Truth Magazine

By Gregory V. Selby

Most people have heard of the expression: “A rose by any other name is a rose just the same!” I believe that this expression was derived from the following lines from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (Act. II, Scene ii):

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.”

It is thought by many people today that this same expression also applies to Christians. When used in this manner, the original expression becomes the following: “A Christian by any other name is a Christian just the same.”

Of course, this statement is true when the ‘other name’ is a name that is scriptural. One should speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent, since “all scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

In the New Testament, followers of Christ are called: Christians (Acts 11:26, 26:28), disciples (Acts 6:1), saints (1 Cor. 1:2), brethren (1 Cor. 15:6), children of God (1 Jn 3:1), sons of God (Rom. 8:14).

Such names as Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Protestants, and Catholics are names not found in the New Testament, and are, therefore, not authorized by God for Christians today. They are only names created by men.

A rose might smell just as sweet when called by another name, but when a Christian is called by an unscriptural name, the situation is just not the same. Names that are divinely given through the scriptures should not be changed, for man is commanded not to add to or take away from the Word of God (Deut. 4:2, Rev. 22:18-19).

The Bible teaches that names are very important. The first man was formed of “dust from the ground” (Gen. Z:7) and was called Adam, which means “red earth”. The first woman was called Eve, “because she was the mother of all living” (Gen. 3:20). She was called ‘woman’ because “she was taken out of man” (Gen. 2:23). Abram, which means “father”, had his name changed to “Abraham”, which means “father of many”, when the promise was given to him that he was to he the father of many nations (Gen. 17:5). Yes, there is something in scriptural names.

It was prophesied in the Old Testament that a new name would be given God’s people. “I will give them an everlasting name which shall not be cut off” (Is. 56:5). “You shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall give” (Is. 62:2). In Is. 65:15, the Jews were told: “You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse, and the Lord God will slay you; but his servants he will call by a different name.”

In the New Testament (Acts 11:19-25), we learn that Jews and Gentiles worshiped together for the first time in Antioch, and a great number of Gentiles turned to the Lord. It was there, in Antioch, that “the disciples were for the first time called Christians” (Acts 11:26). In 1 Peter 4:16, Peter writes: “If one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God.” In Acts 4:12, Peter shows how important a name is, when he speaks of Jesus in this manner: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved.” Salvation is in the name of Christ-and in none other. The name Christian has been given us that in this name we may glorify God.

Is there something in a name? Yes! Yes, there is! The rose that is a Christian does not smell as sweet when it is called by an unscriptural name, if it is indeed a rose. For Christians, there is something in the name “Christian”. Those who are Christians will wear only that name that signifies that they belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Truth Magazine XXI: 26, p. 402
June 30, 1977

By Ron Halbrook

Salvation prepared by God for man is the greatest story ever told! How truly “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (Rom. 2:4). “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Heb. 2:3). As God’s people, we need to understand how we ourselves have been saved. We also need to prepare ourselves to teach others how to be saved.

What Does the Bible Say About Grace?

In the first place, the Bible tells us what grace is. In Scripture, whatever gives joy, pleasure, or delight is “grace.” “Felix, willing to show the Jews a pleasure (the word for “grace,” RH), left Paul bound” (Acts 24:27). 1 Peter 2:19-20 uses the word for “grace” twice in reference to our suffering for the Lord at the hands of unjust men. To suffer for wrongdoing is not pleasing to God, but to suffer for the right is “thank worthy,” “acceptable, ” or pleasing. Grace carries the idea of favor or goodwill. In Jerusalem, many souls were converted to the Lord on the first Pentecost after Christ arose; their changed lives were such that they had ‘favor (the word for “grace”) with all the people” (Acts 2:47). Grace suggests the kindness of a master towards his inferiors or servants, especially of God toward man. Noah (Gen. 6:8, 22), Mary (Lk. 1:30), and David (Acts 7:46) all found “grace” in the eyes of God, i.e. they received His lovingkindness or favor. Paul sought this “grace” in behalf of the churches (Rom. 1:7; 16:20, 24).

Man does not deserve the favor and love of God which brings salvation from sin-“all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isa. 53:6). This undeserved kindness is spoken of in Romans 3:23-24: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” God does not save those who would present a perfect record of having never sinned. “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness . . . . Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace” (Rom. 4:4-5). Many of the Jews were “disobedient and gainsaying,” so the Gospel was sent to the Gentiles. Does this mean that God wholly cast away His people? No. “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace” (Rom. 11:5).

In the second place, the Bible tells us how grace saves. The Father, by grace, purposed or planned salvation for man “before the foundation of the world.” His plan was to adopt “children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:3-7).

God by grace sent the Son to die for our sins-“in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Christ “died for the ungodly . . . . while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him …. much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ . . . much more they which receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ . . . . But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 5:6-9, 15, 17, 20-21).

God by grace sent the Holy Spirit to provide the revelation of the message of grace. Thus Paul and Barnabus declared “the word of his grace” in Iconium (Acts 14:3). Paul, in his farewell to the Ephesian elders, commended them “to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). When the Colossians heard “the word of the truth of the gospel,” they knew “the grace of God in truth” (Col. 1:5-6). “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us . . . .(Tit. 2:11-12). The Holy Spirit guided in diving this revelation of the fullness of God’s grace (1 Cor. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16). The preaching of the message of God’s grace “bringeth forth fruit” as men obey the message (Col. 1:5-6; 2:12). After primary obedience, “the grace of God” continues to teach them to deny “ungodliness and worldly lusts” and to live “soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world” (Tit. 2:11-12). We come into God’s purpose of grace and receive the benefits of Christ’s death when we obey by faith the revelation of grace, the message of grace.

How Do Men Pervert Grace

First, consider the Catholic doctrine of a “treasury of merit.” Some now dead did more good works than God required for salvation, “such as accepting vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience” (E. F. Harrison, Baker’s Dictionary of Theology, article on “Merit,” pp. 348-349). These extra good works, or “merit,” can be transferred to the account of others, both living and dead (in purgatory). This doctrine did not originate with inspired men in the first century, but with Alexander of Halle in the 1200’s (J. L. Neve, A History of Christian Thought, Vol. I, p. 203; G. P. Fisher, History of Christian Doctrine, pp. 250, 259). This is a perversion of grace; nowhere does the Bible teach God will extend grace by transferring the faith or obedience or “merit” of one person to another. Actually, this meritorious works is foreign to Scripture.

Second, consider “Universalism,” which says the grace of God will eventually save all men. The Universalist Church stressed this idea, but many people have believed the theory without joining the Universalist Church. The Universalist’s plea and Church has been merged with the Unitarian Church in the Twentieth Century, but the concept is still very common on every hand. John G. Adams wrote The Universalism of the Lord’s Prayer with a chapter on “God’s Glory In the Completion of Grace.” He taught that the influences of Christ’s kingdom “are to reach all, — all who ever did, who do now, who ever will need it . . . the kingdom of God in the Gospel dispensation . . . is universal.” Our “main ground of confidence and hope . . . is the Father’s grace . . . It is not by works of righteousness which we have done or may perform” (pp. 119-120). By the sating power of Christ, “all souls (shall) be blest with God’s salvation . . . we have no reason to doubt the salvation of the most hardened offender” on account of “this saving grace of the Eternal” (pp. 124-125).

Thirdly, there are two extreme views on the relation of works to salvation. The first extreme is represented by Roman Catholicism. God’s grace is transmitted to man through the seven “Sacraments” (confirmation, baptism, marriage, extreme unction, etc.). The sacrament is not only a sign of grace and a condition of grace, it is the means of grace. For instance, the baptism of a baby or a dying person can bring the “grace” of forgiveness-though neither subject can believe or repent. Likewise, extreme unction brings “grace” to a person who may be unconscious. The work itself becomes the means or channel of grace. The Bible teaches no such thing; it teaches that obedience must be of faith to avail with God, and then obedience is not a mechanical means of grace but only the condition of grace-i.e., grace is conditional.

The other extreme is represented by Protestant Reformationism. The Protestant denominational idea is salvation by faith only or at the point of faith, before and without any other act of obedience. If one must do anything, then salvation is not of grace. For instance, in the Methodist “Articles of Religion,” under part IX, “Of the Justification of Man,” we read, “Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort” (Doctrines & Discipline of the Methodist Church 1944, p. 29). W. T. Conner, well known Baptist preacher, said, “. . , faith, and faith alone, is the condition of salvation” (Christian Doctrine, p. 198). “The New Hampshire Confession of Faith” has been recognized by the Southern Baptist . Convention with some revisions since 1925. It says that justification “is bestowed . . . solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood” (W. R. White, Baptist Distinctives, p. 86). Luther’s Small Catechism poses the question (No. 139), “How do you accept this forgiveness :)f sins?” The answer given is I accept this forgiveness, by believing the Gospel” (p. 139). Question No. 256 asks, “Can anyone be saved without Baptism?” Answer, “It is unbelief only that damns . . . saving faith . . . can exist when for some reason Baptism cannot be obtained” (p. 176). The Westminster Shorter Catechism, 1647, is recognized by several Presbyterian and Baptists bodies. It claims in answer to question No. 33, “Justification is an act of God’s free grace . . . received by faith alone:” This concept is shared by nearly every Protestant denomination in existence, and is a point of major distinction between denominational doctrine and Bible teaching. The Bible teaches we are saved by obedient faith, not faith before or without obedience (Jas. 2:24).

The fourth example of grace abused is the theory of the imputed obedience or righteousness of Christ. Many denominations teach this, including Presbyterian, Reformed, Lutheran, Baptists and others. Yet most of these groups have some in them who would dissent from the idea. The concept that the obedience of Christ can be transferred to the account of disobedient men can be traced to John Calvin. Calvin said in Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book II, Chapter XVII, “For the righteousness found in Christ alone is reckoned as ours.” In Book III, Chapter XI, he explained, “. . . the righteousness of Christ is communicated to him (man) by imputation . . . the obedience of Christ is reckoned to us as if it were our own” (emphasis added). Following that line, The Westminster Confession of Faith, 1647 said in Chapter XI, “Of Justification,” God justifies man “by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them . . . .” Question No. 33 in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, 1647, asks, “What is justification?” Answer, “Justification is an act! of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.”

The following is typical of many Baptist statements of this doctrine. God “imputes or reckons his (Christ’s) righteousness to every one of them, and it becomes their own just as really as if they had ‘wrought it out’ for themselves.” “By the righteousness of Christ we are to understand his complete submission to the precepts and penalties of the law of God, his perfect earthly obedience, and his unparalleled anguish; these he places to the credit of each member of his elect family” (The Baptist Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 631). A Baptist preacher says in Preaching the Doctrine of Grace, “The Spirit brings a crisis with respect’ to sin, but immediately he reveals the grace of God in salvation. He makes man conscious of his lack of righteousness for the sole purpose of offering to impute to us Christ’s righteousness” (p. 49).

Some of our own brethren have picked up this denominational dogma, as can be seen in “Truth, Error, and the Grace of God.” “Because of His obedience, those who are in Him can be saved although they never do achieve perfect obedience themselves.” “But there is a sphere where sin is not imputed to the sinner and that sphere is ‘in Christ.’ ” Christ is “a representative lawkeeper who justifies others by His obedience” (Edward Fudge, Gospel Guardian, Vol. 21, No. 44 (Feb..12, 1970), pp. 689-690). Nowhere does the Bible teach that God will transfer the obedience or faith of one person to another, whether it be the obedience of the living or the dead or the Christ! “The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezek. 18:20). Christ obeyed the will of God in death-the Righteous dying for the forgiveness of the sins of the unrighteous. Because he did that, it is now possible for all who obey him to have forgiveness, righteousness, or justification (Heb. 5:8-9).

The fifth abuse of grace we will mention also can be traced back to Calvinism: once in grace, always in grace. The most blunt statement of this doctrine made in modern times is that of Missionary Baptist preacher Sam Morris; he claimed no sin from idolatry to adultery could separate the elect from God’s grace. The doctrine has been watered down by some teachers to say once in grace, always in grace EXCEPT in cases of idolatry, immorality, or sin by malice aforethought. To cover the cases who do “fall back,” the dodge is used which claims they never were truly in grace anyhow! Though Paul said he was living “by the faith of the Son of God,” he said it is possible to “frustrate the grace of God” (Gal. 2:20-21). He went on to say some had done that very thing: “ye are fallen from grace” (Gal. 5:4). Peter warned those who “have escaped the pollutions of the world” that they may be “again entangled therein, and overcome” (2 Pet. 2:20-22).

Sixth, and last, consider the preposterous claim that we are saved sola gratia, by grace alone! Those who say this generally add by faith alone, somehow missing the fact that one thing PLUS another thing is not any thing alone. It would be correct to say salvation begins in the grace of God, but the Bible never attributes salvation to anything alone.

Is There A Contradiction Between God’s Law & Grace?

John 1:17-18 tells us that Christ came to declare God and His word, grace and truth in all fulness. “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” But the passage is sometimes cited to prove there was law only under the Old Covenant, and there is grace only under the New. The comparison errs on both sides. Noah, David, and Mary all lived before the New Covenant had gone into effect, but all found grace in the sight of God. Grace in its fulness and completion is revealed in Christ. In view of His eternal plan and therefore the coming death of Christ, God granted the grace of forgiveness to those under the Old Law (Ps. 32). There was both law and grace.

The fulness of grace is revealed in the New Covenant, but is it by removing all law and giving unconditional grace? By no means! Through his obedience in death Christ “became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb. 5:8-9). When the Romans “obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered” to them, they became “then . . . free from sin” (Rom. 6:17-18). Christians must serve the Lord according to “the law of faith,” “the law of the Spirit,” “the law of Christ,” “the perfect law of liberty,” “the royal law” (Rom. 3:27; 8:2; 1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2; Jas. 1:25; 2:8). Yet this is the covenant in which the fulness of grace is revealed! “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17). “And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace” (Jn. 1:16).

We must understand the true weakness of the Old Law in order to understand the fulness of grace revealed in the New. The law of Moses is called a “ministration of death” (2 Cor. 3:7). Why? Some would have us believe it is because it involved law. The weakness of the Old was not that it required obedience to God’s will. There was no fulness of grace in that there was no final forgiveness, which in turn means no one could have been saved under that system except by simply never doing anything wrong in the first place. The fact is there was forgiveness and grace under that system only in view of the coming death of Christ. Once he came and died, that Old system availed nothing — for he inaugurated the New Covenant in which forgiveness is full, complete, and final! “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins . . . But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:4,12). The contrast between the systems is not in having law under one and no law under the other, but in not having full forgiveness under the one and having it under the other. “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away” (Heb. 8:12-13).

It is more, not less, important that we observe God’s every command under the New! In the New Covenant sealed with Christ’s blood, “how much sorer punishment” should be expected than under “Moses’ law” (Heb. 9:16,22; 10:28-29). Indeed, for we have a perfect “mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (Heb. 8:6). “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second,” but we today serve God under “the perfect law of liberty” (Heb. 8:7; Jas. 1:25). Serving under that which is so far better, we are so much more responsible.

Christ himself underscored this point. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven . . . Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man . . . (Matt. 7:21-27). “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life,” but only as, we partake of them do we partake of that life — “whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life” (Jn. 6:63, 64). No wonder Christ said, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jn. 12:48).

Conclusion

“And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).

Truth Magazine XXI: 25, pp. 394-397
June 23, 1977

By Larry Ray Hafley

Paul said,”Beware of dogs” (Phil.3:2). The “dogs” he referred to were the two legged, human species. Further, his reference was not to a cuddly puppy or a friendly family pet. Paul equated certain men with ferocious, savage dogs. The dogs that often roamed in snarling packs as scavengers and destroyers were the objects and subjects of Paul’s analogy, He likened men unto such dogs. These canines professed piety and purity, but they were, in reality,”the enemies of the cross of Christ” (Phil. 3:18). These dogs are not licensed. They have not had their shots. They feed on the putrid. They attack the weak and the infirmed. They seek the favor of the unlearned and immature. Them teeth are bared against the righteous, but they are capable of feigned sweetness if it will allow them to get close to their prey. Some areas and congregations are fearful of the dogs that seek to intimidate and rule in fear. They cower and quiver before their fierce growls. They do not stand and fight the dogs. They are led by them. And they wonder why the church has fleas.Whose Child Am I?

The apostle John tell us how we can know whose child we are, the Lord’s or the devil’s (1 Jn. 2:29; 3:10). Another related passage is Romans 6:16,”Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Two texts commonly overlooked in establishing who one’s spiritual Father is are John 8:39 and 1 Peter 3:6. Our Father is the one we imitate and emulate. A woman is a daughter of Sara as long as she is pious and submissive as was Sara and as long as she does well. One is not a child of Abraham if his works are evil. To be a child of Abraham is to live a life of trusting, obedient faith. The same principle is involved in determining whether or not one is a child of God or a child of the devil (Cf. Jn 8:44; Acts 13:10.)

Truth Magazine XXI: 25, p. 392
June 23, 1977

By Jeffery Kingry

“The problems my wife and I have are too great and too old to be changed. There is no hope.” This statement is one often heard from those gripped in sin. One of Satan’s most effective tools in destroying souls is despair. Despair is closely related to pride and arrogance. What one is really saying by a statement like the one above is, “My problem is unique. My problem defies solution by God or man. I have tried to change what’s wrong and have been unable, therefore no one can solve my problem!” The proud do not “take heed unto themselves” in their arrogance, thinking that they “stand” by their own power. Thus when they inevitably fall on their face “great is the fall thereof.” “A fool’s way is right in his own eyes . . . correction is grevious unto him that forsaketh the way . . . a scorner loveth not one that reproveth him; neither will he go unto the wise” (Prov.12:15; 15:10,12). When we lose hope in God’s power to change lives and save souls-then we lose faith in God. If a Christian declares a desire to please God and to change his life unto godliness-then he can, for we have God’s promise (1 Cor.10:13; Rom.15:13,14). We can have godly optimism because God promised us that we can change, and shows us how to do it. Change is not easy, for God calls on us to break habitual behavior, and any habit is difficult to break. Repeated failure makes people doubtful and distrustful of hope: their hopes have been dashed too often. But the scriptural basis for hope is that “God is faithful” (1 Cor. 10:13), not that man is able. First order in conquering any problem is faith in God’s power to save. “All scripture” given us is provided that through the patience and encouragement they contain “we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4 ). The scriptures give us hope for ultimate salvation, and hope for godliness in this life. Apart from God’s word there is no hope, no answers. All other methods and solutions other than God’s are doomed to failure.How to Give Hope

One way to give and receive hope is to take sin seriously. How often have we heard our Brethren or our spouse say lightly, I haven’t been much of a mother/ father/ wife/ husband, but . . .” After the “but” comes the justification for sinning and failing. A sister once “came forward” in repentance asking for the prayers of the saints for her unfaithfulness in assembling with the saints. I addressed the church on her behalf, describing her sins, and how her neglect had “trod underfoot the Son of God, counted the blood of the covenant an unholy thing, and done despite unto the spirit of grace.” After services, with tears in her eyes I heard her comment to a sister, “I don’t think I am that bad!”

Minimizing sin does not give hope. . Neither does it produce change in the lives of sinners. When confronted by a stated desire to correct a problem and the sin is stated, as in our first illustration under this heading, the Christian should respond seriously, “Failure to be a good husband is a serious sin. Tell me how you have sinned as a husband.” Once, a visiting preacher and I visited a sister who had an unfaithful life in almost all areas. Her dad was an elder and she had caused her God, church, and parents untold grief by her sin. Her own despair at her condition had prompted an attempt at suicide. As we sat in this sister’s living room her long, sad tale began to pour out: She had been forced to come to church all her life, in rebellion to her smothering environment she became pregnant by her boyfriend, and the church “had never let her forget it.” She felt uncomfortable around the hypocrites in the church, her children misbehaved, her husband had a violent temper and would not allow her to go to church and take the children. On and on she went, relating the failures and abuses of all the people who had “caused” her to be what she was today. Great tears welled up in her eyes as she related how her tender efforts to “go back to church” had been violently crushed by over-enthusiastic brethren. The visiting preacher kept minimizing her sins in a soft murmur, “Now sister, things aren’t that bad . . . you’ve had some bad experiences, but look on the bright side!”

As she wound down I confronted her biblically with a scriptural rebuke and exhortation to do right. “You are blaming your parents, the church, your children, your husband, and everyone else to avoid having to look at the real person responsible for your failure and sin: YOU. You were drawn away and enticed by your own desires. Your parents also forced you to eat and sleep, but that hasn’t turned you against eating and sleeping. No one raped you and got your pregnant. You sinned against your own body, in hateful rebellion against God and the love of your parents. The brethren have never forgotten your sin because you have never repented of it-you married the father, but there was no repentance for wrong doing. Even to this day you seek to justify your disgusting behavior by blaming your parents. There are hypocrites in the church, and if the beam were out of your eye I might encourage you to talk to them about their mote. Your children will continue to misbehave in church, at the store, in the car, and everywhere else until you teach them proper behavior. And don’t use your husband as an excuse. He opposes your putting them in public school instead of parochial school, but it never bothered you to oppose him then. Why don’t you drop your excuses, and repent? No one is keeping you from obeying God but yourself.”

Both the woman and the preacher gasped in surprise. The woman’s tears dried up immediately, and she drew herself up in self-righteous hurt. Her father called me aside that evening and told me that his daughter’s psychiatrist had called and instructed that his “patient” was not to be “bothered” by the preacher again. “After all, brother Kingry, she is a sick girl.”To my knowledge, to this day she has still not gotten over her “sickness” for she has been surrounded by people who minimized her sin and allowed her to relieve her guilt by blaming it on someone other than herself. I have witnessed too many instances of real change on the part of people who had even more difficult problems to believe that God’s plan does not work.

One of two responses is likely to result by taking sin seriously: If the self-depreciation is an effort to appear sincere and humble, while providing an avenue for selfgratification, then the person will quickly back track in the opposite direction when his sin is met seriously. “Oh, I am not that bad, now . . . don’t get me wrong.” In such a situation the problem quickly becomes one of insincerity and hypocrisy and this must be dealt: with first. But often the problem stated is very real and the response will be unto godliness if dealt with seriously. The past failures, sins, and heartbreaks will pour forth. Hopes rise because the problem is really in the open and can be dealt with.

Another way to develop hope is by “putting on” immediately after “putting off.” Talking with a sister who had confessed hateful action towards a sister in the church I told her, “Now, we need to go to sister and you tell her what you have told me. You two need to start loving again.” She would not hear of it at first-the prospect of a confrontation with one she hated terrified her. But, finally we made our way to her door, and a tearful reunion was accomplished. The problem would not have been solved scripturally without reconciliation. (Brethren who “forgive” one another publicly, and then never have anything to do with the other have not been reconciled. Their sin remains). Often when sin is confessed, there is a “let down.” “What now,” the person asks, “Is this all there is?” If we stop here, the despair and hopelessness will return. We must then “put on”. In husband-wife sin, there is confrontation, confession, and reconciliation, but seldom any concrete “putting on”. The couple needs some success in their relationship. The husband who neglects his wife must make an early opportunity to “pay court” (1 Pet. 3:7). He may take her out to dinner, talk to her like a person, wait for her to finish her meal before getting up to go-maybe even linger over coffee to talk. He may bring her gifts, hold the door for her, smile at her once in awhile, help with the dishes, make her a night-time snack and serve it in bed. But, above all, he must look for positive, constructive ways to say by his actions “I care, I love, I cherish . . .” Often it does not need to be elaborate gestures. I know of one relationship that was almost brought to ruin because the husband did not hang up his clothes, left lights on, left his dirty clothes and towels on the bathroom floor for his wife, did not brush his teeth, and left a quarter inch of milk in the bottom of deep glasses, and did not rinse it out. Their entire relationship changed by some common garden-variety habit-breaking on the part of the husband.

Likewise, the young Christian who has been disobedient and selfish can effect change immediately by seeking ways to please his parents in the Lord: helping around the house, acting responsible at school, asking for help in scheduling and. discipline in school work and personal habits, getting in on time, or even early, assuming with parental permission new responsibilities such as fixing the evening meal once a week, assuming responsibility for the dishes, the cleanliness of the family car, the lawn, or the garden. Talking to parents about problems with a view to changing will never disappoint the child or parent.

Parents, after recognizing that there are failures in your life, make constructive thought-out steps to change immediately. Set up a nightly Bible class after dinner that everyone participates in. Disconnect the T.V. and play with your kids. Take your children individually on a walk and talk to them. Make a pact with your spouse that next time he hears you screaming at the kids to take over till you come to yourself.

We need hope, and we need to establish our confidence in God’s way that it will work by immediately putting it into practice. “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when desire cometh, it is the tree of life” (Prov. 13:12).

Truth Magazine XXI: 25, pp. 391-392
June 23, 1977