Lincoln's Corpse

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
— John 10:10

“In the fall of 1876, just 11 years after his assassination, there was a plot to steal President Lincoln’s remains from Oak Ridge Cemetery and hold them ransom in the Indiana Dunes.” — National Park Service, Department of the Interior, United States of America

Election Day, November 7, 1876. Three men (Jack Hughes, Terrence Mullen and Lewis Swegles) enter Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois under the cover of election chaos to steal President Abraham Lincoln’s body. Little did the others know that Lewis Swegles was an confidential informant of the Secret Service. However, the Secret Service was not there because of Presidential security. They were tasked, at this point in history, with the security of the Treasury Department and were on the trail of a counterfeit plot undermining currency in the United States.

In October 1876, a prominent engraver for Chicago counterfeiters named Benjamin Boyd was jailed at the nearby Joliet penitentiary. This threatened the operations of Irish-American crime boss Jame "Big Jim" Kinealy. In turn, he recruited Jack and Terrence for a plot to steal the body of Abraham Lincoln. They were to steal it, transport it 200 miles to the Indiana Dunes and hide it. At which point, a ransom call would be made for $200,000 and the pardon of Benjamin Boyd.

Jack and Terrence couldn’t keep their mouths shut at the saloon. Swegles joined the team shortly after and alerted the Secret Service who were working with the Pinkerton’s Detective Agency to stake out the tomb. The criminals successfully broke into the tomb, moved the coffin and then sent Swegles out to get the wagon. Spooked in the downtime, Jack and Terrence fled the scene. They were arrested 10 days later in the same saloon where they spilled the beans in the beginning.

The authorities were unable to prosecute Jack and Terrence on charges of stealing a corpse, as there was no 1876 law against it in Illinois. Instead, they prosecuted them on the crime of stealing a casket valued at $75. Jack and Terrence were sentenced to 1 year in jail for their crime.

My point to the story, besides I love history, is the low opinion most people will feel towards Jack and Terrence (I used their first names to keep it more personal). The appalling idea of stealing a national hero’s corpse for ransom towards furthering nefarious acts. What were they thinking? Often times, we are no better.

How many times do we try to negotiate, barter, trade with and attempt to hold God at ransom through the death of His Son? We understand the forgiveness that comes through the cross. We appreciate all our sins were in Him on the cross. So, we are tempted to wager with God. I will do “X”, if you will do “Z”. I will give up “A”, if you will give me “B”. Just let this happen and I promise… Look at the good I’ve done, isn’t that worth… Help me, and I will be good. I promise, I’ll never ask for anything else again!

Negotiating with God in this way is no better than stealing Lincoln’s body. You won’t be charged with desecrating His corpse, for no corpse exists. At best, you are wagering on an empty tomb, i.e. a hole in the ground and nothing more.

Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” His death was for the world, but it did not save the world. It is only His life that saves those who believe in Him.

If a man dies of cancer, he has two problems. Cancer and Death. If you cure the cancer, he is still dead. If you bring him back to life, he will just die of cancer again. To save him, you have to cure the cancer AND give him life. The same is true for all of us. We are dead in our sin. We needed a cure for sin: the cross. But we also need LIFE.

You cannot negotiate with God to be “good enough.” You cannot trade with God to find an acceptable path to heaven on your own. Forgiveness is there for all. But, you need life. Not yours. His life.

Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” There is only one trade you can make to receive that gift; you must trade your life for His. No other trade is acceptable.

Everything else is an attempt at theft; no different than the crime boss’s attempt to steal Lincoln’s corpse. It’s just an attempt to keep your own world with God’s forgiveness. It doesn’t work that way. However, God will not condemn you for stealing a meaningless coffin. Neither will He accept anything less than the perfect life of His Son. Forgiveness is essential, but life was the purpose. It is only found in Christ.

My challenge for this week is to evaluate where I’m trying to negotiate with God, rather than doing a divine trade of my complete life for His. He came that we might have life! I pray that I would seek the path of His life over creating a life of my own stealing coffins from the graves of dead men (no matter how great they might be). Salvation is not primarily a sin issue; it is a life issue. I’m not just asking if you believe God forgives. I’m asking: have you found life in Jesus Christ?

If not, I would love to connect with you. Please reach out!

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Postscript: Following this incident, Robert Todd Lincoln had Lincoln's body moved multiple times before being permanently interred in an iron cage under 10 feet of concrete below the burial floor of the Lincoln gravesite at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois.

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Cracked Pots & Broken Glory

“And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying “my own hand has saved me.”’” — Judges 7:2

Gideon had a problem. The problem was he was too powerful. As a judge of Israel and going against the Midianites, God wanted to make sure the victory was attributed to Him, not their own hand. He chose Gideon; the least in his father’s house from the weakest clan of the tribe of Manasseh (Judges 6:15). Yet, Gideon rallied thousands to his banner.

In response, God deemed he had too many under his command. He put forth a test to narrow down the field of eligible warriors. He brought them to a river to drink. Those who went to their knees were eliminated. Those who “lapped the water like a dog” were accepted. Leaving Gideon with 300 warriors to fight the battle.

This brings up an extremely controversial passage as to the nature of the 300. Many, many Biblical scholars believe that these were the warriors that stood by the river, ready for war, and lifted the water to their mouths to lap like a dog from their palms. The others kneeled in submission and drank. But dogs do not lift water to their mouth with their paws!

I am much more inclined to Josephus’ interpretation that the 300 “valiant” men were those that threw themselves to the ground and put their mouths to the water like a dog. Those that were wholly unprepared for battle. As Josephus states, “…but for all those that drank tumultuously, that he should esteem them to do it out of fear, and as in dread of their enemies.” In other words, the losers!

God’s purpose was to show that He would win the battle! Why then would he choose the elite soldiers of Gideon’s force. He chose the lowest man, in the lowest tribe, with the lowest number of troops, who, in my opinion, were the lowest, and said, “Now! Let’s go fight!”

And fight they did not! Rather, God instructed them to take a trumpet and a torch hidden in a pot. Then, at the command, everyone was to blow the trumpet, break the pots, reveal the torches and utter the battle cry. The Lord then turned the Midianites against themselves. In utter panic, they fought themselves and struck down their fellow soldiers allowing Gideon’s men to chase them in retreat and win the battle and the war.

I find this to be one of the most encouraging stories from Biblical history. The nobodies in mass being on the winning side of a battle simply by being obedient, breaking their pots and letting their light shine.

Make no mistake, if you are in Christ, so shines the Light in your cracked pot! The world might not see it. You might be stalking around in the darkness trying to find your position. You might be the worst of the worst when it comes to spiritual warfare, but the light still shines. It is within you and craving to break forth into victory. Blow the trumpet! Send out the shout! Throw down the cracked pot of your being to be broken before the Lord and the light will shine forth!

Brokenness is simply coming to the point where you are able to say, “I have nothing to offer that is worthy of Your name. I have nothing to give. Nothing to claim. Nothing. I need you Lord!”

The greatest news for us cracked pots is “God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27). And no matter how cracked we are, if we are willing to put ourselves into the hand of the Potter, all will be well. “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make” (Jeremiah 18:4).

While there is much shame that often comes with being a cracked pot, the answer is not some sort of spiritual glue to try and hold things together. The answer is to throw down the clay vessel of our lives at the feet of Jesus. Be completely broken before Him. And to let His light shine in our place. The victory is always His. Not ours.

My struggle for today is what shards of the cracked pot am I trying to hold on to in my arrogance? Am I prepared to throw them down and let the Lord’s light shine in their place? Am I willing to put all my being into the Potter’s hand and let Him make me anew into a vessel that is pleasing in His sight? There is no doubt I’m a cracked pot. Am I willing to be broken for His glory?

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Parrots and Pigeons

“And He said, ‘Go, and tell this people: “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.”’”
— Isaiah 6:9

A man walks into a bar with a parrot on his shoulder. The bartender was concerned and asks, “Is he trained?” The parrot responds, “I am, but I’m not sure about him.”

1 John 4:1 warns us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Yet, we don’t. It takes time and effort to test the spirits. It takes study and dedication to “work out your own salvation” (Philippians 2:12). It takes courage to KNOW where you stand and what you believe.

It is much easier to be a parrot or a pigeon.

Parrots, for all the value they have to produce amusement and jokes, don’t actually know anything. However, if you spend enough time with them, they can learn to mimic words and phrases. They can immediately respond to prompts with coined phrases that elicit wonder at their abilities. But question them further and you will descend into a babbling chant without substance. However, at least they have to learn to speak the phrases.

Pigeons on the other hand (homing pigeons, I mean), don’t even have to learn the words. They simply fly to their point of origin with a message strapped to their leg. Not knowing what it says, much less what it means.

We are a country filled with parrots and pigeons, and more pigeons than parrots. We are a people who “keep on hearing, but don’t understand.” We want a hero. We want to echo someone who says things we agree with in eloquent ways. More than that, with social media, we revel in the fact that we don’t even have to figure out how to say the message ourselves. All we have to do is hit the share button and carry the message home to our friend group. No understanding. No perception.

I speak and write often. Never do I feel more insecure than when someone quotes me. I often feel they missed the point. I strive not to provide the answer. I work diligently to raise the question in hopes that God will provide a greater answer in their life.

Over the past week, it has become obvious to me we are building roosts of parrots and pigeons rather than disciples. People who do not think for themselves. Who do not search diligently for their own understanding. People who at best parrot what others say or, even worse, become the flying rat of a pigeon and transmit a message they don’t understand nor truly believe (but it sure gets the “likes”).

Great teachers will never teach you what to say or how to say it. They will challenge you to ask great questions and develop understanding. As 2 Timothy 2:2 says, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit this to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” It is way beyond agreeing with a message. Understanding is not memorization or parroting quotes. It is developing a knowledge base which enables you to teach others.

We were not called to be parrots or pigeons. For them, all the world is a toilet for their deposits. We were called to be men and women who think. People who struggle for truth and contemplate. Cherished individuals who strive to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)

In the end, the only thing you say that matters is what you fully believe in your heart. Everything else is bird poop! As Romans 10:10 states, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Right before this Paul stated in Romans 10:2-3, “For I bear witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.”

In others words, we should all take account of the words we are sharing with others. Are they formulated from an understanding of God’s righteousness or are they an attempt to create an image of our own? Do we truly believe what we share? Or do we just think what others share is “right”? Have we found our own voice which is built on knowledge and led by God?

We are called to share the Bread of Life. However, far too often, Poli- just wants a cracker (poli- here meaning the public or city). May it never be so with me.

I pray each of us would grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ today. That we would earnestly seek knowledge into who He is and who we are called to be in Him. That we would not be content to share the thoughts of others. No matter how great they are, they cannot replace who God called you to be. Rather, I pray, we would fall at the feet of the Great Teacher, be open to learning, and have the courage to share only the knowledge we find there.

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Forgiveness is a Decision

"And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."
— Ephesians 4:32

Aesop’s fable “The Laborer and the Snake” warns of the limits of human forgiveness. It shares the story of a Snake who builds his home near the door of the Laborer’s house. One day, the Snake bites the heel of the Laborer’s son and the boy dies. In anger and out for vengeance, the Laborer waits to ambush the Snake when he emerges from his hole. In his haste, the Laborer misses and cuts off the Snake’s tail. Then he becomes fearful that the Snake will seek vengeance and bite him. So, he begins to feed the Snake and tries to befriend him.

He finally gets the chance to ask the Snake for peace. The snake responds, “There can henceforth be no peace between us. For whenever I see you I shall remember the loss of my tail, and whenever you see me you will be thinking of the death of your son.”

The moral of the story: “No one truly forgets injuries in the presence of him who caused the injury.”

Forgiveness is hard!

True forgiveness, lasting forgiveness is not a choice. It is a decision. And yes, there is a difference. To make a choice is to select an option available. A choice can be changed. A decision is something completely different.

The word decision has the same root word as incision. Incision means to “cut into” something. Decision means to “cut away” something. In other words, when you make a decision you are cutting away all other options except the one you select. A real decision carries the idea of leaving no options on the table to change your mind later. You have cut them away from consideration.

There are times in our life where we do not need to make a choice, but we need to make a decision. Placing our faith in Christ should be a decision, not a choice. Entering into marriage should be a decision, with all other options cut away. And forgiveness must be a decision.

You will rarely feel like forgiving someone. Forgiveness is most often a decision that goes against everything you are feeling. But we are to forgive as Christ forgave us.

He did not feel like doing it. Read the accounts of him in the garden before his crucifixion. He was in agony to the point of sweating blood. But he made a decision. He forgave. He cut away our sins and removed them as far as the east is from the west. He remembers them no more. And we are forgiven not by anything we do, but by what He did. It was His decision.

We are to forgive the same. We are to make a decision and cut away all other options. We are not to leave the choice of dredging up past injuries against others. To forgive is to cut those away. Take them off the table. Not because the other party deserves it, but because we make a decision to forgive. It is not easy. As I said, forgiveness is hard.

It is too easy to make a choice to forgive and keep the injuries on the table for later. However, true freedom from injury only comes when we make a decision to forgive. It empowers us because it removes us from being a victim of someone else. We take back the power by making a decision over which they have no control.

We are to forgive as Christ forgave. We can’t truly do that without Christ. Our forgiveness rests on His finished work and is extended as we allow Him to work through us. I don’t know about you, but I certainly have some decisions that need to be made. Forgiveness is a decision.

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Confessions of a Nearsighted Man

“He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”

— John 21:17a

I am the master of the confession. I can utter a confession that will acknowledge my part in the scheme and acquit me at the same time. Call it what you will, but I am not alone. Nor is it anything new. We have all honed the skill of confession unto acquittal since childhood, and social media has exacerbated it.

As a child of 10 or 11 years of age, I ran with a ragtag group of ruffians. I was the youngest. My brother was the leader of the gang. We found a caliche pit in which to play. As it was an active pit, there was a dozer and front-end loader in the pit. One day we crawled up into the loader and to our amazement found a collection of “adult” magazines. Needless to say, we returned to explore this discovery several days in a row. Until we got caught.

The operator of the loader didn’t appreciate the significance of our discovery and took offense at the trespass. He drove towards us in his pickup with horn blazing. We quickly scattered and began our assent out of the pit. Unable to catch us, he pulled a gun from the gun rack in the back window of his truck and began firing over our heads. He fully intended to reform our ways for good, not to harm us.

However, rather than reform, we declared war. We returned a couple days later to add to the fuel tank all the sugar we could procure from our homes. Sugar in a diesel tank will certainly clog filters and shut down an engine. It didn’t in this case, but that was not from a lack of effort but rather a lack of supplies. And the fact that they noticed all the sugar around the tank. I’m not proud of this, and I’m even more ashamed with what happened next.

When questioned outside of school by his boss about the episode, I took the lead. I readily confessed to being in the caliche pit with my friends and climbing on the loader. I was guilty and didn’t try to hide it. However, I also spun the tale that we had been shot at and in that telling I felt the bullets were awfully close to hitting home. I didn’t think my dad would appreciate the attempt at our reform. I wasn’t sure where the sugar came from exactly, but perhaps if the operator had spent more time taking care of his equipment and less time looking a his magazines it might help. I confessed and blamed.

However, in retrospect, I didn’t really confess. Confession by definition is “saying the same thing as.” To confess to a crime, you have to admit to doing what the evidence says you actually did. If you don’t say the same thing as the evidence, then you didn’t confess. You might have admitted to doing something, but it is only a confession when what you admit agrees with the evidence.

The same is true in Christianity. To confess means to say the same thing about your sin that God says about it. There is no evading or waffling. It is not about simply admitting guilt. It is about saying the same thing as He does about sin.

Namely, it is acknowledging what you have done. Understanding why it was wrong and the destruction it brings. But it is also acknowledging and thanking God that the sin was in Christ on the cross. It was crucified with Him. Removed from the record. Forgiven! Until we are able to acknowledge all of this, we haven’t confessed.

Peter was confronted with the need for confession face to face with Jesus. After denying him three times, the resurrected Lord confronted Peter (John 21:15-17). Peter, like all of us, could only think of himself and his failure in the moment. He, like all of us, was nearsighted. Jesus asked him three times, “Do you love me?” He didn’t ask him what he did, how he felt about it, was he remorseful or did he understand the ramifications. He simply asked him, “Do you love me?”

Jesus was asking Peter for a full confession! A confession that agreed with the facts. Facts that not only included his betrayal but ended in His embrace. He was asking for a confession of love.

If we understand what true confession is meant to be, we will always end up in the arms of Christ. It doesn’t end in guilt and remorse (although those are mile markers on the road). It ends in forgiveness, grace and love. Never cut your confession short. Follow it into the arms of Christ.

There is much I have done in my life I wish I could take back. However, life doesn’t work that way. I’m left with a very simple choice: carry it the rest of my life with guilt and shame, or carry it to my Savior and lay it down at His feet. True confession always leads to God’s grace.

Anything else is just the confession of a nearsighted man who can’t see beyond himself. One who can’t let go of his own importance. One who trusts his own judgment over that of His Creator’s. 

What is it that you need to confess today? I don’t mean admit to doing, because He already knows. I mean confess — say the same thing about it that God does. To bring it to Him; acknowledge what was done, take responsibility, lay it at His feet, understand it was in Him on the cross, it was forgiven, and rest in His grace. You haven’t said the same thing as God until you realize all of it. You haven’t confessed until you rest in His grace!

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.