Truth Magazine

By Wayne Greeson

Water is truly an amazing substance, yet it is so common, so abundant that we take it for granted. Its chemical composition is the bonding of two gases, hydrogen and oxygen and it is identified in a chemist’s notation as H2O. We are familiar with its various forms from the gaseous, steam; to the liquid; to the solid, ice and snow. We drink it, bathe in it, swim in it, float over it, generate electricity with it, soak the grass with it, buy special clothes for it when it falls from the sky and on and on we could go about all the uses we make of the common and remarkable substance called water given to us by God.

God has given us water not simply as an element of our physical life, but also as an object lesson to teach us spiritual truths. Water is so much a part of our lives and covers so much of this planet that it can be said that it “day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where (its) voice is not heard. (Its) line has gone out through all the earth, and (its) words to the end of the world” (Psa. 19:2-4). Listen and learn the lessons water can teach us.

It Refreshes

Out in the hot sun all day working hard, your throat begins to dry out and your tongue feels parched. You try to lick your lips and only end up feeling like you ran sandpaper across them. As the sweat drips from your brow, a picture comes to your mind of a tall clear glass of ice water, the ice cubes tinkling invitingly against the inside of the glass and beadlets of water sparkling on the outside of the glass. You almost tumble over your own feet in your rush inside for a drink of water to refresh your throat, body and mind from the thirst the heat and work has whipped into you.

How refreshing water can be. David on one occasion desired to be refreshed with water from a certain well and said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate” (2 Sam. 23:15). Three mighty men broke into the camp of the Philistines just to obtain the water that would refresh David. Jesus praised those who refreshed little ones with “only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple” (Matt. 10:42). Jesus knew how precious it was to have a refreshing drink of water as in his agony on the cross he cried out, “I thirst” (Jn. 19:28).

God uses our physical thirst for water, our longing for refreshment to teach us the need for spiritual thirst. David expressed the thirst of a soul longing to be refreshed in the presence of his God. “O God, you are my God; early will I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water” (Psa. 63:1). As if in response to David’s plea for his soul to be quenched, God promised to provide the water that would satisfy and refresh every thirsty soul, “For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water” (Isa. 35:6-7).

Jesus told the woman of Samaria that he was the source of the refreshing living water promised by God. “[W]hoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life” (Jn. 4:13-14). Immediately the woman desired to drink of the water Jesus offered.

The apostles of Jesus later explained how thirsty souls might be refreshed by God’s living water. One must repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins, “so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 2:38; 3:19). Souls that are as eager as David to be refreshed in the presence of God will submit to the command of baptism in water and they will indeed receive the forgiveness of their sins and the refreshing living water of God.

Cleanses

After a hard day of back-breaking work, nothing feels quite as good as a long hot shower or bath. To soak up the water and scrub off the sweat and grime not only cleans the body, but makes one feel like a new person. We use gallons of water every day to clean our bodies, our clothes, our dishes, our cars, our pets, and anything else that we can reach with a bucket and a scrub brush.

Under the Law of Moses, cleansing with water was a frequent requirement. The frequency of cleansing with water for the priests required a bronze laver of water to be placed in the tabernacle courtyard between the altar and the door of the tabernacle. Moses was commanded concerning the laver, “You shall put water in it, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, least they die” (Exod. 30:19-20).

Again the Lord has given us the physical quality of water and its use in cleansing to teach us a lesson concerning spiritual cleansing. Just as dirt will make our body filthy and require water for cleansing, so also sin will make our soul filthy and require water for cleansing. David frequently prayed to be cleansed of his sins, “Wash me throughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. . . . Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psa. 51:2,7). The Lord promised in the Old Testament a means of cleansing, “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and uncleanness” (Zech. 13:1).

Under the New Testament, the Lord kept his promise and sent his son, Jesus Christ, to open up the way to the fountain whereby those who love God might be washed, cleansed, purified, and purged of their sins. God has ordained that, for one to be cleansed of his sins, he must in faith submit to baptism in water, “the washing of regeneration” (Tit. 3:5). Saul was commanded by God thorough Ananias, “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). One must be baptized not to remove the filth of the flesh, but to give the answer of a good conscience toward God (1 Pet. 3:21). Only those who have had their hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and their “bodies washed with pure water” can “draw near (to God) with a true heart and in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22).

Essential to Life

Water is essential for life to exist on this planet. All creatures require water to live. The human body is three quarters water and uses water for digestion, circulation, respiration, temperature control, waste removal and many more functions. While one can live without food for three weeks, one cannot live more than three days without water. Hagar and Ishmael would have died in the wilderness without water when their skin of water was used up, if the Lord had not opened Hagar’s eyes to find a well of water (Gen. 21:14-15).

Throughout the ages God has made water not only a requirement for physical life but also for spiritual life. During the Patriarchal age, water became the means through which God saved Noah and his family. “God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was prepared, in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water” (1 Pet. 3:20). Later, God saved the nation of Israel from the slavery of Egypt through the water of the Red Sea. Under the Law of Moses, God required that the priests wash themselves with water before entering the tabernacle in service to God and failure to do so mean death (Exod. 30:18-20).

Just as God requires water for our physical life and as he used water as a means to save those under the Patriarchal and Mosaical dispensations, God now requires water as an essential element for salvation under the dispensation of his dear Son. Jesus laid down the need of water for spiritual life to Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say unto you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:5). Before Jesus ascended into heaven he told his apostles, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mk. 16:16). Because of God’s requirement of baptism in water and its essentiality to our spiritual life, Peter wrote that as Noah and his family were saved through water, “There is an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism” (1 Pet. 3:21).

What is truly amazing about water is that the very element which we desperately need and use so much, God has blessed us with in exceeding abundance in the form of dew, rain, ponds, lakes, creeks, streams, rivers, seas and oceans. Just as so very few need to die physically for lack of water, no one needs to continue in spiritual death for lack of baptism in water in obedience to Jesus. “See here is water, what hinders me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36)

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 14, pp. 426-427
July 20, 1989

By Mike Willis

Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yes, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance (2 Pet. 1:12-15).

Peter was determined to refresh the memory of those to whom his second epistle was addressed, calling to their minds the fundamental truths of the gospel. He was motivated by two imminent things: (a) his impending death and (b) the false teachers who were circulating in their area. Consequently, he wanted to remind the Christians there that they should stay committed to the gospel which they received from God. These words of the apostle remind us of these important lessons:

1. The gospel message is the same for every generation. Peter needed to remind his generation of the fundamental truths of the gospel because the one gospel was designed for every generation of men. The Lord did not start the church and leave its members to adjust the message to fit men of every generation of time. Rather, he gave a revelation which was adequate to fit men of all time.

The gospel which was revealed through the Holy Spirit to the apostles contains “a things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:34). Through it, one can escape the corruption which is in the world through lust (2 Pet. 1:4). By it, one can become a partaker of the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). By giving all diligence to add the Christian graces to one’s life, he can be granted an abundant entrance into the heavenly kingdom (2 Pet. 1:11). Hence, the gospel which was revealed in the first century is able to save one’s soul and give him an inheritance in heaven.

The gospel has been committed to us with the charge to pass it down to the next generation in its pristine purity. The “glorious gospel” was “committed to my trust” (1 Tim. 1:11) by a generation before me. I am to “hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me” and to “keep” that “good thing which was committed unto me” (2 Tim. 1:13-14). “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). I need to pass the same gospel which came from the lips of Jesus and the pens of the apostles down to my children and those of their generation.

We do not need a new gospel, a new message, to fit the twenty-first century. Rather, we need to be reminded of the one gospel given to us through Jesus Christ.

Some have belittled the gospel, condemning Christians for being “backward looking” instead of “progressive.” The criticism should be a compliment. We do look back to a once-for-all event which happened on Calvary as the sacrifice for sins. We do this each Lord’s day in the Lord’s supper. We do look back toward an all-sufficient revelation to guide us in determining what is sin, how the church should worship, what is its work and organization. Those who turn their eyes away from that revelation which was given through Jesus deny by their actions, if not by their words, that the revelation is sufficient to meet the needs of all men of all time.

2. We remind men of the gospel because of the tendency toforget. Peter was aware that his audience knew the things of which he was reminding them and that they already had them in their possession. Nevertheless, he was aware that some forget that they were purged from their sins (2 Pet. 1:9). Their minds needed to be stirred to remember the price paid for the cleansing of their sins.

3. We remind men of the gospel because of the new generation which is growing up among us. Though the gospel has been preached to the previous generation, we need to remember that a new generation is growing up among us who has never heard that gospel. A first grade teacher teaches the A-B-C’s and numbers every year because she has a new group of students every year. We need to preach the fundamental truths of the gospel for the same reason. Our children are not grounded in its truth simply because they were born to Christian parents. They have to hear and learn the gospel.

As a young preacher, I did not recognize these points. I thought, “I do not want to preach on the plan of salvation (faith, repentance, confession, baptism), the oneness of the church, the worship, work and organization of the church, etc. because everyone has already heard that. I want to preach other parts of the gospel.” My brother Cecil redirected my thinking. In studying (especially in the reading of debates) these subjects, I learned that I did not know nearly so much about these subjects as I thought I did. In preaching these subjects, I received comments that demonstrated to me that the audiences had not heard too much on these subjects. Some made comments that indicated these truths had never before registered with them (although I am confident those before me had preached on these subjects in the local congregations), others made comments that they had not heard sermonson these topics in a long time. I am convinced that we are neglecting to do what Peter did – to remind men of the fundamental truths of the gospels in order that every generation may be grounded in them.

4. We remind men of the gospel because of the active work of false teachers. Peter knew that there would be false teachers infiltrating the churches, even as there had been false prophets in Israel (2 Pet. 2:1). The only security he had against the influence of these false teachers was a taught congregation.

Men sometimes err in “protecting” the congregation from the knowledge that there are controversies among the brethren. Some have the mistaken idea that they should shelter the young Christians and new converts from any knowledge that there are controversies in the church. Hence, they do not want them to know about or read such periodicals as Guardian of Truth because they contain controversy.

Beloved brethren, the only security we have to protect a church from apostasy is to teach them the truth of the gospel. A congregation is protected from using instruments of music in worship, not when they do not know that some believe that using mechanical instruments in worship is pleasing to God, but when they know there are false teachers among us who teach that using mechanical instruments in worship is pleasing to God, the arguments they will use, the answers to those arguments, and the men who are teaching the false doctrine. Such a congregation is protected from those who would introduce mechanical instruments of music in worship.

A congregation is protected from institutionalism, the sponsoring church apostasy, and social gospel when it knows that there are false teachers among us who practice these things, defend them in debate as acts of righteousness, and ostracize those who oppose them. It is protected when it knows the arguments that are used to promote these apostasies, the answers to them and the men who are teaching them.

A congregation is protected from problems on divorce and remarriage when it knows that there are men among us who teach that aliens are not amenable to God’s law of marriage; that one can divorce and remarry for any reason, confess the sin of divorce and continue living with his second (or third or fourth) mate; that the guilty party in a divorce for fornication has the right to remarry; etc. It is protected when it knows the arguments that are used to promote these apostasies, the answers to them and the men who are teaching them.

The eldership and/or preacher who “protects” the congregation from apostasy by not informing them of the errors which they will confront hastens the day when apostasy shall infiltrate the congregation and increases the amount of damage that it will do. An untaught and uninformed congregation is a vulnerable congregation! Peter did not want the Christians in his area to be vulnerable; consequently, he reminded them of the fundamental truths of the gospel and warned them of the false teachers who would come among them.

Conclusion

We cannot improve on the course which the Apostle Peter followed. Let us devote ourselves to reminding this generation of the truthfulness of the gospel, warn them of the danger which false teachers pose to their souls, and equip them to stand against them. Let us not look for a better way – a way which preaches a non-offensive gospel and avoids all controversy. This “better way” will not protect the church from apostasy!

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 14, pp. 418, 438
July 20, 1989

By Frank Jamerson

If Hosea and Gomer were members of the congregation where. you worship, could Hosea preach? Could Gomer teach a Bible class?

The message of the book of Hosea is one that needs to be taught and practiced today. Hosea did not just teach his message of mercy, he lived itl He could preach with a broken heart about the broken-hearted God, because of his own experiences, but many today would not listen to him because he was divorced from his wife! Many brethren would not listen because “all the guilt is not on one side” or “no one is completely innocent in a divorce.” But, was Hosea a better preacher because of his experiences or a worse one?

What about his wife? Would you allow a reformed prostitute to teach your children? Granted that she would have to show “fruit” of repentance, but granting that she has done that, would you forgive her?

Let’s look at the story in Hosea again. God told Hosea to “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed a great harlotry by departing from the Lord” (Hos. 1:2). Hosea’s relationship to his wife and children were used to help him understand the relationships between God and his people. The meaning of the children’s names indicated the spiritual condition of Israel. The first boy was named “Jezreel” (God will scatter), the little girl was named “Lo-Ruhamah” (not loved, or no mercy) and imagine the bitterness of his soul as Hosea named his next boy “Lo-Ammi” (“not my people,” or “illegitimate”)! After doubting the parentage of his own children, Hosea’s wife left him to live with her “lovers.” Even after those heart-breaking experiences, God told Hosea, “Go again, love a women like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans” (Hos. 3:1). He bought her back for the price of wounded slave, and after a period of “proving” he accepted her back as his wife. Remember, she represents God’s people and Hosea represents the forgiving God. Hosea saw God’s willingness to forgive and his own willingness to forgive the wife helped him to understand God’s!

Many today catalog sins. They are willing to “forgive” some sins, but not others. Maybe we will forgive “white lies,” but harlotry? Paul said about the Corinthians, “Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you (is that “all” of you, or just “some” of you?) were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11). How many of those who were “washed, sanctified and justified” in Corinth would you use as preachers, elders, or Bible class teachers? How many of them would you “forgive”?

Brethren, “the way of the transgressor is hard” enough without us making it harder by unforgiveness! Paul told the Corinthians to “forgive and comfort” the fornicator who had repented “lest such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow” (2 Cor. 2:7). If two years later, the Corinthians would not call upon him for prayer, allow him to teach a class or preach a sermon, have they forgiven him? When we continue to treat the person as a sinner while protesting that we have forgiven, we need to remember the words of the Lord: “for if ye forgive not men their trespasses. . .” (Matt. 6:15; 18:35).

Finally, to those who have experienced the unforgiveness of brethren, do not be angry with God, for he is not its source. Be angry with Satan and refuse to serve him!

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 13, p. 402
July 6, 1989

By Frank Jamerson

When Micah, for the nation of Judah, asked what God really wanted from them, God’s reply was: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic. 6:8). This is simple enough that the youngest Christian can understand, and yet profound enough that the most mature Christian can never run past it. It is for every man of every age and it fits where we live daily.

Amos, the backwoods prophet, said: “But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream , (Amos 5:24). Micah said God “requires justice.” Justice is fair-mindedness in action. It is the outward expression of honesty and sincerity. It is the very opposite of what the rich in Judah were doing to the poor (Mic. 2:1,2), the rulers were doing to their subjects (3:1-4), and the prophets and priests were doing to those who trusted them (3:5,11,12).

Justice

God still requires that his people be “just” in their dealings with their fellow man. We should be just, or fair, in play. Who likes to play with a cheater? But how many will justify cheating by saying, “It’s just a game”? Yes, it is just a game, but if a person will cheat in “just a game,” what would he do if there were really some advantage to be gained? Someone said that few sharper tests of character exist than “a golfer who faces his ball in the rough and nobody is looking but God! “We need to “think on things that are just” (Phil. 4:8), even in our play.

Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matt. 7:1,2). Yes, we must judge, for Jesus immediately said, “Do not cast your pearls before swine” (v. 6), and on another occasion said, “Judge righteous judgment” (Jn. 7:24). We cannot live in the world without making judgments, but we certainly could live better with more justice in judgment! We so often jump to conclusions without knowing the facts, and then excuse our harsh judgments as though no harm was done. An impatient passenger complained about a crying baby and grumbled, “Why don’t they get that baby to its mother?” not knowing that the mother was a corpse in the baggage compartment! A man shot his dog because his daughter was lost and, the dog came home with blood all over him. Later the girl was found with a dead panther nearby, but the unfair judgment had already been made and could not be undone! How often do we “murder” our brethren because we judged unjustly?

Mercy

God requires us to “love mercy.” Mercy is kindness in action. W.E. Vine says: “Mercy assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it.” Jesus told a story about a man we all call “good,” and the only thing we know about him is that he “showed mercy” (Lk. 10:37). He told another story about a man who “lifted up his eyes being in torment,” and the only thing we know about him is that he was rich but showed no mercy (Lk. 16:19). In the judgment parables, in Matthew 25, those on the left hand were not what we would classify as “vile sinners,” but rather were people who had showed no mercy. It has been said, “If heaven were opened to the unmerciful, they would turn it into hell.”

God is “rich in mercy” (Eph. 2:4), and commands us to have the same spirit. “But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance (matt. 9:13). “But if you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless” (Matt. 12:7). “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matt. 23-23).

Mercy does not mean that we do not rebuke error and condemn unrighteousness, but it does mean that we must have the right spirit. We must not only be merciful; we must “love mercy.”

Humility

Finally, we must “walk humbly with our God.” Humility literally means “low-lying. ” It refers to a spirit free from pride, arrogance, self-righteousness and stubbornness. God wants us to have a submissive spirit. “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5). To the Philippians, Paul wrote, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Phil. 2:3). Then he gave the example of Jesus who “humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (v. 8).

It is only as we humbly walk with God that we can do justice and love kindness, and it is only as we do justice and love kindness that we can truly walk humbly with God!

No, God does not require thousands of rams offered in sacrifice, ten thousand rivers of oil, nor the offering of our firstborn for the salvation of our souls, but he does require that we “do justly, love mercy and walk humbly” with him.

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 14, p. 421
July 20, 1989