Truth Magazine

By Herman W. Hughes

The celebrated American pollster, George Gallup, says this country is facing a moral and ethical crisis of the first dimension. He cites as examples of the moral decline widespread cheating on taxes which costs the government about $100 billion a year, pilferage costing department stores more than $4 billion a year, defaulting on federal education loans to college students by one student in seven and sexual promiscuity and extra-marital affairs of epidemic proportions.

Newspaper headlines display the looming spectra of gangs and drugs, of murder and mayhem, of corruption in high places. The television news details for us the latest Washington scandal and the sleazy antics of such influential leaders as the “Jiminy triplets,” Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, and Jim Wright.

Children today are growing up in an environment of moral decay. They are confronted with evil influence on every hand. Their music and video heroes purvey a constant diet of drugs, sex and violence. Even in their schools children face drug abuse, sexual immorality and negative peer pressure. By the fourth grade one out of every four school children in America will have been pressured to use marijuana or alcohol.

Teenage sexual activity has increased 66 percent in the last two decades and teen suicide has skyrocketed 250 percent in that same time period. An NBC television recently challenged America to “See Dick and Jane Lie, Cheat and Steal,” a sobering look at the moral and ethical crisis among America’s youth.

What does the future hold for our children? For America? Where will our children, the leaders of tomorrow, learn their moral and ethical values? Can it be in our public schools which have all but abdicated responsibility for training in morality, character and ethics? The state department of education in one mid-western state has gone so far as to publish a statement claiming that “it is not within the purview of public education to propagate moral values.”

Many teachers today do not believe it is their responsibility to teach morals and values to students and even those who would like to do so believe that such is prohibited by law. Many are unable to articulate a consistent set of values or they are products of the colleges of the 1960s and 1970s which were strongly influenced by a philosophy of “do your own thing” and “situational ethics.”

Educational, political and business leaders alike are decrying the public school’s attitude toward the teaching of ethics and values. Spencer Kagan, professor of education at the University of California, Riverside, says that one of the major problems facing the American educational system today is its failure to socialize students toward pro-social values and behaviors such as respect and care for others. And former Secretary of Education William Bennett asserts that “in our haste to offend no one and satisfy all, we have swept the teaching of values we all share right out of the classroom.”

As much as public education strives to be value neutral it cannot be. As David T. Kearns, head of Xerox Corporation, said in a speech to the Economic Club of Detroit, “Anyone who thinks its possible to have a value-neutral education is dead wrong. Everything is not relative. Exclude values from the schools, and you teach that values are not important.”

Public schools have not always attempted moral neutrality. The curriculum of America’s first public schools was Bible centered and there was general acceptance by educators and the public alike that the public schools should be in the morality teaching business. William McGuffy, author of the famous McGuffy reader which was used almost universally in American elementary schools until this century, once reflected that “the time has gone by when any sensible man will be found to object to the Bible as a school book in a Christian country.”

Not all teachers in the past were Christians, but many were. Those who weren’t professing Christians generally were products of the American middle class which for the most part held Christian values and morals. They felt an obligation to teach moral and ethical standards to their students.

An insidious change has come about in public education over the years, however. It seems that every effort now is being made to exclude the teaching of principles of morality from the public schools. This is extremely unfortunate for, as Theodore Roosevelt once warned, “To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menance to society.”

But, American children are being taught a moral standard in school today simply because education by its very nature will impart morals, values, ethics. The question is, what morals, which values, whose ethics? The anwer those of secular humanism.

Secular humanism has for all practical purposes replaced biblical morality as the underlying philosophy of public education in America today and when God and the Bible are left out of education all that is left of morality and ethics are the tenets of secular humanism. The Bible says in I Corinthians 2:6-7 that there are only two kinds of wisdom: the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God. When God’s wisdom is eliminated from education the only thing left is the wisdom of the world. That kind of wisdom teaches: (a) humanism – that is to be man-centered, to love and exalt self; (b) secularism – to be earthly-minded; (c) materialism – to exalt material things and wealth; (d) situational ethics -no moral absolutes.

The September 1984 issue of The Humanist, the official voice of the American Humanists Association, carried an article written by Gerald A. Larue, professor emeritus of Biblical History and Archaeology at the University of Southern California, entitled “The Way of Ethical Humanism: A Religion to Meet the Psychological Needs of Our Time.” In it was this statement of humanist philosophy:

In humanism there is no supernaturalistic, paternalistic deity who has revealed his will for humans and who has made clear that there are punishments for disobedience to that will and rewards for obedience. . . We have no belief in an after life – no resurrection, no immortality, no reincarnation, no heaven, no hell, nor anything in between. . . There are no sacred scriptures, no salvation or deliverance from the reactions of a demanding father-god, no need to beg divine forgiveness for human error, no need for a god to require the killing of his own as an appeasing sacrifice for human sin. Our religion is based upon the best we know about our cosmos, our world and ourselves.

The January 13 issue of the same magazine carried this declaration:

I am convinced that the battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith. These teachers must embody the same selfless dedication as the most rabid fundamentalist preachers, for they will be ministers of another sort, utilizing a classroom instead of a pulpit to convey humanist values in whatever subject they teach, regardless of the educational level preschool day care or large state university. The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new – the rotting corpse of Christianity and the new faith of humanism.

Never in the history of American education has the onslaught of secular humanism on public school students been more pronounced and direct. Never has there been a greater need for Christian teachers in the public schools to help stem the tide of materialism and humanism among the young of America. Jesus exhorted his disciples to be salt and light in the world and there is no place where the need for the salt and light of Christianity is greater than in our nation’s public schools.

Few other endeavors could afford the disciple of Christ the opportunity to influence the lives of so many young people -as many as 12,000 over the course of a 30-year teaching career. Modeling Christian values, counseling troubled students, meeting parenting needs of students from disrupted homes, providing the Christian perspective on things taught, standing as a beacon of hope in an often bleak and hopeless world are but a few examples of ways the Christian teacher can make an impact for good in the public school.

The Christian apologist C.R. Sproul once said, “Deeply ensconced in the marrow of our bones is the aspiration for significance . . . the clamoring beat of every human heart for self esteem. We want our lives to count. We yearn to believe that in some way we are important.” The potential for significant impact on the lives of the youth of our nation by teachers who see their work as a Christian ministry is nothing short of awesome. Christian teachers serving in the public schools can make a difference.

M.W. Edelman, in the May 1989 issue of Educational Leadership, said “Where is a hollowness at the core of our society. We share no mutual goals or joint vision – nothing to believe in except self-aggrandizement. The poor black youths who shoot up drugs on street corners and the rich white youths who sniff cocaine in wealthy suburbs share a common disconnectedness from any larger hope or purpose. The rising rates of suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, and outof-wedlock births among youths of all races and income groups relect a moral drift that cries out for correction.” Who will hear the cry for correction? Who will answer?

Parents, Sunday School teachers, preachers, Christian college professors alike must begin now to encourage our brightest and most spiritual youngsters to prepare themselves for ministry to the youth of American as teachers in our nation’s public schools. There is no higher calling or vocation than to serve God by serving mankind.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 2, pp. 46-47
January 18, 1990

By J.F. Dancer, Jr.

I read a lot today about a great “preacher shortage” among churches. There may be such. But there is another “shortage” that in my mind brings more danger to men’s souls and that hinders the growth of the Lord’s people even more. This is a shortage of men qualified to do the work of elders!

Many congregations are existing (and have existed for upwards to 50 years) without men qualified to serve as elders. The Bible teaches there should be a plurality of elders in each congregation. Now, I know that a congregation can exist scripturally for a time without elders. I also know that when it does it is working under a handicap and is not as God wants it to be.

What is being done to alleviate this “shortage”? Some congregations are disregarding the Bible and installing men who do not even come close to the qualifications given in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Men have been appointed without any children and with children who are not believers. Men are in the “eldership” who could not teach a person the first principles much less convince the gainsayer. Others are designated as elders who are not married and some who are barely 25 years of age and only a very short time as children of God. This is no way to properly solve this shortage.

Brethren, to disregard God’s qualifications and appoint the “best we have” or “those who do the work anyhow” is sinful. To appoint novices, adulterers, quarrelsome men, impatient men and/or men who cannot control their families and who failed to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord to oversee the church and to watch for the souls of saints does not solve the problem. It only creates another problem to add to those already present.

We need to concentrate on teaching and training more young men to develop the qualities Paul presented as necessary to do the work. We would not think of casting aside any part of the “plan of salvation,” yet we disregard (thus cast aside) this part of God’s instructions to his people. We need more men with faithful families who have learned self-control and who love God enough to accept the responsibility of becoming and then being set into the work of overseeing the flock of God (1 Pet. 5:14). This may take another generation to “grow up” in both years and spiritual maturity but it must be done! Let’s work to the end that there will be enough elders to oversee the flock and insist they are men who fit the pattern set forth by God.

This will relieve the “shortage” in a way pleasing to God. It will allow God’s people to function in a way pleasing to him as we follow the Bible. It provides proper oversight for God’s people.

(Men must not be appointed elders: (1) Who lack leadership ability; (2) Who are loose on such issues as institutionalism, divorce and remarriage, social drinking, mixed swimming, immodest apparel, fellowship halls built by the church, theistic evolution, verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, instrumental music in worship, fellowshipping false brethren, etc.; (3) Whose children are worldly minded, often seen at dances and every licentious movie that comes to town. Elders are to be examples to the flock (1 Pet. 5:3) in devotion faithfulness and purity. The church must not be satisfied with anything less. Brethren, know the men you select for elders. The future of the church depends on it! -Weldon E. Warnock)

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 3, p. 65
February 1, 1990

By Mark Mayberry

Christianity is a religion of faith. To walk by faith means that we live in harmony with God’s Word. This has special application to our expression of worship: It must be according to God’s will! Our faith, practice and worship must be grounded in the teachings of the Bible. The New Testament furnishes us with a pattern for worship. Sadly, many people are content to follow manmade systems of religion without ever determining whether or not they are pleasing to the Lord.

Let’s consider one specific issue: What kind of music should we use in worship? Every so often one of our neighbors will ask, “Why is it that churches of Christ do not use instrumental music in worship?” The answer is simple. We do not use mechanical instruments of music in worship because there is no New Testament authority for such a practice. Vocal music is all that God ever authorized. Of those passages in the New Testament that speak of music in worship, without exception the focus is on singing (Matt. 26:30; Mk. 14:26; Acts 16:25; Rom. 15:9; 1 Cor. 14:15; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; Heb. 2:12; Jas. 5:13). The New Testament teaches that God desires us to worship him in song, and we must be content with that divine decree. Ephesians 5:18-19 says, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

In spite of the plain teaching of Scripture, many still try to justify the use of mechanical instruments of music. Let us examine some of the arguments made in favor of instrumental music. A diligent study of each point will show that these arguments do not hold water.

I. “It Is An Expedient.”

Some try to justify instrumental music by saying, “It is an expedient.” Webster defines an expedient as something “useful for effecting a desired result; suited to the circumstances or the occasion; advantageous, convenient.” Certain things in religion can be justified as expedients, but there are biblical principles that must be respected.

In order for a thing to be an expedient, it must first be lawful. It must fall within the bounds of that which God has authorized. If there is no command, approved example, or necessary inference in the New Testament to justify a practice, then we should avoid it (Matt. 15:7-9; Col. 3:17; 2 Jn. 9).

Consider the tragic example of Uzzah in the Old Testament (2 Sam. 6:6-7). He surely thought he was justified when he reached out to steady the ark when the oxen stumbled, but he sadly discovered that an act cannot be an expedient if it is unlawful (Num. 4:15).

Furthermore, an expediency has to do with a best choice among various options. Certain things may fall within the realm of God’s commandments, and assist us in obeying his will. For example, communion plates and cups help in serving the Lord’s Supper. A church building is often the most expedient way of carrying out God’s command to assemble. When Jesus gave the great commission, he said, “Go teach.” Since the Lord did not specify how they were to go, the apostles were free to choose the most expedient method of travel.

However, man has no options when the Lord specifies exactly what he wants done. In such cases we are not free to do something else and call it an expedient. If we go beyond what is specified, and offer a substitute, we are guilty of adding to God’s Word (Deut. 4:2; Lev. 10:1-2).

In giving the great commission, Jesus said, “Preach the gospel.” He specified what they were to preach. No one is at liberty to preach anything other than the gospel of Christ (Gal. 1:8-9). This principle is also illustrated through the Bible’s teaching on baptism. The New Testament repeatedly pictures baptism as a “burial” (Acts 8:38-39; Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:12), and the Greek word itself means “to dip, plunge, or immerse.” Some would claim that sprinkling is simply one way to carry out God’s command regarding baptism. Not true! Sprinkling is a substitute. God has specified the “mode” of baptism he desires, and no other will do.

When God commanded us to make music in worship, he specified what kind of music he desired: “singing” (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). Thus we cannot justify instrumental music as an expedient. It is not merely an aid, but is in fact an addition to God’s commandment. The use of instrumental music is unauthorized and cannot be practiced “by faith.”

II. “It Was Used In the Old Testament.”

Many would defend the use of instrumental music by saying, “It was used in the Old Testament” (2 Chron. 29:25; Psa. 150). True, but we are no longer under the Old Testament! The Law of Moses served its purpose and it has now been abolished (Gal. 3:22-25; Eph. 2:13-16; Col. 2:14-16). Those who are living today are under law to Christ (1 Cor. 9:21). As a result, no one can seek to be justified by the Law of Moses (Gal. 5:14). The Old Testament called for animal sacrifices, burning incense, circumcision, a distinction between clean and unclean meats, etc. You can’t take one and leave the rest. Paul warned the Judaizing teachers, saying, “I testify to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to the whole law” (Gal. 5:3). The same statement could be made to those who would reach back to the Law of Moses in an effort to justify instrumental music.

III. “It Is Not Explicitly Forbidden.”

Others would argue for the use of instrumental music by saying, “God didn’t say not to use it!” However, such a premium on silence could justify almost anything. The Bible does not have to specifically condemn something for it to be wrong. Faith is based upon the Word of God (Rom. 10: 17; 2 Cor. 5:7). Our Father has clearly and positively stated that he wants us to worship him in song. When God specifies what he wants, unauthorized alternatives are excluded.

There is a maxim of law, which states that the expression of one thing is the exclusion of another. It must be so, for otherwise legal contracts would not be definite, and there would be no precise understanding of law. In the Patriarchal dispensation, God commanded Noah to make an ark of gopher-wood. This positive command disallowed the use of any other kind of wood. In the Mosaic dispensation when the Passover was instituted, God specified that a lamb was to be killed – not a heifer or a goat; it was to be one year old – not two or three; it was to be without blemish – not with a blemish; it was to be offered on the fourteenth day of the month – not some other day; the blood was to be applied to the door-posts and lintels – not elsewhere. The same principle applies here! In the Christian dispensation, God told us to worship him in song, and this eliminates playing an instrument.

IV. “It Is Used In Our Homes.”

Many would support the use of instrumental music by saying, “It is used in our homes.” We also have lawn mowers, hair dryers and washing machines at home, but does that prove anything? We do many things in our private lives which have no part in the public worship (Mk. 7:1-8; 1 Cor. 11:20-22).

V. “It Will Be Found In Heaven.”

Others would advocate the use of instrumental music by saying, “The Book of Revelation speaks of it in heaven” (Rev. 5:8; 14:1-2; 15:1-2). First, let us realize that the Book of Revelation is filled with symbolic imagery, and it is a perversion of the text to literalize those symbols. Revelation describes various colored horses, bowls of wrath, burning incense, four-headed beasts, a sea of glass, etc. Heaven is described in physical terms which we can understand, but we must never forget it is a spiritual realm. Nothing material will be found there (1 Cor. 15:50). Revelation 14:2 describes the majestic chorus of 144,000 voices as they sing praises to God. The heavenly chorus was characterized by great volume (as the voice of many waters and great thunder), and beautiful harmony (the voice of harpers).

Furthermore, we must understand that Revelation is picturing a different realm or dispensation. Those who lived under the Mosaic dispensation will be judged by the Law of Moses. Those of us who live under the Christian dispensation will be judged by the Gospel of Christ. Our focus should be upon what is required of us during this Christian age. Whatever God chooses to do in the future is his business.

VI. “It Is Supported By The Greek.”

Some would defend the use of instrumental music by saying, “The use of instrumental music is justified by the Greek.” Such a statement shows a great deal of ignorance concerning the Greek. The expression translated “make melody” in Ephesians 5:19 is from the Greek word psallo. Its root meaning is “to pull, rub, strike, pluck, or vibrate.” In Classical Greek, the word did in fact describe the playing of a mechanical instrument. However, words change over time and in the Koine Greek of the New Testament this word applied exclusively to singing. Forty-seven scholars worked to produce the KJV and 101 scholars translated the ASV. Every time psallo appeared, it was translated “sing” (Rom. 15:9; 1 Cor. 14:15; Eph. 5:19; Jas. 5:13). Were all these scholars wrong? Of course not! It is interesting to note that many of these translators were members of churches which used instrumental music. They could have tried to justify their practice, yet they remained true to their scholarship!

Conclusion

It is essential that we have Bible authority for everything that we do or practice (Col. 3:17; 1 Pet. 4:11). Which New Testament passage justifies the use of instrumental music? There is none! We must learn “not to go beyond the things that are written” (1 Cor. 4:6, ASV). Christians are commanded to sing, and the instrument we worship God with is the heart! Paul said, “Make melody in your heart to the Lord.”

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 2, pp. 53-54
January 18, 1990

By Irvin Himmel

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise (Prov. 11:30).

Every life is like some kind of tree. A righteous life is like a good tree bearing good fruit. A wicked life is like a bad tree bearing bad fruit. Jesus said, “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit” (Matt. 7:17,18).

Fruit of a Righteous Life

A righteous person produces fruit that may be considered “a tree of life.” This includes the following:

(1) Good Influence In Word and Deed. The faithful child of God, “by his good deeds, is as a tree of life to those whose lives he sustains” (Whiteside). Many around us can be uplifted by the power of a good example. The Christian wields a wholesome influence as the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” (Matt. 5:13-16). Good words have added weight when backed by good deeds.

(2) Food For Souls Through Teaching. The truly righteous man is more than a “Good Samaritan.” He feeds hungry souls the bread of life. While people of the world often perform humanitarian acts that aid the temporal man, the Christian sees his main task as helping the spiritually destitute.

(3) Encouragement That Helps Weary Souls. “Tree of life” means “that tree which bears fruit that contributes to the life and happiness and good health of those who eat it” (Lanier). The righteous have the right to the tree of life, that is, access to heaven (Rev. 22:14). And each life which reaches out to help others who have grown fainthearted is lifting them from death to life.

“The effect of a righteous life on others is like that of a tree of life; and the result which flows from a life of wisdom is the winning of souls” (L. G. Thomas).

Wisdom of Winning Souls

The winning of souls is a wise thing to do, and the winning of souls requires wisdom. Where is the wisdom of winning souls?

(1) Souls Are More Precious Than Gold. Every human being is endowed with a soul which dwells in a physical body.

However, that which kills the body does not kill the soul (Matt. 10:28). The soul is one’s most priceless possession. “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” said Jesus (Matt. 16:26).

(2) Souls Won Are Saved From Death. While the soul does not die physically, it can die in the sense of being separated from God. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:20). “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (Jas. 5:19,20).

(3) Winning Souls Increases The Influence of Good. Every time one soul is won to the Lord the influence of good multiplies just that much on this earth. Each soul won to the Lord becomes a potential for winning additional souls. I can think of no better way to improve conditions in this world than by turning men and women from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God.

(4) Winning Souls Brings Joy. The New Testament tells about people who rejoiced when they were baptized (Acts 8:39; 16:33,34). Sometimes people weep for joy when they obey the gospel. But there is joy in the heart of the soul winner as well as in the heart of the converted-sinner. Paul referred to his converts at Philippi as his “joy and crown” (Phil. 4:1). It is a great thrill to have a part in leading someone to the Savior.

How Souls Are Won

The New Testament teaches Christians how souls are brought to Christ. Here are some truths to consider in this connection:

(1) By The Gospel, Not A Direct Operation of the Holy Spirit. No apostle, no evangelist, no teacher in the New Testament instructed sinners to pray for God to send the Spirit to save them from their sins. In every case of conversion the gospel was presented, and by the power of God’s word sinners were drawn to the Lord. Jesus said, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me” (Jn. 6:44,45). Indeed, the gospel of Christ “is the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16).

(2) Through Persuasion, Not Force. God does not attempt to coerce people against their wills to serve him. We should use every righteous means to convince people to accept the gospel, but we cannot force them to turn to the Lord. Paul said, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11). To “persuade” means to prevail upon or win over by bringing about a change of mind by the influence of gospel promises, warnings, and exhortations. People who are baptized because of high pressure tactics turn back as soon as the pressure is removed. To pressure a person is one thing; to win him to the Lord is another thing.

(3) Through Godly Living. Peter advised women whose husbands were not Christians that they might be won by the conduct of the wives (1 Pet. 3:1-4). Many who will not listen to the oral presentation of the gospel can be influenced when they see the gospel in action. We should live daily with the thought of winning others who may be watching our behavior.

Bearing fruit is inseparably connected with winning souls in a righteous life. God does not want us to be barren or unfruitful (2 Pet. 1:8).

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 3, pp. 70-71
February 1, 1990