YOU and GOD

In Plato’s Republic, that ancient philosopher had a dream of a utopian society in which everyone would be useful, everything would be controlled, and “heaven on earth” would rule.

Dreamers have, since the time of Plato, tried to revive his ancient paradise. The political system known as “communism” started out as the dream of an idealist, fashioned upon the principles propounded by Plato. But the machinations of social planners have turned out to be nightmares, not utopias!

Looking for that perfect city? Well, in case you have not yet discovered it, our town cannot come close to qualifying—nor can yours! All cities, to a lesser or greater degree, are plagued with severe problems of spiritual pollution.

New York City (soon to have a “utopian” mayor, it appears, as of the time of this writing!), London, Rome, Paris, Copenhagen, and any other city on the face of this present planet—all are reeling from the effects of the curse of sin.

We read in God’s Word of some men who looked for the perfect city, though, men who had their sights adjusted to realms above: Abraham looked for a city “whose builder and maker is God.” Paul, in Galatians 4:6, spoke of “the Jerusalem which is above—free, which is the mother of us all.” Perhaps Paul had gotten a glimpse of this when, as he relates in II Cor. 12:1-5, he was “caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” Jesus, in Rev. 3:12, promised to the overcomers in the Philadelphian church that He would write upon them the name of God and the name of the city of God which is Jerusalem, which cometh down from God.

We need to look no further for the perfect city! It’s already in existence; and, if you’ve been bought by the blood, you already own a one-way ticket to that grand place! My Travel Agent, the Holy Spirit, has taken care of all the arrangements for me; there will be no cancelled or overbooked flights; and the Pilot of Salvation’s ship, the Lord Jesus, has made the trip before me. He will lead me safely there. I look forward to going Home to Heaven to be with Him. I want to show you what our home on high is going to be like:

1. The Persons of Heaven: God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit, Rev. 21:1-22. Then also, men and women, raptured members of the Church, (Rev. 21:9b), the Redeemed of all ages, out of every tribe, kindred, tongue, people, and nation (Rev. 5:9); Israel, the elect of God, (Rev. 21:12); Gentiles who were “grafted in” to His body—all (Rev. 21:24a,26) will be in that Holy City! Interestingly, God specifies who will not be there: “The fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars.” (Rev. 21:8)

2. The Place of Heaven: It is a great city, (Rev. 21:10) a city of pure gold, a city the foundations of which are precious stones, and the gates of pearl. (Rev. 21:10-21) More than that, even, it is a city of spiritual grandeur where the glory of God is, the presence of Christ, and the absence of evil. There will be, in that city, no death, no sorrow, no crying, no pain—all things will be new! (Rev. 21:11-27)

3. The Provision of Heaven: Comfort, satisfaction, light, safety, healing, holiness! It will take some time getting used to heaven, it might seem! There will be fruits without specks; orchestras without discord, violins without broken strings; harps all in tune; no more property or income taxes, no grey hairs, no gas shortages or inflation; no riots or lawlessness; no more slanted news reports, no wars, no world-wide sports, no church splits, no heartburn, no cancers, NO heart-ache…and need I say more?

Once, a radio minister announced that he would speak on heaven the following Sunday. During that week, he received a beautiful letter from an old man who was very ill. It read:

“Next Sunday you are to talk about Heaven. I am interested in that land because I have held a clear title to a bit of property there for over 50 years. I did not buy it; it was given to me ‘without money and without price.’ But the Donor purchased it for me at a tremendous sacrifice. I am not holding it for speculation, since the title is not transferable. It is not a vacant lot. For more than half a century I have been sending materials out of which the great Architect and Builder of the universe has been building a home for me, a home which will never need to be remodeled nor repaired, because it will suit me perfectly, individually, and will never grow old. Termites can never undermine its foundations, for they rest upon the Rock of Ages. Fire cannot destroy it; floods cannot wash it away. No locks or bolts will ever be placed on its doors, for no vicious person can ever enter that Land where my dwelling stands, now almost completed and almost ready for me to enter into and abide in peace, without fear of being ejected.

There is a Valley of Deep Shadows between the place where I live now in California, and that to which I shall journey in a very short time. I cannot reach my home in that city of God without passing through this dark valley of shadows. But, I am not afraid because the best Friend I ever had went through the same valley long, long ago, and drove away all its gloom. He has stuck by me through thick and thin since we first became acquainted 50 years ago. And, I hold His promise in printed form, never to forsake me or leave me alone. He will be with me as I walk through the Valley of Shadows, and I shall not lose my way. I hope to hear your sermon next Sunday, but I have no assurance that I shall be able to do so. My ticket to Heaven has no date marked for the journey; no return coupon and no permit for baggage. Yes, I am all ready to go, and I may not be here when you are talking next Sunday evening, but I shall meet you over there…someday!”

And so it is! Fanny Crosby, the blind gospel hymn writer, put it this way: “When my life’s work is ended and I cross the swelling tide; When the bright and glorious morning I shall see; I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side, And His smile shall be the first to welcome me.”

How about it, dear reader: Do you have that hope of seeing Him? If not, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” (Acts 16:31) “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9, 10, 13) When the last station is the next stop for you, you will be ready…for Heaven!

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12)

The three nouns comprising this post’s title are a rather unique combination of words—to be sure! One might well ask if they have any connection to each other whatsoever. The answer to the question would be, “Yes!” Each is mentioned in one chapter of God’s Word. Follow along with me as we examine II Peter, chapter 2.

Dogs and hogs (v. 22) are names given to a group of people identified as false prophets and false teachers. (v. 1) The name most commonly applied to this kind of person today is “apostate”—a name that nearly sends cold chills up your “spiritual spine.” Angels are mentioned in verse 11 in contrast to these religious renegades.

Many have asked, “What is an apostate?” Let me begin to answer by stating what an apostate is not: (1) He is not a Christian who has made an about-face, having renounced his faith in Jesus Christ; (2) He is not a person who was once a greatly used man (or woman) of God who has now departed from the faith; (3) He is not someone that was once saved but has now fallen into gross sin—“fallen from grace.”

What, then, is an apostate? Basically, he/she is an unsaved person who, through persuasive speech and charismatic personality, deceives people into following him by making them think he’s saved—and who, by deception, leads many souls away from the truth and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The fruit of the apostate is apostasy. As we near the end of this age, the apostasy is deepening. Evidence abounds. For instance, a teacher of long tenure in one of the oldest Southern Baptist colleges addressed an organized group of atheists and said, “I see Jesus as really a Jew. I don’t imagine for a minute He would have the audacity to claim deity for Himself. Jesus never claimed to be God or related to Him.”

A Washington, D.C. minister was quoted as saying, “So far as we are concerned, it makes no difference whether Christ was born of a virgin or not. We don’t even bother to form an opinion on the subject.”

An Arlington, Virginia, clergyman said: “We have closed our minds to such trivial considerations as that of the resurrection of Christ. . . . We have more important things to preach than the presence or absence of an empty tomb 20 centuries old.”

A leading D.C. minister said candidly, “In our denomination what you call ‘Faith of Our Fathers’ is approaching total extinction. Of course, a few old ministers still cling to the Bible, but among the younger men, the real leaders of our denomination today, I do not know of a single one who believes in Christ or in any of the things you classify as fundamentals.”

David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, prophesied of such an age when, in Psalm 12, he spoke of such apostasy in these words: “Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men; they speak vanity every one with his neighbor: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things; who have said, ‘with our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is Lord over us?’”

The day of which David spake is not coming; it is here! The dogs and hogs are trying to scatter the sheep. In II Peter 2, several characteristics of apostates are given to us. Then, a statement concerning their condemnation is made by the Apostle Peter; and, in one very important sentence, Peter sets forth his major concern surrounding these dogs and hogs who, in their rebellion, did things even angels would not take upon themselves to do:

Characteristics of Apostates (II Peter 2):

▶︎ They bring in damnable heresies, v.1

▶︎They are covetous, v. 3 (cmp. v. 14)—exercising covetous practices

▶︎They speak with feigned words, v. 3, 18—“great swelling words”

▶︎They walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, vss. 10, 18

▶︎They despise government, v.  10

▶︎They are presumptuous, v. 10

▶︎They are self-willed, v. 10—“self-pleasing”

▶︎They are not afraid to speak evil of dignities, v. 10

▶︎They speak evil of things they do not understand, v. 12

▶︎They sport themselves with their own deceivings, v. 13

▶︎They have eyes full of adultery, v. 14

▶︎They beguile unstable souls, v. 14

▶︎They allure through false promises, vss. 18, 19

Condemnation of Apostates, vss. 12, 13

▶︎They shall utterly perish, v. 12

▶︎They shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, v. 13

▶︎The angels that sinned, v. 4a

▶︎The “old world,” v. 5a

▶︎The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, v.6

Concern of Peter re: the apostates:

▶︎Many shall follow their pernicious ways: covetousness, idolatry, feigned words, walk after the flesh, v. 2

▶︎Many shall be made merchandise of, v. 3

Conclusion: “What shall we do?”

▶︎Acts 20:38-31: “Watch and remember!”

One more thing: In verse 1, referring to false prophets and false teachers, Peter says that they shall bring in “damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them.” Some might wonder, if they denied the Lord that “bought them,” whether they were indeed saved at one time. The answer is “no, they were never saved.”

The Lord Jesus Christ is said by the apostle John to be “the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world.” (I John 2:2) Therefore, Christ’s shed blood was sufficient for every person. He did not die for any one race, nor did He die for any group of “elect” people. He died for all. His shed blood, which is sufficient for all, becomes “efficient” only for those who believe. Paul answered the question this way in 1 Timothy 4:10: “Because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe.” Christ’s death was for “all men,” so that any man who ends up in Hell for eternity will do so in spite of the fact that he had a Savior who died for him—a Savior that he rejected—or failed by faith to accept—as the deliverer from his condemnation. These false prophets and false teachers will “receive the reward of unrighteousness,” (v. 13); and, indeed, “it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” (v. 21)

“We have a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.” (II Pet. 1:19)

It was on the afternoon of the day that the Lord Jesus Christ put His foot upon the Serpent’s head, having been raised from death and from the grave—victorious over Death, Hell, and the Devil.

Two followers of Jesus, one named Cleopas and the other unnamed (we’ll call him Zeke) were walking from Jerusalem to the little town of Emmaus, where they would spend the night. Their heads were swimming due to the turn of events over the previous 72 hours—beginning with the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of the man from Galilee, Jesus of Nazareth, and culminating with the reports now of the early morning disappearance of His body from the tomb.

Their countenances were fallen. Long periods of silence were broken only by an occasional child shouting at play. The distressed twosome reminisced over the events of the past days. Perhaps their conversation went something like this:

Cleopas: “It seems so unreal; Jesus was with us just a few days ago. We could see Him, touch Him, hear Him, and ask Him questions; now….”

Zeke: “I know…and every time I think of that trumped-up trial it turns my stomach! He said He was God’s Son, and I truly believed Him, but I still cannot believe that God would let His Son hang there on a tree and suffer so cruelly. Why didn’t He intervene?”

Cleopas: “Well, I suppose if I were to be absolutely honest, I would have to say that I too have some doubts,  but this latest thing about His body being gone from the tomb—this has really got me baffled!”

Zeke: “I know what you mean. But now the soldiers are saying that His disciples came and stole Him away while they were asleep. And they are trying to discredit Mary Magdalene’s story that she saw Him alive by reminding everyone of her history of demonic possession. Do you really think He could be alive now, Cleopas?”

Cleopas: “Well, it’s possible. After all, remember what He did when He visited Lazarus’ tomb? I think it’s very possible.”

Just then, the two travelers were joined in their journey by a third person, who said, “Excuse me, I could not help overhearing part of your conversation. May I join you? Now what exactly was it that you were saying about Jesus?”

Cleopas: “What? You mean you have not heard what has been taking place in Jerusalem lately?”

Jesus: “What things?”

Cleopas: “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death; and have crucified Him? But we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel.”

Jesus: “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?”

And the Word of God tells us that, beginning at that point, the Lord Jesus began to expound to these two disciples the things concerning Himself in the Scriptures—beginning at Moses and all the prophets. Those disciples had heartburn that day—holy heartburn. (“Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?”- Luke 24:32) And, too, we will have holy heartburn if and when we see Jesus like they saw Him. Consider with me the cause of their heartburn, the character of their heartburn, and the cure for their heartburn:

The Cause of their Holy Heartburn

1. They learned of Christ from Moses: that God would have a seed that would destroy the Serpent. (Gen. 3:15) They learned that the offering of Jesus as the Lamb of God was typified in Genesis, when Isaac was taken by Abraham to Mt. Moriah and put on the altar. “My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” (Gen. 22:8)
2. They learned that Abraham was taught early the doctrine of the resurrection, for of him we read in Hebrews 11:19: “Accounting that God was able to raise him up (Isaac), even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure.”

3. They learned from the life of Joseph that one would come who, having been rejected by His brethren, would one day bring deliverance to not only His own people, but also to “strangers.”

4. They learned from the book of Exodus: from the man Moses, his ministry and call from the One who is I AM; from the Passover night on which lambs without blemish were slain and blood was sprinkled on the door posts of houses wherein lived men and women of faith;
5. They learned from the book of Leviticus, with its feasts and offerings, wherein Christ was typified;

6. They learned from Numbers, the book of the preparation for conquest, wherein they saw the Captain of the Hosts of the Redeemed leading His great army of soldiers of the cross onward into battle;

7. They learned from the book of Deuteronomy where the Law was given and reiterated, and where they saw Jesus, the One made under the Law to fulfill the Law;

8. And they learned from all the prophets, such as Isaiah 53: “He is despised and rejected of men…wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.”

The Character of their Holy Heartburn, vss. 28-31

1. They had a new fervency, v. 29—both their attitudes and actions were changed.

2. They enjoyed a new fellowship: Jesus sat with them, and Jesus “gave” to them, v. 30. The Bread of Life was given to these faint followers—bread which “came down from Heaven.”

3. They had a new vision, v. 31—wherefore before they had looked at Him; now they “saw” Him; before they knew of Him; now they knew Him!

The Cure for their Holy Heartburn

1. The cure involved “rising up,” v. 33.
2. The cure involved “rehearsing,” vss.33b-35.
3. The cure involved “returning,” v. 33.

In our 21^st century world, events unfolding daily on the world stage can cause us wonder and even bewilderment, just as those events impacted Cleopas and his friend on the weekend that changed the world forever, Friday through Sunday, when the Son of God, Son of Man, was crucified, buried and rose again. Our help, hope, and holy promises—found in God’s Word, from Genesis to Revelation—are where we will find that anchor that keeps our soul. Let us be driven there daily, moment by moment, and never let us get past—no, never let us get over—the holy heartburn that spending time with Jesus, walking and talking with Him, will give us.

“And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.” (Luke 24:53)

I finished the first blog on this topic (Oct. 16, 2025) by referring to the Modernist-Fundamentalist controversies of the 1920s and 1930s, following the publication of The Fundamentals. That series of essays (1910-1915) was an answer to the German rationalism and “higher criticism” that had infected American theologians/churches—thus weakening belief in the Scriptures as totally inerrant and infallible and giving rise to theological “modernism/liberalism” in American mainstream seminaries, pulpits, and denominations.

I want to continue this discussion by restating what Fundamentalists have historically believed and preached: (1) An immoveable allegiance to the inerrant, infallible, verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible: (2) “whatever the Bible says is so;” (3) the foundational truths of historic Christianity: the doctrine of the Trinity; the Incarnation of Jesus Christ; the Virgin Birth of Christ; the substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross; His death, burial and bodily resurrection from the tomb; His visible ascension into heaven, and His Second Coming; the New Birth through regeneration; the resurrection of saints to life eternal, and of the ungodly to final judgment and eternal death; (4) the fellowship of saints, who are members of the Body of Christ, the Church; (5) fidelity to the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3); (6) separation from all ecclesiastical denials of that faith through compromise and/or apostasy; (7) and an earnest contending for the faith (militant orthodoxy set on fire with soul-winning zeal).

Now I want to address some of the perceived deficiencies of Fundamentalism. These are from my heart, born out of a lifetime of embracing this movement. As an Indiana pastor, I have been involved for 40 years in the Indiana Fundamental Baptist Fellowship of Churches, serving as an officer for several terms. So I speak from experience, not merely from a “theoretical” viewpoint.

First, doctrinal. It is true that some who fly the banner of “Fundamentalist” have held certain stances or methods, based upon a “doctrinal” tenet, somewhat out of balance. Soul-winning might be one example. True Fundamentalists have always been soul-winners at heart, striving to win and disciple believers “in all nations.” But, to make “soul-winning” of greater importance than prayer, Bible-study, and “doing good to all men, especially those who are of the household of faith,” is an imbalanced approach. The same could be said of other imbalanced approaches—such as eschatology, external adherence to forms and traditions in neglect of inward spirituality, etc. Doctrinal deficiencies will lead one to practical abnormalities, so that Fundamentalists—some, not all—have been caught up in the “numbers racket;” the “music mania”; the “suspect cycle”; and the “mediocre mentality,” to mention a few. If you wonder what I mean by each or all of these, just use your sanctified imagination and you’ll probably land on dead center. For instance, the “suspect cycle” is doubting whether “Brother so and so” is really a fundamentalist if he doesn’t dot every “i” the way we think he should, etc.

Finally, a word about the defense of fundamentalism. I understand that, over the course of a lifetime, attitudes and actions, positions and viewpoints, can take on different meanings. Men or ministries that I once would have labeled “New Evangelical” I might—by today’s light—consider to be “Evangelical,” i.e. closer to a Fundamental position than they once were, but still not decidedly “Fundamental.” The most significant difference is probably a lack of “militancy” in their approach. Speaking of “militancy,” not many who still want to be known as “Fundamentalists” are, in practice, very militant about their defense of the faith. Many reasons could be stated for this “watered down” militancy—one of them being the “crackpots” who call themselves Fundamentalists who, for instance, march at funerals of soldiers with placards that read “God hates Fags,” and so forth. Who wants to be in that camp? There have been, and still are, those who fly the flag of “Fundamentalist” with whom one would not want to be identified in any way, shape, or form.

But, I will defend historic Fundamentalism. Bible colleges have been started; mission boards have been raised up, sending thousands of ambassadors for Christ to the far-flung corners of the globe with the gospel; independent, Bible-preaching churches have been planted in major cities as well as jungles that can only be reached by arduous travel. I defend Fundamentalism for what it has done and for what it is doing. It highly regards the Scriptures as the Word of God; it believes in, and practices, the power of prayer; it emphasizes the imminent return of Christ; it preaches and teaches holy living, empowered by the Holy Spirit of God; it believes in a pure church; and it lives out a practical Christianity.

As a young pastor, I had the privilege of attending not a few meetings where some of the older, revered men of this movement were gathered, usually after the lunch hour or in a committee room waiting for the next meeting to begin. It was not unusual, as I “listened in” to the discussion of some of these old warriors of the faith of “yesteryear,” to hear them reminisce about some of the “battles” that they had either witnessed or “warred” in. I did not then fully appreciate what these men, scarred by hard-fought conflicts in the defense of the truth, had lived through. They had often stood alone against the denominational machinery as compromise began to rear its ugly head in (first) seminaries, colleges, mission agencies, and, finally, local churches. Men and movements were often divided up, while the Devil seemed to be too often winning the day. But there they stood. Alone. Tall. Son-tanned for truth upon the authority of God’s Word.

I have lived long enough to thank God for those men and their love for the Word and work of God. Men like J. Gresham Machen, Robert Ketcham, Bob Jones, J. Frank Norris, Lee Roberson, Lester Roloff, W.B. Riley, Richard Clearwaters, Monroe Parker, Myron Cedarholm, and many others. I unashamedly call myself one of them. May God give the generation to come—in the arena of theology, missions, and church planting—the tenacity and love for truth evidenced in a tireless preaching and proclaiming of the Gospel of God’s love. It may—just may—fuel the flames of another Great Awakening. “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26)

“Behold I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” (Rev. 3:11)

The following is a message I preached in 1978, one year before I became pastor of Thompson Road Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, where I would serve for the next 40 years, retiring in 2019 as senior pastor. I was, in 1978, a young pastor; I am now 82 years of age—and still a Fundamentalist. Some quotes may need to be updated in the message, but not the core of it. Here is why I was and still am a Fundamentalist:

“Modern man is a great innovator, and the day in which we live is a day of innovation. New machines, new ideas, new methods, new styles, new philosophies—who among us is not captivated, momentarily at least, by the sight or sound of something new?

Actually, wise King Solomon warned that there is nothing new under the sun. What is being tried by the new generation—and paraded and promoted as “the latest”—more than likely is nothing but a “revived relic” that had been tried and discarded already by past generations.

Therefore, when I hear of something new, I am at once dubious about it, and especially so when it relates to the theological arena. For instance, new-evangelicalism and neo-orthodoxy are terms describing modern movements in Christendom. But, an examination of both movements will reveal that neither is new. Rather, both are old forms of compromise and liberalism under new guises.

There are some things that should never be made new! There are some things that should never be changed!  To change what God has declared is absolute is to violate the Word of God.

In Proverbs 22:28, we read of ancient landmarks that were set by the fathers. These were to be changeless, for they were literally God-ordained boundaries. This proverb has its foundation in the law, recorded in Deut. 19:14: “Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor’s landmark—which they of old time have set in thine inheritance.”

This law was to be taken seriously. In Deut. 27:17 we read: “Cursed be he that removeth his neighbor’s landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.”

In Job 24:2, the patriarch Job placed this high on a list of sins committed by wicked men who rebelled against the light.

Of these ancient landmarks, which were boundaries, C.H. McIntosh, in his commentary on the Pentateuch, says: “The landmarks were not to be meddled with…Jehovah had given the land to Israel—assigned to each tribe and family a proper portion—marked off with perfect precision and indicated by landmarks so plain there could be no confusion, no clashing of interests—no grounds for lawsuits or controversy about property.”

Thus, the landmarks were border lines that were rigid and non-negotiable. They were never to be moved!

Just as the nation Israel had certain boundaries that were permanent, so the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ has certain defined boundaries within which she is to move freely. These boundaries are not to be moved. The great doctrines of the Christian faith—the historic landmarks of Christianity—are not to be tampered with. They are non-negotiable!

As a pastor and as a believer, I want to speak now to the landmarks of the Christian faith, and to the thesis: “Why I am a Fundamentalist.”

First, I will mention a few ideas or “charges” against Fundamentalism—what I choose to label “the defamation of Fundamentalism.”

Fundamentalism has been defamed through misrepresentation. George Dollar, in his book A History of Fundamentalism in America (Bob Jones University Press, 1973, p.176) speaks of the popular use of the word “Fundamentalist.” He says it “included all those who defended the Bible against attacks of liberalism. The popular use of the word has continued so that even today those believing that the Bible is the very word of God and that it should be taught and defended as such are generally labeled ‘Fundamental.’” So, Dr. Dollar was saying that the label “Fundamentalist” conveyed the idea of a movement that was, in his thinking, too broad. He later, in his book, spoke of a group of “evangelicals” that he would call “modified fundamentalists.” Of these he wrote: “Most of them have a fundamentalist background and affirm the inspiration of the Bible, the sinfulness of man, the deity of Christ, His atoning death, His bodily resurrection, and the return of the Lord. They are basically evangelical, but because of their surrender to New Evangelicalism, they are outside the mainstream of Fundamentalism. This they have not announced, and they go on getting money and students from churches and groups because they have not announced their new-evangelical character.”

Fundamentalism has also been “defamed” through the years by misleading labels. To merely mention a few, we have been labeled as “anti-intellectual;” embracing “Bibliolatry,” “anti-social,” “too negative,” “unloving,” and “obscurantists.”

Second, a definition of Fundamentalism: Historically, a book series called The Fundamentals (1909) marked the beginning of the Fundamentalist movement. The publication of The Fundamentals was preceded by a revival movement in the late 1800s, characterized by a renewed interest in eschatology, the birth of Bible Institutes, and the birth and rise of the 20^th-century Sunday School movement.

Close on the heels of these historic happenings came the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversies of the 1920s-1930s, in which dividing lines were drawn over the authority and inspiration of the Bible, the ability of man to deal with his own problems, etc. Modernist leaders were men like E. Stanley Jones (“I do not believe in the Virgin Birth, and I do not know of any intelligent person who does”), Harry Emerson Fosdick, Elton Trueblood, James Pike, George Buttrick, and others. Arguing for the authority and inspiration of the Bible were notables such as J. Gresham Machen, J. Frank Norris, Robert Ketcham, H. A. Ironside, W.E. Dowell, Bob Jones, Sr., W. B. Riley, Harry Rimmer, R.A. Torrey, and others.

Here is what Fundamentalists have historically believed and affirmed: (1) An immoveable allegiance to the inerrant, infallible, verbally inspired Word of God (i.e., the Bible); (2) “Whatever the Bible says is so;” (3) All things should be judged by the Bible and only by the Bible; (4) the foundational truths of historic Christianity, including the doctrine of the Trinity, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Birth; the substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross, His bodily resurrection and visible ascension into heaven, and His Second Coming; the New Birth through regeneration, the resurrection of saints to life eternal—and of the ungodly to final judgment and eternal death; (5) the fellowship of saints who are members of the Body of Christ, His Church; (6) fidelity to that faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3); (7) separation from all ecclesiastical denial of that faith through compromise and/or apostasy; (8) earnestly contending for the faith (a militant orthodoxy set on fire with soul-winning zeal).

(To be continued…)

All of us know the agony of failure, for as long as there is life, and as long as the human spirit exists, there will be those who achieve success, and there will be those who fail; and sometimes, those who have achieved great success have done so only after they have tasted the bitter dregs of failure.

Failure is something most every believer, at some time or other, has experienced. Most of us have at one time or another tried and failed. We have probably failed hundreds of times. We have failed in big things; we have failed in small things. We may have failed so big and so often that we have been tempted to quit! John F. Kennedy said, “Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan no one wants to claim.”

Businessmen know what it is to succeed—and what it is to fail. Athletes, too, know something of both. Churches experience seasons of success and periods of spiritual draught. I am glad to say that God’s Word gives us the record of several—yes, many—men and women who failed, as big or bigger than anyone who may be reading this just now. Yet, God reclaimed them and used them even after they had failed, sometimes miserably!

Examine a few of these “failures” that were reclaimed for service, so that we might be encouraged to go on; to try again; to bounce back; to keep on keeping on, even though we have failed in past efforts.

Peter, whose confession Jesus said He would build His church upon, on the way to the Cross—through the Garden—insisted that he was ready to go to prison with Jesus, or even to death. Jesus, having warned Peter that Satan had desired to sift him, then announced to His fisherman-follower that on that very day, before the cock would crow, Peter would deny Him thrice. (Luke 22:32-34) It happened around an early morning fire. In the midst of the hall in the Jewish High Priest’s house, where some had gathered, Peter was identified as a follower of the Galilean by a maid and a couple of others. He adamantly denied the accusations and, upon his third denial, the cock crowed immediately, as Jesus had forewarned. The Bible says that Peter—seasoned fisherman, leader of the 12— went out and wept bitterly. Game over? Not at all! Jesus had not only predicted Peter’s denial; He promised that He had prayed for Peter and that he would have the opportunity to “strengthen thy brethren.” For the rest of the story, read Acts 2 and I and II Peter! Peter failed, repented, and was reclaimed by God for fruitful service to His glory!

The list is pretty remarkable: Abraham, “Father of the Jews,” failed to wait patiently on God’s promise of an heir; he fathered Ishmael by Hagar, thinking that at the age of 86 he would not have a son by his wife, Sarah, who also endorsed the failed plan. When Ishmael was 13 years of age, Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah—just one of the many times that Abraham took things into his own hands, failing to wait patiently upon the Lord; but God reclaimed this giant of faith, who looked for a city whose builder and maker is God. We could also mention Moses, and David, Jonah, Elijah, John Mark, and many more. Men who failed, sometimes with disastrous ramifications, but whose lives were reclaimed by a longsuffering, merciful God of the second chance, and third, and….

There are examples not only from the Bible but, of course, from history as well.

David Livingstone, in the heart of Africa, considered himself a failure as a husband, a father, a missionary—but most of all as a liberator. It was through his fault that his wife died an untimely death; through his neglect that his children were orphaned; and he blamed himself that all hope for the liberation of slaves was abandoned. There was nothing to show for it all. But today, his remains are in Westminster Abbey. A failure? History has been the judge. (From an article in “Pulpit Helps,” by Austin Sorenson—adapted)

The co-founder of Apple Computer, the late Steve Jobs, was actually fired from his position as CEO of the company before he came back to lead its renaissance. Jobs said, “I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have happened to me. It freed me to enter into one of the most creative periods of my life.”

Thomas Edison maintained that there was really no such thing as failure. He said, “Suppose I make a thousand experiments, and every one of them fails. All right—I have learned a thousand things that won’t work.” One can learn by failures. Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, said of success and failure: “Not having a goal is more to be feared than not reaching a goal. I would rather attempt to do something great and fail, than to do nothing and succeed.” Teddy Roosevelt believed that to try and fail was better than to never try. He said, “Far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy life much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

You have failed! You may be failing just now. But God cannot fail, and you can rest assured that He is not finished working in your life.

The Devil would like for you to think that because you have failed, you are now useless to God. Remember John Mark, nephew of Barnabas, who accompanied the Apostle Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary trip all the way to Perga, and then returned home—an apparent quitter. Paul was so disappointed with John Mark that he adamantly refused to agree with Barnabas that Mark should be given another chance to go with them as they were planning their second missionary trip. So serious was their difference on this that Paul took Silas with him, and Barnabas took Mark, the original team parting ways. John Mark, a “quitter?” A “Momma’s boy?” We do not know why he returned to his mother Mary’s house in Jerusalem, but we do know that what he did brought upon him the decided disapproval of Paul. Game over? Not at all! Years later, as Paul was writing his final words, waiting imminent martyrdom at the hands of the Romans, he wrote from prison (II Tim. 4:11), and the last person that he asked to see was Mark: “Take Mark, and bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me for the ministry.” Talk about a reclaimed failure!

And God is still in the reclamation business! God can and will use you! He prayed for Peter. He prays for us, too. Just keep on keeping on! Out of ashes can come beauty.

“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again….” (Proverbs 24:16)

It is a topic that to many people in this 21st century probably seems archaic, even repulsive. Some abhor the thought of a “bloody religion,” while others may relegate it to the Old Testament sacrifices of bulls and goats; but the hymn penned by Robert Lowry (1826-1889) still says it all for the earnest Bible believers who today confess, unashamedly, that it is “nothing but the blood”: “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” 

Missionary Ron White said it well in a missions message he delivered in our church in 2014: “Never was a greater price paid for a more worthless object.” But God saw fallen man as worthy of the death of His only begotten Son. He saw Adam and Eve and their descendants as precious souls who could be salvaged, but only by the spotless blood of one of their kind. So He sent Jesus, made of a woman, to bear the penalty of our sin and, thus, Lowry would pen verse three of his hymn: “Nothing can for sin atone, nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Henry Ward Beecher, silver-tongued preacher and orator of the 19^th century, likened Scripture to a Beethoven symphony. From the beginning to the end, Beecher said, runs the single theme of “man’s ruin by sin and his redemption by grace (through the blood); in a single word, Jesus Christ, the Savior.”

Beecher continued, “This redemption was promised in Eden, and portrayed in the ceremonies of the Mosaic Law. All the key events of the Old Testament paved the way for the coming of Christ. He was the Redeemer looked for by Job. Christ is foretold in the sublime strains of the lofty Isaiah; in the writings of the tender Jeremiah; in the mysteries of the contemplative Ezekiel; in the visions of the beloved Daniel. With each passing century, the great theme grew clearer and clearer.”

Beecher concluded: “Then the full harmony broke out in the declaration of the angels: ‘Glory to God in the highest. And on earth, peace, good will toward men.’ And the evangelists and apostles taking up the theme, the strain closes in the same key in which it began; the devil who troubled the first paradise, forever excluded from the second; man restored to the favor of God; and Jesus Christ the keynote of the whole.” (I am not sure of the source of these Beecher quotations, but I believe it is from a devotional in “Our Daily Bread,” by Richard W. DeHahn, date unrecorded.) 

Joe Henry Hankins (1889-1967), a pastor in Arkansas and Texas, once said: “The Devil says to me sometimes, ‘How can you be so sure about this? How do you know your sins are gone?’ Every time he does this I point him to Calvary and say, ‘Listen, you old Devil! Until God repudiates the sacrifice of His Son on Calvary, my sins are gone. I have trusted that blood and that sacrifice with all my heart, soul, and mind. There’s my hope, and I know my sins are gone.’” 

Of course, the Bible itself says it best: “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Eph. 1:7) “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” (Eph. 2:13) “And having made peace through the blood of the cross.” (Col. 1:20) “Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” (Rev. 1:5b)

M.R. DeHahn founded the Radio Bible Class and was a medical doctor. He wrote a book, Chemistry of the Blood, in which he explained: “All the blood which is in the child is produced within the child itself as a result of the introduction of the male sperm. The mother contributes no blood at all. From the time of conception to the time of birth of the infant, not one single drop of blood ever passes from the mother to child.” He further adds, on page 42, “His (Jesus’) blood was of the Holy Ghost. If that be true, the blood of Jesus Christ is not only inseparable and incorruptible, it is also incomparable. There is none like it. No wonder I Peter 1:19 calls it ‘precious blood.’”

A blood donor, while giving a pint of blood, was handed a card showing the percentages of people who have different types of blood: O positive, 37.4%; A positive, 35.7%; A negative, 6.3%; B negative, 1.5 %. The rarest is AB negative at 0.6%. The card concluded, “The rarest blood type is the one that’s not there when you need it.” The donor thought, “I know of one kind of blood that is always there when I ask for it. First John 1:7 states, ‘The blood of His Son cleanses us from all sin.’”

So, let us never be hesitant to confess that “without shedding of blood, there is no remission.” (Heb. 9:22)

Bottom line: “Nothing but the blood!”

“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, tongue, and people and nation.” (Rev. 5:9)

Pastor and author H.A. Ironside related a testimony of a new convert who had been delivered from a life of sin. The man gave God all the glory, declaring that he had done nothing to earn his salvation. But, whoever was leading the testimony meeting was not quite satisfied with the way the newly born-again saint had framed his conversion experience, so he said, “You seem to indicate that God did everything when He saved you; didn’t you do your part before God did His?” “Oh, yes,” the new convert replied as he jumped to his feet. “For more than 30 years I ran away from God as fast as my sins could carry me. That was my part. But God took out after me and ran me down. That was His part!”

John W. Stott defined grace profoundly: “Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.”  And, all who have come to that fountain of God’s grace surely will confess that it is a “fount of every blessing” that will “tune my heart to sing Thy praise”—and so “to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be.”

Author of the immortal hymn “Amazing Grace”—John Newton—once wrote in a letter: “The longer I live the more I am constrained to adopt the system which ascribes all the power and glory to the grace of God, and leaves nothing to the creature but sin, weakness and shame.” The former slave trader who became a pastor in London wrote his own epitaph: “Sacred to the memory of John Newton, once a libertine and blasphemer and servant of slaves in Africa, but renewed, purified, pardoned and appointed to preach that gospel which he labored to destroy.”

A few years ago, God’s sufficient grace was driven home to me—as it has been almost daily, and to most every believer, no doubt—when I visited a dear friend in a hospital rehab unit who had been very weak. A missionary intern was with me, Kelvin Krueger, who was heading to South Africa to serve following his internship. Kelvin, as a child, had undergone delicate surgery to remove a brain tumor, and the fact that he would and could serve in a foreign country was due to the exceeding grace of God. He and I were visiting Thompson Road Baptist Church’s beloved song leader, Lonial, on this certain day. As we prepared to depart from the hospital following our brief visit, I quoted a verse from Psalms before praying, Psalm 84:11: “Our God is a sun and shield: He will give grace and glory.” As I finished the verse, Lonial, in a very weak voice, began singing the chorus to “Where He Leads Me I Will Follow.” After Lonial finished the chorus—“I’ll go with Him, with Him, all the way”—Kelvin, by my side, began to sing the 4^th stanza: “He will give me grace and glory, He will give me grace and glory; He will give me grace and glory; and go with me, with me all the way.” I had chimed in, so there was, that day, a “warbling male trio” of sorts—affirming with feeble voices in the rehab unit the glory of the amazing grace of God. It was one of those precious moments. Kelvin, after part of a term serving in South Africa (doctors had informed his parents when they performed the brain surgery their child that he might never walk again) would be called by God’s grace into the ultimate glory of His presence in February of 2021; Lonial had preceded him in his “absent from the body, present with the Lord” moment, in October of 2010, a few weeks after the hospital visit mentioned above.

When I was a student in college, studying for the ministry, a Bible conference speaker, R.T. Ketcham, was a speaker at one of the Bible Conferences held annually on the college campus. I can never forget the message that the (then) old preacher delivered from Isaiah 49:16 about God having our names engraved on the palms of His hands! What grace! But there was another message Dr. Ketcham preached about the all-sufficient grace of God. In part, it went: “I shall never forget those ten short months in 1920, when five times in ten months the lightning stroke of death snatched a dear one from my side, including a father-in-law, a father, and a wife. I shut myself in my room by day and locked myself in my room by night and groped in the cold darkness about me as I looked into the faces of Lois and Peg and said, ‘O God, what. . . !  I wondered about a lot of things I couldn’t see and understand. But one thing was never minus in those cold and dark weeks—the warmth of the everlasting, never failing love of God that wrapped itself around me, drew me to His heart. I heard Him whisper in my ear, ‘Love never faileth.’” Oh, the matchless grace of God.

“He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength, when the labors increase; to added afflictions, He addeth His mercy; to multiplied trials, His multiplied peace. His love has no limit; His grace has no measure; His power no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinites riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth and giveth again.” (Annie Johnson Flint)

The story is told of a faithful minister, traveling on a train, who noticed a dejected-looking young man with a tear-stained face sitting near him. Wanting to be of help, the minister asked the young man why he was so cast down. The youth related how he had been a prodigal son and left home and spent his best years in the “swine trough” of the world. Now he was on his way back home, and he was worried that his father would still be angry. He had written a letter, therefore, requesting that a white cloth be hung on the old apple tree in the front yard, near where the train would pass. The white flag would mean “Welcome.” If it was not there, he would just go on, not getting off at the next station. “Please, Sir,” he said to the minister, “will you look for me and see if it is there?” As the train passed the house, the preacher exclaimed, “Look, my boy! The apple tree is covered with white cloths!” The prodigal’s sadness was turned to joy! Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound!” (M.R. DeHahn—Our Daily Bread)

“Grace, grace, God’s grace; Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin.” (Julia H. Johnston)

“That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:21)