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Things to Ask Your Preacher, Part 2 J. R. Bronger Last week we presented some questions for you to ask your preacher. The work of preachers includes preaching the saving gospel of Christ. The Bible says in 1 Cor. 2:21, “It pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” There is no preacher anywhere who has the right to preach the commands, traditions, or opinions of men as if they were doctrine. Preachers have only the right to preach the pure, undiluted gospel of Christ. Remember, Paul cautioned in Gal. 1:8, “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.” Also, the apostle John said in 2 Jn. 9, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him.” We cannot give comfort to either the doctrine or to the preacher if he teaches doctrine that contradicts the scriptures. Just because you have heard a preacher say something all your life does not make what he says the truth of God. The Bible says in Rom. 3:4, “Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.” This passage reminds us that man, unlike God, can and will lie to us. Therefore, just because you have heard a doctrine taught all your life does not make it so. You need to listen to what is being taught with an open Bible. In the words of Acts 17:11, you should “search the scriptures” to find out whether the things being taught to you are the truth. Because of these passages, we gave you some questions to ask your preacher. We selected questions based upon some popular and frequently stated doctrine that most denominational preachers teach. I hope you took the time to ask your preacher about the things we discussed last week. For those who might not have heard the program or did not take the time to write down these questions, let me briefly recap them:
Enough about last week’s questions. Let’s move forward with additional questions. Here is another interesting question you can ask your preacher. Ask where Sunday was ever called “the Christian Sabbath” in the Bible. I suggest that you ask this question because today we hear a lot of talk about the so-called “Christian Sabbath.” In newspaper church announcements, preachers often refer to their Sunday services as their Sabbath services. Many times we hear men pray on Sunday and “thank God for this Sabbath day.” Has your preacher been doing these things? Have you heard him call Sunday the Sabbath or the Christian Sabbath? Whenever someone speaks of such things, he ought to have some authority in the Bible for it, and he ought to be more than happy to give you biblical information about it. So don't hesitate to go to your preacher and ask him where Sunday was ever called “the Christian Sabbath.” The Bible has a lot of things to say about the Sabbath. One of the Ten Commandments concerned the Sabbath day. In Exod. 20:8–10, God said, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God.” Anyone who can read the Bible and a calendar knows that the seventh day of the week is Saturday, not Sunday. Sunday is the first day of the week, but the seventh day was the Sabbath. Additionally, the Sabbath was given to the Jews as a sign between them and God to be kept throughout their generations. Exod. 31:16 says, “Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations.” The Sabbath observance was never given to anyone other than the children of Israel. Look carefully throughout the Old and New Testaments and you will never find one single verse showing that Sabbath observance was given to the church — it wasn’t. The opposite is true. The Bible teaches that Sabbath observance has been removed. In Col. 2:14, regarding the Law of Moses containing Sabbath day observance. Paul said that God “wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Christians are not now required to keep the Sabbath. Sabbath observance ended with the other Jewish requirements found in the Law of Moses. Since Jesus died on the cross, no man has ever been required to keep the Sabbath day holy. Perhaps your preacher tells you that the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh day to the first day of the week, and that Sunday is now the Christian Sabbath. If he tells you this, ask him where the Bible says so. If such a change as this has been made, surely the Bible will say something about it. But when something is abolished, it is not changed. The Sabbath was not changed — it was taken out of the way. Does your preacher know the difference between changing and abolishing? The Sabbath day observance of the Law of Moses was abolished, not changed to another day. So if your preacher says it has been changed, demand that he tell you where you can find something in the Bible about the change. Preachers should not constantly talk about a Christian Sabbath unless the Bible says something about it. This is important, for all people should want to follow the teaching of the Bible. If the Bible mentions a Christian Sabbath, we should want to talk about it and observe it. But let us be sure it is in the Bible before we begin to talk about it. So ask your preacher about it. He won’t mind. Much. Here is another good question you should ask your preacher. Ask him where the Bible says that sinners are saved by faith only. Most preachers in this country teach this Protestant doctrine, and nearly all religious bodies hold to this doctrine. If you ask the average Protestant denominational preacher what a sinner must do to be saved, you would be told that the only thing for him to do is to believe on the Lord —that a sinner is saved by faith only. This doctrine is so precious to one denomination that they express it like this in their creed book: “That justification by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine and very full of comfort.” That puts it about the way the majority of preachers preach it. So if your preacher has been telling you this, you need to go to him and ask him kindly to show you where the Bible says a sinner is saved by faith only. Don't forget the nature of the request — don't ask him where the Bible says one is saved by faith, because there are an abundance of passages that say the sinner is saved by faith. What I want to find is the passage that says one is saved by faith only, because you and I both know there is a difference between being saved by faith and being saved by faith only. “Faith only” means faith to the exclusion of everything else; it means there is nothing but faith in the plan of salvation. So that is what I want you to ask your preacher. Ask him where the Bible says that the sinner is saved by faith only. If he refers you to Rom. 5:1, in which Paul says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” call his attention to the fact that while this speaks of being justified by faith, it does not say we are justified by faith only. The word only is not in it. I believe men are justified by faith — without faith no man can be justified. But I am searching for the passage that says “by faith only.” If you do ask him this question, I hope you examine every verse that your preacher gives you to see if they mention the word only. Just to find various forms of statements that tell us that salvation is by faith is not sufficient; it must be by faith only, because this is what he is teaching. Preachers are preaching “faith only” as the plan of salvation. Therefore, we want the passage to contain the word only or some other word that means the same thing. So you stay with him until he gives you the verse that says we are saved by faith only or until he admits that he can’t find it, because after all, he can either find it or he can’t. And if it is in the Bible, he will know where to tell you to locate it. As a matter of fact the Bible mentions faith only in one verse in all the New Testament. This passage is Jas. 2:24, which says, “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” I hope you read this verse with me, because in the one verse in all the New Testament where the words faith and only are found together it says, “A man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” Now, I didn't say that. It reads that way right there in your Bible. So if saying that one is justified by works is wrong, the Bible is wrong, because that is what it says. And what about faith only? Read it again: “And not by faith only.” Justified how? By works, and not by faith only. But preachers today say a man is justified by faith only and not by works. Modern preachers preach the exact opposite to what James wrote while being guided by the Holy Spirit. Who do you think is right, modern-day preachers or the Bible? Somehow it seems to me that the Bible must be right. While your preacher is looking for the passage that says man is justified by faith only, show him this statement of James that it is not by faith only. Also, think of how contradictory the Bible would be if somewhere else it does say we are saved by faith only. Not only would it deny of Jas. 2:24, but it would repudiate many other statements of inspired men. As “faith only” means faith to the exclusion of everything else, then salvation by faith only would mean salvation without repentance. Yet the Bible tells us plainly in Acts 17:30 that “God...now commands all men everywhere to repent.” And Jesus said in Lk. 13:3, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” These statements would have to be repudiated in order to have salvation by faith only. It would also mean salvation without baptism, even though Peter wrote in 1 Pet. 3:21, “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us.” This is not just the way that it reads in my Bible, but it reads the same in your Bible. Also, there are a number of things the Bible mentions as conditions of salvation, but denominational preachers say it is by faith only. Well, please ask your preacher for the verse that says so. Remember, do not settle for the passage that says we are justified or saved by faith. You are looking for the one that says we are saved by faith only. Here is a question I believe you should ask your preacher. Ask him where the Bible says it makes no difference what a person believes just so he is honest about it. I am more than reasonably certain that you have heard that statement made many times. Ever since I can remember, I have heard that it makes no difference what we believe, that if we are honest and sincere about it, God will save us anyway. Perhaps you have made that statement many times yourself, and very likely you have heard your preacher say the same thing. So why don’t you go to your preacher and ask him for the verse in the Bible that makes a statement of that kind? This isn’t something that will only be said in denominationalism. Today, many who claim to be gospel preachers will say that it makes no difference what a person believes just so he is honest about it. They are dividing churches because they say we should not break fellowship if a person holds to unscriptural beliefs. Is it me, or is there something wrong with this picture? Men are dividing churches and breaking fellowship because they are against breaking fellowship with those who hold wrong beliefs. I suppose you would have to be a scholar to figure that out. But let’s get back to the question you should ask your preacher. Perhaps you have even made the statement because you heard preachers make it, and naturally you thought it must be so because the preacher said it. If your preacher has been making that statement, he must have some reason for saying it. He claims to be following and teaching the Bible. Therefore, he should be making the statement because the Bible says so, and if the Bible does say it, then he will know where it appears. Therefore, ask him to give you the book, chapter, and verse. But first I think you should consider what Paul said in 2 Thess. 2:11–12. Listen carefully to the words of the apostle. He said, “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” You and I would have to have some help to misunderstand this passage. To the honest man or woman this seems to be a very plain statement. It positively says that some would believe a lie. Certainly there is an enormous difference between believing a lie and believing the truth. The truth is recorded in the word of God; if it is not taught in the word of God, it must be a lie. But does it make any difference which of these one believes, a lie or the truth? As I said, the general idea is that it does not matter, provided one is sincere. Of course, he could not believe anything unless he is sincere. He might pretend to believe a thing and be insincere about it, but if he actually believes it, he must be sincere. So Paul speaks of men who are sincere, for he actually says they will believe a lie. But what about their sincerity? Will that atone for their mistake? Will God save them anyway, just because they are honest about it? Had you ever noticed what Paul said? Did he say they all would be saved? No, that’s not the way it reads. Read verse 12 again: “That they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth.” Notice the word condemned. This means the very opposite of saved. Verse 10 says that those who receive the truth — that is, believe the truth — will be saved. Therefore, those who believe the truth are saved and those who believe a lie are lost. My friends, Paul said certain men would be condemned. But who were to be condemned? All those who believed a lie or who didn’t believe the truth. So it seems that Paul thought it made a difference what a person believes. He evidently thought so because he taught that for one to be saved he must believe the truth. To believe something else, he declared, would result in condemnation, regardless of how sincere the person may be. Also, in 2 Tim. 2:5 we read, “And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” When people say it makes no difference what we believe, they often add, “We are all striving for the same place anyway.” Evidently, this is true. We are all striving to reach heaven at last. But is striving the only thing that is necessary in order to reach that glorious reward? This is all that would be necessary if it makes no difference what we believe. But Paul tells us in this text that striving alone is not sufficient, that a man may strive and still not be crowned unless he strives according to the rules. The crowning referred to is the eternal reward in heaven, the crown of glory that fades not away. But a man may strive and fail to get that crown. Why? Because he may not strive according to the rules. No one can reach that crown, says Paul, unless he strives according to the rules, and he can’t strive according to the rules unless he believes the truth. But what does it mean to strive according to the rules? It means to strive according to the law of the Lord. So if we strive contrary to that law, we will not be crowned, regardless of how sincere we may be. The law of the Lord is revealed in the New Testament, and if we strive to go to heaven by some other way, we are not striving lawfully and will not reach the destination we desire. This statement made by Paul clearly indicates that it does make a difference what a person believes in religion. But if your preacher says it makes no difference, just ask him where the Bible says so. He shouldn’t mind. Here is another good question for you to ask your preacher. Ask him where the Bible says once in grace, always in grace. That is, once you are in a saved state of grace, you are always in a saved state of grace. You have heard this statement made many times, haven’t you? I know you have! Over and over men proclaim that if a man is once in grace, he is always in grace. In other words, they say if he is once saved, he is always saved. This simply means that a child of God can do nothing that would cause him to fall from grace —he could not possibly commit a sin that would send him to hell at last. There are preachers in almost every community who preach this. If your preacher preaches it, go to him today and ask him where the Bible says once in grace, always in grace. If he is willing to try, then while he is looking for the passage, you might call his attention to the language of Paul in Gal. 5:4, which says, “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” Now, my friend, you and I both know if a man can fall from grace, the theory of once in grace, always in grace cannot be true. This means it is a lie! The two ideas are contradictory. Don’t forget what this passage says about it. It says that you have fallen from grace. Does this sound like what your preacher has been preaching? Not if he has been preaching once in grace, always in grace. Next have your preacher to read 1 Cor. 10:12 for you, or if he is unwilling to read it to you, then you read it to him. The passage says, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” The preacher who preaches that a child of God cannot possibly be lost evidently thinks he stands. So even if a Christian thinks he is absolutely safe, Paul says for him to “take heed lest he fall.” To take heed means to be careful. Therefore, Paul tells Christians to be careful lest they fall. Wouldn’t the warning to take heed be absurd if the Bible says somewhere else that it is impossible for a child of God to fall? This would mean that God contradicted himself on this matter. Also, you might have your preacher read Heb. 3:12, which says, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.” You might ask your preacher these questions relative to this passage: “Can a man depart from the living God and still be in his grace? Or if a man departs from the living God, is he still with God? And if he is without God, will he be saved anyway?” But whatever you do, be sure to ask him for the verse in the Bible that says once in grace, always in grace. Recently I mentioned this to a good friend of mine. He advocates what he had been hearing his preacher teach for years. After telling him what the Hebrew passage said, he made no comment. He simply smiled and patted me on the back. His response will not be any different from your minister’s. Your preacher, if you ask him, will not be able to make these verses say anything different from what they say in your Bible. |
