Truth Magazine

By Lewis Willis

The Bible is the inspired Word of God. Paul affirms as much in 2 Timothy 3:16 when he says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Because this is so, we in churches of Christ emphasize that the Bible serves many purposes.

It is a store house of knowledge for people who would be free from sin. Jesus said that truth would make us free (Jn. 8:32). I like a statement from Leslie Diestelkamp which I wrote down several years ago: “The Word of God misunderstood is no more helpful than the Word of God unknown!” Because of the sins of past generations, the Bible is unknown to many. Here in our country, we are rapidly moving in that direction. Because of the corruptions of religious doctrine, many are not free because they misunderstand its profound message.

The Bible is also a guide which shows Christians how to live. David wrote, “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (Psa. 73:24). The Bible is God’s counsel, and it is man’s guide. He learns how to live as God wants him to live by reading the Bible. Most of the New Testament is used to outline the responsibilities of those who would serve God.

The Bible is a statement of doctrine which is to be believed. Paul said it is profitable for doctrine (2 Tim. 3:16). I read a statement in an article by Johnie Edwards this week. He wrote of those who would try to make a distinction between “faith” and “doctrine.” Johnie cited Acts 13:7-12 to show that several words were used interchangeably to refer to the same thing — the Truth. Those expressions were the Word of God, the faith, the right ways of the Lord and the doctrine of the Lord. Men try to make a distinction where God made none. For our purposes, note verse 12: “Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.” Clearly, this man believed the doctrine.

Another of the functions of the Bible is that it nourishes us spiritually. Note the following passages which refer to it as food and water: (a) “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2); (b) “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5:12-14); (c) “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” (Jn. 4:10); and, (d) “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (Jn. 6:51). The Bible is the only source for this spiritual nourishment.

Man is a religious being so the Bible teaches him how to worship. (a) He is to pray (Acts 2:42). (b) He is to sing (Eph. 5:19). (c) He is to observe the Lord’s supper on the first day of every week (Acts 20:7). (d) He is to give of his money on the first day of the week as he has been prospered (1 Cor. 16:2). And, (e) he is to study God’s Word, and this comes from teaching (Acts 20:7). There is no other source provided by God to guide us in worship except the Bible.

Man is a sinful being so the Bible teaches him how to be forgiven. (a) He is told he must hear the gospel and believe (Rom. 10:17; Jno. 8:24). (b) He must repent of his sins (Lk. 13:3; Acts 2:38; 17:30). (c) He must confess his faith in Christ with his mouth (Matt. 10:32-33; Rom. 10:10; Acts 8:37). (d) He then must be baptized as the Word of God directs (Matt. 28:19; Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:26-27; 1 Pet. 3:21). (e) Thereafter a man must be faithful until the time of his death (Rev. 2:10). These are the things specified by the Bible which one must do to be saved. They are certainly not unknown to us anymore. One would have to have help to misunderstand them.

Man is a suffering being so the Bible tells him about the Great Physician (Matt. 9:12-13). The Word of God teaches us that God cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7), and that he will never leave us or forsake us, but will be a helper to us (Heb. 13:5-6). When the troubles of life beset us, the words of the Bible are to be used to comfort and console us (1 Thess. 4:18).

8. Because man is an intelligent being, the Bible is presented to him to instruct him in the ways of righteousness. God’s Word identifies the good works which man must do (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Eph. 2:10; Tit. 2:14). No instruction we receive is as great as the instruction found in the Bible.

Therefore, the value of the Bible is in the things it will do for us, as outlined above. We could have spoken of other things. When we are weak, it supplies courage and strength. It gives us occasions for joy, and comforts us when we are in sorrow. When we are in despair, it gives hope. And, when it is time to die, it tells us about eternal life which is available to those who have served God. Do you know of any other document or book about which all of these things could be said? Is the Bible of value to you?

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 5, p. 10
March 4, 1993

By Tony Ripley

The Pharisees, even though they were of the strictest sect of the Law, were people of external and artificial righteousness. The priests were certainly more indicative of this in that they paraded their celebrated phylacteries, their great affluent cloaks, as well as their regal words of wisdom. A good Pharisee was one that paid strict attention to outward conduct. (For you never knew who might be watching you!) A good example of such an attitude is found in Luke 18:1Of. In this passage we see a contrast between two men: one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee held true to the stereo-typical characteristics of his own class and kind as we notice in verse 11. “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I get.” Such arrogance and self-centeredness were typical of the genuine Pharisee character.

In Matthew 15:1-20 Jesus rebuked this sect for their vain reasoning. They were worried so much more about outward cleanliness that they had totally disregarded inward cleansing. Jesus said, “But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings: these are the things which defile the man” (vv. 18-20). Jesus was concerned with the righteousness that men were seeking. He pointed out that man should be more interested in the motive and intent of the heart rather than what others might think of him. Notice the Beatitudes that Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5. He shows us attitudes completely opposite to the world’s standards today. Listen!

Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the sons of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus . . . God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are… And the publican … smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner…” (Lk. 18:11,13).

These virtues were of such caliber that external shows and parades did little good, for these were attitudes of the heart. In Matthew 4:4 Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” This shows us that man needs more than food for the outward body which quickly perishes (2 Cor. 4:16), but that he must have food for the inward man as well.

Again in Luke 18:13f Jesus praises a publican, not for what he was outwardly, but for what he really was inwardly. Notice his statement: “But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God be thou merciful to me a sinner. I say unto you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.”

Our attitudes need special attention and care at all times. In word and deed we want our lips to match our hearts. The old expressions, “think before you speak” and “think before you act,” are really good bits of advice. We should evaluate our motives before bearing information about another. We should examine our intent prior to carrying out a certain act regardless of whether or not it looks good to the public. For we seek to please God not men. Let’s be careful that the righteousness that we’re seeking is not an external, artificial, ephemeral type of justification that appeals only to the world’s eye. For Jesus exclaimed, “For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 4, p. 23
February 18, 1993

By Mike Willis

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye (Matt. 7:1-5).

This text is one of the more abused texts in the Bible. One can expect to hear it quoted when a state executes a murderer, a church exercises discipline, and a preacher condemns false religion. These abuses of the text, however, do not change the fact that it is teaching that a certain kind of judging is sinful. We need to learn what kinds of judgment are wrong and what kinds are right.

The Bible Does Not Condemn All Judging

The word “judge” occurs 191 times in the Bible and its cognates increase the number to over 500. Though the judgment under discussion is occasionally God’s judgment, there are human judgments which are commanded of men. In whatever understanding of Matthew 7:1-6 we reach, we must not interpret these verses to condemn those actions elsewhere commanded. Here are some judgments commanded of men:

A church judging differences between brethren. In 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, Paul commanded the church to appoint judges to decide differences between brethren so that brethren would not take their differences before unbelievers.

Church discipline. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul condemned the church at Corinth for not withdrawing from the fornicator who had taken his father’s wife to be his wife. Whatever we understand Matthew 7 to teach, it cannot condemn the judgments which are essential in withdrawing from the impenitent wicked.

Judging men to be false prophets. John commanded that Christians “try the spirits” to see whether or not they were from God. He gave the criteria for making the determination. Even in Matthew 7, Jesus warned of the danger false prophets pose to his children (7:15). Hence, this passage cannot condemn the judgments made in ascertaining that a man is a false teacher.

Condemning sin. The work of a gospel preacher necessitates that he “reprove, rebuke, and exhort” (2 Tim. 4:1-2). In so doing, he will label certain kinds of conduct as “works of the flesh” which keep a person out of heaven (Gal. 5:19-21). Matthew 7 is not condemning the judgments necessary to condemn sin. The preacher only reports God’s judgment about sin; he is not merely expressing his own judgments.

A state punishing a criminal. Romans 13 instructs civil courts to administer God’s vengeance upon the criminal. Paul stated that the civil government did not “bear the sword in vain.” When a state punishes a criminal, even in the death penalty, it is only doing what God commanded. Its actions are not a violation of Matthew 7.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 were not designed to make men blind to the facts about us, ignore the information gathered by our senses, or make us tolerant of sinful conduct.

The Bible Condemns Sinful Judgments

There are some sinful kinds of judgment which we must avoid. Here are some of them:

1. Censoriousness. Some are hypercritical, fault finders and nit pickers. This passage condemns this kind of judgment.

Evil surmising (1 Tim. 6.4). This kind of judgment at-tributes bad motives to one’s fellow man without evidence to conclude that it is there. People who gossip usually at-tribute evil motives to other’s actions. This evil surmising is grounded in hatred for that person.

Self-righteousness (cf. Lk. 18:9-14). Some manifest a “holier-than-thou” disposition when they condemn the con-duct of others. Jesus forbade that self-righteous disposition in the parable of the Pharisee and publican who prayed in the Temple.

Hypocritical. In the text before us, Jesus exposed the sinful conduct of hypocritical judgments. He compared hypocritical judgment to the man who was trying to remove a speck of sawdust from another’s eye, while having a telephone pole in his own eye.

Fruits of Sinful Judgment

There are some things which sinful kinds of judgment pro-duce. Knowing its fruits should motivate us to avoid committing sinful kinds of judgment.

Sinful judgment obscures our moral vision. The hypocrite minimizes his own sin and maximizes the faults which are in others. He does not have clear moral vision. The censorious person has no even-handed balance in his assessment of other’s conduct.

Sinful judgment creates animosity toward oneself. Jesus warned that the same judgment we use on others will be used on us. Sinful judgments create animosity, hatred, and bitterness. We need to recognize that sinful judgments destroy the peace and harmony of a family and church.

How To Make Proper Judgments

Get all the facts. Jesus said, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (Jn. 7:24). Sometimes judgments are formed without knowing all of the facts and unrighteous judgments are made.

Use the right standard. The word of God is the only standard fitted to be used for judgment. My personal whims should not be used as a standard by which to measure others. If sin has not been committed, I would be best served by keeping my mouth shut and not condemning the person for his actions.

Look for contributing circumstances. Sin is sin. It is always wrong. However, sometimes the circumstances under which a sin is committed make for a gentler judgment of my fellow man. A dose of the Indian adage about walking a mile in my brother’s shoes would do each of us good.

Have the proper attitude. When sin is condemned and exposed, it should be done with meekness (Gal. 6:1) and love (Eph. 4:15). Arrogant, self-righteousness will embitter men.

Conclusion

Let us resolve to avoid sinful judgments and to manifest the right spirit in expressing God’s judgment against sin.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 5, p. 2
March 4, 1993

By Dan King

One can picture in his mind a victorious Roman general returning to his beloved capitol to present the symbols of his battlefield glories before his Emperor and his people. He rides atop a white stallion, followed by his armies, cheered by the crowds, adored by all who behold his approach. He is a Conqueror.

This image provides the background for a key text in the book of Revelation. Thus John portrays the Christ in the Apocalypse (19:11-14):

“And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon called Faithful and True; and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. And his eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems; and he hath a name written which no one knoweth but he himself. And he is arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure.”

At that moment in time it must have been most difficult for those suffering Christians of Asia Minor tohave imagined their Christ marching in such grand royal splendor. All about them suggested otherwise. The church was considered an illegal entity. Christians were oppressed and persecuted. Their possessions were being confiscated, their careers ruined, their businesses wrecked. Some of them were even tried on unfair charges and put to death. Things looked pretty dismal.

Yet John’s book of prophecy suggested that this was only what things appeared to be on the surface. In reality things were quite different. For one to get this deeper perspective, the “heavens must be opened,” as they were for the Apostle John when he received his Revelation from God. Through the eyes of divine disclosure, the church was viewed as a mighty army “upon white horses” being led on to ultimate victory by their Savior and King.

Similarly, Paul puts even the severest of life’s trials (“. . . we are killed all the day long, we are ac-counted as sheep for the slaughter”) in their proper perspective, that is, through heaven’s eyes, and describes faithful Christians as “Conquerors”:

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:37-39).

More Than Conquerors. Not only are we conquerors, says Paul, we are “more than conquerors.” Here the apostle uses the Greek term hupernikomen, translated by the Latin authors Tertullian and Cyprian as supervincimus. It means we are “supremely victorious” through him that loved us. This is a magnificent piece of spiritual eloquence! There is no victory like our victory. No one wins like we win. No earthly triumph can compare to our heavenly one.

2.No Power In Heaven Or Earth, Time Or Eternity, Can Separate Us From The Love Of God. What, or rather, who gives us this decisive victory? Paul answers, “Him that loved us.” And there is no thing, anytime or anywhere, that can separate us from him who grants to us the victory.

3. The Love Of God Is In Christ Jesus Our Lord. So declares the apostle. But what does he mean when he says the love of God is “in Christ Jesus our Lord”? From the remainder of Scripture (and that is how we ought always to interpret Scripture, i.e. in the light of the fullness of its teachings), we discover at least three senses in which this is meant.

First, the love of God is manifest toward us in that we are a part of the church, the spiritual body of Christ. Christ loved the church and gave himself up for it (Eph. 5:25). This is so because the church is that body of believers who have accepted him as Messiah and Lord both in word and deed: “… having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:5-6).

Second, the love of God is shown in his providential care and spiritual guidance of those who are his children. No passage in the New Testament gives more consolation to a suffering Christian than the words of Romans 8:28-32: “And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be firstborn among many brethren: and whom he foreordained, them he also called. and whom lie called, them he also justified: and whom he just if led, the,,, he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? if God is for us, who is against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, ho iv shall lie not also with him freely give us all things?’

Third, God’s great love is extended to those who remain faithful in Christ’s service, Jesus pointed this out in his private moments with the disciples: 1-fe that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loved me: and he that love/h me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him Judas (not Iscariot.) saith unto him, Lord, what is come to pass that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will Come unto him, and make our abode with bin,” (in. 14:21-23). God loves those who love him back. He also withdraws his love from those who pull away from him.

But all of this — and I cannot emphasize this strongly enough — is regardless of circumstances- Outward appearances do not reveal the true spiritual situation. Early Christians were embraced in the bosom of God’s love as they saw life as they knew it destroyed, as they gave up all their earthly possessions, and even as they were dying at the hands of Jewish or Roman persecutors. Even while they suffered they were ”more than Conquerors”’

If we can only keep this in our hearts, we also can weather even the most difficult of life’s challenges and maintain our faith to the very end.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 5, p. 1
March 4, 1993