Watchman Magazine

We have heard the mantra all our lives: "Let your conscience be your guide."

Some well-meaning person tries to help us make a choice by appealing to the power of emotion and feelings. Make no mistake about it, though, a conscience is a powerful and good thing. A conscience properly trained is an effective guide, but one improperly trained will occasionally or often lead to the wrong decision.

Consider the case of the apostle Paul, whose conscience misled him, though he obeyed it without question. After persecuting the Way of faith for many years, his conscience was confronted with its error and was cleansed and made practical again.

How can we build a conscience into a positive force in times of decision? The answer is simple. Your conscience can only be an effective guide when God is its teacher.

Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines conscience as "the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good …. conformity to the dictates of conscience."

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Bible Authority
How Do We Get It And Use It?

“By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” But Jesus answered and said to them, “The baptism of John–where was it from? From heaven or from men?” (Matthew 21:23-25; NKJV)

Bible Authority
How Do We Get It And Use It?

• The Nature Of Bible Authority Is Positive
• Bible Authority Is Permissive
• We Cannot Act So As To Please God Without His Approval

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(Editor’s Note: With this article, we begin a series of short articles dealing with the subject of Bible authority. The articles are short, as they first were printed in the local bulletin I edit. Feel free to reprint them if you find them helpful. However, credit must be given to Billy W. Moore’s class book A Study of Authority, as the articles follow closely the material found in that good book.)

It is almost universally recognized that men can co-exist peaceably only with a recognition of authority. True anarchists (those who rebel against any established authority or power) are few and far between, because anarchy leads to confusion and chaos. Even one who occasionally breaks the rules understands that the rules are necessary.

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(Editor’s Note: Brother Roberts wrote this article in November of 1979. So, 23 years have passed. The article is still timely. It is interesting that some of the same arguments made by those who were advocating "Neo-Calvinism" in the late 1970′s are being used today by some brethren. As the actual individuals he addresses are not germaine to our present study, their names have been ommitted).

Some strange teaching is making the rounds these days about "false teachers." This teaching is based upon an incomplete and limited definition of "false" as it applies to those who teach error. Supposedly, one cannot label a teacher "false" unless the teacher "wilfully, knowingly, consciously and intentionally" teaches error. With this limited definition, a teacher that taught error without knowing it to be error could not be so labeled. This is not an accurate use of the term as we shall show. However, it is not strange nor unexpected to find some who are entering the "New Unity Movement" to be using this definition, particularly since they are eager to broaden the ties of fellowship with many who are embracing liberalism, institutionalism, denominationalism and other "ism’s."

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Most of you are aware of the fact that this is the first new issue in several months. There are a number of reasons for this, and I ask that you indulge me as I seek to explain the causes of the sporadic publishing schedule.

The major reason for the lack of activity on the site for the past several months is a very busy schedule on my part. A heavy meeting schedule, coupled with the responsibilities I have in my local work have made it difficult to maintain the monthly publishing schedule I have set for the magazine. Watchman is "extra" work, and when a choice has to be made between the magazine and my other obligations, the magazine must suffer. I beg your understanding in this.

If the magazine were a subscription paper, the obligation would be there to supply monthly material as per the agreement with subscribers. As the magazine is free to all on the internet, occasional lapses in the publishing schedule will hopefully be met with more understanding on the part of readers. Having said that, I realize that it is not good "business" practice, and such lapses have a deleterious effect upon readership. The magazine always shows a decrease in monthly "hits" after one of these lapses.

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In previous articles, we have been discussing religious error that exists without. That is, outside the fellowship of churches of Christ. Other departures from truth, of more recent vintage, have troubled the people of God.

In the United States, two serious digressions have taken place in the last 150 years. In the 19th century, division occurred when some began to advocate the church support of a human missionary society. Some were unwilling to trust the New Testament pattern for evangelism, and established a human institution to do the work instead. The church was displaced in its work, and became a fund raising organization for the human missionary society. This issue, coupled with the introduction of mechanical instruments of music in worship, led to a division and formation of the Christian Church denomination.

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Speculation on the “end times” is certainly a popular pastime these days. In 1970, author Hal Lindsey wrote his best-seller The Late Great Planet Earth, predicting that in that generation the present state of mankind would cease. He updated his predictions in his book The 1980s: Countdown to Armageddon. In the preface of that book, he wrote:

“During the 25 years I have been studying prophecy, I have seen incredible events forecast 3,000 years ago happen right before my eyes. Especially in the past 10 years, I have watched current events push us toward the climax of history the prophets foretold. I believe many people will be shocked by what is happening right now and by what will happen in the very new future. The decade of the 1980′s could very well be the last decade of history as we know it.” (emphasis his).

Lindsey took the escalating cold war, and attempted to insert into prophecy a battle between Israel and the now defunct Soviet Union. His efforts convinced many that the end of time was coming. Now, despite the failure of his predictions, he continues to write and predict, and his writings are still followed by millions. His speculations are characteristic of most who believe in the theory of premillennialism.

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In the previous article mention was made of Martin Luther, one of the most prominent theologians of the Reformation movement. Because of his influence, most Protestant groups today believe that salvation is obtained by faith alone. His influence on Protestant denominations is rivaled only by John Calvin.

Calvin was born in 1509, and came to adulthood under the influences of the Reformation begun by Martin Luther. In 1536 he published the first edition of his Institutes of the Christian Religion, which contain a systematic theology based on the premises of the total depravity of man, and the individual predestination of the saved. Though few Christian denominations can be said to be fully Calvinistic in their theology, Calvin’s writings have had a profound influence upon Protestant doctrine.

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A quick perusal of the yellow pages reveals a plethora of churches to choose from: Advent, African Methodist, Apostolic, Assemblies of God, Baptist (ABA, Bible Fellowship, Independent, Independent-Fundamental, Missionary, Primitive, Reformed, Southern, Sovereign Grace), Catholic, Christian, Christian Science, Church of God, Mormon, Nazarene, Greek Orthodox, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Seventh Day Adventist, and Unitarian Universalist. And these are only a few. We live in a religiously pluralistic society. Today it is possible to find a church suited to every mindset and personal preference. Men seem to be pleased with this “buffet” approach to religion.

This writer once attended a baccalaureate service where a Protestant preacher prayed to God in this fashion: “God, I thank You that there are so many churches that exist today, where each of us can find opportunities and churches that we are comfortable and pleased with, as we offer worship to You.” The sentiment is often heard that upon salvation one should “attend the church of his choice.” Others say you should find a “Bible believing church”, though all the churches listed above would make such a claim.

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The Catholic church is one of the oldest of all religious organizations which claim to follow Jesus Christ. Though it is one of the oldest, it is inaccurate to say that it is the first. Though the Catholic Church claims to be the “sole Church of Christ”, it is in fact an apostate church. The purpose of this article is to prove that this assertion is so.

In previous articles we have established that the Bible is the Word of God, and constitutes the sole standard of authority for the Christian faith. It is important to review this fact, as the Catholic Church denies it. Notice the following quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls” (95)

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We live in a peculiar time. The United States is among the most tolerant and permissive of societies. Yet it is a society that is extremely intolerant of a very few things. One example of intolerance is with regard to “political correctness.” There are certain attitudes and ideas, which if expressed, lead to the ruin of public reputations and careers. Often those who rush to condemn these attitudes, (what they call “hate speech”), are the same ones who clamor over the right to freedom of expression. This is incongruous, but is nevertheless a rather prominent feature of our day.

Another area of intolerance is found in the religious realm. These permissive influences claim that all religions have worth and that religious criticism is a form of that “hate speech” mentioned previously. Such pleas for toleration have led many to the irrational claim that the recent terrorist attacks by Muslim fundamentalists had “nothing to do with religion.” This, despite the fact that the extremists have declared a “jihad” (holy war) against all non-muslims.

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It is universally recognized that standards are necessary to avoid confusion. For example, there must be a standard for time, or else we would not all agree to the length of an hour, or a week, or a year. For two to meet at 4:00pm, they both must be in agreement as to when 4:00pm actually arrives. Since such an agreement can’t be arrived at arbitrarily, our society has established standards so that everyone will be on the same page. Someone might say that 4:00pm falls 45 minutes later, but such silliness does not make it so! That would not truly be 4:00pm.

A butcher weighs out a pound of beef. The consumer sees that the scale reads only 12 ounces, and objects. The butcher says, “As I weigh meat, 12 ounces equals one pound.” Such arbitrary statements do not change the fact that one pound equals 16 ounces. Just because the butcher refuses to accept the standard does not invalidate its truth.

Such standards are recognized and followed in just about every aspect our our lives. How do we know our children have attended sufficient days in school? – a standard has been set by the state. How do we know if we are traveling at a safe and legal speed? – again, we have standards (laws) set. The examples could be infinitely expanded.

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