Truth Magazine

By Connie W. Adams

In Grecian mythology Pandora was a woman given a box by Zeus from which all manner of human ills escaped when she opened it. The view taken by some well-known brethren in recent times concerning Romans 14 has become a modern-day Pandora’s box.

A vital passage designed to help strong and weak Christians get along until the weak can be taught better and thus become strong has been pressed into service to justify far too much. Carl Ketcherside, Edward Fudge and fellow travelers found it elastic enough to include instrumental music, sponsoring churches, premillennialism and a host of other false doctrines. Of more recent vintage, our brother Ed Harrell has found in it grounds for fellowship on marriage, divorce and remarriage (for causes other than fornication). Other highly respected brethren have joined in.

Now comes a sermon preached by a brother in Texas in which he listed 100 issues and practices which he claims would be resolved by a proper understanding and application of Romans 14. With much of his list I have no problem. But here are some of the things he listed which are a problem to me:

Abortion  Dancing  Girly Magazines  Evolution

Brewery Work  Horse Racing  Dance Bands

Square Dancing  Bartending  Social Drinking

“Low” neckline  Proms

Let’s see now, Paul said, “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5). If I understand this brother correctly, then if one thinks it is all right to have an abortion, then she is at liberty before God to do so. Or if he wants to play in a dance band, work as a bartender, dance, promote evolution, or practice social drinking, then “let him be fully persuaded in his own mind.” It is interesting that this same brother who puts evolution in his list of 100 things which are regulated by Romans 14, has been well known for his special series on evolution. Will he now conclude such speeches by saying that God will be pleased with you whether you believe this or not and “let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind”?

When I read the 17 article series on “fellowship” and the use made of Romans 14 in that series, I warned then that there would be no stopping place short of the “unity in diversity” movement of Ketcherside and Fudge infamy.

Have you noticed that things which gospel preachers used to be able to clearly condemn have suddenly become “gray”? Those who still draw sharp and clear lines on these matters are disparagingly referred to as “those black and white guys.” This undermines the authority of the Scriptures. God revealed his mind in intelligible propositions which can be understood and acted upon by those fashioned in the image of God.

Of course, there is a realm in which private conscience must decide a host of things based on understanding of truth. There is room for growth. All have not grown to the same degree and there must be patience with each other. But will any of us grow to the point that God approves abortion on demand, or serving liquor, or wearing indecent apparel, or the God-dishonoring general theory of evolution? Are “girly magazines” in the realm of private scruple to which God is indifferent?

I do not believe that many of the brethren who have espoused this loose construction of Romans 14 would accept everything on this brother’s list. In fact, I am confident most of them would oppose this careless lumping together of things indifferent and those which have grave consequences. But I keep thinking about that box of Pandora. The lid is off. Brethren took it off to justify fellowship with those who teach that the alien sinner is not subject to the law of Christ and may therefore continue to live with a marriage companion in violation of Matthew 19:9. Or those who teach that the put-away adulterer is free to marry may be retained in fellowship. My brethren, Romans 14 was never intended as an excuse for every form of doctrinal and practical error.

Our situation is rapidly becoming analagous to those men in the institutional movement who opened the gate just enough to let church support of schools and benevolent institutions into the church budget and argued that we did not need Bible authority for all we do, or else misappropriated Scripture in a vain attempt to defend their cause. But now they have a rampaging stampede which they are powerless to stop. From the social gospel (in full bloom) to the new hermeneutic, they are dismayed at what came in through that gate. Now the hinges are off and the fence is down.

Brethren, will we ever learn? Older men may open the gate just a little out of personal friendship for esteemed brethren, cite Romans 14 as precedent and mean to stop there. But a younger generation will not stop there. They will pick up the erroneous conclusion and take it to the limit of false teaching and practice. When they are done with it, you will not recognize what is left. Already there is a noticeable aversion to controversial preaching, to debating teachers of error. Will Romans 14 become the dividing line? Will we polarize according to what we want to include in that noble chapter? At our house, we have a room in the basement which we call affectionately “the goat’s belly.” There we throw things we don’t know what else to do with until it gets too full and we have to make some disposition of them. These are the things of which yard sales are made. Now brethren, is that what we will do with Romans 14? Don’t know what to do about abortion? Just toss it in Romans 14. What about social drinking? Romans 14! Can’t decide about girly magazines or the theory of evolution? Romans 14! Come on folks, we can do better than that. And for the future welfare of the cause for which our Lord died, we had better do better than that.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 24, p. 3-4
December 15, 1994

By Randy Blackaby

Real men are becoming a lost commodity. Men who know their role in the family, in society and the world are harder and harder to find.

The feminist movement, which has entered its second generation, has failed utterly in its mission to liberate women but has caused many men to lose their sense of masculinity and purpose in marriage and the home. Most men, it would appear, have abdicated their role as family leaders under societal pressures initiated by the feminist movement.

Today’s talk shows, classrooms and workplaces repeatedly are heard to advocate the creation of unisex or androgynous human beings with no difference in functions, despite the never-greater volumes of data about the physical and emotional differences between the sexes.

The feminist goals include complete mutual decision-making and shared authority in the home, equal sharing of the role of supporting the family financially, and full sharing of home-making and child-care functions. This has been sold as a “fair” system and compared negatively with “traditional” arrangements where separate roles were identified for husbands and wives.

While these “goals” have been identified and approved by society in general, the “results” have been catastrophic.

Shared leadership concepts have resulted in no leadership because equality of authority is antithetical to the very concept of leadership.

With the majority of women insisting on sharing in the income production role that once was the male domain, larger and larger numbers of children are being surrendered to the care of modem day “orphans’ homes” the day care center and the public school system.

As biblical patterns for marriage roles and family life are abandoned there is emerging a rapid increase in sexual dysfunction in marriage and, sometimes, abandonment of natural sexual roles for homosexual perversions. Divorce and the broken home are now more normal in many communities than the intact family.

And, without functioning families, children are left without the environment necessary to teach love, morality and personal responsibility. Our overburdened judicial and prison systems are but another manifestation of the end results.

What is needed critically today are men who understand their purpose and roles as leaders of their families. Needed are men who carry out their God-ordained duties to wives and children.

The Bible teaches, in passages like 1 Corinthians 11:3 and Ephesians 5:23, that husbands are to be the “heads” of their wives and families. To people who reject the Bible outright this means nothing but to those who respect God’s word it clearly asserts a husband’s leadership, authority to direct and rule in the home.

By understanding the concept of “headship” one can see God’s wisdom. Just as a human body with two heads would be a paralyzed monstrosity so is the home with two heads.

Men today need to re-learn what home leadership is all about. Issuing orders, receiving deference and respect may be a part of it but much, much more is involved.

God tells the man to be the “provider” for his family in 1 Timothy 5:8. The authority given a man also calls for him to be a primary teacher and guide to the family, both in word and example.

Unlike most typical homes today, God’s ideal home has the husband and father being the principal disciplinarian responsible for training, development, and correction of his children. Passages in the Bible like Ephesians 6:4 show a man he has this responsibility. When he abdicates this job or delegates it completely to his wife, he has failed.

The real model for husband-like leadership is found in the example of Jesus himself, not in the macho-ism of the contemporary scene. Jesus led by love, sacrifice and submission of personal well-being and desires to the well-being of others.

The feminist movement is not totally responsible for the negative attitudes toward male leadership in the home today. Men who have abused or abdicated their responsibilities in the past are partially the cause.

But whatever the past failures and their causes, the crying need today is for men to re-assume their responsibilities and to lead, guide and love their wives and families through the morass of evils that today threaten our homes, nation and world.

Leadership will not be easy in our unisex society. But, then, leadership never has been easy. Real men are needed for the task.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 10, p. 1
May 19, 1994

By Edward O. Bragwell

“Behold, the Lamb of God!” (Jn. 1:36)

“Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah . . .” (Rev. 5:5).

Preachers and other teachers constantly urge us to be more Christ-like. “The spirit of Christ,” “the mind of Christ,” “Christ-like,” and “Christ-like spirit” are terms used to express the same idea.

We can find no fault with these expressions, but rather applaud them, when taken at face value. A Christian should be able to sing “more like Jesus would I be” and mean it.

However, when one hears these terms, he would do well to stay turned for the details. The speaker’s Jesus may not be the biblical Jesus. His Jesus may be of the modern imagination  a passive, ever-smiling, back-patting, soft-spoken, all-embracing Jesus who would never be critical of people much less become upset enough with them to raise his voice to them.

This is the Jesus that we are urged to become like by a few brethren who are specializing in freeing the church of the pharisaic spirit and restoring “the spirit of Christ.” This is a noble work, if this is what they are really doing. Again, one needs to stay turned for the details. If one listens carefully he may sense that these students of the pharisaic spirit have caught the disease through the back door. They thank God that they are not as other brethren are: proud, boastful, negative and condemning but are humble, sweet, positive and up-lifting as they represent their brand of the “spirit of Christ” in the world.

Their distorted portrayal of Jesus, not only weakens the gospel and the church, it undermines the efforts and undercuts the moral support of good brethren who are trying their best to obey the divine charge to “preach the word! … convince (reprove KJV), rebuke and exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2). They despise those who “rebuke with all authority” (Tit. 2:15), especially those who “rebuke them sharply” (Tit. 1:13). They often suggest to audiences that such preaching may well be the main obstacle hindering our taking the world for Christ. Oh, yes, they can occasionally be stirred to break out of their version of the spirit of Jesus long enough to rebuke sharply those who rebuke sharply.

Jesus was both “the Lamb of God” and “the Lion . . . of Judah.” One can hardly reflect the spirit of the real Jesus without beholding him in both capacities. Emphasizing either at the expense of the other gives one a warped picture of the real image of Jesus.

Jesus could look at some people and be moved with compassion (Mk. 6:34) and look upon others with anger (Mk. 3:5).

He would weep at the prospects of the destruction of his beloved Jerusalem (Lk. 19:41; cf. Matt. 23:37) after calling its religious leaders “Serpents, brood of vipers!” and rhetorically asking them, “How can you escape the condemnation of hell?”

He could be both tender and tough. He could lay his hands on little children and pray for them and then, just two chapters later, use the same hands to overturn the tables of the moneychangers and drive them from the temple (Matt. 21:12-13; cf. Jn. 2:15).

He could answer the cries of the blind men for mercy by compassionately touching their eyes (Matt. 20:29-34) and a little later, say to the Pharisees “Woe to you, blind guides, … Fools and blind” (Matt. 23:16,17).

He could even sometimes cry out as he taught some who opposed him (Jn. 7:28). Now, such crying out is a definite “no, no” to many who have restructured the “Christ-like spirit” for us.

Stephen is correctly held up as one who possessed the “spirit of Christ” as his dying words were, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:60) just as Jesus’ had been, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). Such a forgiving spirit is indeed indicative of the true spirit of Jesus and is direly needed in the church today. What spirit was Stephen imitating when he, just moments before, concluded his speech to the Jews with, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it” (Acts 7:51-55)? Did not these words also reflect Stephen’s Christ-likeness? All of this was uttered by one “full of the Holy Spirit” (v. 55).

What a pity it would be if we could only see the toughness of Jesus without his tenderness, his boldness without his benevolence, or his strictness without his sensitivity. We would have a warped picture of what we ought to be like. Conversely, it would be tragic to see only his tenderness without his toughness, his benevolence without his boldness, or his sensitivity without his strictness.

Let us both behold the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah as we sing “more like Jesus would I be.”

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 9, p. 8
May 5, 1994

By John Henry

The world cries out that one must call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Christ said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). Notice what Christ said! Not every one that says “Lord, Lord,” will be saved.

To find out what “calling upon the name of the Lord” means, we simply need to look to the scriptures. What saith the Lord about this “calling”?

Call

Some believe they must call out the Lord’s name to be saved. I ask who’s calling whom? The Bible teaches it is God who calls man through the gospel to obedience of his will. “Whereunto he called you by our gospel” (2 Thess. 2:14). The gospel is God’s power to save man. Paul points out that he was “not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). We see then that God calls men through the gospel and that this call is not something mysterious, as some would have us to believe. In other words, you don’t have to get something, or say “Lord, Lord, save me.” First you must hear God’s Word, and that is the drawing power.

In Romans 10:16 Paul said, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel.” There were some who had not obeyed the gospel and if they had not obeyed the gospel, then they had not yet called upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Obeying the gospel and calling upon the name of the Lord are equal. If not, why not? The Hebrew writer said that Christ is “the author of eternal salvation to all that obey him” (Heb. 5:9). Men must obey the gospel to be saved.

The word “call” here comes from a Greek word which means “to make an appeal to.” This same Greek word is found in Acts 25:11 when Paul said, “I appeal unto Caesar,” which means to appeal to an authority. Paul called upon Caesar. This did not mean he called out his name. Rather he made an appeal to a higher court. In court, one might appeal a case, which means to call upon a higher court. One does not stand there and say, “higher court, higher court,” does he? Neither does one cry out, “Lord, Lord,” to be saved. Our appeal must be made to the scriptures, which has the power to save man.

To Call Involves a Process

Most folks turn to Romans 10:13 and say all one has to do is call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. I ask, has one ever bothered to read on and see what all is involved in this calling process? Notice the questions asked in Romans 10:14: (1) “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?” (2) “And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” (3) “And how shall they hear without a preacher?” These questions suggest one must hear the gospel and then believe the gospel in calling upon the name of the Lord to be saved.

Part of the process of calling involves a preacher preaching the gospel of Christ so that men might hear, believe and obey. Christ in the great commission said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:16). Paul said, “And how shall they preach, except they be sent?” (Rom. 10:15) Christ sent the apostles forth on a great mission, to preach the gospel, so that men might hear, believe and obey it. Preaching is an important part of the process enabling men to call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.

Before one can “call” upon the name of the Lord he must first have faith. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6). Preaching the gospel produces faith in the hearer. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). One must have faith which comes from hearing God’s Word. After one hears, he must obey to be saved. That’s what it means to call upon the name of the Lord. It doesn’t matter how many times someone says, “Lord, Lord, save me,” without the scriptural process, one is lost!

Name

W.E. Vine defines the word name as follows: “For all that a `name’ implies, of authority, character, rank, majesty, power, excellence, etc., of everything that the `name’ covers.” We must call upon Christ to save us. We do that through obedience to the gospel. Christ has the power and authority to release us from the bondage of sin. That’s why we call upon the name of Christ and no other name upon this earth, for he and he alone has the power to save man. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). You cannot find salvation in any other name, but Christ’s.

The Day of Pentecost

Before Peter began to preach he quoted the prophet Joel as saying, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). Peter was telling men that this prophecy was being fulfilled that very hour, and that the time had come when men could “call on the name of the Lord” and be saved. Peter went on to preach Christ and him crucified unto the people. Peter closed by saying “that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Thus, we call upon the name of Christ to be saved because he is our Lord, and has all authority and power. This is what Paul told the Romans: “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). Christ is our Lord!

When the people heard the gospel on the day of Pentecost they were pricked in their hearts; they wanted to know what to do to be saved (Acts 2:38). Peter answered their question. The answer Peter gave is what people do when they call upon the name of the Lord. Before we look at Peter’s answer, let’s back up and look at the process involved that leads up to them calling upon the name of the Lord.

Peter began his sermon by saying, “Ye men of Israel hear these words” (Acts 2:22). So we see, that one must hear gospel preaching. After they heard the Word of God they were “pricked in their hearts” (Acts 2:37). The gospel they heard, produced faith in their hearts. They believed. These people heard the gospel, believed the gospel and said, “Lord, Lord, save me.” Right? Wrong! They heard, believed and then were told what to do to be saved. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). What did these people do when they “called upon the name of the Lord”? First they heard the gospel, believed the gospel, repented of their past sins, confessed Christ as the Son of God and were baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).

Being baptized “in the name of” means by the authority of Jesus Christ. We are rendering obedience to the “Lord of Lords.” Christ said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk. 16:16). It’s just that simple, obey the Lord and be saved.

The Apostle Paul

A good example of what it means to “call upon the name of the Lord” can be seen in the conversion of Paul.

In Acts 9:1-6, Saul believed that Christ was Lord. “And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus” (Acts 9:5). “And he trembling and astonished said, Lord what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6) The Lord said, “Saul call out my name and you will be saved.” Right? No indeed. And the Lord said unto him, “Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do” (Acts 9:6). Ananias was sent to Saul by the Lord to tell him what he needed to do to be saved. Acts 9:18 says Saul was baptized. Some years later, Paul, gave an account of what happened. He said Ananias came to him and said, “And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). When Paul was baptized what was he doing? “Calling on the name of the Lord.”

Are there any examples of conversion in the Bible where someone said, “Lord, Lord, save me” to be saved? If so, where is the passage? When we look for what saith the scripture about “calling upon the name of the Lord,” it becomes very simple and clear to understand what this means. Don’t be fooled by men who say all you have to do to be saved is just say “Lord, Lord, save me.” This is a false doctrine! God said, “There is a way which seemeth unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov. 14:12). Man may think it’s right, but it’s God’s way or no way! “Our faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5). When one hears the gospel, believes it, and is baptized for the remission of sins, he is then “calling upon the name of the Lord.”

Whosoever

Once one understands what it means to “call upon the name of the Lord,” then he needs to obey the gospel. God wants all men to be saved and is “longsuffering to us ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). “For whosever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). All need salvation, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

The Bible teaches that God is no respecter of persons. Peter said, “Of a truth I shall perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34-35). Peter also points out that all who work righteousness shall be accepted with God. Righteousness is what’s right with God, doing what God wants us to do; whatever or whoever submits to the revealed will of God. It doesn’t matter the color of one’s skin, how rich, how poor, or how famous he might be. The invitation is for all, “Whosoever will” (Rev. 22:17).

God has given us a choice, to accept or reject the invitation in order to have eternal life. “And the spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). This verse has been compared to the ringing of the bells of Heaven. The invitation has been given from God to man to come and take of the water of life freely that he might have the hope of eternal life. Salvation is offered to “whosoever will.” Do you want to have eternal life? What are you waiting on? “Now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 8, p. 17-19
April 21, 1994