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News & Views, June 2001 - Edited By E. L. Bynum
The Supreme Importance of the Truth - By E. L. Bynum
Theology Run Amuck - By Bill Mosley
"She Maketh Herself Coverings" - By Liz Graf
"I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father." (2 John 4) (Read all 13 verses of 2 John.)
John is often and correctly called, the apostle of love. He could also be called the apostle of truth. In these three little epistles of John, he uses the word truth at least 20 times. We live in a day when religious teachers are willing to sacrifice the truth, in order to be popular. They are selling out the truth, in order to promote a popular form of religion. "Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding." (Prov. 23:23) Truth is the true wisdom, and we are urged to seek it in Proverbs 2. "So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." (Prov. 2:2-6)
If John placed a great emphasis on the truth,
let us consider the supreme importance of the truth. It is more important
than: (1) Our numbers (2) Our wealth (3) Our prestige
(4) Our acceptance (5) Our success (6) Our popularity
(7) Our health (8) Our ambition, etc.
We have a responsibility to defend the truth, to identify
the truth, and to walk in the truth. We will notice this in 2 John
as we study it together.
I. THE SUPREME IMPORTANCE OF DEFENDING THE TRUTH. V. 7-11
They are warned that "...many deceivers are entered into the world..." (v. 7). In v. 8, we instructed that we are not to lose the truth to these enemies of God. "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" (v. 9). Many other warnings are to be found in John's writings. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). How can we possibly try the spirits to see whether they be of God or whether they are from the many false prophets? That question is answered in the message of Isaiah. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20).
Peter warned us about the apostates in no uncertain terms. "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of" (2 Peter 2:1-2).
Paul warned us of the coming of false prophets. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (1 Tim. 4:1).
Paul called these false teachers "grievous wolves," and he warned the elders (pastors) of the Church at Ephesus to watch out for them. "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears" (Acts 20:29-31).
He called them reprobates, and indicated that they would stand against those who preached the truth. "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith" (2 Tim. 3:7-9). They opposed Moses, and they will oppose every person that preaches and teaches the truth.
The greatest problem is not that false teachers will exist. The problem is that many people will prefer the falsehoods to the truth. Many will simply turn their ears away from the truth. "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:2-4).
In spite of all the biblical warnings, many so-called Christians, will insist that we not call names and expose the heretics. They most likely will do all of this under the cover of love. Just remember that these strong warnings in 2nd and 3rd John were written by the Apostle of love.
Some people think that there is no need to defend the Bible and the gospel. I certainly do not think that I am going to save the Bible or the gospel from being destroyed, by defending it. I as a preacher am trying to defend the integrity and truth of God in the minds of people. If I can keep people from being deceived into doubting the word of God, that is my purpose in defending it. Paul certainly believed in defending the truth, and he was not reluctant to say so.
Paul was set for the defense of the gospel. "But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel" (Phil. 1:17). "Defence" is translated from the Greek word "apologia," and is translated 3 times as "defence" and 4 times "answer." It means a "reasoned statement or argument." Paul would not get along with modern ecumenicalists, new evangelicals, compromising fundamentalists, Baptists, and weak independent Baptists today. He defended the truth and denounced error on many occasions. It brought him in conflict with Simon Peter, but the truth was more important than friendship. "But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed" (Gal. 2:11). According to v. 14, he did this publicly before them all. Paul was all for unity, but it had to be unity in the truth, and not in compromise. (Read Gal. 2:11-16).
His steadfast stand for truth brought him into conflict with the false teachers who came down to Antioch from Judaea teaching that the gentiles had to be circumcised and keep the law in order to be saved. As a result, "...Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them...." This resulted in Paul and Barnabas being sent by the Antioch Church, all the way up to the Jerusalem Church to settle this matter. Why would they do that? The truth is worth defending, and we are spiritual cowards if we do not do it. (Read Acts. 15:1-35). The present shallow minded, weak kneed, sweet potato for a backbone brand of Baptists would rather switch than fight. As a result truth is being replaced by error and many of the saints are being lulled into spiritual pacifism.
Jude believed in earnestly contending for the
faith. Jude wrote, "...it was needful for me to write unto you,
and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was
once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). "Earnestly contend"
comes from two Greek words which mean to "strive, fight, and labour
fervently." It is translated "strive" 3 times, "fight"
3 times and "labour fervently" 1 time. It means "to enter
a contest; to contend with adversaries, fight." Of course Jude had
not been converted to the peace at any price, let us all be one doctrine.
He only knew what God had revealed to him. Peter also believed and declared that the truth was to be defended. "But
sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer
to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness
and fear" (1 Peter 3:15). It is interesting and informative
to learn that "answer" is translated from the very same word as
defence in Phil. 1:17, as discussed above. I repeat this, "answer"
and "defence" are translated from the Greek word "apologia,"
and are translated 3 times as "defence" and 4 times "answer."
It means a "reasoned statement or argument." Thus we find
that Paul's "defence" and Peter's "answer" mean exactly
the same thing. This is exactly what many Baptist and evangelicals refuse
to do.
II. THE SUPREME IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING THE TRUTH. v. 1-3
Pilate was confused about the truth and asked a question in response to what Jesus said. "Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice" (John 18:37). "Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?...." (John 18:38).
The truth is precious and it is worth contending
for. Some very good advice is found in Proverbs. "Buy the truth,
and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding"
(Prov. 23:23). It is tragic that so many are willing to sell or give up
the truth in these days.
We had better be sure that we understand how to know the truth.
Jesus prayed to the heavenly Father and said, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John 17:17). He expressed this again in (v. 19). The reason for all these perversions of the Word of God, is the attempt of Satan to keep people from knowing the truth. Some of these new versions may contain some truth, but they are not the truth. Satan is behind them.
The three Hebrews would not bow down to the golden image. King Nebuchadnezzar commanded them to be cast into the fiery furnace. When he looked into the furnace, "He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (Dan. 3:25). The widely accepted NIV (New International Version) bible reads, "...the fourth looks like a son of the gods." Now that may be good enough for some, but it is completely unacceptable to me. There is a lot of difference between "the Son of God" and "a son of the gods." This plainly brings the Lord Jesus Christ down to "a son of the gods."
The new versions often take away the passages that show the deity of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, "God was manifest in the flesh..." (1 Tim. 3:16). This reveals that Jesus was God. The NIV says "He appeared in a body..." This casts doubt upon the deity of Christ, because every one who is born into this world appeared in a body.
After John 7:52, we find right in the middle
of the column, this statement in the NIV, "[The earliest and most reliable
manuscripts do not have John 7:538:11.]" This casts serious doubt on
the record of Jesus' dealing with the woman taken in adultery. Yes, the
story is put into the NIV, but it is set off by a long line before and after,
and it is preceded by the blasphemous note that is quoted above. These manuscripts
are the very smallest number of the most unreliable manuscripts. We could
go on and on with examples of the mutilation of the truth.
If we read 2 John 1-3, you learn that we are to "love in the truth,"
and not in error. All that we do should be for "the truth's sake."
We are instructed to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth"
(2 Tim. 2:15).
Unsaved people are incapable of understanding much of the truth, until they receive the gospel, and know that it is truth. The bible speaks of the " ... the truth of the gospel...." (Gal. 2:5,14). We are saved by the truth of the gospel. "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures" (James 1:18).
We are born again by the word of God, and the word will abide for ever. "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (1 Pet. 1:23-25).
We are instructed to have our ...loins girt about with truth..." (Eph. 6:14), and we are to rejoice in the truth (1 Cor. 13:6).
Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the only way to the Father. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). He is "...full of grace and truth" (John 1:14), and this "...Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). We must "...worship him in Spirit and in truth" John 4:24). "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32).
The idea that love replaces the truth, is utterly false, and is destroying preachers, churches, and people. You cannot love in the biblical sense without the truth. If we have to set aside the truth in order to love, it is a false love and does no honor to God.
All kinds of false doctrines are being taught today, and they attribute their doctrine to the Holy Spirit. This is a heresy, because the Holy Spirit never teaches anything contrary to the truth. The Spirit gave us the bible, and He is the agent of our new birth. It would be utterly impossible for the Spirit to teach or lead into falsehood. If people are led into error by a spirit, you may be sure that it is another spirit. "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him" (2 Cor. 11:4). It is hard for some people to realize that there is another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel, masquerading as truth.
If a person does not have the Holy Spirit dwelling within him, that person is not saved. "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Rom. 8:9).
He is "...the Spirit of truth..." and if you are saved, "...he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." (John 14:17). The Lord Jesus Christ said, "...when he the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come" (John 16:13).
A Scriptural church is a refuge and a place of protection. It is also a place of instruction, and the institution that has been commanded to carry out the great commission. It is a serious mistake for any Christian to skip being a member of a true church. "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth" (I Tim. 3:15). Paul is talking about the local New Testament Church, and he saying that it is the pillar and ground of the truth. If a church ceases to be the pillar and ground of the truth, then it is no longer a church, because the candlestick has been removed.
III. THE SUPREME IMPORTANCE OF WALKING IN THE TRUTH. v. 4-6
To walk in the truth, means that you are making
progress in the Christian life, and that you are growing in God's grace
and in the knowledge of His truth. It means that you are maturing, growing
up, and becoming what God wants you to be. It is tragic that many claim
to be saved, but are not making any progress at all. We are convinced that
many of these are not saved, and are in reality on the road to hell.
"I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth,
as we have received a commandment from the Father" (2 John 1:4).
Pastors rejoice when they see those under their care that are walking in
the truth. John continued to emphasize this in 3 John, and it sure must
be important if it is mentioned time after time. "For I rejoiced
greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee,
even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that
my children walk in truth" (3 John 3-4).
John declares that we are to walk in love toward one toward another, but this must be in the truth. "And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it" (2 John 5-6).
When we walk in the truth, we are following the example of Jesus. "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked" (1 John 2:6)
When people quote John, to try to get Catholics, Baptists, Protestants, and Cults to all get together and be one, you know that it is not in the truth that they want this unity. "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:21). This unity is demonstrated by the Father and the Son. Do you think that the Father did not agree with the Son concerning the truth of any matter? This would be impossible because they are one. All of his disciples were united in truth and doctrine when He prayed this prayer. (With the exception of Judas Iscariot.) They had all been saved in the same way, and they all had the same baptism from John the Baptist. One of them did not believe they were saved by baptism, and another by grace. One did not believe in immersion and the other by sprinkling. They had been saved by the same grace, and they had believed the same message, the one taught by Jesus.
There can be no unity among those who profess to be saved apart from the truth. Truth is the only thing that will unite us. Any other unity is false and contrary to what the Bible teaches.
(Editor's Note: Modesty in clothing continues to be a problem for every Church. We are reprinting a fine article from the PBC of July 97, by a godly Pastor's wife. I would that people might read and heed. Available as Tract # B-344. See ordering details at the end of the article).
Women who are in sound, independent fundamental Baptist churches ought to know how to dress according to Bible standards. No doubt your pastor has preached about the biblical principles for proper, modest dressing and if you are saved, you quite naturally agree with him. I John 5:3, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." Psalm 119:165, "Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them." We understand that, while we do live in this world, God wants His people to stand out and be different and not to use our own standard to determine our dress, but to use God's standard. For example, once we are saved, it doesn't take us long to understand that God considers it an abomination for a woman to dress like a man (Deuteronomy 22:5). Early in our Christian lives then, we put away our pants and all of our excuses for wearing them (i.e. it's cold, I'm going horseback riding, I just wear them around the house, etc.) After all, who wants to dress like an abomination in God's sight? So, we replaced our Levi's with dresses, skirts, and culottes. We also understand that in order to be modest in God's eyes, our dresses, skirts, and culottes need to fall below our knees-- for any part exposed above the knee is considered nakedness in the eyes of God. (Isaiah 47:2,3, "...make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, ...Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen...." Webster's dictionary defines the thigh as being the portion of the leg between the hip and the knee. (Another verse that defines nakedness as an exposed thigh is Exodus 28:42).
I'm sure it is of utmost importance to those of you who are reading this article to know that your dress is well-pleasing to the Lord. So just to be absolutely sure we are obedient in all areas of dress, let us review and examine our philosophy of dress to make sure we can align ourselves with the Word of God.
I have observed among independent Baptist women a certain naivete of sorts when it comes to wearing dresses-- an unspoken philosophy which seems to say, "As long as I'm wearing a dress, I must be scriptural." Yet, there are many types and styles of dresses that are every bit as immodest and revealing as a pair of tight Levi's would be! I purposely chose the title of this article from Proverbs 31 because of the word covering. A covering means to clothe or enwrap. The virtuous woman covered herself. (And from the text we see that she covered herself beautifully: tapestry, silk, and purple!) We see how in the Bible God designed clothes three times and all three times He designed coverings. In the Garden of Eden God made coats for Adam and Eve to wear. A coat is not a sleek, tight, body-revealing sort of apparel, is it? It does not accentuate any part of the body nor draw attention to any one place. When you wear a coat, you are simply covered. The next time the Lord designed clothes was for the high priest's attire. They wore long robes with linen britches underneath the robe. A robe is not an "attention grabbing" article of clothing, is it? I mean, if you and your husband were going out of town on a romantic little getaway, what would his response be if you cuddled up next to him and whispered, "Honey, I want you to know that I'll be bringing my floor-length, long- sleeved, fuzzy, pink robe on this trip!" (Well, in the first place, he may have already fainted because you actually cuddled up to him... but that's another article!) If you were really trying to get his attention, I think you could leave the robe home. A robe, like a coat, was not designed to bring attention to anything on the body, but rather it is used for a covering. Also in the book of Revelation, we read of God's design for our heavenly attire: white robes. Every time the Lord God designed clothes, it was for the purpose of clothing the body in a decent and modest way.
Here I have composed several questions for you
to ask yourself concerning the way you dress:
1. Do you allow your daughter to wear form-fitting,
figure-flattering clothes just because she may look "cute" or
have a "good figure"?
2. Are you mindful to teach your daughter how
to dress modestly, and do you check her wardrobe regularly to be sure she
is doing so? (This is your responsibility, Mom.)
3. Do you allow your daughter to indulge in
worldly attire simply because she is young and it is "in style"?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you have set up your own dress standards and you need to question your own motives for doing so.
Now I want to mention a word that is not often used in discussing our wardrobes, and that is the word balance. I personally believe that we as modern day Christian women must have Holy Spirit leadership in our lives, and must exercise good discretion and balance in choosing what we will wear. This is not to say that we need to find a happy medium between the world's standards and God's standards. Nothing could be farther from the truth. However, we are three years away from the 21st century. We do not use horse and buggies to come to church, nor do I do my laundry down at the Sayville beach. My girls and I do not wear bonnets and prairie dresses like "Ma" on "Little House" and my husband does not dress like Moses or Joshua did. Why? Because those things no longer pertain to our culture. So where does balance apply? God never says that it is a sin for the leg below the knee to show. So I can wear skirts and dresses below my knees and yet they do not have to be to the ground. I do not want to be poured into them in such a way that I can no longer breathe once the skirt is on, and I would still like to be able to move and sit down in what I wear! So I will avoid tight, form-fitting, worldly clothes, but I will choose clothes that look sharp, fit well, and cover me. There's nothing wrong with looking clean and pretty and sharp! We should stand out as pleasingly different, not ostentatious or weird.
Here are some basic rules that we need to measure our dress standards by:
1. Never try to "Christianize" the world's dress and make it your own. (Some ladies who live in jean skirts, for example, wear them every bit as tight as they used to wear their jeans! The idea behind wearing dresses and skirts was to make certain parts of your body literally INVISIBLE!)
2. Open, low necklines, sleeveless tops and dresses, short and slit skirts and dresses, tight, slinky, form-fitting attire and pants or shorts, have no place in a Christian woman's wardrobe. (You might say, "Sleeveless?! Oh, come on!" Ever notice what advertisers say about "bare" shoulders? Words like sexy, soft, and alluring are always right there.)
3. Culottes were invented in order to give a lady the freedom to move around-- i.e., gardening, cleaning, bike riding, etc.-- and yet still look like she has a skirt on. If you want to wear culottes, make sure they look like a skirt front and back.
I am utterly amazed and shocked when I attend Christian weddings because of some of the bride's gowns I have seen. Here we have this wonderful, sweet, little Christian girl, who has dressed modestly and properly as long as she's been in the church. What happens on her wedding day? To quote a familiar passage- "June is bustin' out all over!" Please keep your standards as high as ever on this wonderful day! There have been brides I've been embarrassed to look in the eye because of her immodest apparel.
In all areas of our lives, we should try to live godly. Let us especially be circumspect in our attire. The virtuous woman has the utmost respect for God and His Word. So the virtuous woman covers herself. And her husband praises her.
Encouragingly yours,
Liz
[Liz Graf is the wife of John Graf, Pastor of the First Baptist Church, Sayville, New York. They are the parents of Jennifer (19), John (18), Timothy (15), and Ashley (12).]
This article is available in tract form, and may ordered from the Tabernacle Baptist Church, P.O. Box 3100, Lubbock, TX 79452.
Theology is very simply defined as the study of God and religious truth concerning the godhead. It involves the study and teaching of biblical truths and doctrinal standards. Since the great commission is the marching orders for the Lord's church, it is necessary to follow those instructions. (Matt. 28:19,20) Making disciples was the primary objective of Jesus. Training them for their fundamental work in life was His goal. This is no less the purpose of His church in the world today. "Go ye into the city," "go ye into the world," "go into the next towns," and "go into the country" permeate the instructions given to our Lord's church. From the beginning, the Lord set certain offices in the church to fulfill their obvious responsibility. (Eph. 4:11) "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers . . . ." The apostles fulfilled their place in the early days of the church. Prophets foretold things that were ahead in various lives. (Acts 21:10,11) Some churches are given missionaries to send out and support. For a church to prosper spiritually it must have a God called pastor who in turn is the primary teacher for that church. The fundamental work of the pastor is teaching theology. Religious truths and doctrinal standards must be taught in every message. This was Paul's instruction to Timothy, "Preach the word." (2 Tim. 4:2) Paul understood the Macedonian vision to mean he was to go there for one purpose: "to preach the gospel unto them." (Acts 16:9,10)
Pastors who labor in the Word of God, preaching, teaching, and instructing in the doctrine of Christ, are involved in the most rewarding yet demanding work on earth. It is the delight of any pastor to see results both in salvation and service. Fleshly temptations are enormous to enhance numerical results, and consequently some have entertained and engaged other methods than preaching the Gospel of Christ to enhance numerical growth.
However, many godly pastors have been faithful to the Word of God and the God of the Word in all they do. This group of dedicated men are rapidly diminishing. Yet those who remain and have fought spiritual battles throughout their ministry are challenged with new assaults led by the same evil commander. These are too numerous to cover in one column. Some are going to be considered in this article. What is a pastor to do with . . .?
Those coming to Christ at an early age are more numerous than those later in life. This doesn't mean those coming to Christ later in life are less valuable. Whatever the age one comes to know Jesus as their Saviour and Lord, not only bolsters the hearts of the saints on earth but intensifies activity among those in heaven. (Luke 15:7) "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."
Knowing the effect the conversion of a sinner has on heaven's inhabitants, surely those who witness this on earth must also have concern. Concern about the future growth of this new born babe in Christ. Peter had this concern when he wrote to the strangers scattered in Asia. (1 Pet 2:2) "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: . ." Growth is the inherent nature of anything and everything God has created.
Even the small time gardener has expectations of every seed planted. When the seed emerges as new life there is intent effort to make the plant flourish. If evidence of growth fails its only natural to seek the cause that has brought about this effect. Is it a root problem, or is it above ground and noticeably drought stricken, or other problems that can be ascertained? Whatever the problem a remedy is soon sought and corrective measures are pursued.
The same is true of the new born babe in Christ. It causes great concern to a pastor when spiritual growth is not evident. He is in the same dilemma as Paul with the Corinthian church. (1 Cor. 3:1) "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ." As is evidenced in the remainder of his letter, he began with the Word of God an applied it to each childish obstruction to spiritual growth. Their carnality was revealed by their envying, strife, and divisions. They were too proud to deal with adultery and other sin in the church. He identified sin by name and recognized problems by evidence. He then pointed out that it was Christ who was the only foundation to build upon. Paul speaks the heart of every God placed pastor of one of the Lord's established churches. (1 Thes. 2:19) "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?" Although numbers are encouraging, it is not spiraling numbers but spiritual development that is in the heart of every dedicated pastor. Spiritual growth will indeed bring about desired numerical increase.
A pastor is honored when the Lord calls a man from his congregation to preach the word of God. It adds to the feeling that the Lord has not forgotten years of labor and this is one evidence of His approval. It also adds to the pastor's responsibility. What is a pastor to do about . . . ?
It is becoming increasingly apparent that many Bible Schools and Seminaries are drifting away from biblical truths. Some are farther removed than others. Evidences surface at a rapid pace of institutions of spiritual training that have removed themselves far from teaching about the true God. What must a pastor do when a person comes to him for a recommendation of what school or college to attend? What are the dangers to the spiritual life of one recently surrendering to preach if he gets the wrong instruction about God?
The danger of doubting the Word of God. How can anyone be sure of any fact when multitudes of versions of that happening are accepted? Which version of such is even is reliable? Few seminaries impress on the mind of their students the reliability of the King James Version of the Bible. Among the first things the student is taught is there are more reliable versions than the KJV. The reason given is there are older and better manuscripts than those relied upon for the Authorized Version. If older means better why is the KJV less desirable than later versions, some as much as 300 years later? What exactly does better mean? Is it referring to the material or the manuscript? If it is the material it could be that it is better because of lack of use. Anything used sparingly will better maintain its original condition. Lack of use could imply lack of reliability to those who were nearer to the time of its writing. If it refers to the value of the manuscript itself, how many other copies of known manuscripts agree together? Since far more manuscripts available agree with the Hebrew/Greek text from which the AV is translated, how can other manuscripts possibly be better?
The danger of doubting the work of God. The primary purpose of Christ's coming into the world was for the salvation of lost humanity. (Luke 19:10) Seminaries at times invite various speakers for their assemblies. Suppose such speakers are of the persuasion that Christianity is not the only acceptable religion? If you feel this is far fetched let me remind you of the 1997 televised interview of Robert Schuller with Billy Graham. Schuller asked Dr. Graham who would go to heaven: "I think everybody that loves Christ, or knows Christ, whether they're conscious of it or not, they're members of the Body of Christ . . . They may not even know the name of Jesus but they know in their hearts that they need something they don't have, and they turn to the only light they have, and I think they are saved, and that they're going to be with us in heaven . . ." This is not in line with Peter's statement in Acts 4:12. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." In many instances Billy Graham is the icon for successful evangelism. No pastor would want a man recently surrendered to preach exposed to such heresy.
The danger of doubting the will of God. Young preachers with convictions acquired from the teaching of a godly pastor may become disillusioned about his call if exposed to false doctrine. Traditional conservative views of his early Christian training may be challenged in the wrong seminary or Bible school. Although they may have Baptist attached to their credentials, surprises often surface. Liberal professors abound in seminaries with little or no restrictions concerning their biblical convictions. I pray the following example is not common place, but I sincerely fear it is not an isolated case.
"Journal entries by a former student at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond describe the seminary as a home to liberal theological and political convictions outside the norm of most Southern Baptist churches. Noting that faculty and students often criticized Southern Baptist seminaries for trying to close the minds of students and indoctrinating them with denominational beliefs, former student John Ippolito found the BTSR community to be intolerant of traditional, conservative views on Scripture."(Baptist Press, 5/22/01) BTSR receives significant funding from the Baptist General Association of Virginia. Baptist conventions of North Carolina and the District of Columbia also contribute to its welfare. One once enthusiastic student was concerned that "professors or students condoned homosexuality as natural and acceptable Christian behavior." The institutions president responded, "Homosexual practice is not affirmed . . . Our students must be prepared to deal with this and other troublesome issues." Homosexuality a troublesome issue!!!? God dealt with this `troublesome' issue by destroying entire cities and nations. What a crucial concern this is to pastors of local churches for their young people going off to seminaries.
When theology runs amuck it will destroy many young lives. Doubts replaces determination. Permissiveness overshadows biblical precepts. Tolerance is substituted for traditional values. What must a pastor do? Better than sending such a cherished treasure to a seminary where theology has turned into a fit of wildness, home school them in the local church. Whether or not this can be done in a classroom setting is up to the pastor. A man can achieve some of the best theological training by attending every service of a doctrinally sound pastor and church. No institution can love the new convert, the recently surrendered life, more than the pastor of a local church.
The pastor has trained Sunday School teachers by the same method. They in turn teach classes of various ages bringing them to spiritual growth and on to the next level. These are the theology classes that will train men for the ministry. Classes that will prepare the elder women to teach the younger women. To cause respect for one another in the body of Christ and a respect for the Word and work of God. Is this a scriptural method? (2 Tim 2:2,3) "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." Four generations are pointed out in verse 3. A continuation of this practice will prepare people better for any area of service to our Lord than any liberal seminary filled with liberal ideas and notions.