Truth Magazine

By Harry R. Osborne

While in Lithuania last spring, I saw living conditions unheard of in this country. We had classes in homes that would have been condemned even in the slum areas of our inner cities. Many people had little to eat and only one or two outfits of clothes. They accepted it as a normal fact of life, but it made me think about how materialistic American culture is today.

Our society seems obsessed with wealth and material possessions. Whether young or old, that pattern is clear to detect in the people of our time. Among some young people, peers are judged on the basis of what label is found on their shirt and jeans. Among some adults, the basis of such judgments are too often made on one’s perceived wealth and status.

Television has done much to reinforce this inflated importance of money and possessions. Commercials bombard us with the message that we can be “in” or respected if we just had the right car, fine jewelry, a more expensive house, and the list goes on. There is even a program exalting the extravagance of the wealthy, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”

Is our life to be used in pursuit of material wealth? Is the amassing of things the priority in life? Jesus said,

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt. 6:19-20).

While Jesus was here upon the earth, he talked with two different men on separate occasions about the peril of riches. They show the pull of materialism from two very distinct directions. Though the events took place almost two thou-sand years ago, the truths presented are as relevant today as they were then.

The first man experienced the pull of materialism as one who was trying to acquire wealth. He was not yet rich, but was seeking to gain through an inheritance. He came to Jesus saying, “Teacher, tell my brother to di-vide the inheritance with me.” To this Jesus replied, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” (Luke 2:14).

Jesus knew this man’s problem. The man had his priori-ties in the wrong place  on the material things rather than the eternal things. Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). He went on to relate the following parable:

The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?” So he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry”‘ (Luke 12:16-19).

God, however, looked at these things in a different way. Jesus declared God’s view saying, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:20-21).

Christ wants us to understand where the true treasure may be found. It is not to be found upon this earth, but in the eternal realm. The true treasure cannot be locked up in a bank or sheltered in an investment, but is found in service to God.

The second man experienced the pull of materialism as one who was already rich and desired to maintain that wealth. He even had some interest in spiritual things. He came to Jesus asking, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18). His problem was not a total lack of desire for heavenly things, but misplaced priorities.

Jesus, understanding the man’s problem, instructed him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Luke 18:22).

The Bible then records, “But when he heard this, he be-came very sorrowful, for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, `How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God’ (Luke 18:23-25).

Why is it so difficult for the wealthy to enter God’s kingdom? Because it demands that they place the things of God as their first priority rather than themselves or their material possessions. The apostle Paul gave the following charge in this regard:

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life (1 Tim. 6:17-19).

In this age of affluence, all of us need to examine our-selves to see how materialism is pulling on us. Let us be thankful for that which we have, but let us make sure that our true treasure is measured in spiritual terms. This will be accomplished only as we honestly and objectively examine ourselves by the standard of our Lord as revealed in his truth.

Guardian of Truth XL: No. 19, p. 14-15
October 3, 1996

By Norman Midgette

Robert Burns once wrote, “Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn.” What he did not reveal was the cause. All the cruelty this world inflicts on itself is brought about by the fiery zeal and deceitful mind of Satan. Many today are like the deceived Jews of old. Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father it is your will to do” (John 8:44). Hope for the Christian is found in the fact that “greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). This, however, does not protect from trial and persecution; it only invites it.

The resurrection of Christ set the stage for the greatest war of the ages. God said, “And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man child. . . . And the dragon waxed wroth with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 12:13, 17). As long as the earth stands, this is the foundation for enduring persecution of the church. As long as this dragon roams the earth, he will breath fires of pain on the church and with his claws try to rake it into the ground.

If he cannot do it with twisted words, he will do it with the sharpened sword. He will use intelligent hypocrites in high places or the ignorant masses led around by wolves in sheep’s clothing. He will persecute with the pen and sneer of the humanist, or with the sword, censorship, and jail of the communists. Among our closest friends, in today’s social climate, he has blurred their thinking of what is moral and has them calling that which is right, wrong and that which is bad, good. Our predominate fear is usually of persecution from without, but the greater destruction and carnage against the church in recent generations has been masterminded by Satan from within. Simply reflect on the present institutionalism, liberalism, social gospel programs, and church reorganization through sponsoring elderships and sponsoring churches.

We never know how, where, nor when Satan will attack again so we must build the walls of Zion with the sword of offense in one hand and hold high the shield of defense with the other. He is a relentless enemy, using at times the peace of compromise and in other ages the weapons of death.

However, the promises from the revelation of God and 2000 years of human experience have proven that physical persecution will not destroy the church but is actually a factor helping it grow (Acts 8:4). Since this is the case, does Satan defeat his own cause by persecuting us? Is this a sign of weakness on his part? Seneca, an outstanding Roman Senator and early tutor of Nero, once said, “All cruelty springs from weakness.” Satan has lost and he knows it. The resurrection of Christ proves it. Since Satan has no power to turn a committed mind from God he can only re-sort to the devices of a loser  deception, deceit, and death. With these he has been evilly successful.

Our eyes need to be open always to the fact that Satan will use every evil person, law, organization, or government to defeat us. But, he will fail and we will grow, even in persecution, if we remain faithful. He may win a few battles, but we will win the war.

Guardian of Truth XL: No. 19, p. 12
October 3, 1996

By Connie W. Adams

The Corinthian church had many faults to overcome, not the least of which was the tendency to exalt human wisdom above divine simplicity. The simple gospel was foolishness unto the Greeks (1 Cor. 1:23). Apparently, some in the church in Corinth sought a synthesis between the gospel and Greek philosophy. In that number were some who were “puffed up” with human wisdom and who looked with disdain upon Paul and the other apostles. In a passage filled with irony, Paul checks this notion. He said:

For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, be ye are strong; ye are honorable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place; and labor, working with our hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and the off-scouring of all things unto this day (1 Cor. 4:9-13).

As gladiators sent into the arena to be slain and devoured by wild beasts as a spectacle to those in the stands, even so, the apostles were looked upon as a curiosity to the world and their debasement provided amusement for the worldly wise. They were counted as filth washed from the body, unworthy of the slightest respect. Paul and his companions suffered such indignity for the sake of the Corinthians and others they taught in order to enhance their spiritual state. It was through the labor of such a despised one that they had received the gospel. “For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (4:15).

The world still considers those who live by the principles of the gospel to be “fools.” Let some high ranking official state a religious conviction and watch the secular press go into orbit. A recent instance of this was found in a speech made on April 9, 1996 by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia before the Mississippi College School of Law. He said, “Devout Christians are destined to be regarded as fools in modern society … We are fools for Christ’s sake . . .We must pray for courage to endure the scorn of the sophisticated world . . . Surely those who adhere to all or most of these traditional Christian beliefs are to be regarded as simple-minded.” Some of his remarks were draped in sarcasm aimed directly at those worldly sophisticates who deprecate the principles and values which believers in Christ hold dear.

That was enough to start a firestorm. Richard Cohen of the Washington Post wrote: “I think this Supreme Court justice is a cheap shot artist.” He characterized Scalia’s remarks as “foolishness,” said they were “jarring” and suggested that the judge was not suited to sit in on any case involving the separation of church and state. Jamin B. Raskin, professor of constitutional law at American University in Washington, D.C. said Scalia “stepped over the line of what is proper . . . we expect Supreme Court justices to be the most secular of our public servants.”

You would think that expressions of faith were new to this justice of the court or to other leaders in our nation. Not so. The first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court was John Jay who was also governor of New York at one time. In 1816 he said, “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers” (Johnston, The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay, Vol. 4, p. 393). As late as 1952, justice William O. Douglas wrote: “We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being” (Case of Zorach vs. Clauson). One of the more liberal judges we have ever had was chief justice Earl Warren. Yet, in a speech in 1954 which was reported in Time magazine, he said:

I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing that the Good Book and the spirit of the Savior have from the beginning been our guiding geniuses … whether we look to the first Charter of Virginia . . . or to the Charter of New England . . . or to the Charter of Massachusetts Bay . . . or to the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut . . . the same objective is present … a Christian land governed by Christian principles. I believe the entire Bill of Rights came into being because of the knowledge our forefathers had of the Bible and their belief in it: freedom of belief, of expression, of assembly, of petition, the dignity of the individual, the sanctity of the home, equal justice under law, and the reservation of powers to the people . . . I like to believe we are living today in the spirit of the Christian religion. I like also to believe that as long as we do so, no great harm can come to our country (“Breakfast in Washington,” Time, February 14, 1954, p. 49).

We could multiply quotes from George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan all of whom made public their views concerning the need for adherence to the principles of the Bible and a conviction that there is a divine Providence that guides the destiny of nations. Are we to write them all off as “fools”?

The most despised and scorned people in our land today, the most maligned and misrepresented are those who stand up for Bible principles whether in matters of morals or doctrine. Movies and television shows habitually depict religious figures who represent any aspect of so-called Christianity as hypocritical, wimps, or simpletons. Academia is notorious for heaping scorn upon Bible believers. The press has an obvious bias against Bible believers. They are unable to completely disguise their disdain. Watch for buzz words or phrases which are dead give-ways. “Fire and brimstone fundamentalists” or “Biblical literalists” or “rightwing radical fundamentalists.”

Even in conflicts among brethren which involve a liberal vs. conservative stance, those who insist on adherence to what the Bible teaches are described as “legalists,” “antis,” “theological backwaters.” In the nineteenth century conflict over instrumental music and missionary societies, David Lipscomb was caricatured as an old woman trying to sweep back the ocean with a broom. He was “non-progressive.” It is not popular to be a faithful Christian. Even among those who profess to follow the Lord, scorn is heaped upon those who are outspoken about what all of us used to consider plain, everyday godly character. Preach on modesty and make it plain enough to be clearly understood and you will soon learn what I mean. Speak on women’s role in either the church or the home and be prepared to either take it on the chin or duck! Preach forceful and clear sermons on fundamental truths that draw a line between denominational error and the will of God and then brace yourself. Warn of dangers and trends among us and then be prepared.

Well, brethren, with Paul, if the world, or the brethren, think us “beside ourselves” or consider us “a spectacle” fit only for sport and destruction, then we will just have to be “fools for Christ’s sake.” Are you willing to pay the price?

(Thanks to the June, 1996 issue of Focus On The Family newsletter by James Dobson for quotes and documentation from justices and presidents.)

Guardian of Truth XL: No. 19, p. 3-4
October 3, 1996

By Andy Alexander

The conversion of Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8:9-24 is one among many chosen by the Holy Spirit to be recorded for all time in the inspired word of God. There are many lessons to be learned from all the conversions, but we want to notice a few important ones from the conversion of this sorcerer.

Simon was a man who practiced sorcery and he used this device to delude many people into thinking he was some great one (Acts 8:9). He was evidently very good at his trade for many people heeded him for a long time (8:10). However, when Philip came to Samaria preaching Christ and working true miracles to confirm the Lord’s message, “the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip” and “both men and women were baptized” (8:6, 12). The difference between genuine miracles and pseudo miracles was easily recognized by those who had been deluded for years and they responded in a positive way to the gospel.

Simon also witnessed the miraculous confirmation of the gospel and he believed and was baptized (Acts 8:13). Jesus said in Mark 16:16 that “he who believes and is baptized will be saved.” Simon was now a child of God having been born into the Lord’s kingdom by water and the Spirit (John 3:5).

Those who obeyed the gospel in Samaria continued with Philip as he preached the word of God. Simon was also among this number (Acts 8:13). The apostles heard about the conversions in Samaria and the text says, “Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8: 14-17).

This so impressed Simon that “he offered them money, saying, `Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit”‘ (Acts 8:19). Peter then told him that he had sinned and urged him to repent and pray to God for forgiveness (Acts 8:20-23).

What did Simon learn about the salvation of his soul from the teaching of Philip and the apostles?

Simon Learned the Purpose of Miracles

First, Simon learned the reality of genuine miracles and that these supernatural events had a purpose far greater than just the miracle itself. Simon, being a sorcerer and one that had tricked many people for years with his sorceries, was imminently qualified to discern between real and fraudulent miracles. He recognized that the signs and wonders accompanying Philip’s preaching were not cheap imitations or frauds. They were events that suspended the laws of nature. Today, many people are defrauded by would-be miracle workers. They have been deceived concerning what constitutes a real miracle and then led astray by believing that extraordinary events that cannot be readily explained are miraculous in nature. Survival from a car crash, the birth of a child, and recovery from cancer have all been pronounced miraculous by some. While we should be thankful for such happenings, these do not represent true miracles, signs, and wonders.

These type of “miracles” also do not explain the many fatal car crashes, miscarriages, or deaths due to cancer. Jesus said in Mark 16:17-18, “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.” Notice that the passage reads that when they laid hands on the sick, “they shall recover” not they might re-cover. Evidence is abundant that this passage was fulfilled in the first century (Acts 3:6-7; 13:9; 28:2-5). Why is it not being fulfilled today?

Miracles existed for a specific purpose and when the purpose for which they were given was completed, then their use was no longer necessary. The purpose of these signs, wonders, and miraculous events was to confirm the gospel that was being preached throughout the world (Mark 16:20; Heb. 2:3-4). In other words, their use was to prove that the gospel spoken by the apostles and disciples did indeed come from God. Therefore, those who hear should give the utmost heed.

Once the Word was confirmed, the need for miracles ended. Jude 3 states, “Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.” The faith has been delivered. Notice the past tense of the verb. It is not an ongoing process.

The writer of Hebrews says, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard, God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will” (Heb. 2:3-4). Again, notice the tense of the verb “was confirmed” is past tense. The word is not being confirmed (present tense), or will be con-firmed (future tense), but was confirmed (past tense).

Miracles were not given for the express purpose of healing people physically. Physical healing was only a side benefit to those who lived in the first century. Paul had a valuable companion name Trophimus whom he left behind in Miletus because he was sick (2 Tim. 4:20). Had it been God’s intent to heal all the faithful, all the time, then why did Paul not lay his hands on Trophimus and heal him? Paul definitely had the gift of healing (Acts 19:11-12).

Simon Learned That Spiritual Gifts Are

Given by the Apostles

A second lesson learned by Simon was that spiritual gifts were given by the laying on of the apostles’ hands (Acts 8:14-18). Philip, who had the ability to perform miracles was not able to pass that ability onto others. The apostles had laid their hands on Philip while he was in Jerusalem, but it was the apostles and them alone that had the power to lay their hands on Christians and impart various spiritual gifts (Acts 6:5-6; 8:17). That is the reason Peter and John went to Samaria.

We can see that when the apostles died and the last per-son on whom they had laid their hands died that miraculous spiritual gifts ceased and vanished away. That is in complete agreement with Paul’s statement to the Corinthians which reads, “Love never faileth but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away” (1 Cor. 3:8-10). Paul chooses three gifts to represent all the gifts given by the Spirit and says that they will be done away with when “that which is perfect is come.” He was describing gifts that dealt with the revelation of God’s will to man. Tongues, prophecy, and miraculous knowledge all had to do with a partial revelation, but when the revelation was complete, then the partial would vanish.

The word has been completely revealed and was con-firmed as we have already seen (Jude 3; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 2:3-4). James says that it is the “perfect law” of liberty (James 1:25). Also, it does not allow for any tampering by men or angels (Gal. 1:6-9). With the observations of Simon before us and the knowledge that miracles would cease, we should give heed to those things which have de-livered and confirmed by the Holy Spirit and not be deceived by would-be miracle workers of our day (Col. 2:18).

Simon Learned What To Do To Be Saved

Simon also learned what an alien sinner must do in order to be saved from his lost condition. He heard and believed the gospel and was baptized into Christ (Acts 8:13). Thus, he obeyed the command of Jesus in Mark 16:15-16 that states, “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.” Therefore, he was saved from his sins and added by the Lord to his church (Acts 2:47).

Something interesting is also seen in what Simon was not told. He was not instructed to accept Jesus as his personal Savior and say the sinner’s prayer. He was not called to an altar and urged to pray through for forgiveness. The mourner’s bench, praying through, an altar, and the sinner’s prayer are not found in God’s word. Those who have obeyed a command to use any of these means for salvation have obeyed the voice of man and not God. Simon heard and believed the gospel and was baptized into Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Gal. 3:27).

These commands and blessings are as true today as they were in first century when Simon obeyed them (Matt. 24:35). If we will hear the gospel, believe in Jesus with all our hearts, confess our faith in him, repent of our sins, and be immersed in water for the forgiveness of sins, we will be saved (Rom. 10:17; 10:9-10; Acts 2:38). The Lord will then add us to his church, not some human denomination that has been built and sustained by men. We then, like Simon, must continue in the doctrine of Christ (2 John 9; 1 John 2:5-6).

Simon Learned That a Child of God

Can Fall From Grace

At this point Simon learned a fourth lesson. A child of God can sin so as to be lost eternally (Acts 8:19-24). Simon continued for awhile in the doctrine of Christ, but he had sinful thoughts that caused him to fall from God’s grace (Acts 8:13; Gal. 5:4).

Simon Learned How to be Restored

Now Simon learned a fifth lesson; what an erring child of God must do to receive forgiveness. Peter told Simon, “Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee. For I see that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity” (Acts 8:20-23). Simon was now a child of God and had access to God’s throne of grace through Jesus Christ (Heb. 4:16; 1 Tim. 2:5). He could now rightfully pray to God for forgiveness.

Simon Learned the Meaning of True Love

Simon also learned a sixth lesson. He learned what preaching the truth in love involves. It involves not only proclaiming the positive aspects of the gospel, but also the negative. When Peter recognized the condition of Simon after he sinned, Peter told him clearly that he had sinned and was in need of forgiveness (Acts 8:20-24). Peter did not sidestep his responsibility. It was Simon’s choice as to whether he would repent and pray and Peter’s love for him and the truth that demanded he inform Simon of his dire condition.

Guardian of Truth XL: No. 19, p. 10-12
October 3, 1996