Truth Magazine

By Howard L. Whittlesey

When a Christian confronts theft, he will likely disdain the prospect, and he will put to shame the one who would even suggest it. He would probably be heard saying that his resistance to such a temptation is a trademark of his Christianity. While the worldly man may steal without a flinch, this is just not in the moral repertoire of the man of God.

It seems to be quite a different matter, however, for even the Christian to steal the reputation of another man. While that Christian might cringe at the very idea of stealing something which can be replaced, he quite possibly will find pleasure in passing on a story which ruins someone else’s good name without even trying to find out if it is true.

The story of another man may be told by word of mouth, or it may be written in a letter or in some publication that circulates throughout the brotherhood. Neither of these legalizes this sin; nor does it please or glorify God. There is no justification for this sinner, be he well-known or unknown. He has told the story; he has stolen, or assisted in the stealing of, a man’s good name or reputation. That which he has stolen cannot be used by him, replaced by anyone, or ever quite restored.

Neither the writer nor the reader of such an evil story is guilt-free if their spirits and efforts coincide in any way. Many a church has suffered the consequences of such a sin. Sometimes this sin is perpetrated under the guise of being done in the name of truth, justice, or for [he putting down of a so-called false teacher.

Two things are required of a false teachers: (1) His teaching must be provably false and, (2) He must be proven to have taught that which is false. The proof of either or both of these behooves the honest, loving brother to approach the errant one in the spirit of Galatians 6:1-6 and of 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15. A lesser spirit is not a godly one.

The apostle Paul enumerated a number of types of people that should be avoided (2 Tim. 3:2-5). In this list is the false accuser, which is a slanderer. The Greek word is diabolos, meaning devil. The devil is the patron saint of all slanderers. He and the malicious brother-in-Christ are one when slander is cruelly meted out. Then the devil embraces the brother-in-Christ who receives this slander and then passes it on, having believed it without verifying it.

Thus, not only is the stolen good name irreparable, but also the soul of him who commits such a theft, initially or second-handedly, without repenting before departing this life.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 14, p. 431
July 16, 1992

By Tom Moody

You are probably familiar with the beer commercial which bestows upon various groups of people the dubious honor of having a beer dedicated to them. For example, one commercial might say: “To all you steel workers who work and sweat all day to produce the nation’s steel – this Bud’s for you.” Or: “This Bud is for you truckers, driving the highways day and night to help keep this country going.”

On these spots we have heard various ones singled out for praise from foundry workers to baseball umpires. I wonder, though, to how many it has occurred that there are several categories of people who have never been mentioned in those ads?

Imagine the effect of an ad campaign which would run like these examples:

“This Bud’s for you – all you mothers and fathers who are grief stricken over your teenaged son or daughter because alcohol has scrambled their brains; for you parents who have seen your children’s lives shattered by the bottle – This Bud’s for you!”

“To you women who are knocking yourselves out day after day trying to keep food on the table for your family; trying to be both mother and father to your kids because your old man is a drunken sot – This Bud’s for you!”

“Hey, all you kids whose dads come home mean and surly; threatening to beat you at the drop of a hat – all because they are tanked up on our product – This Bud’s for you!”

“This Bud is for you – you who have had friends or relatives maimed or killed in a senseless traffic accident because of the guy who had ‘only a couple of drinks’ – This Bud’s for you!”

“This Bud is for all the families who have been ripped apart because of fathers or mothers who could not handle alcohol. All you children who will grow up with a warped perception of family life and with all kinds of moral and spiritual scars – This Bud’s for you!”

“To all you preachers, elders and other faithful Christians who work so hard to warn people of the sin and danger of the beer we work so hard to sell; because of your dedication and hard work – This Bud’s for you!”

“To all people everywhere; the millions upon millions through the generations whose lives have been ruined; who thought they were gaining prestige, but only brought to themselves shame; who have died prematurely or lived out their days in loneliness, disease, and mental anguish because of alcohol; to all of you who have ever been cursed or injured in any way because of our fine product (and all the other brands) – This Bud’s for you!”

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Prov. 20:1).

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 15, pp. 449, 471
August 6, 1992

By Doug Clevenger

(Note: Doug Clevenger preaches for the 2nd & B Street church in Brawley, California. He is a Certified Public Accountant by training, graduating from San Diego State University in 1978. He began preaching in 1987 and has preached for churches in San Diego and Bakersfield before moving to Brawley.

The following article originally appeared in a secular newspaper, and attracted several people from the community in Brawley to the services of the church there. I believe readers of GOT will profit from it as well. – Steve Wolfgang)

Just as my parents can so vividly recall the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, so I remember December 8, 1980, the night John Lennon was murdered. I was loading my U-Haul in the rain for my return from Dallas to my home in San Diego. Though I was anxious to see my folks, the enthusiasm of going home for the holidays was tempered by the sorrow of leaving behind so many good friends. Some of those friends had taught me of Jesus Christ. A wonderful new beginning to my life had begun in Dallas. I was sad to leave.

As I drove I turned on the radio. To my pleasant surprise, a Beatles song was playing. I was feeling much better now. Ever since I was a child the Beatles had been my favorite group. I had grown up with them and their music, knew all the words by heart and collected every record they released in this country. For a few moments my mind was relieved of the sadness of leaving Dallas as I happily sang along with the Beatles.

Then came the news. John Lennon had been shot to death earlier that evening in New York City. It was as if part of my youth had been destroyed. Lennon’s music wielded such a profound influence upon me, not because I approved of every facet of his personal life, but because his music had so precisely spoken to my concerns, even as a child. “Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you seek, it’s getting hard to be someone . . . life is very short and there’s no time for fussing and fighting my friends . . . just gimme some truth. . . ” were some of his lyrics I identified with while growing up. His quest was my quest, and that quest led me finally and decisively to Jesus Christ. I remember weeping as I drove and considered both the debt I owed Lennon and the irony that my life was only beginning while his ad so abruptly ended.

Last October 9, I turned on the radio to hear it was Lennon’s 50th birthday. To honor him, radio stations around the world simultaneously played his song, “Imagine.” I was struck with the paradox that was John Lennon. “Imagine,” a song many believe to be his crowning achievement, simultaneously expresses both the genius and tragedy of Lennon: “No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man, imagine all the people, living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope some day you will join us, and the world will live as one.” Again, Lennon had articulated the right ideals – peace on earth, good will toward men. But tragically, he relied solely on man’s wisdom and imagination. While pleading in one song, “give peace a chance,” he had a apparently never given God a chance: “God is a concept . . . I don’t believe in Jesus . . . I just believe in me.” He sang: “Imagine there’s no heaven . . . no religion too” was his impotent answer to finding peace on earth.

Lennon’s hopes and dreams are not only mine, but those of millions of people around the world. But so many of us, like Lennon, look for it in the wrong place. Lennon asks man to imagine, but God, through the apostle Paul says, “. . . eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit” (1 Cor. 2:9-10). I wish Lennon were alive so I could tell him the things my Dallas friends first told me: that Christ died that men might have peace with each other by first making their own peace with God. Man could never imagine the wonderful story of the cross. The world Lennon could only dream of can be a reality only when each of us lets Christ rule in his heart as Lord. “For ye are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26-28). Lennon died before he learned that God alone could give him the lasting peace he longed for. His death warns us of the dangers of putting off the active pursuit of our ideals. Peace on earth is nothing more than the aggregate effect of the individual finding peace with God, multiplied millions of time the world over. All we are saying is, give God a chance.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 13, p. 404
July 2, 1992

By Harry R. Osborne

A few months ago, my youngest son Ryan did something he knew he should not have done. He then turned around to find me looking right at him. After a sudden look of sheer panic, he broke down crying and said, “Dad, I don’t know why I did it – I guess I just lost my mind!” I thought that was probably the best explanation he had ever given me for doing wrong.

Everyone seeks to find an explanation for wrong actions. Some shift the blame to someone else. Some say it was because they were not feeling well. Others claim it really was not wrong, but just another way of doing things. Calvinists contend that one cannot keep from sinning, hence, they believe we of necessity must sin so that God’s grace may abound. Yet another idea of why we do wrong came from the comedian Flip Wilson who used to be famous for the explanation, “The devil made me do it!”

God Not The Cause of Sin

When it comes to our guilt of wrong-doing before God (sin), how can we explain our action? Why do we sin? James discusses that question. He begins at the start of the problem with regard to our sin the temptation. Notice what he says:

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone (Jas. 1:13).

God is not responsible for our temptation. He is not enticed by the allurement of sin and, thus, cannot possibly tempt anyone else to sin. Sin is disgusting to God, not desirable. Throughout the Bible, God is seen as absolute in holiness. He is praised in the heavenly realms as “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty” (Rev. 4:8; see also Isa. 6:2). John clearly states the absolute nature of God’s holiness in these words:

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 Jn. 1:5).

Paul spoke of the same thing when he wrote of God as “dwelling in unapproachable light” (1 Tim. 6:16). Knowing the character of God, the prophet Habakkuk prayed unto Him saying, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness” (Hab. 1:13). Thus, we cannot explain our sin by blaming it on God.

Satan and Man Involved

What is the origin of temptation? In the garden of Eden, it was the devil who tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3). In Matthew 4:3, he is called “the tempter.” Throughout the Bible, Satan is seen as the ultimate origin of evil thoughts, desires and actions, While the devil does not make us sin, he certainly is involved in the temptation to sin.

However, Satan is not the only one who is involved in the temptation to sin. We have to desire the things of the devil before he can successfully tempt us to sin. Notice what James goes on to say regarding this subject:

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed (Jas. 1:14).

If we would work at purging out the desires for the sinful things of Satan, we would be more successful in battling sin. We cannot possibly win our battle with sin as long as we let our minds go on desiring the ways of evil. We need to adopt the thoughts and values of our Lord. Peter put it this way:

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:13-16).

Paul expressed the same points to the brethren at Colosse when he gave the following admonition:

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth… Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do (Col. 3:1-5, 12-13).

The battle against sin is won or lost at the point of our minds. If we will be subject to God, we can resist the devil (Jas. 4:7). We do this by letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly, looking to it for guidance (Col. 3:16-17). When we do, we will think upon those things which will produce peace rather than sin in our life (Phil. 4:8-9).

Consequence of Sin

But what if we lose that battle by “losing our mind”? What if we continue to desire the evil things of Satan? James answers that point when he goes on to add:

Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren (Jas. 1:15-16).

Sooner or later the desires of the mind come out into action. When those desires are for the evil things of Satan, the resulting action is sin. God’s word pictures our condition as those in our former -evil ways with the world “among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Eph. 2:3). The context goes on to show that in such a condition, we were spiritually dead and subject to the wrath of God.

Even from the beginning in the garden of Eden, God warned Adam and Eve that if they sinned, they would surely die. It has always been true and always will be true that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). In the present world, the sinner is spiritually dead being alienated from God, the source of spiritual life, because of his sins (Isa. 59:1-2). In the world to come, the sinner will suffer the eternal punishment of hell which is called “the second death” in Scripture:

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Rev. 21:8).

Conclusion

Let us resist the devil by making a fundamental change in our mind. If we lose our mind, we will not be able to resist the devil. Therefore, we must win the battle of the mind by restructuring our values, hopes and desires to conform to that which is stated within God’s word. This can be accomplished only as we diligently give ourselves to the study and meditation of our Bibles. After all, the Bible is the only medium through which God has revealed himself and his will for us.

As we seek to understand and apply that message of God to us, we will become more and more like him. The values, hopes and desires of the world will be replaced by those urged in God’s word. Each day will find us having less and less in common with the world and its sinful ways while we draw nearer and nearer to our Lord.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 14, pp. 419-420
July 16, 1992