SINS OF THE TONGUE

Man's heart is the spring from which all languageflows (Matt. 12: 34, 35). We should be careful to beswift to hear and slow to speak (Jas. 1: 19); we shouldspeak to edify (Eph. 4: 29).

What The Scriptures Say About Speech

"O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil,speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the goodtreasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evilthings. But I say unto you, That every idle word thatmen shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned"(Matt. 12: 34-37).

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man beswift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James

1: 19).

"Let your speech be always with grace, seasonedwith salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answerevery man" (Col. 4: 6).

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of yourmouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying,that it may minister grace unto the hearers" (Eph.

4: 29).

We need a clear definition of the Bible terms used to describe some of the sins of the tongue. The definitions of these words are taken primarily from W. E.Vine's Expository Dictionary Of New TestamentWords, and Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary.

1. BACKBITING—W. E. Vine says the word is formed from kata, "against," and laleo, "to speak."It is used in Rom. 1: 30: "Backbiters;" in 1 Pet. 2: 1:"Evil speaking," and "backbiting" in 2 Cor. 12: 20. Theword means, "to censure, slander, reproach, or speak evil of the absent." (Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary) The result of backbiting willdevour and destroy both the backbiter and thoseagainst whom he speaks (Gal. 5: 15). The man who isnot a backbiter is identified as in the tabernacle of the Lord and dwell- ing in His holy hill (Psa. 15: 3).Among those whom God has given up because oftheir evil is the backbiter (Rom. 1: 28-32). Backbitingis slander, evil speaking of others in their absence,and he does so openly; he is usually a liar.
2. GOSSIP—"One who runs about tattling and telling news; one who talks too much about theaffairs of others.

Gossip is related to: 1. Idle talk—Tattlers: the noun does not appear anywhere in the New Testament, but the verb is in 3 John 10. "Prating"—To utternonsense; idle accusations; empty charges. "Gossip"would well translate the word. It is associated with a busybody and being idle. "And withal they learn to beidle, wandering about from house to house; and notonly idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speakingthings which they ought not" (1 Tim. 5: 13); 2. Tattling—"Wherefore, if I come, I remember hisdeeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither dothhe himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth themthat would, and casteth them out of the church" (3John 10). It signifies to talk non-sense, to babble; theadjective phluaros, babbling, garrulous; to raise false accusations.

3. SLANDER—"A false tale or report maliciouslyuttered, and tending to injure the reputation of another: "... and a whisperer separateth chief friends"(Prov. 16: 28); in 1 Tim. 3: 11, the wives of eldersand deacons in particular must not be slanderers,but sober and faithful in all things.

Slander is related to: 1. False accusers—"Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good" (2Tim. 3: 3). 2. Whisperers—(Pro. 16: 28; Rom. 1: 29).

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication,wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy,murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers" (Rom. 1:29). Speaking evil reports into one's ear; secret slander.To insinuate, hint evil reports of others, while tryingto avoid personal responsibility. He is a very dangerous person.

4. LIARS—(Lying - deceit), Rom. 1: 29; Eph. 4: 25;Rev. 21: 8. Pseudes—"false, a falsehood." Used of falsewitnesses, Acts 6: 13; false apostles, Rev. 2: 2; adjectivefor many words; calculated to deceive; it is elsewhere rendered "lie," John 8: 44; Rom. 1: 25; 2 Thess. 2: 11; 1John 2: 21, 27; to deceive, not telling the truth as it is. Todeliberately tell or insinuate anything but truth; aneffort to mislead.

Lying comes from the devil (John 8: 44; Acts 5: 3, 4).God hates liars (Prov. 6: 17); Rom. 16: 17). All liars willreceive eternal damnation (Rev. 21: 8, 27; 22: 15).

1. SWELLINGS—"Phusiosis, denotes a puffing up,swelling with pride..., 2 Cor. 12: 20, "swellings." "For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as Iwould, and that I shall be found unto you such as yewould not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths,strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults" (2 Cor. 12: 20). "Huperonkos, an adjective denoting ofexcessive weight or size, is used metaphorically in thesense of immoderate, especially of arrogant speech, inthe neuter plural, virtually as a noun, 2 Pet. 2: 18; Jude16, 'of great swelling words, '" doubtless with reference to Gnostic phraseology. It means arrogant boasters inRom. 1: 30. It is empty claims; pride in speech.
2. STRIFES—Several related words will be considered under this term because they belong under the definition by Greek Lexicons and English Dictionaries.Some are found in 2 Cor. 12: 20: "For I fear, lest, when Icome, I shall not find you such as I would, and that Ishall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there bedebates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults. "

W. E. Vine says: "Eris: strife, contention, is the expression of enmity, Rom. 1: 29." Debates: used in agood sense (Acts 17: 17; Gal. 2: 5; Jude 3; Heb. 12: 4): tostruggle against, reason with opposition. It is used in a bad sense: contention, wrangling, quarreling (1 Cor. 1:11, 12; 3: 3; 2 Cor. 12: 20; 1 Tim. 6: 5). It is strife, partyspirit (Gal. 5: 20; Jas. 3: 16). Other words that havesimilar meaning are: faction, contention, dispute, fightings, strife of words (1 Tim. 6: 4).

1. MALIGNITY—Vine says of this word: "lit., bad manner or character,... hence, an evil disposition thattends to put the worst construction on everything,malice, malevolence, craftiness, occurs in Rom. 1: 29, asthe accompaniment of dolos, guile." The word signifiesdepravity of heart; the act of applying words or actions ofothers in the worst possible sense. The idea is to hurt,injure and destroy others.
2. FALSE ACCUSERS—To falsely accuse one of evil, a form of slander. "Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good" (2 Tim. 3: 3).
3. TALEBEARING (Prov. 11: 13; 26: 20-22). A walk

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VICTORY THROUGH CHRIST

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victorythrough our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15: 57).

I like to win. Defeat is agonizing. All that talk aboutgood sportsmanship is nice, but I'd still rather win! I don't want my team to just barely win, either. I wantthem to win overwhelmingly. In time of war, the prospect of victory inspires the battle weary soldier and thesacrificing citizen at home. The price is high. But theprospect of victory is sweet.

Our text speaks of victory of far greater importancethan the mundane affairs just mentioned. This victoryis over the grave and is achieved in the resurrection. Andit is the thought of that victory which enables us to be"steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work ofthe Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not invain in the Lord" (v. 58).The means by which victory is accomplished is "through our Lord Jesus Christ." We cannot do it on ourown. This was the confidence which inspired Paul andhe expressed it often. "If God be for us, who can beagainst us?" "Nay, in all these things we are more thanconquerors through him that loved us" (Rom. 8: 31, 37)."Now to him that is able to do exceeding abundantlyabove all that we ask or think, according to the powerthat worketh in us" (Eph. 3: 20). "I can do all thingsthrough Christ, which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4: 13).But, over what shall we have victory? Victory OverSin

"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God"(Rom. 3: 23). But that is not the end of the story. We canhave victory over the guilt of sin. Our age has psychoanalyzed sin out of existence. Why, we are not guilty, ofall things, we are just disadvantaged! It's the fault of our parents, or the environment, or else we will blame it onthe government. Victory over sin begins with a recognition that we have sinned and that we are guilty beforeGod. We will not be free from the guilt of sin by divestingourselves of our "religious hang-ups" or abandoning ourprinciples, but by respecting the law of God and amending our ways accordingly.

The law of Moses with its sacrifices could not take away sin (Heb. 10: 4). We have been redeemed through the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1: 18-20).That was the price paid to free us from sin. We realize the benefits of his shed blood in obedience to the gospel."Being then made free from sin, ye became the servantsof righteous-ness" (Rom. 6: 17-18).

Victory Over Life's Trials

Through our Lord, we shall have victory oversorrow. Job was right when he said "Man that is bornof woman is of few days and full of trouble" (Job 14: 1).Paul wrote of our God "Who comforteth us in all our tribulation" (2 Cor. 1: 4) and in the next verse spokeof "our consolation" which abounds by Christ. Sorrowbows us down, but it is a great teacher enabling us torise up with even greater strength to serve the Lordvictoriously.

We shall have victory over difficulties. Life is full of hills to climb, some appearing to be steeper than we canmanage. Paul learned from his thorn in the flesh thatwhen he was weak, then was he strong. Man's extremityis God's opportunity. The Psalmist said "And call uponme in the day of trouble: and I will deliver thee, and thoushalt glorify me" (Psa. 50: 15). Our strength is small butour God has unlimited power coupled with unfailing love and we can win.

We shall have victory over fear. There are fears on every hand. Will some dreaded disease overtake me?Will I be the victim of crime? Will the banks all fail? Will I lose my job? Will I lose my children to the Devil? Whatabout the earthquake? What about the war? When willit be over? We have to be careful about fears. Theybecome evidences of little faith in God. Paul said "comfort the fainthearted" (1 Thes. 5: 14). John warned thatthe "fearful" will be lost (Rev. 21: 8). So, it is imperativethat we gain the victory over fear. It helps to rememberseveral basic things. God is on his throne. The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open to theirprayers (1 Pet. 3: 12). The kingdoms of earth pass away,one by one, but the kingdom of heaven remains (Heb.

12: 28; Dan. 2: 44), Even if we should lose our lives todisease, crime, war, there is an eternal reward for thefaithful. It does not all end at the cemetery. We are saved by hope (Rom. 8: 24). "Yea, though I walk through thevalley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me" (Psa. 23: 4).

We shall have victory over the world. "And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1Jno. 5: 4). Jesus said "Be of good cheer: I have overcomethe world" (Jno. 16: 33). How did he do it? He grappledwith the powers of evil and won by relying upon the wordof God. "It is written" he told Satan. There is our help."Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sinagainst thee" (Psa. 119: 11). We can win this battle butnot by neglecting Bible study in our private lives and notby neglecting opportunities to study and learn when Christians assemble. The more we saturate our minds with the word of God, the less appealing will be theofferings of this world.

We shall have victory over death. That is where we started. Through the ages men have asked Job's question: "If a man die, shall he live again?" (Job. 14: 14). Ourvictory will be realized in the resurrection of the dead.Oh, I know that some sneer at such a thought. If a plastic surgeon can remake a face disfigured in an accident,cannot the One who made the surgeon and gave him lifeand breath, reshape broken and decayed bodies into aheavenly form? The body may be burned or torn beyond recognition, or disappear into the depths of the sea, or beblown into countless fragments: but please know this: The Almighty who made them in the first place, is ableto gather them from the ends of the earth, and reformthem into immortal and incorruptible beauty beyondcomparison. So then, the casket at the cemetery is notthe sign of defeat; it is merely the threshold of victory."Death is swallowed up in victory." All of that leads toPaul's challenge in 1 Cor. 15: 58" Therefore, my belovedbrethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know thatyour labor is not in vain in the Lord. "

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us totriumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour ofhis knowledge by us in every place" (2 Cor. 2: 14). Indeed,we are going to win! __________________________

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ing busybody; trader in scandal. One who tells all secrets of evil and seldom reports good. "From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling" (1 Tim. 1: 6). "Neither filthiness, nor foolish talk-ing, nor jesting, which are not convenient: butrather giving of thanks" (Eph. 5: 4). "It denotes morethan mere idle talk" (W. E. Vine). "For there are manyunruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they ofthe circumcision" (Titus 1: 10).

1. CORRUPT COMMUNICATIONS—It means shameful, disgraceful speaking; it is used in Eph. 5: 4, ofobscenity, all that is contrary to purity. "Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are notconvenient: but rather giving of thanks" (Eph. 5: 4). "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it mayminister grace unto the hearers" (Eph. 4: 29). This signifies profanity and vulgarity; a conveyer of the basestgarbage and filth of the mind. "But now ye also put off allthese; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth" (Col. 3: 8).
2. BLASPHEMY—As an adjective, "blasphemos,abusive, speaking evil... "railing," As a verb, "blasphemeo, to blaspheme, rail at or revile, is used (a) in a general way, of any contumelious speech, reviling, calumniating, railing at etc., as of those who railed atChrist, e. g., Matt 27: 39... (b) of those who speakcontemptuously of God or of sacred things, e. g., Matt. 9:3..." (W. E. Vine). "Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord" (2 Pet. 2: 11). "For men shall be lovers of their own selves,covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedientto parents, unthankful, un- holy" (2Tim. 3: 2). The nounform: The word 'blasphemy' is practically confined to speech defamatory of the Divine Majesty." (W. E. Vine).

To understand the meaning of these words is to realize the horrible consequences of their use by Christians under any circumstances. Not only will the soul ofthe one using these words be in danger of eternaldamnation, but the souls of many will be doomed toeternal punishment because of their use. Any use of anyspeech as characterized above is sin against AlmightyGod. All such speech comes from the heart and indicatesits condition. Think on these things.

BODILY EXERCISE QUESTION: What does Paul mean by the statement, "For bodily exercise profiteth little" (1 Tim.

4: 8)?

ANSWER: Quoting the whole verse, Paul says, "Forbodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that nowis, and of that which is to come." The consensus of manyis that "bodily exercise" is physical training, such asgymnastics, and that it has little significance in contrastto godliness. Although I am in the minority, it seems tome that Paul is speaking of the regulating of bodilyappetites and desires rather than gymnastics.

W. E. Vine said "the immediate reference is probablynot to mere physical training for games but to disciplineof the body such as that which the Apostle refers in 1Cor. 9: 27, though there may be an allusion to thepractices of asceticism" (Vol. 2, p. 60). Paul wrote in 1Cor. 9: 27, "But I keep under my body, and bring it intosubjection: lest that by any means, when I havepreached to others, I myself should be a castaway."Hence, controlling the body in 1 Cor. 9: 27 is the sameas "bodily exercise" in 1 Tim. 4: 8.

R. C. H. Lenski wrote, "Keeping the body with all itsbodily desires well trained in the godly life is worthsomething, we must even say that it is a part of truegodliness. Yet it is not the whole thing nor even the mainfeature; it is only 'little' when it is compared with all thatreal godliness comprises. "

Only a part of godliness lies in the body, while thefoundation of godliness lies in the spirit and its spiritualvirtues. This is why "bodily exercise profiteth little." Itjust encompasses a part of our Christian life whilegodliness embraces the whole, even all things.

The New American Standard version renders 1 Tim.

4: 8: "for bodily discipline is only of little profit." TheRevised Standard Version has, "for while bodily training is some value, godliness is of value in every way."The Greek word translated "exercise" is gumnasia which Thayer says, "a. prop, the exercise of the body in the palaestra, b. any exercise whatever" (p. 122). The "any exercise whatever" could well be the discipline (NAS) or training (RSV) of the bodily appetites inharmony with divine regulations.

Some contend that "bodily exercise" in 1 Tim. 4: 8 isthe ascetic practices in v. 3 of the context. But "forbidding to marry" and "commanding to abstain frommeats"

are doctrines of devils (v. 2). Paul certainly would nothave said that these diabolical doctrines are of some value.

DEALING WITH SIN

For the last year or two we have been considering anumber of sins such as stealing, gambling, social drinking, immodesty, dancing, smoking and misuses of thetongue. With this article we will conclude our study ofworldliness by taking a look at the question of how weare to deal with sin. What can be done about these sins in our own lives and the lives of others?

The answer is not as hard as some might think. Infact, the Bible answer is rather simple.

Recognize The Difference In Law And Opinion

If the opposition to the practice of social drinking,smoking, dancing, mixed swimming, gambling andlying is just a matter of opinion, then these are not sin.Remember, that sin is a violation of the law (1 John 3: 4). If law is not transgressed, there is no sin (Rom. 4: 15).

The subjects that we have studied for the past severalmonths are violations of the law of God. Passages havebeen given in each article that demonstrate that each practice is contrary to the word of God.

The way to deal with these matters is not to dismissthem by saying "that's just his opinion," Rather, it is amatter of law which means that we are talking about sin. The first step in dealing with sin is to recognize thatit is sin.

Recognize The Consequences Of Sin

Sin has consequences that are serious. Even a brief

look at these fruits will make us want to deal with sin

properly.

1. Spiritual Death. Sin separates man from his God (Isa. 59: 1-2). This separation is referred to as death.The apostle Paul wrote, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned" (Rom. 5: 12).James wrote about the same principle, saying, "... sin,when it is finished, bringeth forth death" (Jas. 1: 15).
2. Hell. The separation from God now is not the onlyconsequence. Those who persist and die in that condition will be eternally severed from God in the fires of hell(Matt. 25: 46; Rev. 14: 10-11).

Again, Paul instructed the Romans saying. "For thewages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal lifethrough Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6: 23). Notice thecontrast between the "eternal life" on the one hand and the "death" on the other. This death must refer to (or atleast include) the eternal separation from God. The bookof Revelation refers to being cast into the fires of hell asthe "second death" (Rev. 20: 14-15).

Don't:

1. Ignore it. Ignoring sin does not cause it to go away. It still remains (John 19: 41). The Hebrew writerurges us to obey "today" because as time marches on thechances are greater that we will become hardened in sin(Heb. 3: 7, 13). Thus, to ignore sin would only hardenour hearts in it.
2. Hide it. Those who endeavor to hide their sin from others and put on an appearance of being righteous are called "hypocrites" in the Bible (Matt. 15: 8-9; Matt. 23).Hiding the dirt under the rug doesn't remove the dirt;it only keeps a few from knowing where it is. Hypocrisy doesn't remove the sin and certainly doesn't conceal itfrom God.
3. Deny it. Isaiah dealt with people who called "evilgood, and good evil; that put darkness for light, andlight for darkness; and put bitter for sweet, and sweetfor bitter" (Isa. 5: 20). They, like many today, had thingsall backwards. Some will deny that the practices wehave been studying are sin. Others will admit that theyare sin, but will deny that they are guilty when in factthey are guilty.

Why can we not ignore, hide or deny our sin? Becausethe day is coming when "we all must appear before thejudgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive thethings done in his body, according to that he hath done,whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor. 5: 10).

The Child of God Who Sins Must:

1. Repent. When Simon sinned, Peter told him to"Repent therefore of this thy wickedness..." (Acts 8: 22).Repentance is a change of mind (Matt. 21: 28-29) that isprompted by godly sorrow (2 Cor. 7: 10) and results in achange or reformation of life (Rom. 6).

It is easy to see from the nature of repentance thatone who repents of sin ceases to practice the sin.Repentance involves turning from the evil (cf. Matt.

12: 41 and Jonah 3: 10).

If the sin does not cease, there has been no repentance (2 Cor. 12: 20-21; Rev. 9: 20-21). The Christian does not continue to practice sin in his life (1 John 3:6, 9).

2. Confess his sin. He must confess his sin before God in order to obtain the cleansing by the blood ofChrist. John said, "If we confess our sins, he is faithfuland just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from allunrighteousness" (1 John 1: 9).

Should sin be confessed before brethren? We must either (1) confess all of our sins before the brethren, (2) confess none of our sins before the brethren or (3)confess some of our sins before the brethren and some merely before God. In light of Jas. 5: 16 the last of thesemust be the correct answer. The text says that there isa time to confess our sins one before another which would rule out the idea that we confess none of our sins before brethren. Obviously, the first possibility wouldnot be true, for that would mean that we confess everyprivate thought that is wrong.

Which sins need to be acknowledged before brethrencan be determined by how public the sin is. Public sin,where many in and out of the church are aware of it,must be confessed. What other conclusion can be drawn?

3. Pray for forgiveness. Simon was also told to "...pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may beforgiven thee" (Acts 8: 22).

Conclusion

Two principles need to be remembered about the sinswe have been studying.

1. Sin cannot be tolerated. Preachers, elders and allof God's people must take their stand against sin.
2. Sin in our life must cease in order to please Godand go to heaven.

Divorce is a tragedy for all who are involved. Manytimes an "innocent" spouse is left for no apparent reasonand then has a lifetime of consequences to deal with.Friends and family are stunned and the divorcee has tolive with the "stigma" that will follow him or her fromthen on. But perhaps the worst effects will be felt by the children of the divorced couple. Many times the childrenare thought little of while the divorce is in process, exceptfor being tossed around and fought over by the selfishcouple. The parents are concerned with who will keep thechild, but really that is not in the forefront of the child'smind. The child wants the parents back together! Yetbecause of what has happened, consequences will followthe child that go far beyond the problem of who keepshim.

I speak in general terms, realizing that not everydivorce will follow the same pattern, nor will every childreact the say way. Some behave boldly as if they are ableto accept the situation. Others are quite obviously devastated. But the hurt is there. There are many effects thatwill be felt by the children, even long after the actual divorce. Consider two:

1. Emotional. Divorce is a traumatic experience.While many children try to hide the hurt, they arequickly decaying inside. The self-image that the childhas will almost certainly go from bad to worse. He mightview the adult world as horrible, while his own world isnot much better. He feels worthless and alone. Loneliness is almost inevitable. He is not an adult yet and does nothave the adult mental capacity to deal with problems. He seems to be on an emotional roller-coaster that starts down and never goes back up. Horrible thoughts gothrough the mind. There is the self-pity, the deep depression, and perhaps the thoughts of suicide. Many childrenhave taken that route. Many try to escape the reality byturning to drugs—any way to get away from it. Usually,the child thinks the divorce is his own fault. Maybe if heweren't there, the parents never would have had trouble.Eventually, bitterness and perhaps hatred sets in. Untold damage is done emotionally to the child. He will carry emotional scars that never quit hurting. Yearspassing may help some, but the emotional effects will always be felt. I just wish for people to know the potential for emotional disaster in a child when the parentsdivorce. If you know of a child going through this kind ofstress (age can range from a tot to late teenage years),seek to help him or her. Be aware that the damage maybe so great that he or she needs professional help. Justlook at the number of kids that are committing suicideand are hooked on drugs. Not all of this is from divorce,but you can almost be sure that children who have these problems come from a troubled family situation.

2. Character. Jesus taught that thoughts from theheart determine action (Matt. 15: 18-20). Consequently,one who has nourished his mind with depression and bitterness will manifest that by his action. A child's personality is developed over the years that he spendswith (or without) his parents. This is why parents are tobring up their children in the training and admonitionof the Lord (Eph. 6: 4). They are to help the children develop the character to serve God the rest of their lives.Now you can imagine what kind of effects that divorce will have on the character of the child. Chances are that the child will become introverted (keep to himself, afraidof any social atmosphere), or very extroverted (going outof his way to get attention). Both of these extremes aredangerous traits for anyone to develop. If a personbecomes introverted, it will be difficult for him to makefriends. If he chooses to be a Christian, he will shy awayfrom taking stands for truth against a majority. It willbe a battle that lasts a lifetime. On the other hand, if theperson is extroverted, he will turn people off by hisoverbearing personality. It might reach the point where he is not taken seriously. Both extremes are undesirable. Of course, these traits are developed by those whohave not been put through a divorce, but I believe thepotential for them to develop are greatly increased bydivorce. A child wants and needs attention. He wants to know that he is needed and loved. He does not feel this when his parents are divorcing. Thus, he will do what hecan to gain the attention he feels he has lost.

When a baby is born, he is in the hands of those whowill help mold him for life. Parents cannot take lightlythis responsibility of raising and training their children.If you are among those who think divorce is an alternative when you are not getting along with your spousethen 1) don't get married and 2) if you are married, don't have children. If you do have children, then I pray thatyou realize how important of a job you have. Remember,example says much more than words. And if you showyour child that marriage is not important or worthworking hard for, then you have greatly failed him.

HAVE YOU NOT READ THIS SCRIPTURE?

Jesus repeatedly and continually directed people to the Scriptures. There was never a question with Him asto the authoritative nature of the word of God. He raised questions like, "What is written in the law? How readestthou?"; or, "Have you never read in the law?". He made statements like, "It is written... "; and, "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures... ". His constant plea was that folks read, search, examine, and believe the Scriptures.

In Mark 12: 1-10, we have the parable of the wicked vinedressers. This story is something of anallegory that parallels the history of the nation of Israel.As the Lord reached His conclusion, He asked, "Have you not read this Scripture: The stone which thebuilders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

The ASV is more emphatic: "Have ye not read eventhis Scripture?"

Jesus seemed to be perplexed and appalled at the ignorance of God's word that He confronted. If He walked the earth today, I'm sure He would still be asking: "What is written... ? Have you not read even thisScripture?"

I. The Place and Purpose of Baptism. Some teach that baptism is completely non-essential. Others, that itis important, but not necessary for salvation. Our concern is: What does the word of truth say?

Sometimes we tend to deluge people with Scripturewhen we discuss such matters. Perhaps we would dobetter if we focused on one statement and asked, "Haveyou not read even this Scripture?" Let's take Mark

16: 16. If one will not accept this plain statement, it's doubtful that he would accept a half-dozen others thatmight be cited.

Jesus said that "He who believes and is baptized shallbe saved." Two prerequisites are here given for salvation. The statement is grammatically parallel to: "He who enrolls and is taught shall be educated;" or "He whofights and is whipped shall be humiliated"; or "He who marries and is bossed shall be henpecked." Obviously inthese examples, both conditions are necessary for theconclusion to be valid. One who enrolls in school is not educated unless he is also taught. But many quibblethat the Lord does not say in the second part of the verse,"He who believes not and is not baptized shall be condemned." He only said, "He who believes not shall becondemned." Therefore, we are told, baptism is notnecessary to salvation.

The Lord, however, was not speaking of salvation inthe second clause. If one. desires to know what is needful for salvation, this is revealed in the firstclause. Jesus said what He meant and meant what He said. Had He made both unbelief and neglect of baptism conditions of condemnation, then one would not be condemned if he performed either of them. Whatwould happen then to one who had been baptized and did not believe? He couldn't be saved and he couldn't be damned!

As I heard one preacher say, "You could be baptizedtill the bullfrogs call you brother, it would accomplish nothing if you don't believe!" Have you not read eventhis Scripture?

II. Jesus Christ—always the same. Those who believe in modern-day miracles often quote Heb. 13: 8."Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever." Their implication is that if Jesus performed miracleson the earth in the past, He must necessarily be doing the same today. Their assumption is that the verse demands that He has not changed in any fashion.

It might do well to inquire, "Have you not read eventhis Scripture?": Phil. 2: 5-7. He was in the form of God,but was made in the likeness of man. Obviously then,He did make a change. Heb. 13: 8 does not necessarilyimply that Jesus has never changed in any sense. But He has not changed in His divine character. Heb. 1: 1012 affirms the same truth. "Have you not read even this Scripture?"

III. The Perfect Revelation. Many today speak of "lost books of the Bible," Others promote anddefend "latter day revelations." According to these, theword of God has not been perfectly revealed and preserved for all generations.

We wonder if some "have not read even this Scripture": Matt. 24: 35. The Lord here promised that "heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shallnot pass away. "

IV. Fun and Frolic at Church Expense. When I was a boy and my parents obeyed the gospel I do not remember any controversy over the mission of thechurch. In the 40's and early 50's, brethren were prettymuch in agreement that fun and frolic were not the work of the church. The denominations were denounced for their perverted view and unauthorizedactivities.

For several years now many churches of Christ havebeen employed in the entertainment and recreation business. We wonder if some "have not read even this Scripture": Romans 14: 17. The apostleinforms us that"... the kingdom of God is not foodand drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. "

V. Premillennial Theories. The radio preacherscontinually speak of "the last days, the rapture, thecoming kingdom, the Jews being gathered to Jerusalem, and the thousand year reign of Christ on earth.

I have often asked the question, "Have you not read even this Scripture? 2 Peter 3: 8-13: According to this passage, the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. When this day comes, it will not be followed by a seven year tribulation, or a millennial reign,but of the passing away of this world by fire. VI. Apostasy Impossible? Can a saved person lose his salvation? Many say "No!" Evidence to the contrary isfound on practically every page of our New Testaments.But let us ask, "Have you not read even this Scripture?": 2 Thess. 2: 1.

According to this passage, "that day" (the return ofJesus) will not come except there come a falling awayfirst. If Christians cannot fall away-this leaves one in the unenviable position of denying that the Lord will everreturn.

We would be wise to follow our Lord's example and asking, "Have you not read even this Scripture?"

Being good parents has never been the easiest task,and that responsibility is made even more difficult by theattitudes prevalent in an unbelieving world. Our sin-saturated society has exerted a powerfully detrimentalinfluence on family relationships as a whole. The "nuclearfamily" is under heavy assault from certain very vocalfeminist and humanistic organizations. The increase in"single parent households" and the spiraling number of"latchkey kids" portend an even greater disintegration ofmany families. Our hearts should go out to those Christians who are striving to bring their children up in thefear of God. The attitudes of the world toward parenting are completely at odds with God's revealed truth. The aimof this article is to point out these conflicts and to encourage Christians to recognize those differences and to relyon God's instructions.

"Children are a heritage from the Lord" (Psa. 127: 3).When He has blessed a husband and wife with children,this "heritage" should be approached with the attitude ofManoah, Samson's father. When told that they were tohave a child, Manoah's request of God was, 'Teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born" (Judges

13: 8 NKJV). All parents need heaven's help in meetingtheir responsibilities. This is a matter of primary importance if parents are to bring their children up in the right

way. Attitudes to Avoid

The world would shift responsibility for child-rearing to someone other than the parents — babysitters, the schools, government agencies, neighbors,television, or others. Why? The causes are numerous.First, being parents is both physically and emotionallydemanding, even exhausting at times. Some just do not want to be taxed that much. Too, it interferes with somany outside activities. Some are galled at being deprived of their pleasures. It may be, in some cases, thatthe parents want so many things that both have to workeven to "make ends meet." Children have to be turned over to others.

Christians, however, know that God has required them, especially fathers, to bring their children up inthe training and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6: 4 NKJV). No one else can do for the children what dedicated, God-fearing parents are told to do.

The world's attitude is to provide little or nosupervision, to allow unrestricted freedom of action, and to reject the idea of corrective discipline(corporal punishment). The potential disaster of thisattitude is seen in the wise man's words: "A child left to himself brings shame to his mother" (Prov. 19: 15). The Scriptures tell us that Eli's sons "Made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them" (1 Sam. 3: 13). Thesad results can be seen by reading the whole story inthat context. The Bible still says, "He who spares hisrod hates his son; but he who loves him disciplineshim promptly" (Prov. 13: 24). Read similar words in Proverbs 22: 15; 23: 13; and Hebrews 12: 7-11.

The worlds' attitude seems to be that loving children means giving them whatever they want every toy in the store, all the latest designer fashions, a car at sixteen, plenty of spending money, no curfewrules, etc. And this is called "love"? One of the greatSatanic deceptions is that the more things one has, thehappier he will be. Our Lord would remind such people,"A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12: 15). Love cannot be bought; children cannot be bribed by this sort ofpretense. Our children need genuine love. They need some of our time; they need companionship, affectionand nurturing. Such gifts to our children are not tied tomoney and things, but to hearts. Some youngsters willgrow up not knowing how to love a marriage partner,their children or anyone else, simply because they neverwitnessed it in their parents. The relationship their parents had with them did not cause them to feel loved,nor did they learn the feeling of security that such lovebrings.

The world's attitude is that religious, spiritual instruction is not important. The kids can make their own decisions whey they are old enough to do so,"they foolishly say. The very thing that will instill a senseof true values, God's word, they slight. The emphasis inmany homes today is on material things — sports,recreation, physical fitness, education, making money,and pointing children toward training themselves forthe most lucrative professions.

The most basic possession anyone can have is "unfeigned faith" such as Timothy had (2 Tim. 1: 5).Parents should desire this for their children above all else. That kind of faith comes from being trained inthe sacred writings. Paul wrote to Timothy, "From childhood you have known the holy scriptures..." (2 Tim.

3: 15). Do you wonder why Timothy had this deep,genuine faith? Paul stated that such faith "dwelt first inyour grandmother

Lois and your mother Eunice" (2 Tim. 1: 5). What bettercan parents do today than to imitate this grandmotherand mother? It is good to be concerned about theschoolwork of children. It is even more important,however, to be sure they are being taught what will leadthem to salvation. When children grow to maturity withno interest in God's word, attending worship and livingrighteously, it just may be because the word of God didnot mean much to their parents, was never read anddiscussed in those formative years. Parents, work onyour own "unfeigned faith," and make every effort to create it in the hearts of your offspring.

The attitude of worldly parents is to have no care about the influence their own lifestyle is having on their impressionable children. Many youngsterssimply duplicate what they have seen in their parents.When the home is characterized by drinking, drugs,profanity, marital infidelity, unscriptural divorce andremarriage, those practices may very well show up alsoin the children. When Jesus speaks of the power ofinfluence in His reference to the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matt. 5: 14-16), surely parents need tolearn that lesson. Training children in the nurture andadmonition of the Lord involves setting good examplesas well as giving verbal instruction. The home is thechief arena where spirituality and morality are viewedby our children. Be sure they see the right things as well as hear them.

It is easy to be swayed by the world's standards, butparents who love the Lord and want what is best fortheir children will resist the temptation to surrendertheir God-given responsibilities. Helping your preciouschildren reach heaven will have been worth every inconvenience and sacrifice. May God bless those loving,caring, concerned fathers and mothers whose hearts are set on their task. Such parents are not perfect, and aresometimes frightened by their fearful responsibility,but they are striving earnestly to do their best. May theylive to see the day when those children will "rise up andcall her (them-BK) blessed" (Prov. 31: 28).

Most members of the church easily recognize the firstchapter of Acts as abridge between the gospels and Actsof Apostles; the real story of this book beginning inchapter two. While the second chapter of Acts is a familiar one to most, it would seem that a very few knowwhat really happened in that chapter. In teachingclasses in various places, I have often ask, "What reallyhappened in Acts 2?" Several replies which have beenreceived are: Establishment of the church, The Apostlesbeing baptized with the Holy Spirit, Salvation beingoffered for the first time in the name of Christ, and preaching of the first gospel sermon in effect. Surely allthese things, and more, did occur; but, does that reallyanswer our question?

Acts 2 can easily be seen as a fulfillment of prophecy,but what prophecy? Yes, Peter did say that Joel 2: 28-32 was being fulfilled. Is that all? Let us now read Isa. 2: 23, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that themountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above thehills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many peopleshall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to themountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob;and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in hispaths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the wordof the Lord from Jerusalem." Let us illustrate what Isaiah said by placing four mountains before us andanother mountain on top—the Lord's house was to be established in the top of the mountains.

The reader is now asked to stop and read Dan. 2: 31-35,and notice the mountain that was to fill the whole earth. Daniel offers an explanation and identifies four kingdoms: Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman.From this we can identify our four mountains (B, M-P,G, R). The word "kingdom" basically means "sovereignty, royal power, dominion, or rule." It would be ofsome assistance to remember this, first of all, when the word "kingdom" is mentioned. So, Isaiah 2 was referringto the simple fact that the rule of the Lord was to be set up—over all! We could simply write the word "rule" overeach of these kingdoms, and see the position that therule of the Lord was to have; it was to be over all. Thatis, it would demand a higher allegiance than all earthly powers (Ac. 5: 29). This "rule" was not to just controlthe actions of men, but, "The kingdom of God is withinyou," (Lk. 17: 21)—a rule from within the hearts of men. Acts 2 identifies the beginning of the reign ofJesus Christ, as the "King of kings" and "Lord of lords." This was the beginning of a system that was tobridge the gulf be-tween man and God (Jno. 14: 6).Here, in Acts 2, Peter speaks of Christ being, "By theright hand of God exalted" as both Lord and Christ(Ac. 2: 33). But, let us be sure that we grasp this.

We wish to get a view of three pictures at this point.The reader should consider these verses carefully. In Ac.

1: 9-11, we have an account of the Ascension of Christ, His leaving the earth to return to heaven-from whence He came.. His entrance into heaven is prophetically setforth in Psa. 24: 7-10. Now, let us get the third picture,that of the crown being placed upon His head, "I saw inthe night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancientof days, and they brought him near before him. Andthere was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, shouldserve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion,which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed," (Dan. 7: 13-14). We may recallthat the angel Gabriel said to Mary In Lk. 1: 33, "And heshall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of hiskingdom there shall be no end." No wonder, then, thatPeter said in Ac. 2; 36, "Therefore let all the house ofIsrael know assuredly, that God hath made that sameJesus, whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ." Thethousands listening to Apostolic preaching on the Day ofPentecost had a decision to make; "Know ye not, that towhom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servantsye are to whom ye obey," (Rom. 6: 16). Three thousandgot the point; and they yielded in obedience to KingJesus. What had Isaiah said? "He shall teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shallgo forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Dear reader, do you see that what really happenedin Acts 2 was that the RULE OF THE LORD WAS SET UP; and that all the other things were merely fruits orresults of this one great fact? Without the RULE OFTHE LORD there would have been no church, no comingof the Holy Spirit, no preaching of the gospel, and nosalvation. The Lord, of course, does that ruling today through His word (Lk. 10: 16; Psa. 119: 89; Heb. 1: 12).

Now, let us go back to Acts 2 and get the whole picture.Just maybe those three thousand saw something whichwe have missed. We must remember how the Jews had treated Jesus, all the efforts to ensnare Him, the premature efforts to destroy Him, and finally their crucifixionof Him. Truly it could be said, "He came unto his own,but his own received him not," (Jno. 1: 11). These Jews are now face to face with a fact which theynever expected. The very one whom they had crucified now had all authority, He was King at God's right hand,and to Him they were going to have to give an account!No wonder they cried out, "Men and brethren, whatshall we do? (Ac. 2: 37). They were murderers, destined to hell, and their only way of escape was to turn to thisOne now reigning, the one whom they had crucified.They got

their answer in verse 38; and, in verse 41 three thousandof them complied. What were they doing? They weresubmitting to the rule of King Jesus; they were recognizing Him as Lord and King in their lives. Certainly these became the "church;," but "church" refers to people, and not something into which people may get! In spite oftheir past, they were now an acceptable part of Hischurch; and they would continue to be such as long asthey lived in submission to the King.

Apostacy And Restoration

Many have the wrong idea about these two words;they simply miss the point—almost completely!Apostacy does not destroy the rule of the Lord, even though men may rebel against this rule. Nothing hashappened to that rule, it is still there and people can stillsubmit to it, and thus become an acceptable part (beadded) to His church. Watch the expression, "Stick withthe church!" No! no! no! Stick with the Lord, with thetruth. If you will do this, you will be an acceptable partof His church. When you fall away (apostacy), it is not,"from the church;" but, it is FROM THE LORD, FROMTHE TRUTH, FROM HIS RULE! And that is what you must return to. It is not, "return to the church;" but, it isa return to, or being restored to the RULE of heaven, theLORD'S RULE. This is true whether we are talkingabout apostacy of an individual or a church Collectively). Sometimes people will say, "O, I never left theLord, just the church." When one quits doing what theLord said do with reference to the church, THAT ONEHAS LEFT THE RULE OF THE LORD—let us not tryto play games with the Lord.

The Invitation

When we invite people to become members of thechurch, what are we doing? We are inviting them tosubmit to the rule of heaven, to come in obedience to King Jesus, to submit to His authority. If one leaves, hehas left the Lord and needs to return to Him. Ignore thegospel and you will not be an acceptable part of Hischurch. We have no more of an alternative today than did they on Pentecost. If men would really recognize theposition of Jesus as it began in Acts 2, 1 am convincedthat the scene of that occasion would be more often repeated. And our allegiance would be recognized forwhat it should be—total and complete submission to theKing of heaven—the Lord Jesus Christ. He awaits yoursubmission!

THE LOVE OF GOD—ROMANS 8—NO. 3 THE HOLY SPIRITAND ASSURANCE—VS. 15, 16

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption,whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. "

Our last article in this series closed on the note of assurance (v. 14). In the foregoing verses we find thattheme extended, amplified, and strengthened.

Unfortunately there are many in the religious world today who suffer untold misery because they are indoubt about their salvation. They are sincere and wantto go to heaven, but for some reason that on which theyrely for assurance is not real—it is not certain—it doesnot satisfy.

I cannot document the reference just now, but sometime ago I read from a book which discussed briefly thisproblem from the viewpoint of the denominational world. Instructions were given to preachers on how tocomfort their members who came to them sufferingdoubt about their salvation. The instructions went something like this: "Tell them not to worry; that thisfeeling comes to everybody; that it will go away soon;just pray to God, then forget about it." After preaching along this line at one place, a sister in Christ told meafter services that before she learned the truth, she hadan experience just like that after thinking she had beenconverted at the "mourners bench;" that I had accurately described what her preacher said as he tried tocomfort her.

The strange thing to me about all of this is, these arethe preachers and people who rely on what they say issupernatural evidence of pardon. They sometimes patthemselves on their left bosom saying, "I know that I amsaved because of what I feel right here." Yet, here isevidence that such is not reliable—it does not last—it does not satisfy!

The New Testament Writers

The writers of the New Testament spake, wrote, andlived "in full assurance of faith" and exhorted us to do the same (Heb. 10: 22). At no time do we find them expressing a single instance of doubt Note the following: "Forwe know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle weredissolved, we have a building of God, an house not madewith hands, eternal in the heavens" (2 Cor. 5: 1). Paul says "we know." Again, "we are always confident" (v. 6), and again in verse eight: "we are confident, I say..." Hear Paul in another place: "... for I know who I havebelieved, and am persuaded that he is able to keep thatwhich I have committed unto him against that day" (2Tim. 1: 12). John, the beloved, said, "Beloved, now arewe the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, weshall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (1 John

3: 2).

God does not want us to go through life with a feelingof uncertainty and suffering the misery of doubt. He hasprovided us with assurance. Our text tells how we mayhave such—even that which characterized the New Testament writers.

The Blessedness of Our Assurance

Verse fifteen emphasizes the blessedness of ourassurance. The contrast is between the spirit of a slavein bondage to a cruel tyrant and an adopted child cryingunto a tender, compassionate father. The expression"Abba, Father" might appear redundant at first glancesince the word "Abba" means "father." However, when the word is understood in the light of its Aramaicmeaning we see why it was not translated, and allappearance of redundancy vanishes. Authorities pointout the "Abba" in the Aramaic always denotes filialaffection and parental tenderness. What a beautiful relationship! Some authorities say the word "Abba"came to be used as a personal name for such a father.Our English word "father" of itself only denotes progenitorship. The context must determine the kind offather. Understanding this difference adds deeper and richer meaning to our Lord's prayer in Gethsemane: "... Abba, Father,... take way this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mk. 14: 36;Cf. Gal. 4: 6).

Even the word "adoption," when understood in thelight of Roman law and as understood by the recipientsof this letter, adds to the blessedness of our assurance.According to Roman law an adopted child had to betreated, in all respects, including the matter of inheritance, as a natural child. No favoritism could be shown—ever. Imagine what this meant to GentileChristians. What a lesson to be learned by JewishChristians!

Evidence of Pardon

Verse sixteen identifies the basis of our assurance. It involves the testimony of two witnesses, namely, theHoly Spirit and our spirit: "The Spirit itself bearethwitness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."

Let us look first at the Holy Spirit and His testimony.How does He bear witness? The answer is simple:Through His word! This ought not to appear strange, because we find a precedent in the Old Testament: "Yet many years didst thou forbear them,and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thyprophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands" (Neh. 9: 30). When one hears the words of aman guided by the Holy Spirit, he is hearing the wordsof the Holy Spirit. This word is that revealed unto the"holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit" (Eph. 3: 5),and which is the gospel (1 Pet. 1: 25)— God's power untosalvation (Rom. 1: 16). Paul called this

word "the sword of the Spirit" (Eph. 6: 17). This sword isso powerful that nothing—absolutely nothing can perform a more thorough operation on the heart of men: "Forthe word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper thanany two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, andis a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart"(Heb. 4: 12). It is interesting to observe in further confirmation of how the Holy Spirit bears His testimony thatthe inspired apostle John closed every one of his lettersto the seven churches of Asia saying, "He that hath anear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches"(Rev. 2 and 3).

This testimony of the Holy Spirit, however, of itselfdoes not suffice for proof of our salvation. Our spirit musttestify, or bear witness WITH the Holy Spirit. Notice, ourtext does not say "the Holy Spirit bears witness TO ourspirit that we are the children of God." Rather, it says,"The Spirit itself beareth witness WITH our spirit, thatwe are the children of God." True, the Holy Spirit bearswitness TO our spirit, as we have shown, but we have noproof of our salvation until we have believed and obeyedwhat the Spirit says. Then, our spirit can bear witnessWITH the Holy Spirit—the two harmonize WITH each other. For example: The Holy Spirit says to the alien "believe" (Acts 16L31), "repent" (Acts 17: 30), "confess"(Rom. 10: 9), and "be baptized for the remission of sins"(Acts 2: 38). My spirit says that I have "believed," "repented," "confessed," and been "baptized for the remission of sins." Thus, the testimony of the Holy Spirit andmy spirit harmonize. The Holy Spirit bears witnessWITH my spirit that I am a child of God! Here isassurance—evidence of pardon—as strong and as sureas the word of God. If one doubts after understandingthis, he needs another lesson on a different subject,namely, Faith In God.

This same assurance has been provided for the childof God. Day by day he walks "in full assurance of faith"as he conforms his life to the revelation of the Spirit. Thisdoes not mean that perfection is demanded of him. Whilesome commands directed to the Christian are absolute,most of those involving his faithfulness to the Lord arerelative. Limited space precludes a careful study of thispoint of distinction just here. However, suffice it to saythat absolute commands are those in which one does not grow or become proficient with the passing of time andpractice. He either obeys it or he does not, and that is it.Relative commands are those in which we do grow andbecome more proficient with time and practice. In thelatter we are judged on the basis of our time, opportunity,and ability (Matt. 25: 14-30; 2 Pet. 1: 5-8). Of course, ifhe sins, God has provided for forgiveness through genuine repentance, confession, and prayer (1 John 2:1; Acts 8: 22; 1 John 1: 9). This puts salvation within reach of every man and enables him to have assurance all along the way from earth to heaven.

Let us continue to be thankful for the love of God which has provided us with blessed assurance so that we cansay with Peter, "Whom having not seen, ye (we) love; inwhom, though now ye (we) see him not, yet believing, ye(we) rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet

1: 8).

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOB THE CRY FOR A DAYSMAN

Our title continues to presume upon the understanding that Job was not a man living in the gospelage, he was an Old Testament patriarch who lived hundreds of years before Christ. However, since theBible is the unfolding of God's eternal purpose inhuman redemption, we must recognize that everybook of that sacred volume is in complement to thispurpose. Within the Old Testament there are typesand shadows which look to the New Testament for the anti-type and the substance. Sometimes these reference are glaring, sometimes they are subtle, but ineither case there is the ultimate pointing to JesusChrist, the savior of the world. Within the book of Job we are treated, for the most part, to the subtle inquisitiveness, pleading and longing, the questioning thatfinds answer only in Christ. While we are attentive toJob's questions we are more intent on the answersfrom Jesus.

We have been initially impressed with the man,Job, and his character, perfect and upright, one thatfeared God and eschewed evil. Interesting is the eloquent address of the philosophers, Eliphaz, Bildad,and Zophar, as is the impassioned responses. Couched in the fact that in Job we see a man stripped to the nakedness of his own individuality, we listen to hisfriends and hear his replies from the depth of hisnature. The first of these is "There is no daysman" (Job

9: 33). This statement occurs in the first series ofcontroversies as Job replies to Bildad. Bildad has argued that God is just (8: 3). Job answers byagreeing, I know it is so (9: 2). He then raises aquestion "How should a man be just with God?"This is a legal question, somewhat argumentative.In meaning it seems to say, "How can man argue hiscase before God, so as to justify himself?"

The friends of Job have sought to establish Job's suffering as punitive, on account of sin. Based on this,Job cries for a daysman since he could not argue hiscase before God in such a way as to disprove theirposition. Seeing that impossibility, his cry comes fromthe depth of his being. Our line of study is to considerthis cry and show the final answer as revealed inChrist. We are made aware in the progression of thebook that Job's cry for a "daysman" is born of double consciousness. An awareness of the greatness and majesty of God and of his own comparative littleness.Here is the cry of a man who knew God and his matchless power and might (cf. 9: 5-10), but in the recognition of his own smallness felt he could not reachGod. His cry, in effect, is, "Oh, if I only could. In his need for God, Job also realized his need for a "daysman," an umpire, arbiter, a go-between, one that could lay handson both parties. Indeed, here is expressed an abiding need with all men.

Man's nature demands God for full realization of self. Life in its fullest sense requires conscious dealing withGod. While it is true, God deals with every man, "For inhim we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17: 28),the mere contact with God is not enough. Life is completeonly when dealing with God is direct and conscious, when God touches on the very purpose of life, to not only give thebreath of life but to dominate and control every breath.Herein we glorify the Father and in this is given truepurpose for life.

Search as we might there is no answer to the cry for adaysman to be found within the book of Job. We must turnto the New Testament for the answer. "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the manChrist Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to betestified in due time" (1 Tim. 2: 5-6). There is indeed adaysman, a mediator. The two words have essentially thesame meaning. There is one of authority who can lay handon both God and man. An authority based upon the reality of his humanity plus the fact of his deity. "Who, being inthe form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal withGod: But made himself of no reputation and took upon himthe form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men"(Phil. 2: 6-7). A mediator "who gave himself a ransom," didsomething making way of approach to God possible.

What separates between man and God? Isaiah says,"iniquities" or "sin" (Isa. 59: 1-2). Here is man's failure toreach God. Sinless man needs no mediator, will not cry outfor a daysman. Ideal man walked and talked with God inthe Edenic relationship, but, sin severed that relationship. The fact of sin separates every responsible beingfrom God as it dims the true sense of God and the sense of man's spiritual nature. A sense which can never be accentuated through human mentality alone. Zophar arguesthat man cannot know these things because they arebeyond his finding out (Job 11: 7-8). Indeed, "It is not inman that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer. 10: 23).

Thankfully, the possibility of fellowship with God severed by sin, can be restored. We have a mediator, ransomhas been paid. When sinful man yields to the Christ,through the full and complete obedience of faith, sin'sbarrier is removed. It is by Him we have access to eternalhope. "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God"(Rom. 5: 2).

And so it is that Job's questioning cry for a "daysman"carries across the ages to Jesus Christ for answer. A cryborn out of a sense of lack of contact with God and ultimately identifying with the breach caused by sin. It isthus that the recognition of that hopeless state is produced. God spans the breach, separation does not have toexist, we have our "daysman," our mediator, our access tothe grace and mercy of God. For all men contact with Godis possible, forgiveness is real, fellowship with the Fatheris a continuing thing for all who will accept it. "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowshipone with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Soncleanseth us from all sin" (1 Jn. 1: 7).

PARADOXICAL THERAPY—A BELLYFUL

Recently (Nov. 22, 1987), an interesting and

informative article appeared in Parade Magazine

concerning the subject of "paradoxical therapy. "

The principle behind this method of therapy is described as "inverse logic" and "fighting fire with fire."But, we are cautioned "that it is not suitable in everycase." The technique works best "if all other efforts tosolve a problem have failed. "

In layman's language, paradoxical therapy often works when people get a bellyful of the problem.

To me, one of the most interesting statements in the article was that "Paradoxical therapy was first suggested more than half a century ago..." With maybe aslight variation, I think this principle of treating or evencuring problems has been around longer than "half acentury. "

The law of gravity was around a long time before men

like Newton and Galileo "discovered" some things about

it (Job. 26: 7). The earth was round before the expedi

tions of Columbus and Magellan proved that fact to the

world (Isa. 40: 22).

And, God was using the principle of paradoxicaltherapy thousands of years before modern-day psychiatrists "discovered" it. Thousands of people were treatedand "cured" of their problem simply by giving them a bellyful of that which ailed them.

When Israel said, "Give us flesh, that we may eat,"God said that they would have it "until it come out atyour nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you" (Num. 11:13-20). By our standard of measurement, the "flesh"Israel wanted piled up about three feet deep for a day's journey in all directions (v. 31).

When God's people took the liberty which belonged toothers and kept it for themselves, God gave them more"liberty" than they wanted—"to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine" (Jer. 34: 17).

Because Israel insisted on serving strange gods in the land which God had given them, God "allowed" them toserve strange gods in a strange land, in captivity to thoseheathen nations whose gods Israel wanted to serve (Jer. 5:19).

God told his people, "In returning and rest shall ye besaved; in quietness and in confidence shall be yourstrength: and ye would not. But ye said, No; for we willflee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee..." (Isa. 30: 1517). The people ran until they were tired of running.

Because Israel feared the sword, and would not trust in God to protect them, God brought the very swordwhich they feared upon them (Jer. 42: 14, 22; Ezek. 11:8).

Because mount Seir had "shed the blood of the children of Israel," God said, "blood shall pursue thee"(Ezek. 35: 5, 6). The same "therapy" was administered to the enemies of God's people in a vision which John saw on Patmos (Rev. 16: 6).

As the author of the Parade article indicates, thismethod of treatment may not be suitable in every case,but it works best when drastic measures need to be taken, and all else has failed.

Some of God's people today seem to be going through a stage of this thing called paradoxical therapy. Theyhelped to instigate the flood of institutionalism, sponsoring churches, recreation and entertainment and other brands of the social gospel. Now, at least a few ofthem seem to be getting a bellyful of their "quail. "

But, there are some people who do not need therapy.They just "fear God and keep his commandments," andgenerally go about the day to day business of beingnormal, spiritually healthy people of God.

Send all News Items to: Connie W. Adams, P. O. Box 69, Brooks, KY 40109

Robert H. Farish died at about 7: 30 PM Wednesday, December l2,1990. He was lucid and independent until the end: he and Motherdrove to Scott and White Hospital in Temple, singing along with oneof R. J.'s quartet tapes, and he walked into the emergency room atabout 5: 30 PM Wednesday. He had an aneurysm of the aorta, whichgave way and defied repair, and he died in surgery.

Funeral services were conducted at the Leon Valley church building in Temple on Saturday morning. Tim Coffey and Elmer Moorepreached. Jimmy Roberts led congregational singing. Prayers wereled by Robert Welch, Tom Roberts and Jim Ward.

Dad was 78 years old. He and Mother were married 55 years andhad four sons, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Hepreached the gospel 60 years, doing local work in Mississippi, Indiana,Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Kentucky and California. He held gospelmeetings in probably half of these United States, and wrote articlesand tracts which have received wide distribution. He did his last "fulltime" work in Refugio, Texas and had been living in Belton nearlytwo years. —Patrick Farish(Editor's note: We have lost another great soldier of Christ. Thiswriter personally profited much from the writings of brother Farish, especially in the 1950's and 60's. Sometimes it seems that we are losing more preachers than we are gaining. It is especially difficult tobid farewell to those who fought for truth in crucial times and whosecourage and faithfulness emboldened many to stand and be counted.We shall miss him. Our sighing for Heaven grows heavier day by day.CWA)DENVER NIEMEIER, 10356 N. State Rd. 267, Brownsburg, IN 46112—On Feb. 13, 1 left the Traders Point church in Indianapolis, Indiana after an association of almost 23 years. Fiveyears were spent as the preacher and since Feb. 18, 1971 as anelder. There are four good, capable men remaining to serve as elders. The work is strong, sound and my leaving is peaceable.

February 17, I began working with the church in Jamestown,IN, located 20 miles west of Indianapolis just off I-74. This is mysecond time to preach here, having worked here from 1961 through1966. I look forward to being in the harness again. I will be able to conductfour meetings each year and have two openings for this year. The church at Jamestown will continue enabling me to hold meetingswhere churches are unable to support their own meetings. HAL SNYDER, P. O. Drawer I, Newport, NC 28570—We are now publishing THE VISITING PREACHER which is designed to acquaint readers with the New Testament church and the faith andpractice of Christians. This bimonthly bulletin is sent FREE to any and all who may benefit from it.

DEBATE THOMAS N. THRASHER, P. O. Box 1941, Decatur, AL 35602— A public debate on "congregational benevolence" is scheduled for June 3-4, 6-7, 1991 (7 PM each night). Sessions on Monday andTuesday nights will be held in the building of the church of Christ onSparkman Drive in Huntsville, AL. The proposition will be: "TheBible teaches that a church of the Lord's people may make a contribution from its treasury to a home for orphans." Roger Jacksonaffirms and Thomas N. Thrasher denies.

On Thursday and Friday nights the discussion will be conductedin the building of the Union church of Christ near Somerville, AL. The proposition will be: The Bible teaches that, in benevolence, a churchof the Lord's people is restricted to the relief of needy saints only."Thomas N. Thrasher affirms and Roger Jackson denies.

For additional information contact me at the above address or call

(205) 353-3085.

CHUCK SCOTT, 2637 Walnut Bottom Rd., Carlisle, PA 17013

— Rejoice with us in the recent baptism of two more here at Walnut Bottom. Over the past year 6 were baptized and 3 restored.Lloyd Barker will be here for a meeting in March.

TOMMY L. MCCLURE, Route 2, Box 179, Marvell, AR 72366— After forty-three years of local work, Janette and I now live in thecountry near Marvel, AR, about 90 miles down the MississippiRiver from Memphis, TN and about 30 miles west of Helena, AR. Iplan to hold meetings, preach on week-end appointments, lead singing for meet

ings where there is no adequate song leader, and do much long-awaited writing. I am interested in hearing from congregations withinreasonable driving distance for week-end appointments, places wherever located for meetings or song leading. No congregation has to havea huge bank account for me to be of service—expenses, or a little over,if affordable, will be fine. Contact me at the above address or call (501)829-3759.

WAYNE S. WALKER, 310 Hayes St., Dayton, OH 45410—TheHaynes St. church has four gospel meetings planned for 1991: March17-22 with Grover Stevens of Lubbock, TX; June 17-21 with Dan Clarkson of Brookville, OH speaking to teenagers and adults invacation Bible study on "living For Jesus"; Sept. 22-27 with WayneChappell of New Castle, IN; and Dec. 6-8 with Gary Eubanks ofAcworth, GA dealing with the false doctrine of Charles Holt and theExaminer. Our building is fairly close to both I-75 and U. S. Hwy. 35not far from downtown Dayton.

FROM AFAR BARCELONA, SPAIN—EFRAIN PEREZ reports that the work at Badalona congregation goes well. He has had a helper recentlyin Gregory Roark who arrived there to study and who hopes to beable to work later in Spain as a teacher. He attended a Spanishspeaking congregation in New York City. Two more were baptized inDecember. Average attendance for the month was 48. Efrain alsomade a trip to the Canary Islands to follow up on some contactsthere for teaching the gospel.

SOUTH AFRICA—Paul Williams reports from Eshowe that threemore have been baptized there. One of these was from a correspondence course and one was an ancestor worshipper. The Eshowe churchhas started supporting a native man to preach. He is David Ngonyama. The church has few wage-earners but they are giving well.

PREACHERS NEEDED NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE—The Hillview congregation is looking for a part-time or full-time preacher who is mature andsound in the faith. This congregation is self-supporting. If interested, contact Clyde Dean (615) 356-2482, Jimmy Jordan (615) 646-5564 or Donnie Brown (615) 952-2701; or write to: HillviewChurch of Christ, 7471 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, TN 37209.

PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI—The Chico Road church is seeking a full-time preacher. We are a small congregation whichhas lost several members over the last few years and that hasweakened our ability to support, therefore outside support will beneeded. If interested, please contact: Clyde Johnson (601) 769-9640,Dr. Leo Hastings (601) 872-3473, or Charles Hagan, Sr., 1217 22nd St.,Pascagoula, MS 39581, (601) 762-9557.

TORONTO, OHIO—Small congregation in southeast Ohio nearPittsburg is looking for a full-time preacher to work with them. Salaryplus house and utilities furnished. Some outside support may beneeded. Those interested should contact Larry Sapp (614) 537-9351,or write to the Dennis Way Church of Christ, Toronto, Ohio 43964.

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN—The Hillcrest congregation meeting at 1621 Hillcrest Dr., Green Bay, WI 54313, needs a preacher to work with us beginning about May. Average attendance isabout 30 and we can provide partial support. The city of Green Bayhas a couple of colleges, a prison and a metropolitan population of over 100, 000. Those interested should contact Wilmer Kersten

(715) 758-8615, or Nolan Glover (414) 497-0769, or write theabove address.

EDITORIAL LEFT-OVERSTHIS MUST BE SOMETHING ELSE

I don't usually get too excited about the book reviews in some of theperiodicals. They do serve a needed place and, of course, the reviewerappraises books as he sees them. In the January, 1991 issue ofGOSPEL HERALD, published in Beamsville, Ontario, Canada, Keith Thompson reviews a book entitled A JEWISH SAVIOR THROUGHGENTILE EYES, Studies in the Gospel of Luke by Rubel Shelly. Youmay recall that in a recent "Left-Overs" column we quoted fromspeeches Rubel Shelly made in West Memphis, AR in which hebelittled "pattern theology" and attempting to make the church of the present like the church of the first century. Thompson's review has this closing paragraph about Shelly's book:

"Shelly writes in a very engaging style. He uses illustrations fromsuch diverse sources as a Soviet poet, Olympic games and CharlieBrown! He quotes Psychology Today and the Guiness Book of World Records. He cites authors like Dietrich Bonhoffer. Francis Schaeffer,

A. W. Tozer, Leon Morris and C. S. Lewis. An excellent source book forpersonal reading or class use. Also it would make an ideal gift forsomeone who needs to know what the gospel is all about. "

Shelly has become a liberal's liberal. He is under heavy attack fromsome of his former colleagues in this country. If such material fills theminds of Canadian brethren (and remember, it is recommended for"class use") then this will contribute to a further weakening ofconviction among them.

WAR IN THE GULF AND GOSPEL WORK

Just as doors of opportunity were opening in many places, especially in eastern Europe, the war in the Persian Gulf has shifted ourattention to the hostilities there. The travel plans of many may bealtered. Americans living and working in the Middle East as well asother places will have to take extra precautions because of the threatof terrorists. Christians everywhere are praying that this conflict willsoon be over. It would be added tragedy should congregations, nowsupporting faithful men to preach around the world, lessen theirinterest or withhold their support. War points up the universal needfor the gospel to be preached and to change the thinking and behaviorof those who yield to it.

ARMAGEDDON—ARMAGEDDON

The presses are rolling and publishing books to convince the worldthat the events in the Middle East are the fulfillment of Bible prophesy. "Specialists" on prophesy have had to back down time andagain on their predictions. But they don't quit. Now the script is beingrewritten to work Saddam Hussein into the picture. The comment ofAdam Clarke on Revelation 16: 16 is interesting. He says "But what isthe battle of Armageddon? How ridiculous have been the conjecturesof men relative to this point! Within the last twenty years (Clarkewrote this over 150 years ago—CWA) this battle has been fought atvarious places, according to our purblind seers and self-inspired prophets! At one time it was Auaterlitz, at another Moscow, at anotherLeipsic, and now Waterloo! and thus they have gone on, and will go on,confounding and being confounded. "

The world has been told with absolute certainty that KaiserWilhelm was the "Anti-Christ." Then it was Adolf Hitler, then Mussolini, and even Henry Kissinger. The speculators have tried to turnthe European Common Market nations into the ten horns of Daniel'sprophesy. Every crisis in the Middle East has become the excuse forre-figuring the prophets and the signs of Matthew 24. Consider thefollowing:

"Not in the lifetime of most men has there been so much grave anddeep apprehension; never has the future seemed so incalculable as atthe present time. The domestic economic situation is in chaos. Ourdollar is weak throughout the world. Prices are so high as to be utterlyimpossible. The political cauldron seethes and bubbles with uncertainty. Russia hangs, as usual, like a cloud, dark and silent, upon thehorizon. It is a solemn moment. Of our troubles, no man can see theend. "

Now, if you think this came from a recent newspaper editorial, think again. It came from Harper's Weekly, October, 1857! (quotedfrom The Kingdom of God and the Planet Earth by Jim McGuiggan). All of which reminds us that God is still the governor among thenations and still rules in the affairs of men.

One more observation. When this conflict with Iraq is over, I hopeour leaders will have the good sense not to try to continually police that region of the world. Arabs and Jews have been in conflict since the days of Isaac and Jacob.

IN THE NEWS THIS MONTH

BAPTISMS 317 RESTORATIONS 55 (Taken from bulletins and papers received by the editor)