BETTER
THAN THE
ANGELS
A Simple Score of Short Sermons
Giving Glory To God in Christ
BY
ROSCO BRONG, D.D.
Author of "Love Builds Up," etc.
Dean of
Printed by
PREFACE
Matthew
10:34, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword."
Luke
12:51, "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I
tell you, Nay;
but rather division."
So
spoke the Prince of Peace to His disciples, but for more than nineteen
centuries most of them have refused to believe Him. Small wonder that the world
still knows Him not, when He is still betrayed in the house of His
"friends"!
No
character in history is more worthy of our attention than Jesus of Nazareth,
even in the judgment of His enemies. The world is surfeited with false pictures
- in sculpture, painting and literature - of fictitious Christ’. Comparatively
speaking, the record that God has given of His Son is as the voice of one
crying in the wilderness.
The
glimpses of our Savior here presented are gathered from that divine record
which is our only reliable source of information on the subject.
ROSCO BRONG.
TO MY WIFE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ROSCO
BRONG, the author of this book, is qualified to write on Biblical subjects by
many years of study and teaching in this field and by a sincere faith in the
infallible truth of the written word of God. Ordained to the Baptist ministry
in 1934, he has been teaching since 1952 in
Dean
Brong holds the A. B. degree from
Born
March 16, 1908, in
From
1927 to 1944 he assisted his father, the late F. S. Brong, in the publication
of a weekly newspaper, the Licking Valley Courier, at
The
author's experience as a Baptist pastor includes service with churches in
Morgan, Magoffin, Garrard, Owen, and
Dr.
Brong's work at
Another
book of sermons by this author, "Love Builds Up".
CONTENTS
Chapter
I.
Better than the
Angels..............................................1
II.
The Only
Begotten Son............................................7
III.
Flesh and
Bones.....................................................13
IV.
The Way of
Salvation..............................................21
V.
What's the Good
News?..........................................30
VI.
The Door of
Faith.....................................................39
VII.
Faith That
Saves......................................................46
VIII.
Like Precious
Faith..................................................52
IX.
Forgiveness of
Sins.................................................60
X.
Learn of Me ............................................................67
XI.
God Makes Known
a Mystery.................................76
XII.
Saved by His
Life.....................................................81
XIII.
Saved to the
Uttermost............................................86
XIV. Freedom in
Christ....................................................93
XV. Peace in
Christ......................................................100
XVI. Dimensions of
Love...............................................106
XVII. Whatsoever He
Says.............................................112
XVIII.
My Yoke Is Easy
- My Burden Is Light...................122
XIX. From Glory To
Glory..............................................129
XX. Holding Forth the Word of Life...............................136
CHAPTER I
BETTER THAN THE ANGELS
GOD'S FINAL AND PERFECT REVELATION
OF HIMSELF IS IN HIS SON
Hebrews
1:4, "Being made so much better than the angels, as he (Christ)
hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."
The
Christian's life and hope are in Christ. This may seem to many a trite
statement, but there are millions of people who call themselves Christians
while in one way or another they deny the Christ of the Bible. There is no
salvation in a Christ who is no more than a man, and there is no salvation in a
Christ who is no more than an angel. The historical, risen, living Christ is
either Who and What the Bible represents Him to be, or we have no Savior, the
Bible is a book of myths, and we are yet in our sins. I Corinthians 15:17, "And
if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins."
II
Peter 1:16, "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we
made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were
eyewitnesses of his majesty." I John 5:20, "And we know that
the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know
him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus
Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."
In
opening this letter to the Hebrews, Paul points out first that Christ is far
superior to angels, "…being made so much better than the angels, as he
hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." We may
note at least eight definite arguments for this truth.
"MY SON"
The
"more excellent name" referred to is that of "Son," as the
context shows. It is true that angels are occasionally called the "sons of
God." Job 1:6, "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the LORD,...” also redeemed saints are called by
this name. I John 3:1, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be
called the sons of God:.." Christ is God's Son in a sense distinct from
all others. John 1:18, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."
Hebrews
1:5, "For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my
Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and
he shall be to me a Son?"
This
is the very Son of God Who is described in verse 3 as the brightness or shining
forth of God's glory and the character of God's substance. Such language
could be fittingly used of no mere creature, but is perfectly appropriate to
the Son of God.
"WORSHIP HIM"
Verse
6, "...let all the angels of God worship him." Only God deserves to be
worshipped: to worship anyone or anything else is idolatry.
An
amazing phenomenon is the acceptance and approval by supposedly conservative
Bible teachers of the American Standard Version (1901). The infidel character
of that version is revealed in the note on John 9:38: "The Greek word
denotes an act of reverence, whether laid to a creature (as here) or to the
Creator."
As a
matter of fact, the Son of God is not a creature and the Greek word referred
to is never used in the New Testament to denote reverence or worship to a
creature with divine approval. The nearest approach to it is Matthew 18:26,
"The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord,
have patience with me, and I will pay thee all." where the king in the
parable represents God in the interpretation Matthew 18:35, "So
likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts
forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." Compare Matthew 4:9,10;
Luke 4:7,8; Revelation 14:7-11; 19:10, 22:8,9.
But the
Son of God is God Himself, and so the angels of God are commanded to
worship Him.
ETERNAL KING
Unto the Son he saith Psalm 45:6-7, "Thy
throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right
sceptre." Psalm 103:19, "The LORD hath prepared his throne in
the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all." He is essentially
Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for
ever." In vision John saw Him
at His return, Revelation 19:16, "And he hath on his vesture and on his
thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
Surely
those people who call themselves Christians but refuse to obey the commands of
Christ have never seen Him enthroned in their hearts. In due time they shall
surely be exposed for the false disciples that they are. Matthew 28:18, "And
Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven
and in earth."
THE CHRIST
Hebrews
1:9, "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God,
even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."
The word Christ simply means that oil was put on. Spiritually, the title
Christ signifies that the Son of God is God's anointed Prophet, Priest, and
King.
In a
subordinate sense, God's people have an anointing of the Holy Spirit, but Russellite
blasphemers have yet to see that the true Christ was anointed above His
fellows. And on the human side this superior anointing was due to the fact
that He "loved righteousness, and hated iniquity."
THE CREATOR
This
same Son of God is He Who in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth
(verse 10). Through Him God made the worlds (verse 2). John 1:3, "All
things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
So
far is our Lord from being a mere creature
Colossians 1:16, see Greek "For by him were all things created,
that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they
be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created
by him, and for him:”
In
our context (Hebrews 1) we have the bold figure of the very heavens serving
as a mere suit of clothes for the Son of God as Creator - clothes to be
replaced in due time: Verses 11-12, "...they all shall wax old as doth
a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed:
but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail."
THE SAVIOR
No
mere man or angel could even begin to purge one guilty soul from sin, and
another great evidence of our Lord's superiority to angels is verse 3, "...when
he had by himself purged our sins,..." The whole book of Hebrews is a
setting forth of the eternal sufficiency of His saving work.
Acts
4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
THE CONQUEROR
Hebrews
1:13, "But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right
hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?" I Corinthians 15:25,
"For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet."
In a
conflict between great powers, even in this world, there is little or no place
for neutrals. In the spiritual conflict between God and Satan, there is
ultimately no room at all for neutrals: we are counted on one side or the
other, whether we wish it so or not. Jesus Himself said, Matthew 12:30, "He
that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth
abroad." And He is the Mighty
Conqueror Whose enemies are to be made His footstool.
THE JUDGE
Hebrews
2:3, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at
the first began to be spoken by the Lord,..." This same Lord, who came
more than 19 centuries ago as Savior and must reign till He has put all His
enemies under His feet, is also the divinely appointed Judge. The judgment
of men, our own judg-ment of ourselves, must yield to the judgment of the Son
of God.
Acts
17:30-31, "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
commandeth all men every-where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in
the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath
ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised
him from the dead."
This
judgment in righteousness will not be a matter of personal caprice, if anyone
should imagine such a thing in God: John 12:48, see Greek "He that
rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word
that I have spoken, the same
shall judge him
in the last day."
If
you do not know this One Who is "better than the angels," receive Him
as Savior today, lest you fall under the wrath of His judgment.
CHAPTER II
THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON
THE WORD WHO BECAME FLESH
SON OF GOD - SON OF MAN
John
3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Some modern translators have omitted the word "begotten" in
John 1:14, 18 and 3:16,18, a mistranslation pleasing to infidels, but
which cannot change the truth of God's word, as expressed in the Greek and
correctly translated in the King James version, Hebrews 2:10, "For it
became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing
many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings."
GOD FROM ETERNITY
That
Jesus Christ is and always was God is the plain teaching of the Bible. All the
denials of devils and antichrists cannot change this fact. The following
scripture texts referring to Him (as the context shows) need no explanation or
interpretation: the words of the Bible are clear enough:
John
1:1,14, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God ....And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we
beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of
grace and truth."
Isaiah
9:6, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Colossians
1:16-17, "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and
that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and
for him: And he is before all things,
and by him all things consist."
Hebrews
13:8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."
Revelations
1:11, "...I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:..." Compare with these words of Jesus the words
of Jehovah Isaiah 44:6, "... I am the first, and I am the last; and
beside me there is no God." So the Bible plainly shows that the
Jehovah of the Old Testament and the Christ of the New Testament are one and
the same God.
WHEN BEGOTTEN?
Christian
theologians have generally taught that Christ was "eternally
begotten" by "eternal generation," whatever that means. This is
probably true in some sense, but it seems beyond understanding for most of us,
and it is not too clearly taught, if taught at all, in the Bible. It is clear,
of course, that the Son has always existed, equally with the Father.
Some
heretics and antichrists through the centuries, denying the eternal deity of
Christ, have imagined that Jesus was only a man to whom God imparted a more or
less divine nature in a "begetting" at the time of his baptism. Of
course, there is not a word of scripture to support this blasphemy.
There
is, however, a divine begetting of our Savior which is plainly taught in the
Bible: Matthew 1:18, "Now
the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was
espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the
Holy Ghost."
As
Luke tells us, the angel Gabriel said to Mary, Luke 1:35, "And the
angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the
power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
We
may note that omitting the words "of thee," in accord with most of
the manuscripts, we can translate the latter part of this verse as follows:
"Therefore
also the holy thing being begotten will be called the Son of God:"
BOTH GOD AND MAN
In
becoming human the Son of Man did not cease to be God. Matthew 1:23, "Behold,
a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call
his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
I
Timothy 3:16, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifest
in the flesh,..." Mystery as it is, this is
still a vital truth of God's word.
The
angel of the Lord announced to the shepherds Luke 2:11, "For unto you
is born this day in the city of
Again,
Luke gives us a glimpse of Jesus at the age of twelve, referring to God as His
Father. Luke 2:49, "And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me?
wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?".
Not
only at the baptism of Jesus, Matthew 3:17, "And lo a voice from
heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
but also on the mount of transfiguration, Matthew 17:5, "While he yet
spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the
cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye
him." God the Father bore
testimony from heaven: "This is my beloved Son."
Believing
or not believing that Jesus is both
God and man, the Christ revealed in the Bible, makes the difference
between eternal life and eternal death, as Jesus Himself said: John 8:24, "I
said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not
that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."
BOTH MAN AND GOD
In
returning to His divine glory in heaven, the Son of God did not cease to be man.
His glorified body: Luke 24:39, "Behold
my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit
hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." I Corinthians 15:20, "But
now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that
slept." The resurrected bodies of His saints: Philippians 3:21, "Who
shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious
body, accord-ing to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things
unto himself."
Writing
some years after the resurrection and ascension of Christ, the inspired apostle
referred to I Timothy 2:5, "...one God, and one mediator between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus;"
Finally,
when sinful men are brought to eternal judgment, it will be the judgment of
this resurrected, glorified man:
Acts
17:30-31, "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in
the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath
ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised
him from the dead."
MANY BRETHREN
Romans
8:29, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren."
If
we have truly believed in this Christ of the Bible, we are in present
possession of everlasting life. John 3:36, "He that believeth on
the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see
life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 5:24, "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life." John 6:47, "Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." John 10:28, "And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out
of my hand." John 11:26, "And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" etc.
In
the resurrection of the just, even these mortal bodies, of which the flesh now
lusts against the Spirit, will be made immortal and spiritual, fit for the
Spirit's indwelling Galatians 5:17, "For the flesh lusteth against the
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the
other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." I Corinthians 15:44,53, "It is sown a
natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there
is a spiritual body....For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality."
In
this present life, Romans 8:10, "And if Christ be in you, the body is
dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."
I
John 5:12, "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the
Son of God hath not life."
Ephesians
2:1, If you are still "...dead in trespasses and sins;" I beg
you to receive now as your personal Savior the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God
and Son of Man, and enjoy in Him the gift of eternal life. Romans 6:23, "For
the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord."
CHAPTER III
FLESH AND BONES
RESURRECTION OF THE BODY
A VITAL PART OF THE
GOSPEL OF CHRIST
TRUTH VITAL TO SALVATION
Luke
24:39, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me,
and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have."
The
words of this text were spoken by our Lord to His disciples after His
resurrection, when they "supposed that they had seen a spirit."
Surely His words are plain enough for anyone to
understand. For more
than 19 centuries
the bodily resurrection of Christ
has been
a central truth of revealed
Christianity. The great historic fact that provides the only reasonable
explanation and ground of Christian faith. No wonder that Satan has from the
beginning made this great doctrine one of his chief points of attack.
A VITAL DOCTRINE
The
doctrine of the resurrection is not a minor or incidental teaching or theory
that may be believed or disbelieved as a mere whim or fancy. To deny the
resurrection of Christ is to deny His essential deity, Romans 1:4, for
he was "...DECLARED TO BE THE SON OF GOD WITH POWER, ACCORDING TO THE
SPIRIT OF HOLINESS, BY THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD:"
Jesus
Himself staked the truth of His Messianic claims on the one sign of His bodily
resurrection:
Matthew
12:39-40, "But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but
the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in
the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in
the heart of the earth.”
Early
in His public ministry, Jesus asserted His authority by forcibly driving the
money changers from the temple:
John
2:18-22, "Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest
thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto
them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was
this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the
scripture, and the word which Jesus had said."
In I
Corinthians 15, the great "resurrection chapter," Paul, with his
usual clarity and logic, shows under divine inspiration how indispensable is
the truth of the resurrection to true Christian faith. I Corinthians
15:12-20, "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how
say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be
no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not
risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God;
because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not
up, if so be that the dead rise not. For
if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised,
your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ,
we are of all men most miserable. But
now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that
slept." Let fools who will
call the apostles false witnesses of God: we shall see in the end whose word
shall stand.
RESURRECTION DENIED
That
old liar and deceiver, the Devil, began fighting the doctrine of the
resurrection long before the event. He had already persuaded the Sadducees, Matthew
22:23, "The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is
no resurrection..." Now, following the burial of the body of Jesus:
Matthew
27:62-66, "Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation,
the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we
remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I
will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the
third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto
the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than
the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye
have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure,
sealing the stone,
and setting a
watch."
But
Satan outsmarted himself, as usual. We often marvel at the Devil's cunning, but
we may well marvel more at how foolish that low slyness appears in the light
of the simple truth of God's word. If that twisted infernal mind had been able
to believe God's simple truth, he would surely not have gone to such pains to
discredit in advance the lies that the soldiers were later paid to tell.
Matthew
28:11-15, "Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came
into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were
done. And when they were assembled with
the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we
slept. And if this come to the
governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were
taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day."
The original of all the Devil's
attempts to give the
lie to the historical fact of the resurrection. Later attempts of
more modern infidels offer some variation but no improvement on this clumsy
effort to conceal the truth.
A FAKE "RESURRECTION"
But
Satan is never so cunning as when, instead of openly denying a truth of God's
word, he pretends to accept it, but with some perverted "explanation"
which has the effect of destroying it.
So
he has taught "Jehovah's Witnesses" (falsely so called) and other
modern infidels to speak of a "spiritual" resurrection not taught in
the Bible as a fake substitute for the bodily resurrection that is taught in
the Bible.
Poor,
lost, sin blinded dupes of the Devil may like the idea of a bogus resurrection
to float around through space as a bunch of ghosts without form or substance, but
believers in Him Who is the resurrection and the life have a better hope.
Writers
of "Jehovah's (false) Witnesses" have gone so far as to suggest that
the body in which Jesus appeared to His disciples was miraculously created for
the occasion and then as miraculously disintegrated. They do not hesitate to
charge the Son of God with deception and fraud if they may but establish their
own lies.
"THIS IS . . . ANTICHRIST"
I
John 4:1-3, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits
whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the
world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:
Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that
it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
We
may know little yet as to the identity of the great personal antichrist to
come, I John 2:18, "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye
have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists;
whereby we know that it is the last time.'
We
can be sure that every religious teaching against the person and character of
the Jesus Christ revealed in the Bible is a religious teaching of antichrist.
We
can be sure that every spirit that does not agree that the Jesus Christ of the
Bible has come and still exists in flesh is not of God and this is that spirit
of antichrist.
A GLORIOUS TRUTH
It
was His body that Jesus promised to raise from the dead. John 2:21-22, "But
he spake of the temple of his body.
When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples
remembered..."
It
was His flesh that did not see corruption, but was raised up to sit on
David's throne. Acts 2:25-32, "For David speaketh concerning him, I
foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I
should not be moved: Therefore did my
heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in
hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corrupt-tion.
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me
full of joy with
thy countenance. Men and brethren, let
me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and
buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that
God had sworn with an oath
to him, that of the fruit of his
loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was
not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all
are witnesses."
It
was "many bodies" of the saints that slept of whom the graves were
opened; Matthew 27:51-53, "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent
in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks
rent; And the graves were opened; and
many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after
his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."
It
was His body that He showed to doubting Thomas; John 20:27, "Then
saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach
hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but
believing."
And
it was He Himself Who said Luke 24:39, "...a spirit hath
not flesh and bones, AS YE SEE ME HAVE."
WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM
The
Bible reveals little about the resurrection of the lost, but it
will be a resurrection of judgment, to shame and everlasting contempt.
We are more
interested in the resurrection of the
just, who believe Romans 4:25, that He "...was delivered for our
offences, and was raised again for our justification."
In
His risen body Jesus ascended to heaven in plain sight of His disciples; in
that same body He will come again, and every eye shall see Him. Acts 1:9-11,
"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken
up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked
stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white
apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into
heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come
in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Revelation 1:7, "Behold,
he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced
him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."
Meanwhile
our citizenship is in heaven; Philippians 3:20-21, "For our
conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord
Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile
body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the
working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
Read
I Corinthians 15:20-41, "Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that
are Christ's at his coming." "...One star differeth from another star
in glory:" That is, all the
redeemed will share in the glory of Christ, but in different degrees.
I
John 3:2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be
like him; for we shall see him as he is."
CHAPTER IV
THE WAY OF SALVATION
THE BIBLE TEACHES ONLY
ONE WAY TO BE SAVED
IN CHRIST THROUGH FAITH
John
14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Popular
religion nowadays acclaims Jesus of Nazareth as a great leader, teacher, and
martyr, but has no faith in His leadership or teaching or in the purpose for
which He died, according to His own testimony. Such religion is grossly
inconsistent and unintelligent. If the leadership of Jesus is unsafe, if His
teaching is untrue, if He died merely a martyr's death, then (may God forgive
us the supposition) He was either a madman or a fraud. But if, as we know, He
was an honest man and knew whereof He spoke, then it necessarily follows that
He was and is more than a man: "I and my Father are one."
Remembering,
therefore, that God the Son is speaking, let us give earnest heed to what it is
that "Jesus saith unto him."
THE WAY TO HEAVEN
These
words were spoken by our Lord to His disciples in His last discourse before His
crucifixion. He had said: John 14:2-6, "...I go to prepare a place for
you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive
you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye
know, and the way ye know." In other words, Jesus was
talking about the way to heaven, or the way of salvation. Notice the statement, "…whither
I go ye know, and the way ye know." Thomas, like many other
Christians, contradicted his Lord. "...we know not whither thou goest;
and how can we know the way?" Thomas, like many other persons, did not
know what he was talking about, but at least he was willing to learn, which is
more than we can say for some. His heart was in better condition than his head.
He had been to some extent "taught of God," and he was therefore
eager to hear God's word. He was teachable, and so "Jesus saith unto
him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but
by me."
JESUS HIMSELF
"I"
- Notice that Jesus does not say that our good works, our prayers, our
obedience, or our faithfulness will save us; neither does He say that God's
law, God's justice, God's love, God's mercy, or God's written word will take us
to heaven; but "I" - Jesus Himself, the living Christ, is "the
way, the truth, and the life." Romans 5:8, "But God com-mendeth
his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
The soul that rejects this greatest manifestation of God's love will eventually
receive not mercy but justice from Him Romans 2:6, "Who will render to
every man according to his deeds:"
"I
AM" - As God, our Saviour is
the everlasting, self-existing
"I AM," "the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." What
He was when He spoke these words to Thomas, He is today and always will be.
AN
John
14:6, "I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life:" -Jesus
is exclusive: "no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." I Peter 1:24-25, "For all flesh is as
grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth,
and the flower thereof falleth away: But
the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the
gospel is preached unto you."
I
John 5:12, "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the
Son of God hath not life."
THE WAY TO WALK IN
"I
am the WAY" - To His saints, Jesus is not only the One Who delivers
from hell and receives into heaven, but He is God's ideal Man, Who came to do
God's will when all other men had failed, and then on the cross traded places
with all the failures who would agree to the exchange: II Corinthians 5:21, "For
he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be
made the right-eousness of
God in him." Believers in Christ have a way and are in a
way that is radically different from the ways of the world. I Peter 2:21-24, "For
even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us
an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered,
he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who
his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to
sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose
stripes ye were healed."
TRUTH IN PERSON
"I
am . . . the TRUTH"- Jesus not only spoke truth, but, as God, He is
Truth in person. Titus 1:2, He is "In hope of eternal life, which God,
that cannot lie, promised before the world began;" Other men have been such liars that their
words could not be believed, but the Son of God declared to unbelievers: John
8:45, "And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not."
Other men have erred from the truth by mistake, but of Jesus it is written, Mark
7:37, "And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all
things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak."
Other men have been deceived and misled by false friends, John 2:24-25; 6:64, "But
Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not
that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man...But there are
some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were
that believed not,
and who should
betray him."
Even
God's own people in this world, called to be witnesses unto Him, are
not always trustworthy in their
witnessing. Upon some of them God once
pronounced a terrible judgment: Hosea
7:13, "Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto
them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed
them, yet they
have spoken lies
against me." If our
salvation depended upon the truthfulness of a preacher or a church, or upon our
own faithfulness, our case would be hopeless indeed. Revelation 3:14, But
we may safely trust Him Who is "...the Amen, the faithful and true
witness, the beginning of the creation of God;"
LIFE FOR EVER
"I
am . . . the LIFE" -Jesus alone could say: John 5:26, "For as
the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in
himself;" We creatures of His
can live only according to His pleasure. Our natural life, made spiritual death
by sin, is given to us for only a few years at the most, after which we must
leave this world and go to hades or heaven, according as we are lost or saved,
and await that day Romans 14:12, "So then every one of us shall give
account of himself to God." But spiritual life, which involves natural
death, is everlasting.
The
lost man is dead in sins and dead to God; that is, in his
sins he is
separated from God. Ephesians 2:1-12, "And you hath he
quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 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: Among whom also we all had our conversation
in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh
and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great
love wherewith he loved us, Even when we
were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are
saved;) And hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ
Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in
them. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who
are called Uncircumcision by that which
is called the Circumci-sion in the flesh made by
hands; That at that time ye were without
Christ, being aliens from the common-wealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:" Therefore he must perish. The saved man is
dead with Christ and dead unto sin; that is, in Christ's righteousness he is
separated from sin and alive unto God. Romans
6:6-11, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the
body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe
that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the
dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once:
but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive
unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Therefore he must live for
ever. John 11:26, "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never
die. Believest thou this? "
WHO WILL COME?
"NO
man cometh" -The only exceptions are those who come by Jesus. Psalm
14:2-3, "The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to
see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone
aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no,
not one."
"No
man cometh" Jesus came to seek and save lost men, not angels or
devils. James 2:19, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest
well: the devils also believe, and tremble." because I John 3:8, "He
that committeth sin is of the
devil; for the devil sinneth from
the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might
destroy the works of the devil."
"No
man COMETH" -We are commanded to seek the Lord, but, as noted above,
no man, of himself, does so. Not only does man refuse to come to God, but when
God comes to him, man, in his natural state, rebels. John 1:11-13, "He
came unto his own, and his own received him not. 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: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God." The only persons who receive Him are
"the sons of God."
WHOSE FATHER?
"No
man cometh unto the FATHER" -God is the Father only of Christ and His
redeemed. John 8:42,44, "Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father,
ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of
myself, but he sent me...Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the
truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of
his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
GOD'S GRACE
"No
man cometh unto the Father, But."
Here is the provision of God's grace, James 2:13, "For he shall
have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth
against judgment." Romans 3:25-26, "Whom God hath set forth to
be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for
the remission of sins that are past, through the for-bearance of God; To
declare, I say, at this time his right-eousness: that he might be just, and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
"No
man cometh unto the Father, but By me" Our first admittance into God's
holy presence is by Christ, our Substitute. We are not yet there in person,
while we remain in this flesh, Colossians 3:3, "For ye are dead, and
your life is hid with Christ in God." it will not be long until God
will grant us our desire Philippians 1:23, "For I am in a strait
betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far
better:"
"HE THAT BELIEVETH"
"No
man cometh unto the
Father, but by ME ."
Jesus again emphasizes the fact that He Himself is the Way. Revelation 1:8, "I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and
which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Hebrews 12:2, "Looking
unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
The
Way of salvation is Jesus Christ our Lord. If we are in the way that leads to destruction, how can we
escape from that way and get into the Way of Life? Jesus Himself gives the
answer:
John
3:16; 6:47, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life...Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting
life."
Romans
3:4, "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is
written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome
when thou art judged." If you are not now in the Way that leads to
God in heaven, you are surely on your way to hell. Acts 16:31, "And
they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved,
and thy house."
CHAPTER V
WHAT'S THE GOOD NEWS?
A SHORT STUDY OF THE GOSPEL AS
TAUGHT IN THE BIBLE
GOOD NEWS FOR SINNERS
I
Corinthians 15:1-2, "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel
which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye
stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye
keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain."
Many
people talk loosely about "the gospel" without any clear idea as to
the meaning of the word as used in the Bible. Oftentimes men say "the
gospel" when they mean the Bible, but this is an incorrect use of the
word. The gospel is contained in the Bible. But many people read the Bible and
some preachers may even preach much Bible truth without ever knowing or
preaching the gospel.
It
is a tragic fact that countless souls are on their way to hell while they think
they are saved because they obey some Bible commandments. Not the law nor the
prophecies nor the moral teachings contained in the Bible, Romans 1:16, "For
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
What,
then is the gospel? Let us see what the Bible teaches as to the meaning,
content, source, description, extent, effects, and possession of the
gospel.
MEANING
The
meaning of the word "gospel" is "good tidings," that is,
good news. Compare these two quotations for proof: Isaiah 52:7, "How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,
that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth
salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" Romans 10:15,
"And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad
tidings of good things!"
We
can easily see from the very meaning of the word that the gospel does not include
God's moral law given through Moses. Romans 7:12, "Wherefore the law is
holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." but it is bad
news, not good, to sinful man. Romans 7:10, "And the commandment, which
was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." Galatians 3:10, "For
as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book
of the law
to do them."
CONTENT OF THE GOSPEL
If
the gospel is good news, what is the content of the message? What has happened
that makes us glad to hear about it? The content of the gospel: I Corinthians
15:3-5, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also
received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose
again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:"
Four facts are brought to us in this
"gospel" or good news: First, "Christ died for our sins." Not
merely that Christ died, which is a historical fact believed by lost
sinners, but that He died "FOR OUR SINS." Second, "He was
buried." This is proof of the first fact. Those who put Him to death made
certain He was dead before delivering His body to His friends for burial.
Third, "He rose again." Romans 4:25;1:4, "Who was delivered
for our offences, and was raised again for our justification...And declared to
be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead:"
Fourth,
"He was seen." This is proof of the third fact, the fact of His
resurrection. The apostle goes on to mention some of the chosen witnesses to
the resurrection, who included a crowd of "above five hundred brethren at
once," most of whom were still living when Paul wrote this epistle.
SOURCE OF THE GOSPEL
The
gospel is "good news" because of its Source; the One from Whom it
comes. We would rather hear from some persons than from others. We always want
to hear news from our friends. We want
to get news reports we can depend upon as true. Newspapers and radios and human
"friends" may deceive us with false reports, but we can depend
upon it that this good news is true, because it comes from God Titus
1:2, "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised
before the world began;" I John 5:9, "If we receive the
witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God
which he hath testified of his Son."
DESCRIPTIONS
We
can get a better understanding of the gospel by noticing the various
descriptions of the gospel as given in the Bible.
Mark
1:1, It is called "...the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;" because it tells of a divine Person. The
gospel is personal news. Its emphasis is not upon principles or doctrine,
important as these are, but upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. When
we have believed the good news of Christ, we will have no trouble in accepting
His teachings. The real reason that some people dislike some of the
doctrine of Christ is that they hate Christ Himself. John 10:26, "But
ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you." We need first of all and at all times to
preach John 8:47, "He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore
hear them not, because ye are not of God. "
Mark
1:14, "Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God," This description reminds
us that God is on His throne, ruling over the affairs of men, and
especially ruling in the hearts and lives of His people. II Corinthians 5:14-15,
"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if
one died for all, then were all dead:
And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again."
In Acts
20:24, the gospel is called "...the gospel of the grace of God."
because it is the good news of God's grace or favor toward us in the person of
His Son when He died for our sins.
In
Ephesians 6:15, it is called "...the gospel of peace;" because
it announces peace between the holy God and sinful man. I John 2:2, "And
he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the
sins of the whole world." II Corinthians 5:19, "...God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto
them;..."
In
Ephesians 1:13, it is called "...the gospel of your salvation:"
because it brings personal deliverance to all who believe it.
In
II Corinthians 4:4, it is called "…the glorious gospel…" It is
"the glorious gospel" because it is the "...gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God,...." It tells of a glorious Christ, and it
brings to us the promise of a resurrection. Philippians 3:21, "Who
shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body,
according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto
himself."
In
Revelation 14:6, it is called "...the everlasting gospel..."
because it never grows old. "News" of this world soon gets stale, and
we are not much interested in worldly events of long ago. We have no use for
newspapers and magazines a few months old, and even the world's best books are
out of date in a few years and soon perish from the memory of man. But God's
message of salvation in Christ for sinful man remains timely and of vital
interest. As long as this sinful world shall stand, sinners shall rejoice
in the good news that Christ died for our sins; and in an eternity beyond, the
saints of God shall never cease to praise Him. Revelation 5:9, "And
they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the
seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood
out of every kindred, and tongue,
and people, and nation;"
EXTENT OF THE GOSPEL
The
extent of the gospel is universal in its appeal. Mark 16:15, "And
he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature." Romans 1:14-15, "I am debtor both to the Greeks,
and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach
the gospel to you..."
The
gospel is of limited extent, however, not in its message, but in its reception.
The good news shall be told, to all, but it is good news only to those who
believe it. Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Romans 1:16,
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth;..." I Timothy 4:10, "For therefore we
both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the
Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe."
EFFECT OF THE GOSPEL
The
effect of the gospel, as already noted above, is to save the believer
and aggravate the guilt of the unbeliever. John 3:18,36, "He that
believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God...He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth
not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
These
opposite effects of the gospel, according as we believe or do not believe,
are plainly stated: II Thess-alonians 1:3-10, "We
are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that
your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward
each other aboundeth; So that we
ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in
all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest
token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the
kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to
them that trouble you; And to you who
are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven
with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not
God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his
power; When he shall come to be
glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because
our testimony among you was believed) in that day."
POSSESSION
Finally,
how about the possession of the gospel? Whose good news is it?
It
is Christ’s gospel because it is good news of Him, to Him, and for Him. Isaiah
53:11, "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he
shall bear their iniquities." Hebrews 12:2, "Looking unto
Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand
of the throne of God."
Jesus
shares this good news with His people. II Corinthians 4:3, "But if our
gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:" Romans 8:17, "And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be
that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."
But
to enjoy the benefits of the gospel it is not enough that we be associated with
God's people. Luke 13:23-27, "Then said one unto him, Lord, are there
few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait
gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and
ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open
unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye
are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have
eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not
whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity."
The
gospel not only tells of a personal Savior, but it appeals to a personal sinner.
Hence in Romans 16:25 Paul calls it "...my gospel...." Oh,
happy thought! This gospel is not only good news of and for and to the Son of
God; it is not only good news to and for many of my friends, and spoken of by
them; but it is good news for me, it brings salvation to me, it has become my
message to a lost world.
Friend,
this is my gospel. Is it yours? Acts 10:43, "To him give all the
prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall
receive remission of sins."
CHAPTER VI
THE DOOR OF FAITH
CHRIST IS THE DOOR
FAITH COMES TO HIM AND ENTERS INTO
LIFE
Acts
14:27, "And when they were come, and had gathered the church together,
they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door
of faith unto the Gentiles."
Luke
tells us in this text of the report to their church in
DOOR IMPLIES WALL
Mention
of a door necessarily implies existence of a wall or barrier of some sort. Of
course, this is figurative language and we are not to think of a material door
of wood or metal but rather of a spiritual means of entrance through a
spiritual barrier.
The
Bible makes it clear that man has erected a wall or barrier of sin between
himself and God. This is true of the whole human race.
That
sin constitutes a barrier between man and God is evident from two simple facts:
First, man is a sinner; second, God is holy and just.
So
the Bible declares Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of
the glory of God;" Galatians 3:22, "But the scripture hath
concluded all under sin,.."
Writing
to the saints at Ephesus, Paul reminded them that before their salvation; Ephesians
2:12, "That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having
no hope, and
without God in the world:"
The
prophet of old declared the truth about God. Habakkuk 1:13, "Thou art
of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore
lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the
wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?"
Nahum
1:2-3, "God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and
is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth
wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow
to anger, and great in power, and
will not at all acquit
the wicked:..."
We
are told concerning the new Jerusalem, capital city of the new earth, home of
the redeemed, Revelation 21:27, "And there shall in no wise enter into
it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a
lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
Romans
6:23, "For the wages of sin is death;..." which means here separation from God, and
this separation must be eternal unless we find a door - a way through the wall
of separation between us and God.
CHRIST THE DOOR
The Bible
does not leave us in doubt as to the way through this barrier and as to our
access to God. Jesus said plainly, John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if
any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."
Note
that Jesus did not call Himself "a door" but "the door." In
this matter of salvation from sin and fellowship with God, there is only one
door.
True,
some persons force themselves temporarily into the company of God's people as
false claimants to His salvation, as did Judas Iscariot, but they will
eventually be found out and cast out. So Jesus declares, John 10:1, "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold,
but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."
Again
we read a clear statement from our Lord and Savior, John 14:6, "Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me."
DOOR OF FAITH
Our
text (Acts 14:27) speaks of the door of faith not as a different door but still
of Christ as the door belonging to and used by faith. God has provided one door
of admittance to His presence in the person of His Son; it is the door of faith
because on the human side it is by faith that we enter in.
GOD OPENED THE DOOR
Our
text declares that God opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. In another
connection Jesus speaks of Himself Revelation 3:7, "...he that openeth,
and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;" And this is true also in the matter of
salvation with all its blessings. So we read the simple truth of God's word: Romans
9:18, "Therefore hath he mercy
on whom he will have mercy, and
whom he will he hardeneth."
It
is for this reason that we read of Paul and Barnabas rehearsing not what
they had done but what "God had done with them."
OPENED BY PREACHING
But
just as it is true that God opened the door of faith to the Gentiles generally
as in previous generations He had opened the door to the Jews as a people; just
as it is true that only God can open the door for any individual believer; so
it is true also that God has an appointed way of opening the door of faith.
I
Corinthians 1:21, "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by
wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save
them that believe."
Romans
10:12-15, "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek:
for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved. How then shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him
of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be
sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the
gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings
of good things!"
God's
way of bringing lost sinners through the door of faith for salvation by His
grace is through the preaching of His word, Romans 10:17, "So then
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
ENTRY BY FAITH
Christ
our Savior is called the door of faith because it is by faith and only by faith
that accountable sinners enter into salvation through Him.
Some
deluded souls have vainly supposed that since salvation is of the Lord man has
no responsibility to receive it. They imagine that some of God's elect are
saved without ever hearing and believing the gospel. Nothing could be further
from the truth.
Limitations
of space forbid quoting of many scripture passages plainly revealing the fact
that unbelievers are lost, condemned, and on their way to hell. A full quoting
of such passages would include a large part of the Bible.
As
to the vain supposition of any number of souls, even of one soul,
elected to salvation apart from hearing and believing the gospel, there is
not one verse of scripture to support such a notion.
John
1:12, "...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
3:18, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth
not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God."
John
3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
John
8:21,24, "Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall
seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come...I said
therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that
I am he, ye shall die in your sins."
Mark
16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned."
Romans
4:5, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
Hebrews
3:19-4:2, "So we see that they could not enter in because of
unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest, a
promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come
short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the
word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that
heard it."
Revelation
21:8, "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremon-gers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which
is the second death."
"ALL LIARS"
All
religions which teach that sinful man can be saved and enter into fellowship
with God through human works and efforts are false. Religions which suppose
that there is any other door than Christ are false. Religions which trust in
men's versions of God's supposed election apart from faith are false.
Whether
the false teachers of these false religions are included among the "all
liars" of Revelation 21:8 is a question that they will certainly find
answered in the next world if not in this.
For
those who by God's grace are willing to believe Him, it is enough to know that
Christ the door is the door of faith and that God has opened this door to the
Gentiles so that whosoever will may come.
CHAPTER VII
FAITH THAT SAVES
DEAD FAITH CANNOT SAVE
LIVING FAITH IN A LIVING SAVIOR IS WHAT WE
NEED
Hebrews
10:39, "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of
them that believe to the saving of the soul."
Two
opposite but equally fatal errors are widely held among professed Christians
with regard to the means of obtaining salvation: first, that we are saved by
our works, or by a combination of faith and works; and, second, that we are
saved by a mere historical and intellectual faith.
Very
little spiritual understanding or knowledge of the Scriptures is needed to show
us that our works can neither save nor help to save us. Titus 3:5, "Not
by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"
Romans 3:28, "There-fore we conclude that a man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law." Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace
are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God:" Romans 11:6, "And if by grace, then is it no more of
works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no
more grace: otherwise work is no more work."
OPPOSITE ERRORS
The
second error mentioned above, that a mere historical and intellectual faith is
sufficient, is more commonly entertained among Baptists. This error naturally
encourages, as a reaction, the opposite heresy of adding dead works to a
dead faith in a vain attempt to obtain that which is thus despised and rejected
- the grace of God.
Let
us always remember, therefore, that not with the head but Romans 10:10, "…with
the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation."
Our
text above (Hebrews 10:39), with its context, suggests that there is a seeming
form of faith that is really a drawing back to perdition. We find the same
truth expressed: James 2:19-20, "Thou believest that there is one God;
thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O
vain man, that faith without works is dead?"
DEAD FAITH
It
was with reference to such a "dead faith" James 2:14, "What
doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not
works? can faith save him?"
The
answer is, of course, that such faith as a man merely says that he has, such
faith as is dead, such faith as does not work -- such faith cannot
save.
HOW JUSTIFIED
So
although, with reference to justification before God, Romans 3:28, "...a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." yet James 2:24,
tells us "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only."
These
statements are in perfect harmony. God knows our hearts and needs not to wait
for our works to prove our sincerity, but the only way that men can justify us
in our claim to believe is to observe our works.
SAVING FAITH
What
does it mean, then, to believe to the saving of the soul? If we will search the
Scriptures, we will find that saving faith includes belief about Christ, belief
of Christ, and belief on or in Christ. Any one of these expressions, in the
true sense, necessarily involves the others.
THE ANOINTED
I
John 5:1, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:
and every one that loveth him that begat
loveth him also
that is begotten
of him."
"Christ" or "Anointed" is the official title of Jesus,
signifying His three fold office of Prophet, Priest, and King.
Acts
3:22-23, "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the
Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye
hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul,
which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people."
Hebrews
9:11-12, "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come,
by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say,
not of this building; Neither by the
blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the
holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."
Revelation
19:16, "And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,
KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
BORN OF GOD
Now,
if you really believe that Jesus is the Christ thus revealed in the Bible, it
is not written that you will be born of God, but that already you are born of
God. In fact, a literal translation of I John 5:1 is: "Everyone believing
that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God."
However,
the believing referred to is not a mere surface assent with inward reservations
and denials, but what we might describe as a heartfelt conviction of the soul,
or, as Philip said to the Ethiopian eunuch, Acts 8:37, "...If thou
believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God."
BELIEVE HIM
If
we truly believe that Jesus is God's great Prophet Whom all must hear or be
destroyed, we will heed His words. Millions of people call themselves
Christians who will deny the plain teachings of Christ, and to them He says: John
5:37-38, "And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne
witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe
not.", John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the
wrath of God abideth on him."
ETERNAL LIFE
Above
all, we must say that to believe to the saving of the soul is to believe
"on" or "in" Jesus. John 3:15, "That whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."
To
believe in Jesus means simply to receive Him as our Saviour, to trust Him to
save us, and therefore humbly to give up, surrender, or deny ourselves that we
may live with Him.
RECEIVE HIM
John
1:12, "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:"
II
Timothy 1:12, "...I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he
is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
FOLLOW HIM
Mark
8:34-35, "And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples
also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall
lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the
same shall save it." Luke 14:26-27, "If any man come to me,
and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and
sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and
come after me, cannot be my disciple."
BELIEVE NOW
My
dear reader, are you among them who draw back unto perdition, or of them that believe
to the saving of the soul? It is written of certain others that they could
not enter in because of unbelief. Hebrews 4:1-2, "Let us therefore
fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you
should seem to come short of it. For
unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached
did not profit them, not being mixed
with faith in
them that heard it."
May
the Spirit of God enable you now to believe in Jesus to the saving of your
soul. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved:"
CHAPTER VIII
LIKE PRECIOUS FAITH
FAITH IN CHRIST IS PRECIOUS BECAUSE
IT MEANS HONOR AND PRIVILEGES
LIKE THOSE OF THE APOSTLES
II
Peter 1:1, "...to them that have obtained like precious faith with us
through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:"
The
inspired apostle in this text describes our faith as equally precious, or, as
the word could be rendered, equally honored or privileged. So our faith in
Christ is not to be thought of lightly, but is something very precious that we
should learn to appreciate more and more. We can appreciate it better if we
think not only of the value of faith in general but also of the object and
consequences of the particular faith here considered.
BETTER THAN DOUBT
Faith
in general is better than doubt as positive virtues generally are better than
negative. True, a so-called "blind" faith, misdirected, may get us
into trouble, and sometimes it may pay us to be skeptical, as Eve might better
have disbelieved the serpent: yet it remains true that intelligent life would
be impossible without some kind and degree of faith.
We
must have some faith in circumstances. If we would survive and prosper, we
must believe that our situation and the conditions surrounding us are such that
by some means we shall be able to survive and prosper. Although a blind and
foolish faith, refusing to face facts, may lead us to disaster, it is still
true that when we have lost all hope we are at the point of death. We must
believe in the possibility of survival or of improvement of our situation,
whatever the circumstances, or we are miserable indeed.
We
must have some faith in people. Without this faith society would be
impossible. We live from day to day in the belief that the people around us
will, more or less, follow the pattern we have observed in the past. The
employee does his work in the faith that his employer will pay him for his
labor. The business man invests his capital in factory or store in the faith
that people will buy his goods. People entrust their money to banks and banks lend
it out again, all trusting to other people that it will be repaid. Sure enough,
sometimes our faith in people is disappointed: nevertheless, without this faith
we could have no civilized life.
We
must have some faith in ourselves.
Overcon-fidence may be disastrous, but we can accomplish nothing, we will not
even try to accomplish anything, unless we have some faith in ourselves. It is
foolish indeed to believe that we are something we are not: it is just as
foolish and perhaps more deadly to believe that we are not something we are:
that is, to doubt our real selves.
The
Bible teaches humility and self denial: it does not teach the doctrine of the
annihilation of the self, the soul. The doctrine of annihilation of the soul is
a doctrine of devils and of false religions of this world. We must have some
faith in ourselves, in our real and never-ending existence in life or in death,
if we would spend our lives wisely and profitably.
HAVE FAITH IN GOD
But
faith in general, faith in circumstances, faith in other people, and faith in
ourselves is often ill-founded and doomed to disappointment. Necessary as it
is, superior as it is generally to an attitude of doubt, such faith can give us
no absolute assurance, because it is directed toward things and people that
change and decay. Satan has filled the world with science falsely so-called
that ought to be doubted; circumstances change contrary to our expecta-tions;
people show themselves of character other than we thought; we are ourselves
weak and fallible creatures.
Only
God is all-powerful, all-wise, and all-good. Only God is completely trustworthy.
Only God can be depended upon always to act in the future in perfect accord
with the character He has revealed in the past, for He alone changes not.
And
so it is not faith in general that the inspired apostle described as precious,
but faith rightly directed, faith in God through Jesus Christ His Son.
OBJECT OF FAITH
We
need to see that faith in itself has little merit -- no merit at all so far as
salvation is concerned. A man may have a mighty faith in things that will take
him far in this life: he may believe in favorable circumstances, he may believe
in people who will help him to get ahead, he may believe in himself and his
destiny -- yea, he may believe that he is one of the very elect of God -- he
may believe in all this and die and go to hell because he has not believed in
the Lord Jesus Christ unto the saving of the soul.
Salvation
is in Christ and in Him alone, so far as merit is concerned. Our "like
precious faith" is not precious because of what faith is in itself, but
because our faith is directed, toward God in Christ. No other faith can
bring us the honor and privilege of being God's people as the apostles were,
but only faith in the same God in Whom they believed.
The
gods of this world, the gods of philosophers and theologians, the gods of
rationalism, humanism, and so-called neo-orthodoxy, are not fit objects of
faith. Only the God of the Bible, the Creator of all things, the Judge of
all the earth, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is worthy of all our trust
and confidence. If we really believe in Him, we have obtained the
"like precious faith" referred to in our text.
WHAT FAITH BRINGS US
True
faith in the true God is precious because of its consequences -- because of the
blessings we receive with and through it. Remember that the words "like
precious" of the King James version could be rendered "equally
honored or privileged." What are some of the honors or privileges that
become ours when we believe God?
FORGIVENESS
Acts
13:38-39, "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that
through this man (Christ) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye
could not be
justified by the
law of Moses."
Sin
is the great barrier between man and God. Sin weighs upon the enlightened conscience
and would make a sinner miserable in heaven if he could get there. Sin is the
summation of all that is hated by the thrice-holy God. The sinner must be
forgiven of his sins, they must be removed from him. Psalm 103:12, "As
far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions
from us." or, with his sins still upon him, he must go into hell
forever. What a precious faith it is that brings to us forgiveness, that
takes away from us our sins, so that we can stand before God-- justified!
LIFE
John
3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
What is the nature of this everlasting life that we have just begun to live and
that shall never end? We know so little even about the life we have from Adam,
which is spiritual death. How much less do we know of that life that has come
to us from above, the life in which we know God!
John
17:3, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
And
this life is ours forever, since we have believed in Christ. How precious is
this faith!
SONSHIP
I
John 3:1-2, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon
us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew him not. Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as
he is."
I
John 5:1, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:
and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of
him."
A
popular heresy speaks of God as the Father of all men, but it is not so.
According to the Bible, unbelievers are children of the Devil, and only
believers in Christ are children of God. How precious is this faith that
cancels the claims of Satan upon us and makes us children of the true and
living God!
FELLOWSHIP
Our
relationship to God as His children is not a mere theory, but makes possible
for us the enjoyment of real fellowship with Him in our actual experience.
I
John 1:3-7, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you,
that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the
Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard
of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at
all. If we say that we have fellowship
with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin."
What
a blessed experience it is to walk and talk with our Savior as our dearest
friend, and to know that He will never leave us or forsake us! And how
precious is the faith that brings us this blessed experience!
VICTORY
I
John 5:4, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this
is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
There
may be temporary setbacks, reversals, and backslidings, but there is no
lasting defeat for the child of God. We are on the winning side, and are
sure of victory in the end. Our Savior is triumphant, and we have victory in
Him. Every enemy will be put under His feet, and we shall reign with Him. How precious is the faith that gives us this
assurance of victory!
GLORY
John
17:24, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with
me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for
thou lovedst me before
the foundation of the world."
I
John 3:2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be
like him; for we shall see him as he is."
Hebrew
2:10, "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all
things, in bringing many sons unto glory...."
Romans
8:29, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren."
How
precious is this faith that will bring us to share in the glory of our risen
Lord!
THROUGH HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS
Note,
finally, that we have obtained this precious faith not through any
righteousness of our own but "through the righteousness of God and our
Savior Jesus Christ."
If
you have not yet obtained like precious faith with us, believe now in the
Lord Jesus Christ, and all these blessings will be yours.
CHAPTER IX
FORGIVENESS OF SINS
GOOD NEWS FOR SINNERS
WITH A SOLEMN
WARNING AGAINST UNBELIEF
Acts
13:38-39, "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that
through this man (Jesus) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could
not be justified by the law of Moses."
In
his first sermon to the Jews at
"HIS WITNESSES"
After
the resurrection of Jesus, Acts 13:31, "And he was seen many days of
them which came up with him from Galilee to
II
Peter 1:19, But the testimony of God's "word of prophecy" is "more
sure" than any or all human testimony and so Paul went on to quote
fulfilled prophecies from the Psalms as conclusive proof that the resurrected
Jesus was the divinely promised Savior.
"FORGIVENESS OF SINS"
Acts
13:38, "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through
this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:"
Now,
this is the gospel: this is good news for every sinner that will believe
it. And all men are sinners, and need to
hear the good news, and need to believe it.
Romans
3:9-23, Jews and Gentiles, "What then? are we better than they? No, in
no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all
under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is
none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all
gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that
doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues
they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is
full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And
the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law
saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped,
and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the
law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the
knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is
manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness
of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:
for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God;"
Sin
is the transgression of the law; the thought of foolishness is sin; whatsoever
is not of faith is sin; to know to do good and do it not is sin; all
unrighteousness is sin: we all have sinned and gone astray.
"WAGES -- DEATH"
Romans
6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Spiritual death --- separation
from divine life. Physi-cal death --- separation of soul from body. The second
death --- eternal separation from God, II Thessalonians 1:9, "Who shall
be punished with everlasting destruction (not annihilation) from the
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;"
So sin
pays wages: the terrible penalty of death: an eternal penalty unless we obtain
forgiveness. "Forgiveness" here means "remission," a
sending or letting go away. The sinner must be separated from his sins or
his sins must forever separate him from God. Surely every sinner is in desperate need of
complete and permanent "forgiveness" or remission of his sins.
JUSTIFIED FROM ALL THINGS
The
salvation here offered, the forgiveness here preached, is not mere reprieve or
partial pardon. Acts 13:39, "...by him all that believe
are justified from
all things,..."
Forgiveness
(remission) of sins in Christ means that (so far as eternal judgment is
concerned) the sinner is declared righteous: no matter what sins he may have
committed in the past or may commit in the future, the true believer is
adjudged righteous for Jesus' sake:
Romans
4:6-8, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto
whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not
impute sin."
No
wonder that David burst into song as he contemplated the wonderful grace of
God, Romans 4:5, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him
that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
"NOT BY THE LAW"
Paul
preached here the simple truth that is taught everywhere in the Bible: Acts
13:39, "And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from
which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."
Sad
to say, not only the Jews of that day, but Jews and Gentiles before and since
have been trying to get right with God by obeying His law - and all in vain. Romans
3:20, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be
justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
Paul
had come to know Christ, and was careful to preach Him alone as the only hope
for lost sinners. Galatians 2:21, "I do not frustrate the grace of God:
for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."
"THROUGH THIS MAN"
Forgiveness
of sins is "through this man," through Him "Whom God raised
again" and Who "saw no corruption."
Divine
forgiveness cannot be obtained by follow-ing the example or obeying the moral
teachings of Jesus, any more than it can by obeying the law of Moses.
Paul
preached forgiveness of sins "through this man": not through His
teachings or example, but through Him personally.
Peter
preached the same truth, as it is taught throughout the Bible:
Acts
4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
"ALL THAT BELIEVE"
This
forgiveness of sins is not for everyone, but is for anyone that will believe.
The promise is not the justification of all sinners, or of all religious
persons, or of all church members, but of all that believe.
Acts
13:39, "And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from
which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."
The
believing referred to is not believing just anything, but a trustful believing
in the Christ Romans 4:25, "Who was delivered for our offences, and was
raised again for our justification."
John
3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John
3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
"BEWARE"
If
sinners had as good sense spiritually as they have in the things of this world,
such preaching as Paul did would bring them all to saving faith in Christ. But the
sinner does not want forgiveness on God's terms. And so we have the solemn
warning:
Acts
13:40-41, "Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken
of in the prophets; Behold, ye
despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which
ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you."
So
the response to Paul's preaching at
Acts
13:43,46,48, "Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews
and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them,
persuaded them to continue in the grace of God...Then Paul and Barnabas waxed
bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been
spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of
everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles...And when the Gentiles heard
this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained
to eternal life believed."
John
1:11-12, So it has ever been: "He came unto his own, and his own
received him not. 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:"
Do
you believe? Have you been born of God? Are your sins forgiven? Are you
justified from all things?
Revelation
21:8, "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremon-gers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which
is the second death."
"BE IT KNOWN"
"Be
it known unto you," said Paul. And he did what he could to let them
know. And the fact that many of his hearers disbelieved, "judged
themselves unworthy of everlasting life," did not change the truth of
God's word.
Millions
of sinners still will not believe - they insist on going on to that lake of
fire and sulfur - but other millions, yea, a multitude which no man can number,
have believed, and will for ever sing the praises of Him in Whom they are
justified from all things.
Acts
16:31, "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be
saved, and thy
house."
CHAPTER X
LEARN OF ME
AN INVITATION AND A CHALLENGE
Matthew
11:28-30, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest
unto your souls. For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light."
Here
is an invitation and a challenge to persons who pretend to believe that Jesus
was a great and good teacher and religious leader, but who refuse to accept Him
as Savior and Lord.
The
trouble with such persons is that they really believe they know better than
Jesus, and instead of being willing to follow Him, they themselves want to be
leaders and have others following them. They think Jesus is dead and that at
least some of His teachings are "out of date," whereas in fact Revelation
1:18, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for
evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Mark 13:31, "Heaven
and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away."
THE ONLY TEACHER
Jesus
Himself claims to be not merely a great teacher, but the only teacher
who can reveal God to man. John 3:13, "And no man hath ascended up to
heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in
heaven." Matthew 11:25-27, "At that time Jesus answered and
said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid
these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy
sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son,
but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to
whomsoever the Son will reveal him."
Since
Jesus, the Son of God, is the only one who can teach us what we need to know of
God and of our relationship to Him, we do well to forsake the traditions and
opinions of ignorant men who think themselves wise, and come humbly with open
minds and hearts to learn at the feet of Jesus, Mark 1:22, "And
they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had
authority, and not as the scribes."
THE LORD JESUS IS GOD
Let
us remember that Jesus is God: therefore when He invites us to come to
Him, to learn of Him, He invites us to come to God, to learn of God. John 10:30,
"I and my Father are one."
I John 5:7, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
In
some of the passages of scripture that I shall now quote, the Father or the
Holy Spirit are mentioned, rather than the Son, but the Father reveals Himself
in the Son. John 1:18, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the
Father, he hath declared him." and Jesus declared John 16:13-14.
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into
all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear,
that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of
mine, and shall shew it unto you."
TO BE SAVED
Lost
sinners need to learn of Jesus in order to be saved. John 17:3, "And
this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent." John 1:17, "For the law was
given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." Titus
2:11-14, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to
all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ; Who gave himself for us, that
he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works."
THE SAVED NEED TO LEARN
Children
of God need to learn of Jesus in order to live the lives that will be pleasing
to Him. As children of God, we have already learned that Christ died for
our sins Ephesians 1:6, "To the praise of the glory of his grace,
wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." But we have much more to learn. II Peter 3:18,
"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ..."
Among
the lessons that we need, as His disciples, to learn of Jesus, I shall
mention five: FAITH, LOVE, PRAYER, WORK, and WAR.
FAITH
Job
34:31-32, "Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne
chastisement, I will not offend any more:
That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do
no more." II Corinthians 5:7, "(For we walk by faith, not by
sight:)") We cannot always see or understand the reason for some of
God's commands; but we do not need to see: we need only to believe. We
see sin and trouble and confusion all around us in this world, and we cannot
see what is going to happen next; but by faith Romans 8:28, "And we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to his purpose."
We
must learn or receive, from God Himself the faith that is necessary to enable
us to think and live in a manner acceptable to Him: Romans 12:2-3, "And
be not con-formed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of
God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among
you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think
soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
God
gives us faith through or by His Son: Acts 3:16, "And his name through
faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the
faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of
you all."
Yes,
if we would "walk by faith, not by sight," we must learn of
Jesus II Corinthians 4:18, "While we look not at the things which are
seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are
temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." Like the
apostles of old, we need to come to the Lord Jesus with prayer, Luke I7:5, "And the apostles
said unto the Lord, Increase our faith."
LOVE
We
need to learn of Jesus not only to believe God, but to love Him and, loving
Him, to love what He loves, His word, His work, His people.
Galatians
5:6, "For in Jesus Christ neither circum-cision availeth any thing, nor
uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." Faith shows us the way;
love moves us to go that way. True faith and love are inseparable. I John
5:1, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and
every one that loveth him that begat
loveth him also
that is begot-ten of him." John 8:42, "Jesus
said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded
forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me."
The
love we need has its origin in God the Father: I John 4:7-8, "Beloved,
let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born
of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."
This
love is applied in our hearts by God the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5, "And
hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
But
the SUPREME MANIFESTATION of love is in God the Son, and it is the
knowledge of His great love for us that brings forth an answering love from us:
I John 3:16, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down
his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
Let us learn of Jesus the lesson of love: John 15:11-13, "These things
have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy
might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have
loved you. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
PRAYER
Another
thing we need to learn of Jesus is prayer. Luke 11:1-4,9, "And it
came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one
of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his
disciples. And he said unto them, When
ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And
forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And
lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil... And I say unto you,
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you."
Mark
14:38, "Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit
truly is ready, but the flesh is weak." John 14:12-14, "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he
do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask
any thing in my name, I will do it."
From
the example, the instructions, the commands, the promises of Jesus, let us
learn the lesson of prayer. I John 5:14, "And this is the confidence
that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth
us:"
WORKS
John
8:29, "And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me
alone; for I do always those things that please him;" and if we
would please God with our works we must learn them of Jesus. Psalm 25:4,5, "Shew
me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my
salvation; on thee do I wait all the day." Psalm 119:32-34, "I
will run the way of thy command-ments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart. Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes;
and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy
law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart." Psalm 143:10, "Teach
me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the
land of uprightness." Matthew 7:21, "Not every one that saith
unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth
the will of my Father which is in heaven." I Peter 2:21, "For
even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us
an example, that ye should follow his
steps:"
Let
us learn of Jesus the lesson of good works. Ephesians 2:10, "For we
are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should walk in them."
WAR
Finally,
we need to learn of Jesus the lesson of war. Matthew 10:34, "Think
not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a
sword." Psalm 18:34, "He teacheth my hands to war, so that a
bow of steel is broken by mine arms." Psalm 144:1, "Blessed be
the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:"
II
Corinthians 10:2-6, "But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I
am present with that confi-dence, wherewith I think to be bold against some,
which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not
war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty
through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and
bringing into captivity every thought to the obed-ience of Christ; And having
in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled."
The
better we learn the lessons of faith, love, prayer, and works, the more we need
to learn the lesson of war, to I Timothy 6:12, "Fight the good
fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and
hast professed a good profession before
many witnesses."
I
Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" The devil
would rather destroy, if he could, a faithful servant of the Lord than a
hypocrite or a "no account" Christian. Jesus and Jesus alone can give
us victory. John 16:33, "...In the world ye shall have tribulation: but
be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." I John 4:4, "Ye
are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that
is in you, than he that is in the world."
SINNERS - COME
Jesus
invites lost sinners to come unto Him and learn of forgiveness of sins and
eternal life, which is the knowledge of God. And Jesus invites His people
to come unto Him and learn to believe or trust Him more, to love Him more, to
pray for fellowship and guidance and blessings, "to maintain good
works," and to "fight the good fight." He knows all things,
and we can learn of Him.
CHAPTER XI
GOD MAKES KNOWN A MYSTERY
A RICH AND GLORIOUS MYSTERY
CHRIST DWELLS IN US
AND IS OUR HOPE OF GLORY
Colossians
1:27, "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:"
The
apostle here speaks of the hope of glory as we might speak of the hope of
heaven, the hope of being in the presence of God's glory and partaking of that
glory in the world to come. In other words, he tells us that our experience of
salvation in this life and the next, our hope of sharing in the glory of our
Lord in eternity, all this is to be found in Christ, the indwelling Christ.
NOT OUR "GOODNESS"
Goodness
of moral character, however exalted, can provide no hope or assurance of glory.
It has been said that actions create habits, habits form character, and
character determines destiny. This sentiment is in accord with the religions of
this world, but will not stand the test of God's word. No goodness of ours
is good enough to meet the demands of God. Isaiah 64:6, "...all our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags,..." And with reference to the strictest
religionists in the world's history, Jesus said, Matthew 5:20 "For I
say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of
the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven."
NOT OUR SINCERITY
The
fact that we are sincere in our desire to do good, even sincere in a desire to
please God, is no ground for hope of glory to come if we are sincerely wrong. Sincerity
is no substitute for truth. Surely we must be sincere, for we cannot
deceive God if we try. He knows our hearts, and insincerity which may mislead
our fellowmen and even ourselves provides no covering from His eyes. Yet it
remains true that God demands righteousness and truth, not mere sincerity.
NOT OUR RELIGION
We may
speak sometimes of getting or having religion and some people seem to think
that having a religion, any religion, is enough to gain them acceptance with
God. Some even suppose that religious activity or profession or membership in
some so called church of one name or another can furnish them a hope of glory. It
is not so. The Bible tells us that some religions are vain. Jesus
spoke of some who worshiped in vain, Mark 7:7, "Howbeit in vain do they
worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." He warns
of others who call themselves by His name but whom He will disown in the day of
judgment. Matthew 7:21-23, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven. Many will say
to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
NOT ORTHODOXY
II
Timothy 1:13, It is right that we should "Hold fast the form of sound
words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."
We ought to believe and teach correct doctrine, which is the meaning of orthodoxy,
but mere lip service to sound doctrine can be found where there is no living
hope of glory.
Really,
sound doctrine is vitally connected with right living, and the idea that a
person can honestly and in a spiritual sense hold to sound doctrine and still
live in an ungodly manner is unscriptural. Through the apostle Paul, God
clearly tells us that ungodly conduct is contrary to sound doctrine. I Timothy
1:9-11, "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man,
but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for
unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for
manslayers, For whoremon-gers, for them that defile themselves with mankind,
for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other
thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of
the blessed God, which was committed to my trust."
Nevertheless
it is true that men can outwardly assume a sound orthodox doctrinal position
who before God have no hope of glory.
NOT ELECTION
The
mere fact of God's foreknowledge, predestina-tion, and election, as declared in
the scripture, cannot of itself provide us any hope of glory. Hence it is that
those warped souls who dote on the doctrine of election, but deny the teachings
of God's word having to do with human responsibility and experience in the
grace of God, those poor souls have no sure hope, they themselves being
witnesses.
It
is not enough to know that there is such a thing as divine election: If we
have no way of finding out in this life whether we are included in that
election, then we are miserable indeed.
II Peter 1:10, Therefore we are
commanded to "...give diligence to make your calling and election sure:
for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:"
It
is possible for a child of God to have a hope both sure and stedfast Hebrews
6:19, "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and
stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;" A mere
harping on the doctrine of election cannot give us this assurance.
NOT VAIN FAITH
Paul
told the Corinthians I Corinthians 15:2, ''By which also ye are saved, if ye
keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.”
So there is such a thing as vain faith. A misdirected faith is certainly a vain
faith. Likewise, a so called faith in Christ that does not bring Him as a real
person into our living experience - such faith also is counterfeit and vain.
So
our text makes it plain that our hope of glory is not a thing, but a person, a
living Christ, and He in us.
COUNTERFEIT CHRISTS
Of
course, the Christ referred to is the Christ revealed in the Bible. There are
many antichrists, counterfeit christs and enemies of Christ, claiming the
worship and allegiance that rightfully belong to the Son of God as He is
revealed to us in the written word. No christ who is the product of human
imagination or satanic deception can give to his followers anything but a share
in the final overthrow and judgment that awaits him when the true Christ
returns in the glory of His Father.
THE CHRIST OF HISTORY
But
even if we accept the historical record about the Christ of the Bible, while we
fail to receive Him in our hearts we have no hope of glory. Certainly we must
believe in the Christ of history, but so long as He remains to us only an
historical figure, we are still short of that experience which brings us the
hope of glory.
THE CHRIST OF ETERNITY
We
may even recognize, intellectually, Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ the
same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." and still fail to receive
Him in our hearts. We must have more than a theoretical knowledge of Christ
if we would have a hope of glory.
CHRIST THE SAVIOR
Again,
a mere mental assent to the proposition that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the
world cannot avail in itself to put a hope of glory in our hearts. Many people
speak of Him as Savior and profess to believe that He is the One and Only
Savior, who yet lack the personal experience of receiving Him as the personal
Savior of their individual souls.
CHRIST IN YOU
Our
text calls our attention to the real existence of Christ within those who are
really the children of God and can rightly hope for glory to come. This
Christ within must be the same person as the Christ of history, the Christ of
eternity, the Savior of the world, the same Christ that is revealed in the
written word of God - but it is when He takes up His abode within us that He
becomes our hope of glory.
A PERSONAL QUESTION
Thus,
Christ our Savior, our hope of glory, is a personal Savior and saves men
personally, individually. He is not the vague Christ of the social gospel or of
other worldly religious systems. The question is personal. Do you know
Him? Does He live in you? Christ in someone else provides no hope for you
until you receive Him in your own heart.
John
1:12, "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:" If He is not
dwelling in your heart, will you receive Him now, that for you, too, He may
be the hope of glory?
CHAPTER XII
SAVED BY HIS LIFE
SINNERS ARE FIRST SAVED BY CHRIST'S
DEATH THEN BY HIS LIFE
Romans
5:10, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the
death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
A
popular heresy of the day holds forth to lost sinners the vain hope of
salvation from the life of Jesus by following His teachings and example.
Promises of God to His own people are misinterpreted and misapplied to the
lost, and so millions of souls try more or less sincerely to live what they
consider a Christian life: and die in their sins because they have never come
to believe the gospel.
It
cannot be too strongly emphasized that the gospel is not the
life of Jesus. The gospel is the
good news I Corinthians 15:3-4, "For I delivered unto you first of all
that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day
according to the scriptures:"
The
idea that sinful man can reform his own character, or that by a process of
culture or self discipline, even by imitating to the best of his ability the
life of Jesus, he can save himself from moral ruin and eternal destruction, is
a snare and delusion of Satan.
Hebrews
9:22, "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and
without shedding of blood is no remission (forgiveness of sins)." Even
so, Romans 5:10, "...we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,..."
So
much to make clear that the promise, "we shall be saved by his
life," is not to lost sinners but to sinners who have already been
saved by His death. A careful reading of the context will make the meaning
unmistakable.
"MUCH MORE"
Twice
the inspired apostle declares that the future salvation of the saved is "much
more" certain than their experience of salvation in the past; that the
life of Christ will avail "much more" for the saved than the
death of Christ for the lost.
Romans
5:8-10, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much
more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through him. For if, when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
HIS LIFE AS TEACHER
We
shall be saved by His life as our teacher and example:
I
Peter 2:21, "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also
suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:"
All
the moral teachings and the perfect example of Jesus cannot save one lost
sinner from eternal judgment, but sinners saved through faith in His blood find
salvation from the power and practice of sin as they look to their living Lord
and seek to follow His precepts and example.
HIS LIFE AS INTERCESSOR
We
shall be saved by His life as our Advocate, our High Priest, our Intercessor:
I
John 2:1, "...If any man (believer) sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous:"
Hebrews
7:25, "...he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto
God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."
HIS LIFE AS LORD
We
shall be saved by His life as Lord of all creation. He rules and overrules,
and His purpose of salvation in our lives cannot he defeated by men or devils:
I
Corinthians 15:25, "For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies
under his feet."
Romans
8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
HIS LIFE IN SPIRIT
We
shall be saved by His life within us, in the person of the Holy Spirit:
Colossians
1:27, "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:"
Galatians
2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: never-theless 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."
HIS LIFE IN RESURRECTION
We
shall be saved by His life in the resurrection of our bodies:
John
11:25-26, "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he
that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me
shall never die. Believest thou this?" Romans 6:5, "For if we
have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in
the likeness of his resurrection:"
Philippians
3:20-21, "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look
for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it
may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, accord-ing to the working whereby
he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
CHAPTER XIII
SAVED TO THE UTTERMOST
JESUS PROVIDES ETERNAL AND COMPLETE
SALVATION
NOTHING LESS CAN SATISFY OUR NEED
Hebrews
7:24-25, "But this man, because he con-tinueth ever, hath an
unchangeable priesthood. Where-fore he
is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he
ever liveth to make intercession for them."
Salvation
must be either temporary or eternal, either partial or complete. Nominal
Christians are divided in their opinions and testimony on this subject,
although the Bible seems clear enough to anyone who is willing to believe what
is written therein. It is a mystery to me how thousands of preachers can pride
themselves on their "fundamenta-lism" while they brazenly deny the
plain teachings of scripture on the eternal and complete salvation of the Lord
freely given to its people.
JESUS SAVES COMPLETELY
"Save
to the uttermost" - what does this mean?
Some
have supposed it to mean to the uttermost place; that is, that Jesus saves
sinners anywhere in the world when they come to God through Him. Of course, the
Son of Man has power anywhere on earth to forgive sins Mark 2:10, "But
that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins,… but that is not the meaning of our
present text.
Others
imagine a reference to the fact that Jesus is able to save the greatest sinner.
This is a fact, but it has nothing to do with the text. The words are "to
the uttermost," not "from the uttermost."
Nearer
the truth is the interpretation "to the uttermost time," that is, for
ever. This interpretation agrees with the context, "seeing he ever
liveth," and is a reasonable interpretation of our English translation.
A
fourth interpretation is "to the uttermost degree," and this
is the meaning actually expressed by the Greek. We might well translate, "He
is able to keep saving completely," since the present infinitive in
the Greek shows continued action.
WHO INTERCEDES?
It
is good to remember that our great Intercessor is the very same Saviour Who
died on the cross for our sins. Romans
8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know
not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Moreover,
Christians should intercede for one another and for others, according to the
inspired apostle I Timothy 2:1, "I exhort therefore, that, first of
all, supplications, prayers, inter-cessions, and giving of thanks, be made for
all men;"
Nevertheless,
all our interceding, and even that of the Holy Spirit, can avail only through
the merits of the Son of God. I John 2:1, "My little children, these
things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the right-eous."
The
very Savior Who in His life fulfilled for us the righteousness of God's holy
law and in His death shed His own blood for many for the remission of sins -
this very Savior arose from the dead and now "ever liveth to make
intercession" for us.
In
short, Christ crucified paid for our salvation; Christ risen will surely
collect what He paid for. He became our High Priest Hebrews 7:16, "...after
the power of an endless life."
INTERCEDES WITH HIS FATHER
Infidels
and ill instructed Christians have popularized a false view of God the Father
as a personification of nothing but Justice and Vengeance, and of God the Son
as a personification of nothing but Love and Mercy. In their evil thinking,
God delights in the destruction and torment of sinners, and Jesus has a hard
time and needs all the help we can give Him in slipping His people into heaven,
almost against the Father's will. What nonsense! But infidels like to
parade such bosh in their attempt to discredit Christianity among the "unlearned
and unstable." II Peter 3:16, "As also in all his epistles,
speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be under-stood,
which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other
scriptures, unto their own destruction."
Jesus
said John 10:30, "I and my Father
are one." There is no
disagreement between them. I John 4:14, "And we have seen and do
testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world."
Again, Jesus said, John 8:29 "And he that sent me is with me: the
Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him." And again, in prayer, John 11:42, "...I
knew that thou hearest me always:..."
So
when Jesus intercedes with the Father for His people, He is in full accord with
the Father's will: John 6:39-40, "And this is the Father's will which
hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but
should raise it up again at the last day.
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the
Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up
at the last day."
INTERCEDES FOR WHOM?
"He
is able to save completely those that come through him to God, since he always
lives to intercede for them."
Jesus
never promised to intercede for rebellious sinners who reject Him as Savior and
try to save themselves by their "good" works, their religion, their
prayers, or their tears. He lives to intercede for those that come through Him
to God.
Millions
of people believe in a temporary salvation because of the testimony of persons
who claim to have been saved and afterward lost. They believe the testimony
of false professors of Christianity instead of the testimony of God's word.
But even if millions of millions of persons should testify that after Jesus had
saved them they were afterward lost, and even if Jesus had said of His people
only once, John 10:28, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them
out of my hand." we
should prefer to believe Him Who is the Truth incarnate.
Romans
3:4, "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is
written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome
when thou art judged."
It
cannot be emphasized too strongly that the salvation of the Lord is for those
who trust Him according to His word. Men willing to trust Him only for a
partial or temporary salvation have no real faith in His promises. He offers
complete and eternal salvation: is it wise or reasonable to expect or to
be satisfied with anything less?
If
we have come through Him to God, if we have trusted Jesus and Jesus alone to
make us acceptable to God, then we can be sure that He always lives to
intercede for us.
HOW DOES HE INTERCEDE?
Chapters
7 to 10 of Hebrews describe the ministry of Jesus as our High Priest. Excerpts
follow:
Hebrews
7:26-27, "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests,
to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for
this he did once, when he offered up himself."
Hebrews
9:24, "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands,
which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us:"
Hebrews
10:12-14, "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins
for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for
ever them that are sanctified."
Our
great Intercessor has the perfect answer to every charge of Satan against God's
elect: Guilty but paid for, and hence no longer guilty. We have already been
punished in Christ; in Him we have already died to sin; God in justice will not
punish us again. Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit."
WHY DOES HE INTERCEDE?
John
13:1, "Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his
hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having
loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." In
vain do we seek a reason for God's love toward us. Romans 5:8, "But God
commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us."
Our
salvation is due to no work of ours that God foreknew: II Timothy 1:9, "Who
hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works,
but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began,"
Why
He loves us I do not know, but God does love His people with an everlasting
love. Because of this love of God, unloving and unlovable as we are, our
Savior Who died to redeem us lives to intercede in our behalf.
RESULT OF INTERCESSION
Carping
critics will object that our text says only that Jesus is able to save to the
uttermost: maybe He will not do so even though He can. Blasphemous rebels! Dare
you call the Son of God a liar?
Jesus
promised to every true believer everlasting life. Dare you say that this
life will not last for ever?
God
declares in His word: I John 5:4 "For whatso-ever is born of God
overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even
our faith." Dare you deny it?
The
Holy Spirit through Paul wrote to believers: Colossians 2:10, "...ye
are complete in him...” (Christ) Dare you doubt it.
That
God in the Bible promises a complete and eternal salvation in Christ is beyond
argument. To doubt that He gives it is to deny either His ability to give or
His honesty in promising it. Our text declares that He is able. Dare you
question His honesty?
Romans
5:10, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the
death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
CHAPTER XIV
FREEDOM IN CHRIST
TRUE DISCIPLES CONTINUE IN HIS WORD
AND FIND FREEDOM IN HIM
John
8:31-32, "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye
continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Continuing
in the word of the Lord is not a means or condition of attaining discipleship
but is a test of genuine-ness of professed faith. The believers to whom Jesus
was speaking in this text were not told to become His disciples by continuing
in His word but that their continuing in His word would be proof that they were
His disciples indeed. To such genuine disciples He gives the promise, "…ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
TRUTH INCARNATE
The
truth that makes free is not the truth of arithmetic or the natural sciences or
history or any such thing but the truth of God's word and particularly truth
personified in Jesus Christ. Thus, Jesus says, addressing the Father, John
17:17, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John
14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
In a
measure the truth about Jesus as revealed in God's word will lead us toward
freedom, but it is really Jesus Himself Who makes us free John 8:36, "If
the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
FREE FROM THE LAW
I
John 3:4, "Whosoever committeth sin trans-gresseth also the law:
for sin is the transgression
of the law." Romans 6:23, "For the
wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord."
That
Jesus was promising to free men from the condemnation of God's holy Law that
rests upon them because of their sins is evident: John 8:21,24, "Then
said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in
your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come...I said therefore unto you, that ye
shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in
your sins." We are told plainly Romans 6:14, "For sin shall
not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace."
Certainly this does not mean that believers in Christ are free from all
moral responsibility to God, but it does mean that the penalty of the Law has
been removed from us, having been laid upon Him Who died in our place.
Romans
8:1, "There is therefore now no condem-nation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
God
has not cancelled or repealed His moral law; what He has done is to lay the
penalty of violating the law upon His Son for those Who believe in Him. So
David in the Old Testament and Paul in the New described Romans 4:6-8, "Even
as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth
righteousness with-out works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will
not impute sin."
FREE FROM DECEIT
Actually
this freedom from the condemnation of the Law becomes ours the moment we
believe in Christ unto salvation. As Jesus said, John 3:18, "He that
believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God."
But
Satan, that old liar and father of lies, deceives his dupes and sometimes for a
while God's own people are deceived and misled by the great deceiver. Of lost
sinners it is often true that they would rather believe the lies of the Devil
than the truth of God. So Jesus declared to unbelievers, John 8:45, "And
because I tell you
the truth, ye
believe me not." We are warned of false Christs
and false prophets Matthew 24:24, "For there shall arise false Christs,
and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if
it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
Yet,
we may be sure that although believers in Christ may be temporarily deceived by
Satan, ultimately, John 8:47, "He that is of God heareth God's
words: ye there-fore hear them not, because ye are not of God." John
10:4-27, "And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before
them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will
flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they
understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and
robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall
go in and out, and find pasture. The
thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that
they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shep-herd
giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the
shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the
sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The
hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep,
and am known of mine. As the Father
knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the
sheep. And other sheep I have, which are
not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and
there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I
might take it again. No man taketh it
from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have
power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. There was a division therefore again among
the Jews for these sayings. And many of
them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him
that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? And it was at
How
thankful we can be that in hearing and follow-ing Jesus we are set free from
the cunning deceptions of Satan.
FREE FROM SIN
When
the Jews denied their having been in bondage to any man, Jesus could have
reminded them of some unpleasant historical facts, He was speaking of spiritual
things John 8:34, "Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whosoever committeth sin is the servant (slave)
of sin." We are told in Romans 6:18 that believers were "…made
free from sin..." Certainly this does not mean that even the most
faithful believer is perfectly rid of all sin in the flesh in this life. I John
1:8, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us." It does mean that the power of sin is broken,
that we are no longer in bondage to sin, Romans 6:18, "Being then made
free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." In the
light of the New Testament the normal Christian life is not a life under the
power of sin but a life of liberty taught and led by the Spirit of God. Romans
8:2, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me
free from the law of sin and death."
FREE FROM FEAR
Jesus
very well knew that Satan would threaten saved people with the loss of their
salvation if they should fail to live up to their privileges and
responsibilities, and so He gives us an abundance of clear and definite assurance that His
salvation is an everlasting salvation that we need not fear losing.
John
8:35-36, "And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the
Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore
shall make you
free, ye shall
be free indeed."
Romans
8:15, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;
but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."
II
Timothy 1:7, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of
power, and of love, and of a sound
mind."
God
will not have the hell-scared service of miserable religious slaves who fear
that after all they may finally slip into Hell, but rather He delights in the
happy service of children who love and trust Him and rejoice in the security of
eternal life.
FREE FROM TROUBLE
For
those who are His disciples indeed, the Lord Jesus as Truth incarnate gives
assurance not only of freedom from the penalty of God's holy Law, freedom from
Satan's deception, freedom from the power of sin, and freedom from fear of
losing the blessings of salvation once received, but also the assurance of
freedom in the life to come, from all the sins, sorrows and troubles of this
present evil world. So He tells us: John 14:1-2, "Let not your heart be
troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it
were not so, I would have told you. I go
to prepare a place for you."
We
are given a glimpse of this place prepared for God's people and of conditions
that will prevail. Revelation 21:4, "And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
FREEDOM FOR YOU
Are
you still a slave to sin and Satan or have you found for yourself something of
"the glorious liberty of the children of God"?
This
freedom can be yours by simple trusting faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Way, the Truth, and the Life. John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free."
CHAPTER XV
PEACE IN CHRIST
REAL AND LASTING PEACE WITH GOD CAN
BE FOUND ONLY IN THE PRINCE OF PEACE
John
16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have
peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world."
Even
as these lines are being written, clouds of war and destruction circle the
earth, nations are rising against nations, and weapons of unprecedented and
unimaginable power are in the hands of the greedy, conscienceless dictators
determined on domination or destruction of the world. Our nation's president
urges our citizens to build bomb or fallout shelters, while a former president
is quoted as saying that he would prefer to die with his kindred and friends.
THE END - NOT YET
Luke
21:26, "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those
things which are coming on the earth:
for the powers
of heaven shall
be shaken." Dictators
and slaves, statesmen, generals and common citizens, are alike fearful and
uncertain of the future.
The
one certainty seemingly agreed upon by all is that the bloodshed and desolation
of previous wars are as nothing when compared with the world wide devastation
that may come upon us at any moment: such are the fearful expectations of men.
Our
Lord warned of such times: Mark 13:7, "And when ye shall hear of wars
and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the
end shall not be yet."
So
the warnings of God's word confirm the opinions of men that the end is not yet.
ORIGIN OF WARS
However,
when we inquire as to the reasons and sources of the wars and other conflicts
among men and nations, God reveals the truth men generally refuse to face: James
4:1-2, "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not
hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye
kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain:..."
Politicians,
generals, and historians may speak and write words without end in attempted
explanation of rivalry and strife between men and nations, but the simple truth
is that fights begin when one man lusts for what is rightfully another's and
wars are the result of the overwhelming desire of a nation or a nation's rulers
to grab the possess-ions of other nations.
This
simple tale of lust let loose is nothing new in the world's history. But it has
come upon us on a larger scale and with greater potentialities for destruction
than ever before.
WAR AGAINST GOD
Continuing
the quotation from James "...ye fight and war, yet ye have not because
ye ask not."
That
is to say, fights and wars arise because sinful man is at enmity with his
Creator to the extent that instead of asking God for needed blessings, he tries
to snatch the blessings of the Creator from his fellow creatures.
Back
of all enmity between men is the enmity of man against God. Paul had
reference to this fact Romans 5:10, "For if, when we were enemies, we
were recon-ciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his life." Again in Ephesians 2:3, we are told
that we "...were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."
The
Bible plainly teaches that the settled disposition of mankind is a disposition
of enmity against God.
If
we are frightened by the prospect of attack by human enemies with weapons of
human invention, how much more do we need to fear the judgment of God, the
all-wise, all-mighty, eternal Creator, as He carries out the promise of His
word to crush His enemies under His feet. Surely Proverbs 1:7, "The
fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge:..."
PEACE WITH GOD
Yet
God has provided for the making of peace in the person of His Son. Ephesians
2:14, "...he is our peace,..."
This peace with God which transcends all earthly strife is obtained by
faith: Romans 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:"
PEACE OF GOD
Not
only do believers in Jesus Christ have peace with God, having turned from
rebellion against God, but as children of God, Philippians 4:7, "...the
peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus."
The
true child of God can enjoy a peace of mind, heart, and conscience which no
disturbance or strife of this world can touch.
NOT AS THE WORLD
John
14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the
world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your
heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid."
So
the peace we are talking about is not the sort of troubled peace, the sort of
armed truce, a mere time of preparation for greater conflict, such as this
world knows. Real peace requires the removal of the causes of conflict, and
this kind of peace a world of wicked, greedy men cannot attain.
NOT PACIFISM
The
peace we have in Christ is far from the hypocritical pacifism of
"conscientious objectors." It is not obtained by pretending a peace
that does not exist or by ignoring principles of truth and justice. The
Christian's peace with God, far from teaching him to submit to wickedness, will
make him so much the bolder in defense of the liberties and safety of his loved
ones even as he learns to avenge not himself.
NOT COMPROMISE
As
our peace with God in Christ is not attained by compromise but by surrendering
all that is evil in our lives, in exchange for all that is good in the life of
Christ given to us, so the expression of this peace in our earthly relations is
not to be found in a spirit of compromise with the ways or with the powers of
this world.
Compromise
is never an end of strife. It settles nothing; it provides only an interlude
wherein one or the other if not both of the conflicting parties may prepare for
a more decisive conflict.
THROUGH VICTORY
As
it is true of any enduring peace on an earthly plane that compromise settles
nothing, but a decisive victory in war settles the question of which is the
stronger power, at least for the time being, so the peace that is ours in
Christ is the result of His overwhelming and eternal victory over all the
powers of evil.
John
16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have
peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world."
In
the world's history, a mighty nation may defeat all opponents in one war only
to be defeated in turn in later years. But in the conflict between God and
Satan, the victory of our Lord is for ever.
LASTING PEACE
Isaiah
9:7, "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no
end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to
establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The
zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."
Whatever
troubled peace we may experience for a few days or a few years in this present
evil world, the people of God, according to His promises, await the second
coming of the Prince of Peace, Who will rule the nations with a rod of iron Psalms
46:9, "He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;...”
CHAPTER XVI
DIMENSIONS OF LOVE
A PRAYER FOR KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST'S
LOVE WHICH PASSES KNOWLEDGE
Ephesians
3:14-21, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he
would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with
might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend
with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to
know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with
all the fulness of God. Now unto him
that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by
Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
Here
we have what may be called four dimensions of divine love, expressing something
of the magnitude of that love in space, time, and eternity. The apostle's
prayer was not only for the church at
ROOTED AND GROUNDED
Only
those who are themselves rooted and grounded in love can possibly have any
spiritual comprehension of the love here described. The word "rooted"
suggests that the very origin of our life and all its sustenance is in the love
of God from which we spring and grow as a plant is enabled to live and grow by
being rooted in fertile soil. The word "grounded" in this text means
founded or set on a founda-tion and reminds us that the spiritual building of
our life is founded or established upon the solid rock of God's love in Christ.
ABLE TO TAKE DOWN
The
prayer that we "may be able to comprehend" means that we may be
strengthened to receive or take down into our minds and hearts the dimensions
of the love of Christ as this love is revealed in the word of God and in our
experience in partaking of His love.
BREADTH OF LOVE
In a
sense, the attributes of the infinite God may be said to be infinite, because
they are certainly beyond our power to measure. Yet, we must recognize that God
is consistent with Himself, and, therefore, any one attribute of deity is
necessarily limited to consistency with other attributes. So we are not to
imagine that God is all love or nothing but love: He is also a God of justice
and truth Who hates sin and cannot look upon iniquity.
The
breadth of God's love in effecting the salvation of sinners is, in a sense,
narrow, so that Jesus admonishes: Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter ye in at the
strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that
leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait (narrow) is the gate, and
narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find
it." John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Nevertheless,
the love of God is so broad that Matthew 5:45, "...he maketh his
sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on
the unjust."
Moreover,
the love of Christ in salvation is not limited to any race, nation, or station
in this world, Acts 10:34-35, "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said,
Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation
he that feareth him, and worketh right-eousness, is accepted with him."
The
breadth of this love, wide enough to cover believers of all nations, is shown
in John's vision of the redeemed in heaven: Revelation 7:9, "After this
I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all
nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and
before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands."
LENGTH OF LOVE
It
is probable that by length the apostle refers to the duration of the
divine love in time and eternity. Human love may wax and wane, but the love
of God is constant and unchanging.
We
read of Jesus' love for His disciples. John 13:1, "Now before the feast
of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart
out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the
world, he loved them unto the end."
Actually,
the love of God for His people reaches from eternity past to eternity future
(if we can rightly speak of past and future in eternity), Jeremiah 31:3, "The
LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."
To
suppose that God could ever stop loving us is to suppose a change in His
character, because we who have been made partakers of His divine nature can
never become as unworthy of His love as we were when He saved us.
DEPTH OF LOVE
The depth
of Christ's love was revealed in His descent from heaven to earth that He might
be Isaiah 53:12, "...numbered with the transgressors;...."
His
love was deep enough to bring Him down to where we were in the utmost
degradation of sin. Only as we become partakers of His holiness and learn to
hate sin as he hates it can we begin to understand how deep that was.
Yet,
there is no sinner so vile, so far sunk in the depths of sin, but that the love
of Christ can reach and save him.
I
Timothy 1:15, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I
am chief."
Our
Lord warns of only one sin that will never be forgiven, and that is, blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit. The reason that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is
not forgiven is simply that the sinner hardened to the extent of such blasphemy
will never repent.
However
great may be your sin, however deep you may have fallen in rebellion against
God, if you will repent and trust in Jesus, His love is deep enough to save
you.
HEIGHT OF LOVE
Just
as the love of Christ was deep enough to bring Him down to earth, yea, even to
send Him to Hades that He might lead captivity captive, so His love is high
enough to lift us up to heaven.
The
height of God's love appears in His dealing with His children in this present
life. He loves us too much to allow us to continue on the low levels of sin and
disobedience. Hebrews 12:6-10, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son
is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement,
whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we
have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:
shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he
for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness."
We
shall never explore the full height of Christ's love for us until we come to
the fulfillment of His promise: Revelation 3:21, "To him that
overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame,
and am set down with my Father in his throne."
If
anyone asks how many of God's children will overcome, we have the answer: I
John 5:4, "For whatso-ever is born of God overcometh the world: and
this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
KNOWING LOVE
The
prayer is that we may "know the love of Christ which passeth
knowledge." That is, it is only in degree, in part, that we may know this
love which, in its fullness, surpasses knowledge. We may be sure that whatever
breadth, length, depth, and height we may have explored, God has still further
reaches of love beyond our kin.
Finally,
lest we abandon hope of learning even any considerable measure of God's love,
the apostle reminds us that God Ephesians 3:20, "...is able to
do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think...."
May
His Spirit illuminate our minds, overflow our hearts, and lead our lives in
this love of Christ.
CHAPTER XVII
WHATSOEVER HE SAYS
WE NEED TO OBEY THE COMMANDS OF
JESUS HERE ARE A FEW REASONS
John
2:5, "His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you,
do it."
The
words of our text were spoken by Mary, the mother of Jesus (not the
"Mother of God," as Catholics blasphemously call her). The occasion
was a marriage in
MISDIRECTED PRAYER
If
Mary in heaven today is aware of the prayers made to her by multiplied millions
of poor blinded sinners who "worship the creature more than the
Creator," and if it is possible for a Christian to be grieved in heaven,
she must be greatly grieved. And if she could speak today in the ears of these
idolaters, she would surely tell them, as she told these servants in
This
is good advice for anyone, any time. So, leaving the context, let us first
examine the words of the text, and then think of a few reasons why we need to
do what Jesus says.
"WHATSOEVER"
"Whatsoever
he saith unto you, do it." Many people are willing to do some things
that Jesus says, but they insist on their right to choose which commandments
they consider important or practical and to ignore the rest. This is not
obedience at all. It amounts to no more than quoting Jesus as authority for
what we want to do anyway, and would do if we had never heard of Him.
We
have no right to decide which of His command-ments we shall obey, which are
practical, which are profit-able, which are "reasonable." If He tells
us to do a thing, anything; that fact in itself is reason enough. We are to do
whatsoever He says.
"HE"
"Whatsoever
he saith unto you, do it." Not what someone else says. Not what
parents say, not what some preacher says, not what some church says, not what
custom or tradition says. If any or all of these agree with Jesus, thank God
for it; but if they disagree; we are still to do what Jesus says. Acts 5:29, "Then
Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."
"SAITH"
"Whatsoever
he saith unto you, do it." Not what we might suppose He would want
us to do, but what He says. Jesus speaks to us:
1. In
His own words and example. We have recorded in the New Testament many words
which He spake in person while He was on earth in the flesh. I Peter 2:21, "For
even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us
an example, that ye should follow his steps:" Our standard of conduct
is to be nothing less than the life of Jesus Himself, and we are to do exactly
as He says.
2. In
the Scriptures. Jesus quoted from and recognized the Old Testament as the
Word of God. He said: John 5:39, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye
think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."
And He promised that the Holy Spirit would complete the revelation of truth
that the disciples were not yet able to bear. Those people greatly err who
suppose that other inspired scripture is of less authority than the quoted
words of Jesus. Writing by inspiration, Paul said: I Corinthians 14:37, "If
any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that
the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord."
3. In
the Holy Spirit. God is one, and Jesus is with His people in the person of
the Holy Spirit. Here we need to be cautious. I John 4:1, "Beloved,
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because
many false prophets are gone out into the world." God cannot lie;
He cannot deny Himself. Jesus will not tell us something now in the Holy Spirit
contrary to what He has already told us in the Scriptures. But we do need
the Holy Spirit to give us understanding of what is written and to enable us to
make the proper application. Jesus continually speaks to His people through the
Holy Spirit, and when we go astray it is because we are unwilling to listen and
to do what He says.
"UNTO YOU"
"Whatsoever
he saith unto you, do it." Don't worry over what He may say to
someone else. Too many of us want to mind everybody's business but our own.
Some of God's commandments are for universal application; others are not. Don't
think that everyone else must do everything that God tells you to do. You will
have your hands full if you just try to do what He tells you. John 21:18-22, "Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and
walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch
forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou
wouldest not. This spake he, signifying
by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto
him, Follow me. Then Peter, turning
about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his
breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and
what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto
him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me."
I Corin-thians 12:4-11, "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the
same Spirit. And there are differences of adminis-trations, but the same
Lord. And there are diversities of
operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given
to every man to profit withal. For to
one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge
by the same Spirit; To another faith by
the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another
the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits;
to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of
tongues: But all these worketh that one
and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." Romans
14:1-13, "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful
disputations. For one believeth that he
may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth
despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that
eateth: for God hath received him. Who
art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or
falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another:
another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own
mind. He that regardeth the day,
regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he
doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God
thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God
thanks. For none of us liveth to
himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the
Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or
die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and
revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou
judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all
stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith
the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to
God. So then every one of us shall give
account of himself to God. Let us not
therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a
stumblingblock or an occasion to
fall in his
brother's way." There is room for infinite variety in God's
creation. Be content to find the Lord's will for you, and then do it.
"D0"
"Whatsoever
he saith unto you, do it." Not just think about it, not argue about
it, not find some excuse to avoid it, but--do it.
"IT"
"Whatsoever
he saith unto you, do it." That is, do what He says, not something
else that you think might do just as well. For instance, sprinkling and pouring
are not baptism. Follow the example and command of Jesus in all things. Substituting
something else is not obedience. When Jesus told those servants to fill the
waterpots, that is exactly what they did. They did not just wet them with a
little water. They did not just make them half full, or three quarters full. John
2:7, "...they filled them up to the brim." Do exactly what Jesus tells you to do.
WHY?
Is
it really so important to do what Jesus says? Yes, it is. Why? Let us note just
a few reasons:
JUDGMENT TO COME
Romans
2:6, God "Who will render to every man according to his deeds:"
Lost sinners will be punished forever in hell and in the lake of fire, the
degree of their punishment being proportioned to the enormity of their
disobedience. John 12:48, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my
words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall
judge him in the last day." On the other hand Christians will be
judged for rewards, and will be rewarded according to their works.
So
we ought to obey Jesus because we shall have to render an account to God. If we
are Christians, our standing in eternity depends upon our obedience here: Matthew
5:19, "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:
but whoso-ever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven."
CHASTISEMENT
Hebrews
12:6, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every
son whom he
receiveth."
Luke
12:47-48, "And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared
not himself, neither did accord-ing to his will, shall be beaten with many
stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall
be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be
much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the
more."
If
we are God's children, we had better do what He says, or He will surely Psalm
89:32, "…visit their transgression with
the rod, and
their iniquity with
stripes."
FELLOWSHIP AND BLESSINGS
I
John 1:6, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk
in darkness, we
lie, and do not
the truth." We cannot, as Christians, have the joy of His fellowship
except as we walk in the light of His word, that is, do what He says. We sing
truly: "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus,
but to trust and obey."
If
we would obtain His blessings, if we would have our prayers answered, we must
obey Him. Too often we shut our ears against God and then vainly expect Him to
open His ears to us. Prayer does not work that way. We must listen to God if
we want Him to listen to us. I John 3:22, "And whatsoever we ask,
we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do
those things that are pleasing in
his sight."
REASON AND CONSCIENCE
We
need to do what Jesus says because, if we are Christians, our own reason will
tell us that we owe Him unquestioning obedience, and that this is the only way
we can keep a clear conscience. We are not our own, we are bought with a price,
and our service rightfully belongs to Jesus.
Romans
12:1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that
ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is
your reasonable service."
Acts
24:16, Paul said to Felix: "And herein do I exercise myself, to have
always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men."
John
reminds us: I John 3:20, "For if our heart condemn us, God is greater
than our heart, and knoweth all things."
If
we belong to Jesus, then He has the right to command, and our duty is simply to
obey. Both by creation and by redemption we do rightfully belong to Him. It is
reasonable and right that we should do what He says.
LOVE
But
above all and in and through all other reasons, we ought to obey Jesus because
we love Him. II Corinthians 5:14, "For the love of Christ
constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all
dead:" I John 4:19, "We love him because he first loved us."
John 8:42, "Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would
love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself,
but he sent me." And to His disciples John 14:23,
"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our
abode with him."
Is
Jesus really your Lord, and do you really love Him?
Luke
6:46, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I
say?"
John
14:21, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that
loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love
him, and will manifest myself to him."
"Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it"
CHAPTER XVIII
MY YOKE IS EASY
MY BURDEN IS LIGHT
THE CHRISTIAN'S BURDEN IS LIGHT JUST
BECAUSE HE IS YOKED WITH CHRIST
Matthew
11:29-30, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
The
invitation and assurance given in these verses are for those who have accepted
the invitation of verse 28. "Come
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest." Jesus invites lost souls to come to Him, that is, to believe in
Him, for salvation, or to obtain the rest. Hebrews 4:10, "For he that
is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did
from his." This means that we get saved when we simply trust Jesus and
cease from our own works. Then in our text (Matthew 11:29-30) Jesus invites us
that are saved to take up His work, to wear His yoke, and find further rest in
serving with and learning from Him.
HIS YOKE - HIS BURDEN
I
think that the secret of finding this "rest for our souls" even as we
bear the burden of a figurative yoke, paradoxically, is in remembering that
Jesus calls it "My yoke," "My burden."
Of
course, He means the yoke that He wears and asks us to share, the burden that
He carries of which He asks us who are His disciples to carry a small part.
But
it is still His yoke, His burden; and so, no matter how heavy it may be on Him,
He can still assure us that for us it is easy, it is light: He can make it so
for us, for it is His.
JUDGMENT
The
heaviest burden that can rest upon a human soul (though the lost soul may not
realize it until he wakes up in hell) is God's judgment against sin and
sinners. But for the children of God this soul-crushing burden, for legal pur-poses,
was laid upon Christ, and so we are free from the law.
II
Corinthians 5:21, God "...hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no
sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Such
judgment as remains for a Christian to bear in this life is the loving
discipline of our heavenly Father designed for our correction. At the judgment
seat of Christ we shall be judged for rewards for faithful service. But the
legal punishment for our sins was laid upon Christ, John 5:24, "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent
me, hath everlast-ing life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life."
FEAR
II
Timothy 1:7, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of
power, and of love, and of a sound
mind."
Hebrews
13:6, "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not
fear what man shall do unto me."
Hebrews
2:14,15, "Forasmuch then as the child-ren are partakers of flesh and
blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver
them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
Among
the most encouraging words of Jesus to His disciples was the simple and
oft-repeated admonition, "Fear not." The fearful Christian is a
disobedient Christian and is far from perfected in that love which casts out
fear.
Surely,
as imperfect followers of a perfect Master we need to have a Godly fear. But
this is a light burden in comparison with the grievous fear of death, the fear
of eternal judgment, and even the fear of man, which our Lord has lifted from
us.
RELIGION
Some
of the heaviest burdens that men carry in this world are religious burdens.
Even the detailed laws and ceremonial regulations of Moses, though given by
divine direction, and far less burdensome than the bonds and shackles of
heathen religions, were yet too heavy for anyone except Jesus to carry through
to fulfillment.
And
so when the Judaizers sought to bring Gentile Christians under the ceremonial
law, Peter asked the question, Acts 15:10, "...why tempt ye God, to put
a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were
able to bear?"
The
religious yoke which Jesus calls us to wear is not a burdensome yoke of
ritualism and ceremony, but of willing, loving, and joyful service. Galatians
5:6, "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor
uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." II Corinthians 9:8, "And
God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all suffice-ency
in all things, may abound to every good work:"
TEMPTATIONS
Too
many Christians forget to pray as Jesus commanded, "Lead us not into
temptation," and then complain about their many trials and temptations,
which they might have avoided if they had been "instant in prayer."
I
Corinthians10:13, Even so, "There hath no temp-tation taken you but
such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be
tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
AFFLICTIONS
How
many of us have learned to Romans 5:3, "...glory in tribulations also:
knowing that tribulation worketh patience;" as part of normal
Christian experience.
For
an example of one disciple who learned this lesson, Paul tells us: II
Corinthians 12:7-9, "And lest I should be exalted above measure through
the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh,
the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above
measure. For this thing I besought the
Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is
made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ
may rest upon me." It was God’s
will rather that the apostle should learn to bear his affliction.
DEATH
Even
death, the last enemy to be destroyed, has lost part of its sting: I
Corinthians 15:55-57, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is
thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But
thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Death is therefore a far lighter burden for Christians than for the lost.
So
with reference to the death of our loved ones we are admonished: I Thessalonians
4:13, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
them which are asleep, that ye sorrow
not, even as
others which have
no hope." And when we ourselves come to meet this
appointment we can say with David as with all true saints, Psalm 23:1-6, "The
LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the
still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they
comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the
LORD for ever."
WORRY
It
seems sometimes that Christians who have the lightest burdens to worry about
worry the most. Yet our Lord commands us again and again to take no anxious
thought for tomorrow, to let not our hearts be troubled, to be careful for
nothing (that is, not to worry about anything.)