Truth Magazine

By Norman E. Sewell

I love to read, but I’m not an avid newspaper reader. I learned a long time ago not to believe everything I see in the paper or on TV. But I have noticed lately a lot of fairly young people are mentioned in the obituary column. Some, of course, are quite young, in their 20s or 30s, but there seems to be a very large number in their 40s and 50s, and that’s getting too close to home. Perhaps it is just that too many people in my own age group are dying and it re-minds me of my own mortality. In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 5, he writes of a time when we will put off our earthly bodies and put on one suited for eternity. It becomes clear that he is not writing about death so much as he is writing about what lies beyond death. Note some of Paul’s description: “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up of life” (vv. 2-4).

Death is the end of life and activity here on the earth. Solomon wrote about this: “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun” (Eccl. 9:5-6, NKJV). The simplest way to under-stand these verses is just to recognize that death ends our existence and our activities on this earth, under the sun. Death is just a part of the process determined for us all by God  the journey through this world as we travel on toward our eternal destination.

At the end of chapter 4, once again in 2 Corinthians, he described some of the persecution that he and the other apostles endured. Paul wrote: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18). From this we are to understand that the eternal things are more important than the temporary things.

And it is clear that there is more to man than just a body. This body that we wear is mortal and thus corruptible. And at some time we will all put off this body and put on one suited for eternity. Jesus warned his disciples about the cruel things that men would do and then told them: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). There is something far worse than dying, and that is to be destroyed spiritually, to lose your own soul or yourself (Luke 9:25).

As we read a moment ago Paul had said, “Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). All of us would have to admit that our outward man is growing older, definitely on its way to perishing. Can we all say that our inward man is being renewed day by day? Are we really getting better and better spiritually? The process of maturing as Christians never ends. We never get so “good” that we no longer need to be “renewed.” Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:22-24). Even though we have put off the old man it seems as though he keeps fighting to get back into prominence in our lives. Paul wrote to the Galatian Christians and warned them: “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Gal. 5:17). Paul says to put away that old man and to be renewed in our minds; to make ourselves more like God. Which one is winning the battle in your life? Is it the old man of sin, the man devoted to the flesh? Or is the inward man? What are you doing to strengthen the inner man and to be renewed day by day?

Paul prayed for the Colossians, “that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and in-creasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power? for all patience and longsuffering with joy” (Col. 1:9-1 1). To be renewed, to be strengthened, to walk worthy of the Lord and to bear fruit we need to be “filled with the knowledge of His will.” This only comes through diligent study of God’s word, striving to rightly apply it to our lives. Then with Paul we can look forward to the time beyond death when “mortality may be swallowed up of life.”

Guardian of Truth XLI: 2 p. 19-20
January 16, 1997

By Daniel H. King Sr.

Occasionally we are asked why it is that we do not observe the Sabbath Day. Sometimes the one who inquires is a religious partisan who wishes to make a point. At other times the per-son who asks is someone who merely does not know and would like to have an answer. Regardless of their motivation for asking, it is incumbant upon us to give a valid reason for our faith and practice in this matter, as in all matters (1 Pet. 3:15). Truth has nothing to fear from open investigation.

Several considerations need to be noted by all those who wonder about our refusal to observe the Sabbath to-day. These points are simple, yet unappreciated by individuals who would obligate us to this Jewish practice in the present Christian dispensation of time.

Sabbath Keeping Was A Part Of The Law of Moses, And

Moses’ Law Has Been Done Away In Christ

The Law of Moses, and in particular the Ten Commandments, were “written and engraven on stones.” The new covenant of Christ, on the other hand, was “written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh” (2 Cor. 3:3). Furthermore, what was written on stone (the Ten Commandments), was a killing law, i.e., led to death because of human disobedience, while the new covenant of the Spirit is a life-giving ministration (2 Cor. 3:7). In that same context, Paul says that this old covenant has passed away; it has been replaced by that which possesses a greater and superior glory (2 Cor.3:11). The law of Moses has been abolished: “. . . having abolished in the flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one new man, so making peace (Eph. 2:15). Christ, through his cross, “blotted out the bond written in ordinances” of the old law: “.. . having blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross” (Col. 2:14). Sabbath law, along with the rest of Moses’ law, was taken away by the cross of Jesus.

Sabbath Law Was Only Given To

Hebrews In The First Place

The theological doctrine which to-day binds sabbath-keeping upon Christians totally ignores the fact that the sabbath was instituted for the Jews and never for Gentiles. The sabbath was given to the Hebrews to help them remember their own experience in Egypt: “And thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm: therefore Jehovah thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day” (Deut. 5:15). It was a unique sign between God and the children of Israel: “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath through-out their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed” (Exod. 31:16-17). The sabbath was never for Gentiles, nor was it ever practiced by the church!

Sabbath Law Was Revealed At

Sinai, Not At Creation

It is often alleged that the Sabbath was given at the creation for all men of all times to observe. This is not true. The Sabbath was not revealed until the Law was given by Moses to Israel at Sinai. The book of Nehemiah acknowledges this in the ninth chap-ter: “Thou tamest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gayest them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments, and madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them commandments, and statutes, and a law, by Moses thy servant” (Neh. 9:13-14). Moses, who revealed the Sabbath to the people at Sinai, explained its having been “hallowed” by God in his narrative about creation in Genesis 2:1-3. He does not say in Genesis that it was hallowed then, only that God rested then, and hallowed it later at Sinai. If it had been hallowed and commanded at the creation, why did none of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.) ever observe it?

Sabbath Observance Was

Forbidden To Gentile Christians

In Paul’s Galatian epistle he hammered home the fact that the law of Moses was not to be seen as binding upon the church. He warned Christians not to be entangled again in a yoke of borldage (Gal. 5:1), but to continue in the freedom from the law of Moses which Jesus had wrought upon the cross. Since circumcision was the main issue in Galatians, other facts are often ignored, such as his condemnation of observance of the Jewish holy days: “Ye observe days, and months, and seasons, and years. I am afraid of you, lest by any means I have bestowed labor upon you in vain” (Gal. 4:10-11). The sabbath was one of those Jewish holy days to which he makes reference here! Paul feared that, just as these Gentiles had once been servants of idolatrous gods (v. 8), they would now serve the false apostles who had invaded their number, make themselves subservient to the entire law (cf. 5:3), and ultimately sever themselves from Christ and his grace (cf. 5:4).

Christians Are Not To Be Judged By Jewish Laws

So says Paul in his letter to the Colossians. The New Testament requirements are the basis of our judgment, not those things found in the Old Testament. The Old Testament legislation was requisite for Hebrews living under that covenant; we are not to be judged by these “shadows”: “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a sabbath day: whichare a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ’s” (Col. 2:16-17).

Christians Are To Worship

On The First Day Of The Week: Sunday

This was the day of our Lord’s resurrection (John 20:1). It was the day upon which early Christians assembled to worship and commemorate the Lord’s death and resurrection (Acts 20:7). On this same day they gave of their means (1 Cor. 16:1-2), since it was the important day of Christian assembly. In the Old Testament the sabbath was a day of holy convocation and assembly (Lev. 23:3). In the New Testament Christians are never seen observing this day or meeting in such convocations, save to teach and convert Jews in their own meetings. Christians worshipped on the first day of the week, the day we call Sunday, since sabbath celebration ended for them with the Lord’s death on the cross.

Guardian of Truth XLI: 2 p. 12-13
January 16, 1997

By Johnny Stringer

Recent news accounts have related the story of a young unmarried couple charged with killing their newborn child before putting it into a trash bin. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty, reflecting society’s outrage at such acts.

What news accounts fail to point out is that for all their lives, this young couple have been part of a society in which millions of women have killed their children whenever their children would have been an inconvenience to them. This couple simply waited a few minutes too long for the killing of their baby to be acceptable. If they had hired a hit man with a medical degree to kill the child before he left the womb, the young lady would simply have been exercising her precious “right to choose.”

In fact, the child could have been virtually born, having only his head remaining within the mother, and killing him would have been acceptable. To criminalize such a “partial birth” abortion would be an infringement on the mother’s “reproductive rights.” But after the baby had moved a few inches farther, killing him became a heinous crime. Those few inches made the difference between a homicide and the woman’s right to choose.

It is amazing what a premium pro-abortionists place on location. Whether or not one has the right to kill a child depends on where the child is located  whether inside the womb or outside it.

Those who wonder how parents could kill their new-born should ponder the social climate in which that young couple’s morals and values were formed. A society that has condoned the legalized killing of millions of babies should not be shocked when some develop a callousness toward the lives of infants.

Anti-abortionists have long warned that the killing of children before birth would lead to an acceptance of killing children after birth, and that is virtually what is occurring in partial-birth abortions. It is a short step from devaluating the lives of babies in the womb to devaluating the lives of babies who have just left the womb. Those who have learned to accept the practice of killing the unborn for the mother’s convenience will have fewer qualms about killing their newborn for the mother’s convenience; for there is no logical difference between killing a child in one location and killing him after he has moved to a different location.

Guardian of Truth XLI: 2 p. 20
January 16, 1997

By Dick Blackford

There was a popular record in the early 1950s which poked fun at preachers and other church folks. The punch line was that of a preacher saying, “It’s in the Book!”

That book is a one-of-a-kind book. It is extraordinary. It answers questions that few, if any books, will attempt to answer. The unique things that are in the book should cause even the casual reader to respect it and to examine its contents further to find its many other treasures and mysteries revealed therein. Let us examine a few of these jewels.

The Rainbow

How many books attempt to explain why we have a rainbow? The Bible answers this with great clarity. I cannot remember any of my school books attempting to answer this. Have you ever wondered why this phenomenon has not been discussed more in our literature? God placed a bow in the clouds as a covenant between himself and Noah and every living creature for perpetual generations that “the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh” (Gen. 9:8-17). Not many writers have attempted to answer this, but “It’s in The Book.”

The Seasons

How many books explain why we have the four seasons and why they continue to come every year with regularity and at the same time of year? There may be some, but I can’t think of any that do. “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Gen. 8:22). The reason we have them is because God said we would. The same reason we have night and day with regularity. The Bible even defines what a day is (Gen. 1:5). Every season and every day and night continually reminds us that God is keeping his word. It is dependable and true and will stand forever (Matt. 24:35). We would not know the reason for the seasons except that “It’s in The Book.”

Most textbooks accept that different languages are spoken in different parts of the world. I know of none that explains why. That is, none but the Bible. At one time “the whole earth was of one language and of one speech” (Gen. 11:1). But because man sought to build “a tower whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Gen. 11:4). God did not want man centralized in one place. He wanted man to “replenish the earth” (Gen. 1:28).

It is possible that this tower was built as a refuge in case of another flood like the one a hundred years earlier in the time of Noah. It is also possible that man would have de-voted this tower to idolatrous worship, as secular history says Nebuchadnezzar did. Them was a defiance in the people to outsmart God. But God confounded their speech and scattered them abroad upon all the face of the earth (Gen.11:7-9). There is an irony here. In their pride that they were building the tower to “make a name for themselves.” Yet we do not find in history the name of so much as one of them. The only name preserved is the name Babel, “because the Lord did confound their language” (Gen.11:7). We would never have known this except that “It’s in The Book.”

The Heavenly Bodies

What is the purpose of the sun, moon, stars, etc.? The Bible tells us. (1) They were given for light (Gen.1:15), (2) Appropriate lights were given to divide the day and night (1:18), (3) They are for signs, seasons, days, and years (1:14). Farmers often plan their crops and tend their animals according to these heavenly bodies. Their regularity was used by the Jews to determine certain feasts. (4) They were given to declare the glory of God and to give him praise (Ps.19:1, 2; 148:3).

Can you count the stars? With the Hubbell telescope the estimate has been revised to over 50 billion in our galaxy alone. But only God knows their number and all their names (Ps. 147:4). The Bible implies they are innumerable but many and that they form constellations (Isa. 43:10). This was said before the invention of Hubbell or even the simplest, cheapest amateur telescope. In fact, it was said before the invention of binoculars, eye glasses, or contact lenses.

The stars were not made to be worshiped (Deut. 4:19) or to be used to predict the future (Isa. 47:13). The old time children’s song had it right all the time. Stars don’t talk, they twinkle. “It’s in The Book.”

Most textbooks accept that different languages are spoken in different parts of the world. I know of none that explains why. That is, none but the Bible. At one time “the whole earth was of one language and of one speech” (Gen. 11:1). But because man sought to build “a tower whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Gen. 11:4). God did not want man centralized in one place. He wanted man to “replenish the earth” (Gen. 1:28).

It is possible that this tower was built as a refuge in case of another flood like the one a hundred years earlier in the time of Noah. It is also possible that man would have de-voted this tower to idolatrous worship, as secular history says Nebuchadnezzar did. Them was a defiance in the people to outsmart God. But God confounded their speech and scattered them abroad upon all the face of the earth (Gen.11:7-9). There is an irony here. In their pride that they were building the tower to “make a name for themselves.” Yet we do not find in history the name of so much as one of them. The only name preserved is the name Babel, “because the Lord did confound their language” (Gen.11:7). We would never have known this except that “It’s in The Book.”

The Heavenly Bodies

What is the purpose of the sun, moon, stars, etc.? The Bible tells us. (1) They were given for light (Gen.1:15), (2) Appropriate lights were given to divide the day and night (1:18), (3) They are for signs, seasons, days, and years (1:14). Farmers often plan their crops and tend their animals according to these heavenly bodies. Their regularity was used by the Jews to determine certain feasts. (4) They were given to declare the glory of God and to give him praise (Ps.19:1, 2; 148:3).

Can you count the stars? With the Hubbell telescope the estimate has been revised to over 50 billion in our galaxy alone. But only God knows their number and all their names (Ps. 147:4). The Bible implies they are innumerable but many and that they form constellations (Isa. 43:10). This was said before the invention of Hubbell or even the simplest, cheapest amateur telescope. In fact, it was said before the invention of binoculars, eye glasses, or contact lenses.

The stars were not made to be worshiped (Deut. 4:19) or to be used to predict the future (Isa. 47:13). The old time children’s song had it right all the time. Stars don’t talk, they twinkle. “It’s in The Book.”

Poverty

For years almost every presidential candidate has had the “solution” for poverty. The late president John F. Kennedy said, “We now have within our grasp the power to eradicate poverty.” He said that when both houses of Congress were controlled by his party. Yet neither party has come close to eradicating it. There is a reason. Jesus said “For the poor ye will always have with you” (Matt. 26:11; Mark 14:7; John 12:8). Poverty will never be totally eradicated. “It’s in The Book.”

Why the Bible Has Survived

A simple reason. Jesus said it would “not pass away” (Matt. 24:35). “The word of the Lord abideth forever” (1 Pet. 1:25). The Bible prophesied its own perpetuity. One of the best ways to prove the Bible wrong is to totally destroy it. No book has had more attempts made toward its destruction, yet there are more Bibles today than there are of any other book. It continues to survive and shine brighter. The reason for this is “It’s in The Book.”

Answers to Life’s Most Important Questions

This is just a sampling of truths revealed in this remark-able book. The fact that it reveals truths such as these should intrigue us to consider its answers on life’s greatest questions. Every man, woman, boy, and girl should want to know the purpose and meaning of life. ‘Where did I come from?,” “Why am I here?,” and “Where am I going?,” are all answered in the Bible. Other equally important questions are answered too, such as: “Whom Say Ye That I Am?” (Matt. 16:13-19). “What Is Truth?” (John 17:17). “What Shall I Do With Jesus Who Is Called Christ?” (Matt. 27:22). “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:38).

This unique book has the answers you so desperately need. There is an urgency that you get those answers and act upon them. All who reject it will be damned on judgment day (John 12:48). Everything you need to know is “in The Book.”

For years almost every presidential candidate has had the “solution” for poverty. The late president John F. Kennedy said, “We now have within our grasp the power to eradicate poverty.” He said that when both houses of Congress were controlled by his party. Yet neither party has come close to eradicating it. There is a reason. Jesus said “For the poor ye will always have with you” (Matt. 26:11; Mark 14:7; John 12:8). Poverty will never be totally eradicated. “It’s in The Book.”

Why the Bible Has Survived

A simple reason. Jesus said it would “not pass away” (Matt. 24:35). “The word of the Lord abideth forever” (1 Pet. 1:25). The Bible prophesied its own perpetuity. One of the best ways to prove the Bible wrong is to totally destroy it. No book has had more attempts made toward its destruction, yet there are more Bibles today than there are of any other book. It continues to survive and shine brighter. The reason for this is “It’s in The Book.”

Answers to Life’s Most Important Questions

This is just a sampling of truths revealed in this remark-able book. The fact that it reveals truths such as these should intrigue us to consider its answers on life’s greatest questions. Every man, woman, boy, and girl should want to know the purpose and meaning of life. ‘Where did I come from?,” “Why am I here?,” and “Where am I going?,” are all answered in the Bible. Other equally important questions are answered too, such as: “Whom Say Ye That I Am?” (Matt. 16:13-19). “What Is Truth?” (John 17:17). “What Shall I Do With Jesus Who Is Called Christ?” (Matt. 27:22). “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:38).

This unique book has the answers you so desperately need. There is an urgency that you get those answers and act upon them. All who reject it will be damned on judgment day (John 12:48). Everything you need to know is “in The Book.”

Guardian of Truth XLI: 3 p. 1
February 6, 1997