Truth Magazine

By Randy Harshbarger

Early in God’s dealings with mankind, he made a promise that pointed to the time when the Savior would come and deal a death blow to Satan, the enemy of all men. Genesis 3:15 says: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” God continued to give reminders of his intent for salvation to come to all as he told Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3: “Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto the land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great. And be thou a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse. And in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

In the fullness of time Christ came, finally dying on the cross. Seemingly the cross was a defeat for the Lord (the bruising of the heel) but after three days, God’s Son burst forth triumphantly, overcoming death (the bruising of the head). The grand scheme of redemption was unfolded as Christ the promised seed came and died for every man (cf. Gal. 3:6-16). Now all men could hearken to the call of the gospel leaving sin behind for a new relationship in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). The kingdom of God was established. The prophecy of 2 Samuel 7:12-13 points to the establishment of the Messianic kingdom. “When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.”

Even the angels desired to know about the coming events of salvation (1 Pet. 1:10-12) but evidently could not know. The “mystery” was revealed making known the great love of God for all, as men in turn give glory to God in his church (Eph. 3:8-21).

Why is this salvation great? It is great because it was procured by the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:19: “but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, (even the blood) of Christ that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.” Saving man from sin Christ frees us from sin’s consequences (Rom. 6:23). The shedding of Christ’s blood must be understood in terms of Christ’s dying. Christ “tasted death” for every man (Heb. 2:9). He literally died. He literally experienced death for each one of us. He was without sin but died for our sins. Paul says: “in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7).

Salvation is great because of the horrors of hell. Jesus said: “And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The righteous reap eternal life but the wicked are cast into everlasting fire (Mt. 25:46). “But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8). Torment awaits those who do not avail themselves of the salvation that Christ provides (Rev. 20:10). The sooner we realize that we face the consequences of our sins, namely an eternal hell, the sooner we can wake up to the possibility of being part of God’s family.

Salvation is great because of the joys of heaven. You will be in heaven just as long as the lost will be in hell – for eternity. Jesus reassures us by saying: “Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Jn. 14:1-3). May we work now while we can, as we seek to do the Lord’s will. The greatness of the salvation provided and offered compels us to follow the example of Christ in obedience to every command of God (Heb. 5:8-9). If Christ the Son felt compelled to obey the Father, who are we to think we do not have to obey?

Salvation is great because it is revealed to us in revelation of words we can read and understand and obey (Eph. 5:17). 2 Peter 1:19-21 says: “And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation. For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit.” Without this salvation we would have nothing but loss to look forward to. The loss of our soul. The loss of heaven. The loss of being with the Lord for eternity. Let us not neglect the salvation that has been brought down. The question is not: Can I afford to obey the gospel? The real question is: Can I afford not to obey the gospel? It is a great salvation. It is too great to neglect.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 21, p. 659
November 5, 1992

By John Shadowens

Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord, said, “. . . go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:15). This is one very important work of the church. There are many good men who are wanting to go and preach the gospel, and there are quite a few churches who would love to have a good man working with them, but they do not have the means to support a man fully. It is getting increasingly difficult for good men to get the necessary support to go and work with these churches. I have been on both sides of the fence, needing support and working within the comfort of churches that are self-supporting. There seems to be an element of security in a self-supporting congregation as opposed to working under the uncertainty of outside support. Now, one may say, “Where is your faith? Don’t you know that God will provide for you?” Yes, I know these things, and have been provided for by God through the good brethren (Matt. 6:33). It is just that it seems to me that brethren are changing in reference to outside support. If there are godly men willing to go into these areas where other gospel preachers are not willing to go, then we need to uphold these holy hands and provide the necessary provisions for them to go (1 Tim. 2:8). Last year a good friend of mine, a gospel preacher, wanted to go and work with a group of Christians in a particular area. He tried unsuccessfully to raise the necessary support to go. In the end, he couldn’t come up with enough money to pay his obligations. It must have been that the brethren he contacted thought that particular church did not need a preacher, or that that area did not need evangelizing.

Many churches have large bank accounts. They are holding on to the money as though it belonged to them personally and not to God (Acts 5:1-11). They refuse to launch out in faith (Lk. 5:4), to help some of these good men who are willing to carry the gospel where some of us might not want to go, because the churches are not big enough for us, not self-supporting and do not have elders. These congregations are not acting like good stewards of God’s things. God does not want the church to sit on 25-30 thousand dollars because “there might be hard times heading our way.” See Matthew 25:14-30 – the parable of the talents, and 1 Corinthians 4:1-2; 1 Peter 4:10. God’s word will not return to him void (Isa. 55:11). The word will produce the results. Brethren need to turn lose of money that does not belong to them and support preachers, so the word can be spread, which is the work of the church.

On the other side of the ledger, there is the gospel preacher who wants to go to a work and is seeking support, finds it, moves to the new place. In a year or two, the brethren who were willing to help him go in the first place, now want to discontinue, because either it doesn’t look like he is making much progress, or they have forgotten him and he has been lost in the shuffle of the new budget. Churches need to make it clear that their support is for only one year, two years, etc. At least the preacher will know where and how he stands. There is nothing more discouraging than to get a letter stating that your support will be discontinued on such and such a date or be surprised to be holding your final check. The preacher then frantically starts looking to replace what he is losing, distracting him from his work. I realize that sometimes this cannot be helped by some churches, but could we not be more sensitive toward those drawing outside support? I believe that when we decide to support a man we should be aware and be prepared for the long-haul, realizing that things are not accomplished over-night. God is going to bless the congregation sending to the evangelist (Phil. 4:17). It also helps to send the preacher a note of encouragement to let him know how much you appreciate his willingness to move his family to distant places to work with a group of Christians in a certain locale. I know when I received support, it meant so much to me to receive a note of kindness (every dog loves a bone). One other thing that I want to mention is this. Please, brother treasurer, be consistent in sending the check to the preacher. Send it within the same time frame every month. He needs to know when it is coming, not be guessing when it will come or whether it is in the mail. Think about yourself. What if your employer didn’t hand out checks until he felt like writing them? Maybe they want to add on to the plant or assembly line and this is going to be costly and they called you or wrote you a note saying that your pay would be reduced by one, two or three hundred dollars per month? Could you suddenly make up the difference and keep up your obligations? Preachers are mere men whose families have needs the same as any other.

In conclusion, these are things that often go unnoticed except by those that are or have been on the other end. I believe that brethren need to be alerted to these facts.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 21, p. 658
November 5, 1992

By Mike Willis

On the front page of this issue is Connie Adam’s announcement that he will discontinue publishing Searching the Scriptures with the December 1992 issue. This news is received with a mixture of emotions. We are elated to have him working with us on Guardian of Truth. However, the news that Searching the Scriptures will be ceasing publication is like the passing of an old friend.

Searching the Scriptures has been published for thirty-three years under the capable editorship of H.E. Phillips and later Connie W. Adams, both of whom have been very dear to me. Brother Phillips performed the wedding for my wife Sandy and me and we have continued to have association with each other through the years. When Sandy and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, we had a small ceremony in which we repeated our vows and asked brother Phillips to preside over the occasion. Through the years, he has been a confidant, counselor, and friend.

Shortly after I was asked to edit Guardian of Truth, I met with Connie W. Adams while he was in a meeting in southern Ohio. He encouraged me in the work, gave me some words of advice, and then spoke to a group of preachers with whom we ate lunch to encourage them to help increase the circulation of what then was Truth Magazine. There never has been a spirit of competition between Searching the Scriptures and Guardian of Truth in our minds. We have always viewed ourselves as fellow laborers in the Lord’s vineyard.

Through the years, brother Adams and I have continued to be supportive of each other’s work. There has rarely been anything controversial which I have written that he has not read before it was sent to the typesetter to get his assessment of the material. His suggestions for improving the material have been respected and generally followed.

In recent years, those who have been perceptive have seen that the burden of work for brother Adams was weighing heavily on him. Thinking that he might be thinking about making a change, we met together to talk about bringing our works together. Brother Adams wanted Searching the Scriptures to end publication rather than being merged into another work which might rename two existing papers. He did not want the paper to fall into the hands of someone at a later date who might make it the tool of liberalism. Consequently, Searching the Scriptures is one paper whose use from its beginning to the end has been for the cause of truth. The Guardian of Truth Foundation purchased the name of the Searching the Scriptures with an agreement between brother Adams and ourselves that it would not be used as a name for a paper. We both want to state expressly that we request that no one resurrect that name, trying to draw on its illustrious history and reputation, to begin another paper.

There remained a problem for brother Adams which also had to be worked out. If he decided to quit publishing Searching the Scriptures, he still had obligation to those who purchased a subscription to the paper. Too, many churches had purchased church ads and these obligations in advertising had to be filled. Consequently, we entered an agreement with brother Adams whereby the Guardian of Truth would fill both of these obligations. We have committed ourselves to fulfill his obligations on church ads on 1:1 ratio and his subscriptions on a 1:1.5 ratio (a subscriber will get 1 month – 2 issues – of Guardian of Truth for every 1.5 months he has remaining on his Searching the Scripture subscription). The ratio for subscribers seemed fair because Guardian of Truth is eight pages longer and circulates two issues per month compared to Searching the Scriptures’one issue per month. Those subscribers to Searching the Scriptures who already are subscribing to Guardian of Truth will have their subscriptions extended on the same ratio.

Guardian of Truth made another condition for our reaching agreement with brother Adams to fill his obligations to his subscribers – that he be added as Associate Editor of Guardian of Truth. Brother Adams was insistent that he not be increasing his work load by this arrangement; consequently, he is not expected to have an editorial in every issue. However, we are encouraging him to write with the freedom he has used as the capable editor of Searching the Scriptures, both in his editorial space and his “Editorial Left-overs.” Furthermore, we are expecting his input on the editorial policy of this paper. Those who have enjoyed his pen through the years will want to continue reading after him. We are delighted that his material will be appearing in Guardian of Truth.

As we begin 1993, the twenty-seventh year of publication of Guardian of Truth, we do so with great anticipation. Our circulation will be the highest it ever has been. Our staff of writers will include some of the best among us. With the addition of brother Adams to our editorial staff, we are confident that we can improve the quality of our work. We want to encourage all of our readers to stay with us and recommend us to your friends.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 22, pp. 674, 695
November 19, 1992

By Olen Holderby

When I approached a fellow-Christian in California to ask about his gambling, he was astonished to learn that I thought he would gamble. Then, I wanted to know if he did not play bingo, for money, at the club. He explained that such was only nickel and dime stuff and that it was not gambling. ” Oh! ” Finally I got him to see (at least say he saw) that it was wrong. I went home almost as happy as if I had good sense. But, the glee was short-lived; a few days later he was witnessed buying a lottery ticket. I suppose that if some are permitted to redefine repentance, that others ought to be permitted to redefine such activities as gambling. It makes for an easier conscience. Mr. Webster might go crazy trying to keep his dictionary up to date. I don’t know how it happened, but some of us have gotten to be awfully “dumb,” not knowing how these new definitions work.

Now comes an Associated Press item out of Chicago (The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, Ca., 5-18-92), telling about a real humdinger invention that will permit people to gamble, and with ease deny it all the time. It has its good points: You will not have to carry change around in your pocket or purse, it could help the economy (he says), it simplifies the life of a business person, and the real clincher says “there’s no perceived cost to the consumer.” What is this fantastic machine? I haven’t seen one, but the article paints an exciting picture. It will, shall we say, set in your grocery store. When you are checking out and the cost is tallied, you step forward and gamble as to whether your bill will be rounded off to the dollar above or the dollar below the actual amount. If you win, you could save anywhere from one cent to ninety-nine cents. If you lose, your loss would have the same range. If you are worried that it might really be gambling, don’t worry; the machine weighs the odds in such a way that, in the long run, you will be paying the right price and not have to be inconvenienced by all that old change. Of course the “long run” might be five years, twenty years, or maybe a life time. You might not even live long enough to get even. They call it the “law of probability,” and no doubt it is. Probability of what? They say, “The real question is whether people will buy it.” I think I can answer that. They will! It doesn’t make any difference that it is gambling; for it involves all that pocket change which you do not like to carry around anyway. I can almost picture some of my fellow-Christians, who want changeless pockets or purses, taking the leap, and getting a gleeful kick from the activity. Such people would probably never think of going to Reno or Las Vegas and spending money at the gaming tables -that is big stuff! But, this nickel and dime stuff – Why that isn’t gambling.

Seriously, dear reader, what would you do if confronted with that choice? Have you ever tried to follow 1 Thessalonians 5:21? What passage would you use to prove gambling to be acceptable to God? What about considering 1 Corinthians 4:2 -“Moreover it is required of stewards, that a man be found faithful.” A “steward” is one who has been entrusted with the possessions of others. The word is used in reference to the Apostles (1 Cor. 4:1), in reference to elders (Tit. 1:7), and in reference to Christians in general (1 Pet. 4:10). According to James 1:17, every good and perfect gift comes from God. And, God has said,”The world is mine and the fullness thereof” (Psa. 50:1). If these passages state the truth (and they do), every Christian has in his care the possessions of God. How are we going to use those possessions? Will we be a good steward or be condemned for wasting his goods?

“Thou shalt not covet” and “Thou shalt not steal” (Rom. 13:9) are two commands violated when one gambles. Gambling is an expression of a covetous heart. To steal is to take without authority, right, or permission. Ephesians 4:28 is another passage that is violated when we gamble. The idea that a “little bit of sin” isn’t so bad did not come from God’s book. Sin, any unrepented of sin, separates us from God (Isa. 59:2). See the progress of sin in James 1:14-15. First there is the temptation, then there is lust, next is the sin, and finally there is death (Ezek. 18:20). Some say, “Life is a gamble. “I affirm that life is not a gamble, it is a stewardship in which the individual makes God his partner. “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience” (Eph. 5:6). Let us recognize gambling for what it is; and it is sin! Referring to gambling by some other name does not, in the least, change the fact that it is gambling.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 21, p. 662
November 5, 1992