(Kent Heaton)
It was a hot day when the stranger came to town. If it had not been for a soft breeze blowing out of the East, the walk down the road would have been almost too much for the man and his Bible. As he came upon a house with a white picket fence gracefully enclosing a sea of flowers, he spotted a man sitting upon his porch, reading the newspaper and sipping cool lemonade. He approached the man and asks if he may join him. "Come ahead, my friend," replied the man. "Come out of the hot day sun and enjoy a refreshment of cool lemonade." The man gladly rested his tired feet in the shade of the porch, drawing slowly upon each drink.
"My, what a hot day it is today," said the stranger. "Indeed," the man replied, "it is one of the hottest days we have had in a while. What brings you out to our fair town on such a hot day?" The stranger told him how that he was walking about town sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those who would listen. He talked to the barber downtown and a few people in the drug store. Everyone seemed satisfied with their "religion" and spoke often of the church where they attended. The stranger told the man he had never heard of the church everyone spoke of. It was an unusual church named, "The Church Of Two Plus Two Equals Five."
To the stranger’s surprise, the man said he was also a member as well as his family and their family before them. It was a very large church located in the center of town. Most of the townsfolk attended "The Church Of Two Plus Two Equals Five." When asked what the basic tenets of belief were of this church, the man told the stranger that those who were members of this church believed that two plus two equaled five.
He recalled as a little boy how his parents would take him to church every Sunday and the preacher would show in great detail how that when a person needed to be saved, they only had to follow the divine plan of God and believe that two plus two equals five. All the children were taught this by very capable teachers who said that this was the word of God. His parents were very devout members of "The Church Of Two Plus Two Equals Five." In fact, the man told the stranger that his family had been members of this church for as long as he could remember.
The man told the stranger that he and his wife had been married by the preacher of "The Church Of Two Plus Two Equals Five," and what a great man their preacher was. He added that his wife had not always been a member of "The Church Of Two Plus Two Equals Five." She had been raised in "The Church Of Two Plus Two Equals Seven," but because they were all united in the cause of Christ, she joined "The Church Of Two Plus Two Equals Five." It didn't matter that his wife's family believed in the "Seven Doctrine" and he believed in the "Five Doctrine." "We are all going the same way, right?" asked the man.
The stranger put down his glass of cool lemonade and after wiping the hot perspiration from his face, began to talk with the man about the "Church Of Two Plus Two Equals Five." He said, "Friend, I see that you are a religious man and care deeply for the cause of Christ. You seem to be one who loves the Lord and seeks the benevolent care of others. I thank you for the refreshment on this hot day."
He then began to talk to the man about the importance of understanding the meaning of two plus two. If there was going to be agreement on the doctrine of two plus two, they must agree to the same authority. The man immediately gave his approval of the word of God as the guide for the doctrine of two plus two. He believed the word of God was sure on the subject of two plus two.
The stranger continued to show how that all men must come to the belief of what two plus two equals. Since the word of God is the only way that two plus two could be understood, the stranger opened his Bible and began to read numerous passages that taught on the subject of two plus two.
From the writings of Paul and Luke's account of the history of the early church, the stranger turned page after page showing the pattern of two plus two. He showed the essential nature of two and how the early disciples took the commission of Jesus and taught all men the doctrine of two plus two. As he continued, the stranger began to show the man that from the word of God, two plus two equaled one. This was a surprise to the man as he sat on his porch in the hot sun, sipping cool lemonade.
He looked at the stranger and wondered what kind of new doctrine he had brought to his house. Where could this man be from that believed that two plus two equals four? The man said to the stranger, "Friend, I see that you are a 'Four Doctrine' man. What you are telling me is that if I do not believe that two plus two equals four, that I cannot be saved?" The stranger replied, "Yes, the Bible teaches that two plus two equals four. It does not teach that it equals five nor does it teach it equals seven or any other number."
The man sat back in his chair and thought for a moment. "Well," he began, "I have believed that two plus two equals five all my life and my parents believe that and now my wife does. How can you sit there and tell me that I am wrong for what I believe? Two plus two equals five, friend." "No," the man gently replied, "the Bible teaches that two plus two equals four." He then turned in his Bible and read a number of passages that plainly showed that two plus two equals four.
"But I cannot believe that. My preacher has been telling us for years that two plus two equals five. My children have been taught that. I don't read the Bible that much but I know it is in there." The man argued. "Why, just a month ago, we had a great revival down at 'The Church Of Two Plus Two Equals Five,' and 27 people came forward and accepted the teaching of two plus two equals five. They are religious people, devout people and now they are saved. How can you say we are wrong because we believe that two plus two equals five?"
Again, the stranger opened the book and showed the man where God said that two plus two equals four. As he talked, he pulled out some apples he had in a bag to illustrate the doctrine of two plus two. The stranger placed two apples on the railing of the porch and asked the man how many apples were there. "Two," replied the man. The stranger then placed two more apples on the railing, again asking how many he had placed on the rail. "Two," was the answer of the man. The stranger then asked the man the number of apples on the railing of the porch. "Well, I see there are four apples there but my mother and father taught me that two plus two equals five."
For the next several hours, they discussed the doctrine of "Five" and the doctrine of "Seven" (his wife's family) and the doctrine of "Four." The stranger used many passages to show that in every case of conversion in the New Testament, two plus two equaled four. The man appealed to Romans 10 where it said that a person could be saved by just believing in two alone. Again, the stranger would take the time and illustrate the purpose of two plus two and that when the word of God is taken in its simple form, two plus two can only equal four.
As the shades of night began to fall upon the heated debate that hot summer day, the man finally admitted the word of God taught the doctrine of "Four." However, he added, "How can I give up on what my parents have taught me? I have believed in the doctrine of 'Five' all my life. We attend that fine church downtown and the preacher just would not understand how I could say he was wrong about the doctrine of 'Five." There are so many good people who go to church down there."
"And what about my wife," the man asked, "and how much she loves going to that church?" The man insisted his wife would never understand the doctrine of "Four" and that he could not hurt his wife by telling her the doctrine of "Seven" was wrong also. The man insisted that he could not change his belief. "Two plus two has meant five all my life," he said.
The stranger gathered up his apples and placed them back in the bag. Taking one more sip of the lemonade, he thanked the man for his kindness. He picked up his Bible and sticking it under his arm, made his way down the path to the road. The man waved good-bye as the stranger walked down the road. He thought to himself how the stranger had made a very good argument about what the will of God said but how could he change now? Shaking his head, he turned and went into his house, never to see the stranger again.
That Sunday as the preacher was finishing up his lesson for the morning, the man thought about the stranger and what they talked about that day. He listened while his preacher told everyone that to be saved, one could believe that two plus two equals five. He thought within himself how the stranger had shown that that was not true. "Oh well," he whispered to himself. "We are all going the same way anyway, right?" [Based on an illustration used by Bob Dickey in a sermon May 2002]
It is easy to understand in the world of mathematics certain laws are in place that cannot be changed. The laws of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are constant. As we began school, we learned the law of addition and these held true for all of test. Whenever we were asked for the answer of two plus two, the only answer accepted by the teacher was four. We never questioned that.
Why is it in the world of religion that nothing is absolute in regard to salvation? Jesus said in Mark 16:15-16, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." The disciples believed the words of Jesus and went everywhere teaching the commandments of Christ.
Luke records the early history of the church and with each conversion recorded - baptism was necessary. The deception of Satan is the cause for which men reject the plain teaching of God for their own doctrines. No matter how hard they try, nothing will ever change what Jesus said in Mark 16:15,16, Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:44-49 and by the example of His own baptism.
Every case of conversion in the New Testament is concluded with baptism. The New Testament writers affirmed the teaching of Jesus and the example of the early church as being from God. Until those in the religious world deny their own teaching and accept the pure word of God - salvation is not secured. The law of addition is: 2 + 2 = 4. It will never change. The law of salvation is found in the concluding act of obedience in the washing away of sins - in baptism. This too will never change!