Author: Deaton, Steven

Do we have conviction? Are we willing to accept the Lord’s teaching? “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:34-37).

Yes, it has always been true that those who have the truth fear no investigation, but those who have not the truth, dodge, run, avoid, and squirm when confronted. Why are some preachers so reluctant to come forth with their doctrine? Could it be, they do not have the truth?

The 31 year old quote from brother Harrell is truly a “jewel” because it reflects sound doctrine as revealed by the Almighty God (Matt. 7:13-14, 21-23). We lament that more brethren today are not echoing the same truth instead of condemning it. May God help us to endeavor to fulfill such service to Him.

Error demeans, destroys, and damns the souls of men. Why would anyone want to toy around with it? Why try to be tolerant of it? Why cater to it and seek to win its confidence and hope to change it?

Observance of the Sabbath is not commanded in the New Covenant which was sealed by the blood of the Son of God. The “rest” to which we look is eternal in nature. Let us not turn back into denominational error by accepting the erroneous idea that there has only been “one covenant” and Jesus did not nail the old law to the cross, thus leading us to accept the old testament as binding.

Nowadays, we have men who are supposed to be New Testament Christians turning back into hybrid Christianity. They are espousing the idea that God has not given two covenants, but that He has always only had one (contra Heb. 8:6-7). The result is that these men are being led–or will be led–into other error. Some have even admitted that they see nothing immoral about polygamy! What will end up happening is they will go right back into the denominational error from which others so desperately fought to escape.

The Old Testament long prophesied that there was a day coming when God would establish his kingdom (Mic. 4:1-3; Dan. 2). This new kingdom would have a new law (Jer. 31:31-34). It was this kingdom that Jesus Christ came to establish (Matt. 16:18). Therefore, we affirm that in the sermon on the mount, Jesus is preaching things which concern his kingdom and its law.

It seems that brethren in general, and many of those who preach, have either forgotten what the true spirit of Christ is, or they have never known it at all. We ask, does one have “the spirit of Christ” when he rebukes those whom he says do not have it? To those who condemn men for not having “the spirit of Christ,” will you have “the spirit of Christ” after you have read Hardeman’s sermon?

Today, we have brethren who desire to “accentuate-the-positive” to the exclusion of anything negative. Their attitude and resulting actions have paved the way for error to enter in among brethren. It is high time we realized that we are not in an academic debate over various philosophical points–we are at WAR (2 Tim. 2:3). We are in a battle between truth and error, the outcome of which will determine the salvation of souls (Eph. 6:10-18; cf. 1 Pet. 5:8). Let us not be shy about calling sin exactly what it is–sin. Let us advance truth and expose error, even among brethren (Gal. 2:11-14).