Truth Magazine

By Marc W. Gibson

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Eph. 4:29). This command from the apostle Paul is one of several that he gives concerning the activity of a Christian who is “renewed in the spirit of your mind, and . . . created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness” (vv. 23-24). Since God is holy and righteous, the Christian is to be holy in all conduct (1 Pet. 1:15-16), and to practice righteousness (1 John 3:7). Holy conduct results from a heart that is clean and pure. Unholy conduct portrays a heart that is full of filth. One of the quickest ways that a person can demonstrate the condition of his heart is to open his mouth and talk.

Filthy speech is condemned as one of the “members which are on the earth . . . But now you must put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth . . .” (Col. 3:5, 8). This shameful speech “denotes any kind of base utterance, the utterance of an uncontrolled tongue” (Vine). It is obscene and impure, and should not be “named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks” (Eph. 5:3-4).

The Pervasiveness of Filthy Speech

The problem of filthy speech is made all the worse due to its pervasiveness. It is a common rite of passage for young men to start talking filthy like their older male relatives and friends. Various forms of modern media are filled with it. Most of what is offered on our televisions and in theaters is overflowing with suggestive and filthy language. It is used so freely because it easily elicits attention, shock, and laughter. People who are normally shy about using gutter language will gladly pay to hear someone spew verbal garbage. The Christian in the workplace is often subjected to trashy talk and foul language in personal conversations and meetings. Innocent sporting events are ruined by fans who express themselves with obscene gestures and chants. Popular books and magazines deliver to the mind’s eye the crass cursing and swearing of the world. Nearly everywhere one goes, the eyes and ears are bombarded with crude language that appeals to the sensual and the base things of this earth, not to mention the constant blasphemy of taking God’s name in vain. What is the Christian to do?

How to Deal With This Serious Danger

The danger involved is not insignificant. Filthy language comes from filthy sources, and we can easily become acclimated to such filth. The Christian must not allow his inner person to find any comfort, excitement, or humor in such communication. We would be sickened at the thought of eating rotten food, yet Jesus identified true defilement as that which comes out of the mouth: “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man” (Matt. 15:18). Our mind must filter what comes into our eyes and ears daily. This necessitates that we first clean out the filth that may already be in us. “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin and unrighteousness, both for the penitent believer who is baptized into Christ, and for the Christian who confesses his sins (Acts 22:16; 1 John 1:7-9). A person that is filled with Christ and his word has the best defense against the contamination of filthy speech. An immediate and repulsive reaction will result against anything that would threaten the Christian’s spiritual life and hope. We must not make excuses while we absorb such filth; we must do whatever we can to get away from it or stop it. Uncomfortable situations may result, but this is nothing compared to how nauseating it should be to hear and use corrupt language.

We as Christians must take action. We may have to walk away from a conversation, or ask someone to stop swearing while we are present. Though this usually makes people angry with us, it will bring to their attention the vain talk they mindlessly utter out of habit. Don’t be embarrassed to be an influence for decency. Those who use the filthy language should feel the embarrassment. Television shows need to be turned off, and movies avoided or walked out of. Someone always retorts, “Well, that’s the real world; get used to it!” Yes, and that’s the real problem. We are getting too used to it. I learned recently that there is a device available for the TV that will filter out bad language. Check it out — it would be an excellent investment, both financially and morally. 

Children need to be taught early about the bad language that they will hear from their friends and schoolmates who mimic the filthy words of their parents. We need to be prepared not only to insist that they not use such language, but to tell them why! Explain to them why we do not use God’s precious name in vain, or speak filthy and vulgar words. Explain why we should be angry and offended at such talk every time we hear it. It would do us well to teach our children early to avoid popular euphemisms (gee, golly, darn, etc.) that are just watered-down versions of vain and offensive language. Training the tongue is vital (Jas. 3:1-10).

Graceful Speech

When warning about the danger of filthy speech, we must also emphasize, as Paul did, the need for edifying and grace-imparting speech (Eph. 4:29; Col. 4:6). Parents must realize that their children will repeat the type of speech they hear in the home. Let them hear godly talk and language that is decent and understandable. Let us be careful to speak properly to people of the world who will judge our religious claims by our words. May they see an example of someone who walks and talks as a Christian. May we be careful to speak properly to one another as brethren, whether in edification of truth, or in the rebuke of false teaching. There is no excuse for ugly and filthy talk among brethren. Such is of the world, which is passing away. Let us say what we mean, and mean what we say, all the while using words that are pure, proper, decent, and godly.

(The filter device for the television mentioned in this article can be found at the following website: www. tvguardian.com)

By Connie W. Adams

Jeremiah was a reluctant prophet from the start. When the Lord told him that he had ordained him a prophet before he came forth from the womb, Jeremiah said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold I cannot speak, for I am a youth” (Jer. 1:6). The Lord reassured him, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatsoever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you says the Lord” (Jer. 1:7-8). Prodded by these assurances, Jeremiah began his work.

It was a troublesome time. The kingdom of Judah had followed the same crooked trail marked out over 100 years before by the northern kingdom. Judah had a few good kings (like Josiah) but then Manasseh came on the scene and practiced human sacrifice. “He made his son to pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger” (2 Kings 21:6). The warnings of earlier prophets had been ignored. God had used Assyria as a chastening rod to punish idolatrous Israel. But Judah refused to learn this lesson of history. Now the Babylonians were poised and ready to desolate the land and remove its hapless citizens from their own land and scatter them throughout the Babylonian empire.

Jeremiah’s message was not pleasant to hear. It spoke of desolation and destruction. He shouted “violence and plunder,” but they did not want to hear it. Moreover, they took out their anger on the prophet. First they tried to ignore him and then they mocked him and later openly persecuted him. So the discouraged prophet had enough. He said, “O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily; Everyone mocks me. For when I spoke, I cried out: I shouted ‘Violence and plunder!’ Because the word of the Lord was made to me a reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.’ But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not” (Jer. 20: 7-9).

Here was a man ready to quit. What was the use of continuing to prophesy to an indifferent people. They were headed for captivity and he could not stop it. Besides that, who wants to be scorned for simply delivering the Lord’s message? But how could he quit? The message he had been given to declare was not his but the Lord’s. That word had not been placed in him to hold it to himself. He said, “when I tried to hold back, it was like a raging fire” shut up in his bones and he just had to speak.

While none of us these days are prophets in the sense Jeremiah was, we need preachers with a fire in them that will not be quenched. The apostles of our Lord hazarded their lives for the cause of the Lord. Neither beatings, threats, nor prison walls could silence them. They had a commission, a charge. Duty called and they had to answer. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Cor. 4:7). The treasure was the light of divine inspiration that God had “shined” in their hearts (v. 6). They were the vessels and the light was the treasure. They had to speak. Paul said, “we believe and therefore speak” (2 Cor. 4:13). The “fire” in these men changed the course of civilization.

There were other preachers and Christians in the first century who would not be silenced. “Then Phillip went down to Samaria and preached Christ unto them” (Acts 8:5). He was on fire with the gospel. Think of Timothy, Titus, Aquila and Priscilla, those noble men and women whom Paul described as “fellow helpers to the truth.” Think of the persecuted saints in Jerusalem who were scattered but still “went every­where preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).

Duty Demands That We Speak

Evangelistic efforts have been criticized in recent times because “religion ought to be a private thing.” Even presidential candidates have been objects of ridicule because they openly expressed their faith in Christ. One columnist after another has opined that “religion is a private thing.” But they just don’t get it. Whether these who have professed faith in the Lord have truly obeyed his will is a question of great importance. But one thing I know — true Christians are under orders. We cannot be true to our Lord and remain silent about the gospel. The good news must be told. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). The spirit of evangelism is the very life blood of the church. The church is “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). The church at Thessalonica “sounded out the word of the Lord” (1 Thess. 1:8). They were aflame with the gospel.

And what of us? Can we afford to hold back when the world around us is marching straight into Hell? There are wars and rumors of wars. Immorality in high places is the order of the day. Where will the next school shootings take place? How many more times must we watch as the “experts” wring their hands and try to explain to us why these things happen? Divorce keeps on tearing families apart. Fornication, alcohol, drugs, stealing, lying, and murder are commonplace. What is the answer?

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to sal­vation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written. ‘The just shall live by faith’” (Rom. 1:16-17). Here is the remedy for every sin.

Now, whose work is it to make known the remedy? Men are starving for want of spirit­ual food. Are we not compelled to direct them to the “bread of life”? People are thirsting, shall we not lead them to “the water of life”? The world is stumbling in darkness, shall we hide our light under a basket? Can we not tell them of the “light of the world”? Knowing that those who know not God and obey not the gospel shall be lost eternally, can we hold back and not warn them of the wrath to come? “Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11).

“But Lord, you know I am timid. I don’t know what to say or how to start. Besides others can do that much better than me.” Even some preachers are known to say “Well, I am better in the pulpit than in a one-on-one situation.” Don’t forget that Paul taught “publicly and from house to house” (Acts 20:20).

What preacher has not faced discouragement after preaching his heart out only to see sinful people turn a deaf ear or at worst persecute the preacher. How many have called it quits when opposition arose? How many have been sidetracked into business pursuits so they would not be a “burden on the brethren” when the real problem was that the fire went out.

God grant that all of us may have a raging inferno shut up in our bones so that we have to speak to others the saving message of the gospel. Time flies. What are we waiting for?

P.O. Box 69, Brooks, Kentucky 40109

By Johnie Edwards

According to the November 1999 issue of Look Magazine 50,000 Americans are in the need of a new heart. As I read this article, I got to thinking about the number of people who need a new heart spiritually. Thus we study:

• The Bible Heart: The Bible heart is not the blood pump, as many seem to think, but the mind or intellect of man. It’s like the wise man wrote, “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth” (Eccl. 7:4). Perhaps there is a death of friend and we cannot be with them and we say, “my heart is with you.” That is, the thoughts of our mind are with you. This is the way the Bible uses the word heart. Where is your heart right now?
• New Hearts Save Lives: The Look article stated that new hearts save lives. To be saved from sin and have the hope of heaven we must have a changed heart. The old hard heart must be changed into an obedient heart. As Paul penned, “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness” (Rom. 6:17-18). The “form of doctrine” one obeys is that which Paul described in Romans 6:1-8 when one is “baptized into the death of Christ.” Are you in need of a new heart?
• New Hearts Are Costly: Do you have any idea what it cost to get a new heart? The cost can be as much as $162,000.00. Did it ever occur to you that when you get a new heart, it is not without cost. It cost God “his only begotten son” (John 3:16); it cost Christ his life (Rom. 5:8); it will cost you the giving up of sinful things as you repent (Acts 17:30); it will cost you bowing your heart in obedience to the gospel of Christ (Matt. 7:21; Heb. 5:8-9) as you are baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27), for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38). No wonder Paul said, “For ye are bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20). Peter affirmed, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pet. 1:18-19). The Ephesian elders were told that the church had the “purchased price” of the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28). Are you willing to pay the price for a new spiritual heart?
• Shortage: When it comes to heart transplants there is a real shortage. Ninety-five percent of Americans who need a new heart, will not get one. There is no shortage of new hearts for those who want to change their spiritual heart. The Lord says, “Come” (Matt. 11:28-30); “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athrist come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). If you needed a new physical heart, I expect you would be getting in line to get on the list for a transplant. Why not obey the Lord and get a new spiritual heart while you can?
• Waiting: The average wait for those on the transplant list is 207 days. This wait is often fatal. Your waiting to change your heart for a new spiritual one can also be deadly. Paul put urgency of obedience in these words, “. . . behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). In the words of the Psalmist, “And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee” (Ps. 39:7). For what are you waiting. Get that new heart while you still can!

21 Woodyard Rd., Bloomington, Indiana 47404

In Ephesians 5:32 Paul says, “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church” (NASB). In the context, although he has been saying much about marriage (Eph. 5:22-33), from this statement Paul shows that the central point has had more to do with the relation of the church to Christ and Christ’s relation to the church. In many ways the relation between Christ and the church is like marriage, and the picture Paul draws here is a beautiful one indeed.

Each individual member of the Lord’s church is married to Christ, as Paul shows elsewhere (see Rom. 7:4 and 2 Cor. 11:2-3).

There is much said here about the church’s relation to Christ, but much is also said about what Christ is to the church, and that is our concern at this time. What is Christ to the Church, according to these verses?

“Christ is the Head of the Body”

The first thing that is said in these verses about Christ’s relation to the church is that he is the head of it. “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church” (v. 23). Earlier in this same book Paul has shown that Christ became head after his ascension into heaven (Eph. 1:20-23).

As head, Christ gives direction to the members of his body, the church, because he has absolute authority over it.  “And he put all things in subjection under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church” (Eph. 1:22). Because Christ is head, each member must hold fast to him as head and not be moved away from him (Col. 2:19). One may be moved away from Christ by following after “philosophy and vain   deception,” as was to be the case with the Colossians if they did not continue to hold on to their faith in Christ (Col. 2:6ff.). 

As head, Christ also provides nourishment to each member, so that each may grow up in him (Eph. 4:12-16). After naming the various gifts God has given to men (v. 11) so that all the saints may be brought to the point of maturity and thereby equipped to do the work of ministry and the building up of the body of Christ (v. 12), Paul shows that God’s desire and plan is that all the saints may “grow up in all aspects in Him, who is the head, even Christ” (Eph. 4:15). The whole body is fitted and held together by Christ who is the head, and it experiences growth as each member shares in the work for the building up of itself in love (v. 16).

“Christ is the Savior of the Body”

Not only is Christ the head of the body, the church, but as the last part of Ephesians 5:23 affirms, he is also “the Savior of the body.” This should not surprise us because he came into the world to be Savior. See the announcement made beforehand, and that made at the time of his birth: “And she shall bear a son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). “For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). When presented to the Lord in Jerusalem, Simeon an aged prophet who had been promised that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ (Luke 2:26), said of him, “For my eyes have seen Thy salvation, Which Thou has prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, and the glory of Thy people Israel” (vv. 30-32). Jesus said of himself, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

But what is the “body” of which Christ is Savior? Paul says it is the church (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18). But if Christ is the Savior of the body, the church, what of those not in the body? Where does it say Christ is the Savior of those not in the body? This is an important question in light of the common view that it is not necessary for one to be a member of the church in order to be saved. It is often contended that we ought to preach Christ and not the church, that Christ saves and not the church. It is true that the church does not save, but we cannot preach Christ and not preach the church for that would be to preach Christ the head but not the body over which he rules, or Christ the Savior without preaching about what it is that he saves, i.e., the body, which is the church. The church is not the Savior, but the church is the saved; the church is that of which Christ is the Savior. He is the Savior of the body, the church. That being the case, then we ask again: What of those not in the body, the church? Are they saved?

How is Christ the Savior of the body, the church? The answer to this question is found in out next point.

“Christ Loved the Church and Gave His Life For It”

The second part of Ephesians 5:25 says that husbands are to love their wives “just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.”  If one asks, then, to what extent did Christ love the church, the answer lies in the supreme sacrifice he made for it, i.e., he laid down his own life for it. In anticipation of his own sacrifice for the church, Jesus taught his disciples that he would willingly make this sacrifice for them (John 10:17-18). But he also taught them that for them to practice the “new commandment” which he was giving them, they too would be required to be willing to do the same for each other (John 13:34-35).

Paul later would say, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6-8).

What is the significance of Christ’s death for the church?  For one thing, as just seen, it served as a great demonstration of his love for it. But there is more. Scripture also shows that Christ’s death also serves as the purchase price for the church (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 6:19-20). 

What value do these things place upon the church? The thing purchased is of equal value with the purchase price. Since Jesus gave himself, the church is of equal value with Christ.  Because Jesus purchased the church with his own blood the church is equal in value with his blood (Acts 20:28). Saved outside the church, or without being a member of it? Then saved without the blood of Christ!

“Christ Died That He Might Sanctify and Cleanse the Church”

According to Ephesians 5:26, Christ gave himself for the church for two reasons: “that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her . . .” The word “that” introduces the purpose of his death, why he gave himself. The word “her” identifies the thing that he loved supremely, and the thing he died for, i.e., “the church” of verse 25.

To “sanctify” the church is to separate or consecrate it, to set it apart unto God for sacred use. It is to make it holy for service. To “cleanse” is to purify or make clean. Christ sanctifies by cleansing, and he cleanses, first, “with the washing of water.” Both here and in Titus 3:5 “washing” evidently refers to baptism (cf. Acts 22:16 and 1 Pet. 3:21). Compare “bodies washed with pure water” in Hebrews 10:22.

But, secondly, he cleanses “by the word” — thus, in sanctifying by cleansing, the medium of teaching is involved. It is, literally speaking, “in a word,” or as the word is taught, that one is brought to “the washing of water,” or to the waters of baptism (Matt. 28:18-19; Mark 16:15-16; cf. 1 Pet. 1:22). See John 15:3; 17:17.

“That He Might Present it to Himself 
a Glorious Church”
In Ephesians 5:27 Paul tells us what Christ wants to do for the church which he has sanctified and cleansed. He wants to present the church to himself “in all her glory.” His plan is that the church shall remain clean and pure. At his coming Christ expects the church as his bride to be “pure, free from sin,” and he will make it so by her glorious resurrection from the dead (2 Cor. 4:14). To be without “spot” is to be free from moral blemish. To have no “wrinkle, or any such thing” conveys the same idea. When Christ presents the church to himself it will be “holy and without blemish.”

One who lives in hope of Christ’s coming will keep himself pure even as he is pure (1 John 3:3). Remember, God “is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24). Is this not why God chose us (Eph. 1:4), and is this not the reason for our having been reconciled to God (Col. 1:21-22)? We must not be moved away from the hope of the gospel if we expect Christ to present us to himself as “holy and blameless and beyond reproach” (Col. 1:22-23). We are moved away from this hope when we lose connection with the head (Col. 2:19).

Conclusion

This is a beautiful picture of Christ’s relation to the church: his supreme love for her, his relation to her as head, how he sanctifies and cleanses her, and how he finally will present her to himself. The other side: What is our love for Christ and for his church? That is reflected in how much we are willing to sacrifice for them. Let us examine our behavior as citizens in relation to Christ and his kingdom (Phil. 1:27-28; 3:21), and our support of the work of the church in our efforts to help it grow and experience increase as the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-16).
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