Truth Magazine

By Bobby L. Graham

Surely all Bible students acknowledge that “practicing what we preach” more accurately conveys New Testament teaching than the idea of “preaching what we practice.” Even so, there is something to be said for preaching what we are practicing. In terms of the standard of teaching (New Testament Scriptures), there should be a genuine effort to proclaim it and to conform our lives to it. While practice will probably never reach the high standard of God’s will in every detail, there must be a wholehearted effort to embrace God’s will in life.

To Timothy, a preacher, instruction was given: “Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this, thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee” (1 Tim. 4:16). No preacher who disregards truth’s application to himself has any business trying to direct others in spiritual matters. It was for this very reason that the apostle directed Timothy to live in such a manner as to remove all opportunity for any detractor to disparage his youthfulness, as he stressed the well rounded example that a proclaimer of God’s word ought to exhibit. “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). Paul’s initial charge to the young preacher in 1 Timothy 1:18-20 emphasized the holding of faith and a good conscience, both of which depend upon practicing what one preaches. Several times in his farewell to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, the apostle referred to his manner of life among those in Ephesus, and in verse 35 he summarized, “In all things I gave you an example.” Who can deny, or would even want to deny, the divine imperative to every proclaimer of truth, “Practice what you preach!”

Preacher, whoever you are, whatever your background, regardless of your level of learning and the amount of time you dedicate to preaching, if you would be effective in helping others, you must-give particular attention to your own life. Then it can be said of you as it was said of the village preachers in Goldsmith’s “The Deserted Village,” “Truth from his lips prevailed with double sway, And fools, who came to scoff remained to pray.” If you value the message that you convey, the souls that you can influence, and your own eternal welfare, you must learn to deny self and to crucify self as others must do. To fail to do this is to fail in life’s greatest objective, the saving of oneself and all others possible. Truth is truth regardless of whether the proclaimer practices it himself, and each hearer is accountable to Christ for his/her own conduct in relation to truth. It is undeniable, however, that poor portrayal of the gospel in life often hinders its reception by others.

His Relations With Family

How a preacher or any other person relates to his kinsmen is the product of the influence he has allowed God’s will to have on his own life. Thereby he provides insight into his own attitude toward God’s word. If he is unwilling to accept it, it is highly unlikely he will persuade others knowing of his own sins to conform to such matters, especially those young in faith or not Christians.

If he treats his wife unkindly, abuses her, fails to value her and appreciate her, denigrates her to others, or in other ways fails to be the kind of husband taught in the New Testament, he will have little force in urging others to obey God. A hypocrite in this area of biblical teaching has little potential.

Deserving special emphasis here is the need to remain faithful to one’s wife and to avoid risky situations and entanglements with other females that could lead to unfaithfulness, or at least questionable activities. A preacher should be keenly aware of the potential for evil in his life, that of the woman (or man, God forbid), those family members affected by his sin, and observers in the church and in the world. He can be the example directing precious souls to either heaven or hell. Because King David gave “great occasion to the enemies of Jehovah to blaspheme,” the Lord announced the effects of sin in his life and in his family (2 Sam. 12). Continuing strife, rebellion from within the family -Absalom, and the death of the child conceived would all attend his way. The rest of 2 Samuel’s account of David’s life depicts the erosion of his kingdom and the destruction of his family. The lesson is clear: lost influence has devastating results, even among those closest to the sin causing such loss, for they are the ones most strongly influenced and then disappointed.

Be careful about those influences to which you subject yourself, for they often make you what you become and your family what they become. The lascivious environment, contributed to by television, music, pornography, other forms of entertainment, indecent attire, and the general laxity existing in morals, encourage the very lifestyle that God disapproves. Preacher, guard your heart, because issuing from it are the fruits of your thinking and deliberation (Prov. 4:23).

His Dealings With Elders

A preacher does not occupy a special position in God’s systematic arrangement for a local church except as to unction. He is just as much one overseen and tended by local elders as any other part of the congregation. Likewise, he has no more right to reject the spiritual counsel of elders and to rebuff their righteous influence than any other person. It is just as wrong for a preacher to become a Diotrephes as it was for Diotrephes to love the pre-eminence (3 Jn. 9). Preachers who have long accepted elders but then turn against them because of their reproof or legitimate opposition to some pet idea or project of the preacher show themselves suspect in motives and methods. It is just as wrong for a preacher to resort to selfish demands, pressure campaigns, petition drives, fanning up opposition, secret meetings with ulterior motives, and similar weapons as it is for elders, Christians, or anybody else to do so. All self-willed men are not found among elders, though the apostle did warn against such a trait in elders.

Egotistical, antagonistic, lazy, self-serving preachers should be no longer tolerated than the immoral. Their attitudes and methods of operation always lead to problems. These problems become manifest in dealings with elders and with others in the church. The root of such problems is the preacher’s failure to deny self and to crucify self. The fruit of the problems is divided churches, estranged relationships, a scoffing world, lost souls, and Satan’s glee. In just a few years some preachers can destroy more good influence than it took several decades to build. Such preachers are preaching the wrong message in their lives; in fact, they would do the Lord, brethren, and themselves a favor if they would quit preaching.

The world needs the gospel and consecrated men practicing and proclaiming it. More preachers of the right kind are needed, but the wrong kind are not needed. Only an undivided heart can establish an undiminished influence.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 3, pp. 91-92
February 6, 1992

By Cecil Willis

In this excellent series of articles on Gospel Preaching, I have been asked to present a few thoughts concerning Paul’s earnest plea to the Ephesian brethren that they remember to pray that he might “speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” The usage of the word “ought” brings the message and manner of gospel preaching into the realm of ethics. Indeed, some modern philosopher-theologians might also call this ethical injunction a “categorical imperative” (Immanuel Kant) or a “divine imperative” (Emil Brunner). Moral “oughtness” puts the manner of preaching in the realm of ethical duty, and behooves us to consider what is implied in preaching “as I ought to speak.” This presupposes that the manner of preaching is prescribed (2 Tim. 4:2; Acts 4:29-31; 28:31).

Our Savior was the only perfect preacher (Heb. 1:1,2; 4:14,15). Jesus always said the right things to the right audience at the right time in the right manner. He never preached a false doctrine (Jn. 17:17; 8:32). He never left anything unsaid that needed to be said. He never misjudged an audience. He never said or did anything to hinder a sinner’s salvation (Lk. 19:10; 1 Tim. 4:16). Not so of many of us modern preachers. Forty years ago, when I was a student at Florida College, I quizzed a fellow-student about how his Lord’s Day preaching appointment had gone. He replied, “terrible.” Of course I asked why so. He replied, “Have you ever tried to preach on ‘What Must One Do To Be Saved’ to nine saved people?” Our Lord never had such problems. The venerable W.W. Otey told me once that he had never preached a sermon with which he was completely satisfied one hour after he preached it. It always lacked “head-power” or “heart-power” or something else. With my own sermons, the dissatisfaction usually begins while singing the invitation song. I always think of something which I had intended to say, or something which I had not intended to say, and now wish I had left unsaid. Not so with the Galilean! Consider with me a few points included in preaching “as I ought to speak.”

Faithfully

As in every realm, the “Lord of Glory” is our example in faithfulness to the Father’s will. He once said, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me” (Jn. 4:34). Later he said, “I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (Jn. 6:38). Again he said, “I do always the things that are pleasing to him” (Jn. 8:29). And remember that beautiful expression voiced just before the Cross: “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done” (Lk. 22:42). The Messianic Psalmist David prophesied of him: “Lo, I am come . . . to do thy will, O God” (Psa. 40:6, quoted in Heb. 10:7).

When I was yet in my teens, and doing my best to fill Sunday appointments at four different churches here in Trinity County, Texas (where I was born and now live once again), the beloved Luther Blackmon once felt the need to caution me after I had preached here in Groveton: “Get one thing forever settled in your mind, if you are going to preach: ‘Who am I trying to please?'” (Gal. 1:10; 2 Tim. 2:4) I have never forgotten the advice, nor ever shall I forget it! Preacher, if you want to hear the “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21), remember to preach the word faithfully. The powerful preacher Jeremiah said it like this: “. . . he that hath my word, let him speak it faithfully” (Jer. 23:28). I often have said that all the qualifications of a gospel preacher are encompassed in 2 Timothy 2:2: “And the things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” Define correctly ‘faithful men, ” and “able to teach, ” and you have encompassed all the credentials necessary to be a gospel preacher. Peter expressed our duty as preachers in these words: “ministering it among yourselves, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God,- if any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God” (1 Pet. 4:10,11). Paul expressed this duty even more succinctly: “moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2).

Faithful preaching entails the recognition that the message (“preach the word”), the manner (“reprove, rebuke, and exhort”), and the moment (“in season and out of season”) are all prescribed (2 Tim. 4:1,2). There is a temptation on the part of preachers to be well-received by their hearers. It has ever been so (Lk. 6:26). There is little praise from men when the Word is faithfully preached, but God will supply the ample blessing (2 Cor. 12:9). The preacher therefore must avoid hobbies, obscurities, oddities, speculations, and pointless eloquence (1 Cor. 2:1-5).

Fully

Another requisite of preaching as one ought is recognition that the Gospel must be fully proclaimed. To do otherwise is to subvert and pervert the powerful Message (Gal. 1:6,7). Six hundred years before the Messiah’s birth, God told the preacher Jeremiah: “all the words which I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word” (Jer. 26:2). Moses already had been told: “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it” (Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Prov. 30:6). A similar injunction is found in the New Testament (Rev. 22:18,19). Paul was free from the blood of all men because he had declared to them “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). In fact, Paul could draw much satisfaction that from Jerusalem unto his remotest preaching field (Illyricum), he had “fully preached the gospel of Christ” (Rom. 15:19). At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus had taught: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). At the end of his earthly ministry, the Master instructed: “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). Indeed, “every Scripture” is profitable (2 Tim. 3:16). We must be ready to preach like Cornelius was ready to hear: ready to declare “all things that have been commanded thee of the Lord” (Acts 10:33).

My brother, this is a frightening injunction, especially when one considers the many things contained in the Word. One must handle the Word aright, and then preach the whole counsel of God! One must be careful that he not leave out anything taught in the Word. Brethren, to do this requires an enormous amount of study. I have always been a peacher that required an enormous amount of preparation. As I grow older, it seems I now require more study than ever before. I guess that is because I now know how much it is that I do not yet know. Reflect upon the many topics to be found in Scripture. Then remember, you must teach them all, including both “meat” and “milk” (Heb. 5:11-14).

Forcefully

The man who preaches the gospel wields great power, but he must be certain that he remembers that the power is in the gospel; not in the preacher (Rom. 1: 16; Jas. 1:2 1; 2 Tim. 3:15). God put his power in his Word! The gospel is the only power on earth that can turn a sinner into a saint. The Hebrew writer said that the Word is “quick and powerful” (KJV), or “living and active” (ASV) (Heb. 4:12). Seven hundred years before Christ came, Isaiah had said: “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and declare unto my people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins” (Isa. 58:1).

I am not quite sure that Christians should have favorite verses; all God has said should be considered reverently. But there is one verse which I find myself reciting more often than any other. It is that wonderful passage where Paul calls gospel preaching a “grace” (Eph. 3:8,9). A grace is an undeserved privilege. Thus the privilege of preaching is called an underserved favor. When the gospel preacher thus looks upon his ministry, he will do the work as ably as he can. In Romans 1:14, Paul said it like this: “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are in Rome.”

As many of you know, I have three brothers and two sons who have been preachers. Like the gloating parent, I have had difficulty being modest about the ability and work of my brothers and sons. Since I am the oldest, perhaps I should be accorded that privilege. But I am not in a preaching contest with my brothers or sons. I only have to preach “as much as in me is.” I must do the best I can do to preach the gospel.

Apollos must have been a great preacher. The Scriptures tell us that he was “an eloquent man,” “mighty in the Scriptures,” “fervent in spirit,” “instructed in the way of the Lord,” and spoke “boldly” (Acts 18:24-28). All will remember that he needed some further instruction, which was provided him by Priscilla and Aquila. And then properly prepared in all areas, we are told that “he powerfully confuted the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 18:28). Let each preacher determine to preach as forcefully as he can. It should be our highest desire to change men in belief, status, and life. To do so, our preaching must cut to the heart (Acts 2:37; 5:33; 7:54), and it must be personal, since sin and damnation are personal. Indeed, we must blast people out of their deadly complacency, if we are to them any lasting good.

Fervently

Very closely related to the previous point is that fact that one must also preach fervently. In fact, everything one does as a Christian should be done fervently. Paul expressed it like this: “whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men” (Col. 3:23). Remember Apollos was “fervent in spirit” (Acts 18:25), and in Romans 12-11 Paul adds that every Christian must likewise be “fervent in spirit.” Because of the importance of our work, there must be urgency in it. Paul said preaching as one ought to preach requires that one be “urgent in season, out of season” (2 Tim. 4:2). 2 Corinthians 5:11 states, “knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men.”

Brethren there must be fire in the pulpit! And I am quite sure that all attentive listeners will admit that we are becoming woefully short of it. I have heard men preach with all the enthusiasm that one could muster if he were reading Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, or an ancient Sears and Roebuck Catalog. And that is a shameful disgrace. Our Lord’s gospel should receive our finest effort. In trying to be persuasive during the singing of an invitation song, I have often heard Rufus Clifford say: “You may think this preacher is beside himself, but I know what the issues are that are involved: Life or Death! ” Such occasions demand our most fervent effort.

Fearlessly

It takes a man of considerable courage to be a faithful gospel preacher. His very work is the duty to tell men what they really do not like to hear. In order for Christians to grow, their shortcomings must be made clear to them. The sin of King Saul lay in the fact that “he feared the people and obeyed their voice” (1 Sam. 15:24). The parents of the man born blind were reticent to acknowledge Christ as healer “because they feared the Jews” (Jn. 9:22). A warning is sounded for all would-be servants of Christ: “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” (Matt. 10:28). Paul stirs up Timothy’s courage by telling him: “For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7). There is another passage the fearful preacher must remember: “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 brimstrone; which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8). Unless one fears man more than God, the above passages should settle the fear question. Paul said, “woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16).

Preacher-friend, if you are having difficulty preaching “as you ought to preach,” do as Paul did. Enlist the help of some of your close friends to pray to God with you that you might preach as you ought to preach. And then if you cannot find it in your heart to preach as you ought to preach, it would be best if you gave up preaching altogether. We already have too many who will not preach as they “ought to preach.”

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 3, pp. 92-94
February 6, 1992

By Mike Willis

The story of Joseph has been a favorite story of all generations. There are many lessons to be learned from it. At one point in the record, Reuben rebuked his brothers for their mistreatment of Joseph some 22 years earlier. He said, “Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? Therefore, behold, also his blood is required” (Gen. 42:22). The concept of “sinning against the child” caught my attention. There are many ways men can be guilty of sinning against their children. Here are some of them:

1. By refusing to get them medical treatment. Some Pentecostal religions teach modern day “faith healing.” Many of these Pentecostals are sincere people who try to live what they believe. Some have refused to give their children medical treatment because of their belief that going to a doctor manifests a lack of faith in God. On some occasions, the children have died.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that a blood transfusion is a violation of the Bible prohibition against eating blood (Acts 15:29). Taking a blood transfusion is no more eating blood than have a kidney transplant is eating kidney. Nevertheless, some Jehovah’s Witnesses have refused to allow a doctor to give their child a blood transfusion. One some occasions, their children have died. Both of these examples show parents sinning against their children by not providing adequate medical treatment.

2. By abortions. If we can agree that depriving a child of medical treatment is a sin against the child, we should have no trouble seeing that hiring a doctor to kill an unborn baby is a sin against that unborn child. In America, over 1.5 million babies a year are killed by parents who are “without natural affection” (Rom. 1:31).

3. By child abuse. Other parents sin against their children by physically abusing them. From time to time the newspaper recounts some parent beating his child until the body is bruised and bones are broken. Pictures of small infants who have been the victim of parents who beat them unmercifully, and sometimes even killed them, are shown on TV and in the newspaper from time to time.

Sometimes children are used to satisfy perverted sexual urges. In homes where live-in lovers are present or step-fathers are rearing the children, there is a higher incidence of sexual abuse. Sometimes wicked men satisfy their perverted lust with mere babies.

Other parents abuse their children verbally. Many a child enters adulthood with a low self-esteem and many mistaken concepts of what it means to be a spouse and parent because their parents have verbally abused them. They are emotional cripples who may never fully recover.

I suspect that the preceding forms of sinning against children are rarer among Christians than the next ones will be.

4. By spoiling them. Many parents spoil their children. Here are some ways this is done:

a. ByJailing to restrain them. Eli was condemned for his conduct toward his children because he failed to restrain his sons (1 Sam. 3:13; 2:22-24,29). The Scriptures command parents to provide discipline for their children. The Proverbs teach: “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. . . . The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. . . . Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul” (Prov. 22:15; 29:15,17).

At one time or another, most of us have been around children whom the parents did not restrain. I have seen mothers try to “talk” their children into obeying them, rather than using the rod to drive the foolishness out of them. This conduct is justified by saying, “I love my children too much to spank them.” If such a parent truly loved his children, he would see that allowing one’s child to grow up with the character traits he was manifesting was unhealthy. These children grow into undisciplined adults who expect to get their way by throwing “tantrums.” Parents who fail to restrain their children sin against them.

b. By spoiling them. We sometimes spoil our children by giving them too much. The spectacle at Christmas giving may illustrate what I mean. Parents and grandparents provide their children and grandchildren with such expensive toys today, that there is little appreciation shown for them. I remember one Christmas when my daddy gave me a red wagon. I remember the guilt I felt because I knew how much it had cost him. Needless to say, the wagon was precious to me and I took good care of it.

In contrast to that attitude, children open their presents on Christmas morning with little or no appreciation for what they have received. The parent who is watching the child open the present may try to coax the child into saying “thank you” for the gift. The child is only interested in going on to the next gift, regardless of how much the giver sacrificed to give the gift. When Christmas morning is over, there is little appreciation for what was received because we have given our children everything he wants and many things he never had occasion to desire. By giving our children everything they ever want, we deprive them of learning to appreciate what they have. Too, we do not allow them to learn the valuable lesson of working to earn what they want.

c. By teaching them that the world revolves around them. Some parents spoil their children by making them the center of everyone’s attention. They grow up thinking that the whole world is there to satisfy their wants. I have visited in homes where the adults could not carry on a conversation because of the constant interruptions by the children. The parents never stopped the child saying, “You go off to play while we talk.” Instead, the children controlled the entire situation. Perhaps that is why another generation spoke the adage, “Children are to be seen and not heard.”

Truly this generation is not doing a very good job of teaching their children the respective places of adults and children. Consequently, there is little respect shown for the elderly. I have seen elderly men and women stand while a child sat in the best seat in the house, without the parent ever telling the child to get up so the older person may sit down. Moses wrote, “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:32). We shall not improve our society by ignoring divine law.

5. By provoking them to anger. Paul said, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged” (Col. 3:21). Parents who provoke their children to anger sin against their children. By “provoking to anger” the Lord did not mean that momentary emotional reaction which occurs when spanking a child. He was describing that deep-seated anger and bitterness which build up in a child through improper correction. We can be guilty of provoking our children to anger by constant fault finding, unjust comparisons with siblings, too harsh a punishment, inconsistent punishment, etc.

6. By not teaching our children good work habits. Paul said, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (1 Tim. 5:8). “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). If my children have not learned good work habits so that they can provide for themselves by the time they leave my house, I will have sinned against them.

7. By not teaching them how to be saved. I have a responsibility as a parent to teach my children about God (Eph. 6:4). If my children reach adulthood without knowing what to do to be saved, I will have sinned against my children. Even as a parent takes the time to teach his children how to drive a car (sometimes at great risk of life and limb), he should also teach his children how to live so as to please God.

Many parents are sinning against their children by not teaching them the right priorities. Jesus said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33). What do we teach our children when we allow them to miss worship to attend ball games, go on a date, stay home to watch TV, work at McDonalds, and such like conduct? Are we guilty of teaching our children that nearly anything takes priority over worshiping God? If so, we are sinning against our children.

8. By not setting a good example before them. Jesus taught Christians to be the salt of the earth and light of the world (Matt. 5:13-16). There is no part of the world so precious as our children. They should see a good example of what being a Christian is by our lives. Parents who tell their children, “Do as I say, not as I do,” sin against their children. The children, who are such good imitators, learn to do as their parents do. What influence am I going to have on my children if I curse, drink, smoking, watch filthy movies, gossip, murmur and complain, etc.?

Conclusion

Our children are a sacred inheritance from the Lord (Psa. 127:3). As with any stewardship, let us be faithful to the Lord with that which has been entrusted to us (1 Pet. 4: 10). Failure to do this will cost us severely, not only throughout eternity, but even in this life. The wise man wrote, “A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. . . . He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy” (Prov. 17:21). To guard ourselves from this earthly sorrow, let us not “sin against the child.”

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 4, pp. 102, 117-118
February 20, 1992

By O.C. Birdwell, Jr.

On many occasions, especially in past years, brethren have prayed for the preacher that he might preach the gospel in its purity and simplicity. We sometimes get the feeling that this kind of preaching is not as much desired today and is even less often done. There is, however, a need for it, and such preaching is the kind the Bible authorizes.

Preaching the Gospel

Paul said that Christ sent him “to preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 1:17). Furthermore, he said, “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16). Paul was sent to preach and felt duty bound before God to do that for which he had been sent. The apostles were told to go teach people, baptize them, and then to teach them all things the Lord had commanded (Matt. 28:18-20). The church today is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15); evangelists are to “preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:2); and all Christians are to be “light” and “salt” (Matt. 5:13,14). All should function as faithful stewards of what God has committed unto our trust. The gospel must be preached to the extent of our ability and opportunity.

Preaching the Gospel in its Purity

Preaching the gospel in its purity goes beyond just preaching. Often a preacher is commended and praised because he is a preacher, with no consideration given to what he preaches. Paul said, “But speak thou the things which befit the sound doctrine” (Tit. 2:1). To Timothy and Titus, on at least eight occasions, Paul speaks of “sound doctrine,” “sound words,” “sound in the faith,” or “sound speech.” Yet, even brethren are heard making light of the idea of something or someone being “sound.” Being sound in the faith comes from hearing and obeying sound doctrine. The alternative to being sound is being unsound. If one does not hear and obey sound speech or sound doctrine he is unsound. The same can be said for a congregation. If sound doctrine is rejected the congregation becomes unsound.

Preaching the gospel in its purity relates to the content, or the thing preached. This was Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians 1:21 where he said, “It was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” In reference to the word “preaching” a footnote says “thing preached.” God saves through the message preached. The message, however, to save, must be the pure, undefiled word of God. Paul said, “For we are not as the many corrupting the word of God” (2 Cor. 2:17). Here the meaning is “making merchandise of the word of God.” This is one way it can be corrupted (2 Pet. 2:2,3).

Other ways of corrupting the word are revealed. God said, “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it” (Deut. 4:2). John wrote, “Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ hath not God” (2 Jn. 9). One makes the message of the word impure when he adds to, takes from, or supplements for its teaching.

The following are some specific problem areas:

(1) One may preach an impure gospel by failing to teach the facts of the gospel. Christ died for our sins, was buried, and arose from the dead the third day (1 Cor. 15:1,2). This must be preached and believed. Surveys show that multitudes, even many who claim to be Christians, do not believe these facts and do not want them preached.

(2) The commands based upon these facts must be preached. Salvation from past sins does not come at the point of belief. The people on Pentecost believed Peter’s preaching about Christ and the resurrection but were told to repent of their sins and be baptized unto the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38). Salvation comes when there is obedience from the heart to the “form of teaching” (Rom. 6:17). If the commands are not obeyed or if they are altered in any way, the word preached is corrupt and impure.

(3) An example of Christians turning to an impure gospel is related by Paul in Galatians 1:6-9. I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel; which is not another gospel: only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema.

Those who troubled the Galatians were adding to the word of Christ such things as circumcision. When the Christian is required to obey parts of the Old Law, or the traditions of men, in order to be a Christian the Word is perverted or changed. The gospel is not preached in its purity.

(4) Preaching that relates to church worship and work may be impure. From some we are hearing about a new way of interpreting Scripture. They call it a “New Hermeneutic. ” The fact is, however, this “New Hermeneutic” is about as old as false doctrine. The method denies the authority of approved apostolic examples, and in many instances, questions the inspiration and authority of the written word of God. Bible teaching, they say, is obscure and difficult to understand. They conclude by inferring, if they do not forthrightly state, that all that is necessary is for one to have a sincere heart and trust in the grace of God. Through this process instrumental music in church worship, human innovations in church work, and adultery in the life are made acceptable.

(5) Not only is there impure oral preaching, written teaching often lacks purity. Paul asked, “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men?” (Gal. 1:10) There are areas wherein it may be acceptable to please men. We may dress acceptably, have a pleasing disposition and manner, speak fluently and grammatically correct, and in other ways be likeable and pleasant. Our written message may have a good style and all that goes along with an acceptable paper. There is one thing, however, that must characterize our writing. It must teach truth. Sound doctrine must be taught. A best seller, written by Max Lucado, is presently being bought by the thousands. If the book teaches anything it teaches that God worked a miracle in response to nuns who prayed for a stairway. To the author the great Christians are people such as Moody of the past and rank denominationalists of the present. Some seem to think that such writing by a brother in Christ is great, when the truth is, it contains impure and corrupt teaching.

Preaching in its Simplicity

To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ” (2 Cor. 11:5). About this verse Albert Barnes said, “By the admixture of philosophy; by the opinions of the world there was danger that their minds should be turned away from their hold on the simple truths which Christ had taught” (Commentary on 2 Corinthians). Present day preachers must not turn away from the simple truths in the Lord’s New Testament. We need to remember that although God’s scheme of redemption for lost humanity is indeed profound, the facts, commands, and promises of the gospel are simple and easy to be understood. Directions pertaining to the life, work, and worship of the Christian are just as easily understood.

In Nehemiah 8:8 we find the following: “And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading.” This is preaching in its simplicity. Read distinctly and present the textual meaning so the listeners can understand in order to make proper application.

John A Broadus wrote, “We must use words and phrases that exactly express our thoughts.” This is a challenge to everyone but especially to the gospel preacher. There is so much at stake in our preaching that we must learn to present our message so it can be understood. Sermons are often preached in which the thoughts and beliefs of the preacher are, seemingly, purposely veiled. One may even fear for the listeners to know what he truly believes, so he preaches all around his subject and never explains what he believes to be the truth. We are quite often hearing the statement, “You did not understand me.” Surely one may occasionally make an inadvertent statement, or he may not say enough about a subject to make his position clear. Yet, this is not the problem with some. They preach sermon after sermon and write article after article, but still say, “You do not understand me.” Any preacher who cannot present so as to be understood what he believes on any Bible subject, including Grace-Unity, The Work and Worship of the Church, and Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage, should quit preaching until he learns how to properly express himself.

It is feared by many, including this writer, that some are not preaching the pure word in its simplicity because it is not presently believed. They, therefore, do not want to be understood. Their interests and purposes are best served when they quote from multitudes of denominationalists and false brethren; then conclude by saying that much is obscure, hard to be understood, and many preachers disagree.

Conclusion

God, through the prophet Hosea, describes wayward Israel’s condition in the following words: “Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity, ye have eaten the fruit of life (faithlessness); for thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men” (Hos. 10:13). Problems exist among us today because too many trust in their own way and in the teaching and ways of their “mighty men.” What we all need to do is get back to preaching the gospel in its purity and simplicity.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 3, pp. 85-86
February 6, 1992