Newsletter Vol.3, #20—June 10, 2007

Matthew 11 ¹When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

That Far Away Island

by Robert Turner

I wonder how many souls have rejected Christ because of that "Far-Away-Island"? The reasoning goes like this. "On some far away island there are people who have never heard of Jesus Christ, or of His commandments. They can’t believe if they have not

heard; they can’t obey if they do not know the commands, so surely a just God will save them." (It’s amazing how many people who will not consider what God says, can figure out exactly what God will do — on the basis of their concept of right and justice.) Then, an otherwise intelligent man, with Bibles all around him and concerned friends pleading for him to hear and obey Christ, assumes that he can ignore Christ, and be saved "like those far-away savages".

The analogy is far-fetched and illogical, even if people on that faraway island are saved "because they never heard the gospel"—and that is "far-away" from being proven. Men are not lost (in the primary sense) because "they didn’t hear the gospel." Men are lost because of their sins, no matter where they are or what they have or have not heard. Sin is the disease that brings spiritual death, while the gospel is the remedy. We do not die because of the remedy, but because of the disease. The Bible says "All have sinned" (Rom.3:23), and "death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom.5:12). Accountable people on that far-away island are lost because of their sins.

Paul also uses another argument — one that comes closer home. He indicates a moral consciousness "written in the hearts" of men who had not a codified law as did the Jews (2:12-f). There are subjective standards of conduct, things we "feel" to be right-things we "ought" or "ought not" to do (read again, Rom.2:12-16), and God justly holds men accountable to do the best he knows to do, in the absence of more complete information (cf. Rom 14:23 in context.). It should be noted that subjective standards can never supersede available revelation from God, to be approached objectively. (Rom.10:17; Jn.12:48)

That "Far Away Island" needs Jesus Christ just the same as the rest of this sinful world. Their condemnation is just (for their own sins) whether we take them the gospel or not; but if we are unconcerned and neglectful about taking them the gospel remedy, our condemnation is twice justified. How utterly lost is the man who uses Far Away Island to justify (?) self.

Why We Sing and Don't Play

By Robert Turner

True Christians are committed to the principle that Christ is their King, and that their worship and service to Him must be authorized in His word. They believe they have no right to "speak where he has not spoken" (god’s work in god’s way) hence, seek to answer religious questions by citing divine will. (Book chapter and verse)

We are not under the Old Testament (2 Cor. 3: 11-18) nor is our worship determined by figurative descriptions of heaven (Rev.14:2); so David’s harp and heavenly "voices" have no bearing upon the subject. We are concerned with New Testament authority for music in worship, and here present all passages that deal with this subject. Perhaps you can decide why we sing and do not play.

Matt. 26:30 "when they had sung a hymn….."

Mark 14:26 "when they had sung a hymn….."

Acts 16:25 "prayed, and sang praises unto God….."

Rom. 15:9 "confess to thee – and sing unto thy name…"

I Cor. 14:15 "Sing with the spirit and understanding…"

Eph 5:19 "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

Col. 3:16 "teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Heb. 2:12 "in the midst of the church will I sing…."

Jas. 5:13 "Is any merry? Let him sing psalms…"

To avoid the force of these passages some appeal to PSALLO, the Greek word translated "sing" ("making melody" Eph.5:19) because in earlier Greek it meant to "pluck twang, as the strings of a harp, or a carpenter’s chalk line." But its New Testament meaning was "sing" as all the translators testify. Further, if it does mean "play a harp" ALL worshipers would have to do so in order to obey these commands, No "psalloing" would be acceptable without the instrument.

Appeals to popularity, love of the arts, church traditions, etc., fall far short of providing divine authority for instrumental music in worship. Secular history points to 666 AD as the date for the first use of mechanical music in worship by church authority—that is far from God’s way.

Podium Oracles

By Robert Turner

The pulpit, or podium, is not a shrine from which an oracle speaks. Control of the microphone does not bestow divine authority. Of course we know these things, but an occasional reminder is in order for those speakers who seem to think that if they said it — especially before a large audience— the truth is established. Listeners also need to review their concepts of “pulpit pronouncements.”

Our attention has been called to several recent examples of “speaker superiority”— where the speaker felt insulted if his conclusions were questioned, and refused to engage in “equal time” studies of the matter, even in privacy. In some cases a public “I disagree” is supposed to answer scriptural arguments — and for those who accept public pronouncements as final authority, this may be the end of further investigation —but God will have the final word. One church dismissed those who questioned their practices by saying, “This is not a competitive church.” A strange way to fight the fight of faith. We could understand “not interested in carnal battle” if there were not so much evidence of carnal pressures to force their conclusions others.

Brethren, we are deep into an era of questioning and investigation; of renewed interest in private study. If we have half the confidence we claim to have in our teaching and practice, we will encourage rather than squelch objective Bible testing. Perhaps many of the questions will be inane and childish. So, show your maturity and wisdom with concerned, scriptural reply. Help the querist grow up.

Getting angry, pulling rank, or hiding behind the “dignity” of the pulpit is a strong psychological clue to your inadequacy. Insecure people, feeling their “position” threatened, act like that; and so do brethren who have no authority for their practice.

Questions, and “new” (non-traditional) ideas are not signs of wisdom. A fool can question, and may need answering “according to his folly,” (Prov. 26:4-5). But foolish also are the men or churches who act as though God would judge man on the basis of their conclusions. (Rom.12:3: 14:12)