Truth Magazine

 

There is much talk today about the difference between perjury and legal accuracy as it applies to the United States’ judicial system. Let’s look at some examples of legal accuracy from the Old Testament.

The Serpent

Let us consider what the serpent (the most cunning of any beast of the field) said to Eve when he convinced her to eat the forbidden fruit. “Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’” (Gen 3:4, 5). If one looks closely at the words the serpent uses in this case, it can be construed that everything he said was “legally accurate.” It was true that Adam and Eve would not die — at least not for many hundreds of years. It was also true that their eyes were open and they, like God, knew the difference between good and evil (Gen. 3:7). So, does the preeminent Judge let the serpent off the hook, since everything he said was strictly true? Of course not! God saw through the deception and cursed the serpent. It is also prudent to note that the serpent is the father of “legal accuracy.” “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

Cain

What were the words Cain used when God confronted him with the murder of his brother? Consider the text: “Then the Lord said to Cain,

‘Where is Abel your brother?’ He (Cain) said, ‘I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?’” (Gen 4:9). Cain has a convenient memory lapse here, as he has “forgotten” that he had murdered his brother. He also evades God’s question by asking another question. Do these games work for Cain? Does God fall for these tricks? No, Cain was punished for his deeds. God knows the intents of all men (Ps. 94:11), and the intent of the heart is what constitutes a lie as opposed to the literal words.

Abram

Now Abram (or Abraham, as he is later known) is remembered as the father of the Jews and a faithful follower of God. Yet he is not immune from being guilty of the sin of “legal accuracy.” Consider the following ac- count. “And it came to pass, when he (Abram) was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, ‘Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, This is his wife; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you’”

(Gen 12:11-13). This is what is called a “cover story.” Abram and Sarai had to get their stories straight when asked about their relationship. Was there anything wrong with Abram’s assertion that Sarai was his sister? Sarai was actually Abram’s half-sister, therefore this was a legally accurate statement. However, it is a half-truth which, because of Abram’s intentions, was a whole-lie. There were consequences for Abram’s twisting of the facts. Pharaoh took Sarai into his house and suffered many plagues because of it.

Joseph’s Brothers

Joseph’s brothers were jealous of their father’s preference for Joseph, and although deterred from killing him, they sold him into slavery. They deceived their father into thinking Joseph was dead. “So they (Joseph’s brothers) took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and brought it to their father and said, ‘We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?’ And he recognized it and said, ‘It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces’” (Gen 37:31-33). Did the brothers lie when they brought the coat to Jacob? They merely asked if it was Joseph’s tunic. Notice, Jacob is the one that wrongly deduced that a beast devoured his son. Maybe Jacob would have deter- mined the truth if he asked follow-up questions to his sons. Is it Jacob’s deficiency that he concluded that Joseph was dead, or was it the brothers’ shortcoming for allowing their father to believe a lie? The answer is clear to any reasonable person.

Saul

King Saul, God’s anointed, was instructed by God to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites for their misdeeds. Saul returned victorious from battle with the king of Amalek and the best of their belongings in tow. Samuel met Saul to tell him of God’s displeasure. “Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, ‘Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.’ But Samuel said, ‘What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?’ And Saul said, ‘They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed’” (1 Sam 15:13-15).

Saul speaks the truth here. Saul did carry out the will of the Lord — al- most. Notice how he shifted the blame to the people for bringing the cattle. Saul, was the king and, no doubt, the people would have obeyed his words on the matter. Also, they kept the cattle for a noble purpose — as sacrifice to God. Surely God would overlook this slight transgression of his command since it was for a good cause. God did not accept this explanation, and Samuel explained: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams” (1 Sam 15:22). At this point, King Saul was quite popular with the people. They had the king that they desired. If polled, the Israelites would have likely given Saul a high approval rating at this time for his job performance. What does God think about popularity as a judge of righteousness? In Luke 16:15 our Lord said, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” Saul was punished for his sin with no partiality given to legal accuracy, good intentions, or popularity.

One day, all will stand before the throne on high. The record will be there of all that was done in the flesh, whether good or evil. God knows the hearts and deeds of all men. No one will get off on a technicality. “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. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matt. 7:21-23).

By Forrest Morris

The mighty grandeur of sitting sun, magnificently ends the day

Lightning streaks across the sky, displaying it’s brilliant ray.

Thunder finishes with drum-like roll, as raindrops start their fall

And clouds unfold to reveal therein, mountain peaks so tall.

Then in radiance, brightly lit, above the mountains high

Hang the many countless stars, across the darkening sky.

A rainbow connects east to west, as Winter winds doth blow

Soon the drops of rain that fall will turn to whitened snow.

All these things that I observe, are not mere happenstance

But rather have a purpose here, and not just left to chance.

I venture further on to say,

that “God Controls It All” And that is why it’s like it is,

on this terrestrial ball.

7. Judas. “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself”

(Matt. 27:5). Luke recorded, “Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he

burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out” (Acts 1:18).

None of these was a faithful child of God!

What Causes People To Commit Suicide?

There are many common traits among persons who commit suicide. Depression, lack of social support, stress and anxieties, publicity, grief over departed loved ones and a desire to join them, lack of self-control, to escape responsibility, sickness and disease, and on and on it goes.

What’s Wrong With Suicide?

1. Suicide is self-murder. Paul told the Romans, “For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill,

Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Rom. 13:9). Among the works of

The flesh in Galatians 5:19-21 is “murders” and the Holy Spirit revealed, “that they which do such things shall not

Inherit the kingdom of God.” It is just as wrong and sinful to kill self as it is to kill another! John recorded, “But the

Fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and

All liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Rev. 21: 8). Does that sound to you like the Creator already has welcomed them home? 2. Suicide is destruction of another’s property. Some may reason, “It is my life and my body and I’ll do with it what I please.” Well, that’s really not the case. Paul asked the Corinthian Christians, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). When you take your life you are bringing an end to something that

belongs to God!

3. Suicide is a sin you can’t repent of. Jesus said, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish”

(Luke 13:3). Once you’re dead it’s too late to make things right with God!

The Answer To Suicide

There is only one answer to suicide — being a faithful Christian. Take the Lord’s yoke, not your life! Jesus invites, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30). God is a compassionate Creator who knows your every trouble, heartache, and sorrow and he cares. Peter wrote, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). Turn to the Lord, not the bottle, pills, a knife, or a gun!

How long will it be before many of the so-called “conservative” brethren begin embracing the sponsoring church method of church cooperation?

Well, I do not wish to be a killjoy or a prophet of doom; for it is simply not my nature to always be engaging in such. I am not like George Burns said, “a man who feels bad when he feels good for fear he’ll feel worse when he feels better.” I am really an optimist. However, I remember back in the 50s when gospel preachers in whom I had the greatest confidence, after fighting faithfully for the “old paths” with both tongue and pen, some of whom engaged in numerous debates at the outbreak of institutional practices among churches of Christ, completed their years of service on the side that favored the sponsoring church arrangement. And how sad many of us were to learn of such a brother having gone that way! Therefore I cannot feel too optimistic about some of “us” today. Am I not accurate when I say that I sense a general softening among some in our own ranks? Please prove to me that it is not so! Could it be that it is only a bad dream from which I must soon awaken? I would most sincerely hope that to be the case.

No, I have not learned of any among us who have started advocating unscriptural church cooperation among churches, nor have I known of any “conservative” churches of Christ that have even begun to stray in this way. However, there are indications that some might be beginning to lean in that direction in attitude. Perhaps there are some who do not fully understand the principles involved in these issues. Seldom is there ever a public discussion between brethren anymore; nor, as for that matter, any private studies of this nature going on either. But I am hearing more and more of our brethren who are beginning to use such expressions as “a congregation of the church of Christ.” Let us not lose sight of the fact that it was just such concepts of the church that paved the way for most of the innovations that have taken place over the last forty or so years among God’s people.

We are hearing the “speech of Ashdod” (Neh.13:23f)! What happened to the idea that each local congregation is a church in and of itself (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1; Phil. 1:1)? Their concept is that each congregation is a part of the universal church of Christ. Brethren, this is denominationalism pure and simple!

I recently noted in a bulletin published by an “institution- al” church in Fort Worth an announcement of the “Eleventh Annual Tarrant County Area Combined Assembly” to be held on September 15, 1996 in the JR Theatre at the Fort Worth/Tarrant County Convention Center. They say this affair is being sponsored by “The Tarrant County Area Churches of Christ.” Well, I know a number of churches of Christ in Tarrant County that are not involved in this meeting because they know it is unscriptural in both organization and practice. The preacher for the Fort Worth church that published the bulletin said: “One of the ‘BIG’ events coming up in the month of September, Lord willing, will be the combined assembly for congregations of the Lord’s church in Tarrant County . . . This year’s combined assembly is especially important to us at Bridgewood, because this time around we are the hosts!”

Please observe that this is to be a “BIG” event! This whole affair reminds me of the fact that Alexander Campbell and others, back in the early 1800s reached the conclusion that since it was impossible for one congregation to “go . . . into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” they started the American Christian Missionary Society, a combining of many churches. Their desire was to do things in a “BIG” way! But even “our brethren” are beginning to speak of “congregations of the Lord’s church,” indicating that they are already allowing their minds to get conditioned for such in practice. If not, why not! Let us not begin using the “speech of Ashdod”!