Truth Magazine

Memory, precious memories, are one of mankind’s greatest treasures. We love the hymn, “Precious Memories.” It is a meaningful song. Please allow me to share a few memories with you.

Speaking at my sister’s memorial service, I recalled that as children, growing up in our parents’ home, our father formed a singing quartet with the four older children, two boys and two girls. Juanita sang soprano, Virginia the alto, Harold sang bass, and I, the tenor. Our Daddy was the long-time song leader for the church in Little Rock. He led at the original meeting house at 10th and Valmar; then at 12th and Thayer, when the congregation met there. As we moved to 4th and State Street, Daddy was still leading singing. This was the location of the well known Hardeman-Bogard Debate in 1938. Daddy was still song leader when the new building was erected at 6th and Izard streets in the early fifties.

We grew up in a singing family. Daddy taught us a great deal about singing. He had been a musician in his younger years, played cornet and french horn in a school band, and was an excellent singer. He had a natural pitch and frowned on the use of a pitch pipe or tuning fork. Although he didn’t make an issue of it, he simply did not like them himself.

He had us singing at different programs at the old Missouri-Pacific Depot. He worked for the American Railway Express Agency, having started his work with Wells-Fargo. We also sang just for entertainment. Being without radio or TV (still undeveloped), we sang for our own pleasure. We grew up singing. The first of our quartet to leave us was Juanita (1986). Our lead singer departed. The next was Harold, our bass (1987). Every quartet needs a good bass! The most recent to depart is Virginia, a strong alto. And how she could sing her part. As I stated to the audience, only the tenor remains. We know not when our quartet will be reunited, but we believe that day will surely come. My mother and daddy departed many years ago. Now, three of our quartet also have answered death’s call. By reason of time, we too must leave this old world.

Heaven is made more precious, our desire and longing for it greater. One day, with the ransomed of all ages, we’ll meet around the throne of God, singing his praises with the redeemed of all ages! Won’t It Be Wonderful There?

Hypocrisy is certainly a sin which the Lord condemns without hesitation. Jesus accused the scribes and Pharisees this way, “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt. 23:28). These people who Jesus addressed were acting righteous to men, but their hearts were far from God even as our Lord quoted from Isaiah saying, “. . . Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me’” (Mark 7:6; cf. Isa. 29:13). Jesus also warned his disciples about walking in this same hypocritical path in Luke 12:1, “in the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.’”

The lessons are obvious to the Christian, for we can immediately see that we cannot act like we are a Christian and not really live as one and be pleasing to God. If we make a commitment to God by dying to sin in baptism and rising to live for Christ, yet willingly forsake the assembling of the saints, we are committing hypocrisy. If we say that we love God and do not the things which he has commanded, then we are walking in a hypocritical path. A verbal love or faith that does not work is simply a hypocritical love or faith. John, the apostle encouraged, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but indeed and in truth” (I John 3:18). If we have become Christians and refuse to bear the cross, then we are com- mitting hypocrisy. Living as a Christian demands some “cross-bearing.” There are some things that we must crucify (i.e., selfishness, lusts, insubordination, pride, etc.) if we are going to consider ourselves Christians. If one is not willing to “bear his cross” (Luke 14:27), then he should not deceive himself or others by thinking that he is a Christian, a disciple of Christ, because he is not; he is a disciple of the devil. We cannot pretend to be someone that we are not, for God knows the hearts of men.

Some, however, use hypocrisy as an excuse to relieve themselves of their personal responsibility to God. You may have heard someone speak something like this, “I don’t need a church to go to. There are too many hypocrites there anyway. In fact, all hypocrites are found in church buildings on Sunday mornings. My spirituality rests on a personal relationship with God.” To one who is ignorant of God’s word, this may seem wise, enticing, and even excusing, but it is simply playing the hypocrite (as we will show) and is dangerously playing with eternal fire! Christians are to have a personal relationship with God; however, much of our “personal relationship” with God rests on our personal responsibilities toward others! Refer to Matthew 25:31-46 for a case in point. Too, Paul penned, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). And again one said, “For God is not un- just to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Heb. 6:10; emp. mine). We cannot hide our faith in some closet and be apathetic towards our fellowman’s soul justifying it all by some erroneous idea of a “personal (private) relationship.”

When these people say “personal” relationship, they mean an “inconspicuous” relationship. Most who justify their complacency by condemning other persons’ hypocrisy are acting hypocritically themselves. For example, they go to work to earn their buck even though they work with hypocrites, hypocrites who only work when the boss is around.

Nearly everyone has worked with someone who in- stead of working hard, works hard to hardly work! Again, many of these same people who sneer and deride the “church’s” hypocrisy will gladly entertain themselves listening to musicians who sing about adultery, premarital sex, drinking parties, and things of the like, who then praise and thank God for their Grammy. Why will some work with hypocrites, but not worship with them. Why will some listen to hypocrites entertain, but not study God’s word with them?

Is this not hypocrisy? Would one be so foolish to refuse blood for an immediate surgery for fear of a hypocrite who may have worked in the blood drive? Would one resist a lifeline and perish in a raging sea because there may be a hypocrite on board the ship? How absurd! I am not excusing hypocrisy, I am simply questioning some people’s inconsistency. How Jesus’ words ring true, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?” (Luke 6:41).

People who excuse themselves from any responsibility to the Lord’s church because of some person’s sin of hypocrisy will never be saved unless they examine their own hypocrisy of self-righteousness, repent and obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. With such an evasive attitude, these people would have even refused to enter into the first-century church, for there was this ugly problem even then (see Acts 5:1-10). In fact some of the prominent lead- ers in the first century fell subject to this very problem (see Gal. 2:11-14)!

Though we detest hypocrisy, it is a sin that can be cleansed by the blood of Jesus if we are willing to self-examine and judge ourselves before we judge others. Hypocrisy is a sin that must be repented from in order to be forgiven. Christians are not perfect, just forgiven. As for all sins, let us take up the words of the apostle Peter, “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you” (Acts 8:22). Don’t stand in the gate of hypocrisy and neither hide behind it. No flesh shall be justified before God by committing it or prejudicially pointing it out in others. Hypocrisy is a poor flimsy excuse that some give to justify their ungodliness.

Let us never be sucked into this deceit. Have you yet?

By Lewis Willis

Much is promised because of the shedding of his blood. Peter called his blood the precious blood: “For as much 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).

Because the Jews hated Jesus with such passion, they demanded that the Romans crucify him (Matt. 27:22-23). To appease the Jewish mob, Pilate delivered Jesus and two common thieves to his soldiers and they crucified them (Luke 23:32-33). Because the Jews wanted the bodies removed from the cross before the Sabbath day, they besought Pilate that their legs might be broken and their bodies removed from the crosses. The legs of the thieves were broken, but when they came to Jesus, he was dead already. Thus, one of the soldiers reached forth with his spear and pierced his side, and precious blood of the Son of God was shed (John 19:31-34).

In volume, it was not much blood. It is unlikely that even all of his blood was shed. At the most it was but the blood of a single man which John witnessed falling from the cross onto Palestinian soil (John 19:35). However, with the shedding of that blood there was wrought a change that would affect the lives and souls of people from the beginning of man’s sojourn on the earth, until the time that Jesus shall come again. The Hebrew writer tells us that his blood was shed for the transgressions of those who lived under the first testament, as well as those who live under the second (Heb. 9:15). All of humanity who desire salvation are depending upon the blood of the cross.

In this article I wish to list some of the things that are said to be accomplished by the blood of Christ, defining some of the terms that are used in the Divine narrative. We often use these words interchangeably, but they have different shades of meaning which I would like to share with you.

1. Made nigh. It is said that those who were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. “But now in Christ Je- sus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). The immediate reference was to the Gentiles, but in a real sense, it refers to us all. All of us are far from God because of our sin. Sin separates us from God (Isa. 59:1-2). By the blood of the cross, we are made nigh to him again.

2. Peace is given. Paul said that Jesus, when he died, “made peace through the blood of his cross” (Col. 1:20). The peace effected is a peace with God. We became his enemy when we sinned (Jas. 4:4), but that state of enmity was corrected by the blood of the cross. Peace was the result: Peace with God, and peace within the soul.

3. Redemption obtained. The Bible says, “by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb. 9:12). Several words are translated redeem or redemption. Exagorazo “denotes to buy out, especially of purchasing a slave with a view to his freedom.” Lutrosis means “deliverance . . . from the guilt and power of sin.” Apolutrosis means “liberation from the guilt and doom of sin and the intro- duction into a life of liberty” (Vine 263-264). All of these definitions apply in this case. Man was enslaved to sin until Christ delivered or liberated him from that sin by the blood of the cross. Through redemption the power, guilt and doom of sin was removed.

4. Purged from dead works. The Hebrew writer asked: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14). Katharizo is the word translated purge. It means “to cleanse, make clean . . . purification” (Vine 232). By the blood of the cross we are cleansed from the dead works of sin (1 John 1:7).

5. Reconciled. Paul said, “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (Col. 1:20). Katallasso is the word translated reconcile. It means “to change from enmity to friendship” (Vine 260). We have already noted that sin or friendship with the world establishes a state of enmity and alienation between man and God (Isa. 59:1- 2; Jas. 4:4). That state of enmity is changed to a state of friendship by the blood of the cross when we obey the gospel of Christ.

6. Sanctified. The word is hagiasmos which means “separation to God . . . from evil things and ways.” Hagiazo signifies “the separation of the believer from the world” (Vine 317-318). The Hebrew writer spoke of the punishment of those who have “counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing” (Heb. 10:29). By the blood of the cross, we are separated from the evil of sin and the world, and we are separated or set apart unto God. This is said to be “an individual possession.”

7. Justified. Paul said we are“now justified by his blood” (Rom. 5:9). Dikaiosis is translated justified and it means “acquittal . . . from guilt . . . pronouncing righteous” (Vine 284-285). Vine also says the idea is “no condemnation” (Rom. 8:1). The meaning of acquittal is release, or to set free. We cannot change the fact that we have sinned (Rom. 3:23). But, by the blood of the cross, we are set free from the guilt of sin and pronounced just or righteous by God.

8. Forgiven. Paul said, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7). Forgiveness or aphiemi means “to send away.” Another form of the word, aphesis, means “a dismissal” (Vine 122). Through the blood of the cross, our sins are removed from us, and we are dismissed from the doom of them through our obedience to the gospel of Christ. That obedience remits our sins (Acts 2:38).

A host of blessings are ours through the blood of the cross. It is evident that we are in serious trouble until that blood saves us from our sins. What does the blood mean to you? Does it mean enough to cause you to obey the Lord? Or, do you despise it through your refusal to obey the gospel?