Truth Magazine

By H.E. Phillips

The religious world today relies greatly upon what it pleases to call “saving faith” to produce salvation and eternal life. I believe there is such a thing as saving faith, but I do not accept the definition given to it by denominationalism. Such expressions as “accepting Christ as your personal Savior,” “believing in the Lord Jesus,” and “getting saving faith” are frequently used by the sectarian preachers. But what does the Bible say about the faith that saves?

Especially in the epistles written to the Romans and Galatians the contrast is drawn between “faith” and “works of the law of Moses.” “This only would I learn of you, Receive ye the Spirit by the works of law, or by the hearing of faith?” (Gal. 3.2).

While the works of the law will not justify, the work of obedience to the faith is essential to the faith which saves. “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24). In contrast to this we read: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5). The answer to this alleged conflict between these two passages is easily understood if we learn that the same kind of “works” is not under consider-ation in both passages. One is the works of the law of Moses whereby the Jews sought salvation, and the other is the obedience to the faith whereby the obedient believer is saved from past sins.

1. Faith is a mental act. It is the act of the mind in accepting as true the testimony given. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6). “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3). In Romans 10:10 we learn that the heart is man’s instrument of belief. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” The gospel, therefore, is addressed to the hearing of man: to his heart, for this is the part that believes. But is this mental act all that is involved in the idea of the faith that saves? Is that what the Spirit meant when he said Abraham was justified by faith? Was it just a mental act and nothing more?

2. Faith is spoken of as that body of truth delivered by the Holy Spirit which produces belief in the heart. John said: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:30, 31). Again, “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith (revelation) of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe” (the mental act of receiving the truth  Rom. 10:17; Gal. 3:22). The next verse says: “But before faith (revelation of Christ) came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should after-wards be revealed.” Now verse 25: “But after that faith (the rev-elation of Christ: the gospel) is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (the law of Moses). Jude 3 says: ” . . . it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith (revelation of Christ) which was once delivered unto the saints.”

3. Faith also includes the response to any and all requirements that the body of truth delivered by Christ contains. No one can claim to have the faith that saves until and unless he responds to those requirements the faith demands.

Hebrews 11 contains a list of men who were blessed by faith and in each case the blessing came at the point of response to what truth demanded. Notice these statements:”By faith Noah . . . moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house” (v. 7). “By faith Abraham . . . obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went” (v. 8). “By faith Abraham, when he was tried offered up Isaac …” (v. 17). “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land . . .” (v. 29). “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days” (v. 30).

The faith that saves is that state of mind that accepts the revelation of Christ and responds to whatever requirements are found in it to receive the promised blessing. If one should hear the word, believe the word  mentally accept it as true  but will not obey the requirements contained in it, he will no more be saved than the devils who believe in this way (James 2:19). This is the true doctrine of “faith only” or “salvation at the point of faith.”

Following are some passages that prove that faith must be obeyed before it blesses. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven! but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). “. . . and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was de-livered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness (Rom. 6:17-18). One must obey the faith (truth) to be saved by faith.

Guardian of Truth XL: No. 17, p. 9-10
September 5, 1996

By Berry Kercheville

Early in the morning on January 6, 1996, Mack Kercheville breathed his last after fighting various illnesses for over four years. Mack had preached the gospel for over 56 years. He preached his first gospel meeting when he was fourteen years old. Yes, you read that right, fourteen years old. He had gone with his father Berry (my grandfather), who was scheduled to preach a two week gospel meeting. The meeting had gone so well that at the end of the two weeks the brethren were unwilling to close the meeting. Berry, however, needed to go to a nearby town to start an-other meeting. So he suggested that his fourteen-year-old son, Mack, continue the meeting. Mack gladly took the meeting up where his father had left off. When his father returned, the brethren told him that he could go on because they had a preacher in Mack that was doing just fine.

At sixteen, Mack began regular preaching and did not stop until illness restrained him. He preached his last sermon in December of 1991. How many men today have not only determined at such a young age that they will preach the gospel, but have also prepared themselves for the task? How many parents have raised their children to give such dedication to God?

In 1943, Mack moved to El Paso, Texas to begin work in Spanish at the Rivera Street church. When he first arrived, he could barely introduce himself in Spanish. He would write out his sermons so that he would be able to deliver them in an understandable way. However, within a few months he had learned the language well enough to deliver his sermons from notes alone. From that time on he would give his life to bring the gospel to the Mexican people. He traveled to Chile, to Argentina, and repeatedly to the interior of Mexico. Since Mexico would not allow American preachers to live in the country, Mack chose to live in El Paso where he would have easy access to the country.

Because of Mack’s work, numerous Mexican preachers were trained, and many churches established. The Rivera Street church, as well as the churches in Juarez that Mack so often worked with, are all self-supporting. In fact, it is the English work in El Paso that has the greatest need, not the Spanish work.

Mack did not seek to attain a name for himself. Mack quietly went about his work of teaching the Mexican people. He slept in one room homes with dirt floors. He was out night after night teaching. He traveled with hardship and sickness (from contaminated water), but never complained or turned back from the task before him. At the funeral, all of us in the family cried as we heard the Spanish speaking people sing. Many related to me how grateful they were to Mack for bringing the gospel to them.

Mack Kercheville was a champion of the faith, a man willing to fight spiritual battles that others were unwilling to fight. He was a true servant of God. He gave his life to save lost people in a foreign land. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Nell, three daughters, and six grandchildren. You may write Nell at 1803 Jerry Abbott, El Paso, Texas 79936.

(The following article is a summation of the work of Mack Kercheville in Mexico as told by his wife of 51 years. Mack died January 6, 1996. He preached for 56 years, predominately in Spanish.)

Guardian of Truth XL: 7 p. 8
April 4, 1996

By Donnie Rader

Time robs me of pleasant memories. Oh, I don’t mean that the memories are gone. But, with time changes come and things are not like they used to be. The pleasant memories of the past are quite different from what I see at the present. And it’s painful. The emotion you feel when you reflect and realize that it’s not like it used to be is indeed a painful journey. How many of us have not wished that we could go back and relive an earlier experience? In some ways it hurts to know we can’t do that.

Such journeys are especially painful when it comes to people. I think of those I’ve loved who are now gone. As I wonder back to the time when they were still with us I sometimes feel this big lump in my throat. Then I look at people that I never thought of as being “old” and notice grey hair, less hair, wrinkles, a slower walk, a bend in the back and other signs that say they are older than I want them to be. Though I know the answer, I still sometimes wonder, “Why does it have to be this way?” At times I wish I could turn this journey around and reverse the process.

The saddest of all is to look at those you love who no longer serve the Lord  some who even live ungodly and immoral lives  and remember when they feared God. Nearly as disturbing as that is to consider those who are showing signs of getting weaker and looser in their faith. I see those I care about tolerating and practicing things that they would have abhorred not too many years before. In both of these the painful part is recalling when they were not like they are now. The real “punch” of the pain is when I think about how we don’t have as much in common as we used to have. Our faith is no longer the “like precious faith.” It is neither “like” nor “precious” anymore. And, in some cases is no longer “faith.”

In the last few months I’ve made this journey time and again. On more than one occasion I’ve been in gatherings of extended family. While others at the gatherings may have had their minds on other things, I was taking one of my painful journeys. I noticed things I wish I had not seen.

Recently, at a relative’s funeral, I sat looking around the room at family I had not seen in a long time. I glanced at one cousin, then another, then aunts and uncles. I thought about those who were not even there. At one moment I was thinking about how such a large family had been “raised in the church” with the influence of the gospel of Christ having such an impact on one family. (We have five preachers, one elder, two church treasurers and two deacons in the family. Be-sides that, my granddad and great-granddad were both elders.) The next moment I thought of all the fun we used to have together. I paused and savored the thought of how we once had a closer bond. As I let that thought go, another, not so pleasant, came. This one was to think about the spirituality of many of those I was looking at or thinking about. It’s sad enough to attend a relative’s funeral, but my thoughts were really painful. Oh, how I wished that it was like it used to be  before time brought so many changes.

Sometimes, I hate time! It robs me of pleasant memories. It leaves me feeling empty and disappointed. Yes, I know that time has made a lot of things better. Changes are really for the good. While I know that, it doesn’t remove my disappointment  at least right now.

What scares me is to think what my enemy time may do to me and my own children. What will ten or twenty years bring? Maybe the pain of my journeys will be worth it. For, you see, I’m more determined than ever to serve God with fear and do all I can to prevent my children from departing from the way they should go (Prov. 22:6). In the middle of one of my journeys, I stopped, bowed my head and said to God, “Help me, Father, to serve you better and to raise my children right.” If I can do that, maybe time won’t be so bad after all.

Guardian of Truth XL: No. 17, p. 5
September 5, 1996

By Irvin Himmel

Eddie was a clerk in a hardware store. He made a name for himself as the most inefficient and contentious sales-man ever. The atmosphere when he was absent one day was like the tranquil beauty of summer weather after a bad thunderstorm. One regular customer remarked on the difference. “Eddie ain’t just away for the day,” said the proprietor, “He don’t work here no more.”

“Do you have anyone in mind for the vacancy?” asked the customer. “Nope,” said the proprietor cheerfully, “Eddie didn’t leave no vacancy.”

This little story reminds us of some folks in the church. It is so seldom that they attend services that no one really misses them when they are absent. They are such that no great loss is felt if they move to another city. Like Eddie, they leave no vacancy. Others can be absent for only one or two services and they are missed. Why? Because they are dependable. When their seat is vacant people take notice.

Church attendance is not the only matter of importance in the life of a Christian. However, it is a pretty good index to the temperature of one’s fervor for the Lord. Non-attending members are usually non-participating in other aspects of the Lord’s work. One must fill a place, render needed service, and be a participant before he can leave a vacancy.

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