Truth Magazine

By Larry R. Houchen

It seems that the majority of people enjoy growing and maintaining yards which are virtually free from weeds. A neat looking yard is one to be proud of and one which enhances the house setting. However, there always seems to be one in the neighborhood who allows just weeds to dominate his yard, creating an “eye-sore” for the whop neighborhood. The fellow who lives just across the cul-de-sac from us is just such a person. The way he shows little concern in regard to his yard is parallel to the way some brethren regard their erring brethren.

This neighbor of ours moved into, his brand new house almost two years ago. A tractor with a rototiller rig had leveled his property and had made it suitable for planting. Within weeks his yard was one mass of weeds. A few weeks later he cut off low-hanging limbs and piled them in the back of his yard. Every few weeks the neighbor would have his boy cut the weeds with the mower. After a year and one-half of mowing around the pile of limbs, the weeds in the midst of the pile had grown quite high. Finally, much to our relief, last April our neighbor had the limbs hauled away. He then rented a tractor with a rototiller and prepared his ground for planting. (Although he left the weeds that were growing along the curb and other places which. required manually pulling out the weeds, it was a step in the right direction). Our neighbor planted his grass seed. At last, it seemed as if a long awaited improvement had come! Finally our neighbor mowed his weeds down the other day.

Erring brethren are weeds which need to be properly taken care of. It amazed me that the apparent attitude of our neighbor was that the grass would smother out the weeds. Do you suppose erring brethren will be smothered out by ignoring them?

Yes, our neighbor mowed his weeds down, but the weeds are still there and spreading. His futile attempt to eliminate his weeds reminded me of a father who slapped his son’s hand and admonished him to be a good boy when the boy had deliberately set fire to the couch. Some brethren make a yearly (or sometimes not so frequent) pilgrimage to an erring brother’s house to plead with the brother to repent. In between times, or mowings, the “weed” continues to spread its bad seed. Do you suppose removing the “weed” in God’s way might help?

Brethren put much emphasis on baptism, and this they should, since baptism is a command of God which is often neglected. But brethren, let us “rightly divide the word of truth” and emphasize other matters which are neglected. (See Matt. 18:15-17; Rom. 16:17, 18; 1 Cor. 5; 2 Cor. 13:1, 2; 2 Thess. 3:6-15; 2 Jn. 9-11).

Truth Magazine XIX: 14, p. 218
February 13, 1975

By Mike Willis

Some time ago, I decided to write on the subject of fellowship in relation to some of the events recorded in 1 Corinthians. I wrote these articles at that time, although I published only the one on 1 Cor. 1:10 (“Unity in Diversity or Unity in Doctrine,” Truth Magazine, Vol. XVII, No. 17, pp: 261-263). Having. covered 1 Cor. 1:10, I would like to begin this article with 1 Cor. 5.

1 Corinthians 5

Of all the passages on the subject of fellowship, this passage would, by all means, be the one most popular and least contested. The reason for this is its lack of ambiguity and the prominence which it has in the epistle. Moral laxity is specifically named as a reason for a breach of fellowship with an individual. When Paul enumerates what ‘is included in his list of sins serious enough to break fellowship with an individual, he includes covetousness, idolatry, swindling, reviling, and drunkenness, as well as fornication. Other. sins could have as easily been included in this list, such as those recorded in 1 Cor. 6:9-10; 2 Cor. 12:20; Gal. -5:19-20 and Rom. 1:28-32.

The breaking of fellowship included the removal of the evil party from the midst of the congregation (5:2, 13) and the breaking of all social ties which existed with the individual (5:9-11). The withdrawal should be done in the presence of the entire congregation (5:4,5). The motives should be (1) to save the sinner’s soul (5:5) and (i) to purge out the evil influence from the congregation (5,~6,7). This passage describes many facts about withdrawing fellowship which are not elsewhere given. The reasons for and manner of withdrawing fellowship which are given in this chapter should be followed in all cases of withdrawing fellowship.

Since the current apostasy (the unity-in-diversity group) admits what has been stated regarding this chapter (i.e., the unity sect admits that immorality is a legitimate reason for breaking fellowship), the greater portion of this discussion will not be given to this passage. So, let us move on.

1 Corinthians 14:38

This passage, I believe, must be included in any discussion of fellowship as covered in 1 Corinthians. However, one must first determine what does the passage say, which is not easy since (1) the Greek text contains a variant reading and (2) the translation of the passage is not absolutely clear, before he can draw any conclusions from it. The difficulty in the Greek text centers on a variant reading. One must determine which of these two words is the true reading:

agnoeito: third person, singular, present, imperative, active of agnoeo.

agnoeitai: third person, singular, present, indicative, passive of agnoeo.

The sense of the passage is significantly altered by the change of the verb from transitive to intransitive. The difference in meaning will be discussed later. It is not a simple job to interpret manuscript evidence; one Cannot just add up the number of manuscripts supporting each reading, for obviously a third century reading should carry more weight than a fourteenth century reading. Though the evidence is -practically balanced, that the scales lean in favor of agnoeitai is apparent from the fact that this is the reading adopted by the Greek textual critics of the Bible societies, by Westcott and Hort and by D. Eberhard Nestle.

The Definition

The basic meaning of agnoeo is “to be ignorant, not to know.” In this section, I have tried to quote what the lexicons said specifically about this verse.

Arndt and Gingrich: “Practically not to recognize, disregard ei tis agnoei, agnoeitai if anyone disregards (it), he is disregarded (by God) 1 Cor. 14:38 (v. 1. agnoeito let him remain ignorant)” (p. 11).

Thayer: “in the pass. agnoeitai `he is not known’, i.e. acc. to the context `he is disregarded,’ 1 Cor. Xiv. 38” (p. 8).

Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: “In 1 C. 14:38 (ei tis agnoei, i.e. `does not understand’; agnoeitai, namely, of God), we are to take the word in the OT sense in which knowledge means election and ignorance rejection, unless the true reading is agnoeito, which would signify that he should .remain without understanding” (Vol. I, p. 116).

Translations

Here are the major translations of this verse. Notice that the later translations (after 1901) all favor the agnoeitai reading:

KJV: “But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.”

RV: “But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.”

ASV: “But if any man is ignorant, let him be ignorant.” Margin: “But if any man knoweth not, he is not known.”

RSV: “If any one does not recognize this, he is not recognized.”

NASB: “But if any one does not recognize this, he is not recognized.”

TEV: “But if he does not pay attention to this, pay no attention to him.”

Goodspeed: “If anyone pays no attention to it, pay no attention to him.”

Twentieth Century: “Any one who disregards it may be disregarded.”

Douay: “But if any know not, he shall not be known.”

Bruce (expanded paraphrase): “But if anyone disregards the Lord’s commandment, why should anyone regard him?”

At this point, one is able to see that this verse cannot be understood without carefully considering its context; indeed, no verse should be studied outside its context. So, let us consider the context, for a better understanding of this passage.

The Context

Chapter 14 of this book is designed to regulate the use of spiritual gifts in the apostolic age. Disorder and confusion reigned at Corinth; Paul’s letter was designed to rectify the situation. Here were his commandments to that church:

1. Let everything be done in the assembly with the goal of edification in mind (14:15,26).

2. No more than three can prophesy or speak in tongues in any given assembly. If a person is going to speak in tongues, an interpreter must be present to make known to the congregation what has been taught. Otherwise, the tongue-speaker must keep quiet (14:27-29).

3. Let everyone speak in turn (14:29-33).

4. The women must keep silent (14:34).

After giving these commandments, Paul said, “If any one thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandments. But if any one does not recognize this, he is not recognized.”

A subtle play on words occurs throughout these verses. The “let him recognize” of 14:37 and “does not recognize” and “is not recognized” of 14:38 are all derivatives of “to know” in one form or another. Paul’s commandment is this: If an individual does not recognize the authority of Christ as involved in the commandments concerning order in the assembly, do not recognize him as from God.

To acknowledge that one is a false prophet would involve the rejection of him. To allow a false prophet to walk freely among the saints brought down the condemnation of Christ as recorded in Rev. 3:14-16. Thus, involved in “not recognizing” a man as a prophet would be the removal of any ties a person had with the false teacher. Some commentators imply that the one who “does not recognize” the person refusing to acknowledge the authority of Christ is God or Jesus. The practical result would be the same whether the one not recognizing God’s authority is not recognized by Christ or by the Corinthian church. Certainly Christ’s church should not recognize anyone whom Christ will not recognize!

Just in case we have erred in our selection of the two readings, let us investigate the difference in meaning which results if one selects agnoeito instead of agnoeitai. If agnoeito is the true reading, then Paul is saying to the Corinthians that they should quit trying to teach the one who cannot be taught. Whether he should be fellowshipped or not would be unresolved if only this verse were considered, although other verses would prove that such a person is factious and should be purged from the flock. But, other verses would have to be considered to determine that.

However, if agnoeitai is the correct reading, as the context and manuscript evidence seems to imply, the meaning is that given by the RSV, NASB, TEV, Goodspeed, Twentieth Century New Testament, and Bruce’s Expanded Paraphrase. That meaning is this: If a man does not recognize the authority of the apostolic office as. represented by what Paul had taught, the church was not to recognize that man. Notice the implications of this:

(1) The Lordship of Christ is involved in such a remote thing as the number of prophets and tongue speakers allowed to speak in any assembly and the order to be maintained in the assembly. The one who does not recognize the pattern of authority in this area is not to be recognized. (This is exactly the same point as is made in Jas. 2:10-12. The man who refuses to submit to the Lord’s authority in any aspect is not to be recognized because he is a violator of the law.)

(2) Fellowship cannot be extended to the person who refuses to recognize the authority of God’s word. “But if any one does not recognize this, he is not recognized.” The application of this truth would extend to any area in which one refuses to submit to the authority of God’s word-whether it be with reference to the work or the worship of the church or anything else concerning which God has spoken! Fellowship is, then, contingent upon doctrinal conformity. No unity could be had in the assembly at Corinth until all submitted to this authority. Anyone who refused to submit to the authority of Christ as delegated to His apostles was not to be recognized by the church.

I Corinthians 15:33-34

Not one in ten preachers would normally refer to this passage when preaching on fellowship, although once the context is realized, one can easily see that it does discuss the subject of fellowship. The entire fifteenth chapter of the book discusses the subject of the resurrection. After restating the basic facts of the gospel and citing the witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection (15:1-11), Paul then named the apostasy which he was refuting: “How do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (15:12′). From that point, Paul showed the logical consequence of denying the resurrection of the dead-that Jesus was not raised (15:14-19). Afterwards, he showed the order of the resurrection and God’s plan for the reign of Jesus which, Paul said, would terminate at the resurrection of the saints (15:20-28). To further press his point, Paul asked the Corinthians what would be the use of enduring persecution if the dead are not raised. Obviously, if there is no resurrection, we should “eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (15:30-32).

In the midst of this context, Paul said, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’ Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God” (15:33-34). Here are some statements from very qualified commentators as to the meaning of this passage:

“So Paul insists that the Corinthians must not associate with those who say that there is no resurrection. To associate with such is inevitably to risk an infection which can pollute life” (William Barclay, The Letters To The Corinthians,,p. 174).

“The sentiment of the passage is, that the intercourse of evil-minded men, or that close friendship and conversation of those who hold erroneous opinions, or who are impure in their lives, tend to corrupt the morals, the heart, the sentiments of others. The particular thing to which Paul here applies it is the subject of the resurrection. Such intercourse would tend to corrupt the simplicity of their faith, and pervert their views of the truth of the gospel, and thus corrupt their lives” (Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament, p. 308).

“The persons whose company the apostles desired the Corinthians to shun, were those who reasoned against the immortality of the soul and the future state” (MacKnight on the Epistles, p. 270).

The comments of other commentators could be added but from these one can see that Paul is saying to have no fellowship with the man who speaks not the truth on the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. Just as fellowship can and must be broken when immorality occurs, so also fellowship must be broken when false doctrines are taught-even if those false doctrines affect something so “insignificant” in our sight as the matters of 1 Cor. 14. Fellowship is contingent upon doctrinal agreement!

Truth Magazine XIX: 14, pp. 216-218
February 13, 1975

By William V. Beesley

It has often and rightly been observed that when one leaves the shelter of complete Bible authority, there is no stopping place short of complete apostasy. Paul said, “But evil men and imposters shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). Even principles that were once firmly established fall by the wayside.

In trying to show that the church (congregationally) has an obligation in general benevolence (e.g., to nonsaints), a preacher pushing three-score years reasoned: (1) The church is the fullness of the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23); (2) While on earth Jesus healed an unsaved person, the child of the Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30); (3) Therefore, the church, in following the example of Christ must feed and cloth non-saints.

He objected, with great vigor, when I, following his line of thought, reasoned: (1) The church is the fullness of the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23); (2) While on earth Jesus worked miracles (Mark 7:24-30; John 20:30); (3) Therefore, we must have miracles in the church today. His reaction was expected since we already knew his feelings about the heresy of Pat Boone and company.

Before going to sleep that night (actually the next morning), it hit me. His argument was, in principle, nothing but the old “What about the thief on the cross?” argument of our denominational friends. The time is coming when “churches of Christ” (so-called) will “shake in Baptists (accept as a Christian without baptism in order to the remission of sins), yes, and Methodists, too.” Then they will ask in word as well as in principle, “What about the thief on the cross?” Brethren, that old thief ain’t entirely dead yet!

Truth Magazine XIX: 14, p. 215
February 13, 1975

By Norman Midgette

From personal experience I have learned that one of the better ways of reaching the lost with the gospel is through the use of Bible Correspondence Courses. If you will use a good course, advertise adequately, and correspond promptly with those who take the course, good results will come.

Here is one example of the kind of results you might expect. In March 1965, while I was working with the church in Jordan, Ontario, we began an extensive program of work with Bible Correspondence Courses. In addition to the work locally, we advertized the courses in weekly newspapers in other areas of Ontario. From the first series of ads, we received 68 requests. We used a short eight lesson course first and those who completed this course and requested another, received a longer course. Here are some interesting statistics from those 68 requests.

Within a week we mailed lesson one to each person. Of these sixty-eight receiving lesson one, twenty-three never returned it. That was about one out of three. There are always those who will send for anything free, but that is the last you will hear from them. Six returned lesson one only. We found that most of those who will send in the answers to the first two lessons will complete the course. Thirty-two finished the course. That is about one half the number sending in the initial request. Of these, eleven were converted to Christ.

In summary we found that two out of three began studying the course, and one out of two finished all eight lessons. Of those who completed the study, one out of three was baptized. One final figure: of the sixty-eight initial requests for the course, one out of seven was baptized.

Statistics will vary with different parts of the country and with the diligence shown in following up the students who finish the course. And it cannot be emphasized too strongly that follow-up is necessary. In all the years I have worked with people through Bible Correspondence Courses I have only had one lady write and want to be baptized as a result of her study through the course alone. All of the others have resulted from personal studies following our contact through the course.

Two Advantages

There are two major advantages of trying to teach through Bible Correspondence Courses. One relates to the nature of many people. They feel uncomfortable if not clearly “scared to death” at the thought of a face to face study with a preacher. They feel they likely will be pressured to “join his church” and they do not want to be backed into a corner or put on the spot. Yet, I believe today there are more people willing to read and study the Bible than at any time since World War II. Maybe it is because of the popularity given to the Premillennial Theories of an imminent “Rapture” and the return of Christ in the last quarter of the twentieth century. This is Armstrongism and the doctrine of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Lindsay, in his book, The Late Great Planet Earth, has popularized this expectation among the young people.

Another reason for interest in Bible study may be the chaotic condition that seems to exist in the country and world. But whether people are more interested in studying the Bible from fear and desperation or from some other reason, we should be glad they are willing to study. We should take advantage of the renewed interest. If the interest is there, many will be less likely to object to a home Bible course study which they can do on their own than would object to the preacher coming by.

A second major advantage for the church is that the program can be set up to include little of the preacher’s time with almost all of the work being done by members who can do little or nothing publicly. Many members ask, “What Can I Do?” Here it is! They can do all the mailing, grading, record keeping and some of the form correspondence. Personal responses to specific questions may need to be done by the elders or preacher. Any church or individual who teaches by Bible Correspondence Courses opens a door that might not be open to personal contact and includes actively in the work persons who otherwise might be doing very little if anything on their own.

Furthermore, by the time an individual has been in touch with you throughout a course of study like this, he feels he knows you better and generally has no objection to a visit and further discussion on the Bible.

Letting People Know

After you have selected a good course of study to use, and I will tell you about a new one in a moment, the next job is getting it into the hands of people for study. Here are seven ways you can do this.

1. The Newspaper-For the cost involved, you will receive more response for your money in a weekly newspaper rather than from a daily. Most everyone in the family will read through a weekly newspaper completely while a daily is often scanned for the highlights, knowing another is coming tomorrow.

2. Radio-If you have a radio program, advertise the course giving a description of some interesting chart or section in lesson one. Make it a major part of the announcements occasionally.

3. Canvas-Few churches seem to canvas for anything today and without discussing in detail the virtues or weaknesses of it, there is a place for it in Bible Correspondence Course work. One of the best ways is to canvas the neighborhood where the building is located with a packet of material such as a tract on “What To Expect” or “What Is The Church of Christ?”, a card informing the community of the times of services and other vital material on meetings. In the packet also have lesson one of a good Bible Course with a self addressed, stamped card for them to fill out and drop in the mail.

4. Visiting-Everyone has friends and acquaintances we often visit. If a discussion of the Bible or religion, or morality comes up, take the opportunity to mention the course and leave them a card or folder on it. Keep a few with you all the time.

5. Referrals-Most people will enjoy the course, once they start taking it. When they are about half way through it, and you feel confident they are going to continue it, let them help you. Chances are they have mentioned the course to several friends and have gotten a reaction. Some may have said, “That sounds interesting. I might enjoy taking a course like that.” In order to take advantage of this, send a brief letter to the student taking the course asking for the names and addresses of friends they know who might like to take the course. Leave several blanks at the bottom for them to fill in and return with the next answer and question sheet. We have had names sent to us by students before we had time to request them and some have been baptized.

6. Printed cards-I am speaking of cards printed with the “Guaranteed Postage” format. This is an advantage over cards with a stamp placed on them, because this way you do nest lose the stamp if the card is not returned. With the “Guaranteed Postage” format you pay the postage at the post office when you pick up the card. Have the card already addressed to you or the church, and on the back have an ad and description of the course and a place for them to fill in their name and address. They are inexpensive to print and any post office can show you how to prepare the address side of the card. When you get them, see that every member of the church has a supply to keep with him at home, in the car, in the pocketbook or purse or in the pocket.

7. Public Bulletin Boards-Around every city there are numerous bulletin boards for public announcements. Laundromats are a good example. Some stores have such places and in Marion there is one at the Public School Employees Federal Credit Union. Search them out and make these cards available. Once you get started you will think of other ways to spread the word, but the main key to a good beginning is to advertise well.

In the past you have seen mention of the church in Bancroft, Ontario in this magazine and recently it was featured with a picture and brief history. An interesting thing about this church is its beginning. The initial contact with the people in this northern Ontario community was from a lady who sent in a request for a Bible Correspondence Course advertized in the Peterborough Examiner. This was the Summer of 1965; it was just the beginning. To date almost 100 have been baptized in Bancroft and surrounding communities.

I personally know one of the better ways of reaching the lost is through the use of a good Bible Correspondence Course. Advertise it well and be prompt in corresponding with students. Good results will follow. In our effort to save others, this is one way that should not be overlooked.

A New Course

One of the newest courses to come on the market is one prepared by Gene Tope. It is primarily designed for non-Christians and is a good detailed study of first principle subjects. The first lesson covers the distinction between the covenants and the remaining five lessons discuss the nature of sin, the answer in Christ, with a special study given to baptism; the nature of the church, the answer to denominationalism, true worship and motivation to obey complete the study. The course can be reviewed by you or the church where you are a member by requesting returnable sample copies. Truth Magazine Bookstore has published the course. The cost to purchase is 75 cents per set.

If you are not at the present using a Bible Correspondence Course as a part of your work of teaching, it is well worth considering. It has proven itself effective.

Truth Magazine XIX: 14, pp. 214-215
February 13, 1975