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Vol.2 No. 4/5 Jan/Feb 1991

If The Foundations Be Destroyed,What Can The Righteous Do?

Sidney White

David, in Psalm 11, is advised thatSaul now regards neither truth nor

justice. If truth and justice no longerare important, if the priests are beingdestroyed, if divine worship is beingoverthrown, what can a righteous mando? The advice of the counsellors is to"fleeas a bird to your mountain" (v.lb).But David is not willing to flee. Heknows the "Lord is in his holy temple"(v.4a) David's response to this adviceforms the bulk of this Psalm. ThePsalmist was in no way intimidated bythe fury of the king, but ratherexpressed his trust in the Lord (v. la).

This Psalm pictures dark times.Evil people are now in control. "Wrong"was in the saddle riding roughshod over"right." The foundations of a greatnation are now crumbling. Note howHosea, in the book bearing his name,describes the fall of Israel with sevenbasic accusations against them.

(1) "Mypeople are destroyed for tack ofknowledge: because thou hastrejected knowledge, I will alsoreject thee" (4:6).

(2) "And the pride ofIsrael doth testifyto his face..." (5:5).

(3) "0 Ephraim, what shall I do untothee? O Judah, what shall I dounto thee? For your goodness is asa morning, and as the early dew itgoeth away" (6:4). The sin involvedhere is that of instability.

(4) "Ephraim, he hath mixed himselfamong the people; Ephraim is acake not turned" (7:8). Ephraim isguilty of worldliness.

(5) "They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah:therefore he will remember theiriniquity, he will visit their sins"(9:9-10).

(6) "And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called

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them to the most High, none at allwould exalt him" (11:7).

(7) "And now they sin more and more,and have made them molten imagesof their silver, and idols accordingto their own understanding"(13:2-3).Idolatry was the ultimate state to

which Israel had gone. When onerejects knowledge from God, he willbegin to be filled with pride, whichresults in a state of instability. Thosewho are unstable will become worldly,being corrupted in mind and action.This leads away from God into idolatry.This is an accurate picture of what hashappened and is happening in mattersof religion today — even in the churchof our Lord.

RESPECT FOR THE LAW OF GOD

One of the foundations destroyedwas respect for the law of God. Noteagain Hosea 4:6, "...seeing thou hastforgotten the law of thy God, I will alsoforget thy children." "Even from thedays of your fathers ye are gone awayfrom mine ordinances, and have not keptthem" (Malachi 3:7). The people hadbeen warned not to forget the law ofGod. Study passages such as Deuteronomy 6:6-9 and see how God has alwayskept this message before the people."Know therefore that the Lord thy God,he is God, the faithful God, which keep-eth covenant and mercy with them thatlove him and keep his commandments toa thousand generations." "Thou shalttherefore keep the commandments andthe statutes, and the judgments, which Icommand thee this day, to do them"

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(Deut. 7:9,11). But lack of respect forGod's word is not only seen in a failureto do what he says, but is also seen inchanging or tampering with his word.Yet God had repeatedly warned Israel ofthis as well. "Ye shall not add unto theword which I command you, neithershall ye diminish ought from it, that yemay keep the commandments ofthe Lordyour God which I command you.""What thing soever I command you,observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it." "Add thou notunto his words, lest he reprove thee, andthou be found a liar" (Deut. 4:2; 12:32;Prov. 30:6). Yet when Jesus was onearth, he spent time in trying to straighten out the teaching of false doctrinebecause of changes that had been madeby men. Matthew 5:21-48 is a goodexample of this. Then in Matthew 15:9he shows the result of such changes..."vain worship." "Can a maid forget herornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet mypeople have forgotten me days withoutnumber" (Jer. 2:32).

WORSHIP TO GOD

Another foundation that was destroyed in Israel was that of worship toGod. This has already been noted inHosea 13:2-3, 'Ye offer polluted breadupon mine altar, and ye say, whereinhave we polluted thee" (Malachi 1:7-8)?As early as the time of Nadab and Abihuthe law of God and worship was notadhered to because they "offeredstrangefire before the Lord, which he commanded them not" (Lev. 10:1-2). Micah makesreference to the idolatry in Samariaand Jerusalem by saying, "And all the

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graven images thereof shall be beaten topieces, and all the hires thereof shall beburned with the fire, and all the idolsthereofwill I lay desolate...." (Micah 1:7).Micah also speaks of their formalismin worship. They go through the acts ofworship and yet live as they please(Micah 6:6-9). See also Jeremiah 1:16.

STRONG LEADERSHIP

Further evidence of the corruptionof Israel is seen in the breakdown of thefoundation of strong leadership.

Micah spoke of the princes of thehouse of Israel "who hate the good, andhve the evil; who pluck off their skinfrom off them, and their flesh from offtheir bones; who also eat the flesh ofmypeople, and flay their skin from offthem;and they break their bones, and chopthem in pieces, as for the pot, and asflesh within the caldron" (Micah 3:1-3).

Corruption among the prophets isspoken of in verses 5-7 of the samechapter. "Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my peopleerr, that bite with their teeth, and cry,Peace; and he thatputteth not into theirmouths, they even prepare war againsthim."

The priests did not escape corruption either. "The heads thereofjudge forreward, and the priests thereof teach forhire, and the prophets thereof divine formoney: yet will they lean upon the Lordand say, Is not the Lord among us? noneevil can come upon us" (Micah 3:11).

When the prophets, priests andprinces are corrupt, the people willbecome that way. In Micah 2:6, theprophet speaks of the corruption of the

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people who say to the prophets, "Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy...." Micah speaks of violence (2:2;3:9), bribery (3:9), dishonesty (6:10),covetousness (2:2) and oppression (2:2).So once again the process is completed.The prophets, priests, princes andpeople are corrupted, therefore theprinciples upon which that great nationwould stand are fallen, and so is thenation.

ZEAL IN SERVICE TO GOD

Once the foundations begin tocrumble, there seems to be no stoppingthem. Another foundation principle ofthat great nation that crumbled wasthat of zeal in their service to God.They reached a point ofnot serving Godwith all their heart. "Their heart isdivided; now shall they be found faulty:he shall break down their altars, heshall spoil their images" (Hosea 10:2)."Woe to them that are at ease in Zion,and trust in the mountains ofSamaria...that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretchthemselves upon their couches, and eatthe lambs out ofthe flock, and the calvesout of the midst of the stall.." (Amos6:1,4). Seen in this is the same attitudewith which Jesus dealt in Revelation3:14-22 in the church at Laodicea. Theyhad become lukewarm, being neithercold nor hot; a condition that makesGod sick. God has and continues toexpect his people to serve him with zealand enthusiasm.

MORAL AND SOCIAL

One must also see the breakdown in

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the moral and social order of the day."Hearthe word of the Lord, ye childrenofIsrael' for theLordhath a controversywith the inhabitants ofthe land, becausethere is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing,and lying, and killing, and stealing, andcommitting adultery, they breakout, andblood toucheth blood" (Hosea 4:1-2).This list is much like the writings ofPaul in Romans 1:18-32.

Man has always had a tendency toglory in himself and do things his ownway. "Thus saith the Lord, let not thewise man glory in his wisdom, neitherlet the mighty man glory in his might,let not the rich man glory in hisriches..." (Jer. 9:23). Even when God,through the prophets like Jeremiah,would call the people back, theywouldn't listen. "Thus saith the Lord,Stand ye in the ways, and see, and askfor the oldpaths, where is the good way,and walk therein, and ye shall find restfor your souls. But they said, we willnot walk therein" (Jer. 6:16). Perhapsthis same prophet shows the extremecondition of the people in chapter 5:1."Runye to and fro through the streetsofJerusalem, and see now, and know, andseek in thebroadplaces thereof, ifye canfind a man, iftherebeany that executethjudgment, that seeketh the truth; and Iwill pardon it." That sounds much likeAbraham's plea for Sodom and Gomorrah. Surely there is someone who stillappreciates truth and righteousness!"Woe unto them that call evil good, andgood evil; that put darkness for light,and lightfor darkness; that put bitterforsweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe untothem that are wise in their own eyes, and

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prudent in their own sight Woe untothem that are mighty to drink wine, andmen ofstrength to mingle strong drink:whichjustify the wicked for reward, andtake away the righteousness of the righteous from him" (Isa. 5:20-23).

It is abundantly clear that the foundation principles which would havemade Israel a great nation weredestroyed. "A wonderful and horriblething is committed in the land; theprophetsprophesy falsely, and thepriestsbear rule by their means: and my peoplelove to have it so: and what will ye doin the end thereof (Jer. 5:30-31)? "0lord, I know that the way of man is notin himself: it is not in man that walkethto direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23).

What then is the solution to theproblem? "Go and proclaim thesewordstoward the north, and say, Return, thoubacksliding Israel, saith the Lord; andI will not cause mine anger to fall uponyou: for I am merciful, saith the Lord,and I will not keep anger for ever.""Turn, O backsliding children, saiththe Lord...." "If thou wilt return, OIsrael, saith the Lord, return unto me;and if thou wiltput away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thounot remove" (Jer. 3:12,14; 4:1).

One must note how many timesthroughout the writings of the prophetswe find the phrase that appears in Jeremiah 7:2, namely, "Hearthe word oftheLord." "There is a way which seemethright unto a man, but the end thereofarethe ways ofdeath" (Prov. 14:12). Thosewho have been responsible for destroying the foundations must leave their evilway and return to God.

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WHAT CAN THE RIGHTEOUS DO?

But the latter part of our topicraises the question, "What can the righteous do?" Do the righteous just throwup their hands in disgust and quit?That is certainly one of the easiest waysto handle the situation, but is that theanswer? Not at all! Note what Davidsaid. "In the Lord I put my trust."David was aware that God was still incontrol. "The Lord is in his holy temple,the Lord's throne is in heaven: his eyesbehold, his eyelids try, the children ofmen" (Psalm 11:4). "Blessed are theythat put their trust in him" (Psalm2:12b). When men are content to disregard God's plan, we need more righteous people who will commit themselves to the Lord's cause. We need tohave confidence in God's plan andpromises. We must submit to his will."It is better to trust in the Lord than toput confidence in man" (Psalm 118:8).Trust in the Lord involves total submission of our will and way to his willand way. The message of the Bible is toserve God "with all thy heart", a phrasewhich appears approximately 40 timesin the Bible. Study carefully Psalm37:5, Proverbs 3:5 and Matthew 22:37.Trust in the Lord is summed up in ISamuel 3:9, "...speak, Lord; for thyservant heareth." Verse one of thatsame context says, "and the word oftheLord was precious in those days." Trustin the Lord will cause us never toquestion what he says. It will createwithin us the attitude of Abraham asexpressed in Genesis 22:8, "God willprovide", and the comment made by theHebrew writer with regard to this same

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event, "God was able...." What can therighteous do when things seem to befalling apart? Trust in the Lord. Keepdoing that which is right.

We must never lose sight of the factthat man will stand before the judge ofall men on an individual basis. Thislesson is clearly seen repeatedly in boththe Old and New Testaments. Although"every imagination ofthe thoughts ofhis(mankind) heart was only evil continually", "Noah found grace in the eyes ofthe Lord" (Gen. 6:5b,8). When Goliathwas putting the entire army of the Lordto shame, David stepped forth with thequestion, "Is there not a cause?" Davidthen said to the Philistine, "I come tothee in the name of the Lord of host, theGod of the armies of Israel, whom thouhas defiea\..for the battle is the Lord's,and he will give you into our hands"(I Sam. 17:29,45,47). That is what therighteous did in days gone by, and it isno different today! We must not give upthe cause nor the fight. There still is acause worth standing up for and a battlethat needs to be fought.

RL2 Box 365Corinth, MS 38834

Sixth AnnualMississippi LectreshlP

July 28~Aug. 1

"Lessons Front The

Time Of The Judges"

EAST CORINTH CHURCH OF CHRIST

Page 6 Seek The Old Paths - January/February 1991

FOUNDATIONS THAT ARE BEINGDESTROYED TODAY

Virgil L. Hale

It is a well known fact that no buildingcan possibly be stronger than the

foundation upon which it rests. I haveseen literally months or even yearsspent in preparing the foundation forsome of the skyscrapers that have beenbuilt in the last several years. In areasof the world where it is feared thatearthquakes are imminent, great care istaken in the construction of buildings —especially in preparing the foundation.If the foundation is weak, rest assuredthe building cannot stand.

Not only is this true in thematerial, physical world, it is also truein the spiritual. Our Lord said, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings ofmine, and doeth them, I will liken himunto a wise man, which built his houseupon a rock: And the rain descended,and the floods came, and the winds blew,and beat upon that house;and it fell not:for it was founded upon a rock. Andevery one that heareth these sayings ofmine and doeth them not, shall belikened unto a foolish man, which builthis house upon the sand: And the raindescended, and the floods came, and thewinds blew, and beat upon that house;and it fell- and great was the fall of it"(Matt. 7:24-27).

In this text, our Lord plainly showsthe difference in being wise and beingfoolish. Please observe that both men

heard the same teaching — "thesesayings of mine." Both had the sameopportunity to obey the sayings of theLord. One obeyed —the other did not.One was called "wise" by the Lord andthe other was called "foolish." One wassaid to build on "a rock" — a solid foundation, whereas the other built on "thesand" —a weak, shifting, unstable foundation. Observe also, that both buildings were tested from every direction.The roof was tested by the rain; thewalls by the wind; and the foundation bythe floods. The one built on the rockstood firm — the one built on the sandfell, "and great was the fall of it" Restassured — the roof and walls cannotstand if the foundation gives way. AgainI emphasize — no building can bestronger than the foundation uponwhich it rests.

Little children sing "The WiseMan Song" and make all of themotions that go along with it. Hopefully, they are learning a great principlethat will remain with them throughoutlife. However, far too many adults havenever learned (or if they knew it haveforgotten) the importance of having a"thus saith the Lord" for what we do inreligion (cf. Col. 3:17).

We hear such statements as: "Don'trock the boat," "Go along to get along,"or "We need to re-examine our stand."

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This latter statement reminds me ofBalaam, about whom we read in thebook of Numbers. When he was askedto go and curse the people of God, Godplainly said to him, "Thou shalt not gowith them; thou shalt not curse thepeople: for they are blessed" (Num.22:12). Did Balaam understand theLord's will regarding this matter? Mostassuredly he did. In verse 13 we havethis statement from the mouth ofBalaam, "...for the Lord refuseth to giveme leave to go with you." At the first, itseems that Balaam was determined toobey the Lord. In fact, he said, "IfBalak would give me his house full ofsilver and'gold, I cannot go beyond theword of the Lord my God, to do less ormore" (v.18). What a great statement!But, did he stick to it? Not at all.Listen to the statement that he made inverse 19: "Now therefore, I pray you,tarryye also here this night, that I mayknow what the Lord will say unto memore." Balaam had a problem thatplagues many people today. He knewwhat God said, but he was not willing toaccept that as final authority. Hewanted God to say something else —something that was more to his liking.

In the book ofJude and in verse 11,we are told: "Woe unto them! for theyhave gone in the way of Cain, and rangreedily after the error of Balaam forreward, and perished in the gainsayingof Core." Why the warning about thesethree men? Let us look at the sin ofeach one, and see that people today areprone to follow the same pattern.

Cain's sin was that ofsubstitution.He was not content to offer the sacrificeGod had prescribed, but instead, offered

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one of his own choosing. Substitutingfor God's commands is a commonpractice today.

Balaam's sin was the sin of compromise. Rather than standing firm onwhat he knew God wanted him to do, hedecided to compromise in order toobtain the reward offered. Do we notfind the sin ofcompromise in and out ofthe Lord's church today?

But what about Core (Koran)? Hissin was that of rebellion. He and thosewho were in agreement with himrebelled againstGod's appointed leaders,Moses and Aaron. As a result of thisrebellion, the ground opened up andswallowed all of these rebels. Some ofour own brethren are teaching thatelders are no longer needed, or if theyare to be in the church, at all, they haveabsolutely no authority whatsoever. Ifthis is not rebellion against God'sappointed leaders, what is it? Let us besure that we are never found guilty ofthe sins of substitution, compromise,or rebellion.

Balaam had a problem thatplagues many people today.He knew what God said, buthe was not willing to accept

it as final authority.

The Lord's church has a solid foundation, because it is built upon Christhimself. Jesus made this clear in Matthew 16:18, and Paul emphasized thesame fact in I Corinthians 3:11. Jesus isalso said to be "thechiefcorner stone" inEphesians 2:20. When we build on

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Christ, we are building on the firmfoundation. However, when we deviatefrom God's word, we are building on thesand, and our building will not stand thetest of time and eternity. John wrote,"Whosoever goeth onward and abidethnot in the doctrine of Christ, hath notGod. He that abideth in the doctrine ofChrist, he hath both the Father and theSon" (II John 9). Yet, in view of plainpassages such as these, men are still notcontent to build on the solid foundationof eternal truth. Let us look at some ofthe foundations that are under attacktoday.

Some are contending that mencan be saved by "faith only" or by"grace only." These false doctrineshave been espoused for years in thedenominational world, but some of ourown brethren are teaching the same. Inthis way, they are seeking to destroy thesure foundation — God's own plan forredeeming man. Those of us who holdfast to the truth regarding thesematters are often referred to as"legalists."

When it conies to the subject ofbaptism, some are saying that aperson does not have to understandthat baptism is for the remission ofsins in order for his baptism to bevalid. Just so long as he is baptized for"a scriptural reason" or "to obey theLord," this is sufficient, they say. Iknow of religious groups who say thatbaptism is not essential to salvation, andyet they say that one is obeying a command of the Lord in being baptized.Does this make their baptism scripturalbaptism? Is it valid?

Another foundation under

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attack is the worship of the church.God (who is the object of our worship)has told us how he desires to be worshipped. Some, in the church, are contending that we need to "re-examine"our stand so far as worship is concerned,and take another look at instrumentalmusic in worship. In fact, they aresaying that it is just a matter of opinionanyway. God's word is no longerappealed to as the standard of authority.

No nation or community canbe stronger than the homesthat compose it. In fact, thechurch will never be strongerthan the homes from which

her members come.

Still others are contending thatthe Lord never intended to establisha church (as we know it) and, according to them, the word "church"should not even be in the Bible.They say the Lord never intended forthere to be congregations, worship services, elders, preachers, etc. How sadthat men, who claim to be Christians,are trying to destroy something thatmeant so much to our Lord that hepurchased it with his own blood (Acts20:28); that he gave himself for it (Eph.5:25). This kind of teaching suits a lotof people, because if they accept such,they do not have to attend worshipservices, and they do not have to give onthe first day of the week as they havebeen prospered. Therefore, they canuse their time and their money for theirown selfish desires.

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Not only is the church itself underattack, but the second most importantinstitution in this world is under attack,and has been for several years. I speaknow of the home, the oldest God-ordained institution known to man.The home is the very foundation of oursociety. "As the home goes, so goes thenation." No nation or community canbe stronger than the homes that compose it. In fact, the church will never bestronger than the homes from whichher members come.

There was a time in which youngpeople married with the intention ofliving together for life. Such is no lonerthe case. Sad but true, there are cities,here in America, where divorces exceedthe number of marriage license issuedeach year. Divorce no longer has thestigma it once did. Some Brethren arecontending that couples can divorce for

(SOLUTION, Continued frombackpage)

has been challenged by those within thebody of Christ as today? How manycongregations ofGod's people have beenled into digression simply because herleaders did not respect what God said oncertain matters? The so-called "NewHermeneutics" which calls for a newapproach to interpreting the Bible,saying the old and tested methods areout of date, is nothing more than adevice of Satan which he is using tocreate disrespect for what God has said.

The rejection of God's word hasalways brought destruction. "But there

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reasons other than fornication (Matt.19:9), remarry and still be pleasing toGod. Rest assured —when you teachwhat people are wanting to hear, youwill have a audience. Souls are going tobe lost in eternity because they haveespoused such teaching — but whatabout the ones who are doing the teaching? Will they be found any less guilty?Absolutely not! They are responsible formisleading people with their false doctrines, and they will have to pay theprice in eternity.

In conclusion, let me say this. Godand his foundation will stand. Mancannot destroy truth, but he can beresponsible for causing many to turnfrom truth to "fables." Eternityawaits!!!

Rt. 4 Box 152-XSavannah, TN 38372

were false prophets also among thepeople, even as there shall be falseteachers among you, who privily shallbring in damnable heresies, evendenyingthe Lord that bought them, and bringupon themselves swift destruction"(II Peter 2:1). Thus, the only way torightfully rebuild and restore the foundations of the church which have beenbroken down is for men to get back toGod's holy and divine word. In Matthew7:24-27 our Lord spoke of building onthe right foundation; but notice what hesaid, "Therefore whosoever heareth thesesayings of mine and DOETH THEM, Iwill liken him unto a wise man...."

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Doing what the Lord has said is theanswer.

The Bible, God's word, is right andit tells me WHAT IS RIGHT. As humanbeings, we need to realize that we canand might be mistaken. We can bewrong and we need something that willtell us what is right. "There is a waywhich SEEMETH right uno a man, butthe end thereof are the ways of death"(Prov. 14:12). God's word will tell mewhat is right. If the church for whichour Lord died is to be the kind ofchurch God wants it to be, it will begoverned by a "thus saith the Lord."

It is always right to say what theBible says. Take a look at Luke 10:25-28. Here Jesus is asked a question"What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"Did Jesus respond with "well, in myopinion" ...this or that? No! Heresponded by asking "what is written inthe law?" In other words, what does theword ofGod say? Oh, how many brokenfoundations, how many problems, orhow many questions could be solved ifpeople only had the answer and/orattitude Jesus had — what does God'sword say? Jesus would say it is right tosay what the Bible has to say. If questions arise today, wouldn't it be right tosay what the Bible has to say?

God's word is the truth — the truthon ANY subject. Jesus said "Sanctifythem through thy truth: thy word istruth" (John 17:17). Therefore, truth iswhat God says on any subject, whetherit be instrumental music in worship, theorganization of the church, or any othertopic. For example, does not God's wordteach the same thing today about theuse of instrumental music in worship asit did 20, 30, or 50 years ago? Some

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evidently think not. Why is it thatsome brethren will go along with almostanything and everything today, thusdestroying the true worship of thechurch? Is it not because they have lostrespect for the Word of God?

If we are going to find the propersolution to the destroyed and brokenfoundations of our day, we must havethe same love and attitude toward theWord of God which the Psalmist hadwhen he said: "I have chosen the way oftruth: thy judgments have I laid beforeme." "O how love I thy law! it is mymeditation all the day" (Psalm 119:30,97). Dear people, we must realize theVALUE of truth, the Word of God."And ye shall know the truth, and thetruth shall make you free" (John 8:32)."Buy the truth, and sell it not..." (Prov.23:23). Doesn't the truth, God's word,tell us what to do with those who "causedivision and offences contrary to thedoctrine" (Rom. 16:17)? Doesn't God'sword have something to say about division in the church (Read I Cor. 1:10-13)?

God has told us how to worship andwhen to worship. Yet, man has greatlycorrupted true worship, even in theLord's church. We see new innovationsconstantly, most of which come fromthose in the denominational world.Why is all this happening? Simplybecause many, including many preachers and elders, have lost respect for theWord of God. Back in the days of theprophet Isaiah, God's word was totallydisregarded. God's people flagrantlyviolated his law and he declared Jerusalem ruin and Judah as fallen —they hadno real concern for truth (Isa. 3:8-9)."...For truth is fallen in the street..yea,truth faileth...and the Lord saw it, and it

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displeased him that there was no judgment" (Isa. 59:14-15).

The church is the pillar and groundof the truth (I Tim. 3:15). The churchis to hold forth the word of life (Phil.2:16). Dear people, the church ceases tobe faithful when she ceases to upholdand give her support to the pure WordofGod. When the church ceases to giveheed to the Word of God and when sheceases to teach it AS IT IS WRITTEN,trouble is at hand. Listen to the wordsof Jeremiah: "This is a nation thatobeyeth not the voice of the Lord theirGod, nor receiveth correction: truth isperished, and is cut off from theirmouth" (Jer. 7:28). Again, "and theybendtheir tongues like their bowfor lies:but they are not valiant for the truthupon the earth:for theyproceedfrom evilto evil, and they know not me, saith theLord" (Jer. 9:3). Although these wordswere uttered several hundred yearsago, surely they must apply today.When we as God's people lose respectfor what God has said, we are no different from those of Jeremiah's day...punishment awaits!

If we today are going to restoregenuine New Testament Christianity, it's going to have to startwith genuine reverence and respectfor the Bible. In Nehemiah 8:5 whenEzra opened the book before the peoplethey stood up, which shows the respectthey had for God's word. The Bibleshould be treated as the Word of Godand not as the words of men. Weshould have the same attitude asSamuel when he said: "Speak Lord; forthy servant heareth" (I Sam. 3:10).

The Bible is not designed to be afiling cabinet for marriage license,

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Grandma's baby picture or a lock fromthe baby's hair, but the Bible is given tobe our TEACHER; and when men andwomen across this land get back to theBible, reading it, studying it, andDOING WHAT IT SAYS, then, and onlythen, will we be able to find the realsolution to the deterioratingfoundationsof Christianity. "Study to shew thyselfapproved unto God, a workman thatneedethnot to beashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (II Tim. 2:15)."Wherefore beye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is"(Eph. 5:17). "Forthis is the love ofGod,that we keephis commandments:and hiscommandments are not grievous"(I John 5:3). These verses tell us wecan know the truth, understand thetruth and obey the truth. So whatbrethren (including preachers andelders) need to do is throw away those"how to" books written by denominational writers, many of whom are aboutas far from the truth as one can be, andpick up the Bible and begin PRACTICING WHAT GOD SAYS. And brethren,when this is done we will be on theright track.

Yes, the Bible is the most marvelousbook ofall ages. Let us study it, believeit, and obey it! "Heavenand earth shallpass away, but my words shall not passaway" (Matt. 24:35). "He that rejectethme, and receiveth not my words, hathone that judgeth him: the word that Ihave spoken, the same shall judge himin the last day" (John 12:48).

1119 Lee Hwy.Tuscumbia, AL 35674

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THE SOLUTIONGIVEN BY GOD

Edward White

We are living in times when peoplehave less and less respect for the

Bible, the Word of God. As a result,foundations are being destroyed...thefoundation ofthe home, the church, andsociety in general. All types of solutionsare being presented from varioussources. How do we re-establish thekind of homes and family relationshipsthat America was built upon? How dowe change and turn our modern daysociety around and re-establish the kindof morals which once existed in thiscountry? How do we stem the tide ofliberalism, modernism, along with manyother devices which have made havoc ofthe Lord's church? What's the answer?To whom can we turn for answers?What's the solution? For certain, thesolution is not in the wisdom of men.God, and only God, has the solution, andGod has given us the solution throughhis written revelation to man. Regardless of what some say, the Bible is justas relevant today as it was in the firstcentury.

Foundations have been and arebeing destroyed because man in generalhas rejected the BibUcal principle ofauthority. Has there ever been a timewhen the BibUcal principle of authority

(Continued on page 9, SOLUTION)

Seek The Old Paths - January/February 1991

Sixth AnnualMississippi LectreshiP

July 28-Aug. 1

"Lessons From The

Time Of The Judges"

EAST CORINTH CHURCH OF CHRIST

Seek The Old Patha is a publication of the EastCorinth church or Christ and is under the oversight of its elders. Its primary purpose and goal inpublication can be found in Jude 3; II Tim. 4:2;Titus 1:13; 2:1; II Peter 1:12.Manuscripts are welcome.

6 Editor: Garland M.RobinsonAssociate editors: Sidney White, Jimmy Bates