Truth Magazine

By Dennis C. Abernathy

More than one time we have been treated to the time worn bromide of the devil: “You can prove anything by the Bible.” I’m confident that the one making such a shallow statement never notices the import of what he is saying. Usually the one who says it cannot prove anything by the Bible except that he is woefully ignorant of it!

Just suppose someone were to say that people can “prove just anything by you.” You wouldn’t like it and I wouldn’t like it said about me. Even so, it is an insult to the Lord and a slap in the face of God to say, “You can prove anything by the Bible.”

Basically we are discussing the mind-set that treats all religious beliefs as being acceptable to the Lord as long as a person is sincere. When they are challenged to present proof for their practices, or when proof is presented which overthrows such claims, then we learn that “you can prove anything by the Bible.”

But look closely. Have those making this statement, proved by the Bible that their denominations are right or that the names of such are even found in the Bible? Have they ever proved that a man is justified by faith alone, to the exclusion of the love, mercy, and grace of God, repentance of sins, and obedience to the gospel of Christ? These same people contend that a person can be saved out of the church as well as in it; but does the Bible, a book which they say you can prove anything by, prove such to be true? On and on we could go. But, dear reader, I ask you, why have these things not been proved?

Briefly now, here are some things you can prove by the Bible.

1. Baptism is essential to salvation from sin. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk. 16:16). “Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us” (1 Pet. 3:21).

2. We are to sing in worship to God. “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19). “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” (Col. 3:16).

3. A child of God can fall from grace or apostatize, and eventually be lost. “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by the law, you have fallen from grace” (Gal. 5:4). “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (Jas. 5:19-20).

4. The church is not to provide social meals as one of its works. “What! Do you not have houses to cat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you” (1 Cor. 11:22). “But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home” (1 Cor. 11:34).

5. In benevolent work, the church is to relieve needy saints. “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye” (1 Cor. 16:1). “But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. For it pleased those of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem” (Rom. 15:25-26; see also 2 Cor. 8-9).

6. There is only one scriptural cause for putting away one’s mate and marrying another. “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery” (Matt. 19:9). “But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except for sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery” (Matt. 5:32).

7. When a Christian sins, he must repent and confess his sins in order to be forgiven. “. . . for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you” (Acts 8:21-22). “But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. . . . If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:7,9).

Brethren, have we proven these things by the Bible? If not, show us where we missed it. If these things are proven by the Bible (and I believe they are) then, all teaching and practice contrary to them is wrong! The Bible does say, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thess. 5:21). But it does not say that you can prove all things by the Bible!

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 6, p. 165
March 16, 1989

By Steve Klein

One of the saddest lives ever lived by a human being came to a close recently when Ted Bundy was executed in Florida’s electric chair. According to an Associated Press news story that appeared in the Gadsden Times (January 15, 1989), Bundy confessed to detectives that “he had murdered 23 young women since the mid-1970’s” but authorities believe the number “could total 36 nationwide” and others have speculated that it may be over 100! Ted Bundy’s death evidences the fact that the “governing authorities” do not “bear the sword in vain,” but they serve as “God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil” (Rom. 13:14).

I am both sickened and horrified at Ted Bundy’s death. Sickened because, in all probability, his soul is lost forever and he is waiting even now to be cast into “the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Rev. 21:8). Horrified because I see in Ted Bundy’s life the soul destroying potential of the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. You see, Ted Bundy claimed, in an interview with James Dobson just hours before his execution, that pornography “guided and shaped” what he did.

The frightening thing is that the same power that guided Ted Bundy is reaching even into the homes of Christians today. As Bundy said, “Those of us who are or who have been so much influenced by violence in the media, in particular pornographic violence, are not some kind of inherent monsters. We are your sons and we are your husbands and we grew up in regular families. And pornography can reach out and snatch a kid out of any house today.”

Theodore Bundy was not raised to be a serial killer by his parents. He said he was raised in a “Christian” home. And it is true that his mother and siblings seem to be fine moral people and exemplary citizens. Bundy believed that without the influence of pornography on his life, things would have turned out a lot different for him too.

Many of you are saying to yourselves, “It can’t happen in my house!” or “None of my children will ever be exposed to the kind of mind defiling material that Ted Bundy was! ” Stop and think about what comes into your house through your television. In the interview with James Dobson, which I have seen on tape replay, Bundy said, “What scares and appalls me is what I see on Cable T.V.” He noted that much of what is on cable would have been rated “X” when he was growing up, and that with so many kids watching it, we may well be raising an entire society of Ted Bundy’s. (The truth is that even network television programs frequently contain scenes that most people would have labeled pornographic just a few years ago.)

“Pornography” is an interesting word. It comes from two Greek words which are both found in the original language of the New Testament. The first half of “pornography” is from pornos and it refers to a “fornicator” or “one who practices sexual immorality” (see 1 Cor. 5:9, 10; Eph. 5:5; Rev. 21:8). The second half of “pornography” is from graphein which means “to write.” Pornography then involves the depiction of erotic behavior in words or pictures in such a way as to cause sexual excitement or encourage sexual immorality.

The primary spiritual problem created by pornography is described in the Scriptures by the word “lust.” “Lust” is an unlawful desire for anything, but particularly unlawful sexual desire. Jesus said, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:28). I don’t think it would be overstating the facts if we said that this statement of Jesus roughly equates the viewing of pornography with adultery. After all, why does a person look at pornography? To lust! What does Jesus say one has done when he looks to lust? He has committed. adultery! -And make no mistake about it, such lust inevitably destroys lives. The wise man Solomon instructed his son not to lust after the beauty of an evil woman in his heart” (Prov. 6:25). Why not? “Can a man take fire to his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on coals and his feet not be seared?” (Prov.6:27-28) You cannot play with the fire of lust without getting burned!

What can we do to fight the destructive influence of pornography in our lives? In connection with his earlier statement Jesus said, “If you right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matt. 5:29). Other scriptural instructions for fighting lust are not quite so dramatic, but teach the same thing in essence. Paul instructed the Romans to “make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts” (Rom. 13:14b). He told Timothy to “flee youthful lusts” (2 Tim. 2:22a), and he told Titus that God’s grace teaches us to deny “ungodliness and worldly lusts” (Tit. 2:11-12). Peter begs us to “abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11b). We must then “abstain from, ” “flee,” “deny, ” and “make no provision to fulfill” lust! If one must pluck out his eye to accomplish this, then by all means let him pluck it out!

But there are other things we can “pluck” to escape the damaging influence of pornographic lust. We could pluck the cable out of the back of our T.V. if necessary. We could pluck the VCR tape of a movie that is unfit to watch out of the VCR We could pluck ourselves off the couch when some steamy “soap” comes on. If worse comes to better, we could pluck our T.V. out of the house. We could pluck our children out of the movie theaters where filth is being shown, and out of the convenience stores and book stores that make visual trash available. Pornography can be beaten, it just takes a lot of pluck!

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 6, pp. 161, 183
March 16, 1989

By Patrick T. Donahue

Sometimes we emphasize the Bible’s warnings against strife (Gal. 5:20), debate (Rom. 1:29), contention (Prov. 17:14), etc., to the point that listeners get the idea that a Christian should not be described by these characteristics in any sense. Of course, the Bible teaches a rightful place for these practices.

The difference is in what we are striving, debating, or contending for. The Bible teaches us to “strive not about words to no profit” (2 Tim. 2:14). This has to do with striving for false doctrine (2 Tim. 2:16,18), striving about questions that the gospel does not concern itself with (1 Tim. 1:4). On the other hand, the Christian is to strive “to preach the gospel” (Rom. 15:20).

A certain kind- of “debate” is condemned in the Bible (2 Cor. 12:20). Another kind is enjoined (Prov. 25:9). Paul’s example of reasoning “out of the scriptures” is commended to us in Acts 17:2. Apollos debated with the Jews, “shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ” (Acts 18:28). Debates are right and good as long as we are debating for the truth of the Scriptures and not false doctrine or our own opinions and ideas.

It is wrong to be “contentious” against God’s ordinances (1 Cor. 11:16,2). It is right, however, to contend for God’s ordinances. Michael the archangel was “contending with the devil” in a righteous way (Jude 9). The Bible even commands us to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).

Jeremiah was “a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth” (Jer. 15: 10). We should certainly be the same. As a matter of fact, we should make it a point to become like, and do like Jeremiah. We should work to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh” us “a reason of the hope that is in” us (1 Pet. 3:15). We should always be “set for the defense of the gospel” (Phil. 1:17).

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 5, p. 143
March 2, 1989

By David Moyer

As the father of a teenager, it is my responsibility and privilege to make sure that I teach him what is right and wrong (Eph. 6:4). This is especially true when it comes to the temptations of the flesh he will be encountering as he reaches maturity and adulthood.

This is my son’s first year of high school, the beginning of those years of adolescence, the start of interest in girls and, in the not-too-distant-future, the beginning of dating activities.

I remember well when I was his age – the happiness and the struggles, the tremendous pressures of a young Christian trying to do what is right when the wrong looked like so much fun! I suppose I survived those years – I’m still alive – but I still recall the tough temptations, the mistakes, the tears, and also the laughter. It was during those same high school years I met my wife. We dated, fell in love, went through the usual ups-and-downs, got married, and began our family, Now we have come full circle, and have a son nearing the age we were when we met.

So what do I say to my children to help them survive their teen years without doing something they would regret for the rest of their lives? All I can say is what is taught in the Scriptures. I can spend time with them to answer their questions with the principles found in the Word, and point them to the proper behavior which glorifies God and helps them feel good about themselves.

Dating Behavior

Dating is an acceptable method of enjoying associations with members of the opposite sex. It is a period of time when one learns about another person, and has the opportunity to make choices regarding the potential of that person to be a husband or wife for life.

Dating begins when one is somewhat attracted to another, that is, sees something in another person that is likable, or “attractive.” After the preliminary shyness and butterflies of making the date, these individuals now must decide what they are going to do while together, and this is where parental guidance is absolutely necessary. If wrong choices are made at this point, there will be haunting memories for the rest of their lives, or else the conscience will become calloused so as not to feel the guilt of the mistakes.

I want to consider some “dating behavior” in light of biblical teaching, and give answers to three questions which are often asked by teenagers, not just those in the church.

1. Is It Okay to Have Sex?

The Bible says, “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” (Heb. 13:4). If marriage is going to be kept pure, then any sexual activity outside of that relationship is wrong, period. To understand this perfectly, a clear definition is needed. Fornication:

“Sexual intercourse between a man and woman not married to each other” (American Heritage Dictionary).

“. . . is used (a) of illicit sexual intercourse . . . it stands for, or includes, adultery” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary Of New Testament Words, Vol. 11, p. 125).

“To commit adultery, to be utterly unchaste,. . . . Every form of unchastity is included in the term” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, p. 746).

We can be crystal clear in our understanding of how God feels about any sexual conduct or activity outside of marriage. Whether it be hetero- or homo-, whether it be approved by society or not, any sexual activity outside of marriage is wrong, it is sin!

Can it be any clearer than this: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exod. 20:14)? “Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality” (Eph. 5:3). “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord (1 Cor. 6:14). “Flee sexual immorality, . . . he who sins sexually sins against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:18).

Yet for some reason people today, not only teens, argue, “But we love each other, and we plan to get married . . . someday . . . maybe.” The reason why anyone tries to justify an act that is clearly and expressly defined as sin is stated in John 3:19, “but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”

Some will even go so far as to say that pre-marital sex is okay, there’s nothing wrong with it. Young reader, do not listen to those voices. Hear what God said about those who say such things. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isa. 5:20).

Be assured of this, the Spirit speaks expressly premarital sex is a sin. Don’t make the mistake you’ll regret for all eternity.

2. If Sex Is Wrong, How About Just “Making Out”?

Let’s go back to the definitions. Lasciviousness:

“Lewd; lecherous, licentious” (American Heritage Dictionary).

“Absence of restraint, indecency, wantonness lack of self-restraint” (Fine’s, Vol. II, p. 310).

“Wanton (acts or) manners, a filthy word, indecent bodily movements, unchaste handling of males and females” (Thayer’s Lexicon, p. 79).

“Follow the inclination to sensuality, . . . indecent conduct” (Arndt and Gingrich Lexicon, p. 114).

Licentious: “Lacking moral discipline or sexual restraint; lewd” (American Heritage Dictionary).

Take a careful look at the definitions. When you touch the body of another person (other than your husband or wife) in such a way as to excitesexual desires, you are guilty of the sin of lasciviousness and licentiousness. Notice particularly the use of the phrase, “unchaste handling.” This is a reference to touching the body of another person in a sexual way.

When I was a teenager I heard my father speak of “petting.” I related that to the “petting” of my dog, stroking its back and rubbing its ears. As a kid that comparison didn’t make much sense to me, but now it does. Stroking my wife’s back and rubbing her ears takes on a whole different connotation for me now.

To “pet,” or stroke the body of another person will evoke a physical and emotional response. This is how the meaning of the definition “follow the inclination to sensuality” is applied. To touch another is appealing to the senses – it feels good, it is exciting. To continue to touch the parts of the body that promote the feeling of excitement screams out for going a little further, and a little further, and it becomes difficult if not impossible to stop.

Parents, talk with your kids about what an exciting touch is all about. Talk about how holding hands may be OK but full body hugs may be wrong – and why!

The Bible plainly says, “the works of the flesh are obvious . . . lasciviousness (debauchery) . . . they who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19-21). “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires . . . because of these the wrath of God is coming” (Col. 3:5-6).

Be assured of this, the Spirit speaks expressly: touching anotherperson’s body (not your mate) in such a way that causes sexual excitement is a sin. And it could very well lead to having sex! Please don’t hand me that nonsense that you are strong enough to stop before it gets out of hand. That’s a lie of the devil. Don’t make the mistake you’ll regret for all eternity.

3. Can I Go To The Dance This Weekend?

The temptation to go to dances is often quite strong. School dances are held after all the big ballgames; the graduation is capped with a prom; even some churches are holding dances, giving the dance an air of respect.

In regards to this question we need to be careful so as not to be guilty of “throwing out the baby with the bathwater.” I don’t think we could make a blanket condemnation of everything that carries the label “dance.”

There are biblical verses which speak of dancing in favorable terms, and also in condemnatory terms.

The following verses speak of dancing in positive terms as a celebration, an outburst of joy, even an act of worship: Psalm 30:11; Ecclesiastes 3:4; Jeremiah 31:4,13; Lamentations 5:15; Matthew 11:17; Luke 15:25. Clearly there are types of dances which are not condemned in Scripture.

So what’s all the fuss about dancing? One example of the problem is found in Matthew 14:6-12. In this text a dance was used which so aroused the King that he made a fool of himself and caused the murder of John the Baptist. Clearly, something in that kind of dance was sinful. What was it?

Go back to the definition of lasciviousness: “indecent bodily movements, . . . following the inclination to sensuality.” If there is something in the dance that emphasizes certain parts of the body which tend to arouse sexual excitement, then that movement is sin! If there is something in the dance movement which stirs the mind toward thinking in terms of sensual desires, then that dance is wrong!

With this definition in mind, think of the embraces and movements of the bodies on the dance floor. Sometimes you see arms and legs intertwined that are suggestive of sexual embrace. (Does “Dirty Dancing” ring a warning bell?) Body gyrations and jiggling either practiced or observed puts a person in a position that is nothing more or less than that of sexual advertisement and suggestiveness – all set to the beat of music. (The thought crosses my mind; how would people look going through all those motions if there was no music? They would look pretty sillyl Bob Hope once remarked that “if they turned off the music the dancers would all be put in jail.”)

Now, if you think for a moment that I am only spouting the old church party line concerning the modern dance, read the following quotations spoken by leading authorities on dance:

Dancing is an exciting and pleasurable recreation as it affords a partial satisfaction to the sex impulse (Lita Hollingsworth, professor of Education, Columbia University).*

The difference between wrestling and dancing is that, in wrestling some holds are barred. I don’t think ballroom dancing will ever return to popularity. People always thought of it as a prelude to sex, but people do not need preludes anymore (Arthur Murray, famous dance instructor).**

Dances … have developed from the Twist. The feet are rooted to the spot, though there is plenty of motion, callipygian, pelvic, mammary, cranial, and gesticulary…. The youngsters . . . have parodied it into a replica of some ancient tribal puberty rite . . . the pelvis gets all the play . . ., switching sexily from side to side, while the hands make slow sensuous gestures (Time Magazine).*

Dr. E.S. Sommers, past eminent specialist in nervous disorders of Chicago and Los Angeles, spoke of the modern dance in these terms:

I flatly do charge that the modern social dancing is fundamentally sinful and evil. I charge that dancing’s charm is based entirely upon sex appeal. I charge that dancing is the most advanced and most insidious of the maneuvers preliminary to sex betrayal. It is nothing more or less than damnable, diabolical, animal, physical dissipation. Under what other shield can a man or woman, a youth or maiden so promiscuously fondle so many people of the opposite sex in a single evening or a lifetime? I am no prig or prude and so I can tell you frankly it is not safe to subject even the strongest men and woman to the subtle temptations of the dance. A trail of broken homes proves this. The physical stimulation of the dance with its fingerlings of the lowest and most primitive emotions, drugs the intellect and the spirit.**

Summary

I believe our teens need to have valid and reasonable answers to their questions as regards their dating activities. The Bible is not silent concerning these issues which so strongly affect the lives of our young people; the answers are clear. Sex outside of marriage is a sin. Touching another’s body (not your mate) in a sexual way is a sin. Dancing in such a way that either the dancer or the observer has their sensuous desires kindled is a sin.

A Christian will not participate in these activities, nor will he put himself in a situation or go to a locality where these activities will take place.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:11-13).

I want to teach my teenage son the dangers of the world, and I want to give him straight answers to the difficult questions he is facing. I want him to remain pure through his young years so that when he marries he will be pure and pleasing to God and his mate. Will you resolve to do the same for your children?

Endnotes

*Cited from: Dennis Abernathy, “Problems In Dating,” Vanguard Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 20, Oct. 28, 1977, p. 462.

“Cited in: The Voice of Evangelism, July 29, 1950, p. 238.

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 5, pp. 144-146
March 2, 1989