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July
15, 2007
Mural
Worthey
The Simplicity That is in
Christ
Text: “For I am jealous over you with godly
jealousy; for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a
chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled
Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ.” (2 Cor. 11:2-3, KJV.) The ESV and NIV say “the sincere and
pure devotion.”
Advertisements
for Gospel Meetings and Sermons. In the past, it was common to hear the words
in an advertisement to a Gospel Meeting saying, Come hear the Gospel of Christ
preached in its simplicity and truth. They got that phrase from 2 Corinthians
11:3—“the simplicity that is in Christ.”
Many articles were written years ago for brotherhood papers on this
theme. Some of them from the Gospel Advocate are: “Simplicity That is in
Christ,” by S. C. Boyce, 1950; “Simplicity of the Truth,” by H. L. Boles, 1954;
and “Departing from the Simplicity of the Gospel,” by C. E. Wallace, 1932. I have a copy of a sermon by Cecil B.
Douthitt, minister at
What It Does Not Mean
Romans 12:7-9,
KJV. Other passages will
be helpful in determining what the word, simplicity
or haplotes, means. Here is one from
Romans 12:7-9—“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given
to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that gives, let him do it
with simplicity; he that rules, with diligence; he that shows mercy, with
cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil;
cleave to that which is good.”
Two things stand
out in this passage: a) simplicity is used in the sense of giving liberally,
and b) he admonished us to love without dissimulation (or without
self-seeking). The old word, dissimulation, is given as part of the definition
of simplicity. If we mean by simplicity something not complicated or simple,
then giving and loving with simplicity doesn’t make sense.
In 2 Corinthians
8:2, 9:11, and 9:13, the word is also used in the sense of bountifully or
liberally, as in Romans 12:8.
Other translations
use the words, sincere or single-minded devotion. Paul wrote: “Servants be
obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and
trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ.” (Eph. 6:5, see also
Col. 3:22.) Jesus preached: “The light of the body is the eye. If your eye is
single, then your whole body shall be full of light. But if your eye be evil,
thy whole body shall be full of darkness.” (Matt. 6:22-23.) Single is set over
against evil; it is a moral issue. It speaks of one having a sincere devotion;
not complicated or mixed morally.
Isaiah 35:8-9. One of the points most often made in
their sermons and writings was that the way of salvation is plain, simple, and
easily understood. Then the quotation from Isaiah followed: “And a highway
shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness. The
unclean shall not pass over it, but is shall be for those, the wayfaring men,
though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous
beasts shall go up thereon; it shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall
walk there.” (Isaiah 35:8-9.) Does this passage mean that the way of holiness
is so simple that even a fool could not fail to understand it?? In the Bible, a fool is not a simple person
without a technical education. He is a despiser of wisdom, a denier of God, and
one who rejects correction and instruction. False prophets are called fools in
the Bible. This kind of man will not be found in the Way of Holiness. He will
not be found traveling on this road.
Isn’t it amazing
that the passage we use to say that the gospel is so simple that a fool cannot
misunderstand it does not say that? We have misunderstood that passage!
Parables of
Jesus. Jesus primarily
taught in parables, earthly stories to make spiritual and eternal truths. To us
today, they are quite simple and easy to understand. But those who first heard
Jesus speak this way did not think so. The disciples were constantly asking
Jesus to declare to them the meaning of his parables. They did not understand
them so readily. On another occasion, they said to him, “Lo, now speakest thou
plainly and speaks no proverb (or parable)?” (John 16:29.) They asked him, “Why
do you speak to them in parables?” (Matt. 13:10.) Jesus replied, “Because it is
given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it
is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given and he shall have more
abundance. But whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he
hath. Therefore speak I unto them in parables because they seeing see not and
hearing they hear not; neither do they understand. . . But blessed are your
eyes for they see and your ears for they hear.” (Matt. 13:10-16.)
Jesus spoke in
parables to reveal and conceal. His stories are simple enough for any who
desires the truth of God to understand, but if their hearts are not right with
God, they have closed their eyes and ears. They would not be able to understand
parables and simple sentences because they do not want to understand.
2 Peter 3:15-18. Peter wrote concerning the wisdom that
had been given to the apostle Paul by God. He said that Paul wrote some things
hard to be understood which those who are unlearned and unstable twist to their
own destruction. He ended by saying, “But grow in grace and in the knowledge of
our Lord.”
According to
Peter, some things in Scripture are hard to understand, but not everything.
Those who are unstable twist difficult scriptures to their own destruction. But
believers can grow in grace and knowledge.
Paul wrote about
his own writings: “Whereby when you read, you may understand my knowledge in
the mystery of Christ.” (Eph. 3:4.) Apparently, Paul believed that people could
read his words and understand them. Paul was a highly educated man; he did not
write on a fifth grade level.
Hebrews
5:14-6:3. We ought not to
use the words, simplicity of the Gospel, as a reason to preach only first
principles of the Gospel. We should not use this expression to say that we
should not study complex books like Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah or Revelation.
We should study the whole Bible, whether difficult or easy. The Bible teaches
that we should go on to maturity and leave the first principles once we have
learned and obeyed them. Peter said, But grow in grace and knowledge; add to
you faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness
and love. (2 Peter 1:5-7.)
What It Does Mean
1 Corinthians 1
& 2. Paul quoted
Isaiah who wrote, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to
nothing the understanding of the prudent.” (1:19, Isaiah 29:14.) The point in 1
Corinthians is not about whether the words of the Bible are difficult to
understand. It is about the wisdom of men and the wisdom of God. Man’s wisdom
is expressed in the skillful use of words and manner of presentation. God’s
wisdom is expressed by the cross of Jesus Christ. Its power does not rest in
the skill of the preacher, but in the message of the cross. The Gospel is the
power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes. (
God has revealed
his will to us by His Spirit. We know the things of God, not by human wisdom
and understanding, but by revelation. (1 Cor. 2:10.)
Humility and teachability. There are no passages that use “simplicity”
to mean that the Bible is simple for everyone to understand. Rather, the verses
speak about revelation of truth from God not from man, about having hearts that
seek after the truth of God and desire it, about the wisdom of God and the
foolish of man in rejecting His will. I have known farmers and housewives and
elderly people who had a wonderful knowledge of the Bible. They were wise
people. They were teachable people and could follow most any teacher or
preacher who came to town, no matter how high their educational attainments.
I have known
others who wrestled against the Scriptures. It was not because they could not
understand the Bible; it was because of unbelief. They could not learn because
they would not learn.
Simple
Obedience to the Gospel.
What God requires of us is not complex. He desires that we trust in his Son and
not in ourselves. We are commanded to repent and turn from the sinfulness of
the world. We should be baptized into Jesus Christ; it is a form of the death,
burial and resurrection of Jesus. (
A Simple Life. Christianity is about living a simple
life. The world promotes a complex life; it praises a sophisticated lifestyle.
It honors worldly wisdom and human dependence. The prophet Micah wrote: “He has
shown you, O man, what the Lord doth require of thee, but to do justly, to love
mercy and to walk humbly with thy God.” (Micah 6:6-8.) Paul wrote, “(Pray) for
kings and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quite and peaceable
life in all godliness and honesty.” (1 Tim. 2:2.) The world is more concerned
about retirement at an early age with a large nest egg; Christians are focused
on heaven and eternal life with God. Paul wrote simply: “We brought nothing
into this world and it is certain that we will carry nothing out.” (1 Tim.
6:7.)
Simple worship. When one reads the New Testament,
especially the Book of Acts, one is impressed with the simple manner of
worship. There were no preachers wearing special robes to distinguish them from
the other disciples. There is a noticeable absence of pomp and circumstance.
Trumpets were not blown; neither did the churches have $200,000 organs blasting
out musical tones. The poor and the rich worshipped together. The greatest in
the Kingdom was and is the servant, not the one who exalts himself above
others. Their worship consisted of singing, praying, reading the Scriptures,
partaking of the Lord’s Communion, giving and preaching.
If one desires to
restore New Testament worship today, one should strip back everything that is
extravagant, pompous, unnecessary, and all things which appeal to the flesh and
vanity of man. The emphasis should be upon sincerity, the heart, honoring God,
drawing attention to the cross, and seeking redemption in Christ. We should
seek the wisdom and will of God.
Cluttering our
lives with many things, whether at home or worship, distracts us from the
worship of God.