The Proclaimer

PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST TO A LOST AND DYING WORLD

Edited and Published by Jack Critchfield

In This Issue:
Is Baptism A Work?
God's Word Abides Forever
In The Lord
You Are More Valuable Than Sparrows
The Doctrine Of Christ

Is Baptism a Work?
Jack Critchfield

One of the arguments against baptism that we often hear is that it is a work and Christians are saved by grace, not by works. While it is true that we can do nothing that will merit salvation, God has left many things that Christians are supposed to engage in.

In one sense, baptism is a work. As God had James to write, "…if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ...Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead…You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only" (James 2:14,17,24). Some would like to believe that all works are ruled out by Eph. 2:8-9 which says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast," but if all works are ruled out, so is faith! Look at what Jesus said in John 6:29, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." We also find faith is a work. Certainly it is "the work of God," because God requires it, and we believe in response to His will. The exact same thing is true with baptism! We do this work of God in response to His will.

Jesus said, in defining His ministry on earth, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:34). We cannot be saved, or justified, by our works. But our purpose is the same as that of Jesus, "To accomplish his work." Look at those great heroes of faith which God lists in Heb. 11, "By faith Abel offered to God…By faith Enoch was translated…By faith, being divinely warned, Noah prepared an ark…By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called." Each of these, and the others in this chapter, followed the exact same pattern: they heard what God wanted them to do, they believed God and they did what He told them. Did they work? Yes! Did God reward their work? Certainly! But they were doing God's work by faith. Without exception, God rewarded their "work of faith."

What is going to be the basis of the judgment? Jesus answers plainly, "…He will reward each according to his works" (Matt. 16:27). Paul writes, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10). Peter likewise said, "And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work…" (1 Pet. 1:17). The judgment will be based on how we have done the work of God! Both faith and baptism are works that he has commanded of us. But neither of them "earn" us salvation, it is still His gift to us. And neither faith nor baptism is man's work - both are the work of God, because He commands them.

What is the purpose of baptism? The Lord answers. "And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:15-16). "Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…" (Acts 2:38). "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16). "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Rom 6:3-4). The above passages show that the purpose of this "work" which God commands is clearly defined.

One must believe and be baptized in order to be saved (Mark 16:16). One must repent and be baptized in order to have remission of sins (Acts 2:38). One must be baptized into the death of Christ in order to have the blood of Christ wash away his sins (Rom. 6:3; Acts 22:16). One must be baptized in order to begin "newness of life" (Rom. 6:3-4). One must be baptized "onto Christ" in order to be IN Christ. No, our works can never save us. But baptism is work of God, done by us in response to His will. And it is His purpose and His design that gives validity to the baptism of a believer. According to the Scriptures one saved without doing the will of God (Heb. 7:21; 1 Pet. 1:22; Rom. 6:17). And being baptized is definitely doing the will of God! Instead of quibbling about baptism being a work, let us learn what the Lord said to do, accept it, and do it. After all, we shall all be judged by our works (Matt. 16:27; 2 Cor. 5:10).

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God's Word Abides Forever
Bob Craig

It is appointed unto man to die. All material substances are in a state of decay. There is no permanence that we can view. But among all of this destruction, God's word abides. (1 Peter 1:24- 25) "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 forever."

Jehoiakim was the son of one of the few godly kings of Judah. Josiah. But, as was the case in so many instances among the judges and kings of Judah and Israel, he repudiated the ways of his father and "did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord." In the days of Josiah Judah had digressed from the word of the Lord; in fact the Book of the Law had been lost in the rubble of the temple. It was found and read to Josiah he was so anguished that "he rent his clothes" which was a sign of his deep remorse. So he instigated a restoration of that which was lacking.

In like manner the law was read to Jehoiakim. His reaction was exactly the opposite from that of his father. "Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words" (Jeremiah 36:24). In fact, he sought to destroy God's Word. Read the sad story from Jeremiah 36: 22-23: "Now the king sat in the winter house in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth." But God's Word was not to be destroyed. "Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned" (Jeremiah 36:27-28).

We have people in the religious world today who have the disposition of Jehoiakim. Figuratively, they take their pen knife and cut out the portion they do not like.

For instance, most of the denominational world accepts, to some degree, the Calvinist doctrine that salvation or justification if "by faith only." We read in the creed books of men an article of faith like this: "The doctrine of justification by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine and full of much comfort." They have taken their pen knives and cut out the statement of James in James 2:24: "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only."

A large segment of our religious neighbors cling to the doctrine that "a child of God can never fall from grace" or "once saved, always saved." Out comes the pen knife and they would cut out Galatians 2:4: "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."

With one accord, the consensus of the denominational world, and some of my brethren, is that baptism is not essential to salvation. The pen knife goes to work again and this time Mark 16:15-16 is thrown into the fire: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that be-lieveth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

And here's one that is universally slaughtered: "And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." And on and on it goes. People read the Book. But they don't like what they read, so they, like Jehoiakim, just cut it out. But the Word of God lives on. We should live by it because we'll die and be judged by it (John 12:48).

"But the word of the Lord endureth forever."

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In The Lord
Ron Lloyd

The phrase "in the Lord" is common in the scriptures. Bible students will immediately recall several contexts. Saints are taught to rejoice, obey parents, marry and have confidence in one another "in the Lord" among many other admonitions, warnings and exhortations. To deal with the various ways it is used would not be possible in a short study. Two references in the King James Version which, to my mind, are helpful in understanding what is meant when the phrase is used. These passages are as follow:

1 Corinthians 1:30-31: 30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

2 Corinthians 10:17-18: '7But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. '8For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

We may say a person having domestic, financial or legal problems is "in a mess." We understand that the conditions and relationships of the person are unpleasant. The word translated glory is used in a bad sense in Romans 2:17 and 23. The Jews "boasted" of their confidence in the law of Moses. In Romans 5:2 the word appears as "rejoice." Because one is in God's grace and so stands there is cause to "rejoice in hope."

The phrase, in our study texts, deals with those who are "in Christ Jesus," and those "whom the Lord commendeth." When we are having the proverbial "big time," it would be well to consider, is this rejoicing or glorying "in the Lord?"

God does not condemn rest and relaxation. He does condemn slothfulness and self indulgence. A feeling of ease is much to be sought after. It is important to the saint that the desirable first be godly.

To "glory in the Lord," is a joy reserved for those who are obedient to the Lord. A similar phrase, "in Christ," is found in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Those "in Christ" are "new creatures," that is they are renewed or made over inwardly, that is to say spiritually, after God's design. These "new creatures" do not follow the rules of the world in conduct nor do they adopt the worlds' standards concerning what constitutes a "good time."

Rejoicing or glorying, in the context under consideration, is a reflection of zeal and dedication. Zeal is vital to success. Zeal for an enterprise drives us. Zeal is found, by the scriptures, to be well directed and misdi-rected. Paul raised the important question to the brethren in Galatians 4:18 when he wrote: "But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you." The object of my zeal must be that which is good and beautiful by Biblical standards. Romans 10:1-3 comes to mind. Paul's Jewish kinsmen were zealous about God "but not according to knowledge." The knowledge that drove them to zeal was not based upon truth. They had a self designed plan and had failed to submit "themselves unto the righteousness of God."

The world and some brethren reject the above treatment charging that it emphasizes rules and law and overlooks the love and compassion of God. Biblical love includes tenderness but does not exclude obedience. Obedience and love are harmonious in man's relationship with God from Moses' law in Exodus 20:6 to the perfect law of liberty in John 14:15. Satan fosters approach which encourages one to get caught up in the emotion of the moment. Paul warns us: "- only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh."

Via the Good Report

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YOU ARE MORE VALUABLE THAN SPARROWS
Clarence Johnson

In Matt.. 10:29-31, Jesus said, "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

He had just warned them in verses 16-22 that they would be persecuted. This reminds us of such warnings in the sermon on the mount, Matt. 5:10-12. So also, His reminder to them of God's love reminds us of similar statements in that earlier sermon. He had said to them, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" He also said, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" Finally, He summed up that section of the sermon on the mount by saying, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:25-34).

Financially, sparrows are almost worthless. Two of them sold for what was roughly the equivalent of 1/16 of a day's pay for the average working man. A comparison of Luke 12:6-7 shows a fifth sparrow was thrown in free when four were bought. Yet Jesus plainly says, "Not one of them is forgotten before God" (Luke 12:6).

And then He adds, "You are of more value than many sparrows." He insists that not only does God have an awareness of each of us as individuals, "but the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

The primary lesson Jesus would have His persecuted apostles to learn is to put their trust in God. The lesson is just as valid for us today. Do not allow the fear of what men can do and the pressures they can bring to bear -- I say, do not allow these considerations to detract you from your trust in God. Jesus gave His life for you. Would you live your life for Him? Paul says, "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:1-2).

And, by the way, a human being made in the image of God with a soul that survives death is of more value in the sight of God than any and all birds and animals. See Matt. 12:12, etc.

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THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST
Richie Thetford

Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:3-6: "If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain."

There are in fact three doctrines that are mentioned in the New Testament. One is the divine doctrine which is mentioned in Titus 2:10: "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things." There is the human doctrine mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 15:9: "And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." Then there is the Satanic doctrine that Paul makes mention of in 1 Timothy 4:1: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons."

Why Teach the Doctrine of Christ?
It still amazes me why, in the name of religion, men teach doctrines that are not found to be of Jesus Christ. It amazes me because if one is truly interested in what he must do to be saved and live a life righteous unto God, then why doesn't he look for the teachings (doctrine) of Christ to guide his steps? Paul began in 1 Timothy 6:3 by saying "if anyone teaches otherwise" then proceeds to tell us what happens to those that do so. In the Galatian letter he really spells it out when he writes: "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed" (Gal 1:8). When it comes to religion we should be determined to know nothing except the gospel that Jesus taught us. After all, can any other doctrine save us? If you answered NO, you're right. And knowing this, then we better make sure that we strive to do only the will of the Lord in our life. In 1 Timothy 1:3 we are charged not to teach another gospel.

Notice: "As I urged you when I went into Macedonia -- remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith." A failure on our part to abide in the doctrine of Christ will lead to vain worship as Jesus clearly stated in Mark 7:7. Not only that, but our work that we do while here on this earth will perish when we do those things not authorized by Jesus. When Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians he said: "Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations--"Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using-- according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an ap-pearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh" (Col 2:20-23). The point Paul is trying to make is that if you have accepted Jesus in your life through obedience to His gospel, then why do you try to live up to worldly doctrines that perish, doctrines and commandments that have been established not by God, but by men? Every denomination is guilty of this to some degree. We are wasting our time and effort when we teach any other doctrine than that which was authorized by Jesus!

What Is Our Duty Toward The Doctrine Of Christ?
We have a responsibility to fulfill toward the keeping of the doctrine of Christ. It is our duty as Christians to preach this doctrine to others. The Bible says: "But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine" (Tit 2:1). In addition, we are to keep it pure (Tit 2:7), adorn it (Tit 2:10), follow it (1 Tim 4:6), exhort in it (Tit 1:9), convince others of it (Tit 1:9), and not to blaspheme it (1 Tim 6:1). Paul wrote these things to fellow laborers in the vineyard of the Lord. He instructed them on what they had to do to promote and to keep pure the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Are we doing our part to make sure that we are abiding in the gospel of Jesus? The Hebrew writer wrote: "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Heb 9:27). We are going to be judged according to our works, good or bad (2 Cor 5:10). Knowing this, we better make sure that we are abiding in the doctrine that we are going to be judged by. Satan can't save us. Man can't save us. Only Jesus can save us. He'll save us based on our obedience to His doctrine which "was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).

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Jack Critchfield, Editor & Publisher
403 Coit Way, Salinas, Ca. 93907
critch1@juno.com