Truth Magazine

By Gary Patton

God’s word is filled with statements of encouragement. Words that are meant to help us feel good about serving him and living as he would have us live. He promises to be with and help us. He also promises grand and marvelous rewards to those who are faithful to the end.

But just as he often encourages us, he also warns us. His warning is basically that “we sin not” (1 Jn. 2:1). For if we sin and do not seek forgiveness he will reject us in that final day. God paints a very terrible picture of those lost in sin, a picture showing both suffering and anguish here as well as throughout eternity. If the rewards and blessings are so great and the sufferings of the punishment so terrible, then the obvious question is “Why sin?” Why do we violate his law found in his word? God in his supreme wisdom has revealed to us in the Bible why we sin. It is important that we listen to him so that we will constantly try to avoid those things that would tempt us to sin.

The Holy Spirit moved the apostle Paul to write to Timothy that the love of material wealth will cause us to sin. He writes in 1 Timothy 6:6-10 of the dangers of riches and says, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” We live in a world where one’s success is measured by his material possessions, and one’s greatness by how much effort and devotion he gives to its accumulation. This pressures others to do the same and they are lured into thinking that obtaining material possessions must come first in one’s life. This means putting God and his work behind the obtaining of material possessions. God tells us that if we have food and raiment we should be content (1 Tim. 6:8). How often has the love of obtaining more material possessions caused us to love God less and thus fail to put him first (Matt. 6:33), thus falling into sin.

We sin because of a lack of love for God. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” He also said he came to do the will of his Father, so that whatever he commands or reveals to us we are to do. The revealed will of God becomes the law for us to follow and obey. If we truly love someone we will do all we possibly can to please that individual. If we love the Lord with all our soul, mind and strength we will obey whatever he says. If he tells us not to commit adultery, not to steal, or not to lie, etc., we will then strive with everything we have not to disobey God. We will try to keep ourselves out of situations that would tempt us to sin. A lack of supreme love for God in our lives can cause us to sin.

In Romans the third chapter, beginning with verse ten, several terrible things are quoted from Psalms as happening because, he says, “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (v. 18). The word “fear” as used in the Bible usually has one of two meanings. Sometimes it is used in the sense of reverence, other times it is used to mean the dread of an action one can possibly suffer. Both cases are true when it comes to why we sin. Many sin today because they have no respect for God and his word, the Bible. They lack respect in that they are not willing to let him guide their lives. The lack of respect for his word is seen in that they openly disobey what they know God commands. Others fail to fear because of the teaching of humanists, which produces atheists and their philosophy that there is no God. These have no fear of any “everlasting punishment” of God after death and a judgment day. With such fears removed the flood gate is open for people to live as they please, destroying any barriers that might prevent them from seeking to live according to the flesh and a life of sin.

A child learns early that if he is not immediately punished for an act, he can continue it or repeat it. It is not till later in life that he learns that not all punishment is immediate. When we get caught up in a life of sin, we often revert to this childish reasoning that, since God didn’t punish me immediately, there will be no punishment. In Ecclesiastes 8:11-13, we read the warning, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked.” In the New Testament the Lord tried to correct this type of reasoning through the pen of Peter in 1 Peter 3:3-18. He says that the longsuffering of God is salvation (v. 18), not slackness (v. 9). God will punish all with unforgiven sins in the day of judgment, and that punishment is eternal punishment in hell.

Since God told us why people sin, let us strive to avoid those things and attitudes that would lead us into a life of sin. Rather let us strive to obey his commands that lead to righteousness in this life and a reward of joy in heaven in the hereafter. “Fear God And keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Eccl. 12:13,14).

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 23, p. 716
December 5, 1991

By Edward O. Bragwell, Sr.

Mark Twain once sent a telegram stating that “the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”

Occasionally I hear that a certain church is dead. Knowing that churches do die, this concerns me because I love God’s people.

Sardis was a dead church with a general reputation of being alive (Rev. 3:1). This biblical example and my own experience teaches me that people’s assessment of a situation may not be accurate. A church pronounced alive by certain people may in fact be dead. Conversely, a church pronounced dead by certain people may be alive and well – thank you.

When I hear these reports of dead churches, I try not to get too alarmed and immediately go into mourning over their passing. Nor do I hastily jump in with some kind of drastic resucitative measures to restore their breath of life. It just might be that these reports have been greatly exaggerated. I have learned to consider my sources before notifying the next of kin throughout the brotherhood or even expressing my concern to the membership of these “dead churches.” A church that may be dead from a certain person’s perspective may not really be dead after all because his concept of deadness may be influenced by certain experiences in his background.

A person with “pentecostal” leanings will sometimes observe the quiet and orderly manner of a congregation’s worship and pronounce it dead. A decent and orderly service, according to the principle taught in I Corinthians 14:40, needs some life pumped into it from his perspective. To him, a little foot stomping, hand clapping, bodily gyrations, gospel music to a rock, country, or western beat, and spontaneous outbursts would infuse some life into this “dead church.” But, the churches in the New Testament seemed to get along and thrive without such things.

A very liberal-minded brother analyzes a congregation’s collective work and pronounces the church dead. He sees no social welfare activities. He notices no organized recreational, social, political or other “fellowship” activities for its various age groups. He looks over the church staff and facilities and sees nothing that indicates the church’s involvement in such things. The congregation just meets for worship and edification, conducts periods of Bible study for all who will attend, maybe has a special series of meetings from time to time, supports an evangelist who works locally with them and other evangelists who work in various places in the world, and gives financial aid to needy members as the need arises. What a dead church! Poor thing! To a person of this mind-set, this church needs a transfusion of a whirlwind of activities more relevant to today’s world along with the trained personnel to direct these great “ministries” to raise it from the dead. Again, never mind that the Scriptures nowhere authorized these social and recreational programs.

Still another, though not as liberal-minded as, the other brother, but geared to the fast-paced, results-oriented, organizationally-minded, elaborately-programmed modern world, looks at a congregation that is not as highly organized as he has become accustomed to in his secular world, as being dead. Such a one has a hard time conceiving of a church being very productive without the same kind of techniques and pressure points that he is used to in his day-to-day world. His kind often convinces the church to pattern itself after the concepts that they consider to have worked so well for society, business and government. Then they look around at churches that do not have similar “programs” and pompously pronounce them dead on the vine. Unless a church has the same kind of dynamic, hyper-active programs characteristic of their highly organized world, it is simply not doing anything – it is dead.

These people do not seem to understand that the bulk of the Lord’s work commanded and done in the New Testament was done by Christians on a personal level. Yes, there was church organization in the New Testament (Phil. 1:1; Acts 14:23; 1 Pet. 5:1-5). Saints were organized into local congregations with elders to lead and oversee and with special servants called deacons. They had work to do that required organization; and, of course, this is still true today. However, not every thing that a Christians does for the Lord and his church has to be planned, organized, orchestrated or supervised by the church. The church does not have to have a “program” to cover all the needs, problems and responsibilities of the Christian. In fact, it is this writer’s judgment that many churches – even those we would label “conservative” – are “programming” themselves to death. Much like secular governments, they are becoming topheavy with bureaucracy, thus stifling individual initiative and productivity.

To certain people, unless the work is done as a part of a church initiated and highly structured “program,” “we are not doing anything.” When, in fact, “we” may be doing much more than many of the highly programmed churches are doing. How can this be? By dedicated members, prepared “for works of service” (cf. Eph. 4:12, NIV) by the edification work of the church, going about their daily lives fulfilling their individual responsibilities according to their abilities and opportunities.

A worker talks informally with a fellow-employee about Christ. A housewife talks to her neighbor about the gospel over a friendly cup of coffee. A student gives tracts to his classmates at school. A couple invites some folks over for dinner and in the course of it tells them about Christ and the church – maybe even getting together with them again and again. A sister carries meals to a sick or bereaved neighbor and her family. A member notices a fellow-member is missing a lot lately and phones him to find out what the problem is. A mother raises a house full of children, all of whom turn out to be faithful Christians. A family has some ki& over to sing, study the Bible, or just to be together. The list could go on and on with things Christians of conviction and dedication do without any public recognition or fanfare. This kind of thing is seldom taken into account by those who are quick to pronounce a church as a dead or “do-nothing” church. Unless these things are done within the framework of some church initiated and supervised “program” they just do not count with some brethren.

A Methodist prcacher once told me that they were so organized that if two Methodist preachers accidently fell out of an airplane that they would not be able to hit the ground without first forming a landing committee to supervise the operation. I fear that some of my brethren are about as bad.

To brethren with this m entality, we are not visiting unless we have a church-planned and supervised visitation program. We are not evangelizing the community unless we have a specific personal evangelism program, planned and supervised by the church. Unless we are super-organized with highly visible programs for such things then we are bound to be accused by certain elements in the church of being dead or at least “we are not doing anything” – no matter how much individual members may be quietly doing without a sound of a trumpet (cf. Matt. 6:2).

Am I opposed to all organized programs for doing the Lord’s work? No. I am simply saying that it has gotten to the point that too much emphasis is being placed on “church programs” and not enough on individual initiative and activity, prompted by personal conviction and commitment to the Lord. Also, that simply because a church may not have a portfolio of organized programs or a church orchestrated effort for everything that Christians need to be doing for the Lord and his church, does not mean that it is dead or that it is doing nothing.

Maybe, we can learn from the failures of communist systems around the world. Many countries are beginning to see how unproductive such tightly organized societies really are. They have placed too much emphasis upon state initiated and supervised programs. Such programs discourage individual initiative and productivity, hindering society as a whole. I believe a similar thing happens in those churches that over-emphasize collective programs for almost every phase of a Christian’s life.

One wonders how the church ever grew and prospered before all these ingenious programs, that some brethren think we must have today, became so fashionable. From the very beginning, churches that met for worship and mutual encouragement, edifying themselves through teaching or preaching, supporting gospel preachers and helping needy saints from their treasuries under the oversight of elders and served by deacons grew and prospered around the world. Why? Because the members were converted to the Lord. They were diligent students of the Bible “always abounding in the work of the Lord” from day unto day and from week unto week. They did not have to have an assignment from some organized program to act.

Maybe if we gave less attention and criticism to what “we” are doing or not doing beyond those things that must necessarily be done collectively and gave more attention to diligently studying the Bible and quietly practicing it, on an individual level from day to day, the church would really grow and prosper. I know this much. When members do this they do not make up a dead church by any stretch of the imagination.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 23, pp. 720-721
December 5, 1991

By Irvin Himmel

Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off (Prov. 23:17,18).

This text from Proverbs teaches some valuable lessons. Let us take a few moments to think on what the writer is saying.

Envy of Sinners

There is a strong temptation for the righteous to be envious of sinners. Here are some reasons why we must not envy the wicked.

1. Envy is wrong. The word of God teaches us to control our emotions, avoiding envy and jealousy. Envy is a feeling of discontent, uneasiness, or resentful begrudging of another because of his possessions, attainments, or success. It is classed with such things as murder, deceit, and malignity in Romans 1:29. It belongs to the “works of the flesh” in Galatians 5:19-21. It is connected with strife, railings, and evil surmisings in 1 Timothy 6:4.

2. The prosperity of sinners is only temporary. “It cannot be denied that wicked men are often in great prosperity even while the pious are poor and despised. They are eminent in social position and fortunate in commercial speculation; hence they are surrounded by all that heart could wish. This is a matter of history. It is also a matter of everyday experience. In this life the wicked are prosperous. They live in this life alone, they are often cunning and selfish; hence it is not to be wondered at that they succeed in it” (Joseph S. Exell).

3. The course of sinners, however easy, will be recompensed. Sometimes the righteous observe how the wicked evade their duties and seem to have a carefree life. The godly struggle to fulfil their responsibilities in a conscientious manner. Let us not overlook the fact that a day of reckoning is coming. Why envy sinners who will stand condemned on that final day?

4. The pleasures of sin are transitory and deceptive. One might easily envy the sinner, for it appears that he is having a merry time. He indulges freely in things from which the righteous are restrained. He laughs and plays, eats and drinks, and partakes of much that amuses and entertains. But it must be remembered that the pleasures of sin are only for a season (Heb. 11:25).

Fear of the Lord

Reverence toward God is more to be coveted than material possessions, worldly honor, or sinful pleasures. The proper attitude toward God is the cure for envy and fretting.

We should live “in the fear of the Lord all the day long.” A famous passage in Ecclesiastes says, “Now let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (12:13). Men live recklessly when they do not reverence God.

There Is an End

One is short-sighted who envies sinners. He sees their present and forgets their future. He looks at their outward display, not their spiritual barrenness.

The Bible warns, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb” (Psa. 37:1,2).

The Psalmist said, “For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked . . . . Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches” (Psa. 73:3-12).

Before one allows the fortune of the wicked to excite dissatisfaction in his heart, he should think ahead to the end. Do not worry, fume, and fret over the prosperity and pleasures of the sinful. Do not allow fires of jealousy and envy to be kindled.

“Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out” (Prov. 24:19,20).

What if Lazarus had allowed himself to be envious of the rich man? Look at what happened when each man reached the end of his life (Lk. 16:19-31). Lazarus was comforted and the rich man was tormented. Sinners are to be pitied, not envied!

Surely there is an end – a reward – a glorious and wonderful future for the person who lives daily in the fear of the Lord. His expectation or hope will not be cut off. Just as surely as the wicked will be punished for their ungodly acts, the righteous will be eternally blessed for their reverence and respect for God, truth, and right.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 23, p. 719
December 5, 1991

By Norman E. Fultz

Some friends are having a new home built – not just any “run of the mill” house, mind you. Having envisioned what they wanted, an architect translated their vision into detailed blueprints. A builder was contracted to erect the house according to the plans. But, as will occasionally happen, the plans are sometimes ignored; and someone improvises, resulting in no small dismay to the owners. Corrections have to be made. Perhaps infringing upon the owner’s desires was not intentional . . . maybe just a failure to read the print properly . . . or possibly by rationalizing that “this is better” than what the plans call for. The digression occurs nonetheless. If the structure is to vary from the blueprints, it is the owner’s prerogative to so decree. It is not the option of the workmen.

Not many folks really get uptight when it is suggested that there is a blueprint, or pattern, for Christianity. Outmoded is the idea that God has given us a pattern in the New Testament for acceptable service. Multitudes want a no-pattern theology in which the only authority is the result of man’s thinking, not the mind of God. Where there is no order, there can be no disorder. Thus whatever the mind of man conceives, he sets about to achieve, even in the realm of religion. But does the Bible speak to this matter? Yes, verily!

In his teaching, Jesus frequently referred to “what is written” (cf. Jn. 10:34), and regarding his messiahship, he told the Jews they should recognize him as Messiah by their study of the Scriptures, for his life fit the mold of that which had been prophesied for the Messiah (Jn. 5:39). He claimed that “all authority” was his (Matt. 28:18); and he said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my word shall not pass away” (Mk. 13:31). He said his word would be the standard of judgment (Jn. 12:48); and he chided the Jews, “Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Lk. 6:46) Entrance into the kingdom of heaven, he declared, was not predicated upon simply calling him Lord, but “doing the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21-24).

To the Corinthians, Paul declared that through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostles had “the mind of Christ,” and that the message they proclaimed was communicated in “words which the Holy Spirit teaches” (1 Cor. 2:10-16). He commended those who received that message ~ ‘not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13).

The author of Hebrews appealed to the pattern principle when he showed that Jesus could not be a priest on earth. He was of the wrong tribe, the tribe of Judah; and he could not have served in the Old Testament tabernacle which was “built according to the pattern” (Exod. 25:40) and which was a shadow of the heavenly, “the true tabernacle (the church) which the Lord pitched, and not man” (Heb. 8:2-5; 7:12-14).

The importance of abiding in the inspired apostolic teaching is further emphasized in this, “Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son” (2 Jn. 9). The prerogative to alter the plan does not belong to man, only to God. It is man’s obligation to respect it.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 23, p. 715
December 5, 1991