THE HERALD
of Christ's Kingdom
VOL. XV. April 1, 1932
No. 7
Table of Contents
Christ Our Passover
The Passover Memorial Date for 1932
An Interesting Suggestion
The Testimony of Jesus
Half Hour Meditations on Romans
Attaining Christian Maturity
Words of Encouragement
VOL. XV. April 15, 1932 No.8
Table of Contents
Rooted and Grounded in Christ
THE WAITING ONES
The Philosophy of the New Life
Jesus and the Resurrection
Religion, Pure and Undefiled
Words, of Encouragement
VOL. XV. April 1, 1932 No. 7
"Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the
Passover must be killed." "For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:
therefore let us keep the feast." - Luke 22:7; 1 Cor: 5:7, 8.
NOW THE feast of unleavened bread drew nigh which is
called the Passover." Such is the sacred narrative announcing the last Passover
Supper of which our Lord partook. Once more the Passover draws nigh. It is in some
respects the most hallowed occasion of the year, observed by disciples of Christ as a
Memorial and celebration of their Master's sacrificial death, and of their participation
with Him in that death in hope of the glory to follow.
The Divine program of arrangements for the ancient Hebrews
was without doubt illustrative and full of valuable lessons for those who constitute
God's people in this dispensation, and who belong to the higher, spiritual Israel.
Standing out in great prominence in that program was the provision made for two great
religious occasions amongst God's people, the one at the beginning of the religious year,
in the spring, and the other about the middle of that year, or near the first of October.
These two great religious celebrations presented the
same lesson from different viewpoints. The first emphasized more especially the passing
over of the firstborn, who subsequently were represented in the tribe of Levi, at whose
head stood the priesthood. Although the type appears to carry forward and to picture the
deliverance of all Israel through this priestly tribe to which Moses belonged, yet
specifically in detail it dealt merely with the deliverance, -the blessing of
the priestly tribe, the firstborn. The other picture in the seventh month more
particularly portrays the Atonement for the sins of the whole world, the forgiveness and
reconciliation of all mankind who desire to be reconciled to God. Nevertheless, in
connection with this Atonement Day sacrifice the special grace of God to the Church is
also set forth as preceding the blessing coming upon the world; atonement and
reconciliation for the Church's sins being represented in the first sacrifice of the Day
of Atonement, the "bullock," while the sacrifice for the sins of the world in
general was represented in the second offering, the "Lord's Goat."
In the fulfillment of the
picture in the antitype, the "Lord's Goat" class, which is evidently the Church
of the Firstborn, have a share in the sacrifice, or sin-offering work by virtue of having
had applied to them the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, the antitypical bullock, thus
qualifying them to be counted in with the great Redeemer as members of His Body that they
may ultimately attain membership in the New Creation and be associated with Christ in
giving to mankind the blessings of the Atonement. From first to last in the Divine
arrangement the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus is then seen to be the all-prevailing and
meritorious one, as the entire merit and value of the redemption price is represented
therein, as indicated in the words of John the Baptist, "Behold the Lamb of God that
taketh away the sin of the world."
The
Passover and the Feast
Amongst the Jews the term
"passover" was frequently applied as the name of a festival week, otherwise
called the Feast of Passover, beginning on the fifteenth day of Nisan. But we should not
confound this with the frequent references to the Passover found in the Scriptures when
the word feast is not used, which generally refers to the lamb that was killed, the
Passover. For example we read, "Then came the, day of unleavened bread when the
Passover must be killed." Again Jesus sent disciples to inquire of a friend,
"Where is the guest chamber where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" We
read again, "And they made ready the Passover." When the Master sat down with
the disciples to eat of the lamb, He said, "With desire I have desired to eat this
Passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will no more eat thereof until it
be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God."
While the Jews still
apparently think more of the Passover week than of the Passover lamb, the spiritual
Israelites on the contrary and in harmony with the example of our Lord and the Apostles
have special respect for the lamb, which typified the "Lamb of God which taketh away
the sin of the world," and under whose blood of sprinkling we who now believe, namely
the "Church of the Firstborn," are passed over or spared in advance of the
world.
The Great Question of
Atonement and Redemption
It is again the great
question of atonement, redemption, and deliverance, that comes before us as we gather at
the table of the Lord. The Passover lamb reveals primarily the Divine method of dealing
with sin, of satisfying the claims of justice against our race. "Typically" says
another, writing on this subject, "this was the great question, 'on the evening of
the fourteenth day of the first month,' namely how can God exempt from judgment, and
receive into His favor, those whom His holiness condemns? To this most solemn question,
there was but one answer that would satisfy the demands of the God of holiness, and that
was the blood of the lamb of His own providing. 'When I see the blood, I will pass over
you.' This settled the all-important question. It was one of life or death, of deliverance
or judgment. The blood sprinkled door-post was a perfect answer to all the claims of
holiness, and to all the need of the congregation. All was settled now. God was
glorified, sin judged and put away, and Israel saved through the blood of the lamb.
"Blessed truth!
Israel was now at peace with God, a sheltered, saved, and happy people, though still in
Egypt, the land of death and judgment. God was now pledged to deliver Israel-precious type
of the perfect security of all who are trusting to the blood of Christ! They were
securely and peacefully feeding on the roasted lamb, when 'at midnight, the Lord smote all
the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne,
unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of
cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians;
and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one
dead.' (Exod. 12:29, 30.). 'But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move
his tongue, against man or beast; that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference
between the Egyptians and Israel." (Exod. 11:7.) . . .
"Redemption being now
accomplished, and Israel divinely prepared., they commence their journey. But,
observe, in passing, how they start. Before taking one step, every question between the
conscience and God is divinely settled. They are forgiven, justified, and accepted, in His
sight. Hence, it is written, 'When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called My son
out of Egypt.' (Hosea 11:1.) Blessed type of the real condition in which every true
believer begins his Christian course! He may not see this blessed truth, or he may have a
very feeble apprehension of it, as Israel had, but that does not alter the fact. God
acts according to His own knowledge of the relationship, and the affections which belong
to it. We see this, in the glorious deliverance of His beloved people at the Red Sea, in
the manna from heaven, the water from the flinty rock, and in the pillar of His presence,
which accompanied them in all their wanderings. He ever acts according to the purposes of
His love, and the value of the blood of Jesus."
Let Us Keep the Feast
Observing in the
prefiguration the slain lamb, its blood sprinkled upon the doorposts and lintels of the
home, and the flesh eaten with bitter herbs, we apply this in the antitype and see Christ
as the real Lamb, see that His blood sprinkled upon our hearts cleanses them from a
consciousness of evil and gives us an assurance of our being passed over, of our being
spared, of our being granted life through His blood. This sprinkling represents our
justification by faith; and the subsequent eating of the lamb with bitter herbs finds its
place in the antitype in our consecration, in the bitter experiences and trials which
the Lord provides for us and which help to wean our affections from earthly things and.
increases the appetite and encourages us to partake more and more abundantly of the Lamb.
All who believe the testimony, all who trust in the, precious blood, are passed
over; and more than this, are expecting a great deliverance of the whole people, of all
who love God, who desire to do Him reverence and service. So many as thus believe
realize themselves pilgrims and strangers under present conditions, looking for a better
country, even the heavenly Canaan. All this was represented in typical Israel, for while
eating the lamb on that night of the Passover they stood staff in hand, girded for a
journey. Likewise the Lord's faithful today should realize themselves pilgrims and
strangers, having no continuing city, but setting their affections on things above-the
heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, the Kingdom of God.
Our Lord Jesus fully
identified Himself with the Passover lamb, when on the same night that He was betrayed,
and just preceding His crucifixion, He gathered His disciples into the upper room. It was
necessary that as Jews they should celebrate the Passover Supper on that night-the saving
of the typical firstborn from the typical "prince of the world." But as soon as
the requirements of the type had been fulfilled, our Lord instituted a new Memorial upon
the old foundation, "As often as ye do this (celebrate the Memorial of the Passover
season-annually] do it in remembrance of Me." (1 Cor. 11:24, 25.) Your Jewish
neighbors whose eyes of understanding have not been opened, will not appreciate the matter
in its true antitypical sense, but you-who :recognize Me as the Lamb of God, who in God's
purpose has been slain from the foundation of the world -- who recognize that I am about
to give My life as the world's redemption price -- will note this Passover season with
peculiar and sacred significance' that others cannot appreciate. Henceforth you will not
celebrate any longer the type, but memorialize the antitype, for I am about to die as the
Lamb of God, and thus to provide the blood of sprinkling for the Church of the
Firstborn, and meat indeed to the entire household of faith.
The Loaf and the Cup
Leaven is corruption, an
element of decay, hence a type of sin, and the decay and death which sin works in mankind.
This symbol declares that our Lord Jesus was free from sin, a Lamb without spot or
blemish, "holy, harmless, undefiled." Had He been of Adamic stock, had He
received His life in the usual way from an earthly father, He too, would have been
leavened with Adamic sin, as are all other men; but His life came unblemished from a
higher, heavenly nature, changed to earthly condition's; hence He is called "the
Bread from Heaven." (John 6:41.) Let us then appreciate the pure, unleavened,
undefiled Bread which God has provided, and so let us eat of Him-by eating and digesting
the Truth, and especially His Truth-appropriating to ourselves, by faith, His
righteousness; and let us recognize Him as both the Way and the Life.
The Apostle, by Divine
revelation, communicates to us the deeper meaning of this remembrancer. He shows that not
only did the loaf represent our Lord Jesus, individually, but that after we have thus
partaken of Him (after we have been justified by appropriating His righteousness), we,
by consecration, become associated with Him as part of the one, broken Loaf-food for the
world. This suggests the thought of our privilege as justified believers to share now
in the sufferings and death of Christ, the condition, upon which we may become joint-heirs
with Him of future glories, and associates in the great work of blessing and giving life
to all the families of the earth.
This same thought is
expressed by the Apostle repeatedly and under various figures, but none of them more
forceful than this, that the Church (which is Christ's Body, see Col. 1:24), with their
Head, is the "one loaf," being broken, during the Gospel Age. It is a striking
illustration of our union and fellowship with bur Head: "Because there is one loaf
we, the many [persons], are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf." "The
loaf which we break, is it not the participation of the Body of the Anointed One?" --
1 Cor. 10:16, 17. -- Diaglott.
The "fruit of the
vine" represents the sacrificed life given by our Lord. "This is My blood
[symbol .of life given up in death] of the New Covenant, shed for many, for the
remission of sins." "Drink ye all of it." -- Matt. 26:27-28.
Communion in the Body and
Blood of Christ
It was by the giving up of
His life as a ransom for the life of the Adamic race, which sin had forfeited, that a
right to life may come to men through faith and obedience, under the New Covenant. (Rom.
5:18, 19.) The shed blood was the "ransom [price] for all," which was provided
by our Redeemer Himself; but His act of handing the cup to the disciples, and asking
them to drink of it, was an invitation to them to become partakers of His sufferings, or
as St. Paul expresses it, to "fill up that which is behind of the afflictions, of
Christ." (Col. 1:24.) It, was the offer to us that if we, after being justified by
faith, voluntarily partake of the sufferings of Christ, by espousing His cause, we will be
esteemed by God members of the Body of Christ, as well as sharers in the sufferings of
Jesus. (2 Tim. 2:12; Acts 9:15.) "The cup of- blessing, for which we bless
God, is it not a participation of the blood [shed blood-death] of the Anointed One?"
(1 Cor. 10:16. - Diaglott.) Would that we all might realize the value of the
"cup" and could bless God for an opportunity of sharing with Christ His
"cup" of sufferings and shame! All such may be assured that they will be
glorified together with Him. -- Rom. 8:17.
Our Lord also attached
this significance to the "cup," indicating that it signified our participation
in His dishonor, our share in His sacrifice-the death of our humanity. For instance, when
asked by two of His disciples for a promise of future glory in His throne, He answered
them: "Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink
of?" On their hearty avowal He answered, "Ye shall indeed drink of My cup."
The juice of the grape not only speaks of the crushing of the grape till blood comes
forth, but it also speaks of an after refreshment; and so we who now share the
"sufferings of Christ" shall shortly share also His glories, honors, and
immortality, when we drink the new wine with Him in the Kingdom.
Let a Man Examine Himself
We remember that even
among His loyal disciples the most courageous forsook the Lord and fled, and that one of
them in his timidity even denied his Master! What an occasion is this for examining our
own hearts as respects the degree of our faith, courage, and willingness to suffer with
Him who redeemed us! What an opportunity is thus afforded for us to buttress our mind with
resolutions that by His grace we will not deny our Master under any circumstances or
conditions - that we will confess Him not only with our lips but also by our conduct.
Let none think that they
should remain away from the Memorial because of imperfections of the flesh. This is a
great stumbling block to many. So long as we are in the flesh, imperfection 'of word,
deed, and thought are possible -- yea, unavoidable. St. Paul says that we cannot do the
things that we would. It is because we need Divine grace to forgive our daily,
unintentional, unwilling trespasses that all whose sins have been forgiven and who have
been accepted into fellowship with Christ are encouraged to come to the Throne of Heavenly
Grace in prayer. The Apostle says, "Let us come with courage to the Throne of Grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:16.) It was
because of our needs that God opened up the way, and made this arrangement for us. But
whatever has been the condition in the past, the Memorial season above all others, is the
time for making sure that no cloud remains between the Lord and us, to hide us from His
eyes. Thus forgiven, thus cleansed of any defiling spot on our robe, let us keep the
feast-the Memorial of our Lord's death.
With these thoughts
respecting the passing over of the sins of the Firstborn through the merit of the precious
blood, we may indeed keep the Feast of the Passover with joy, notwithstanding trials and
reverses. So doing, and continuing faithful as the followers of Jesus, very soon we shall
have the great privilege of leading forth the Lord's hosts -- all who ultimately shall
hear and know and obey the great King-out of the dominion of sin and death, out of Egypt
into Canaan.
Surely there will be a
joyous time when all the saints shall-enter into their reward and receive the Cup of
Blessing! Undoubtedly all the faithful will soon partake of this joy. We believe the
fulness of joy will not be reached until all the members of Christ are with Him beyond the
veil. Then we shall share His throne and partake of His glory. Then with our beloved Lord,
we shall drink the new wine in the Kingdom; for the promise is to all His faithful saints.
Yes, dearly beloved, in the language of the Apostle, "Christ our Passover is slain
for us; therefore let us keep the feast."
As set forth in another
article of this issue, according to the Jewish method of reckoning, the anniversary of
our Lord's death will this year fall on Wednesday, April 20. And the appropriate time for
celebrating this Memorial will be on "the same night in which He was betrayed,"
the night of Tuesday, April 19th, after six o'clock.
THE DATE of the Memorial
Supper anniversary this year falls on Tuesday, April 19, after six o'clock, according to
the Jewish Calendar and reckoning, which it has been our custom in past years to follow.
It is observed that this year the popular Catholic and Protestant Passover has been
calculated one month earlier than the Jewish; the Catholic Easter falling on March. 27,
and the so-called "Good_ Friday," or the Passover, falling on March 25.
Because of a discrepancy
of one month between the Catholic and the Jewish reckoning, considerable question is
raised in the minds of some and we are accordingly submitting this explanation.
The reason for this discrepancy of a month this year is
that Catholics and Protestants in general ignore the Jewish methods of determining the
Passover, which are based upon both solar and lunar time. This is one of the years then
in which, according to the Jewish usage, it is necessary to intercalate or add an
extra month in order to harmonize the solar and lunar time. The last or twelfth month
ordinarily -of the Jewish Ecclesiastical year is caller Adar, and this thirteenth month is
called Second Adar, or Ve-Adar. There was a parallel situation to this in the year 1921,
at which time an explanation was made in these columns which it seems well to republish at
this time in order that all may have the matter clearly in mind; especially as this is one
of the years in which the matter of the proper date of the Passover will very probably be
called in question. The explanation published in 1921, follows:
"Our explanation for' the discrepancy [of one month
between the Catholic and Jewish Passover] this year [1921], is, that from the standpoint
of the Jewish calculation, which appeals to us as being the more logical and Scriptural,
the March date for the Passover and Easter indicated by other Christians is in error. As
is well known by all scholars, the Jewish month being governed largely by the moon's
lunations -- from new moon to new moon is approximately 29/ days, making 354 days in an
ordinary lunar year. Last year [1920] the Jewish year was reckoned as commencing about
March 21st, and of course 12 lunations or 354 days would bring us to about March 9th,
1921, as the beginning of another year; hence the popular Passover and Easter date this
year [1921] in the latter part of March. However, the highest Jewish authorities very
properly call our attention to the fact that the ancient Hebrew calendar was not
permanently fixed. The lunar year falls short of the solar year by nearly 11 days, and
because the Hebrew festivals were regulated not by the moon alone but also by the state
of the harvests which depended upon the seasons that is, upon the influence of the sun, it
became necessary to reconcile the length of the year when measured by lunations, to
its length when measured by the motion of the sun. For this purpose an extra month was
intercalated once in 'about every three years. In this way the lunar year was brought into
accord with the solar and the calendar was made to correspond with the seasons.
"There are
indications in the Scriptures that this was the case--that the year was accounted by Moses
to be governed by the sun as well as by the moon. Thus at the very beginning, in the
account of the creation, we read in Gen. 1:14-16: 'And God said, Let there be lights in
the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs,
and for seasons, and for days and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of
the heaven to give light upon the earth and it was so. And God made two great lights; the
greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars
also.' Both the greater and the lesser light are included as the sign of the seasons.
"Quoting further from
a standard Jewish authority:
" 'One thing is clear-that the
commencements of the Hebrew months were governed by the new moon or rather by the first visibility of the moon-the phase which she was
assumed to present when new. We know also that the year was rendered luni-solar by the
intercalation of an extra month as necessity for it arose. In this way the seasons at
which time the feasts and festivals were observed would be year by year restored to their
proper places.'
"Now it happens
according to the foregoing that this year, 1921, is what is called a 'Jewish Leap Year,'
that is, an extra month is called for, making 13 months to the present Jewish year instead
of 12. As the regular Jewish twelve months end about March 8th, this extra or thirteenth
month would there commence. The name of the Jewish twelfth month is Adar, and the name of
the extra, or thirteenth month is Ve-Adar, or Second Adar. It is never recognized or
called Nisan in any sense and it is wholly contrary to Jewish custom to celebrate any of
the Jewish festivities in Ve-Adar that are intended for the month Nisan. Consequently the
first Jewish month, Nisan, this year following the thirteenth month or Second Adar, would
commence with the next lunation or new moon after the one of March 9th, which we have
already indicated to be on April 8th-the first new moon following the spring equinox.
"As confirming the
above and as explaining further the necessity for the extra month to precede Nisan about
every third year, we submit the following from a standard Jewish authority
"'One of the Jewish
ordinances was that a sheaf of barley should be offered before the Lord as the first
fruits of the harvest. This was to be done in the Abib or month Nisan, immediately after
the Passover on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day of the
month. If it; were found before this day had arrived that the barley would not be then
ripe it was evident that the season according to the reckoning of lunar months had been
accounted as arriving too early in the year. It
must be made to come later. The first day of the Abib [Nisan] is approaching, the first
day of the new year; the beginning of months. But by the sun the spring season has not
arrived; the barley is not ready for the reapers; the lambs for the Passover are not yet
fit to be killed. The first day of the ceremonial year must be postponed till the next
lunation commences. The current year which is coming to a close must be increased in
length by another month.'
"If we should decide
upon the March date this year [1921] for the Passover it would be some weeks or at least
several days in advance of the time when the first fruits are ripe and ready to be
offered, as we are advised by reliable authorities that the barley is not ripe in the
warmest parts of Palestine before some time in the first half of April: therefore
justifying the Jews in commencing Nisan this year as they have' done-one month later in
order to fulfill all the requirements of the festival.
"Because the
foregoing appeals to us as being both reasonable and Scriptural, we have, this year [1921]
decided to accept and to recommend the Jewish calculation as to the beginning of the month
Nisan, and therefore recognize April 22nd as Nisan 14, and the evening of April 21st as
the appropriate time for keeping the Passover Feast. Additionally we submit a further
brief word from Pastor Russell that may prove helpful: (Z '06-101)
Brother Russell Accepted
Reckoning of Jewish Calendar
','The Jewish method of reckoning, based upon
the phases of the moon, was necessarily different from ours, and it was therefore very
much less easy to determine an exact beginning for their month. Especially was this the
case when the spring equinox had a bearing upon the matter, and
when, as was the case with the Jews, another type demands, that the Passover should come
at the time of the harvest. All who have knowledge on the subject will admit that would be
practically impossible to fix dates or the beginning of the Jewish year by lunar time, in
harmony with the harvest season, without there being, room for dispute and difference of
opinion. From our Lord's standpoint all that was settled for the people by the
decision of the Scribes, whose business it was to fix a date as the beginning of the new
year, and the fourteenth day of that year became the established date for the Memorial. In
other words, whether the Scribes fixed a date earlier or a date later would
not have particularly mattered; the object was to have a uniform date and to recognize
the fourteenth day of the first month at even.'"
It will no doubt be
interesting to our readers to recall that hat the year 1910 also presented a parallel
situation to that of 1921 and that of the present year. In 1910, "Good Friday"
and Easter Sunday according to Catholic usage fell on March 23rd and 25th respectively.
That year was also a Jewish Leap Year, the Jews having intercalated an extra month.
Brother Russell ignoring the popular Passover and Easter determined by Protestants and
Catholics, recommended to the brethren throughout he world the acceptance of the Jewish
calculation of Nisan 14, and so we celebrated the Memorial that year on the evening of
April 22nd. Note the explanation which Brother Russell gave in the Watch Tower in the
issue of April 1, 1910:
"The Christian Church
originally kept this Passover Memorial as we do now, but in order to make the dates more
regular, and also in order to draw the minds of Christians away from the thought of
following the Jewish precedents too closely, the method of reckoning the date was slightly
altered. Thus the Jewish reckoning let the Passover fall where it might as respects the
days of the week. But the change made the anniversary of: our Lord's death to come always
on a Friday, styled 'Good Friday' and His resurrection date always therefore to fall on the Sunday thereafter, 'the
third day,' styled subsequently Easter Sunday. The Jewish reckoning of time was by the
moon as well as by the sun. Thus the majority of years with them had twelve months, but
occasionally one would have thirteen months. The Jewish reckoning of the Passover date
begins to count with the first new moon after the spring equinox, the Passover day thus
coming on the full moon, fourteen days thereafter. Subsequently the Christian Church
accepted the Friday near the first full moon after the spring equinox, even though the
moon was new before the equinox. This explains the difference in dates this year, [1910]
Good Friday, according to Catholic usage, falling on March 25, while the corresponding
date, according to Jewish reckoning, will be April 23. We celebrate the Memorial on the
evening preceding. Yet it is not the hour or day of our Lord's death, but the fact that
is chiefly important. This year such a Memorial service will be in order on Friday
evening, April 22, after six, o'clock (Nisan 14)."
From Brother Russell's
explanation foregoing, it is evident that he accepted the counsel of Jewish authorities
and recognized the necessity for the Jewish Leap Year to harmonize the lunar and solar
year, about every three years; and that the year 1910 in which he wrote the above, there
was practically the same situation as that with which we are now confronted. Brother
Russell ignored entirely the popular Passover and Easter that was set in March of that
year and followed the reckoning of the Jewish calendar.*
Now then, this year 1932
is also a Jewish Leap Year, and the thirteenth Jewish month, Second Adar, ends on April 6,
and the new Ecclesiastical year commences with Nisan 1, at sundown, of the same day; this
being also approximately the appearance of the first new moon following the spring
equinox, and in accordance also with the Jewish custom of determining the beginning of
Nisan 1. Reckoning from sundown, April 6th, the 14th of Nisan would fall on April 20, but
would begin at sundown of the evening before, or after six o'clock on the evening of April
19, which would therefore be the appropriate time to observe the Memorial of our Lord's
death.
--------------------------------------
*It is recognized that various minds of the brethren grappling with this question of the
exact date of Nisan 14, are very likely to arrive at different conclusions, and if each
one insists that his view be adopted as a correct one, it would mean that three or four
dates would be chosen and observed by different brethren throughout the world, each one
being able to present (forcibly) from his particular viewpoint the technicality on which
he bases his conclusion. In view of the circumstances it emembered that Brother Russell,
encountering difficulties in endeavoring personally to determine the Passover date and
recognizing .that frequently there was a choice of several dates, was led accordingly in
his latter years to overcome this entire difficulty by not trusting himself to fix the
date at all but to accept without. equivocation or question the Passover date determined
upon by the Jewish autherities and set forth in the Jewish calendar each year. We believe
this decision was a wise one for, as he explained, the matter of the exact day was not one
of such importance as that the brethren should divide over it, some choosing one night,
some another. By accepting the Passover date of the Jewish calendar, this settled the
matter for all, so that there was full harmony and oneness in the celebration of this
precious and blessed occasion. For this reason we have in these recent years recommended
to the brethren that we likewise adopt the Hebrew reckoning for the sake of general
harmony and unanimity and that the blessing may be all the greater as upon the same
night all are partaking of the Supper and remembering other individual's and Classes of
brethren who they realize are also partaking of the emblems that evening.
In the January First issue
of the "Herald," in the article "Through the Holy Land," on page 11,
mention is made of "a cistern where tradition says a star appeared to the wise men a
second time, to guide them to Bethlehem and the manger." A point has been raised by
one of our readers with regard to the wise men making the trip from the East so quickly as
to reach Bethlehem in time to find Joseph and Mary and the Babe still there. The
question involved, while comparatively unimportant, is deserving of mention here
especially as the suggestion which our correspondent offers seems most reasonable. The
suggestion follows:
"I am much interested
in reading your journey 'Through the Holy Land.' In January First issue, you mention 'a
cistern where tradition says the star appeared to the wise men a second time to guide them
to Bethlehem and the manger. (Matt. 2:1-10.)' So many Bible students have the same
opinion, that the wise men saw the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger;
but, Matt. 2:9 says the star they saw in the East, went before them, till it came and
stood over where the young child was. The 11th verse, 'and when they were come into the
house they saw the young child with Marv His mother.' etc.
"Several years ago I
had a cutting on this subject, which clearly showed, it must have taken the wise men
nearly two years from the time they saw the star at its rising to the time when they
reached their own country again. Unfortunately it has been mislaid.
"As a child I always
wondered why Herod had the children from two years and under slain: the cutting made it
clear. Herod, bad as he was, did not want to have more killed than necessary to make it
safe for himself. For we read in Matthew's record (verse 16), 'From two years old and
under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.'
"For the wise men, to
have seen the babe in the manger, the journey would have had to be made within eight days
for 'when the days of her purification [seven days, Lev. 12:26 according to the law of
Moses were accomplished they brought him to Jerusalem.' (Matt. 2:22.) After the wise men
had departed into their own country Joseph was warned in a dream to take the child and His
mother into Egypt.
"Luke tells us of the
babe and the shepherds. Matthew relates-the wise men, seeing the child in the house.
for the testimony of Jesus Christ."-Rev. 1:9.
FRIENDS OF Jesus have no
difficulty in accepting His own testimony concerning Himself, for they know that, as He
said, "Though I bear record of Myself, yet My record is true." (John, 8:14.) We
who have followed and are following in the footsteps of our blessed Master, have proved
His claims to be gloriously true. He is indeed the Light of the World, as He claimed to be
(John 8:12), and just in proportion to the sincerity of our consecration, in proportion to
the warmth of our zeal and enthusiasm for His cause, just precisely in proportion to the
depth of our love' for and loyalty to Himself have we, His followers, not walked in
darkness, but have found Him to 'be the Light of Life, as He promised.
And yet, He who was not
merely truthful, but was Himself the Truth, did not ask His hearers to accept His
testimony uncorroborated. On the contrary, He who justly bears the title of the Faithful
and True Witness (Rev. 3:14) waives His right to testify on His own behalf (John 5:31) and
appeals to other testimony as a basis for faith in Himself. It will not be possible at
this time for us to consider all, but it will be interesting and profitable for us to
'note some of the lines of testimony introduced by the Apostle John in behalf of Jesus.
In studying John's Gospel
we note his clearly defined purpose: "These are written," says he, "that
ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might
have life through His name." (John 20:31.) Here we have his purpose plainly
stated-That ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God; and
that believing ye might have life through His name. Yes, indeed, says the Apostle, Jesus
performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples which I am not here
recording, but these are written with the very definite purpose of convincing you that
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His
name.
That Ye Might Have Life
We will not stop at this
time to discuss the subject of Faith. It will be enough for present purposes to note
that belief rests on evidence; consequently, we shall expect John to present evidence to
the effect that Jesus is the Messiah. Testimony on behalf of Jesus, that is what John
ought to give us that we might believe. In studying the Gospel of John it is essential to
remember this underlying purpose-that of furnishing testimony to Jesus; evidence that He
is the Messiah. As we read, let us ask: Is John doing what he set out to do? Is he proving
Jesus' Messiahship? Does he present convincing evidence? .
It is important to notice
too that "these are written" not merely "that ye might believe that Jesus
is the Messiah, the Son of God," but they were written also "that believing ye
might have life through His name." While the historical enumeration of facts might
result in a mental assent to the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, yet more
than a mere mental assent to this truth would be necessary, in order to "have life
through His name." John well understood the mystery of godliness. It was no mystery
to him. He knew the secret of it. He knew that, as another has said, "Godliness is
not an open philosophy, which all can judge of for themselves, but a spiritual experience
which can be learned only by being godly."
The evidence John presents
therefore will be found to consist of two elements: first, evidence which will bring about
this mental assent to the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God; and second,
evidence which will cause us to so believe as to have life through His name. We shall
expect to find in his Gospel a chain of testimony, which will not be exclusive to an
account of events and teachings merely, however accurately stated, but which will include
a view of the effect of these events and teaching on the hearts and lives of men -on those
who received Him not, as well as on those who received Him and who thereby received the
privilege of becoming the sons of God. As we ponder his writings, we shall not be
surprised to find the testimony on behalf of Jesus which he introduces having a double
effect, appealing alike to our 'hearts as to our heads, convincing us not only of the fact
that Jesus is the Messiah, but leading us on to receive Him by faith into our hearts,
influencing us to whole-hearted devotion to the Master he himself loved so well.
Those Who Waited for the
Consolation of Israel
That the people living in
the days of Jesus knew the direction whence to expect the Messiah is evident from the
fact that when the Magi inquired of Herod, "Where is He that is born King of the
Jews?" the chief priests and scribes were able to inform Herod that the Prophet Micah
had foretold that "Thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the
princes of Juda; for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule My people
Israel." - Matt. 2:1-6; Micah 5:2.
To what extent the time
features of that day were understood is not easy to determine, and yet it would appear
that Daniel's seventy weeks had been rightly interpreted by some, for there was a general
expectation of Messiah prevalent., (Dan. 9:24; Luke 3:15.) 'People were musing in their
hearts concerning John the Baptist, whether he were not the long looked for Messiah; and
when Paul appeared before Agrippa, it was a fair statement of the case when he said that
he was being "judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers, unto
which promise our twelve tribes instantly serving :God night and day hope to come."
(Acts 26:7.) While it is not supposable that every member of the twelve tribes was relying
very strongly on this promise -of God, yet there were a number of devout people who had
respect unto the promise and who were waiting expectantly for God to perform it. To one of
these, Simeon, who waited for the consolation of Israel, it pleased God to be especially
gracious, revealing to him that the coming of Messiah should be in his lifetime. (Luke
2:25, 26.) It must have been a severe test of faith to Simeon, when instead of a great
prophet, priest, and king appearing with suddenness from the city of Bethlehem in the full
splendor of His Messianic glory, he beheld a helpless babe. What must have been his
emotions when "He took Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said" (Luke
2:28-32, R. V.)
"Now lettest Thou
Thy servant depart, Lord, According to Thy Word, in peace; For mine eyes have seen Thy
salvation, Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples; A light for revelation
to the Gentiles, And the glory of Thy people
Israel."
The Messiah, the Logos
But while the views held
with regard to Messiah's office and work were confused and partial, His relationship to
Jehovah was yet more imperfectly understood, and it remained for the Apostle John
himself to affirm that the Messiah of Jewish hopes was none other than the Logos, the Word
of God, and that the most sublime feature of all Messiah's work would be that of
revealing, of making known the Father. This he tells us in the prologue to his Gospel,
which consists of three main propositions, briefly summarized as follows
First:
"In a beginning was
the Logos; and the Logos was with the God; and the Logos was a god."
Second:
"And the Logos became
flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth."
Third:
"No man hath seen God
at any time: the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared
Him."
The first proposition
draws our attention to a god, a mighty spirit being whose relationship to Jehovah is as
our words are to us. Just as our words reveal us, so He would reveal Jehovah. In a
beginning was the Logos; and the Logos was with the God and a god was the Logos. - John
1:1, Diaglott.
John's second proposition
is that in due course this mighty spirit being became flesh: "And the Logos became
flesh and dwelt among us, . . . full of favor and
truth." - John 1:14, Diaglott.
These first two
propositions he now unites in a third, namely that the mighty spirit being who became
flesh is none other than the Son of God, Jesus; and John is now ready to introduce
testimony to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God -- Revealer of the Father.
"No one has ever seen God. The Only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father He
has made Him known."-John 1:18, Diaglott.
Testimony of John the
Baptist
The first testimony he
introduces is that of John the Baptist. But the question arises, why does he give such
prominence to John the Baptist? There has been considerable discussion in some quarters as
to who wrote the Gospel we call John's Gospel. Let us suppose that some one who had not
been well acquainted with the Baptist had written this Gospel. It is hardly, likely that
he would have given such prominence to the Baptist's testimony. The fact,' therefore,
that such prominence is given to the Baptist is important and suggests to our minds that
whoever it was that wrote his Gospel was well acquainted with and very probably a disciple
of the Baptist. Again it is interesting to notice that in the fourth Gospel the Baptist is
mentioned nineteen times and not once is he referred to as the Baptist, but is called
simply John. In Matthew he is seven times called John the Baptist; in Mark four times, and
in Luke four times. But in the fourth Gospel the writer does not need to distinguish John
the Baptist from himself, whose name is John, by calling him the Baptist. This then is a
second important item of internal evidence -of the genuineness of the Gospel. We saw
just now that it was Very probably written by a disciple of the Baptist. We now see that
that disciple's name was John. In other words, without going outside -of the fourth Gospel
we have every reason to believe that the writer must have' been John, a disciple of the
Baptist, who on the Baptist's advice and testimony left him to follow Jesus, whom the
Baptist declared was the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.-John 1:35-37.
Another has very ably
commented on the competency of the Baptist as a witness in the following language:
"The Baptist was in a
position to know Jesus well. He was His cousin; he had known Him from childhood. He was
also in a position to know what was involved in being the Messiah.. By the very
circumstance that he himself had been mistaken for the Messiah, he was driven to define to
his own mind the distinctive and characteristic marks of the Messiah. Nothing could so
have led him to apprehend the difference between himself and Jesus. More and more clearly
must he have seen that he was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light.
Thus he was prepared to receive with understanding the sign which gave him something more
than his own personal surmises to go upon in there is any man's testimony we may accept
about our Lord it is that of the Baptist, who from his close contact with the most
profligate and with the most spiritual of the people, saw what they needed and saw in
Jesus power to give it; the business of whose life it was to make Him out, and to arrive
at certain information regarding Him; a man whose own elevation and force of character
made many fancy he was the Messiah, but who hastened to disabuse their minds of such an
idea, because his very elevation gave him capacity to see how infinitely above him the
true Christ was. Seen from the low ground, the star may seem close to the top of the
mountains; seen from the mountain top it is recognized as infinitely above it. John was
on the mountain top. .
"It is, I say,
impossible that we can make nothing of such a testimony. Here was one who knew, if any
man ever did, spotless holiness when he saw it; who knew what human strength and courage
could accomplish; who was himself certainly among the six [?] greatest men the world has
seen; and this man, standing thus on the highest altitudes human nature can reach, looks
up to Christ, and does not only admit His superiority, but shrinks, as from something
blasphemous, from all comparison with Him."
What is the flaw in John
the Baptist's testimony? All, there is no flaw, and gladly do we accept his testimony and
receive Jesus as our light-as the Lamb of God, able to take away our sins and to make us
partakers with Himself of His Holy Spirit.
Signs and Works
But, says Jesus, burning
and shining light though he was, I have greater witness than that of John, for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish,
the same works that I do, bear witness of Me that the Father hath sent Me.-John 5:35, 36.
Now, bearing in mind the
underlying purpose of John's Gospel-that of giving testimony on behalf of Jesus-note his
selection of miracles. "Let me see," muses the Apostle, "which of Jesus'
mighty works shall I record? I want to emphasize those that best demonstrate His
Messiahship." When we remember that there are forty miracles recorded by the four
Evangelists and hints of even more, and when we remember that John was fully informed
concerning them all, and recorded only seven,* it becomes a matter of absorbing interest
to learn the principle which guided him in their selection.
----------------------------------------------
*The
eighth mentioned in Chapter 21 is not included in "these" of John 20:31.
The seven are as follows:
1 Water turned into wine.
2 Nobleman's son healed.
3 Man with infirmity
thirty-eight years healed.
4 Feeding of five
thousand.
5 Walking on the water.
6 Blind man given sight.
7 Lazarus raised from the
dead.
"Truly," says
the Apostle, "many other signs did Jesus in the presence of His disciples which are
not written in this book, but these are written [these seven] that ye might believe that
Jesus is the Christ [the Messiah], the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life
through His name."
It will be profitable for
us to pause a moment here and notice the word "sign." It appears seventeen times
in the Gospel by John, and is always translated in the Revised Version as
"sign," though sometimes in the Authorized Version it is translated
"miracle." Scholars have pointed out a very interesting shade of meaning in
the original Greek word. Suppose Jesus had by the exercise of some powerful spiritual
force picked up a couple of elephants and held them up over His head-that would have been
a miracle certainly, an exhibition of power without a doubt, but John would have used a
different Greek word from the one he does use, to describe that kind of a miracle. Suppose
Jesus had jumped off the pinnacle of the temple and without injury to Himself had landed
on His feet-that would have been a miracle too, and such a deed would have excited wonder
amongst those who beheld it, but the Greek word for that kind of miracle is very different
from the word John used. For that kind of miracle would have been meaningless, whereas the
works of God which Jesus did, the signs to which John refers, and especially the seven
which he records, are full of meaning.
Embodiments of Truth in Deeds
If Jesus had turned stones
into bread for His own use, it would have proved Him to be a wonderworker most
assuredly, but it would not have proved Him to be the Messiah. But the seven signs which
John records are not written to prove that Jesus was a wonder-worker, but to constitute
evidence that He is the Messiah. The thought contained in the Greek word which John uses
here in reference to the mighty works of Jesus is that these signs constituted proofs not
only of His power, but of His Messiahship. And how do they do that? By the kind and
quality of the miracles He performed. They were miracles having significance; that is the
thought in the Greek. As another expresses the matter: "They were miracles not ending
in themselves." They were miracles constituting object lessons; embodiments of
truth in deeds. Examination of them discloses the fact that while each has its own
particular lesson to impart, they unite in teaching one special lesson, namely Jesus is
the Messiah. Just as the heavens declare the glory of God, so the works of Jesus declare
His glory.
When Jesus takes to
Himself His great power and reigns, there will be no necessity to bring forward evidence
to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. In that day mankind will all be fully informed on the
subject and it will then be futile for His enemies to oppose Him. But in the days of His
humiliation He performed certain miracles which in themselves disclose His identity, and
reveal the fact to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, that He is none other than
the Messiah, the Sent of God. They point to the activities of the great Millennial Day of
Messiah in the most eloquent language.
In the turning of water
into wine may first be seen the change which comes into the heart and life of a believer
during this Gospel Age, when having heard the story of the Savior's love and realized what
a restoration to human life rights and privileges this means to hem, he consecrates all
these and gladly yields himself to do the Father's well and to walk in the footsteps -of
Jesus even unto the end. What a transformation takes place in that one's life as the
Father honors hem with the Spirit of sonship! Then, too, what gladness of heart such well
experience when at the commencement of Messiah's reign the Marriage of the Lamb takes
place and we, with our Lord, partake of that which the fruit of the vine, the wine,
typifies -- the Kingdom joys and honors! And what new life well be imparted to this world
as it partakes of the rich fruitage of love which the true vine and its true branches, our
Lord Jesus and His faithful Church have borne!
Manifested Coming Glory
"This beginning of
miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and manifested forth His glory, and His disciples
believed on Him." Yes, Jesus, Master, Lord, this sign alone convinces us -- this sign
which causes some to hate Thee, this sign which causes some to despise and reject Thee,
causes us, Thy true disciples, to exclaim with true devotion and joy: My Lord and My God!
It satisfies our heads, and oh, how it rejoices our hearts, as we recognize it not only as
a miracle, but as one worthy of our great Messiah, revealing to us ahead of time, Thy
glory.
And so with the rest of
these deeds having significance, these signs that were written that we may believe. The
healing of the nobleman's son, the cure of the impotent man at the Pool of Bethsaida --
What were these mighty works but illustrations of the gracious work of restoration which
Messiah well undertake in that glad Millennial Day? Was it only to appease the hunger of
the moment that He caused five thousand to set down and be fed from five barley loaves and
two small fishes? Ah, no, in this as in them all, He displays His glory, He discloses
His identity, He shows Himself to be the great Messiah who is the bread, the living bread
come down from heaven; and mankind shall yet with joy appropriate the rights to human life
which He so graciously surrendered, that they may live forever.
How sublime the evidence
He presents that He is the Light of the world! How little need there is to argue this
point in the presence of the blend man who received his sight -- the man who was born
blind, not on account of his own sin, neither on account of the sin of his parents, but
that the work of God might be manifested in hem-that one of Messiah's Millennial Day works
might be displayed in him, and thereby disclose
Jesus as Messiah.
How plainly does this
point to the glorious day fast approaching when Messiah well open the eyes not of one
blend man, but of all; when He well restore the sight of those who are blend not only
physically but mentally -- yes, and morally too; when He will open the eyes of their
understanding and enlighten their mends with respect to the Father; when He well be their
guiding light indeed!
The Sign That Speaks of
Resurrection Hope
Again, the circumstances
in connection with our Lord's walking on the water bear unmistakable testimony to His
Messiahship. The disciples were in a boat on the sea. A storm came up, and on account of
the strong wend the boat was being tossed about with the waves. Night came on and it grew
very dark, when in the fourth watch of the night, just before the dawn, Jesus came to them
walking on the water.
"Ah," muses
John, as he selects the miracles which in his judgment well best emphasize Jesus'
Messiahship, "I must not leave that one -out." And how glad we are that he did
not; for is it not a very exact picture of the way our Lord returned? Has not the Church
been tossed about pretty much all down through the Gospel Age? Is not the darkness growing
more intense? Is not the night fast closing in upon us, that dark night when no man can
work? Do not the sea and the waves roar and foam? Are not the restless turbulent masses of
society dashing up against the firmly entrenched powers that be and are not men's hearts
failing them for fear?
And just as to His
disciples in the boat Jesus came in a manner quite unexpected, walking on the water, so He
returned and made His presence known to His faithful watchers in a manner not previously
thought of. Is it not a joyous thought, too, to remember that just as the waves subsided
and the wend, and they soon reached their haven, so well He subdue all things under
Himself shortly, and we shall reign with Hem a thousand years!
And, dearly beloved, you
who have stood in silence by the cold and silent form of one you have loved, and watched
the body lowered beneath the sod, you who have come away with your heart all crushed and
broken, is there any significance to you in that mighty work which Jesus wrought when He
awakened Lazarus from the sleep of death? Ah, how eloquently this sign speaks to us. It
speaks to us of that still mightier work the Father wrought when He raised up Jesus from
the dead. It points unerringly to the time now near when Messiah, the Living One, the One
who became dead, and who is alive for evermore, shall speak with authority, and all that
are in their graves shall come forth; and they that hear and obey His precepts shall live.
Oh, Blessed Jesus, Oh
Faithful and True Wetness! Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe and are
sure that Thou art the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, and believing thus we have
life through Thy name.
No. 26
"That no man is justified by the law in the sight of God,
it is evident."-Gal. 3:11.
IN OUR previous
meditations we have seen the Apostle demonstrating that the Jews as well as the Gentiles
are fit subjects of God's true or impartial judgment. He has anticipated the objection.
But in that case, what becomes of Jewish privilege? And he has shown that real and great
though it be, it cannot hinder their rejection and judgment. "What then?" he now
asks, "'are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews
and Gentiles, that they are all under sin."-Chap. 3, ver. 9 (Romans 3:9).
Have we, Jews,
a defense?
Some diversity of
viewpoint has been held as to the meaning of the word which in our Authorized Version is
translated, "are we better (than they) ?" One writer, though himself
preferring another translation, informs us that "the great body of expositors, both
ancient and modern, have supposed that it must mean, do we excel?" It is so translated in the
Diaglott. This writer, however, notes "an insuperable objection to this
interpretation of the verb, that it is absolutely without precedent. The verb in the
active voice, does mean, in the neuter branch of its import, to excel. But it has no such
import in the middle voice. The most learned of those who contend for the interpretation
make the admission....
"But there is another
objection to this interpretation. It seems to be out of joint with the context."
This would appear to be the case whether the word were to refer to privilege or to
character. "If the reference of the term were to privilege, Do we excel (in privilege)? and if, as is
generally assumed by the expositors who contend for the interpretation, the question be
proposed in the name of the Jews [do we, Jews, excel in privilege?], then it seems to be a
strange question after what has 'been asked and answered in verses 1 and 2." For the
reply in verse 9 is "No, in no wise,"' whereas in verse 2 the Apostle says that
the surplus of privilege enjoyed by the Jews is "much in every respect." The
Apostle is certainly not to be understood as contradicting in verse 9 the statement he
makes in verse 2. Again, if it be assumed, as is generally the case, that the question has
reference to character, do we, (Jews), excel (in character)?-"then there was really
no occasion for the question on the one hand, and there is no answer to it on the other,
or, at least, no vindication of the answer. (1) There was no occasion for the question,
for, from the Apostle's standpoint, in relation to the universal necessity of seeking
justification by faith, it was a matter of no significance whether the Jews in general
were better in character than the Gentiles in general, or whether the reverse were the
case. The necessity of seeking justification by means of faith does not spring from any
'bad pre-eminence' in sinfulness. It springs from the mere fact of sinfulness, without
having respect whatsoever to the question of degrees. Then, (2) even though there had been
occasion for -proposing the question, yet the Apostle, in his answer in verses 10-19,
does not, as a matter of fact, show that the Jews in general . . . [were in no wise better
in character than the Gentiles]. He only shows, without instituting any comparison between
the two classes, that they were all exceeding sinful. . . . We must, then, abandon that
interpretation of the verb which would make it mean, 'do we excel?"'
Those who so desire may
see the meaning of this word exhaustively considered in the works of eminent scholars.
We content ourselves here with presenting the conclusion of the writer from whom we have
above quoted. After an elaborate treatise, in the course of which he shows the word to
have been used by ancient writers in the sense of defense, and that a loyalty to this
sense of the word appears in the works of many expositors, some of whom "sit on the
very highest bench of scholarship," he concludes that "there can be no
reasonable room for doubting that the word . . . in the passage before us, . . . means, Do we put forth pleas in self-defense? that is, Do we defend ourselves (before the tribunal of
God)? . . . Do we bring forward a plea in bar of a condemnatory sentence? Do I, a Jew, bring forth a plea in behalf of the Jews? Do we, in this way, screen ourselves?
No, in no
Wise
The question, What then?
with which verse 9 commences, "indicates a pause in the Apostle's reasoning, during
which he, as it were, gathers himself up for a new start; while he is careful at the same
time, to quicken the intelligence of his readers into sympathy with himself, so as to
carry them along with him. [The expression,] What then? . . . most naturally refers to the
preceding paragraph (ver. 1-8) as a whole; so that the mind is carried back, in its
review, to the main idea of the paragraph, namely that the advantage possessed by the
Jew, in his peculiar relations and institutions is much in every respect." It is as
though the Apostle were to say, Since it is the case that the privileges of the Jew,
whatever use or abuse may be made of them, are much in every respect, what then? In
maintaining that the prerogative of the Jews is much in every respect, do we Jews bring
forth a plea for the justification of our moral state and in defense of our right to
everlasting life?
To this question the
Apostle replies: "No, in no wise." "In asking this question, and answering
it as he does, the Apostle does not mean that there would be none among his countrymen who
would be ready to defend themselves in judgment. He means that when he himself speaks in
reference to them, and as far as possible in their behalf, and as one of them, he will
not, and does not, and cannot speak in the way of defense. He cannot plead, Not guilty. He
was profoundly convinced that guilt was attaching to himself for his own unrighteousness.
And he was equally sure than it was attaching to all his countrymen for theirs. Such is
the significance of the Apostle's identification of himself with the mass of his
countrymen when he says 'we.' "
The Apostle gives the
reason, or at least a reason why he did not, and would not, and could not, put in pleas
for them. It would be utterly inconsistent on his part to attempt any such defense
"For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin."
The word translated "proved" properly means "charged" or
"impeached." The Apostle is referring here to his impeachment of the
Gentiles 'in Chapter 1, verses 18-32, and of the Jews in chapter 2, verses 1-29. In those
passages he not only charged both Gentiles and Jews as being all under sin, but maintained
that the Gentiles are "without excuse" (1:20), and the Jews
"inexcusable." (2:1.) "The expression, 'under sin' is pictorially
significant. By a natural personification-specially familiar to the mind of our
Apostle-sin is represented as being the lord of the sinner. For the moment that a man
commits sin, he makes a slave of himself, and is liable for ever afterwards, unless Divine
mercy interpose, to be under the lash of retribution."
It is Written
The Apostle having stated
that he had "charged both Jews and Gentiles with being all under sin," proceeds
to prove that his accusation is in full accord with the Old Testament Scriptures.
"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."-Ver. 10-18.
Here St. Paul groups
together into a cluster a number of detached Old Testament statements which attest the
legitimacy of 'his impeachment. "In drawing this picture, which is only a grouping
together of strokes of the pencil, made by the hands of Psalmists and Prophets, he does
not certainly mean that each of those characteristics is found equally developed in every
man. Some, even the most of them, may remain latent in many men; but they all exist in
germ in the selfishness and natural pride of the ego,
and the least circumstance may cause them to pass into the active state, when the fear
[reverence] of God does not govern the heart. Such is the cause of the Divine condemnation
which is suspended over the human race."
The Human Heart Hopelessly
Diseased
To quote from another:
"Here is a tessellation of Old Testament oracles. The fragments, hard and dark, come
from divers quarries; from the Psalms, from the Proverbs, and from Isaiah. (Psa. 14:1-3;
Psa. 5:9; Psa. 140:3; Psa. 10:7; Isa. 59:7, 8; Prov. 1:16; and Psa. 36:1.) All in the
first instance depict and denounce classes of sins and sinners in Israelite society; and
we may wonder at first sight how their evidence convicts all men everywhere, and in all
time, of condemnable and fatal sin. But we need not only, in submission, own that somehow
it must be so, for 'it stands written' here; we
may see, in part, how it is so. These special charges against certain sorts of human
lives stand in the same Book which levels the general charge against the human heart (Jer.
17:9), that it is 'deceitful above all things, hopelessly diseased,' and incapable of
knowing all its own corruption. The crudest surface phenomena of sin are thus never
isolated from the dire underlying epidemic of the race of man. The tiger-strokes of open
wickedness show the tiger-nature, which is always present, even where its possessor least
suspects it. Circumstances infinitely vary, and among them those internal
circumstances which we call special tastes and dispositions. But everywhere amidst
them all is the human 'heart, made upright in its creation, selfwrecked into moral
wrongness when it turned itself from God. That it is turned from Him, not to Him, appears
when its direction is tested by the collision between His claim and its will. And in this
aversion from the Holy One, who claims the whole heart, there lies at least the potency
of 'all unrighteousness.'
"Long after this, . .
. [as the close of his earthly life drew near], St. Paul wrote again of the human heart,
to 'his true son' Titus. (3:3.) He reminds him of the wonder of that saving grace which
he so fully unfolds in this Epistle; how, 'not according to our works,' the 'God who
loveth man' had saved Titus, and saved Paul. And what had he saved them from? From a state
in which they were 'disobedient, deceived, the slaves of divers lusts and pleasures,
living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.' What, the loyal and laborious
Titus, the chaste, the upright, the unutterably earnest Paul? Is not the picture
greatly, lamentably, exaggerated, a burst of religious rhetoric? Adolphe Monod tells us
that he once thought it must be so; he felt himself quite unable to submit to the awful
witness. But years moved, and he saw deeper into himself, seeing deeper into the holiness
of God; and the truthfulness of that passage grew upon him."
The Reverence of the Lord is
the Principal Part of Wisdom
What a commentary these
quotations make on the wise man's counsel : "The reverence of the Lord is the
beginning [the principal part] of knowledge." (Prov. 1:7) -- and of wisdom. (Prov.
9:10.) "There is none that understandeth," quotes the Apostle. "From the
standpoint both of the Psalmist and of the Apostle and indeed of all Biblical writers,
every man is deficient in understanding (see Rom. 1:21,31), who does not apply his
intelligence to the things which concern his relations to God-so as to be guided aright in
his conduct in reference to God. . . . All the finite objects on which the intelligence
may terminate are but intended to be the rounds of a ladder by which the mind may mount up
to God. He who does not mount by means of these objects, does not understand, is not wise.
He has not grasped the realities of things in their true relations. He does not construe
aright the lesson which is spread out before him."
In the language of one
well known to, and much esteemed and loved by the readers of this journal: "To render
all we have to the Lord's service is not only a reasonable thing, but an offering far too
small-far less than what we would like to render to Him Who has manifested such compassion
and grace toward us. And we should feel thus, even if there were no rewards attached to .
. . 'a consecration of ourselves. But inasmuch as God has attached great rewards and
blessings, we should feel not only that a refusal to accept would be an indication of
non-appreciation of Divine mercy, but an indication also of weakness of mind, of
judgment, which is unable to balance the trifling and transitory pleasures of self-will
for a few short years, with an eternity of joy and blessing and glory, in harmony with the
Lord.
"There is none
that seeketh after God." "The verb is translated diligently seek, in Heb. 11:6;
and carefully seek, in Heb. 12:17. . . . The employment of the verb in relation to God
as its object, proceeds on the assumption that God cannot 'by searching' be
fully 'found out.' He stretches out illimitably before the investigating mind; and
therefore, may be more and more discovered in His essential perfections and infinitely
complicated relations. He is sought out, progressively and continuously, of all who
realize the true end of human life, But there are none except those whose hearts are
touched more or less powerfully by the Gospel of God's grace, who thus know themselves,
and understand the whys and wherefores of their being -- and there are consequently none,
but these exceptional persons, who make it their constant business to seek out God."
Corruption in
Word and Deed
The careful student: will
not fail to notice that there is an appreciable method in the arrangement of the Old
Testament Scriptures which the Apostle groups together here, and which forms such an
appallingly accurate picture of human depravity. First the universality of sin is
affirmed, and the more general characteristics of human corruption are mentioned. (Ver.
10-12.) Next the prevalence or sin in speech is specified, both the coarse as well as the
sugared tongue. (Ver. 13, 14.) In the next three verses (15-17) the picture of human
depravity manifesting itself in word is completed by the description of the same
wickedness showing itself in deeds. Finally, in verse 18, the fountain from which all this
evil of both word and deed flows is specified. The overflow of all this depravity arises
from a sad void -- the absence of true piety, of that sense of reverence for God which
should have filled the human heart.
Such is the conclusion
which the Apostle reaches in regard to the whole human race. But the Jew might yet object
that many of these Old Testament quotations referred not to them but to the Gentiles.
St. Paul foresees this objection, and in the next verse, 19, takes care to set it aside so
that nothing may impair the sweep of the sentence which God pronounces on the state of
mankind.
To Whom does the Law Speak?
"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."-Ver. 19.
The point of importance
which the Apostle would here emphasize, is contained in the words "to them." It
is undoubtedly true that many portions of the Old Testament spoke of Gentiles, as for
example, in those passages of Scripture in which we read of "the burden of Egypt, the
burden of Damascus, the burden of Edom, the burden of Nineveh, etc., etc." In such
passages there is no question but that the Lord through His Prophets is describing the
sins and impending punishment of Gentile nations. But even such passages while speaking of
Gentiles were spoken to Israel, for their special benefit. "It is obvious indeed,
that. the Old Testament, while depicting to the Jews the wickedness of the Gentiles, did
not at all mean to embitter them against the latter, but to put them on their guard
against the same sins, and preserve them from
the same judgments; a proof that God saw in their hearts the same germs of corruption, and
foresaw their inevitable development if the Jews did not remain faithful to Him."
When the Apostle says, "we know," he seems to be appealing to
the common sense of his readers, whoever they might be, Jews, Gentiles, or Christians.
He is treading on ground which cannot be disputed. It is as though he were to say:
"We know, every one does, that what things, soever the law saith (or contains), and
these things especially which I have just quoted, are spoken to them that are under the law, that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the world, not excepting the Jews, become liable to pay penalty to
God."
That Every Mouth may be
Stopped
"Oh solemn silence,
when at last it comes.! The harsh or muffled voices of self-defense, of self-assertion,
are hushed at length. The man, like one of old, when he saw his righteous self in the light of God, 'lays his hand
on his mouth.' (Job 40:4.) ' He leaves speech to God, and learns at last to listen. What
shall he hear? An eternal repudiation? An objurgation, and then a final and exterminating
anathema? No, something far other, and better, and more wonderful. But there must first be
silence on man's part, if it is to be heard. 'Hear-and
your souls shall live.'
"So the great
argument pauses, gathered up into an utterance which at once concentrates what has gone
before, and prepares us for a-glorious sequel. Shut thy mouth, O man, and listen now:
'Because by means of works of law there shall be justified no
flesh in His presence; for by means of law comes-moral knowledge of sin."'
Attaining Christian Maturity
"That I may know Him and the power of His
resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death
if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.'."-Phil. 3:7-11.
THE Apostle's sentiment is that of all the saints; it is that of all who
will be accounted "overcomers," and who will be accounted inheritors of the
promise of joint-heirship with Jesus.
Nothing short of this will
do. We must appreciate the loving favor of God above everything else in life, else we
are not worthy of Him and not of the kind He is seeking. And it is with all who have the
Lord's spirit just as it was with the Apostle; the moment they begin to weigh and contrast
fellowship with God and the eternal hopes associated therewith, in contrast with earthly
loves and family ties and earthly ambitions and pleasures, the latter all seem to be
quite insignificant in comparison, dross as compared to pure gold. And from this
standpoint they gladly renounce all, giving up life itself for the favor of God.
But this full development
is not at the beginning of the Christian experience. It is development attained by growth.
At the very beginning, however, it was necessary, before either the Apostle Paul or we
could be accepted at all of the Lord, as begotten of the new nature, that we should
first weigh the advantages of God's fellowship as against the earthly good things, and
the decision must be on the side of Divine favor, so that we would give up the other --
earthly life, earthly hopes, earthly aims, earthly pleasures, consecrating them to
sacrifice, in such measure as may be necessary in order to maintain Divine favor and
blessing. From the time the scale was thus turned to the Lord's side, and our hearts were
consecrated to Him, earthly things began to lose their weight and to lose their value, to
lose appreciation in our eyes, as our eyes began to open the, wider to the heavenly
things; and the latter became more and more weighty with us, more and more real, until we
could see with the eye of faith Him who is invisible to the natural sight, and the crown
of glory, and the exceeding great and precious things which God has, in reservation for
them that love Him, and be More and more strengthened' thereby. And so with some it may
have been after weeks or months or years that they reached the position attained by the
Apostle when he wrote, that all things were hence-: forth but as loss and dross when
weighed in comparison with Christ and God's loving' kindness or favor toward us in Him.
This loving favor of God,
so much appreciated by. the, saints that they consecrate their earthly all to obtain, it,
is not merely a favor as- respects future prospects and hopes-not merely as respects the
Kingdom to come and' the glory and the honor and immortality then to be granted to such as
are in Divine favor, but it extends to the present life. Gradually we come to appreciate
fellowship and communion with the Father to such a degree as to produce misery of soul if
this communion is interrupted.
The true child of God will
be in such close fellowship with the Father, and with the spirit of truth and
righteousness and love, that anything which would interrupt, or hinder this fellowship
would be esteemed a calamity, however sweet or precious it might be to the natural man.
The new creature is willing rather to cut it off, if it were dear as a right hand; to
pluck it out, if it were precious as a right eye; than to allow any earthly thing to
intervene- between him and the Divine loving favor which he has learned so to
enjoy that he considers it better than all the rest of life.
Beloved in the Lord:
Greetings in the name of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
It was only, a few months
ago that I learned of your, existence in Brooklyn, through an American Brother.
Although our Italian Ecclesia has been separated from the Society for the last,
three -years, we still had to depend on them to supply us with books, etc:, but
since I learned that you are carrying on the Lord's work, from now on I shall write you.
Now, dear brethren, we do
not believe in going out to sell books to the people, but nevertheless, we believe in
giving witness of the coming Kingdom and other Bible truths, so to this end, we are
arranging a work for this coming spring. We have quite a few thousand tracts in Italian
containing Bible; truths that the Lord has provided, but we do not have any in English;
neither will our, financial condition (on account of unemployment) permit us to have
printed any tracts in English, as our resources are exhausted by having printed our
tracts in Italian, so that the Italian people could learn of the coming Kingdom of God.
So, upon learning of your generous offer of free tracts, I am asking you in the name of
the Ecclesia for several hundred, if possible a few, thousand copies of "Why Does
God Permit Evil?" and also a few tracts of each of the other kinds. These will all be
given free.
Now we need some Bibles
and, some Hymn books in English, and so I have been authorized by the Ecclesia to ask you
to send me one Bible and one Hymn book.
Wishing the Lord's
blessings upon you all, I am
Yours in
Christ, -- G. B.-Conn.
VOL. XV. April 15, 1932 No.8
"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk ye in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the Faith, as ye have
been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." -- Col. 2:6, 7.
THE APOSTLE Paul, as a man of large spiritual vision and
seeking ever to impart to the Church important spiritual lessons, urged those to whom he
wrote to continue in this faith, and not to try to combine earthly philosophy with this
Heavenly Message. As they had received Christ as God's Anointed and their sufficiency in
all things -- the One "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge," in whom "dwelleth all the fulness of the Deity bodily"-so
they were to walk. As they had recognized Him as the Heavenly Teacher, so they were to
continue to make progress in the same way -- the path that leads to glory, honor and
immortality. They were not to think for one moment that any human teaching could be mixed
with the Divine Message; for any other doctrine would serve only to confuse the Heavenly
Message in the minds of the hearers.
Development of the Spiritual
Plant
Having stated the matter
in this way, the Apostle then uses a forceful illustration to show how we are to progress
in Christ. Turning from the figure of a man walking in Christ as a member of His Body, St.
Paul gives us the picture of a tree, the root of which goes downward and the trunk of
which reaches upward, to obtain that nourishment which will give it strength and
stability. As the roots of a tree push themselves downward and imbibe the nutriment of
the soil, while at the same time the trunk and the branches reach up into the atmosphere to obtain through the
leaves the necessary elements of growth, so the mentality of the Christian takes hold of
the great and precious promises of the Word of God, while at the same time he is building
character through his heart appreciation of these promises, in connection with the
experiences of life. The roots of faith push down deep into the knowledge of the Divine
Plan, while the tree of character grows higher and higher, developing and maturing the
rich fruits of the Holy Spirit of God; for instruction is a form of construction.
While the Christian is
thus growing up in character-likeness to our Redeemer, and his roots of faith are reaching
deep down into the deep things of the Word of God, he is becoming established, settled. A
tree that is well rooted in the earth is hard to uproot. It has a wonderful strength, -a
wonderful hold upon the earth, and requires years to die out. So it is with the Christian
whose faith has been properly established; he should be so fixed, so established in the
promises of God's Word, that no wind of doctrine could overturn his faith.
Whoever is continually
looking around for something new is thus demonstrating the fact that he is not
established in the Faith. Having once made sure that the Divine Plan is the Plan of God,
we should not permit ourselves to be moved away from that position. On all Christians who
are thus rooted and grounded in the Scriptures the theories' of our day-Evolution,
Christian Science, New Thought, etc.-- have no effect whatever. No Christian growth will
be developed nor spiritual life retained unless the soul becomes fixed and settled in the Truth as it is in Christ Jesus.
One Cause of Spiritual
Decline
When once we have seen the
Plan of God as revealed in Jesus, and have given ourselves to God and the study of His
Word, the only way to retain our spiritual life is to continue in this doctrine, to root
ourselves in this soil and remain there. We are not to seek other fields with the thought
that we can receive additional nourishment there, and that an admixture of other elements
with what we have will be advantageous. No
theories will mix with the Lord's Plan. It is complete;
it needs no assistance from other systems of belief. Any attempt to incorporate with
it theories and ideas of men will only destroy
its value. We can never become rooted and built up in Christ by such a course; our
spiritual decay, and finally our spiritual death, would be the result.
No child of God can 'be
carried about by every wind of doctrine; nor can he indulge in a morbid curiosity as to
what this or that new theory may teach. To do so is very dangerous to the spirituality
of a Christian. For one who has never known the Truth there might be some reason for such
a course, but for one who has once thoroughly proven what is the Truth in Christ to go
hunting around for new pastures in which to feed, there is no excuse. Either he has
never been established in Christ, or else he has fallen into a spiritual decline. There is
an exhaustless field for thought and for mental and spiritual activity in the Plan of God
in all its varied features.
We believe that God
purposed to have a Seed of Abraham through whom a blessing would come to all the families
of the earth. Those who look for the fulfillment of this promise realize that Christ is
the Seed of Abraham and that His work is to fulfill this promise. For this purpose He came
into the world. Later on, the Church learn that not only Christ Jesus, the Head, abut also
the Church, His Body, are sharing in the same faith, the same promise made to Abraham.
Each individual called has the opportunity of coming in, of exercising his faith, and of
being built up as a member of the Body of Christ. By this time the Body of Christ must be
nearly complete. The hour is at hand when this glorious Seed of Abraham is to take hold of
the affairs of earth and bring in "the Restitution of all things spoken by the mouth
of all the holy Prophets since the world began." - Acts 3:19-21.
As a tree does not breathe
the same element at all times, and as it is not always flooded with sunshine, but needs
also the rains and storms for its development, so thee child of God needs varied
experiences and sometimes change of environment to best develop all the fruits of the
Holy Spirit. The great Husbandman knows just what experiences and surroundings each one
of his "trees" needs-how much. sunshine, how much rain, how much cold and how
much heat, how much pruning-land He will supply just ,what is best adapted to each case.
He knows how to vary these conditions, environment, etc., without disturbing the process
of rooting and upbuilding, but developing it. This we do not know how to accomplish, but
would bring upon ourselves spiritual disaster. So we need to keep ourselves continually
under the care of the skilful Husbandman and earnestly cooperate with Him, that we may
grow and become strong and immovable-firmly established.
Depth of Root Shown in Vigor
and Fruitage
The depth and the spread
of the roots of a tree are shown 'by the vigor and the, fruitage of the tree. A tree that
is not deeply and firmly grounded can neither bring forth rich, luscious fruit, nor
furnish cool, refreshing shade to man. Depth of root is absolutely essential. So the
Christian's faith must be deeply grounded in Christ; and thus shall we also grow up into
Him, learning more and more what is the Divine will as expressed in Him. The rooting
process is unseen, and can be judged only by its outward manifestations. When there is
luxuriant foliage there is good rooting. But the growth must not stop there; fruit must be
borne. And so the spiritual life of the child of God will manifest itself more and more in
its likeness to Christ. To vary the figure, the Christian will not only be a branch in the
Vine, but will bear rich clusters of fruit, which should become more choice in quality and
size year by year.
We sometimes see
Christians who have little knowledge of worldly things and yet have deep spirituality,
very deep rooting and grounding in Christ, a clear insight into the deep things of God,
and a rich Christian experience. Perhaps their knowledge of the usages of polite society
is less than that of many others of their brethren; they may have had few opportunities to
learn all these details; and yet their ripe attainments in Christ may shame some who are
more outwardly correct according to the social standards of the world. How careful we
should be that our standards of judgment and our estimates of character are fashioned
after the pattern of the Master; that we look beneath the surface; that we note rather
the real, the essential traits, than any outward peculiarities of the flesh which in the
sight of the Lord would have no weight in deciding the quality of the character or the
place tin the Kingdom.
Suggestions for Reflection
If we are to be the judges
of the world in the next Age, how shall we be fitted for this position, if we do not learn
now how to take the proper viewpoint, the Lord's viewpoint, in our estimates of our
brethren? If our love and our esteem for them is gauged by trifles, yea, by matters even
unworthy of notice in the eyes of the Lord, -are we developing the qualities
of character which will -fit us to be the judges of the incoming Age? How are we growing
up into Christ mall things? Let us judge ourselves rigidly along these lines, that we may
indeed become like the Master and win His final approval.
The Apostle urges that we
become established in the faith. This term refers to "the faith which was once
delivered to the saints"-the one Faith. This is to hold at all costs. Satan will
attempt to divert our minds into other channels, to draw our attention to some new thing.
But the Plan of God, the Truth of God, as revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord, is but one.
It is given us for our instruction in righteousness, "that the man of God may 'be
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work." (2 Timothy 3:17.) It is not
the truth of Geometry or Trigonometry or Geology or Astronomy or any other science that we
are to be diligent to study and be grounded and built up in, but God's Word. (John 17:17.) These
other truths are very well in their way, but we have little time to study these now.
We shall have all eternity
in which to learn all the wonders of creation, but now we are to apply ourselves
especially to the mastery of spiritual Truth, the deep things of the Mystery of God,
revealed to His saints for a specific purpose.
The Truth embraces all the
Scriptural teachings relative to Christ and His work, to our relationship to Him as
members of His Body, and to the brethren as fellow-members. We are to abide therein with
thanksgiving. We should familiarize ourselves with the different features of this Truth
more and more. We should be clear in regard to what our Lord taught and why He taught it,
and should know how to connect the different parts of the Truth into a harmonious whole.
We are to be thoroughly furnished. We are heartily to appreciate the loving kindness of
our God in revealing to us these glorious things, and to realize that we did not originate
them ourselves, nor was any man the originator of them, but the Lord Himself. They are the
gift of God to us, and we are to be most thankful for this great gift, to guard it
jealously as a priceless treasure, and to let our light shine to the glory of God's name.
Importance of Self-Scrutiny
The Apostle's words in our
text lead each child of God back to the time when he first made his own consecration.
Under what conditions did we come into Christ? We recall that it required much humility
on our part to acknowledge that we were sinners, utterly unable to save ourselves. Some
seem to forget the way in which they started. They started with faith and humility and
meekness, and with the desire to be truly built up into the Master's likeness. But they
seem by degrees to lose sight of this, and begin to grow in another direction than
straight upward into the fulness of Christ. They like to make some show before the world.
They come to neglect the first principles of Christian development, while still talking
about the doctrines, or making up doctrines of their own.
Thus gradually these get
away from the doctrines and the Spirit of Christ. The Apostle puts us on guard against
these dangers: Are you sure that you ever really received Christ? Are you sure that you
ever actually male a full consecration to God and became a New Creature? You should know
this. If you did, then make sure that you are progressing in His likeness. Without
careful scrutiny, you might think you are progressing when you are not. The Narrow Way
remains narrow unto the end of the journey; a mere profession of faith and a certain
round of observances are not. sufficient. Remember that we are to confess the Lord by
our looks, by our manner, by all the acts and, words of life.
Only by continual scrutiny
of ourselves in the light of God's Word can we make real progress in the narrow way in
which our Master walked. Truth is to become brighter and fuller and more luminous as we go
onward. To this end, we must keep close to the Word and in line with His Program. The Lord
will not accept little, undeveloped sprouts for the Kingdom, but He wants those that have
grown and matured-strong, sturdy "trees of righteousness." - Isaiah 61:3.
Delve into the promises of
God more and more. As you do this, the roots of faith will draw up the nutriment and send
it out into your life, and you will grow, just as a tree grows, because nourished, fed.
Thus alone will you become established in The Faith, and not in your imaginings nor the
imaginings of others. Our faith is to grow stronger and more vigorous day by day. It is
not to be a faith in ourselves or in anything apart from the Lord. Faith is what we
started with in the beginning, and we shall need it in increasing measure as we go on in
our upward way-faith in God and in His sure Word. All that we know as children of the Lord
has come to us through the channel of Jesus, His holy Apostles, and the Prophets of old,
and we are to continue feeding at this same table with thanksgiving.
"There are some among
the faithful,
Waiting, watching every day,
Peering through the misty shadows
To the clear and lighted way;
Listening in the dusky
twilight,
Waiting even in the night;
'Mid the toil and heat of noonday
Bending forward to the light.
"And they speak in
eager whispers
'Can we see His chariot yet?'
'Will the Master come this evening?'
'Will the Heavenly Friend forget?'
So they stand, these
earnest servants,
Waiting, watching evermore
For the clouds to part asunder,
And reveal the open door.
"There are troubled
ones among them
Looking through the weary night;
Some are God's dear little children
Watching for the dawning light;
Some are aged pilgrims,
longing
For the Master's spoken word;
There are some in every country
Waiting, watching for the Lord.
"And they take their
daily duties,
And perform, them as for Him;
And they read His loving message
When their eyes are tired and dim.
They are living lives of
blessing
Lives of love for His dear sake,
While they wait with eager longing
For the morn of joy to break.
"Now He doth no
longer tarry;
Soon He'll fold them to His breast;
He will make His watchers happy
In this everlasting rest.
He will give them
satisfaction
For their days of waiting here;
And their joy shall be unceasing
When they shall His glory share."
The Philosophy of the New Life
"Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to
his master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him
stand. . . . 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 therfore, or die, we are the Lord's." - Rom. 14:4, 7, 8.
IT HAS been said that
there is one great maxim in interpreting the Scriptures from which there should be no
departure. It is, that men can never understand the Word of God aright, until they are
willing to suffer it to speak out its fair and proper meaning.
There has been much
difficulty in understanding the Book of Romans 'by many Christians because they do not
come under this rule of interpretation. This seems true of the early Church even, for we
read in 2 Pet. 3:15, 16, "Even as our beloved Brother Paul also according to the
wisdom given unto him hath written unto you.; as also in all his epistles, speaking in
them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are
unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own
destruction." The author of the Book of Hebrews also says, "Of whom we have many
things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing." (Heb. 5:11.)
And this statement was made after writing to them of the typical and antitypical high
priests and under priests in both orders, that of Aaron under the law, and of Melchisedec,
typical of the High Priest of our order. They were dull of hearing because they had become
such as had need of milk and not of strong meat, unskilful in the Word of Righteousness,
having failed to exercise their senses, and so were unable to discern both good and evil.
- Heb. 5:14.
Importance of
Self-Obliteration
Men often fail to let the
Scriptures speak for themselves. They seek to add their theories to simple statements of
facts. The facts are plain, but the theories often obscure and mystifying. At
this early date, A. D. 57, St. Paul had preached the doctrine of Justification by Faith,
which doctrine had already been perverted, if we understand correctly the Epistle of
James. :[t would seem by this Epistle that many had come to believe and teach that good
works were of no import, failing to see that if the follower of Christ were filled with
the Holy Spirit, if his faith in the merits of the ransom were what it should be, good
works must of necessity be manifested in the life and conduct of one so professing. It
seems to have been one of the delusions of the Adversary ever since, down to the present
time, to set aside the proper understanding of the sacrifice of our Master and to
substitute the doctrine of works, thus influencing the mind of the believer in the thought
of his own merit-that he earns his way to salvation by the things which he does. This
seems to be a prevalent thought, and so there are many who have placed works before faith,
and live as though justified by these works, forgetting that "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." - Eph.
2:8-10.
There is perhaps in the
New Testament no book which requires, in order to be understood, a greater degree of
self-obliteration on the part of the believer, than the Book of Romans. The depth of its
doctrines and the antagonism of these doctrines to the natural heart and mind of men, make
this necessary. Where this self-renunciation is not found, the Book is vaguely if at all
understood. Its doctrines are perplexing and disturbing. A humble and prayerful attitude
is needful to understand the views and teachings of this as well as of other Scriptures.
If the seeker after truth will permit them "to speak out their fair and proper
meaning," he will not come from their study confused and dissatisfied. He will be
rewarded by a happy understanding of its mysteries, and with the
Apostle can say, "Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us
go on unto perfection; . . . and this will we do if God permit:"
Urges Patience and Tolerance
Toward Others
In this 14th chapter of
Romans the Apostle sets forth a striking discourse on Christian charity. Difference of
opinion there existed as it does today on the interpretation of many passages of
Scripture, and for this reason the Church of Christ during all of the Gospel Age has been
divided into various sects--;---and controversies have arisen which
have resulted in :much strife and hatred, leading to persecution by those who hold to
the majority opinion. Blood 'has been shed, wars have been, waged, and even nations have
risen into power or sunk into oblivion. Had this fourteenth chapter of Romans been
established in the hearts of Christians, the contention and strife among them would not
have left the trail of blood along the sands of time as is recorded by the historians of
the ages past. The love of Christ has not prevailed. Tolerance has been almost unknown,
except in a minor way. Men have not "followed after the things which make for peace,
and things wherewith one may edify another"; those things which "aid him in
his efforts to become holy: and to seek to build him up in holy faith." - Romans
14:19.
From the first to-the
sixth verses of this chapter the Apostle discusses some of the varying opinions held by
the different members in the Church at Rome concerning; the, customs of the times. He
urges patience and tolerance toward the views of one another provided those differing
views were not concerning matters of vital importance, fundamental truths, etc., such as
the redemptive work of the Master. He shows them that men may differ upon some points in
their understanding and still be loyal saints of God, doing all -that they do in honesty
of heart; that is, if every man were fully persuaded in his own mind, then lie could eat
or eat not and still give God thanks. "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man
dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die
unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end
Christ died, and arose, and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and
living." - Rom. 14:7-9.
Rises to Sublime Heights
In order to understand
these arguments, fully we must recall the condition with which the Apostle was trying to
deal. The Church was constituted in Rome as elsewhere mostly of those of 'the lower
classes, with a goodly number of the middle classes, and a few perhaps of Caesar's own
household and others of high rank. (Phil. 4:22.) They were living in the midst of pagan
pomp and power.. Many of them were of pagan families where sacrifices were offered upon
the family altar perhaps daily, and then the sacrifices placed' before them for
consumption. To the Jewish Christian this was in its nature an affront to Jehovah and
therefore a sin, and the Jewish believer perhaps insisted that the Gentile brother be:
disciplined, unless such Jewish Christian. had progressed to that point where he was so
filled with the Holy Spirit that he saw there was nothing unclean of itself, but to him
that esteemeth it unclean, to him it is unclean.
The Jewish believer
saturated with the, Law and its ordinances in. many cases could not set aside the
.ceremonies which characterized his old faith.. He could not bring himself to forget that
the holy days, the feasts, the sabbaths, etc., had been put aside by the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, that the Law had been nailed to the tree, and a new order of
things had been instituted. The Law had served its purpose, it had pointed the way to the
Cross, and God had passed in His stately steppings on to the selection of a Bride for the
Bridegroom, whose duty and privilege now was to make herself ready, to adorn herself with
raiment of needlework, and so be brought before the King. "With gladness and
rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the King's palace.. The King's
daughter shall be all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. Hearken, 0
daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy
father's house." - Psa. 45.
How petty were their
differences in view of this 45th Psalm. How true that the Kingdom of God is not meat and
drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, and that he that in these
things serveth Christ is acceptable to God. "So shall the King greatly desire thy
beauty: for He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him." (Psa. 45:11.). "O come, let
us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God; and we
are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand." (Psa. 95:6, 7.) The
Apostle had risen to sublime heights in his surrender of himself, and consequently had
come to a marvelous understanding of God's Plan concerning His creation. His
self-elimination had reached the point where if meat should cause his brother to offend,
he would eat no more meat. And so he censures these who are judging the weaker ones, and
condemns their assumption of superiority and at the same time condemns those who criticize
them who can eat without condemnation to themselves. He urges them to forget their
differences on these points and come together for their mutual good and further
development of character. Let them follow after the things which make for peace and
things wherewith they might edify one another.
Living Unto Christ
The life of the
consecrated Christian belongs not to himself, but to his Lord. No man liveth to himself
means that the Christian has always in mind that he is no longer his own, but another's;
that lie has given up his earth rights, his will, his natural interests, and is now wholly
and completely Christ's, and that the life he now lives he lives by the faith of Jesus
Christ who gave His life for him. Likewise the matter of his death,, this also is in the
hands of God. This also is part of his sacrifice. None of us liveth to himself, and none
dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die
unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
The Apostle elsewhere
argues that we are all members of Christ, one Body. (1 Cor. 12:12.) If this be true, then
the various members. are related to one another, but. through the Head-directly
related to the Lord. Consequently the life and death of the consecrated are through Him.
His claim is above all other interests, for He has. bought us with His own- precious
blood. How greatly has the King desired thy beauty and how truly must the King's daughter
be all glorious within, and her clothing of wrought gold.
And how glorious must she,
the King's daughter, be within? All glorious-completely detached from the things of time,
holding secretly to no earthly idols in her heart. For to such He said of old "Every
man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in 'his heart, and putteth the
stumbling block of his iniquity before his face . . . I the Lord will answer him by
Myself. And I will set My face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb,
and I will cut him off from the midst of My people; and ye shall know that I am the
Loral." (Ezek. 14:4-8.) This threat of punishment applies to the Christian as well as
to Israel of that day, and more so perhaps, since the follower of Christ has a much
greater degree of enlightenment.
A New Relationship
Established
Now how can she, the
King's daughter, become all glorious within? She has no righteousness of her own, no
beauty which she can claim as hers. But the Psalmist says, "Blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." (Psa. 32:1.) And the Apostle
exclaims that I may "be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of
the Law, but that Which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith." (Phil. 3:9.) This then is the answer the imputed righteousness
of Jesus Christ; and this is the equivalent of having Him fashioned within our being.
This righteousness which
is of God by faith when properly accepted produces definite results in the transformation
of character. First, it establishes a new relationship to God; second, it introduces a new
principle of life; and third, it means that the righteousness which is by faith is the
acceptance of the righteousness of Christ, in a faith which makes us one with Him -- thus
dressed in a beauty or glory not our own. Man through sin became alienated from God and
developed a carnality of mind which puts him at enmity With God. We need not emphasize
this fact. lit is evident about us everywhere, especially at this time when the veneer of
civilization is falling from the face of human society and mankind is revealed in his
true nature as the servant of the Adversary. Already we hear the "kindreds of the
earth beginning to wail because of Him." -Rev. 1:7.
When Abraham left Chaldea
with its paganism, at the invitation of the true God, accepted His promises, and erected
his altar and made his covenant by sacrifice, we read that "his faith was counted
unto him for righteousness," and a new relationship was established. :David says,
"When I kept silence, my bones waxed. old through my roaring all the day long : for
day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of
summer. I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, . . . and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin,
. . . Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass
me about with songs of deliverance." (Psa. 32.) A new relationship was established.
And so down these centuries the Christian has been accepted not because of his own
righteousness, but because of the imputed righteousness of Christ, dressed in a
righteousness not his own -- a new relationship to God.
When one has entered into-
this new relationship with God, he is what may be called newly begotten, spirit begotten,
a potential new creature, begotten to a new and different nature, the Divine; but it is
only a begettal and may become a miscarriage if the new relationship be neglected, for it
is a delicate, perishable creature in embryo, a promise of something above the mortal
mind, a likeness of Jesus Christ on the plane of immortality. We know not what we shall
be, but we know that we shall be like Him and that we shall see Him as He is.
"Yet not I but Christ
Liveth in Me"
A new principle of life
has been introduced into the soul, the germ of Divinity, and it is this principle which
determines what h-e is, and he stands before God in a righteousness imputed to him
because of his faith. He is accounted perfect, although he does not possess perfection.
He is still in the flesh, an imperfect vessel, and the passing days record his success and
his failure, his up-rising and his downsitting. He may seem to be a failure, but the
Father knows the heart and He heeds the penitence, the cravings, and the determinations
to walk in a more strict accord with the Holy One. These things give promise of a
perfection yet to be, and h-e is accounted righteous, justified by his faith. His sins are
not imputed to him because they are not willful, but he has not yet come into the fulness
of the life in Christ. He is not complete in Him until He can meekly and humbly say with
the Apostle, "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life I now live, I
live by the faith of Jesus Christ." At that moment he sees himself as God sees him,
as Christ sees him, and he cries with the Psalmist, "O Lord, Thou last searched me,
and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my
thoughts afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all
my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it
altogether."
In this frame of mind he
realizes more completely what the sacrifice of the Master means to him and he makes that
full surrender which we know as consecration. "He enters into that fulness of peace
and joy which men have when they come to believe in God through Christ, and have put on
His robe of righteousness, dressed in a beauty not his own" and he cries again with
the Psalmist "Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts : and
see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Thus is
he crucified with Christ. He enjoys that peace which passeth understanding, that peace of
the Master which He gives, but not as the world gives. To use another illustration:
Where the Impulses of Life
Originate
It is often said that in
every human being there are three personalities, but this can hardly be said as true. It
seems more likely that each personality lives and operates in three spheres, that is, of
thought, of desire, and of will. The first of these is superficial. It is our ordinary
functioning of the mind in its contact with
our fellow men, as the casual contact shows us. The second is deeper and more secret-that
sphere in which we discuss the 'more intimate things of life with ourselves, our fears and
hopes, our desires and ambitions, our dreams and our visions. We keep them to ourselves,
and only reveal them in rare moments of confidence when we may show to some close friend
or kindred spirit, the things which would be to a more or less degree our personality.
Under stress of joy or sorrow we may show traits of character that our friends and
acquaintances may never have suspected. This is true many times when passing through the
crises of life and death. Unlooked for strength and also unlooked for weakness show
themselves at such times. But beyond this there is a sphere wholly unknown to our fellow
men and to a great degree to ourselves. This is the shrine of our being, our soul, the
holy of holies, if you please, of our ego-that which the psychologist calls the
subconscious mind.
The first and second
sphere may be likened to the court and the holy. This third sphere is the center of our
being. It is here that the impulses of life originate. It controls the body functions, and
is the receptacle for all the impressions of life, and it registers our reactions to our
life contacts. It is as real as the body itself, although we know not what it is or where
it resides. It is the seat of memory, and every impression made upon our special senses
is preserved and may be reproduced under certain conditions. Names and places of our
childhood, for instance, unthought of for many years, may be recalled vividly by some
suggestive odor or taste or sight. They were not dead, but simply stored away in this
inmost shrine. We sleep, we dream, and picture after picture of the forgotten things pass
in review -- scenes and happenings long thought forgotten because we could not recall by
any power of the will.
It is here that the
emotions of love and hate originate. It is here that crime and sin of various kinds are
conceived and show themselves in the man long held in esteem and reverence. By his will
power he may have held them in check, or he may not have been conscious of them; but some
change has taken place and they dominate the individual; and so the good propensities may
arise also.
Passing through Death unto
Life
By the knowledge of this
truth is explained we believe, the mysticism of the Christian religious experiences.
Christ must dominate this inner shrine. He must be fashioned within this holy of holies.
It is not enough that He should be reflected in our outer life, the court, nor that He
should show Himself in the holy' by pure thought and reverent contemplation-,
moral living, etc. He must pass on into the holy of holies of our being and dominate our
lives. In other words we must be more and more filled with the Holy Spirit of God. It is
Christ in you the hope of glory. We must be all glorious within.
This is the appeal which
the Apostle makes when he beseeches the brethren to present their bodies living
sacrifices, and calls it their reasonable service. It leads to a transformation of the
individual through a renewing of his mind, and this transformation makes of him a
potential new creature; not a reformed old creature, but transformed into a new creature.
This process is known Scripturally by several terms: "passing from death unto
life," being "quickened together with Christ," etc., but the Master
called it "the new birth," or the "new begettal." "Ye must be
born [begotten] again." "Except a man be born [begotten] again, he cannot see
the Kingdom of God." Except we be begotten again, the Kingdom of God with its peace
and joy, with its sacrifice of all human traits, is not within our conception. And this
change takes places in the 'holy of holies, the shrine of our being, by Christ passing in
and being fashioned within.
Paul refers to this change
when he says, "It pleased God to reveal His Son in me." There was a time when
Paul persecuted the Church of his day, thinking he did God a service. In all three spheres
of his being he was virtually opposed to the influences of the Holy Spirit as manifested
in Jesus Christ and His doctrines so strongly different from Judaism. Paul's outer life
was an active opposition to the Church, his inner life was filled with hatred, and the
inmost shrine of his being was barricaded like a fortress against Christian influences.
But there must have been something in Stephen's defense before the Jewish Council which
entered into the Apostle's mind and weakened his opposition, for we hear the Voice say to
him on his way to Damascus, "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks."
He could not have been so secure in his convictions as his outer conduct would seem to
indicate. The Holy Spirit had probably 'been striving with him, but it took this
experience to break down' the barrier into his inmost mind and he began to think more
deeply of the things he had seen and heard.
The Begotten State a
Spiritual Embryo
Stephen's death must have
affected him,- for he was evidently supported by a power which was more than human.
Stephen, "being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw
the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the
heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:55,
56.) The martyr saw all this without physical harm, but the persecutor was blinded by a
similar vision, physically blinded, but at the same time his spiritual vision opened, and
the Master passed in to be fashioned in him. God had revealed His Son in Paul. This
revelation is the first step in the fashioning of Christ within. We do not all have so
dramatic an experience as did Paul, but the change comes and is just as thorough as it was
in him. It can be nothing less. It means the passing from death unto life.
To use a physical analogy,
when a man is begotten again, he is only a spiritual embryo, feeble and undeveloped, but
containing the possibilities of further development into a strong and virile character,
ready to be born into the beauty of perfect holiness. Paul expresses this thought when he
says, "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in
you." This fashioning begins at the moment Christ enters into the believer, and
progresses more or less rapidly and perfectly as we do or do not yield ourselves to His
will, as we make more room in our heart for Him and give Him a greater control over our
lives. This is perhaps the reason that the Christian who has been long in the way of
consecration, and has kept his sacrifice upon
the altar, shows the highest spiritual growth and beauty. The fruits of the spirit
manifest themselves the more as Christ has been fashioned within.
The Life of the Christian
Intertwined with That of Christ
It is not a fantastic
idea, for in the temporal things we sometimes see one personality dominate the life of
another in much the same way. "Robert Browning has set forth this fact in a poem
called 'By the Fireside.' He shows us a husband and wife sitting by the fireside in the
evening. They have lived a close and intimate life. They are growing old. The husband
tells her how deeply. her personality has become mingled with his. He says
"'My own, see where the years conduct,
At first, 'twas something our two souls
Should mix as mists do: each is sucked
In each now: on the new stream rolls,
Whatever rocks obstruct.'
"That is the old
man's first statement of this strange possession of one personality by another. He recalls
their lives together and speaks of the ever increasing unity of spirit as time passed on until the consummation. It came
he says, as they stood at 'the close of day, on a rustic bridge over a quiet stream
"'A moment after, and hands unseen
Were hanging the night around us fast:
But we knew that a bar, was broken between
Life and life: we were mixed at last
In spite of the mortal screen.'
"And so there is a
spiritual counterpart in the men and women into whose inmost being Christ has entered and
in whom He is being fashioned. Until life and life are mixed at last in spite of mortal
screen."
"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." The time is
coming when to the Bride class now here, all things
shall pass away, when to them the things which now are shall be no more, when the lips,
the hands, the feet, the brain, the body in toto shall pass into dust, and the only thing
which shall remain will be the personality fashioned in that inmost shrine into which
Christ has come. There shall He be made perfect, and we shall be conformed into the
likeness of God's dear Son.
Illustration of the Deeper
Life
If
Christ has not been forming in this center of our being, then some other personality has.
There is no alternative. The shrine will not remain empty. Either God or the Adversary
must dominate. "Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and
open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him; and lie with Me." Only
if we be all glorious within, can this intimate relationship become possible.
The little story which
follows illustrates the foregoing thought: "A little cottage prayer meeting in an
upland village, had dispersed, and the good man of the house came out to convoy the
speaker across the moor. He was a in-an no longer young, as the whitening hairs and
dimming eyes declared, but his iron frame and steadfast tread showed no lessening of his
superb strength. He had been a callous and defiant unbeliever, proclaiming his unbelief in
God and the Gospel with a fearless energy of unshakable conviction. But he had been caught
in the revival of 1859. After months of moral
and spiritual wrestling he had been found in Christ. The echoes of his struggle had been
heard all his years in the pathos of his prayers. It was a still clear night and the two
men walked on in silence, under the wide clear heavens strewn with myriad stars. The
speaker's text had been: 'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is
perfect.' He had appealed for a nobler ideal and a higher attainment in righteousness, and he had closed by declaring
that the wedding garment for which the King would look when He came in to see the guests
was the robe of character. As they entered upon the moor, the older man began to speak,
half musingly, on the searching and rebuking message of the evening, and to express the
need of a greater loyalty to Christ's command.
Then he added, five and twenty years ago I found peace in being clothed with the
righteousness of Christ. There I found shelter, and there I find shelter still; and there,
when the King comes in to see the guests, I shall find shelter at the end. His eyes were
lit up with his absorbing fervor. With an intense and straining hand clasp he was gone.
"The younger man
walked on troubled and self questioning. He
had preached the new birth ' and the new life, the need of forgiveness of sins, the
acceptance of the mercy of Gad in Christ, and ,the self-renunciation which is its
complement. But the older man's words lifted his eyes to a heaven whose moral canopy was more wondrous than the
stars. A thought of Pascal's read that morning which had affirmed that too few had a faith
of God which saw Him as He is, flashed into .his mind. In the light of God's infinite
holiness the sins and faults of his youth stood out as never before. The daring
willfulness of many of his idler moods and his unconfessed distaste of holiness seemed to
render him liable to the penalty of the sin that hath never forgiveness; His whole nature
seemed crimson red with the stain of his wrong
doing. He needed something more than he had yet received before lie could meet the glance
of the King. He knelt and sheltered himself as the older, man 'had done in the righteousness of Christ, accepted as his in
that hour of faith. When he rose, he stood under a third heaven of grace, higher than his
thoughts had ever reached. The' Psalm was upon his lips 'Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not
iniquity.' He went homeward, with McCheyne's two lines making music within:
"'When I stand before the Throne
Dressed in beauty not my own."'
"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the
first-fruits of
them that slept."-1 Cor. 15:20.
SALVATION, O the joyful
sound, ,what tidings for our race!" Thus wrote the poet, expressing the sense of
profound gladness of heart which logically and spontaneously springs forth from the hearts
of those true believers in the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. Surely of all
proclamations that have gone forth amongst men there is none that equals in importance the
teaching that there is to be a reviving, an awakening of those who have fallen into the
state of death. It is without doubt the great pivotal doctrine of the Bible, and in fact
represents that philosophy and teaching which distinguishes the Bible from all other
literature and all other religions of the world. Indeed, so stupendous and sublime is
the proposition of the resurrection of the dead that comparatively few of mankind seem
capable of exercising that degree of faith that will enable them to really receive and
act upon the teaching as established truth. And the various creeds amongst men disclose
the fact that so 'difficult of acceptance is the doctrine of the resurrection that the
human mind ingeniously seeks out other methods and philosophies of setting up the hope of
life beyond the grave, than that of a resurrection of the dead.
They Sleep until the Morning
Those who will set aside
the philosophies and traditions of men on the subject, and heed carefully and
prayerfully the Divine messages, must sooner or later come under the conviction expressed
by the Apostle when he, declares that if there be no resurrection 'of the dead, then
there is no hope 'of a future life for any. (1 Cor. 15:13, 14.) Truly the hope of life
by a resurrection. of the dead constitutes the very kernel of the entire Gospel theme
Jesus, when amongst men, declared that He was the resurrection and the life-in other
words, God had vested in Him the power of the resurrection, giving Him as He said in His
last message to St. John, "the keys of death and hades," which signified the
power and the authority to open the prison-house of death and set free all the captives.
One of the most
significant and powerful figures of speech used in the Bible is represented in the words
of the Psalmist, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the
morning," for it is the picture of the night followed by the morning that is held up
to view. Man's experience under the reign of death is pictured as the night-time and his
coming forth from the tomb in the set time fixed in the counsels of God, marks the
morning-tune for humanity. And just as in the natural affairs, the night is the time for
sleep, so the morning is the time of the waking out of sleep and going forth in life's
activities again. Consequently the word "sleep" for death is very frequent in
the Scriptures, in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament the patriarchs
are said to "sleep with their fathers," and this was said alike of both good and
bad, kings and prophets and common people. In the New Testament the Apostle speaks of
those that sleep in Jesus, for whom we are to sorrow not as others Who have no hope,
because we believe in the resurrection of the dead. In the case of Stephen it is said
that he fell-'asleep, and the Apostle in speaking of the closing of the Gospel Age
declared that some of the Church would not thus sleep, staying, "We shall not all
sleep but we shall all be changed." (1 Kings 2:10; Acts 7:60; 1 Thess. 4:14; 1 Cor.
15:51.) Dr. Lightfoot calls attention to the fact that the Jewish theological writings,
the Talmud, contain the expression, "when he slept," hundreds of times, as
signifying (the time of death; and our word -cemetery means "sleeping place."
Dr. Trench, the noted scholar, says of this word sleep, "thereby the reality of death
is not denied, but only the fact implicitly assumed that death will be followed by a resurrection, as sleep is followed by an
awakening."
No Future Life without
Resurrection
Obviously then death would
not have been even figuratively 'called a sleep except for 'the provision for a
resurrection, nor would it have been appropriate had no awakening of the dead been
intended. And although this awakening could not take place without a redemption, and
although the redemption price providing for the awakening was not secured until Calvary,
nevertheless all of God's people who have faith in His promise made to Abraham ("In
thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed") realize that what ,God
had promised. He would 'surely fulfill, 'and 'that if millions of the families of the
earth had gone down into death prior to the promise and 'before the coming of the Seed 'of
Abraham, therefore the fulfillment of that promise signified a general awakening from the
sleep of death for all humanity-in order that all might have the opportunity of being
blessed by the glorious and exalted Seed of Abraham.
It was from 'this
standpoint that our Lord spoke and acted, when He declared that all in their graves should
hear' the voice of the Son of God and come forth; they that have done well (those now on
trial and approved of the Lord as overcomers) unto the resurrection of life, and they that
have done evil (those who have not escaped the condemnation, or been approved of, God)
unto a resurrection by judgment trial. (John 5:28, 29.) That judgment trial will be
their blessed opportunity of coming to a knowledge of 'the truth respecting the Divine
character and plan, and if they will, of coming into harmony with it, and by the
development of character during the Millennium, reaching full perfection of
restitution at its close. Meantime they sleep -- "sleep in Jesus," in the sense
that a hope of awakening in the resurrection morning centers in Jesus by Divine
arrangement, through the atonement sacrifice which, by the grace of God, He, gave a
ransom for all.-1 Tim. 2:6.
Thus the great truth
concerning the resurrection hope, unfolds before us in the Word of God. It was in harmony
with this that the Apostle declared, "Of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am
called in question."' (Acts 23:6.) And again it is declared that his constant theme
in preaching was "Jesus and the resurrection." (Acts 17:18.) There is then no
hope of a future life without a resurrection, and there is no hope of a resurrection
except in Jesus-that He died for our sins and thus arranged for the payment of the
penalty of death which was against us, and thus permitted the wages of sin, death, to
become merely a temporary "sleep," from which He will awaken, mankind that they
may be blessed under all the great and wonderful privileges of His Kingdom during the
Millennial Age, otherwise in the Scriptures called the Day of judgment or trial for the
world, as this present Gospel Age is the day of trial for the Church.
Faith's Strong Foundation
Forcefully and surely does
the great Apostle set forth the logic of the doctrine of the resurrection "If Christ
be not risen, then is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain. . . . Ye are yet in
your sins. Then they 'also which are-fallen-asleep in Christ are perished." Briefly,
Jesus was the honored Son of God, "the Only Begotten of the Father," "the
beginning -of the creation of God." Through Him there was given, while He was in
glory with the Father, the privilege of becoming man's Redeemer; He gladly accepted this
privilege of service, "for the joy that was set before Him"; He left the
condition of glory in which He was rich, was made flesh, very poor indeed as compared with
His glorious spiritual state, endured the cross, despising the shame, and ultimately
received the glorious exaltation of the Divine nature, and in His resurrection became, or
was made, heir of all things. In order to comply with the Divine program it was
necessary that He should take the human nature; because it was a man that had sinned,
and as St. Paul's logic sets forth, as by man came death, so by a, man must also come the
resurrection of the dead. In keeping with the Divine law given to Israel only the
sacrifice of a perfect life could redeem the original sinner, Adam, and his children,
who shared his penalty. And this is the sum total of the necessity for our Lord's human
existence and for His death as the Apostle further 'explains. - Heb. 2:14.
The Evangelist declares
that Christ "showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being
seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of
God." From this we may reasonably assume that it was not only necessary that Christ
should rise from the dead and become alive for evermore in order to accomplish the great
work planned of God and foretold by -the Prophets and secured 'by His own sacrifice, but
it was necessary also that indubitable proof of His resurrection should be given to His
disciples for themselves and for us through them. The necessity for this lay in the fact
that in the Divine Plan this dispensation was marked out to be a Faith Age, for the
selection of those who walk by faith and not by sight, who should compose the Royal
Family, the Kingdom. But faith in order to be faith and not mere credulity must needs have
some reasonable foundation upon which to build its superstructure; and it was to provide
this foundation for faith that our Lord remained with His followers for forty days after
His resurrection before ascending to the Father.
First-Fruits of Them that
Slept
Following the Pentecostal
blessing, there came the promised illumination to the waiting disciples, and this further
unfolding and revealing of details with regard to the resurrection hope became of great
value to the primitive Church; and the entire matter is sublimely and most logically
expounded by the Apostle Paul as he proceeds, saying, "But now is, Christ-risen from
the dead and become the first-fruits of them that slept." We reason that if our Lord
became the first-fruits of them that slept, then surely He himself slept, and the
inference is that all humanity enter the death sleep. And if our Lord was awakened, raised
from the dead by the Father's power, must not all be awakened and lifted up? A
first-fruits necessarily implies after-fruits. The Scriptures truly affirm that the Church
is included with the Lord as a part of the first-fruits, "a kind of first-fruits
unto God of His creatures." (Jas. 1:18.) Thus the resurrection of the Christ began
with the resurrection of our Lord and will be consummated with the change of the last
member' of the Church which is His Body. "Christ, the firstfruits," will then
be complete. But this will not consummate the Divine Plan, 'for it is God's intention to
have the after-fruits, a great harvest, which will be gathered during the Millennial Age.
To this the Apostle refers, saying, afterwards they that are Christ's during His parousia.
Our Lord's parousia will continue for a thousand years, He will be present in the world,
present for the very purpose of ascertaining how many of the world under favorable
conditions of knowledge 'and opportunity and assistance, will be glad to go up on the
Highway of Holiness to perfection, to full recovery out of sin and death. That noble
company will be the afterfruits of the Divine Plan. Earth as well as heaven will be
filled with the glory of God, when all evildoers shall have been cut off; and when every
voice in heaven and earth shall be 'heard praising Him that sitteth upon the throne, and
the Lamb, for ,the great consummation of the Divine Program.
It is Sown-It is Raised
But an important
distinction is shown by the Apostle between the resurrection of the first-fruits and those
that come afterwards, and this distinction is of the greatest interest to those who by
the grace of God 'are enabled to enter into fellowship with Christ in His sufferings. So
great is the transformation and change 'of the Church that the Apostle John says,
"It: doth not yet appear what we shall 'be. But the words of the Apostle Paul shed
much light on the subject, for he says, "It is sown in weakness, it is raised in
power; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; 'it is sown an animal body, it is
raised a spiritual body." And since the Church's resurrection is really 'a share or
part of Christ's resurrection, the First Resurrection, these words must-also
describe our Lord's resurrection. Concerning Jesus we read that He was "put to death
in the flesh and made alive in the spirit"; the evident meaning of which statement is
that Christ was raised from the dead an entirely new creature, of a new nature, not in the
flesh, not in human nature, but in spirit, a spirit being. The question is a reasonable
one, What is it that is sown and that is raised? The answer is, In the case of our Lord,
it was His soul or being. When He was thirty years of age He was simply the perfect One, a
man separate from sinners. When He consecrated Himself at baptism and was begotten of
the Holy Spirit He was then a new creature in embryo. It was our Lord, the new creature,
who was the heir of all things, the High-priest, whose privilege it was to sacrifice. He
sacrificed His flesh, His earthly nature, which He covenanted to the Father at His
baptism. He finished the work of sacrificing at Calvary; for parts of three days He was
dead, but when the resurrection moment came and the Father raised Him up by His own power,
He raised up not the sacrificed flesh, but the new creature, the "It" to which
the Apostle refers, the "It" which was sown, buried in the flesh, in dishonor,
with the wicked and the rich. It was raised the third day to glory, honor, and
immortality, the Divine nature. In other words the new creature was perfected by being
given a new body. Thus seen, all the Lord's people as was their Lord, are dual beings.
They as new creatures have a reckoned existence while their mortal bodies are reckoned
dead. By and by when the mortal flesh is actually dead, the new creature will be perfected
by being granted a new body, a resurrection body. Let us ever remember the Apostle's words
-and apply them to ourselves, "I count all things but loss and dross that I may win
Christ-that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection [sharing in] being made
conformable to His death."-Phil. 3:8-10.
The First Resurrection
Blessed and Holy
It is no marvel that there
has been these nineteen centuries of the ministry of the Spirit by which to cleanse,
sanctify, and transform these who are in prospect to share with their Lord in His
resurrection and to participate with Him in all those blessed joys and honors associated
with His office as King of kings and Lord of lords. No marvel also that it is written
prophetically concerning these who are to be Christ's joint-heirs, "Blessed and holy
is he that bath part in the First Resurrection," for they are those who will have
followed the Lamb whithersoever He goeth, the "called, chosen, and faithful"
unto death. Another commenting upon the exalted character and glorious future of these who
share in the First Resurrection very 'beautifully observes that:
"They were holy in
their lives and aims while they lived in the flesh. They had 'the testimony of Jesus' and
'the Word of God,' and confessed it over against a gainsaying world, and held it fast
against persecution and death, and willingly suffered the loss of all things, counting
them but refuse and offal, rather than let go their confession and hope in Christ Jesus.
They were . the salt of the earth and the light of the world, the golden candlesticks of
eternal truth in the realm of abounding spin and darkness, yet never content with that to
which they had a attained, but ever reaching forth unto still higher and better things,
and, like the Olympian racers, pressed toward the mark for the prize 'of the 'high calling
of God. Reviled, persecuted, evil spoken of, and accounted the very offscourings of the
world, because of their faith, devotion, and self-sacrifice, for their Savior and His
cause, they resented not, but counted it all joy, and were exceeding glad, sure that it
was working for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. . . . Released
forever from the death-working law in their fleshly members, their whole being has come
under the power of a complete and untemptable sanctification, which sets them apart and
consecrates them to a sublime -and unapproachable holiness, to which dwellers in the flesh
must stand in greater awe than ever was called for in the sublimest of earthly kings or
the most sacred of Jewish high-priests; a holiness, which inspires while it awes, which
attracts while it reproves and condemns, and which lifts and assures those whom it strikes
with humiliation and dread. . . There is a great and-awful majesty of
consecration in a true child of God even while living and walking here in the flesh. To
the outward eye and carnal view there is but little that is special. The thoughtful
brow, the sober mien, the dignified behavior, the reserved and careful utterance, the
keeping aloof from the world's wild pleasures and gaieties, and the solemn regard for
holy names and holy things, along with a calm and firm confession of the truth as it is in
Jesus, is about all that can be externally noticed. But his name is in the books of
heaven. He is there enrolled as a celestial citizen and prince. The angels are ministers
and servants to him. He is allied by regeneration to the blood-royal of eternity. He is
marked with the name and sacrament off the King eternal, immortal, and invisible. He has
upon him an unction from the Holy One, consecrating him for transfiguration to supernal
principality. He is brother and joint-heir with Him who sits enthroned at the right hand
of eternal Majesty, and who is presently to be revealed as the King of kings and Lord of
lords."
"Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only." -
James 1:22.
AMONG the holy writings
that have come down to us from the Apostolic period is the Epistle of James. This book
throughout bears strong evidence that the author was truly a man of God. The deeply
spiritual and moral character of its messages are suggestive that the author was a close
follower of the Lord Jesus and had been taught of Him in things pertaining to true piety
and godliness.
Directs Mind to Lofty Truths
Like all the other
teachings by those who were especially appointed of the Lord to instruct the Church, the
Epistle of James directs the minds of the Lord's people into the consideration of those
grand and lofty truths that have ,a bearing upon the development of the spiritual life and
that encourage consecration to God and the building of character in conformity to the
Truth.
After announcing to the
brethren their privileges in Christ, that in their insufficiency and lack of wisdom they
may come in faith, asking for heavenly wisdom; and announcing that these privileges
belong to all the brethren;, for they are all upon a common footing, the Apostle urges
fellow members of the Christ to be prepared to endure temptation; and at the same time to
recognize that while trials and tests of faith are permitted, yet they are not caused by
the Lord, and that when temptations and enticements allure and lead away from the Lord,
it is because the mind has given way to the desires and lusts of the flesh. He declares
that those who thus yield themselves over to sin fall into grave danger, for "sin
whew it is finished bringeth forth death." The writer further reminds the brethren
that all good gifts and mercies come from the Father of lights, assuring that there is no
shadow of turning with Him that He will not change or renounce the purpose decreed; that
the object of starting in us the new life by His 'Word of Truth is that we should be a
kind of first fruits of His creatures.
Swift to Hear Slow to Speak
The Apostle James'
admonitions are of a very practical kind: "Let every man be swift to hear, slow to
speak, slow to wrath." Since God is not the source of evil and does not tempt any
man, and since evil emanates from another source, in connection with the mark of sin and
the depraved desires of the flesh, therefore it is of great importance that followers of
Christ shall be on guard-they are to listen to the instructions of the Truth and to be
more ready to hear than to speak, in view of the fact' that the tongue may become a great
factor for evil. It is claimed that the ancients have some sayings on the subject of
hearing and speaking that are well worthy of consideration
"Men have two ears,
and but one tongue, that they should hear more than they speak." "The ears' are
always open, ever ready to receive instruction but the tongue is surrounded with a double
row- of teeth, to hedge it in, and to keep it within proper bounds." "How noble
was the response of Xenocrates! When he met the reproaches of others with a profound
silence, some one asked him why he alone was silent? 'Because,' says he, 'I have
sometimes had occasion to regret that I have spoken, never that I was silent.' So the
son of Sirach, 'Be swift to hear, and with deep consideration give
answer.' So the Rabbins have some similar sentiments: 'Talk little and work much.' 'The
righteous speak little and do much; the wicked speak much and do nothing."'
The words of the wise man
are closely related "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to
utter anything before God." "The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright, but
the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness."
Christians are to be slow
to wrath, because what is ordinarily termed wrath has in it the elements of anger,
bitterness, vindictiveness, all of which are contrary to the spirit of Christ. "The
particular point here is, however, not that we should be slow to wrath as a general habit
of mind, which is indeed most true, but in reference particularly to the reception of
the truth. We should lay aside all anger and wrath, and should come to the investigation
of truth with a calm mind, and an imperturbed' spirit. A state of wrath or anger' is
always unfavorable to the investigation of truth. Such an investigation demands a calm
spirit, and he whose mind is excited and enraged is not in a condition to see the value
of truth, or to weigh the evidence for it."
Put Away Wrath and
Uncleanness
The Apostle announces what
is well known by all of experience: "The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness
of God"; the thought being that the tendency of anger and bitterness is not to
produce that upright course of life, and love of truth, which God requires. A person is
never certain of doing the right thing under the influence of disturbed and excited
feelings. He will probably do that which is in the highest sense wrong and which is much
regretted all his life. It is undoubtedly true that wrath in the mind of man will not have
any tendency to make him righteous.
The Apostle exhorts,
"Lay apart all filthiness," which appertains to evil conduct, considered as
disgusting and offensive. To those begotten of the Spirit and of holy mind, uncleanness
and sin in any form is loathsome. Nevertheless by reason of weakness of the flesh such a
one may temporarily yield to its influence under pressure of temptation.
The statement,
"superfluity of naughtiness," is designed to express the abhorrence of the
Christian of evil by a still more emphatic description, as evil abounding, overflowing.
"The particular reference in these passages is to the reception of the truth, and the
doctrine taught is, that a corrupt mind, a mind full of sensuality and wickedness, is not
favorable to the reception of the truth. It is not fitted to see its beauty, to
appreciate its value, to understand its just claims, or to welcome it to the soul.
Purity of heart is the best preparation always for seeing the force of truth."
Be Ye Doers of the Word
Experience also teaches
that only those who "receive the truth with meekness" are in a fair way to
make progress in the spiritual life. It is the engrafted Word, the Truth implanted in
the Christian that produces fruit of its own, whatever may be the original character of
the tree into which it is engrafted. As it is the Word of life, the Apostle's language
expresses the thought that it is "able to save your souls,"
He goes on to imply that
the truth which we receive is not merely for some idle purpose, but that it may work out
in us the grand consequences designed: "Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers
only." Those who merely hear the Word without doing it, deceive themselves and, as
saith the Apostle, are like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass and
straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was; the thought being that the Divine
Message of truth is as a glass that reveals to us just what we are,, so that we see what
our condition is before the Lord. And one who is not impressed by the truth so as to be
affected in a practical way, is as the man who forgets what manner of person he was.
On the other hand, the one
beholding the Divine Message and looking "into the perfect law of liberty and
continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man
shall be blessed in his deeds." The perfect law of liberty may well be understood to
mean the perfect law of God, or His will. It is called the perfect law as being wholly
free from all defects. It is the law of liberty or freedom, because it is a law
producing freedom from the servitude of sinful passions and lusts. The blessing promised
to such doers is a peace of conscience and a happiness of a high order to the mind. It
will exert a good influence over the whole soul.
Seeming to be Religious
No room for doubt is left
in these writings of the Apostle as to the ultimate import and object of religion.
"If any man among you seemeth to be religious"; the inference clearly is that
there may be certain appearances which would make it seem that there is religion in the
heart, and yet it may be utter ly devoid of that spiritual force that constitutes a
religious life. Thus said the Master, "Not all that saith unto Me, Lord,
Lord," professing to be Christians shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven. "If
there is any one thing," says another writer, "in reference to which it does not
bring us under its control, that one thing may show that all other appearances of piety
are worthless."
Bridling not the tongue is
mentioned. There was perhaps some particular reason why the Apostle referred to this as a
special sin. Doubtless it was a prevailing evil in his time as it is in ours. Anyway the
lesson would be that if there is any one evil propensity which religion does not control,
or if there is any one thing in respect to which its influence is not felt, whatever
other evidences of piety there may be, this will demonstrate that the other appearances of
religion or piety are vain. For the spirit of the Lord in His people is designed to bring
the whole being under control and to subdue every faculty of the body and mind to its
demands. The Lord does not look for perfection in the direction_ of controlling the tongue
any more than in another,, but He does reasonably expect progress along this line as along
others, and positive evidence that there is earnest endeavor in the direction of
restraining the tongue.
The Apostle's argument is
that failure to exercise self-control and restraint implies that the spirituality, if
any, is at a very low ebb. Again, all know that there may be evidences of piety which seem
to be plausible and clear, but which in themselves do not prove that there is any true
religion. The Master said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh," and His Word assures us that His judgment of His people is from the
standpoint of the heart. If the tongue is not subdued, if any sin is
indulged, it will show that the seat of the evil has not been reached, and that the soul
as such is not being brought into subjection to the law of God.
Love and Holiness in True
Religion
The Apostle presents some
practical effects of what "pure religion and undefiled before God and the
Father" is. In mentioning certain things he does not say that these are the whole of
religion or that there is nothing else essential to it; his design rather is to explain
that religion will lead to a holy life, and he mentions certain matters as specimens of
what it will lead us to do. In keeping with the Apostle Paul's sublime analysis of love,
St. James says that pure religion will lead to a life of practical benevolence, and that
it will keep us unspotted from the world. The benevolent spirit will be on the lookout
for opportunities of expression among all men as far as possible, but especially unto the
household of faith, visiting the widows and fatherless in their affliction, and
rendering helpful service wherever reasonably possible. Where this disposition to be a
friend to all, exists, there will no doubt be other corresponding things which are
essential in the religious character. This will not stand alone.
Such will be friends to
every good work. Such a one will also strive to be pure and uncontaminated in his walk and
deportment, and live in the consciousness of the fact that as God is holy, so he as one
of His children should copy the Divine example:
It is then to be observed
that the line of reasoning pursued- by St. James' is of a most edifying and uplifting
character. "It is, therefore," says another writer; "an easy matter for a
man to determine whether he has any religion; and equally easy to see that religion is
eminently desirable. Who can doubt that that is good which leads to compassion for: the
poor and the helpless, and which makes the
heart and the life pure?"
Dear Brethren:
It, is with hearts, filled
with gratitude to our "Heavenly Father for His manifold favors that we, the R.
Ecclesia of Associated Bible Students, hereby unanimously greet you, and assure you of our
deep and thankful appreciation of your kind favor in sending to us Pilgrim Brother C.- W::
McCoy. His labor of love on our behalf has indeed been' an inspiration to us.
Having recently, by the
Lord's providential leading, come out of bondage, being recovered from a condition of more
or less spiritual despondency, the Class here certainly have great cause for rejoicing,
yes, so much so, as to enter into sweet accord with the Psalmist of old, "O come let
us; sing unto the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation, let us
come before His presence with thanksgiving," and because of the bountiful measure
of our blessings, we feel a fervency of zeal, such as to make it difficult to find words
to fully express. Yes, dear brethren, the Pilgrim's visit has indeed been a season of,
feasting from the table of the Lord, for which food we have all, been starving. Our
fellowship, with him has brought us all closer together in the bonds of love.
Your ministry of the pure
message of Truth as dispensed through the "Heralds" afford us a solace,
encouragement, and food for our spiritual upbuilding, which is of quite inestimable value:
Again we thank you for the
help and encouragement you have given us, and we, will be eagerly looking forward to
another Pilgrim visit which we hope will be at an early date. We had from eleven to
fifteen out to our Class talks while Brother McCoy was here. We were unable to arrange
for a public talk as we received word too late, but hope to have a public discourse the
next time a Pilgrim comes through. We have ten in regular attendance at our First Volume,
Study, each Sunday.
May the Lord continue to
bless 'your ministry; With fervent love;
Your brethren in Christ,
Associated Bible
Students-Ore.
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