Truth Magazine

By Michael R. Baggett

One of the most fascinating miracles of Jesus is his turning the water into wine. Only the Son of God could transform 120 gallons of water into wine.

The point I wish to discuss does not concern so much the miracle as it does the confidence of Mary in her first-born, Jesus. When the wedding guests wanted wine, Mary turned to Jesus for the answer. Mary did not instruct Jesus “how” to or where to get the wine, she simply told him the problem (Jn. 4:3). Further, what she said to the servants indicates her trust and faith in the ability of Jesus: “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it” (Jn. 4:5). O how the religious world needs to abide by this principle!

Why should men do whatsoever he saith? We should do whatsoever Jesus saith because he has “all power.” In Matthew 28:18, Jesus says that “. . . All power is given me in heaven and in earth.” This “power” is authority. God has given Jesus authority over all things to the church. Jesus, therefore, has the right to tell men what to do.

Not only did God give to Christ this power, it was God’s plan from the beginning. From eternity past, God planned that Jesus would die for man’s sins and be given dominion over all things (Eph. 1:9,10;3:9-12).

Christ’s power over Satan is foretold in Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Moses foretold the coming authority of Jesus in Deuteronomy 18:18,19: “1 will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”

Peter, the Apostle, tells us plainly who this prophet is in Acts 3:18-23. Peter tells us this prophet is Jesus Christ. When the time was right, God sent Jesus to suffer, to die, to be resurrected, and to tell men what to do. To reject his words is to bring destruction to the soul!

On the holy mount, God taught Peter, James, and John who it is they need to “hear.” Moses and Elijah appeared in the presence of the three. Jesus was transfigured before them. Peter thought it would be a good idea to build a tabernacle for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Peter seemed to think Moses, Elijah, and Jesus were equal in greatness and authority. However, God corrected this leaping conclusion saying “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. ” It is not Moses, who represented the Old Testament Law, or Elijah, who represented the Old Testament prophets, we are to hear: but Jesus, the giver of the New Testament (Matt. 17:5).

The Hebrew writer tells us who it is who speaks to us in these last days (the Christian dispensation): “God . . . hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son” (Heb. 1: 1,2).

Paul tells us, “And whatsoever ye do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Whatsoever we do in word is what we say or teach in serving God. Whatsoever we do in deed is what we practice in service to God. To do in the name of the Lord Jesus is to do by his authority. Authority comes from his word (Jn. 12:48; 1 Pet. 4:11).

Today, men need to be like Mary who proclaimed: “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” Don’t question it. Don’t doubt it. Just trust and obey what Jesus says. In the judgment, only those who have obeyed his word will be saved (Heb. 5:8, 9).

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 15, p. 485
August 15, 1991

By Mike Willis

In the preceding articles of this series, we have been looking at several lessons drawn from Philippians 4 which emphasize how to live with good spiritual health through trying times and circumstances. In this lesson, I emphasize the teachings of Paul regarding how to handle anxiety. The apostle wrote,

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7).

These verses contain several principles for good spiritual health.

1. Don’t worry and fret about everything. Paul is reiterating the teaching of Jesus who wrote,

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof (Matt. 6:25-34).

The apostle Paul is teaching the same gospel truth as was preached by Jesus. Regarding the exhortation “be careful for nothing,” B.C. Caffin explained, “St. Paul does not wish his converts to be careless, but to be free from that over-anxiety about worldly things which might distract their thoughts from the service to God, and hinder the growth of holiness” (Pulpit Commentary: Philippians 156). There is nothing spiritually virtuous about a don’t care attitude which turns in sloppy work. As a matter of fact, this attitude toward work is condemned by the Proverbs as slothfulness (6:6-11). Neither is this verse teaching that men should not be anxious about their duty to God. Rather, what Paul is condemning is an over anxiety which distracts from service to God.

R. Finlayson commented, “Anxiety is harassing care, very different from the providential care of God. We cannot help having cares in the world – cares about getting a livelihood, cares about health, cares about higher matters, cares about those who are near and dear to us, and cares, beyond our immediate circle, for men generally and for the church. But, though we cannot help having cares in this world, we are not to be harassed by cares, as though we had to bear them ourselves” (Pulpit Commentary 176).

Such an anxiety reflects an absence of trust in God’s providence. Jesus taught that the Lord would provide for man’s necessities. Therefore, we should not worry and fret about food, clothing, and shelter – how much less should we worry about things of lesser importance such as schedule deadlines, surviving the expense of having the car repaired, and a hundred other things which might distract us from our service to the Lord.

2. Cast your cares upon the Lord. Paul instructed that Christians bring their burdens of worry to the Lord, making prayers and supplications with thanksgiving. Peter emphasized the Lord’s concern for his children saying, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). Christians are blessed to have access to the throne of grace to find help in the time of need (Heb. 4:16).

A Christian will make his prayers, supplications, and requests known to the Lord. He will ask the Lord’s help in facing the circumstances of his life. God has promised to be attentive to our requests even as a father is to his children. Jesus said,

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matt. 7:7-11)

The Lord has not given us a blank check in prayer that guarantees us everything for which we ask. James said that some prayers are not answered because they are asked with the wrong motive (Jas. 4:2-3). Every request which men make is subjected to the overseeing providence of God; hence, we pray, “If the Lord will.”

Our worries are intensified by the neglect of daily prayer. In the popular song “What A Friend We Have In Jesus,” Joseph Scriven wrote,

What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear,

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer.

O, what peace we often forfeit;

O, what needless pain we bear;

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.

3. Our requests should be accompanied with thanksgiving. Sometimes prayers become the expression of selfish “gimme’s.” Paul emphasized that prayer should contain thanksgiving. Jesus taught an important lesson on gratitude when he healed the ten lepers and only one returned to express his thanks (Lk. 17:12-19).

There is another aspect of thanksgiving which recognizes and accepts one’s circumstances in life. This can be illustrated in Paul’s life by the disposition he had toward the messenger of Satan which buffeted his body. Three times he requested of God that the affliction be removed. The Lord responded by saying, “My grace is sufficient to thee.” Then Paul accepted his circumstances with the disposition expressed in these verses:

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

Paul accepted the Lord’s providence and was able to give God the thanks and glory, even in the midst of adversity. because he recognized that God, who knew better than him what was best for his life, allowed the suffering. The wise man wrote, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him” (Eccl. 7:14). Consequently, even in the face of adversity and suffering, the Christian can bow his knee in thanksgiving to the God who controls all things.

The Peace of God

The Lord promised to give his peace to those who live as he has directed. The peace from God surpasses all understanding. Jesus spoke of his peace saying, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (Jn. 14:27). Jesus’ peace was different from the peace that the world is able to give.

The world is able to give peace from civil conflict, although it is temporary. The world may bring peace between friends, neighbors or relatives. However, the world can neither give nor has it experienced peace with God which is only available through Jesus Christ. T. Croskery’s comments in the Pulpit Commentary (168) are wrote reproducing as he discussed the nature of this peace:

(1) It springs out of our justification (Rom. v. 1). (2) It arises in the soul as part of our spiritual-mindedness. “For to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. viii.6). (3) It is the abiding experience of the saints so long as they are practically consistent in their walk. “Great peace have they that love thy law” (Psa. exix. 165). “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isa. xxvi. 3).

The peace which God gives will “keep your hearts and minds. ” The word ” keep ” is translated from phroureo. It is a military term meaning “to guard, protect by a military guard, either in order to prevent hostile invasion, or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from flight.” It is used in a metaphorical sense in this passage to mean “to protect by guarding.” The Lord has promised to guard and protect the hearts and minds of those who do as these verses command.

A fourth prescription for good spiritual health is handling life’s trouble, not through worrying and fretting, but through casting them on the Lord in prayer.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 15, pp. 482, 502-503
August 15, 1991

By Harry R. Osborne

My thanks go to brother Wilson for his willingness to engage in this discussion and to brother Willis for asking me to have this part. May God help brethren who differ over the teaching of Scripture to open their hearts to him and each another with the Bible as the sole guide to unity. My effort in this discussion will be to investigate the things said in the light of divine truth and urge unity thereon.

Since brother Wilson did not apply the principles declared, we are left to wonder how far reaching his application may be and hope he will tell us in his response. He argues that “released” (NASV) of 1 Corinthians 7:27b means “divorced.” With this assumption, he then uses v. 28 to uphold the right of a divorced person to marry another. His conclusion seems to be that anyone divorced for any cause may marry another. Is our brother ready for this application? Jesus certainly is not! He forbids the remarriage of the divorced woman of Matthew 5:32b saying, “Whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Jesus said she was “divorced,” but had no right to marry another. Thus, the wide door opened in the previous article is too wide for Jesus. Such teaching will lead to a tragedy of multiplied divorce and the heartache which accompanies it.

Our brother’s conclusions are based on the false assumption that the word translated “released” (1 Cor. 7:27b) in the NASV means “divorced.” In fact, the NASV is joined by only two versions (NEB and Confraternity) out of sixteen major translations in a rendering which might imply divorce. The other thirteen do not. The word used in the Greek is lelusai, a perfect tense verb. It denotes a state of being free or loose which has continued from the past to the present time. It could have reference to a state of freedom one has always enjoyed or one gained at some point in the past. The Greek writer Hermas (140 A.D.) used a form of this word to describe a woman “with unbound hair” (Similitude, 9:9:5). The fact that a woman’s hair is loose or unbound does not imply that it was previously bound. In order to determine if her hair was formerly bound, other information would be necessary. After pointing to this and other pertinent evidence, Arndt and Gingrich say the phrase in 1 Corinthians 7:27b should be rendered, “Are you free from a wife, i.e. not bound to a wife?” They then add the comment, “a previous state of being ‘bound’ need not be assumed” (Arndt & Gingrich 483).

The vast majority of scholars state the same conclusion even though their practice conflicts with their conclusion. In commenting on 1 Corinthians 7:27b, Alford’s Greek New Testament says the word “does not imply previous marriage” (11:529). Albert Barnes defended the same conclusion (First Corinthians 126). Fisher said the perfect tense form of the word used here implied a “permanent state of freedom from marriage ties,” not one previously married and now divorced (F. Fisher, 1-2 Corinthians 117). Of the 22 commentaries consulted, only two say that divorced people may be included. Absolutely none say that it speaks only of divorced people as brother Wilson’s view demands. Many of the commentators state that Paul was referring to a “bachelor.”

The context supports the conclusion that 1 Corinthians 7:27b refers to one free from marriage ties as a “bachelor.” In context, Paul is affirming the right of those never married to become married. The paragraph starts with the words, “Now concerning virgins. . . ” (v.25). Paul’s comment, “I have no commandment of the Lord: but I give my judgment,” also helps us clarify the subject being considered. Jesus had given commandment regarding who may marry another following a divorce (Matt. 19:9; 5:32). However, the question of whether or not a virgin should marry in a time of distress was a matter of “judgment” rather than “commandment.” Throughout the paragraph, Paul tells those never married to remain free or loose from marriage ties. Lest anyone misunderstand this advice to mean that a married person should end his marriage, Paul begins v. 27 with this statement: “Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed” (1 Cor. 7:27a). The apostle then returns to the case of those never married saying, “Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife” (1 Cor. 7:27b). In v. 28, he parallels this man with the “virgin.” What is the parallel? They were both persons never previously married – one male and the other female.

This context does not establish the right of anyone divorced to marry another spouse. The only party described as “unmarried” following a divorce in 1 Corinthians 7 is told what to do in v. 11: “. . . let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband.” Why is brother Wilson’s solution in direct opposition to that of the inspired apostle? Will he deny a divorce had occurred in this case?

Even if 1 Corinthians 7:27-28 implied the right of some divorced person to remarry, we must include all other related passages to ascertain God’s truth on the matter. The Bible pattern on any subject must consider all related passages and interpret them in a way which does not conflict with any other passage. Remember, “the sum of thy word is truth” (Psa. 119:160). The Baptist finds a passage which says faith is essential, but does not mention baptism. He reasons that baptism is not essential because the verse does not mention it. Is that sound reasoning? No, it fails to consider all related passages. This is the fallacy of brother Wilson’s argument as well. He disregards part of the pattern (i.e. Matt. 5:31-32; 19:3-10) saying it is not found in 1 Corinthians 7:27-28 and, thus, does not apply there. 1 Corinthians 7 may add more restrictive conditions to Jesus’ teaching about the right of a divorced person to lawfully marry another, but it cannot loosen those conditions. Paul did not give every divorced person the right to marry another, thus contradicting Jesus.

Jesus clearly stated a condition which must be met if one is to marry another spouse following a divorce: “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her when she is put away committeth adultery” (Matt. 19:9). Teaching to the contrary notwithstanding, “except” means just exactly what it says! The word “except” is found three times in John 3:2-5. In v. 2, Nicodemus rightly says, “for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him.” Jesus could work miracles if and only if God was with him. In v. 3, Jesus says, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” One can see the kingdom of God if and only if he is born again. In v. 5, our Lord declares, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Is it hard to see that one can enter the kingdom of God if and only if he is born of water and the Spirit? All of us understand that more conditions need to be met for salvation than stated here, but these conditions are absolutely essential in every case! The exception clause makes that abundantly plain. By the same token, Matthew 19:9 shows that one may put away a spouse and lawfully marry another if and only if that spouse was put away for fornication. Thus, the condition is essential!

Lastly, when brother Wilson said that it was “only by implication” that we understand the right of the innocent party to remarry, what was the point? Is he saying such is not implied by Christ in Matthew 19:9? If so, let him tell us why it is not. Is he denying a principle of truth can be established by divine implication? If so, we need to discuss how to establish Bible authority. Is he saying that we accept one idea without authority, therefore we can accept another. If so, we have returned to the liberal plea of “no patternism”! Which is it?

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 15, pp. 465-466
August 1, 1991

By Donald Townsley

Brother J.W. McGarvey, in his Chapel Talks (which were delivered to the students of the College of the Bible in the school year 1910-11), shows that the title which I have chosen for this article was true in his day. Under the subject, “Poor Preachers, ” he said: “Some twenty-five or thirty years ago when we had about two hundred preachers in the state of Kentucky, I took pains to find out in regard to those whom I did not know personally how many of them were the sons of wealthy men, not millionaires, but such men as pass in rural sections as rich men. Out of all the number there were only two that were rich men’s sons – one in a hundred. That tells the story in regards to Kentucky. On another occasion when chapel was more largely attended than it is today I called upon all students whose expenses at college were being paid by their parents to stand, and out of nearly a hundred only nine stood up. That shows that not only was the preaching done by the poor, but it was the sons of the poor that were preparing to be the next generation of preachers. This has been the case all the way back to the beginning. So we can say of this as the Episcopalians so often say in their prayer book of another subject, “as it was from the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.”

I think brother McGarvey’s statement is as true today as it was then. Poor boys are still making preachers and carrying the gospel to the lost of the world. But, someone may say, “Don’t you think that one of the reasons we have a preacher shortage today is the way preachers are being paid?” With that attitude before us, let me remind all of us, preachers included, that preachers are not made by wages! I say to the extent that this (wages) keeps men from preaching is a blessing to the Lord’s church! Brother McGarvey said it this way: “Any young man who declines preparing himself for the ministry for this reason (money) is not fit to enter upon it.” And to the extent that the anticipation of poverty keeps men out of the ministry it keeps out those who would be an encumbrance, a dead weight, and a disadvantage. They are not fit to go into the pulpit who are controlled by this consideration.”

The Lord and his church do not need men who are motivated to make preachers for the purpose of earthly gain or selfish ambition. The Lord needs men who are “faithful men” (2 Tim. 2:2). I shall never forget what brother Roy E. Cogdill told me when I was a young preacher. He said: “When a preacher becomes ambitious for himself, that is the end of his usefulness to the Lord and his cause.” I have tried to live by that advice till this day. Where the cause of the Lord needs men most is not necessarily where the most money is: in fact, most of the time, where a preacher is needed most is where the least money is! A preacher’s success in the Lord’s cause is not measured by the size of his weekly salary, the kind of car he drives, the type of meeting house he preaches in, or the kind of clothing he can afford to wear. If these things are marks of a preacher’s success, then John the Baptist was a complete failure (his raiment was “camel’s hair” which was very similar to “sackcloth” – only the poorest of people wore garments of this kind of material, Matt. 3:4)! This preacher (John) did not eat too “high on the lamb” either: his diet consisted of “locusts and wild honey” – what the poorer class of that day ate.

Preacher, if you count your success in terms of what you can attain in a high salary, a large congregation to want your services, a popular name on the tongue of the masses, and the privilege to travel in the circles of the socially elite, then I say that you have misunderstood what it means to be successful as a preacher. Please don’t misunderstand – I am not against a preacher being paid a good salary or a large congregation wanting his services; I am not against his being popular (if preaching the gospel will make him so), and neither do I object to his traveling in the circles of the socially elite (if he doesn’t get to thinking that this is the crowd he belongs with all the time). What I am saying is that when a man thinks of these things as his attainments of success and anything less than this marks him as a failure or is beneath him, then he has the wrong attitude toward the work of the Lord and what success in his cause is.

Faithful preachers must learn to endure some “hardness of affliction” (2 Tim. 2:3; 4:5) – things won’t always be rosy, but that is no sign that he is a failure in the Lord’s work. Men need to preach who have enough faith to trust the Lord to supply their needs (Matt. 6:24-33) as he supplied the needs of the twelve (Matt. 10:9,10); men who believe what David said in Psalms 37:35: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”

I have not written this to justify those who might abuse preachers from the financial standpoint by not paying them adequately, but to show that “men of God” will not go hungry or without the necessities of life if they will faithfully preach the gospel to the lost.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 15, pp. 482, 503
August 15, 1991