Watchman Magazine

Outline of Lesson, December 6, 1998
Forest Hills church of Christ

Intro: A myth has been promoted in many areas about God’s teaching on marriage, divorce and remarriage (mdr) that it is too difficult to understand, that there is a lack of clarity concerning it, and that there are so many divergent views none can be sure about the actual truth. This is fallacious and a charge against the integrity of the inspired message of God. The Holy Spirit speaks to reveal, not conceal; to edify, not confuse; to unify, not divide. God has revealed the whole truth (Jn. 14; 16); it is understandable (Eph. 3:4; John 8:32), and we are foolish if we don’t understand it (Eph. 5:17). Additionally, some claim that “honesty of heart” is a defense for the right of some to hold erroneous views. Being honestly wrong is not a license to teach or fellowship error (Acts 23:1).

The denominational world makes the same charge against other Biblical doctrines as does some of our brethren about mdr. Baptism, the church, instrumental music, imputed righteousness, the Lord’s supper, etc., are all controverted subjects with diversity of views. They, too, plead for the right to practice error for the same reasons. Have you never heard: “It doesn’t make any difference what you believe if you honestly believe it?” Our brethren are now singing the same denominational tune.

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1. The True Church
The Church of Christ
The New Testament Church
(Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:4; Acts 2:47)

Eternal Purpose in God
Ephesians 3:8-10

Preparation for kingdom / church
Matthew 3:1-3; Matthew 4:17; Mark 9:1; Acts 1:5-6

Beginning of Kingdom / church
Acts 2

Historical References: Colossians 1:13; Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; Philippians 1:1

Falling Away Foretold
1 Timothy 4:1

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Outline of Lesson, December 6, 1998
Forest Hills church of Christ

Intro: What saith the scriptures? For generations, we have approached our denominational neighbors with the intent of sharing New Testament Christianity with them. As we have surveyed the division that is characteristic both philosophically and practically of sectarianism, we have told them of a better way. We refer to the unity that is in Christ, manifest by the Spirit, and guided by the inspired message (Eph. 4:1-6). We are not the first to believe and work for doctrinal unity based upon faith in Jesus Christ and the finality of scripture as the supreme court of our faith and practice.

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1. Looking for a Perfect Church in an Imperfect World
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

But We Have:

Perfect Head
Perfect Revelation
Perfect Law
Perfect Foundation
Perfect Plan of Salvation

That We May Become Perfect

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Outline of Lesson, December 6, 1998
Forest Hills church of Christ

Intro: “What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder” (Gen. 2; Mt. 19). While this has specific reference to marriage, there is an underlying principle that applies to anything God has seen fit to joint together. Man has no right to loose what God has bound (Mt. 16:19).

We can see this principle in the relationship of the Old Testament to the New Testament. Truth has been revealed through the ages by the same Spirit of God and it is one seamless depository of truth from Genesis to Revelation. Yet God has divided that truth and applied it as it suited His purpose (Heb. 1:1-3). The Jewish nation was bound to the Law of Moses, but all men are now loosed from it (Col. 2:14). We are taught to learn from it (Rom. 15:4) but it has no authority over us as does the law of Christ (Rom. 8:1-3).

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1. “By Grace Through Faith”

Fellowship in Christ Limited by God’s Holiness
(1 John 1)

God is Light
We Must Walk in the Light to be Sons of Light

Romans 14-15
Text and Context
Immediate Context
Distant Context

Opposing Theories
Gnosticism
Calvinism (TULIP)
Abuse of Grace
Abuse of Romans 14

(Open-ended, Continual Fellowship in Sin)

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Outline of Lesson, December 5, 1998
Forest Hills church of Christ

AN ANALYTICAL EXEGESIS OF ROMANS 14:1-15:7

The grace of God, through revelation, has supplied Divine wisdom by which the people of God are brought to maturity (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Eph. 4:13-16). We are not to be as children, continually tossed as in stormy seas, by every “wind of doctrine.” We are to “grow up” in Christ, reaching a “measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (vv. 13, 15). This grace of God teaches us how we ought to behave in the house of God (Tit. 2:11-12; 1 Tim. 3:15).

Consequently, we learn from the scriptures about things commanded and things forbidden; of things right and things wrong; of the “doctrine of Christ” in which we are to abide (2 John 9-11). In those areas of things required or forbidden, we learn obedience and submission (Heb. 5:8-9). To find unity, we strive to “speak the same things, have no division among us…but be joined perfectly in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10). It is a joy when peace, harmony, and spiritual fellowship is realized from our efforts. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psa. 133:1).

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1. UNIVERSAL NEED OF GRACE
(Never Tire of Preaching It!)

Perfect Law-keeping Cannot Save Jew or Gentile: “All have sinned”
Introduction to Gospel of Grace: AbrahamGospel of Grace:PERFECTING
REMEDIAL
REDEMPTIVE
ATONING
RECONCILING
IMPUTES RIGHTEOUSNESS

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Outline of Lesson, December 4, 1998
Forest Hills church of Christ

Intro: The pioneer preachers who blazed the trails in truth that we have come to regard as the “Restoration Movement” were able to do so only as they wrestled with sectarian doctrines and creeds and returned to the “old paths” of Bible truth. Much of the religious error of early America with which Barton W. Stone, Walter Scott, James O’Kelley; the Campbells, Ben Franklin and other noble preachers contended was that known as Calvinism.

So far as the churches of Christ are concerned, the fundamental teaching of truth during the Restoration Movement was so effective (cf: “The Scheme of Redemption,” by Robert Milligan) that it eradicated practically every vestige of Calvinism among Christians. From the early 1800′s until our generation, classic Calvinism (Tulip) has been recognized as the error it is and has not been a source of internal strife (must less a cause of division) within local congregations. However, history will record that it has become the task of our generation to combat these errors again.

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1. “The Right Hand of Fellowship”
(Galatians 2:9)

Fellowship In Christ
Limited By God’s Holiness, Possible By Forgiveness
(1 John 1)

God Is Light.
We Must Walk in the Light To Be Sons of Light

Opposing Theories
Gnosticism
Calvinism (Tulip)
Abuse of Grace
Abuse of Romans 14
Unity in Diversity
(Open-ended Fellowship in Sin)

Bizarre Theme For Christians To Discuss

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Outline of Lesson, December 3, 1998
Forest Hills church of Christ

Intro: What this series of lectures is all about (chart). Fellowship with God and with brethren is desired among all faithful brethren. All should decry partyism, sectarianism, etc.(cf: 1 Cor. 1:12; modern parallels with papers, colleges, sections of the country). As Paul, “give diligence to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). However, apostasy is an ever present danger and we ignore it to our folly. History is a harsh teacher, looking back over the ruins of fellowship and shattered congregations. Every generation must face this danger or be destroyed, affecting future generations.

Before apostasy becomes a reality, brethren should explore every avenue of Bible study and brotherly controversies with patience and longsuffering (1 Thess. 5:14; Jude 19-23). There should not be a rush to judgment (prematurely drawing lines) or failure to address our differences (ignoring serious issues).

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“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3, NKJV).

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word; that they all may be one, as you, father, are in me, and I in you; that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (John 17:20-21).

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1).

There is no truer foretaste of heaven’s peaceful harmony than that of Christians whose unity in local congregations reflect the “mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:5). In local churches, as well as in the “general assembly” (Hebrews 12:23), the “brotherhood” (1 Peter 2:17), it is a wondrous thing to have hearts and mind that “speak the same thing,” (1 Corinthians 1:10), being “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

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The New International Version (NIV) is very easy to read and comprehend. Perhaps this is the reason it is given to so many children for their Bible study. Should we allow our children to use the NIV? Is it a reliable translation of God’s word? Since we know that all scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is our source of authority for everything we do in the name of Christ, these are serious questions. This article will examine the accuracy of the NIV with a view toward any Calvinistic influence by the translators.

A study of the New International Version should start with Calvinism. John Calvin was a Frenchman of the 1500′s. He was instrumental in the shaping of Protestant theology and a key figure in the Reformation movement. Most of the current members of Protestant denominations take for granted the Calvinistic doctrines of total depravity and predestination. To the Calvinist, total depravity means “on their own human beings can never achieve a true religious life based on the knowledge of God” (1); they must have grace (given by the Holy Spirit) to learn the truth about human depravity. All man’s actions are tainted with evil which he inherited from the original sin of Adam and Eve. (2) This explains the practice of infant baptism since, to the Calvinist, all babies are born as sinners.

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“Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?’ This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.’ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more’” (John 8:2-11).

This interesting but brief record in the life of the Lord presents to us some challenges that would be good for us to consider. In the church today, Christians are constantly having to deal with the question of what to do with a person living in adultery or, more specifically, living in an adulterous marriage. Not only must we deal with the people and their sin, we must also deal with those purveyors of evil who have successfully warped the minds of people into thinking that adultery is not a sexual sin. When Moses descended from the Mountain at Sinai with the tablets of stone containing the Ten Commandments, he read to the people the seventh commandment which simply says, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). I am brought to a state of wonderment considering how many of the people at the foot of the mountain considered what Moses said to them about adultery from a legal perspective. Oh, it was law that Moses read, but the seventh commandment is and always has been a moral regulation and not a legal procedural matter. Furthermore, everybody knows that!!

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Most Americans who come to Europe notice that things are different from what they know in the U.S. Because of the effects of the communist system, Eastern Europe is different from America in another way, having been held back from much normal progress for over fifty years. Many who have never been there may wonder what it is like to live and work in this part of the world. Misconceptions can be a hindrance to some considering possible fields of labor. Therefore, this article is written to give an idea of what it is like to preach and live in Lithuania.

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(The Gospel Guardian, Vol. 6, No. 43, March 10, 1955)

God often revealed His will to prophets through visions. Such was the case in Zechariah 1:18-21 when the prophet saw four horns. In answer to his question “What be these?” the Lord replied: “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” The word “horn” was used in the Old Testament as a symbol of power and often of destruction. Obviously, the horns of the prophet’s vision referred to the nations that had perplexed and scattered God’s people, Israel. In the same vision, the prophet is assured that these powers shall be justly punished for their havoc and destruction, for he is told that the four carpenters or smiths “are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it” (Zechariah 1:21). These horns had reference to nations, thus designating evil and harm to Israel from external forces. However, many of Israel’s troubles came from within. There were several “horns” or powers of destruction which ultimately led God’s family down the trail of sorrow and ruin. I am borrowing the expression from the prophet to use accomodatively, in order to bring out three points that show the reasons for Israel’s decline, and to show that these same features can produce harm and possible ruin in spiritual Israel, the church. It is in this sense that the expression “horns of destruction” is herein used.

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Some issues are so taken for granted that common acceptance belies their intrinsic value and native importance. Such an issue is the subject of free will. Among brethren, until fairly recent dates, free will has been an accepted doctrine, figuring unobtrusively in conclusions drawn from Biblical principles. Events of recent date in which some have taught that man has a corrupted nature have led to the recognition that we may have taken too much for granted, in fact. Theologians have debated God’s sovereignty and man’s free will for centuries, churning out volumes of commentaries from Augustine onward. Since most of us do not pretend to be theologians, we have allowed simple Bible exegesis to determine our approach to the subject more than philosophical reasoning. I have personally done little preaching on free will as a separate topic, choosing rather to include it by reference in related matters. With this discussion, I hope to stimulate others to further writing and preaching on what I believe to be a vital subject. Free will has far-reaching implications relating to human nature, ethics, moral responsibility, social issues, and theology, including the question as to whether or not man is able to respond to his Creator’s will so as to exercise choice among moral contingencies. The particular view one espouses will determine attitudes and actions in “every issue of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

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Often enough I hear the words of older brethren who reflect upon their younger years in the Lord and wished they had someone to teach and guide them not only during their youthful single days but also during their pioneering days of parenthood. While this is not true of all, there are many in the body of Christ who are following the same path today. While I’m no prophet it is easy to foresee the same words being echoed by yet another generation who will have wished for the very same thing.

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I am not reporting any news when I write that atheists do not believe the Bible. Atheists, of course, consider themselves too intelligent and sophisticated to believe in God. If you have read this feature before, you know that Evidences is dedicated to providing examples of the hard evidence God has provided for us to analyze with our rational minds, and conclude that He is, and that He inspired the writers of scripture. So, if it is reasonable to believe in God and the Bible, on what grounds do the atheists assert the opposite? For one thing, they claim that the Bible is riddled with contradictions. Of course, if this is so, then there is reason to doubt its inspiration. Therefore, let us ask the question, “Does the Bible contradict itself?”

In order to answer this question, we will let the atheists have a crack at showing some contradictions. The following passages are cited on an “American Atheist” website as an example of a biblical contradiction:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8)

 

One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. (Romans 14:5)

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