Truth Magazine

By Edward O. Bragwell, Sr.

“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way win save a soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sin.” (Jas. 5:19-20, NASV).

A straying Christian is not a pretty picture. He is as a dog returning to his own vomit; and a sow that was washed returning to her wallowing in the mire (2 Pet. 2:22). He is as an animal that strays off and needs rounding up.

Straying Christians place tremendous responsibilities upon themselves and their spiritual brethren.

Responsibilities of the Straying

A straying brother must repent. Sorrow is not repentance, though one must be sorry to produce repentance (2 Cor. 7:19). Quitting a sin is not enough, though Strays one must quit it as fruit of repentance (cf. Acts 26:20).

He must confess his sins (1 Jn. 1:9). Confessing is not revealing one’s sins. “Confess” is from homologeo meaning “to speak the same thing’ . . . ‘to assent, accord, agree with’ . . . ‘to confess by way of admitting oneself guilty of what one is accused of, the result of inward conviction'” (W.E. Vine). It is assumed that the sin is known by the one to whom it is confessed. God always knows all our sins. He accuses us of sin, we agree and repent. Sometimes others know, so we need to confess to them (Jas. 5:16).

“Confess your trespasses to one another” does not mean reveal your trespasses to one another. Those who encourage confessing even secret sins to one another, are without scriptural foundation. It may even do much damage. If brethren know about the sin, then that is another matter. The sinner then stands accused by them as well as the Lord and should confess the sins to both.

Failure to confess one’s sins leaves a problem. How can the offended person(s) know of his repentance and forgive him? One is to forgive his brother, if he repents. So, one needs to tell the offended one(s), “I repent” (Lk. 17:4). Quitting the practice of sin does not say that one has repented. There are other reasons for quitting a sin.

Often men forsake assembling for months or years, a sin that is known by the whole church, then ease back in taking up where they left off without a word being said. This is not right. Neither is the passing of time and/or mere reformation a substitute for confessing sins. I have never found the Scripture that places a “statute of limitations” on sin.

One who sins must ask the Lord for forgiveness (Acts 8:22). One may, along with his own praying for forgiveness, have brethren pray on his behalf (Acts 8:24; Jas. 5:16; 1 John 5:14-17).

Responsibilities of the Spiritual

As we have seen, the unfaithful must repent (cf. Rev. 2:5,6,16,21,22). The faithful must, commensurate with their abilities and opportunities, try to bring these brethren to repentance. When we succeed, we save a soul from death and “cover a multitude of sins” – the right way. The sins are not swept under the rug, but pardoned. The Psalmist shows how sins are to be covered. Psalms 32:1,2 refers to the forgiveness of sins in three ways: forgiven transgression, covered sin, and unimputed iniquity. The man without imputed iniquity is the same as the one whose sin is covered and whose transgression is forgiven. His sins are not ignored, but forgiven. In a similar passage, covered sins and forgiven iniquity are paralleled (Psa. 85:2). There is no man to whom the Lord will not impute iniquity or whose sins are covered without repentance. So, our first order of business is to try to bring the erring to repentance.

We are to deal with each one according to his circumstance. Jude says, “And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (vv. 22,23).

Barnes makes some interesting observations about these verses:

The direction then amounts to this, that while we are to seek to save all, we are to adapt ourselves wisely to the character and circumstances of those whom we seek to save.

Making a difference. Making a distinction between them, not in regard to your desires for their salvation, or Your efforts to save them, but to the manner in which it is done . . . . The young, the tender, the delicate, the refined, need a different kind of treatment from the rough, the uncultivated, the hardened. .

And others. Another class; those who were of such a character, or in such circumstances, that a more bold, earnest, and determined effort would be better adapted to them.

Save with fear. That is, by appeals adapted to produce fear. The idea seems to be that the arguments on which they relied were to be drawn from the dangers of persons referred to, or from the dread of future wrath. It is undoubtedly true, that while there is a class of persons who can be won to embrace religion by a mild and gentle persuasion, there is another class who can be aroused only by the terrors of the law. . . .

Pulling them out of the fire. As you would snatch persons out of the fire; or as you would seize on a person that was walking into a volcano. Then, a man would not use mild and gentle language of persuasion, but by word and gesture show that he was deeply in earnest (Barnes on the New Testament, James-Jude, p. 403).

There is a time for gentleness (Gal. 6:1) and a time for sharpness (2 Cor. 13:10). All straying brethren are not alike. Failure to recognize this often causes us to handle cases unwisely. It also causes some to have sharp words for those who feel it necessary to use a less gentle approach at times. Isn’t it amazing how sharp some of these “above-all-else-and-always-be-gentle” fellows can be against one who dares rebuke anyone sharply? It is equally amazing how they can look right into the hearts and see the joy they can hardly contain as they do what must be done.

Paul mentions three classes in 1 Thessalonians 5:14: The unruly, the fainthearted, and the weak. He prescribes a different treatment for each. The unruly are “certain church members who manifest an insubordinate spirit, whether by excitability or officiousness or idleness” (Vine). The fainthearted are the discouraged. The weak are likely those who are still weak in the faith or weak in knowledge; who still need time and opportunity to become strong. Each may be doing the same sin.

Let us say each regularly misses worship service, when they should be there. The unruly obviously misses, not because he has reason to be discouraged or needs more teaching about his obligation, but that he prefers to be other places and do other things.

The fainthearted has many things to discourage her from attending. She has to walk out of the house over the protest of a objecting husband. She has to struggle for every opportunity to assemble. She is ridiculed by her family for her “fanaticism.” The weak misses, but obviously needs more time to let the teaching concerning his responsibilities as a Christian sink in.

All three are sinning – without excuse. They are neglecting the same duty. However, their circumstances are different, so different treatment is called for. The unruly need more than gentle persuasion, they need a sharply worded warning. The fainthearted need milder words of encouragement. The weak need to be upheld or supported with patient teaching until they can become strong.

Patience is to be shown toward all classes. Patience is not the same as gentleness. It is longsuffering and persistent perseverance. We are not to give up easily in whatever approach is called for Galatians 6:1 does not deal with every brother in error. It deals with one “overtaken in any trespass.” The margin in the New King James Version says, “caught.” Thayer says it means “to take one before he can flee, i.e., surprise.” This is not the premeditated or persistent sinner but one caught or surprised by a temptation and overcome before he can flee. He needs the gentle help from the spiritual to overcome the effects of his sin. The spiritual could easily be surprised and overcome in similar fashion.

Not all transgressors have been caught or surprised by sudden temptation. They study and plan their trespass and persist in it. They have carefully (or carelessly) charted their course. Some try to persuade others to follow their lead. These are not the same as those in Galatians 6:1 and do not require the same treatment. These calf for sharp words of warning and exposure (see Tit. 1:13). They should be given time to heed the words of warning (cf. Rev. 2:1). If words fail then sharp action must follow. Paul told the Thessalonians to warn the unruly (disorderly) in his first letter (5:14) to them. In his second letter (3:6,14) after the warning had gone unheeded, he tells them to withdraw from and not to keep company with them. A heretic or factious man is to be warned twice then rejected (Tit. 3:10).

Circumstances dictate whether a brother’s sin is dealt with privately or openly. Again it amazes me how openly some criticize those who occasionally publicly rebuke brethren for their good and to warn others. Some openly chastise them for not first “telling him his fault between you and him alone” – many times with no way of knowing if they have done this or not. Besides, if public rebuke is a fault, why the open criticism of the public rebuker without telling him his fault between the two alone? It is kind of hard to be consistent, isn’t it?

The sin of Matthew 18:15-18 begins as a private matter – one brother sins against another. The objective is to regain the sinning brother while keeping the knowledge and damage of the sin as limited as possible. Other brethren do not know about it and, hopefully, they will never need to know. All too often, the offended one tells nearly every one how he has been sinned against before telling the brother who did the sinning. This helps neither the sinning brother nor those who have been told. If, after reasonable effort to privately regain the brother, he does not repent, one or two other brethren need to be brought in to help. If this fails, then the matter is told to the church. It is now a public matter. If the church fails to bring him to repentance, then “let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector” that is, cease fellowshipping him. This is not the passage for dealing with brethren whose sin is already well known to brethren in general. The church does not need to be told, it already knows. Yet, a great many brethren think we should start back peddling until we reduce it to a private matter and then formally follow the steps of Matthew 18.

Peter openly violated the truth of the gospel (Gal. 2:11-21). He was influencing others to do the same, Barnabas among them. Paul did not follow the three step formula of Matthew 18. This thing was not merely a matter of Peter sinning against Paul. It was a public matter influencing good brethren to do wrong. Paul says, “I withstood him to his face. Did he do this between him and Peter alone. Let Paul tell us: “I said to Peter before them all.” Paul’s approach must have gotten the job done. Peter later referred to him as “our beloved brother Paul” (2 Pet. 3:15).

Sometimes it is wiser to take a mistaken public teacher aside privately and teach him further as Aquilla and Priscilla did to Apollos. But to say that one must always tell a brother his fault privately before openly rebuking him or exposing his public error simply is not taught in the Scriptures. There are things done and said so openly and so damaging that they need to be dealt with as openly as they are said and done – as soon as possible to minimize the damage done to the cause of Christ.

Ottis Castleberry, in his biography of John T. Lewis, relates a story by Leonard Johnson that illustrates how strong brethren in the past have handled such damaging public errors of brethren:

Brother Lewis went back to David Lipscomb College to give the commencement address. His subject was “Compromise,” and in his lesson, he went back, as I recall, and took biblical examples of men and women who compromised. He addressed the students and said, “Young men and women, I want to give you some modern examples of compromise. (Well, there had been a Christian Church preacher, who was well known in his day and he had been holding a meeting in one of the Christian Churches in Nashville; and several of the brethren including Brother Pittman, A ‘ B ‘ Lipscomb, F.B. Srygley, and a host of others – I don’t know how many more had gone out to hear this man, and each one of them had been invited to lead prayer and had done so.) All of these men were present for the commencement address. Brother Lewis began to tell the young people about the Christians Church preacher having been in town not long ago. He said, “S.P. Pittman, A.B. Lipscomb, F.B. Srygley,” and he named several others, “were present and they participated in this worship and led the prayer – now that’s a modem example of compromise” (He Looked For A City).

We need more like that today. It would not be popular, but it might save more souls from the influence of compromising brethren.

Once a brother has repented we must forgive him – no strings attached (Lk. 17:3; 2 Cor. 2:7). It is not only in his interest that we do this – it is in ours. Jesus said, “For if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6:15).

Indeed, the picture of one who falls into sin is not pretty; but how beautiful it is when one repents, confesses and asks forgiveness. A soul has been saved from death. Ugly sins are covered. A stray has been rounded up.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 16, pp. 496-498
August 18, 1988

By Dennis C. Abernathy

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy” (Prov. 28:13). According to this verse we can do one of two things: we can cover our sins and not prosper, or we can confess and forsake them and find mercy. When sin is of a private nature, i.e., no one knows about it but the individual and God, the person should repent and pray to God for forgiveness. If the transgression is public (generally well known) the individual needs to confess it publicly.

Some have the idea that a public confession of sin is not necessary, They ridicule the idea of one coming down the aisle and confessing his sins before all. They would liken this to a Catholic confessional. But it ought to be self-evident to the Bible believer that when one sins publicly he should confess the sin publicly. James say, “Confess yours faults one to another” (Jas. 5:16). John says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). Just here, I want to say a word to some who are claiming that God will forgive the Christian of “certain kinds” of sins without the guilty confessing those sins. There is no Bible for such an idea. All sin is washed away or cleansed (whether one be an alien or a Christian) by the blood of Christ (Rev. 1:5; 1 Jn. 1:7). But according to 1 John 1:9 God is faithful to forgive the Christian’s sin and to cleanse (by the blood of Christ) him from all unrighteousness, if he confesses his sin. Where is the passage that reveals God forgiving the erring Christian’s sins (any sins) without confessing and forsaking them? So, one is to confess before the Father in heaven and he is to acknowledge his sins before others, if they are of a public nature.

What does the confession of sin entail? It seems clear to this writer that the Bible teaches a public confession involves openly admitting the sin. If one is genuinely sorry to God for his sin and fully repents of that sin he will have no problem of confessing and forsaking the same. But some are teaching that the brother overtaken in public sin does not have to openly admit that he is wrong. He can just say, “I need the prayers of the church” or “I need the brethren to help me be a stronger Christian” or “if I have done wrong, I am sorry.” I ask you brethren, what has this person done? Wherein has he sinned? Actually, this person has not confessed in the Bible sense of the word. A thorough study of the word “confess” will show that it involves openly admitting the sin.

The individual who comes before the assembly to confess a public sin ought to confess his sin publicly. How can you pray for and help a brother if you don’t know that he has actually sinned publicly? If one is guilty of drinking he ought to confess the sin of drinking. If he is guilty of using dirty language, he ought to confess the use of filthy communication. Instead of encouraging erring brethren to confess they have “made mistakes” we ought to rather encourage them to confess the “mistakes they have made.” Instead of encouraging “if I have sinned” type confessions, we ought to rather encourage them to confess the “sin they have done.” Do you see the point? Listen friends, we all need the prayers of the church, we all make mistakes from time to time, and certainly we ought to be sorry when we sin. But in this article we are talking about specific acts of sin that need to be confessed publicly.

Perhaps one of the problems in this area is the desire for numbers in the church. Some live ungodly lives, but because of pride will not openly confess their sin. Brethren want them back in the fellowship so they accept them on the basis of a “if I have sinned, I am sorry” confession or “I want to be a worker again in the church. We had a problem in the past, but it was all just a misunderstanding, and I want to start over.” I ask you brethren, is that a public confession of sin or is it just slipping back into the fellowship without admitting sin? If one does not know whether or not he has sinned, he cannot publicly confess a sin. If one wants to be a worker in the church again, then let him clear up the problem and straighten out the misunderstanding and he can start over as God directs!

In Acts 19:18-19, we read: “And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all.” It appears plain from this verse that “confessing” involves “telling their deeds” (admitting sin). Also, it involves clear evidence that one will do something about his sin.

I’m sure some would have told these poor misguided souls that they did not have to “tell their deeds,” just say “there has been a little misunderstanding. Burn your books if you want to, but do it in private, for if you openly confess what you have done and go too far with this thing it will cause people to talk.” Can’t we see this is not what the Bible teaches concerning public confession and forsaking of sin and that it weakens the force of the gospel? It covers over sin instead of confessing and forsaking it!

In conclusion, brother R.L. Whiteside wrote: “But if you good and faithful Christians feel that you must make public confession of sins, name the sins you are confessing. A blanket confession is really no confession of sins.” “Of course, to graciously make public amends would be considered very humiliating, but to do so would be such an outstanding example of Christian manhood at its best that every right-thinking person would applaud the deed; and such a deed would ease the conscience and make the one feel more content with himself.” Please remember, if sin is of such a nature that it calls forth a public confession then one needs to openly and humbly admit his wrong in confessing his sin.

Two examples will suffice to prove our point here. In the Old Testament, after the prophet Nathan pointed out to David his sin, David openly confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13). There were no “ifs, and, or buts” about the matter. What we do see is an open admittance of sin and a confession of the same. In the New Testament we have the blessed confession of the prodigal son. After he had messed up his life in the far country of sin, devouring his living with harlots, he came to himself, he woke up or came to his senses. He realized where he had been, where he was, and with a penitent heart, determined where he was going. With his mind fully persuaded and his course laid out, he openly confessed, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son” (Lk. 13:21). Again, we do not see any “Ifs, ands, or buts”; rather, we see the open confession of wrong.

My brethren, a Christian will be willing to not only confess his transgressions, but to also forsake his sins as well.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 16, pp. 494-495
August 18, 1988

By Mike Willis

We all suffer in life. No man is exempt from suffering, as is seen from the fact that all men die. Consequently, we ask, “What can we learn from suffering?” Here are some suggestions:

1. Obedience. The Lord Jesus learned obedience from the things which he suffered. “Who in the days of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. . . ” (Heb. 5:7-8). The submission of one’s will to the will of the Father is a difficult lesson to learn. Jesus learned submission from the cross. Paul also learned to submit to the Father’s will from the things he suffered. In 2 Corinthians 12:6-7, he was given a thorn in the flesh which he asked the Lord to remove three times. When the Lord refused to remove his thorn in the flesh, Paul resolved, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10). If you are called to suffer, you can learn obedience.

2. Steadfastness. A person can also learn to be steadfast through the things which he suffers. James wrote, “Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (Jas. 1:2-3). Paul added, “We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Rom. 5:3-5). The word “patience” means “steadfastness, constancy, endurance … the characteristic of a man who is unswerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings” (Thayer, definition of hupomone, p. 644).

3. Dependence upon God. David wrote, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word” (Psa. 119:67). The afflictions which come to us remind us of our own frailty. They remind us that we shall surely die. Frequently in the hour of sickness, a person resolves to serve the Lord. The oppressed turn to the Lord for the deliverance which no man can or will give: “the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless” (Psa. 10:14). Since our sufferings sometimes drive us to greater dependence upon God, we can be thankful that they come to us.

4. Prayer. Another lesson which we can learn from our sufferings is to pray. When all human help fails us, we turn to the Almighty God. David reflects this when he wrote, “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears” (Psa. 18:46). “In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me” (Psa. 86:7).

I have witnessed this impact of suffering on several occasions when men, who had no habit of praying, turned to God in prayer in the midst of their afflictions. A father waits in the hospital while his child is being treated for some illness; while his heart aches, he prays to God for his child. A man watches his world crumble around him – his family is torn apart by divorce, he loses his job, old age takes his parents – and turns in desperation to God. Indeed, afflictions drive us to God in prayer – prayers which express the very depths of our soul (not some cold, formalistic prayer). Learning to pray is one lesson which one can learn from suffering.

5. Suffering lasts but a short period of time. In the hour of grief and suffering, the days seem long and drawn out; days seem like weeks, weeks like months, and months like years. We think our suffering will last forever. Most suffering, however, is short-lived. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psa. 30:5).

I attended a funeral two or three years ago in which a gospel preacher lost his God-fearing wife. As he left the funeral home to drive to the grave side, the man had to be supported to walk. His grief was greater than he could bear alone. This same gospel preacher has since remarried and has found happiness anew. This is not to minimize the pain of his grief and loss or his love for his first wife; rather, it is to remind us that our afflictions and sufferings last for a relatively brief moment of time – a time which too shall pass. Even those who suffer throughout a lifetime need to remember that the brief span of a lifetime is a relatively short period of time in view of eternity.

So, in the midst of your sufferings, remember that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” William and Gloria Gaither expressed this thought like this:

Joy Comes In The Morning

If you’ve knelt beside the rubble of an aching, broken hew,

When the things you gave your life to fell apart;

You’re not the first to be acquainted with sorrow, grief or pain,

But the Master promised sunshine after rain.

To invest your seed of trust in God in mountains you can’t move,

You risk your life on things you cannot prove,

But to give the things you cannot prove for what you cannot lose

Is the way to find the joy God has for you.

Hold on my child, Joy comes in the morning.

Weeping only lasts for the night;

Hold on my child, Joy comes in the morning.

The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.

6. Suffering reminds us of our frailty. When I visit the hospitals, I am reminded that this world is not our permanent home. “Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am” (Psa. 39:4). “For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth” (Psa. 102:3). The illnesses of the body remind us that one day we too shall die. They serve as reminders to us that we must be making preparation for eternity. Regardless of how far back in my mind that I hide death from today’s consideration, I cannot escape the fact that I shall die. Sufferings should serve as reminders of this fact.

7. Suffering tries our faith. The Devil charged that man only serves God because of what he gets from God (Job 1:9). God allowed Satan to tempt Job to test his faith in God. The psalmist stated that “the word of the Lord tried” Joseph (Psa. 105:19) during the time that he was an Egyptian slave and prisoner. Whether or not suffering has the design from God to test our faith we may never know; however, we do know that suffering does test our faith. When suffering comes, men ask, “Why does God allow me to suffer?” “Why did God take my child?” “Why me, Lord?” All of these questions are questions related to one’s faith in God. Will a man renounce his faith in God in the midst of his sufferings? The Devil will use any circumstances in your life to destroy your faithfulness to God. One of the circumstances he will use is suffering. “For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou brougbtest us out into a wealthy place” (Psa. 66:10-12). Those who have maintained their faith through suffering are like gold or silver refined by fire.

8. That God will be with us in trouble. We pray for the Lord to deliver us from trouble and many times he does. However, we need to recognize that God will be with us through the troubles of life. He will not leave us or forsake us at the difficult periods of our life. The psalmist said, “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him” (Psa. 91:15). “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” (Psa. 34:19). “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5), said the Lord. One poet expressed it like this:

“When you walk through a storm,

Hold your head up high.

And don’t be afraid of the dawn.

Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart

For you never walk alone.”

Indeed, God will be with you through the storms of life.

9. To be sympathetic. Everyone states that the ability to be sympathetic is a virtue; yet it is a virtue learned at the school of suffering. The suffering saint learns to communicate a comfort to others which the one who has not suffered cannot give. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Cor. 1:34). Who can better minister to a wife at the death of her husband, than a widow who has experienced the same suffering? She can help the suffering saint through the problems which she faces. Recently I visited in the home of a young man who had lost his young wife three days after she gave birth to her second child. He told of the support which he received from talking to another Christian who had lost his wife through sharing their common experiences. The reassurance of knowing that what was happening to him in his grief was not uncommon helped him pass through the grief with hope and assurance that life would be better down the road.

As we experience the comfort which other sufferers can give to us, we should resolve to share our comfort with others who later experience similar griefs. A person should consciously look for others who are experiencing the troubles through which he has come and minister to their needs.

10. To build the pilgrim spirit. A pilgrim is someone in a land which is not his home. The sufferings of life should remind us that “here we are but straying pilgrims.” “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. . . . For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal,” (2 Cor. 1:9-10; 4:618).

“For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself” (Phil. 3:20-21). The sufferings of life awaken the yearnings in the soul for our eternal home, creating a longing for that time when we shall go to be with the Lord forever. Being reminded that this world is not my home, I reassess the priorities of my life, putting greatest emphasis on those things which affect my soul.

11. To glorify God. The book 101 Hymn Stories relates the events in the life of the authors of various hymns from which the songs were written. Many of our modern songs of praise come from the sufferings of life. Such is the case with “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” as related by Willie W. White in What The Bible Says About Suffering (pp. 131-132):

Joseph Scriven was a graduate of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. At the age of 25 he migrated to Canada where he met a delightful and dedicated young Christian lady. At the time they were engaged to be married they knelt together in prayer. As their love continued to deepen, and their wedding day drew near, they resolved that throughout their married life they would take every problem to God in prayer.

On the day before the happy young couple were to be wed Joseph was handed a letter, bearing the tragic news that hi; beloved fiancee had drowned. The groom-to-be was stunned, then turned bitterly on God. It was not right! It was not fair! How cruel of God to “take her!” . . . and then Joseph remembered the resolution which they had made: take every problem to God in prayer.

The bereaved young man fell to his knees and for three hours he begged God for light and guidance and strength. And God answered, as He always does. Joseph Scriven was granted the grace of Christ, and he arose from his knees and penned the words which have brought solace and strength to myriads of aching hearts:

What a Friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry,

Everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged,

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness,

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,

Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge,

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer;

In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,

Thou will find a solace there.

What is demonstrated by this modern book is confirmed by the ancient book of songs known as Psalms. The sufferings of David at the hands of wicked men (Saul, Absalom, Ahitophel, etc.) were the backdrop from which the psalms were written. The lips of Paul and Silas offered praise to God after the two had been beaten by Roman soldiers and put in a Philippian jail (Acts 16:25). “Did song ever come out of the heart of deeper injustice and did it thereby ever have deeper meaning? They went higher and higher in their notes of praise until they struck such high notes that God had to bring in the earthquake for a bass” (E. Stanley Jones, Christ and Human Suffering, pp. 86-87).

12. To Be Humble. Suffering may make and keep us humble. Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7) was given to him “lest (he) be exalted above measure.”

Conclusion

I am confident that there are many other lessons which one can learn from suffering. I hope that a consideration of these which have been fisted will cause us to accept our lot in life remembering the advice of Solomon: “In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him” (Eccl. 7:14). God’s purposes are accomplished through suffering just as they are through prosperity. Let us learn from our sufferings. I close with the poem “Friendly Obstacles” (author unknown):

For every hill I’ve had to climb,

For every stone that bruised my feet,

For all the blood and sweat and grime,

For blinding storm and burning heat,

My heart sings but a grateful song —

These were the things that made me strong.

For all the heartaches and the tears,

For all the anguish and the pain,

For gloomy days and fruitless years,

And for the hopes that lived in vain,

I do give thanks; for now I know

These were the things that made me grow.

‘Tis not the softer things of life,

Which stimulates man’s will to strive,

But bleak adversity and strife

Do most to keep man’s will alive.

O’er rose-strewn paths the weaklings creep,

But brave hearts dare to climb the steep.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 17, pp. 514, 547-549
September 1, 1988

By Louis J. Sharp

The office, telephone rang. The caller was a concerned and grieving grandmother. She was stirred with emotion as she related to me that her grandson had been involved in an automobile accident. He had “totaled” a car his father had recently purchased for him. On the highway between Little Rock and Pine Bluff, he and a truck had collided. The young lad was unconscious, had a large gash on his head, but luckily, no broken bones. Presently, he is in a local hospital in stable condition, but under observation. The sad grandmother could scarcely hold back sobs of grief and anguish, she was so “choked up!” We offered our sympathy and help, but could really do little more than pray for the young man and his family.

On the plus side, this teenager had never been involved with drugs or alcohol. He is a fine young lad in most every way, except he is not a Christian!

After leaving the study and driving home, scarcely had I arrived until my wife called me to the telephone. One of our members was relaying a message to me. A fellow Christian, from Bossier City, Louisiana, had received news that her son, who is stationed at the Little Rock Air Force Base, had been seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. There were no particulars about the accident, but he too, is in another local hospital in critical condition. The distraught mother was requesting our prayers.

This young man, evidently influenced by military life and the allurements of this world, was no longer attending the services of the church. His faithful mother had recently been here to talk with him and to encourage her son to be faithful as a Christian. Like so many others, he had not heeded her pleas.

Two accidents! One a teenager, the other a young man of twenty. How barely each escaped instant death. According to our understanding of God’s word, neither was prepared to meet his God! I do not know how or why these accidents happened, but it does seem an impossible task to get the young to understand the danger of speed! Also, for them to realize that they are driving machines that are indeed wonderful, but can be “killers.” And yes, they seem not to comprehend the brevity and uncertainty of life. These things may be true of old and young alike!

This day may have been a little unusual, but by no means exaggerated. These things here related come to those of us who preach, all too often. From our experiences in dealing with calamities and human suffering, such incidents may be multiplied a hundred-fold.

Youth, filled with life, vitality, hope, and expectation, may not consider that life’s thread can be snapped at anytime. Although we cite them the language of Job, “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope” (Job 7:6), they ask, “Who was Job?” “What has a weaver’s shuttle got to do with my life?” or “What is a weaver’s shuttle?” They do not see the connection.

Young people, we want you to see that even though you are in good health, accidents do occur. Your life which is today so full and promising, can be cut off; yes, just like the thread in the weaver’s shuttle. Preparation is essential for all, young and old alike. Dedication and Christian living must continue if we are to avail ourselves of the promised blessing – life eternal with God!

Young people, older people, all people, please beware and prepare to meet your God (Amos 4:12)! This thought should be paramount with each of us. If we lose our souls, nothing else matters. Where will you be in eternity?

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 16, p. 495
August 18, 1988