BUY THE TRUTH AND SELL IT NOT

By David J. Riggs

Intro.
   A. Many religious people do not understand the importance of      
      following the truth.
      1. Nearly everyone understands the importance of keeping       
         oneself unspotted from the world.
      2. Almost all realize that such things as stealing, murder, and
         committing adultery are wrong, but not many understand that 
         following false teaching is also wrong.
   B. Satan has succeeded wonderfully in leading people to believe   
      that the doctrine one believes and teaches has nothing to do   
      with his eternal salvation.
      1. We often hear such statements: "It is not doctrine but the  
         way one lives that counts," or, "It matters not what one    

         believes so long as he is sincere."
      2. Those who make such statements surely haven't analyzed them,
         and especially they haven't in the light of the holy        
         Scriptures.
   C. The Bible clearly teaches that it does make a difference what  
      one believe and teaches.

I. LOVE THE TRUTH.
   A. If we possess the characteristics of God's children, we will   
      have strong love for truth.
      1. When Jesus prayed to the Father in behalf of his apostles He
         said, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." 
         John 17:17
      2. God's Word is truth and we need to have strong desire for   
         it.  I Pet. 2:2
   B. We as Christians, therefore, should give diligent study that we
      might be able to rightly divide the Word of truth.
      1. We should not be foolish but striving to understand what the
         will of the Lord is.  Eph. 5:17
      2. We should be exercising our senses that we might be able to 
         discern between good and evil, not being tossed to and fro  
         and carried away with the error of men, but growing in the  
         grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
   C. One of the beatitudes says, -- Matt. 5:6.
      1. The Bible uses great simplicity in conveying its truth to   
         us.
         a. All understand what it means to be hungry or thirsty.
         b. Hunger was well exemplified in the story of the prodigal 
            son.  Luke 15:16-17
         c. Thus, when the Bible says we should hunger and thirst    
            after righteousness, it means we should have a strong and
            intense desire to know and follow righteousness.
   D. Acceptable righteousness can be found only in the revealed Word
      of God, the gospel.  Rom. 1:16-17
      1. Righteousness is certainly not to be found in man's own     
         wisdom.
      2. Man commits a grave error when he establishes his own       
         righteousness.  Rom. 10:1-3
      3. If one reads and studies the gospel to know of God's        
         righteousness, he will be filled.  John 7:17
   E. God's praise is given throughout the Bible to those who believe
      and know the truth and His condemnation is on all who have no  
      love for truth.  2 Thess. 2:9-12
      1. Thus, a love of truth is necessary in order to be saved.
      2. God wants all to have this love that they might come to know
         and understand His will and be saved.  1 Tim. 2:4
   F. Truly it is important that we follow the truth.
      1. It is difficult to get people to understand this principle  
         and more difficult to get them to act upon it.
      2. We raise some important questions here for those who are    
         strangers to God's truth.
         a. Do you really believe that all those who believe a lie   
            will be damned?
         b. How could you say, therefore, that one doctrine is as    
            good as another?
         c. Do you believe that we must abide in the truth and not go
            beyond it?
         d. Is it true that some things you believe and practice are 
            not in the Bible and are therefore condemned by the      
            Bible?

II. UPHOLD THE TRUTH.
   A. If we love the truth we will not only be willing to live in    
      harmony with it, but we will uphold and defend it.
      1. The apostle Paul praised the Philippians because they were  
         partakers with him in the defense of the gospel.  Phil. 1:7
         a. The word "defense" is the word "apologia" in the original
            Greek and means "verbal defense, speech in defense" and  
            involves "laboring to make good one's cause" (Thayer's   
            Greek-English Lexicon, p. 65).
      2. Jude expressed the same.  Jude 3
         a. Consequently, we should intensely struggle to maintain   
            the purity of the faith.  1 Tim. 6:12
   B. The apostle Paul repeatedly admonished us to strive to uphold  
      and maintain the truth.  2 Tim. 1:13
      1. If one does not hold to the sound words, he becomes         
         destitute of the truth.  1 Tim. 6:3-5
   C. Paul wanted Timothy to be nourished up in the words of faith   
      and of the good doctrine.  1 Tim. 4:6
      1. He encouraged him to charge men to teach no other doctrine. 
         1 Tim. 1:3-4
      2. He commanded Titus to sharply rebuke those who gave heed to
         commandments of men which turn from the truth.  Titus       
         1:13-14
   D. Involved in the responsibility of upholding the truth is the   
      condemning of falsehood.
      1. When we mention "condemning falsehood," immediately many    
         want to object and complain.
      2. They tell us it is wrong to condemn other religions.
         a. "Judge not that you be not judged," they say.
         b. They seem to think this means we can do no judging at    
            all.
         c. This cannot be true, because Jesus also said, "Judge not 
            according to the appearance, but judge righteous         
            judgment."  John 7:24
      3. There are types of judging which are wrong.
         a. We should not judge the secret motives of one's heart.  1
            Cor. 4:5
         b. We shouldn't judge others more harshly or severely than  
            ourselves.  Matt. 7:1-2
         c. We shouldn't judge when we are guilty of the same.  Rom. 
            2:1
      4. There are types of judging which are right and must be done.
         Matt. 7:15-16; 1 John 4:1; Rom. 16:17
         a. These passages demand of us a judging of teachers.
         b. We are obligated to judge righteous judgment so that we  
            can identify wolves in sheep's clothing and apostate     
            groups.
      5. The application of the passage, "Judge not that ye be not   
         judged" cannot mean that one is not to speak out against    
         error because Jesus often did.
         a. He condemned the false doctrines and unscriptural        
            practices of His day in clear and forceful language.
            (1) He spoke of the Scribes and Pharisees as being       
                serpents, a generation of vipers who would not escape
                the judgment of hell.  Matt. 23:33
         b. The apostles and early Christians often judged the       
            religious errors of their day in straight forward terms.
         c. We likewise are commanded to reprove falsehood.  Eph.    
            5:11
   E. Christians are often labeled "un-Christian" when they try to   
      reprove falsehood in the religions about them, even when they  
      do it in the mildest way they know how.
      1. Surely no one can object to our using the Lord's method of  
         combating error.
         a. Jesus said, "God said...But ye say."  Matt. 15:4-5
         b. He put the teaching of God in such contrast with human   
            error that it was impossible for his hearers to          
            misunderstand or fail to see the truth.
      2. If we use the Lord's method on some present day religious   
         practice, we would be no more unkind or un-Christian than   
         was our Lord.
         a. Instead, we would be following the very thing commanded. 
            2 Tim. 4:2-4
   F. Thus, Christians must uphold and defend the truth.
      1. They must expose and condemn the false religions about them 
         in plain language.
      2. They must reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and
         teaching to turn people to the truth.  James 5:19-20

III. DO NOT FELLOWSHIP ERROR.
   A. The apostle Paul stated that error will eat as canker or       
      gangrene.  2 Tim. 2:17-18
      1. False doctrine grows worse and worse and eats away the soul 
         as gangrene eats away the flesh.
      2. Those who put all emphasis on moral living and none on true 
         doctrine would like to think that Paul had in mind some ugly
         immoral practice.
         a. However, in this instance he had reference only to       
            doctrine, i.e., "the resurrection is past already."
      3. Those who say it matters not what one believes as long as he
         lives right are absolutely mistaken.
         a. It makes a difference whether it is Scriptural or not.   
            Error condemns!
      4. Notice also that both the teacher and the followers are     
         rejected.
         a. Hymenaeus and Philetus were condemned and so were all who
            believed their doctrine.
         b. Jesus said, -- Matt. 15:14
         c. Paul warned of some who would, -- Titus 1:10-11
         d. Peter said, -- 2 Pet. 2:3
         e. Thus, any who are holding to error are condemned whether 
            they be instigator, promoter, or follower.
   B. There are many people today who willingly and knowingly        
      fellowship error.
      1. When their unscriptural practices are pointed out, they say 
         "I don't believe everything my church teaches" or "I don't 
          go along with all that my church does."
      2. Some even admit they realize that the church of which they  
         are members is getting farther and farther from the truth.
      3. We raise the question, "Does a recognition and denial of a  
         certain error free one from all responsibility in the       
         matter?
         a. Furthermore, "Can a person close his eyes to error and   
            willing stay in a group that he know is wrong?"
      4. The one who recognizes error in the church of which he      
         belongs has a far greater responsibility than he might      
         think.  Eph. 5:11; Titus 1:13-14.
         a. Thus, one cannot continue to have fellowship with those  
            who are believing and practicing error.
         b. Instead, he has the responsibility to reprove and warn   
            them.
         c. He, of course does this through the Scriptures.  2 Tim.  
            3:16
         d. If one raises no voice of opposition, by silence he gives
            consent and thereby is also a partaker in iniquity.
      5. How can one repent of an error while at the same time be a  
         member of a church which believes and practices that error?
         a. For one to repent of an error, he must completely give up
            that error.
         b. As long as a person is a member of a church that has     
            error, he is associated with error, and is identified    
            with error.
         c. Matt. 15:13  Those who are in a church that has error    
            will be rooted up along with the others at the last day.
         d. Those who recognize error in the churches in which they  
            are members need to come out and be identified with the  
            people of God.

Concl.
   A. It is important that we keep ourselves unspotted from the      
      world, but it is equally important that we follow God's truth  
      in our faith and practice.  John 4:24
   B. Abiding in the word of Jesus causes one to know the truth, and 
      knowing and obeying the truth makes one free.  John 8:31-32; 1 
      Pet. 1:22
   C. Consequently, we encourage you to love, uphold and defend the  
      truth, and denounce, reject and shun error.
      1. "Buy the truth, and sell it not."  Prov. 23:23