Truth Magazine

By Jimmy Tuten

In the last treatise dealing with the problem of human suffering this writer found himself unable to make it a complete unit within itself, as was the case with the first two installments. I cannot present this material without dividing it into two parts. This is, therefore, a continuation of the last installment.

The problems associated with suffering are of a serious nature to most people. While we do not have all of the answers to all of the questions that are raised about the problem, what is known is sufficient to satisfy one in this life. Moses said, “. . . those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” There are some things that God has not revealed about suffering (Deut. 29:29). We do not need all the answers as badly as we need to learn and understand what the Bible does say about the subject. In the comic strip, “Peanuts,” Charlie Brown comes to Lucy and says, “I’ve got a problem! What is it?” Lucy says in reply, “the problem is you, Charlie Brown.” He then said, “I know that, but that is not what I asked you. I want to know what the solution is.” We definitely know the problem of human suffering; the solution is a different matter. It is with this that these writings concern itself.

In our last installment, we learned that suffering is one of the ancient problems of the world, one of the most widespread problems and the most frustrating, next to the problem of sin. Various solutions have been offered: (1) Some say atheism is the answer. They look at the imperfections in the world and find God’s existence incompatible with them. But the lack of suffering in the world is not the only way of knowing that there is a God. Besides one only complicates the problem by taking the route of atheism as the easy way out. The atheist still has to contend with suffering! Too, what about the perfections that do exist? If imperfections prove there is no God, then would not the many, many more perfections that exist prove that there is a God? God is not some cruel monster who inflicts people with suffering. Suffering did not originate with Him. (2) Some say that the law of retribution is the answer. The idea that one deserves to suffer because he sins was the philosophy of the three friends of Job in the book that bears his name. Saying that suffering is in proportion to and directly associated with one’s own personal sin is not biblical. God does not punish one for sin by inflicting suffering. Some suffering does result from sin (see the past installment, “The Way of The Transgressor Is Hard”). But if retribution (punitive) is the cause of suffering, then how is it that our Lord suffered when He did no sin (Heb. 4:15)? And what about Job (Job 1:1)? (3) Some tell us that the removal of all suffering would solve the problem. The principle of the thorn in the flesh in the case of the Apostle Paul illustrates that the “peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” would be missed if all suffering were nonexistent (Heb. 12:11; 2 Cor. 12:7-9). Satan sent Paul’s thorn, but God gave grace with which to bear it. He does this to all of us. There is strength in weakness!

How Suffering Comes

(1) Some Suffering Is Brought About By Nature. Because this is so, good people (i.e., converted people) suffer in that conversion does not change our physical bodies (1 Pet. 3:21). It is the inner man that is changed and because of it the Christian is tempted as much as is the non-Christian (Rom. 6:1-17). God does not change natural order simply because a saint must suffer in consequence of violation of natural law.

(2) Some Suffering Is Brought About By One’s Personal Sin. Such was the case with king David who lusted after a woman bathing, committed adultery with her, engaged in deception with her husband and finally had him killed at the front line of battle (2 Sam. 11:2ff). The summary of his agony of hardship following sin is recorded in these words: is “. . . . and my sin is ever before me” (Psa. 51:3-4). As a man sows so shall he reap. We (in New Testament times) can prevent this kind of hardship in that having been cleansed by the blood of Christ in baptism (Eph. 1:3, 7; Acts 19:1-5), we can “be holy and without blame before him in love” (Eph. 1:4). We are not perfect and might sin, but the blood of Jesus makes us blameless after we confess it (1 Jn. 1:7-9). We do not have to sin (1 Jn. 2:1-2). John wrote the epistle of 1 John “that we sin not” (1 Jn. 2: 1). Certainly a child of God will not serve sin (1 Jn. 3:6-9, note the tenses, i.e., will not practice sin). We know that one who walks in the light will not practice sin which is unto death (I Jno. 3:8; 5:16). “He that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not” (1 Jn. 5:18). In resisting Satan’s temptations, I avoid many hardships. Our Lord’s position as an advocate enables us to do this (1 Jn. 1: 1-2).

(3) Some suffering Is Brought About By Persecution. Look at what Peter says, “yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf” (1 Pet. 4:15). We do not suffer because we conform to the world, but because we do not conform (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 4:3-5, 14-17; 5:8-9). 1 am seeing very little suffering among my brethren even though the Bible says, “all that will live godly in Christ shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). 1 suspect that it is due to our lack of militancy against the world, and too much conformity to it.

The Prevention of Suffering

At this point in the series on human suffering it needs to be pointed out that the prevention of suffering is not a matter of Jehovah not being able to stop it! God has the power to limit Himself, or He does not have all power (Jer. 19:5). He has limited Himself in the way He created man and the universe as a dwelling place. If He prevented suffering, He would disrupt His whole system. Everything that is essential to man’s well-being has been provided (we live in an ideal world that cannot be improved upon). His omnipotence precludes changing anything and if He changed one thing this principle would be violated. God’s laws are perfect and man brings suffering upon himself by violating God’s law. He must suffer the consequence of the violation of law. So, when Jehovah created the universe as an ideal world, He limited Himself. Some things are impossible with Him by virtue of perfect creation. God could not create two mountains without a valley, He could not create a round square or be in and out of something at the same time. The prevention of suffering is impossible in view of the idealness of this present system. God’s law stands and is not broken. Man breaks himself against law.

What is true in nature is true in the moral realm as well. “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie . . . ” (Heb. 6:18). James says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (1:13). Suffering is not sent from God and it is sheer ignorance to blame Him with that for which He is not responsible.

Having made man a creature of choice and with the freedom to make decisions, God holds man accountable for his actions. What this means is that Jehovah went into partnership with man. “Man proposes” and “God disposes” (ancient proverb). Man, being what he is, has the deciding vote. He suffers in consequence of his decisions. The opposite is true, too. We often say, “If God wills, we will do thus and thus.” It is possible for man to will and for God to carry the thing out (Jas. 4:15). The point is that man was created with the ability to make decisions and God holds him accountable for whatever decision he makes. This is how he made man and the world in which he lives (this is what I mean by the “ideal world” that cannot be improved upon). Man sometimes makes the wrong decisions and must suffer because of it. God wants the church pure but men bring in corruption. Jehovah wants the truth taught, but men teach error. Whatever the outcome of his (man) decisions, it is man that has the deciding vote. This is exactly what Peter is teaching in 2 Peter 3:9 not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” This is what makes man different from lower animals, i.e., the ability to say “no!” to his Maker. Man would be some kind of machine or robot if this were not the case, and would not be responsible for his actions. Honor is not honor when it is forced! We see this principle in life. For example, one’s compliment paid to me is most important. My bragging is of no value at all.

How Does This Fit Into The Suffering Problem?

This fits into the Problem of suffering in this way: God limits Himself by virtue of perfect creation and the problem of sin which He did not create. Having made man free to choose, man is free to sin and must suffer the consequences. If God removed the suffering then man would go on rebelling and sinning without fear of penalty. This would destroy God’s justice (Rom. 11:22; 6:23).

If God eliminated suffering in this life, He would have to eliminate it in the hereafter. If fear of the penalty is removed, then there would be no restraint on sin. “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11). Our land has already been ruined by removing penalties for crimes committed. The result is unrestraint and anarchy.

Man must not play God and make exceptions where God has made no exceptions. Only God can make a temporary exception in His providence. But man does not have the right to say when and where this exception takes place. I may believe that in response to prayer providence makes an exception (note Paul’s thorn in the flesh of 2 Corinthians 12:7 and “grace” provided, then read carefully Psalms 58:9-11). But whatever I believe on the matter has no bearing on what God will or will not do. One certainly would have no right preaching his personal conviction about God’s exception if God has not revealed it in His Word. If there is a temporary exception to the consequence of sin, we will leave that to Jehovah. In the meantime, instead of asking (when I suffer because of my wrong decisions) “why me?” I should be asking, “Why not me?”

A Look At The Positive Side

So many times we dwell on the negative side when it comes to suffering with a “why me” attitude. We see the shadows, but very seldom look at the sunshine. There are so many good things that have happened to us, so why not say, “Look what has happened to me!” When our attitude is “thy will be done” (Mt. 6:10), we are praying that in ourselves the will of an infinitely good Father shall be done on earth as in heaven. It is a prayer that God’s will be carried out in us.

(1) Christians Are The Most Fortunate People On Earth. They are a people to whom God has commended His love (Rom. 5:8). Because of this, they are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, having purified their souls in obeying truth (1 Pet. 1:18-23). They enjoy many, many blessings in Christ: a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), reconciliation to God (Eph. 2:11-16), salvation (2 Tim. 2: 10), etc. Because of this, there is a spring in ‘our steps, a spark in our hearts and the world can see the difference! There is a joy in the Christian that radiates to a darkened world testifying to the fact that the burden of sin has been lifted. Ask yourself, why has this happened to me? Why did Jesus do this for me? We cannot explain why Jesus paid the debt of sin for us, for it is an act of grace, but we enjoy it none-the-less, don’t we?

(2) Christians Have The Best Insurance Policy In The World. This did not come from some agent representing an earthly insurance brokerage firm. It came from Christ Jesus Himself. This policy not only pays off in the event of death, it pays benefits in this life (Matt. 6:33). Now, if you want to ask questions, ask about this matter: “Why has Christ blessed me so?”

(3) Christians Have Royal Blood Flowing In Their Veins. We are a people of God (1 Pet. 2:9-10). We possess royalty and are a people who are accounted as vessels of mercy through whom is manifested the riches of God’s glory (Rom. 9:23). How is it that I was at one time among those who were not a people, but now I am a part of people of God? Why has this happened to me?

(4) Christians Are Going On A Journey. We are taking a trip that is the most fantastic trip that we have ever made. In fact it is out of this world! We are going to leave this world and go to one from which our Saviour came (Phil. 2:6-11). The Son of God Himself is going to come for us and escort us into Heaven (Jn. 14:1-4). Why is He doing this for us? Why us?

(5) We Are Moving Into A New House. “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1).

The greatest lesson that we can learn from those who complain about suffering is ingratitude. Our favorite attitude should be gratitude. This gratitude expressed to God should be as regular as our heartbeat. Thank God that you are not like the atheist whose worse possible moment is when he feels grateful and does not have someone to whom to express this thanks. My friends, happiness comes when we stop wailing about the troubles we have, and offer thanks for all the troubles we don’t have. Think of heaven: it is a state of thankfulness for having received what we did not deserve, and for not receiving what we did deserve. Yes, we are a people most fortunate and the thorns of life will never destroy that fact. Life is full of blessings that came from an all-loving Father full of tender mercies.

Conclusion

Shortly we must put off our tabernacles “even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed” us (2 Pet. 1:14). Can we say, “Come, lovely and soothing death, undulate round the world, serenely arriving, in the day, in the night, to all, to each, sooner or later, delicate death” (Walt Whitman)? Only by finding rest from sins in Christ and living faithfully can we hope for rest in the world eternal. “Some evening when the sky is gold, I’ll follow day into the West; nor pause, nor heed, till I behold the happy, happy hills of rest” (Albert Paine).

We cannot follow the sunset into this everlasting rest until we reach out and take hold of Christ’s hand in obedience now (Heb. 5:9). By grace are ye saved through faith (Eph. 2:8). The suffering in this life is but for a season when compared to an eternity of joy.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 15, pp. 459-461
August 2, 1984

By Anonymous

“I went by to pick him up, but I think he had snakes in his boots this morning.” After hearing that report, regarding why a brother was not present, I was still as uninformed as I would have been had I not heard any report at all. However, that report turned out to be the beginning of my education regarding the brother being discussed.

It was my impression that he enjoyed talking about the Bible and its teachings. He arranged for me to meet his landlady and have a Bible study with her. She responded to the teaching of the word of God and obeyed the gospel. Still the brother’s attendance remained irregular. He blamed his frequent absences on his poor health.

One day, while trying to prove some point to one of his friends, he began searching the Bible for the proof text he wanted to use. After a fruitless search, he decided to call and ask me to help him find the elusive passage. When I answered my telephone, his voice sounded different to me than I remembered it. As I began discussing the point about which he had called me, he interrupted and said, “Wait a minute; I’ll let you tell him.”

His friend’s voice sounded to me as though his tongue was too thick for his mouth. After talking for a few moments, I was fully convinced that both my brother and his friend were intoxicated. Having reached that conclusion, I said, “You fellows have been hitting that bottle pretty hard, haven’t you?”

That startled him, but after a short pause, he replied, “I’m not going to lie for him. Yes, we have.” As it turned out that brother was a known drunk in that city and the church found it necessary to withdraw from him.

No two local churches are alike. Each, as it were, has its own personality. Every church has a set of problems and needs peculiar unto itself. The first thing a preacher should do, when he associates himself with a local church, is to become aware of the particular problems that church is experiencing and to ascertain its special needs. (It is not necessary for a preacher to be nosey or to go snooping around in order to acquire such information; he only needs to keep his eyes and ears open.) After discovering the problems and needs of the church, to do an effective work, a preacher must adapt his preaching and teaching to try to meet the needs of that church and to try to bring about solutions to its problems. Failure to acquire such an awareness and to make such an adjustment in his preaching and teaching may cause a preacher to become more and more frustrated in his work with that church. He is apt to blame all of his troubles on the church, decide that church is just plain dead, and that the thing for him to do is move on to another church, but it is quite probable that preacher will replay the same scenario with the next church with which he becomes associated.

Not all churches are aware of their real needs nor do all recognize what their problems really are. After working for a short time with a church, where the members thought the need was rapid numerical growth, it became apparent to me that the members there were not pulling together. Some held petty grievances against others and were somewhat less than secretive about those grievances. It was not hard to imagine the effect such an environment would have on new converts. If it would be possible to baptize several persons, probably a very large percentage of those baptized would soon fall away. The older members probably would begin saying, ‘ ‘He baptized them, but they were not converted.” Never “in a month of Sundays” would the older members suspect that their petty grievances had anything to do with those babes in Christ falling away. Instead of working to produce rapid numerical growth, I made an effort to meet the real needs of that church and to bring about solutions to the problems there.

The time came when the brethren asked me to make preparations to move elsewhere. Rapid numerical growth had not occurred. I explained that I had concentrated my efforts upon trying to draw the members of the church closer together. Then I said, “I believe you now are much closer to one another and are pulling together much better than you were, when I came here.”

One of the men who had worked to bring about my dismissal spoke up, saying, “That’s right.” However, the die was cast. I would not try to persuade them to retain me longer than the date set for my termination. Some preacher at some time in some place may have accomplished some good by fighting a church’s decision to fire him, but I suspect that for every such case there are hundreds more where such a fight caused great harm.

After I preached my last sermon as the regular preacher there, the brother who led the movement to have me move on said to me, “This church is in the best shape it has ever been in.” I do not know how a preacher should feel, when he has been “fired” because he did the work it was his duty to do. Should he feel frustrated? Obviously he should not feel bitterness. I had a feeling of satisfaction. To the best of my ability I had performed the work which needed to be done in that part of my Lord’s vineyard. I had fulfilled the instruction: “. . . do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).

Gossip plagued one church with which I became associated. Upon returning home after Sunday morning services, I could be certain that within 10 minutes my telephone would ring and a member of that church would begin telling me what had happened that morning in the services of the church across town. A short time after my arrival, a new preacher became associated with the church across town. We went to work trying to break up that gossip network. To this day, I am uncertain about how we succeeded, but succeed we did. The proof of our success came one Sunday morning, when a brother _________ asked me, “Do you know that for the last three weeks brother – has not been able to preach?”

He had just then learned about the brother’s illness. My reply was: “Yes, I know. His wife called me the morning after the night he was hospitalized and I have visited him regularly. “

A preacher should be cautious not to act nor speak, when he only assumes that he knows all the details of a situation. By basing one’s actions or statements upon assumption, a situation may be made more complicated. I have had that experience. A brother, with his family, moved into our community. He came and talked with me about certain things and then decided to enter into fellowship with us. We were willing to accept him and his wife and they became identified with us. But a short time later, he bagan to demand that certain changes be made by the church. I was aware that he had been divorced and was married to his second wife, but had been convinced that he had a scriptural right to be married again. The elders were unwilling to make the changes he was demanding, but were having meetings with him to discuss the matter. After a time, the brother decided to move and become identified with another church. I received a call from the preacher of that other church and explained to him all I knew about the situation. Shortly thereafter the elders called me on the carpet. In their meetings with that brother they had learned certain details about his divorce which had led them to question his right to be married again. I had been unaware of those details because they had not told me about them. However, my mistake was my failure to refer the preacher who called me to the elders who were handling the case.

A brother, who had not been living up to duty, suddenly passed away on a Saturday. His funeral was conducted the following week. The Sunday morning after his funeral, a sister, as she was making her way out of the building, stopped and said to me, “It is terrible the way this church mistreated him.” After I informed her that another brother and I had visited him; told her what had been said and explained that the brother had attended services only once, after our invitation for him to make things right; she exclaimed, “Oh! I didn’t know that.”

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 15, pp. 456-457
August 2, 1984

By James Bond

On March 19, 1984 Jack Evans, President of Southwestern Christian College in Terrall, Texas, met Floyd Rose in debate in Toledo, Ohio.

Floyd Rose, founder of The Family Baptist Church in Toledo, defected from the Church of Christ in 1979. Floyd served the Church of Christ as minister for more than thirty (30) years. The Church of Christ in Toledo disfellowshipped him, prior to his founding the Baptist Church, for teaching false doctrine.

Brother Jack Evans and Floyd met the first time in Texas, the second installment of the discussion was held in Toledo, Ohio with the third night to be held in California. I attended the debate in Toledo.

Reason For The Debate

Floyd Rose wrote a book entitled Beyond the Thicket apparently for the purpose of giving his reasons for leaving the Church of Christ. Brother Jack Evans wrote a book titled Before the Thicket to refute the erroneous doctrine advocated in Floyd’s book.

Floyd Rose’s Defense

Floyd Rose simply had no defense. Floyd never called attention to any Scriptures to defend his Baptist religion. Floyd’s speeches were not relevant to the subject being discussed. Brother Evans constantly called for Floyd to use the Bible to defend his position but Floyd never did. Floyd made, as Brother Evans terms, “pretty little speeches.” Floyd never did appeal to the Scriptures for his defense.

I have heard men that were able to talk for long periods of time and not say anything; Floyd Rose is one of them. I was sitting there with pencil and paper ready to take notes on Floyd’s defense, but he had none!

Here are some facts Floyd admitted:

(1) He founded the Baptist Church.

(2) It was a denomination.

(3) He believes there are Christians in all denominations.

(4) All are saved whether or not they understand and obey the correct design of baptism.

In my lifetime, I have been privileged to attend some discussions where Family Baptist ministers sought to defend the Baptist Church, and none did as poorly as Floyd Rose. Most Baptist preachers will try to give a Bible reason for believing what they believe and teach, even if it is perverted and mis-applied.

I have come to the conclusion that Floyd, being familiar with what the Bible teaches, knew that the Baptist Church couldn’t be successfully defended with the Bible. On the other hand, Baptist preachers that are not knowledgeable of the Church and Bible believe the traditional Baptist arguments.

Jack Evans

Brother Evans did an exceptionally good job pointing out that erroneous doctrine advocated by Floyd Rose. Brother Evans said, “Rose sought to substantiate his position that the Church of Christ began in 1906 by presenting some old history book where it was recorded that the Church of Christ and Christian Church were separate bodies.” Brother Evans pointed out Floyd was using the wrong history book and called his attention to the fact that the Church began in AD 33 (Acts 2:47). Brother Evans pointed out that Floyd was not a gospel minister, but a heretic – a false teacher. Brother Evans admonished the audience not to follow Rose’s false doctrine.

The school where the discussion was held was filled. Some estimated that there were about 1,500 present. I talked to some who drove great distances to attend. It appeared that Floyd Rose had only a few Baptist people in attendance.

Members of the Church of Christ applauded Brother Evans for the good job he did in answering Floyd. Practical lessons we can all learn from this discussion are:

(1) Our faith must not rely upon man, but in God’s word (Rom. 3:4).

(2) Christians need to always be on guard and examine what is taught with God’s word (1 Thess. 5:21; Eph. 5:10).

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 14, p. 454
August 2, 1984

By Kerry and Laura Gately

(The authors of this article are both Christians by confession and medical doctors by profession. They are members of the East Memphis church in Tennessee. I became acquainted with them during a meeting there. We discussed the issues of this article, and I requested that they share their insights with the readers of this paper. You may want to see that young people are exposed to this material. – Larry Ray Hafley.)

As we have advanced in our medical education, my wife and I have become impressed with the changing direction of medical practice. In earlier times, medical diagnosis and therapy were directed toward diseases caused by infectious agents, such as bacteria or more recently, viruses. As a result, scourges such as polio, smallpox, and tuberculosis, which terrified and decimated previous generations, have been brought to heel by advances in sanitation, vaccination, and antibiotics. Indeed, in 1979, the World Health Organization declared that smallpox had been eradicated from the face of the earth. With the decline of infectious agents as causes of disease, however, we have witnessed the ascendency of what must be called illnesses of lifestyle more directly, morbidity usually due to an immoral or immoderate manner of living. Of course, these new illnesses alcohol related disease, smoking related disorders, venereal diseases, and their associated problems, to name a few, aren’t really new at all. They have assumed a novel and ominous significance as diseases people actually choose to have by ingesting substances and committing acts which will ultimately have deleterious effects on their bodies.

There can be no doubt that excessive alcohol consumption results in harm to the body, physically and mentally. In a 1971 Department of HEW statistic, 9 million men and women (7% of the population) were said to manifest the behavior of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Men have a 5 to 1001o lifetime risk of becoming alcoholics; in women, the risk is 3 to 5%. Of adults admitted to medical and surgical services, some 15% use alcohol excessively. Suicide rates are 6 to 15% higher in alcoholics.

Alcohol is noxious to the brain cells; as a matter of fact, alcohol is second only to Alzheimer’s disease (a disorder of unknown cause which gradually leads to degeneration of the brain) as a cause of mental deterioration. Alcohol damages the heart and other muscles; it irritates the stomach and can lead to gastric ulcers and hemorrhage. Liver function is disrupted by alcohol, and prolonged usage leads to destruction of large portions of this vital organ (cirrhosis of the liver.)

The use of tobacco is nothing but a plague upon our society. Large studies in several countries have shown that smoking men, considered as a group, have 30 to 80% higher death rates than nonsmokers. Smoking is responsible for an estimated 325,000 premature deaths yearly. Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), characterized by partial or complete obliteration of the arteries supplying blood to the heart, is a major malady related to smoking. The risk of having fatal or nonfatal CHD is 60 to 70% greater in smokers than nonsmokers. In the 35-54 year-old male age group, sudden death to a heart attack caused by CHD is two to three times more likely than in a comparable nonsmoking group. More Americans die from lung cancer than from any other type tumor (105,000 in 1981). Of these, approximately 80% were attributable to smoking. In 1980, 50,000 deaths were caused by lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema; 70% of these deaths were attributable to smoking. These impressive figures speak for themselves. These deaths represent not a dreaded infectious virus striking indiscriminately but a deadly conscious choice on the part of the smoker to poison his body.

Cancer of the cervix (the mouth of the womb) is the fourth most common malignancy of women some 2% of all women over 40 will develop this disorder. Although the causes of cervical cancer are unknown, commencement of sexual activity at an early age and sexual relationships with multiple partners are considered strong risk factors; indeed, the distribution of cervical cancer resembles that of the venereal diseases-.- Also -considered a risk factor for developing cervical cancer is infection with Herpes Simplex 11 virus, commonly referred to as “Herpes”. This sexually transmitted virus gives rise to a painful and sometimes debilitating disease characterized by the formation of multiple small blisters on the genitalia. These blisters break down and frequently ulcerate or become infected. Even after the initial attack resolves, sufferers are subject to identical but less severe recurrent episodes, sometimes as often as every 3 to 4 weeks. There is no cure. The number of persons afflicted by this virus has increased significantly in the past several years.

Women with syphilis and other less common sexually transmitted diseases run a significantly increased risk of developing cancer of the vulva, a dreadful disease worked by a slow, painful, inexorably declining course unless radical and disfiguring surgery is timely performed.

Conclusion

Many more such diseases could be discussed with their cold, dreary statistics. As my wife and I have spent long nights in emergency rooms and intensive care units watching smokers with advanced lung disease gasping and struggling for their final breaths and standing by helplessly as chronic alcoholics lapse into coma and death, poisoned by body products the wasted liver can no longer detoxify – it has been made exceedingly clear to us that behind every statistical tally there is a person – a suffering dying person. Those who engage in excessive drinking, smoking, and immoral lifestyles do so (often by their own admission) to help them deal with the cares, stresses and loneliness of life. We are truly fortunate, brethren, to have a loving Father who tells us to cast all our cares upon Him (1 Pet. 5:7) and to have anxiety about nothing, but “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6). Even though we may feel the pangs of loneliness from time to time, we have our brethren and the promise of our Lord that He is with us always “even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20). Not only does the Lord help us with our trials more than any drug or immorality ever could, we don’t destroy our bodies in turning to Him. May we always be faithful to Him who by His love and laws preserves our spiritual and our physical health!

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 15, pp. 455-456
August 2, 1984