Bristol Conference 1964 (Apostasy) - Part 5 — William MacDonald

This morning for the blessed hope that is ours that the Savior is coming again, gathered with him eternally, sharing his love by glassy sea. O God, we pray thee that our lives might ever be lived in the consciousness and expectation of that soon coming.

Now we pray thee that thou wilt illuminate our hearts by the Holy Spirit as we turn to thy word again this morning. We pray thee that the seed planted in this way might bear a fruitful harvest in days to come.

We ask it in Christ's most holy name. Amen. I've been asked to say a word about some of the books that are in the, I think this is a trick. Some of the books that are in the bookstore, there's a good selection of books on the cult and this would provide very valuable background information in connection with Mr. Tatum's messages and especially what we heard last night.

Here's a book on love, courtship and marriage. Here's where the trick comes in. Here's one on how to get a husband. I'm sure they won't have enough in the bookstore, but you can place your order. I was also asked to say a word about this little booklet, Think of Your Future.

This booklet is designed especially for young people to preserve them from the tragedy of a wasted life. I'll never forget the thrill that I got this year at one of our prayer meetings, one of our dear young people in early morning prayer meeting, one of our dear young fellows was pouring out his heart to the Lord and he said, Lord, I don't want to become an expert in underwater basket weaving.

Well, that's what this is about. Think of your future. Don't become an expert in underwater basket weaving. Then I want to mention too a couple of the correspondence courses that are in the bookstore.

This is one of the newer courses. It's on 1 Corinthians and it's especially timely because of the current interest in the whole subject of tongues and gifts of the Spirit. I think we only have the one copy as of the present time, so first come first serve.

And then this is the latest book to come off the press, The Gospel of John, 34 lessons, sells for $4. I especially recommend this in connection with home Bible study classes. You know, when you try to gather your unsafe neighbors into your home to study the Word of God quietly together, almost the first book you would instinctively turn to would be The Gospel of John.

And this might form a good study outline. And incidentally, I don't know any more fruitful method of evangelism today than just gathering the unsafe neighbors in. You say, oh, I wouldn't be able to answer their questions.

Look, you know a lot more than they know, and there are very few questions they would ask at the outset that you wouldn't be able to answer. So we recommend this book, The Gospel of John. Take it as a correspondence course yourself first, and then use it with others.

I think you all know that when you complete a course, you get a credit card. When you complete 12 units, you get a certificate. And then when you complete 24 units, you get another certificate. One of our dear brethren here who has completed 25 courses asked me if I would share this with you as a way of keeping your certificates.

And I think it's excellent. I think we're going to do something about it when we get back to Oak Park. I don't think he'd mind my mentioning his name, Brother Elmer Lloyd. He's taken 25 courses, and here are the certificates.

Oh, I'm sorry. You come to the 12-unit certificate here, and you go along, come to the 24-unit diploma. But he didn't stop there. He's working toward his 48-unit diploma, too. Here are the 25 courses that have been taken.

There are others here who have taken quite a large number of courses, and it's really a thrill and an inspiration to see this interest in the study of the Word of God. If you'd like to see this afterwards, you'll be welcome to do it.

Peter’s Portrait of False Teachers

Now, shall we turn our Bibles this morning to 2 Peter, please? And we're going to begin reading with verse 10. 2 Peter 2, verse 10. I guess we'll have to go back to verse 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.

But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government, presumptuous are they, self-willed, they tremble, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignity. Whereas angels which are greater in power and might bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.

But these as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not, and shall utterly perish in their own corruption, and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the daytime.

Spots they are in blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceiving, while they feast with you. Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls, and heart they have exercised with covetous practices.

Cursed children, which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray following the way of Balaam, the son of Bosar, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but was rebuked for his iniquity. The dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbade the madness of the prophet.

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever. But when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh.

Through much wantonness, those that were clean escape from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption. For of whom a man is overcome of the same is he also brought into bondage.

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

For 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. But it has happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

The Religious Appearance of False Shepherds

I'm sure we can't read a passage of scripture like that without realizing, without sensing and feeling how very strong the language is. My heart was touched just now. I had been down in my room reading this, and I was impressed deeply with the seriousness of it, and with the view that God takes toward these men.

And then we sat up here and we're seeing that in, fairest of all the earth beside, chiefest of all unto thy bride, fulness divine in thee I see, wonderful man of Calvary. And I thought of the people that are today sitting under men like we've been reading of, and I thought of our privilege sitting under the ministry of the word of God and sharing fellowship with those who love and honor the Lord Jesus Christ.

I hope we're grateful in our hearts this morning to the Lord for what he has done for us. Well, it's easy in reading a chapter like this, it's so very strong to forget who the spirit of God is speaking about.

And so I think it's good to remind ourselves at the very outset that these men are prophet ministers of the gospel. These men are men who wear clerical garb. These men are men who, when you meet them first, they're very cultured, and they're very refined, and they're very gentlemanly.

In fact, as far as courtesy is concerned, they often put us to shame. And they can talk with you very, very pleasantly and very, very glibly. But there's one subject on which they really go off. You know, there are various forms of insanity where a person can talk to you quite intelligently about a number of things, but if you touch a certain subject, they just simply go off.

And that's the way with these people. They can talk with you about politics, they can talk with you about religious trends on the continent, or anything like that, but when it comes to the gospel of the grace of God, they go off.

They really go off. And so here these men are, prophet shepherds of the sheep, leading souls astray. And Peter is giving us a full-length portrait of them, and in verses 10 through 16 you have a description of their ungodly way.

Four Characteristics of False Teachers

Their ungodly way. There are four distinct things that are listed here. First of all, their defiance of constituted authority. Secondly, their carousing in the daytime. Thirdly, and very shockingly, sexual sin.

And fourthly, teaching for hire. Mercenary motives in so-called Christian work. Their ungodly way. Isn't that pathetic? Nothing about preaching the gospel, nothing about leading people on in the truths of the word of God.

These are the four things that characterize these latter-day false teachers. Now, we're at verse 9 had been speaking of the judgment of the Lord, which was reserved for these false teachers. We notice in this chapter that it says here in verse 9, to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.

They're reserved for punishment, and punishment is reserved for them. It's nice to remember that we are reserved for an inheritance, and an inheritance is reserved for us. In verse 10 I find that these men we're speaking about are a special class as far as the judgment of God is concerned.

It says, but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanliness. These men have a priority in the judgment of God, solemn as it may seem. These aren't the people down in Skid Row. These aren't the prostitutes and the harlots wandering around the red-light section of the city.

These are religious men, and we're going to see more about that as we go on. Notice that word chiefly. Chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness. And it says, and despise government.

Defiance of Authority and Rebellion Against God

And the word there is really despise dominion. Now the word of God is really wonderful. It says that in the last days these men would rise, and that one of the things that would characterize them would be a contempt for constituted authority.

And isn't it significant that within these last few years there have been certain subversive elements at work in our country, and they're often headed up by religious leaders? Isn't that interesting? Some time ago an investigation was made of communist-front organizations in this country, and they found many men connected with the National Council of Churches of Christ having definite connections with those communist-front organizations.

And these organizations are dedicated to the overthrow of the government, to subverting the government of our country. Well, here it is in the word of God. They despise dominion. They defy authority. Defy authority.

It says, presumptuous, daring are they, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at dignity. Now isn't that interesting? They tremble not to rail at dignity. What are dignities in this verse? Well, that word dignities may refer to God, it may refer to angelic beings, or it may refer to governmental authorities here on earth.

And these men apparently don't care. They speak blasphemously against God, they speak blasphemously against angelic beings, and they actively oppose human government. Now, the Bible teaches us that all society rests on a twofold basis, and that basis is authority and subjection.

There must be constituted and recognized authority, and there must be subjection and submission to that authority, otherwise you will have anarchy and chaos. And what these men are doing is directly contributing to a day when the country and the world will be plunged into that kind of condition.

Now it says, whereas angels which are greater in power and might bring not a railing accusation against them before the Lord. What it's saying is that these men, these religious leaders, are not afraid to act in a way that angels themselves wouldn't dare to act.

And we get a further commentary on that in Jude, verse 9. You might just turn to that. Jude, verse 9, it says,. Yet Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuketh.

Now, I can't tell you the details of this struggle over the body of Moses. I frankly don't know. But it says that Michael, the archangel, contended with the devil about the body of Moses, but he wouldn't bring against him a railing accusation.

He said, The Lord rebuketh. You know, this should speak to our hearts, too. In connection with our attitude toward governmental leaders, I feel that it's very easy for Christians to slip into the pattern of the world, and maybe if you're on the other side of the political fence, to actually say things that are, in a sense, railing against our presidents or our governors or those who are over us.

And we should be solemnly warned by these passages of Scripture that these powers that be are ordained of God, and that our responsibility is to pray for them. I will confess to you that when I received the news of the assassination of President Kennedy, the first emotion that swept over my soul was an emotion of extreme regret that I hadn't prayed for him more.

I had prayed for him, but not as much as I should have. And so we should be warned here not to speak evil of our governmental rulers. If Michael adopted that attitude toward the devil himself, how much more careful we should be toward those whom God has set over us.

The Brute Nature and Destruction of Apostate Leaders

Now, in verse 12, these men are likened to dumb animals. This is very, very striking. It says, these as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be destroyed.

And the best way to picture this, I think, is to see four-footed animals going on through its life. It's guided by instinct rather than by intelligent reasoning powers. And it's lunging forward, ever going forward to its slaughter.

And this is exactly what the Spirit of God likened these men to. A very, very solemn thing. Here are men who were created in the image of God, and whose God-appointed destiny was to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.

God's will for these men was that they might be trophies of his wonderful grace throughout all eternity. But these men came face to face with the knowledge of the true God, and they rejected him. They said no, and they turned their backs on him, howbeit they stayed in religious work.

And so now they're just going through life. Their doom awaits them. They're like animals going to the slaughter, and it's not a reasoning process that they're going through. They profess to have great knowledge, but they actually don't have true knowledge at all, the scripture says.

And that's a very strong expression in the latter part of the verse. It says, "...shall in their destroyings surely be destroyed.". How very sad. Their lives are dedicated to the destruction of souls, and in that terrible ministry in which they're engaged, they are dooming themselves to utter destruction.

The first part of verse 13, Phillips translates it like this. Very, very graphic. It says, "...their wickedness has earned them an evil end, and they will be paid in full.". Their wickedness has earned them an evil end, and they shall be paid in full.

It says, "...and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness.". Has they the talented pleasure to riot in the daytime? The second thing that Peter says of them is that they carouse in the daytime. You know, most people, most men do their carousing at night.

Men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. But when men start carousing in the daytime, it's an indication that they've thrown over the traces, that they've thrown over restraint, and they just don't care what people think about it.

Carousing and Corruption in Religious Leadership

And you're going to hardly think of this as being applicable to religious leaders today. Again, we had an interesting experience at the school this past year. There was a young man who was brought up in one of these liberal, modern churches, came into contact with some of our students, and he was led to the Lord.

As far as we've ever been able to determine, he really trusted the Lord Jesus, and it's gone on well for him. While his parents were furious, parents were furious. After all, they had always been members of this liberal church, and that's the way they wanted it.

Shortly after his conversion, they made quite a scene about it, and insisted that he go with them to a social in the church, an afternoon social in the church. And I suppose he had gone to those before, but it seemed altogether different to him now, because he went into the church parlor, and there were the people drinking heavily, and the rector over in one corner telling dirty jokes to a group of women.

And that's what the Scripture's talking about here. That's exactly what the Bible's talking about. And I'll tell you, it makes it rather shocking when you bring it down to the age in which we live. You look at those stately Gothic edifices, and you say, it must be a good church, it has such nice architecture.

But you don't know the corruption that lies within. Peter says that there are blots and blemishes on the church, on the professing church. In other words, they sit with the people at the love feast, is what it says in the Revised Version.

They're there sitting at the love feast, and putting on an outward show, and yet all the time they're undermining the faith and morals of the people who are sitting there. They count it pleasure to riot in the daytime, spots they are in blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you.

They delight in corrupting the people they're with. Isn't that a strange thing about the sinful, perverted heart of man, that he's not just satisfied to engage these things for himself, but he's never satisfied until he leads others on in it?

And it says that same thing in the latter part of Romans, a very interesting picture of man in his fallen condition. Romans chapter 1 says they not only, verse 32, who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

They're not content just to do them themselves, but take utmost delight in those that do them. Then the next thing that Peter mentions here is sexual sin. Sexual sin, it says, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin.

Sexual Sin and the Seduction of Unstable Souls

It's a terrible thing, isn't it? A terrible thing. Professed shepherds of the sheep and their eyes constantly on the alert for sin. Says that what it really says here is that they have a seemingly endless capacity for sin.

They lure others into immorality. It says, enticing unsteadfast soul, beguiling unstable soul. Mind you, these people were brought up with a certain measure of moral standards. They used to think that these things were wrong, and now they come and the minister gives it an approving nod.

And they think, well, if he thinks it's all right, it must be all right for me. If it's all right for him, then I can engage in it with safety. That's just what it's teaching here. And then the next thing that Peter says about these men is that their hearts are schooled in greed of all kinds.

It says, and hearts they have exercised with covetous practices. Schooled in greed. And that could refer to greed for money, but more probably greed for the gratification of bodily appetites. And then he closes the verse and says, cursed children.

Accursed children. That is, children who will yet experience the awful curse of God. And then the fourth thing that Peter speaks about them is how they teach for hire, like Balaam. These men have entered the ministry as a lucrative profession.

If you took the money away from them, they fade from the scene. And you know, I think that's a very searching thing. Sometimes I wonder how much of Christendom would continue today if somehow you could take the dollar out of it.

Mercenary Motives and the Example of Balaam

You know, we become so used to things, but you ought to take a Christian magazine sometime and just look through the advertisements of that Christian magazine. And you'd get an awful shock, if you begin to think about it, to how mercenary Christian activity has become.

You know, there are organizations that you can hire to raise money for your church. They have clever ways of doing it. Organizations contacting us at the school all the time, ready to raise millions of dollars for the school.

Of course, they get their cut. They have ways of going about it. And I want to tell you, from a worldly standpoint, it's very, very clever. It's sad to say the professing church today has been corrupted with mercenary greed, and it's entered into almost every aspect of church life.

Well, it says that of these men, that they have forsaken the right way. Incidentally, what's the right way? Well, the Lord Jesus Christ is the right way, isn't he? Christ is the right way. And it does tell us that they came face to face with him, and they had a choice to make, and they made the choice against him.

And then it compares them to Balaam in the Old Testament. Balaam was a Midianite prophet who was hired by the king of Moab to curse Israel. And the reward was going to be great. He tried several times to curse Israel, but God prevented him from doing it.

And instead of cursing Israel, he had to bless them. So finally, he went to the king of Moab, and he said, I know what you want to do. He said, just get the daughters of Moab to seduce the men of Israel, and lead them off into immorality.

And that's exactly what happened. And Israel fell to the sin of immorality with the daughters of Moab, and were given over to idolatry. Now, the interesting thing to me is, if you go back to the Old Testament and read about Balaam, you'd think he was a sincere, pious fellow.

You really would. Mind you, he said some awfully good things. God made him say them. And you don't at all get the idea of Balaam back in the Old Testament that you get here in Peter's epistle. Notice what Peter says of him, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Bozer, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but was rebuked for his own iniquity, the dumbass speaking with man's voice, forbear the madness of the flock.

One day he set out with his ass to curse Israel. At least that was the intention of his heart. And the angel of the Lord stood in the way before them. The angel of the Lord was the Lord Jesus Christ in a pre-incarnate appearance.

And the ass saw the angel of the Lord and wouldn't go on. And three times Balaam beat the ass in order to go on. And finally the ass turned around and spoke to him with a voice of anger. He said, what are you beating me for like that?

He said, haven't I always done what you wanted me to do? Haven't I been faithful to you? And then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes and he saw the angel of the Lord standing there. And do you know what that speaks to me of?

That these men had face-to-face encounters with the Lord. These men fought against their own consciences. It wasn't that they didn't have opportunity. I see in this illustration great wrestling matches between these men and the Christ of God.

And they finally yielded to the voice of the evil one and turned their backs on the Son of God. Now God doesn't rebuke these modernistic preachers today with a dumb ass. But he often does with sincere Christian believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And it's a wonderful thing to me how oftentimes an unschooled, untrained Christian can go up to some of these modernists and liberals and by quoting a simple verse of scripture, completely put them to rout.

Very disturbing for these men and they usually show their true colors. Happening all the time. We have a dear friend up north who had been a member of the most prominent social church in his community for many years.

And one day he asked an atheist to go to that church with him. And the atheist said to him, huh, he said, why should I go with you? Your life is no different than mine. And you know, the Lord used that.

The Lord used that and that fellow went into conviction of sin. The Lord sent somebody along to witness to him of the saving grace of God. And he was gloriously saved. You know, one Sunday he went back to the old church and a certain doctor whom I could name, but he was from the local seminary, was there preaching that day.

And Paul knew him very well. And after the meeting, Paul went up to him and he said, he said, doctor, now you were telling all of these people today that they're Christian people. And that's what he had been saying.

He'd been preaching them, you're all dear Christians. You wouldn't be here if you weren't Christian people, you know. And he even had them in the covenant and all the rest. And the doctor said, yeah, that's right.

And he said, doctor, he said, I used to go out and get drunk with these people on Saturday night. But the doctor said to him, not so loud, Paul, let's go into the Now that actually happened. And I say it's a thrill to me when, when a simple young believer filled with joy in the Lord can go up to these men.

And that wasn't all that Paul said to him and, and rebuked them. These men don't go through life unworn and unrebuked, but they turn their backs on the son of God. Then in verses 17 through 19, you have the deceitful way in which they capture followers.

Empty Wells and Deceitful Promises of Liberty

Notice what it says, verse 17, these are wells without water. What does that mean? Well, when you go to a well, you're going looking for refreshment and these are wells and you go to them looking for refreshment and you don't get any.

You're disappointed. It was one time I was in Western Illinois and I thought I'd go to one of the local churches to see if I could hear Christ honored and exalted. And I looked at the bulletin board of one of those churches.

Well, it looked fairly good. There was a scripture verse on it. So I went in and he took out his stick that morning. I am the door by me. If any man enter in, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find passion.

He said, dear friends, he said, we enter life by the door of first that we leave life by the door of death. And all along the corridor of life, there are various doors. He said, there's a door of opportunity.

There's a door of service to your fellow men. There's a door of this and the door of that. And he came to the end of the message and he had never once mentioned the Lord Jesus Christ. Never once. When we were going out the door, a dear old man whom I believe was a true believer came up to me and he said, how did you enjoy the message?

And you know, I couldn't say anything. And he broke the silence and he said, I love that hymn we sang, what a friend we have in Jesus. It was kind of a disconnected conversation. But my point is, wells without water, people going looking for bread, and they got a stone.

They really got a stone that one. If they had gone into that place unsaved, they left it unsaved too. Incidentally, the only other hymn they sang was, Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep from which none other wakes to weep.

And the only thing wrong with it was that they put the word in Jesus. But sound asleep. Sound asleep. Then it says, mists driven by the storm. Here the sky becomes misty. Maybe the land has been parched.

There's a drought in the land. And all of a sudden, a mist appears. And the people, their hopes are raised and they think, wonderful, we're going to get some moisture for the land and for the vegetation.

And then a great wind comes and just sweeps the mist away. Well, that's what the Spirit of God likens these men. And then I'd like you to notice that expression. I think it's one of the most illustrative expressions in this whole chapter.

It says, When they speak great swelling words of vanity. I'll tell you that's something. These men really have a vocabulary at their command. They're not lost for words. They can really hold the audience in the palm of their hands as far as speaking great swelling words.

But listen, words, words, words. And when they get all through, what have they said? Nothing but a bunch of sweet nothings. There's no body to it. There's no substance to it. There's nothing that satisfies man's spirit.

And so the Word of God is so very wonderful when they speak great swelling words of vanity. And it says, They allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were a clean escape from them who live in error.

Now, what does that mean? Well, dear friends, it means this, and I think this is very, very certain. It says that here's a man, and he had no church connections, and he was getting down and down and down and drink, let's say.

He was really getting bad. He was disgusted with himself. And maybe he heard Billy Graham or Charlie Fuller or Dr. D. Heine on the radio, and the Spirit of God spoke to him as he heard the message. And he thought, Boy, I've really got to clean up my life.

And so he decides to go to church. But instead of going to a Bible-believing church, he goes to one of these churches such as we're reading about today. Now, he wants to reform. He wants to turn over a new leaf.

And he goes to that church. And what does he find? He finds them doing in the church parlor the very thing he's trying to get away from. But the deceitful part of it is this, that up until now, he thought it was wrong, and now he finds out it's religious.

He thought it was something he should avoid, and now he sees a minister doing it. And instead of being helped, the man is stumbled, and stumbled in many cases forever. Isn't that what it says in this verse?

For when they speak great, swelling words of envy, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escape from them who live in error. Maybe this man has gone down in the sin of immorality, and he comes to the church.

He comes to the church. And I almost hesitate to say this in public, but it's true just the same. He hears these men condoning premarital relations and the weekend exchange of wives. And if you think that doesn't go on in Protestant churches, I'd like to say today it does.

But that's exactly what the Bible is saying. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption, for of whom a man is overcome of the same as he also brought into power. They say, we're going to lead you in a life of liberty.

What they mean is liberty to sin. What they mean is liberty to do as you please. What they mean is liberty to choose the road down to hell. Deceitful capture of people. And you know, I think one of the most deceitful things going on today is how these men use the word disease in connection with sin.

Have you noticed that? Sin is no longer something for which man is morally responsible. Sin is a disease today. And mind you, that's common in Christian circles, in fundamental Christian circles. But I want to tell you today, if sin is a disease, it's a disease for which God is going to send men to hell.

And I don't go along with this new psychiatry and new psychology that would lift the blame of sin from the shoulders of man on the pretext that it's just a disease. God knows what he's doing. God isn't punishing men for disease over which they have no control.

There are victims, men who have barely escaped from the world, and down, down they go. Of course, these people were never born again. I think that's clear to all. Then in verses 20 through 22, you have the sad end of these victims.

The Sad End of Those Who Turn Back

It says, if after they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the first.

What does that mean? Well, it's my friend who heard Billy Graham on the radio, and perhaps he was awakened to an extent, and he went to this church. And what you see, the latter end of the picture, the last photochrome slide is that he's down lower than he ever was before.

He's sunk to lower depths than he ever did before. It says, 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.

Privilege brings responsibility in the spiritual life, in spiritual things. And the more a man knows, the more obligated he is. It's better never to have known the gospel than having known it to go back to the world.