Truth Magazine

By Kenneth E. Thomas

Lately some have created a false idea in the minds of Christians that suggests that a person cannot know for sure that he is saved until he stands before Christ at the judgment and hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21 a). Ask a Christian the question, “Do you, know that you are saved and that, if You died right now, you would go to heaven to be with the Lord?” See for yourself that a number of Christians do not believe that they can know and will not give a definite answer to the above question. I have asked this question and listened to the response a number of times. Usually the answer runs something like this: “Well I don’t know, but I sure hope so. ” Is there a sense of security in such an answer? I am unable to find any joy or assurance in such an answer. Saying “I hope so ” isn’t anything like having hope. Paul says that “we are saved by hope” (Rom. 8:24). This means expectation of things to come, not as the person who says, “I hope so!” They are saying I don’t know for sure. That isn’t the kind of hope that causes one to “with patience wait for it” (v. 25).

Examine Yourselves

While the apostle Paul taught against a person being overly confident or boastful about his standing with Christ saying, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12), he nonetheless also taught that one can be aware of his standing with Christ by a self-examination. The passage says, “Examine yourself, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Cor. 13:5) To the alien sinner on Pentecost, Peter exhorted, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation” (Acts 2:40). To the brethren at Philippi Paul said, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). If one cannot know for sure he is saved, those who obey the gospel don’t know for sure that their sins were forgiven as Jesus promises when he said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mk. 16:16). If one cannot know he is saved, self-examination can serve no purpose. James affirms that the person who “looketh into the perfect law of libertyaand continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deeds” (Jas. 1:25; see also 2:14-26, 1:18-24). You can know whether or not you have obeyed the gospel of Christ. You can know whether or not you are “walking in the light as he is in the light” (1 Jn. 1:7). Remaining in fellowship hinges on walking in the light; one can know if he is doing the will of the Lord! Paul said, “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17). He also admonished the young man Timothy to make effort to rightly divide the word of truth so he would not be ashamed before Christ (2 Tim. 2:15). In fact, Paul reminded Timothy “that from child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15).

There Is A Crown . . .for Me

This great man who said that he had to keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Cor. 9:27), was able to say at the end of his earthly sojourn, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

That You May Know

John said, “And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son has life, and he that has not the Son of God has not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 Jn. 5:11-13). Now that settles the matter once and for all to the believer! The fact that we have “eternal life” and are “in Christ” doesn’t mean that we cannot by our own free will and actions forfeit such. I chose to believe and obey Christ; I can just as surely choose to cease serving him and go back to serving Satan and cease to abide in Christ. I will cease to possess eternal life if I make such a choice. “If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (Jn. 15:6). If I abide in Christ and bear fruit, my position becomes more secure as Christ has said, “Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit (Jn. 15:2b).

“Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine”

Christians have been singing this beautiful and reassuring hymn for as long as I can remember, and no doubt before I was born. If one cannot know for sure where he stands with his Lord, what assurance can he have? I suggest there would be none. But as we have seen already, there is much assurance given in the Scriptures. Jesus said to his disciples, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him ” (Jn. 14:23). Compare this with 2 John 9.

The Spirit Bars Witness With Ours

Denominationalists of various stripe and color have so misused the passages we now consider that perhaps some of our brethren fail to appreciate their significance, and the assurance these passages can bring.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

The Holy Spirit who revealed the will of God to chosen men in the first century has preserved his will in the New Testament (1 Cor. 2:7-13; Jn. 12:49; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:3). One is being led by the Spirit when he is believing and practicing that which the Spirit has revealed in the Scriptures. One who does not abide in the teaching of Christ “hath not God” (2 Jn. 9). Some folks have perverted the meaning of these passages to mean that if I feel good about what I believe, this is the Spirit bearing witness with my spirit that I am a child of God. That is not what the verses say! Such as idea has my sprit really doing all of the witnessing! There must be an agreement between what I believe and practice with what the Holy Spirit has revealed to be God’s will for man. “With” means “together.” Let me take some space to give a clear example of what I am saying:

The Spirit Says I Must Believe

In Hebrews 11:6 we read, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Jesus said to the Jews of his day, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am (the Christ, ket), ye shall die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24). Now if I believe in the one true God and in his Son Jesus Christ, then my spirit agrees or bears witness with the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit Commands Repentance

If the great love story of the cross of the Son of God has touched my heart and moved me to repent because I have believed that God, in love, did for me what I could not do for myself in providing this great sacrifice for my sins, and that godly sorrow filled my heart causing me to change my mind about my actions and turn to Christ, I have repented. The Holy Spirit’s teachings relative to repentance and my spirit bear witness together that I have complied with his instructions. The Spirit says, “Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish ” (Lk. 13:3) and, “Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death” (2 Cor. 7:10).

The Spirit Says Confess Christ

Paul says,” With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation ” (Rom. 10:10). In his personal ministry Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32). If I have made a confession with my mouth that I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, then I have done what the Spirit says I must, and my spirit bears witness with the Holy Spirit in this matter (see Acts 8:37).

The Spirit Commands Immersion In Water

Not only does the Holy Spirit through his word command baptism or immersion in water after one believes, repents and confesses faith in Christ, he says the design for baptism is the forgiveness of past sins (Acts 2:38); to wash away sins (Acts 22:16); to get into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:26-27); to be saved (1 Pet. 3:20-21); and into the one body (the church, 1 Cor. 12:13). Now I can know beyond a shadow of a doubt if I have been immersed in water for these Bible reasons. If I have, then the Holy Spirit and my spirit bear witness one with the other that I am a child of God. If one claims this witness who has not so obeyed, then he is simply sadly mistaken in the matter; his own spirit may not accuse him, but since the Holy Spirit’s teachings and that person’s claim disagree, the Spirit does not bear witness that such is a child of God. In fact the Holy Spirit says he is still a child of the devil who has not obeyed the gospel of Christ (2 Thess. 1:6-10).

The Spirit Commands Faithfulness

Many people are just sure that all is well with their souls when, by their lives and by their beliefs and practices, it just isn’t so! There are many who have departed from the faith. Oh sure, they are faithful to attend the services of the local congregation and would not think of not partaking of the memorial supper (communion) every Lord’s day, but they do not study God’s word (2 Tim. 2:15); do not try to convert others to Christ (2 Tim. 2:2; Heb. 5:12-14); show no compassion to those in need (Gal. 6: 10; 1 Jn. 3:17; Matt. 25:31-46); do not pray habitually (1 Thess. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:14); do not give as liberally as they should (Matt. 6:33; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 8,9).

Some believe themselves to be in God’s favor who advocate support of various human institutions from the church’s treasury. Some have the church engaging in athletics and various social activities as functions of local churches of Christ. They feel good about such, but the Spirit authorizes no such activities. The Spirit isn’t bearing witness to these or any other unlawful activities (Col. 3:17; 2 Jn. 9). Yes, if you’re saved you can know it. You now possess eternal life in promise, prospect, and hope. If you are faithful unto death, heaven will be your home by God’s grace (Mk. 10:30). In any case, it will not be by your perfect performance; if so, the Lord Jesus Christ would not have had to die. We stand through forgiveness through the blood of Christ by gospel obedience.

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 6, pp. 176-177, 183
March 16, 1989

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