Watchman Archives

El obispo debe tener convicciones y el valor necesario para defenderlas, para no ser movido por la presión que los miembros ejerzan sobre él. Tampoco debe ser movido por las circunstancias inesperadas, ni por las consecuencias de haber practicado la disciplina. Los obispos deben defender la verdad de Cristo en lugar de hacer leyes basadas en sus opiniones.

Not everyone will join the fray, even if they see and know the seriousness of it. Some are cowards; some are spineless spiritual politicians who, like the princes of Succoth, will not aid the army of God until they see who is going to win (Jud. 8:4-7). Wash your hands of such men. They will stifle your efforts; they will quench the Spirit and yours, IF you will let them. Follow the pattern of Paul in this endeavor, as in all efforts, teaching every man, warning every man in all wisdom (Col. 1:28). Having done that, flinch not, flee not, and take steady aim between the eyes of your adversaries.

Jesus is our great Shield and Defender. Though we may face times of persecution and physical suffering (2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 4:12-16), no one will be able to harm us spiritually, against our will. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). Nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God” (Rom. 8:35-39). If we determine to resist him, not even Satan can stop us from spreading the word (Jas. 4:7).

We understand that truth “causes” trouble for the one who does not accept it (Jn. 3:19-21). Those who want to avoid truth and its consequences (like dancing [the prom], drinking [social or otherwise], filthy language and movies [Gal. 5:19-21]) will be uncomfortable with it and try to stop the mouths of those who speak it. We cannot be deterred by this, but labor more abundantly to stop their evil mouths (Titus 1:10-14). Let us speak the truth in love, and not be discouraged by the disparaging remarks of those whose deeds are evil.

we can see evidence of a divine hand in the writing of the various books of the Bible. We see God’s promise to the serpent fulfilled: and who else but God could foretell an event centuries before it comes to pass? And notice that the New Testament writers do not make it a point to expressly tell us that Jesus is the Seed foretold in Genesis, whereas they certainly would have if they were fabricating a story to fit the prophecy.

God demands that we respond to the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We must accept the facts of the gospel (believe), we must repent of our sins (turn away), we must confess Jesus as the Son of God, and we must be baptized to have our sins washed away. That is the part man plays in God’s Scheme of Redemption for man. God has done his part. All that remains is for each of us to do our part, that we might one day meet our Lord in the air, and ever be with him. If you have not yet obeyed the gospel, we invite you to do so today.

Repentance is not a small thing. It is a complete change of direction in the life of the penitent. Some want to come to God on their own terms, and this simply cannot be done. When we tell individuals that they need to be baptized into Christ, and that they will not need to change much in their lives, we do them a disservice. To please God there must be a fundamental and pervasive change. Self must die. All thoughts must be brought into subjection to Christ. There must be sorrow for sins committed against God, and that sorrow must lead to the determination to serve God acceptably.

It is our desire that all who read this article will obtain the redemption of their soul. In order to do this you must believe in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). God sent His son to die for our sins. Jesus led a life of perfection, and submitted willingly to the cross. His blood purchased for us the forgiveness of sins. His resurrection enabled us to hope for eternal life. This eternal reward can be yours. Will you believe?

The power of the gospel is persuasive. It can only produce repentance when it is heard by honest hearts seeking the truth. Stephen’s tormentors were not interested in the truth, they simply wanted to protect their precious conventions (cf. Acts 7). The Jews on Pentecost however were sincerely seeking forgiveness, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).

We affirm that our salvation is made available through the freely given and unmerited favor of God. He sent his Son to earth not because we deserved such treatment, but because He loved us. We have access to His eternal presence only because of His good grace. However, it is clear from scripture that not all gain access to the blood of Christ. God demands that conditions be met before man can enjoy the privilege of remission of sins. In affirming this we do not claim that man earns his salvation. The debt is too great and our efforts too imperfect to accomplish such a feat. We do, however, have to submit to God’s will in order to be saved.

The following material in this month’s Watchman Magazine is intended to give an overview of the sublime plan of Redemption. It is our intention to both document the great expression of God’s grace in sending His Son to die in our stead, and the divine requirements mandated by God that we might receive the benefits of such a gift. No study of Redemption is sufficient that does not explain both God’s part, and man’s part in securing that safety.

I dare say that no one in our fellowship would deny that Ezekiel, Paul and Jesus had a love for the souls of men. And yet, their manner was often confrontational, always uncompromising, and sometimes even derisive toward those who would make shipwreck of our faith. The common criticism of those defending truth as having improper motives and a lack of love often speaks more to the mindset of the one offended by such criticism rather than the one delivering the rebuke.

Let us never apologize for our dependence upon the Bible for our contact with God. Let us never back away from acknowledging that the Holy Spirit is active in our lives today. Yes, we are led by the Spirit of God and we rejoice that we have the living word of God, the sword of the Spirit, in our lives every day.

¡Siempre dejemos que los textos claros interpreten los textos oscuros! Por ejemplo, Apoc. 20:4. Muchos citan este texto de puro simbolismo para afirmar que Cristo volverá a la tierra para reinar por mil años en Jerusalén, y al hacerlo contradicen todos los textos que enseñan clara y enfáticamente que el reino fue establecido el día de Pentecostés y cuando Cristo venga entregará el reino al Padre (1 Cor. 15:24).También 1 Cor. 15:29. A pesar de todo lo que el Nuevo Testamento dice sobre el bautismo, y que cada persona tiene que obedecer al evangelio, los mormones citan este texto para apoyar su práctica del bautismo vicario (algunos se bautizan en lugar de sus antepasados muertos que no fueron bautizados). Y así es con todas las doctrinas y prácticas erróneas del sectarismo (aunque algunos profesen ser miembros y predicadores de la iglesia de Cristo).

Christian families often place membership in a congregation not because of the potential good they can do in that fellowship, but rather based upon how many “young couples” there are, or how socially minded they might be, or what the group has “to offer” them. It seems that we too have been taken in by glamour and glitz, and are more concerned with how attractive and pleasant is the package surrounding the message, than we are in the message itself.

As noted, we both cannot be right before God. One of us is wrong, eternally wrong. We will be judged by the word of God. Accordingly, I am willing for that word to be the standard, the pattern, by which we are to live (2 Thess. 2:15; 2 Tim. 1:13; Heb. 8:5). If you have the truth, you should have no trouble showing us the error of our ways. You are obligated to do so (Ezek. 3:17-21; Acts 20:26, 27).

Jesus told his disciples to go “into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:15). The book of Acts gives an account of the apostles and early preachers executing this commission. Indeed, their examples give impetus for our efforts in preaching today. We sing song like “The Gospel is for All” and “Send the Light” in the spirit of such work. However, in light of this emphasis on “going,” we must not forget another and just as important part of our efforts to teach the gospel, consolidation.

Anything that is wrong should be opposed. Whatever lacks scriptural authorization must never be given endorsement. It takes knowledge, wisdom, faith, courage, and love for the truth to stand in opposition to practices that are against the will of God.

It is good to know that the facts are on our side, and we do not need to be intimidated by the false assertions and arrogant postulations of the academics. We can, along with our Savior, give praise to God, who hid the gospel from those who regard themselves as too “wise and prudent” to humbly accept revealed truth, but made the glorious words of salvation readily available to “babes” (Matthew 11:25). The word of God has never been well-suited to those who think that mankind can solve all of his own problems. Rather, it is for those who recognize that “it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

The Holy Spirit drew a line in the sand around Romans 14 by confining its application of tolerance to matters of authorized liberty. The call today is to push that line out into the realm of matters of the faith. The proponents of this interpretation are claiming to be very reasonable and restrained, promising that this tolerance of doctrinal diversity will never go so far as to cover matters like denominationalism, baptism and instrumental music. Surely they cannot envision such a thing, but should their children and grandchildren ever insert consistency into their arguments, all such matters will have to be placed into the reconstructed Romans 14. If this doctrine fits, why doesn t this one, Daddy? If your issue fits, why doesn t mine, Grandpa?