Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 11
May 21, 1959
NUMBER 3, PAGE 11a

The Rule Of Success

Norton Dye, Red Bluff, California

This article was prompted by a comment on Acts 1:8 from the pen of J. W. McGarvey, in his "New Commentary on Acts", pp. 6,7.

"One reason, suggested by the commentators in general for beginning in Jerusalem, was that he might be vindicated in the same city in which he was condemned; but the controlling reason was doubtless this: the most devout portion of the Jewish people, that portion which had been most favorably impressed by the preparatory preaching of John and Jesus, were always collected in Jerusalem at the great annual festivals, and hence a beginning could be made there with greater success than elsewhere. Next to these, the inhabitants of the rural districts of Judea were best prepared by the previous preaching; then the Samaritans, who had seen some of the miracles of Jesus, and last of all, Gentiles. This rule of success was made their guide from place to place, and it became the custom, even in heathen lands to preach "first to the Jew. and then to the Gentile." The result justified the rule, for the most signal triumph which the gospel ever achieved was in Jerusalem, and the most successful approach to the Gentiles in every country was through the Jewish synagogue." (emphasis mine — N.D.)

McGarvey was a Bible scholar surpassed by few. His commentary on Acts is properly regarded as one of the best in print. It is not my purpose to reflect upon either his scholarship or upon the value of his commentary as a whole.

However, I believe his statements, "The rule of success was made their guide . . . and it became the custom ... and the result justified the rule .. ", betray the kind of thinking which caused McGarvey and others of his day to accept the missionary society as the proper organization for worldwide evangelism They believed the missionary society was justified by "the rule of success", and once it was organized and began to function declared that "the results justified the rule."

Many brethren today are prone to think in terms of area-wide, state-wide, nation-wide and even world-wide organizations to do the work God ordained the churches of Christ to do. Their attempts to defend such brotherhood organizations have been largely centered around their claims of "success". They would have us believe that we should follow the "rule of success", and that "the result will justify the rule". This is the idea that the end will justify the means. It is this type of thinking that causes brethren to lose sight of our standard — the written word of God.

What Is The "Rule Of Success"?

Is it true that the apostles preached first in Jerusalem, then in Judea, then Samaria and finally to the uttermost parts of the earth — because "the rule of success" was made their guide?

In Acts 1:2,4, Luke tells us that before Jesus' ascension he gave commandment to the apostles and charged them not to depart from Jerusalem until they should receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. Then Jesus specified the exact order in which they were to be his witnesses — "both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8.)

Peter's second recorded sermon (to Jews in Jerusalem) declared in Acts 3:25f, "Ye are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Unto you first, God having raised up his Servant, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities." (emphasis mine — N. D.)

Saul of Tarsus was chosen to be an apostle to the Gentiles, yet he always preached to the Jews first. Why? Was he following "the rule of success", or was he following the commandments of the Lord?

Immediately after his baptism, Saul preached Jesus to the Jews in the synagogues of Damascus. (Acts 9:2022.) "But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me, even from my mother's womb, and called me through his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles; Straightway, I conferred not with flesh and blood." (Gal. 1:16.) Thus, Paul was guided by the Holy Spirit (as were the apostles in Jerusalem) to preach to the Jews first.

In Acts 13 we read of Paul's preaching in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia. Again he preached to the Jews first. On the second Sabbath the unbelieving Jews, being filled with jealousy, contradicted Paul's preaching and blasphemed. "And Paul and Barnabas spake out boldly, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us . . ." (emphasis mine — N. D.) Here, Paul was not taking human wisdom and "the rule of success" as his guide, but he was obeying what "the Lord commanded".

This is the only true and infallible "rule of success" — to do what "the Lord commanded." This must be our guide in all matters. It was the guide of inspired men of New Testament days.

Any departure from the commandments of the Lord today cannot be justified by calling attention to the supposed "success" of such a departure, and then declaring that "the result justifies the rule".

The only "rule of success" is obedience to the commandments of the Lord.