Christians are not passive participants in this world. Instead, God has called us to push His message of reconciliation forward and against the opposing spiritual forces so that the world may know the love of Christ and that the symphony of nations would glorify God. In other words, the flock is perhaps most protected when doing what they were created to do. In this, living in obedient and humble devotion to God’s Great Commission, strengthening and fortifying the heart takes place—both in individuals and the covenant community of believers.

Often when we think of pastors, we might associate the agrarian function of a shepherd who provides nourishment and physical guidance to his flock with the spiritual leadership of the local church office. When recently asked, “how does a pastor protect the flock?” I found myself initially thinking in terms of the appeal given by Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:13, “Purge the evil person from among you,”—which presumably finds its foundation in the similar refrain found in Deuteronomy, “So you shall purge the evil from your midst.” The danger I began to experience in my mind as I mistook the intention of these passages was a tendency to over-anticipate evil within the camp. Whereas elders are called to deal swiftly with wolves who may be masquerading as sheep, I found myself focusing primarily on the threat of wolfl-y sheep. In other words, I had begun to view God’s people, his children, as the enemy.
The shepherd must keep a close watch on the flock so that sin is not permitted to fester and multiply. I grew up raising livestock and know firsthand the importance of identifying and treating sickness early. When I was little, I remember one of our animals contracting pink eye, and as quickly as possible, we had to quarantine the infected to protect the healthy. Understandably in the days that followed the initial discovery of sickness in one animal, all others were watched closely. Medication was prepared. A plan for additional quarantining was established. But in all this anticipation, we would never entertain the worst-case scenario—a premature “downsizing” of the herd. There was, in other words, long suffering in devotion and care for the animals’ well-being and the obvious reality that they weren’t the problem at hand.
In contrast to the illustration of sickness in the herd, we also encountered actual threats from outside predators. When wild animals were known to be in the area, our concern was simple—intrusion and subsequent death. And on the few unfortunate occasions such a breach occurred, we had to act swiftly “to purge the evil from [our] midst.” In all of this, the biblical principle is demonstrated analogously: the threat to the flock originates on the outside. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” The real enemy from whom the church needs protection is the ancient serpent with his legion of followers.
Protection as Biblical Calling
How, then, do the Scriptures practically frame the ministry of protection assigned to elders? It would seem the calling of an elder to protect involves two specific exhortations: 1) protect the sheep from the false teachings of the enemy—myths and heresies—and 2) protect the sheep from the false comforts of the enemy—sin and ungodliness.
Protect the Truth of the GospelFirst, the pastor is called to protect the flock from false teaching. Paul, in his first recorded letter to Timothy, urges his pastoral protégé to prevent “certain persons” from teaching any “different doctrine” and to keep them from devoting themselves to “myths” and “endless genealogies.” As Paul says, the result of such deviations will result in “promoting speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.”[1] In other words, the integrity of the gospel, as the center point of one’s trust in God, becomes crippled when impure theology spreads within the church.
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We do not earn our salvation or even maintain our standing before God. Rather this commandment now becomes a way to honor the One who saved us and testify of his goodness out of love. Because of what Christ has done, stony hearts that formerly suppressed the truth have been replaced with hearts of flesh that learn to love God and his Word. The Holy Spirit is at work, changing our desires and renewing our minds to esteem others in our attitudes and speech. And when we do sin, we can run to Christ as our only hope. 

At face value, the 9th commandment could be read as merely a prohibition against committing perjury or lying under oath. However, this commandment encompasses so much more. According to both the Westminster Shorter and the Baptist catechisms, “The ninth commandment requires the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbor’s good name, especially in witness bearing.” This “promoting of truth” is fleshed out even further in Q&A 144 and 145 of the Westminster Larger Catechism (WLC), which discuss the duties required and sins prohibited by this commandment. It leaves no stone unturned regarding the thoughts and heart motives that fuel our speech in addition to the actual words themselves. “For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45) We will also stand before God on judgment day and give an account for every idle word, which is convicting and sobering. (Matt. 12:36)
When I first read these sections in the WLC, I immediately thought of the toxicity of social media and the ease with which fake news is spread far and wide. If there ever was an environment that spurned the 9th commandment and encouraged its breaking, this is it. But while it is easy to point the finger out there, I need to ask myself, not if, but where have I broken the 9th commandment? Are my words motivated by a desire for my neighbor’s best, or am I cold and indifferent? Are my assessments impartial with every attempt to portray the situation as accurately as possible to the best of my ability, or are they biased to put myself and my interests in a more favorable light?
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If you are someone who claims the name of Christ, and who is mulling over the idea of ending your own life, know these truths: you are being tempted by Satanic lies and what you are contemplating is a grievous evil. Jesus knows and feels your pain. His body, the Body of Christ, is here to lift you up out of this pit. Leave your pride behind and cling to His body and His Church. You must only abandon your pride.

Every year around Christmastime, my family commenced a tradition of watching Frank Capra’s iconic film, It’s a Wonderful Life. I’ve continued the tradition with my wife and daughter, usually viewing the classic either on the day we cut down our Christmas Tree, Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day. I’ve always loved the movie; to me, the film has never gotten old or boring. I find that each viewing presents a new impression or lesson.
Several years ago, we watched It’s a Wonderful Life as usual. I always get misty-eyed at the final scene of the movie: “To my brother George, the richest man in town.”
But this viewing was different. One scene hit me so hard I started sobbing. Those familiar with the movie will know the scene (and those not familiar should stop reading this and go watch it): After jumping into a river to save Clarence, the angel charged with keeping him from taking his own life to provide an insurance payout for his family, George Bailey says, “I suppose it would have been better if I was never born.”
George Bailey’s self-assessment resonated with me, His plan to kill himself for insurance money cut me to the core. I was crying because, lately, I was wrestling with some similar thoughts. Although, I was lamenting that I didn’t have an insurance policy to leave my family.
Like George Bailey, I was tempted to believe that my situation, my family, and the world would be far better if I weren’t around.
The Accuser Of The Brethren
Revelation 12:10 refers to Satan as the “accuser of the brethren”, which Satan proves himself as in the Book of Job. The devil’s goal is to cause Job to curse God to His face. While Satan fails in this task, Job is assaulted by despair from every possible angle. His own wife chides him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9) after losing his children, wealth, and finally his health. We can only imagine the intense level of grief and hopelessness Job experienced during those seven days of silence with his “friends”.
And yet, Satan’s accusation turns out to be unfounded. Job never curses God at any point. He sinks into sorrow and questions God, but doesn’t become defiant. In fact, Job maintains his integrity (Job 27:5).
Most of us don’t find ourselves in situations as traumatic as Job’s. But like him, we can experience the accusations of the Devil. Particularly when we’re living through desperation. One of Satan’s classic ploys is to convince us that because of our circumstances, shortcomings, or general misery, we ought to “curse God and die.”
Often this culminates in a final act of taking of one’s own life.
An Epidemic Of Emptiness
The United States saw the most annual suicides ever recorded in 2023 – over 50,000. To put this statistic into perspective, this means that more than 1 in 1,000 people kill themselves every year. This rate is increasing, too. We will soon arrive at a point where everyone knows of someone who has perished by their own hand. In the US, white male adults make up the overwhelming majority of suicides: upwards of 70%.
The proposed causes usually focus on the availability of guns or social media influence. Most theories do not focus on root causes. Some common sentiments and circumstances that lead to thinking in this dark, dangerous way include the following: the dissolution of a marriage or family relationship, seemingly insurmountable financial situations, the loss of a job, failure in overcoming addictive sins, the destruction of one’s reputation, despair at the state of one’s nation/community/family, or the feeling of powerlessness to deal with any of the forementioned things.
“I’m A Failure”
Often, it’s the everyday strife and struggle that brings one to the edge of the cliff. Men, especially middle-aged family men, are more likely to commit suicide. There are a variety of societal explanations for this, but in an anti-masculine society, it’s no surprise that many men feel powerless to stand against what they see as insurmountable odds.
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