This Issue...
 Randy Kea
The above sentiment is not anything new. In fact, as soon as you open the Bible and start reading it, you read the account in Genesis 3 where Satan, through the instrumentality of the subtle serpent, re-writes the word of God in order to deceive and lead astray Mother Eve.
Another example of re-writing God’s Word is Jeroboam. Just prior to the death of Solomon (because of his apostasy and idolatry) the Lord said to him, “forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen” (1 Kings 11:11-13).
Upon the death of Solomon the kingdom divided. Rehoboam would retain the Southern Kingdom which included Benjamin, Judah, and Jerusalem. However, Jeroboam became king over the northern ten tribes. When all of this takes place, Jeroboam became concerned that the northern kingdom would return to the house of David in Jerusalem. He believed the people would turn back to Rehoboam as they would return to Jerusalem to do sacrifice. To keep the ten tribes loyal to him he re-wrote God’s Word by:
Jesus condemned the religious leaders of His day for re-writing the Bible (the Law of Moses). Matthew and Mark both record the Lord’s rebuke to the Pharisees (Matt. 15:1-14; Mark 7:1-19). In these accounts Jesus shows the error of holding to human tradition above the authority of the Word of God: “for laying aside the commandment of God ye hold the tradition of men” (Mark 7:8); “but in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9); “thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition” (Matt. 15:6). Clearly then, Jesus will not accept those who re-write the Bible!
Paul wrote of respecting the authority of the Word of God and not tampering with it: “but we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully” (2 Cor. 4:2); “for we are not as many, which corrupt (make merchandise of) the word of God” (2 Cor. 2:17). In Galatians chapter 1 the apostle Paul teaches that the troublemakers in religion are not those who stand for the truth, but are those who pervert the Word of God: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ” (1:6-9). To my knowledge this is the only time in the Bible where God pronounces a double curse on something. There are other things that God curses, but re-writing the Bible resides under a double curse (anathema). Those who modify or alter God’s Word perish under the curse!
I would be remiss if I did not add to these comments the pervasive fatal danger of modern versions and translations of the Bible. From the Revised Standard Version through the New International Version and even beyond, examples can be multiplied where men have sought to re-write the Word of God by producing faulty translations. There has never been a time when Satan and his cohorts have not sought to re-write the Word of God whether it be through translations, creeds, commentaries, or false teachers.
PRAYER IS NOT ONE OF THEM #2 Garland M. Robinson I refer you to the first installment of this series in last month’s issue (June). Denominationalism cannot bring themselves to depart from their beloved doctrine of Calvinism that demands man’s salvation is only received by God’s grace/faith alone. They claim man has no part, no role, in being saved except to just “believe.” But even their doctrine of “faith only” demands that man does have role in being saved —man must “do something” (believe) in order to be saved. Let’s be honest. Can’t we think for ourselves? Must we depend on others to tell us what we are to believe and practice? Can’t we read and understand what the Bible teaches and not be corrupted by those who tell us we can’t understand it? If “we” can’t understand it, then how can “they” understand it? Paul said that when we read the Scriptures we can understand (Eph. 3:4). The Scriptures clearly tell us that we are to “rightly divide the word” (2 Tim. 2:15). That is, we are to handle it correctly. We do not make it say something it doesn’t say. We approach the Bible with the understanding that it can be understood; and, that the common man can understand it. There are no contradictions in the Bible. Every passage coincides and complements every other passage. If we apply an interpretation in one place that makes it contradict another place, we’ve missed it. We must go back and dig deeper. The Bible is in perfect harmony when it is examined carefully and accurately. Even a casual study of the Scriptures plainly shows there are “many things” involved in order for man to be saved from his sins. No one thing by itself reveals all there is to “know” or to “do.” Shall we leave out anything that God says and commands? Not if we want to be saved —not if we want to be pleasing to God and be counted faithful in his sight. Last month we mentioned that God’s part is his LOVE, GRACE, MERCY and Christ’s shed BLOOD being essential for man’s salvation. On man’s part is his FAITH in the Lord (Heb. 11:6; John 8:24) and his OBEDIENT response to being BORN AGAIN, “born of water and of the Spirit” (John 3:3,5). However, Calvinists don’t like the “water” part. They don’t know what to do with it because it doesn’t fit “their” belief —it contradicts it! In desperation, they say the water is one’s birth from their mother’s womb. But that is impossible because Jesus is not talking about our first birth. He’s talking about our second birth —being “born again.” Our second birth involves both “water” AND “the Spirit” (John 3:5). The word “and” links water and Spirit together. You can’t have one without the other. God joined water and Spirit together, Calvinists separate them by many years! What more is involved on man’s part that is essential to be saved? The GOSPEL —but not the Gospel alone. “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain” (1 Cor. 15:1-2). “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for IT is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Cor. 1:18,21). The Gospel is the “good news” of Jesus’ redeeming sacrifice he made on the cross in the offering of himself for the remission of sins (Matt. 26:28; Heb. 9:12,14). God calls all men to be saved —by the Gospel (2 Thess. 2:14). The Gospel message is to be broadcast around the world until Jesus’ return to bring the world to an end (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16). It is IMPOSSIBLE for sinners to be saved without first hearing the Gospel. 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 all be taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me” (John 6:44-45). Men hear and learn by means of the Gospel! God can’t save those who don’t hear, learn and obey. Faith that saves is a faith that results in one’s repentance of their sins (Luke 13:3,5), confessing faith in the Christ (Rom. 10:9-10), and being immersed into water “for the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 2:38). Masses of people have been persuaded by false teachers to NOT believe what Peter told the crowd on Pentecost to do to be saved. When many in the audience cried out and asked what to do to be saved, Peter’s answer was “repent and be baptized...for the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 2:38). Gullible souls accept what men say about water baptism and refuse to believe what the Holy Spirit said. Jesus himself made it so plain that even children can understand it. The Lord’s words are, “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Denominations say, “he that believeth and is NOT baptized shall be saved.” The word “not” has been added! Which do you believe and accept, the words of Jesus or the words of men (Satan)? WORDS —but not by words only. Cornelius was told to “...call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; Who shall tell thee WORDS, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved” (Acts 11:14). The inspired James tells us: “Receive with meekness the engrafted WORD, which is able to SAVE your souls. But be ye DOERS of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was” (James 1:21-25). “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, IF ye continue in my WORD, THEN are ye my disciples indeed and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). If it were not for the Word we would not know of God’s will for us and what to do to be saved from our sins. No wonder the Psalmist said, “how sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. ... O how I thy law! it is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:103-105,97). WORKS —but not works only. James 2:21-24, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” Obviously, the works spoken of here are not works of merit. Man is not saved by “works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 2:5; cf. John 3:5). The Holy Spirit (through the pen of James) uses Abraham as an example of how “faith” and “works” go hand-in-hand. One is no good (by itself) without the other. While Romans 4 shows HOW Abraham was justified —by faith (apart or separate from works of merit (works of the law, works of the law of Moses); James 2 shows WHEN Abraham was justified —by works (obedience). His faith was not counted to his credit until he offered Isaac as God commanded. He was justified by “faith” when he “worked.” Will anyone dare say Paul and James are not in harmony? Some do! They don’t know how to handle what James says so they often dismiss the book of James by saying it should not be in the Bible! The Holy Spirit gives another example in James 2:25 to show how “faith” and “works” go together and cannot be separated. “Likewise also (like Abraham, v.21) was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” Hebrews 11:31 says, “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” Rahab was justified before God by FAITH, WHEN she hid the spies (Joshua 2:4-16). Why do men accept Romans 4 and reject James 2? Why don’t they accept James 2 and reject Romans 4? It can’t be explained except that they refuse to believe ALL that the Bible teaches on the vital subject of salvation. They have their mind made up and they will not believe God’s divine word. They are like those in Isaiah’s day. Isaiah 30:9-10, “This is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.” Also, like those in Jeremiah’s day we read, “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken” (Jer. 6:16-17). A vast number of people are willingly ignorant of the Scriptures and fail to see the connection between faith and works. The works by which man is justified are works of obedience. Jesus said, “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and DO NOT the things which I say” (Luke 6:46). Multitudes scream at God and tell him they don’t have to obey him in order to be saved! Their mind is made up and they blindly go to the Bible to prove it and fail miserably to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). Denominational preachers are so confused regarding the Scriptures that they twist, wrest, and distort them unto their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). They do not want to see the harmony between faith and works. Salvation is NOT by faith alone, nor by works alone. It is by BOTH (Faith and Works) as Paul and James reveals. Faith is proven by works —obedience (James 2:22). LOVE OF THE TRUTH —but not love of the truth by itself. “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10). “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:21). “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18). “But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath” (Rom. 2:8). “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures” (James 1:18). “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (1 Peter 1:22). We can’t just believe the truth and be saved, we must obey the truth. That’s how our souls are purified! The Truth is essential. No one can be saved without it. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, IF ye continue in my word, THEN are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). The truth makes us free from the penalty of our sins because the knowledge of God’s will for sinful man (the New Testament) is the only way we know what to BELIEVE and what to DO in order to have forgiveness of our sins. If sinners do not “believe” they cannot be saved. And, if sinners do not “obey” (the Truth) they cannot be saved. A sinner cannot do one without the other and expect to be saved. BOTH are essential for salvation. The Lord only saves those who OBEY him (Heb. 5:9; Matt. 7:21). But man says NO —“faith only” is the way to salvation! That is a LIE (James 2:24)! Don’t let Satan convince you to not obey the truth. Three passages warn us of not obeying the truth (Rom. 2:8; Gal. 3:1; Gal. 5:7). Who will you believe, man or God? More things that save next month. Table of Contents AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH! Johnny O. Trail
While Jesus was on trial, Pilate asked a question that was rhetorical in nature. John 18:37-38 says “Pilate therefore said to Him, Are You a king then? Jesus answered, You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. Pilate said to Him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, I find no fault in Him at all.”
Postmodernists have a truly warped view of what truth is. One commentator called the following discourse “absolute garbage.”
James W. Boyd
Second Thessalonians 2:10, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” This is descriptive of the lost who, because of unrighteousness, do not love the truth and therefore will not be saved; at least in that condition.
Can we love truth unless we know what the truth is? We can want the truth but we cannot love what we have never heard just as we cannot believe having never heard. We need knowledge of the truth before we can love it. Some contend nobody can know the truth and they know that such a contention is the truth! Can you imagine that? Some even say there is no such thing as truth and even if there is we cannot ever know what it is. They say trying to discover the truth is like looking for a black cat in a dark room that is not even there anyway. How do they know that is true? Where did they learn that?
What is our motive for knowing the truth? The truth can set us free from the Law of Moses (Rom. 7). It set us free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8). It grants to us liberty in Christ (John 8:32). Are not these reasons enough for us to love the truth?
Love is an emotion and an attitude that demonstrates itself by word and deed. How do we know we love the truth? This is something that considers the heart of man. If we love the truth we will believe and obey it. We will never exchange the truth for a lie. Proverbs 23:23 says, “Buy the truth and sell it not.” We will strive to live harmoniously with the truth. Loving the truth is the result of a deliberate choice. Living the truth is also a choice. Those of our opening text neither loved nor lived the truth.
When we love the truth we will defend the truth. There have always been those who attack the truth. Such exists now and will exist until the Lord comes again. Jude 3 urges that we contend earnestly for the faith. Paul was set for the defense of the Gospel (Phil. 1:17). Some will wrest, twist, malign and misrepresent the truth. Error cannot be tolerated because “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (1 Cor. 5:6). Error will take away the church, salvation, heaven, not only for us but for those loved ones who follow after us.
Recently someone told me they thought it didn’t matter what a church called itself as long as they worshipped correctly. Is this true according to the Bible? Could a church call itself any name and be acceptable to God as long as they worship correctly? Let’s consider for a moment why it does matter what the church calls itself. In fact, just like worshipping God correctly is essential, going by what the rest of the Bible says about the church is also essential. Notice why this is true.
Friend, a careful study of the Scripture helps us to see that what we call the church really does matter. We need to call the church by names that are found in Scripture and that brings honor and glory to God, not men. May God help us to glorify the church Jesus died for in everything we say and do! Ben Bailey 57 Lincoln Loop Rd. Flintville, TN 37335 Table of Contents
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