Truth Magazine

By Connie W. Adams

The death of James R. Cope leaves a huge empty place in the lives of many people besides his own family. Several tributes to him have already appeared and I am sure more will follow. Each writer has his own story to tell about brother Cope and that reflects the nature of the man who touched so many lives in a personal way. My remarks will show the same personal feelings from my own perspective.

I was a sophomore at Florida Christian College when brother Cope began his work as president of the school. At 32, he was the youngest college president in America.

But he was more than a college administrator. He was outstanding gospel preacher and a superb classroom teacher. It was a great loss for students when administrative duties forced him from the classroom. The challenges of putting a fledgling young school on solid educational and economic ground were enormous. He never lost sight of the purpose of the school and the line which had to be drawn between the school and the church.

When the crisis came in the mid-fifties over institutionalism and some board members and even faculty declared their opposition to the direction in which he was leading the college, he never wavered or blinked and made it clear that his soul was not for sale. The majority of the board stood by him. Such a decision took a heavy toll in financial support and in the pool from which students were drawn. There was a critical time when even the future existence of the school hung in the balance. But friends and even business people in the Tampa area who saw the value of the school and its goals rallied to its aid. The crisis passed and things gradually improved until the school reached its academic goals and was situated more firmly financially.

Those years demonstrated a willingness to face head on issues and controversies of the day. Annual lecture programs featured lively open forums in which such issues were vigorously discussed. James R. Cope was often found on the floor clarifying some point or contending for his conviction. Those of us who were a witness to these events will never forget them.

Brother Cope (I never called him “Jim” nor shall I ever refer to him that way) had a very warm personal side. My own father who had very little formal education felt perfectly at ease with this man who could “walk with kings, nor ever lose the common touch.” His east Tennessee rearing never left him. He was a delight to have as a guest in our home. He could kick off his shoes and unwind after a service. Someone said he was so relaxed he could “wear” a chair. He could go out in the yard and shoot baskets with the boys (I saw him do this when he was well past 50). He loved to hear and tell good jokes. He used to tell some to students in chapel before going back to classes. Once, when Weldon Warnock, my brother Wiley and I were doing a show one afternoon to raise money for tennis courts, we talked him into helping us with a stage joke. He was disguised until the very end when I asked for a hand for our assistant and the audience was greatly surprised to learn it was the school president.

He held a meeting in Akron, Ohio at Brown Street while we lived there. One night I sat down beside him on the front row just before time to begin. He was looking over a brief outline for his sermon that night. It was written by hand on a jagged piece of a paper sack. I kidded him that it did look like the president of a college could have a more prestigious looking outline. He grinned and said, “Aw, it works fine this way.”

Near the end of my sophomore year, he called me into his office one day to tell me he knew that Barbara Colley and I planned to marry that summer and that my folks were hard pressed to help me settle my school bill for that year. He said he knew a man who might be willing to help me on that but that he did not want to be identified. During the summer I was in a meeting in the panhandle of Florida when a letter came from brother Cope which said that this unnamed man had settled my account. To this day I do not know who the man was, but it was brother Cope who made this come together for me and I shall always be grateful.

One of my deep regrets is that the year he retired as president, I was not able to make a speech. He had personally requested that I do so. That year we had my aging parents with us and it was just not possible to go.

In an age when conviction and principle are in short supply, we could use a few men of the stature of James R. Cope. What did I learn from James R. Cope? “Buy the truth and sell it not” (Prov. 23:23). “Earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). “That you should learn in us not to think of men above that which is written” (1 Cor. 4:6). From his years as editor of Preceptor I learned that men of principle can deal with controversy with restraint and dignity while pressing truth and exposing error. I also learned from brother Cope that the church for which Jesus died is far more important than all the institutions built by men, however noble the intentions of those who started them.

To Connie, Cathy, Butch and their families, our deepest sympathies are expressed along with heartfelt thanks for.

The ninth of the Ten Commandments reads, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exod. 20:16). Whereas the primary thrust of this commandment addresses the testimony that is given in legal cases, we should not limit its application to such things. In a positive statement, this passage commands men to give accurate and truthful testimony about one’s fellow man in every aspect of life and, in this respect, its application is universal.

When one looks at the Ten Commandments as a positive statement of life principles look at what they say:

Thou shalt not kill: one should respect the life of his neighbor. Though shall not commit adultery: one should respect the marriage/ family of his neighbor.

Thou shalt not steal: one should respect the property of his neighbor.

In the same way, “Thou shall not bear false witness” emphasizes two truths: (1) Always tell the truth about one’s neighbor and (2) Do nothing that destroys his good name.

Giving False Witness Is A Sin

We notice the seriousness of giving false witness against someone by observing these facts about what happens when one gives or repeats false testimony against someone:

1. It is a sin against God. God is the one who commanded, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exod. 20:16). He who disobeys this commandment disobeys God.

2. It is a sin against the person whose reputation is destroyed thereby. Jesus said, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matt. 7:12). Surely among the violations of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is included the violation of bearing false witness against one’s neighbor.

The false testimony in court can result in serious consequences rang- ing from imprisonment, to punitive damage, and even death. False testimony told around the kitchen table can destroy a person’s reputation, his ability to earn a living, his family relationship, his relationship with his friends, etc. Surely one who gives false testimony against his neighbor is guilty of sinning against him.

3. It is a sin against the person who hears it. The one who hears false testimony will have his opinion of the one spoken about shaped by the false testimony. He will conduct himself toward a person based on the false testimony. Frequently, he will hold as an enemy the one slandered.

Sometimes, the hearer has a kindred spirit with the one giving false testimony (“birds of a feather flock together”). They are attracted one to another. We frequently describe such people as gossips or those who are gossip mongers.

4. It is a sin against the society in which it is tolerated. A society is rooted in justice; when justice is removed the society crumbles and falls. The same is true in the church. The church (society) that tolerates men who bear false witness against each other will be destroyed by the alienation, division, and separation that comes therefrom.

Ways in Which One Can Bear False Witness

There are a number of arenas in which one can be guilty of bearing false witness. Here are some of them:

1. In giving court testimony. We call this crime “perjury.” The Law legislated that the one who bore false witness against a neighbor was to receive the punishment he sought to have brought again his neighbor (Deut. 19:16- 20). Here is what the Law said:

If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; and the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

To protect against the danger of a false witness, no one could be punished on the testimony of one man (Deut. 19:15).

2. Malicious attacks against one’s character. David’s enemies were not so much those who took the witness stand and gave testimony as they were those who de- famed him before King Saul (Pss. 27:12; 35:11). There are many ways that people can give false testimony against another: (a) Speaking lies (Prov. 14:5). (b) Gossip: “to indulge in idle talk or rumors about others.” (c) Slander (Ps. 31:13; Prov. 10:18). Slander is “the utterance or spreading of a false statement or statements, harmful to another’s character or reputation.” Legally, slander is spoken and libel is written. (d) Whispering (Ps. 41:7; Prov. 16:28; Rom. 1:29; 2 Cor. 12:20). The word “whispering” emphasizes the hidden manner in which the malicious speech is spoken. (e) Evil surmising (1 Tim. 6:4). This kind of attack against a man’s reputation gives the worst possible construction to everything he does. (f ) Innuendo. Innuendo is “an indirect remark, gesture, or reference, usually implying something derogatory; hint; insinuation.” (g) Fault finding (Mark 7:2). Fault finders are like buzzards who fly across a field looking for a dead carcass. They are oblivious to the green pasture, the farm lands, the cattle, and other good things that are there, for they are searching for something rotting. Some look at another’s life like the buzzard searching for something rotten.

3. In spreading reports without verifying their truthfulness. The reputation of many a preacher has been damaged by loosed tongued brethren. Someone hears something about a brother, perhaps even a brother who has been a friend for years and whose life has been above reproach. One’s first reaction is to believe the report and that without doing anything to verify its accuracy. Particularly gospel preachers need to beware of falling into this sin of bearing false witness against another.

A person has a moral responsibility to accurately rep- resent the position of the person whose doctrine he is reviewing. If he does not correctly represent that brother and then attacks the misrepresented position, he has destroyed a straw man. But what is worse is that he has slandered his brother and, slander is a sin. Sometimes those who are so concerned about preserving the purity of the church seem to forget that slander will send a soul to hell just as quickly as false doctrine will! How tragic that one who is so concerned about protecting and defending the purity of the church would lose his soul by slandering his brother, misrepresenting the beliefs that he holds! There are not many things about which I am an authority, but one of them about which I am an authority is what I believe. Nobody knows what I believe better than I do. When someone misrepresents what I believe, I know it. I know when I have been slandered and how I have been misrepresented. When someone starts telling me what I believe and then proceeds to describe a position that I reject, he is misrepresenting me. If he continues to misrepresent my beliefs after he has been told that does not represent what I believe, I have no choice but to believe that man is guilty of slander, bearing false witness against me. If one believes that slander/bearing false witness is a sin, we have the tragic situation of a man who thinks he is defending the truth to protect the purity of the church losing his soul because he misrepresents the position of his brother!

Some brethren apparently do not understand the difference between the logical consequences of some position and the position itself. For example, a brother may hold a position A that one perceives has logical consequences B. When asked if he accepts those con- sequences, he says, “No!” When a brother represents his brother as believing B, although the one so representing him may think that B is the logical conclusion to A (and it may be), still he has misrepresented his brother. In representing another, one must be careful not to charge that person with espousing the consequences of a position when he denies those consequences.

Remembering the Law’s punishment for false witnessing was that the false witness would bear the penalty he sought to have inflicted on the one about whom he gave false testimony, we wonder how quickly slandering a brother would diminish among brethren if that principle were followed among us. If those who leave innuendos, slander, and gossip about their brethren were thought of by brethren as if they were the ones guilty of the things they said about their brethren, soon such men would be without influence among us.

4. Bearing false witness involves these sins: (a) Telling a lie. What is represented as the truth is not the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (b) Repeating a lie without being sure that it is true. Sometimes men repeat things that they have heard without making any effort to verify the truthfulness of what they are repeating. Their repeating a lie, however innocently done, still produces the same damage to its victim. (c) Malice (Rom. 1:29; Eph. 4:31; Col. 3:8; 3 John 10). The motive behind false witnessing is evil. (d) Hatred (Pss. 25:19; 109:3; Gal. 5:20).

How Its Victim Suffers

In court cases, innocent people have suffered punishment (incarceration, fines, and death) because of false witnesses. The effect that false witnesses have in capital cases is death; that was the punishment false witnesses sought to bring on Jesus! In day-to-day living, men who are victims of false witnesses suffer these results: (a) Their reputation (good name) is destroyed (Prov. 22:1; Eccl. 7:1). (b) The good that they are able to do is reduced. (c) An occasion of stumbling has been put in their way. They will be tempted to revenge, bitterness, malice, hatred, strife, and other such sins.

What A Victim Can Do

A man who is willing to intentionally give “false wit- ness” is not an honorable man. Consequently, there is no way to reason with a malicious liar. Every explanation he may offer is inadequate. Such a man has the intention of destroying his brother’s reputation and will do so.

In a local church, the matter can be taken before the elders and the matter searched out to see if two or three witnesses can verify the charges made against another (Matt. 18:17). In such cases, sometimes the local church can exonerate the innocent. However, in many cases, the victim will have to depend on God to set the record straight. The party sinning against him may be unwilling to repent, be a member of another congregation, or un- accessible to church discipline. In such cases, the victim may have no choice but, like Jesus, to bear in silence the vicious attacks made against him by those who have malice and hatred in their hearts. He must leave to God the settling of accounts. The psalmist wrote:

Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.

Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue (Ps. 52:2-4).

Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:

Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.

But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.

So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.

And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.

The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

Conclusion

How tragic that a person would allow his hatred of.

By Stephen French

How do you do it? This question, which refers to living and dealing daily with a tragedy and adversity in our lives, has been asked of me many times since July 1997 when my wife, Kathy, died in an auto accident. It is a question that I answer with confidence by simply saying, “I trust the Lord and he helps me through.” And for me this explanation is sufficient. But of late this statement has come to task with the question of “how” do you trust in the Lord to receive this help? “How do you do it?” This question has come by way of others who have suffered loss, have been betrayed by their mates, or suffered adversity. And it has made me stop and examine “how do you do it.” I will try to give an answer here as I can usually collect my thoughts better when they are written down.

First let me say that even though it has been over a year since Kathy went home there are still days when I have to “push back” from the job and activities that we did and let the Lord take over and “get me through the day.” There are and probably always will be times when the emptiness will creep in and try to take over. This emptiness can be triggered by a place we used to go, by a song we sing in the worship, by accidently laying my hand on the empty seat beside me in worship, or the hardship of another brother or sister who is hurting. I say these things to help you understand that “doing it,” making it through each day, can be and often is a challenge, that it takes effort, continually, to not let hurt and emptiness pull us down but rather stay the course. To keep the faith it takes effort to attain heaven alive and strong. This can only be done by believing, unwaveringly, in God and having total trust and confidence that he will see you through whatever your hurt is. Always remember that God does not abandon us, rather it is we who abandon him, and for a Christian, whether we realize it or not, when we abandon him is when we abandon hope and almost any chance of recovering from our hurt.

When you are hurting from loss or have been wronged, what do you do? Do you try to figure out what has happened and in so doing try to find someone to blame? Who do you blame? Someone else, your mate, your friend(s), yourself, GOD? To try to place blame is to try to hide, divert attention, or pass judgment. The one thing blame cannot and will not do is to help us, to heal the hurt. Instead it leaves the wound of hurt open and festering and if not healed will kill you spiritually and possibly physically. Do not try place blame, rather forgive. Forgive and ask God for guidance through the hard times. When was the last time you had been hurt and upon ending your day looked back at your day and could not remember when you had not been praying to God for help, guidance, assurance, and maybe even forgiveness? Or do you look back on your day and cannot remember praying, all you remember is anger and hurt? Brethren pray often (Eph. 6:18), pray fervently (Jas. 5:16), pray together if possible(Acts 12:5-17), let your brethren know so they may pray for you and with you (Acts 12:5-17; Jas. 5:16). Never overlook the comfort, help, assurance, moral and physical support of a righteous brother or sister. I say this again because it is so important, we often do not access the strength of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead we hide from them when they are the ones who could be a very big part in “doing it.” In many ways they are often the answer God has sent to our prayers. How do I know this? I know this to be true by experience.

As you can see there is no magic, no easy way out of a situation. It takes prayer, work, and above all patience — patience to not give up on God and forsake him. Always remember that our time on this earth is short. We all know that the Bible says our life is as a vapor that appears for a while and vanishes away. And yet as we spend our life here living it one day at a time it is all too easy to lose sight of how short life is. No matter your age, think back as far as you can. How far back is that? Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, or more years. How long does it seem like? Most likely we will remember many events with the clarity of yesterday, literally. But our age dictates that these events occurred a long time ago as the human life is measured. Now look forward, are there more days behind than ahead? We must all remember the remainder of our life will seem to pass at least as fast as our past and, as most can attest, will pass much more quickly. Always try to keep our time here in perspective. Look to the end with anticipation of going home to God and it will help you to withstand the current trials as you will now realize they really will not last very long at all. And when it is time for us to return to God, we will be able to look back at our present trouble, our hurt, our trial, our adversity, and see that it too will seem like it was only yesterday. The one big difference between now and that time is that at that time all of our hurt will be taken away and only joy will remain.

These are just a few thoughts on the questions of “how do you do it?” I know they are not all conclusive, but my hope is that they will point you in the right direction, and hopefully re-enforce the direction you are going already. May God bless and keep us all under his watchful care until our time here is finished.

Jeremiah is overcome with emotion as he writes the book of Lamentations. He is basically describing the funeral of a city that was once filled with great beauty and promise. Jerusalem was a proud city, rich in history and service to God. But now it is a city that has been reduced to rubble by the army of Babylon. Jeremiah was sent by God to prophesy to the children of Israel concerning the impending doom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. But why? Why did this terrible thing have to happen to a beautiful city, a city that Solomon spent a fortune to build, that housed the great temple that the Jews could go to and worship the God of heaven? The answer is because the children of God turned their backs on their creator, and were carried off into the adulterous idol worship of pagan gods. They became a self-centered people that had lost their trust and faith in the almighty God! Jeremiah was a faithful servant of God and knew of the rich history of Jerusalem. He had the tough task of warning the people of God and then to actually see the city be totally devastated by a foreign army, all because the people turned their back on God, the God that loved them so dearly and wanted so much to give them nothing but blessings. But instead, God was forced to keep the second part of his promise, to punish his children for their lack of obedience!

In the book of Deuteronomy, long before Jeremiah was called upon to prophesy, God gave his word to a great leader by the name of Moses. In the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy we can read where God stipulated what would happen to his chosen people if they would obey his word and what would happen if they chose not to obey his word.

The Curses on Disobedience

In the first fourteen verses of the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, God announced all the blessings that would take place if the children of Israel would obey his words. But then in verses 15-68 the curses were announced to Moses on what would happen to these children if they did not obey. The all-knowing God truly knew what was going to take place in their history. He spent a lot of time letting Moses know exactly what was going to happen to these chosen ones. God has always kept his promises, whether good or bad, in dealing with all mankind. All of the promises that God told to Moses in this 28th chapter came true. Jeremiah was there serving as the mouth piece for God when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians because of disobedience. God’s people did not harken to the words of God and as a result paid an awful price. Many were killed by their enemies and most of the others were carried off into captivity, and would not return for 70 years.

Will Our “Jerusalem” Stand or Fall?

When I speak of our “Jerusalem” I’m talking about our soul. Have we listened to the word of God and prepared ourselves to fully obey him? We better make sure we have because Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, 21: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” The things of old were written for our learning (Rom. 15:4), so we can know how God has dealt with man. We have the written word to see that God most assuredly kept his prom- ises in dealing with his own chosen people of long ago. In the same way, we can know that God will keep his promises in dealing with his people today. The only ones that will get to heaven are going to be those that love, trust, believe, and obey God. The Hebrew writer said: “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Heb. 5:9). We know that those that did not obey him long ago received his curses and those that do not obey God today will also receive his curses. Paul wrote: “And to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thess. 1:7-9).

Knowing then that God will bless us (Eph. 1:3) when we obey by providing us a home with him in heaven, and also knowing that we will be punished with everlasting destruction if we do not obey, what is the condition of our “Jerusalem”? Will it stand in eternity with God? Or will it fall, even though we have been warned and warned by God’s word what will happen if we do not obey? The out- come of our “Jerusalem”(our soul) is totally up to us!