Truth Magazine

By Daniel H. King

The Historical Roots of the Problem

Martin Luther, in his zeal to undermine and cast down the indulgence and merit systems of the Catholic church, fell prey to an oft-repeated fault. He went to the opposite extreme. Fearfully running away from Rome, he ran all the way past Jerusalem. Throughout the lectures which he presented on the book of Romans (1515-1516), he insisted that it is faith alone that justifies and that faith is by nature a passive affair. To him faith meant “a living trust of the heart.” It could not be an active thing, for were it so, it would involve a work of righteousness and that is impossible for man: “All our good is outside us, and that good is in Christ” (p. 267). Faith cannot count as a good work. Faith only comes in because this good, that is, righteousness apart from works, is imputed to believers (p. 36). On the other hand, good works can be done only as works of faith “done out of the spirit of liberty and solely for the love of God” (p. 234). Thus, it is through faith in Christ that we are made righteous for the performance of works of righteousness.

This concept as promulgated and promoted by Luther and Lutherans, has infiltrated the ranks of almost every modern Protestant body through their founders and creeds. It became crystalized in the Lutheran confession of Augsburg (1530) and the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) and passed from these to others. The latter document in questions 60 and 61 deals with faith in the following manner:

Q: How are you righteous before God?

A: Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. In spite of the fact that my conscience accuses me that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have not kept any one of them, and that I am still ever prone to all that is evil, nevertheless, God, without any merit of my own, out of pure grace, grants me the benefits of the perfect expiation of Christ, imputing to me his righteousness and holiness as if I had never committed a single sin or had ever been sinful, having fulfilled myself all the obedience which Christ has carried out for me, if only I accept such favor with a trusting heart . . . .

Q: Why do you say that you are righteous by faith alone?

A: Not because I please God by virtue of the worthiness of my faith, but because the satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ alone are my righteousness before God, and because I can accept it and make it mine in no other way than by faith alone . . . .

Under the first question, the inaugurators of the Catechism (Zacharias Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus) offered seven citations from the book of Romans. There is therefore little doubt as to the importance of Paul’s letter for this approach to the concept of faith. Moreover, it stems in very large measure (if not entirely) from Luther’s dichotomy between faith and works which portrayed faith as passivity and works as activity. But as we intend to show, this doctrine bears no resemblance at all to Paul’s concept of “faith in Jesus Christ” versus “the works of the law of Moses.” Rather it reflects the issues of the sixteenth century A. D., e.g. the battle between Luther and the Catholic hierarchy. When seen in this light, there is little difficulty in understanding either what Paul meant in his epistle or the pirating of the letter’s words by the Wittenberg scholar arid those who have succeeded him.

Must Faith Be Passive To Be Faith?

Perhaps the question that heads this section is the wrong one to ask. For wherever the Bible mentions passive and inactive faith, it condemns it. The dissertation of James in chapter 2 came out so strongely on the subject that it led Luther to label it “a right strawey epistle,” saying that “there is not much of the gospel in it.” With the heavy emphasis upon activity in faith in the letter to the Hebrews, especially chapter 11, he treated that book the same way. For Luther, Romans was “the chief part of the New Testament and the very purist Gospel.” It causes us to wonder when we read modern authors who endeavor to justify what they call “Paul’s doctrine of justification by faith alone” and the teachings found in James and Hebrews. At least Luther was candid! As a matter of fact it is not possible to make those two views complementary. They are as different as day and night and contradict one another as clearly as do capitalism and communism. But I would never identify the “doctrine of justification by faith alone” as Paul’s. It is Luther’s doctrine and he should be credited with it and discredited by it! Paul never authored any such doctrine. The Bible does not contradict itself; Paul does not contradict James; but Luther and his spiritual heirs contradict both.

Let me begin by going to the Old Testament and looking at faith in that body of literature. For it is certain that Paul used a word and a concept that was well-known and muchused in the scriptures of the prophets. There, if a writer has reference to some requirement made by God upon man, then if the term “faith” is used in such a context, it clearly intends both the acknowledgement of the requirement and man’s obedience (Deut. 9:23; Ps. 119:66; 2 Kgs. 17:14). And it was out of that context that Paul penned his Roman letter. As a matter of fact, the passage which represents the cornerstone of Paul’s argument as well as the introduction to the theme of the letter (Rom. 1:16-17), has as its Old Testament basis the divine remark recorded in Habakkuk 2:4. Plainly, that passage has reference to “faithfulness” and not just “belief” or even “trust.” The footnote to the RSV of that text offers this meaning for the word. This puts a whole new slant on the Pauline usage, since the idea of “faithfulness” in every way demands activity and withstands the connotation of passivity. Habakkuk is in his book announcing impending and imminent doom for Israel, whereas God allows that only those who remain patient and faithful will live through that crisis. Moreover, it is through their steadfastness and faithfulness that they will live. Utter and total belief in, dependence upon, and faithfulness to God are all embraced within the divine demand. To suggest that he intended anything less is simply out of the question. And to say that Paul gave the concept any different intention is just as much so.

A second observation needs to be explored as we consider the Old’ Testament background of Paul’s use of the term. This is the little-appreciated fact that in the Old Testament “to believe” was one of the works of the Jewish law (Ex. 14:31; Num. 14:11; 20:12; Deut. 1:32; 9:23;).

Once more, this gives us a different perspective for seeing Paul’s meaning clearly. How can it be viewed as purely a passive thing for man when it was indisputably seen as an activity under the law? Obviously it can not. What is more, that point could not have been made any more clearly than it is in Rom. 4:4-5 where the apostle uses the Greek word pistil with the meaning of “faithfulness” or “fidelity.” It is explicitly implied here that Abraham at an advanced age had sexual intercourse with his aged wife with a view toward the conception of a son in fulfillment of God’s promise. He was not passive but active. “He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.. .” (Vs. 19).

It appears very odd, to me at least, based upon the preceding and the implications which necessarily follow, that Luther’s approach to the concept of faith in Romans has any modern adherants at all. Nevertheless, all are aware that it does and in very large numbers. Yet it is interesting that modernists are fairly outspoken in rejecting the Lutheran interpetation of Paul. For instance, the liberal theologian Werner Georg Kummel in his book The Theology of the New Testament (New York, 1973) brazenly declared that, “faith in Paul’s sense is by no means adequately described therewith (acknowledgment of the Christian message). Faith in its actual nature is not intellectual acknowledgment of a state of affairs, but obedience . . . . Faith is the response of the man who has encountered in the preaching of the gospel the message of God’s saving action at the end of time which produces righteousness and who obediently embraces the grace of God which is offered in this message” (pp. 201-202). Rudolf Bultmann, just as forthrightly labeled it a “free act of obedience.” Futher, in his article on pisteuo in the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Vol. IV, p. 205) he said that ” `to believe’ is `to obey’ as in the Old Testament.”

In this case the modernists have shaken off the shackles of denominational tradition and orthodoxy and returned to the simple sense of the text. We could wish that we could encourage those with some conviction regarding the value of Scripture to do likewise.

Faith, Law, and Obedience

The word faith (pistis) is used with at least five different specific nuances in the New Testament. Interestingly, Paul utilizes the term in each one of these ways in the book of Romans: (1) Simple belief or mental acceptance of ‘historical facts’ (Rom. 10:17; and Heb. 11:1); (2) Trust or dependence upon another, i.e. God and His plans and ways (3:25); (3) Faithfulness or fidelity to a commitment or promise, either on the part of God (3:3; 10:6) or of man (9:30); (4) The body of doctrine which is believed (10:9); and, (5) Personal opinion in matters of indifference (14:1, 22). On the other hand, it is essential to recognize that the apostle has a specific idea in mind when he makes the declaration that “a man is justified by faith” (3:28; and 5:1). But how may we ascertain exactly which meaning or meanings he intends for his readers to understand? I would suggest the following considerations.

First, from a literary standpoint, two references in the book are of particular import: 1:5 and 16:26. There appears to be little doubt that these two passages were meant to act as and inclusio for the conceptions and doctrines which hinge upon a correct understanding of “faith” in the body of the book: “. . .through whom we received grace and apostleship, unto obedience of faith. . . ” (1:5), and “. . .the mystery. . .is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith . . .” (16:26). There is no question but that the intention of the Holy Spirit for the word pistil is “that obedience which is faith” at both of these openings. Here faith equals obedience and vice versa. In 1:8, Paul continues his thought by announcing that the pistis of the Romans is known throughout the world. Just as obviously he intends to refer to their adherance to the gospel, i.e., belief, trust, and fidelity. For in 16:19 he declares “your obedience is come abroad unto all men.” The two verses are exactly parallel and equivalent! In 1:12, he talks about the encouragement that their mutual faith would offer one another. He has the same idea in mind. Then he introduces his theme in 1:16-17: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; for it is the power of God to everyone that believeth (to pisteuonti); to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written, but the righteous shall live by faith.” Once more, the implication of the Habakkuk quotation (as we earlier pointed out) is that of obedient and steadfast belief and trust. It is everything except passive!

That sets the stage for Paul’s discussion of faith in Jesus Christ as a means of justification versus the Jewish attempt at reconciliation through observance of the Mosaic Torah or Law. And a proper evaluation of this discussion is critical for an appreciation of the whole purpose of Romans. To begin with, he uses the term “Law” (nomos) with and without a definite article giving it three basic significations: (1) The whole Jewish economy, as contrasted with Christianity. He uses it in this way when contrasting “law” and “grace”; (2) The moral law which any enlightened conscience would recognize, but especially as that moral system has been incorporated into the Mosaic code; and, (3) Most often he has reference to the Jewish Torah itself. Now in the book of Galatians he seems to condemn especially the ritual element of the Law being bound upon Christians, but in Romans (chapter seven especially) he refers to the “moral” element in the Torah (note his example in verse seven), denying both the ability of man to keep it perfectly and its ability to save. This is quite plainly the major polemic in Romans. Paul does not disparage faithful obedience to God, nor does he diminish the importance of obedience for the Christian life. Instead, he shows the utter impossibility df pleasing God through this system which had demonstrated its bankruptcy in the past and, for that reason, had been removed and thus offered no security even for the Jews (10:1-4) at that point in time.

The absolute necessity of obedience for faith to qualify as “saving faith” is given cogency by Paul’s following-up of the faith section of the epistle (3:21-5:2) with the pragmatic and practical section on service (chapter 6). The ideological center falls at 6:16-18: “Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the hearts to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness.” Here belief and trust have brought about an obedient response to the divine gift of Jesus and the decrees that, when obeyed from the heart, bring one into that state of “freedom from sin” made accessible in the act of baptism (6:3-11). From that day forward, the person who has thus responded in faith must continue to act in faith by being a “servant of righteousness.” That was Paul’s intention for the Christians at Rqme and everywhere, as he intimates also at 15:18: “For I will not dare to speak of any things save those which Christ wrought through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles . . . .”

Conclusion

Obedient faith is the only faith that has ever justified anyone. The book of Romans offers no salve for the consciences of those who walk in disobedience and no consolation for those who teach the false doctrine of “justification by faith alone.” “Faith” in that book implies a living, vibrant and active force in life which can under no circumstances be identified with passivity.

QUESTIONS

• How did Martin Luther define “faith” so as to exclude conditions of active obedience from salvation?
• Explain the difference between active and passive faith.
• Do the creeds of men teach that we are justified when we obey the gospel, or when we acknowledge and accept the Christ carried out all obedience for us?
• How did Martin Luther describe the book of James, and why?
• What Old Testament passage is quoted as a cornerstone of Paul’s argument (Rom. 1:16-17)?
• Did the faith by which Abraham was justified involve action in obedience or was it inactive and passive?
• Some modern scholars have made it clear that obedience is involved in the very definition of faith. Quote some of these statements.
• Give some passages in Romans that prove obedience is essential to true faith.
• How had the experience of both Jew and Gentile shown that law alone would not save?
• What had the saints at Rome obeyed, in order that they might become the servants of righteousness?

Truth Magazine XXIII: 2, pp. 41-43
January 11, 1979

By Johnie Edwards

The book of Romans tells us about sin. When one violates God’s law, he is guilty of sin. “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (Jn. 3:4). The word sin is found about thirty-five times in the book of Romans. Thus, Romans is a good book to study to learn what God has said about sin.

Conviction of Sin

When we talk about the conviction of sin we are referring to the fact that a person is aware of his guilt of sin, or offense. God’s law is that which convicts men of sin. “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). How does one know that he is a sinner? God said so! “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). It is as Paul said, “. . . I had not known sin, but by the law” (Rom. 7:7).

Some have concluded that man is not under law but under grace and, thus, has no sins. This is not so. Even though God’s grace has been bestowed upon man God still has law. Paul told the Galatians, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). Timothy was told, “And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully” (2 Tim. 2:5). Men today are under the “law of faith” (Rom. 3:27), or the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2).

Men are convicted of sin today just as they were on the day of Pentecost. Just how were they convicted of sin on the day of Pentecost? The gospel of Christ was preached. “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in the heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do” (Acts 2:37). We learn that such things as “unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity” and the like are things which separate us from God (Rom. 1:29-31). Being convicted that such things are sinful in the sight of God, we are led to turn from such and obey the Lord.

Effects of Sin

Sin has its effects in the lives of men. When we talk about effect we are discussing something that directly follows or occurs by reason of a cause. The book of Romans indicates that a number of things have come about due to sin.

(1) Sin makes one a sinner. A sinner is one who sins. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Paul said that men are sinners. “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19). Paul is contrasting the sin of Adam and the obedience of Christ in death. Sin entered the world when Adam sinned and man can be righteous because Jesus was obedient in death (Phil. 2:5-8). Every man is responsible for his own sins. Paul said, “But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: for there is no respect of persons” (Col. 3:25). It is as Romans teaches, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world . . .” (Rom. 5:12).

(2) Sin Enslaves. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Rom. 6:16). Regardless of what the sin might be (drinking, cursing, fornication, stealing, lying and the like), when one lets these things be in and control his life, he is the slave and the sin becomes the master. Paul said the Romans were “the servants of sin” before they obeyed the gospel (Rom. 6:17).

(3) Sin Makes One An Enemy of God. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Rom. 5:10). God hates sin and those who practice sin are enemies of God. It is like James said, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (Jas. 4:4). Jesus said, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (Jn. 15:14).

(4) Sin condemns. “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life” (Rom. 5:18). The effect of man’s own sinning is condemnation. All men are condemned because they are sinners, even though Calvinism teaches that man inherits sin from Adam.

(5) Sin Keeps One Unrighteous. “For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness” (Rom. 6:20). When one serves sin, he cannot serve God at the same time. Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other, Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24).

(6) Sin Separates Men From God. Sin has always separated man from God. Sin caused Adam to be driven from the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24). Isaiah said, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isa. 59:1-2). Paul told the Ephesians, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). The word dead means to be separated from. Because sin separates men from God, Romans teaches the need for reconciliation. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Rom. 5:10).

Consequences Of Sin

Sin has its consequences. It is impossible for man to escape the consequences of sin. The Hebrew writer said,”every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward” (Heb. 2:2). Let us take a look at some consequences of sin.

(1) Jesus died for our sins. Jesus had no sins of His own but God sent His son to die for man. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Had man not become a sinner, there would have been no need for Jesus to die. Paul told the Romans, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Paul also told the Corinthians “how that Christ died for our sins” (1 Cor. 15:3). Jesus became our sin offering. These passages, or any others, do not teach that the perfect life of Christ can be transferred to man’s account, to take away our sins. Our lives are made righteous by obeying the Lord, having our sins pardoned, and not by imputation. The only person God will not impute sin to, is the one who has been forgiven of his sins. Paul said, “. . . blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Rom. 4:7). None of the righteousness of Christ is ever said to be credited to anyone. All are sinners and must obey God to have their sins forgiven (Heb. 5:8-9).

(2) Man Dies Physically. The consequences of sin has and always will be death. When man sinned in the garden of Eden, God said he would die, “. . . for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:17). He ate and he died! Paul said, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12). Thus, through the sin of Adam men have been sentenced to die physically.

(3) The Wages of Sin is Death. The penalty for sin is spiritual death. Paul told the Romans, “For the wages of sin is death . . .” (Rom. 6:23) It is as Ezekiel said, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the Father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezek. 18:20). James said, “. . . and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (Jas. 1:15). John calls this the “second death” (Rev. 20:14).

Conclusion

The preaching of the gospel convicts men of sin (Acts 2:37). Realizing that we are sinners by transgressing God’s law, we need to hear, believe and obey the gospel. Then we must strive to keep ourselves pure by repenting of and confessing every sin to God. (Acts 8:13-22; 1 Jn. 1:9). Then, when physical death comes, as it shall (Heb. 9:27), we can escape spiritual death and enjoy the bliss of heaven.

QUESTIONS

• How many times is the word “sin” used in Romans?
• How do we learn about and become ashamed of our sins?
• God has done away with all law by His grace in the gospel age. Prove or disprove.
• What are some effects of sin?!
• Those who have not obeyed the gospel are free men, servants to nothing and to no one. Prove this true or false.
• What has Christ done for our reconciliation to God and our salvation?
• Each man is condemned before God because of an act committed by Adam. Prove this true or false.
• Some people teach that in addition to the death of Christ, man can be saved only if the perfect life of Christ is transferred or imputed to the Christian. What does the Bible say?
• What two kinds of death have come because of sin?
• How does the gospel of Christ conquer both kinds of death?

Truth Magazine XXIII: 2, pp. 39-40
January 11, 1979

By Bill Cavender

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them that are causing divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which ye learned: and turn away from them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Christ, but their own belly; and by their smooth and fair speech they beguile the hearts of eh innocent. For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I rejoice therefore over you: but I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple unto that which is evil. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly (Romans 16:17-20, ASV).

This general statement of the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul lends itself in application to all the Lord’s people throughout this last dispensation. It instructs us in our attitudes toward and dealings with false teachers in and out of the church; their motives in teaching error and beguiling people; the results of their false teaching; and the certain judgment and punishment which shall come upon all who pervert the gospel of Christ and “preacheth unto you any gospel other than that which we preached” and “which ye received” (Gal. 1:6-10).

There has never been a time in which God’s faithful children have not been plagued with the false in opposition to the truth. Everything our Father ever said and did in our behalf for our salvation has been counterfeited: God by false gods of men’s imaginations; Jesus by false Christs; the Holy Spirit by devilish spirits; miracles by pseudo wonders; the church by Catholicism and her children, denominations; the plan of salvation by the faith only theorists and now the “personal righteousness of Christ imputed to sinners” brethren among us; the reign of Jesus in His spiritual kingdom, the church, by a theory of Jesus reigning on earth for 1,000 years; our hope of a heavenly home for all eternity by the materialist’s concept of heaven on earth; sprinkling for immersion; mechanical instruments of music for vocal music in worship; associations, cooperatives and human agencies for the local congregations of Christ, etc. On and on we could go with the counterfeits of the genuine as they exist in the world.

If we would remain faithful to Jesus we must patiently endure (Heb. 6:9-15). If we would receive the fulfillment of the promise of eternal life, we must “fight the good fight of faith” (1 John 2:25; 1 Tim. 6:12). We must so grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we can discern truth from error, true teachers from the false, good from evil (2 Pet. 3:18; Acts 17:11-12; 1 John 4:1-6; Heb. 5:12-14). False teachers, “by their smooth and fair speech beguile the hearts” of the unsuspecting. But we are at fault, if we permit them to do this to us. Paul said, “I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple unto that which is evil” (Rom. 16:19). Each of us still has this personal responsibility to “know the truth,” to “hate every false way,” and to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints” (John 8:32; Psalms 119:104, 128; Jude 3). The truth of God, the purity of the church in doctrine and practice, the soul of each one of us is worth every effort we must make to “give diligence to present thyself approved unto God,” “to give heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching,” and to “take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee” (2 Tim. 2:15; 1 Tim. 4:13, 16).

The Commands To “Mark” and “Turn Away”

The apostle commanded our brethren in Rome, and us, to “mark” those false teachers who cause divisions and occasions of stumbling and “turn away” (“avoid” KJV) from them (Rom. 16:17). Our word “mark” is from the Greek word skopos, meaning “a mark on which to fix the eye, to look at;” “to observe attentively and diligently, as they do who are placed in a watch-tower to observe the motions of their enemies” (W.E. Vine, James MacKnight). The words “turn away” or “avoid” are from the Greek word ekkline, meaning “to turn away from, to turn aside, lit. to bend out” (W.E. Vine).

It is scriptural that we reason together (Isa. 1:18; Acts 17:17) dispute (Acts 9:29; 19:8-9), and debate our cause with our neighbor (Prov. 25:9). We must preach the truth and expose false teachers and their false doctrines. When their errors persist, and with divisions and occasions of stumbling resulting or about to result, then false teachers are to be marked. Jesus told His apostles to “let them alone: they are blind guides,” speaking of the Pharisees, and condemned them (Matt. 15:14; 23:1-39). Peter marked sinners and false teachers (Acts 2:22; 4:8; 2 Pet. 2:1-22). Paul marked false teachers (Acts 13:8-11). He did not give place to such ones, no, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue among the brethren (Gal. 2:4-5). Regarding two false teachers, Hymenaeus and Philetus, who were saying that the resurrection is already past and were overthrowing the faith of some, Paul said their word “will eat as doth a gangrene” and so marked them (2 Tiim. 2:16-18). He marked Alexander the coppersmith, Demas, and Hymenaeus and Alexander (2 Tim. 4:14, 10; 1 Tim. 1:19-20). Such marked ones are to be avoided. Their cancerous doctrines are to be excised.

I submit to our readers that to speak and write the truth, to expose errors of men, and to expose men who teach falsehoods to the damnation of souls, is the doctrine of the New Testament and the practice of our Lord Jesus and the inspired apostles. If this is not so and is not approved of God and is not “the spirit of Christ,” then I have missed the tone, tenor and teaching of the scriptures. If it was God’s will then that false teachers be so dealt with, it is His will now. If Paul’s commands to the Romans were applicable then, so are they now. When we have better (?) manners and methods than our Lord and His chosen apostles, and conceive it improper to publicly rebuke and mark false teachers, then we have gone far down the road to becoming just another sectarian, denominational, compromising, stand-for-nothing body of people.

The Motives And Results Of False Teachers

“For they that are such serve not our Lord Christ, but their own belly; and by their smooth and fair speech they beguile the hearts of the innocent” (Rom. 16:18). James MacKnight comments, “The words signify one who promises much, but performs nothing; one who professes to regard the interest of the person to whom he speaks, much more than his own; in short one who fawns and flatters, without possessing any real benevolence . . . . the false teachers, to gain the effection of their disciples, prayed with great seeming earnestness for all manner of blessings to them . . . . Persons entirely free from guilde; persons upright and unsuspicious, but who have not prudence sufficient to enable them to discern and avoid the snares which the wicked lay in their way,” are, therefore, deceived by false teachers who set out to beguile the unsuspecting.

No false teachers ever sails under his true colors. Not a one has ever publicly and boldly announced, “I am a false teacher.” They all do as Jude said they do, they “crept in privily” or unawares (Jude 4). They almost invariably make pretensions to greater love, sincerity and piety; to greater understanding, patience and spirituality; to new insights, concepts and applications of God’s truth never understood before by faithful brethren; and generally there are subtle appeals to human wisdom and preferences, to what is popular among the worldly and sectarianminded (Isa. 5:2;-21). False teachers always try to convey that they are “the good guys,” the pious, the kind and sweet-spirited, and that, if we dare to oppose and expose them, then we are “the bad guys” and are lacking in the spirit of Christ and the milk of human-kindness. Poor opposer of error and defender of the faith! He is almost always looked upon as “he that troubleth Israel,” as was Elijah (1 Kings 18:17).

False teachers use and manipulate unsuspecting people for their wicked purposes. In covetousness they with feigned words make merchandise of people (2 Pet. 2:3). They speak perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves (Acts 20:3;). They create parties and sects or perdition (Gal. 5:20-21; 2 Pet. 2:1). They make their devouted, deluded followers to be two-fold more the children of hell than themselves (Matt. 23:15). It is still soul-daming to love not the truth enough to study it, believe it, obey it, and then stand for it against all errors and teachers of the same (2 Thess. 2:10-12). People can believe the claims of the Roman Church and their Popes because they love not the truth (2 Thess. 2:1-12). Some brethren, at present as well as in the past, due to this same lack of love for God’s truth, have followed the errors of men (errors such as human societies subsidized by the Lord’s churches, instrumental music in worship, premillennialism, and of late the “imputed righteousness” theories of Ketcherside-Garrett-Fudge-EdwardsKilpatrick-Hardin-Trotter, etc.).

Each of us is still responsible to God to work out our own salvation by God’s will in fear and in trembling (Phil. 2:12). Do not be beguiled, brethren, by the good words and fair speeches of brethren among us today who tell you that God overlooks sins of ignorance; that one sin will not condemn us; that we cannot say that those who are baptized into denominationalism are wrong; that we cannot say that instrumental music in worship or human institutions to do the work of the church are sinful; that the premillennial theory is an opinion and we cannot condemn as false teachers those who teach it; that good baptized people in denominations are our brethren, if not in fact, then in prospect; and that the perfect life and righteousness of Jesus is imputed to you and me. Many are being led astray by these subtle errors taught by the men mentioned above, as well as by others. Divisions and occasions of stumbling are being caused. Factions are being formed. You could well become a victim of these or other errors unless you are willing to study, read, listen, learn, compare, and obey only what is in the word of God, without addition or subtraction.

Certain Judgment and Punishment

“And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” (Rom. 16:20). Probably the special reference is to the Judaizing teachers who instigated divisions among brethren in Rome as they did in every place. When Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple razed, the Levitical priesthood and worship dissolved, the law of Moses ended once for all, the Jews no longer being a peculiar nation and being sold into foreign countries as slaves, then God truly bruised Satan under the feet of Christians. After the fall of Jerusalem, no longer could the Judaizers effectively persecute Christians, nor could they make any successful claim that the law of Moses had any universal or perpetual application to mankind.

As God judged and punished those false teachers, in time and will do for all eternity, so all false teachers suffer a similar fate. In this life, by the truth of God, they are exposed as teachers of falsehoods (Matt. 7:15-23; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; Isa. 28:14-20). Paul said, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light. It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Cor. 11:13-15).

God will give us the victory over error. “But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place” (2 Cor. 2:14). But we can only gain the victory and experience the joy of triumph if we are willing to fight the Lord’s battles of truth against error (Eph. 6:1020). We cannot win a battle unless we fight. We must open our mouths with boldness to make known the gospel of Christ (Eph. 6:19). In this manner the God of peace, through spiritual warfare, will bring triumph to His church and victory to every soldier of Christ (2 Tim. 2:1-13; 2 Cor. 10:3-6).

Brethren, we cannot wish, pray and love error and false teachers from our midst. It and they must be opposed, exposed, marked and avoided. This is the way we avoid divisions and offences in the cause of Christ. Error causes divisions and parties; truth inoculates against them and heals them.

Let us obey the divine injunctions of Romans 16:17-20. We must strive to obey every word of God from our hearts. It is God’s will that we mark and turn away from false teachers, within and without the church. Truth must reign supreme in our hearts and we must obey it. The church is preserved, divisions avoided, Satan bruised, and the God of truth and glory magnified when we thus submit to Him.

QUESTIONS

• Which periods in the history of man have been plagued by false teaching and which have not?
• What are some things which are clearly revealed in the gospel but which false teachers have perverted?
• Who is at fault if false teachers are allowed to spread error and division without opposition?
• Explain the terms “mark” and “turn away.”
• Give examples from Scripture where false teachers were publicly identified and marked.
• Some brethren actually call the names and warn of the writings of false teachers, but if we have the true spirit of Christ we can find a way to oppose error without once referring to people’s names and writings. Discuss whether this is true or false.
• Upon whom do false teachers prey and what protection do we have?
• Describe how false teachers gain confidence and access to teach among brethren.
• The Judaizers thought themselves to be well-established but what could they not foresee?
• What are some things we should remember when false teachers seem to be gaining popularity and strength?

Truth Magazine XXIII: 2, pp. 36-38
January 11, 1979

By Keith Sharp

Since its dawning in ancient Jerusalem, the enlightening rise and course of the gospel of light has been blotted out by neither time nor space. It is an ageless message for all nations (1 Peter 1:24-25; Mark 16:15).

The Lord’s body in the first century was painfully bruised and broken by the antipathies of Jew and Gentile toward one another. The one human who labored most abundantly to heal these wounds was the apostle Paul, who became the specially selected ambassador to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; 22:21; 26:16-18; Romans 11:13; Gal. 1:15-16; Eph. 3:8; 1 Tim. 2:7), although he truthfully described himself as “a Hebrew of the Hebrew:.” (Phil. 3:4-6). A great theme from source to mouth of the stream of inspired instruction in Paul’s letter to the Romans is the unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ (Rom. 1:5, 16; 2:9, 10, 11; 3:29; 9:23, 24, 33; 10:11, 12, 13; 11:11, 12, 13, 25; 16:26). The fifteenth chapter of Romans is woven tightly into this fabric.

The value of this chapter to us lies in our ability to so understand its message as to be able to apply it to our own lives. What is the meaning of Romans fifteen? How does it apply to us?

Meaning

In the fourteenth chapter of Romans, the beloved apostle discussed the problems of unity and peace in Christ as pertaining to matters of unimportance, specifically eating of meats and observing of days. There is no clear break between chapters fourteen and fifteen. Rather, in chapter fifteen and basis for the problems is revealed and broad principles are gained from it.

Apparently, the problems over matters of opinion were rooted in the soil of animosity between Jew and Gentile. The Jewish Christians would not eat certain meats and desired to keep certain days (Col. 2:13-23). Ten times in seven verses in Romans fifteen, the apostles names the Gentiles, demonstrating why Jews should accept them (verses 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 18, 27). Verse seven states the theme of the chapter and provides the basis for its analysis.

Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

How do we receive one another? The term “receive” is variously defined thus:

. . . denotes to take to oneself… signifying a special interest on the part of the receiver, suggesting a welcome . . . .(1)

. . . grant one access to one’s heart; to take into friendship and intercourse . . . .(2)

. . . receive or accept in one’s society, in (to) one’s home, or circle of acquaintances . . . .(3)

The word includes both spiritual reception and social acceptance. If we receive one, we will happily take him into our homes and share with him our possessions (Acts 28:2; Phile. 10-17).

The passage we are studying details several ways in which we should receive one another. The “strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak” (verse I). We are “not to please ourselves,” but

Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification (verses 1-2).

We should “be like minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus” (verse 5). To “be like minded” implies “acceptance of the equality of the basic worth and acceptance by the Lord”(4) one of the other. We ought to “with one mind and one mouth glorify God,” which beautifully figures unity of both heart and action as we together worship the Father.

We are to receive one another “as Christ also received us.” Would Christ refuse to own us as brethren (Heb. 2:11-12)? Would He decline to join our worship (Ibid.)?

Would He turn us away from His home (John 14:1-3)? Should we so do to one another? Faithful disciples, whether Jew or Gentile, in the first century received each other both spiritually and socially. Simon Peter, directed by the Spirit of God, commanded uncircumcised Gentiles “to be baptized in the name of the Lord” (Acts 10:48) “and didst eat with them” (Acts 11:3). He thus proved we “should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:15, 28).

Why should we so receive one another? Because “Christ also received us.” What reasons can you imagine for refusing to receive any faithful brother or sister, whether spiritually or socially? Could Christ Jesus not refuse us on the same grounds with far more justification? Would you refuse one because you think he was born lower in nature than you racially or nationally? How much higher in nature is Christ than we (John 1:1-3, 14)? What about a brother lower in knowledge? How does your knowledge compare to that of the Master (Matt. 11:27)? Does a brother’s lack of wisdom deter fellowship? Are we as wise as the Lord (Mark 6:2)? Do we allow lower intelligence to interfere? How do we compare to Jesus, who, as a twelve year old boy from despised Nazareth in far-off Galilee astonished the learned doctors of Jerusalem (Luke 2:4647)? Have we greater riches than others? Are we as rich as the Prince of heaven (Heb. 11:26)? Is a brother lower in birth than you? Are you as high born as the Son of God (Heb. 1:4-5)? Is He beneath you in honor? How much honor belongs to the Lord (Heb. 1:6-12)? Is there really a legitimate reason to refuse to receive any faithful brother or sister, whether spiritually or socially?

What is the purpose of our reception one of another? It is “to the glory of God.” How do we, by receiving each other, glorify God? We thus exalt the Father because we so imitate Christ, who sacrificed His own pleasure for our good, in fulfillment of the Scriptures (Rom., 15:3-4; Psa. 69:9). In this manner, we show the same mind God has toward us. There “is no respect of persons with God” (Acts 10:34-35; Rom. 2:11; Eph,. 6:9; Col. 3:25;.1 Pet. 1:17), and we are condemned as sinners if we show partiality because of outward circumstances, whether that partiality be in spiritual matters (James 2:1-10) or in social (Gal. 2:11-14).

By receiving one another we fulfill the promises of God to the fathers (Rom. 15:8). Jehovah pledged to Abraham the blessing of all nations in his seed (Gen. 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). The blessings in Christ upon Jew and Gentile alike fulfill these promises (Gal. 3:8, 13-14, 16, 26-29). Our mutual reception one of another fulfills the prophecies of the unity of the saved of all nations in Christ (Rom. 15:912; cf. 2 Sam. 22:50; Psa. 18:49; Deut. 32:43; Psa. 117:1; Isa. 11:1, 10). Furthermore, such unity and peace is a happy fulfillment of Paul’s special ministry to the Gentiles (Rom. 15:13-32).

Application

Although no strife between Jew and Gentile seethes in the family of God today, a tragic parallel is obvious. Who is so blind as to fail to see the application to the relationship between black and white Christians? By what right do we meet in separate assemblies and compose separate congregations strictly on the basis of race? How can we justify the failure to receive one another either spiritually or socially? Should not faithful brothers in Christ receive each other? Should we not be one? Should we not exhibit love one for another?

Brethren, in every way Jews and Gentiles were to receive one another! Blacks and whites should receive each other. Every excuse blacks and whites can imagine to refuse one another could have been used by Jews and Gentiles against each other or by Christ against us. If not, why not?

Does the first century gospel apply to twentieth century America? I believe it does. Dear ones:

I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another (Rom. 15:14).

Wherefore, I ardently beseech you:

receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God (Rom. 15:7). Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen (Rom. 15:33).

QUESTIONS

• What is one of the great themes of Paul’s letter to Rome?
• What questions in Chapter 14 were occasions for some Christians refusing to receive others?
• If the gospel neither bound or loosed eating of certain meats and personal regard for certain days, how could these questions trouble the early church?
• How does the work of Christ help us to understand the command to “receive . . . one antoher?”
• If each man pleases himself and lets the weak make out as best he can, what will happen to the church?
• How did Peter demonstrate in his own life the principle that no man is “common or unclean”?
• How did Peter once fail to exemplify that principle?
• What are some differences in people that might appear to be problems in bringing about their unity in Christ?
• How has Christ himself set an example which proves that we can overcome in the gospel these differences or barriers?
• In your own community, are there any groups which are likely to be overlooked, shunned or rejected from a chance to hear the gospel and to share its blessings

 

Endnotes

1. W.E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, III (Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1940), 255.

2. –

3. W.F. Arndt and F.W. Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Chicago, 1957), p. 724..

4. Bryan Vinson Sr., Paul’s Letter To The Saints At Rome (Longview, Texas, 1974), p. 280.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 2 pp. 34-35
January 11, 1979