Truth Magazine

By Don Partain

As a sophomore at Florida College, in 1970, 1 attended Edgar Srygley’s class on Logic. One section of the class dealt with the error in reasoning known as “the fallacy of four terms.” In this fallacy, instead of having a three-term syllogism, the reasoner actually employs four terms because one of the terms has two different meanings. For example, “Designing persons are untrustworthy. Architects make designs. Therefore, architects are untrustworthy.” What is the fallacy of this reasoning? “Design” is being used in two different senses, ambiguously.

Unwittingly, I think we have often been a party to ambiguity as we have taught our denominational neighbors about the “one church.” There, of course, is only one church, one body of Christ, of which one must be a member in order to be saved (Eph. 4:4; 1:22,23; 5:23). However, I’m afraid that we are coming across as saying, “There is only one true denomination – the “Church of Christ.” In other words we are using “church,” meaning the universal body of the saved; but they are hearing “church,” thinking “denomination” – a denomination that claims to be the only right one.

The fact that we upset them by saying there is only one church is evidence that they have misunderstood us, because mainline denominations teach the same thing! Their creeds or manuals speak of there being only one universal body of Christ; and in fact, they usually even refer to it as “the church of Christ.” So, they would not argue with us on the point that there is only one church, and that it belongs to Christ. They only become upset when they think we are saying that the congregations which go by “Church of Christ” are a denomination within the body of Christ that thinks it is the only right denomination.

So, when teaching them, we should first make it clear that we do not use “Church of Christ” in a denominational way. When we say there is only one church, we are not talking about a denomination, but instead, the one universal body of the saved. This doctrine is common ground for both of us, we should point out.

Then, we teach them how to be added to the church. And, we teach them that the universal church is not composed of either denominations (denominated collectivities) or local churches; instead, it is composed of individual Christians. Here is where we will need to do much teaching, because denominations teach that “faith only” places one into the saved body. And, having been saved by faith only, then one simply joins himself to a denomination – and that all the denominations, taken together, constitute the universal church.

I’m afraid that we have often unnecessarily aroused prejudice and have closed doors of opportunity because we have not made it clear in what sense we are using “church” when we say there is only one true church. And, it is especially regrettable since we could have instead even used the scriptural doctrine of there only being one church to establish common ground with our denominational friends – common ground that would have possibly made them more receptive when we began discussing gospel obedience with them.

So, when we talk about the one church, let’s be sure that they understand “church” in the same way we mean it. Otherwise we may have mixed our terms much the same as we did in our faulty syllogism which concluded that architects are untrustworthy.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 6, p. 182
March 15, 1990

By Carrol R. Sutton

There are hundreds of denominations (religious bodies authorized by man’s authority and governed by human wisdom) in the United States of America alone. They differ in name, doctrine and practice and yet all of them claim to be of God and that God is with them. Are these denominations authorized by the authority of God? Are they governed by God’s wisdom? Is God the author of all this division and confusion? Are they really of God? Is God really with them? (See 1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:1-6 and 1 Cor. 14:33.)

Many people say, “the church of Christ is just another denomination.” There may be some religious bodies called “the church of Christ” which may be denominations but when people make that statement referring to those who are truly following the teaching of the New Testament, it is merely an assumption. If a person understands the teaching of Christ and is honest, he will not make such a statement. The church of Christ is not a denomination, nor any part of any denomination! Neither is any denomination any part of the body of Christ!”

Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my church ” (Matt. 16:18). The pronoun “my” indicates that the church would be “of” or “belong to ” Christ. The church that Christ built is “of” and “belongs to ” him! Did Jesus have any denomination in mind when he said, “I will build my church”? Obviously not. Jesus did not promise to build a denomination! There is no evidence that Jesus ever built a single, solitary denomination!

To what denomination did the apostles, the three thousand Jews on Pentecost, the Samaritans, the eunuch, the jailor and the Corinthians belong (or were a part of) after they obeyed the Lord’s will? (See Acts 2:1-47; 8; 16:25-34; 18:8; 1 Cor. 12:13.) Were they not Christians? Were they not citizens in the kingdom (Col. 1:13-14), and members of the body of Christ which is the church? (See Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22-23; 1 Cor. 12.) But they were not “of” and did not “belong to” any denomination! To be a member of a denomination a person must meet the requirements set forth by that denomination. To be a Christian, to be in the body of Christ which is the church, one must meet the requirements set forth by the Lord.

In the first century, the Lord added the saved to the church which was purchased with his blood. (See Acts 2:47; 20:28 and Eph. 5:25.) What about now? If a sinner hears and believes the gospel (Rom. 10:17; Mk. 16:15-16), repents of sins (Acts 2:38), confesses faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10), and is baptized for remission of sins in order to get into Christ (Acts 2:38; Gal. 3:26-27) just like the 3,000 on Pentecost in Acts 2, the Samaritans in Acts 8:5-13, the eunuch in Acts 8:26-39, the jailor in Acts 16:22-34 and the Corinthians in Acts 18:8, will that make him a member of any denomination on earth? If so, why does it and which one? Please tell us to which denomination did the early Christians belong? Since Acts 2:47 tells us that the Lord added the saved to the church, do you think that God has changed his plan and today he adds the saved to various denominations?

All denominations exist without the authority of Christ. No denomination that exists today is the church of Christ or, in other words, the church of or that belongs to Christ. The church of Christ, i.e., the church that Jesus built, is not a denomination!

Since it is obvious from a study of the Scriptures that a person can be a Christian, live, work, worship and die in the Lord and be saved eternally without joining or even hearing of a human denomination, every denomination on earth is a non-essential, useless, and worthless institution as far as man’s salvation is concerned! So why should any person who is interested in going to heaven be in one? In Matthew 15:13 Jesus said, ‘Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.”

Why not put your faith in Jesus Christ? Why not obey his gospel (2 Thess. 1:7-9) that you may be saved and added to his church? (See Acts 2:47.) If you are not in the church, Christ is not your eternal Savior? (See Eph. 5:23.)

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 6, p. 176
March 15, 1990

By Steve Wallace

Recent events in Eastern Europe have stirred the hearts of freedom loving people all over the world. These happenings, epitomized by the breaching of the Berlin Wall, have come with such suddenness that we in the West have been stunned at the reports of the rapid decline of the Communist regimes and encouraged at the progress of reforms. Thoughts that we would not have dared to think are now becoming realities. The governments that have stood in the way of our actively and openly spreading the gospel in these countries are disappearing. In this light, what are the present possibilities of preaching the gospel in Eastern Europe? Specifically, could a man locate in one of these countries and preach? Having recently spoken with officials of three of these countries, I would like to give the results of my findings. In light of the ongoing reforms in these countries some of the conditions for establishing permanent residence will change for the better.

Czechoslovakia

In order to get some firsthand information, I recently visited Prague, Czechoslovakia. One seeking to move to this country must report to the Czech embassy in Washington, D.C. to apply for permission for permanent residence there. At the present time the Czechs are most interested in Czech nationals who have emigrated from their country and are interested in returning. Therefore, it would be a real advantage if one had relatives in Czechoslovakia. According to the official I spoke with at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Prague, in the coming months changes will take place which will allow all who are financially supported and have housing in Czechoslovakia to move there. Realizing the problem one in the U.S. would have of first finding housing in Czechoslovakia and then applying for residency through the embassy in Washington, I asked if there was some other way. Two answers were given: (1) At present some higher authorities in the Czech government are of the opinion that one should be able to enter the country with a visa and then apply for residency after having found housing (30 day visas are fairly easy to obtain for each of the three countries dealt with in this article); (2) The official I spoke with was of the opinion that, in the future, it will be possible for one to simply prove that he has the money for housing in order to receive permission for permanent residence. If anyone is interested in moving to Czechoslovakia (or any other East block country for that matter), I will try to help from this end. I am confident that, under the existing conditions, it would not be much of a problem to locate there.

The progress of reforms has resulted in a more open environment for the teaching of the gospel in Czechoslovakia. Bibles can be purchased in the Czech language. It is lawful to hand out tracts and one can say what he wants on the street. One lady I spoke to was a member of a Pentecostal church. She said that, in the past, the authorities would sometimes hinder them from assembling but now everything had changed. Perhaps the situation there is best summed up by pointing out that the Jehovah Witnesses are allowed to do their work there.

There is a teacher shortage in Czechoslovakia. Teachers of the English language, sciences, and industrial skills are needed. Since most of the countries in Eastern Europe seem to be moving towards a market economy one would have to think that a number of relevant positions will be opening up.

One question that always comes up when one considers moving is the cost of living. It would be very cheap for an American to live in Czechoslovakia with the exchange rates being what they are. The following examples bear this out: One can buy a house in Czechoslovakia for $10,000 to $15,000. In case anyone does not know, they have electricity and running water. At a butcher shop on Wenceslas Square there were over 30 different kinds of meat ranging in price from one dollar to three dollars per kilogram (2.20 lbs.). Oranges sell for about 35 cents a kilogram. While the standard of living is not the same as in America, an American could live there without much discomfort or inconvenience.

East Germany

Of the three countries reviewed herein, East Germany is in the most uncertain stage of reform. In spite of this, my questions to a representative of the East German government in Bonn, West Germany, produced encouraging results. As with Czechoslovakia, one must apply for a permanent stay in East Germany at their embassy in Washington, D.C. If one has housing in East Germany and financial support he has basically met the necessary requirements for an extended stay there. The official I spoke with said he thought that one would have no trouble traveling in East Germany and that there would probably be no problem in importing Bibles. He also thought that Jehovah Witnesses would be allowed to live and work there, and that teachers of the English language would be welcome.

East Germany has the highest standard of living of any East block nation. It would therefore be safe to say that one could expect better living conditions there than those described in Prague.

Hungary

One can apply for permanent residence at the Hungarian embassy in Washington, D.C. Unlike the other two nations we have mentioned in this article, one can also enter the country on a visa, find housing and apply for permanent residence there. There are housing finding services to aid one in his search for a place to live. Travel in Hungary is unrestricted. It is legal to import Bibles. The laws would not hinder the teaching of the gospel, and as long as one did nothing unlawful, he would have no problems. They need a lot of teachers in Hungary – English language teachers and other kinds too.

Because Hungary has progressed the farthest in its reforms it would be my guess that it would be the closest to Western standards in the areas of personal freedoms. The official I spoke with at the embassy in Bonn was very sure of the answers he gave.

Conclusion

Early disciples, by pure faith in God, bridged the gulfs of geography, language and culture in spreading the gospel in the first century. Their conviction that the lost needed Christ and that Christ was with them propelled them through innumerable barriers. They loved their home country and even returned for visits, but they left because their work demanded that they “go” (Matt. 28:19-20). Their example shines as a light for us today. Let us follow it!

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 6, pp. 168, 184
March 15, 1990

By Landon Hope

Nebuchadnezzer the king made an image of gold the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon (Dan. 3:1). What a magnificent sight it must have been, over one hundred feet tall, all of gold! All men the world over bowed down before and worshipped the golden image the king had set up (vv. 4-7).

Today we are given to smug snickering when we think of the ignorance of the people for falling down to an idol, no matter how grand it might have been. But before we demean the actions of that generatoin, we need to consider ourselves. The Roman Catholic Church has set up a mass for Christ and it truly is “the image of gold” in our generation. All people fall down before it. This happens even without the threat of being physically cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire as then (v. 6); it is simply the same feeling of peer pressure and thinking (believing) we are better off in our lives by falling down before and celebrating Christmas today.

Christmas, as the golden idol of today, has nothing to do with worship to God in any way, shape or form. It, in fact, takes worship away from him and gives it to the brain-child of men in the same way Nebuchadnezzer’s idol did then. Consider, there is nothing in the Bible that even suggests any part of the celebration. The “three wise men” attending the new born Jesus in a manger is far from what the Scriptures say. A careful reading of Matthew 2 and Luke 2 shows they are not at the manger and no mention is made of their number. The pretty little manger scenes are from the minds of men and certainly not the word of God. Also, The World Book Encyclopedia informs us that “the name Santa Claus comes from Sinter Klass, Dutch for Saint Nicholas.” And from where comes December 25th as the day for celebration? Probably pagan worship of the sun and the time of the winter solstice, though this is unclear.

What is clear, is that God has nothing whatever to do with Christmas, it has been set up entirely by men. That it has no part in true worship is easily understood from two plain Scriptures: John 4:23-24 and John 17:17. Mark 7:6-8 then shows the folly of man authorized worship. Yet, with all of this, some would consider that Bible study or a worship service be dismissed if it falls on Christmas or Christmas Eve. Some would have a party or play (?) in its place. For shame brethren, how great is the world’s hold on you?

Do you think that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego would fall down before “king tradition” and worship its golden idol, Christmas? Read Daniel 3:13-18 for the answer about faithful men and worldly idols. Brothers and sisters read your Bible, think on these things, and learn. This is not a pretty little story for children, but an example of faithfulness and God. Is it really different for you today than for these three wise men of the Bible? With God’s help they escaped the blazing fire. It is not a matter of indifference, you see, but it is a matter of right and wrong.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 6, p. 172
March 15, 1990