Watchman Magazine

One great concern that Paul shared with all of us who undertake some difficult and personally emotional objective is that the work might turn out to be in vain.

An account executive might work for months in an attempt to woo a client only to have another firm swoop in and steal him away. A doctor can labor in an operating room for hours only to have his patient die on the way to recovery. A Christian can study with an unbeliever for months, see him converted and then watch as he shrinks back into perdition. All are filled with a sense that their work was in vain as Solomon put it first (Ecclesiastes 2:11).

For example, Paul writes the Thessalonians: “For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain” (1 Thessalonians 3:5). Learning from Christ’s parable, Paul understood that tribulation and persecution had the power to uproot faith in the sapling stage and destroy it (Matthew 13:21). Yet the Thessalonians were standing firm and Paul’s work was not in vain (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12). They continued to be examples of perseverance to others (1 Thessalonians 1:6-2:1).

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I have a question, Is there any condition, when somebody has been saved, and they are a Christian, can that person get unsaved?  Thank  you, William

Reply:

Thanks for your question, William.  I shall seek to answer it with Scripture.  I will also send you some articles which apply to your question.  

First, there are those who believe there is not "any condition" which will cause a saved person to become lost or unsaved.

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Introduction

"I have surely seen the oppression of my people," said God to Moses while the bush burned. Thus begins the greatest rescue operation ever conducted on Earth as thousands upon thousands of slaves are removed from one nation to begin a journey to the land of promise.

The Bible contains a number of type and antitype situations. Isaac is a type of the antitype Jesus, as his father was willing to let his only son die. The salvation of Noah and his family through water is a type of the water baptism involved in the salvation of modern men (1 Peter 3:20-21).

In the exodus of fleshly Israel, the Lord provides us a type of the sinner’s departure from his own slavery to iniquity and the most wicked Pharaoh of all, Satan. God’s desire on either side of the Red Sea is answered in Exodus 6:6-7: "I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as my people, and I will be your God."

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A cursory reading of the New Testament reveals a distinct attitude taken by our Lord and his apostles regarding human wisdom. James went so far as to describe such wisdom as "sensual, demonic" and declared that it causes "envy and self-seeking… confusion and every evil thing…" (cf. James 3:15-16).

Jesus in his personal ministry dealt with men who were intellectually arrogant. This was a characteristic of both the Pharisees and the Sadducees. When Jesus had taught that eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person, defilement rather coming from within, his disciples informed him that the teaching offended the Pharisees. No doubt it did, as it set aside the traditions they held dear. Concerning them, Jesus said, "Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch" (Matthew 15:14).

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Authors: Bobby Holmes and Mark Roberts

I. Error

A. Neo-Calvinists say:

1. "Some sins don’t separate us from God. Christ’s blood automatically covers sins of ignorance or inadvertence.

B. Passages Misused:

1. 1 John 1:7-9; 5:16-17
2. Romans 4:8
3. 2 Corinthians 5:19

C. Favorite Tactic:

1. Using a hypothetical situation to make you play God.
2. "A man is a faithful saint for 50 years, gets splashed by mud on the street one day, curses, and then is hit by a bus. Will he be lost or saved?"
3. Don’t play God! Clemency is up to the Judge. All we can do is quote the law!

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“Give Satan An Inch”

On the sign in front of the Baker Rd. Baptist Church, Baytown, TX, the following maxim recently appeared: “Give Satan An Inch, And He’ll Be A Ruler.”

The expressed sentiment is true, for “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:34). “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness” (Romans 6:16)? However, the message on the sign is contrary to Baptist doctrine. Here is how.

First, Satan cannot become a “ruler” to the lost, to alien sinners, for he is already their ruler, their “father” (John 8:38, 41, 44). Hence, since he is already their ruler, it cannot be said to sinners that if they give Satan an inch he will be their ruler.

Second, since Baptists do not believe that a child of God can fall from grace, it cannot be said that Satan will be “a ruler” of the saved. If he were, the saved would be of Satan. As such, they would be lost, for “He that committeth sin is of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

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“They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; It shall never produce meal. If it should produce, Aliens would swallow it up” (Hosea 8:7).

The minor prophet was excoriating the false religions which Israel dallied with in their temptation of God so many centuries ago now. Such false religions plant something without substance and produce something destructive. Their adherents are without moral compass, for false religion offers either none or one inferior to God’s and thus the challenges of the world and the worldly overcome them in time.

The prophecy bears some resemblance to Christ’s parable of the sower in Matthew 13. There also, three of four souls touched by the gospel did not endure in the faith because of persecution, trial or apathy. Today, so many churches of Christ are sowing the wind in their instruction of the young that we are nearly reduced to standing back and waiting for the whirlwind when the next, untaught generation assumes pulpits, pens and presbyteries.

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It is not unusual these days to see a bumper sticker with some message indicating that the owner is an alumnus of some college, or member of a fraternal order or church group. Recently I saw one indicating that the driver of the car was an "ex-Ranger," probably a past member of the Rangers baseball club. This triggered a thought about the possibility of forming an association, complete with bumper sticker, of those people who used to be members of the Lord’s church and calling it the "Ex-Christian Association." Surely there are enough people around who qualify.

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"Rev. Mack Jones," of Baytown, Texas, writes a weekly column in his church bulletin entitled, "From Your Pastor’s Heart." From it, we extract the following:

"We are often questioned about the eternity of our belief. People want to know if God will disown them. The emphatic answer is, no! By no means will God ever disown one of his children. Heb. 7:25 states this very clearly; ‘Hence, also, he is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them’ (NAS). We are saved forever. We draw near to God through Christ, and He makes intercession for us. This gives us great assurance of our faith in Christ" (Wooster Baptist Church Messenger, Vol. 29, Number 8, 2/20/01).

Review Of Mack Jones’ Remarks

It is to be doubted that folks question "the eternity of (their) belief." Faith, like hope, is not eternal. Both shall be swallowed up in the possession of "life and immortality" brought to fruition and completion. However, we shall let that pass and deal with the main thrust of Mack’s message.

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The veneration and exaltation of the Bible, that blessed old Book, is admirable and commendable if it be accompanied by understanding and application. But multitudes are deluded by a reverence that is nothing but superstitious sentimentalism. Souls in sectarian societies consider themselves members of the body of Christ because their "Pastor" is a "Bible toting, Bible quoting fundamentalist." The Bible is "interpreted strictly and literally" as their "only rule of faith and practice," so they think not to examine themselves whether they be in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).

A similar form of authority has been espoused by Christians. Since we "speak where the Bible speaks and are silent where the Bible is silent," we need not question our practices. After all, the preacher is allied and identified with "our Christian Colleges," and the elders endorse and encourage all that we do, so what fear have we? Oh, of course, we raise an eyebrow at some things that seem out of harmony with the past, but the young people are interested, so it must be right — we are just not used to it. The sole, whole authority for minds that are thus steeped in church traditionalism is the fact that "we have always been a Bible-based people." That being true, as it is assumed to be, then we are justified.

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(Correspondence on the Question)

(Editor’s Note: The following correspondence between Larry and a teenage girl’s grandmother may be helpful to other parents and grandparents as they try to teach their children.)

Larry,

We had a discussion with our 16 year old granddaughter yesterday, and she is very upset with us and wants an answer to the discussion other than what we gave her.

The discussion was over the news report about 2 gay men who had adopted a little boy, and they forced his school to do away with making anything for Mother’s Day because it made him feel uncomfortable. (My husband) said it was wrong to force their ideal on everyone since they were living in sin. (Our granddaughter) said she thought we were gossiping and that we should not judge them and just pray for them and everything would be OK. (My husband) tried to tell her we were not judging them that God’s word was judging them.

She left us this note. Can you help us give the very best answer possible. She is a prime example of the thinking of our "church kids" today. Her Question:

"Could you show me the verse where it says we are supposed to point out the wrong? I am just wanting to read it."

Larry, we would really appreciate your help. We feel our answer can not be too lengthy or it will turn her off. She is 1st in her class in high school so she should be able to reason. It is very disturbing that our young people think, "Your OK I’m OK."

We will be waiting for your answer.

Response To This Request

Here are some passages which deal with her request:

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One of the crazes among people searching to regain a spiritual compass in their lives is what lexicographers calls syncretism. Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines it as “the combination of different forms of belief or practice.” It remarks about the verb form of the word, syncretize, “to attempt to unite and harmonize especially without critical examination or logical unity.”

Syncretism is popular because the two leading competitors for the hearts of men are less so. The first is the word of God contained in the Bible. Its popularity among men has waned because it is perceived to be antiquated and its texts unsatisfactory in meeting today’s concerns. The second is the religion taught in your public schools, secular humanism, in which each individual is instructed to be his own god and make his own standard of morality.

Humanism has been such a tragic failure in terms of increased drug abuse, laziness and uninhibited sexual experimentation that many baby boomers — the first generation spoon fed the stuff — are in search of something higher. Naturally, many turn first to the Bible, but its instruction is, for them, further in the opposite direction than they intended to travel. The magic solution is to mix the desirable liberties of humanism with the basic guiding force of the Bible. The product is a potluck night stew: prepared with a little of this and a little of that.

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There is no more despicable behavior among men of war than the traitor. A great gulf lies between the valiant warrior and the traitor.

Just think of the examples we can take from famous battles of true selfless devotion and sacrifice for the sake of others. Too numerous to count have been the lives that were freely given with the full knowledge that they themselves would die so that others might enjoy some benefit of their ultimate gift. We know this is the most noble sacrifice of all because our Lord offered Himself for us so that we might have eternal life. He respects this selflessness when shown in man, as well. John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” We too, are to display this greatest form of love and honor it highly.

Being a Texan, I always think of the Alamo and its place not just in Texas history but in the greater story of democracy for the entire American Nation. There are examples of battles from wars in ancient history that had even greater importance than those that usually come so easily to our minds.

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“Brethren, We Are Drifting”Many of our readers are familiar with the sentiment that J.D. Tant made famous years ago as he ended many articles of warning with the phrase, “Brethren, we are drifting.” No doubt his pronouncement was a source of irritation to many who considered him a rather cantankerous sort.History has born out the relevant nature of his warnings. Indeed Christians were drifting from the straight and narrow paths of truth. Seeds of digression were being sown, which have since led to a full blown apostasy. The fact that many could not see the beginning of the drift does not change the fact that the warnings were needed. Those who heeded the words of brother Tant and his ilk were able to avoid the error that led to the digression of many congregations of the Lord’s people.In this article we will discuss the “social gospel”, a philosophy which sound congregations have always rejected. The specific application we will address is that aspect of the “social gospel” which is seen in the targeting of young people for special emphasis and focus. We shall begin in this article by looking at certain examples of institutional churches which have long embraced the concept of utilizing the “social gospel” to appeal to the young. We shall also see that some churches which once stood against such a philosophy seem now to want to embrace it. This constitutes a “drifting”, and we, as those of Tant’s time, are in dire need of warning. We fully recognize that many will be unable or unwilling to see the dangers. This in no way invalidates the need for sounding the trumpets of alarm in the face of another trend toward digression.

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The problems facing institutional churches are well chronicled. Some in the institutional churches have awakened to the need for strong and distinctive preaching in the face of “change agents” who have sought to destroy the divine hermeneutic, and replace it with a new “non-patternistic” one. Recently, while reading the April 1998 issue of The Spiritual Sword, I ran across a quote from Alan E. Highers in his editorial “What Is Happening in the Church?” It admits to what non-institutional preachers and writers have claimed for many years about our more liberal brethren. The quote came in the context of previous polemic struggles with the denominations.

“Unfortunately, just as the opposition had strengthened churches of Christ and had caused members to know what they believed and why, so the lack of opposition caused some to grow soft and indifferent. Without the opposition and frontal attacks, their interest in doctrinal preaching waned and so did their knowledge and understanding of the truth. As a result, doctrinal resolve weakened and many were left vulnerable to the influence of false teaching and error. We sowed the wind and today are reaping the whirlwind of thirty-five years of indistinct teaching among churches of Christ” (pg. 2, The Spiritual Sword, April 1998).

Of course, our viewpoint is somewhat different. In the 1940’s and 1950’s institutional issues threatened, and ultimately succeeded in dividing the people of God. The polemic struggle often was not with the denominations, but rather between brethren. As with the struggles with the denominations, truth had the upper hand. So, those who wished to retain their precious human institutions ceased debating (with few exceptions), and instead shifted their tactics to a more subtle attack upon non-institutional brethren. Instead of direct debate there were whispers shared about those “anti’s” and “orphan haters”; churches which were “dying on the vine.” The resultant inability and unwillingness to defend from the pattern of God’s word their man-made inventions led to the indistinct preaching mentioned above. The analogy of sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind is apropos. It is precisely because of such indistinct preaching that liberal churches are having to deal with the “change agents” and the so-called “new hermeneutic.”

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I. Introduction

• TREND = line of development, direction of movement, drift, swing. Key thought: move (away from one thing to another, whether good or bad). Along with trends (away from biblical to non-biblical) are associated fads, novelty, and innovation, with apostasy being the culmination of the movement.

A. The purpose of this study is to give a brief overview of major controversy from New Testament days until now, so that we can better be able to see the basic, underlying principles of error which are responsible for apostasy, division, and resultant innovations. By looking at the past we can see where modern change agents are headed. We can look at trends today and know to what ends they will lead those who follow them.

B. Rom. 15:4, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning”. We learn from the past.

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In THE BAYTOWN SUN, 9/1/99, under the headline, “Christians must get back to the old paths,” Tim Cryer, “a lay minister at Victory Baptist Church,” commented as follows:

Jeremiah 6:16–”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.”

This great country is a mess today because Christians have traded in the old paths of old time religion for new paths that are not getting the job done. God said in the above verse to ask for the old way, for it is a good way, and walk in this way. The old ways are what made this the greatest nation in the world and is what made our churches Holy and different from the world. But sometime back in the 1960s, parents stopped passing down the old ways to their kids, and started giving them the new ways.

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For the first time since the fifties and sixties, an effort is being made to destroy the Church of Christ. The “liberals” have referred to a movement among them, and those who are directing the movement, as “Change Artists.” In a very real sense, we have many among the conservative cause who are also “Change Artists.”

“Institutionalism” moved many of our brethren out. “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19). This caused a split in the Lord’s church.

Following that conflict, it has been advocated: (1) “Accentuate the positive, and eliminate the negative,” (2) “Preach the man and not the plan,” (3) “Preach Christ, and not the church.” All of these efforts were for the purpose of erecting a “straw man,” so they would not have to deal with the arguments against the issue.

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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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