Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (Psa. 29:2).

Holiness has a beauty all of its own. There is something marvelous about a character that is pure in heart, without guile, devoted to the Lord’s service, lovely, and loveable. The beauty of holiness is “the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit” (1 Pet. 3:4). The beauty of Christ’s holiness has attracted men to him for nearly twenty centuries.

In What Does Holiness Consist?

1. Holiness consists in consecration to God. A person must be to-tally devoted to the Lord’s service. Those things designated “holy unto the Lord” were those things consecrated to his service. It might be one’s house that was vowed to the Lord (Lev. 27:14), an animal, or the produce of his field that was set apart as his tithe (Lev. 27:28,30). Anything specifically separated to the Lord’s use was “holy unto the Lord.”

That which is “sanctified” is “set apart” to the Lord. Christians are “sanctified” when they obey the gospel. Paul wrote, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11).

Jesus spoke of this kind of dedication to the Lord in these terms: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matt. 22:37-38). This is a spirit totally committed to the Lord.

Paul manifested this kind of holiness when he explained that his life was a “living sacrifice” to the Lord. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). He also wrote, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). This is a beauty in seeing a person so totally devoted to the Lord.

2. Holiness consists in becoming like God. Peter wrote, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Pet. 1:15). Peter explained that we imitate God’s divine attributes when we add faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, etc. to our character. `By these ye might be partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:3-10).

We learn to love what God loves and hate what he hates. “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way” (Psa. 119:104). The wise man wrote, “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren” (Prov. 6:16-19). Sometimes, we look upon sin as something to be played with that has no ability to inflict harm on a person. Rather, sin is so dangerous, that it can only be hated. We therefore hate fornication and adultery, because we have seen what it does to families. We hate drug addiction and drunkenness, be-cause we have witnessed how it destroys lives. We hate lying and stealing, because we have seen how it eats the heart out of one’s character. We hate all forms of lasciviousness because of how it leads to other immoralities. We see the damnation of hell to which all of these lead and we hate sin. Anyone who does not hate sin is not God-like.

Look at what God loves. He not only loves righteousness but also those who practice righteousness. Sometimes the world describes those who are righteous as “geeks,” “nerds,” “right wing fundamentalists,” and similar epithets. But God loves the righteous and so should we. Paul wrote, “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” (2 Tim. 1:8). Perhaps there were some who were ashamed of Paul, like there are some who are ashamed to be associated with those who are righteous. If we are going to be God-like we will love both righteousness and those who practice righteousness.

Becoming like God also leads to developing the virtues of righteousness. We learn to be patient like God. The quick-tempered person has not become God-like. Think how God would act toward those who sin (that includes me), if he had the quick-tempered nature some of us have. We learn to love like God. God’s love is self-sacrificing and is full of grace – that is, it is given toward those who do not deserve it. We can be God-like when we show love to those who have done nothing to deserve our love.

Conclusion

When a person who meets the descriptions listed above brings his worship to God, he is doing what the verse in Psalm 29:2 is saying – worship God in the beauty of holiness. We would be wise to give more attention to bringing the “beauty of holiness” when we come to worship than fretting so much on whether or not one’s shoes match one’s skirt or purse, whether or not the tie and suit matched, and other things pertaining to one’s outward appearance.

Guardian of Truth XL: 8 p. 2
April 18, 1996

By Ferrell Jenkins

Easter is a widely-observed annual celebration commemorating the resurrection of Christ. You probably have noticed that Easter comes at a different time each year. “Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon that falls on or next after the vernal equinox (March 21 in the Gregorian calendar); if the full moon happens on Sunday, Easter is celebrated one week later. Easter Sunday cannot be earlier than March 22 or later than April 25; dates of all other movable church feasts depend on that of Easter” (Webster).

The Origin of Easter

Some church historians assert that Easter observance began in the first century, but they must admit that their first evidence for the observance,,. comes from the second century (Schaff, History of the Christian Church II:207; Latourette,` A: History of Christianity, 1:137). There soon arose a bitter controversy over which day Easter was to be celebrated. Some were observing it on any day of the week, and others were celebrating it only on the nearest Sunday. This indicates that they had no instruction from the Lord on this matter. By A.D. 325 the council of Nicaea de-creed that it should be on Sunday, but did not fix the particular Sunday. The exact time of observance was deter-mined by later councils.

Is Easter in the Bible?

The word Easter is only found one time in the English translation of the Bible and there it is a mistranslation. The King James rendering of Acts 12:4 used the phrase “intending after Easter.” Albert Barnes, a noted Presbyterian commentator who wrote in the nineteenth century when the King James version was widely used, said, “There never was a more absurd or unhappy translation than this. The original is simply after the Passover. The word Easter now denotes the festival observed by many Christian churches in honor of the resurrection of the Saviour. But the original has no reference to that, nor is there the slightest evidence that any such festival was observed at the time when this hook was written. The translation is not only unhappy, as it does not convey at all the meaning of the original, but because it may contribute to foster an opinion that such a festival was observed in the time of the apostles” (Barnes Notes on the New Testament, XI, 190). The word translated Pass-over, and the one used in Acts 12:4, is pascha. It means “a passing over” and is used with reference to the Jewish festival of Passover which was celebrated on the 14th of the month Nisan. This same word is used in Matthew 26:2; Mark 14:1; Luke 2:41; 22:1; John 2:13, 23 and other places, and in every instance is translated Passover in the King James Version except Acts 12:4. More recent versions correctly use the term Passover in Acts 12:4. It is absurd to think that Herod Agrippa I wanted to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. The Scripture says that he “laid hands on some who belonged to the church, in order to mistreat them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword .. he proceeded to arrest Peter also” (Acts 12:1-3).

New Testament Christians Did Not Observe Easter

The famous fourteenth edition of Encyclopedia Britannica says, “There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic Fathers. The sanctity of special times was an idea absent from the minds of the first Christians” (VII: 859). The apostle Paul warned against the observance of feast days, new moons, etc. (Gal. 4:10-11; Col. 2:16-17). Another reliable source says, “In apostolic times the Christians commemorated their Lord’s resurrection every Sunday, by meeting on that day for worship. When Paul refers to Christ as our passover (1 Cor. 5:7) his language is metaphorical and cannot be regarded as containing any allusion to a church function” (A Dictionary of Religion and Ethics 140). For many people, Easter has become the one time of the year they attend church services. Concerning urging of Catholics to receive Holy Communion the question was asked, “They must go at least once a year if they would be regarded as Catholics?” “Father” Smith answers, “Yes, during Easter time” (Father Smith Instructs Jackson 159). Many forget the admonition of Hebrews 10:25: “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”

Importance of the Resurrection of Christ

Let no one imagine that we oppose the resurrection of Christ. It is the bedrock of Christianity and the deity of Jesus rests upon it (Rom. 1:4). Christians today meet every first day of the week, as did the early Christians, to observe the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7). The first day of the week is a memorial to the resurrection of Christ. The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ serves as the form of an individual’s death to sin, burial in baptism, and resurrection to walk a new life as a new creature in Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom 6:3-11; Col. 2:12).

Conclusion

“Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God” (1 Pet. 4:11). The celebration of Easter began too late, and without the expressed authority of God!

Guardian of Truth XL: 8 p. 1
April 18, 1996

By Kim Dobbs

Was I, like Esther, put here “for such a time as this”? A weary heart to comfort? A skinned up knee to kiss?

Should I take the time to stop and speak to them today? Oh, it’s not that important. I’ll do it another day.

Am I the one that God expects to teach my new-found friend?

Or maybe there is someone else that he has planned to send.

Maybe there’s someone I know drowning in despair. Am I the one God’s counting on to show them someone cares?

Is there someone that I know being led astray?

Am I the one to take the time to talk to them today?

A lonely person that I know that simply sits for hours: Am I the one to call or send a card or maybe flowers?

Is there a lonely child I know that needs some special care?

Do you think God has put me here to show some loving care?

Am Ito use my influence to change some moral wrong? Yes, I think God expects me to, so now I must be strong.

I must look for opportunities to heal, to help, to save. And “if for such a time as this,” like Esther, I must be brave.

Guardian of Truth XL: 8 p. 4
April 18, 1996

By Larry Ray Hafley

Human religion, denominationalism, insists upon trust in the Divine Son of God. “Put your faith in him,” they say. “Do not trust in `a plan’ of salvation, but in `the man’ of salvation.” Generally, by this pious plea, they mean that one may, yea, must, ignore the gospel plan of salvation, i.e., baptism. Thus, Christians are made to appear as those whose trust and hope is in an ordinance, or in the water, and not in Christ. What shall we say to this?

First, none who believe the Bible will disagree with the theme and thrust of trust in the Lord. We must “trust in the Lord” (Psa. 37:3). This “trust in the Lord” must be “with all thine heart” (Prov. 3:5). “They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever” (Psa. 125:1). We dare not trust in men, for “cursed be the man that trusteth in man” (Jer. 17:5). “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” (Psa. 118:8). Further, “we should not trust in ourselves, but in God” (2 Cor. 1:9). New Testament converts “trusted” in Christ (Eph. 1:13).

Second, even human reasoning and human illustrations show that trust in a person involves and includes trust in that person’s word. When my boys were little and standing on a high place, I would say, “Jump, and Daddy will catch you.” They believed me, trusted me; so, with confidence and trust in my word that I would catch them, they jumped. Because of trust in the national weather service’s warning of an approaching tropical storm, thousands will close up their homes and leave a coastal area. Leaving reveals their trust in the forecaster and in his forecast. Though it may not be windy or raining, we board up our houses upon the word of a meteorologist that a storm is approaching. The decision of one man, one doctor, causes us to undergo painful, expensive surgery. Because we trust in him, because we have confidence in his word, we agree to very disagree-able procedures. At such times, do we deliberate and debate about whether or not our faith is in the doctor, personally, or in his practice, or in his profession, or in his pronouncement, “You need surgery”? No, we do not. Though we “never felt better,” we put our affairs in order, check in the hospital, and have surgery.

Bible Cases, Bible Illustrations

Better than human philosophy is Divine testimony. Letus study several cases or incidents where men are said to have believed or trusted in the Lord. Let us see how this trust was exhibited, expressed. By the Bible we shall show that one trusts and believes in the person of God when he obeys the purpose, the plan, and the pattern of God. Conversely, those who do not yield and submit to the word of God are those who do not trust and surrender to the person of God.

Negative Case Studies

Moses  In Numbers 20, God told Moses to “speak” to the rock to obtain water. Moses “spake unadvisedly with his lips” (Psa. 106:33). Consequently, God said, “Because ye believed me not to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land” (v. 12). Did Moses believe in the existence of the person of God? Certainly, he did; yet, God said, “ye believed me not.” When one does not obey the word of God, he does not believe or trust in the person of God.

Israel  When Israel “rebelled against the commandment (or word ) of the Lord,” they “believed him not” (Deut. 9:23). When God saw Israel’s disobedience, though they were “his sons and his daughters,” he said, “they are .. . children in whom is no faith” (Deut. 32:19, 20). Did they believe in the presence of God’s person? Yes, but in disobedience to the word of God, they were “children in whom is no faith.” When “they would not hear” the plan of God, they “did not believe in the Lord their God” (2 Kgs. 17:14). “Then believed they his words; they sang his (God’s) praise. (But) they soon forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel (for his words) . . . They despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word” (Psa. 106:12, 13, 24). “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?” (Rom. 10:16). If one does not “obey the gospel,” he does not “believe” the gospel! Those who have “obeyed the truth” are those “which believe,” while those who do not believe are those who “stumble at the word, being disobedient” (1 Pet. 1:22; 2:7, 8). “I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not” (Jude 5). Who were those “that believed not”? They were the “disobedient,” those who “rebelled against the commandment of the Lord.”

Disobedient Servant  The disobedient servant of Luke 12:42-48, “which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will,” was condemned “with the unbelievers.” When one does not obey the plan, “his lord’s will,” he is said not to believe in the man, his lord. And so it is of us and our relationship to Christ our Lord (Lk. 6:46)! (In our next installment, we shall note Positive Case Studies designed to show that the believer in Christ, one who truly “trusts” in him, is the one who obeys him.)

Guardian of Truth XL: 7 p. 24-25
April 4, 1996