Truth Magazine

By Tom Roberts

All of religion is academic without a power or force to make it vital. This can be seen in the dead and sterile litanies of Roman Catholicism and other world religions. Whether the prayer wheel of the Buddhist or the counting of beads by the Catholic, such religion is “vain,” springing from the doctrines of men rather than the mind of God (Mt. 15:9). That which gives New Testament Christianity its life is the object of our faith, Jesus Christ: crucified, raised and glorified. “Faith to the saving of the soul” (Heb. 10:39) is that “obedience of faith” (Rom. 1:5) which offers to God both worship and living that is patterned after His will. All men should realize that it is not mere “doing” or religious activity that God accepts. He is not obligated to accept our efforts, regardless of their zeal, just because we have performed them (Mt. 7:23). What we do, therefore, must be in accord with the will of God and must be accompanied with sincerity and love or it is empty and fruitless (Jn. 4:24; 1 Cor. 13: 1ff). With these thoughts as a preface, let us consider the cross of Christ and its meaning to the Christian.

The Misunderstood Cross

Paul accused the Athenians (Acts 17) of superstitious worship because of their idolatry. If this same apostle could see how people view the cross today, he would accuse us of the same practice. Many people, both in and out of the church, have come to revere a cross, made of “gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device” (Acts 17:29) as a talisman, a good luck charm or the focal point for the dispensing of God’s grace. Thus, the form of a cross is often used in architecture to provide a “sacred building” in which the teaching of Christ is ignored. It is often worn as an ornament or sign of authority among “clergy” who usurp the authority of Jesus. One is often elevated above an altar in cathedrals where the very divinity of Christ is denied. Shapes of crosses adorn many walls in homes where the name of Christ is taken in vain, if at all. The “sign of the cross” has become, for both the criminal and priest, a superstitious ward against evil and a mans of bestowing blessings and grace. So pervasive, in fact, is the adoration of the cross that we might just dispense with Jesus and retain a cross itself as the efficacy and essence of religion. Such foolishness would be equal to keeping the bath water and throwing out the baby. There is a great need today to understand the biblical intent of the cross of Christ.

The Cross: Both Real and Symbolic

Whatever else we understand about the cross, we must realize that there was a real cross, an intrument of torture and death. Jesus died a lingering and suffering death on such a “tree.” It matters little what shape the cross took. Whether simple or ornate, an “X” or a “T,” it was a means of capital punishment in the Roman world and Jesus accepted its embrace. But the “relic” of the cross is nonexistent and supposed “splinters of the true cross” are simple frauds foisted upon the simpleminded with no purpose to be served among believers. Yet the Bible retains much teaching about the cross and suggests a vital relationship between the Christian and the cross. Without falling into superstition, how may we receive the benefits of the cross today? How does the cross fit into the pattern of true worship?

To understand this, we must understand that the Bible uses figures of speech. Figures of speech are not intended to obscure but to elucidate. Such is true in this case. We are far removed from the real wooden cross but not from the meaning of the cross, its symbolism. The figure of speech to which we refer in our study is metonomy: a part of a thing standing for the whole. In this case, the cross of Jesus has come to include the entire spectrum of the gospel. So meaningful and complete is the imagery of this word that is not necessary to refer individually to the events of Jesus’ death or to the elements of justification, salvation and saving grace. It is enough to “preach the cross” (1 Cor. 1:18). Paul could say that he determined not to know anything save “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). Those who opposed Jesus were said to be “enemies of the cross of Christ” (Phil. 3:18). It is in the cross of Christ that we should glory (Gal. 6:14). Care should be taken lest the “word of the cross” (1 Cor. 1:18), here equated with gospel preaching, should be mingled with the wisdom of men so that the “cross of Christ should be made of none effect” (1 Cor. 1:17). Is it not clear, therefore, that the cross stands for the whole message; metonomy, the part for the whole? With this properly digested, we can determine what the cross means to us today. Errors of men cannot obscure the beauty of the cross when we understand its true meaning. It is quite evident that God intended for the cross to have an impact on our thinking and our lives. Let us study that we may be blessed by the “word of the cross.”

The Meaning of the Cross

The cross of Christ tells us that sin is a curse. When used as an ornament around the neck, a cross says little about the ugliness of sin. But when we look at sin through the cross of Christ, we see sin as God does: ugly, deforming, condemning, separating man from his Creator. Sin is so terrible -that it made God send His only begotten Son to the cross to pay for its cost. Las Vegas does not present a true picture of sin. In the nightclubs and on TV, sin is glamorous, gaudy, fun, titillating, exhilarating. But sin causes deathseparation from God (Rom. 6:23; Isa. 59:1,2). Jesus became a curse for us, hanging on the cross (Gal. 3:13), and I should see this when I see the cross.

The cross of Christ tells us that a sacrifice for sin was made. Blood was appointed by God to be the atonement for sin (Lev. 17:10, 11). The blood of animals was insufficient to do the job of reclaiming the soul of man but the blood of Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. The Hebrew writer eloquently explores this subject when he speaks of the inadequacies of the blood of animals as compared with the “body prepared” for God (Heb. 9). 1 should see this when I see the cross.

The cross of Christ tells us that substitution was made. “The soul that sins shall die” (Ezek. 18:4). 1 sinned, therefore I ought to die. But thanks be to God that His grace permitted it to be different. As the story of Abraham and Isaac and the substitute ram for sacrifice foreshadowed it, the cross declares it plainly. Jesus Christ was sent by God to be a substitute for me. He took my punishment and death. “By his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53). 1 should see this when I see the cross.

The cross of Christ tells us that atonement was made. God’s wrath is justly and divinely directed against sin and the sinner. The sinner dies and is without excuse because of his sin (Rom. 1, 2, 3). Sin is rebellion against a loving God and the wrath of God will be poured out as against Sodom and Gomorrah unless this wrath can be stilled. But man has no means to calm this wrath. How can we escape? The story of the cross has its roots in the Old Testament and the faint glimmer of hope expressed under the Law becomes a radiant light in the Gospel. When the high priest went into the Most Holy Place once each year, he brought the blood of an animal to the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant. If you will do a word study, you will find that the mercy seat is the seat of atonement-the place where the wrath of God is to be atoned. However, the blood of animals could not accomplish this great work; it remained for the blood of Christ to do it. When Jesus appeared before the throne of God with His own blood, God accepted this as atoning for the sins of the world. Atonement for sin has been made, and I should see this when I see the cross.

The cross of Christ tells us that reconciliation was made. So long as man was in sin, he could not draw nigh to God but, was in fact, an enemy. With our best intentions and greatest works, we could not bring about this healing of enmity, reconciliation. Since atonement was made by the sacrifice on the cross, it was possible for God to invite man back into a saved relationship. Paul said that this was the great work of the apostles, appointed by God to be ambassadors, entreating on behalf of God, “be ye reconciled unto God” (2 Cor. 5:18-20). Note that atonement precedes reconciliation and that God had to initiate them both due to our sinful condition. I should see this when I see the cross.

The cross of Christ tells us that fellowship with God is possible. Now that atonement has been made and reconciliation is possible, I can be forgiven. While atonement was made for the sins of the world, not all men will be saved. Not all will obey the call of the gospel through the ambassadors, the apostles, to be reconciled to God by the cross. To some, the word of the cross is foolishness; to others, it is a stumblingblock (1 Cor. 1). But if we reject the cross and the word of the cross, we reject reconciliation. If we reject reconciliaiton, we reject the peace with God that forgiveness brings. If we accept the cross, we may enter into a relationship with God reminiscent of that between Adam and Eve and God in the garden before sin intruded. Fellowship-a mutual sharing in heavenly matters-is found only in Christ. I should see this when I see the cross.

The cross of Christ tells us that I must become dead to the world and alive to God. “If then ye have been risen with Christ. . . ” (Col. 3: 1) presupposes that we have died with Christ. “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). But how does one become dead to sin? “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Rom. 6:2-6).

Yes, we must crucify the old man of sin. We must walk in newness of life after having been buried in Christ. How is all this done? Paul said it is done when we are baptized. I should see this when I see the cross.

Let Us Take His Cross

There is a cross for us to bear. It is not a silver or gold ornament with no real meaning but that of vanity and false humiliation. The cross that Jesus bore was that of “obedience unto death, yea, the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8). Our Lord said, “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Mt. 10:38,39). If we understand this, we can understand the cross of Christ. And all the ornamental jewelry and superstitious architecture in the world will not bring us any closer to the service of God unless we do understand it. Are you wearing your cross or bearing it?

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 21, pp. 641, 663-664
November 7, 1985

By Ron Halbrook

Promote and Protest “An Appeal to the Stomach”

Woods has been known through the years for opposing church sponsored recreation, but inconsistent with that principle, he has argued that the local church should promote social meals in the name of “fellowship and brotherliness” (Gospel Advocate, 4 Mar. 1976, pp. 149-50). By the same token, why shouldn’t the church provide a fully equipped gymnasium to provide for “fellowship and brotherliness” seven days a week? In 1977 an Arkansas church billed Woods as coming to contrast “the pure gospel” with “apostasy in general,” including “Church Softball Leagues” (G.A., 19 May 1977, p. 315). Can Woods not see that the church has as much reason to induce “fellowship and brotherliness” through softball games and gyms as through social meals?

But as late as 1977, Woods opposed the church honoring Christians for their diligence by giving them a spaghetti supper. “Is it not sad that it takes an appeal to the stomach to induce people to serve Christ, who no longer feel the compulsion of love?” (G.A., 4 Aug. 1977, p. 485). We might ask whether the church must induce people to spiritual “fellowship and brotherliness” by “an appeal to the stomach” or by an appeal to any other carnal desire on any occasion for any reason I Woods is blind to the inconsistency of both permitting and protesting church sponsored social activities. He plants the acorn and protests the growing tree.

In the conversation of 1 March 1980, Woods emphatically claimed that he still believes it is unscriptural for churches to provide from the treasury recreational facilities and programs to the general membership of the church, such as gymnasiums. The church might incidentally supply such things in providing for the needy, he added. All this was confirmed in his 8 April 1981 letter. We reminded him that this was not consistent with his endorsement of Ira North and the Madison, Tennessee church with its elaborate recreational program and million-dollar gym. Woods professed to know nothing about any such program or gym.

Believing that Woods had at least some conviction against church sponsored recreation, many brethren were shocked when he agreed to be Associate Editor with Ira North (1922-84) as Editor of the Gospel Advocate. The new team greeted the world in the 5 January 1978 issue. Woods found it “an unmixed joy” to work with North and pronounced him as completely dedicated to “New Testament Christianity in its purest form” as Woods himself “in every instance” (G.A., 4 Jan. 1979, p. 2). In preparing for Woods to become Editor and North Editor Emeritus, each man recognized a common “love for the truth” in the other with only a difference of style in speaking it (G.A., 19 Nov. 1981, pp. 674-75, 691). Woods’ first editorial appeared in the 7 January 1982 issue.

Did Woods never know of North’s and Madison’s heavy involvement in church sponsored recreation, or has Woods further compromised his convictions and violated his principles? The Madison Marcher of 7 February 1979 announced that Woods would speak every Wednesday evening during March. The next column of print talked about activities in the Family Life Center-the common euphemism for a gym. The next two pages carried a full spread headlined, “Family Life Center-A Great Boon to Madison Young People.” Large photographs show the Norths jogging in the gym, game tables, weight lifting equipment, a devotional, and a basketball game with teenage boys and girls together in shorts-some of the activities going on “seven days and seven nights a week.”

In case Woods did not get the Marcher, I sent him various issues which detailed in announcements and pictures such activities as classes on cardiac pulmonary resuscitation, slimnastics, ceramics, macrame, bowling, basketball, basketball officiating, and jogging. Also included were junior high and golden age banquets, softball teams, parties, dinners, trips, costume contests, and movies such as Walt Disney’s “The Jungle Book.” This recreational craze, ranging from social meals to gyms, has spread by leaps and bounds in recent years. If such obvious and outrageous perversions of the church for which Jesus died can go forward without fearing opposition in the Gospel Advocate, then indeed the cancer of compromise has eaten deeply into the vitals of faith. Guy Woods has been sitting in the editorial chair for five and a half years in Nashville, in the very shadow of a church with one of the most elaborate and outrageous recreational programs in the country, yet has failed to cry out against such idolatry. Indeed, North is pronounced sound “in every instance.”

Compromise Leads to Defeat

In an age of apostasy, the course of compromise and inconsistency is often followed by men who think they are maneuvering into a position to counterbalance and restrain the more radical trends of liberalism. But when they fail to make the applications of truth which their professed principles demand, they simply permit Satan to maneuver them into tolerating more and more error. The churches and human institutions such men attempt to save by posturing and maneuvering slide gradually into deeper apostasy.

Such was the experience of some for-a-while very popular men 100 years ago – J.W. McGarvey (1829-1911), Moses Lard (1818-80), Robert Graham (Ik2-1902), W.H. Hopson (1823-88), I.B. Grubbs (1833-1912), J.B. Briney (1839-19-27), and others. These middle-of-the-roads were blind to their inconsistencies-preaching principles of truth while tolerating, excusing and practicing violations of those principles. Often they took hard blows from men committed 100 percent to apostasy and from men equally committed against it. There is a large group caught up in the web of maneuver, compromise, and inconsistency today-Guy Woods, Ira Rice, Johnny Ramsey, Thomas Warren, Garland Elkins, Clifton Inman, Bill Jackson, Jerry Moffitt, Franklin Camp, Gary Workman, and others. As the apostasy runs off and leaves them, they must posture and maneuver more and more, or else be left in the dust.

To the chagrin of his own friends, Guy Woods yoked himself with Ira North. Now comes another shifting of the ground beneath Woods’ feet. Neil W. Anderson, President and Publisher of the Gospel Advocate Co., has reorganized the paper without consulting Woods at all (G.A., 6 June 1985, p. 323). That means that Woods is out as Editor, but will be allowed to handle the “Question and Answer” page. Woods tells us in advance the views to be stated in that column may not be shared by “others associated with the Gospel Advocate” and fails to say one word commending the new Editor.

F. Furman Kearley began as Editor on 18 July. Who is he? After teaching in several Bible departments in colleges run by the brethren, most recently at Abilene Christian University, he moved to the small west Texas town of Monahans to preach. During a unity meeting of Christian Church preachers and our liberal brethren at Joplin, Missouri (7-9 Aug. 1984), Kearley made the following comments along with the ultra-liberal Wayne Kilpatrick of Birmingham, Alabama:

FURMAN KEARLEY: This is an aspect of the isolation, is, a lack of knowledge of our histories. If we could start in our congregations doing some more study of the Restoration history outside of our own branch and looking at the distinctions between the conservative, instrumental and the Christian Church.

WAYNE KILPATRICK: I wonder, too, if bringing Christian Church preachers into our class like this might not be a good thing. Let them come in and tell their history in a class situation.

FURMAN KEARLEY: Yes, that’s right.

WAYNE KILPATRICK: I think you can ease from the class to the pulpit.

FURMAN KEARLEY: Right, and you can get by with. . .

WAYNE KILPATARICK: . . . the class . . .

FURMAN KEARLEY: . . . telling history . . .

WAYNE KILPATRICK: Yeah.

FURMAN KEARLEY: . . . whereas if they’re telling doctrine . . . (chuckle)

WAYNE KILPATRICK: And while they’re telling history let them tell about doctrine . . .

FURMAN KEARLEY: Yeah.

WAYNE KILPATRICK: . . . to make us know that, “Hey we believe alike on so much of this.” So that may be a beginning point – through the classroom. (Transcribed from a tape and published in Ira Rice’s Contending for the Faith, June 1985, p. 4.)

Woods spoke out strongly against the Joplin unity meeting precisely because it largely represented the sentiments of men such as Kearley and Kilpatrick (G.A., 4 Oct. 1984, pp. 578-80). Now Woods finds himself in the harness with Kearley, trying to hold on to a forum where he can speak. Once again he puts his convictions in a nutcracker-how much must he swallow and excuse, how much can he afford to say without risking another demotion?

To Overcome: Remember and Resolve

Yes, brethren, we live during a period of history that is full of lessons which reflect and underscore the truth of the Bible. Remember Israel’s profession of respect for God’s authority in the praise offered on the shore of the Red Sea, in the promise before Moses at Sinai, and in the response to Joshua. Remember Saul’s profession of loyalty to the truth and his blindness to compromise and inconsistency. Remember the stinging indictment by the Holy Spirit, “Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself” Remember Campbell’s unwitting regression from the high ground, “In their church capacity alone they moved. ” We cannot forget classic statements of fundamental truths made by McGarvey and Lard, nor forget the error they were practicing when they made those fine statements.

Let us remember the grand principles so eloquently enunciated by brother Woods. his caution of the ruinous effects of “the tendency toward institutionalism;” his warning against the pseudo-logic of “those who affect to see grave danger in Missionary Societies, but scruple not to form a similar organization for the purpose of caring for orphans and teaching young men to be gospel preachers;” his reminder that the local church is all-sufficient without “boards and conclaves unknown to the New Testament”; and his protest of “an appeal to the stomach to induce people to serve Christ.” But with sadness, remember too his inconsistency in defending church sponsored institutionalism and social gatherings, and how his blindness to compromise yoked him with Brewer, then North, and now Kearley.

Let there be no bitterness, rancor, or self-righteous arrogance as we meditate upon these lessons, but a sense of tragedy of it all and of our own frailty and proneness to err from the principles we profess. At the same time, there ought to be a sense of righteous indignation in us when men preach the truth but refuse to apply and practice it. The principles are right if we can put our finger on the verse. But that is not enough. Let us resolve to correct our course when we fall into practices which are inconsistent with the truth, rather than changing our principles or closing our eyes to the violation. Let us constantly and prayerfully review both our faith and our practice, with a determination to do what is right no matter what the costs or consequences may be. “Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Gal. 6: 1).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 20, pp. 618-619
October 17, 1985

By Larry R. DeVore

While a youth, more years ago than I care to enumerate, I was traveling with my parents, returning from a visit to my grandparents. While traveling, I became ill and lost consciousness. My parents rushed me to the hospital, disregarding the speed limit. I soon recovered from the illness.

I am using this story to illustrate the point that a law, in this case the speed limit, was set aside for the emergency. My parents felt justified in ignoring the speed limit to get me to the hospital as quickly as possible. No doubt, if they had encountered a police officer, he would have escorted us to the hospital. I think we recognize that these are manmade laws (and designed for our good) that can be temporarily set aside because of emergencies.

The concept that I would like us to consider is whether this has application to spiritual matters. Can we set aside scriptural principles and ways of doing things if an emergency, or something we consider an emergency arises in the church?

For example, in the story at the beginning of the article, suppose my parents had been en route to worship services. The emergency would have been just as real and immediate. I Timothy 5:8 requires that a Christian “provide for his own” which would include medical care. So the admonition in Hebrews 10:25 would have to be temporarily set aside to meet the emergency.

But sometimes situations arise in the church that brethren treat as emergencies that do not fit the definition. The dictionary defines an emergency as “an unexpected situation or sudden occurrence of a serious and urgent nature that demands immediate action.”

Informed brethren are aware that our institutional brethren have been going “Full Speed Ahead” for many years, ignoring God’s laws and Bible principles both in matters pertaining to the local congregation and brotherhood wide. This has been shown to be too obviously true to need more documentation at this point.

But conservative brethren need to heed biblical principles. We are not immune to the “emergency” syndrome. I heard of a church that had planned and arranged a gospel meeting two years ahead of time, and when the meeting was underway, decided the church was short of funds to pay the preacher. Now there are several ways such a situation could be handled, such as borrowing money from a bank, or arranging to pay the preacher later. But in this case, it was handled by taking up a collection in the middle of the week. No, the baskets were not passed to the assembled congregation. Instead, the word was passed around, and brethren were expected to dig into their pockets then and there to come up with the funds to pay the preacher.

Perhaps this was not a true collection in the formal sense as we usually consider it, but I Corinthians 16:1-2 was set aside. It was definitely not on the first day of the week. Also, not every member was informed, so that “every one” could lay by in store. The point is, there is no way the mid-week collection could be made scriptural. Does a gospel meeting scheduled two years ahead of time constitute an “emergency”? I hardly think so. One preacher told me that the church could receive funds any day of the week (i.e., interest posted to a savings account), but could only take up a collection on the first day of the week. The case described above doesn’t seem to fit either way.

The above story could be altered and multiplied. Can we claim an “emergency” and collect funds in a different way or time than the New Testament teaches? Can we withdraw from a brother who is a false teacher without following the scriptural steps because it is an “emergency”? Can we set aside God’s laws on benevolence because an “emergency” exists somewhere in the brotherhood? Could our poor singing constitute an “emergency” and so could we bring in an organ to help us until we can sing better?

Brethren, we need to study and think before we go “Full Speed Ahead” (Col. 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 4:11).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 20, p. 623
October 17, 1985

By M. Thaxter Dickey

Undoubtedly it’s not been long since you heard a sermon on prayer, read an article on prayer, or determined to improve your prayer habits. And that’s good because if there is a secret ingredient of success as a disciple of Christ, prayer is it. So how are you doing? How well do you understand the purpose, operation and practice of prayer? Here’s a quiz that may help you check up on your understanding of prayer.

What is Prayer?

Some define prayer as talking to God, and it is indeed a precious privilege to know that His ears are open to the prayers of the righteous (1 Pet. 3:13). Prayer is not a solitary pursuit. No one really prays who has no sense of God’s presence. We have time for conversation with our friends. Can we not find time at God’s invitation to converse with Him?

Others have defined prayer as a wish turned to heaven. It is not just wishful thinking or daydreaming but a concentrated effort to put one’s problems into the hands of Him who can do all things. Thus, Paul speaks of striving in prayer (Rom. 15:30; Col. 4:12). Righteous prayer which avails much is fervent and not a casual thing. It requires effort.

In a similar vein, Paul portrays prayer as a crucial tactic in the spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:18). It is the battleground upon which we conquer our spirit and subject it to God. Some complain that prayer is difficult and wish that it came easily to them and even suppose that it does come easily to others. But this is not the biblical picture. We pray only with great effort, for Satan strives to prevent us.

What is the Purpose of Prayer?

It is not to get for us that which we wish. Prayer is not an Aladdin’s lamp which we rub to get free wishes. God is not a gift machine which we manipulate to our own whims through prayer. This is the difference between magic and religion. Magic endeavors to bring the supernatural under the control of man, whereas religion is man’s effort to make himself pleasing to God. Prayer is thus conversation with God through which we conform our wills to His standards of holiness and come to agree with His plans for our lives.

Prayer is not for the purpose of debating with God, though Moses did apparently change God’s mind with his prayer for Israel (Ex. 32:9-14), and though prayer is effective, accomplishing much (Jas. 5:16), prayer is not out arguing or out thinking God. Who could be so presumptuous? The primary purpose of prayer is not to change God’s will, but to bring our will in line with His.

Prayer is not to be a sermon to either God or man. We may well follow the example of Bible prayers and rehearse that which God has accomplished and promised. But the purpose of prayer is communication of our spirit with God not the noble purpose of converting souls or teaching men. Effective public prayers are distinguished from those which leave us disinterested by this. They are spoken to God and not to an audience of men and thus lead us to think of God and not ourselves.

How Serious Is It If We Do Not Pray?

Prayerlessness is sin. Samuel recognized this at the time the Israelites offended him by asking for a king in his place. But he continued to pray for them rather than commit the sin of prayerlessness (1 Sam. 12:23). Prayer is a privilege, but it is also an obligation, and failure to pray is sin. We should so name it in our lives that we might be the more determined to pray.

Paul commands us to be vigilant in all manner of prayers (Eph. 6:17,18; 1 Tim. 2: 1). Failure to do so leaves us vulnerable to the onslaught of Satan. No sermon should ever be preached, or lesson taught, or trip begun, or task undertaken, or day begun without prayer. To do so is to foolishly risk temptation and spiritual, if not even earthly, failure.

What Hinders Our Prayers and Causes Prayerlessness?

The primary hindrance to prayer is sin. As Adam ran from God in the garden because of consciousness of sin, so we today avoid God in prayer when we are burdened with unrepented sins. If we love a sin more than we love God, He will not hear us (Psa. 66:18). When you have trouble praying, take spiritual inventory, and it’s likely you’ll find some sin lurking in the recesses of your soul. Root it out and your prayers will again flow to God.

1 John 3:22 teaches the positive lesson that God hears those who obey Him. By implication it teaches that He does not hear those who disobey Him. In the case of Cornelius God responded to the prayers of a righteous man who was not in a covenant relationship with Him. But His only answer was to refer him to a preacher that he might hear the gospel and have an opportunity to respond to it. I doubt that a man who is out of covenant relationship with God can effectively pray for recovery from illness or intercede on behalf of another.

James 1:5-8 reminds us that those who ask doubting will not receiving anything of the Lord. One who doubts will not pray as he should. He will not persist in prayer. Nor will God hear prayers offered in doubt. The infamous prayer of the agnostic perfectly illustrates the foolish ineffectiveness of the prayer offered in doubt. “God, if there be a God, save my soul, if I have a soul, from hell, if there be a hell.”

Another hindrance to our prayers is faulty personal relationships. Jesus taught that our sins are forgiven as we forgive others. This is the one lesson from the model prayer that He singled out for explanation after the prayer (Matt. 6:14,15). Many who would never drink or steal or murder will hinder their prayers by bearing a grudge against another. It’s a good bargain that God offers to us. If we forgive others their small offenses against us, He will forgive the great offenses we’ve committed against Him. Can you afford to reject so generous an offer?

Not just a lack of forgiveness, but any faulty personal relationship will hinder our prayers. Especially is this so of those with whom we are most intimate. Neither man nor woman can pray effectively if his heart is wrong against his spouse (1 Pet. 3:7), parents or children.

Another serious threat to prayer, as indeed it is to our entire relationship to God, is pride. Those who do not see their need will not ask. Further, God abhors the proud (Prov. 6:17) while His eyes are upon the humble. This is easy for us to understand. We enjoy helping those who ask us gently but resist those who are arrogant toward us. The temptation to pride is subtle. Some have even been known to grow proud of their humility. It is a difficult lesson for us to learn of our dependence and weakness and to ask as children that God deliver us. But we must become as children to enter the kingdom (Matt. 18:3).

When, How, and How Much Should We Pray?

Jesus tells us that we ought always to pray and never to grow weary in it (Lk. 18:2-8). Paul, a man of like passions to ourselves, taught the same lesson (1 Thess. 5:17). They did not mean that we were to give up daily life and become monks for the Lord’s sake, devoting ourselves in this way to prayer. Rather, they mean. that we should never lose the habit of prayer, that we should be ready always, at the blink of an eye as it were, to speak to God of that which is on our hearts. This requires living every day with a keen awareness of the presence of God.

There are times that are especially advantageous for prayer. It is a good idea to begin the day with prayer. This Jesus did (Mk. 1:35). A few moments at day’s beginning can set the tone for the entire day. And were there not many plans you had for this day that needed the Lord’s blessings? Likewise evening is a time for prayer. Were there not this day things which you need to speak to your Heavenly Father about before you sleep? Dare you sleep this evening before you’ve made yourself right with the eternal God who sees all things?

We ought to pray before important decisions as Jesus did all night before selecting the Twelve (Lk. 6:12,13). Our lives are filled with decisions, and the sad truth is that almost all of them must be made on the basis of inadequate information. Always after we’ve decided and set things in motion, we see more clearly the correct choice-and often it’s not the one we made. Can we, then, afford to neglect so great help as God offers?

We need to pray in times of temptation. If we prayed and thought of God during times of temptation we’d not fall prey to sin. Sin loses its power the moment we see God and His glorious holiness. The old adage about pausing and counting to ten in times of anger was good advice, for the delay before taking action allows more reasonable thoughts to prevail. Of even greater value than counting to ten is prayer. Jesus taught His disciples to pray that they might be kept from temptation. Do you fear temptation as you should? What is it that you pray will not come to you: poverty, old age, illness, ridicule, death? Above all these we should fear, and pray that we are kept from sin.

For What Can We Rightly Pray?

Remember, prayer is not just presenting God with a list of our desires and waiting for Him to fill our order. But we are encouraged to pray for specific blessings.

We are to pray for others. Paul commands us to pray for rulers (1 Tim. 2:1). This command indicates that God is active in the affairs of nations today. The best national defense is not missiles or ships but prayers. Likewise solutions to domestic problems are to be found, not in political rhetoric, but in prayer and a return to God-given values.

We are commanded to pray for our enemies (Matt. 5:43, 44). This is the unique characteristic of the Christian. He loves his enemy and prays for him. Jesus showed us the way by dying for us on the cross while we were yet sinful, unlovely and unlovable. But He died not just for you and me but for all men who will come to Him. Dare we hate and despitefully use someone whom Jesus loved so?

We should pray for the salvation of men as did Paul (Rom. 10:1). Our relationships with those outside the body of Christ would be far different if we spent hours in prayer over their soul’s salvation. We’d soon seek out opportunities to evangelize.

We can rightly pray for the spiritual growth of others (Phil. 1:9; Col. 1:9; 1 Thess. 1:11). I know I could benefit from more prayers on my behalf by spiritual men and women. Couldn’t you? Let us do for one another what we can. And this striving together in prayers will be of more benefit than all the “Hello’s” and “How are you’s” we’ve ever said, though we shouldn’t leave these unsaid.

We should pray more specifically than we do for the physical ailments of others. Those leading public prayers should make it a point to learn the names of those in need of prayers and make specific mention of them. And we can pray directly for their recovery. And in our prayers we need not limit God to working through the hands of doctors.

We are of course entitled by our relationship with God to pray for ourselves. But what manner of things may we ask for ourselves? We should pray for forgiveness, of course (Matt. 6:12). We should pray for wisdom-not just in matters of Bible study but in the practical wisdom needed to live rightly in this present world (Jas. 1:5). We can pray for our daily bread (Matt. 6:11). This means we pray for necessities not for a superabundance. Don’t be deceived by the present trend which distorts the gospel to promise wealth in return for serving God. Jesus didn’t make such promises even when multitudes thought He might. Instead He promised difficulties and heart break for those who would become His disciples (Lk. 14). We may pray for protection from bodily harm or poverty or other disasters. However, I think we should exercise great care in praying to God for material possessions. We cannot ask for these things out of selfishness and expect to receive them (Jas. 4:3). It is wrong to pray to God for a grand new home thinking only of its pleasure to you. It would, however, be right to pray for a new car if the one you presently drive is unsafe and unreliable in taking you about the Lord’s business. In short, we may pray for anything which relates to participation in and enjoyment of eternal redemption by ourselves or any other man.

What Are the Benefits of Prayer?

God, of course, answers prayer. Thus we may escape temptation through prayer or regain our health or be preserved on the highway through prayer. But there are other benefits to prayer, too. I don’t intend to reduce prayer to a psychological exercise as some have done, but we ought to recognize all of its benefits.

We are drawn closer to God through prayer. Someone has said that prayer is like pulling on an anchor stuck to the bottom (Heb. 6:12). You feel as if you’re pulling it in, but all the while you’re pulling yourself to it. Thus in prayer you may well be putting your needs before God, but fervent honest prayer will all the while bring you closer to Him.

Prayer can give us a feeling of forgiveness. Of course feelings can be wrong and the only way to know for certain you are forgiven is to comply with God’s conditions for forgiveness. Nonetheless feeling forgiven is important and prayer makes that possible. We need to feel renewed that we might with enthusiasm be about our Father’s business (Heb. 9:14). Our souls are often like a new car. We are so careful when it’s new to avoid any scratches or even dust. But after it’s a year old we no longer are so fussy about where we drive it or how it looks. Thus, if we had no way to scrub up our souls and make them new again the motive for doing good would be diminished. But we can be made new and pure again each day through prayer and thus maintain our incentive for acting soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.

Prayer puts things in perspective. Some things we thought were so very important lose significance when we take them to God in prayer. The secret to accomplishing any great thing is not to lose sight of the big picture. We can get so caught up in the details of a task that they overwhelm us. Living faithfully to God is a great task and we often get so caught up in the grubby details of life that we lose sight of the big picture of God’s scheme of redemption. We forget, in our anxiety over bills and home repairs and children’s school, that we are bound for heaven. Prayer sets these things in their right place again.

How well do you understand the purpose and practice of prayer? Are you praying as you ought or are you missing out on the blessings of prayer? Let us today renew ourselves in prayer to God the Father who is the source of our strength and our blessings. Adoring and thanking Him, let us place our burdens and petitions and our lives in His competent, loving hand.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 20, pp. 624-626
October 17, 1985