Shall the People have the Truth?

“ Sha���� t���� P��o��l�� H����e ��h�� T������h?”

Dr. J. H. Hamblen ~ 1947

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

“Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth.” (Galatians 4:16)

Do we really want the truth? Or shall we go blindly on ‘til the designing Modernists rob our youth of their faith in the Bible as the inspired Word of God? We must answer this question here and now, or meet the penalty of our neglect at the judgment bar of God.

Th e real battle of Christianity today is whether the Bible is the infallible Word of God, or merely contains the Truth of God. Th e two groups at variance with each other over this question are members of the church, and are known as Fundamentalists and Modernists. What is the real diff erence between them?

Th e Modernist believes that the Bible [merely] contains the Word of God; but denies in whole or in part the following Bible teachings:

FIRST: Th e Bible account of Creation and the Fall of man.

SECOND: Th e Diving Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures (claiming that much of the Bible is Myth and Legend.)

THIRD: Th e Virgin birth, Deity of Jesus, and His place as Second Person in the Triune Godhead.

FOURTH: Th e Miracles of the Bible.

FIFTH: Th e Blood Atonement, and full salvation of man through sanctifi cation by the Holy Ghost.

SIXTH: Th e Bodily Resurrection of Jesus.

SEVENTH: Th e Second Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Th e Fundamentalist believes in the plenary inspiration of the Bible - - that every word, verse, and chapter therein is the inspired Word of God. [Th ey believe] in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, [that He was indeed] conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of a Virgin, [and] that He redeemed us by shedding His precious blood on the Cross of Calvary. We [Fundamentalists] believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave; that He alone can save our souls from death and hell. We believe in a real Heaven of eternal bliss, and a real Hell of eternal punishment. We believe in a full and complete salvation from sin by faith alone in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Finally, we believe that a Spirit-born, and a Spirit-fi lled life is God’s will for His children in this world.

“What can we do?” is on the lips of thousands of anxiously concerned people of our great country. Some say, “Stay in the [Old Methodist] Church, and [strive to] bring back the ‘Faith of our Fathers.’” But … how can you hope for reformation in the Church so long as its leaders are sold out to [Modernism]? In Luke 6:39, Jesus said, “If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch together.” [Th is is still true.] With the plain facts before us, how can we continue to support, with our money and our infl uence, a church that continues to preach, teach, and practice Modernist doctrine?

A large group of preachers and laymen of the country [have become convinced that they] should “follow the plain Word of God, and come out from among the opposing group.” Accordingly, we believe that God has raised up the Evangelical Methodist Church to take care of the people who are tired and sick at heart on account of Modernism and its practices, and with so much needless formality in the Church. [We also believe that] the teachings of Fundamentalist principles as laid down in the Evangelical Methodist Church doctrine will be the means of saving lost souls that would never fi nd God in the Modernistic church.

Are we willing to pay the price of our earnest, honest convictions? Or shall we compromise, and lose God’s favor? May God give us wisdom and grace to do His Holy Will.

J.H. Hamblen (1877-1971) is the founding pastor of the EMC and the fi rst General Superintendent.