CTN Vol 3.5

RESTORING A THING OF VALUE
Lovely works of art are often marred by accumulations of dirt and grime. Specialists are employed to restore them to their original beauty. They carefully remove the foreign matter than obscures their true nature. Fine furniture can become worn and damaged. Its beauty is hidden by tattered upholstery and layers of paint. To see it as it came from the hands of the artisan it needs to be restored by a skilled workman. The paint and ragged upholstery needs to be stripped away.

Christianity is two thousand years old. Its modern appearance is greatly marred and distorted by the accumulation of human doctrines and practices imposed upon it over the ages. A careful reading of the New Testament provides one with an accurate picture of Christianity as it came from the hands of Jesus. A comparison of that with modern denominational versions of Christianity reveals a stark difference. Hardly a single teaching or practice of the original faith has been untouched. Human hands have defiled and marred its beauty with their changes. But as with the work of art or the fine furniture, we can restore the church to its original simplicity and beauty. First we look to the New Testament of Christ to determine just how he intended the church to be; what she was to believe; how she was to worship. We then resolve that we will follow those guidelines faithfully. Each item of faith and practice must be examined carefully in light of Christ's word. Anything not as old as the New Testament must be discarded. Anything that has been left out or neglected must be put back in its proper place. We must be willing to endure the complaints, criticisms and ridicule of those who love their human traditions more than they do the original faith of Christ. We must be prepared to be a minority because Jesus said "Many are called but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14). We must resolve to hold fast to that which we find to be true lest we let it slip from us (Hebrews 2:1). The labor will be intense, the cost will be high, but when you have done the necessary work of restoring you will possess the pure and holy church of Christ which he purchased with his own blood (Acts 20:28).You will have found the way that is right, which cannot be wrong. The restoration of New Testament Christianity is the goal and commitment of faithful Christians around the world.

CHURCHLESS CHRISTIANS
Some folks claim to be Christians but choose not to be part of a church. Perhaps they have had a bad experience with some church, or they may not wish to be tied to one body of believers. Maybe they do not want any responsibility or to be accountable to any spiritual leaders. It could be they just don't know any better. The fact is, God knows nothing of "churchless Christians." Consider the following:

At the end of time Christ will deliver his church (kingdom) up to God the Father (I Cor. 15:24).

The message of the Bible is that to be saved is to be a member of Christ's church. True, you need not be a member of any denominational body founded by men. But the church that Christ built is of a different quality and kind. Membership in it is not optional. If you wish to be saved and spend your eternity with God, you will gladly embrace Christ's church as your own!

Had you lived in Jerusalem in 33 A.D. you would have observed the following facts:

Every member had been "buried with Christ in baptism" (Rom. 6:3-4) for remission of their sins (Acts 2:38).
You can be a member of that same church today.

A PRAYER FOR HELP IN THIS DAY OF DISTRESS
Change agents have much to say about calling us back to the Old Testament. The author happens to be a student of the Old Covenant and finds many valuable lessons therein. In the Psalms he finds many inspirational thoughts for prayers. When the righteous among the Hebrews were confronted with deadly, dangerous enemies, they prayed fervently to God for his help and deliverance and he heard and delivered them. While we must never pray for any physical harm to our enemies, we can properly pray that those who are spiritual enemies of the Cause of Christ will be defeated in their endeavors. You who read this are urged to join the author in daily praying for the safety of the Lord's church from those agents of change who are working to corrupt her faith, worship and practice.

PROGRESS IS BEING MADE
The Israelis are building a fence to keep Palestinian terrorists from infiltrating their nation and inflicting harm upon their citizens. With the help of many fellow-Christians we are building a wall that will block the progress of the those promoting anti-scriptural changes for Christ's church. In the last month helpers have made it possible for us to add all the congregations in Iowa and South Carolina to our mailing list. Plus a sizable number in Texas and North Carolina. If you feel we have a message others need to hear, you may wish to help. For $50 per month we can mail all the congregations in Pennsylvania or South Carolina. For $75 per month we can mail all the congregations in Indiana or Illinois. It costs us .50 per month to mail two copies of CTN addressed to Minister/Elders of a given church. They go forth with a prayer that God will use them to fortify the faith of the leaders of our congregations and help them hold fast to the faithful word of the gospel. Even a small monthly contribution will make it possible for us to add more churches to our mailing. Hopefully you will want to be a part of this effort. Write or email me @ johnwaddey@aol.com .

We have just completed an analysis and review of Alexander Campbell's famous Lunenburg Letters. These letters, written in 1837 are a favorite weapon of the change agents who want to persuade brethren that we should accept those of denominational churches as our fellow-Christians. The article is lengthy and needs to be published as an insert in an upcoming issue of CTN. You might wish to help us do that. The cost will be $350.

THE ROYAL LAW OF LIBERTY (A Review)
Darwin Chandler has published The Royal Law of Liberty, subtitled "Living in Freedom Under Christ's Law of Love." The author previously preached for churches of Christ but has now abandoned his former faith. His present estimate of churches of Christ is one of scornful pity, condescension and hostility. In his book he voices the same general message as the large family of change agents at work among us. His abandonment of New Testament Christianity and his departure from our fellowship is prophetic of what we can expect from other disaffected champions of change.

Chandler's central thesis is that God has but one law for His people; that we love our neighbor as ourselves. But then he remembers that there is at least one other law, that we must love God! Everything else he writes derives from this belief. He concludes that there are no other commands, ordinances or statutes for Christians to be concerned with. Note the following: "We must forget about serving God via obedience to commands and concentrate on loving Him and other people" (p. vi). "Thus one may make a list of every individual law contained in the Bible, then strike through all of them and write over them, ‘Love others as you love yourself'" (p. 4). We wonder why then did God go to the trouble of writing all those commands? He writes, "If we love man and God we do not need to memorize codes of behavior that prevent us from harming people or dishonoring God" (p. 36).

Bro. Chandler's system is not new, it is the ancient error of "antinomianism" which is "an opposition to law, specifically, a rejection of the idea that the Christian's life need be governed by laws or rules" (Concise Dict. of Theology). "The spiritualization of the law into the one precept of love to God, taught and exemplified by Jesus, encouraged some over-enthusiastic devotees to believe they had been exalted to such a height of spirituality and overmastering love to God that they needed to have no regard to moral precepts or to outward conduct..." (Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. 1, p. 196).

The following points show how his doctrine plays out in the life of people.

In the Realm of Salvation: He argues that man is saved by grace alone. "It becomes obvious that salvation from inception to completion must be by pure grace..." (p. 41). "Nothing human enters into this spiritual birth; it is all God's doing" (p. 42-43).
In Daily Discipleship: He says, "Personal holiness will not be measured by how well we avoid sinful practices. Christ's likeness in us will not be recognized by specific behaviors, but by Christ's love in our life. What determines whether we are ‘faithful Christians' will not be external things like church attendance, tithing, praying, worshiping, fasting, etc..." (p. 16).
In Moral Conduct: "Nothing is immoral unless it harms other people or dishonors God" (p. 38). "If our actions do not harm others, or disrespect their person or property, then those actions are within the realm of personal choice" (p. 149). Then what of pornography?
In Worship: He believes "The Scripture simply does not teach that we must have ‘Scriptural authority' for everything we do" (p. 24). "People can worship and serve God in as great variety as true love can motivate. It is literally true that there is no limit to the ways one may offer loving worship to God. He will accept every expression of love including those that other humans judge ridiculous" (p. 31). "He who offers instrumental music as a love offering to God, pleases God and worships him so much more effectively than one whose whole motivation is trying to find a law to obey...' (p. 28). He states, "The mass of evidence" "allows women ...to minister and be leaders in Christ's church" (p. 447).
In the Way We Read, Understand and Respect the Bible: "And we know that whatever is the purpose of Christ's law, it is not meant for salvation." "One cannot be saved by obeying Christ's law any more than one can be saved by obeying Moses' law" (p. 41-42). He says, "We no longer need to carry the law-book (i.e. the Bible jhw), consulting it for every possible human situation requiring a moral decision. If people have God's love in their hearts...they will be able to know what is right and will be motivated to do it" (p. 44).

Fundamental Errors of Bro. Chandler's Book:

He fails to see that while salvation is a free gift of God's grace God has made reception of it conditional on obedience (Heb. 5:8-9).

He fails to distinguish between Moses law which has indeed been abrogated (Rom. 7:4), and the law of Christ to which we are amenable (John 12:48; Rom. 8:1-2).

He fails to understand that the two great commands to love God and our neighbor (Matt. 22:37-39), are illustrative of all other laws, the foundation upon which they rest. They are not the only laws.

Blinded by his antinomianism, he denigrates and dismisses the commandments of Christ and embraces the Situation Ethics of Harvey Cox of days past.

Because of his faulty understanding of Christ's gospel he mistakenly embraces the errors of Calvinism; namely salvation by grace alone, enabling grace and divine enlightenment by the Holy Spirit.

Because he holds a faulty understanding of legalism, he wrongly concludes that anyone who loves, honors and obeys the Will of God is a legalist.

Like religious liberals of the 20th century, he holds a utopian view of humanity's ability to live by love without law. Their dream collapsed in the face of two World Wars and the horrors of Communism. His theory cannot survive the realities of human life and conduct.

He thinks he has found something new, when it is but ancient heresy that has deceived men in the past.

Conclusion: Although we find the teaching and conclusions of Bro. Chandler faulty and reject them, we commend him for leaving the church he no longer believes in or loves. In this he is more noble than other agents of change who like him, no longer love the church of Christ yet they lurk among us trying to seduce and destroy the faith of others.

ENCOURAGING PREACHERS
This is a recent publication by Bro. Tom Holland, one of the truly great preachers of our generation. For 34 years he taught young preachers at Freed-Hardeman and David Lipscomb Universities. He has authored more than 20 fine books. This excellent book has two purposes: 1. to encourage preachers and 2. To help Christians understand the work and responsibilities of preachers and the challenges and burdens inherent in their work. It is an exhortation to brethren to be helpers and supporters of those who labor in the word and doctrine. It may be ordered from Penmann Books P.O. Box 611, Brentwood, TN 37027.

FRUIT INSPECTORS
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God..." (I John 4:1). This Scripture sounds strange to many modern ears. The idea that a preacher could actually be a false teacher who could lead us away from God seems incredible. But repeatedly, God warns us about teachers of error that should be avoided (Matt. 7:15).

When a message is presented to us in the name of God, we must test or prove it to see if it is true. And how can we know if a teacher is telling us the truth? Only by comparing their life and teaching with the Scriptures. God's word is truth (John 17:17). In days past Christians always went to church with Bibles in hand. While they listened carefully to their preacher they made notations and checked his citations to see if what he said was indeed true. In so doing they followed the example of the noble Bereans who did the same when Paul spoke to them (Acts 17:11). Bro. Marshall Keeble, the great Black preacher of yesteryear, used to say, we are all fruit inspectors (Comp. Matt. 7:16-20). When you read, view or hear a message purporting to be from God, always remember your responsibility to "test the spirits." Your eternal well-being depends on your rejection of error and your willingness and ability to determine and follow truth; for only truth can make you free (John 8:32).