Watchman Magazine

Introducción

• El ser humano, como tal, aprovecha su tiempo, sea para bien o sea para mal.
• Amado lector, quiero hacer énfasis en la diferencia existente entre aprovechar el tiempo y aprovechar bien el tiempo. Aparentemente son dos frases idénticas, pero, al considerarlas a profundidad, son diferentes entre sí.
  1. Millones y millones de personas aprovechan el tiempo.
  2. Pero, son muy pocas personas, relativamente hablando, las que aprovechan bien el tiempo.
• En primer lugar, hablar de “aprovechar el tiempo” se convierte en un tema muy cómodo y fácil debido a la diversidad de conceptos que existen en la mente humana con respeto al uso de la frase en mención. Permítanme citar algunos ejemplos:
  1. El borracho aprovecha su tiempo para ingerir con avidez increíble botella tras botella de licor.
  2. El adúltero y el fornicario aprovechan su tiempo disponible para satisfacer sus instintos y placeres sexuales insaciables.
  3. El ladrón aprovecha su tiempo para lanzarse tras sus víctimas y así obtener un jugoso y anhelado botín.
  4. El joven (por regla general) aprovecha su tiempo para andar en sus placeres juveniles (bailes, drogas, licor, ociosidad, modas, fornicación, etc., etc., etc.).
  5. El estudiante aprovecha su tiempo para dedicarse con afán al estudio y así lograr ver coronada su carrera en el menor tiempo posible.
  6. El médico aprovecha su tiempo para cuidar de la salud de la población que tiene a su alrededor.

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QUESTION:
“Does 2 John 9-11 apply exclusively to the immediate context, and would you please comment on the text?”

REPLY:
“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (2 Jn. 9-11).

 

What Is “The Doctrine Of Christ” In 2 John 9?Some believe we may have fellowship those who do not abide in “the doctrine of Christ.” If a church has a piano or organ in its worship, they will not object. If a church observes traditions of men, such as Easter and Christmas, that is alright, too. 2 John 9, though, is a problem for them. “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”

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To set the issue of women in business meetings clearly and precisely before us, there first must be a basic understanding about what we mean by our terms. Some might jump to unwarranted conclusions anytime it is suggested that women participate at any level in a “decision-making” process (whether business meeting or not), assuming that any activity of women in such a capacity is radical feminism. On the other hand, others might be as quick to assume that a denial of women in any kind of participation relegates women to second class citizenship in the kingdom and degrades them as compared to men of the church.

In order to avoid this pendulum swing of extremes, we should be very sure that we understand our terms and that they have a firm foundation on the word of God. What we believe and practice must not be either a position based on ancient cultural traditions or a reaction against a more modern, liberalizing culture. Contrary to what some teach, the Lord’s people can establish a scriptural practice outside the constraints of time and tradition, solely upon a “thus saith the Lord,” independent of and separate from any other consideration. The question is, “What does God authorize?”, not “What is cultural at the moment?”, or, “What was cultural in New Testament times?” Women’s Liberation concepts must not be allowed to influence us; male chauvinism has no place in our deliberations. It is inspiration from God alone that guides our thinking.

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“And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up – if in fact the dead do not rise” (1Corinthians 15:14-15). The conviction that Jesus rose from the dead lies at the very heart of the Christian’s faith. Therefore, if we can be certain that He did rise, then we can be certain that we are correct in following Him. Likewise, if we cannot be certain that He rose, then our faith as Christians is without a substantial foundation. It is of the utmost importance, then, that we can be completely certain of Jesus’ resurrection. But, how can we be certain, seeing that we were not present to witness it for ourselves?

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Each Spring we are privileged to witness the rejuvenation of those trees, flowers, and plants God created and made suitable for our particular region of His world. As the earth warms again, the thoughts of many return to the art of gardening. The first we read of gardening in the Bible is Genesis 2:8-10, “The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.” What a magnificent garden that must have been. Even this brief description paints for us a scene of bounty and conveys a sense of lush tranquillity. In addition to all of the trees which were pleasant to the eye and good for food, the tree of life, itself, was growing in God’s garden. While we recognize the place described in Revelation 2:7 is not Eden, we can, perhaps, better appreciate Eden by this description… “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” The place where the tree of life is found is described as paradise, so Eden must have been great.

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The Gospel Guardian
Volume 12, Number 8 ~ June 23, 1960

Apostasies do not occur overnight. Their final results cannot be fully known during their process of growth and development. Apostasies require three elements: (1) A lack of knowledge of the will of God and a disrespect for the same; (2) The exaltation of human leaders and human pronouncements; (3) Time. Only after a wrong attitude toward God and his word has become prevalent, and enough time has elapsed for this attitude to manifest itself in departures from God’s will, can the full consequences begin to be seen and known. Apostasy results. Such has been the case, is presently true, and ever shall be. Many are the examples which stand as proof of these assertions.

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“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things.”

Previous articles by this writer in Watchman Magazine appearing under the broad heading of “Attitudes Toward Preaching” have identified problematic areas which hinder the spread of the gospel. When men who preach have bad attitudes, those mind-sets invariably interfere with the free dissemination of truth. The “earthen vessels” (2 Cor. 4:7) which carry the precious message of the cross can certainly detract from its message. Whether accidental or intentional, human weaknesses mask the beauty of the story of Jesus. It should be the goal of every minister of the gospel to “hide behind the cross of Christ” and “evangel” (proclaim) Jesus and not himself.

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Romans 12:1-2, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (NASB)

James 1:26-27, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

I think it valid to consider these passages together. The words “religious” and “religion” used in the James’ passage have to do with the external acts we perform in regard to our service to God. There is no profit in the practice of showing piety in our congregational worship, while neglecting our duties and responsibilities of service and purity of thought and action, specifically, James said, in the area of self control of our tongues. Combining that idea with the teaching of Paul in the Roman letter, our “worship” to God is our service to Him in the presentation of ourselves as renewed and transformed by the good, acceptable and perfect will of God.

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The Bible overflows with exhortations to purity. Note the following passages as examples of this:

“Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man” (Matthew 15:18-20).“We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him” (1 John 5:18).“Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart“ (2 Timothy 2:22).

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8) .

“Therefore ‘Come out from among them And be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters,’ Says the LORD Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 6:17-7:1).

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

From the preceding passages of scripture, the call of God to purity among His people becomes very clear. This call to purity covers the gamut … every aspect of our lives. One very interesting area where God demands purity is in conscience. However, a proper understanding of the term “conscience”, and the use of the term “purity” in connection with it is necessary for us to understand the teaching of scripture. This we will endeavor to establish in this article.

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Man has an inherent need to worship. This need is as strong as his need for sleeping, for eating, for companionship, etc. If we go to the most remote corners of the world we will find this need being fulfilled by all societies. People may not always worship the right thing, but they worship something. They may not always worship in the right way, but they worship some way. They may not even believe in the God of heaven, but they believe in some supreme power.

Some in our society teach that it does not matter how you worship if you are sincere. In An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Vol. IV, page 236, W.E. Vine says, “The worship of God is nowhere defined in Scripture.” He is saying that God has made us and allows us to serve Him if we choose, in any manner we choose. It means that God does not care how we worship Him and that any worship is acceptable to Him. If this is the case then how can there be true or pure worship?

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(Could A Lack of Moral Purity Have Caused the Downfall of Demas?)

Recently, I read of a discovery made in the nation of Greece, this year, that stunned quite a number of anthropologists digging below the ancient city of Thessalonica. They unearthed a vast system of overly large tunnels and chambers which had only been hinted at in various ancient texts, some texts well over 2,000 years old. It seems that this city’s subterranean realm was very well known in its own time throughout the Roman Empire. It was devoted to the commercial exploitation of prostitution and all other kinds of sexual wickedness. In fact the complex is so large that it must have employed thousands of people and so was of major social and economic significance. The walls of these tunnels and chambers are richly and graphically embellished with murals, caricatures, and other artistic but very obscene etchings and paintings of a pornographic nature. These pictures tell the story that this place was intended to impress the reveler in Roman times with the idea that when one had descended into this place they had entered “the underworld” in which every sexual deviancy imaginable could be experienced. This place was in its “heyday” and at full swing during the life of the apostle Paul.

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Introduction

“Accustom your children constantly to this; if a thing happened at one window and they, when relating it, say that it happened at another, do not let it pass, but instantly check them; you do not know where deviation from truth will end.”

So wrote Samuel Johnson in 1778 concerning the absolute necessity of telling the unvarnished truth. The writer is concerned in this present article with examining the subject of relating the truth of God’s word, that is, teaching pure doctrine to the hearer. If we permit ourselves or an esteemed fellow traveler the right to a certain amount of unchastised impurity of doctrine, we invite a flood of apostasy to deluge us, for once the door of error has been made ajar, it becomes impossible to bar it again.

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“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:12-16).

The preceding paragraph of instructions, given by the great Apostle Paul to Timothy, his “son in the faith”, contains much of benefit to all who wear the name of our Lord. The call to diligence in doctrine, love and morality are not exclusive to young evangelists. Rather they are needed for all who would be followers of God.

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Editors Note: Watchman Magazine will run the following series of articles in the July, August, September and October issues of the Magazine. Combined, they represent a very thorough study of the subject. Enjoy!

(Part 1 of 4)

With this series of articles, we intend to study the tendency to broaden fellowship beyond that which Christ has endorsed in His gospel (2 Jno. 9-11; Eph. 5:7-11). We must carefully study the teaching of Christ’s gospel which bears upon the topic of unity and fellowship among brethren, and then carefully obey it to be approved by God (2 Tim. 2:15).

 

Unity Is Based Upon Revealed TruthThe gospel calls us to a unity which is based upon the revealed truth of God (Eph. 4:1-6; 1 Cor. 1:10). The only credible standard of authority to which we may rightly appeal to establish unity is the revealed word of Christ, the New Testament (Jno. 17:20-21; Col. 3:17). It is His word that establishes faith and enables unity. The inspired teachings of His apostles make it possible for us to have fellowship with them and with God (1 Jno. 1:1-4, 5-7). When we go beyond the teaching of Christ – His New Testament – we forfeit our fellowship with the Father and the Son (2 Jno. 9). While yet on earth Jesus affirmed this truth when He said, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (Jno. 14:23). Loving Christ is tantamount to keeping His word. Therefore, when one speaks of keeping or obeying the word of Christ in all things, he is speaking of loving the Son of God.

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