Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible

Narrator: The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals presents the timeless teaching of Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse.

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse: Perhaps some Christians claim that they abstain from eating and drinking certain foods and beverages, and in order to please the Lord. When actually they are seeking to enhance themselves in the eyes of men, and to obtain a reputation for superior piety.

On the other hand, there are people who are eating and drinking in the name of liberty, but who are secretly convinced that they are doing wrong. All these attitudes will be brought to full light when the Lord comes for his own.

In that day, his eye will look straight through us. All shadow will be gone. The only thing that will matter will be that we who have been redeemed by him will face him and know that we are answerable to him alone.

Oh, may we so live that his searching holiness may find us even now, seeking to live in love, and to do that which is well pleasing in his sight. And, as for our pride of argument, and our ability to reason, and our power of convincing others, let them all be consumed in the flame of his righteousness.

Narrator: Over a half a century ago, the late Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse, then pastor of 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, saw the need to spread God's word beyond the hearing of his local congregation. He started the radio ministry, which has become known as Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible.

The application of God's word as taught by Dr. Barnhouse is as relevant today as when he first taught over the radio airwaves decades ago. The message we'll be featuring on today's edition of Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible is entitled Answerable to God Alone.

If you adopt a child, you would be insulted and offended if your relatives refused to accept the child as a part of your family. The Lord is not pleased when his children refuse Christian fellowship with other genuine believers.

We have no right to judge other Christians in secondary matters of doctrine, practice, or preference, and we must not look down upon them or withdraw from their fellowship. If God has received someone as his child, we must also receive that person as a brother or sister in Christ.

The scripture text for this edition of Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible, Romans chapter 14, we're looking at verses 3 and 4. Here again is Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse with a message entitled, Answerable to God Alone.

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse: Through the Lord Jesus Christ we come unto thee our Father and our God and in the Holy Spirit. How we thank thee for the deliverance which thou hast obtained for us by sending Jesus Christ to redeem us. How we praise thee that even though this life must be lived in the flesh and in the world, it can be rooted in Christ and that his life can transmute our life and become our very life.

Use thy word in this hour for the purpose for which thou hast sent it, and feed us with thy truth, so that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of thyself. Give grace to each listener and power to the speaker that thy word may go forth with thy might in the Holy Spirit and with much assurance. We ask these things in the name and for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our text today is in Romans chapter 14, verse 3 and 4. "God has received him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls, and he will be upheld, for the master is able to make him stand."

The test of Christian fellowship is expressed in these very important words, "God has received him." If God has received a man, and since God has received me, I am bound to receive every man whom God has received.

I may not follow his form of church government, but I must acknowledge him as a fellow believer. I may not hold his views of baptism or the Lord's supper with regard to the manner or meaning of their observance, but God has received me, and God has received him, and we may not judge one another.

God says that that man is to acknowledge me as a brother, and I must acknowledge him.

Certain ministers and congregations will not allow anyone to preach in their churches except members of their own denomination. In the light of our text, this is a divisive spirit, which God calls sin.

While reading the commentaries on this chapter, I have been struck by the fact that practically every commentator classified himself as one of the strong. They that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak.

Luther says, "We must take care of the weak in order that they may become strong." Calvin says, "God, by making us stronger than others, does not bestow strength that we may oppress the weak."

Down through the centuries, writers on this Epistle include themselves among the strong. The Lord did not intend this paragraph to be the basis for pride.

Rather, both the strong and the weak are here brought under the judgment of God, because neither has understood that the love of God must be so predominant that there can be no question about receiving the other in spite of differences.

In the Greek, this chapter begins with the word, "but," which connects it with the chapter preceding, chapter 13, where we are told that we must live in love towards all, no matter what scruples may exist.

I can bring this out by an illustration. While preaching on this text, I pointed out that we could not rightly judge another man's servant.

Suppose a man invited me to dinner and served me a meal that was very highly spiced. Would it be my place to say, "Your cook uses too much seasoning. This food is terrible"?

My host might answer, "I tried five cooks till I found one that seasoned it to suit me. That's the way I like it."

Now one of my sons, who was in the audience, said to me afterwards, "Your illustration was faulty. In your story, you were the guest of the man who bought the food and paid the salary of the cook. But in this text, you're not sitting at the table with God, looking down on someone below you who's a servant. Rather, you are a fellow servant, perhaps the kitchen boy, and you are only to do your work in such a way as to win the Master's praise. He employs you both."

You are not to judge the cook, and the cook is not to judge you. You both stand or fall before your Master.

Let us take some examples from our own American Christian life and apply our text to the situation. Some Christians believe in total abstinence from any form of alcoholic beverage. Others, in fact, whole denominations, use such beverages as a matter of course.

Take a denomination whose members are predominantly German immigrants and who are evangelical in belief. It's not extraordinary for these people to serve beer at a ministerial convention.

On the other hand, there are large groups, usually conservative and equally conservative in doctrine, who recoil in horror from the idea of tasting a drop of beer.

Which group is strong and which is weak? The drinkers say, "We are the strong. We know what liberty in Christ really means. We know that God has said that nothing is unclean of itself. God has given us richly all things to enjoy. You are weak because you have not advanced to our strong position."

The non-drinkers, on the other hand, take the opposite stand. "We are the strong," they say, "because we have abandoned all such things."

Now our text tells us that a member of either group is right if he truly believes what he says about his own practices, but he is wrong to criticize the man who does not conform to his practices.

Each must say, "God has received the other man." Think of that. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like him.

Yes, and more amazing, God has saved a wretch like me. Well, God has received me and God has received him. We are brothers in Christ, and I must walk very carefully in order to please the Lord, for I am answerable to the Lord.

I must not spend my time trying to convince my brother that he should change his opinion to conform to mine. But I must take care to be where the Lord wants me to be, and to ask the Lord to keep me from being opinionated.

Certain denominations hold strict views about dress and maintain taboos on certain practices. Other denominations seem to have no scruples and allow people to be active in membership who seem to go in for practices that the first group considers worldly.

Beyond question, the Bible tells us to love each of these groups, and not in any wise to argue with them about their manner of life. Don't misunderstand. We must maintain barriers where essential doctrine is concerned, and not receive members into our churches unless we have reason to believe that they are saved.

It should be made harder to join the church, so that no one may come in unless he has openly confessed his own utter sinfulness, and his total reliance upon the Lord Jesus for his redemption before God. But once people are in the church on such confession, we must love them.

Dr. W. H. Griffith Thomas has stated it admirably in his volume of studies on this Epistle. He says, "Strong Christians are not to sit in judgment on the scruples of their weak brethren, but to show a spirit of toleration and sympathy."

"Difficulties are not to be discussed. Doubts are not to be discriminated. Still less is judgment to be passed. The brother is to be welcomed cordially into fellowship and loved rather than argued out of his difficulties."

"The weakness of faith here mentioned refers not to any essential or inherent defect of character, but simply to the lack of spiritual breadth and moral perception. Faith in Christ saves us from sin, but it does not at once and always enable to see the application of this salvation to the small matters of daily life. Grace sanctifies the heart, much more easily than the head."

History shows that the church has frequently been divided into denominations because of failure to obey the principle set forth here. When there were only a few hundred believers, they had to stick together, and they did not allow secondary matters to divide them.

But alas, as the church has grown, it has been split into many groups by overemphasis on these secondary matters. Thus, there are denominations which will not wear buttons, but fasten their clothing with hooks and eyes.

Other denominations allow their men to dress exactly like men of the world, so that the minister may sit next to a gambler at a meeting of a service club, and a stranger cannot tell which is which. But the women of that denomination are forbidden to wear cosmetics, lest they be considered worldly.

And thus, a member of the Assemblies of God, for example, could not join a Mennonite church without taking the buttons off his clothing, and a Presbyterian woman could not join the Assemblies without removing her makeup. A Methodist minister could not preach regularly in an Episcopal church without being reordained by the Episcopal bishop, and the Episcopalian could not join a Baptist church without being immersed.

And thus, these scruples have become barriers which separated Christians, rather than occasions to exercise the generous love of Christ, and to forget these things in the wonder of knowing that he has redeemed all who name his name.

Now please realize that I am not taking sides in any of these questions. The whole point of this message and the heart of the text we are studying is that each individual is answerable to God alone.

In further studies, I may take sides on some of these things, and teach what I believe is the word of God and its whole doctrinal presentation. But here we are discussing these things in general principle, and we are to receive one another in love.

I, together with the Executive Pastor of my home congregation, I am responsible to give advice to the session of my own church, to see that each candidate is carefully examined as to personal faith in Christ. But if two girls join on the same day, and one wears cosmetics and the other does not, that is their business. They are not answerable to the pastors or to the church. They are answerable only to God.

The same is true as to the attitudes of either men or women towards the movies, dancing, the use of tobacco, or membership in lodges. Some churches impose rules on one who is joining, but biblically, we can have no such rules.

We would take in anyone who confesses the great truths of sin in himself and salvation through Christ. If we feed these new members on the word, and show them the love of Christ, they will gradually be won to a higher walk in Christ. But they will always be answerable to him alone.

Now this command to show love, and the accompanying command against judgment and legalism, are directives from God himself. He is the one who has accepted the individuals. He has received them from all walks of life and from all social backgrounds.

We do wrong to seek to make them into identical robots. Believe it or not, a certain Christian school showed its very first movie sometime ago, and picked a Walt Disney fantasy. But a sequence which showed mice dancing was removed before the students could see the movie.

In the magazine of another Christian school, there was mention of a class play. A donor wrote that he could no longer give money to a school that put on plays. The letter that he received in reply to his criticism explained in detail that the presentation was not really a play, but a skit. And quite happily, the man sent in his gift, saying that he was glad that it was a skit and not a play.

Why have I given all these examples about dancing, drinking, lodges, movies, and cosmetics, and so on? I have not been taking sides in any of these arguments. I am merely acknowledging the existence of these difficulties.

I know true Christians who hold opposite positions on all these questions. I believe the biblical attitude is to seek to be free from all legalism, so that before God, one could participate in all these matters.

In practice, the believer may abstain because of his example before younger believers. But passages like this present one should enable us to say to those who argue about these points, "God bless you both. Just be sure that what you're doing is according to what you feel is the truth. Love the Lord, and ask him to show you what your attitude should be."

Dr. Gerald R. Cragg, a Canadian theologian, has written wisely on this point. He says, "The discussion of doubts is essentially irrelevant. As a method of solving problems, it is of very questionable efficacy. Paul is not thinking of the patient and earnest search for the truth about matters of dispute, but he's talking about the attitude which delights to overthrow an antagonist in debate, and which works toward the triumphant demonstration that the other person is hopelessly wrong."

"This achieves no useful purpose, nor can it claim to be a Christian approach to the issue, because it is essentially unkind, both in intention and in result. It causes the weaker brother an infinite amount of pain and anguish. It proceeds from an uncharitable spirit on the part of the stronger person."

"It is prompted by and usually reflects that arrogance which is the failing of men who believe that they are both emancipated and right."

"Yes, argument leads to quarreling, and quarreling leads to antagonism, which may separate brothers in Christ. So each Christian should say of every Christian, 'God has received him. Therefore, I must never judge him. He is the servant of God even as I am the servant of God. I may not judge God's servant. He is answerable to God alone. He does not stand before the bar of my judgment, and I shall never be able to make him fall. He will not fall under my judgment. I cannot pass sentence upon him. He is not under my jurisdiction. He stands at the bar of God, and God is able to make him stand.'"

Here are two believers who hold opposing views on some matter. Liberty to eat this or drink that, for example. One believes that he has perfect liberty to enjoy the food or drink and thanks God for it. The other believes that he must abstain from it, and tells the Lord that he's giving it up because of love for his son, the Lord Jesus.

I believe that the Bible is telling us here that the Lord will say to both, "My good children, you did exactly what you thought would please me. I love you both, and I'm rewarding you equally because it pleased me so much that you wanted to please me."

Be sure of the fact that there will be no hiding behind any subterfuge in that day. Perhaps some Christians claim that they abstain from eating and drinking certain foods and beverages, and in order to please the Lord, when actually they are seeking to enhance themselves in the eyes of men, and to obtain a reputation for superior piety.

On the other hand, there are people who are eating and drinking in the name of liberty, but who are secretly convinced that they are doing wrong. All these attitudes will be brought to full light when the Lord comes for his own.

In that day, his eye will look straight through us. All shadow will be gone. The only thing that will matter will be that we who have been redeemed by him will face him and know that we are answerable to him alone.

Oh, may we so live that his searching holiness may find us even now, seeking to live in love, and to do that which is well pleasing in his sight. And, as for our pride of argument, and our ability to reason, and our power of convincing others, let them all be consumed in the flame of his righteousness. And let all the powers that we may have on loan from him, be used in love, so that men may see Christ in us.

The love of Christ in us is an argument that can never be overcome. And our God and Father, we pray thee that the Holy Spirit will take this truth to our hearts. We rejoice that thou hast given it.

And we pray thee that indeed we may know what it is to love one another. Remembering that Jesus Christ has said, "By this shall men know that you are my disciples, that you love one another." So speak thy word to us, we ask in the name and for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Narrator: We must never judge, look down upon, or refuse fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all servants who are answerable to God alone, and he is able to make us stand firm.

We hope you have benefited from today's message by Dr. Barnhouse, entitled Answerable to God Alone. To listen to additional teaching by Dr. Barnhouse, visit us online at AllianceNet.org. An audio copy of today's teaching is available by calling us toll free, 1-800-488-1888.

Today's message again is entitled Answerable to God Alone, or simply request message number R14-3. We would also like to make available to you a free copy of our booklet entitled Discovering Prayer. You know that prayer is vital to your relationship with God. And yet, your prayer life may be weak, inconsistent, and ineffectual.

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Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible is a radio ministry of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We exist to promote a biblical understanding and worldview. Drawing upon the insight and wisdom of Reformation theologians from decades and even centuries gone by, we seek to provide contemporary Christian teaching which will equip believers to understand and meet the challenges and opportunities of our time and place.

We also produce the radio broadcast, The Bible Study Hour, featuring the teachings of the late Dr. James Montgomery Boice, and Every Last Word, featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Philip Graham Ryken. For a complete list of stations carrying our programs, visit our website at AllianceNet.org.

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Again, that's 1-800-488-1888. Write to us at Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, Box 2000, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. Visit us online at AllianceNet.org. Be sure to ask for a free resource catalog featuring books, audio teachings, commentaries, booklets, videos, and a wealth of other materials from outstanding Reformed teachers and theologians, including Doctors Donald Grey Barnhouse, James Montgomery Boice, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and Philip Graham Ryken. Thanks for listening. Join us again next time for more classic teaching on Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible.