The Harding College Lectures 1950
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The Harding College Lectures 1950 "RESTORATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH-------A PRESENT NEED" HARDING COLLEGE PRESS SEARCY, ARKANSAS 1951 The H a r d i n g College Lectures 1950 CONTENTS The Lectures vi Preface vii I. THE CHURCH AND THE NAME OF JESUS 9 II. PRESENT DAY SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESTORATION 19 III. HISTORY OF THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT 30 IV. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 66 V. TOLBERT FANNING AND THE RESTORATION 76 VI. SIXTY-FOUR YEARS AMONG THE CHURCHES 82 VII. THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT IN THE ORIENT 94 VIII. THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT IN GERMANY 105 IX. THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT ON THE WEST COAST 122 X. THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH IN PROPHECY 131 XI. THE JERUSALEM CHURCH--A MODEL FOR ALL AGES 139 XII. RESTORATION OF THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTIANITY 146 XIII. RESTORATION OF NEW TESTAMENT WORSHIP 159 XIV. RESTORING NEW TESTAMENT ZEAL 163 XV. DIGRESSION WITHIN THE RESTORATION 168 XVI. NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANITY TODAY 173 XVII. THE ESSENCE OF DENOMINATIONALISM 181 XVIII. RESTORATION PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO FELLOWSHIP 191 XIX. HOW TO PRESENT THE RESTORATION PLEA TODAY 201 XX. THE MEANING OF FREEDOM IN CHRIST 210 The Lecturers Jesse P. Sewell, Lecturer in Bible, Harding College George S. Benson, President, Harding College Earl West, Minister, Irvington Church of Christ, Indianapolis, Ind. A. R. Holton, Minister, Central Church of Christ, Nashville, Tenn. E. W. McMillan, President, Southwestern Christian College, Terrell, Tex. Otis Gatewood, Missionary, Frankfurt, Germany James H. Sewell, Elder, Broadway and Walnut Church of Christ, Santa Ana, Calif. James D. Bales, Professor of Bible, Harding College Frank Winters, Elder, Culbertson Heights Church of Christ, Oklahoma City, Okla. Leon Burns, Minister, Seventh Avenue Church of Christ, Columbia, Tenn. Melvin J. Wise, Minister, Pearl and Bryan Church of Christ, Dallas, Tex. F. W. Mattox, Dean of Students, Professor of Bible, Harding College Preface The theme of this Lectureship—"Restoration of the New Testament Church—A Present Need"—indicated that the emphasis in some lectures would be on "what lack we yet," and not on what success already has been attained. Building on, and not rejecting, the firm foundation which has already been laid, the speakers urged us to go on unto perfection. Some speakers especially emphasized our present shortcom- ings, dangers, and needs. The restoration movement, of course, is not our standard of authority. It is not our model. Our standard is the word of God. Our continual effort should be to search the scriptures in order that we may plant simply the word of God. Where ever the word is planted in good and honest hearts people become members of Christ's church. This is true regardless of whether or not those individuals know about us or we about them. One must not assume that the primary message which must be preached to the world is the unity of those who be- lieved in Christ. Of course, unity is a consummation devoutly to be wished. No one who knows Jesus' prayer for unity (John 17:20-21), can claim really to love the Lord, and to want to be loyal to Him, and yet fail to try to live so as to answer Christ's prayer for unity. Every member of the body of Christ must apply this scripture to himself, and then to others. But our primary message is not unity of believers with one another, but unity of believers with God. Our primary purpose is not to get men to walk with us, but to walk with God. For to walk with God is to walk in the light, and to walk in the light is to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus (I John 1:7). Salvation from sin through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is the fundamental message which must be proclaim- ed. To be united with one another outside of that blood may avail for some worldly purposes, but not for the purpose God wants realized in human life. It is true that the lack of unity hinders world evangelism, and thus hinders people from coming into fellowship with God. Some individuals see the divided condition of professed followers of Christ, and they conclude that the Bible must be false, since they think that it teaches such contradictory ways. There are others who are not given an opportunity to hear and believe, because denominationalism consumes time, money, and men which could otherwise be released for world evangelism. So some today do not believe because denomina- tionalism has hindered world evangelism. This shows that it is extremely important to preach and practice the New Testament teaching concerning unity of believers. And yet, we must never forget that it is to Christ, and redemption in Him, that we want to lead men, and not to ourselves. Unity with God, and not unity with men, is the fundamental message. Those who unite with God, and continue to stand on His word, are thereby united with one another. These must strive to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. They should prove all things including these lectures and hold fast to that which is good. It is our sincere prayer that this volume of lectures may help increase the determination, of those who read it, to seek to plant the word of God in the hearts of men that men may be restored to fellowship with God, and with one another. Harding College James D. Bales Searcy, Arkansas November 21, 1950 Chapter I THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH AND THE NAME OF JESUS by Jesse P. Sewell "And in none other is there salvation; for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Clearly this is the message which the New Testament church and her inspired teachers set out to make clear and convincing to the world. They pointed men to Jesus Christ as the name above all other names, rejected and crucified by men, but raised from the dead by God and exalted "Far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come" (Ephesians 1:21). The New Testament church and its inspired teachers pointed men to Jesus Christ as the teacher divinely sent. They remembered the Mount of Transfiguration; that while this man Peter "Was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud over- shadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Matthew 17:5). Years later the Holy Spirit testified in the following wonderful words, "God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all 10 THE HARDING COLLEGE LECTURES things by the word of his power, when he had made purifica- tion of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; having become by so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they" (Hebrews 1:1-4). The New Testament church and its inspired teachers pointed men to Jesus as the world's only redeemer, "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself" (II Corinthians 5:19). "But Christ having been a high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect taber- nacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:11- 12). This was their gospel. They had no other. Paul declared, "And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (I Corin- thians 2:1-2). The New Testament church and her inspired teachers demanded for Jesus the place, the entire place in the faith and loyalty of men. They confronted an age which believed in many gods. To that set of mind the New Testament church said, "there is no other name except that of Jesus whereby men must be saved." Josephus says, that Alexander Severus, who became emperor of Rome in the year 222, placed in his private chapel statues of Abraham, Orpheus, Appollonius, and Christ. This was typical of the age. Had the New Testament church and its inspired teach- ers been able to have Christ counted just another one of the gods Rome would have added Him to its Pantheon. But Christianity, under inspired direction from God, could not accept a place for His Son. It demanded the whole place. THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH 11 The second thought which gathers about our text is that it is what the modernists call narrow, dogmatic, intoler- ant. The timid, shallow, broad and thin modernist shivers and shrinks when he hears these words, "No other name," "Whereby men must." These words are far too definite and positive for modernists. Such words jar their sensitive ears and shock their cultured souls. To them such words are narrow, dogmatic, and intolerant. Nearly thirty years ago I preached in the Southside church building in Ft.