Understanding the Biblical Concept of Shame

Understanding the Biblical Concept of Shame

by Robert L. Cobb
On Friday, July 18th, 2003, basketball star Kobe Bryant was charged with the sexual assault of a 19-year-old hotel worker in Eagle, Colorado.  Soon afterward, he issued a statement in which he denied the charge but admitted to sexual contact with the woman. The statement included the words: "...I sit here before you embarrassed and ashamed for committing adultery..."  Can you imagine being forced to admit your sin and failure before the whole world?

It is not often that a news story captivates the whole of society as this one has done.  As Christians, we should always look for spiritual truth and opportunities to witness in every current event.  Now is a perfect time to study the Biblical concept of shame. Shame is a word that reminds us of embarrassment, remorse, guilt, humiliation, and disgrace. We will see in our study that the Bible teaches a twofold truth about shame: a positive truth and a negative.  The concept ofshame is a barometer of a society's goodness and an individual Christian's closeness to His God.

I.   Shame was First Seen in the Garden.  In Genesis 2:25 we read, "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."  Human beings were created by God as innocent creatures, perfect in the image of God Himself.  The meaning here is that Adam and Eve were not "self-conscious" about their nakedness.  As a little child can run and cavort without clothes and have no shame, so did the first couple.  There was no sin against God or each other...No evil thoughts...No harsh words...No unhealthy desires...All of nature was in the perfect will of God.

But after sin entered, the Bible says in verse seven, "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."How and why did shame enter the picture?  Many have used these verses to cast a bad light on the sexual act, saying that sex is in-and-of- itself wrong and sinful.  There is no basis for such an intrepetation.

From where did the first instance of shame arise?  Let us examine this question from a couple of angles.  First, Adam and Eve saw their humanity as being unlike God.  God was both their Creator and their Companion.  He was their Model and the Object of their worship.  Certainly God was not a sexual creature.  But the animals all around them were sexual creatures!  This "opening" of their eyes revealed contrasts with their God.  In their innocence, they had never contemplated this truth. 

Second, their sin separated them from each other.  God had made them "one flesh."  Before their sin, Adam and Eve functioned like Siamese twins.  Each of their thoughts and actions were anticipated and approved by the other.  Their sexual union had been mutually joyous and perfectly compatable.  Now they saw each other in their sin and imperfection.  When sin entered, selfishness entered.  Contrasting desires entered.  Uncertainty of each other entered. 

Lastly, they now looked within themselves and saw weakness and inadequacy.  Whereas before, there was no self-awareness at all, now there was self-doubt and a sense of unworthiness.

Thus, shame entered the world at the same time sin did.  Shame is a result of sin, an extension of sin.  Adam and Eve believed the Serpent's half-truth that they would be as Gods, knowing good and evil. Now they had a working knowledge of both, and shame is the result.

II.  Shame Implies a Perfect Standard Not Met.  Shame is the sense of "not measuring up."  Kobe Bryant admitted that his sexual dalliance with a young woman (if we believe his contention that there was no rape) was wrong and dishonorable.  But by whose standards?  By society's standards?  By his own personal standards?  By his family standards?  It is interesting to notice that Bryant used the word "adultery" in his statement.  That is a Bible word.  It is a word that is not used often in our culture today.

Our Bible is God's revelation of Himself. Regardless of society's opinions, God has decreed that He is the perfect standard by which we are measured.  (Lev. 11:44) "For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy." (Isa. 6:3) "And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory."  (Exodus 15:11)  "Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?"
We live in a time of situation ethics.  "What's right for you may not be right for me; and what's wrong for you may not be wrong for me."  Modern day philosophers contend that right and wrong are constantly changing and we should not judge the deeds and motives of another.  Yet humankind still at times displays a sense of shame and guilt.

III. Shame Can Be an Instrument of a Merciful God.  Historically, this country's laws and principles are based on the Bible and the Judeo-Christian concept of God.  He is the standard.  He is the measuring stick.  (Rom. 3:23) "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"  (Rom.11:32) "For God hath concluded them all in unbelief..."  (Ecc. 7:20)  "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not."   We, as God's creation, have reason to be ashamed of ourselves and our actions.  In Psalm 44, David speaks to God about shame.

But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.   In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.   But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies. Psalm 44:7-9

Notice how God used shame in the lives of Israel's enemies and in their lives as well.  Shame is an instrument of God.  Shame is the result of our own sin.  Did not Peter, when he denied the Lord, go out and weep bitterly over his sin?  Notice too, Israel's attitude in Jeremiah's day. (Jeremiah 3:25) "We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God."

IV.  Lack of Shame Is Evidence of a Decayed Society.  "I don't care what people think!  It doesn't matter what they say! I'll hold my head up high no matter what!  Never let them see you sweat!  Never give in, never admit that you're wrong."  These are the statements of a society in decay.  But this attitude is not new.

...thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.   Lift up thine eyes unto the high places...thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.   Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. Jeremiah 3:1-3

On November 26th, 1996, a middle age couple sat comfortably in their Eustis, Florida home.  A 16 year old self professed "vampire" and occult follower named Rod Farrell creeped inside, and in a drug induced stupor, clubbed them both to death with a tire iron.  He then stole their van parked outside and drove to pick up his friends.  Why do I tell this story?  Later, after he had been sentenced to death, he was asked, "How did you feel when you killed them?'  His answer, "I didn't."  The psychologists testified that he had a "personality disorder" which caused him to be anti-social. 

Other stories like this can be told one after another.  The woman who ran into a man with her car, watched him die lodged in her windshield with her car sitting in her garage, never called 9-1-1.  The rap singers, who sing of raping women, killing policemen, and selling drugs to little schoolkids, do it for the money and the shock value.

A member of the news media stated recently that Kobe Bryant's arrest for rape could have "street value."  He went on to explain that Kobe was not considered as an icon or role model by the urban,ethnic teens and young adults.  He has been seen as an "establishment" personality up until his arrest.  Now he might be considered more like "one of them."  Such a statement is an affront to minorities and an example of the decay of our culture.

But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.  Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets... Zech 7:11-12

V.  Shame for the Christian Can be a Negative.
There are two aspects of the Biblical concept of shame.  We have examined shame as an instrument of God and as lacking in our society and culture.  We would be remiss if we did not include a few words about misplaced shame.  This passage may explain it best...

For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26

As Christians, we get the concept of shame all wrong. We find ourselves ashamed of the godly aspects of our lives and proud of the ungodly ones.  Jesus promises serious ramifications for this misplaced shame.  Paul said expressly:"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ..."  (Romans 1:16)  We owe it to our God to stand true and not be ashamed of His claims on our lives.

Ps 119:80   Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed. Ps 119:116   Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. Romans 5:5  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. Romans 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 1 Pet. 4:16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

VI.   Our Own Shame Should be Evaluated and Dealt With. What shall be our attitude toward our shame?  Will we follow the advice of the psycho-analyst who tells us to forget our past sins and shameful behavior?  Will we bury our shame and move on?  Our will we bring our shame to God, who alone can deal with it and ease our pain?

And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,   And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.   And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.   For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us... to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. Ezra 9:5, 6, 8, 9

At this writing, it is not apparent what will happen to Kobe Bryant.  Everyone has their opinion of his guilt or innocence.  But we do not know, nor can we say what happened.  But we can say that God knows, and the shame Kobe Bryant felt at that July 18th press conference is a good thing.  His shame was the instrument of God to bring him to repentance and be a warning to us not to follow in his path.

The Need for Revivals

The Need For Revivals 
by Billy Sunday  (1862-1935)
Somebody asks: "What is a revival? " Revival is a purely philosophical, commonsense result of the wise use of divinely appointed means, just the same as water will put out a fire; the same as food will appease your hunger; just the same as water will slake your thirst; it is a philosophical commonsense use of divinely appointed means to accomplish that end. A revival is just as much horse sense as that.
A revival is not material; it does not depend upon material means. It is a false idea that there is something peculiar in it, that it cannot be judged by ordinary rules, causes and effects. That is nonsense. Above your head there is an electric light; that is effect. What is the cause? Why, the dynamo. Religion can be judged on the same basis of cause and effect. If you do a thing, results always come. The results come to the farmer. He has his crops. That is the result. He has to plow and plant and take care of his farm before the crops come.

Religion needs a baptism of horse sense. That is just pure horse sense. I believe there is no doctrine more dangerous to the Church today than to convey the impression that a revival is something peculiar in itself and cannot be judged by the same rules of causes and effect as other things. If you preach that to the farmers - if you go to a farmer and say "God is a sovereign," that is true; if you say "God will give you crops only when it pleases him and it is no use for you to plow your ground and plant your crops in the spring," that is all wrong, and if you preach that doctrine and expect the farmers - to believe it, this country will starve to death in two years. The churches have been preaching some false doctrines and religion has died out.

Some people think that religion is a good deal like a storm. They sit around and fold their arms, and that is what is the matter. You sit in your pews so easy that you become mildewed. Such results will be sure to follow if you are persuaded that religion is something mysterious and has no natural connection between the means and the end. It has a natural connection of common sense and I believe that when divinely appointed means are used spiritual blessing will accrue to the individuals and the community in greater numbers than temporal blessings. You can have spiritual blessings as regularly as the farmer can have corn, wheat, oats, or you can have potatoes and onions and cabbage in your garden. I believe that spiritual results will follow more surely than temporal blessings. I don't believe all this tommyrot of false doctrines. You might as well sit around beneath the shade and fan yourself and say "Ain't it hot?" as to expect God to give you a crop if you don't plow the ground and plant the seed. Until the Church resorts to the use of divinely appointed means it won't get the blessing.

What a Revival Does

What is a revival? Now listen to me. A revival does two things. First, it returns the Church from her backsliding and second, it causes the conversion of men and women; and it always includes the conviction of sin on the part of the Church. What a spell the devil seems to cast over the Church today!

I suppose the people here are pretty fair representatives of the Church of God, and if everybody did what you do there were would never be a revival. Suppose I did no more than you do, then no people would ever be converted through my efforts; I would fold my arms and rust out. A revival helps to bring the unsaved to Jesus Christ.

God Almighty never intended that the devil should triumph over the Church. He never intended that the saloons should walk roughshod over Christianity. And if you think that anybody is going to frighten me, you don't know me yet.

When is a revival needed? When the individuals are careless and unconcerned. If the Church were down on her face in prayer they would be more concerned with the fellow outside. The Church has degenerated into a third-rate amusement joint, with religion left out.

When is a revival needed? When carelessness and unconcern keep the people asleep. It is as much the duty of the Church to awaken and work and labor for the men and women of this city as it is the duty of the fire department to rush out when the call sounds. What would you think of the fire department if it slept while the town burned? You would condemn them, and I will condemn you if you sleep and let men and women go to hell. It is just as much your business to be awake. The Church of God is asleep today; it is turned into a dormitory; and has taken the devil's opiates.

When may a revival be expected? When the wickedness of the wicked grieves and distresses the Christian. Sometimes people don't seem to mind the sins of other people. Don't seem to mind while boys and girls walk the streets of their city and know more of evil than gray-haired men. You are asleep.

When is a revival needed? When the Christians have lost the spirit of prayer.

When is a revival needed? When you feel the want of revival and feel the need of it. Men have had this feeling, ministers have had it until they thought they would die unless a revival would come to awaken their people, their students, their deacons and their Sunday-school workers, unless they would fall down on their faces and renounce the world and the works and deceits of the devil. When the Church of God draws its patrons from the theaters the theaters will close up, or else take the dirty, rotten plays off the stage.

When the Church of God stops voting for the saloon, the saloon will go to hell. When the members stop having cards in their homes, there won't be so many black-legged gamblers in the world. This is the truth. You can't sit around and fold your arms and let God run this business; you have been doing that too long here. When may a revival be expected? When Christians confess their sins one to another. Sometimes they confess in a general way, but they have no earnestness; they get up and do it in eloquent language, but that doesn't do it. It is when they break down and cry and pour out their hearts to God in grief, when the floodgates open, then I want to tell you the devil will have cold feet.

Revival Demands Sacrifice

When may a revival be expected? When the wickedness of the wicked grieves and distresses the Church. When you are willing to make a sacrifice for the revival; when you are willing to sacrifice your feelings. You say, "Oh, well, Mr. Sunday hurt my feelings." Then don't spread them all over his tabernacle for men to walk on. I despise a touchy man or woman. Make a sacrifice of your feelings; make a sacrifice of your business, of your time, of your money; you are willing to give to help to advance God's cause, for God's cause has to have money the same as a railroad or a steamship company. When you give your influence and stand up and let people know you stand for Jesus Christ and it has your endorsement and time and money. Somebody has got to get on the firing line. Somebody had to go on the firing line and become bullet meat for $13 a month to overcome slavery. Somebody has to be willing to make a sacrifice. They must be willing to get out and hustle and do things for God.

When may a revival be expected? A revival may be expected when Christian people confess and ask forgiveness for their sins. When you are willing that God shall promote and use whatever means or instruments or individuals or methods he is pleased to use to promote them. Yes. The trouble is he cannot promote a revival if you are sitting on the judgment of the methods and means that God is employing to promote a revival. The God Almighty may use any method or means or individual that he pleases in order to promote a revival. You are not running it. Let God have his way. You can tell whether you need a revival. You can tell if you will have one and why you have got one. If God should ask you sisters and preachers in an audible voice, "Are you willing that I should promote a revival by using any methods or means or individual language that I choose to use to promote it?" what would be your answer? Yes. Then don't growl if I use some things that you don't like. You have no business to. How can you promote a revival? Break up your fallow ground, the ground that produces nothing but weeds, briars, tin cans and brickbats. Fallow ground is ground that never had a glow in it. Detroit had a mayor, Pingree, when Detroit had thousands and thousands of acres of fallow ground. This was taken over by the municipal government and planted with potatoes with which they fed the poor of the city.

There are individuals who have never done anything for Jesus Christ, and I have no doubt there are preachers as well, who have never done anything for the God Almighty. There are acres and acres of fallow ground lying right here that have never been touched. Look over your past life, look over your present life and future and take up the individual sins and with pencil and paper write them down. A general confession will never do. You have committed your sins, one by one, and you will have to confess them one by one. This thing of saying," God, I am a sinner," won't do.

"God, I am a gossiper in my neighborhood. God, I have been in my icebox while I am here listening to Mr. Sunday." Confess your sins.
How can you promote a revival? You women, if you found that your husband was giving his love and attention to some other woman and if you saw that some other woman was encroaching on his mind and heart, and was usurping your place and was pushing you out of the place, wouldn't you grieve? Don't you think that God grieves when you push him out of your life? You don't treat God square. You business men don't treat God fair. You let a thousand things come in and take the place that God Almighty had. No wonder you are careless. You blame God for things you have no right to blame him for. He is not to blame for anything. You judge God. The spirit loves the Bible; the devil loves the flesh.

If you don't do your part, don't blame God. How many times have you blamed God when you are the liar yourself. You are wont [accustomed] to blame him for the instances of unbelief that have come into your life. When should we promote a revival? When there is a neglect of prayer? When your prayers affect God? You never think of going out on the street without dressing. You would be pinched [arrested] before you went a block. You never think of going without breakfast, do you? I bet there are multitudes that have come here without reading the Bible or praying for this meeting.

You can measure your desire for salvation by means of the amount of self-denial you are willing to practice for Jesus Christ. You have sinned before the Church, before the world, before God.

Don't the Lord have a hard time? Own up, now.

Persecution a Godsend

There are a lot of people in church, doubtless, who have denied themselves - self-denial for comfort and convenience. There are a lot of people here who never make any sacrifices for Jesus Christ. They will not suffer any reproaches for Jesus Christ. Paul says, "I love to suffer reproaches for Christ" (e.g., Rom. 8:17). The Bible says, "Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you" (Luke 6:26). "Blessed are you when your enemies persecute you" (Matt. 5). That is one trouble in the churches of God today. They are not willing to suffer reproach for God's sake. It would be a godsend if the Church would suffer persecution today; she hasn't suffered it for hundreds of years. She is growing rich and lagging behind. Going back.

Pride! How many times have you found yourself exercising pride? How many times have you attempted pride of wealth? Proud because you were related to some of the old families that settled in the Colonies in 1776. That don't get you anything; not at all. I have got as much to be proud of as to lineage as anyone; my great-grandfather was in the Revolutionary War, lost a leg at Brandywine; and my father was a soldier in the Civil War.

Envy! Envy of those that have more talent than you. Envious because someone can own a limousine Packard and you have to ride a Brush runabout; envious because some women can wear a sealskin coat and you a near seal.

Then there is your grumbling and faultfinding. When speaking of people behind their backs, telling their faults, whether real or imaginary, and that is slander. When you sit around and rip people up behind their backs at your old sewing societies, when you rip and tear and discuss your neighbors and turn the affair into a sort of a great big gossiping society, with your faultfinding., grumbling and growling. There is a big difference between levity and happiness, and pleasure, and all that sort of thing.
Make up your mind that God has given himself up for you. I would like to see something come thundering along that I would have more interest in than I have in the cause of God Almighty! God has a right to the first place. God is first, remember that.

Multitudes of people are willing to do anything that doesn't require any self-denial on their part.

I am not a member of any lodge, and never expect to be, but if I were a member of a lodge and there were a prayer-meeting and a lodge-meeting coming on Wednesday night, I would be at the prayer-meeting instead of at the lodge-meeting. I am not against the lodges; they do some good work in the world, but that doesn't save anyone for God. God is first and the lodge-meeting is second. God is first and society second. God is first and business is second. "In the beginning, God!" (Gen. 1:1) That is the way the Bible starts out and it ought to be the way with every living being. "In the beginning, God." Seek you first God and everything else shall be added unto you. Christianity is addition; sin is subtraction. Christianity is peace, joy, salvation, heaven. Sin takes away peace, happiness, sobriety, and it takes away health. You are robbing God of the time that you misspend. You are robbing God when you spend time doing something that don't amount to anything, when you might do something for Christ. You are robbing God when you go to foolish amusements, when you sit around reading trashy novels instead of the Word of God.

"Oh, Lord, revive thy work!"

I have only two minutes more and then I am through. Bad temper. Abuse your wife and abuse your children; abuse your husband; turn your old gatling-gun tongue loose. A lady came to me and said, "Mr. Sunday, I know I have a bad temper, but I am over with it in a minute." So is the shotgun, but it blows everything to pieces.

And, finally, you abuse the telephone girl because she doesn't connect you in a minute. Bad temper. I say you abuse your wife, you go cussing around if supper isn't ready on time; cussing because the coffee isn't hot; you dig your fork into a hunk of beefsteak and put it on your plate and then you say: "Where did you get this, in the harness shop? Take it out and make a hinge for the door." Then you go to your store, or office, and smile and everybody thinks you are an angel about to sprout wings and fly to the imperial realm above. Bad temper! You growl at your children; you snap and snarl around the house until they have to go to the neighbors to see a smile. They never get a kind word - no wonder so many of them go to the devil quick.

Learn From Him (and other devotionals)

 Learn From Him

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Psalm 32:8-9

We have all we need when we truly understand what God has provided for us through His Holy Spirit. Many times we run to our families, friends and counselors for instruction or guidance. Many times we search horizontally for guidance when the Lord in His mercy and grace has told us to come to Him. By learning from Him, we can avoid a lot of unnecessary hurts, sins and problems.

There was a long period of time when my mother and I were inseparable. We spent our days together and truly enjoyed each other’s fellowship. One day, the Lord spoke so clearly to me that He desired to change the relationship. We have similar gifts and callings, and His desire was for us to minister to others, not just to each other. Instead of trusting the Lord, I told Him that I couldn’t do it and He would have to do it. Two years later, the Lord did intervene and our relationship changed. Both of us were very hurt and both of us needed to cling to the Lord each day to learn a new way of life. In the midst of that change, the Lord gave me this verse to hold on to. I knew that I would need counsel and instruction. I did not want to run to a new friend to fill the void and I did not want to sin against the Lord during this time of very uncomfortable change because I had known this was His will for years.

The Lord did do a new work in both of us. She and I are in separate ministries, teaching the gospel of Christ. God had His way. We both struggled to let each other go, but in the depths of our hearts we have seen good fruit, eternal fruit, by submitting to God. If you are struggling with a relationship of which you know God is speaking to you about, trust Him. Come to Him for instruction and counsel. He will give you the desires of your heart if you truly turn to Him. Change is scary but the Lord promises to watch over you, lead you and help you as you chose to come to Him. He will fill that void. In His council, you will receive peace and in time, He will give you understanding.

~Daily Disciples Devotionals~

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Our Field of Battle

"For the LORD your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you"   (Deuteronomy 20:4).

We have no enemies but the enemies of God. Our fights are not against men but against spiritual wickednesses. We war with the devil and the blasphemy and error and despair which he brings into the field of battle. We fight with all the armies of sin -- impurity, drunkenness, oppression, infidelity, and ungodliness. With these we contend earnestly, but not with sword or spear; the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.

Jehovah, our God, abhors everything which is evil, and, therefore, He goeth with us to fight for us in this crusade. He will save us, and He will give us grace to war a good warfare and win the victory. We may depend upon it that if we are on God's side God is on our side. With such an august ally the conflict is never in the least degree doubtful. It is not that truth is mighty and must prevail but that might lies with the Father who is almighty, with Jesus who has all power in heaven and in earth, and with the Holy Spirit who worketh His will among men.

Soldiers of Christ, gird on your armor. Strike home in the name of the God of holiness, and by faith grasp His salvation. Let not this day pass without striking a blow for Jesus and holiness.

~Charles Spurgeon~

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A Depraved Diet

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.” 2 Kings 6:25

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
A depraved diet was the mark in this day of famine, and a depraved diet is the mark in our day. Only today, we have a spiritual famine.

Today we're feeding on all sorts of depravity and filth. Do you know why millions of Americans are feeding on a depraved diet? Do you know why pornographic magazines are read by so many? Do you know why people are going to see these sick movies and so-called adult films? Why these dens of iniquity, these things they call night clubs, are filled with people? Because there's a famine for the Word of God. And anytime a man, a woman, a boy or girl is not properly fed, he will have a depraved diet.

ACTION POINT:
How do you change your diet and keep from doing these things? Not primarily by saying, “I'm going to be a good boy.” Load up on the Word of God. Feast on the honey, the milk, the meat of God’s Word.

~Adrian Rogers~

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Psalm 12:1

Help, Lord.

The prayer itself is remarkable, for it is short, but seasonable, sententious, and suggestive. David mourned the fewness of faithful men, and therefore lifted up his heart in supplication-when the creature failed, he flew to the Creator. He evidently felt his own weakness, or he would not have cried for help; but at the same time he intended honestly to exert himself for the cause of truth, for the word "help" is inapplicable where we ourselves do nothing. There is much of directness, clearness of perception, and distinctness of utterance in this petition of two words; much more, indeed, than in the long rambling outpourings of certain professors. The Psalmist runs straight-forward to his God, with a well-considered prayer; he knows what he is seeking, and where to seek it. Lord, teach us to pray in the same blessed manner. The occasions for the use of this prayer are frequent. In providential afflictions how suitable it is for tried believers who find all helpers failing them. Students, in doctrinal difficulties, may often obtain aid by lifting up this cry of "Help, Lord," to the Holy Spirit, the great Teacher. Spiritual warriors in inward conflicts may send to the throne for reinforcements, and this will be a model for their request. Workers in heavenly labour may thus obtain grace in time of need. Seeking sinners, in doubts and alarms, may offer up the same weighty supplication; in fact, in all these cases, times, and places, this will serve the turn of needy souls. "Help, Lord," will suit us living and dying, suffering or labouring, rejoicing or sorrowing. In Him our help is found, let us not beslack to cry to Him. The answer to the prayer is certain, if it be sincerely offered through Jesus. The Lord's character assures us that He will not leave His people; His relationship as Father and Husband guarantee us His aid; His gift of Jesus is a pledge of every good thing; and His sure promise stands, "Fear not, I WILL HELP THEE."

~Charles Spurgeon~

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The Egyptians shall hear it. - Numbers 14:13

What a noble concern for the credit of God! Here was a great opportunity for Moses. God was testing him by the proposal, that, the entire nation of Israel being cut off as a judgment for their repeated shortcomings and transgressions, Moses should become the slip or stock of the Hebrew race: "I will disinherit them, and make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they." This was not the settled purpose of God; but a suggestion to test His servant, who would not entertain it for a moment. All thought of the honor to be done to himself was submerged in his great eagerness for the Divine credit. "The Egyptians shall hear it: the nations which have heard the fame of Thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able .... "

The Egyptians are always around us, watching and listening. They can only judge of God by our behavior and the course of our experience: and are only too ready to catch up anything which they may interpret to the discrediting of the Eternal. How careful we should be in all our life and conversation so that the ungodly may have, not lower, but loftier conceptions of our God.

When tempted to anything which is not perfectly noble and honorable; when inclined to murmur and complain of God's dealings with you; when an opportunity comes, as it did to Moses, to make gain at the expense of others; then remember the name of God, and the urgency of need that exists, to maintain it unsullied and untarnished. We should be restrained by a double fear: first, lest we should grieve God; second, lest the Egyptians should have a handle against Him, and should be prejudiced against religion.

~F. B. Meyer~

The Blessings of Liberty

The Blessings of Liberty
A 4th of July Message
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A Sermon Manuscript by Robert L. Cobb

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"And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts."
                           -Psalm 119:45

The liberty that was claimed for America in the Declaration of Independence and codified later in the Constitution has a lot in common with the type of liberty described in the Bible.  The two Old Testament words that are translated "liberty" in the King James Bible mean"free-flowing movement" and "broad and wide movement."  It literally means having "free-run of the house."  As children, my brother and I would occasionally find the adults of our home outside in the garden or across the street visiting neighbors, and for a slight sliver of time, the house was ours!  No adult supervision!  No rules!  No monitoring from adults!  We had free-run of the house!  We thought we enjoyed a kind of liberty.

But the second part of our text verse is descriptive.  It says that I will "walk at liberty....for I seek thy precepts."  There is a qualifier in the second part of the verse.  BECAUSE I SEEK GOD'S PRECEPTS...I can walk at liberty.  The child needs a baby-sitter because he cannot be trusted to do the right things.  He may injure himself or the house.  He needs supervision.  His liberty is curtailed because he is unable to handle it. 

I am alone in the house as I type this message on my computer.  My children are grown and have their own families and my wife is out visiting family.  I have free run of the house!  As a 52-year old man, should I call my brother today and tell him, "Hey!  Everybody's gone!  We have free run of the house!  Come over and visit."  He would probably ask me if I have taken too much of some prescription.  Why?  Because having free-run of the house is different when you own the house, pay the bills, and have the job of keeping it clean. 

With all liberty there comes a measure of responsibility. Galatians 5:13 says, "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."  1 Peter 2:16 tells us, "...not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.  The blessings of national liberty have responsibility also.  Our country was designed to thrive with a moral and righteous citizenry:

George Washington said in his Farewell Address: …Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labour to subvert these great Pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and citizens. 

John Adams said: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Patrick Henry: “It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.” [May 1765 Speech to the House of Burgesses]

And James Madison: “We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We’ve staked the future of all our political institutions upon our capacity…to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” [1778 to the General Assembly of the State of Virginia]

Let us examine both the liberty and the responsibility we share in America today.

I.   LIBERTY FOR THE CITIZENS

There has never been a nation like the USA!  Our freedom and liberty are unprecedented in human history!  If you study history you will see that the ancient nations had lords and serfs, kings and peasants, the haves and the have-nots.  Owning land, having a right to the work of your own hands, controlling your own destiny, were things that were undreamed of 300-400 years ago.  The time of our founding as a nation was unlike any other.  The elite scholars were steeped in the knowledge of ancient Greece with its government and philosophy.  The nations of Europe had tried many forms of government and fought many wars over them.  And England, America's benefactor, was the most powerful nation in the world, which was both a blessing and a curse to America's people.  The king of England used the American colonies and its resources for his own pleasure and afforded the people only a portion of its gain.  The taxes were heavy and the duties were wearisome.

Our nation was born from those conditions.  Our liberty and freedom comes after numerous attempts and failures throughout history.  Our founding fathers were truly inspired- if not from God- then truly from the excesses and despots of past failures, to create an almost perfect form of government.  This creation has been the key to our nation's success for 235 years because it can be traced back to the truths of the Bible. 

Our nation honors the individual, rewards and punishes the individual.  So does God.  in theory, no individual enjoys more privilege from the government than another.  Likewise, God is no respector of persons.  We have freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, the right to due process of law,  the right to own and protect our property, the right to privacy.  Also, God honors the rights of his creation.  God allows man to choose to serve or deny Him.  God allows man to ignore Him and build his fortune without the blessings and pleasure of God.

A man that defies God is a man who does not understand his liberty.  We have the right to do as we please, but we have a responsibility to honor and worship our Creator and God.  Failure to do so only injures and kills the spirit.  Likewise the citizen who will not vote, will not take an active interest in the affairs of his country, will not hold his leaders accountable, does not understand his liberty.  I believe we have a both a spiritual crisis and a national crisis in our land today because we do not understand our liberty!

II.  LIBERTY FOR THE CHURCHES

In dealing with a king, the framers of our nation were bound and determined that no king would rule over us.  With a state-run church that collected pew taxes and paid the preachers from public funds--and controlling the messages of the preachers--our framers were sure to have complete and full religious freedom.  In fact, the church people of the day demanded it.

The conditions created by the Founding Fathers concerning the churches are the reason why America is the most religious nation in the world today.  Our government favors no one denomination or belief, but should equally protect and defend the free speech of each one.  This allows the church to stand or fall on it's own merit.  It is difficult to deceive Americans for very long.  Given time, we usually see through the false and the foolish.

Where else in the world can an individual Christian go downtown and rent an abandoned building, put a sign out front, and begin preaching on Sundays with no harassment or complaints from authorities?  

Traditionally, this has been done in America!  You say, "I know some churches that local governments are giving a hard time."  Well, what are you doing about it?  Our liberties will continually be under attack, what will we do?  Do you understand that liberty requires responsibility?
 

We have the liberty to congregate together regularly and worship together. Do we avail ourselves of that liberty?  We have the liberty to tell others about Christ and His salvation.  Do we?  We can support our local church with tithes and offerings?  Do we?  We have the liberty to support mission projects and missionaries to foreign lands.  Do we?  We think we understand the liberty, but do we understand the responsibility?

More and more, local and federal government is putting their hand in the local church, in fees and taxes, or worse yet, in demanding that certain speech be curtailed.  In ten years, it will probably be illegal for a preacher to preach against the sin of homosexuality in America!  Do you understand your liberty?  Do you understand your responsibility?

III. LIBERTY FOR THE CHRISTIAN

Our text verse tells us that the godly person can walk at liberty because he seeks God's precepts.  Let us look at those words.  The word "seek" means "to investigate, to carefully inquire after."  It is not enough for the Christian to carry the Bible under his arm, or have it on his desk at work.  We are to spend quality time in the Word, carefully inquiring after God's will.  If we do that, God will give us free-run in this life.  He can trust us, because we are no longer children.  Ephesians 4: 14-15 says, "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But... may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ..."

And Hebrews 5:13: " For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. The word "precepts" in our text deals with the rules from a governing authority, that is,  the laws of the land.  We recognize God as our Authority, so we obey His "precepts" as we obey the laws of our nation.  It is for our own good that we follow these laws, both spiritual and national.  It is better for us and better for our nation.  Our nation is successful with its citizens obeying its law.  God's  work is successful as His people obey His precepts.
 

CONCLUSION:  At this time in history, I believe we have a crisis of liberty.  Both citizens and Christians have concluded that the liberty given us is to be used for our own advantage, our own consumption.  Our society is permeated with ME-ism.   "What's in it for me?"  "Gotta look out for number one!"  "Got to get whats mine!"   Tocqueville prophetically said, "their chief business . . . is to remain their own masters," but "to neglect to hold liberty fast is to allow it to escape."  And later he warns, "How can a populace unaccustomed to freedom in small concerns learn to use it temperately in great affairs?  What resistance can be offered to tyranny where each individual is weak . . . ?"

In the day of Zedekiah the king, a prophet named Jeremiah prophesied to the nation of Israel: "And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:  But ye turned and polluted my name...Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.  (Jeremiah 34:15-17)   God gives liberty to His people and He expects His people to honor His precepts!

Brethren, our collective weakness is our individual weaknesses.  We must seek to be better citizens and better Christians, each of us individually.  And we must seek to congregate and collect ourselves in the church and in the voting booth to ensure our liberty and freedom.  There are some Christians who think they are somehow "lowering themselves" to become active in politics.  I say God has given us a great gift and we must cherish it and appreciate it as His blessing to us!  The blessing of liberty! 

The Blood of Jesus Christ

by Billy Sunday

"For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh" - Paul argued in his letter to the Hebrews "how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." (Heb. 9:13-14)
No more of this turtle-dove business, no more offering the blood of bullocks and heifers to cleanse from sin.

The atoning blood of Jesus Christ - that is the thing about which all else centers. I believe that more logical, illogical, idiotic, religious and irreligious arguments have been fought over this than all others. Now and then when a man gets a new idea of it, he goes out and starts a new denomination. He has a perfect right to do this under the thirteenth amendment, but he doesn't stop here. He makes war on all of the other denominations that do not interpret as he does. Our denominations have multiplied by this method until it would give one brain fever to try to count them all.

The atoning blood! And as I think it over I am reminded of a man who goes to England and advertises that he will throw pictures on the screen of the Atlantic coast of America. So he gets a crowd and throws pictures on the screen of high bluffs and rocky coasts and waves dashing against them, until a man comes out of the audience and brands him a liar and says that he is obtaining money under false pretense, as he has seen America and the Atlantic coast and what the other man is showing is not America at all. The men almost come to blows and then the other man says that, if the people will come tomorrow, he will show them real pictures of the coast. So the audience comes back to see what he will show, and he flashes on the screen pictures of a low coast line, with palmetto trees and banana trees and tropical foliage and he apologizes to the audience, but says these are the pictures of America. The first man calls him a liar and the people don't know which to believe. What was the matter with them?

They were both right and they were both wrong, paradoxical as it may seem. They were both right as far as they went, but neither went far enough. The first showed the coast line from New England to Cape Hatteras, while the second showed the coast line from Hatteras to Yucatan. They neither could show it all in one panoramic view, for it is so varied it could not be taken in one picture. 

God never intended to give you a picture of the world in one panoramic view. From the time of Adam and Eve down to the time Jesus Christ hung on the cross he was unfolding his views. When I see Moses leading the people out of bondage where they for years had bared their backs to the taskmaster's lash; when I see the lowing herds and the high priest standing before the altar severing the jugular vein of the rams and the bullocks; on until Christ cried out from the cross, "It is finished," (John 19:30) God was preparing the picture for the consummation of it in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.

A sinner has no standing with God. He forfeits his standing when he commits sin and the only way he can get back is to repent and accept the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.

I have sometimes thought that Adam and Eve didn't understand as fully as we do when the Lord said; "Eat and you shall surely die." (Gen. 2:17) They had never seen any one die. They might have thought it simply meant a separation from God. But no sooner had they eaten and seen their nakedness than they sought to cover themselves, and it is the same today. When man sees himself in his sins, uncovered, he tries to cover himself in philosophy or some fake. But God looked through the fig leaves and the foliage and God walked out in the field and slew the beasts and took their skins and wrapped them around Adam and Eve, and from that day to this when a man has been a sinner and has covered himself, it has been by and through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Every Jew covered his sins and received pardon through the blood of the rams and bullocks and the doves.

An old infidel said to me once, "But I don't believe in atonement by blood. It doesn't come up to my ideas of what is right."

I said, "To perdition with your ideas of what is right. Do you think God is coming down here to consult you with your great intellect and wonderful brain, and find out what you think is right before he does it? " My, but you make me sick. You think that because you don't believe it that it isn't true.
I have read a great deal - not everything, mind you, for a man would go crazy if he tried to read everything - but I have read a great deal that has been written against the atonement from the infidel standpoint - Voltaire, Huxley, Spencer, Diderot, Bradlaugh, Paine, on down to Bob Ingersoll - and I have never found an argument that would stand the test of common sense and common reasoning. And if anyone tells me he has tossed on the scrap heap the plan of atonement by blood, I say, "What have you to offer that is better?" and until he can show me something that is better I'll nail my hopes to the cross.

Suffering for the Guilty

You say you don't believe in the innocent suffering for the guilty. Then I say to you, you haven't seen life as I have seen it up and down the country. The innocent suffer with the guilty, by the guilty and for the guilty. Look at that old mother waiting with trembling heart for the son she has brought into the world. And see him come staggering in and reeling and staggering to bed while his mother prays and weeps and soaks the pillow with her tears over her godless boy. Who suffers most? The mother or that godless, maudlin [drunk] bum? You have only to be the mother of a boy like that to know who suffers most. Then you won't say anything about the plan of redemption and of Jesus Christ suffering for the guilty.
Look at that young wife, waiting for the man whose name she bears, and whose face is woven in the fiber of her heart, the man she loves. She waits for him in fright and when he comes, reeking from the stench of the breaking of his marriage vows, from the arms of infamy, who suffers most? That poor, dirty, triple extract of vice and sin? You have only to be the wife of a husband like that to know whether the innocent suffers for the guilty or not. I have the sympathy of those who know right now.

This happened in Chicago in a police court. A letter was introduced as evidence for a criminal there for vagrancy. It read, "I hope you won't have to hunt long to find work. Tom is sick and baby is sick. Lucy has no shoes and we have no money for the doctor or to buy any clothes. I manage to make a little taking in washing, but we are living in one room in a basement. I hope you won't have to look long for work," and so on, just the kind of a letter a wife would write to her husband. And before it was finished men cried and policemen with hearts of adamant were crying and fled from the room. The judge wiped the tears from his eyes and said: "You see, no man lives to himself alone. If he sins others suffer. I have no alternative. I sympathize with them, as does every one of you, but I have no alternative. I must send this man to Bridewell [house of correction]." Who suffers most, that woman manicuring her nails over a washboard to keep the little brood together or that drunken bum in Bridewell getting his just deserts from his acts? You have only to be the wife of a man like that to know whether or not the innocent suffer with the guilty.

So when you don't like the plan of redemption because the innocent suffer with the guilty, I say you don't know what is going on. It's the plan of life everywhere.

From the fall of Adam and Eve till now it has always been the rule that the innocent suffer with the guilty. It's the plan of all and unless you are an idiot, an imbecile and a jackass, and gross flatterer at that, you'll see it.

Jesus' Atoning Blood

Jesus gave his life on the cross for any who will believe. We're not redeemed by silver or gold. Jesus paid for it with his blood (1 Peter 1:18). When some one tells you that your religion is a bloody religion and the Bible is a bloody book, tell them yes, Christianity is a bloody religion; the gospel is a bloody gospel; the Bible is a bloody book; the plan of redemption is bloody. It is. You take the blood of Jesus Christ out of Christianity and that book isn't worth the paper it is written on. It would be worth no more than your body with the blood taken out. Take the blood of Jesus Christ out and it would be a meaningless jargon and jumble of words.

If it weren't for the atoning blood you might as well rip the roofs off the churches and burn them down. They aren't worth anything. But as long as the blood is on the mercy seat (Lev. 16:14), the sinner can return, and by no other way. There is nothing else. It stands for the redemption. You are not redeemed by silver or gold, but by the blood of Jesus Christ. Though a man says to read good books, do good deeds, live a good life and you'll be saved, you'll be damned. That's what you will. All the books in the world won't keep you out of hell without the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. It's Jesus Christ or nothing for every sinner on God's earth.
Without it not a sinner will ever be saved. Jesus has paid for your sins with his blood. The doctrine of universal salvation is a lie. I wish every one would be saved, but they won't. You will never be saved if you reject the blood.

I remember when I was in the Y.M.C.A. in Chicago I was going down Madison Street and had just crossed Dearborn Street when I saw a newsboy with a young sparrow in his hand. I said: "Let that little bird go."
He said, "Aw, g'wan with you, you big mutt."

I said, "I'll give you a penny for it," and he answered, "Not on your tintype."

"I'll give you a nickel for it," and he answered, "Boss, I'm from Missouri; come across with the dough."

I offered it to him, but he said, "Give it to that guy there," and I gave it to the boy he indicated and took the sparrow.

I held it for a moment and then it fluttered and struggled and finally reached the window ledge in a second story across the street. And other birds fluttered around over my head and seemed to say in bird language, "Thank you, Bill."

The kid looked at me in wonder and said: "Say, boss, why didn't you chuck that nickel in the sewer?"

I told him that he was just like that bird. He was in the grip of the devil, and the devil was too strong for him just as he was too strong for the sparrow, and just as I could do with the sparrow what I wanted to, after I had paid for it, because it was mine. God paid a price for him far greater than I had for the sparrow, for he had paid it with the blood of his Son, and he wanted to set him free.

No Argument Against Sin

So, my friend, if I had paid for some property from you with a price, I could command you, and if you wouldn't give it to me I could go into court and make you yield. Why do you want to be a sinner and refuse to yield? You are withholding from God what he paid for on the cross. When you refuse you are not giving God a square deal.

I'll tell you another. It stands for God's hatred of sin. Sin is something you can't deny. You can't argue against sin. A skilful man can frame an argument against the validity of religion, but he can't frame an argument against sin. I'll tell you something that may surprise you. If I hadn't had four years of instruction in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, before I saw Bob Ingersoll's book, and I don't want to take any credit from that big intelligent brain of his, I would be preaching infidelity instead of Christianity. Thank the Lord I saw the Bible first. I have taken his lectures and placed them by the side of the Bible, and said, "You didn't say it from your knowledge of the Bible." And I have never considered him honest, for he could not have been so wise in other things and such a fool about the plan of redemption. So I say I don't think he was entirely honest.
But you can't argue against the existence of sin, simply because it is an open fact, the word of God. You can argue against Jesus being the Son of God. You can argue about there being a heaven and a hell, but you can't argue against sin. It is in the world and men and women are blighted and mildewed by it.

Some years ago I turned a corner in Chicago and stood in front of a police station. As I stood there a patrol dashed up and three women were taken from some drunken debauch, and they were dirty and blear-eyed, and as they were taken out they started a flood of profanity that seemed to turn the very air blue. I said, "There is sin." And as I stood there up dashed another patrol and out of it they took four men, drunken and ragged and bloated, and I said, "There is sin." You can't argue against the fact of sin. It is in the world and blights men and women. But Jesus came to the world to save all who accept him.

"How Long, O God?"

It was out in the Y.M.C.A. in Chicago. "What is your name and what do you want?" I asked.

"I'm from Cork, Ireland," said he, "and my name is James O'Toole." Here is a letter of introduction." I read it and it said he was a good Christian young man and an energetic young fellow.

I said, "Well, Jim, my name is Mr. Sunday. I'll tell you where there are some good Christian boarding houses and you let me know which one you pick out." He told me afterwards that he had one on the North Side. I sent him an invitation to a meeting to be held at the Y.M.C.A., and he had it when he and some companions went bathing in Lake Michigan. He dived from the pier just as the water receded unexpectedly and he struck the bottom and broke his neck. He was taken to the morgue and the police found my letter in his clothes, and told me to come and claim it or it would be sent to a medical college. I went and they had the body on a slab, but I told them I would send a cablegram to his folks and asked them to hold it. They put it in a glass case and turned on the cold air, by which they freeze bodies by chemical processes, as they freeze ice, and said they would save it for two months, and if I wanted it longer they would stretch the rules a little and keep it there.

I was just thinking of what sorrow that cablegram would cause his old mother in Cork when they brought in the body of a woman. She would have been a fit model of Phidias [ancient Greek sculptor], she had such symmetry of form. Her fingers were manicured. She was dressed in the height of fashion and her hands were covered with jewels and as I looked at her, the water trickling down her face, I saw the mute evidence of illicit affection. I did not say lust, I did not say passion, I did not say brute instincts. I said, "Sin." Sin had caused her to throw herself from that bridge and seek repose in a suicide's grave. And as I looked, from the saloon, the fantan rooms, the gambling hells, the opium dens, the red lights, there arose one endless cry of "How long, O God, how long shall hell prevail?" (Psa. 74:10)

You can't argue against sin. It's here. Then listen to me as I try to help you.

When the Standard Oil Company was trying to refine petroleum there was a substance that they couldn't dispose of. It was a dark, black, sticky substance and they couldn't bury it, couldn't burn it because it made such a stench; they couldn't run it in the river because it killed the fish, so they offered a big reward to any chemist who would solve the problem. Chemists took it and worked long over the problem, and one day there walked into the office of John D. Rockefeller, a chemist and laid down a pure white substance which we since know as paraffine [paraffin wax].
You can be as black as that substance and yet Jesus Christ can make you white as snow. "Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow." (Isa. 1:18)