Truth Magazine

By Randy Blackaby

The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12 that he had a “thorn in the flesh,” some sort of physical malady that was most aggravating but which the Lord saw fit not to remove.

Do you have one of those? Perhaps an ailment, a physical weakness, an impairment?

Guesses at what Paul’s “thorn” was have filled the gamut from vision problems created by his Damascus road experience to sexual temptation connected with his unmarried state. We aren’t told what it was.

But, the fact of the matter is that Paul’s ambiguity regarding the nature of this “thorn” enhances the message he conveyed, because each of us can apply the principles to be learned to our own physical hindrances.

Paul identifies the source of the problem when he calls it “a messenger of Satan to buffet me.” Whatever the problem was, it no doubt annoyed, harassed, perhaps even depressed the great preacher unto the Gentiles.

However, despite this, three petitions to the Lord to remove it were denied, suggesting the Lord saw some value in leaving Satan’s annoyance in place.

This is not so surprising to the Bible student who has observed how many times God has taken Satan’s attacks and transformed them into educational, strengthening tools.

Look at the case of God’s own Son. Facing imminent torture and execution, Jesus prayed three times to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane to relieve him of what was about to happen  if there was any alternative.

The Father did not relieve him of the cross but did give him the strength he needed, not only to persevere with one thorn but a crown of them. And, Hebrews 2:10 says Jesus was perfected by the things which he suffered.

What purposes do our “thorns” serve?

First, they serve as an antidote for pride. And pride, like fat, causes men to swell larger than they ought and is very painful to remove and keep removed.

Second, such thorns nurture our dependency upon God, humbling us and helping us recognize our need for God’s help.

Third, these physical problems build strength. A person builds strength purposefully only when he recognizes his weakness. Strength and endurance come only at the price of some suffering. Ask any athlete.

Our suffering in the flesh develops character, temper control and better dispositions, to name just a few things.

We must never forget that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. God is glorified most when our personal weakness is evident and his strength shines through in our life despite our personal impotency.

What is your thorn? Is it a sickness when you want to be well to serve the Lord? Or, might it be poverty, when you could wish to have money to help the Lord’s cause? An unbelieving spouse? Limited education or abilities?

Remember, God’s ways are not our ways. He has at times used the most unlikely men to accomplish his purposes. So, let us recognize that sometimes we may be praying for the removal of something from our lives for which God has a purpose.

Taking the burden away may be our answer but God’s answer may be giving us the strength to handle the burden, thus increasing our faith and that of others.

Don’t pray for an easy life. Pray for strength. Don’t pray for easy tasks. Pray for strength to do more.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 13, p. 21
July 7, 1994

By Mike Willis

Unity is precious to the saints of God. No man who claims to be a disciple of Jesus Christ can be content with division. The preciousness of unity was extolled in Psalm 133. David wrote,

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

Unity has the double blessing of being both good and pleasant. There are some things pleasant that are not good for us and some things good for us that are not pleasant. But unity has the double blessing of being both good and pleasant.

The Bible Plan For Unity

Christians do not have an option of choosing to be for or against unity. The Christian must be obedient to the teaching of Christ which demands unity of his disciples. However, not every plan of unity is consistent with the teachings of Christ’s word. We, therefore, begin our quest for unity by considering several of the more important passages of Scripture which teach that Christians should be one. Only then can we know the kind of unity that Christ desires.

1. John 17:20-21: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”

a. The unity of saints is God’s will. The Lord prayed for his saints to be united. Contentment with division is not acceptable. How can we pray, “thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10), without praying for the unity of the saints? Any teaching that accepts the denominational divisions in Christianity as either a good or a necessary-. evil is inconsistent with Jesus’ prayer.

b. The unity is limited to those who believe on me. There can be no unity between Christians and non-Christians. Paul wrote,

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly be-loved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1).

The unity for which Christ prayed is limited to those who are Christians. The unity for which Christ prayed is not for religious people, professors of religion, professed Christians, Christian sects or denominations. It is for Christians. We must understand the conditions for salvation, for being a child of God or a Christian, in order to determine the limits of the unity for which Christ prayed. A person is a Christian who has believed the gospel of Jesus Christ, repented of his sins, confessed his faith in Christ, and been immersed in water for the remission of his sins (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; etc.). The unity of Christians is limited to those who have done this.

c. The unity of saints is to be like that between the Father and the Son. The unity between the Father and the Son is not an organic unity; it is a unity of will and purpose. Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Do you inquire how, or in what sense, he and his Father are one? They are one in mind, in the work of saving man, in the will of God to save men  one in the same Gospel, the same Church, ordinances, worship, and every thing. They work in perfect harmony, in the same mind and in the same judgment. There is not a jar nor a discord between them. They cooperate in the same work. This is the way in which the saints should be one  as Jesus and his Father are one  in the same work, in the same mind, and the same judgment, without a jar or discord” (The Gospel Preacher I:307-308). This unity needs to be distinguished from the unions of denominationalism.

d. This unity will lead to the conversion of the world. Jesus prayed for unity “that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” To the degree that the church is divided, Christians are responsible for the infidelity of the world. How many times have you tried to teach someone what to do to be saved and had to deal with the divisions in Christianity? You have to show them the differences between the Lord’s body and Roman Catholic and Protestant denominationalism, apostasies of brethren, cults, etc. These divisions lead men to throw up their hands in disgust. Were all Christians one, how great an impact this unity would have on the world!

2. John 10:16. Jesus said, “There shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” He foretold the unity which would come when all of God’s people would be united in one church. There were sheep among the Jews and sheep among the Gentiles, but in Christ there would be “one fold and one shepherd.” The unity of saints occurs in the one body (1 Cor. 10:17; 12:12; Eph. 4:4). Paul emphasized that God would “reconcile both (Jew and Gentile, mw) unto God in one body by the cross” (Eph. 2:16). How could this unity occur?

a. The sheep hear the voice of one shepherd. In comparing Christians to sheep and a shepherd, Jesus emphasized that this unity could only be attained and maintained so long as the sheep heard and followed the voice of the one shepherd. The Lord’s sheep do not recognize the voice of a stranger and will not follow him (10:4-5). The Good Shepherd is Christ. When sheep hearken to the voice of strangers rather than the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep, division results.

b. The sheep follow the one shepherd. When the sheep quit following the shepherd, division comes.

3. 1 Corinthians 1:10-13. This text addresses the divisions in the church at Corinth. Here is how it reads:

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

Notice these pertinent points from this text:

a. Christ expects doctrinal unity. He expects his children to “speak the same thing” and be of the “same mind” and the “same judgment.” How different this sounds from the modem mockery that says, “We can no more think alike than we can look alike.” The modem unity-in diversity advocates among us are inconsistent in their application of the idea that men cannot think alike. They expect all men to be of the same mind and judgment and to speak the same things about such things as: the existence of God, the deity of Christ, the inspiration of the Scriptures, the virgin birth, the resurrection, and a few other subjectively chosen “fundamental” doctrines. Of course, the unity-in-diversity advocates expect that every person will become just like them in believing and teaching that “we can no more think alike than we can look alike.” On these matters they expect all men to be “clones” one of another. However, when one moves away from their subjectively chosen list, they belittle the idea that men can understand the Bible alike. In contrast to the unity-in diversity activists, Paul expected the Corinthians not only to be of the same mind and same judgment, but also to speak the same thing.

b. Speaking the same thing. The context of 1 Corinthians helps us to understand how we can arrive at the oneness demanded by Scripture. Paul contrasts man’s wisdom with the wisdom of God, insisting that Christians must confine themselves to the doctrine of Christ (2:4; 4:6). The man who confines himself to the revelation of God has the “mind of Christ” (2:16). To be of the “same mind” Christians must have the “mind of Christ”  i.e., confine themselves to the revelation of God’s word.

Having confined ourselves to the revelation of God’s word, Christians can reach the same judgment. Because God’s word does not teach conflicting and contradictory doctrines about any subject. When we abide in the revelation of God’s word, we will reach the same judgment. What other judgment can men who confine themselves to the mind of Christ reach about stealing (murder, adultery, fornication, etc.) except that it is sinful? What other judgment can men who confine themselves to the mind of Christ reach about the action of baptism except that New Testament baptism was immersion in water? Division comes when men cease to have the mind of Christ. Having reached the same conclusion, we can therefore speak the same thing.

Men reject the idea that doctrinal unity is possible because of infidelity based on human experience. They cite the obvious divisions which exist among us as proof that men cannot understand the Bible alike. First, this is inconsistently applied. The same evidences could be used to prove that we can never agree on the existence of God, deity of Christ, virgin birth, resurrection, etc. for men also disagree on these subjects. Second, this impugns the omnipotence and/or goodness of God. Why can’t men understand the Bible alike? God created the Bible as it is for man as he is. Is there a defect in man or the Bible? In either case, God the Creator is at fault. If God wished to make the Bible as it is as a revelation for man as he is, but could not, he is not omnipotent; if God did not choose to give man an understandable revelation and then holds him accountable for obeying it, he is not good. The only alternative to these unacceptable conclusions is to recognize that men can understand the Bible alike and have doctrinal unity.

c. Loyalty to men creates division. When Christians begin to think of men more highly than they ought to think saying, “I am of Paul,” “I am of Cephas,” and “I am Apollos,” they manifest a carnal spirit (1 Cor. 3:3-5). The same carnality is shown when men boast in being a Methodist, Episcopalian, Catholic, Baptist, etc. Paul taught that Christians should only follow him who died for us and in whose name we were baptized (1:13). (Continued in the next issue.)

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 14, p. 2
July 21, 1994

By Daniel H. King

Lindsey had started coming up with her arms out-stretched when she was a tiny little thing. I would take her up in my arms and give her a big hug. It had become a ritual with us through the years. I would finish my sermon and walk down the aisle to the back of the auditorium, then after the prayer she would head directly for me. It was one of the singular honors of my life. Still is, even as I write these words. Now she was getting to be taller and looking very “grown up,” in a little girl sort of way.

Her little sister Rhea was now the tiny one, just about Lindsey’s age when she started to hug me, and she had dutifully gone along with Lindsey on this little ritual right from the start, though I’m sure she didn’t have an inkling of what it was all about.

On one particular Sunday, Lindsey made her way to me and hugged me as usual. Rhea was right behind. When Rhea hugged me, her mother came up behind and said to me: “She just asked me, `Can I go hug God?’ I explained to her that you weren’t God, but I’m not sure she under-stood.” We laughed together and I assured her that with time she would come to understand.

But that incident stuck with me. I suppose it always will. When I reflected upon it later it brought a tear to my eyes. Little children are the most beautiful creatures that God put on our planet. He made them so in order that we might love them deeply, cherish and protect them with our substance and even our lives if need be. All of us parents and grandparents have a host of stories that we have laid up in our hearts which center around the childhood of these little ones “whose angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 18:10). We love to tell and retell those stories, even when the little ones are fully grown. It is as if we could wish that we could have them be little again so that we could grab them up and hug them and protect their tiny souls from the darkness and evil of the world. We would love to hide them from all the bad things and shelter their wonderful innocence from “the knowledge of good and evil.”

I suppose that there is not one thing that more completely illustrates for me the depth of human depravity than the proliferation in our land of abuse of children, whether sexually or physically. I cannot believe that God will permit a people long to endure if they do not at all costs protect the children from harm. It frightens me to hear news reports of large scale “kiddie” pornography rings and of pedophiles who are allowed back into the general population again to prey upon trusting little ones. Surely God has reserved the hottest hole in hell for such scum! Imagine a human being so perverted, selfish and sex-crazed as to destroy a child’s life for a moment of twisted pleasure! Let us pray that our judges and our government will come to their senses before it is too late for even a single child.

I don’t think I can ever remember a personal experience that so fully illustrated for me how adults appear in the eyes and minds of little children as this recollection of Lindsey and Rhea. Children tend to idolize us. We are not only giants to them in terms of our physical size and capabilities, but we are “God” to them in a sense. Their first taste of the world, be it sweet or bitter, is at our hands. In a sense they only know God through us in the beginning years of their little lives. They know God and the world as dark and hideous or loving and gentle in what they know of us and see in us. No wonder some children are a menace to society! Family life for them has proven hateful and mean, their parents uncaring and selfish, or else absent for whatever reason, leaving them to fend for themselves in a cold and cruel world. They do not know the love of God, for those who should have shown them his love have failed them. We should not be shocked that at times they are as vicious as animals; they may have never known any of the nobler attributes of the human spirit, only the baser instincts.

Of course, I am not God. No one knows more than I myself that I have fallen far short of his image and glory. But I pray to the God of heaven that for that one moment in little Rhea’s life when I stood in his place, she saw something of his love, something of his purity, something of his gentleness, something of himself. Would that all of us might see how inexpressibly significant is our role in the lives of children! Jesus told the disciples, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matt. 18:14; NASB). By our words and deeds we may help or hinder their later acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior, and their development as fully matured Christian adults. Woe be unto us if we stand as a hindrance rather than a help: “But whoso shall offend one of these little one which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:6)!

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 13, p. 19
July 7, 1994

By Tommy Glendol McClure

Have you ever replaced the batteries in a flashlight, then flipped the switch on to find that it still doesn’t work? Upon further examination you discover that you have placed the batteries in the wrong way (backwards). The positive pole of the battery is where the negative pole ought to be and a correction of your error is necessary before the flashlight will work.

Many brethren have their spiritual batteries in back-wards, as far as God’s word is concerned. They have swapped the poles around, or you might say, “they have their wires crossed.” Many have even let their batteries completely run down and die.

Today, it is common to hear “positive” brethren cry for more “positive preaching” to the exclusion of mentioning anything negative, the desire being to have their ears tickled. Question: Have you ever tried to run something that is powered by a battery by only connecting the positive end of the battery? If you disconnect the negative lead from your battery terminal on your automobile, do you think it would start? Both terminals must be correctly connected for proper operation!

Isaiah (5:20) spoke of those who swapped things around and pronounced a “woe” when he said, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” The prophet also describes this attitude in Isaiah 30:10 where he wrote, “Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.” Brethren with this type of attitude are fellowshipping darkness and “do not the truth,” while professing to be in the light (1 John 1:5-7).

Preachers who boldly preach and proclaim the truth are often criticized for being “too negative, too boring, too judgmental,” and not being “positive” in their preaching. Their critics demand more “positives” and usually have a great distaste for lessons of reproof, rebuke and exhortation (2 Tim. 2:2-4).

To coin a phrase similar to the Yellow Page advertising phrase which went like this  “let your fingers do the walking,” we will let God’s Word do the talking! Please consider just a few of the many positive texts of God’s Word, since there is such a desire for “positive preaching”.

Matthew 28:19-20  “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things (emp. mine, T.G.M.) whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Romans 16:17  “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”

1 Corinthians 6:18-20  “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Ephesians 5:22, 25 ”Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord … Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.”

Colossians 3:1-2, 5  “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. . . Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22  “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.”

1 Timothy 6:12  “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

1 Timothy 2:15  “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2:19  “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

2 Timothy 3:12  “Yes the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”

Hebrews 5:9  “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”

James 1:22  “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

James 4:8 ”Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

1 Peter 1:13-16  “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

1 Peter 2:21  “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an ex-ample, that ye should follow his steps:”

1 John 2:3  “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.”

There have been and will continue to be countless sermons preached by faithful preachers using these and other positive passages for their sermon text. As we have already noted, these are but a few of the many positive texts of the Bible.

Will brethren who desire “positive preaching” tolerate lessons based on the truths of these texts? Or will they seek to have their ears tickled and turn away from the truth unto fables (2 Tim. 4:3-4)? Will these brethren heed the admonition given by Jeremiah who said, “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls” ? Or will they make the same reply that Jeremiah heard by saying, “We will not walk therein” (Jer. 6:16)?

Let us place our trust in “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) and remember the proclamation of Jesus who said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). There is no substitute!

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 13, p. 14-15
July 7, 1994