied to any party), send your personal request . . .” (p. 34).

I confess that there were several things about that announcement that struck me as curious. First, I was once again astonished by the prejudicial, condescending, self-righteous tone that usually characterizes such broad minded pronouncements. In the same issue of Integrity, Carl Ketcherside, the chief guru of liberated Church of Christers and a wonderfully humane human being, displays the same fine sense of moral superiority in an article entitled: “Freedom from Sectarianism.” He eloquently thanks God that he is not bitter, bigoted, factious, and petty as other men are. In his words: “Ever since God delivered me by His grace from the party spirit, 1 have been under the conviction that His people have not all been gathered into any one group. I was not only set free from a sect, but from the spirit which creates and condones all sects . . . I was driven to the Lord Jesus. I belong only to Him” (p. 42).

Granted that there are some theological questions at stake in such assertions. I have no objections to a man saying that he was wrong but learned better. I do that regularly. But such changes do not necessarily mean that I was formerly mean, vicious and ignorant and have now become virtuous, enlightened and brilliant. Change might mean exactly the opposite; in most cases one’s changes of mind probably do not signal any such dramatic personality reversals. In short, I find the smug arrogance of liberalism more and more offensive. I have been a political liberal for years but I have come to be embarrassed by the intolerance of many political liberals. I think the tenets of religious liberalism are wrong, but I understand where they come from, and I can discuss them with respect and reason. Generally most positions make some sense if one grants a few assumptions. But I find it increasingly difficult to abide the patronizing liberal who begins every pontifical assertion: “I used to be an ignorant, bigoted Church of Christ sectarian but since reaching my present state of advanced enlightenment I now ‘know that I ‘am supremely right in my present beliefs.” That reminds me of a fellow who once prayed: “God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican” (Luke 18:11).

Second, and more to the point, the assertion that Ed Fudge and Bruce Edwards were formerly “tied” to “parties” because of their associations with Truth Magazine and the Gospel Guadian is blatantly misleading. I think it is simply”false. I believe that both Ed and Bruce understood the plea for undenominational Christianity. I think they both ‘opposed “partyism” and would not have joined faction. In my opinion, that is the case with most of the people who read those journals. In many ways, conservative journals represent the restoration movement at its most unstructured level. They are more independent, less uniform and exercise relatively little power over churches. I like that, and I think that most conservatives have a good perspective on the importance of institutions. If Ed and Bruce did not understand undenominational Christianity, shame on them: A lot of us do.

Even more misleading is the implication that these two young men are now associated with more liberal spirits (Integrity, that is) and are no longer aligned with any party. Of course, whether or not one belongs to a party is largely a matter of attitude. It is not wrong to listen to Paul or Apollos or Cephas; it is wrong to form a party around them, (1 Cor. 1:10-15). While partyism in the restoration stream is clearest to me among the mainline institutional Churches of Christ, the followers of Carl Ketcherside and readers of Integrity are not far behind. They hold a strongly corporate view of “the restoration movement” and have none of the doctrinal reservations about institutions which restrict the possibilities for denominational growth among conservatives.

There are, no doubt, both conservatives and liberals in Churches of Christ who have “party” loyalties. But lnlegritv, and I suppose Ed Fudge and Bruce Edwards, are alienated from conservative Christians not because they have been liberated from party ties. Nor is it a matter of the advanced enlightenment of all liberals. Our differences are doctrinal and temperamental. I shall let the Lord decide whose mind is most enlightened and shall be content with the results.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 10, p. 162
March 8, 1979

By Dan Walters

There is a desire on the part of many religious people, including some members of the Lord’s church, to widen their circle of fellowship. There are understandable reasons for this. There is prestige in great numbers; many do not feel comfortable as members of a small minority, whether in society, politics, or religion. There is power in numbers; with increased resources, new and greater works can be undertaken. For instance, there are at least five congregations in Asheville, North Carolina which are known as churches of Christ. Not one is large. If all were united, a large and impressive building could be constructed, comparable to those of Baptist churches in the area. The church would be more visible to the public, and perhaps it would be easier to gain converts.

There is another reason why all Christians would desire to widen the circle of fellowship, if they could do so with God’s approval. Our desire is to see more people saved; we especially desire that our relatives and close friends be included among the saved. If we could consider them saved without the necessity of repentance on their part, which many of them cannot see the need of, it would bring us great happiness. This applies even more to our loved ones who have obeyed the same gospel that we have, and yet have gone into digression by obeying the doctrines and commandments of men in relation to the work and worship of the church. What could be more desirable than a totally reunited church of Christ, able to face the hosts of denominationalism with a new strength and dedication, unmarred by sectarian strife?

The denominational world is now engaged in a struggle over the widening of fellowship. Carl McIntire of the Bible Presbyterian Church is involved in a controversy with John R. Rice of the Baptist Church. Both men are fundamentalists. Rice is personally a deadly enemy of classical liberalism, of those who would deny the verbal inspiration of the Bible. Yet he continues to have religious fellowship with such apostates if he believes that they have been born again. McIntire says:

“Born-again men who live and worship in the apostasy, preaching from pulpits that are under the control of the United States Presbyterian Presbyteries of Methodist bishops, maintain membership, communion, fellowship with the Devil’s own angels of light. These born-again men are all right to work with on his platform, and in his campaigns, says Rice.”

McIntire can not see why Rice takes such a position, but he should understand that Rice is forced to such a position by his own Baptist doctrine of “the eternal security of the saints” or “once saved, always saved.” According to this doctrine, if one has been born again, there is no way that he can apostatize to such an extent that he will be lost. And if he is saved, and will go to heaven, then why not have fellowship with him on this earth?

The word “fellowship” can be used in more than one sense, of course, but we usually consider ourselves to have religious fellowship with those whom we believe are saved and bound for heaven, without a need or repentance. Some would take the position that since God alone is the judge, and He will make the determination as to who will be saved at the judgment, that we should just accept all who claim to be fellow Christians upon their word. Many would consider that this would be the kind, the considerate, the loving thing to do. To do otherwise, according to this view, would be to make ourselves judges and to condemn others to hell.

This viewpoint is not scriptural; neither is it logical. We know that there are many passages which tell us to warn the erring, attempt to restore the lost, avoid the teachers of false doctrine, and withdraw fellowship from the impenitent. But, leaving that aside for the moment, what is the consequence of widening the circle of fellowship beyond the limits of Scripture? What is the consequence far as it concerns our erring friends and neighbors? Is it really the loving thing to do?

If we accept the gospel plan of salvation as outlined in the New Testament, we know that those who have never obeyed that gospel are doomed to be lost. Likewise, if we reject the “once saved, always saved” doctrine, we know that many will depart from the faith, and that those who have departed will be lost unless they repent. Though it is a hard thing to tell a dear friend that the bible says that he is lost and bound for hell unless he repents, that is the only kind of message that can possibly motivate him to repentance and thus bring about his salvation. If his house were on fire, would we warn him to flee, even if this involved great inconvenience? If he were involved in a business arrangement with a confidence man, would we warn him again, lest he lose his life savings? By what logic then can we afford to hold our peace while he jeopardizes his immortal soul?

Only a true love of the scriptural variety, not a mushy, sentimental, modern love, will motivate us to act as watchmen and to warn our neighbors of impending disaster. To widen the circle of fellowship, without regard for the eternal consequences, would be an act of folly, of indifference, of unconcern, and, indeed, an act of cruelty. With this in mind, we must view with a jaundiced eye the efforts of some modern “unity” advocates to present themselves as apostles of love and compassion, was well as their attempt to brand the proponents of limited fellowship as hard and uncaring Pharisees. The circle of fellowship has been drawn by the God of heaven. Man widens it at his own peril.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 9, p. 156
March 1, 1979