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