The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Timothy 5:24-25, “The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after. 25 Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.”

A fire storm has developed with respect to the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. An otherwise little known university professor has suddenly thrust herself into the situation with accusations against the Judge’s character –accusations which the Judge categorically and uniquivoculately denies.

While the Apostle Paul could not possibly adjudicate a situation occurring centuries removed from his lifetime, he does lay down a principle that is applicable to every situation in every generation: namely, the good that people do is open and evident to others. It is not concealed; it does not need to be argued in a court of law. Good deeds done to the benefit of others are open for everyone to see and inspect.

At the same time, the sins that men commit cannot be concealed, either. Certainly, all sins that have not been forgiven will one day be judged by the LORD. Some sins may be concealed from view for a time, but there is a day of reckoning in which even the evil thoughts of mankind will be open to the view of others. Since no one is without sin, how can we escape God’s righteous judgment?

Repentance means to “change the mind,” to change the direction of the will that affects the actions of the life. Repentance is not a flippant “I’m sorry,” with the meaning, “I’m sorry I was caught doing wrong.”

Rather, it is the open admission of having have done wrong, coupled with the strong and honest determination not to engage in or repeat any activity that is contrary to the will of Almighty God.

Barnes expresses it all quite clearly. “There will be amazing developments in the last great day; and, as it will then be seen in the revelations of the secret deeds of evil that human nature is corrupt, so it will be seen that there was much more good in the world than was commonly supposed. As a large portion of the wickedness of the earth is concealed, so, from the necessity of the case, it is true that no small portion of the goodness on Earth is hidden. Wickedness conceals itself from shame, from a desire better to effect its purposes, from the dread of punishment; goodness, from its modesty, its retiring nature, and from the want of an opportunity of acting out its desires; but whatever may have been the cause of the concealment, in all cases all will be made known on the final trial — to the shame and confusion of the one class; to the joy and triumph of the other.”

May our good and gracious LORD work with us in producing lives that are glorifying to Him!

Praying daily for ourselves and for you,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”