For Charity Shall Cover A Multitude Of Sins

by Richard St.James

For Charity Shall Cover A Multitude Of Sins

Charity, a particular type of love, is very thing almost as rare as hen’s teeth in these perilous times. This message “hits” and “points” to what is needed in our marriages, in our homes and in our Bible believing churches.

• True Biblical Faith Decreases
• Iniquity Abounds And Love Waxes Cold
• The Opposite Direction: And Above All Things Put On Charity
• The Willingness To Be Wronged
• Seven Things to Add To Your Faith

For Charity Shall Cover The Multitude Of Sins

In this message, For Charity Shall Cover The Multitude Of Sins, it will be shown the direction the Bible believer must go while sojourning here in this world. As one preacher once said: the Christian needs to determine the spirit of the age in a particular matter, and with deliberate action, strikeout in the opposite direction in that particular matter.

Think it over! When you trusted Jesus Christ by faith, you "struck out" in a direction in opposition to the flesh, the world and the devil. "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:" [Ephesians 2:2].

The Bible believer will walk in the face of opposition. His direction will be always against "the current" of "the spirit of this age." In Luke 18, Jesus Christ puts out a rather bizarre question. "Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh shall he find faith on the earth?" Well my friend, will He?

I. True Biblical Faith Decreases

Consider this! True Biblical faith will be almost as rare as hen's teeth in the time just before the translation [rapture] of the church -age saints. This question that Jesus Christ places to His disciples is pointing to an event at the end of the Great Tribulation [Jacob's Trial], which is soon to come. How do we know this? Look at the phrase "Son of Man".

"Son of Man" is used in conjunction with, and in reference to, the nation of Israel. The phrase "Son of God" is not used in this particular passage. Also, the context sets the time as being the tribulation. Look at Luke 17:20-37. Note especially verses 34-36. It is quite commonly accepted by many [erroneously] that these four verses are reference to the church age rapture of the saints. However, careful study will show it to be reference to the nation of Israel at the end of the Great Tribulation.

Remember, Luke 18:8b indicates that Jesus Christ Himself questions whether "faith" will be present on this earth at His second coming. [i.e. at the end of the Tribulation] when He comes to establish His Millennial Kingdom on this earth. This cannot then be a reference to the rapture of the Church [Luke 18:8b], for "Faith" will be present on this earth as long as the church age saints are here. Nevertheless, "Biblical faith" will be rare in the time just before the translation of the church-age saints.

Look all around you, my friend. We see the evidence of the decrease of faith on this earth. Even in our churches, we have the "Laodicean" frame of mind. We are like the Laodiceans in our "faith." You say, "What do you mean by these terms "Laodicean frame of mind" or that we are "like the Laodiceans in our faith?"

Well, let's see. A mans faith will be shown by his works. Do you agree? "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works" [James 2:18]. The Laodicean church's faith produced works that resulted in them being "neither cold nor hot" [Revelation 3:15].

Faith [true Biblical faith] is rare in these times. Why? What has happened? Why is this true? It is because "The Landmark" is removed! The effect on America by the removal of God's landmark, [which is God's English Bible, that Old Black Book of 1611, or any translation thereof] from our land is the reason why we have seen spiritual darkness taking over.

Remember, the undermining of God's true Book [therefore, the one true authority] will result in the ascendancy of the traditions of the anti-church [the mysteries of Babylon] and will end in the New Age delusion. "True faith" will decrease in the face of this descending spiral of events. Remove God's Book and you will soon have faith almost as rare as hen's teeth.

II. Iniquity Abounds And Loves Waxes Cold

Something else will happen when God's word is removed [and replaced with all these "new age" versions]. The ensuing iniquity will cause "charity," or love, to wax cold. "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" [Matthew 24:12]. Oh my! My heart breaks at this. Does not yours? This huge weight of iniquity is in our land. We are "filled" with it. "Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without natural effection, implacable, unmerciful" [Romans 1:29-31]. II Timothy 3 is almost a repeat listing of these sins.

The only form of love, which characterizes our day is found in verse 2 and 4. Men are "lovers of their own selves" and they are "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God." Charity [or Biblical love] has waxed cold. Here we go! Whenever "self" gets into control, "love of self" will be the rule, "pleasures for yourself" will you consume.

Certainly, we can see how, pervasively, and in totality, this nation is "eaten up" with its love of pleasures. The rule today is: "I have to take care of myself first." This is the day where "self" is not crucified. This is the day where "self" is glorified. No more do we seek His kingdom, and thirst for His righteousness. No more do we desire holiness and to please Him. No more do we want to serve others and to put them first. No more do we earnestly "fish" for the souls of men, women and children.

Galatians 2:20 is foreign to us: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me".

Oh, for that to be the truth in our lives! The old self should be crucified and it should be Jesus Christ who lives in you and me! The kind of love that Jesus Christ loves us with is the type of love that is missing almost completely in this world. It is only by the presence of the Bible-believing Christian where "charity" is displayed, that kind of love, which gives of itself without any other motive but for the good of others.

The word charity is defined by the 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary as: “Love, benevolence, good will: that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. It includes supreme love to God, universal good will to men.”

Remember what that preacher said: we need to determine the spirit of the age in a particular matter and deliberately go in the opposite direction in that matter. Well, look at it. We live in a time just before the end of the church age, when men are "lovers of pleasures" and "lovers of their own selves." That is the spirit of this day, and the word of God has it identified. Brethren, we need to go the opposite way. In II Peter 1, we have this "opposite way" revealed. God's divine power has been given to the Christian so that "all things" that pertain unto life and godliness can be obtained by His promises.

It is by the divine power of God through faith that we become the partakers of the divine nature. We became partakers the moment we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" [John 1:12].

Faith is first, and it is by the grace of God that we get saved from the wrath of God, which is to come. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" [Ephesians 2:8]. This faith will be the type of faith where we put our whole trust in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" [Ephesians 1:13].

At the moment we trusted Jesus Christ "through faith unto salvation" [I Peter 1:5], God "sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts"[Galatians 4:6] to dwell and we "were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."

This is the new birth termed "born again" in John 3. There is more. This "divine power of God" has made us "to drink into one Spirit." It occurred the instant you got saved by the "so great salvation" of Hebrews 2:3. It is connected to the event that every believer experiences, that is, being "baptized into one body" [I Corinthians 12:13].

This body is the "spiritual house" of I Peter 2:5. All this happened through faith! Read, Hebrews chapter 11. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

But if you have trusted Jesus Christ through faith you must not stop here. You must grow in grace. "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." In order to grow, you must add to your faith. In II Peter 1:5-7, it is revealed by the Holy Spirit seven things "that pertain unto life and godliness" that every Christian is to add to their faith.

We are first, to add virtue; second, to add knowledge; third, to add temperance; fourth, to add patience; fifth, to add godliness; sixth, to add brotherly kindness; and seventh, to add charity. Now is that not something? We are told by the apostle through the Spirit of God to add seven things to our faith.

Seven in the Bible is the number of completion. Heaven and earth was made in six days and God ceased from His work on the seventh day. There are seven days in a week. There are seven weeks before the Feast of Pentecost, and there are seven months before the Feast of Tabernacles and Day of Atonement.

In the Book of Revelation, there are seven churches, seven bowls, seven vials, seven trumpets, seven candlesticks and seven spirits. God has divided time into seven dispensations in the Bible. Seven is the number of completion in the Bible. The seventh thing to be added to the Christian's faith is charity. "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness." [Colossians 3:14].

III. The Opposite Direction: And above all these things put on charity.

Once the Christian adds charity, which is the seventh thing to be added to his faith; he then is complete: "And ye are complete in him" [Colossians 2;8]. Now the Christian has "all things that pertain unto life and godliness."

Got that, he has all things!!! It is this charity, or that kind of love, which God manifests that is meeting its demise in the hearts of God's people in our land. Charity will disappear when "the love of many shall wax cold." However, there is no lack of an "another" type of love: the love of pleasures or the love of self ["lovers of their own selves"].

Iniquity is pervasively breeding this kind of love today, whereas charity will only grow in prevalence when the Christian by faith obeys God and adds these seven things to his faith. It is when we obey that we can have this wondrous ministry of covering the sins of others. "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins" [I Peter 4:8].

We need an explanation here. I do not mean that we should ignore the sin of others. Yea! I believe the Bible shows the opposite, by giving much exhortation and instruction in this matter. In Jude 3, we are told to "earnestly contend for the faith," [purity in doctrine and practice]. Why would this be necessary except for the presence of sin in the church and in the world? Even the practices and the behavior of the believers at the church of Corinth needed judgment. The Apostle Paul did not want the sin of adultery to exist in the church.

Yes, God wants sin to be dealt with! Read I Corinthians 5: 12-13. Especially note: "Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person." But even here in this case of the adultery in the church, the judgment of God had to be performed with more in view than the maintenance of the purity of the local church.

The ultimate goal, in regard to the offender, was for his good. We read in II Corinthians chapter 2, the instruction given concerning this individual who was guilty of the sin of adultery and who was "put away" [I Corinthians 5:13].

Evidently repentance was experienced by this person and was in danger of being "swallowed up with overmuch sorrow" [II Corinthians 2:7b]. The apostle's great desire was for the restoration of this person by their [the church] forgiving him. "So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him."

Even more than this, it grieved Paul to have to deal with the whole church in judgment concerning their carnality in other matters in his earlier epistle. "For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you." [Verse 4]

This love he speaks of here is charity. Again, this love he speaks of here is the love for others that has its source rooted in God, and expressed at Calvary's cross when the Son of God, Jesus Christ, died for our sins!

IV. The Willingness To Be Wronged

Years ago I heard the statement many times from my pastor at the Littleton Baptist Church that a Christian needs to be willing to be wronged. I am not sure where my pastor got this statement, but it could have been one that old Bob Jones, Sr. used to make to his preacher boys.

Yes, a Christian needs to be willing to be wronged! Charity will always be found at the well-spring of the heart that is willing to put self aside. There is no room for self-love here. Oh, and so great is the charity displayed in God's work on Mt. Calvary. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" [John 3:16].

Brethren, charity is the highest form of love. We need to understand the full import of what Jesus Christ said in Luke 9:23. "And he said unto them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

If you are a "new creature in Christ" [born again], then "self love" and a life characterized as being "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" must not be said of you. You must, in your personal relationships, be constantly mindful of serving others and consciously saying 'no' to self. You must have an attitude of a willingness to be wronged. This means you must overlook the little things that come up in your daily life that others do to you that hurt you.

Some of the things done to hurt you the most will be committed by your loved ones, and quite often the experience for you as a Christian will be other Christians hurting you. You need to just simply forgive. You need to cultivate a fervent desire in your heart to make your human relationships work to the praise and the honor and the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. So put on charity. Clothe yourself with it! Stay in The BOOK! GO the OPPOSITE Way! Be willing to be wronged! "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins" [I Peter 4:8].

Seven Things To Your Faith

"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Charity is the highest form of love!

End of The Age Messages

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[THE BIBLE] This is God's Holy WORD to you and I!

Do you believe it?

The A.V.1611 [or The King James Bible] is God's word PRESERVED in the English language for you and me.
It came from the English Reformation.

This Bible declares that: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." [2 Timothy 3:16]

God's inspired word is preserved in the A.V.1611.

The word "preserved" means maintained inspiration.

"The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in the furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." [Psalm 12:6-7]

[PRESERVE]

You see what God is saying here? GOD promises that no matter what man does, even with his corrupting influence in all these Madison Avenue money-making productions, which have resulted in over 200 "new" English translations of the Bible in the last 100 plus years, HE WILL [in spite of the scholars] "PRESERVE THEM FROM THIS GENERATION FOR EVER!" Stick with the Book! Amen! Amen! AMEN!

I simply have in child-likeness believed THE BOOK ... no matter how hard things got ... for it has BURNED in my heart for these last thirty-four years.

I have by GRACE not gotten off course either ... for He has held me to Himself.

God is faithful, and I [literally] have taken God at His word concerning 1 Peter 1:5.

"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

And while I have seen the Lord hold me to Himself, I have with sadness watched as many people, churches, Bible colleges and even our nation, are slowly slipping ... degree by degree ... away from THE GOD of THE BIBLE.

Why has this happened?

Could it be, that we can, through unholy alliances, lose something that we never intended to give up?

For me, Rick St.James,

I am to approach THE BOOK, as like a child, with a trusting heart through faith.

I want to line out with that BOOK!

I want this said of me, as also was said of the believers at Thessalonica,

"For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe." [1 Thessalonians 2:13]

What about you?

"Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart" [Psalm 119:2]

They who keep his testimonies have a whole heart.

Their heart will approach God and His Book with total joy and expecting to commune with the Holy God who is infinite, for this purpose:

"Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word" [Psalm 119:12-16]

Will You Come TO Jesus Christ?

Do you believe this scripture, my friend?

Do you sense from within your heart ... the tugging and pulling of the Spirit of God?

The Holy Spirit "will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment."

Are you under tremendous conviction of sin, and are you mulling over within your heart the TWO WAYS in life that lie before you?

You must make a decision.

It is a matter of whether or not to go to THE STRAIT GATE, or to stay on THE BROAD WAY!

Where are you, my friend?

What will you do with Jesus Christ?

Will you flee from the wrath of God, and go to THE DOOR, and Knock?

If you go through this DOOR you will be on location at Mount Calvary which place is where the weight of your sin will drop off your back at the sight of the ONE who died for you, and WHO shed His BLOOD for you.

You ... my friend ... will then ... be on THE NARROW WAY TO HEAVEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!

For Charity Shall Cover A Multitude Of Sins