Truth Magazine

A great deal of the preaching of pioneer America is preserved in books and periodicals brought down to us in printed form. Through modern technology, we are blessed to have access to portions of books, articles, sermons, and debates. Among churches of Christ, the names of those preachers who lived a generation or more ago have become household names due to their extant works. Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone, Moses Lard, T.B. Larimore, Walter Scott, and Benjamin Franklin, to name but a few, are still with us. Enormous benefit is received by those taking the time to locate, access and read the material from men of a past generation who gave themselves to a study and delivery of God’s word. Indeed, some of the best writing, most deliberate thinking, and clearest exposition of the gospel outside of inspired literature has been preserved in this fashion. At the same time, much of that literature has become our primer as we seek to avoid the mistakes of those among them who became dissatisfied with the appeal to the “old paths,” the “ancient order” (Jer. 6:16; 18:15; Prov. 22:28) and turned into denominationalism. For good or ill, they, being dead, yet speak (Heb. 11:4). It is a distinct blessing to have access to the wisdom from past generations. However, if some brethren have their way, there will be less recorded literature, not more. Objections are being raised to gospel oriented magazines and electronic recordings as though they are responsible for presumed bad attitudes among brethren. There is a certain attitude that is expressed by those who permit their sermons to be handed down to posterity. There is also a certain attitude expressed by those who refuse to have their sermons recorded.

Some Voices Are No Longer Heard

There is a great deal of regret in the realization that the articulation, the vocalization (with all the subtle nuances of speech) of past preachers is lost forever. Whether eloquent (as T.B. Larimore was reputed to be) or coarse (as “Racoon” John Smith and J.D. Tant no doubt were, at times), their tongues are no longer heard. What a thrill it would be to call into existence by electronic recording some of the distinct sermons that provided dramatic turning points in the history of American churches. The “Restoration” preaching that is retained in periodicals is fascinating reading as we look over the pioneers’ shoulders, watching them work their way out of sectarian error into the pure light of truth. Pivotal events in the history of God’s people in America are with us in print, but not with the distinct imprint which oral preaching carries. One such event that comes to mind would be the famous sermon by Alexander Campbell on “The Law,” in which he began to make the scriptural distinction between the Old and New Testaments, earth-shaking in its day and circumstances. Audio and video presentations would add a compelling (though not venerated) dimension to sermons which remain today only in printed form. How would you enjoy hearing Campbell preach that sermon today, Benjamin Franklin speak on “That Which Is Right and Cannot Be Wrong,” or listen to T.B. Larrimore lecture his “boys” in by-gone classes in Mars Hill, Alabama?

The printing press, so far beyond parchment in technology, does not equal today’s revolution in forms of communication. The pioneers, having only primitive and labor intensive forms of printing, were nevertheless dedicated to getting their message into print. One can only imagine today how long it might have taken to put into print a single sermon, using those techniques. But volumes and volumes of books, periodicals, tracts, debates, and articles remain with us today. Undoubtedly, early preachers in America knew the value of the printed page and spent considerable time, effort and money to record and distribute their preaching. They believed that truth should be preached, published and preserved. Like Paul, they were intensely interested in their “books and parchments” (2 Tim. 4:13). Belief leads to proclamation: “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak” (2 Cor. 4:13). Both inspired and uninspired men were eager, even resolute, in their determination to pass knowledge of Scripture to succeeding generations. This is eminently scriptural: “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).

Some Voices Will Never Be Heard

Conversely, however, some today are mightily afraid of electronic recordings. They pale at the thought of tape recorders, turning vicious at the very suggestion. In fact, the very presence of tape recorders will raise hackles among some modern preachers and bring discussions to an abrupt halt. When a request is made to tape record a study session, suspicions and misgivings are expressed as to motives! “Put up your tape recorders, folks. We don’t intend to allow anything we say to be put on tape!” It is anathema to some to record study sessions, discussions between brethren, debates and sermons. As resolute as the pioneers were to pass their knowledge on to another generation, today’s tape-shy preachers are just as resolute to keep silent.

Is it out of order to question, “Why?” Are some un- willing to put their doctrines to the test of public and permanent inquiry? Are there “change agents” who cringe from documentation of change? Jesus warned: “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God” (John 3:19-21). The nature of the gospel is that of spiritual light and God intended that it shine forth brightly so that men in darkness could see. There has to be some obvious conclusions one reaches when confronted with men who do not want their beliefs and teachings to be in the public domain. This is not unwarranted judging or evil surmising; examples establish precedent.

Foy E. Wallace, Jr. came to hate tape recorders. Few excelled him, we are told, in the art of preaching and polemics. It is a personal source of regret that I never heard brother Foy preach in person. As a young boy, I heard his father preach at Kilgore, Texas, and have heard later generations of Wallaces (Paul, Tom and William), but never Foy, Jr. In the early years of his prime, it took a reel- to-reel recorder to contain his longer sermons, but most people agreed that Foy’s eloquence made long sermons seem short. A recent compilation of brother Wallace’s material has been made available on CDs and is a boon to Bible students. However, after brother Wallace made his change in doctrinal position in which he aligned himself with institutionalism and liberalism, he often refused his audiences the privilege to tape his sermons. One preacher told me that Foy announced to a congregation in Denton, Texas (after seeing some recorders in the audience) that everyone was to shut off their tapes. He said (not verbatim), “If you have had as much trouble as I have had with tape recorders, you would understand. ”Yes, the older Foy did not like the tapes because they proved the change in doctrine from the younger Foy.

Excuses For Outlawing Tape Recorders

Given the fact that tapes of lessons provide a fair, open and complete record of statements for all concerned, why would anyone object to their use? It has been alleged by those wary of recordings that (1) tape recordings will be misused, (2) that impure motives stimulate the use of recorders, or that (3) tape recorders are out of place. We have heard:

1. Tape Recordings will be misused:

“The format of our ‘school’ (class, discussion group, etc.) is to encourage free speech and the speakers will be inhibited if everything they say is recorded.”

“I have been lied about in the past and I don’t want my material copied since some will use it to spread more lies.”

“There is no telling where this will end up or who will hear it.”

2. Impure motives stimulate the use of recorders:

“I don’t know what use you intend to make of my material.”

“I may be misrepresented.”

“You have an ulterior motive in wishing to tape this discussion.”

“You just want to smear my reputation.”

“You just want to transcribe the tape and spread it around for others to have copies.”

“Something I say may be taken out of context.”

3. Tape Recorders are out of place:

“This discussion is just between brethren. Why do you need to record it?”

“Let’s keep this off the record.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do than to sit around listening to tapes?”

“This meeting is private and we want to be able to ‘think out loud’ without fearing that our comments will be spread around.”

Reasons Why Tape Recordings Are Profitable

More compelling evidence of past statements can scarce be found than the author’s own voice. Unbiased and impartial, one’s own voice will present the best evidence of what one intended to say. Tape recorders or video tapes provide us with a valuable tool to record, disseminate and recall (for future use) the fruit of our labors. Why would any preacher, sure that he has preached the truth of God’s word, hesitate even one moment to have his voice recorded? If truth be told, why not spread it as far, as wide, as timeless and unchanging as technology permits? Why keep secret that which teaches the truth? Why cringe from shouting truth from the housetops? Again, we have scriptural precedent.

Of Jesus ministry, he said, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing” (John 18:20).

To his disciples, Jesus taught, “For no one does any- thing in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world” (John 7:4). Again, “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light” (Luke 11:33).

Do False Brethren Change the Situation?

“But,” it is complained, “Some brethren are unscrupulous and I am afraid to have them tape what I say.”

Then, brother, explain to me about Jesus and his crit- ics, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes. Oh, yes, those dreadful scribes. They recorded things! All these groups lied about Jesus’ character (Matt. 10:25), misquoted him (John 19:3), slandered him (Matt. 11:19) and used every dirty trick in the books to deceive the people about Jesus. His answer was to speak in public and to tell his disciples to do the same. If unscrupulous miscreants’ false deeds justify secrecy, why did Jesus speak openly?

Folks, isn’t it obvious that when one confronts an un- scrupulous liar, a dishonest libeler, one given to slander and defamation of character (imagine the worst-case scenario, if you will) that the best protection of personal integrity is a taped recording of what actually transpired? (We don’t have inspiration like Jesus did, to “tape record” his message. But tape recorders will suffice for modern purposes!) Is a man dishonest? Tape your speech. Will he misrepresent you? Tape your discussion. Will he take your words out of context? Tape what you say, fully. Will he malign and vilify your motives? Present the evidence in your own words. What does truth have to fear? Richard Nixon stated, unequivocally, “I am not a crook.” His own words, recorded in the Oval Office, convicted him. Had he been telling the truth, his own words would have vindicated him.

“But who knows where this will go and where it will end up?”

Who cares, if you are teaching the truth? When the Holy Spirit caused the Bible to be written, who knew where it would go or where it would end up? Jesus intended it to “go into all the world” and to teach “every creature” (Matt. 28:18-20). Yes, our prayer should be, and properly is, that the truth will circle the globe and go into every land. If you are engaged in a discussion where you state your convictions and teach the truth, why would you hesitate to wish that any or all could hear what you say? Countless thousands have been converted by tracts. Other thousands have been taught by video tapes and film strips (such as Jules Miller’s). Where I preach, audio tapes are made of every sermon and class I teach and are routinely mailed to those in the U.S. and abroad, upon request. Unlike the Masonic Lodge, we don’t try to hide what we teach. Unlike some brethren, we are willing to record what we believe and spread it at every opportunity.

Please note that the subject under consideration which is recommended for public and permanent proclamation is a discussion of truth. It is recognized that some matters do not fall into the category of doctrine and are outside the parameters of this study. Some congregations may tape their business meetings and the internal business affairs of a congregation should remain their own, to be used at their discretion. Sometimes tape recordings are used as letters between friends and private correspondence of a personal and private nature should be respected as well. However, when doctrinal and biblical matters are discussed between brethren, sound, scriptural evidence demands that secrecy and privacy be abandoned. Acts 15 is an excellent example of Bible study within a congregation that was made public. The very private sin of David with Bathsheba was forever emblazoned in Scripture for all the world to see. The sins of Corinth are public knowledge, wherever Bibles are read. The letters to the seven churches of Asia were opened to all the world, for all ages. Doctrinal matters, brethren, are in the public domain. No subject is taboo; no theme is forbidden; no field of study is restricted to.

There is a song we sing from time to time entitled “Have Thine Own Way.” The first stanza of the song says “Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the Potter; I am the clay. Mold me and make me After Thy will, While I am waiting, Yielded and still.” What a beautiful song this is and when we as God’s creation fully realize and understand that we are simply God’s vessels and that he is the Potter (our maker), then we can humble ourselves to the point of doing whatever service we have been molded to do for the Lord!

The Vessels of God

God is truly our Potter. We can read this in the book of Jeremiah 18 verses 1-12, and also in Romans 9:22 where Paul says, “What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction . . .” Here, Paul likens us to the vessels of God and that is truly what we are. Have you ever noticed a potter working with his clay, molding that clay into a fine vessel? There is a lot of time and patience that is involved in the potter’s work. Likewise, God has spent much time and effort in the creation of his vessels, you and me. In the verses pointed out above in Jeremiah and in Romans we can read where God is long-suffering with his vessels and does the very best he can with them. It is through us (his vessels) that we can see the riches of God’s glory. “And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory” (Rom. 9:23).

There are all kinds of vessels out there. There are some vessels of wrath (Rom 9:22), and there are even dishonorable vessels. Paul says, “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” (Rom. 9:21). He echoes those same words in 2 Timothy 2:20. But we can see from Romans 9:21 that there are also vessels of honor and of mercy in Romans 9:23.

We Are Individual Vessels Made By God

God has molded each one of us into a vessel. But he has given each of us a mind of our own to either respect our maker (the Potter), or reject him. The choice is entirely left up to us. That is why it is so important for us to realize that had it not been for “the Potter,” we would not even be here today. Therefore, knowing this, why is it that so many still choose not to honor the very one who allowed us this opportunity to live and enjoy our short time on this beautiful earth that he also created? We can become honorable vessels unto the Lord by heeding the call. Paul says in Romans 9:23-24: “And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?” One heeds the call of God by simply obeying his commandments (John 14:15).

Characteristics of An Honorable Vessel

The characteristics of an honorable vessel is that one is sanctified, fit for use, and prepared for all good works. This is what the apostle Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:21: “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” One must purge himself from evil and join himself with doing the things of honor, approved unto God almighty! Then when one proves himself to be a vessel of honor unto the Lord certain glory will result as Paul said in Romans 9:23. What is that glory? The same glory as Paul was sensing when he told Timothy, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8). When we prove ourselves a worthy vessel, one that is serving the purpose that God designed for us to do, then we can enjoy a life eternal with God our Potter. But when we decide to do our own thing and rebel against our maker then our end is certain destruction (Rom. 9:22).  Why not let “The Potter” (God) have his own way with his vessel (you and me)?

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.