Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 9
December 5, 1957
NUMBER 31, PAGE 2-3b

Is Silence Golden?

Charles A. Holt, Florence, Alabama

There is an old adage which says, "Silence is golden." But is it always so? I recently ran across this statement: "Silence is not always golden — sometimes it is just plain yellow!" This really struck me as worthy of further thought.

Certainly "silence is golden" at times. There are times when silence pays rich dividends. Solomon said: "He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction." (Prov. 13:8.) Surely the kind of silence here advised, the control of one's tongue, is "golden" indeed. Peter tells us that in order to "love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile." (1 Pet.3:10.) Silence is certainly "golden" in preference to this kind of speech. How wonderfully "golden" the "silence" would be if all whispering, gossip, backbiting, lying, slander and such like could be forever stopped.

"Silence is golden" also when one is restrained and careful in his speech. There are times when one can say more by being silent! Too many times we may be guilty of saying too much. The multiplicity of words is much in evidence today. No doubt Solomon had reference to such when he wrote: "He that hath knowledge spareth his words . . . . even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding." (Prov. 17:27-28.) It must be agreed that there are times when "silence is golden."

There are other times, however, when silence is not "golden." It is just plain "yellow" in such instances! To remain silent at times is to be guilty of cowardice and results in a failure to do one's duty. It all depends upon the circumstances. How many times in nearly every field of endeavor has it been true that silence could be traced to cowardice? In the service of the Lord this is too many times true. Those who should speak out and warn of danger remain silent because they are afraid! Such silence is far from golden — "it is just plain yellow" and God will hold responsible those who are guilty.

It is the obligation of every preacher, elder and member of the Lord's church to "preach the word ... reprove, rebuke and exhort ..." We must teach people the truth and condemn sin and error wherever it may be found. Sometimes this is not a pleasant nor easy task. At times it will result in trouble and bring opposition to the faithful teacher. No one can please God who remains silent when duty demands that he speak out! Silence is not "golden" in such cases! When sin is winked at, when error goes unchallenged, when dangerous trends and practices are not warned against, the "silence" of those who should speak out is nothing but cowardice. Yet many in the church today are remaining silent when the circumstances demand that they speak up.

Grave issues face the church and the danger of division is on every hand. One is ignorant of the facts or self-deceived who will deny this. Dangers threaten everywhere. The church is drifting. The need of the hour is not for silence relative to these things, but for a faithful and plain declaration of God's will touching every such problem. There is no place for "fence-straddlers," the compromisers and those who "halt between two opinions." Some who claim that they are "still studying the issues" are doing nothing more than hiding under the cloak of silence because of cowardice! The church needs teaching and one who fails to deal with the problems and issues before the church is a coward! Moreover, he lends strength to the forces of evil, and by failing to fight against such, can be counted with the enemies for all practical purposes. By failing to join positively and openly in the fight against present-day innovation and digressive practices, many stand guilty of compromise and cowardice. The Lord will hold them responsible for their failure to teach and warn. Jesus said: "He that is not with me is against me." We are either ACTIVELY for Him or else we are PASSIVELY against Him.

Obadiah condemned some people in his day because they stood by and watched the enemies destroy some of their brethren. God's prophet accused them of "violence against thy brother Jacob." He told them that "shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off forever." Then he tells them why and when they had done that for which they were condemned — "In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, ever thou wast as one of them." (Obadiah 10-11.) By failing to help their brethren in their plight, Obadiah says of them that they were even as one of the enemies!

My brother, what of your responsibility along this line? "Let him that is on the Lord's side say so." Where do you stand? What are you doing in the current fight against innovations and digression? Are you hiding behind the cloak of silence, with the idea that "silence is golden"? No true servant of the Lord can remain silent when God's people are in danger from any quarter. He will, yea, he MUST "cry aloud and spare not" in the exposing of sin and error. Paul could say, "I am pure from the blood of all men," because he was faithful to his trust of teaching people the truth and warning them of error. He was no coward and he did not think that "silence is golden" where error and sin is concerned. He knew that SILENCE is not the antidote to error! While some remain silent, sin and error run rampant over the church of the Lord. It will be too late to say or do anything about such when apostasy has come.

There are those who will say that they believe in freedom of speech and they will condemn the action of some in the church who try to limit freedom of discussion and close their paper to an honest and full discussion of "both sides" of the present controversy. All know that such is not right. But what of the one who condemns this and yet remains silent himself and refuses to deal with error? Is it any worse to try to limit and restrict freedom of discussion to help perpetuate error than to refuse to use the freedom of speech that we have and speak out in condemnation of such? Is one any more an ally to error than the other?

In this present day, when the church is faced with the problems and troubles she is, let us be faithful soldiers, rally to the standard, having put on the whole armor of God, and get into the "thick of the fray" in the battle against evil.

No, definitely not, silence isn't always golden — sometimes it is just plain yellow!