LivingIn Perilous Times
Even a casual look around in our society will causeone to wonder, "Whatever happened to common decency?" What has happened to our sense of shame? Yet,we are not the only generation to ask these kind ofquestions. Even Christ and his apostles lived in peril
ous times and made it clear that we all will live in a
continual age of conflict between good and evil.
No passage better describes the indecency of theworld, the cause and the answer to the problem than 2Timothy 3. In the first verse Paul said, "But know this,that in the last days perilous times will come. "
The word translated "perilous" is only used twice inthe New Testament. It is translated "fierce" in Matt.
8: 28. The ASV translates it "grievous" in our text. Itdescribes a pathetic period of evil — difficult or troublesome times for the people of God.
In this chapter will we see the characteristics of theperilous times, how they are promoted, how Paul conducted himself in the midst of trying times and theanswer to the problem.
I. Characteristics Of The Perilous Times (vs. 2-5)
A. Emphasis on self{v. 2). When men are "lovers ofthemselves" they are not really concerned with othersor even God. Their only interest is in what they wantand what makes them happy. Humanism tells us that'sthe way it ought to be. Man should be his own God. Thischaracteristic is the basis and foundation for the rest of the traits in the context.
B. Greedy (v. 2). Being a "lover of money" (NJKV) or"covetous" (KJV) is a sign of one's selfishness. This isone reason we have the filth and obscenity on the movieand television screens. The bottom line is what kind of movie or show makes the most money.
The one who loves money is swallowed by materialism. Money and material things become the priority inlife.
C. Arrogant (vs 2, 4). There are three terms used inthis context to describe their arrogance. The "boasters"are those who make more of themselves then they reallyare. The "proud" looks down his nose at others. The"haughty" is one who is inflated with pride. He is a know-it-all.
D. Disrespectful (vs 2, 3). There are six references tothe irreverence of those who make the times perilous. (1)Some will be "blasphemers" (v. 2). They speak evil ofothers, insult and criticize. (2) Many young people will be"disobedient to parents" (v. 2). When children developthe practice of showing little or no respect to theirparents by talking back or flatly disobeying them, we are in troublesome times. (3) Others will be "unthankful" (v.2) or ingrates. They show no appreciation for the thingsthat others do for them. (4) Some will be "slanderers" (v. 3) who falsely accuse others to the ruin of their reputation. (5) Many will be "despisers of good" (v. 3). Theyhave no respect for that which is good or those that standfor it. One reason that the filth and indecency is tolerated by so many people is that they have little or no appreciation for moral and Biblical principals or those whoadvocate them. (6) Many are "unloving" (v. 3) or "without natural affection" (KJV). This natural love is thekind of love that a parent has for a child or a child for theparent. J. W. Shepherd suggests in his commentary thatthis is common to every class of brutes. When we reach the point that we have no natural love or feeling thenabortion, euthanasia, physical, emotional and sexualabuse follows. This is the very reason that many parentsare put into nursing homes to be forgotten by theirchildren.
E. Unrestrained (vs. 2, 3, 4). (1) Some live "withoutself-control" (v. 3). They allow their drives and passionsto run wild and unbridled. (2) "Brutal" (v. 3) also de- scribes an unrestrained life. The brutal are untamed and "fierce" (KJV). (3) The "unholy" (v. 2) engage in allforms of sin. They do not try to maintain a sense ofpurity. (4) The "headstrong" (v. 4) acts without wisdomor thought. He proceeds carelessly into whatever activity he wants.
F. Can't be trusted (vs. 3, 4). (1) Some are "unforgiving" (v. 3) or "irreconcilable" (NKJV footnote). Youcannot get along with this person. He will not honestlyresolve any differences. The KJV uses the term "trucebreakers" which gives the idea of one whose word meansnothing. (2) "Traitors" (v. 4) are those who turn their backs on others.
G. Thrill seekers (v. 4). There will be those who are "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God". They willseek things that a sensual. All they care about is theenjoyment, the thrill and the fun. No regard is given toGod and his word. That's why people drink, smoke pot, shoot drugs into their bloodstream, go to X-rated movies, listen to filthy music and engage in all forms ofsexual perversions.
H. Have an outward form of godliness (v. 5). Eventhough many will care nothing about God and evenlooking like they care about spiritual things, there willbe some who will pretend to be godly despite theirindecency. The Bible calls these people hypocrites.
Paul plainly tells us how we ought to deal with the people who live by the principles listed above. "And fromsuch people turn away" (v. 5)! We cannot afford toparticipate in sin with them. Our only choice is to rebukethem and turn from them (1 Cor. 15: 33; 2 Cor. 6: 1417; Eph. 5: 11).
We sometimes think that our society is worse thanany society before us. However, a little reflection uponthe Bible will tell us otherwise. Do you remember thatGod had to destroy the whole world (saving only eightpeople) because of sin (Gen. 6)? Do you remember thatGod destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because they were given to sexual perversion (Gen. 19)? Do you remember that in the days of the Judges "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21: 25)? Do you recall the disgusting description that Paul gave ofthe Gentile world when men were having sex with menand women with women (Rom. 1)? Do you rememberhow wicked the Corinthians were before they obeyed the gospel (1 Cor. 6: 9-11)?
Paul Harvey once said, "In times like these, it helpsto recall that there have always been times like these" (Los Angeles Times Syndicate).
II. How Evil Men Advance
And Promote TheseTimes (vs. 6-9)
A. They work privately (v. 6). They "creep into" housesslowly and silently. More will be accomplished by working privately, undercover and planting the seeds slowlythan using other methods. Subtle efforts are very successful.
B. They prey on the unlearned and immature (v. 6).They lead away the "gullible"—those who are easily impressed. The humanist well recognize this strategy forthey start in early grades in school.
C. They prey on those interested in the novel (v. 7).They are always learning, yet never able to come to aknowledge of the truth. They want something new (Acts
17: 21).
III. Paul's Conduct In the
Midst Of Ungodliness (vs. 10-13)
Paul draws a contrast in the life he described in vs. 25 and his own. He tells Timothy that his example should be followed. He speaks of his manner of life, faith,patience and endurance of persecutions. If Paul couldlive godly in the midst of perilous times, then so couldTimothy and you and me. The indecency around us is noexcuse for our own indecency.
IV. Continue In TheTruth (vs. 14-17)
A. Paul tells Timothy to remain in the truth that he had been taught from a child (vs. 14-15). No matter whatthe rest of the world is doing, that doesn't change our standard.
B. The reason that the times are perilous is that men have resisted the truth (v. 8).
C. Therefore, the answer and remedy is to turn men back to the truth. That is the point of vs. 16-17 in the context. Paul is not just telling us that the word of Godis inspired. His point is that the inspired word is designed to reprove and rebuke and turn perilous men into godly men. The answer to every one of the problemsdealt with in this special is to turn back to the Bible.
Today
Today we are surrounded by the same kind of indecency that Paul and Timothy were more than 1900 yearsago. We wonder how much worse the movie and television industry can become. Today's music leaves little to the imagination. The sexual perverts are coming out of
(Continued on page 7)
Humanism — The Heart Of The Problem
Conduct develops from concept. "As a man thinkethin his heart so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). The best of men liveaccording to what they think. The basest of men live asthey think. No man lives without a standard whichdetermines his life-style. Morality or rightness is determined by one's set of mind.
To control a nation it is unnecessary to capture theentire citizenry. It is only necessary to conquer thegovernment. So, to control one's conduct it is only necessary to capture one's mind.
No man lives precisely as his mind tells him — neither the noble or the ignoble man. Temporarily one'sthinking may be affected by any number of things: asituation, associates or the general attitude of a culture.Finally, each man is brought back to taw by what hethinks; or else he changes his thinking.
One's state of mind is the result of learning. Inreference to moral education there are only two choices:God or man. "But my people harken not to my voice: andIsrael would none of me. So I let them go after thestubbornness of their heart, that they might walk intheir own counsels" (Ps. 81:11, 12). The theist, theChristian, believes that he is made in God's image andaccepts the conclusion that all moral conduct springsfrom that fact. His circumstances of living is measuredby that truth.
On the other side is Humanism. The Humanist does not believe that he is his own creator but he does believe that he controls his destiny and determines his own lifestyle.
These two views are irreconcilable, as much as fleshand spirit, light and darkness, God and idols (Gal.5:16ff). Each necessarily produces opposite conclusions absolute and unchanging holiness of God. The measure or standard of holy living is not the practice of Christians; it is the character of God. This mistake is an easyone to make.
Obscenity, indecency, coarseness and abusivenessare determined by the righteousness of God; not by laws,customs and practices of brethren. For example, modestapparel is measured by "godliness" (I Tim. 2: 9, 10)rather than the accepted appearance of Christians.Coarse language is not judged by the accepted speech ofsaints. To hold up as an ensign the life-style of Christians of any age is to raise a fallible standard which isdoomed to defeat and will fail in its purpose. Let uspreach the Truth; not our view of it. Let us declare the holiness of God and not the life-style of believers.
Deployment
Slowly and steadily Humanism has exercised itsinfluence upon mankind. It is a virulent and slow evil.Like cancer, often it has done its deadly work before it isdetected. Humanistic morality in its earliest stagesoften appears harmless.
To accomplish its ends Humanism has employedthree modern conditioners: entertainment, educationand environment. No Christian is beyond the influenceof these three conditioners. A "conditioner" is an influence which causes something to become manageabletoward a certain end. Hair conditioner manages one'shair so that the comb can do its work. Body conditioninginfluences muscles to become adept in running, hittingthe ball and scoring points.
Entertainment conditions the part of the mind which is easier to influence: the desires. Modern science fiction movies, such as "E. T." and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", subtly and surely make plausible thetheory of Evolution. Television has gone a long way inmaking Biblical morality appear ridiculous. The rightness of marriage before living together is portrayed asabsurd. The life-style of many Christians has been compromised by this powerful conditioner.
To make changes in our living, most of us need some"reason" to justify the change. Humanistic educationhas conditioned Christians intellectually to move theirmoral guide lines. It is one thing to adjust the application of a principle; it is another thing to change theprinciple. As people well aware of the great benefits ofeducation many brethren have become susceptible toHumanistic education without knowing it. Humanismis not amoral; it is a morality which frees man fromBiblical morality and permits him, in a given situation,to determine his own principles. "Let this sink into yourears." "... much of our moral freedom is good: it is pleasant to be relieved of theological terrors, to enjoy without qualm the pleasures that harm neither others nor ourselves, and to feel the tang of the open air upon ourliberated flesh" (Lessons from History, Will Durant,
p. 42).
Many Christians ignore the fact that most of America's education is either thorough going Humanism or,at least, the majority of modern teachers have been fundamentally influenced by it. Humanism presents a reason for doing as one pleases. The Bible presents a reason for doing what pleases God.
Environment conditions the will of a person. Environment is the total circumstances of one's societal living.Each of us is highly susceptible to the influence of thegroup. "Everyone does it" has long been an excuse forchanging moral action. The will to resist peer pressurerequires more than human strength.
Defeat
Resisting humanism is not impossible, though it isdifficult. The "inner man" must be empowered by God (Eph. 3: 16). While the Christian cannot isolate himselffrom the world he can insulate himself from its pervasiveness. He looks to God for wisdom. He neither rationalizes his conduct nor allows the situation to decide what is right. Victory over the world comes by faith (IJohn 5: 4) and faith comes by hearing the word truly.
Therefore, study the Bible; especially books such asProverbs which again and again declare that the fundamental factor in wisdom is the "fear of Jehovah". The first commandment for the wise and good man is to dowhat is right. "Right" is merely the other side of the coinof Truth. "Hear (wisdom)...; and the opening of my lips shall be right things" (Prov. 8: 6).
Discipline is essential to defeating Humanism. Discipline is training. It is deliberately doing the right thing when options are faced. It can be developed by thestrengthening of one's will-power.
Heed the warning of God; observe the lives of thosewho did not. To go against "wisdom" is not only ill-advised, it is disastrous. "But he that sinneth against mewrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death"(Prov. 8: 36).
Obscene Movies And TV Programs
Few things frighten me any more than the passingcomments I hear brothers and sisters in the Lord make about movies and TV programs they have permittedthemselves to see. Just when I believe there may be adeepening spirituality among the Lord's people in ourday, someone, who is thought to be a part of the realstrength of his or her congregation tells me what theyrented at the video store last weekend or what theywatched on TV last night — and I find it difficult to beoptimistic at all about where we are headed as a people.When it comes to telltale signs of spiritual shakiness,there are none more disturbing than the problem wehave with obscene movies and TV programs.
How Bad Is It?
It is an obvious fact that pop entertainment has gonefrom bad to worse in the matter of obscenity (as well asviolence and secular philosophy, which are, of course,no less a problem). In regular broadcast television, notto mention cable TV or the movies, the language hasgrown increasingly profane and vulgar, producers aredaily pushing the limits on nudity and sexual content,homosexuality has come out of the closet and onto thetube, and the "moral" values that are promoted arefarther and farther away from anything the seriousChristian can identify with. What is being pumped intoour living rooms has changed for the worse so noticeably that even one secular writer previewed the currentTV season with an article entitled, "The Family Hour Fades to Black. "
But the worsening of movie and TV content itself isnot the whole problem. The acceptance of this fare bysupposedly strong, faithful Christians is what is trulyalarming. We may have an admirable devotion to theLord in many things, but when it comes to entertainment we are bowing before the altar of television; we are going to the theater to see virtually any movie we believewe will enjoy; we are letting our kids watch nearlyanything they want at the movies or on TV (includingMTV); we are paying to get the cable movie channels,which rarely carry anything the Christian can afford tobe interested in; and we are renting movies at the videostore that not too many years ago would have beenclassified pornographic. Basically, we have sold our soulsfor a mess of footage, and it is impossible to contemplatewhat has happened without being concerned about thefuture.
The Worrisome Aspect OfThe Problem
Obviously, none of us can say we have been entirelyconsistent in our entertainment, least of all this writer.To my discredit, I have been places and seen things noChristian ought to. But the thing about the presentsituation that seems different to me is that I am encountering mature saints who not only watch obscenemovies and TV programs, but defend their practice asperfectly acceptable conduct for the Christian! It is one thing to give in to temptation and, when confronted, offerexcuses about not being as strong as one should be. Butif, as is apparent, we have come around to the view thatthose who question our viewing habits are the ones withthe problem, then we have entered a new and worrisomephase in the battle against obscenity.
Increasingly these days I am hearing responses likethe following whenever I express amazement at a movieor TV program a fellow Christian says he has seen:
"Well, it didn't have much profanity in it. I hear it so much at work, it doesn't bother me. I just tune it out. ""If it bothers or offends you, then it's not a movie youshould see — but it didn't bother me. " "If you can't handle it, you shouldn't see it — but I'vebeen out in the real world enough, I can handle it. "
"If it embarrasses you, you shouldn't see it — but I'mmature enough that things like that don't embarrassme. "
"We rented it and watched it at home. There's nothingreally wrong when it's just us. "
Surely we cannot fail to notice the common threadthat runs through these remarks; that obscenity is acceptable entertainment for us if we personally have beenso "desensitized" that obscenity no longer bothers, offends, or embarrasses us. That we think that way iscause enough for concern. But that we are pleased with ourselves for thinking that way is truly frightening. If wehave, in fact, lost our sensitivity to obscenity and arepatting ourselves on the back because of it, we are not farfrom qualifying for Paul's description of those "whoseglory is in their shame" (Phil 3: 19).
But on the other hand, whether one is bothered orembarrassed has very little to do with the question ofwhether one should or should not indulge in certainentertainment. It is safe to say the Lord, if He were on earth today, would be strong enough to "handle" far more than any of us — but you would not catch Him entertaining Himself with the stuff we watch. What itcomes down to is that we have turned decency upsidedown when we start defining how spiritually matureand strong we are in terms of how little embarrassmentwe feel in the presence of obscenity.
Whether we realize it or not, we have adopted thebasic posture of the Gnostic libertines of the first century. These were brethren who believed themselves tobe a select group of Christians who had achieved such ahigh plane of strength and enlightenment that theycould indulge in immorality and not be hurt spiritually.They liked to think the amount of fleshly indulgence they could "handle" was a sign of their advanced knowledge and sophistication. But John, as well as otherinspired writers, called this enticing doctrine what italways is: a lie. He wrote, "If we say that we havefellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie anddo not practice the truth" (1 Jn. 1: 6).
The NT Admonition To Purity
Need it be pointed out that the Scriptures call us toinner sanctity? Have we forgotten that the Lord said,"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God"(Mt. 5: 8)? Have we forgotten that Paul wrote, "Finally,brethren, whatever things are true, whatever thing are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are of good report, it there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things" (Phil. 4: 8)? Whatever any of usindividually may or may not be "bothered" by, thepassage is still there waiting to be dealt with which saysthat there are some things not "fitting" for the Christianto dally with, among them "uncleanness" and "filthiness" (Eph. 5: 3, 4). Those around us, whose souls wehope to reach with the gospel, deserve to see in us a better example. We owe it to them, as well as to the Lordand ourselves, to demonstrate that the way of purity isthe better path of those we could travel.
(From Page 3)
the closet. Some of the attire and language used todaycannot be described. Children are being physically andsexually abused and even killed (abortion) by theirparents.
Rogland R. Hegstad wrote, "It has become fashionable to be 'broadminded, ' a category into which more andmore segments of society are striving to fit. Broadmindedness is the keynote of our generation.
"Hollywood broad-mindedly hustles the philanderinghusband and the faithless wife on to the wide screen for the applause of the broad-minded masses. The chiselingcheat has his applauders, the price-fixing executive hisapologists. Minds have been stretched so broad that in many cases little of moral substance seems to be leftbetween the ears" (Reader's Digest, May 1991).
Must We Tolerate Indecency As "Freedom"?
"No, the real issue is decency — what all civilized societies demand. The real threat is not what mighthappen to the 'artistic rights' of a few lightweights, butwhat is happening to a society out of touch with its own standards and values. We are being desensitized to almost every form of degenerate behavior. We are being beguiled, in the name of 'freedom, ' into accepting the degeneracy as 'the price we have to pay. '
"Pardon me, but no, it isn't. Giving in to the lowestcommon denominator is not what freedom is all about. Freedom is not just about doing and saying whateverone pleases, but also about responsibilities for thecommon welfare. It is about exercising our right not toput up with the depravities that weigh us down. Indeed,there is no freedom at all when there is no respect forhuman dignity" (John Underwood, "How Nasty Do WeWanna Be?", Reader's Digest, May 1991). I can only add an "amen".
Overview
This special examines the problem of indecency in oursociety. This article looks at the problem from a textualanalysis of living in perilous times. Harry Pickup, Jr.demonstrates how that humanism is at the heart of the problem. Gary Henry deals with the obscenity found onthe television and movie screens. Frank Himmel deals with some of the filthy lyrics that come from those in themusic industry. Colly Caldwell deals with gross sexualperversion from the textual point of view. Ed Bragwellshows how the immodesty of the day violates plain Bibleprinciples. Hiram Hutto deals with Biblical instructions about profanity as well as addressing the question ofwhy people use coarse language. Leon Mauldin looks at the deplorable problem of child abuse. He deals with thetext as well as up-to-date statistics.
We hope you find this special helpful in your own lifeand will purchase extra copies to pass on to others.
FilthyMusic
Have you ever wondered why God made music apart of our worship? Prayer is the expression of ourheart's desire to God, including praise, thanksgiving,and requests for aid. The Lord's Supper keeps Jesus' death ever before us. Studying God's will is essential toknowing how to please Him. But why singing?
Singing is a natural expression of happiness, afitting way to express our joy and our adoration for theLord. Yet perhaps something else is involved. Musichas a unique ability to touch our emotions, therebyenhancing the expression of our thoughts. What Christian has never felt goose bumps while energeticallysinging a great hymn such as Our God, He is Alive?Music is also a powerful ally in helping our retention.Little children who struggle to memorize the books ofthe Bible or the apostles can do it with ease when theselists are put to music. These special qualities of musicgive it great potential for good in serving God. Unfortunately, that same potential can be used to propagateevil when music is used to express ungodly ideas.
The music industry knows this. The late Jimi Hendrix said in an interview with Life in October, 1969,"... Music is a spiritual thing of its own.... I can explainanything better by music. You hypnotize people towhere they go right back to their original state whichis pure positive — like in childhood when you gotnatural highs. And when you get people at that weakest point, you can preach into the subconscious whatwe want to say. "
The year my grandmother was born, the hit songs were She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain and MyWild Irish Rose. In contrast, Rolling Stone listed as the number one song at the beginning of this year, I'll Be Your Baby Tonight. Clearly the message is changing,and not for the better.
The Extremes
Heavy metal music is saturated with Satanism. It preaches against Christ while encouraging Satanicworship and the occult. Go to your local music store andtake a look at the boxes the CD's and cassettes come in. They are covered with Satanic pictures and symbols.The names of the groups themselves are revealing: TheAlmighty, Black Sabbath, Faith No More, JudasPriest, Metal Church, Nazareth, and Testament to name a few. Now flip the box over and read the names ofthe songs. They include Bring Your Daughter to theSlaughter, Dead Babies, Devil's Child, Flesh and BloodSacrifice, Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be, Living in Sin, SinAfter Sin, Social Disease, and Suicide Solution. These songs advocate everything from perverted sex (includingnecrophylia in Cold Ethyl) to human sacrifice to pyromania to suicide. The only rule seems to be to have no rules.The most appropriate title I found was a Black Sabbath song, We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n Roll.
Gross sexual perversion is not uncommon in rock music. One of the top music videos of 1985 was Hot for Teacher by Van Halen. It depicted middle school age boysfantasizing about their teacher stripping to a bikini anddancing around on top of the desks. Several performers,such as Prince and Madonna, build their entire actaround sex, exposing themselves as mush as they can getaway with. Prince's songs include Do It All Night, Let's Pretend We're Married, and Darling Nikki, which is about a girl standing in a hotel lobby engaging in self-gratification while looking at a magazine. Madonna's Like a Virgin has been well-publicized. One of her latest videos,Justify My Love, was even too raunchy for MTV to broadcast!
Profanity and vulgarity are also on the increase,especially with the emergence of rap music. 2 Live Crew'sNasty As They Wanna Be has brought on the ire of manycommunities. Unfortunately that wrath was insufficientto produce a conviction on obscenity charges last year.Despite the fact that the song contains graphic referencesto body parts and continual expletives (one term occursover two hundred times!), Luther Campbell's attorneyconvinced a jury that this piece has artistic value. He saidthe problem is that some white folks just do not understand the culture!
The Norm
You will not hear most of the songs I have mentionedthus far on your local radio station. Even broadcasters realize that such lyrics are on the fringe and have limitedappeal. (On the other hand, a few stations specialize inheavy metal music. ) However, I am not sure that some ofwhat is played on top forty stations is much improvement.The lyrics tend to be less graphic, but sin is still glamorized and advocated. And perhaps therein lies a greaterdanger. The more subtle the appeal of sin, the more easilyit finds its way into our hearts. As we listen to these songsover and over we may become enamored with their catchytunes and punch lines while ignoring the evil they promote. Remember, music makes the words stick. We areprobably absorbing more than we realize.
Of course, not all top forty music is so subtle. For example, one of Heart's recent hits was All I Wanna Do IsMake Love to You. It is about a woman driving along ina rainstorm. She sees a man standing by the road andoffers him a ride. Without even asking his name, sheheads straight for a motel where they commit fornication (obviously that is not what they call it). In the chorus shecries out, "All I wanna do is make love to you, say youwill, you want me too." Parents, is that the sentimentyou want circulating in the head of your son or daughterwhen they are out with other young people? Later thesong refers to seeds and trees. If we do not want the treeof immorality, we had better do something about theseed we are planting in our minds.
Sex is indisputably the common thread in rock music.But let no one think that rock has a monopoly on filthymusic. Country music is right along beside it. Its two favorite themes seem to be honky tonkin' and adultery.Here is a list of titles I found on country albums: Heaven Is Just a Sin Away; I Got a Right to Be Wrong; If LovingYou is Wrong I Don't Want to Be Right; It Don't Feel likeSinnin'to Me; It's All Wrong, But It's All Right; Lay MyBody Down; The Power of Positive Drinkin'; WhiskeyBent and Hell Bound; Your Cheaten' Heart. Now folks,is there any difference between a country boy crooningabout tears in his beer and a rocker screaming aboutescaping through drugs?
Not even classical music is blameless. More than a few operas are stories of lust and murder. Of course,most of us have no idea what in the world those folks are singing anyway!
The Solution
What can be done about filthy music? Some haveadvocated a rating system similar to what is used in thefilm industry. Albums with sexually explicit language orprofanity or those that advocated violence would beidentified with warning labels. That is not a bad idea.However, if the music industry does not do a better jobrating its product than the film industry does, "safe"albums will not necessarily be safe at all. Even conservative worldly standards are far behind God's standard.
Shall we burn all of our records, tapes, and CD's? No,though that might be appropriate in a few cases, like theEphesians' occult books (Acts 19:19). But not all rock orcountry music is bad. I am not crusading against anyparticular type of music. I am simply pointing out theungodly influences that exist so that we may counterthem.
The simple solution is that we need to learn to beselective about what we listen to. Just as we must be selective about what we watch on television (sometimesthe best choice is channel off), and what movies we go seeor rent to bring home, and what books we read, likewisewe must be selective about the songs we listen to. Whenfilthy music comes on, change the station or turn it off.Do not just sit there and listen thinking you will beunaffected. You are paying greater attention than yourealize.
One more thing: we need to be as selective about theparticular station we are listening to as we are about themusic. Disc jockeys are getting increasingly bold. Profanity and bathroom humor are commonplace on somestations, especially during prime listening hours. Itseems as though there is nothing that some of them willnot talk about or joke about.
Parents, pay attention to what your children areWstening to. Young people, do not dismiss this article as the ravings of some old fogey preacher. It does make adifference what you fill your mind with. "Watch overyour heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springsof life" (Pro. 4:23). "Finally, brethren, whatever is true,whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever ispure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, ifthere is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,let your mind dwell on these things" (Ph. 4:8).
Gross Sexual Perversions
"And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own habitation, He has reserved ineverlasting chains under darkness for the judgment ofthe great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the citiesaround them in a similar manner to these, having giventhemselves over to sexual immorality and gone afterstrange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering thevengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these dreamersdefile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil ofdignitaries" (NKJV, Jude 6-8).
Honorable Sexual Fulfillment
The wonderful God of heaven designed human beingswith emotions and desires which complement all thenoble purposes of life. Conjugal bonding to another whoprovides companionship and help through life is honorable. Bringing children into the world is honorable.Giving and receiving sexual fulfillment and happinessis honorable. These activities are only honorable, however, when accomplished within a relationship designedand ordained by God to protect both their honor and thehonor of the persons involved. "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled" (Heb. 13: 4). WhenPaul responded to the questions of the Corinthians, hesaid, "because of sexual immorality, let each man havehis own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. Thewife does not have authority over her own body, but thehusband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do notdeprive one another... " (1 Cor. 7: 2-5). Complete sexualsharing between married partners is a part of God'sgreat plan for our happiness and fulfillment.
Sexual Perversions
Isn't it sad, therefore, that so many in our society are not only winking at aberrant, deviate sexual practicesbut are also openly promoting them. Fornication, adultery and wife-swapping (both through remarriage andoutside of marriage), homosexuality, lesbianism, rapeand violent sexual abuse of women and children (both in and out of the home), and sexual harassment (in schools,the workplace, and other social contexts) seem to top thelist of sexual perversions we hear about most today.These abuses are fed by pornography (on film and onpaper), entertainment houses (single bars, theaters,discotheques which exploit unclothed women under theguise of dancing, etc. ), and a media which constantlybombards our society with pictures glorifying unclothedmen and women engaged in activities and relationshipswhich are immodest and immoral.
All such are properly identified as sin. They are sinfulbecause they constitute rebellion against God's lawsand because they violate God's plan for the fulfillment ofsexual desires in honorable marriage. It is no wonderthat these people are unfulfilled and unhappy sexually.The people most fulfilled are those who are committed tohonor and to their mate's fulfillment. Those who are happiest are those who dedicate themselves to makingtheir mates happy.
Jude's Identification OfSexual Perversion
Jude dealt with ungodly men who, among otherthings, turned "the grace of our God into licentiousness"(vs. 4). One way in which they evidenced their basicunbelief was in their attitudes toward sexual immorality. Sexual perversion is not new. As it increases in agiven society, however, that people becomes increasingly in danger of annihilation at the hand of God. Judeused two expressions to identify the sexual perversion ofthe people of Sodom, Gomorrah and surrounding cities(vs. 7).
The first is the term porneia. This word is translated "fornication" (KJV) or "sexual immorality" (NKJV). It isa general term which encompasses "every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse" (Arndt & Gingrich). Unchastity in sexual conduct in or out of marriage is identifiedas porneia. In this passage, porneia refers to the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. Porneia is perversion of God's plan.
The other expression is translated "gone (or "going, "KJV) after strange flesh. " The men of Sodom called toLot and asked, "Where are the men who came to youtonight? Bring them out to us that we may know themcarnally" (Gen. 19: 5). Their porneia took the form of homosexuality. The consequences to them was destruction. They are set forth with "the angels who did not keeptheir proper domain" as examples of those who suffer"the vengeance of eternal fire. "
Jude's CharacterizationOf Perverts
Having identified the perversion, Jude proceeds tocharacterize the perverts. He cuts to the heart of humansexual crimes against God by specifying four integralproblems with their mentality.
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First, they are called "dreamers" ("filthy dreamers,"KJV). People involved in sexual perversion of any of the types identified in this article are dreaming. Theirsupposed pleasure is not real. Fornicators "dream" ofexcitement which is temporary at best. They fanaticizemomentary ecstasy which cannot bring lasting honorable satisfaction and fulfillment because it is based on selfish, physical enjoyment rather than joy in sharingtrue love with one's wife. Both the involvement and the outcomes are imagined.
Second, they "defile the flesh." Paul said to the Corinthians that "the body is not for sexual immorality"and that "he who commits sexual immorality sinsagainst his own body" (1 Cor. 6: 13, 18). To the Romanshe said "God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves" (Rom. 1: 24). He continued the same themewhen he said to the Thessalonians that they "should abstain from sexual immorality that each of you shouldknow how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor" (1 Thes. 4: 3, 4).
Remember, sexual perversions are not honorable.Marriage is honorable. That, of course, reminds us thatwhen one marries, he/she becomes "one flesh" with themate. When one "defiles the flesh," "sins against his ownbody," and "dishonors his body," he does that against hiswife because she is now one flesh with him. It is from that consideration that we must recognize adultery aswell as homosexuality as a "gross sexual perversion!"
Third, Jude says that the perverted mentality "rejects authority." The mind which says, "I will do what Iwish to my own pleasure," is rebellious. The individualwho goes to bed with another than his/her mate rebelsagainst the law of God. The person who seeks sexualpleasure with one of the same sex totally disregards boththe law and the righteousness which stands behind thelaw (Rom. 8: 3, 4). Jude goes on to say, "But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whateverthey know naturally, like brute beasts, in these thingsthey corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they havegone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error ofBalaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah" (Jude 10-11). Go back and study the implications and applications of these two verses to the sexual perversions we are considering.
And fourth, Jude says that they "speak evil of dignitaries." The word "dignitaries" is literally "glories" or"glorious ones." These call what is evil "good" and callwhat is good "evil." They ridicule those who serve theLord and make fun of the lives of the faithful. Theysometimes blaspheme spiritual beings even slurring thename of God Himself. Such is the nature of those who have degraded themselves to such depths of immorality.
Wicked men are compared by Jude to "spots in yourlove feasts" (hidden reefs), "clouds without water," "trees without fruit," "raging waves foaming to theirown shame," and "wandering stars for whom is reservedthe blackness of darkness forever" (Jude 12-13). There is no substance to them. The Lord will come "with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, toconvict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinnershave spoken against Him" (Jude 15). Our instruction isto "keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (Jude21) and "others save with fear, pulling them out of thefire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh" (Jude 23). Let us preach against the sins of the flesh! Let us call upon men to repent. And let us remember that when we sing, "Just As I Am," we do not mean that we may REMAIN "Just As We Have Been. "
Indecent Dress
Since the fall of man in the garden, men and women
have needed to be adequately and decently clothed.
When Adam and Eve sinned they became conscious of
their nakedness and were ashamed — a consciousness
and sense of shame needed in a world invaded by sin.
They tried to cloth themselves with aprons of fig leaves
but God clothed them more adequately and decentl
(Gen. 2: 25-3: 31). It is interesting that the sacred tex
does not say that the aprons clothed them, but rather
the coats or tunics that God made for them.
I heard a brother say that if he could find some of the
fruit that Adam and Eve ate, he would pass it out to th
sisters by the bushel — so that they would open their
eyes and know that they were naked (Gen. 3: 7). I might
add to that many are still sewing together less than fi
leaves and calling themselves clothed.
Adornment: Inside And Out
Misinterpretations of Peter's teaching about outward adorning (1 Peter 3: 1-4), have led to severalextremes. Some conclude that all outward adorningsuch as wearing gold, braiding the hair, and the like isforbidden. It should be obvious that this is not what Peter meant, or else one could wear no clothes because another example given of outward adorning is that of"putting on of apparel. " While some versions other thanthe King James and American Standard say fine apparel, fine is obviously an interpolation supplied bthe translators and is so indicated by italics in the NewKing James.
This is one of those "not... but... " passages where the"not" portion of the passage may indeed be importantbut is not nearly as important as the "but" portion(John 6: 27 is another example of such a passage)Having correctly understood that the inward adorninis far more important than any outward adorning,one must not conclude that outward adorning is of no importance. Whoever said that "clothes do not make theman" may have been right, but it is also true thatclothes may be a reflection of the man (or woman). Thway that we dress sends certain signals about ourselves. This is why godly women should dress as women professing godliness (1 Tim. 2: 10). Theywant to signal their true character before all.
One's dress may reflect one's socio-economic standing (Jas. 2: 1-4). Since, among saints, no partialityshould be shown based on this factor, we should not
show favoritism toward one whose clothing may reflect
either prosperity or poverty. However, the fact still
remains that the way one dresses does say somethin
about the person.
One's dress may reflect one's attitude toward an
occasion. Joseph was about to appear before the Phar
aoh, so he "he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to
Pharaoh" (Gen. 41: 14). Queen Esther wanted an audi
ence with the king, so she "put on her royal apparel"
(Esther 5: 1). A wedding guest was expelled from a king'
wedding feast for his son for not wearing the wedding
garment (which, I am told, was customarily supplied b
the host) (Matt. 22: 11, 12). All of this points to the fact
that special occasions call for special attention bein
paid to one's dress. How one dresses for the occasion
reflects his attitude toward the occasion.
When we assemble around the Lord's table to commemorate the great sacrifice of our Savior and to otherwise worship Him, is this not a very special occasion? Isit a casual event? Yet, I sometimes see brethren who havegood clothes, fitting for other special occasions, and whare careful to arrange their appearance for those occasions, attend the worship services looking like they hajust come from or were heading to a hog-killing. Casualoccasions may call for casual and unkept appearance,but publicly worshipping the Lord is no such occasion.
Dress And Character
One's dress may reflect one's personal charactetraits. For example, if one, with the means to do otherwise, habitually appears in public with unkept clothinghair and general appearance; it is a pretty good indication of laziness and carelessness on his part.
Likewise, one may indicate either godliness or ungodliness by the way one dresses. Solomon speaks of seeinga young man devoid of understanding meeting a womawith the attire of a harlot (Prov. 7: 6-9). Judah mistookTamar for a harlot because of her outward appearanc(Gen. 38: 14, 15). This did not justify Judah's action, buit does show that one's outward appearance can send outungodly signals. How often have I heard it said of somesisters that they dress "like street walkers" and find ithard to disagree. A person who professes godlinessshould dress as a person professing godliness (1 Tim.
2: 10). If Christians are not the wrong kind of people ando not want to be identified as such, then they should notsignal by the way that they dress that they are
The way Christians dress should indicate a sense ofmodesty, propriety and moderation because these traitsshould be a part of their very character. Three significanGreek words, referring to a Christian's character, arused relative to a Christian woman's apparel in 1 Tim.
2: 9: kosmios, aidos, and sophrosune. The way ondresses is indicative of whether the person possessesthese characteristics or not. Kosmios ("modest") means"orderly, well-arranged, decent, modest... of good behavior (1 Tim. 3: 2 KJV)" (Vine). Adios ("propriety" - NKJ, "shamefacedness" -KJV, "shamefastness" -ASV, "decency" - NIV) is "that modesty which is 'fast' rooted in the character" (Vine). Sophrosune ("moderation" NKJ, "sobriety" - KJV, ASV) is a "habitual inner self-government, with its constant rein on the passion anddesires..." (Vine).
Those professing godliness are to be governed by chastity or purity (Greek hagnos -Phil 4: 8; 1 Tim.
5: 22; Titus 2: 5; James 3: 17; 1 Pet 3: 2; 1 John 3:3), rather than sensuality. They seek to concealrather than shamefully (or shamelessly) revealing their nakedness (cf. Ex. 28: 42; Rev. 3: 18; 16: 15).They should refrain from sexually provocative clothing or gestures (cf. Prov. 7: 10, 11, 21-23). Bydoing this they can keep themselves pure and avoid being a stumbling block to others (cf. Matt. 5: 28; 18:6-9).
What We Are Seeing
More and more Christians are dressing in a sexually provocative manner. In fact, Christians who havebeen taught that sexually provocative clothing iswrong and still want to wear such clothing to be "in style" are about the only ones who try to deny thatsuch is provocative. Most people in the world freelyadmit that this is why they find such apparel appealing. Sex appeal is the name of the game with many ofthe fashion designers of this world.
Many wear clothing in public that barely stopsshort of complete nudity. The shame of their nakedness is revealed either by clothing that is too brief ortoo tight. I sometimes see sisters out in their yards, outshopping, around recreational areas, at beaches andpools or at sporting events (both fans and participants) that expose at least as much flesh as they would in their underwear. I also see brothers at the same places in very short shorts without a shirt. If all of thisis decent or modest apparel — pray tell what could beimmodest or indecent and still be called apparel.Remember there is such a thing as "modest apparel",necessarily implying the reality of "immodest apparel. "
Others wear clothing, even to church services, thatmay not be as brief but is about as revealing. Skirtsand dresses that are so short that make it impossiblefor one to stand or sit in a decent manner and revealingas much or more flesh than the shorts mentioned above. Dresses, skirts, pants, and tops that are nearskin tight that reveal the very form of private parts areall too frequently worn. Dresses and skirts, thoughthey may be nearly to the ankles, are sometimes slit soas to reveal the entire leg with every step. Dressesvery low cut at the top are not uncommon. A personwho defends the design of such clothing as decent and non-sensual is either woefully naive or shamefullydishonest.
Brothers and sisters, we need to be careful abouthow we dress; but, more importantly, we need toconstantly examine our hearts so as to develop andprotect that basic sense of decency and shamefastnessthat should characterize Christians — then dress accordingly.
AbusingChildren
There are no doubt many factors involved in childabuse (abortion, physical abuse, sexual abuse), but oneof the greatest determinants is what Paul calls being"without natural affection" (Romans 1: 31). Our widespread problem of child abuse, and the heartless, unfeeling lack of natural affection that accompanies it was aplight of major proportions in New Testament times:
"Storge was the special Greek word for family love. Itwas quite true that this was an age in which familylove was dying. Never was the life of the child soprecarious as at this time. Children were considereda misfortune. When a child was born, the child wastaken and laid at the father's feet. If the father lifted up the child that meant that he acknowledged it. If heturned away and left it the child was literally thrownout. There was never a night when there were notthirty or forth abandoned children left in the Romanforum. Every night in life children were literallythrown away" (Barclay, The Letter to the Romans, p.32). [Seneca wrote]... children who are born weaklyand deformed we drown" (Ibid, pp. 32-33).Some want to leave the impression that the issue of
abortion is so complicated that no one could possibly saywhat is right or wrong; that each person will have todecide for himself. The truth is that it is not such a complicated issue. It is quite simple to determine fromthe word of God what is right or wrong. We just havecomplicated ideas which create confusion about a fundamental moral issue. People get themselves into complicated situations; the way of the transgressor is hard(Prov. 13: 15). But truth is attainable "if any man willethto do His will" (John 7: 17).
Abortion is shedding innocent blood. God hates thosewho do so (Prov. 6: 17). Abortion violates the commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill. " Murderers will have theirpart in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone;which is the second death" (Rev. 21: 8).
There can be no doubt that God recognizes the unbornas a living child. When Elizabeth was pregnant, theunborn "babe" leaped in her womb at the salutation ofMary (Luke 1: 41). The same word (brephos) is used to denote the newborn child (Luke 2: 12, 16) as well as theolder child (Luke 18: 15). Consider also Psalm 139: 13:"For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didstweave me in my mother's womb" (NASB).
Abortion Statistics
How extensive is the problem of abortion? Perhapsyou have seen the statistics that show that since 1775,1, 186, 654 American soldiers have been killed in wars,but from 1973-1989, over 25, 000, 000 abortions haveoccurred in the United States. The proportion andmagnitude of the problem is seen in that "nationally, onethird of all pregnancies are terminated by abortion"(NFD Journal, Apr. 84).
When can a baby be aborted? Maura K. Quinlan, chiefstaff counsel for Americans United for Life was quotedin the July 1987 issue of Focus on the Family as saying,"While most Americans know that abortion is legal ondemand in the first three months of pregnancy, very fewrealize that it is also legal—for almost any reason—until birth. " It is estimated that between eight and tenpercent of abortions take place during the second andthird trimester.
Child Sexual Abuse
It is difficult to obtain precise, reliable statistics onsexual abuse of children, because of "significant under-reporting" of cases. But the best and most recent information available indicates that in 1989, of the 2. 4million reports of child abuse and neglect recordednationally by child welfare agencies, that 16%, or384, 000 were reports of sexual abuse. The total reportsindicated a 10% increase from 1988 to 1989 (The National Resource Center on Child Sexual Abuse).
Other statistics state that the "largest retrospectivestudy of adult populations estimated that approximately 27% of women and 16% of men had experiencedsome form of childhood sexual mistreatment/abuse"(ibid. ).
These statistics are similar to those reported byAndre Bustanoby in his booklet, When You've Been Abused: "... one in four girls will be a victim of sexualabuse by the time she is eighteen" (p. 13).
Further, a very high percentage of perpetrators areknown by child victims. "Fewer than 20% of children areabused by strangers" (NRC). Mrs. Marilyn Atler, MissAmerica of 1957, spoke to a prevention and treatmentgroup (May 8, 1991), telling "how she'd been sexuallyabused by her father between the ages of five andeighteen, but buried it in her mind. " She had been silentabout the abuse for thirty years.
This silence is a common peculiarity to incest andother sexual abuse. 'The silence can have a deadlyeffect. Though anxiety may be masked for years, thesecret is a psychological time-bomb (emphasis mine,
L. M. ). Guilt, confusion, depression and passivity cansuddenly explode into self-destructive behavior, evensuicide" (Bustanoby, p. 54).
Physical AbuseFatalities
Do you remember the Baby Doe case that attracted
national attention in April 1982? A baby boy was bornwith Down's Syndrome, and an esophageal fistula thatprevents food from passing to the stomach. Acting on theadvice of their obstetrician, the parents refused corrective surgery, and denied their baby intravenous nourishment and water. Several families offered to adopt him, but they were refused. He cried from hunger thefirst four days. Then he was too weak to cry any longer.He died six days after his birth. Sadly, this was not anotable exception.
In Michigan, sixty-two children were abused to deathbetween January 1, 1984, and December 31, 1988.Tragically, nearly one-third of these lived in familiesthat had previously been reported to the Child Protective Services (The Detroit News and Free Press, Aug. 18, 1990).
Abandonment
Increasingly we hear of cases of child abandonment.In Texas, Mike Cocannon, a 35 year-old lawyer went intoa store for only thirty minutes; when he returned to hiscar he discovered that someone had left a nine poundbaby boy, wrapped in a piece of cloth, in his front seat.
A Child Protective Services supervisor was quoted assaying, "I had a case where the mother met some guys ata fast-food place. She asked them to watch her one-yearold baby while she went off to buy diapers. It was the lastthey saw of her. "
In Alabama, in the three months between December,1989, and February, 1990 four newborn babies wereabandoned. A Jefferson County social worker wasquoted as saying, "We get millions of calls about abandoned babies. Everybody wants to adopt them" (Birmingham Post Herald, Feb. 18, 1990).
Infant Drug Addiction
February's Reader's Digest contained an article entitled "Kids Who Can't Say No." It told how expectantmothers who smoke "crack" (crystallized cocaine) force the drug, with all of its effects, upon their developinginfants. Also, the amniotic fluid is contaminated bycrack byproducts. The article referred to resulting birth defects, such as Ronald, whose head was twenty percentsmaller than normal, and Tony (two pounds at birth),who was born with an incurable liver disease, and consequently died at three months. Babies whose mothers smoked crack are more likely to be born prematurely.
The Problem And The Divine Solution
Our adversary the devil perseveres in his work ofdestroying souls (1 Pet. 5: 8). He is never idle. "Band-aids" are not sufficient to quench the fiery darts of theevil one. What is needed is the whole armor of God (Eph.
6: 10-18). Surface cures, such as "sex education" courses,do not address the real problem. Abortion, and physicaland sexual abuse grows out of a heart of rebellion anddisobedience to the will of God.
When there is a lack of faith in God and His word,bedlam and chaos ensure in ones value system. This isseen in the current "animal rights" movement. For example, a newspaper cartoon, which was not intended to be funny, but make you think, depicted two women carrying signs. One sign red, "No Furs". The other signcontained the words, "Stop Abortion". The animal rightsactivist, with the "No Furs" sign, said to the "pro-life"woman, "I don't understand why you're so upset. It's notlike they're killing minks or anything... "
1 Thess. 4: 3 reads, "For this is the will of God, yoursanctification: that you should abstain from sexualimmorality." It is the one who disregards or even showscontempt for such warnings that is faced with thequestion of what to do now that an unwanted conceptionhas taken place, or has to deal with the problems ofincest. The solution is to listen to and obey God's Word(Gal. 5: 19; Heb. 13: 4). God's answer to the problem ofchild abuse is that the older women teach the youngerwomen to love their children (Titus 2: 3-5). The onlysolution is more teaching and living of the principles ofGod's Word. Only this will "turn the hearts of the fathersto the children" (Lk. 1: 68).
Coarse Language
"A rap group is declared obscene. Comics get condemned by pressure groups. Serious movies garner Xratings. A Cardinal of the church blames a rock singerfor teen suicides. In a four-letter world, what's a citizento do? See it in perspective, and take it in stride. Another view: Entertainers should censor themselves before the state does it for them." With these words in its May 7,1990 issue, TIME magazine previews its feature articleon "Dirty Words, America's Foul-Mouthed Culture."When a subject has become so prominent as to be put onthe cover of TIME it is certain that the subject must beof no small dimension. And while most of the article dealt with the entertainment world and its "foulmouth," we can rest assured that coarse language is notlimited to that area. It is in the work place, in newspapers, the songs, the literature, television, movies, newsprograms, on radio and television, sports programs, andwhat is saddest of all, on the tongues of some who aresupposed to be Christians. Some expressions have become so prevalent as to seem as normal as breathing.
The Bible's Teaching
While the foregoing is true, it is certainly not becausethe Bible is unclear in its teaching on this subject.Consider these passages:
Exodus 20:7. 'Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold himguiltless that taketh His name in vain."
Leviticus 19:12. "Ye shall not... profane the name ofthy God."
Leviticus 19:14. "Thou shalt not curse the deaf."
Psalms 10:7. "His mouth is full of cursing and deceitand oppression; under his tongue is mischief and iniquity."Psalms 62:4."... they bless with their mouth, but theycurse inwardly."
Psalms 109:17. "Yea, he loved cursing, and it came tohim; and he delighted not in blessing, and it was far fromhim."
Ephesians 4:29. "Let no corrupt speech proceed out ofyour mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the needmay be, that it may give grace to them that hear."
Ephesians 5:3-4. "... all uncleanesses ..., let it noteven be named among you, as becometh saints; norfilthiness, nor foolish talking, or jesting, which are notbefitting."
James 3:9-10. Concerning the tongue, 'Therewith bless we the Lord and Father; and therewith curse wemen, who are made after the likeness of God: out of thesame mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing. Mybrethren, these things ought not so to be."
Various Forms Of Coarse Language
1. Profanity. In this, that which is sacred and worthyof reverence is treated with contempt or without anysense of respect. Here perfectly good words, in theirproper context, are used in an irreverent and degradingmanner. For example, in Mark 16:16 Jesus said, "Hethat believeth not shall be damned." Everyone knows what the word damned means in this passage, but thatcertainly is not the way it is profanely used. And whenthe Bible says, "the wicked shall be turned into hell" (Psalms 19:17) we understand the meaning of this word,but profanity uses it for almost every conceivable idea.
And what shall we say about the name "God"? Of allwords, surely this one deserves the greatest reverence.Concerning it Jesus said, "Hallowed be thy name" (Matt.6:9). When Paul said "My God shall supply every need ofyours" it was used as a sacred term. But have you noticedthe extent to which this expression is on nearly everyperson's tongue? You can hardly see the news on television or hear someone interviewed but what it is used several times. Such expletives ought to be deleted.
However, this "hard" cursing is not all there is. Manyuse profanity but in a "softer" and, to them, a lessoffensive way. These are called euphemisms. Suchwords as gosh, golly, gee, gee-whiz, darn are defined as being mild oaths and are simply softened ways of usingprofanity. Look them up in a dictionary. When the Biblesays, 'Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy Godin vain", the word "vain" simply means "for nothing",and that is precisely what such euphemisms do. Perhaps some will say, "I didn't know that that is what thesewords mean." Neither does a child know what some bad words he hears at school mean. But, should he beallowed to continue to use them? Of course not, norshould we.
2. Coarse Language. It is a sad commentary on themorals of our society that it is willing to take people whotell obscene jokes and use gutter language and put themon a pedestal, consider them to be heroes and pay themmillions of dollars per year. What is even sadder is thatsome members of the church know more about these then they do about outstanding characters in the Bible.It just might be they have spent more time with theformer than they have with the latter. The words aresuch that they could not appear in these pages and oughtnot to be willingly or voluntarily allowed in the ears ofChristians. I thought one time that I would set aside anhour and count the immoralities that were glorified in
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country music, but I just didn't have the stomach for it. Why any Christians should allow such to be drummed into their ears for hours on end is beyond me.
Again, the Bible is quite clear on this. When it condemns "foolish talking or jesting" it is dealing withthe very thing that is described as coarse language.While many may think the talk shows, etc. are funny,the Bible says "Fools make a mock of sin" (Prov. 14: 9).
Why?
Several years ago I read an article concerning theresearch done by some psychologists as to why peopleuse such language. It was their conclusion that "cussing" or "cussers" come in two categories: 1. Social swearing, which is the effort to be friendly or one of thegang, and 2. Annoyance swearing, stemming fromobvious reasons. Since then, I have read of some otherreasons (?). 3. Weakness of intellect. There are approximately 400, 000 words in the English language. When a person is so limited in his vocabulary that he cannotfind decent words from such a vast number to expresshim-self he certainly betrays a poverty of intellect. 4. It adds spice to language. Where did the idea originatethat language needs to be spicy? It does need to bewith "grace" (Col. 4: 6). But I do not read that it needsto be
with spice.
No doubt there are other excuses for profanity andobscenity but Jesus give the real reason when He said,"Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forthgood things: and the evil man out of his evil treasurebringeth forth evil things" (Matt. 12: 34-35). People usebad language because they have evil hearts.
We need to be characterized by the sentiment ofDavid in Psalms 39: 1, "I said, I will take heed to myways, that I sin not with my tongue." Let us remember,"Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall giveaccount thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thoushalt be condemned" (Matt. 12: 36-37). We certainly do not want our speech to be such that it will cause us to belike the rich man who lifted up his eyes in torment andcried for Lazarus to "dip the tip of his finger in water,and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame" (Luke 16: 24).
IN THE NEWS THIS MONTH
BAPTISMS 324 RESTORATIONS 59 (Taken from bulletins and papers received by the editor)