Truth Magazine

By Tom Moody

You are probably familiar with the beer commercial which bestows upon various groups of people the dubious honor of having a beer dedicated to them. For example, one commercial might say: “To all you steel workers who work and sweat all day to produce the nation’s steel – this Bud’s for you.” Or: “This Bud is for you truckers, driving the highways day and night to help keep this country going.”

On these spots we have heard various ones singled out for praise from foundry workers to baseball umpires. I wonder, though, to how many it has occurred that there are several categories of people who have never been mentioned in those ads?

Imagine the effect of an ad campaign which would run like these examples:

“This Bud’s for you – all you mothers and fathers who are grief stricken over your teenaged son or daughter because alcohol has scrambled their brains; for you parents who have seen your children’s lives shattered by the bottle – This Bud’s for you!”

“To you women who are knocking yourselves out day after day trying to keep food on the table for your family; trying to be both mother and father to your kids because your old man is a drunken sot – This Bud’s for you!”

“Hey, all you kids whose dads come home mean and surly; threatening to beat you at the drop of a hat – all because they are tanked up on our product – This Bud’s for you!”

“This Bud is for you – you who have had friends or relatives maimed or killed in a senseless traffic accident because of the guy who had ‘only a couple of drinks’ – This Bud’s for you!”

“This Bud is for all the families who have been ripped apart because of fathers or mothers who could not handle alcohol. All you children who will grow up with a warped perception of family life and with all kinds of moral and spiritual scars – This Bud’s for you!”

“To all you preachers, elders and other faithful Christians who work so hard to warn people of the sin and danger of the beer we work so hard to sell; because of your dedication and hard work – This Bud’s for you!”

“To all people everywhere; the millions upon millions through the generations whose lives have been ruined; who thought they were gaining prestige, but only brought to themselves shame; who have died prematurely or lived out their days in loneliness, disease, and mental anguish because of alcohol; to all of you who have ever been cursed or injured in any way because of our fine product (and all the other brands) – This Bud’s for you!”

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Prov. 20:1).

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 15, pp. 449, 471
August 6, 1992

By Doug Clevenger

(Note: Doug Clevenger preaches for the 2nd & B Street church in Brawley, California. He is a Certified Public Accountant by training, graduating from San Diego State University in 1978. He began preaching in 1987 and has preached for churches in San Diego and Bakersfield before moving to Brawley.

The following article originally appeared in a secular newspaper, and attracted several people from the community in Brawley to the services of the church there. I believe readers of GOT will profit from it as well. – Steve Wolfgang)

Just as my parents can so vividly recall the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, so I remember December 8, 1980, the night John Lennon was murdered. I was loading my U-Haul in the rain for my return from Dallas to my home in San Diego. Though I was anxious to see my folks, the enthusiasm of going home for the holidays was tempered by the sorrow of leaving behind so many good friends. Some of those friends had taught me of Jesus Christ. A wonderful new beginning to my life had begun in Dallas. I was sad to leave.

As I drove I turned on the radio. To my pleasant surprise, a Beatles song was playing. I was feeling much better now. Ever since I was a child the Beatles had been my favorite group. I had grown up with them and their music, knew all the words by heart and collected every record they released in this country. For a few moments my mind was relieved of the sadness of leaving Dallas as I happily sang along with the Beatles.

Then came the news. John Lennon had been shot to death earlier that evening in New York City. It was as if part of my youth had been destroyed. Lennon’s music wielded such a profound influence upon me, not because I approved of every facet of his personal life, but because his music had so precisely spoken to my concerns, even as a child. “Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you seek, it’s getting hard to be someone . . . life is very short and there’s no time for fussing and fighting my friends . . . just gimme some truth. . . ” were some of his lyrics I identified with while growing up. His quest was my quest, and that quest led me finally and decisively to Jesus Christ. I remember weeping as I drove and considered both the debt I owed Lennon and the irony that my life was only beginning while his ad so abruptly ended.

Last October 9, I turned on the radio to hear it was Lennon’s 50th birthday. To honor him, radio stations around the world simultaneously played his song, “Imagine.” I was struck with the paradox that was John Lennon. “Imagine,” a song many believe to be his crowning achievement, simultaneously expresses both the genius and tragedy of Lennon: “No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man, imagine all the people, living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope some day you will join us, and the world will live as one.” Again, Lennon had articulated the right ideals – peace on earth, good will toward men. But tragically, he relied solely on man’s wisdom and imagination. While pleading in one song, “give peace a chance,” he had a apparently never given God a chance: “God is a concept . . . I don’t believe in Jesus . . . I just believe in me.” He sang: “Imagine there’s no heaven . . . no religion too” was his impotent answer to finding peace on earth.

Lennon’s hopes and dreams are not only mine, but those of millions of people around the world. But so many of us, like Lennon, look for it in the wrong place. Lennon asks man to imagine, but God, through the apostle Paul says, “. . . eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit” (1 Cor. 2:9-10). I wish Lennon were alive so I could tell him the things my Dallas friends first told me: that Christ died that men might have peace with each other by first making their own peace with God. Man could never imagine the wonderful story of the cross. The world Lennon could only dream of can be a reality only when each of us lets Christ rule in his heart as Lord. “For ye are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26-28). Lennon died before he learned that God alone could give him the lasting peace he longed for. His death warns us of the dangers of putting off the active pursuit of our ideals. Peace on earth is nothing more than the aggregate effect of the individual finding peace with God, multiplied millions of time the world over. All we are saying is, give God a chance.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 13, p. 404
July 2, 1992

By Harry R. Osborne

A few months ago, my youngest son Ryan did something he knew he should not have done. He then turned around to find me looking right at him. After a sudden look of sheer panic, he broke down crying and said, “Dad, I don’t know why I did it – I guess I just lost my mind!” I thought that was probably the best explanation he had ever given me for doing wrong.

Everyone seeks to find an explanation for wrong actions. Some shift the blame to someone else. Some say it was because they were not feeling well. Others claim it really was not wrong, but just another way of doing things. Calvinists contend that one cannot keep from sinning, hence, they believe we of necessity must sin so that God’s grace may abound. Yet another idea of why we do wrong came from the comedian Flip Wilson who used to be famous for the explanation, “The devil made me do it!”

God Not The Cause of Sin

When it comes to our guilt of wrong-doing before God (sin), how can we explain our action? Why do we sin? James discusses that question. He begins at the start of the problem with regard to our sin the temptation. Notice what he says:

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone (Jas. 1:13).

God is not responsible for our temptation. He is not enticed by the allurement of sin and, thus, cannot possibly tempt anyone else to sin. Sin is disgusting to God, not desirable. Throughout the Bible, God is seen as absolute in holiness. He is praised in the heavenly realms as “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty” (Rev. 4:8; see also Isa. 6:2). John clearly states the absolute nature of God’s holiness in these words:

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 Jn. 1:5).

Paul spoke of the same thing when he wrote of God as “dwelling in unapproachable light” (1 Tim. 6:16). Knowing the character of God, the prophet Habakkuk prayed unto Him saying, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness” (Hab. 1:13). Thus, we cannot explain our sin by blaming it on God.

Satan and Man Involved

What is the origin of temptation? In the garden of Eden, it was the devil who tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3). In Matthew 4:3, he is called “the tempter.” Throughout the Bible, Satan is seen as the ultimate origin of evil thoughts, desires and actions, While the devil does not make us sin, he certainly is involved in the temptation to sin.

However, Satan is not the only one who is involved in the temptation to sin. We have to desire the things of the devil before he can successfully tempt us to sin. Notice what James goes on to say regarding this subject:

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed (Jas. 1:14).

If we would work at purging out the desires for the sinful things of Satan, we would be more successful in battling sin. We cannot possibly win our battle with sin as long as we let our minds go on desiring the ways of evil. We need to adopt the thoughts and values of our Lord. Peter put it this way:

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:13-16).

Paul expressed the same points to the brethren at Colosse when he gave the following admonition:

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth… Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do (Col. 3:1-5, 12-13).

The battle against sin is won or lost at the point of our minds. If we will be subject to God, we can resist the devil (Jas. 4:7). We do this by letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly, looking to it for guidance (Col. 3:16-17). When we do, we will think upon those things which will produce peace rather than sin in our life (Phil. 4:8-9).

Consequence of Sin

But what if we lose that battle by “losing our mind”? What if we continue to desire the evil things of Satan? James answers that point when he goes on to add:

Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren (Jas. 1:15-16).

Sooner or later the desires of the mind come out into action. When those desires are for the evil things of Satan, the resulting action is sin. God’s word pictures our condition as those in our former -evil ways with the world “among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Eph. 2:3). The context goes on to show that in such a condition, we were spiritually dead and subject to the wrath of God.

Even from the beginning in the garden of Eden, God warned Adam and Eve that if they sinned, they would surely die. It has always been true and always will be true that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). In the present world, the sinner is spiritually dead being alienated from God, the source of spiritual life, because of his sins (Isa. 59:1-2). In the world to come, the sinner will suffer the eternal punishment of hell which is called “the second death” in Scripture:

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Rev. 21:8).

Conclusion

Let us resist the devil by making a fundamental change in our mind. If we lose our mind, we will not be able to resist the devil. Therefore, we must win the battle of the mind by restructuring our values, hopes and desires to conform to that which is stated within God’s word. This can be accomplished only as we diligently give ourselves to the study and meditation of our Bibles. After all, the Bible is the only medium through which God has revealed himself and his will for us.

As we seek to understand and apply that message of God to us, we will become more and more like him. The values, hopes and desires of the world will be replaced by those urged in God’s word. Each day will find us having less and less in common with the world and its sinful ways while we draw nearer and nearer to our Lord.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 14, pp. 419-420
July 16, 1992

By Ron Halbrook

April 2-3, 1992 Jeff Asher debated Glen Stocker on whether or not water baptism is necessary for salvation. The first night of the debate was held at the Bible Believers’ Baptist Church and the second night at the Dumas Drive Church of Christ in Amarillo. It was my privilege to moderate for brother Asher, and Mr. Todd Barker moderated for Mr. Stocker. I estimate that about 120 people attended each session, which filled both meetinghouses. Many visitors were included in each audience and the decorum was good both nights. Brother Asher presented the truth in a clear and forceful manner.

Much literature was distributed during this debate. The March/April 1992 Gospel Herald was a special edition containing a six page exchange between Asher and Stocker. Many copies of Luther Blackmon’s tract on Unsaved Believers and Grover Stevens’ booklet on Why I Left the Baptist Church were taken by visitors. Many other tracts on a wide range of other subjects were also taken. On the first night, Mr. Stocker distributed a list of 123 “Questions for Church of Christ Members.” On the second night, we gave out copies of the same list with Bible answers to all 123 questions.

On April 5 brother Billy Davis, evangelist for the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ in Amarillo, and myself reviewed the debate during an hour long radio program sponsored by the Dumas Drive Church. In short, the seed of truth has been scattered and sown far and wide because the Dumas Drive Church has the faith and conviction to proclaim the gospel of Christ through the medium of debate. Anyone reading this review who wants copies of the audio or video tapes, or copies of the printed materials distributed, may contact the brethren at Dumas Drive (P.O. Box 2653, Amarillo, TX 79105).

The Propositions

On the first night, brother Asher affirmed and Mr. Stocker denied, “The Scriptures teach that water baptism to the penitent believer is in order to obtain remission of sins.” On the second night, Stocker affirmed and Asher denied, “The Scriptures teach that salvation is by grace through faith alone before and without water baptism.” Stocker is a dispensational Baptist. He teaches a theory which concedes that passages like Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38 mean just exactly what they say, but they applied to the Jews only and they were replaced by the faith only doctrine when the gospel went to the Gentiles in Acts 10.

The opening speech by Asher presented the gospel of Christ in its original purity and simplicity, and set the perimeters for the rest of the debate. Jesus said in giving the Great Commission: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk. 16:15-16). Asher showed that the necessity of faith and baptism is as simple as 2 + 2 = 4, but that Baptist doctrine makes it 2 – 2 by subtracting baptism as necessary for salvation. Next, Asher paralleled Matthew 26:28 and Acts 2:38 to show that Jesus shed his blood for (in order to obtain) “the remission of sins” for the world, and the blood is applied to each one of us when we are baptized for (in order to obtain) “the remission of sins.” The case of the Gentile Cornelius in Acts 10 was shown to be no different from the conversion of the Jews in Acts 2. The angel told Cornelius that Peter would preach “words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved” (Acts 11:14). Those saving words included the same conditions of pardon required in Acts 2: faith, repentance, and baptism in water for the remission of sins (Acts 10:43; 11:18; 10:47-48). Asher’s last argument in his first affirmative speech pointed out that Paul was baptized to wash away his sins in Acts 9:18 (cf. 22:16), while still under Stocker’s so-called Jewish dispensation, but that Paul later wrote to Jews and Gentiles in Rome and said that they had received the same baptism which he received. Asher’s chart, one of the most effective of the debate, simply gave the text of Acts 22:16 at the top, followed by the text of Romans 6:3-4 with the pronouns us and we highlighted.

Anticipating Stocker’s usual practice of prejudicial mockery of the truth, Asher presented a chart showing that “My Opponent Is Weak If” he resorts to such expressions as, “Repent and be BUP BUP-BUPTIZED” (quotations from Stocker’s radio tapes). Tapes of Stocker’s preaching show that he thrives on such prejudicial mockery, he is energized by it and tries to stir up his audience with it. Such conduct was forbidden by the agreement the two men signed, but it was inevitable that Stocker would fall into his bad habits.

As a result of this chart Stocker’s first negative speech was rather tame. It was obvious he was trying to avoid tripping himself up with his habitual prejudicial attacks, but he got wound up in his next speech and sang out “BUPTIZED” three times. On the second night after Asher rebuked Stocker with his chart for this unbecoming conduct, Stocker admitted he had “slipped” and apologized. Are we to understand from this that he will not resort to the language of prejudicial mockery in the future on the radio, in the pulpit, and in his printed articles? We shall see what we shall see.

Stocker Gives Up!

Abandoning his dispensational theory and theology, Stocker resorted to traditional Baptist arguments on Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38, denying that they teach the essentiality of baptism at any time for any purpose. This shows how weak, empty, and vain he thought dispensationalism would be in regard to the subject of baptism when put to the test of Scripture in public debate.

He found the traditional arguments fared no better. Asher, knowing the inconsistencies to which false teachers resort and the contradictions into which they fall, was prepared to meet Stocker no matter which way he went. Asher met Stocker with Scripture every way he turned and turned him every way but loose!

On Mark 16:16, Stocker claimed that and (“he that believed and is baptized”) does not mean “plus.” When asked whether it might mean “minus, ” he never would say. On Acts 2:38, Stocker said baptism “for the remission of sins” means “because of, not in order to.” Romans 3:25 was offered in an effort to buttress that claim, but Asher showed how this passage hurts rather than helps Stocker’s argument because the text says that the blood of Christ was shed ‘for the remission of sins.” This is in order to, not because of.

Stocker avoided like a plague Asher’s chart which gave the texts of Acts 22:16 and Romans 6:3-4, proving that Paul was baptized to wash away his sins and that the Romans received the very same baptism. Asher kept showing the chart again and again until finally on the second night Stocker started trying to bail himself out. The more he tried to bail water out of the plan of salvation, the deeper in water he got. He decided Paul was saved on the road to Damascus by faith alone, which contradicts dispensationalism. But then Stocker claimed that Ananias erred when he commanded Saul, “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” This proves that Stocker knows that Acts 22:16 contradicts his faith only doctrine and requires water baptism to wash way sins. Then, in an effort to line up Ananias with the faith only doctrine, Stocker said that “be baptized” is a passive verb, “wash away” and “calling” are active verbs, therefore baptism has nothing to do with washing away sins and calling on the name of the Lord. Where he found this rule of grammar is anyone’s guess because he did not tell us. If Ananias did not command Paul to be baptized to wash away his sins, and if Ananias believed Stocker’s faith only doctrine, why in the world did Stocker accuse Ananias of error? Such are the convolutions and contradictions of Stocker’s error!

The Questions

Thirty minutes before the debate each night, the speakers exchanged five written questions, wrote out answers, and returned the answered questions to one another about five minutes before starting time. These questions were then covered during the debate. Asher used his questions masterfully by designing them to outline his major arguments. Both nights, Asher’s questions focused on Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, 10:47-48 and 22:16 tied to Romans 6:3-4. Therefore, when Stocker attempted to answer the questions, he was required to address the major passages and arguments presented by Asher.

Asher asked, “Is it true that these people here tonight that have been baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins are ‘going to hell like a ball bearing on a greased plank’?” Feeling the sting of this statement which flies into the face of Acts 2:38, Stocker repudiated the quotation. Asher then pointed out that it came from Peter S. Ruckman in The Seven Baptisms, published by the bookstore where Stocker preaches! Ruckman said on page 13, “This town is filled with people who have been ‘baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins,’ and they are going to Hell like a ball bearing on a greased plank, brother!”

Asher asked, “If Cornelius in Acts 10 and people today choose not to be baptized in water, would they be lost?” Stocker said, “No.” He agreed that Peter commanded water baptism in Acts 10:47-48, but belted out, “So what?” he then asserted to prove that people can be saved while refusing baptism, that saved people disobey God every day. In response on the next night Asher presented a chart which pointed out, “Our Real Difference Is Over Respect for the Authority of God’s Word.” When passages such as Matthew 7:21-23; Mark 16:15-16 and Acts 2:38; 10:48 are preached, false teachers like Glen Stocker respond, “so what? “

Since Stocker claims that 1 Corinthians 12:13 refers to “Spirit baptism,” Asher asked him to clarify whether the Holy Spirit is the element in which one is baptized, or the administrator of baptism in that passage. Stocker’s answer was, “Both!” Asher reflected on the absurdities of error and pointed out that the Spirit caused people to be baptized in water in order to be added to the body of Christ, just as Jesus caused people to be baptized in John 4:1-2 without doing the actual baptizing himself.

Another question asked Stocker to clarify what Mark 16:16 really means:

a. He that believeth not and is not baptized shall be saved?

b. He that believeth not and is baptized shall be saved?

c. He that believeth and is not baptized shall be saved.

d. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.

Seeing that Baptist doctrine contradicts the text when spelled out so plainly, Stocker checked “d” instead of “c” but he actually preaches “c” instead of “d,” as Asher pointed out. No matter who Stocker answered he had to contradict either the Bible or Baptist doctrine.

Since Stocker’s proposition asserts that “salvation is by grace through faith alone before and without water baptism,” he was asked to clarify exactly when Cornelius was saved from his past sins in Acts 10:

a. 10:14 when God saw Cornelius’ sincerity and sent the vision of an angel.

b. 10:43 when Cornelius believed in Jesus.

c. 10:44-45 when Cornelius received Holy Spirit baptism.

d. 11:18 when Cornelius repented.

e. 10:47-48 when Cornelius was baptized in water.

This question so bewildered Stocker that he checked no less than three answers: “b, ” “c, ” “d. ” Asher pointed out that in his utter confusion Stocker had repudiated his proposition of “faith alone.”

Three of Stocker’s ten questions addressed the security of the believer, which was not the issue in this debate. On the second night Asher presented 28 of “Stocker’s Stumbles, Fumbles, and Blunders,” including the “Blunder of the Debate A ward.- Brings up ‘security’ on baptism proposition, but won’t debate security!” Asher presented Stocker propositions for a week’s debate on security but Stocker ignored them. Since the debate, Stocker has complained on the radio that he did not have enough speeches to cover everything he wanted to say, yet he had turned down Asher’s pleas for a full week’s debate on baptism.

Another Debate?

If Stocker believes that debates advance the Baptist cause, he will want more debates. If he believes the Baptist cause suffers from debate, he will want no more debates. Asher believes debates advance the cause of truth and is waiting to hear from Stocker. We shall see what we shall see!

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 14, pp. 424-426
July 16, 1992