Truth Magazine

By Raymond E. Harris

1. A clear knowledge of Jesus as Savior. The unconverted church member can expect little success at winning others to Christ. You cannot interest others in serving a Savior you have never really served yourself. You can-not lead someone to where you have never been.

A clear knowledge of Jesus as Savior includes three things:

1. A knowledge of pardon through the blood of Jesus (2 Cor. 13:5; 2 Tim. 4:6-8).

2. Victory over sin through the risen Christ (Rom. 6:3-11, 23).

3. Absolute surrender to Christ as Lord (Rom. 6:17-22).

2. A firm conviction that every person who has not accepted and obeyed Jesus is lost. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost! His awareness of mankind’s lost condition drove him relentlessly onward. In like manner Paul admonished night and day with tears all who would hear him (Acts 20:26-32).

We too should be tireless in our efforts to snatch our contemporariesfrom the flames of hell. We will be-come active soul winners only if we are motivated by compassion for lost and dying individuals (Acts 17:16).

3. A practical knowledge of the Bible. The New Testament was given by God (1) to produce faith in Jesus Christ, (2) to convict man of his sin, and (3) to convey the terms of salvation.

For us to be fruitful personal workers we must know our Bibles and know how to use them to produce faith, conviction and conversion. Too often the zealous do not have the knowledge and the well informed say they do not have the time. Both should be ashamed! To hunger and thirst is to know; and to grow up spiritually is to have the time (Col. 4:6; 1 Pet. 3:15).

4. Love. Nothing wins like love. When we love lost souls enough to tell them of a loving Savior who died for them, souls will be saved! The gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16). The story of the gospel is that Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected to redeem mankind. Yes, the story of the gospel is the story of a loving Savior who loved us to the point of dying for each and every one. A heart filled with love will continue to tell of Jesus’ love (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

5. Self-Denial. Jesus said, “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). Again he said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:34). If we are to be effectively useful in personal work or any other work for the Master, we must put away personal interest, our own comfort, ego, pride and personal feelings. Selfishness is by far the greatest enemy of personal work “Personal work” is submission to Christ for the welfare of others. Personal work will be thwarted and neutralized to the ex-tent that church members allow personal feelings and desires to supersede spiritual responsibility. Remember John warned, “Love not the world or the things of the world” (1 John 2:15).

6.Prayer. Here are some things for which we should pray: (1) The personal worker must pray for wisdom (James 1:5). We will need wisdom in every effort to lead others to Christ. No matter how well we know the Word, no matter how experienced we may become, we need the wisdom from above if we are to succeed. (2) We should pray for those we teach, that their hearts would be receptive to the word. (3) The prayer must be real, earnest and persistent.

7. Perseverance. A text that must sink deep into the personal worker’s heart is this: “Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9). Soul winning requires great patience and perseverance. Yet, no work is more worthy of our endurance and steadfastness. Many think they are personal workers if they extend an invitation here, offer a word of encouragement there, and express sympathy somewhere else. Flitting about here and there with little spiritual pleasantries is not personal work and such will not really convert anyone. Personal work that truly converts will be a consistent work in a situation where the gospel is taught, discussed and learned. If after extensive work we feel that we have failed, we should show our perseverance by seeking another person to teach. And, if we fail again, we must have the strength and stead-fastness to seek out another and still another.

“In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening with-hold not thy hand, for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good” (Eccl. 11:6). The successful personal worker is “at it, always at it.” He is on the watch for souls and always sowing the seed. God is calling all Christians to rouse up and go to work! Who will hear the call? A glorious reward awaits all who do.

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: No. 21, p. 1
November 2, 1995

By Mike Willis

We have been studying Romans 14 to see whether or not inherently sinful conduct is under discussion in this chapter. This chapter has be-come a battleground for fellowship. In every generation, those who have introduced things unauthorized have used Romans 14 to appeal for unity with those who oppose their unauthorized practices. The same appeal is being made today with reference to loose teaching on divorce and re-marriage. Some among us who believe the truth on divorce and remarriage are teaching that we can have fellowship with those who teach false doctrines on divorce and remarriage, and with those who receive into the fellowship of their local congregations brethren who are guilty of adultery (Matt. 19:9); they are appealing to Romans 14 to justify their looser fellowship.

So far in this series, I have shown that Romans 14 does not contain instructions that can be applied to sinful practices. We have shown that this is true by (a) refuting the alternative views on Romans 14 and (b) examining the textual evidences that point to the chapter being limited to authorized liberties. In this article, I intend to show that the instructions given in Romans 14 demonstrate that this chapter cannot be applied to matters inherently sinful.

The Instructions of Romans 14

1. Receive one another just like Christ has received you (14:1; 15:7). The word “receive” is translated fromproslambano which Thayer defines in the use of Romans 14:1 and 15:7 to mean “to receive, i.e., grant one access to one’s heart; to take into friendship and intercourse.” He continues, “God and Christ are said to proslabesthai (to have received) those whom, formerly estranged from them, they have reunited to themselves by the blessings of the gospel, Rom. xiv.3; xv.7” (548). The sense of the word is given in the modifying clause “as Christ also received us” (15:7). Christians are to receive one another just like Christ has received us (15:7). Whatever limitation one imposes on the meaning of “receive” with reference to brethren receiving one another (to make it mean something less than to “receive into one’s fellowship”) destroys itself on the phrase “as Christ has received us.” We are to receive one another just like Christ has received us.

Does Christ receive us so long as we are continuing the practice of our sin, defending it as an act of righteousness, and encouraging others to join us in the practice of our sin? If not, then we should not receive others who are doing those things. Does Christ “receive” us in the sense of treating us like a brother but less than “fellowshipping” us? If not, then this is not the sense of “receive” under discussion in Romans 14.

If Romans 14 “tolerates contradictory teachings and practices on important moral and doctrinal questions” (as taught by Ed Harrell in Christianity Magazine [May 1990]), then our obligation according to Romans 14 is to receive those who are so teaching and practicing. That would apply to those who are involved in adulterous marriages as well as those who de-fend people in adulterous marriages by teaching that these marriages are scriptural. In this event those congregations that refuse fellowship to the brother who divorces his mate for any cause and marries another stand condemned as guilty of violating Romans 14:1, for not receiving one’s brother. However, Romans 14 cannot be limited to this sin alone. My second article demonstrated that those who have constructed a list to limit which sins Romans 14 includes have not logically sustained their position. Hence, logically the application of Romans 14 to any sinful practice leads to the conclusion that we receive those who continue in the practice of every sin. If this instruction cannot be applied to such sinful conduct, then sinful conduct must not be under discussion in the chapter.

2. Do not engage in doubtful disputations (14:1). The Amplified Bible reads, “but not to criticize his opinion or pass judgment on his scruples or perplex him with discussions.” The instructions of Romans 14 therefore teach one (a) not to criticize the conduct of the other and (b) not to become involved in discussions trying to prove one is right and the other is wrong. When we apply these instructions to matters inherently sinful, we have the ridiculous position that a Christian cannot criticize the conduct of the sinner and cannot enter a discussion with him to show him wherein his sin lies. If this is the case, Paul violated his own principles when he rebuked the Corinthian fornicator (1 Cor. 5) and entered into disputations with the false teachers at Galatia (Gal. 1-4). If this instruction cannot be applied to such sinful conduct, then sinful conduct must not be under discussion in the chapter.

3. Do not condemn (14:10,13). Paul asks, “But why dost thou judge (krino) thy brother? . . . Let us not therefore judge (krino) one another any more.” Thayer defines krino in this usage to mean “to pronounce judgment; to subject to censure.” Can these instructions be applied to matters inherently sinful? If so, a person who condemns his brother for drunkenness is acting in violation of Romans 14. He is “judging” (“pronouncing judgment; to subject to censure”) his brother and Romans 14 says, “Let us not therefore judge one another.” However, Paul would stand condemned as a hypocrite for violating his own principle in his “judging” those who went to law with one another before unbelievers (1 Cor. 6:1-8). If this instruction cannot be applied to those practicing such sin, then Romans 14 does not pertain to sinful conduct.

4. Do not set at nought your brother (14:3, 10). These verses read as follows: “Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. . . . But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” The word exoutheneo is translated “despise” (14:3) and “set at nought” (14:10). The word is defined by Thayer to mean “to make of no account, to despise utterly.” There are some who are to be treated like “a heathen man and a publican” (Matt. 18:17); there are some concerning whom Paul wrote, “with such a one no not to eat” (1 Cor. 5:11). These are brethren who persist in the practice of their sin. Did Paul violate his own teaching in Romans 14:3, 10 when he commanded brethren not to receive brethren involved in sin? If Romans 14 applies to things inherently sinful, he did. If the instructions of Romans 14:3, 10 do not apply to those continuing in their practice of those things inherently sinful, then Romans 14 does not include sinful conduct.

5. Do not put a stumbling block in front of another (14:13). Romans 14:13 says, “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” This makes perfectly good sense when applied to authorized liberties. Romans 14:13 is instructing the man who can eat meats without violating his conscience not to conduct himself in the exercise of his liberty in such a way as to encourage a man who cannot eat meats without violating his conscience to sin against his conscience. Try applying that to sinful conduct. On the one hand, let us assume that the “strong man” is the man who cannot commit fornication and the “weak man” is the one who commits fornication from a clear conscience. Then Paul is telling the man who abstains from fornication not to practice his abstinence in such a manner as to cause his brother to abstain from fornication. On the other hand, let us assume the “strong man” is the man who commits fornication without violating his conscience (Does anyone believe that Paul could call such a person a “strong” Christian?), and the “weak man” is the man who abstains (Is the man who abstains from fornication the weak man?). Then we have the absurd position that Paul is saying that one can commit his fornication so long as he does it in such a manner as not to cause his brother to stumble. If the instructions of Romans 14 do not fit such sinful conduct, then the context is not discussing sinful conduct and is limited to matters of authorized liberties.

6. Bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves (15:1). In Romans 15:1, Paul wrote, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” I can understand these instructions when they are applied to matters of authorized liberties. Paul is instructing the man who thinks he can eat meats to forego the exercise of his liberty for the sake of his weaker brother. He should not be so selfish in pleasing himself that he destroys his brother for whom Christ died for the sake of doing something that is a matter of indifference. Let us see if this instruction will fit sinful conduct. On the one hand, what is the result if we assume that the “stronger brother” is the one who does not believe that he should commit fornication and the “weaker brother” is the one who commits fornication without violating his conscience? In that case, Paul is instructing the stronger brother not to press his abstinence views to the point that he censures and condemns his weaker brother; he should bear with the infirmities of his weaker brother, accepting him in his practice of sin. On the other hand, we must consider the result if we assume that the “stronger brother” is the one who can commit fornication without violating his conscience (does anyone believe that Paul could call such a person a “strong” Christian?) and the “weak man” is the man who abstains (is the man who abstains from fornication the weak man?). In that case, we have the absurd position of Paul instructing that the strong man can commit fornication so long as he does not cause a brother to violate his conscience by following this example. If the instructions of Romans 14 do not fit such sinful conduct, then the context is not discussing sinful conduct and is limited to matters of authorized liberties.

7. Please one’s neighbor (15:2). In Romans 15:2, Paul instructs, “Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.” That makes sense if one is applying this to matters of authorized liberty. In that case, Paul is teaching the principles by which he lived in 1 Corinthians 9. He relinquished his liberties in order to win more people for Christ. When we apply this to sinful conduct, we have the absurd position that one can practice his sin so long as he does it in such a way as not to destroy his brother. Hence, if he can practice his sin without enticing his brother to sin, he has God’s approval in continuing his sin. If the instructions of Romans 14 do not fit such sinful conduct, then the context is not discussing sinful conduct and is limited to matters of authorized liberties.

8. Keep it to yourself (14:22). In Romans 14:22, Paul wrote, “Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.” This passage is teaching the obligations one has in connection with his personal liberties. If a person chooses to eat meat, he should quietly practice what he wishes to do. He should not start a campaign to teach every other person in the congregation to act as he acts. The same is true for the one who chooses to abstain from meats. When we apply this to sinful conduct, we reach absurd conclusions. The man who believes he can commit fornication is then instructed to practice his fornication in such a manner as to keep his brother from being encouraged to violate his conscience by committing fornication. So long as he can commit his fornication without causing others to sin, Paul is saying, “Happy is he that condemneth not himself in the fornication which he alloweth.” On the other hand, if we assume the stronger brother is the one who abstains from fornication, Paul is saying, “Keep your belief that fornication is sinful to yourself. Don’t preach it and condemn your brother who practices fornication.” If the instructions of Romans 14 do not fit such sinful conduct, then the context is not discussing sinful conduct and is limited to matters of authorized liberties.

Conclusion

Those who apply Romans 14 to include sinful conduct gut the chapter of any relevant application. After teaching that Romans 14 includes sinful conduct, they are unwilling to abide by the instructions given in the chapter about how to treat those practicing the sinful conduct they say is under discussion. By their unwillingness to apply the principles of Romans 14, they give silent testimony that Romans 14 does not apply to sinful conduct. The instructions of Romans 14 make good sense when they are applied to matters of authorized liberties (things God allows but does not demand). These are the only matters under discussion in Romans 14.

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: No. 21, p. 2
November 2, 1995

By Ron Nelson

With surprise shock some ask, “What exactly are you trying to say? Are you expecting me to believe one receives salvation from sins at the time of baptism? A person receives salvation before having to obey Christ’s command of baptism, doesn’t he?”

Do you love Jesus the Christ and agree salvation is only through the blood of Christ (Rev. 1:5; Matt. 26:28)? Do you agree there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1)? Do you doubt the necessity of baptism for the remission of sins? If you do, please take a moment to examine the topic of baptism. Since Christ commanded baptism (literally immersion), and since we love him, let us allow him to settle the controversy.

Jesus says, “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned” (Mk. 16:16).

While speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of the water and Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

On the day of Pentecost when Jesus the Christ established his church, the apostle Peter preached the first gospel sermon. The 3000 who responded were commanded by Peter and the rest of the apostles to, “Repent and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirt” (Acts 2:37-38, 41).

In response to the message of Jesus the Christ, Saul of Tarsus was asked by Ananius, “And now why do you de-lay? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). After becoming an apostle he later wrote, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27).

In another place the apostle Paul explained, “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death?” (Rom. 6:3) He continues in verses 4 and 5, “Therefore we have been bur-ied with him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.”

Paul also declared that baptism is an act of faith, “Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Col. 2:12).

The apostle Peter corroborated this teaching, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that he might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit . . . when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you  not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 3:18-22).

Jesus tells us, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Our love for God is expressed by our keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).

People who have been told that immersion is not essential to salvation are often shocked when reading these verses of the Bible and sometimes respond, “What are you trying to say? Do you believe I am still in a lost condition? The truth is not determined, however, by what man says, but by what the word of God says (Prov. 14:12; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Lk. 6:46). The Bible clearly teaches that in order to be saved, one must be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is the moment when one enters the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, contacting the blood of Christ (Heb. 10:22). Are you outside of Christ? Why not believe and be baptized today!

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: No. 20, p. 22
October 19, 1995

By Thomas Bunting

“Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2).

“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest. Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35).

“Beside those things that are with-out, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28).

“Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:7-8).

“But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted to you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us . . . As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children” (1 Thess. 2:7-11).

“But we brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire (1 Thess. 2:17).

“Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone” (1 Thess. 3:1.

“For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain. But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good re- membrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you” (1 Thess. 3:5-6).

My talent for writing is far too limited to convey to you what lies upon my heart. I want so much to convey to you the feelings I have in my heart for those who need to leave a foreign work and cannot find anyone to replace them. I desire to try to help you understand the anxiety and frustrations these are experiencing and the many tears they are shedding. The country and the people with whom they have worked for a number of years, have a special place in their hearts.

It isn’t just a question, “If you need to go home, then go!” It isn’t that simple! This work and the young Christians are so much a part of their life, that to leave them without any help is like leaving loved ones when they need you most. If you haven’t experienced this, then it is probably difficult for you to understand the feelings of these men and their families. They know the need! They know that this work must not be left on its own! They are the sole workers in their respective country, how can they leave it when there is no one to replace them? You talk about a “rock and a hard place”  you probably can’t imagine the feeling unless you have been there.

Men, like Joe Rose and family in Bulgaria and Jay Horsley and family in Lithuania, have given years to establish and strengthen the young churches in their respective countries. They need to leave, but also realize that the work must not be left with-out workers! I can tell you that they are agonizing over this dilemma. Their hearts are bleeding as they see the time approaching and no volunteers have come forward.

In the words of Jesus, “Say not, There are yet four months . . . look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (Jn. 4:35). These men need to hear from someone now ! They are bearing the burden, not only of the day-to-day problems, but the “care of the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28).

These men, and others like them, know and understand the statements of the apostle Paul when he speaks of having “you in my heart” and “how greatly I long after you” (Phil. 1:7-8). Like Paul, they have cherished them as their children and exhorted and comforted them as a father. They would give their very own souls to the brethren because they are dear to them (1 Thess. 2:7-11). They may be taken from their presence, but “not in heart” (1 Thess. 2:17).

It is my understanding that Joe Rose and family are hoping to return to the States in December 1995, and Jay Horsley and family are returning to the States in May 1996. Will you not lighten their burdens by volunteering to carry on the fight in Bulgaria and Lithuania?

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: No. 20, p. 9
October 19, 1995