VOL. XXVIII JUNE 1945 NO.
6 Our Cleansing--Inward and Outward Advertising the "Plan of the Ages New Edition of "The Divine Plan of the Ages" An Interesting Question Discussed The Waiting Shepherd at the Door A Great Man Passes"The righteous one hath perished, and not a man hath taken
it to heart; yea, the men of loving-kindness have been withdrawn, no one considering, that
from the presence of calamity hath the righteous been withdrawn. He entereth into peace,
let them rest upon their couches, each one who went on a straight path." - Isaiah 57:1-3, Rotherham. THE SUDDEN
death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt came as a profound shock to the civilized
world. That he was a great humanitarian, a powerful champion of the rights of the common
man against oppression, was recognized by hundreds of millions of people. They had
centered their hopes upon him to bring about, through an agreement among the great liberal
nations of the earth, an era of peace and prosperity, in which the specters of Fear and of
Want, so long the scourges of mankind, should be forever banished. Bible
students know how vain these hopes were and are. The coming of such an era of blessing is indeed promised in
scores of passages of the sacred Scriptures; but the chosen Instrument of the Creator for
bringing it about is no human being. The Psalmist writes prophetically, in the name of
Jehovah: "I have set My King upon My holy hill of Zion." The critic might say
that this refers to King David, but the Voice that takes up the theme in the following
passage rules out this understanding: "I will tell of the decree. Jehovah said unto
Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me and I will give Thee the
nations for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's
vessel." - Psalm 2:6-9. "The
present evil world" is under the rulership of Satan, the Adversary of God, as many
Scriptures as well as our observation reveal. The word, "world," is a
translation of Greek words meaning era, or order of things. Satan is called the
"God" and "Prince" of this world, the "world usurper of this
[time of] darkness." (2 Con 4:4; John 14:30; 1 Cor. 2:6, 8; Eph. 6:12.) These are
not mythical or metaphorical statements, but representations of actual conditions in the
spirit world that is in association with this earth, and it is the reason for the spirit
of infidelity, malignancy, selfishness, and hate largely possessing mankind. This
condition will surely be terminated in God's due time, by the forcible inauguration of
Christ's Kingdom, as foretold by the Psalmist in the passage quoted. For this great event
Christians have been praying, with more or less understanding and sincerity, for nineteen
hundred years, ever since Jesus taught them: "Our Father who art in Heaven . . Thy
Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as [that is, in the completeness and universality]
it is in Heaven." In all
generations "men of good will," inheriting from Father Adam, despite the Fall, a
measure of the likeness of God, and gaining from His written Word an inkling of His
ultimate purpose or plan for a Golden Age, have resisted the evils of Satan's rule in the
manner and to the extent that seemed proper to them. All such have not recognized that the
"world" as a whole -- the structure of Society, religious, political,
educational, commercial-cannot be reformed while Satan is at its head. This was stated by
Jesus when He said: "No one can enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his
goods, except he first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house." In accordance
with this statement, the Revelator in his vision of the culmination of the present Age,
saw "An angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great
chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and
Satan, and bound him for a thousand years." - Mark 3:27; Rev. 20:1, 2. Those who
think that man can "work out his own salvation as Paul admonished the Corinthian
Church, or "lift himself by his own bootstraps" -- that by a process of
evolution, or education, or moral, or political reform he can achieve the ideal state
pictured in Holy Writ, are doomed to inevitable disappointment. The Christian,
informed of the Creator's purposes, centers his hopes on the "Prince of
Peace;" "the King eternal, immortal, invisible," who comes to inaugurate an
era not only of freedom from Want and Fear, but also freedom from sorrow, death, and the
grave. - Rev. 21:1-8. Nevertheless
God is very pitiful and kind toward those who, with humility of mind, are doing what they believe to be His will, in seeking
to reform the world. It is written: "The eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout
the whole earth, to show Himself. strong in the behalf of them whose heart is
perfect toward Him." (2 Chron. 16:9.) Such "men of good will" are
referred to in the passage quoted from. Isaiah' at the beginning of this article. Two of
them are mentioned by St. Peter in his Second Epistle. Speaking of Lot, the nephew of
Abraham, he says: "God .. delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious
life of the wicked (for that righteous man dwelling among them [the Sodomites], in seeing
and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds),."
The Apostle also cites Noah as an example of a righteous man in an evil world, and
continues: "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation [trial], and
to keep the unrighteous under punishment [lit., restraint] unto the day of judgment. (2
Pet. 2:5-9.) Isaiah speaks of the deliverance of "men of kindness" from a
world of unrighteousness and evil, through the sleep of death, until a better world has
been inaugurated by God's foreordained agencies. The late
President was assuredly a "man of kindness." He did not parade his religious
convictions, but frequently referred in his public utterances to his faith in God.
That his was a sincere and discerning faith is further evidenced by the fact, that his
favorite passage of Scripture was the "Love chapter" - 1 Cor. 13; and a favorite
hymn the one entitled "God is Working His Purpose Out." Is it to be doubted that a personage of
such good will and sincerity, and of so great power and
influence, had a part to perform in the outworking of God's purposes at so crucial a period in
mankind's affairs, as the present? It is
expressly declared by the Prophet Daniel, emphasized by threefold repetition: "The
Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will. (Dan.
4:17, 25, 32.) The Egyptian Pharaoh of the Exodus, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and Cyrus
the Mede, are among those who are said in the Scriptures to have been specially dealt with
by Jehovah, for His own purposes and glory. May not the
late President, with his great and-peculiar qualities of mind and heart, have been
specially raised up of God at this time, for the express purpose of turning the desires
and expectations of the millions of earth to the blessings of that era soon to be
inaugurated by Jesus Christ? That the peoples would be in such an attitude of mind seems to be
indicated by the ancient Hebrew prophets. Isaiah prophesies: "It shall be said in
that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him and He will save us: this is
Jehovah; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."
Another Prophet, Micah, pictures the reaction to the new order, after its intentions and
powers are realized: "In -the latter days it shall come to pass that the mountain [i.
e.,- Kingdom] of Jehovah's house shall be established
on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and peoples shall flow
unto it. And many nations shall go and say; pine ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, and to the
house of the God of Jacob;' and He will teach us of Hiss ways, and we will walk in His paths, nation shall not lift
up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." - Isaiah 25:9; Micah 4:1-4. When
"the righteous man is taken away, from the evil" around him, or to come, it is
because "God knoweth how [thus] to deliver the godly out of his trial." Who can
doubt that when "all they who are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and shall come forth," that such "men of good
will as Confucius, the gentle Buddha, the beneficent Hindoo
Emperor Asoka, the Roman Marcus Antoninus, as well as such Christian American leaders as Washington, Lincoln, and Franklin Delano
Roosevelt, with many others, will rejoice that a ruler greater than they, even "the
mighty God, the Prince of Peace," has been successful in bringing about the Golden
Age, of which they dreamed and for which they strove, but could not usher in. The Christian
who is endeavoring wholeheartedly to "seek first the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness"; to follow in the footsteps of Jesus in humility and
self-sacrifice; whose hopes and expectations are centered upon the day when Christ shall
take unto Himself His great power and reign;, and who, "loving His appearing," have reason to hope for a "crown of
righteousness reserved" for all such -- even these may draw valuable lessons from the
life and character of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Not only from his self sacrificing
devotion to duty and love of his fellow-men, but also from the qualities of high courage
and consistent cheerfulness which he exhibited in every crisis and under great personal
affliction; and from the zest he displayed in
prosecuting his warfare against evil as he saw it. "Count it all joy," writes
the Apostle, "when ye fall into divers temptations." The "good fight of
faith" must be fought cheerfully, joyfully, not lugubriously nor fearfully. "If
God be for us, who can be against us?" Mr.
Roosevelt's last public address, which he did not live to
deliver, rings out to every Christian a splendid note of inspiration: "Our
work, my friends, is peace -- to bring an end forever to war.
Keep up your faith!" Horace E. Hollister. V - E Day - May 8, 1945NOT WITH the
wild enthusiasm with which the Armistice in 1918 was greeted, but in a spirit of
restrained joyfulness, V-E Day was observed throughout our nation. Divine worship,
thanksgiving to God for victory and prayers for the
future predominated, as Catholics, Protestants, and Jews joined in inter-faith services. After the
first bustle of excitement which followed the official proclamations of V-E Day, the
nation assumed the aspects of a Sabbath day. Most of the taverns. were closed, as were
the larger stores and many of the retail shops. Churches were open and 'thousands
flocked to them for prayers or to attend special services. Moving picture theatres were
open, but afternoon crowds were no larger than normal. At the schools, pupils participated
in V-E Day services. All this was
as it should be for, as Prime Minister Churchill declared, while "we may allow
ourselves a brief. period of rejoicing we must "not forget for a moment the toil
and efforts that lie ahead." As President Truman proclaimed; while "the
western world has been freed of the evil forces which for five years and longer
have imprisoned the bodies and broken the lives of millions upon millions of freeborn
"men .. much remains to be done. The whole world
must be cleansed of the evil from which half the world has been freed." Moreover, our
rejoicing could. not but be "sobered and subdued" as we remember "the
sorrow' and heartache which today abides in 'the homes of so many of our neighbors"
-- if not in our own. Even though we ourselves "sorrow not as do others who have no
hope" we cannot but "weep with those who weep" as we recall the terrible
price which has been paid for the freedom at last achieved. Yes!-because
of these reflections our national rejoicing may well be solemn and restrained. But. there
are yet other reasons why our joy should be, tempered. and why the spirit of humility
should characterize us rather than boastfulness. Lines which years ago Kippling penned for
his countrymen, contain counsel peculiarly appropriate to our own circumstances today.
And it is a source of satisfaction to us that our national leaders are men in
whom such counsel strikes a responsive chord. We do well to
remember them often in our prayers. - 1 Tim. 2:1-3.
Amen!" Trust
- Samuel Longfellow Our Cleansing--Inward and Outward"Having therefore these
promises, dearly beloved, AGAIN we call
attention to the fact that the Bible was not addressed to the world, but to the Church;
not to unbelievers, but to believers; not to sinners, but to those who have already turned
away from sin. Many overlook this fact, and the result is a confusion of their minds. But some may,
perhaps, be inclined to say that the words of our texture applicable to sinners as well as
saints -- sinners especially -- even though the Epistle itself is addressed "unto
the Church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints, who are in the whole of
Achaia." We answer, No! our text cannot appropriately be applied to sinners in
general, who have not yet come to God, who have not yet repented of
their sins and been forgiven. God makes no appeals to such; He merely denounces them as
sinners and refuses them all recognition, all fellowship, and tells them that there is
no other name given under heaven amongst men whereby they can be saved from their sins
than that of Jesus-through faith in His blood. In other words, God refuses to have any dealings
whatsoever with those who cannot or will not accept of the great Sin-offering which He has
provided. As Jesus- expressed the matter, "No man cometh unto the Father but by
Me." - John 14:6. The
reasonableness of the divine position is evident upon reflection. God in the present Age is gathering out of
the world a Little Flock, whose peculiar trait of character is faith in Him and a desire
to please Him. In the Age to come, the Millennial Age, God purposes to deal with the
remainder of mankind, and then all His requirements will be made so plain that the wayfaring man,
though a simpleton, shall not err therein. (Isa. 35:8.) The Sun of Righteousness shall
shine forth in that glorious Millennial Day, and clearly manifest right from wrong, and
show forth the divine character and attributes, so that every creature may see -- yea, all
the blind eyes shall be opened and all the deaf ears be unstopped, as is clearly stated by
the Prophet. - Isaiah 35:5. But now, in
the present Age, there is
a test of faith for this
special Little Flock whom the Lord is selecting and whom He designates as His Church. Any who cannot exercise the
faith cannot be of this elect Church, but must wait for their blessing at the hands of the
Church during the reign of Christ, for which we still pray, "Thy Kingdom come; Thy
will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven." SAINTS NOT NATURALLY ALL NOBLENot only has
God made faith a necessary element of acceptance in the present time, but additionally,
love of righteousness is
made a part of the test.
It is not enough that we should have the eye of faith which would recognize Christ's
death as the redemption price for the sins of the world, we must additionally have
hearts that love righteousness in order to come under divine favor. The heart that loves
righteousness discerns the weakness of its own flesh, its downward tendencies. The moment
that heart recognizes Jesus as the Redeemer it flees to Him, not only to be covered with His merit as
respects the sins that are past, but also to have the imputed covering of His
righteousness as respects the unwilling blemishes and imperfections of the present and
the future imperfections that are contrary to the will and are the result of weaknesses
inherited. This class,
not in harmony with the sin of the world nor
with their- own weaknesses, is referred to by our Lord in His message, "Come unto Me, all ye,
that labor and are heavy laden [under the yoke of sin and appreciating its penalty,
death], and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me." These
learners-disciples, pupils in the school of Christ -- are the class to whom the words of
our text are addressed. It would be useless to exhort the world in general to cleanse themselves of all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.
The world is in sympathy with this very filthiness and. has no desire to cleanse itself,
has no just appreciation of how filthy it is in the sight of God !and those who have His spirit of
holiness. The Lord describes the condition of the world as one in which anger, malice,
envy and various lusts [desires] are the usual and normal conditions by turns.
Lust, selfishness-which often amounts to brutality in its seeking of wealth, or pleasure or power -- seeks to fill the natural mind,
so, that if it were taken away, with
nothing substituted, life would lose all of its charms. Where would be the propriety in
exhorting such to put away filthiness of the flesh and
spirit when they have nothing as a substitute? Some may,
perhaps, urge that there are as many noble-minded people not believers as
are found amongst believers. We answer, Yes! the Scriptures; agree to this, assuring us that amongst believers are not many
great or wise or noble according to the course of
this world. The message of God's grace often lays hold upon the lower, meaner and more
degraded members of the human family rather than. upon the noble, who feel less keenly
their own depravity and
less necessity for the
Savior and His assistance. If, then, amongst the world
are to be found some who are noble-minded, and if believers are generally of a lower
stratum, how conies it that God has a more particular interest in these
than in unbelievers? By what kind of rule does the Lord accept as children some who naturally are less
noble and reject some who naturally are more noble? We answer
that the rule or standard of divine acceptance is faith and obedience of heart. Those who with their hearts, their minds, their
wills, turn away from sin and by faith accept the divine arrangement, the Lord is pleased
to accept according to their wills, their intentions, and not according, to their flesh
and its blemishes. Their unwilling defects according to the flesh are veiled from His
sight by the robe of Christ's righteousness covering them, to the extent of the inability
of their new minds, which despise sin and seek to war a good warfare against it in their
flesh and everywhere. Such is the class addressed by the Apostle in our text, saying,
"Dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit." GOD'S BELOVED DISESTEEMEDAs the
mouthpiece of the Lord the Apostle addresses all believers who have fled. away from sin
and who are striving to be pleasing and acceptable to God, as "dearly beloved."
The Apostle, a noble-minded man himself, appreciated the fact thatt many of these dearly
beloved brethren had weaknesses and imperfections of the flesh. He did not love them on account of these blemishes, but in spite of
them -- because at heart they were loyal to the principles of righteousness and striving
to overcome sin and its inclinations in their own mortal flesh, and so far as their
influence would go in the world. But the world does not love these whom the Father loves,
whom Jesus loves, whom the Apostle loves. Our Master's words are, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated
you. If ye were of the world, the world would, love its own; but because ye are not of the
world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Ye have not
chosen Me, but I have chosen you and have ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth
fruit, that your fruit should be permanent." - John 15:16, 18, 19. The world
does not like these chosen ones because, confessing their own weaknesses and striving
against them, they call them by their proper names-sins, meannesses, filthinesses of the
flesh and spirit. Every effort made by these to cleanse themselves is a reproof to
others who are not striving to cleanse themselves, and who hate' to be reminded that the
things in which they take their greatest pleasure are greed, selfishness, inordinate
affections, strifes, pride, vain glory. Whoever is fully satisfactory to the world may be
sure that he is not satisfactory to the Lord. Whoever is satisfactory to the Lord need
not expect to be satisfactory to the world; for the fellowship of. this world is enmity to
God, and, therefore, the world ,is not subject to the divine standard, neither indeed can
be, as the Apostle explains. (James 4.:4; Rom. 8:7.) Its heart is in the other direction. The law of
the New Creation -- love for God with all our hearts and for our neighbor as ourselves --
is to the world unreasonable, unthinkable, undesirable every way, and every reminder of
it, even by the presence. of those who at heart are on the side of righteousness,
causes displeasure and discomfort. To these the Lord and His footstep followers have
always been unwelcome intruders. They prefer to be let alone, to have no suggestion
offered to the effect that they are wrong. True, some of them have a pleasurable pride in
generosity, a love of a good name, and a reputation for honesty and virtue. But they wish
to be considered as standards and exemplars, and resent any intrusion, any measurements
of their thoughts, words or deeds by the divine standards. Therefore those who continually
recognize and honor the divine standards are disesteemed by them. THE NECESSITY FOR CLEANSINGBut why
should the Apostle suggest that the Church should do a cleansing work in their hearts and
in their flesh when we find that God has wholly covered these blemishes from His sight?
If the blemishes are covered, why trouble about them further? Ah, there are the best of
reasons! Those who at heart are loyal to the Lord and His righteousness are distressed
by their blemishes, their sins, the weaknesses of their flesh, even though they are aware
that the Lord has graciously covered all these, and is not imputing their guilt because
at heart they are opposed to them. The desire of this class is to build, to establish,
character by faithfulness to principles of righteousness. They wish that their minds may
become more and more established in faithfulness to the Lord and His Golden Rule of
love; and that, so far as possible, the new mind shall control the fallen, imperfect flesh
and bring it into subjection, into accord, with the divine law of love. Whoever,
after having experienced the Lord's blessing in the forgiveness of sins, has no desire to war a warfare against them, and to
bring into subjection to his new mind the powers and talents of his mortal body, has not
the true spirit of sonship. He would thereby be giving evidence that he does not truly
love righteousness,, and that he does not truly, hate iniquity. He would thus be
testifying that he is not of the class whom the Lord desires as His sons on the spirit plane -- as members of the
Little Flock, the Bride, the Lamb's Wife. We see, then,
good reason why the brethren should be appealed to by the Apostle in our text. We see a good reason why all
begotten by the same spirit of holiness should give heed to his words and make
the cleansing of the flesh and of the spirit the principal work of the remainder of
life. We see that unless they do this, they will belie' their pretensions of love for
righteousness and hatred of iniquity. We see that by such a warfare against the weaknesses
of the flesh and of the spirit the Lord designs that they should establish a crystallized
character. Thus as the Scriptures express it, they shall be, "made meet for the
inheritance of the saints in light" -- fit in heart for the divine service. Such as
are thus fit in heart for the service of the Millennial Kingdom will, we are assured, be granted new bodies, free from all
blemishes, in the First Resurrection. Thus, having
perfected their minds and
established character in their hearts in the present life by
controlling the flesh so far as possible, they demonstrate that at heart they have the
character-likeness of their Lord and Redeemer. Only those who do thus develop into
copies of God's dear Son will constitute the Very Elect, the Kingdom Class, the Seed of
Abraham, through whom the world will shortly receive its blessing. "LET US CLEANSE OURSELVES"The words,
"Let us cleanse ourselves," do not have reference to our getting rid of Adamic
condemnation. Such cleansing from original sin is impossible on our part, as the Apostle
elsewhere explains. We cannot have it unless we receive it as a free gift from God. In
what sense, then, do we cleanse ourselves? We answer that having been reckonedly cleansed
by the Lord, and brought under the influence of His Holy Spirit and the enlightening
understanding of His Word, we are now invited to show our zeal for righteousness and to
cooperate with Him in the work. While all the condemnation is reckoned as having passed
from us, we still have the opportunity of showing the Lord what our spirit, our
intention, would be, striving against sin in our minds and in our flesh. The incentive to this cleansing is of the Lord, but
the cleansing itself is something for us to do-"Let us
cleanse ourselves."
The cleansing work is
a tedious one; for at first we did not discern how deeply defiled we were, how nearly all
the suggestions of the mind were selfish. We did not even -recognize selfishness' as being
sin. As the eyes
of our understanding opened more and more widely we got proper views of the Lord and His
righteousness, our own conditions, the need of His covering robe, etc. Day by day, as we have since striven to put away sin,
selfishness -- yea, every element of ungodliness and unloveliness -- we have become more
painfully conscious of how deep was the stain which we at first, perhaps, thought was
merely superficial. Many of the Lord's people, after years of labor in seeking to
cleanse themselves from the filth of the flesh and of the spirit, now, alas, see more of
their own blemishes than they discerned at first, even though they have gotten rid of much
of this natural filthiness, selfishness, etc. This would make the work of cleansing a very
discouraging one if it were not for the assurance of the Lord's Word that He regards us,
not according to the flesh, but according to our intentions, our desires, our endeavors.
He reckons us as overcomers, because of our good warfare against the natural
blemishes, whatever
may be the measure of our success. The
distinction which the Apostle draws between the filthiness of the flesh and that of the
spirit should be noticed. After we have accepted the. Lord, we take our stand with Him as
the Captain of. our salvation, to be soldiers of the cross and to fight a good fight
against sin -- and all the works of, the flesh and of the Devil. Soon we find ourselves in
company with others of the same class, and naturally and properly begin to cleanse the
flesh, to put away evil practices, outward wrongdoing of every kind. This is well. What
fellowship could there be between children of the light and any works of darkness? Before
long, in the case of many, a considerable outward change is manifested -- careless
language is avoided, passions are restrained, selfishness is curbed, at least in its
outward manifestations. Neighbors and friends may see a considerable change. This is good,
but not sufficient.
We must also cleanse
our spirits, our minds. It is not sufficient that we avoid outward wrongdoing. Our minds must be cleansed. We must learn to hate
sin, to repel its first advances. We must learn
that our minds and our bodies are the temples of the Lord and that everything contrary to
Him and His law of righteousness and love must be barred. Others are
witnesses to some extent of our trial: and triumphs of an outward kind. But the most im
portant battles of the New Creation are those which are known only to ourselves and to our
Captain-the battle of the new mind or will against the influences of the old,
natural disposition. The true soldier of the cross will find this battle ground quite
sufficient to engage all of his combativeness and destructiveness and to keep him fully
occupied. Such as are on the alert to develop the new character have much less time than
others to criticize their neighbors, friends and brethren. They find enough in themselves
requiring vigilance and restraint. And as they progress in this direction, they become
more sympathetic toward others who have the same or other weaknesses and inclinations
contrary to the divine standards. They sympathize especially with the brethren of the New
Creation, who similarly have given their all to the Lord and are battling against the
world, the flesh and the Adversary, in their bodies and in their spirits. OUR GRADUAL TRANSFORMATIONThose who
have already come into relationship to the Father as children should remember that God's
promises are that we shall be more and more received into His fellowship,
have more and more of His blessing, in proportion as we are loyal to these principles with
which we started out. If we have turned away from the world and from sin, and find that we
have certain contaminations of the flesh, we should put all these away-even the taints of
sin we should seek to put away. The more we energize ourselves in this direction, the more
of God's favor shall we have, the more shall we be pleasing and acceptable to Him. The Apostle
in pointing out that there is filthiness of the flesh and the spirit, does not mean that
the New Creature is filthy: The New Creature, as we are elsewhere, told, is undefiled. The
New Creature is holy. The word spirit is frequently used to represent mind. The will
must be thoroughly changed before one can become a New Creature at all. And for the
will ever to draw back would mean a drawing back unto perdition. To have a will
for sin would mean that we had lost the Holy Spirit; that we are in the Second
Death. But the
Lord's children have this new will, this new treasure, in an earthen vessel. We have a
natural disposition toward sin. Additionally, we have minds that even though they are putting away the things of sin, have more or less recollection
of the things of sin, the impurities of sin. So while we draw ourselves away from that
which is sinful, we are to
strive also to have our
minds pure. We are to cast out everything in us that is sympathetic
with sin. We are not to think of those things, we are not to permit ourselves to ruminate
on what is sinful. We are to set our affections on things above. - Col. 3:2. As we fill
our minds with God's promises, the whole character, the whole life, becomes more
transformed. The Apostle says, "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your
minds." Our minds which were in accord with the earthly things, the earthly nature,
are not only to be lifted from obedience to sin, but are to be turned in a new direction.
Our minds are to be filled with holy thoughts-thoughts of the Lord and His service. When
the mind is in a right attitude toward God, it is comparatively easy to serve the Law of
God. The Apostle exhorts us to perfect holiness. We had the holiness started in us
when we became the Lord's people. We gave ourselves wholly to Him -- He never accepts a part. Our consecration is to do
God's will wholly. We present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,
which is our reasonable service. We started out saints; and the Lord recognizes none
others than saints. Therefore we are to seek to live up to the divine standard in all the conduct of life -- our words;
deeds, thoughts. OUR CLEANSING AND THE LORD'S CLEANSINGBut this
perfecting of holiness goes on, this cleansing of ourselves, noticing to see where there
is anything in us that is impure, and putting all that away from
our conduct and, more than that, putting it away from our minds. As we do this,
holiness spreads through all the avenues of life. And so a Christian ought to have a very
beautiful character. If any Christian has not a beautiful
character, it shows that he has not been properly attending to the matter of his
cleansing, daily giving attention to his purification in his outward relationship to
mankind, and inwardly in his relationship toward God. We are to do
all this in the fear of the Lord, the reverence of
the Lord: There is a difference between the fear that is reverential and the fear that is
slavish. The reverential fear is a profitable fear. We are not to fear our Heavenly
Father as if He were a devil, who would turn, on us and treat us with cruelty
but we are to have a godly fear, which will delight to do those .things pleasing and acceptable in His sight. So all
this cleansing of ourselves, all this perfecting of-ourselves in holiness, is with a view' to being perfected in the
fear of the Lord. " Having begotten us of His Holy Spirit, having given us these precious promises, God will
expect us not to put our talents into a napkin and
make no progress, but to bring forth fruit -- some thirty fold, some sixty fold, some a
hundred fold. And as we do this, we shall be rewarded in proportion. There is
another Scripture which speaks 'of the Lord as doing this cleansing. work.
"Cleanse Thou me from secret faults." (Psalm
19:12-14.) These words of the Prophet David are the sentiment of all the Lord's true
people. By these words the Prophet showed his recognition of the fact that he was not
capable of cleansing himself. He recognized that he might have secret faults that he did
not appreciate himself -- that he did not see himself. Perhaps he did not see some faults
that others would see. He desired God to cleanse him from these. This indicated that he
desired to get away from everything that was not in harmony with God. This would be
the proper sentiment for all Christians. We should pray to the Lord that He would show
us whatever in our lives is not fully pleasing and acceptable to Him, that He would help us to see ourselves as others see us, and especially to see ourselves
as He sees us. We believe that many of the Lord's people have been shown their
imperfections and weaknesses (in the Lord's providence) by a very severe jolt. We ask the
Lord also, as did the Psalmist, to keep us back from presumptuous sins, to cleanse us
wholly from these. "THE PERFECTING OF HOLINESS"Our text
declares that such a purification of flesh and spirit, body
and mind, constitutes a perfecting of holiness. The thought here is that holiness cannot be attained in a moment, but that it must be gradually effected, perfected. A
right view of this matter will hinder us from falling into certain dangerous errors.
Holiness is not a charm which we may put in our pockets; it is not a garment which may be
worn occasionally. Holiness resembles more the tempering of a piece of metal; it enters into the
entire fiber, changing its general characteristics; it is transforming in its influence.
True, there is a holiness reckoned to the Lord's people in the robe of Christ's
righteousness, which is granted to us when first we turn from sin, accept the Redeemer,
and consecrate ourselves to God. But this is not sufficient. We must work into our characters that which we have willed -- or, as the Apostle
expresses it, we must allow the Lord to work in us the holy will,"
and the holy conduct
which must 'necessarily accompany the holy will; as opportunity and conditions will
permit. But how is this holiness perfected in us? How does God work in us to will and then to
do His good pleasure? Our text answers this portion of the, question, too, assuring us
that it is God's part to give us the promises; and that these promises constitute the
incentives to those who are in the right attitude of
mind. Without these divine promises of the present and the future blessings, who would
battle: against his own weaknesses? Who would strenuously resist the attacks of the world
and of the Adversary? Moreover, who would willingly sacrifice
his life and all his natural rights to serve the Lord and His cause, if there were no
exceeding great and precious promises to quicken and energize him to the service of the
King, in battling against sin, in assisting all who are on the side of righteousness?
Surely there would be few, if any at all. And so our text intimates, saying, "Having
therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves," etc. The
promises are indeed the power of God unto our cleansing -- our salvation -- as pointed out
by St. Paul. - Rom. 1:16. "GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES"Looking into
the context to see to what promises the Apostle refers, we find in the preceding verses
the declaration, "Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and
touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you and will be a Father unto you, and
ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor. 6:17, 19.)
What a promise! What a suggestion!-that we, by nature defiled and imperfect, should not
only have the notice of our sovereign Creator, but should be invited to become His
children and be. given the assurance of His parental affection for us -- that "like
as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that reverence Him." How
wonderful it seems! And then, as the Apostle elsewhere declares, this is not the end of
the matter, but merely the beginning, for 'he says, "If children, then heirs, heirs
of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also
glorified together." - Rom. 8:17. Yes, it is
this thought that is. implied in, the term children of. God, sons of God. The blessings
and riches of the Father are to be extended through our Lord Jesus, especially to the
Little Flock, which is now being selected from amongst men to be His Bride and associates
in the Kingdom. These are not accepted into the Kingdom at once, but as it were on
probation; as the Apostle says, "Now are we the sons of God but it doth not yet
appear what we shall be" -- if we are faithful. As sons of God in the present life
we have the joy of knowing of our Father's character through His Word, which we are
permitted to understand, but which the world does not understand. We are assured of
divine supervision; so that not the slightest thing can happen
to these sons except as their Father sees would be to
their advantage. But they must show their love, their devotion, their oneness of spirit
with the Father and the Redeemer ere they can be counted in as His Bride in the full,
absolute and complete sense, and be granted a share in His glories. It is to
demonstrate their possession of these graces that these consecrated ones are left for a
time in the midst of evil and unfavorable surroundings-to
prove their love of righteousness, their opposition to iniquity, their love to God and
their faithfulness to Him, their love to all who are in sympathy with the divine arrangement. If they stand
these tests fully, it will mean that they will endure considerable opposition from the
world, the flesh and the Adversary; and that they will be correspondingly strengthened by
these experiences. It is this class to whom the Apostle refers saying, "If
so be that we suffer [with Him], we shall also reign with Him." We are to suffer as
He did for right doing, and because our neighbors and friends are blind as to what is the right, the proper course. We are to
suffer gladly and joyfully whatever cup the Father may pour for. us, knowing that He is too good-to be unkind, too wise to err. "Let us
then, dearly beloved, cleanse ourselves from. all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord," As the Apostle Peter declares,
"If we do these things, we shall never fall; for so an entrance shall be ministered
unto us abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom Of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ." - 2 Peter 1:10, 11. - R5737-5739, August 1, 1915. Advertising the "Plan of the Ages
Dear
Friends: I wish to
thank you, in the name of the Berean Bible Class of Wilmette, for your, recent letter in
which you state that the Board of Directors voted that we should use the amount which you
sent for advertising, in lieu of Broadcasting the "Plan." Without waiting to
hear from you we started our second campaign of advertising, having sold 145 copies
through our first campaign, and placed our first advertisement in this second campaign.
To date we have received orders for twentyfour copies, said orders coming from sixteen
different States. We also placed a second advertisement, and. have already received orders
for eight copies. Each of these advertisements have cost us Ten Dollars. We have also
placed an order or advertisement in a religious
newspaper, which solicited our business, and we
received a sample copy with the advertisement today, but there has not been time to
receive orders. We are wondering what response we will get from them. Again
thanking you for your, cooperation, and trusting that some of the people receiving the
books will get great good from them, I remain, Yours in His
service, L. W. Jones, M.D. New Edition of "The Divine Plan of the Ages"
Our new
edition of the "Divine Plan" Is an attractive little volume-pocket size, of dark blue cloth,
semi-flexible binding,, with gold lettering, and makes an acceptable as well as a very valuable gift, Single copies,
fifty cents each, in lots of ten or more, fortyfive cents each, postpaid. Never has the
world been in greater need of the comforting message contained in this volume. May we all
realize our privilege and
responsibility of sharing
in this ministry of the divine
message -- binding up the
broken-hearted, comforting all that mourn. Gracious privilege! In His StepsContinued from last issue "That you may be blameless and
inoffensive, irreproachable children of God, in the midst of a crooked and misguided
generation, among whom you appear as luminaries in the world, exhibiting the word of
life." "Because even Christ suffered on your behalf, leaving you a
copy, so that you may follow in His footsteps." - Phil. 2:15,16;
1 Peter 2:21, Diaglott. IN OUR
previous review, of this subject we saw how necessary it is to observe all aspects of our
Lord's daily walk in order that we miss none of the steps outlined in the perfect copy His
life provided. We saw that while giving all due consideration to His sufferings
associated with making atonement for sin, which was the great factor in His
sufferings, yet it is also necessary that we consider carefully His daily ministry as He went about doing good. We all understand that walking in His
steps will bring the inevitable sufferings He Himself assured us would be the experience
of all His true followers. The conditions of faithful discipleship remain unchanged. The
order continues to be, "If we be dead with Him, we shall live with Him: if we suffer,
we shall also reign with Him." (2 Tim. 2:11, 12.) Suffering for righteousness'
sake, and for Christ's sake is so inseparately linked -up with our
discipleship that nonee may have a part in reigning with Christ unless this suffering is a
very real part of the present experience. All this is very well summed up in another word
of the Apostle Paul, "Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to
believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake." (Phil. 1:29.) Because this is true,
it becomes the privilege of each footstep follower to say with the Apostle, "For. I
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us." - Rom. 8:18. But in the
matter of being "luminaries" in the world, exhibiting the Word of life,
particular attention must be given to what is comprehended in this important feature of
walking in His steps. All the steps found in the perfect copy must be observed, and all
must be taken by such as desire to attain to the character of Jesus. With this in mind let
this part of our review be definitely personal, each one seeking to determine the measure
of faithfulness in walking, speaking, and ministering as Jesus did. There are several
important reasons why this should be done. If, as many believe, a parallelism exists by
which both Jewish and Gospel Age endings have marked corresponding features, there must be
a complete line of guide-posts in the example of Jesus by which we in our time may be
kept in the right path, doing the Lord's work in His perfect way. Whatever of
miscalculation there may have been in deduc Lions as respects time periods, there should
not be any mistake made in observing the spirit and methods of Jesus in that former period, for all these are clearly defined in the
footprints He left for us to follow. Let us
remember again that Jesus had a message for His day, a message which in its scope
fulfilled -- all that had been foretold concerning this aspect of His mission. This was
the message He found set forth in Isaiah chapter 61:1-3. So, complete and
important was this foretold message that its place in His ministry was all Jesus offered
to John the Baptist as a proof of His identity as the One to come. If, therefore, we are
in a time corresponding to the days of Jesus' ministry, does it not follow as a matter of
consistency, that the evidence by which Jesus was proved true to the will of God, will
be the best of all evidence that we too are now His 'true followers, just because we
adhere strictly to the copy He left us? If so, let us remember His word to John in answer
to his inquiry, "Art Thou He that should come, or look we for another?" The line of evidence
was, "Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive
their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are
raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them. And blessed is he [John],
whosoever shall not be offended in Me." (Matt. 11:4-6.) The inference is that these
credentials might not satisfy John. His preconceived ideas might have been so strong
that this answer might have left his doubts untouched. Likewise with us. Our preconceived
ideas could be a hindrance to us, preventing us from seeing some very important steps we
should not want to miss. Surely the corresponding parallelisms have a meaning of
unquestionable importance to us in all that is comprehended in those few words: "He
went about doing good." Shall we not say, "Where He leads me I will
follow;" and seek to note each footprint with care? IN ALL THINGS JESUS MANIFESTED THE FATHERJesus was
"Emmanuel, God with us." He came to reveal God to men. He could tell His
disciples that in seeing and hearing Him they had thereby
seen and heard the Father. Had the Father Himself been as visible to them as Jesus was,
they would have seen and heard exactly what had been before them in the Son. This was our
Lord's special purpose in His day-by-day contacts with His disciples, and a very important part of His mission
among all with, whom He had to do. In like manner we are to reflect His, life, the life
of Christ, by word and act. Our very special task is that of manifesting the compassion,
the generosity, tolerance, and pity, so perfectly displayed in Jesus our God given Copy.
With this in view, let us follow Him in our study, going with Him into homes, and standing
beside Him in the midst of diversified circumstances as present with us now as such were
in the days of His contacts with all sorts and conditions of men. WITH JESUS IN HOME CIRCLESBefore we
enter any of these. homes in our study, or in our actual experiences, let us take time to
consider the Master's command in this matter. We remember how, when
sending His disciples out on missions before Him, this was the word given to them,
"Into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of
peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it." (Luke 10:5, 6.) This means that
"Wherever the Lord's representatives go, peace should go, not strife, confusion,
turmoil, quarreling. . . . All who have received the Truth should receive also its spirit
speaking peace through Jesus Christ'." This should be true in all the ways by which we may enter the homes or
circles about us. Some are more
privileged than others in the matter of entering homes over a wide territory, and by
personal contact influencing others. But we may enter homes by "a letter speeded on
its way to brethren far or near, Inner circles may also be entered by a publication we
recommend. In such ways we do touch other lives, influencing them for good or ill
according to the tenor of our conversation, correspondence, and recommended literature.
This represents a real responsibility, making it important that we be careful that our
influence be ever in the direction of purity in word and deed. A very timely
suggestion has been given by some one in these lines:
If this
suggestion is followed always, it will surely mean entering homes in the wayJesus
instructed His disciples to do; and thus we will be messengers of peace, helping others in
ways sure to bring to them and to ourselves the manifest blessing of the Lord. As in mind we
begin our walk from home to home with Jesus, where shall we call first? Let it be the home
of Matthew the publican. He was among the first of the Twelve to be called into that band
of specially chosen followers. We call here for the sake of lessons to be learned in this
particular spot; lessons needful to all in order; that the largeness of vision and of
sympathy may be thoroughly learned at the outset. If we miss this lesson what can save us
from becoming exclusive minded like the priest and Levite passing by needs which Jesus
could not pass unheeded? In the home of this publican, Jesus is
in, the midst of a gathering made up of similar characters. Because of His association
with these He was named in derision, a friend of publicans and sinners. But what truth
there was in that classification) A precious truth indeed! Of Himself He said, "I am not come to call the righteous, but
sinners to repentance." (Matt. 9:13.) On another occasion He enlarged on this in saying, "I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the
angels of God over sinner that repenteth." (Luke 15:10.) Thinking of Jesus' own
ministry in this feature of His mission, what joy the angels in heaven must have had over
the repentance and transformation. Mary Magdalene, and over others lifted up of sin's
pollution and into a devotion to Jesus by which a fragrance, has been carried down through
all the centuries wherever the Gospel story has gone. Leading sinners to repentance was a
very marked feature of our Lord's mission. Has it been likewise with us?
Have we missed the steps in, this part of the perfect copy? Should we not ask ourselves
if, in our Suffering with Christ, we have really shared His disrepute because of our befriending publicans and sinners,
no less numerous than in the days of Jesus, and
no less ready; to respond to manifestations of His spirit. Had, Jesus confined His
attention solely to gathering out such, characters as John and Peter, Mary, Nathaniel; and
James, how different the copy would have been. Had He done so, publicans like those He
befriended, sinners like the one who came into Simon's home, to weep over His feet, would
never have known how truly His grace abounded where sin in them had, abounded. "Doing
good unto all men" was no mere incident in the ministry of Jesus. It was the working
out of the message given Him in the prophetic forecast of Isaiah. Surely this
compassionate ministry was much in the Father's heart when His voice came, from heaven
saying, "This is My beloved Son in whom I. am well pleased." Has He been pleased with us for this same reason? THE ART OF ADJUSTING DIVERGENT VIEWPOINTSThe Bethany
home of Martha and Mary is another of the homes frequented by Jesus. Much could be read
into the statement of John regarding this home, when he says, "Now Jesus loved
Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus" -- three distinctly different characters
reacting in three different ways to the love of Jesus for them, but all three sharing in
His love. Martha must have possessed admirable qualities in order to have this place in the love of Jesus. And He was not blind to her failings. Her
heart was right, occupied with the laudable desire to serve Jesus in her particular way.
But when this led her to rebuke both Jesus and Mary, the task He undertook was that of
helping Martha to see the comparative littleness of her service in contrast to the better
things uppermost in Mary's mind. We may be sure the word spoken to Martha was not uttered
in any harsh manner, but lovingly expressed. His desire would be to have this loving one
see that by putting the emphasis where Mary was placing it, then she too, "May sit at
Jesus' feet, nor leave her service incomplete." Can we not believe that when this
visit was over and Jesus had gone on His way, Martha was a happier woman, feeling nearer
to a correct understanding of Jesus, andd seeing with clearer eyes the right of Mary to
choose her own way of showing devotion to their beloved Guest and Master? Jesus would
leave a fragrant incense of peace in this home through His method of meeting
diversities in the viewpoints and temperaments of two whom He loved, and so may we do
likewise if so be we will but follow the copy He has been made to us. Similar
conditions arc with us still. It must be taken as inevitable that diversities of viewpoint
will be found among those whom we should want to believe were sincere in their love for
the Lord. Therefore as
we have opportunity to be
a helper where there is need of wise counsel, how helpful we can be
it we note well the example of Jesus. He would not leave the atmosphere of the Bethany
home charged with influences likely to set up a barrier between Martha and Mary. He
would not create a superiority complex in Mary's attitude
toward Martha, nor leave Martha crushed in spirit. So today, many things can cause
estrangement in a home circle, or in an assembly of
brethren. Therefore a ministry directed toward adjusting extremes in viewpoint, and
calculated to inculcate the happy medium attitude and spirit, is today, as always, very
happily in line with a beatitude all should be disposed to practice, "Blessed are
the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." (Matt. 5:9.) With
perspectives properly adjusted through following the example of Jesus, then, as with
Martha, and, Mary, so with us in our contacts, life and fellowship with those we help will
flow on in quieter channels, in mutual understanding, and thus all may
choose the better part, never to be taken away. THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF GOODNESSAnother home
of Jesus' day still stands beside our pathway. It is the home of Zaccheus. He too was a
publican, and we may assume he was much like others similarly employed. He admits having
taken more tax than the government required, as other publicans did, and thereby gained
for, themselves such general disrepute. But into this man's home Jesus invites Himself.
No mention is made of what subjects were discussed. But we may safely conclude that the
trend of our Lord's conversation and spirit would be such as to make the most favorable impression
on His host. We cannot think of Jesus as going to this home to chide Zaccheus for his
occupation. More consistently, it can be believed, that it was a complete avoidance of
such things on the part of Jesus, and the graciousness of His spirit by which His host was
made to see by contrast the beauty of Jesus' character as compared with his own. Jesus was
quietly diffusing the fragrance of love and goodness, while Zaccheus was as quietly
feeling the impulse of desire to be a more worthy
character himself. Thus he was left cherishing higher ideals, seeing with clearer
perception the beauty of dealing justly with others, and possessing a spirit of
generosity akin to that which he had seen so wonderfully exemplified in the methods and
manner of Jesus. Here again we
may note the Copy with profit. How has it been with us under similar circumstances when
opportunities came in which we could help others to see the higher standards of faith and
practice? Have we been disposed to be crusaders, pugnaciously attacking those we disagree
with? Have we been plain speakers telling others what they should or should not hold or do
according to our understanding? If so, the good accomplished will be meagre indeed,
because the method is contrary to the pattern left us. Better far to let kindly actions
speak louder than words. Better that the life express the beauties of true holiness.
Better to so act that where there is a need for
correcting lives we touch, the influence of a good example will leave them coveting the
nobler and better qualities of character. A sermon on brotherly kindness may be
faultlessly presented, and a dissertation on holy conduct may beset forth in true
Scriptural fashion, but these. attainments exemplified in a speaker's own life and
attitude will linger in the memory of hearers
long after every spoken word will have faded from leaky minds. How many
homes have been thus influenced by our personal
visits, by our letters, or by our various ways in which we affect others for good or ill? If we are to be true
workers together with the Lord Jesus we must remember that all the footprints He left are for our
guidance in all things. VIRTUE AND GOODNESS HONORED WHEREVER FOUNDThe careful
student of Jesus' example cannot miss observing how very ready He was to credit merit
wherever He found it. One of the great lessons His immediate
disciples had to learn was along this line, and no less is our need of the same
instruction.' Jesus was never the exclusive character we too easily, become.
On many occasions our Lord's steps led into the homes of officials of the Roman army, and
the homes of synagogue rulers. In this way He mingled with scribes and pharisees and
publicans. Sometimes it was to share a meal, or to lay His healing hand on fevered brows,
or to restore loved ones to life. If at times He spoke in scathing terms against
corruptions among religious leaders, the perfect balance of His character enabled Him
to, see both the good and the bad among them. He could see evidence in one that he was
"not far from the kingdom." He was so impressed with the faith of another that
He said, "I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel." One young ruler
Jesus loved because He could see noble qualities in his character. Among the Sanhedrin
members He had friends like "Nicodemus and Joseph. The exclusive spirit manifested in
His disciples He rebuked, reminding them that no one should be denied a place in service
done in His name. The blessing of heaven would rest on even so small a service as a cup of
cold water offered' in His name and spirit. The perfect Copy presents the fullness of
stature He would have us attain. But was Jesus
our example in all these several ways? Was He a pattern of doing good unto all men as opportunity presents,, and as
privileges come in which brethren may be helped? Surely so! How else can we live and be
true to our mission as "luminaries in the world, exhibiting the word of life"?
We are our brother's keeper, and pledged to lay down our life for him. We are to be
"an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in
faith, in purity." (1 Tim. 4:12.) We are to so conduct ourselves that we gain
"a good report of them that are without." (1 Tim. 3:7.) Have we been
too ready to condemn others who walk not with us, forgetting the words of Jesus,
and heeding not His own footsteps? Have we created enemies where we might have gained
friends? If Napoleon and other men of the world could see the excellencies of Jesus'
character, is He asking too much of us to require our doing likewise "in the midst of
a crooked and misguided generation"? Have we so lived that some of those outside our
immediate circle of worship and activity will enshrine our life and work in grateful
memory for what they know us to be? O how much it
means to retrace the perfect Copy with the exactness we should. How much it means to
carefully note all the footsteps left for our guidance in every aspect of daily life. As
we go on giving our full attention to this perfect Example, we trust that as lesson
after lesson is learned, and as the promised help is given us, the hope may be
entertained that we too may yet say with the same joy and confidence as Paul did,
"Now thanks be to that God, who always leads us forth to triumph with the Anointed
One, and, who diffuses by us the fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every place." -
2 Cor. 2:14, Diaglott. - J. J. Blackburn. An Interesting Question
Discussed
Question: Will you please explain Psalms 16:10,
where we read: "Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thine
holy One to see corruption." Answer: The Psalm in which this verse appears is
Messianic in character; that is to say, while it may have had an original application to David,
its author, or to the persons and events with which he was concerned, its chief
significance was prophetic, pointing to the great Messiah who was to come -- our
blessed Lord Jesus. How do we
know that this Psalm refers to Messiah? We reply: An inspired writer, one of our Lord's
chosen Apostles, tells us so. In Acts 2:25-31, St. Peter, on the day -of Pentecost, first
quotes this Psalm and then explains its application, showing that it could not find its
complete fulfillment in David, but was prophetically spoken by David of our Lord. Let us read these verses:
"Men and
brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch, David, that he is both dead and
buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing
that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins,. according to the
flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne, he, seeing this before, spake of the
resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh
did see corruption." St. Paul, in
his celebrated speech at Antioch, recorded in Acts 13, also makes reference to this
Psalm, and draws the same conclusion as did St. Peter, namely that it referred to
Christ. His words, found in verses 34-37 are: "And as
concerning that He [Jehovah] raised Him [Jesus] up from the dead, now no more to
return to corruption, he said on this wise:
"For
David, after he had served his own generation, by the will of God, fell on sleep, and
was laid unto his fathers and saw corruption; but, He whom God raised again, saw no
corruption." Now that we
have seen that the words of the Psalmist apply to our Lord, how shall we understand
them? We answer: We should understand them in the light of these inspired
interpretations. While our Lord was permitted to enter hades, the condition of
death, of non-existence, He, that is to say, His soul, His being, was not left in that
condition. Both St. Peter and St. Paul, understood these words of David to be a prophecy
of our Lord's resurrection. While Jehovah would permit, and actually did permit,,
Him to enter hades, He purposed to raise Him up again; and they, St. Peter and St.
Paul, were two of many witnesses that He had performed His purpose. One other
question arises which may properly be considered in this connection. In the Psalm the text
reads: "Thou wilt not suffer Thine holy One to see corruption." St. Peter,
pointing to the fulfillment in the case of our Lord, writes: "Neither His flesh did
see corruption." These statements are relied upon by some as supporting their
position that Christ was raised from the dead, a human being, having the very same body of
flesh as when crucified. Is this thought correct? We answer: No!
-- It would be a denial of the doctrine of the Ransom, the touchstone by which all other
doctrines must be tried, to intelligently hold that our Lord's body of flesh is now animated by any principle of life
whatever, inherent or sustained, on the spirit plane or on the human plane. None the less, that body of flesh was, and for all we
know to the contrary, may yet be, incorruptible. (Note the Scriptures do not say it was or
is immortal.) It was not permitted to undergo the loathsome process of decay. What became
of it we do not know. We .know that it did not decay, because the Scriptures so state.
Doubtless all our readers will remember Brother Russell's interesting observation on the
subject in Scripture Studies Vol. II, pages 128-130. We quote his remarks here as a
fitting conclusion to this discussion: "Many
Christians have the idea that our Lord's glorious spiritual body is the very
same body that was crucified and laid away in Joseph's tomb: they expect, when they see
the Lord in glory, to identify Him by the scars He received on Calvary. This is a great
mistake, which a very little consideration should make manifest -- Firstly, It would prove
that His resurrection body is not glorious or perfect, but scarred and disfigured:
Secondly, it would prove that we do know what a spirit body is, notwithstanding the
Apostle's statement to the contrary: Thirdly, It would prove that our redemption price was
taken back; for Jesus said, 'My flesh I will give for the life of the world.' It was His
flesh, His life, as a man, His humanity, that was sacrificed for our redemption And when He was
raised to life again by the power of the Father, it was not to human existence; because
that was sacrificed as our purchase price. And if that price had been taken back, we would
still be under the condemnation of death, and without hope. "We have no more reason
to suppose that our Lord's spirit body since His resurrection is a human body than we have
for supposing that His spirit body prior to His human birth was human, or that other spirit beings have
human bodies; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones; and, says the Apostle Peter. our Lord
was 'put to death in the flesh but made alive in
spirit.' "Our
Lord's human body was, however, supernaturally removed from the tomb; because had it
remained there it would have been an insurmountable obstacle to the faith of the
disciples, who were not yet instructed in spiritual things-for 'the spirit was not yet
given.' (John 7:39.) We know nothing about what became of it, except that it did not decay
or corrupt. (Acts 2:27, 31.) Whether it was dissolved into gases or whether it is still
preserved somewhere as the grand memorial of God's love, of Christ's obedience, and of our
redemption, no one knows;-nor is such knowledge necessary. That God did miraculously hide
the body of Moses, we are assured (Deut. 34:6; Jude 9); and that as a memorial God
did miraculously preserve from corruption the manna in the golden bowl, which was placed
in the Ark under the Mercy Seat in the Tabernacle, and that it was a symbol of our Lord's
flesh, the bread from heaven, we also know. (Exod. 14:20, 33; Heb. 9:4; John 6:51-58.)
Hence it will not surprise us
if, in the Kingdom, God shall
show to the world the body of flesh, crucified for all in giving the ransom on their
behalf -- not permitted to corrupt, but preserved as an everlasting testimony of infinite love
and perfect obedience. It is at least possible that John 19:37 and Zech. 12:10 may have
such a fulfillment. Those who cried, 'Crucify Him!' may yet, as witnesses, identify the
very body pierced by the spear and torn by the nails and thorns." -P. L. Read. The Waiting Shepherd at the DoorIT IS said
that when an eastern shepherd has led I his flock within the fold for the
night, he lays himself down before the entrance door. This means that during the dark
hours of the night his sheep may be at rest with nothing to fear. Their faithful guide and
keeper will be there before the door through all the dangers which the darkness might have
for them. In all the night watches he will be their defense, and when the morning comes
they will find him by the door ready to lead them forth once more. For another day he will
lead them into pastures of greenness, and seek out for them the cooling streams. To them
he is always a good shepherd, proved worthy of their abiding confidence by his daily care
and nightly ministrations. He knows each one of them by name, and they know the
distinguishing tenor of his voice. A stranger they will never follow. So it should
be with us as we remember Jesus the great Shepherd of His sheep, and guardian of our
lives. We are the sheep of His pasture, and know that He is ever on guard while dangers
seen and unseen surround us. He stands as our Shepherd before the door, ever watching,
and beyond whom no foe may enter within our safe and sheltered place. He will never fail
in keeping His loving vigil over us. In storm or sunshine He is always near, constantly
alert to provide for our every need. We shall never want for any good thing. By day and by
night His eye is upon us, for the darkness and the light are. both alike to Him. Then when
life for us is over here below, and the hour of death approaches with its shadows settling
down around us, there will be no fear. That dark shadow can have no terror for us then, for we will know that our loving Shepherd will be
standing on the other side the shadows all enshrined in the radiant brightness of
heaven's unclouded Morning. We will find Him waiting in that glad Morning, waiting to
welcome us within the place prepared, and ready to
lead-us as of yore-but henceforth into the boundless celestial, pastures of superlative
revelations filled with delights and joys far beyond all present powers of mind to
comprehend. Quiet streams of sweet, intimate, fellowship will be there too; clear sparkling streams
which flow on and on through unnumbered ages to
come. By these placid rivers of rest and peace it will be ours to walk, rejoicing
evermore, for there we shall
be with the One whose
shepherding care gathered us within the eternal fold, there to walk with Him in white
whithersoever He goeth. Till that
radiant Morning comes when we shall see Him face to face, and all shadows have fled away
forever, we can wait in patience for His call to "Come away." Our faith and,
hope have been fixed on things above where Christ sits at the right hand of God, and we see in His being there the pledge
that as He lives we shall live also. Be the time long or short in which He asks us to wait
for His glorious appearing, our love, will never wane' nor our feet grow weary as we
journey on. Faith will hold firm through all the trials between, and
with His goodness and mercy ever following us in His paths of righteousness, and His rod and staff
guiding and correcting us, we shall remember His word, "I
am the good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine." As He watches
over us during the gathering shadows now
spreading over the earth, and we wait in steadfast hope for our
passing over into His presence, what joy is ours as we hear Him in conversation with His
Father and ours, saying, "Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given
Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me.", The Father's
reply to this request we can know, assuredly know, for Jesus turns to us with those
wonderful words, "The
Father Himself loveth you. - J. J. Blackburn. Encouraging MessagesDear
Brethren: Another
delightful Fifth Sunday at Zion Hill Schoolhouse near Weatherford, has just passed. The
next will be on July 29th. It was indeed a day of refreshing for all present.
The morning hours were taken up with devotion in prayer and song. Brother Wyndelts was
requested to give a summary of his visits to the various Classes and friends last fall, being reminded that the dear
friends had kept up with the places visited and had not ceased to pray for him. Whereupon,
interesting incidents of the trip were given. This was
followed with a short exhortation ,and announcements by our dear Brother Vance, calling
special attention to the yearly three day meeting at Siloam Springs, near Gustine, Texas,
on Friday before the second Sunday in August. A bountiful
dinner was then spread before us, dear Brother Hiller having a special part in this, after
which Brother Frank Whitaker took charge of the song service, the friends, joining
with enthusiasm which he instilled in all present. This was followed by a fine talk from
Brother Adams on the Plan of God, using the Chart, and concluding with his findings of
what we should look for before the end of the trouble upon the race. Dear old
Brother Pack Whitaker, in his eighties, often signing his letters as "Old Brother
Pack," followed with
a talk explaining "What is sin unto
death." We trust that those requesting this
subject were greatly benefited, and that we who are older in the Truth were caused to see
that we should be very careful not to be drawn
away little by little, but to continue steadfast. The dear brother has served the
friends in this part of the country for over forty years, and has held many debates. We missed
dear Brother Plumlee, who was called Home since the previous Fifth Sunday meeting. J. W. - Texas, Chairman for the day. Dear
Brethren: As the time has again come around
that my subscriptions expire, I enclose $- for the following:- ' I also want
to take this opportunity to tell you how greatly we appreciate "'The Herald." We
love its monthly visits, and find much encouragement in its pages. The
articles are constant source of inspiration and stimulation to our faith in the precious
promises and our desires,''
faithful to our covenant
of sacrifice, which ever increases under the faithful ministries of the brethren. May the
dear Lord continue to bless and guide your every effort to serve Him and His, in so far as
it continues in harmony with His holy will and Spirit. Warm
Christian greetings, Your brother
in the Beloved, H. J. B. -- N. S., Can. Dear Brethren: We are moved to express our appreciation of the report of the Jewish meeting in Boston, February 14. "Signs Amongst the Jews." It fairly thrilled us from beginning to end. The blessing of the Lord was indeed manifest. How it warms our hearts. We are grateful to you for publishing it that we may have a share in the blessings. May God bless Mrs. Stein and her associates for their faith and zeal, and all like manifestations of faith in God's promises on the part of the Jews all over the world. What a privilege. Brother Dawson enjoyed of "speaking comfortably" to that group in Boston! We enjoyed
the little report of the Brooklyn convention and it caused Brother S. to relive his
blessed experiences on that occasion. Our
"Herald" for April was received only this morning so has not yet been thoroughly
read. One article, "The Letter to the Colossians," was read by me this afternoon
with deep appreciation, and I anticipate the others with pleasure and profit . . . . Your Sister
in Christ, A. B. S. Me. |
