The Great Commission
Glenn B. Ramsey

The apostles of Christ were the original recipients of "The Great Commission." Matthew records the instructions of the Lord in these words:

And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. (Matt. 28:18-20)

With these words the apostles and all faithful men thereafter are given their marching orders by the Son of God. They are to carry the Gospel message to the whole world. Mark records this instruction with these words:

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:15-16)

The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (II Tim. 2:2). These "things" include the whole of the Gospel of Christ—the Great Commission. They include what one must do to be saved from alien sins and what one must continue to do to be faithful to the Lord and finally receive the blessed promise of eternal life in heaven.

The "Great Commission" is great for many reasons. First it is great because of the greatest authority behind it. Jesus said, "All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18). This means that there is NO other authority or power besides His. Thus, nothing can prevent the success of this commission, provided the recipients of it fulfill their charge.

The "Great Commission" is great because it fits all the needs of all men. The disciples were to go and teach "all nations" (Matt. 28:19). All of mankind of all nations need this message. All of mankind of all nations need the teaching of this commission. All men of all nations must be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, if they are to please the Lord and be saved. Thus, all the NEEDS of all men are met in this provision. Since all have sinned and are thus under the condemnation of sin (Rom. 3:23), all NEED the salvation offered on the terms of the "Great Commission."

The "Great Commission" is great because it provokes the BEST in all men. It allows all men to come to a state of reconciliation (salvation) with God!

The "Great Commission" is great because it provides the means of this great spiritual change—the change from a sinner to a person who is saved (See Mark 16:16).

The "Great Commission" is great because it provides the means of continued spiritual growth. Jesus said, "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:20). There is nothing that is necessary to the continued spiritual growth of the individual that is not provided for in this charge. There is nothing that is needed for continued "fellowship" with God that is not provided through the teachings of God’s faithful messengers. Indeed, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (II Pet. 1:3).

The "Great Commission" is great because of its promise of God’s providence. Jesus said, "and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28:20). The apostle Peter would later write, "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (I Pet. 1:5). The writer of Hebrews remembered this when he wrote, "for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5).

The "Great Commission" of the Lord will NOT fail. Men may fail to keep it. Men who fail to obey and keep it will be condemned by it! Jesus said, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48).

Where will you be in "the last day?" Each of us will be present on that "last day." Those who have submitted to the Lord in Gospel obedience will be the saved ones (saved on the terms of the "Great Commission"). Those who have NOT submitted to the Lord in Gospel obedience will be condemned by these same all-powerful words.

Editorial
Malcolm L. Hill

Watching TV is one thing and Bible study is another. Several congregations of the church of Christ (and I am told some in our area) have used the Andy Griffith Show for Bible study. I am told they watch the show and then draw valuable lessons from it. Let us take a look at this from a Bible viewpoint.

1. It is often the case that the people in the Andy Griffith show attend a denominational church. It is there that they sing with an instrument of music. I wonder if the brethren teach from that activity that it is a sin to worship God with the use of an instrument of music? Further, the church they attend is a denominational church. I wonder if the brethren that have used the Andy Griffith show to teach "Bible Lessons" have pointed out the sinfulness of religious division? I wonder if they have taught that there is salvation only in the body or church of Christ?
2. In the Andy Griffith show they do a lot of funny things during worship or at church. Is this teaching young people the right thing to do at worship? Should we be teaching respect for God and the Bible or should we teach our young people to commit will worship—to worship God as they please (Col. 2:23; Rom. 10:1-2)? I wonder if this was pointed out and how seriously it was taken if it was pointed out.
3. In the Andy Griffith show they have Otis the town drunk. He is not a real bad guy. He is very funny when he gets drunk. He does not seem to work very much and it seems that he is not a very good husband. Is this the kind of thing we need to be teaching in the classrooms at the church house to our young people? Otis is very faithful to bring himself to jail when he does get on a bender. He even locks himself up and places the key on the wall where it is kept. Do we need more drunkards like Otis in the world? Are drunkards to be laughed at? Is it a funny sight when we watch drunkards? Many little boys and girls can answer this for us. But some of the brethren think this is the kind of material that needs to be studied in Bible class! Can you believe it?
4. Then there is Barney—the dimwit on the show. He is a deputy that is trustworthy to carry just one bullet—in his pocket! He turns people out of jail because of his stupidity. He often believes the guilty to be right and the innocent to be wrong. Does this type of thing teach our boys and girls to respect the law? The Bible teaches everyone to respect the powers that be because they are God appointed (Rom. 13:1-4).
   We are not to make fun of the sheriff and the police but we are to highly regard them. They are for our good and protection. I wonder how such is taught in the classrooms of the churches that have used this material for Bible classes? Brethren, how far are some going to go? Maybe we should ask, where is the stopping place?
5. Most kids know about Barney Fife, Floyd the barber, Aunt Bee, Goober, Opie, and many others on the Andy Griffith show. I wonder if they know the apostles and the work they did? I wonder if they know about Moses and what he did? I wonder if they know about Noah and what he did? I wonder how many Bible characters they know about and what they did? Do they know more about the Andy Griffith Show than they do the Bible? I venture that many children know more about "Mayberry" than they do Jerusalem. What a shame! But they want the Andy Griffith Show for Bible study. Have you ever heard the like?
6. The Bible is about repentance from Genesis to Revelation. The Andy Griffith show is not about repentance. It is not about condemning the wicked. It is about laughing at the stupid things people do sometimes when they are sober and sometimes when they are drunk. It is a reproach to people who did not have a chance to get a formal education but many of the brethren think it should be used for Bible Study.

The purpose of television shows and movies is to get away from life and its drudgeries. They are to help us find relief and to laugh. The movies are for fun and to lift the spirit in most cases. We go to church to find God and His will. We attend worship to fulfill the empty spot in our beings and in our souls. We go to church to study about God and to worship Him. Our world has gone so entertainment crazy that they stay in an entertainment spin all the time. Come on church, get back to God’s purpose for you. This is found in the Bible and not in the Andy Griffith Show.

Believing a Lie
Holger W. Neubauer

I Kings 13 records one of the saddest accounts of the Bible. Herein is the account told of an unnamed prophet from Judah who boldly withstood the wicked king Jeroboam at Bethel. Jeroboam was attempting to burn incense at an altar he had "devised after his own heart" (I Kings 12:33). The man of God prophesied to Jeroboam that a descendent of David by the name of Josiah would be raised up to destroy the altar Jeroboam had erected, and those that worshiped at the altar would have their own bones offered upon it (I Kings 13:2). When Jeroboam stretched forth his hand against the prophet, his hand immediately withered. Jeroboam then humbled himself and asked the prophet to pray for his hand to be healed. The prophet did pray and Jeroboam’s hand was restored (I Kings 13:4-6). Jeroboam then offered the prophet a gift and invited him to his home. The prophet refused upon the basis that God had already commanded him not to tarry there. The prophet from Judah then left and was returning another way as God had directed (I Kings 13:8-10).

At this point the account takes a surprising turn. There was an old prophet that lived in Bethel who had heard about the prophet from Judah. The old prophet pursued the prophet from Judah and found him sitting under an oak tree and then invited him to return to his house. The younger prophet rehearsed before the old prophet the Word of the Lord that had also been preached to Jeroboam which forbade him from tarrying and eating at Bethel. The old prophet then stated that an angel had delivered a different message to him that allowed the younger prophet to return with the old prophet, but the old prophet "lied to him" (I Kings 13:18). After returning to the home of the older prophet, the Word of the Lord convicted the younger prophet of disobeying God. The younger prophet then had his life forfeited as the Lord prepared a lion to devour his body. The young prophet lost his life because he believed a lie.

A lie believed in earnest is still a lie. John said, "no lie is of the truth" (I John 2:21). Though the great apostle Paul could confidently contend that he had lived every day in good conscience before God (Acts 23:1; 24:16), he also confessed that he had "persecuted the church of God" (I Cor. 15:9). While Paul was bringing havoc to the church, he was outside the grace of Christ and consequently lost. The Bible mentions how God sends strong delusion that men should believe a lie (II Thess. 2:11). The reason this occurs, however, is given in the previous verse which says, "because they received not the love of the truth." Only the truth can save and that is why we are told to "buy the truth and sell it not" (Prov. 23:23). God has designed the truth to be understandable (Eph. 3:4) and knowable (John 8:32). Each individual who has an earnest desire to know the will of God is guaranteed by the Lord to find and recognize the truth. Jesus said, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine" (John 7:17).

Often times the lies that are believed are also easily refuted by a rudimentary knowledge of the Word of God. Denominationalism which touts its diversity as right and good is condemned in Scripture as division and sinful (I Cor. 1:10). The "faith only" lie contradicts the necessity of possessing a faith that works (James 2:24). The infant baptism lie is refuted by Jesus’ words to believe and be baptized (Mark 16:16). The instrumental music lie is refuted by the New Testament teaching of singing and respecting the authority of God’s will (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:17). The remarriage for any cause lie is refuted by the words "except it be for fornication" in Matthew 19:9. The open fellowship lie is too refuted by Ephesians 5:11 and II John 9-11.

Though the young prophet believed the lie of the older prophet, there was no need for him to do so. Neither should we be led away by any man today, for the Scripture proclaims, "Though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:8).

Conversion
Kerry Duke

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19). Peter’s words "be converted" have been misunderstood. Some insist that conversion is something done to a person, not a process in which he does something to undergo conversion. This idea is wrongly based on the passive King James rendering "be" converted; denominational people insist that the sinner is the passive subject of salvation and that he can do nothing to be saved, since the passage says "be converted," not "convert yourselves." The whole argument is based on the presence of the passive voice rather than the active voice in this expression.

The words "be converted," however, are actually translated from an active form of the verb epistrepho, a word which simply means to turn. McGarvey called attention to this fact and argued that the proper translation is "convert," not "be converted."¹ Even Albert Barnes, a Presbyterian commentator, admitted that the word does not denote the idea of passivity.² The New King James Version translates the active form of the same word (epistrepho) "turn" in other verses (Matt. 13:15; Mark 4:12; Acts 28:27), yet for some reason translates it "be converted" in Acts 3:19. The American Standard Version translates it "turn again" in each of these instances. In several other instances, the King James Version renders active forms of epistrepho "turn." For instance, Acts 11:21 says "a great number believed, and turned (epistrepho, active voice) unto the Lord."

But even if we point out this translation problem to a Calvinist, he will still be able to cite passages mentioning conversion in the passive voice. For instance, "Except ye be converted" (Matt. 18:3) is the passive form of strepho. How do we respond? The truth is that a case cannot be made on either of these verbs solely on the basis that the passive voice is used. Absolute proof of this is the fact that God Himself drew no such distinction in meaning as He inspired Matthew and John. Both inspired writers cite Isaiah 6:9-10. Matthew uses an active form of epistrepho when he cites this passage (Matt. 13:15), but John uses a passive form of it (John 12:40). How can Calvinists make a theological difference in meaning between the active and passive forms of this word when God Himself does not?³

The fact that "be converted" is passive no more rules out human activity than "be saved" in verses such as Acts 2:21 does. "Be baptized" in Acts 2:38 is passive, but who would argue that our decision to be baptized is not involved?

People who argue that man does nothing to be saved and that salvation is totally done by God to him without his effort usually don’t realize what they are actually saying. These same people will beg and plead with people to "believe on Jesus and accept him as your personal Savior." But if sinners are just the passive objects of conversion, how can they even believe? Is not believing something they do? Did not Jesus say that believing is a work (John 6:29)? If conversion is just a matter of God doing something to a person, then how could a person believe or repent, and why admonish people to do so?

John Calvin, the father of much of modern denominational thought, carried this idea to its logical extreme. He insisted that even faith is something done by God to sinners and this of His choosing, not theirs. Sinners, Calvin argued, can do nothing to be saved because they are born totally corrupt and cannot have saving faith until the Holy Spirit regenerates their hearts and produces faith in them. Most denominational preachers, however, will not go quite this far with their patriarch’s teaching, since they teach that sinners themselves must take the step to God known as believing. But if they hold that man’s act of believing does not take away from God’s role in conversion, then why do they argue that baptism is a human work that has nothing to do with conversion? How can they insist that a sinner repent, which the sinner must do and is in that sense a work, but maintain that his being baptized is a work and has nothing to do with salvation? Peter’s command to those in Acts 3:19 is parallel to his command on Pentecost in Acts 2:38: "Repent, and be baptized. . .for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38); "Repent . . . and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19). The turning or conversion of Acts 3:19, then, is baptism.

Man is the recipient in conversion. He receives the forgiveness of sins. He is cleansed by the blood of Jesus. He is delivered from the power of darkness and translated into His kingdom (Col. 1:13). He is added by the Lord to His church (Acts 2:47). These things the Lord does for Him, and thanks be to God that He loves us enough to forgive us of all our sins. Thanks be to God for His mercy which makes conversion possible. We should fall on our knees to thank Him for this mercy, and we should shout it from the housetops. May we never be guilty of taking His love for granted or minimizing our dependence on His grace. But let us not teach a doctrine of human irresponsibility in conversion.

Endnotes

¹J.W. McGarvey, Original Commentary on Acts (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate Company, 1978) pp. 57-58.
²Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Acts (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1949), p. 67.
³A similar faulty argument is sometimes made in the divorce and remarriage issue in regard to "commiteth adultery" in Matthew 19:9, which is from moichatai, a present passive indicative form of moichao. Some argue that for this reason the adultery of Matthew 19:9 cannot be something the person does but rather something that is done to him or her. They argue that it cannot be literal, physical adultery. Instead, they hold that since the verb is passive, it refers to how others have looked upon the divorced person, that is, people have labeled him or her as a bad person just as if he or she was actually committing adultery. Lenski argued in Matthew 5:32 that the passive verb moicheuthenai ("causeth her to commit adultery" - KJV) means "stigmatized" an adulteress (Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel, pp. 232-233). Foy E. Wallace, Jr. argued similarly (The Sermon on the Mount and the Civil State, p. 40). The fallacy of arguing from the passive voice of Matthew 19:9 is quickly refuted by the fact that "committeth adultery" in Luke 16:18 is moicheuei, a present active indicative of moicheuo!

Prayer
Ronald D. Gilbert

A good definition of prayer is seen in Romans 10:1: "Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." As one studies the Bible it is quite clear that great men of God were men of prayer—men like Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Paul, and our Lord.

The Lord is our example and we find that He spent much time in prayer. He prayed in the garden before His crucifixion (Matt. 26:39). Matthew 26:44 says that He prayed these words the third time. Jesus got up early and went to a solitary place to pray (Mark 1:35). Jesus prayed after His baptism (Luke 3:21). Sometimes He prayed all night (Luke 6:12). In just about every letter Paul wrote you will find him thanking God for the brethren.

Prayer, however, is not a substitute for obedience. Saul was praying when Ananias came to him (Acts 9:11). But Saul was told, "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16).

There is power in prayer. James said, "Ye have not, because ye ask not" (James 4:2). This shows that they were missing many blessings because they did not ask. James also tells us of the power of prayer. "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16).

The apostles and early Christians were people of prayer. While waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the church, "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication. . ." (Acts 1:14). When selecting a replacement for Judas, "they prayed, and said, Thou Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen" (Acts 1:24). Acts 2:42 tells us that the early Christians "continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." In Acts 6 the apostles would "give ourselves continually to prayer" and so they appointed seven faithful men to look after the neglected widows. While Stephen was being stoned he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59). Simon the sorcerer, after obeying the Gospel and then sinning was told, "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee" (Acts 8:22). In Acts 9:40 Peter in raising Tabitha from the dead prayed: "But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed: and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up." Cornelius the centurion was a man of prayer (Acts 10:1-2). Peter was a man of regular prayer. "On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour" (Acts 10:9). While Peter was in prison, "prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him" (Acts 12:5). After Peter was delivered from prison he came to the house of Mary the mother of John and found them praying (Acts 12:19). When Barnabas and Saul were separated for the work the brethren fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them (Acts 13:3).

After being beaten and placed in prison Paul and Silas "prayed, and sang praises unto God" (Acts 16:25). After Paul’s farewell address to the elders at Ephesus he prayed. "And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all" (Acts 20:36).

Our prayers can be hindered (I Pet. 3:7). Sin hinders prayer. There is a connection between how we live and our prayer life. God told His people, "And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood" (Isa. 1:15). Notice some other passages as well. "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight" (Prov. 15:8). "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination" (Prov. 28:9). "Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Isa. 59:1-2). "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16).

What a wonderful privilege to come before the God of heaven with our prayers, knowing that He loves us as His children and hears our prayers. "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1).

What is Truth?
Guy N. Woods

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate said unto him, What is truth? (John 18:37-38)

Bible students are not in agreement as to the motive which prompted Pilate to raise the question with which he terminated his interview with our Lord. Some see in it the earnest longing of an honest heart which had thus far been unable to discover truth and had long since given up the search; others, more properly, regard it as an exhibition of worldly skepticism which thinks there is no such thing as truth; or, if there is, that it is of little importance to the world. In either event, Pilate felt no interest in the Lord’s reply; notwithstanding his query, he did not remain for the answer!

The disposition, to regard truth as unattainable and its pursuit a useless and unnecessary exercise, has long been an acceptable view in denominational circles and those possessed of this concept have not hesitated to justify their departures from sacred writ on the ground that "it is not possible for everybody to understand the Bible alike." Others, not willing to cut the Gordian knot by such blatant denial of the word, have nonetheless reached much the same conclusion by the allegation that it is not possible to know the will of the Lord from the study of his word, and that those who claim to do so are arrogant in disposition, sectarian in spirit, and dogmatic in doctrine! It is now being taught that divisions arise because some among us claim to be right, to be identified with the loyal church and that such efforts to avoid denominationalism turn us into bigoted sectarians!

There are those who say we may be wrong on some of the basic matters in our distinctive plea and there ought never to have been any alienation and division over such issues as instrumental music in worship, premillennialism, marriage and divorce, and similar matters. Had the saintly David Lipscornb, the courageous J. C. McQuiddy and the eloquent N. B. Hardeman, the fearless Foy Wallace, Jr., the scholarly B. C. Goodpasture and other giants of the faith been theological weaklings and religious cowards, division over these issues would have been avoided but at a cost too awesome to contemplate—the loss of the souls of tens of thousands of people who now adhere to a pure faith and a scriptural practice but who otherwise would have long since been enmeshed in denominational error. How thankful we who are the recipients of that priceless heritage ought to be that these men and thousands of others who have so valiantly defended the faith through the years did not believe that we may be wrong on these matters!

If there is such a thing as truth; if it is accessible to us; if it is within the mental reach of those for whom it is intended, why should we not seek it and, having found it, claim it as our own? To urge that it is wrong to want to be right and, having achieved conformity to the Lord’s will as set out in his word to assert the fact, makes one a bigoted sectarian is in effect to say that there is really no such thing as truth; or, if there is, that it is neither desirable nor necessary to separate it from error and to insist upon it for its own sake. Surely, it must be admitted that sometime, somewhere, some of the Lord's people have been right and are members of the loyal church! If so, may not those who are thus circumstanced say so without being liable to the charge that they are bigoted sectarians? For some years there has been a form of breast-beating among us which sees little that is good in the churches of Christ and little that is bad in the denominational world and we are by them repeatedly urged to give up our "traditions" for the sake of unity in the religious world.

What traditions? We are never told; it is simply alleged that we are wedded to traditions which constitute a continuing barrier to union with our denominational friends. No one is so naive as to think that those peculiarities of ours which have developed through the years are a formidable obstacle to unity; we are not rejected by the denominational world because of our hours of meeting, the order of our services or the architecture of our buildings. Their repudiation of us results from basic difference over the name, the doctrine and the practice of the New Testament church. More specifically, whether men may properly honor Christ by wearing human names (Acts 11:26), whether salvation is by faith only (James 2:24), whether one may apostatize and fall away from grace finally to be lost (Galatians 5:4), whether baptism in water, is for (unto) the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), whether the Lord’s Supper must be observed every first day of the week (Acts 20:7), whether God’s praises may be sung to the accompaniment of mechanical instruments of music (Ephesians 5:19), and much, much more. These are distinctive characteristics of the Lord’s church which separate us. Which of these features are traditions we may relinquish in order to attain acceptance with people of the denominational world? To say that the New Testament church is without distinctive features is sheerest nonsense. It differs in essential detail in every area from the institutions of men; each vital difference accentuates this distinctiveness as the two are compared with what the New Testament teaches regarding it.

If we may be wrong on some of these matters then, to the same extent, the denominational world may be right about them—a conclusion which logically follows, thus leading to a deterioration of conviction and consequent weakening of opposition to denominational doctrine and practice. Inevitably, this leads to questioning regarding our basic plea, hesitancy to insist upon it, and criticism of those who do. Those who reach this point no longer preach with conviction and power and their preaching produces converts equally weak and without conviction. "For if the trumpet give an uncertain voice, who shall prepare himself for war?" (I Corinthians 14:8). The apostles and those who followed their direction were beset with no uncertainty regarding the matters presented. Timothy "fully" knew the doctrine of Paul (II Timothy 3:10), and the faith in him was "unfeigned" because of the robust convictions of his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois (II Timothy 1:5-6). Men believed and knew the truth in the apostolic age (I Timothy 4:3), and were "filled with the knowledge of his will," in "all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Colossians 1:9). So ought it to be with us all today.

—Questions and Answers, Vol. II, pp. 236-238