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June 2012 – Seek The Old Paths 41

Vol. 23, No. 6 June 2012

AN ABSTRACT ON THE NIVWayne Coats

Some of the smart-set prattle that elders do not have the right to regulatewhich versions are to be used in the congregation. What proof is given to

substantiate such babbling? Not one word!

Comes now information concern-ing a congregation which ishaving trouble over the NIV

being used by some of the members.If the opposers of the situation wouldjust play shut mouth, the troublewould cease being open and outwardbut the resentment would continuein the hearts of those who object tothe NIV. Should the opposers refuseto state their ideas? Do they havevalid reasons for their objections?

I will set forth some reasons whymy brethren have no business rely-ing on the NIV perversion. I suspectthe mindset of so many will be thesame kind of thinking which can befound among those who use mechan-ical instruments of music in theirworship. They like it, and it mattersnot what others say. How sad!

There are a great number of ver-sions which have been pasted togeth-er. With some, The Cotton Patchversion is acceptable. Why do wehave a ready supply of versions?They have been printed in order tosell and make money without regardto the truth. This leads me to statethat there is a world of difference ina version and a translation. A versionis so often a mere paraphrase where-in the publisher inserts his own the-ological beliefs whenever he wishes.

There is a smorgasbord of ver-

sions available and the booksellersvie for the sales and dollars whichjunk versions will bring in. A few ofthe efforts of false teachers can beseen in, The Cotton Patch version,The Bible Union version, TheNew Living Bible, Today’s Eng-lish version, Moffatts version,Phillips version, 20th CenturyNew Testament, Revised Stan-dard version, and the New Inter-national version. There are othersto be sure, but these are sufficient toshow the sordid tastes of gullible peo-ple.

Since the new age of liberalismand modernism has found an innersanctum in “our” universities, a bar-rage of new versions have been pro-liferated and an ever increasingnumber of babblings about the, “mis-takes in the King James version.” Itis difficult to maintain the properrespect and appreciation for theKing James Version with a crew ofsemi-infidels deprecating the book.

Some of the smart-set prattlethat elders do not have the right toregulate which versions are to beused in the congregation. What proofis given to substantiate such bab-bling? Not one word! Are shepherdsto guard the flock? What is involvedin guarding the flock? Shepherds areto feed the flock and see that the

flock is properly fed.Anyone who can move around by

himself probably knows that practi-cally every cultic and sectarian grouphas their own publishing house.Many of these groups would be gladto filter their Sunday school materi-als into congregations of the church ifthe elders and members will allowsuch. Are the shepherds responsiblefor the food which the sheep feastupon?

We grant that some sheep arenot always satisfied with the pure,sound, word of God. As parents, wehave a fearful responsibility to seethat our children have pure andwholesome food. We would not toler-ate tainted food to be sold in the mar-ket place. Should parents guard theirchildren from such rot? Should shep-herds guard the sheep from error?Shepherds are to take care of theflock (1 Tim. 3:5). What does thatinvolve? What do mothers practice incaring for little babies?

The New International Ver-sion is shot full of errors. One doesnot need to rely upon my statement,but if one knows how to study thematter and will take the time andtrouble to investigate the matter, one

(Continued on page 44)An Abstract on the NIV…

Of the 89 times the Englishword “sound” appears in theBible, 17 of them refer to the

theme of this discussion.Webster defines “sound” as: “free

from injury or disease: robust; freefrom flaw, defect, or decay; solid, firm,stable; free from error, fallacy, or mis-apprehension; accurate, precise.”

Strong’s gives as the definition ofthe Greek word: “to have soundhealth, i.e. be well (in body); figura-tively to be incorrupt (true in doc-trine).”

Thayer says: “to be sound, to bewell, to be in good health. Is used ofone whose Christian opinions arefree from any admixture of error.True and incorrupt doctrine.”

Psalm 119:80 says it well, “Letmy heart be sound in thy statutes;that I be not ashamed.” Surely, alldesire to be sound in the faith.

Twenty different phrases speakof sound doctrine. It is called:

• the law of God (Rom. 7:25), • the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2), • the truth of God (Rom. 1:25), • the truth of Christ (2 Cor.

11:10), • the law of the spirit of life in

Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:2), • the faith of Christ (Gal. 2:16),

the law of liberty (James 1:25), • the words of truth and sober-

ness (Acts 26:25), • the truth (Gal. 5:7), • the word of truth (Eph. 1:13), • the way of truth (2 Peter 2:2), • the word of God (1 Thess.

2:13),

• the truth of the gospel (Gal.2:5,14),

• the word of the gospel (Acts15:7),

• the gospel of God (Rom. 1:1), • the gospel of Christ (Rom.

1:16), • the gospel of his Son (Rom.

1:9), • the gospel of peace (Rom.

10:15), • the gospel (Rom. 10:16), • Christ’s gospel (2 Cor. 2:12).In 1 Timothy 1:10, a list of sins is

found that is contrary to “sound doc-trine.” Those who do not consent to“wholesome (sound) words” are “des-titute of the truth.” We are com-manded regarding such people, “fromsuch withdraw thyself ’ (1 Tim. 6:3-5).

A man qualified to be an elder isone who holds “…fast the faithfulword as he hath been taught, that hemay be able by sound doctrine both toexhort and to convince the gainsay-ers” (Titus 1:9). He must know sounddoctrine when he hears it and, whenhe does not hear it, he is able torefute those who are in error. Con-cerning such false teachers, verse 11says, “whose mouths must be stopped,who subvert whole houses, teachingthings which they ought not, for filthylucre’s sake.”

Those who are teaching contraryto the Gospel (the whole New Testa-ment) are to be exposed for what theyare. “Wherefore rebuke them sharply,that they may be sound in the faith”(Titus 1:13).

Titus was exhorted to speak

“sound doctrine” and to teach men tobe “sound in faith” (Titus 2:1-2). Hewas to be a pattern of good works andin doctrine he was to show “uncor-ruptness, gravity, sincerity, soundspeech, that cannot be condemned;that he that is of the contrary partmay be ashamed, having no evilthing to say of you” (Titus 2:7-8). Oh,how we need men today who willheed these words! Where are they?Far too many give an “uncertainsound” (1 Cor. 14:7-8) which leadsmen away from the truth, not towardit.

We are to hold fast the form (pat-tern) of “sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13).“For the time will come when theywill not endure sound doctrine; butafter their own lusts shall they heapto themselves teachers, having itchingears; And they shall turn away theirears from the truth, and shall beturned unto fables” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

The number is growing fewertoday who are able to endure sounddoctrine or even know what sounddoctrine is! It has been so long sincethey have heard sound doctrine (the“whole counsel of God,” Acts 20:27)that “sound words” are “strange” intheir ears. There was such a famineof hearing the words of the Lord inHosea’s day that when they did hearit proclaimed they counted His words“strange” (Hosea 8:12). They weredestroyed for their lack of knowledge(4:6).

WHAT CONSTITUTES SOUNDNESS

There are a number of thingsthat are required in order for one tobe counted as “sound.” To “say” thatsomeone is sound does not mean it isso. What then is the criteria by whichwe can determine if one is sound?

1. To be sound, one mustLOVE the Truth.

Those in Zechariah 8:19 wereexhorted to “love the truth.” All must“buy the truth and sell it not” (Prov.23:23). There are many who do notbelieve the truth nor love the truth;and, without the love of the truth,one will be content to believe a lieand be damned (2 Thess. 2:10,12)!Only the truth will save (John 8:32).This one point in itself ought to besufficient to establish if one is soundor not, for if one loves the Truth, howcould he not be sound? Who wouldadmit, though, to not loving the

42 Seek The Old Paths – June 2012

WHAT DOES IT MEANTO BE SOUND?

Garland M. Robinson

It has been so long since many in the church have heardsound doctrine that when a preacher does come alongand preach the whole counsel of God, his words areSTRANGE in their ears! It’s a shame that many havesaid, “I haven’t heard preaching like that since I was achild.” What are you hearing from the pulpit? Brethren,LOVE THE TRUTH. Obedience to the truth is what saves.

Truth? However, it does not neces-sarily follow that one would be soundsimply because he “says” he loves thetruth. The points that follow willestablish whether he truly loves thetruth or not.

2. To be sound, one mustBELIEVE and TEACH the Truth.

When the Truth (the Gospel) isbelieved, it will be taught in its com-pleteness without fear or favor of anyman. There will be no “testing thewind” to see what brethren willaccept and what they will not. Themessage will be the same to all audi-ences. Truth is consistent. Paul haddeclared the “whole counsel of God”to those at Ephesus (Acts 20:27).

Even though one may claim toteach the truth, it does not necessar-ily make it so. His teaching/doctrinemust be examined. “Beloved, believenot every spirit, but try the spiritswhether they are of God: becausemany false prophets are gone out intothe world” (1 John 4:1).

3. To be sound; one mustLIVE the Truth.

One may teach the truth, noth-ing but the truth, and still not be“sound.” No one is sound who doesnot live according to the truth.

“Ezra had prepared his heart toseek the law of the LORD, and to doit, and to teach in Israel statutes andjudgments” (Ezra 7:10). Luke wroteof all “that Jesus began both to doand teach” (Acts 1:1). Timothy was tobe “an example of the believers, inword, in conversation, in charity, inspirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim.4:12). Jesus warned of the scribesand Pharisees saying, “All thereforewhatsoever they bid you observe, thatobserve and do; but do not ye aftertheir works: for they say, and do not”(Matt. 23:3).

One’s life must be in compliancewith the Truth, i.e., the Doctrine ofthe Lord, the Gospel. All of God’sWord is doctrine, regardless of thesubject matter. The doctrine(gospel/teaching/truth) of the Lordmust be obeyed in morality (1 Peter1:15), worship (John 4:24), fellowship(2 John 9-11) — ALL that God com-mands.

4. To be sound, one mustDEFEND the Truth.

Defending the truth is certainlyinvolved in “living the truth” as pointthree describes. However, in light ofthe fact that so few are obedient to

this command, it needs special atten-tion as a separate point.

Heaven’s directive is that everychild of God “...earnestly contend forthe faith which was once deliveredunto the saints” (Jude 3). Gospelpreachers are to “preach the word; beinstant in season, out of season;reprove, rebuke, exhort with alllong-suffering and doctrine” (2 Tim.4:2). “And have no fellowship with theunfruitful works of darkness, butrather reprove them” (Eph. 5:11).“No” fellowship does not mean“some” or a “little” fellowship!

No one is sound that does notdefend the faith — the Gospel. Paulwas always ready to defend theGospel (Phil. 1:7,17). He told thebrethren at Rome to “mark themwhich cause divisions and offencescontrary to the doctrine which yehave learned; and avoid them. Forthey that are such serve not our LordJesus Christ, but their own belly; andby good words and fair speechesdeceive the hearts of the simple”(Rom. 16:17-18).

To bid God speed to those inerror makes one a partaker of theirevil deeds. “Whosoever transgresseth,and abideth not in the doctrine ofChrist, hath not God. He that abidethin the doctrine of Christ, he hath boththe Father and the Son. If there comeany unto you, and bring not this doc-trine, receive him not into your house,neither bid him God speed: For hethat biddeth him God speed is par-taker of his evil deeds” (2 John 9-11).

To fellowship those in errorinstead of reproving them does notmake one “sound.” Such an individ-ual may say he loves the truth andteaches the truth, but his practiceproves he does not! Such a person isnot living nor defending the truth! Ifhe were, he would rebuke those inerror.

CONCLUSION

What does it mean to be “sound?”One is sound when he: 1) Loves thetruth, 2) Teaches the truth, 3) Livesthe truth, 4) Defends the truth. Whenany of these are absent, a brother isnot sound, no matter how much hesays he is or how many others say heis! The proof (evidence) is in, not onlywhat he teaches, but also in what hepractices. Actions speak louder thanwords!


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NOTE: I’m working on a project toinclude all back issues of STOP onseektheoldpaths.com web site. If youhave any of the issues I’m missing,would you mind sending them to me?They are: Dec/1989, March/90,April/90, Dec/90, Jan/Feb/91,March/92, Jan/93, March/93, April/93.

— Editor


can see for self. “Aye, there’s the rub!”The new NIV perversion

appeared in 1973. A committee ofmen from several denominations pro-duced the NIV. If you will read thepreface you might be shocked tolearn that so-called translatorsdeclared, “Words are occasionallyused or phrases supplied for clarifi-cation.”

For many years, our brethrenhave debated sectarians and thedebates have been published. Eachopponent in the debate has had theliberty of checking the manuscriptbefore publication. Can you imaginebrother Foy E. Wallace Jr. allowingthe notorious J. Frank Norris to usewords and phrases for clarification asa result of their debate?

What kind of changes would acrew of denominational men make intheir efforts? Do the same men makechanges in their words and phrasesas they preach? My brethren have tobe extremely ignorant and carelessas they clutch their darling NIV totheir breast. Will they use the Bookof Mormon? Jailbird Joe Smithmadea lot of changes in his theology. MaryBaker Glover Patterson Eddy made alot of changes in her “Science andHealth with Keys to the Scripture.”Every cultic person on earth does thesame.

We need to realize the differencein a paraphrase and a credible trans-lation. Any person can prattle a par-aphrase and some people will begullible enough to buy it and followits errors.

For the benefit of the concernedreader, we will post a few of the egre-gious blunders of the NIV. A briefstatement from the Old Testamentwill show the blunder of the NIVcrew. They render Psalms 51:1 asfollows, “I have been a sinner frombirth.” Not by any stretch of aderanged mind does the passage sus-tain the Calvinistic notion of TotalDepravity by inheritance. Not onlyare words and phrases changed, butentire sentences are perverted.

The elder who came into thechurch building cradling his NIV inhis arm would most likely object tothe preacher using the NIV to preacha sermon on Inherited Total Deprav-

ity. It could be that the fellow is sodumb that he wouldn’t know the dif-ference in truth and error.

The Calvinists have long defend-ed the false teaching on TotalDepravity and they like to quotePsalms 51:1. Apparently they haveno conscience about taking a positionwhich results in the Bible flatly con-tradicting itself.

David did not say he was born asinner. He said he was conceived insin by his mother. It is no light thingto twist and pervert the scriptures.With intelligent people, there is a dif-ference in conception and birth.Whatever David is declaring, itrelates to conception and has not oneword about his birth.

There have been different viewpoints presented with respect to thepassage under review but we knowthat whatever the Psalmist declared,he did not contradict the words of theHoly Spirit. Can we not accept thatprinciple?

Another inspired prophet wrote,“The soul that sinneth it shall die.The son shall not bear the iniquity ofthe father, neither shall the fatherbear the iniquity of the son: the right-eousness of the righteous shall beupon him, and the wickedness of thewicked shall be upon him” (Ezek.18:20).

To the church at Rome Paulwrote, “So then every one of us shallgive account of himself to God” (Rom.14:12). “Furthermore we have hadfathers of the flesh which corrected usand we gave them reverence: shall wenot much rather be in subjection tothe Father of spirits and live” (Heb.12:9)? Surely God is not the Father oftotally depraved spirits. I have an olddebate book wherein the Baptistdebater is quoted as saying, “Therewill be infants in hell, not a spanlong.” This shows how far-out falseteachers will go.

A big inconsistency is seen inreading Matthew 5:17 and compar-ing it with Ephesians 2:15. Theaccount of Matthew has Jesus say-ing, “Do not think that I have come toabolish the law or the prophets, Ihave not come to abolish them but tofulfill them.” The Ephesians accountreads, “For he himself is our peace,who had made the two one and hasdestroyed the barrier, the dividingwall of hostility, by abolishing in hisflesh the law with its command-

ments and regulations.” Why the con-tradiction?

In Matthew 24:21 Jesus said,“For then there shall be great tribu-lation.” The NIV uses the expression,“great distress.” In Revelation 7:14,the same word is used and the com-mittee used the expression, “thegreat tribulation.” Again we ask, whythe difference? Does a Bible wordmean one thing at the front of theNew Testament, but the same origi-nal word can be changed at the end ofthe New Testament? Such is nottranslating at all.

Jesus taught in John 3:16 thatthe believer “should not perish, buthave everlasting life.” The NIV reads,“shall not perish.” There is a differ-ence in “should not” and “shall not.”

In John 5:28 Jesus said, “Marvelnot at this: for the hour is coming, inthe which all that are in the gravesshall hear his voice.” The NIV schol-ars changed the word hour and ren-dered it “a time is coming.” Thayerrenders the word “hour” as “a point intime.” I do not care for the versionsbeing changed and paraphrased andoffered for my use. Give me a trans-lation.

A decided Calvinistic viewpointis set forth in Romans 1:17 whenthe NIV declared, “For in the gospel arighteousness from God is revealed, arighteousness that is by faith fromfirst to last.” Righteousness is not byfaith from first to last. In spite of thecoloring of the text, obedience is anecessary part of righteous living.

One of the frequent babblingsamong the liberals is to speak of one’s“sinful nature.” If they need supportfor such rot, they can turn to the NIV.In Galatians 3:14 the NIV reads,“You, my brother were called to befree, but do not use your freedom toindulge the sinful nature.” InRomans 7:18, we read, “I know thatnothing good lives in me, that is, inmy sinful nature.” In the eighthchapter of Romans, the revisers did acomplete job in spreading theirCalvinism by the use of “sinfulnature.”

Calvinism is seen again whenthe NIV crew writes, “The man with-out the Spirit does not accept thethings that come from the Spirit ofGod, for they are foolishness to him,and he cannot understand them,because they are spiritually dis-cerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). Paul is dis-

An Abstract on the NIV…(Continued from page 41)


cussing the “natural man” in the textand context. He does not teachCalvinism.

In First Corinthians 13:10Paul wrote, “But when that which isperfect is come, then that which is inpart shall be done away.” A gross per-version is seen in the NIV whichreads, “But when perfection comes,the imperfect disappears.” Paul usedthe neuter gender in that, whichapplied to the perfect law of liberty(the New Testament). False teacherswould have the text referring to thecoming of Christ, at which time wewill be all one. That is not in the text.

Perhaps my brethren who clingto the NIV will be consoled whenthey read, “And you also were includ-ed in Christ, when you heard theword of truth, the gospel of your sal-vation” (Eph. 1:13). Are we really “inChrist” when we hear the word? Thehearer believes and is marked with aseal. Who can believe it? Is this aword or phrase which needed achange for clarification?

For long decades we have turnedto our Bibles and read, “Speaking toyourselves in psalms and hymns andspiritual songs, singing and makingmelody in your heart to the Lord”(Eph. 5:19). The NIV committeechanged that text as follows: “Speakto one another with psalms, hymns,and spiritual songs. Sing and makemusic in your heart to the Lord.”Some of the elders want their NIV,but they don’t want to “make music”— yet. It’s a pretty sorry book whichpurports to be the Bible and yet thebrethren reject some of its parts anddelight in other parts.

There has been a number ofpseudo-scholars who have delightedin talking about the, “Mistakes in theKing James Translation.” Those oldtranslators were conservative intheir views and did not seek to insertmodernism into their efforts. Theyworked for two years and ninemonths in order to produce the trans-lation. There were forty-seven schol-ars who lived to finish the work. As Iread the preface in my old, tattered,and worn KJV, I am impressed withthe care and meticulous concernwhich King James bound on thetranslators.

I have heard some remarks thatthe old King James translation hastoo many difficult words. The NIVhas many words too difficult for some

people. Do we not have enough intel-ligence to study a dictionary? I keepone in reach, beside my chair all thetime. I suspect we are like the peoplewho use the mechanical instrumentsin worship. They like them and willuse them. So with the NIV, it mattersnot how much Calvinism and Pente-costalism have been inserted for

“clarification,” some brethren do notknow and they do not care.

What benefit is the NIV, KJV orany other book to persons who rejectthe wisdom of those brethren who —“take care of the church of the Lord”(1 Tim. 3:5).

705 Hillview Dr.Mt. Juliet, TN 37122

HOW JESUS USED THE WORD OFGOD TO OVERCOME SATAN

Roger D. Campbell

The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness by the devil is recorded inMatthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12,13 and Luke 4:1-13. The Bible says thatJesus “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb.

4:15). Let us note Jesus’ attitude towards the word of God, and how He usedthat word to overcome Satan’s temptations in the wilderness.

1. Jesus accepted the authority of God’s word.When Satan temptedJesus, His immediate reaction was to say, “It is written” (Matt. 4:4). This showsthat He totally accepted the authority of the Scriptures. The Bible is ourauthority because it came from God: “All scripture is given by inspiration ofGod” (2 Tim. 3:16). God’s word is the truth (John 17:17).

2. Jesus taught that everything God says is important. He quotedDeuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word thatproceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). By which words of Jehovahshould man live? By every word that applies to him! We must pay attention toall of God’s will, for only one who does His will can please Him (Matt. 7:21).

3. Jesus used God’s word as his weapon against satan.When Jesuswas tempted by the evil one, He did not try to use psychology, deceit, or someworldly method. Instead, He quoted God’s word, saying, “It is written” (Matt.4:4,7,10). Who can doubt that using God’s word is a wise thing for us to do aswell? The word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17). The word of Godis “living and powerful” (Heb. 4:12, NKJV), so let us use and quote it when thedevil tempts us.

4. Jesus used God’s word when he was alone. Yes, Jesus daily taughtGod’s word in the temple (Mark 14:49). But, He also used God’s word to over-come Satan when He was tempted alone in the wilderness. Sometimes whenwe are alone, the devil’s temptation seems very strong. Let us use the word ofGod against Satan wherever we are, even when we are alone.

5. Jesus continued to use God’s word. Each time Satan tempted Him,He answered, “It is written” (Matt. 4:4,7,10). He began using the word, and con-tinued to use it. Many get into trouble when they begin using the word of God,but then forget about it or turn to the teachings of men. We must keep onstudying, obeying and teaching the word of God. Only God’s word can save us(James 1:21).

6. Jesus easily used the word of God. On each occasion, Jesus’ reactionto temptation was to quote from the Old Testament (the word of God). He coulddo that only because He knew well what the Scriptures said. As His followers,we must study so that we can also know the Bible well and “be ready alwaysto give an answer to every man” (1 Peter 3:15). David wrote, “Thy word have Ihid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee” (Psalm 119:11). We alsomust fill our minds with God’s word, so that when the devil comes to tempt us,we will be ready to answer with the Scriptures!

[The main points of this article came from material prepared by the lateFranklin Camp.]

120 Will Lewis Dr. SE, Cleveland, TN 37323


Afrequent cry and practice thatexists among God’s peopletoday is the absence of scrip-

ture in so-called Gospel sermons. In aday of intellectualism and the con-cept of “free thought,” many brethrenargue that the quoting of scriptureand the citing of Biblical referencesin sermons only hinder the “presen-tation” of the preacher. Manybrethren contest that the “Gospelinvitation” at the conclusion of a ser-mon “kills the speech” and damagesits thrust. Could it be that we haveforgotten the purpose of Gospelpreaching (1 Cor. 1:18-25)? It makesone wonder what some preachers arepreaching if Bible passages thwartthe speaker’s message.

We should be reminded thatGospel sermons, though publicaddresses, should not be expected tofit the molds and patterns of secularspeeches, professional presentationsand civil lectures. A preacher may bean eloquent speaker with a vastvocabulary and a massive frame ofreference or he may have a limitededucation in secular matters, but aslong as he has an ample education inthe Bible, so that he can properly tellmen what to do to be saved andwhat to do to stay saved, then aman at either level is fully qualifiedto do the Master’s bidding which is —“Preach the word...” (2 Tim. 4:2). Thebook of Jeremiah emphasizes thatJeremiah spoke for the Lord. He wasGod’s mouthpiece. Regardless of hisbeing a clay vessel, the true source ofall that he spoke was God. Therefore,this great book of Old Testamentprophecy is filled with statements,such as, “Then the word of the Lordcame unto me, saying...” (1:4) or “thussaith the Lord...” (4:3) or “Hear theword of the Lord...” (31:10) or“Behold, I will command, saith the

Lord...” (34:22).I have been privileged to have a

part in conducting worship servicesand preaching to various prisonerswhile incarcerated. Many prisonershave come and gone. Some camemerely from curiosity. Others camebecause they considered one religionas good as another. Some of the menmay have attended the servicesbecause it was better than theiralternatives. A few attended andwere converted because theybelieved and obeyed the Gospel. Eachvisit brought to light the subject ofthis lesson, the use of a “thus saiththe Lord” for everything that istaught and practiced.

Nearly every month there werenew prisoners who attended and tookan interest in the lessons and sub-jects discussed. Sometimes we wouldspend the study portion of the wor-ship in preaching a prepared sermon,but on occasions, we answered Biblequestions. Once, two men with sin-cerity and honesty (in my judgment)had been discussing with one of theChristian inmates about the workand influence of the Holy Spirit andthe possibility of miracles existingtoday. Since these men asked thesequestions prior to the service andwere given only brief answers, it wasdecided the sermon of the hour wouldbe spent on these subjects. As thequestions were answered and thesubjects considered, many Bible ref-erences were given to prove the vari-ous points. Some of these passageswere read; others were quoted; somewere simply cited. But these menwere turning through the pages ofthe Bible and “searching the scrip-tures.” On such occasions, a preach-er’s mind has to go back to thatnotable tribute paid to the Bereansby inspiration (Acts 17:11).

But brethren, especially thosebrethren who advocate the exclusionof scriptural references in sermons,HERE’S THE RUB! Following thelesson that night, these men statedthey received much profit from thelessons and were obviously pleasedat the answers given. WHY? It wasnot because they were overwhelmedby the presentation of the speaker; itwas not because they heard whatthey wanted to hear (in fact, theyheard just the opposite); IT WASBECAUSE THEY HEARD THETRUTH SUPPORTED BY BIBLEREFERENCES! They explained thatthey had asked similar questions tomen of various religions that had vis-ited the prison, but they onlyreceived their opinions void of a “thussaith the Lord.” They were delightedin the things that were taughtbecause they were given referenceswhereby they could read them forthemselves. The bottom line is: Theydid not have to take this preacher’sword for it; they were able to readWHAT GOD SAID ABOUT IT.

One can only guess as to whatgood may have been done by that onenight of “Bible preaching.” But I’vewondered, what if one of ourbrethren who advances this foolishnotion that scripture quotations,readings and citations only bog downa sermon, had been doing the preach-ing? Perhaps these inmates wouldhave walked away and placedpreachers “from the church of Christ”in the same category as the Pente-costal preacher whom they had ques-tioned about his “holy water” and hecited no Bible passage, just his word.For him, they had no respect. For theBible, they do.

1001 Albany St.Indianapolis, IN 46203

BRETHREN, WE BETTER USE BIBLE!Ronnie Whittemore

A preacher may be an eloquent speaker with a vast vocabulary and a massive frame ofreference or he may have a limited education in secular matters, but as long as he hasan ample education in the Bible, so that he can properly tell men what to do to be

saved and what to do to stay saved, then a man at either level is fully qualified to do theMaster’s bidding which is — “Preach the word...” (2 Tim. 4:2).


Jesus spoke no greater truththan when He said, “And this isthe condemnation, that light is

come into the world, and men loveddarkness rather than light, becausetheir deeds were evil. For every onethat doeth evil hateth the light, nei-ther cometh to the light, lest his deedsshould be reproved. But he that doethtruth cometh to the light, that hisdeeds may be made manifest, thatthey are wrought in God” (John3:19-21). The Master again warned,“If the world hate you, ye know that ithated me before [it hated] you. If yewere of the world, the world wouldlove his own: but because ye are not ofthe world, but I have chosen you outof the world, therefore the worldhateth you” (John 15:18-19). Thechoice between good and evil is everbefore us; we must choose righteous-ness.

Let us learn from the warninggiven to King Herod.

Herod was warned of his sin!John was bold to speak the truth toHerod in saying, “...It is not lawful forthee to have thy brother’s wife” (Mark6:18). An adulterous marriage (usedin an accommodative sense) willnever be sanctioned by God! This wasa day that Herod could have chosento correct sinful matters and repentof his sin, but he chose to ignore thewarning.

People must be warned today. Itis a sin to refuse to repent, but it isalso a sin to refuse to warn (cf. Ezek.33:1-9)! The apostle Paul was purefrom the blood of all men for one rea-son; he did not refrain from declaringunto them the whole counsel of God(Acts 20:27). Folks may not acceptthe truth, but such does not lessenour obligation to make them aware ofthe truth.

Fear alone will not suffice!

“For Herod feared John, knowingthat he was a just man and an holy...”(Mark 6:20), but still could not bringhimself to forsake his wicked ways(cf. Isa. 55:7). Fear can certainlyserve as motivation to do right, but“fear only” will not save one. The cor-rect approach to the Word of God isthis... “But be ye doers of the word,and not hearers only, deceiving yourown selves. For if any be a hearer ofthe word, and not a doer, he is likeunto a man beholding his naturalface in a glass: For he beholdeth him-self, and goeth his way, and straight-way forgetteth what manner of manhe was. But whoso looketh into theperfect law of liberty, and contin-ueth [therein], he being not a forget-ful hearer, but a doer of the work, thisman shall be blessed in his deed.”(James 1:22-25, emph. MLW). Thereare countless thousands today whostill fear an eternal hell, but suchfear does not guarantee completeobedience to God’s word.

Herod was enslaved byanother’s opinion. “...Herod him-self had sent forth and laid hold uponJohn, and bound him in prison forHerodias’ sake, his brother Philip’swife: for he had married her” (Mark6:17). It is as one has truthfully said,“The voice of lust gets the victoryover the voice of conscience and ofGod.”

People are enslaved today bywhat others say about the Bible orabout God. It is still the case thatmany love the praise of men morethan the praise of God (John 12:43).Opinions of men do not matter; it isGod’s Word that will judge us (John12:48).

Herod was ensnared by thedance. Herod could have refused tosee the dance of his wife’s daughter,but he chose to see and the dance

“pleased” him (Mark 6:22). It neverfails that when one refuses God’swarning, he finds it easy to indulge insinful pleasure.

It was surely the “grace” and“dexterity” of the dancer that pleasedHerod! We have warned parents foryears about training their children inthese so-called “social graces.” It wasnothing short of fleshly lust thatmotivated Herod to make his infa-mous promise.

A promise made only because ofexcitement is never good! It just maybe that Herod had “goose pimples” allover and his heart may have gone“pitter-patter” more than once! Hesaid, “Whatsoever thou shalt ask ofme, I will give [it] thee, unto the halfof my kingdom” (Mark 6:23). As onehas observed, “Sin first interests,then excites, [and] then captivates.”The god of pleasure and the goddessof passion continue to captivate thehearts of many. As the song says,“Yield not to temptation, for yieldingis sin.”

Herod experiences the barbsof sin! The request was made for thehead of John the Baptizer (Mark4:24) and Herod “was exceedingsorry; [yet] for his oath’s sake, and fortheir sakes which sat with him, hewould not reject her” (Mark 6:26).When one sells himself to sin, hebecomes the slave of another. Theshort-lived pleasures of sin now ripeninto “bone chilling” demands that onewould rather not hear. Too late! Thepied piper must be paid his due.

May we be willing to learn fromthis sad occasion in the life of KingHerod. Let us resolve that our alle-giance belongs only to God, and Himonly will we worship and serve!

135 Airport Rd.Reno, TX 75462

LESSONS LEARNED FROM KING HERODMarvin L. Weir

People must be warned today. It is a sin to refuse to repent, but it is also a sin to refuse towarn (cf. Ezek. 33:1-9)! The apostle Paul was pure from the blood of all men for one reason; he did not refrain from declaring unto them the whole counsel of God (Acts20:27). Folks may not accept the truth, but such does not lessen our obligation

to make them aware of the truth.


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15:1 we read, ‘Then said the LORD unto me, Though Mosesand Samuel stood before me, [yet] my mind [could] not [be]toward this people: cast [them] out of my sight, and let them goforth.’ I’m sure you have heard the phrase sometime before,‘You don’t want to get on so and so’s bad side.’ Simply meaningto anger him/her would be trouble. Yet in the very verse justquoted, how many live their lives (even as Christians) and tryto live on the wrong side of God? If you will continue to readthe chapter, you will find that because of a king’s action, as wellas the people, God had enough and they were going to sufferthe consequences of their lives. We too, will suffer/enjoy theconsequences of our lives. Jesus said in Revelation 2:10, ‘Bethou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life.’Jeremiah stated that not even Moses or Samuel was able tochange God’s mind! I don’t want God angry at me, do you? IPeter 1:22, ‘Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying thetruth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren,[see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently.’Lord, not my will but thine be done” ...Del Brantley, Salem,KY. “Here is our check to help with your expenses. Keep up thegood work. God bless you” ...Name withheld by request, NV.“I would like a bundle of 10 copies of the Feb/11 paper of theSeek The Old Paths. Thank you. I enjoy the papers. It reallyis full of good lessons” ...Thelma Clark, Mobile, AL. “Pleaseadd me to your STOP mailing list. I was recently introduced toit and found it to be most informative and grounded in truth.May God continue to bless your efforts in spreading theGospel” ...Rajah Greer, Cuero, TX. “Dear Sir, At this time Idon’t have time to read STOP and I am asking you to discon-tinue it at this time. I’ve enjoyed it a lot over the years and if Iwant it again I will contact you. Thanks again for all the onesI’ve received” ...Martha Johnson, Albany, GA. “FrankAnderson has passed away” ...Long Beach, MS. “A friend ofmine has asked me to have her name put on your mailing listof Seek The Old Paths. Thank you so much. You are puttingout a very good paper which is very sound” ...Colleen Ander-son, Flint, MI. “Elsie Delk has passed away” ...Crossville,TN. “James D. Cox has passed away” ...Flower Mound, TX.“Would you please add me to your mailing list for STOP? Ienjoy and am very thankful for the truths that are publishedin this paper. Thank you for all you do” ...Carol Shadell,Greenbrier, AR. “Please remove from your mailing list. Cur-tis Hall is deceased. Thank you” ...Nashville, TN. “Dear broth-er Robinson; We’ve been receiving STOP for years and so enjoyall the good articles concerning the churches of Christ in sur-rounding areas. Please add this name to your mailing list.They will enjoy. Thank you so much. We look forward to thenext issue. God bless your efforts in keeping our Lord’s churchpure. Because He lives...” Name withheld by request, AL.“I’m so glad to read that you are still putting out the STOP forit has so much good for us all. Boy do we need this April issueon Modesty. One thing, it makes me sad and half sick for sum-mer to come to see how people, even some Christians, per se,dress and act and go to. No teaching much on and don’t wantit either! Too hot? Yes, but I’m afraid later it will be much hot-ter and longer, so we better obey God in all our ways if we wantto go to heaven and miss that awful hot place with no end.Please send a dozen of the April issue. I’d really like to have

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M A I L B A G

S.EEK T.HE O.LD P.ATHS

Seek The Old Paths is a monthly publication of the Leoni Church of

Christ and is under the oversight of its elders. It is FREE, being sup-ported by the contributions of both individuals and congregations. Its pri-mary purpose and goal in publication can be found in Jude 3, 2 Tim. 4:2,Titus 1:13, Titus 2:1 and 2 Peter 1:12. All mail received may be pub-lished unless it is marked “not for publication.” The church building islocated at: 6818 McMinnville Hwy, Woodbury, TN 37190.

Editor: Garland M. Robinson — seektheoldpaths.com

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