Truth Magazine

By Cecil Willis

I want to direct your attention to the passage most frequently quoted by those seeking to prove that miracles are yet being performed. Therefore, I think it timely that we study Mark 16:14-20 to discover what bearing it may have upon the discussion of the duration of miracles. If this is the strongest proof text, and I think that it is, and we should find that if offers no support to their contention that miracles are yet being performed, then people ought to be willing to turn away from these false teachers. And if Mark 16:14-20 is not the strongest proof text, I would be glad to be informed of what Scripture is. I would be glad for the opportunity to investigate it to see if it lends support to their contention that miracles are yet being worked.

Before citing the passage, just a word that might help us get the setting of the passage. Jesus had already been crucified and raised from the dead. But some of the disciples refused to believe that He had been raised. Therefore the events mentioned in the first part of the passage. “And afterward he was manifest unto the eleven themselves as they sat at meat; and he upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them that had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken unto them, was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed.” (Mk. 16:14-20)

Now it is apparent from this passage that Jesus promises that certain individuals will be enabled to work miracles. It is true that the apostles were given the power to work miracles. Yet this passage seems to indicate that those who believed the words of the apostles would be able to work miracles. The disciples or Christians were to be able to have their words confirmed by the signs that would follow.

But there are two or three things we need to notice concerning these people who were to be given the power to work signs. The first important fallacy in thp argument of those who use this passage to prove that miracles are yet being performed is that they would have one to believe that only the preachers are to be given the power to work miracles. I know of no church which believes that all believers can work miracles. But if one will notice the wording of the passage, he will see that Jesus makes a categorical statement that those who believe and obey the Gospel will be given the power to perform miracles. But the denominations of today maintain that only the preachers have the power to perform miracles. They do not hold that all believers can perform the miracles. If this passage teaches that believers today are given the power to perform these miracles, then it teaches that every person today who cannot do all the miracles in the passage is an unbeliever.

One time I heard this passage quoted as infallible proof that miracles are yet being performed. The same preacher began going through the New Testament books citing passages which state that miracles were performed, and he would then give the date of that particular book and declare that miracles were still being performed at that particular time. I do not know who he had in mind, but I do know that if he intended to be replying to any of my beliefs, he misunderstood what I said about the matter. I do not know of any, save the modernists, atheists and infidels, who deny that miracles were performed in New Testament times. I am very confident that they were. I believe that the apostles could perform miracles, and that those on whom the apostles laid their hands could perform miracles. So one can cite every passage in the New Testament which says that Christians performed miracles and I believe it. But that does not prove that they are being performed today. If we were correct in what we said about the purpose of miracles, there is no need for the performance of miracles today. In the passage under investigation we read, “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed” (Mk. 16:20). The signs were to confirm the word, and once it was confirmed, it needed no reconfirmation.

But notice what Jesus said the believers would be able to do: “And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover” (Mk. 16:17,18). All believers were to be given the power to perform all these signs; not just the preachers. But I want you to notice one other thing about the so-called miracles of today. Is it not passingly strange that it is still necessary for God to use these denominational preachers to confirm His word by the sign of healing, but that it is no longer necessary for Him to enable them to be bitten by serpents and to drink deadly things without injury?

The point I am trying to make is this: the preachers who maintain that this passage teaches that they can work miracles only try to perform one or two kinds of these miracles. They will try to get a demon out of a man, and they maintain that they can heal, and speak with tongues. Later we will have considerable to say about the modern manner of speaking with tongues. But notice what else these believers were able to do: they were able to take up serpents, and to drink deadly things without injury.

Not too many years ago different ones of the groups who pretended to work miracles would try the handling of serpents. But they found out that it does not work so well. Some have even died trying to do it! Now they prefer to declare that this particular part of Jesus’ statement has been fulfulled. They will cite the instance in which Paul was bitten by a serpent and suffered no injury from it as recorded in Acts 28:3-6, and then will declare that this event fulfilled the prophecy. But is it not strange that when Paul was bitten by a serpent, it fulfilled the prophecy, but when Paul healed a man, as he did in Acts 20, it did not fulfill the portion of the Scripture which spoke of healing? Why is this? Well, it just so happens that trying to heal a man will not get a preacher killed, and several have been killed from handling serpents. Hence they now teach that this part of the Scripture was been fulfilled.

Some years ago, I preached in Cortez, Florida. There had been a preacher there who sought to prove that he could work miracles, by handling diamond-back rattlesnakes. Finally one of them bit him and he died. So, to cover up this instance, and many other ones similar to it, they declared that the man’s faith failed, or else the serpent bite would have done him no harm. But let me ask this: have you ever heard of one of these snake handlers who has died from a deadly snake bite but that his faith has failed? You certainly have not! Everyone of them that I have heard of or that others have heard of that has been bitten by a poisonous serpent has either died or been very, very ill. So they have decided that Jesus did not mean that this particular sign was to continue.

But what about the others? Well, not all of them have continued. Jesus said that if the believers drink any deadly thing, it will in no wise hurt them. Now how many preachers do you know today who can drink deadly poison that it will not hurt them? Usually when one asks one of them to drink some deadly poison, they reply that to do so would be to tempt God, and they cite the passage in Matt. 4:7, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” But there are some other Scriptures that need to be brought out on this point. The Lord commends the the church at Ephesus for having tried, or tested some who were claiming falsely to be apostles: “I know they works, and thy toil and patience, and that thou canst not bear evil men, and didst try them that call themselves apostles, and they are not, and didst find them false” (Rev. 2:2). All I want to do is to try these men of today to test their claims. The apostle John further said, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 Jno. 4:1). If these men can work miracles, they should not hesitate to do so. If they cannot, they should admit they cannot, and quit pretending that they can-and quit stalling, so as to deceive people.

Jesus says, in our text, that if one drinks any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt him. The common dodge on this point is to say that if one should drink poison unknowingly, it would not hurt him. But, this is not what Jesus says. You let someone slip some poison into his food, and the modern miracle-worker will be affected like any of the rest of us. I expect that these fellows who rely on this passage so heavily to come forth and say that this part of the statement has also been fulfilled. Jesus says that these signs shall follow them that believe. Now if this refers to individuals today, and denominational preachers say that it does, then they ought to be able to drink some carbolic acid or arsenic without harm. If they cannot, and these signs are to follow believers, then they must not be believers. Does it not apply today, or are they unbelievers?

A preacher in Trinity, Texas (which is just 26 miles from my hometown) accepted the challenge to drink the poison. If you were really interested, I guess you could go see where he is buried. Furthermore, there is not any preacher today that is about to try to handle serpents, and drink poison-at least not without extreme safety precautions being taken. Again, I reply that the reason why they are not is because these things will get a preacher killed.

There is not a denominationalist today who believes that this passage is applicable to people today. If there is, let him do all that the believer is supposed to do, handle serpents, and drink deadly things. And if he is not willing to test his faith, let him cease parading this passage as his proof text in his effort to show that miracles are yet to be worked. Miracles served their purpose of confirming the word, and once the word was confirmed, they were no longer needed. What people today need to do is to receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save their souls (Jas. 1:21), rather than look for yet other signs to be done.

Truth Magazine XXI: 9, pp. 134-135
March 3, 1977

By Larry Ray Hafley

Some time ago I had an article in the Gospel Guardian which contained a quote from a Missionary Baptist. In the course of an article, L. D. Capell, editor of the Missionary Baptist Searchlight, inadvertently used Matthew 16:18 with respect to the establishment and “origin” of the church. Well, he has “went and gone and done it again.” As you may know, Baptists teach that the church was established, that it had its origin, before the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Most Baptists argue that the church began in Matthew 4. Some still argue that it commenced earlier, but all agree that it did not begin on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2.

Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church,” has been a thorn in the side and the flesh of Baptist preachers. That text show that the church was not established prior to the time Jesus spoke the words quoted above. So, Baptist preachers and debaters who contend that the church began before this time have writhed and wriggled in a desperate attempt to escape the meaning of Matthew 16:18. They know that Jesus did not mean, “I will build my church,” because, according to them, He had already built it.

Occasionally, though, Baptists will speak the truth despite their doctrine and faith. In speaking concerning the “Divine Orgin” of the church, or while showing that the Lord’s church is not a man devised organization, they will use Matthew 16:18. When establishing this scriptural view that the church is of “Divine Origin,” they evidently forget their doctrine relative to the beginning of the church. See the words below spoken by Mr. Capell at the Brinkley Missionary Baptist Church, May 16, 1976:

“The New Testament Church is of Divine Origin. Many organizations have human origin. The New Testament presents the church that Jesus built. Matt. 16:18.

“It is a decided advantage to be in His church. He alone had the right to establish the church. Men are usurpers when they take upon themselves the right to establish anything and imply that it is Divine.” (Missionary Baptist Searchlight, July 10, 1976, p. 3.)

Observe the words, “Origin” and “establish.” Mr. Capell is again on record to the effect that Matthew 16:18 deals with the “Divine Origin” and the establishment of the church. Those who discuss these matters with Baptists may find the quotation useful because: (1) It contradicts the view of Baptists that the church was established prior to Matthew 16:18; (2) It shows they recognize that Matthew 16:18 deals with the “Divine Origin” and establishment of the church. (3) It destroys the Baptist evasion that Matthew 16:18 is dealing with the embellishment or building up of the church (Ben M. Bogard, Baptist Way Book, p. 30).

Truth is consistent with itself. Error eventually meets itself coming back. This is the case with Missionary Baptists and their use Matthew 16:18.

Truth Magazine XXI: 9, p. 133
March 4, 1977

By Mike Willis

Another term used quite frequently to describe Christians is the term “worker.” Paul wrote to Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). Again, Paul said, “For we are God’s fellow-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:9). Jesus lamented, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Mt. 9:37-38). Paul frequently described his colleagues as “fellow-workers” (Phil. 4:3; 1 Thess. 3:2; Phile. 1, 24). Hence, the terms “laborer” and “worker” were frequently employed by the inspired writers to describe Christians. Exactly what characteristics of Christians caused the inspired writers to use this word to describe them? The answer should be obvious. Christians are to be engaged in the work of the Lord; they are laborers in the Lord’s vineyard (Mt. 20:1-16).

Far too often, Christians view the time they spend in attending the worship services as the only work that they are expected to do. For this reason, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have begun to describe us as “pew-sitters” and “bench warmers.” The assembling with the saints to worship should not be viewed as doing the work of the Lord. Rather, we should assemble to learn enough and be sufficiently encouraged to go out to do the work of the Lord. When we come together, we should hear lessons designed to encourage us to “go into all the world and preach the gospel,” to “visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,” to “bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” etc. Then, we should leave the building determined to do these things. The assembly is for edifying the saints (1 Cor. 14:26; Heb. 10:24).

The Sin of Omission

I remember one time as a child having heard a discussion on the subject of “What is the least percentage that one can give and still go to heaven?” Since then, I have frequently reflected on how well that discussion reflects most Christians’ attitudes. The attitude of “least-possible-service” pervades the church. Such a disposition is sinful. Paul commanded, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). The attitude of the Christian should not be “what is the least that I can do and still get by with it” but “what is the most that I can do for my Lord.” The old-timers expressed this attitude when they prayed, “Lord, wear out my body in your service.”

Paul, the apostle who labored more than all of the other apostles (1 Cor. 15:10), said, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should talk in them” (Eph. 2:8). Notice that the purpose for which we were created in Christ Jesus was to do good works. Suppose that a farmer spent $40,000 buying a combine and, then, when he got it to the field, discovered that it would not harvest his crops. What do you think that he would do and say? Similarly, what do you think that Jesus feels toward a person whose salvation was purchased by His blood but who will not do any of the good works which he was created to do?

The sin of failing to do what one knows that we ought to do is frequently called the sin of omission. Jesus said, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin” (Jas. 4:17). A number of other passages teach this same truth (Mt. 25:1-13, 14-30, 31-46). 1 am more worried about members of the Lord’s church failing to go to heaven because of the good works which they fail to perform than because of the committing of immoralities. Too many of us are going to be workers who “need to be ashamed” (2 Tim. 2:15) because we have done so little for God!

To Minister To Or To Be Ministered Unto

Recently, I visited in the home of a family which had been unfaithful to the Lord. I had been there but a short time when I asked the husband why he had quit coming to worship services. Very quickly he began to list his complaints which included each of the following: (1) my wife was in the hospital and no one came to visit her; (2) no one ever invited us into their homes; (3) no one came to see us when we had our baby; etc. I did not know much of the case history of this person or else I would have said to him what I said to the brother who went with me to visit him. I said something to the effect that I doubted that he ever visited the sick or invited people to his home when he was attending worship services. I was quickly informed that my assumption was correct.

On one occasion, Jesus said, “. . . the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve . . . .” (Mt. 20:28). Far too many Christians have never learned this lesson! They expect the whole church to serve them but have no desire to serve in meeting the needs of their brothers and sisters. Their whole concept of Christianity is incorrect. Christianity totally reversed the concept of what is required for greatness. The non-Christian world associates greatness with power, fame, and money. Regarding this, Jesus taught, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not so among you, but whosoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whosoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave” (Mt. 20:25-27). Is your attitude one of wishing to serve or to be served?

What Can I Do?

Hopefully, you are saying, “What he has said is right but what can I do?” There are innumerable jobs which need to be done to assist the operation of the Lord’s church in the community. There are some such jobs listed below. Beside each one of them is the letter “M” or “W” or both “MW.” These letters designate whether the job can be done by men or women or both men and women.

Suggested Ways To Serve In The Church

Worship Areas		Evangelism
Sermons or Talks	M	Distributing Tracks	MW
Prayers	M	Conducting a home Bible Study	MW
Song Leading	M	Trying to restore a brother	MW
Lord’s Supper	M	Contacting Visitors	MW
Operational		Bringing someone to worship	MW
Teaching a Bible class	MW	Maintenance
Gathering news for bulletin	MW	Cleaning building	MW
Typing a bulletin	MW	Cleaning baptistry	MW
Doing a lay-out of bulletin	MW	Doing repair work on building	M
Being treasurer	M	Painting around building	MW
Writing letters as needed	MW	Yard work	M
Printing bulletin	MW	Keeping baptistry garments clean	W
Folding bulletin	MW	Personal Work
Addressing bulletin	MW	Visit sick members	MW
Writing letters to visitors	MW	Visit aged shut-ins	MW
Provide transportation	MW	Invite new members to a meal	MW

Perhaps this list could be expanded by others. The inactive member no longer can excuse himself from doing any work by saying, “I don’t know what to do.”

Dear brethren, the sin of neglect is destroying the church. Long ago, the wise man observed, “He also who is slack in his work is brother to him who destroys” (Prov. 18:9). He knew that one does not have to tear down a house to destroy it; all that he must do is to fail to maintain it. A person does not have to plant weeds in his garden to ruin his crop; all that he must do is fail to cultivate his crop. Neither does one have to maliciously seek to destroy the church for it to cease to exist in his community. If we fail to reach out to bring the lost to Christ, funerals will destroy the Lord’s church in our locality. Hence, we must be about our Father’s business.

Let us get busy doing what we so frequently sing. We sing, “I Want To Be A Worker For The Lord;” if we want to be a worker, we will be one! Again, we sing,

“To the work! to the work! We are servants of God, Let us follow the path that our Master has trod; With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew, Let us do with our might what our hands find, to do.

“To the work! to the work! Let the hungry be fed; To the fountain of Life let the weary be led; In the cross and its banner our glory shall be, While we herald the tidings, Salvation is free!’

“To the work! to the work! there is labor for all, For the kingdom of darkness and error shall fall, And the name of Jehovah exalted shall be, In the loud swelling chorus, ‘Salvation is free!”

“To the work! to the work! in the strength of the Lord, And a robe and a crown shall our labor reward; When the home of the faithful our dwelling shall be, And we shout with the ransomed, Salvation is free!'”

-Wm. H. Doane

A Christian is a worker for the Lord. Are you truly a Christian?

Truth Magazine XXI: 9, pp. 131-133
March 3, 1977

By Mike T. Rogacs

Those who have engaged in a study of the word “faith” will know that the word is used in at least two different senses in the New Testament. One sense refers to the state of believing in something or someone. In Col. 2:5 the usage is “your faith,” the individual’s belief. But we take notice that there, along with Gal. 2:16 and Phil. 3:9, the reading is “your faith in Christ,” the individual’s belief in Christ being what He claimed to be.

The second sense of the word “faith” refers to the system of faith or religion of Christ with all its laws, commands, etc. This is often manifested by the phraseology “the faith” (2 Cor. 13:15; 1 Tim. 4:1; 5:8; etc.). Those who have found this distinction to be true often apply the same distinction between the phrases “faith in Christ” and “faith of Christ,” the first referring to the individual’s belief in the Lord, and the second having reference to the system of faith that the Lord gave, the “one faith” of Eph. 4:5.

For our study here, we then raise the following question: Given the afore mentioned distinctions, does Gal. 3:26 therefore teach that “we are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus”-that is, are we made children of God through our simple individual belief in Christ? The question is a proper one for study. On the surface, the language lends itself to a definition of salvation by simple belief. The verse is widely used by those who teach that faith alone saves, and that Galatians 3:26 is simply a clarification of the “faith only” interpretation of John 3:16. We submit that Gal. 3:26 does not teach salvation by simple faith (belief). We submit that such a view expounded from this passage is an example of the principle of 2 Peter 3:1617 and a violation of 2 Tim. 2:15. Our conclusion will rest upon the context around Gal. 3:26, which, if studied, will clearly show the intended meaning of verse 26.

Notice the rendition of verse 26 as found in the American Standard Version: “For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus.” Draw your attention to the punctuation supplied. This wording and punctuation better fits the apparent meaning of the inspired writer which in effect could be read: “For ye are all sons of God in Christ Jesus through faith”, with “faith” here NOT referring to simple belief of the individual, but referring to the faith of Christ, the gospel. The distinction we are attempting to show is that Paul is not speaking of simple belief by saying “through faith in Christ,” but that he is saying we are “in Christ” through the faith (of Christ).

We interrupt our train of thought to notice that often brethren, in order to refute “faith only” doctrine have said that the Greek probably should read, “ye are all sons of God through the faith of Christ” and say that “of” was intended instead of “in”. This may be closer to the meaning of the passage than the “faith only people”, but the Greek apparently does say “in Christ” and not “of Christ”. But again, the verse is not saying “faith in Christ” or even “faith of Christ”.

The context immediately preceding verse 26 is discussing that the law of Moses (“the law”) was followed by the new system of religion called “faith” and “the faith” in verse 23, and “faith” in verses 24 and 25. This is the gospel, system, faith, of Jesus Christ replacing the law, the system, of Moses. This discussion of the contrast runs all through chapter three and in fact is the whole foundation of the epistle to the Galatians. What we find in the context of chapter three is, in short, as follows: God gave a promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed in his seed and that, as now is revealed, this promise was to include the justification of the Gentiles and not just the Jews (v. 7). God confirmed through Paul that Moses’ law was a curse unto man and it could not, and was not intended to, justify any man, Jew or Gentile (v. 10, 11). Instead, another system-that of Christ-needed to come before the promise to Abraham could be fulfilled, a fulfillment which would include the blessing of the Gentiles (12-21).

It is then in verse 22 that God’s intentions of the fulfilled promise is revealed. (And as luck would have it, the American Standard Version does not render the whole literal Greek correctly, and the Greek supports the King James Version in the wording of question in our topic.) “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” In other words, the promise of Abraham is now given to all who believe in God and His promise, and it is given BY (through) the faith, the gospel, which Jesus Christ revealed.

The contrast between the old law and the faith of Christ is the topic. And, again, it continues to verse 26. There the purpose is to show that we cannot be children of God in Moses, in Aaron, or in anyone else by the power of the law of Moses or of any other law. But instead, “ye are all the children of God in Christ, by (the) faith.”

It is then that Paul by inspiration goes on to say, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (v. 27). This is the verse that really confirms what Paul was saying in the preceding verse.

So, it all falls into place. The gospel of Jesus Christ does say that we are born again, become children of God, when we are baptized (John 3:1-5; Heb. 10:22; Romans 6:3-8). When we are baptized, it is into Christ, to put on Christ (Gal. 3:27). So, it is factual that by the faith (gospel), we learn how to become children of God in Christ.

No, Gal. 3:26 is not teaching that we become children when we believe in Christ. If anything, the passage is really teaching the necessity of becoming children of God by a definite pattern of salvation found in the gospel of Jesus Christ, a pattern which includes faith, repentance, confession, and then baptism into Christ. (John 1:11-12; Rom. 10:10; Acts 2:38; etc.) Could this, the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham given so very long ago (that all could be children in Christ Jesus by the faith of Jesus Christ) be the promise that is “unto you, to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:38-39)? Think on these things.

Truth Magazine XXI: 8, pp. 125-126
February 24, 1977