Truth Magazine

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

By Jeff Himmel

The apostle Paul once wrote to some Christians at Thessalonica who were concerned about what happened after death. After allaying their fears with a beautiful description of the final resurrection, he instructed them, “Comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18). It is easy for the pressures and problems of life to get us down and make us worry. But God’s word is full of truths that bring great comfort to the soul of every Christian. Jesus spoke many words of consolation to his distressed disciples. His apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, brought messages of hope and courage to the struggling saints of the early church. The truths of his life, death, and resurrection, as well as his promises to us, are a source of comfort and joy like no other.

1. In Christ we have forgiveness of sins. No greater human problem exists than that of separation from God by sin. Every one of us has fallen short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:9,23). But the wall placed between man and God has been broken down by Jesus’ death. “And you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world …” (Eph. 2:1-2). “But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us . . .And not only that, but we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Rom. 5:8,11).

2. In Christ we have joy and peace in life. Many people spend their whole lives searching for something to give them happiness and peace of mind. The writer of Ecclesiastes tried in vain to find satisfaction in the things of this world. He finally realized that serving the Lord is the only thing that brings any real reward: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:13). Christians should be the happiest people in the world! Instead of worry and anxiety, Christ offers the peace of bringing our requests before God Almighty (Phil. 4:6-7). Rather than sinfulness, hatred, and conflict, the Spirit of God yields love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in us (Gal. 5:22-23).

3. In Christ we have hope even in death. People tend to fear death because they don’t know what lies beyond. But the Christian can face life’s end with the knowledge that resurrection to eternal life will follow. The Thessalonians were evidently worried about their brethren who had died. Paul reassures them that because Christ overcame death, those who die in him die in hope: “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus” (1 Thess. 4:14). In 1 Corinthians 15, a most glorious picture of the resurrection is painted, one that allows the Christian to face even death with confidence in his Lord: “So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory … But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:54,57).

4. In Christ we have the promise of a heavenly reward. Perhaps the greatest comfort that God’s word provides is knowing the reward that awaits us when the difficulties of this life have ceased. In Revelation 21-22, John describes (as ably as possible in human terms) the glory of heaven as he beheld it. I can never read this passage without feeling a stirring in my soul. I am sure it had the same effect on the downtrodden saints to whom John wrote. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4). We can withstand all the storms of life, no matter how severe, with the certain hope that we will one day dwell with God for eternity. “And the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its light . . . And there shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 21:23; 22:5).

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

By Cheri G. Reeves

Wanted: Henpecked husbands. Prefer leaders in the church, but any male Christian will do. Must enjoy being con-trolled and be willing to make havoc of the church. May be necessary to relocate church membership. Contact: the Devil.

It reads like an ad in the personals. But it’s a daily plea from the devil. It’s a plea that is often accepted by both the husband and the wife in the marriage relationship. It’s a problem that first disrupts the family, but control of the family isn’t always enough. The hunger for the control commandeers other relationships of relatives and friends, and often takes hold of the local church.

While the Bible teaches that wives must submit them-selves to their husbands (Eph. 5), society dictates a different norm saying their roles in the home are equal. However, some Christian women even take it a step further and ease themselves into a role of leadership in the home. When this happens, the man garners the title of a henpecked husband. Random House Dictionary defines “henpecked” as “brow-beaten, bullied or intimidated by one’s wife.” The Bible defines it as sin.

The woman who runs things at home often doesn’t stop there. Control and usurping authority are both especially tempting to some women. It was a temptation for women in the Bible as well. Jezebel couldn’t stop at only control-ling her home, she controlled Israel in the process. Husbands, have you ever heard your wife say, “Don’t worry honey, I’ll take care of everything”? Ahab did. While sulking over Jabots vineyard (1 Kgs. 21), Jezebel schemed and manipulated until the death of Jabot al-lowed Ahab to take hold of the vineyard. Jezebel’s dominance, allowed by Ahab, caused spiritual decline for Israel. Ahab was said to have caused “all Israel to sin” (1 Kgs. 21:22). Verse 25 of the same chapter reads, “But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up.” Today, leaders in the church are often manipulated into making decisions by women at home. If it’s not the wife of an elder, then it is the wife of any man who has a part in the decision making process of local affairs. After the husbands comply, then the “real” recruiting of other church members begins. And if decisions don’t go her way, the family will sometimes decide to place its membership elsewhere. Some even begin meeting in their homes, where her leadership has already been established.

It’s easy to point the finger at a woman when addressing the problem of a henpecked husband. But it’s just as much of a sin for a man to allow that woman to take control of the family. Not all men will put up with such dictation. When faced with trials and suffering, Job’s wife told her husband to curse God and die. But Job didn’t allow his wife to control his actions. Job 2:10 says, “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” Adam wasn’t so strong. 1 Timothy 2:14 reads, “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.” While Adam was not beguiled, he followed his wife into sin.

Men who lose control of their family do it willingly. When the husband refuses to take his proper leadership role, the woman will often take the reins herself. How do they justify such? Various reasons are given. “Well, each to his own,” or “that’s just the way we live.” Or, “we live this way because the wife is more outgoing and has a more flamboyant personality.” God has issued a plan. “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church; and he is the Saviour of the body” (Eph. 5:22,23). The roles work together. While the man (v. 25) loves the wife “just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it,” the wives are to be subject to their own husbands in everything, “just as the church is subject to Christ” (v. 24). Take special note of the contrasts. The man can no more give up his role as the head (of the wife) than Christ can give up his headship of the church. The husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church. And the same is true for women. Verse 24 says, “Just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” If the wife can give up her subjection to her husband, can the church do the same with Christ?

Women are to love their husbands and be obedient toward them (Tit. 2:4,5). Women don’t need to be domineering and arrogant to be faithful workers for the Lord. It was Sarah who recognized the authority of her husband and addressed him as “lord,” meaning “master.” Sarah’s name is mentioned in that long list of faithful children of God in Hebrews 11. Verse 35 of the same chapter says, “Women received their dead raised to life again. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.” 1 Peter 3:1-6 states, “Wives, be submissive to your own husbands . . . let it be the hidden person of the heart with the incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord…”

Men usually don’t appreciate being called “henpecked.” It’s an insulting, degrading term. But a man who allows his wife to become the head of the home deserves the title. I Timothy 5:14 says women are to “manage the house,” not the husband. God made women to be a helpmeet for man (Gen. 2:18) and woman was made to be subject to her husband in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:16). It’s the Lord’s plan. Any other falls contrary to his word.

The devil works in many ways. He deceives, casts doubt, misuses Scripture and uses other schemes to go after children of God. He’s done wonders at entering and destroying homes in this country. And he starts with the leader. The devil is on the prowl right now, searching for henpecked husbands. Don’t let him enter your home. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (1 Pet. 5:8,9). While the devil sought to destroy these Christians with various kinds of suffering, he re-mains busy today at the same game, only using different methods. No, he is not so obvious as to take out an ad in the personals. He’s much more subtle. An ad in the personals is written to entice. It is written to capture the attention of its reader. And finally, an ad in the personals is only ultimately successful if answered. Husbands, don’t answer this one!

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: 1 p. 12-13
January 5, 1995

By Mike Willis

A television drama features a man and woman who have an almost magnetic attraction for each other. Each person experiences de javu, as only television drama can depict. Later the couple learns, through some mystic that each is the reincarnation of a spirit that existed years ago. They are so attracted to each other because they were lovers in their previous cycle of life. Romantics love the story, although it is filled with pagan concepts of life.

A few years ago, an autobiographical TV mini-series by Shirley Maclaine entitled “Out on a Limb,” taught the concept of reincarnation. In some respects she became the leading spokesperson for the concept of reincarnation. In response, F. LaGard Smith wrote a book entitled Out on a Broken Limb that identified the religious errors of reincarnation. As eastern religions invade the United States, it is important for us to understand what the doctrine of reincarnation is and how it contradicts the revealed word of God in the Bible.

What Is “Reincarnation”?

Reincarnation is defined as “the supposed translation of the soul after death into another substance or body than that which it occupied before” (McClintock & Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature X:524). Sometimes reincarnation is referred to as the transmigration of souls.

McClintock and Strong continue, “So long, therefore, as the soul has not attained the condition of purity, it must be born again after the dissolution of the body to which it was allied: and the degree of its impurity at one of these various deaths determines the existence which it will assume in a subsequent life” (Ibid. 525).

John B. Noss wrote about reincarnation as follows: “In its Indo-Aryan form it runs like this: the soul of a man who dies does not, except in the single case of one who at death returns into indistinguishable oneness with Brahman, pass into a permanent state of being in heaven or hell or elsewhere; the soul, rather, is reborn into another existence that will terminate in due time and necessitate yet another birth. Rebirth follows rebirth, with the one exception named, in an endless chain. The successive births are not likely to be on the same plane of being. Rebirth may occur for a finite period of time in any of the series of heavens or hells, or upon earth in any of the forms of life, vegetable, animal, or human. It may thus be either higher or lower than the present or any past existence. A man of low social status now may be reborn as a rajah or a Brahmin, or which is more likely, as an out-caste, or even as an animal, a beetle, worm, vegetable, or soul in hell” (Man’s Religions 106-107).

Everett L. Cattel made these comments about reincarnation:

Two other essential concepts are the doctrines of karma (works) and transmigration. The laws of moral action are immutable. Wrong actions inevitably produce punishment, and good actions their reward. This is inescapable in an almost fatalistic sense, and to talk of forgiveness or the canceling of sin is completely unrealistic and does injustice to the noble moral law of cause and effect essential in the universe. Whatever of ill one bears in this life is the product of wrong action in a previous existence, and life’s blessings come from the good that was done. Our works set off reactions as cause and effect and they must work them-selves out to the bitter end. Salvation consists, not of having this canceled or interfered with, but through doing enough good gradually to evolve toward the highest, where one may then experience the enlightenment that we are essentially God. In Him there are no distinctions, even of good and evil, and thus one escapes from the ceaseless round of rebirths (“Hinduism,” Religions in a Changing World, Howard F. Vos, editor, 200).

Hence, reincarnation is not an isolated little idea that may be innocently accepted. Reincarnation is one doctrine in a non-Christian, pagan philosophy of life (Hinduism). It is part of a non-Christian religion that is full of idolatry and many false beliefs. It is tied to its own concept of works (karma) and its own concept of salvation (nirvana).

The Law of Karma

F. LaGard Smith wrote about the law of karma that governs reincarnation, “The doctrine of karma teaches that each soul is working its way to perfection by overcoming imperfections in previous lives. Based upon the clearly accurate observation that no one in this present life is perfect, it is correctly assumed that a person cannot, on his own, reach perfection in a single lifetime. The fallacious conclusion is then drawn that it must take many lifetimes in order for each soul to achieve that goal” (Out on a Broken Limb 71).

Understanding karma is essential to a proper under-standing of reincarnation. Karma teaches these two things: (a) The soul can evolve upward toward perfection until it finally reaches Nirvana (the merging of the soul with the universal soul or universe). (b) This soul can evolve downward. As the soul travels its cycle of re-birth, it evolves upward or downward based on whether one did good or evil in his lifetime. The logical consequences of accepting karma and reincarnation are important.

Souls are not confined to human bodies. Souls inhabit every life form. A mouse has a soul of someone who has not progressed very highly on the way to nirvana, or who because of some great wickedness suffered a regression. That mouse you killed with D-con may have been your grandfather or that spider you kill may be your mother-in-law reincarnated. You can understand why scrupulous Hindu ascetics sweep the path in front of them as they walk lest they step on some animal and kill it.

The Law of Karma and the Indian Caste System The Hindu society in which reincarnation has thrived is a strict caste society. It is defined and defended by the law of karma and the reincarnation of souls. During the period around 500 B.C., the caste system was gradually developed. Over the years it evolved into these following five ranks: (a) Brahmins, (b) Kshatriyas, (c) Vaisyas; (d) Shudras. The last group (e) is the “out-castes,” the untouchables. These were the dregs of society, unclean and without any hope of ever rising on the social scale. Over the centuries, these five groups have fissured into many sub-castes, each forbidding intermarriage with the other. Note how the caste system is tied to the religious doctrine of karma, according to Noss:

When the caste system was linked up with the Law of Karma, the inequalities of life had at once a simple and comprehensive explanation. The existence of caste in the social structures immediately acquired a kind of moral justification. If a man was born a Shudra, it was because he had sinned in previous existence and deserved no better lot. A Brahmin, on the other hand, had every right to exalt his position and prerogatives; by good deeds in previous existences he had merited his present high station. . . . The social consequences of the moral justification of caste was apparent in another direction. Any attempt to level up the inequalities of society and lay a broader basis for social justice and reward now became either impious or morally wrong-headed. To question the operations of the Law of Karma, as fixing the just retribution for deeds in former lives, became the rankest of heresies (Noss 108).

You can understand why one reaches the conclusion that the law of karma and reincarnation are not harmless little doctrines for the rich and idle to play with. Here are some of the consequences of the law of karma.

1. The law of karma leads to fatalism. A person must accept his human condition because it is the repayment of how his soul lived in a previous existence. If he is in a lower caste in India, he should accept it rather than trying to improve his station in life. In contrast, the Scriptures teach human initiative: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Eccl. 9:10).

2. The law of karma teaches a faulty responsibility for one’s actions. Every wrong deed will be accounted for, but not before the Judge of all the earth (Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10). Rather, it will be accounted for in the next cycle of the soul’s existence. A person yet to be born will reap what you sow.

3. The law of karma is a form of legalism. “Salvation” (defined as reaching nirvana) is attained through works. There is no concept of forgiveness. In contrast, Paul wrote, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). “Salvation” through works is the concept behind reincarnation and the law of karma.

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: 1 p. 2
January 5, 1995