Truth Magazine

By Marc Smith

Psalms 77:5, “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.”

I have observed a thing that is true of recent history. One might study a particular piece of ground, let us say an 800 acre tract of land purchased 100 years ago. When the original owner died he left the land to be divided between his four surviving children. They each get a 200 acre portion. When each of these dies, having an average of four children each, the land is again divided till all now have title to 50 acres each. When they die and pass it on, their children receive just a few acres each and so on with generation after generation till the land disappears into tract homes or small lots that have only value as residential sites. The land no longer retains its original possibilities as a farm, ranch, or for timber.

This was not the way things were done in Israel under the Old Law. The Bible tells us the land of Canaan was divided by the authority of God to the conquerors, the Israelites, as God had promised. The land was given in portions to various tribes and families who were to hand it down to the eldest son only. There were very rigid guide-lines governing this inheritance and genealogies were studiously and pains-takingly kept up with in order to ascertain true ownership through the generations. Markers, universally of stone because stone is a stable sub-stance, were set at the boundaries of these family plots. These are referred to as “landmarks.” Landmarks were extremely important then, to know where to gaze sheep, pasture herds of all kinds, build pens, dwellings, walls, vineyards, etc. If landmarks were moved arbitrarily, confusion would abound.

The Danger of Removing the Ancient Landmarks

“Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set” (Prov. 22:28). “Remove not the old land mark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless” (Prov. 23:10).

The Israelites were commanded under the Old Law not to remove the landmarks (Deut. 19:14; 27:17). Why? All sinful activity brings about confusion.

Read from Job 24:1-9, 19-25. Those who remove land-marks have no regard for order and authority. The sinner is a transgressor of the order and authority of God, the lawgiver himself. Again we note that confusion is the consequence of the one who removes the spiritual land-marks. The very nature of God is goodness, righteousness, and by those attributes all that is good and right in the physical and spiritual realms. Confusion is neither good nor righteous, therefore cannot be of God. 2 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”

Is There Danger in Removing “Ancient Landmarks” For Us Today?

The landmarks which were set by our fathers very often bother us. We may honestly feel that because of our fear of blindly following traditions set by the uninformed or the uneducated without our own investigation of biblical authority we may be following a false spiritual road. Or we may simply be rebelling against our fathers regardless of whether or not their “land-marks” are scriptural.

It is true that every generation wants to think its own ways are superior to the ways of the generation that has gone before them. Youth view traditionalism as a mortal enemy. But the truth is that the vitality and youthful energy of the upcoming generation is a good thing, by and large, if guided correctly, and stagnation and decay are swept away by it. This is a natural occurrence evidenced by all of creation. The Creator planned for and intends for renewal to bring needed growth and a new attitude that is so characteristic of youth, an attitude of untested zeal.

But every generation as it comes up and takes its place must look for spiritual balance. Youth is usually not very adept at finding balance or moderation. Remember the warning given in Proverbs 22:28, “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.” ” Notice: God ordained the borders of the properties and men were to mark them and keep them. “… which thy fathers have set.” What must a new generation, only now arising, do about “land-marks” of a spiritual kind when warned so severely not to remove them?

While we Christians are certainly to question the reasons for our faith and learn for ourselves the evidences that will prove our faith and make it our own, it is never wise to completely get rid of established practices simply because our forefathers practiced and believed them. Has it never occurred to us that the reasons why they have held to many positions over the years might just be that they through much labor, mishap, experience of many years, suffering, and sometimes through trial and error arrived at the most workable solutions even if it cost them deeply and personally a great deal? Positions held by our fathers on all kinds of “issues” are like this. Name one issue that has not been thoroughly expounded, application sought and practiced. That would be a difficult task indeed. Since the positions held by our fathers are not hasty and ill informed, why do many feel like they must start all over again by first destroying these “landmarks”?

Sound doctrine, contrary to what many may think, has necessary “traditions” to be upheld. Loyalty to any man is just not a part of it. All there is really, is just taking a stand for the truth even if it is the same truth as a hundred generations before us have held. We admire and follow the attitude personified by the Bereans who were pronounced “more noble.” Why? Because they “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” ” These people were making their faith their own in doing this, not just blindly accepting what they were told, even if by the apostles. But in seeking the balance of Scripture, notice Paul’s strong admonition in 2 Thessalonians 2:15, “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or by our epistle.” ” Our beliefs and then necessarily our spiritual practices must first come from God. If our fathers practiced God’s will, we must not change these traditions or landmarks simply because they are old or, in our eyes, outmoded.

The Problem With Wanting to be “Progressive”

“Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God; he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son” (2 In. 9). To “go onward” is in the Greek, proago or to progress. We can clearly see that this means that anyone who progresses onward is not “abiding” in the teaching of Christ and leaves God behind. Traveling onward and away from the guidance of God’s word is like the sinner removing the ancient landmarks. It causes confusion and chaos, is therefore not of God, and causes men to lose their souls.

For ages men have sought to justify all the change in the name of being progressive. Religious movements of all kinds have used this excuse for anything goes and the Lord’s church has suffered plenty through the years because of this unwise misconception. 2 John 9 teaches us that progress is good only when it is in the direction of Christ, and not away from him.

The serious child of God can come to only one conclusion regarding the concept of being “progressive.” In spiritual matters it is far preferable to be “non-progressive,” particularly in not going beyond what the Lord has said. Any movement which is away from the teaching of Christ is progress in the wrong direction, and results in the loss of God himself.

Just what has so-called “progress” gotten us anyway? The tremendous confusion called “denominationalism” is what progress has brought. We can also chalk up the division among churches of Christ to a misguided desire to be progressive at any cost. The justification of the so-called “progressives” has always been, “At least we’re doing something!” They never seem to care that they are doing “something” without God!

Let’s just consider what we have gotten from those who desire to “go onward” and “not abide” with God:

Among those who rush to “shoot first and ask questions later,” our brethren who are not bothered too much with scriptural authority just so “they are doing something,” the “liberal” churches of Christ, the spectre of “Modernism” is scything through them taking many casualties. They are running back to the Bible to find out how to justify instrumental music in worship and to see if they can explain away the Bible reasons why women cannot take a usurping part in worship and leadership. Concerned brethren are disturbed by people clapping during worship and spontaneously singing solos, etc. These troubled souls need the Bible but years ago they laid it aside to open the door to any “program” in the name of “change” or in the name of blind compassion for the orphans or widows of the world. Now they know so little about what God’s plan in these areas actually is that they cannot defend even baptism for remission of sins! This is the paradox of the “tradition-bound liberal brethren.” They “progressed” and left God behind and in leaving him behind they lost the light of truth which is the only power to guide us in spiritual matters. May they come back to God and give up the “progress” that is error.

Fundamental subjects are plaguing many today like the popular notion that the Lord’s church must keep pace with society in issues like women’s rights, social and psycho-logical welfare, etc.

We are now faced with those whom we formerly thought of as “conservative” or “sound,” that is, we thought they wanted to hold a scripturally accurate view not affected by the pressures of our times, now asserting that divorce can be had for any reason and that one can remarry as often as he may wish. Every case of divorce and remarriage can be justified somehow by certain “progressive thinkers among us.” And that this has been God’s wish all along. The sophistry of this point is that those who claim these things loudly assert that no matter how you have heard it or interpreted this before, if you disagree with them on this point you are pathetically ignorant and unenlightened. You are in fact “a traditionalist.” The only real excuse as to why formerly sound brethren will take such an ungodly position as this is that they have become affected by progressivism. A sad thing to consider is that there are some who really do it because of loyalty to older preachers they look up to and admire and with whom they are willing to jump off the cliff of no scriptural authority. And again the only thing that can come from something like this is impure churches unable to deal with disciplinary needs, more unqualified men seeking to become elders, and the perception that they are not taking a stand when God does! The fruit of such beliefs will only be more confusion and God is not the author of confusion but of peace so it cannot be God. Cannot these brethren see their inconsistency?

Conclusion

In Matthew 12:30, Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against me.” He also said, “believe in God, believe also in me,” and, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jn. 14:1,6). When will those who wish to do everything so that they might be progressive learn that Christ is not just “a” way but he is “the way” ? Stop removing the ancient landmarks because there is confusion in the land.

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: 1 p. 21-23
January 5, 1995

By Connie W. Adams

All too many have become masters at beginning projects which they never finish. I have been brought face to face with some old fashioned virtues this week, while in a meeting with the small congregation at Wilkesville, Ohio in the southern part of the state, about 25 miles north of Gallipolis. I am staying with some wonderful folks who live on a farm a few miles from Ewington. Yesterday, brother Sydney Harless decided to repair a flat tire on a manure spreader. The piece of equipment is old and the wheel was rusty. Even the tire was rusted to the rim, which was one continuous circle. His son, Jim came to help and it took them the better part (2/3) of the day of get that wheel off and repair the tire. They sweated and strained (Jim has a had back), got dirty, endured set-backs and frustrations, but they prevailed. The job is finished. Being the practical man that I am, I asked why they did not get someone to do it for them. Brother Harless replied, “Why that would have cost S20.”

How many worthwhile projects languish because we lack the determination to see them through. We have become dabblers and talkers,” jacks of all trades and masters of none.” Folks, I have to tell you.’ am much encouraged. Old fashioned virtue yet lives! “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Eccl. 9:10).

Talking About It

The last item made me think of the story I heard about a city boy who came to spend some time with his grandparents who lived on a farm. He was anxious to get into the spirit of farm life and insisted on taking his turn at feeding the livestock. Being somewhat apprehensive about it, they questioned him when he returned to the house. “Did you feed the horses?” “Yes,” he said.” Well, what did you feed them?” “Hay,” he said. “Did you feed the pigs?” “Yes” came the answer. “What did you feed them?” “Hay,” he said. “Well, did they eat it?” “I don’t know, but they were standing around talking about it when I left,” he said. And that is how many of us are about the Lord’s work. We do a lot of “standing around” and “talking” about it.'”

Would that we had the spirit of Nehemiah. Several decades had passed since the first group of captives returned to Jerusalem. Still, there no walls around the city. When Nehemiah was granted a leave of absence from the Persian court to go and see to the task, he got it done in 52 days (Neh. 6:15). He had a plan, laid it out and put the people to work on it. We could use some Nehemiahs among elders in the church and among the host of members.

Has Beens, Gonna Be’s and Is’ers

A tourist was visiting one of the famous horse farms in the bluegrass country of Kentucky. The guide proudly showed him an old horse who had won many races including the Kentucky Derby. Then he showed him a frolicking colt in the pasture and told what outstanding blood lines this animal had and what great things were expected of him. The tourist said, “Well now, that’s interesting enough all right. You have shown me a has been’ and a ‘gonna be.’ What I want to see is a real ‘is-er.'”

We have congregations and preachers who live in the glories of the past. They can tell you what has been. There are some who have grandiose schemes for the future which never seem to get off the drawing board. But, brethren, what we need are “is-ers”  folks who day by day are quietly going about the task of serving the Lord. There are many congregations which are minding their own business and doing their own work without much fanfare and little notice from the brotherhood. There are many gospel preachers who are quietly and competently preaching publicly and from house to house (Acts 5:42). They don’t write for any of the papers and some don’t subscribe to many, if any, of them, but they are doing the work of an evangelist, converting the lost, strengthening the souls of the disciples, refuting error, just simply preaching the word in season and out (2 Tim. 4:2-3). They are “is-ers.” May the Lord bless their labors.

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: 2 p. 3-4
January 19, 1995

By Larry Ray Hafley

—have only bread and homey than to have dread and money.

be sick in love than to be healthy in hatred.

crawl in light than to walk in darkness.

be silent than to speak and be sorry.

hear bad news that is true than good news that is false.

to cry in repentance than to laugh in iniquity.

accept a hard truth than to believe an easy lie.

be inconvenienced by necessity than to seek comfort in luxury.

be a slave in the Savior than to be a master in Satan.

imprisoned for truth than to be free in error.

be condemned for doing right than to be commended for doing wrong.

sail a rough sea home than to float gently to a foreign share.

”honor thy father and thy mother” while they live than to mourn the when they die.

to be pricked by the sword of truth than to be protected by the shield of error.

die in the aims of love than in the lap of luxury.

grant mercy to the undeserving than to take vengeance on the deserving

lead one from darkness than to “punch his lights out.”

be born ugly than to live that way.

pay a high price for truth than to buy sin on sale.

give grace than to sell favor.

extend a hand fast to swing a fist.

war in a good cause than to enjoy peace in a bad one.

–die for right than to live for wrong.

criticize kindly than to praise hypocritically,

be sold out than to sell out.

vainly love a good woman than to lave a vain one.

gain respect than revenge..

pity an evil man than to envy him.

be gifted in the Spirit than to be given to spirits

be considered fanatical in faithfulness than to be wise in worldliness

bless the cursed than to curse the blessed

see through the darkness; than to be blind in the light

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: 1 p. 4
January 5, 1995

By Mike Rogacs

I was baptized back in 1965. In the history of the New Testament Church in the Twentieth Century I consider that year to have been in the last portion of the “hay day” of the present day “Church of Christ.” By that I mean, the Church of Christ was coming to an end of a cycle of good numerical growth. For decades many people were being converted and congregations were being established and growing at a good pace. For a while, the church was recognized as one of the fastest growing churches in the U.S. We who can call ourselves the conservative brethren successfully fought a battle against the false doctrines of liberalism and institutionalism.

In my early days of being a Christian I can remember numerous baptisms and many churches building new meeting houses. There was a certain excitement at attending gospel meetings. There was a certain excitement at being a true child of God. This period of growth seems to have long since ended.

Let me pause and note for the reader’s sake that I am looking at the church from a peculiar position. After preaching for several years, I fell from the faith and ceased attending. I knew little of what was happening to my brethren for over ten years. I had sunk deeply into sin and it took quite a lot of effort to recover from this. But, with the help of some faithful brethren, I did overcome and returned to the Lord. It has been only recently that I have raised up my eyes to look at the condition of the church after this decade-plus period of time.

I am saddened at much of what I see.

I see congregations I had known in the past now shrinking in size and even, in some cases, ceasing to exist. I hear of and have seen that gospel meetings often have become a ritual. A time is selected convenient to the brethren (i.e., not around vacation times, not during school time, not during bad weather times, etc.). Topics are timely, to be sure, but they are usually not aimed at non-believers. It is almost a given that there will be few, if any, non-Christian visitors in attendance. I also hear of few, if any, baptisms during gospel meetings.

In fact, I hear of few baptisms, period! When there are some, it is from members of families already in attendance, usually the result of children growing up. These baptisms are precious, indeed. But do you see the direction in which we have been going? Few people outside of the meeting houses of congregations are being converted. In fact, it appears that far too often few people outside of church meeting houses are hearing the gospel. I see brethren making noble attempts at teaching fellow brethren. I see efforts such as the Guardian of Truth to shore up the church by teaching against false doctrine among brethren. I see congregations preaching about family values which is, indeed, timely. I see some brethren even coming close to being political in the pulpit (which I do not believe is wise!) almost to the extent that they have become unequally yoked with people of other “conservative denominations” to fight against abortion and other issues.

I feel that we have become too introspective. We have become so busy in our attempts of protecting the church against ourselves that we have lost the sight of the mission of the Lord, the preaching of the gospel to the world and the saving of souls. And in so doing, we have reached the point where we are not even sustaining the strength of the church as it once was.

If you feel that I, a former sinner of great sins, have no right to speak out as I am, perhaps I deserve such a slap. There have been many times I have begun to write and then stopped for weeks. Indeed, I, too, feel that I have no right to speak. But this truth about myself will not change the accuracy of what I see. If what I see is true, it is not important who sees it but it is important that it be said.

I must add that when I was attempting to recover from the depth of my sins and as I began to see the condition of my Lord’s church today, what I saw almost hindered me in my recovery. I saw so much bickering among my brethren. I saw what I interpreted as a lack of biblical love in the conduct of too many brethren in their dealings among themselves. I saw the lack of reaching for lost souls in the world as I have noted up to this point. It is a sad personal admission, but I almost gave up in my attempt to spiritually recover because I did not relish the thought of being part of the church in such a condition.

In all seriousness I say that I understand why our meager efforts at saving souls are often unproductive. Just like me, when outsiders see what the Church of Christ is like today, some do not want to become part of what they see. In fact, since I have been restored, I have personally communicated with brethren who have left the church in disgust. One of my own relatives wrote stinging words, truthful words, about the poor spiritual condition of the church in general which contributed to her falling away. Would you want to become part of a movement whose main efforts seem almost to be bent upon self destruction?

Permit me to add to these thoughts the following observation that the percent condition of the church comes at a poor time in the situation of the world. It has been noted widely in the news media and in other areas that after years of obvious spiritual depravity of the “baby boom generation,” many of that generation have reached a point of a kind of “repentance” in which they feel spiritually void. This is not really remarkable, my brethren. It is certainly a biblical truth (as put forth in Ecclesiastes and other places) that if a person is even the least bit honest with his own soul he will eventually come to the nagging inner conclusion that all which is of this world is vanity and that there must be something more. My fellow members of the baby boom generation seem to be awakening to the fact that they are spiritually empty. They are awakening to the need of God.

But where are we my brethren? We are the people of God. Where are we! We are sitting by unprepared and in relative inaction. I see false teachers of all stripes making off like the bandits that they are. Pentecostal churches are preaching their gospel of emotionalism and are growing by “leaps and bonds.” Other denominational churches are likewise finding ways to increase in their abilities of compromising with the ways of the world and are attracting people to their churches. And even several eastern religions are making shocking inroads among segments of our society.

Perhaps it can be said that only because the baby boom generation is of such an unusual size that such a movement is so noticeable. But it is noticeable! Such a massive movement of people seeking spirituality is a fact. By all rights, the truth of our Lord’s gospel, the Lord’s church should be deep into the harvest of the times. Of course, many people would still reject the truth when they hear it. But it is just as true that those of our day who have come to understand that they are spiritually empty would receive the truth from our efforts if they were taught. It is very true that if they were taught, many baby boomers would join us in the kingdom of our Lord. By all rights the church should be seeing one of the most exciting times of its present day existence! But it is not!

Instead, we continue to bicker. We continue to simmer in our own local problems. We continue to debate about unscriptural church methods (i.e. institutionalism) but we do not come to a consensus of which of today’s modem methods of communication we can use and how we can use them. We debate about divorce and remarriage (and so we should). But we do so almost in such a way as to imply that it is such a problem far greater than the problem of lost souls, many of whom are divorced. And maybe, just maybe, we have too many lazy people among us. What will history, and our Lord, record about the churches of Christ during this time? I strongly suggest that unless we shake ourselves and wake up to the needs of the times to face and to overcome our weaknesses and shortcomings, the record will be quite sad.

Perhaps because of my great sins I am so unworthy a child of God that I do not have the right to speak as I do here. But I challenge anyone to disagree with these painful observations. Even beyond this I wonder whether my comments will be of any usefulness at all. I feel very overwhelmed by what I see among us. I fear that I will be seen as an alarmist outcast and that these thoughts will be cast aside. But the words are spoken and they are now yours.

“Behold I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35).

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: 1 p. 6-7
January 5, 1995