GOD’S PLUMBLINE

Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the LORD stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the LORD, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more (Amos 7:7-8).

Webster’s dictionary defines the plumbline as; “a lead weight hung at the end of a line to determine whether a wall is vertical or straight, instrument used to test if something is vertical or straight; instrument used to determine if lines are true.”

When God showed this vision to Amos, He was giving him a message to deliver to Israel. The message was “I have set a standard before you to follow, and you are going to be judged by this standard.”

In his commentary, Adam Clarke had this to say about the plumbline seen by Amos; “This appears to be an emblem of strict justice and indicates God is going to now visit them according to their iniquities.”

God goes on to tell Amos that Israel is about to be destroyed because they did not adhere to the standard He had set. On another occasion God again informs Israel, “Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet” (Isaiah 28:17).

Jeremiah knew that God had set a standard or “plumbed the line” before the people, and that is why his concern is so clear as he penned the following words; “Stand ye in the ways, and see and ask for the old paths, where is the good way and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16). But what was the response of the people? They said, “We will not walk therein.”

Even our Lord knew that man would not walk by the “plumbed” way. He told us there were two ways. One wide and broad that leads to destruction, the other strait and narrow that leads to life eternal. Many would go in by the broad way, but only a few would enter that strait and narrow way (Matthew 7:13,14).

In everything we do we must look for God’s “plumbline,” because it is by this measurement or standard that we will be judged. Let’s look now at what God has put His “plumbline” against to set the standard for us.

God has set His “plumbline” against our SALVATION. God and Christ want all men to be saved, they are not willing that any should perish. For this reason, God has given a standard which we must follow if we expect to be saved. We must hear the true word of God, because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). We must believe the word and in Jesus, God’s Son, because it is impossible to please God without belief (Hebrews 11:6). We must repent of our sins, because without repentance there can be no forgiveness (Luke 13:3). We must confess Christ, because if we confess Him before men, He will confess us before the Father (Matt. 10:32). And we must be baptized for the remission of our sins, because it is in baptism that we contact the cleansing blood of Christ (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:15,16; Acts 22:16; Rev. 1:5).

This is God’s standard for obedience to the Gospel. Anything else, taught by anyone else, anywhere else, at any other time is not true if it does not “plumb” according to God’s Word. We must be sure that what we do for salvation must not deviate from God’s straight line or else we will be lost.

God has placed His “plumbline” against our LIFE. Once we have obeyed the Gospel and become one of His children, God expects us to walk by His rule—His standard. He does not leave His rules to guess, but has laid them out for us in a straight for-ward way.

1. We are to deny ungodliness and worldly lust, and live soberly, righteously and godly (Titus 2:12).
2. We are to abstain from every form of evil (I Thessalonians 5:22).
3. We are to be steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (I Corinthians 15:58).
4. We are to avoid the works of the flesh, and seek the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:19-23).
5. We are to study to show ourselves approved of God, so that we might grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord (II Timothy 2:15; I Peter 2:2).
6. We are to add to our life the Christian Graces (II Peter 1:5-10).
7. We are to be an example to those around us (I Timothy 4:12-16). If we live by these and other rules and standards found in God’s Word, we can look for Him to say on that day of judgment “Well done thou good and faithful servant...enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matthew 25:21).

God has placed His “plumbline” against our WORSHIP. God expects us, as His people, to worship Him “in spirit and in truth.” Worship must be done decently and in the order (I Corinthians 14:40) as God dictates; and, it must be for His glory. God's standard for our worship includes the following:

1. Preaching and teaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified (Acts 20:7).
2. Congregational singing (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).
3. Publicly offering up prayers (Acts 2:42).
4. Remembering the Lord’s death by the partak-ing (on each first day of the week) of the Lord’s supper (I Corinthians 11:23-29; I Corinthians 16:1).
5. Giving of our means as we have purposed in our hearts, with the right attitude (I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:7).

This is God’s prescribed way to worship, and He holds His “plumbline” against what we do and call worship. Anything left out is not pleasing to Him, and any-thing added is not pleasing to Him.

God has placed His “plumbline” against FALSE TEACHERS. God wants the Gospel preached to the whole world. It is this Gospel that is the power of God unto salvation to all that believe (Romans 1:16). Those who do not follow the standard in their preaching and teaching will have to face the wrath of God. Galatians 1:6-9 says that if we preach any other gospel than that which was once and for all delivered by the Lord, we will be accursed. 2 John 9-11 informs us as a people that if any one preaches or teaches any thing other than what was delivered by Christ, we are to reject them. Then II Peter 2:1 tells us that false teachers who bring in their “damnable heresies” shall be destroyed.

God and Christ knew that men would depart from sound doctrine, and would gather to themselves men who would preach to please the ear (II Timothy 4:3-4), and for that reason the “plumbline” was set against what must be preached, and we can not deviate from it. God’s word is complete, it is perfect, it is simple, and it is universal in that it applies to all men.

God has placed His “plumbline” against our WORKS. Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” A Christian must be an active working servant in the Lord’s king-dom. Just as the physical body has many working parts, so does the spiritual body. And, for the body/church of our Lord to be in “good health,” every member must be a working part of it.

When God put His “plumbline” against our works, He looks to see if we have taken every opportunity to do good (Galatians 6:10). He looks to see if we are doing those works for His glory, or are we doing them to be praised of men (Matthew 5:16). He looks to see if we are following “that which is good to all men” (I Thessalonians 5:15). We must remember that on the day of Judgment we will give an account of all that we have done on this earth whether it be good or evil. God’s standard is for us to do good to all.

God told Amos “I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people.” Brethren we must believe that He has. Everything we do must be in accordance with God's standard or else it is sin.

Now let me ask you, if God was to hold His “plumbline” up beside you right now, as a congrega-tion or as an individual, would you be straight and true or would you be “off plumb?”

Danny L. Box

Use or Lose

Most speakers and writers have certain favorite expressions to which they frequently give utterance and which come to be recognizable characteristics of their style. An analysis of the words of our Lord shows that he, too, was given to the repetition of sentiments one of which was, “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath” (Matthew 13:12).

This expression, or one similar in form, occurs several times in the books of the gospel, and in a variety of circumstances: (1) In the foregoing instance, it was used to justify parabolic teaching; (2) twice he utilized it in teaching about WHAT and HOW we are to hear; (3) it occurs also in connection with the condemnation of the one-talent man and still farther; (4) in the parable of the pounds. It is paradoxical but, nonetheless, a fundamental law of life, governing every aspect thereof. It is THE LAW OF ATROPHY. That which we use we have, all else we only appear to have (Luke 8:18). The principle is, Use or lose!

The unused manna of the wilderness wanderings bred worms and stank; food, when long stored, spoils; water unstirred becomes stagnant; and, muscles unexercised wither. The principle finds illustration in all the affairs of life. Skillful surgeons, talented artists, acute businessmen remain so only by their constant use of their faculties and neglect leads to loss of abilities formerly possessed. Through mental and moral exercise we keep our sensibilities of right and wrong strong (Hebrews 5:14), the alternative is moral stagnation (Ephesians 4:17-19). The Greeks excelled in mental and intellectual development in the ancient world but because they had not "learned Christ" (Ephians 4:20), they were in a state of moral decay.

To this sentiment the Lord directed attention in his figure of the fruitless tree and barren branches. “And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (Matthew 3:10). “I am the vine and ye are the branches. ... If a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned”(John 15:5-6). Growth is of the essence of Christianity and its alternative is not only unproductivity, it is to lose the means by which growth is achieved. “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby (I Peter 2:1-2). “But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18).

The DIRECTION, the DUTY, and the DETAILS of Christian growth are clearly set out in these passages. There is a pragmatic method by which we may determine the progress and extent of growth. Am I daily adding to my store of biblical knowledge thus growing stronger and more mature in the Christian life? Am I more skillful in the word of righteousness, more adept in resisting false teachers and confuting their teaching? Have I been able to raise myself above the petty jealousies of the day, and do I exhibit a more patient and understanding attitude toward those in need of patience and tolerance rather than criticism and rebuke? Do I engage more actively and successfully in soul winning, and have I been able to bring others to the truth more effectively than I did a year ago?

Am I faithful and regular in attending all of the services of the church and do I manifest a more worshipful and reverent demeanor than before? Has my liberality increased to the point that there is no suspicion of covetousness in my heart and life?

These are reliable tests of growth in grace and in the knowledge of the truth to which all of us are enjoined. May we weigh them carefully.

Guy N. Woods

Gospel Advocate, 12/14/78

What Can We Do to Prevent Apostacy?

1. We need to appoint and support faithful elders who will properly oversee the flock (Acts 20:28-32).
2. We need to be busy now training other leader to take their place. Consider Joshua’s training and the influence he wielded (Joshua 24:31).
3. We need to learn again proper respect for the Word of God (Psalm 119:9-16). We must teach this to our children (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
4. We must vaccinate against the errors of our day by exposing all false teachers – even if this means being negative (Acts 20:29-32; II Timothy4:1-5).
5. We must indoctrinate each generation. It is right to teach doctrine (I Timothy 4:16; II John 9-11).
6. We need to pray fervently for elders and preachers (James 5:16).
7. We must be set for the defense of the gospel (Philippians 1:17).

B. C. Carr

Are Women Permitted to Teach?

What may women Scripturally do in the worship and work of the church? This question over which there has been much contention. There are some who say that a woman has no place in the active role of teaching in the church while others go to the opposite extreme and say there are no limitations on the women’s work in the church. But the question is: What does the Bible teach?

There was confusion in the church at Corinth, and Paul wrote to correct it. He admonished the prophets to speak by two or three, and that by course, whereas, they apparently had been all speaking at one time and causing confusion; and the brethren were forbidden to speak in tongues which the audience did not know unless they had an interpreter, for Paul said, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (I Corinthians 14:33). In reference to the women in the church at Corinth, Paul said, “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for a woman to speak in the church” (I Corinthians 14:34-35). Apparently they were asking questions during the worship, also causing confusion. Paul told them if they would learn anything to ask their husbands at home.

In Paul’s instructions relative to women in the church at Corinth, he said, “But they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.” He referred to the Old Testament law that women, as a result of Eve’s sin in the garden of Eden, would be ruled over her husband. However, women were permitted to teach in certain capacities under the Old Testament law, but not over the man. Moses’ sister, Miriam, was a prophetess (teacher) (Exodus 15:20); but when she tried to usurp authority over Moses, she was smitten by God of leprosy; not because she was teaching, but because she usurped authority over the man (Numbers 12:1-2).

In I Timothy 2:12, Paul discussed the question of women’s teaching. He said, “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” Over the man modifies both infinitives, to teach and to usurp. She cannot teach over the man; she cannot usurp authority over the man. We might illustrate it this way: An officer of the law, placed at a bridge which was needing repair, would tell a motorist, “I don’t allow you to drive nor to tow a car over the bridge.” Would the motorist assume that he could not drive the car anywhere? Of course not. He would readily understand that over the bridge modified his driving.

We know that the apostle did not forbid women’s teaching in every capacity, for they did teach. Philip “had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy” (Acts 21:9). Those daughters of Philip were teachers of the Word of God. But the Bible forbids women to usurp authority over men. That does not mean they cannot teach man, for Priscilla helped her husband teach Apollos, a mighty man in the Scriptures.

Women have a Scriptural right and duty to help in the work of the church in teaching children and women. But their teaching must be in subjection to the elders, and they must not usurp authority over the men. Let us not try to deprive them of their Scriptural rights.

W. L. Totty

February 20, 1972

Who Sets the Terms Of Fellowship

The original word for fellowship is "joint participation." Another word that describes fellowship is "partners" (cf. Luke 5:7, 10). These disciples were partners in the occupation of fishing, but we are not talking about fishing. We are talking about what the word fellowship means and how it is used in the Scriptures. The church in Jerusalem "...continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42).

If we can ascertain what the apostles' doctrine was/is we will know the answer the question posed above. Jesus said, "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels" (Luke9:26). Jesus said, “My words.” Were the words He spoke His own? No they were not! Jesus plainly said, "For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me" (John 17:8). Now, please notice with me the following. The apostles' words or teaching and the words or teaching of Christ was received by Christ from God the Father. They were not His words in that they originated with Him, but the very Words of God – the words God gave Him. Therefore, the apostles' doctrine was the doctrine of Christ which was the doctrine that God gave Him and He to the apostles. Anyone who can see through a ladder can see this.

Let us back up to Acts 2:42 and ask, was one not following the apostles' doctrine in fellowship with them? A resounding "No!" Okay, was one not following the apostles' doctrine in fellowship with Christ? Again the answer is "No" We ask again, was one who was not following the apostles' doctrine (teaching) and the doctrine (teaching) of Christ, in fellowship with God? Again, the answer is absolutely "No" Since the saved were added to the church (cf. Acts 2:47) those who did not obey the apostles doctrine would not be in the church would they? "No!" There were no saved ones outside the body of Christ. One may ask, what if one had obeyed the Gospel and was added to the church but followed not in the doctrine of the apostles, Christ and God, are they in fellowship with the faithful in the Lord's church? "No!"

Did not Paul and other inspired writers warn the church about fellowship practices? Of course they did! Consider Paul's letter to the Ephesians when he commanded, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Ephesians 5:11). We wish to ask, was this Paul's doctrine alone? No, it was the doctrine of Christ. Was it the doctrine of Christ alone? No, it was the doctrine of God. What is/are "works ofdarkness?" This is any work or practice that is not authorized in God's eternal Word. How, then, can we fellowship those who do not follow the teachings of Christ?

What about those who bid God speed to one who does not abide in the teachings of Christ (cf. II John 9-11)? The Scriptures say that such a one does not have either the Father or the Son? Someone might say, "Brother so and so does not believe the error nor does he teach the error of the false teacher. Why he only speaks on the same programs with the false teacher." God says in essence that such a one has left God behind.  

Harrell Davidson