There are those who are comfortable with stating
that we are only Christians but become rather squeamish when it
is also stated that we are the only Christians. This great book
from the late Thomas Warren addresses this vital subject. In the
words of Thomas Warren, "Such people seem to hold that while
it is a mark of humility to say that members of the church of
Christ are Christians only, it is evidence of self-righteousness
and arrogance to say that they are the only Christians. But it
is neither self-righteous nor arrogant to point out that members
of the church for which Jesus died are Christians only and the
only Christians. This is the case because the Bible clearly teaches
such."
The book starts out with Jesus' love for those
who love and obey the truth. It then proceeds to establish that
the Bible is the standard and the only guide to salvation. It
discusses Bible authority, how it is ascertained, and deals with
two basic extremes in relation to Bible authority and the fallacies
of bothliberalism and anti-ism. I greatly appreciate Warren's
point in reference to inference. He prefers to refer to this concept
in a different manner, stating we are bound because God implied
an action: "The crucial question is: 'Has Godin the New Testamentimplied
it?' The question is not: 'Has Joe Jones, Bill Smith, or Tom Warren
inferred it?'" This distinction is important for us to understand
as it relates to Bible authority.
The book explains that one cannot claim to be
baptized into Christ while believing he was already saved prior
to baptism. The book explains the law of inclusion and exclusion
as it relates to the church. It presents very effective charts
to illustrate the Bible is the seed which will produce a consistent
fruitNew Testament Christians. It stresses that God is looking
for militant faithfulness to His word and the church. Warren also
deals with the Christian unity that Jesus prayed and died for,
not the union of false teachings as espoused by the ecumenical
movement to tie various denominations together. Thomas Warren
points out that "The church ... was not merely a social club,
not merely a church among many other equally valuable churchesbut
that the church (like the Gospel) was (is) unique among all religious
bodies."
One should not be ashamed of the implication stating
the Bible makes the only Christians; the alternative is impossible
since one cannot obey God correctly while following the Scriptures
incorrectly. This book provides a very logical, structured case
for these great truths.
Thomas Warren was a very capable Bible scholar.
He was chairman of the Bible department at Freed-Hardeman College
from 1964-1971 and professor of apologetics at Harding Graduate
School of Religion from 1971 to 1979. He was the founder of the
Spiritual Sword and served as its editor from 1969 to 1989. He
entered into debates with some of Christianity's current critics
and defended the truth. Thankfully, he produced numerous articles
and books that are still available for us to obtain and read.
I am in the process of obtaining all of his books for my personal
library since I have been so impressed with the depth of this
man's knowledge and presentation of the truth. Indeed, he was
a great leader among churches of Christ and defender of New Testament
Christianity. Thomas Warren died on August 8, 2000 at the age
of 80. -29 Flora Drive, Bedford, OH 44146-2011. DRKenney@email.com
For previous book reviews, visit www.streetsborochurch.org