Books

Focus On The Fundamentals Of The Faith

By W. Douglass Harris

For Such a Time as This

All Bible students recognize our heading as the words of Mordecai to Esther in a time of crisis to the Jews in Persian captivity (Esther 4:14).

In the opening paragraph of his classic book, A Tale of Two Cities, the British novelist, Charles Dickens, said, “It was the best of times and the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom and it was the age of foolishness...” What an accurate assessment of the times in which we are living!

As to the time of Esther, it was a time of great trial for the people of God, a time that tested the sincerity of Esther’s affection for Mordecai and for her nation, a time which exhibited her admirable selflessness and trust in God, and a time when silence and failure to act would have been an unforgivable dereliction of duty resulting in the destruction of God’s people.

As to the times in which we are living — they are the best in many respects and the worst in other respects. We live in a time of technological explosion when incredible things are being done in space exploration, nuclear application, medical techniques, and communication. In the latter we can know anything that happens in the world within thirty seconds. On the other hand, we are living in times of enormous violence, such as legalized abortion, which is the worst sort of violence against unborn infants (20,000,000 since 1973), terrorist attacks which kill innocent people, violent crime in unparalleled degree, an epidemic of rapes, and sodomy and immorality unequalled in the history of the world, and the threat of AIDS as the natural consequence of sin and perversion.

But the most tragic aspect of our times is the spiritual devastation that is occurring in the Lord’s church. Although living in the best of times in all the ways mentioned above, the Lord’s church is confronted with a crisis of doctrine and practice, which is alarming to those who have studied the causes of past apostasies. Some of these aspects we will mention in what follows.

It is a time of growing compromise with error and false doctrine. The desire to be respected by and popular with our religious neighbors undergirds this spirit of compromise. As a result some preachers and congregations are participating in denominational special day services. In some congregations preachers are being forbidden to expose any kind of denominational error. Unity forums with the conservative Christian Church, which are not novel, are being conducted with no intention of discussing the doctrinal difference. The use of denomination videos by brethren, which in no way parallels quoting from a denominational commentary, evidences a dangerous spirit of compromise. Many members are compromising with the world on social drinking, immodest apparel, dancing, and many other worldly practices. There is no middle ground between truth and error.

It is a time when many brethren are placing more emphasis on quantity rather than quality. Bigness seems to have become the pre-occupation with some brethren. Jesus severely indicted the Pharisees and scribes for this syndrome. He said to them, “Ye compass land and sea to make one proselyte” (Matthew 23:15). Jesus indicated that their primary concern was with quantity rather than quality.

It is a time for soldiers of the cross to become more aggressive and militant in challenging error. As Andrew Connally said in The Firm Foundation, March 25, 1986, “We can read the signs and we are human, but we are Christians and soldiers of the cross as well. Our Lord and His cause are at stake. The church is going through radical change because of radical liberalism; therefore, we must become all the more militant in our stand for truth and right. Our enemies are powerful and deep-seated. We may lose numerous battles, but with God as our helper we will win the war. May God help us, for in His name we pray and fight! Take courage, brethren, and press on!”