Sound Teaching: Podcasts, Sermons & Articles by Stan CoxFeature editor’s note: We reprint the following article from brother Foy E. Wallace, Jr. (no relation to this writer) because of its relevancy to mission work. Issues over which brethren divided 50 years ago are still before us as those among us doing mission work encounter brethren supported and/or sent by churches involved in the very things about which brother Wallace writes. Also, some of the same dangers of which he warns with regards to premillennial brethren of the past are applicable to brethren who have drifted into errors of our day.
The Issues Before Us
by Foy E. Wallace, Jr.
¿Qué tan seguro es que la Biblia de ahora contiene exactamente lo mismo que los escritos originales? No tenemos los documentos originales escritos por Moisés, Pablo, o Lucas, y demás (llamados autógrafos). En cambio, sólo tenemos copias de los originales, que son tan fieles como los originales. Pero, ¿cómo podemos saber que el texto original de la Biblia ha sido preservado fielmente?
It has been suggested by some that it is a violation of the context to apply the principles of 2 John 9-11 to modern issues since the context of John’s epistles was to combat gnosticism. Thus, the “doctrine of Christ” had to do with the “doctrine about Christ” and not the “doctrine which Christ taught.” Many have concluded that this limited application of 2 John 9-11 does not preclude fellowship with those who introduce unauthorized practices in our time since they cannot be classed as “gnostic.” Distinction is made between “gospel and doctrine,” “grace and law,” “the cross and the church” in such a way as to restrict salvation to belief in this limited “gospel” while denying that any “doctrine” can condemn. Consequently, there is a broadening of fellowship with many that extends to those accepting the “humanity and deity of Christ,” even though they are guilty of practicing denominational error.
Are we limited in our use of scripture to a very narrow application that has to do only with the immediate context, or does God expect us to apply the principles of context to situations not directly addressed in the text? Certainly, there should never be a violation of context. A passage must never be lifted from its setting and used to prove something that is contradictory or foreign to the principle expressed by inspiration. But God’s word is so constructed so as to be able to fore-know all error and to teach against it in principle, if not specifically. For example, though pornography on the internet did not exist when the New Testament was written, the principle of pornography being sinful is expressed in such a manner that we can know pornography is wrong because the context of Galatians 5 condemns every expression of it. Would it be a violation of context to apply Galatians 5:19ff to internet sins?
Those who do not believe in Jesus will sometimes claim that there is no historical evidence that He ever existed. This is a most amazing claim, which is very easily proven false, and yet it is often taught in high school classrooms and on college campuses as though it were a matter of fact. It is true that there is no credible record of His actual teachings, and no reliable history of His life, apart from the New Testament. However, it is also true that Jesus is mentioned by name by non-Christian writers in the first century. Furthermore, there are abundant references to His disciples in the writings of ancient secular historians. That Jesus existed is a matter of undeniable fact.
Martin Luther translated the Bible into the common language of his country in the early 1500’s. This act, coupled with his stance against certain practices of the Catholic Church, was genuinely courageous. That fact, however, doesn’t negate the false teaching he advocated. Luther compounded his error by presumptuously adding the word alone to the phrase “justified by faith” in his German translation of Romans.* His intent was to bolster his teaching that faith only was required for salvation. It speaks volumes that Luther was not satisfied with the Scriptures as they were written but felt the need to tamper with them. This same problem exists today in our English Bibles. A number are paraphrases rather than actual translations. As such they are men’s commentaries of the Scriptures which are being pawned off as Bibles to a largely unsuspecting public. Several religious groups have their own Bibles which change some of the original texts to teach their peculiar doctrines. Care needs to be taken even when selecting actual translations since the doctrinal biases or religious skepticism of some translators have crept into their work.
Angels seem to be everywhere now; in television shows, toy stores, craft malls, and in porcelain figurines. These pretty winged creatures, male and female, are the latest craze. This makes it even harder to teach our children what angels really are, but does it really matter if we tell them that angels do not have wings? Do we need to be that particular?
I believe we do because by teaching our children exactly what the Bible reveals about angels, we are laying a pattern for scriptural accuracy and authority in their minds. We are teaching an attitude toward the scripture; an attitude that we must speak accurately of holy things, as the oracles of God, and that we must respect what God has said in scripture.
The state of Texas (where I live) is only one of many which run a lottery. The proliferation of these games of chance brings to the forefront questions concerning the morality of gambling. Is gambling a sin? This article will attempt to answer honestly that question by an appeal to scripture. However, before the Bible is discussed in this regard, might I make a few salient points about lotteries in particular?
To be “bound” is to be restricted or tied up. Herod physically “bound” John and put him in prison (Matthew 14:3). Figuratively, Paul was “bound in the spirit”, in the sense that apprehension of the unknown had him tied up (Acts 20:22). By contrast, to be “loosed” is to be set free from that which restricts us. The disciples were to “loose” the ass which had been tied up (Mark 11:2,4). In raising Jesus from the dead, God “loosed the pains of death”, for He was not to be “holden of it” (Acts 2:24).
The Scriptures speak of husbands and wives being “bound” and “loosed”. By whom or what is a husband and wife bound? How long are they bound? If two people are not married any longer, are they no longer bound? Can one mate be “loosed” while the other mate “bound”?