of." Today these religious leaders are well-educated, cul tured and, in many instances, extremely refined. They are respected by the masses. But tragically they, too, to a large degree reject the Lord Jesus Christ for what He claims to be. They are the blind leaders of the blind. Even as our Lord invited the common people of His day to come and find rest to their souls, so today He extends the same invitation. As He in His day thoroughly condemned the re ligious leaders for willfully turning their backs upon Him and going in their own religiously iniquitous ways, so it seems quite evident that were He living in the flesh now, He would declare the same thing to these modern-day religious leaders. It is extremely serious for a person to assume a place of spiritual leadership of a local congre gation or of the public in general. But there is another problem that is equally serious which is disturbing the minds of many earnest, Bible- believing Christians. It is this: to what extent should Bible-believing Christians have fellowship with those who deny the deity of of the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning work on Calvary's cross? Our Lord, Himself, gave us the example of what our attitude should be toward all deniers of the faith and that was to have no continuing fellowship whatever with them. Furthermore, the Word of God is quite explicit in this regard: "What part has he that believeth with an unbeliever?" (II Cor. 6:15) ; "Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord" (II Cor. 6:17) ; "Have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Eph. 5:11). The old saying, "Birds of a feather flock together" is certainly applicable here and any individual, no matter how loudly he proclaims his orthodoxy and evangelical zeal, inevitably will come under suspicion if he con tinues in fellowship and cooperation with those who deny the claims of our Lord. One's motives may be of the very highest, such as the honest desire to win these religious leaders to the Lord Jesus Christ. But, as a matter of fact, the records over the years do not show that such a course produces any such result. Instead, by such associations, the cause of Jesus Christ is brought into disrepute and the ends obtained are most unfortunate indeed. Today, we should follow the example He Himself set for us. Doubt less, there are occasions when one is obliged to associate with such leaders. But these are the exception and should never be allowed to become the rule. Certainly most earn est prayer should be offered in behalf of the religious leader who has departed from the faith or one who has never come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ in the first place, but to make these modern-day Pharisees partners in the Lord's business is not only incongruous but also injurious to any Bible-centered and Christ-honor- ing program. May the Lord guide and direct us all during these mo mentous days that we might remain time to Him, that our testimony might be clear-cut, that there might never be a question in the minds of any as to whose we are and whom we serve, and what is our uncompromising stand on the deity of Christ and related truths of the Word of God.
WILLIAM CULBERTSON P resid en t, M o o d y B ib le in stitu te speaks on the fundamentals of the faith. ADORN ING THE DOCTRINE “ It was Paul who wrote, ‘Adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour.’ He gave the exhortation to Titus that the young preacher might pass it on to slaves— slaves tempted to steal from their masters (Titus 2:10). It is an amazing word. To those of us committed to Christian doc trine, who believe it, who see the exquisite perfection, logic and beauty of it, it is hard to think of adorning that which is so glorious in itself. It is like painting the rose or gilding the lily. And it is even more difficult to imagine a slave adorning the doctrine. But he can; so may we. “ The only proper and scriptural em bellishment of true Christian doctrine is the consecrated, godly life of the believer. Such adornment proves not only that the believer holds the truth, but that the truth holds him. God is always concerned, not only about increase of knowledge for His child, but also growth in grace. In fact, II Peter 3:18 seems to stress growth in grace, according to the order of the words in the text. “ So let us never forget that Christian doctrines are not only to be believed, not only to be taught, not only to be defend ed; they are to be adorned. And to that end God has given us His Son, His Word, and His Spirit.” Every Christian should have a copy of William Culbertson’s book God’s Provi sion for H oly Living, a happy blending of Bible study and practical exhortation. 112 pages, paper bound. For your free copy, write Moody Bible Institute, Dept. K-l- 873, 820 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago 10, Illinois.
Send to Prayer Time, The King's Businessmega zine, 558 So. Hope, LosAngeles 17, California.
President, The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Inc.
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FEBRUARY, 1961
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