HOW MANY FALSE TEACHERS CAN YOU FELLOWSHIP BEFORE YOU SIN?

Whoever heard of such a question and why would someone even consider asking it? Even those who have a limited knowledge of the Bible can answer this question without giving much thought to it. And yet, some among us will give the right answer, but will not practice it themselves. Forty years ago practically every member of the Lord’s Church would have been able to quickly give the correct answer supplying book, chapter and verse for their reasoning. Forty years ago, the Lord’s Church was stronger than it is today. Forty years ago elderships were stronger than they are today. Forty years ago gospel preachers were stronger than they are today. My how the “winds of change” have swept through the Church over this period of time and continue to sweep through her. Never has this writer known so many who once stood for the truth now finding it not expedient to do so. Long time friends, co-workers in the Lord, families and congregations have been torn asunder over this very question in the last few years. The fellowship issue among us is not in the process of dividing the church; it has already divided it! Solomon warned that “he that soweth discord among brethren” (Prov.6:19), was something that God hates. What started with false teaching and practice by the Brown Trail Church of Christ has divided the precious bride of Christ and continues to divide her. If one has not heard of Dave Miller preaching false doctrine on “Reevaluation and Reaffirmation of Elders” and the Elders at Brown Trail agreeing to put it into practice, the question should be asked, why not? The evidence is not contrived or made up, but undeniable. And yet, many refuse to believe what happened at Brown Trail really happened or they make excuses why they had to do it. Sounds like Saul telling Samuel that he had to force himself to offer sacrifices to God (1 Sam.13:12). It does not matter why someone preached false doctrine and why false doctrine was practiced, the only thing that matters is that they repent and if they do not fellowship must be withdrawn until they do (Rom.16:17; 2 John 10-11). Many who have believed and practiced this in the past (Memphis School of Preaching, Gospel Broadcasting Network, Apologetics Press to name just a few) have decided to continue to fellowship Dave Miller in spite of the facts and in spite of what the scriptures teach. Consequently, the title of this article seems correct after all.

Back to the question before us, how many false teachers can we continue to fellowship before it becomes sin? One brother jokingly stated not more than four or five, what with the way some brethren define fellowship. But, what does the Bible teach? The Bible teaches that if we extend fellowship to even one false teacher we sin. “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Eph.5: 11). For years the faithful churches of Christ have had no fellowship with the denominations or other false religions of the world, a.k.a., unfruitful works of darkness, because of their false teaching and false practices. However, the scriptural rules seem not to apply when it comes to brethren, especially when the brother is a fellow gospel preacher who has taught false doctrine. Paul did not write “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, unless, they are your bosom buddies or they are involved in a work you believe to be good.” Paul said “no fellowship.” If Christians pick and choose what they would like to obey and what they do not want to obey they are no better than the denominations for that is exactly what they do. Paul’s inspired ruling on this subject applies to all.

One might as well ask how much darkness can one continue to live in and still have fellowship with God? John writes “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). John continues writing, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). As Christians, for our fellowship with the Father and the Son to continue we must continue to walk or live faithful to His word (1 John 1:7). Remembering, that in God is no darkness at all, how much darkness can be in us and we remain in fellowship with God? None. This does not mean one is sinlessly perfect, but one has the ability to ask God for forgiveness when one sins “and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth (keeps on cleansing) us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Verse six of this text explains, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” Therefore, if one will fellowship even one person who is a false teacher, whether it is Billy Graham, Rubel Shelly, Max Lucado, or Dave Miller, they sin. The truth is not in them and consequently that individual forfeits fellowship with God. As one brother stated, “This is not rocket science.” This is not hard to understand, just hard for some to obey.

How many false teachers can we fellowship and still be in fellowship with God? The Bible teaches not one. However, some brethren still do not get it. Some continue to fellowship Dave Miller because of his work at Apologetics Press. Although, it has been documented that AP will go anywhere to hold its program, even if a congregation is known to be rank liberal, a.k.a., “unfruitful works of darkness.” Some will continue to fellowship Dave Miller because he has written books and articles that taught the truth. Rubel Shelly used to teach the truth on liberalism at one time, does that mean faithful brethren should extend fellowship to him? When this writer attended the Memphis School of Preaching, the instructors brought Rubel’s name up time and again explaining how far he had drifted from the truth and why fellowship had to be withdrawn from him and rightly so. Yet, the same instructors now extend fellowship to Dave Miller; a known false teacher, and this writer cannot see a difference between Rubel Shelly and Dave Miller. Does MSOP see a difference between these two men that many do not or does MSOP just see things differently than they used to? The scriptures are still plain, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Rom. 16:17-18).

How many programs can we continue to fellowship that fellowship false teachers and still be in fellowship with God? When a program like Apologetics Press or the Gospel Broadcasting Network uses a false teacher (Dave Miller) is it right to continue to support them? Many who give an affirmative to this question at one time said no. Now, they evidently believe it is wrong to cancel out a good work for this reason. The problem with that reasoning is that when a program uses a false teacher it is no longer the good work it used to be. When has it ever been right to do wrong or when is doing wrong considered to be right? And why do some brethren who refuse to see this refuse to accept what John taught recorded in 2 John 9-11? For those who have forgotten, John wrote, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” Programs, works, even congregations who use false teachers are guilty of their false deeds. Whoever the individual is, whether he has taught the truth in the past, a fellow gospel preacher or a bosom buddy must not have fellowship extended to him. Therefore, when a program or work partakes in the false teachers evil deeds they can no longer be supported by faithful brethren.

Many are praying that those who have created this division among us repent before it is everlastingly too late. However, if they will not, the faithful must continue to “earnestly contend for the faith” (Jude 3).

Tim Cozad

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

REBUKING THE SINS OF FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS

If you are a Christian teacher of the Bible who labors to follow Jesus’ example and His New Testament’s instructions in your life and teaching of God’s Word, it is important to understand and prepare yourself for those family members who, whether related to you by blood or law, think they are exempt from being taught Biblical truths that expose and refute their sins and/or spiritual weaknesses. To some of them being related to you means that you do not teach the Bible to them as you do to those unrelated to you. The foregoing is the case with those family members outside of Christ as well as those in Christ who are guilty of sin.

The foregoing is also true for some who are your close friends. Their understanding of being close friends means that they are exempt from your rebukes for any sins they have committed. Although in their thoughts or words they have never explicitly (in just so many words) said as much, they assume you have the same view of what it means to be their close friend as they do to be yours―close friends do not deal with each other’s sins as they do with other people’s sins. They expect preferential treatment. It is best described as the sinful “respecter of persons” mentality. When one must deal with the sins and/or spiritual weaknesses of family members and/or close friends in seeking to bring them to repentance, it will not take long to see which of them will thank you for loving them enough to say things to them that they need to hear, which things are painful for them to hear as well as for you to say.

It must have been a painful thing for the apostles Paul and Peter, along with their brethren, when Paul’s love for Jesus, His truth, His church, and Peter’s soul to withstand his fellow apostle, Peter, “to the face” because of the latter’s sin of hypocrisy (Galatians 2:11, 13). But not only had Peter sinned himself, but his sinful conduct caused other brethren to follow in his hypocritical footsteps. Paul’s public rebuke of Peter must have been at the very least a great embarrassment to Peter. However, on more than one occasion during our Lord’s personal ministry Jesus had rebuked Peter, and sometimes sharply, for his sins and spiritual weakness (Matthew 16:33; 13:31; Mark 14:29, 30). But to Peter’s great credit we see how humble, teachable, and correctable the apostle was (Proverbs 9:8; 13:1; 27:6; Ecclesiastes 7:5).

The episode of Paul rebuking Peter because of the latter’s sin did not result in the two apostles being estranged from one another as many times it is the case. There is no indication in the sacred writings that Peter was upset and angry with Paul because the latter publicly rebuked him for his sin. Peter did not cease to speak to or avoid Paul because the former was rebuked by the apostle to the Gentiles. In fact, many years later Peter referred to Paul “as our beloved brother” (II Peter 3:15). All too often when some brethren are publicly or privately rebuked for their sins, especially if the rebuke comes from brethren in the Lord who are family members or close friends, those receiving the rebuke forever hold a grudge against the one who delivered the rebuke.

Peter bore the marks of Christian character traits that all too few exercise when their sins are exposed by one who loves them enough to rebuke them for their sins. However, we who would be faithful in all things must be willing to lose the closeness that exists between family members as well as the closeness of our best friends in demonstrating our love for God, His Word, the church, and the sinner in need of rebuking. All too often those family members and close friends turn out to be only “fair weather friends” and “sunshine patriots.” They are simply not all they would have you to believe they are when it comes to their Christianity.

On the other hand, we who may be on the receiving end of a justified rebuke ought to look to Peter for an example of how to receive a deserved rebuke in being willing to cast down whatever pride we may have hindering us from making whatever corrections we need to make in order to be faithful to God. Moreover, we should be thankful for the child of God who loved us enough to point out our spiritual weaknesses and sins. Surely, if we understand that we have an obligation to God to rebuke the sins of our brethren, then we should also understand that we are to welcome being shown our sins by someone else, especially when we are rebuked by family members and friends, close or otherwise.

In closing this brief message we must realize that none of us who rightfully wear the name of Christ ought to allow pride, emotions, or relationships to cause us to fail in what needs to be said to or done with people in our efforts to get them to repent of their sins. The unforgiven sins in our lives are the only things that can separate us from God. Thus, those sins must be dealt with according to the scriptures. In order to do that, sinners must know and come to grips with the fact that certain actions in their lives are sinful and if heaven is to be their home they must repent of those sinful actions. Of course, if they do not repent, then at their death, or if the Lord returns first, they will be sentenced to eternal torment in a devils hell. No one wants that to happen to anyone―especially one’s dearly beloved family members and close friends. And to them and all others with Paul we ask, “Am I become your enemy, because I tell you the truth” (Galatians.4:16).

David P. Brown

HOW TO BE A CHRISTIAN ONLY

There is no greater plea in the world today than that one which invites people to be “Christians on-ly.” The name Christian includes all that is needed, or should be desired, for spiritual appellation. In-deed, a real, genuine “follower of Christ” should be content in worshipping God as a “Christian only.” Anything less than a Christian is far too short, and anything that goes beyond, transgresses heaven's testimony for humankind. But the important question is: “How may one be a Christian and nothing else?”

OBEY THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST AND NO MORE

To obey the Gospel as revealed in the New Testament means:

• Believe in Jesus Christ as the crucified, buried and risen Lord (John 8:28; Rom. 10:10).
• Repent of past or alien sins (Acts 2:38; 17:30).
• Confess your faith in Christ (Mat. 10:32; Rom. 10:10; Acts 8:37).
• Be baptized (immersed) for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:15; Rom. 6:4; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21).

Upon such obedience, we have the assurance that God will add us to “the church” (Acts 2:47). And we further know that such disciples were called “Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).

WEAR THE NAME OF CHRIST AND NO OTHER

The fact that God promised a “new name” (Isa. 62:2), and that he gave it “first in Antioch,” should be ample evidence of the all-sufficiency of that name. To add to it, to put a handle on it, to weaken it by adding some human name, is but to mar its beauty, dishonor the head of the church, discredit him who died for us and whose name we are to wear (Acts 4:12).

It is, then, possible to wear the name of Christ and no other. The Holy Spirit even condemned the wearing of names of inspired men in New Testament times. How could it benefit us to wear names of men who are not inspired, or names given by men who are without heaven's authority to give them (1 Cor. 1:10-13)?

ACCEPT AND ABIDE BY THE CREED OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AND NO OTHER

This must necessitate a repudiation of all manmade creeds that have become binding upon so many people. It must do away with human doc-trines for governing worship. It takes the New Testament to make a Christian; it takes something more than the New Testament to make a person more than a Christian. It is possible to make the claim “let us follow the Bible only,” yet in actual practice, preaching and worship, accept along with it the “doctrines and commandments of men” (Mat.15:9). Creeds must be revised each year, but the Word of God never has to be revised. Accept it and nothing else.

BE A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF OUR LORD AND NOTHING ELSE

It is possible to obey the Gospel, genuinely be-come a child of God and then go off and “join some-thing” unheard of in the Bible, join an institution not founded by Christ, not wearing his name, nor worshipping according to his divine guidance. To do this is not to be a “Christian only.” God’s book, the Bible, is sufficient. The Lord’s church, the church of Christ, is enough. It is said: “It makes no difference what church one is a member of.” The Bible says that the church is the body of Christ (Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22-23). Paul says there is only one body; the conclusion is there is only ONE CHURCH.

HAVE A “THUS SAITH THE LORD” FOR ALL THAT WE DO

If followed, this sacred principle would make it impossible for us to have in the public worship anything that is not authorized by our heavenly Father. There is something wrong with the man who is not satisfied to take just what the Bible has said. Our worship is to be one of faith (2 Cor. 5:7). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). Faith comes by hearing God's Word (Rom. 10:17). If we practice anything that we did not get from hearing and studying God's Word, it is not of faith. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin (Rom. 14:23). When sin is finished, it brings forth death (Jam. 1:15).

A FINAL THOUGHT

From these Scriptures we see that in order to be pleasing to our Father, we must have a “thus saith the Lord” for all that we do. Let us have no doctrine but that which is of Christ, no name but the name Christian, no creed but the New Testament, be a member of no church but that which belongs to Christ, and have a “thus saith the Lord” for all that we do and say religiously. In this way, all men are privileged to be Christians only!

Foy L. Smith

THEN PEACEABLE

Purity of doctrine and practice on the part of the church is absolutely essential and must be sought after by everyone who loves the Lord. We are charged to “contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3, ASV). A pure faith may be enjoined only by constant vigilance against every suggestion and semblance of error.

James wrote, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable” (James 3:17). To teach that this passage discusses the doctrine of the church is an incorrect exegesis. James’ teaching here applies to the peace in the heart of the individual and was designed to emphasize that peace cannot reign until purity controls the heart.

However, the principle is an eternal one. Peace cannot exist in the church until purity has been obtained. It is the obligation of the church to first attain purity in doctrine and teaching. In the absence of such there can be no peace among brethren.

False teachers constitute a threat to the peace and security of the saints today just as they did nearly two thousand years ago, and they must be resisted and refuted. When Jude wrote his short epistle the welfare of those to whom he wrote was being threatened. Therefore, his purpose was to stir up his readers to resist immediately all false teachers. He sought to impel them to reject the teachers and to repudiate their teaching. They were to defend with all their might the faith which had been delivered to them. To have followed Jude’s instruction would have no doubt caused a stir in the church. But to have failed do so would have been in direct disobedience to God and would have allowed error to have had free course. Which would have been better—to disturb the “peace” of the church and obey God or to keep things “peaceful” and disobey God thus allowing the false teachers to spread their doctrine?

Which is better today? Is there any difference? Is it better to disturb the “peace” of the church, obey God and refute the false teacher and doctrine, or is it better to keep the “peace” and thereby disobey God and allow the false teacher and his doctrine to subvert the church?

We believe Christians have no choice in this matter. If we are to be New Testament Christians then we must obey the commands it contains. We are “sick and tired” of hearing brethren cry for peace at the expense of sound doctrine. Paul said, “I am set for the defense of the gospel” (Phi. 1:16) Are we ready to defend the faith as he was? Paul also said we should:

Preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.

If, at the expense of peace among one another, we fail to follow this divine command, then we have forfeited our right to be called New Testament Christians!

Division is evil. Jesus prayed for unity among Christians. (John 17:20-21) Paul condemned the division at Corinth (1 Cor. 1:10) and commanded them to “speak the same thing” and “be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” But regardless of the evils of division the banner of truth must wave. And when brethren haul down the flag of truth and place in its stead the flag of peace, they are warming by the devil’s fire.

Division is sad. It involves the loss of precious souls. But as sad and as evil as division is, I would rather stand with tears in my eyes and see the church divide than to see it go into apostasy. Doctrine is that important. Purity is that demanding.

William S. Cline

ARE YOU READING?

For more than fifty years, brother V. E. Howard asked repeatedly in his radio sermons, “Are you listening?” I would like to rephrase that question slightly and ask similarly, “Are you reading?” How many of you have ever read the Bible through from cover to cover? How often do you read the Bible?

Do you bring your Bible to class with you on Sundays and Wednesday nights? Have you noticed how few have their Bibles in these classes? If you have ever taught such a class and have made an effort to get the students in your class to bring their Bibles, you know how difficult this task is. I wonder how many of us in the church today are reading our Bibles outside of the church buildings.

I wonder how many of us read the Bible even when we prepare for class and how much we rely on supplemental material instead of the Bible even when we teach. I want to ask you, “Are you reading (the Bible)?”

The Bible must be read diligently by every member of the church. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15).

Nothing threatens the church today more than Bible ignorance! When we begin to rely on the writings of men (e.g. commentaries, workbooks, teacher’s guides, and other books) more than on the Book of God, we can easily be led astray. We need to be like the Bereans “in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). Let us look at four reasons why we should read the Bible diligently.

1. It is our Owner’s Manual. Every product comes with an owner’s manual which tells how the product is to be used. God made man. God breathed into man and he became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). God inspired (breathed into) a book, the Bible, which “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (II Timothy 3:16-17).

When we violate our owner’s manual (I John 3:4), we will cause problems for ourselves (Galatians 6:7-8) and will ultimately be destroyed (Romans 6:23).

2. The Bible satisfies our hunger and provides for our spiritual health. Jesus stated, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). A person who gives attention to food for the body and neglects his soul has deprived himself of that which is most important. When a person is born again (John 3:5), he has a natural hunger for spiritual food (I Peter 2:2). The Bible promised that this natural hunger will be satisfied (Mattjew 5:6). As Irving Jensen stated, “Hunger is a sign of health.

When we neglect the Bible, it is because we are not hungry for the things of God. Not being hungry, we cannot, therefore, be healthy, spiritually” (Enjoy Your Bible, 13).

3. The Bible is needed because of our responsibility to teach. Parents are supposed to teach their children about God and His Word (Ephesians 6:4; Deuteronomy 6:7). We cannot teach that which we do not know. Further, the faithful have the responsibility of teaching others “who shall be able to teach others also” (II Timothy 2:2). In addition, we are responsible for teaching the lost what they must do to be saved (Mat. 28:19-20). To teach we must study the Bible ourselves (II Timothy 2:15).

4. The Bible is the Book by which we will be judged. We know in advance the standard of our judgment (John 12:48). Our eternal destiny will be determined by whether or not we have lived by that standard (II Corinthians 5:10). We can prepare ourselves for judgment by reading the Bible and following its instructions.

The Bible is important to every child of God, “his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2). The psalmist realized the importance of God’s Word. He wrote:

O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. … How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way (Psalm 119:97-104).

Are you reading?

Lester Kamp

An Acrostic of the Word “Church”

C

Stands for Christ’s. The church belongs to Christ by right of purchase, Acts 20:28. “Take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with His own blood.” The church is peculiarly Christ’s.

H

Stands for Head. The we read about in the Bible has only one head – that head is Christ. Ephesians 1:22f, “…and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body….”

U

Stands for Unity. The church must be found in unity – Christ prayed that “…they may all be one…” (John 17:20ff). Compare: Acts 4:32; I Corinthians 12:20; 1:10; 12:13. Unity!

R

Stands for Revealed. The kingdom the prophets wrote about and foretold was made known, hence revealed in Acts 2 – a fulfillment of Daniel 2 and Isaiah 2 and others. Acts 2:16, “This is that….”

C

Stands for the Cross. We have noted that Christ paid the price. He died on the cross for the sins of the world – Romans 5:8; Galatians 5:24; John 3:16. Song: “I Gave My Life for Thee,” “He Paid It All.”

H

Stands for Haven. The church is a haven for the saved. The Bible tells us that Christ is the Savior of the body (Ephesians 5:23); that means the body is made up of the saved. Acts 2 tells us “…the Lord added to the church those that were saved….” It is our haven now; our hope for the future in a place reserved for the faithful in Christ, our Heavenly Home. Haven – Hope – Heaven!

Jess Whitlock