The old and cherished hymn poses the question above and gives the Biblical affirmation following: “There is power in the blood.”

I read that studies have been conducted in prisons to determine the most likely times for most prisoners to try to escape who have been incarcerated.  It was discovered that the most attempts are made in the first few weeks after being imprisoned, with fewer and fewer desires evident as time passed. The conclusion being that the longer the men were not free, the less they desired to be free! I learned something else along this line from reading about hostages during the Iran Contra era we all heard so much about during the Reagan administration:  Hostages actually form an attachment, a bond if you will, to their abductors and captors.  Often battered  women and children will latch on to and defend the man who beats them unmercifully! Isn’t this a strange phenomenon?

 When Jesus came to make salvation possible to men lost in sin and error, He recognized that “..men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God” (John 3:19-21).

I have often pondered why new converts often seemingly have much greater zeal for the lost and a much greater hunger and thirst to learn more of the truths of the word of Christ than sometimes characterizes those who are older in the faith (Matthew 5:6; John 8:31-32). This is just the reverse of how it ought to be (Hebrews 5:12-14; 1 Peter 2:1-2). New converts are “on fire  for the Lord” and feel that they can surely reach many others for Christ, especially their own family members, and so as they get to work in earnest in attempts to do so and often meet with defeat after defeat as those whose minds the “god of this age has blinded” reject their efforts to convert them, often speaking sharply to them for even attempting (2 Corinthians 4:1-4). Soon they back off and join the ranks of those silent or secret disciples, who continually violate (2 Timothy  2:2;  Hebrews 5:12-14; Acts 8:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10).

The more one dabbles in sinful attitudes and practices which enslave, the less one is attracted to holy and righteous living and to others who live godly lives.  The old adage “birds of the feather flock together,” comes to mind. The lives of the righteous chaff on those living ungodly as  did  Noah’s before the flood (Hebrews 11:7b). Often the ungodly will begin taking unfair “pot shots” at the righteous, trying to bring them down to their own level. Paul warns us not to be deceived, saying “evil associations corrupt good  morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). My grandma used to say “If you lay down with the dogs you are bound to get up with the fleas.”

God gave man a built in monitor known as the conscience.  I heard this likened to the little gadget that for a few years could be found on the car odometer that could be set to buzz if one got above a certain speed to warn us lest we get ticketed for speeding.  Sometimes folks would turn it up above the place where it should have been set to warn, and no warning would then be given. Some folks do much the same with their conscience they keep overriding it or setting it higher so the sins they are committing don’t bother their conscience and finally one day (they couldn’t tell you when themselves) their conscience no longer bothers them at all when they sin. Paul said “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians  6:7-8).  We are  the servant of  whosoever we yield ourselves as servants to obey (Romans 6:16). Peter said “by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage” (2 Peter 2:19). It is difficult for one to admit to being a servant of Satan, but since there are only two Masters to serve; two paths to travel through life; two deaths to die; two destines to achieve, we are each serving either Christ or Satan. Each is either on the broad way to destruction or the narrow way to life; We are in the Lord or out of the Lord; Therefore, heaven or hell is to be our destination (Matthew 7:13-21; Ephesians 1:3).  Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who gatherers not with Me scatters abroad” (Matthew 12:30).  There is no neutral position. Pilate found this out when he attempted to absolve himself of having a part in the crucifixion of Christ by washing his hands in a basin and saying he would have no part in this. Still, he turned Jesus over to the mob. (Matthew 27:24). Who can believe that he was “innocent of the blood of this just person” as he claimed?

Paul spoke of folks who would engage in certain ungodly activities due to a seared conscience in (1 Timothy 4:2). The wise man, Solomon wrote by the wisdom God gave him the following concerning the wicked: “His own iniquities shall take the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin. He shall die for lack of instruction; and in the greatness of his folly, he shall go astray” (Proverbs 5:22-23). Because men are prone to become hardened to the proclamation of the truth when given opportunity to hear and obey, the wise man said “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, I find no pleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

This hardening works both before conversion as well as afterwards. The continued  rejection of the will of the Lord in one’s life leads to a hardened heart incapable on acceptance after a time. This is what prompted the Hebrew writer to pen the following words: “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end” (Hebrews 3:12-14). See also (Hebrews 6:4-6)! If you haven’t “obeyed the gospel,” if you believe, you should obey now! (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9; 1 Peter 1:22-25). If you have obeyed but aren’t living faithfully for Christ, repent before it is too late and get back into active service lest the latter end be worse than the first (2 Peter 2:20-22; 1 John 1:9).

For truth to make folks free as it has the capacity of doing, one must first learn the truth. God has ordained that man have a part in teaching his fellow man the way to life eternal. God’s method, as well as God’s message, is often considered as foolish to those who reject the same. Nevertheless God in His divine wisdom chose “preaching” the gospel to save the lost and to edify His children (1 Corinthians 1:18-21; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; John 6:44-45; Romans 10:8-17; Mark 16:15; Romans 16:25-26; Ephesians 3:8-11). Believing the truth isn’t optional, it is imperative!  (Hebrews 11:6; John 8:21-24; Mark 16:16).

Learning and believing the truth isn’t sufficient of itself, one must be obedient to the commands which truth reveals (Acts 2:22-38, 40-41; 1 Peter 1:22-25).  Having become obedient from the heart to that “form of doctrine” the apostles and others taught (Romans 6:3-6; 6-18), one must now “walk in said truth” to live pleasing to Christ (2 John 4; 3 John 4; 1 John 1:1-7).

Christ has ordained that every saved person identify with a faithful local congregation of His people and there work and worship under the oversight of godly men known as elders (Acts 14:23; Philippians 1:1-2; Acts 20:17, 28-32; 1 Peter 5:1-5; Hebrews 13:7,17; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-11; Acts 9:19, 26-28).

As we often state it, “there is no organization larger, smaller, nor other than  the  local congregation authorized for church work and worship.”   The passages in the previous paragraph give the total organizational structure for the churches of Christ. The church universal has only one “office,” and that is Christ is its head (Colossians 1:18). No Christian can be faithful to Christ who refuses to identify or “join”  if you will, a faithful local congregation of the Lord’s people and there labor as a member (Acts 9:19-20, 26-29).