ELDERS SUPPORTED BY THE CHURCH

J. T. MARLIN

The Principle Stated

An elder of the church who labors both in word and in deed should be supported by the church.  This is taught in       1 Timothy 5:17,18, “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, the labourer is worthy of his reward” (A.V.) Surely, no one would want to argue that every elder of the church ought to be paid a salary when these verses specify the ones who are worthy of support; namely, “those who labor in [the] word and doctrine.” It is inferred in 1 Peter 5:1-3 that some elders in the New Testament days were paid for service rendered. Or else the warning sounded out in verse 2 concerning using the office for “filthy lucre” is without connection when the idea of support is removed. Some remind us that this is only implied or taught indirectly. To this we reply that the teaching for paying elders is just as direct as that for paying the preacher.  The principle for paying those who labor in gospel work is laid down again in 1 Corinthians 9:1-14.

It is understood that the elders considered in this article are qualified for the eldership and for “full-time” work. Of course, a “full-time elder is only contemplated in his individual congregation (a limitation made by the Holy Spirit).

Some Objections Considered

In principle, there are no disadvantages to paid elders. If so God would not have endorsed it (1 Timothy 5:17-18). However, we must not close our eyes to the abuses of men that could follow in many cases. Now let us consider some objections that are made by many good brethren.

 1.  There is no New Testament Example.

REPLY:  1 Timothy 5:17,18. Example necessarily inferred.

2. Danger of Drifting Into a Presiding Elder or “Bishop” (Ecclesiastical).

REPLY: In many of our elderships this condition prevails today, and he is referred to as the “respected” or “senior” elder.  This is wrong whether paid or unpaid, but being paid would not create the condition, and only respect for God’s word will eliminate it.

3.  Pulpit Could be Suppressed by Inefficient Men.

REPLY: (1) The Scriptures forbid this in an elder by teaching that he should not be “self-willed” (Titus 1:7). (2) Some preachers are inefficient also.

4.  Unqualified Seeking the Place for Ease, Prestige, or Power.  (Commonly expressed as “ego.”)

REPLY: This would be the abuse of the office rather than the principle being wrong. Could this be a greater abuse than the practice of the preacher?

5.  A Trend Toward Professionalism.

REPLY: This same charge is made against preachers today, but it is the abuse and not the principle.

6.  All Elders Might Think They Should Be Paid.

REPLY: All qualified for full-time work, who are doing it, should be paid (1 Corinthians 9:1-14).  But the ability of the local church program must determine the number of paid elders.

7.  There Are Not Many Churches That Could Afford the Support of an Elder and an Evangelist at the same time.

REPLY:  This is a problem to be settled within each congregation. Like the local church problem, it must be in keeping with the ability of the congregation.

8.  There Might be a Tendency on the Part of Some to Feel Entitled to Money for any Service Rendered.

REPLY:  Not any more so than with the present ministry. Most people realize that he gave up secular work to devote full time to the work of the church.

9.  Members Would Expect the Elders to do All the Work and Say, “I’m Hiring My Religion Done For Me.”

REPLY: It could create no greater problem than the paid ministry now doing the work of the elders, members and the preacher.

Advantages of Having Paid Elders

1.  Elders could devote more time to the work of an elder and thus the work of “pastoring” the flock would be improved.

2.  It would result in less worldliness, indifference, and apostasy.

3.  It would create greater zeal within the congregation.

4.  This would free the minister (evangelist) for the work of an evangelist, more time to study (prepare sermons and lessons) and should improve his usefulness.

5.  This plan would allow elders to take a personal interest in the individual problems of the members, especially new converts, etc.

6.  It would cause the elders to assume their responsibilities and would teach the congregation to respect that responsibility and authority.

7.  Elders could study, teach, visit, etc. more than now.

8.  It would enable the elders to obtain a greater perspective of church work, and thus a greater vision.

9.  This system would provide better supervision and naturally better discipline will follow.

10.  This would be a step toward eliminating the “pastor system” which is the abuse and never the principle.

11.  The church would have a better informed eldership because of time for study and visiting and looking after the flock.

12.  They would make work more spiritual because of less distractions.

13.  This plan would free evangelists to establish new congregations.

14.  This would help the problem caused many times by changing preachers.

THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE

BEN F. VICK, JR.

Having been tempted in the wilderness for forty days, Jesus is seen by John the Baptist. He then introduced Jesus to a couple of his disciples. They, in turn, tell two others about Jesus. They all begin to follow him. Jesus then went to Capernaum and then to Jerusalem for the first Passover during his ministry. We read: 

After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.”(John 2:12-16)

The Passover was also called the feast of unleavened bread. It was one of the three feasts to be observed each year by Israel (Deut. 16:16). Passover was celebrated by each family, having selected a lamb a year old without a blemish on the 10th day of the month, Abib or Nisan, which corresponds to our March-April. On the 14th day of the same month, the lamb was to be slain in the evening (literally between the two evenings). It was to be roasted and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The blood was to be sprinkled on the doorposts and lintels so that when the Lord saw the blood, he would pass over. This feast reminded them of the Lord’s passing over their houses and sparing the firstborn ones in the house. 

 When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, individuals sold oxen, sheep, and doves and changed money in the temple. McGarvey and Pendleton’s The Fourfold Gospel says,

     Our English word “temple” includes two Greek words; namely, 1. The naos or sanctuary – the small structure which contained the holy and most holy places, and which answered to the tabernacle used in the wilderness. 2. The hieron, or entire court spaces which surrounded the naos, and which included some nineteen acres. This hieron was divided into four courts, and as one entered toward the naos from the east, he passed successively through them, as follows: 1. Court of the Gentiles; 2. of the women; 3. of Israel; 4. of the priests. It was in this outer or Gentiles’ court that the markets described in this section were held. -pp. 121-122.

Israel was commanded, “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread [Passover], and in the feast of weeks [Pentecost], and in the feast of tabernacles [or booths]: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.” (Deut. 16:16-17.)

People who traveled great distances instead of bringing their animals with them would buy them when they arrived in Jerusalem. There was nothing wrong with this; however, the temple was not the place to get money exchanged and purchase the animals needed for the Passover. So, Jesus made a scourge of small cords and drove them out of the temple. Jesus said, “And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.” (John 2:16.)

Jesus was the Lamb of God, but he was also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5). After Jesus had cast out the animals and the moneychangers, “…his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” (John 2:17.)  This quote is from Psalm 69. It is a Messianic psalm.   “Zeal,” as translated from a Greek word (ζῆλος), is defined as “intense positive interest in something.”  Some may think this action of our Lord was out of character because Peter said that Jesus went about doing good. This action was bold and very harmful in the minds of some. 

The Jews questioned him, “What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?”  They wanted proof that he had the authority to cast the animals and moneychangers out of the temple. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19.)  The Jews did not understand him. Later, as John was writing his account, he explained that Jesus was speaking of the temple of his body. John also wrote, “When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.” (John 2:22.)

To oppose what is wrong is always right. The Lord’s zeal is associated with cleaning his house, the temple. Sometimes today, the Lord’s house, his church, must be cleansed (1 Tim. 3:15). The moneychangers were making money at the temple. If they were not taking advantage of people, they were certainly taking advantage of being at the temple.  

After Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem, he went into the temple and cast out all those who sold and bought in the temple. He overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of them who sold doves. Then he said, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves.” (Matt. 21: 12-13.)  In the second cleansing, they were not only in the wrong place doing business, but they were guilty of robbing the people. 

This was the second recording of Jesus’ having cleansed the temple. Matthew was not copying from John or vice-versa. Jesus cleansed the temple twice, once at the beginning of his ministry and the second time toward the end. Error put down once may lift its ugly head again. The battles fought against the use of mechanical instruments of music in worship, which raged a 100 years ago, are having to be fought again. The division brought about by the instrument, and the missionary society is happening again. When Jesus saw error, he did not sweep it under the rug. He dealt with it swiftly. Paul told Timothy, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim. 4:1-4)

Let us be zealous for the truth and oppose error as Jesus did. 

THE ELDERS' JUDGMENT

BEN F. VICK, JR.

       One of the characteristics of the church in the New Testament is that each congregation was to have a plurality of men serving as elders or overseers. They are called bishops, pastors, or shepherds and presbyters. Luke records that Paul and Barnabas, on the return trip of their missionary journey, “they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.” (Acts 14:23.) Also, Paul charged Titus, “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:” (Titus 1:5). When Paul wrote this, there was only one congregation in each city. It was not a plurality of elders overseeing a plurality of congregations. When Paul was at Miletus, he called for the elders of Ephesus to meet him. He did not call one elder of the church; he called for the elders, plural.

It is clear from the pages of Holy Writ that the responsibilities to oversee and feed the church of God belong to the elders or bishops of a congregation. Paul said to the elders of Ephesus: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28.) Notice that Paul said, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves….” He was addressing all the elders of Ephesus. Peter wrote, “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” (1 Pet. 5:1-3.) The elders, plural, are delegated authority to oversee and feed the flock of God.

One of the charges against a congregation’s having a located preacher is that he becomes a “one-man-pastor system.”  I have always tried to avoid such a charge, though I have been falsely accused of such. This is an indictment of the preacher and the elders who allow that to happen. A preacher can be guilty of pressing his opinions to the point of causing trouble in a congregation. As Paul said to Timothy, every preacher needs to “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” (1 Tim. 4:16.)

It is also the case that one man in the eldership can dominate the other elders because of his personality. I have seen and heard of this happening. It is as much contrary to the Scriptures for one elder to rule a congregation as for the preacher. Again, I repeat, it is a plurality of men meeting the qualifications who are to oversee the flock. Having a plurality of men leading the flock allows for checks and balances. One man’s opinion may not always be the best. If two men always see things alike, there would not be a need for one of them.

When one individual dominates, the problem is twofold. Whether he is serving as a preacher or an elder or serving as both, the dominant man needs to be aware of his influence. He must be careful not to push his views to cause a rift. A second part of the problem is that the elders should speak up if they disagree with the one’s opinion. Once the eldership has reached a decision, all the elders and all members are to comply.

When others refuse to stand up to one man, they are a part of the problem. I know of a situation years ago where a Diotrephes in the eldership wanted to appoint another man to serve as an elder so he could break the tie and get rid of the preacher. The elder announced one Sunday morning without the other elder’s approval, that brother So-in-So would be an elder that evening if there were no scriptural objections. When I learned of this, I told the other man serving as an elder that he was wrong and should have spoken up right then objecting to such a rush job. Can you believe that?

The shepherds of a congregation only make decisions in the realm of judgment. Elders have no authority to go beyond what is written (Gal. 1:6-9; Rev. 22:18-19). They may delegate specific responsibilities to others, such as, opening and closing the building, what class material to use, teaching and preaching, etc. Though elders are to be able to teach, it does not mean that they must do all the teaching. It does not mean they cannot hire a man to preach.

Recently I listened to a sermon in which a brother said that for elders to say that men must wear a coat and tie to participate in a leading role in the services is to make a law that God did not make. The elders here at Shelbyville Road have suggested that men who serve in a leading way in worship wear a coat and tie. Do elders have the scriptural right to make such a suggestion? They certainly do. They are to make decisions only in the realm of judgment. Thayer defines the Greek word (ἐπίσκοπος) for bishop or overseer as “a man charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by others are done rightly, any curator, guardian, or superintendent.” The elders or overseers are to see that things are done decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40). Whether one agrees with this judgment by the elders is not the point.

Further, this same preacher said that for elders to say that only the King James Version is to may be read in Bible classes or worship is to make a law that God did not make. W. L. Totty used the King James Version, but he would sometimes quote from the old American Standard. But do the elders have the right to limit what versions will be used in worship and Bible classes? They certainly do. Otherwise, every version in the world would be used. Suppose elders did not designate the version or versions to use? What would prevent one from using the New International Version, a Calvinist Bible, or the New World Translation, used by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, or some other far-out version or paraphrase?

During the Covid issue over the past two years, elders were not wrong to ask the members to wear a mask to benefit all. They had the scriptural right to make that ruling. And all members, because they are concerned for each other, based on Romans 14 and Hebrews 13:17, should comply.

One man in the eldership has no more authority than any other church member. It is the elders who have delegated authority. The writer of Hebrews said, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” (Heb.13:17.)

“I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN”

BEN F. VICK, JR.

“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.” (Matt. 4:18-22.)

We can learn from Jesus how to fish for men. He called laboring men what we might refer to as “blue-collar” laborers. He called ordinary men. They were not men who sat in the ivory towers of the educational realm. These fishermen, the first to be called to follow Jesus, immediately left all to learn from Jesus. This occasion was not the first time they had seen Jesus. Do you recall that Andrew had brought Peter to Jesus (John 1:40-42)?

Jesus was a leader. He challenged these men to follow him. The writer of Hebrews referred to Jesus as “the author and finisher of our faith.”  The Greek word for “author” (ἀρχηγός) is defined as “one who has a preeminent position, leader, ruler, prince…one who begins or originates….” (BDAG).  One cannot find a better leader than Christ. One can benefit from attending a class or workshop on evangelism, but Jesus is the very best teacher to have in fishing for men. It takes skill to fish for men. Consider some of our Lord’s methods.

A fisherman must use the right bait. Sometimes I have asked men fishing what bait did you use. The right bait can determine whether one catches fish and the right kind of fish. Jesus used the right bait. He used the truth. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6.) He used the truth. He prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17.) It is the truth that will catch the right kind of men. Some are hungry for the truth (John 6:68); others are not so hungry (John 6:66; Mark 10:17-22; Acts 24:25; 26:28).

Timing is essential in fishing. If one goes at the wrong time of the day, his chances of catching fish will decline considerably. Jesus came into the world at the right time. There was an expectation in the air when Emmanuel came upon the stage of humanity (Luke 1:25, 38). Paul wrote, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” (Gal. 4:4.)

Jesus came to make fishers of men. Preparation must be made. Jesus, while on earth, spent 30 years preparing for three and a half years of preaching and teaching. He taught his disciples how to fish for men for approximately three and half years. Fishing for fish is great work, but fishing for men is the greatest work. As a Christian, it is a lifetime work. Several years ago, I heard Jimmy Allen (who loved to fish for fish but even more to fish for men) preaching to a small congregation in Indiana. After one service, he said to me, “I caught another one.” He never ceased to try to catch another one for Jesus.

Do you know why some are not good fishermen? Do you know why they do not go fishing? They do not have the patience. Why sit in a boat on a lake or on the bank of a river to wait for a bite? Good fisherman may sit for an hour or so, waiting for the fish to bite. Some have the patience to do that, while others do not. Fishing for men requires patience (2 Tim. 2:24; 4:2). People are not always receptive to the truth. Maybe preconceived notions, prejudice, or other persons prevent their reception of the truth.

 Jesus was patient with his disciples. John records, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (John 14:6-9.) When Jesus’ disciples could not cast the demon out of a man’s son, Jesus said to them, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.” (Matt. 17:17.)

  After the resurrection of Jesus, two of his disciples were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, about four miles west of Jerusalem. Jesus drew near them and inquired about their conversation and why they were sad? They told Jesus, whom they did not recognize, of Jesus’s death and how certain women had told them of his body having been gone. Luke then narrates: “Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25-27.)

Good fishermen know the places to catch fish. Jesus knew the right places to fish for men. He went to where sinners were (Luke 5:29-32; 15:1-2; 19:1-10). He went to the synagogues (Luke 4:15; Matt. 4:23; 9:35; 12:9; 13:54).  He taught in the temple area (Matt. 21:12-23; 26:55). He taught on a mountain (Matt. 5:1-2). He taught in a boat as the people stood on the shore (Matt. 13:1-2; Luke 5:1-3). He taught at night (John 3:1-2). He taught at noon (John 4:6-26). Jesus taught where people were.

A fisherman may use different methods to catch fish. They may use nets as Peter, Andrew, James, and John did. They may use trotlines, a rod and reel, or a cane pole. Jesus used different methods to teach the truth. He delivered many lessons through parables, comparisons (Mark 4:30-34). He used everyday things to illustrate the truth (Matt. 6:26,28-30). He taught by asking and answering questions (Matt. 6:27; 22:15-46).

Let’s go fishing for men.

THE HYPERBOLE OF THE NIV AND HCSB?

BEN F. VICK, JR.

       After defining the word “hyperbole” from several sources, I want to consider some examples. Then, I want to consider if the New International Version’s and Holman Christian Standard Bible’s rendering of Psalm 51:5 is a hyperbole.

       “Hyperbole” comes from a Greek compound word (huper, above, over, beyond; and bolee, from bolein), to throw (Dungan, Hermeneutics, p. 320). It is a highly exaggerated statement. Webster defines the word as, “A figure of speech in which the expression is an exaggeration of a meaning intended to be conveyed, or by which things are represented as much greater or less, better or worse, than they really are; a statement which exaggerates through passion or intense excitement.” (Ibid, p. 320.)

 Milton S. Terry’s Biblical Hermeneutics reads, “Hyperbole is a rhetorical figure which consists in exaggeration or magnifying an object beyond reality.” (p. 165.)  Another source says, “Hyperbole means that some idea or event is stated in an exaggerated manner to indicate its importance or its quantity” (Ramm, Barnard, Protestant Biblical Interpretation, p. 143, 1970.) Lockhart says, “A Hyperbole is an exaggeration for emphasis…. A hyperbole differs from a falsehood by having no intention to deceive; and if it is properly composed, it furnishes no occasion to deceive an intelligent reader.” (Principles of Interpretation, p. 182.)

Please consider some examples of hyperboles. Joseph “laid up corn as the sand of the sea, very much” (Gen. 41:49). I doubt grain laid up was as much as the sand of the sea. This is a highly exaggerated statement, a hyperbole. The expression means he saved a great deal of grain

For seven years the Midianites had oppressed Israel. God raised up a judge by the name of Gideon. We are told, “And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.” (Judges 7:12.)  Common sense tells us that “like grasshoppers for multitude” and “camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude” are highly exaggerated expressions. They are hyperboles.

There are many hyperboles in Psalms that express great sorrow or suffering. David cried, “I am weary with my groaning; All the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; It waxeth old because of all mine enemies.” (Psa. 6:6-7.) There are several hyperboles in Psalm 22: “But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised of the people.” (Psa. 22:6.) Again: “I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; It is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; And thou hast brought me into the dust of death.” (Psa. 22:14-15.)

Notice these two exaggerations in the New Testament: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” (John 21:25.) Another example in the New Testament is Paul’s statement which reads: “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” (Eph. 3:8.)

I have heard it said by some who try to defend Psalm 51:5 as rendered in the New International Version is a hyperbole. It reads: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (2011 edition.)  The Holman Christian Standard Bible does not render the verse any better, “Indeed, I was guilty [when I] was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.” (What is in brackets in the rendering is the work of the translators of HCSB.)  However, the King James Version renders the verse: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5).

The Hebrew Old Testament supports the KJV’s rendering of it. The Septuagint (a translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek), reads: “For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother conceive me.”  

There is a world of difference between the rendering of the NIV and HCSB with that of the King James Version. The former ones refer to David and his sin at conception and birth, but the KJV refers to David’s mother. The NIV and HCSB are wrong.

Children are not sinners. They are not sinners at conception or birth. Ezekiel wrote, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” (Ezek. 18:20.)  Sin is not inherited. We become sinners when we transgress God’s law (1 John 3:4). What transgression has a child committed? None.

Jesus said, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 19:14.)  If children are sinners, and the kingdom of heaven is made up of such, then the kingdom of heaven would be made up of sinners. Who can swallow that? Preachers who preach from the NIV need to be consistent. If babies and children be sinners, preachers need to baptize them. Consistency is a rare jewel. Either preach what your Bible teaches or get a reliable Bible.

Edwin H. Palmer was a dyed-in-the-wool Calvinist. He was the Executive Secretary of the New International Version of the Bible and General Editor of the NIV Study Bible. I have the twenty-first printing (May 2001) of his book, The Five Points of Calvinism, in which he attempts to defend that false doctrine. The first printing came out in 1972.

What are the five points of Calvinism? They are total depravity (that is that one is born totally depraved), unconditional election (there are no conditions to be saved), limited atonement (Jesus died for the elect only), irresistible grace (if one is of the elect, chosen by God before the foundation of the world, then he cannot resist God’s grace), perseverance of the saints (once saved – always saved). Insofar as salvation for the Calvinist is concerned, if one has it, he cannot lose it; if he loses it, he never had it. This false doctrine permeates the denominational world and is even in the church. It makes God a respecter of person insofar as salvation is concerned. It perverts the plan of salvation. It rejects the free will agency of man. So, why preach or teach from it? The answer is beyond me.