Understanding the Most Devilish Sin: Slander in Scripture
Reagan examines 1 Timothy 3:11 and other biblical passages to explore the sin most closely associated with the devil: slander. He discusses the Greek and Hebrew terms for the devil, focusing on 'diabolos' meaning slanderer. Reagan highlights how slander is portrayed in Scripture, citing examples from Genesis and Job, and emphasizes the importance of being cautious about the way we speak about others. He proposes four resolutions to avoid falling into the sin of slander, urging believers to praise more and interpret others' actions in the best light possible.
00:00 Introduction and Opening Question
00:32 Identifying the Sin Closely Associated with the Devil
03:14 Understanding the Term 'Slanderer'
09:03 Biblical Examples of Slander
25:04 The Impact of Slander in Modern Context
29:49 Resolutions to Avoid Slander
37:54 Conclusion and Call to Action
Would you take out your Bible please and turn to 1st Timothy chapter 3, 1st Timothy chapter 3 and verse 11. Uh, we will read that together here in just a moment. We'll refer to one other scripture before then, but 1st Timothy chapter 3 and verse 11 will get you ready for what we're going to talk about tonight.
I want you to think about this question for just a moment, if you would. In your opinion, based on your understanding of the scriptures. What sin is most closely associated with the devil? What sin, specific sin, is most closely associated with the devil? And I don't mean this as a trick question. Obviously all sin comes back to the tempter in one way or another.
But I'm asking for a specific sin. Um, maybe you say, well, rebellion is associated with the devil and certainly you'd be right. The devil rebelled against God, but in my judgment, that's too generic. What kind of rebellion against God are, are, to what are we referring? Well, maybe you say, and you were listening carefully to Preston's lesson this morning, and you, you heard John chapter eight and verse 44, and you say, well, based on that passage, maybe it's not.
It's lying or murder. And indeed Jesus says that the devil was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources for he is a liar and the father of it. And certainly that would be a good answer. But I, based on what I understand the scriptures to teach, that there is one that is more fundamental and more closely associated even than lying.
This word devil is the greek word diabolos, where we get the idea of diabolical, so, uh, diabolos. The Hebrew name for this person is Satan. And it is clear that it is referring to the same spiritual being. The two names are used in the same context in Matthew chapter 4, with Jesus temptation. And those two names are used again together in Revelation 12 and verse 9 and 20 and verse 2.
Literally, that word Satan, that name Satan comes from a Hebrew word that means adversary. And that's who the devil is. He is the Satan. He's the adversary of God. And he is the accuser of men. But it's interesting to me that this word Diablos, right here, this Greek word Diablos, when we see in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, Septuagint, sometimes there is a Greek version of that word Satan, but often the Greek word that is used for Satan, the word in Hebrew, is this Greek word Diablos.
And so the idea is, whether it's Satan or the devil, we're really talking about not just the same person, but the same kind of sin. And what does his name, the devil, this Greek word mean? Well, that exact same word is used in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 11. In Titus chapter 2 and verse 3 and 2nd Timothy chapter 3 and verse 3 where it is used of people So it's it's not this spiritual being opposed to god.
It's people And there this word diabolos Is translated slanderer and that's what the devil is. He's a slanderer Look at those verses with me just very quickly 1st timothy chapter 3 and verse 11 and giving these qualifications of elders and deacons wives Tim's Paul says this, Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
You go over maybe just a few pages to 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 3 in describing these perilous men in perilous times who have a form of godliness but deny its power. Uh, Steve actually talked about that last night as we were meeting together in a group. Notice one of the descriptions among all of the sins associated with these people.
In verse 3, they are unloving, Unforgiving, slanderers, without self control, brutal, despisers of good. And then again, if we turn to Titus chapter 2, so just another couple of pages over, Titus chapter 2 and verse 3,
the older women likewise, that they must be reverent in behavior, not slanderers. Not given to much wine, teachers of good things. So, what sin is most closely associated with the devil? I would suggest the one by which he gets his name, slanderer. That slanderer is a devilish sin, associated with our accuser and God's adversary.
And it is that sin that I want to spend a few moments thinking about. for being here, whether you're in person or online. Um, I think the first question that we need to answer is, well, what is slander? If this is the name of the devil, if that's who he is and the sin associated with him, what is slander?
Well, maybe as we were reading those three, three passages, maybe your translation had something like malicious gossip. Um, sometimes that's a translation for this word, slander, malicious gossip. Slander is an evil report against someone else. So you're reporting on someone else, uh, to. You're reporting to, against someone else, to someone else about something that they have done that you view to be evil.
Making a report against them. If we think about some of the ways that this word is used, slander is the opposite of praise. So we know what it is to praise someone for being a good person. Well, slander is the opposite of that. In 2 Corinthians chapter 6, Paul is listing all of these opposites regarding his ministry.
Um, and he, he lists a number of things there that are the opposite of one another. He says, through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise, we are treated as imposters, yet we are true. And he goes on to describe these opposites. Now, my purpose is not to talk about exactly what Paul's talking about in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 tonight, but just to show you that in Paul's mind, these two words are opposites.
That you have slander on one side, and you have praise on the other. And it's a slightly different word in Greek for slander, but it's the same concept. So, we have a choice when it comes to what we say about people, right? Either we can praise, someone to someone else, that's the positive side. But if we don't praise someone else, instead we give an evil report instead of a good report about them, that's what we see this idea of slander really being.
Slander is something, um, that we have even in our modern day world. Uh, slander is something that you can be sued over, right? So it's called defamation of character. Legally, it must be verbally, verbally a false statement. So you've made some false statement against someone that defames their character and you can be sued for that.
Uh, libel is the term that's used when it's written instead of spoken. But biblically, this idea of slander can include both false and true statements. And the key ingredient is that it is an evil report that harms the reputation of someone else. It's a defamation of their character by repeating something against them.
So, this isn't the dictionary definition, this is the Reagan definition based on my understanding of Scripture and this word. Here's how I would define slander. And unjustly, now we'll come back to that here in just a little while, but unjustly harming the influence and or reputation of someone else by our comments, whether true or false, about them to others.
So we talk to somebody else, and in talking to someone else about this third party, we're harming their reputation. We're harming their influence by recounting these events or these actions that they've taken, whether that be true or false, we're harming their influence and reputation unjustly. And if this is the sin most closely associated with the devil, which I believe it is, I've decided to use the devil as the example tonight.
Though there are a number of passages condemning slander in the Old and New Testament, and examples of slander throughout the Bible, Old and New Testament, I want us to very simply look at two clear examples of the devil's slander and then make application, um, to what that might look like in our lives as well.
So I want us to look at these two examples and the first is found in Genesis chapter 3. You'll turn there in your Bible. The devil's slander against God in Genesis chapter 3. Now we know he was a murderer from the beginning. We know that he was a liar from the beginning. That he is the father of lies.
But I would suggest that this sin of slander is also found right there in Genesis chapter 3. And though the devil is a liar, um, he is not above saying something that is true, that if it fits his purposes, if somehow he can deceive even through the truth. And I think that's what we see with the slander against God that we find in Genesis chapter 3.
Read with me beginning there in verse one. Now, the serpent, again, this is another name for the devil or Satan that is, uh, again found in the book of Revelation. The serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, As God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden.
Now, already we see that the devil is just changing a few things in order to try and deceive. That is, God said, you can eat of every tree of the garden except one. The devil says, hey, did God say you couldn't eat of any of these trees, every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.
Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not, surely. Now that's a lie. They began to die physically. They did die spiritually when they partook of this forbidden fruit. But I want you to look there in verse 5. It goes beyond just a lie that the devil tells. He also tells a version of the truth in verse 5.
But in so doing, he's going to slander God. Notice verse 5, 'For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.
And she gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, They saw they were naked, they hide from God, and ultimately they are kicked out of the garden and do not have access to the tree of life because of their What is the devil doing in verse 5? The devil is slandering God's character, though the statement is technically true.
God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Thumbs up if that statement is technically true. Absolutely. It is true. But what he is doing here, the implication, is that God is selfishly withholding something good from them. And so the devil takes this true thing, And he turns it into something that is slanderous against God by implication.
And so we learn something from this account, that slander can appear innocent, as the serpent appears innocent here. He just asks the question, has God indeed said this? He makes a statement that is technically true. But in so doing, God says this. He is leaving an impression about God that is wholly inaccurate.
And slander, likewise, in our lives can appear innocent. But it leaves an impression on someone that is more than just a recounting of events or actions. It is our interpretation of those events or actions. That assigns motives and intent and condition of the heart. This is what they said, this is what they did, this is what happened.
And I am implying, or maybe even coming out and stating, this is what I believe is in their heart because And what happens because of this slander the devil has against God? Well, it destroys the relationship that God had with Adam and Eve. And the influence that God had over them in His goodness, saying, I am giving you every tree in the garden.
That influence and God's reputation, if you want to think about it in those terms, is destroyed in the mind of Adam and Eve because of the slander
Now this is true, not just, uh, not just when Satan is talking about God, but also when Satan is talking about people. God is just being selfish. He says in Genesis chapter 3,
And then slanders the man Job's goodness in Job chapters 1 and 2. So that's our second example. Turn to Job chapter 1, if you would. Job chapter 1.
And we're starting to get a very clear picture of what this slander is and what it does in destroying influence, reputation, and relationships. Okay, begin reading with me. Um, Job chapter 1, beginning in verse 6. Now there was a day When the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them, the adversary, the accuser.
And the Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? So Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it. Oh, you know, nowhere in particular, just going back and forth. Again, appearing innocent. Uh, at least thinking that he is. Then the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered, my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?
Well, what is God doing here in regard to Job? Would we not say that he is praising him? Well, keep reading. Verse 9. So Satan answered the Lord and said, Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
But now, stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not lay a hand on his person. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. Notice, God is praising Job and the devil is slandering him from the same event.
There is no disagreement about Job's prosperity or the way Job is serving God at this time. The disagreement is upon Job's character and reputation and why he is doing those things. Now what is true about what the devil says there in verse 10? Well, God had built a hedge of protection around Job. But again, it was not the events that was the issue, but the interpretation of those events.
The devil was reading the heart of Job based on his understanding of what was happening. The devil is saying, the only reason why Job is serving you is because you've built a hedge around him. And God had indeed built a hedge around him, but as we'll go on to see, if we were to read through the rest of the book, that is not the reason why Job was serving God.
He was a man of integrity, whether that hedge was there or not. I want you to think about the audacity of Satan's slander here. Uh, have you ever had someone try and correct you on something that you were an expert on and they knew nothing about? You ever had that? Um, I had an example, but I just heard Jesse make a noise in the third row up there, huh?
Uh, I don't know how many times I've come up to Jesse and said, Hey Jesse, why is the light on such and such street this long? Why is this road being worked on? Why is that bridge in this place? All these sorts of things. I can imagine the frustration that he must have with me and a million others. Because he's an expert on all that.
He knows the reasons for all that. And I am not, and sometimes I like to think I am, but I am not, and neither are you. Have you ever had that experience? You're an expert on something, and then somebody comes and they act like they know everything, when it is clear, by what they're saying, that they actually don't.
Who was the expert on the heart of Job? if not God, the one who saw it and knew it and created it. And here we find Satan coming to God as if he could tell God something about man that he didn't already know. His creation created, created in his image. He knows everything about man. And now Satan is going to tell him about it?
You've been deceived, Satan says. You think he's nice, but he's just as selfish as all the other of mankind. He's serving you for what he can get out of it. Now Job, we are told earlier in verses 1 through 5, is the very best of the east. Um, with his wealth, certainly, but also with his uprightness and righteousness.
And this is the one that Satan accuses? I mean, Satan's not very smart, actually, if you think about it. I mean, there's a lot of other people he's been better off accusing. And we see the wisdom in God that God was the one that brought Job up to begin with. This slander was never going to work on God because God knew Job's heart.
And I think there's a lesson to be learned there as well. God knew Job intimately. And so slander against him wasn't going to make some big impression coming from the devil. And so, too, slander usually doesn't work when someone's character and reputation is well known and proven to us. In other words, if somebody came to me and said, I got to tell you about that Harold Hancock thing, You know, that is just the most arrogant, prideful, worst man I've ever met in my life.
I mean, somebody can say that, but it's not going to make an impression. I know those things to be untrue. They could even come and say, you know, one time there was this instance, this circumstance, and Harold did this, or he said that, and based on that, this is why I don't think he's a very good person.
Well, what, what am I going to do? I'm going to look at those events and say, you must be mistaken. You misread the events. You, you, you didn't understand correctly because I know Harold, and I know his character, I know his reputation. I know who he really is because I have that relationship with him. But, what if it was someone that I didn't know well?
What about when someone recounts something about someone else and we do not know them well? or if we already have a somewhat negative view of them and now this person is coming and just confirming what we're already kind of, sort of thinking to be true about someone. It is in those moments that slander can really be effective in terms of what the devil is trying to do in causing us to sin and harm the reputation and influence of others.
The devil doubles down in chapter 2 beginning in verse 1. Job, we're told in chapter 1 did not sin or charge God with wrong despite all the terrible things that Satan, the devil, does to him. And so in verse 2, again there was a day when the, excuse me, verse 1 of chapter 2, again there was a day When the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord.
And the Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? So Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking Back and forth on it. Then the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered, my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil, and still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without cause?
So Satan answered the Lord and said, You're right, I was wrong. No. Skin for skin. Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life, but stretch out your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse you to your, well, Satan says, a worse accusation really than even the first. What is he saying about Job?
That Job is merely selfish in the worst degree. He doesn't care about these people, or his reputation, or his family. All he really cares about is his own physical body. Well, we know that not to be true, of course, about Job, but I, I want you to try, it's always dangerous, I want you to try just for a few seconds here to look at this from Satan's point of view.
This slander makes from Satan's, the devil's, point of view. Um, I don't, I don't know this with certainty because the text doesn't reveal it, but I think the devil really believed what he was saying here. He really believed that this was what, it was in the heart of Job, but Because this is what's in the devil's heart.
The world is just a jungle, and we're just animals. And Satan always attributes human behavior to the darkest sort of motives. And sometimes the devil's right about that. Sometimes there is a darkness in the heart of man, because we have given our hearts over to vile passions, debased mind. But he was not right here.
And again, this isn't about just what happened, it's about the interpretation of those events in this negative sort of way and recounting that to someone else. And though Satan was not successful in his slander toward God, The things that happened to Job here did destroy Job's reputation and his relationship with his closest friends and even his wife.
And so, we have to be careful about slander. Why talk about this sin of the devil and why talk about it from the devil's point of view? There is a maliciousness and dishonesty to what the devil was doing. And here I am on a Sunday evening, um, talking to some of the best people I know. Talking to good and honest and godly people.
So what is the takeaway for us in looking at the devil and his sin of slandering? Well, we can still be guilty of slander ourselves if we're not careful, even as good and honest and godly people. if we are careless in the way we talk about others. If we are careless in the way we interpret events and actions of other people, and then we are careless in repeating those things to other people.
Uh, we're going to have to give an account for every careless word. We know that when we stand before God and we need to be careful about the way we talk about other people. We, like the devil was seeking to do, can destroy someone's influence and reputation in the eyes of those to whom we speak. And we can do that by seemingly Innocent, just recounting of events.
You know, I'm just telling you what happened. And we can do that by seemingly innocent interpretation of those events. This is what I think was going on in this person's heart and mind, because he or she did this or that. In so doing, we can nullify God's purpose. That this person that we're talking about was supposed to fulfill in the lives of others.
Like the devil. You We can destroy relationships, destroy reputations, and destroy the influence that this person could have had on someone else because of the way we choose to talk about them. And I would suggest it is especially dangerous, not when it's coming from malicious and dishonest people who we recognize are children of the devil in that sense.
But it is especially dangerous when slander is coming from good and godly people that we love and respect. Um, I'm using the next example, real life example, with permission. Um, so if you didn't talk to me about this, I'm not talking about you. But I'm not going to use names, um, to protect the innocent and the guilty, I suppose.
Uh, a while back, a Christian that I greatly admire, um, A good and godly person, just like we're talking about, shared a true recounting of events with me about another Christian. And this person told me what happened between them and this other Christian. An interaction that they had had. and how this other person had acted toward them since that event, since that interaction.
And I will tell you, it 100 percent impacted the way I looked at and interacted with this other Christian that they were talking about, that I did not know well because of the level of respect I had for this good and godly person who told me about it. This first person who told me about it called me a few weeks later and said, with a wonderful repentant heart.
I don't know why I told you that.
I think, because I know this person, I think they were trying to warn me to be careful, but they rightly realized that they were interpreting these events in perhaps the most negative way and retelling them to impact the influence this other person would have on me. You want to say they recanted, certainly that's a good description of what they did?
And it's interesting that my relationship with this other person that they were talking about has grown and I've come to see the goodness in this other person as well. That's what can happen if we are not careful about the way we talk about one another. It's dangerous because how can the second person, who is also a faithful Christian, have a normal godly relationship with me when my picture of them has already been distorted?
It can cause disunity and division, even among faithful Christians. We must be oh so careful about how we use our mouths. As the little kid's song that we sing in the back, Oh, be careful, little mouths, what you say. So here are, as we bring our lesson to a close, four resolutions to avoid this devilish sin of slander.
I would. I ask you, I would admonish you to resolve to do these four things, and we will be able to avoid this sin. Now, before I reveal those four things to you, I'll make clear that there are times where we have to talk about other people, because we're warning or whatever the case might be. We'll address that right at the end of the lesson.
So don't misunderstand me in what I'm saying here. I can never say anything about anybody ever. No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that we have to be incredibly careful about the things that we say to make sure it's not slander. And these four resolutions, I think, can help us in accomplishing that purpose.
Number one. May I encourage all of us to resolve to praise people more. Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing if we made it the habit of all of us as Christians, that when somebody's name comes up, we can find something praiseworthy to say about that person. If, as I believe praise is the opposite of slander, what is the best way to avoid slander, to involve our ourself in praise of other people?
To see the good in others. To see the positives about people. Instead of dwelling only on the shortcomings that other people have. Now, is this a Pollyanna, we just ignore, you know, shortcomings that people have and they never get better? No. But how much better would it be if we resolved to praise people more?
If this was what we were doing, we would certainly be naturally less likely to slander others. Number two, I encourage us all to resolve, to interpret the actions of and interactions with other people in the best light possible. As we have illustrated, I think, from these, uh, texts in Genesis and Job, so often it is not a matter of what happened.
We all agree that this is what happened. This is what's going on. This is a true statement, true event. It is the implication and interpretation of those events that often lead to slander. So what if we took the position that I'm going to interpret events in the best light possible? Well, we would be doing exactly what it is that Owen let us in song about a little bit ago.
That we love one another. as God has called us to love one another. Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 13. This will be our last scripture tonight. 1 Corinthians chapter 13. You're familiar with this chapter on love and all the things that love does. Contextually, it's talking about the love between Christians and how love suffers long and is kind and all of these ways that it behaves and does not behave.
But notice especially verse 7 with me, if you would. Love bears all things. Notice, believes all things, hopes all things, endures. Focus especially on those two phrases. Love believes all things and love hopes all things. I think those two things go together incredibly well. That, that love believes all things.
That we believe the best in people. That we, that we believe that people are trying to do what's right. But there's also that hopes all things that I think, I mean, it, it, it tempers it to a certain degree to show that sometimes people aren't doing the right thing, but that's what we're hoping for. That's what we're looking for.
And so we're going to interpret things in the best possible light until we're given no other option but to interpret them in a bad light. Until people have proven. beyond that shadow of a doubt that they are indeed doing something against the will of God. And until that happens, I need to try and give people that benefit of the doubt.
I need to try and interpret things in the best light. Number three, I would encourage all of us to resolve that if we have observed something potentially sinful, to talk to that person before anyone else. Um, this is difficult. This is uncomfortable. Uh, but I think God has admonished us to do that in a number of places in scripture because it's difficult because it's uncomfortable.
as a kind of natural way to help us in avoiding malicious gossip, in avoiding slander. If we will go to this person first, if it's important enough for us to be uncomfortable enough to go to them, then it probably is something that needs to be addressed. But if it's something where we say, you know, I'm just not comfortable enough to go and talk to this person about that, That probably means that it's not something that we need to be talking to someone else.
And if we will all resolve, that if we have observed something, or we've had an interaction where potential sin is taking place, I'm gonna go and talk to that person first, before I do anything else, or before I talk to anyone else. We will be better off, uh, in the things that we do. Now, this does not mean that we can't go and seek wisdom from someone else, that we can't seek godly advice from someone else to help us in those interactions.
What do I need to say? How do I need to go about doing this? Will you come with me? All those sorts of things. All of those things are good and godly. But, if we're just telling someone else to tell someone else, then we may be involved in slander. Which leads us to our last point that addresses that very idea.
May we all resolve not to talk negatively about someone unless there is a very clear, godly purpose for doing so. What is my reason for telling someone else about this interaction? What is my reason for telling someone about these events and giving my interpretation of those events? Is it for the good of the person I'm talking about?
Is it for the good of the person that I'm talking to? Is it for the good of the kingdom of God? Is it good, is it for the good of Christ and His cause? And if it's not, and if I can't say certainly that, um, this is the reason why I'm doing it, I need to be careful about the things that I say. And obviously there are real life examples where that's the case.
Um, many, many years ago, um, I guess I was already married, but um, I knew, uh, of a young lady who, uh, surprisingly got engaged to marry a, a young man. And I knew both of them. I knew her and I knew him. And I knew him to be an absolute jerk. Well, uh, maybe her character wasn't as good as I thought, or whatever the case might be.
Uh, but I, I called her. I called her up and, and I was very, I think, careful in what I said. Uh, but I told her a recounting of events, of the things that were going on. And I said, I just wanted to make sure that you knew about these things. Um, what was my heart? What was my motive? It was to warn her and to help her.
And so I'm not saying that there couldn't ever be an occasion where we call and we talk to somebody even if we're not 100 percent sure about things that are going on. But what I am saying is that this is a devilish sin. And slander is something that we need to be incredibly careful about lest we follow in the same path of the devil.
In destroying reputation, in destroying relationships, in destroying influence, and ultimately, separating people from their God, as the devil did in Genesis chapter 3. Well maybe you're here this evening, um, and you say, of all the times to come, we're talking about slander. There's so many more wonderful things to talk about in the word of God.
And yet I will say this, uh, the devil is crafty. And the devil knows just the right things to whisper to us, to say to us, to put in our path, so that we might be tempted to stumble and fall in so many different ways. And we need to not be ignorant of his wiles. We need not to be ignorant of the things that he is trying to do.
Both so that we don't fall prey to them, But also so that we don't do the same sort of things ourselves. And I am so grateful that though the devil is powerful, and though the devil is crafty, he is not more powerful than God. He is not more powerful than the sacrifice of Christ, and he is not more crafty than God.
than the plain and clear truth that God has revealed in his word. And so if you have heard that truth of what you need to do in order to be saved, in order to be a Christian, don't allow the devil to whisper in your ear, all of the doubts about that, accept that truth and be motivated by that truth to respond in such a way that you can come into a relationship with God.
And if we can help you with that, even tonight, won't you come while together we stand and while we sing.