THE HERALD
of Christ's Kingdom
VOL.
XXXVI June 1953
No. 6
Table of Contents
What Say the Scriptures?
"Lovest Thou Me More Than These?"
Godly Counsel from an Earlier Period
The Question Box
Basic Bible Studies No. 4 -The Wages of Sin
"In Adam all die." - 1 Corinthians 15:22.
OUR
three studies introductory to the Scriptures found the seasonings of men
concerning the Creator, the Bible, and Man's origin, largely negative in
value. On the other hand, the Holy Scriptures claim to be the repository
of positive truth, divinely inspired. To receive their testimony is to
enter a direct road to knowledge independent of rational thought; one
requiring, however, the rigid exclusion of human philosophies and speculations,
for
"God
is His own interpreter
And He will make it plain."
The
necessity for this course becomes obvious from the opening page of the
Bible, for its account of man's creation is diametrically opposed to the
popularly accepted Evolution theory. There can be no compromise. We who
accept the Bible as God's inspired Word must follow the principle
expressed by St. Paul: "Let God be true though every man be
false" (Rom. 3:4, R.S.V.). We reject, further, the modern
well-meaning effort to reconcile the Bible and evolutionary biology, by an
allegorizing of the Edenic story. No writer of true history would mix
plain matter of fact with allegory in the same continued narrative,
without some intimation of a transition from one to the other. If the man
Adam be accounted allegorical, so must be the woman Eve; and so the
garden, the trees, the rivers, the animals, etc. Continuing up the scale
of creation, we must allegorize the earth and the heaven -- thus reaching
an obviously absurd conclusion. This attempted interpretation solves no
problem, and we are brought back to the inescapable choice-man is either a
fortuitous development from lowly protoplasm, or originally a perfect and
direct creation of divine fiat.
God
says: "I have made the earth and created man upon it." - Isaiah
45:12.
The
Genesis account specifically states -- "In the image of God created
he him." And this thought of man's original perfection of being, is
borne out by the context, which declares that God looked upon his creature
with approval, seeing him to be "very good." It is borne out
also by the general testimony of Scripture respecting God as a Master
workman -- "His work is perfect" (Deut. 32:4). It is
borne out by the statement of the Psalmist, "Thou madest him [man,
Adam] a little lower than the angels, thou crownedst him with glory and
with honor [his moral likeness to his Creator]; thou didst set him over
the works of thy hands" -- the beasts of the field, the fish of the
sea, and the fowl of heaven-"and didst make him ruler over them
all" -- giving to man the dominion of the earth, with its lower
orders of creation, in the likeness of God's dominion over heavenly
things (Ps. 8:6, 7). It is borne out again by the statement of the Wise
Man, that God made man upright, but he sought out many inventions
and defiled himself. - Eccl. 7:29.
Furthermore,
Adam is termed a "son of God" (Luke 3:38); an expression
Scripturally restricted to angelic beings, to Jesus, and to his footstep
followers, justified through faith and led of God's spirit.
Additionally,
the historicalness of the account of Adam and Eve is attested to by
Jesus, who quoted from Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 in these words "Have ye
not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and
female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and
shall cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh?" -
Matthew 19:4, 5.
Finally,
there are the multitudinous references from Genesis to Revelation to the
pivotal truth of all Scripture -- the redemptive sacrifice of
Christ -- a doctrine positively confirming Adam's original perfection
and subsequent "fall."
We
conclude therefore, that the record concerning the first man and woman is
neither allegory nor fable, but a literal, historical fact set forth and
emphasized through figures of speech to intensify its truthful realities.
THE DIVINE COMMAND
Following
the account of Adam's creation, the narrative continues:
"And
the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man
whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every
tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life
also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and
evil.... And the Lord God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the
garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die." - Genesis 2:8, 9, 16, 17.
We
note the simple facts: the provisions of a loving Creator for his noble
creature's welfare in trees of life -- bearing fruit suitable to the
perpetuation of human life; the forbiddance (probably temporary only) of
but one tree; and the extremeness of the penalty. Before the perfect man
is now set a test of obedience.
We
are to think of Adam as perfect in the sense of being mentally and morally
fashioned after the likeness of the Creator -- well poised, well balanced
-- not prone to sin "as the sparks fly upward," as he subsequently
became, and as the children now are. We are not, however, to think of him as perfect
in knowledge or in character. Knowledge must be acquired, but he was
fully equipped with all the mental and moral apparatus for a rapid
acquirement of knowledge. As for character, in an intelligent being it is
a fixity of the will; and such a fixity can come only with knowledge. In
other words, the perfect Adam was ready to acquire perfect knowledge, and
had a perfect Creator, able and willing to give him the requisite
instruction; and as this right instruction would be received, and this
perfect knowledge be attained, character (good or bad) would be
established --either in favor of the principles of righteousness already
established by God, or in opposition to the will of God, in
unrighteousness.
We
are not to think of Adam's condition and trial as an experiment on God's
part, the result of which would be doubtful; but, on the contrary, we are
to remember that the results were fully known to the Almighty before the
trial began, and that he saw the end of his work from the beginning (Acts
15:18), else he would never have undertaken it. Divine foreknowledge is
conceded by a large proportion of professing Christians who, nevertheless,
are sadly confused by certain false theories which imply that the Almighty's
foreknowledge was to the effect that the vast majority of the posterity of
Adam would spend an eternity in most horrible suffering, and that God
prepared the arrangement for their suffering in advance of their creation.
This view is untenable among those who combine any measure of knowledge
of God's character with any measure of reasoning ability. The Scriptures
show conclusively that God had a much more just, reasonable, and loving
plan than that -- that he foresaw beneficent results before creating our
first parents.
There
are two methods of giving and receiving instruction. One through precept
and example; the other through experience. Man was not the first of the
intelligent creatures -previously God had created many higher orders -
angels, cherubim, principalities, and powers (Rom. 8:38; Eph. 3:10, etc.).
These had all been instructed by good precepts; they had not had
instruction through example, except on the side of good example:
they had no illustration of evil and its pernicious consequences. That
they antedated man is revealed in the remarkable words addressed to job:
"Where wast thou when I laid the foundation of the earth? . . . When
the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for
joy?" (Job 38:4-7). These celestial spectators beheld with wonder
and praise the operation of divine wisdom and power in the work of the
creative "days." But the angelic host did not know that upon
this planet was to unfold a mighty drama which would reveal for all
eternity two other wonderful attributes of God -- justice and love. For
the divine purpose was to bring into being a new order of creature -- humanity
-- whose instruction, it was forearranged, should be along the lines of experience,
which would add to the instruction of God's angelic creatures by way
of giving them an example of sin and its consequences, and of the divine
attitude toward sin and toward sinners. The permission of evil -- its
eventual removal and the means used thereto -- constitutes the great theme
of the Bible.*
-----------------------------------
*
See our free booklet, "Why Does God Permit Evil?"
When
God's wonderful Plan of the Ages is understood, everything in nature and
in experience bears testimony to the overruling of his providence. The
heavens declare his glory and the earth showeth his handiwork -- all speak
of an intelligent designer, wisely adapting means to good and benevolent
ends, and ministering to the necessities of his intelligent creatures.
Every leaf and every sunbeam bears to the thoughtful a loving message of
divine care. And every inharmony of nature, when viewed in the light of
God's plan, is seen to be but a part of that great process whereby God is
preparing for the perfect order of things which shall continue forever,
when sin and its entailments shall have been banished under the successful
reign of Christ; and even the long permitted wrath of man and Satan will
eventually be to God's praise.
Therefore,
in considering Adam's trial, we first observe that since God is good, all
his providences must be with a view to wise and benevolent ends, either
near or remote; and secondly, that since he made man in his own image --
morally free -- and with the alternatives of good and evil before him,
it would be contrary to his purpose, thus manifested, to so hedge him
about with his providences as to interfere with his moral free-agency,
which is the crowning glory of humanity, and the right exercise of which
gives to virtue all its worth.
DISOBEDIENCE AND ITS PENALTY
"Now
the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God
had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, bath God said, Ye shall not eat
of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may
eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree
which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of
it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the
woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing
good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and
that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she
took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband
with her; and he did eat." - Genesis 3:1-6.
The
characters in this high tragedy are all worthy the grandeur of the occasion.
They are Jehovah; a fallen rebel of the spiritual universe; and man, an
earthly image of God. The test -- act of the occasion, too -- however men
of low conceptions have sneered at it -- was equal to the character of the
parties in grandeur and dignity. It was indeed the simple taste of fruit;
but that tasting an act of deliberate disobedience to Him whose law is perfect.
It
is with no cloudy vagueness that the personal existence of the spirit of
evil is revealed in Holy Scripture. In history, prophecy, and in parable
is the Tempter brought before us, and every quality, every action, every
attribute which can indicate personality, is referred to him in language which cannot be explained
away. The record's of the old dispensation and the writings of the new,
alike depict him as preeminent in power among the angels who lost their
first estate (Jude 6), and as ever compassing the destruction of men. As
God is called "the holy one," so Satan is called "the evil
one." He is the oldest sinner (1 John 3:8); the greatest sinner (Eph.
6:12); and the father of sin (John 8:44). In 2 Corinthians 11:3, St. Paul
gives us a plain, historic version of the beguiling of Eve; and in
Revelation 12:9, we read of the great dragon, "that old serpent, the
devil and Satan." We, then, are neither wise nor prudent to talk of
allegories, or rhetorical personification, or in bolder unbelief to
doubt or deny the existence and the power of the chief of fallen spirits.
It were far wiser to recognize our foe, and to seek the strength with
which to contend with him.
The
fact of original sin presents nothing strange, nothing obscure; it
consists essentially in disobedience to the will of God, which will is the
moral law for man. This disobedience, the sin of Adam, is an act committed
everywhere and every day, arising from the same causes, marked by the same
characters, and attended by the same consequences as Holy Scripture
assigns to it. It is the way of man -- from God to self and independence.
There is first the subtle questioning of God's love; the suggestion that
his commandment is merely arbitrary, imposed by power. Love being doubted,
truth is next assailed and God is treated as a liar. God's love and truth
being denied, the next step is to take his place openly. God has quite
lost his character in the heart of man, and self now seeks to be "as
God." Thus is spiritual perception destroyed when God is doubted.
St.
Paul declares that "Adam was not deceived, but the woman being
deceived was in the transgression" (1 Tim. 2:14). Mother Eve's
involvement in transgression was wholly apart from her husband's
knowledge or complicity; and he, when he learned of her course, was so
full of sympathy and so full of love for her, that his affection quite
overcame his proper sense of duty toward God. Concluding that his wife's
disobedience had forfeited her life, and that the result to him would mean
everlasting loss of her companionship, he deliberately chose to be with
his companion in sin rather than to be separated from her: therefore he
ate knowingly, to share her penalty -- he suicided. He chose the creature,
more than the Creator, who is blessed forevermore.
"Unto
Adam the Lord God said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy
wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou
shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt
thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it
bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the
ground; for out of it vast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust
shalt thou return." - Genesis 3:17-19.
Here
in direct and forceful simplicity the penalty for disobedience to God is
stated to be a return to the previous condition of nonexistence. In the
words of Paul: "The wages of sin is death." And again: "By
one man's disobedience sin entered into the world, and death by [as a
result of] sin: and so death passed upon all men, in that all are sinners
[inheritors of their father Adam's blemishes]." - Romans 6:23; Rom.
5:12, 19.
How
strange it seems that this simple Genesis narrative, which contains not
a word respecting eternal torment, should be made the basis of all the
fears which have tormented millions of Christian believers respecting a future
of unutterable woe entailed upon Father Adam, and through him upon his
race. How simple the statement of the Lord respecting what the penalty
would be -- death; margin, "dying thou shalt die." How
fully this is in agreement with the experiences which have been upon the
race for now six thousand years -- dying they have died to the number of
something like twenty thousand millions. We would not make light of the
original sin; we would have it appear in its full force as a deliberate,
willful disobedience of the divine command; and yet we assert with all
confidence that no reasonable mind can find anything in this language
indicating eternal torment as being the wages of sin. How could any
reasonable mind admit that if eternal torment had been threatened it would
have been a just penalty for the crime mentioned -- disobedience in
the eating of forbidden fruit?
If
to some it may at first appear that death is not a severe sentence, not a
manifestation of divine wrath, not a curse, let them reflect further. Let
them note how all of the dying processes are only parts of death, and that
as insane asylums mark those who become mentally dead before they are
physically dead; and as hospitals mark those who become physically
decrepit before they are mentally decrepit; and as prisons mark those who
become morally dead or decrepit before they are physically dead; so all
of the experiences of our race, "groaning and travailing in pain
together," mark "death working in us." All sicknesses,
pains, and sorrows are parts of the dying process in the human family. The
"curse" or sentence of death has resulted in blighted hopes
and loves and ambitions, and is rapidly placing the entire race in the
great prison house of death -- the grave. Surely, the true penalty of sin
was a heavy one, though we must admit it was a just one. Surely, it
involved all of the race of Adam in the most natural manner, because all
of his children are partakers of his sentence; because sharers in his
weaknesses, his imperfection, resulting from his transgression of the
divine law. How unutterably tragic the lot of the human race if this
present life were their only and final portion. Thank God for the golden
promise of the Holy Scriptures -- a glorious restitution age under the
reign of Messiah -- a promise summed up in the Apostle's words in 1 Corinthians
15:21, 22.
"For
since by man death,
By man also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die,
Even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
- W. J. Siekman
(The
subject of the fifth article in this series will be: "Where Are
the Dead?")
"Jesus
saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou m I more than
these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee."
- John 21:15.
[The following
discourse is published verbatim at the request of a number of brethren who
have expressed appreciation, and a desire that others might share in the
blessings received. - Ed. Com.]
LOVEST
thou me more than these?" These are the words of Jesus spoken nearly
two thousand years ago, after his resurrection from the dead, to one who
had been his follower throughout the three and one half years of his
earthly ministry. Ever since that time our risen Lord has been asking that
question of every one who has professed to be his disciple, and today he
is asking you as he is asking me: "Lovest thou me more than
these?" It is a solemn question, and your answer, my answer, must be
to the Lord himself.
Now
for a short while let us, in our minds, go back over the years to 'the
scenes and incidents which marked the last days of our Lord's life on.
earth, which form the setting of this question, from which we desire to
take some lessons for ourselves today. For five or six weeks, commencing
with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem a few days prior to his
crucifixion, the disciples of our Lord had been passing through
experiences of great mental strain. For them their whole world had been
turned "upside down"; cherished hopes had been blighted, and the
One in whom they had placed all their confidence had been taken from them.
During the -last four weeks they had received 'unmistakable evidence that
he who was dead now lived, but his appearances to them had been far
between, and the former intimacy had gone. Our Lord's first appearance to
the assembled disciples occurred on the evening of the Resurrection Day
in the upper room at Jerusalem "when the doors were shut ... for fear of the Jews." "Then were the
disciples glad, when they saw the Lord," is the record of John. (John
20:20.) But Thomas, one of. the Twelve, was not with them, and it was not
till eight days after, that Jesus appeared the second time, to them all.
The long interval of indecision and inactivity was very trying to those
perplexed and troubled disciples, but for a further two weeks they
waited in daily expectancy of another appearance when it might be Jesus
would once again take over his former position as Leader of their little
band.
During
this time the disciples had left Jerusalem and made their way up to
Galilee, for there it was tint the angelic messenger at the sepulcher had
said that they would see the Lord. That journey would occupy about a week,
and as they made their way among the familiar road which they had traveled
with their Lord in happier days, one can imagine their feelings of
dejection and. disappointment; how empty their lives had now become! And
poor Peter he surely must have been the most broken man of them all, for
had he not set himself above them all in his protestations of love and
loyalty to the Master? Yet how grievously he had fallen! True it was that
his Lord had forgiven him, for Peter had teen specially remembered by name
on that resurrection morning, but how could he forget that in spite of
all his boasting, three times he had disowned his Lord! And then, do you
remember how, some time previously, when Jesus asked his disciples,
"Will ye also ego away?" Bold and loyal Peter had answered,
"Lord, to whom shall we go?" But now the Master had been taken
from them, and to whom could they go? The bottom had fallen out of
everything, and life was empty and colorless -- especially for Peter!
Well,
here they were in Galilee, but still Jesus had not appeared to them, and
Peter, unable any longer to endure the idle suspense, decided to resume
his old life as a fisherman. "I go a fishing," said he, and six
of his fellow-disciples agreed to join him in the business. "After all,"
they
reasoned, "we have to live, and what message can we preach seeing that our Leader -- the Messiah -- is no
longer with us." But the Lord was very near to them although unseen,
and would overrule this experience for the blessing of Peter and this
friends, as well as for our instruction. How expressive are those words in
John 21:3: "They went forth, and entered into the ship; and that
night they
caught
nothing." Can you imagine how Peter felt? Nothing seemed to be
going right; everything was against them! Have you ever felt like that?
Oh, if only the Master were with us --how different it would be! That is
just the time when he reveals himself.
As
dawn breaks over that lovely Galilean scene, the disciples hear a. voice
across the waters inquiring concerning their night's work, and looking
toward the shore, they see a .man standing at the sea-edge. Still toiling
with their net, they tell him that they have caught nothing. -- "Cast
the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find," comes the
request to them. I wonder what made those hardened and experienced
fishermen obey such a seemingly vain command from a stranger? Possibly
John with his keen perception and vivid memory had something to do with
it; anyway it was he who immediately after said to Peter, "It is the
Lord." What cared Peter now for ",the multitude of fishes"?
"It is the Lord"; every other thought and care faded into
insignificance, and forgetful of the fish, and 'of his fellow-disciples,
he plunges into the sea and makes his way for about one hundred and twenty
yards to the shore. We can't help loving Peter, can we? -- and Jesus loved
him too!
What
a breakfast that was! It was only bread and fish, but Jesus was there
acting as their host. 'Those disciples were "tongue-tied," but
they knew it was the Lord, who now for the third time had showed himself
to them. And do we not see something of the tender love and solicitude of
Jesus in this incident? It was the same Jesus-"the same yesterday,
today, and forever"-and his first thought is for their material needs
after a night of toil. We might have chided and reminded them of their
harsh dealings with us; probably we would have been "cool and
distant," and left them to provide their own meal. But no --
"Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish
likewise." These are only details, but what lessons they convey! Oh
that we may follow his example!
It
was after the meal was over that Jesus turned to Peter and calling him by
his old name, said, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than
these?" What a gentle rebuke there was in our Lord's manner of
address: "Simon, son of Jonas"! Some time before this, Jesus had
said, "Thou art Peter" ("petros" -- a stone or piece
of rock), but recent experiences had revealed a weakness of character of
which the Master would remind him at this time.
So he is addressed, not as "Peter," but "Simon, Bar-Jonas."
I
no want to read he record of this incident from which our text is to en,
from Darby's translation, which think, better conveys the meaning of the
words which were spoken. Verses 15-17: "When therefore they had died,
Jesus says to 'Simon Peter, Simon, on of Jonas, lovest thou me more than
these? He says to him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I am attached to
thee. He
says to him,
feed my lambs.
He says to him again a see and time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
He says to him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I am attached to thee. He
says to him, Shepherd my sheep. He says to him a third time, Simon, on of
Jonas, Art thou attached to me? Peter was grieved because he said to him a
third time, Art thou attached to me? and said to him, Lord, thou knowest
all things; thou knowest that I am attached to thee. Jesus says to him,
Feed my sheep. It is not our purpose to dwell upon the whole of this
incident, but it will be helpful to note that our Authorized Version
does no convey the full force of the words which were used on this
occasion. In verses 15 and 16 our Lord twice uses a word which was intended
to convey to Peter the thought of love in its strongest, purest,
and most disinterested form. But in verse 17, where Jesus for the third
time questions Peter, He uses a word which Peter himself has used in
answering him -- for poor Peter could not now bring himself to claim the
highest form of love for
the
Master, so he uses the word "phileo," Which indicated
"the love of a friend." Here is just a little note I would like to
read
on these three verses: "This passage (ver. 15-17) illustrates the
force of two Greek words for 'to love,' -- 'phileo' and 'agapao.'
The former signifies the love of friendship, and implies
attractiveness in the loved. It is translated 'to have affection for,' 'to
be attached to.' The noun 'philos' is 'friend' . . . 'agapao,' usually
employed in the New Testament, signifies love as the settled disposition
of the person rather than as an emotion. It is used for God's love to man."
- Darby.
Why
did Jesus ask such a seemingly strange question of Peter -- that gruff,
hardened, impetuous, and boisterous man: "Lovest thou me more than
these?" One would scarcely have been surprised if such a question had
been a. dressed to John; the beloved; but no, the question is for Peter to
answer. Peter, however, fully understood why he had been singled out in
this way. Three times he had denied his Lord, and now, three times he is
given the opportunity o declare his love for the Master; but it is not
no the old, boastful, and self-confident Peter who answers; he has ceased
to trust himself any longer, and is even fearful to claim that agape
love for the Lord, concerning which Jesus had questioned him. Let us
not be too hard on Peter, for how often have we denied the Lord in spite
of our self-confident declarations of love for him! Just think about it;
it should make us bum le before him.
"Lovest
thou me more than these?" Peter may have thought of his recently
expressed determination to resume his old calling as a fisherman. Was his
love for the Lord now to take second place to the things of earth, even
though they be quite proper and legitimate? Other thoughts also may have
flashed through his mind. Was his love for' the Master greater than that
,'of his fellow-disciples? "Lovest thou me more than these?" At one time he was certain that his own love for
Christ was far greater than the love of all the others. Oh, how certain he
had been of himself! In the upper room, at the last Supper, Jesus had
said to the disciples: 'All ye shall be offended because of me this night:
for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.
But after I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. But
Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I." - Mark 14:27-29.
We
can be thankful for these experiences which came to Peter, for without
them we would never have had those beautiful Epistles he was able to write
some years later. We would never have had that exhortation in 1 Peter
3:15: "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always
to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that
is in you with
meekness and fear." Yes
"with
meekness and fear." Neither would we have had those words in chapter 5:5: "All of you
be sub.ject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the
humble. Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God." Surely
he must have been thinking of this very incident when he wrote this
exhortation to the elders: "Feed the flock of God which is among you,
taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for
filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's
heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And
when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory
that fadeth not away." - l Pet. 5:1-4.
And
now, brethren, I want us for the short time that remains, to hear no other
voice than that of our Lord Jesus. Let us try to forget our surroundings,
-to forget for awhile even our fellow-disciples, and those who are about
us; let us be oblivious of everything except that "it is the Lord" speaking
to your heart and mine as he spoke to Peter on the seashore. During those
brief moments recorded in verses 15-18 of our chapter in John's Gospel,
Peter was barely conscious of his surroundings; all else receded except
that it was "My Lord and I." Let us, then, see Jesus only.
"Lovest
thou me more than these?" That is the question he is asking me today!
"Dear Master, you know how much I long for the establishment of the
Kingdom, when you will be King over all the earth. God has revealed to me
his wonderful Plan for the blessing of all mankind, and I love to meditate
upon his Word and seek to understand more clearly all that has been;
written for my learning. Yes, and I really do long to be a 'partaker of
the divine nature,' and to receive the promised exaltation to joint-heirship
with thee so that I might judge the world . . . and angels.' And, dear
Lord, you know how much I love to be with thy people, to get away from the
world with all its cares, and to meet with those of 'like mind' in
conventions and studies and worship. My joy is to be always active in 'thy
service, to preach the Gospel and to serve thy people in every way I can.
What more can I do than this?" "Yes, child, I know; but that is
not what I asked you -- 'Lovest, thou me more than
these?"' "Well,
Lord, for many years now I have been walking in the 'narrow way' seeking
'to serve thee. I have given up everything to be thy disciple. There has
been much joy and gladness, but Master, there has also been sacrifice
and suffering in thy service; comfort and ease have been surrendered, and
I have done much work for thee." -"Yes, but 'Lovest thou me more than these?'"
You
see, brethren, it is my love the Master
wants before my service; it is your devotion to himself that he requires
before all else. That was the Lord's concern for Peter! "Lovest
thou me more than these?" "Does your love for me
come before everything else?" It its so easy to deceive ourselves
about this -- to think that our many activities, our love for the
fellowship of the brethren, and our love for God's Word, are the proofs of
our love for the Lord. But do you remember Lord's message to the Church
at Ephesus? It has been well described as the Second Epistle to the
Ephesians, and is found in Revelation 2:1-7. Let us read the Lord's swords in verses 2-4: "I know thy
works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them
which are evil: and thou hast tried them that say they are apostles, and
are not, an hast found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience, and
for my name's sake hast labored, and hast not fainted." What
a wonderful record of service and endurance! "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because
thou hast left thy first love." There, brethren, was the beginning of the great Apostasy -- works,
labor, service, and endurance, but a cooling off of love for the Lord.
Doubtless the many activities of the brethren at Ephesus, and their great
service for the Lord and the Truth had been generated by their passionate
love for Christ, but
how often it has happened that service for the Lord has engrossed his
people and overwhelmed their love for Christ himself! Those
Ephesian brethren had drifted away from that condition for which Paul
prayed in his Epistle.: "That
Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith:' that ye, being rooted and grounded in
love, may
be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length,
and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge." - Eph. 3:17-19.
What
do I long for above everything else -- is it Christ, or is it the Kingdom? Is it the (high exaltation
for which I am striving, or is it he that I am wanting more than all beside? Those who are to be of' that
little company associated with him as his Bride will be
those who love him for himself alone.
Paul
puts it in another way when writing his last words to Timothy: "I
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to
me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." (2 Tim. 4:6-8.) Ah yes, it is "his
appearing" for
which they long-to see him face to face; he who is the Bridegroom of
their hearts! Is
that how much I love him?
"Lovest
"thou me more than these?" Am I in relationship to Christ as his espoused
Bride? We get so accustomed to many of the expressions we use that
sometimes the full import of them becomes dulled in our minds. "The
Bride of Christ"-what
does that convey to our minds? You and I have been called to be the Bride
of God's dear Son! What should be the object of a -bride's love? Is it
wealth? Is it home? Is it comfort and security? She may obtain all these
things, but they are not the things on which her heart should be centered.
It is the bridegroom she loves; he
should be the center of all her thoughts and affections. Is that how it is with us and Christ? Would you
enjoy
heaven without Christ? Perhaps the hymn-writer has put it better than I
can express it:
"The
bride eyes not her garment,
But her dear bridegroom's face:
I will not gaze at glory,
But on my King of grace
Not at the crown lie giveth,
But on His outstretched hand;
The Lamb is all the glory
Of Immanuel's land."
The
Scriptures indicate that there are two classes among the Lord's people,
both of which are honorable and righteous before the Lord. They are
spoken of in various ways: In Matthew 25 they are referred to as wise
and foolish
virgins;
in Psalm 45 they are likened to "the King's daughter all glorious
within," and "the virgins her companions that follow her."
There seems also to be an indication of these two classes in Abraham and
Lot. Abraham "walked with God," but Lot, who was "a
righteous man," walked with Abraham. This distinction is also brought
out in "The' Song of Solomon," which tells beautifully of the
mutual love of Christ and his beloved. Here also are two classes brought
to our attention who love the Lord and are loved by him: the
espoused one, and "the daughters of Jerusalem" or "ye
daughters of Zion." These "daughters of Jerusalem" are
shown as a company who converse with the espoused one concerning the
Beloved. They find pleasure in him and in the fellowship of his
spouse. Just what is the difference between these two classes? They both
love the Lord; they both are attracted to him; but would it not be true to
say that there is a difference in the quality or intensity of that love?
One
has within her heart the love of the bride -- "I am my
Beloved's and my Beloved is mine" (Cant. 6:3); whereas the other dyes
not have that same intensity ,of desire toward him and is less intimate in
her relationship with him. We have an illustration of this in the
case of Peter and John and their relationship with the Master before
Pentecost. Do you remember that incident in the upper room, when Jesus
said, "Verily, verily, 1 say unto you that one of you shall
betray me"? The record in John 13 goes on to say "Now there as
leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon
Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of
whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is
it?" (John 13:21-45.) Peter speaks to John, but John, reclining on
Jesus' breast, in sweet intimacy speaks to the Lord.
During
our consideration of this subject and while meditating upon "The Song
of Solomon," which is so closely linked wit our present thoughts, we
came across the following quotation, which I trust will help its to face
up to the question which our Lord is asking
you and me: "Am I a lover of Christ? And if I can answer uprightly
that I am, the next question raised would be, 'What kind of a lover am I?'
Do I love much or little? Is the quality of my love that which suits the
spouse, or is it such as might be found in 'daughters of Jerusalem'? Can I
speak to him directly as having bridal affection in my heart? Or am I one
of those who only hear, perhaps with some measure of true appreciation,
what others say to him, or about him? These are questions
which are definitely suggested by Scripture, and
it is wholesome to face them." (C. A. Coates.) What
shall my answer be -- what shall your answer be? Peter, in his
answer to the Lord's question, says, "Lord, thou knowest"; yes, he knows, he who can read the thoughts and
intents of the heart, and from whom nothing can be hidden knows what is
your first love and what is your chief aim and object in life. There are
so many right things which an claim our thoughts and our love, but
insistently 'he question comes: "Lovest
thou me more than these'?" Those who will be of the Bride class .are required to
have a supreme love for the Lord himself, a ardent longing for his fellowship;
to commune with him and to share with him, in every experience,
How
beautiful
are the words of the spouse in Song of Solomon 1:7 - "Tell me, O thou
whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to
rest at noon: for why should I be as one
that turneth aside by the Rocks of thy companions?" Surely, to be
associated with "the companions of Jesus" is a thing to
be desired; and many there are who are content to follow the leadings of
good men a ad devoted servants of the Lord but not so the Bride. What true
bride would be content with the companionship of the bridegroom's
friends? Our Lord and Bridegroom would have us gather together in
mutual fellowship with the uppermost bought in our minds of meeting him and being with him "where he feeds and where he
makes his flock
to rest." Is that what brings us together in fellowship?
Have
you ever thought of the eagerness with which our dear Lord desires to meet
with those whose love is toward him only! The love of Christ and the
Church is a mutual love which transcends all other loves. Through the
Revelator he speaks to us today: "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 he with me" (Rev. 3:20); but we must
first open the door to him! Then this is how he looks upon those who are truly
his. "As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the
daughters." (Song of Solomon 2:2.) Again, "Thou art all fair my
love; there is no spot in thee." Just think of that: he sees "no spot" in his beloved! (Song of Solomon
4:7.) Listen again: "Thou hast ravished my heart, 'my sister, my
spouse; thou hast ravished my heart." (Song of Solomon 4:9.) That is
not exaggerated language; it really expresses the love of Christ for his
own; but how
searching
are his words which follow: "How fair is thy love, my
sister,
my spouse! How much better is thy love than wine!". (Song of
Solomon 4:10.) That is how he appreciates the love of the Church for
himself!
In
chapter 5 of Solomon's Song we have again drawn to our notice the
distinction between the Bride Class and those represented by "the
daughters of Jerusalem." The Bridegroom has withdrawn himself, and
in her search for him the spouse expresses herself to "the daughters
of Jerusalem": "I charge you,
O daughters
of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of
love." But they do not see the same beauty in him and reply,
"What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest
among women? What is . thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou
dost so charge us?"
The
spouse then describes his beauty and grace. She says that "he is the
chiefest among ten thousand . his. countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as
the cedars. His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether
lovely. This,is
my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem."-5:8-16.
Brethren,
what does Christ mean to you? -- I ask myself, What does he mean to me?
The true answer to that question will govern all our walk and conduct.
It will decide the use of our time; the use of our money; the kind of
company; we keep. "Where your treasure is there will, your heart be
also." (Matt. 6:21.) It will. decide the tenor of our conversation,
wherever we may be, and, even more important, it will influence all our
thinking. How often: is he in my thoughts? Does he fill my mind as
the bride is filled with thoughts of the bridegroom? Such thought, as
these add force and beauty to
the
exhortation of Paul in Colossians 3:16, 17: "Let the inspiration of Christ
dwell in your midst with all its wealth of wisdom; teach and train
one another with the music of psalms, with hymns and songs of the
spiritual life: praise God with thankful, hearts. Indeed, whatever you,
say or do, let
everything
be done in dependence on
the Lord
Jesus, giving
thanks in his name to God the Father." - Moffatt.
"Lovest
thou me more than these? Let us test ourselves with a few questions; we each will know the
answer, even as does the Lord also: Do I do things for his sake alone,
many things of which I would otherwise not think of doing? Am I really
glad to suffer for his sake? Am I sorely grieved when I displease him?
Does it hurt to hear his Name blasphemed or lightly treated?
It
is only when like Peter, we can humbly and in sincerity confess our love
for the Lord in spite of many weaknesses, and short-comings, that we are
fitted to serve him at all. The Lord's chief concern is our love for him;
all else then falls into its proper place and is seen in its right
perspective. "Feed my lambs" -- "Shepherd my sheep" --
"Feed my sheep." Such service can be acceptably rendered only
when we are filled with a consuming love for Christ. Only then are we free
from thoughts of self and self-gratification; only then can we be
"emptied and meet for the Master's use." All can have a
share
in this service I for the Lord, for it is not the exclusive prerogative
of the more prominent ones in our midst. Even "a cup of cold
water" can be the manifestation of our love for Christ.
The
Lord himself informs us how he decides the measure and strength of our
love for him. "If ye love me, keep my commandments" are
his words to all who profess to love him. "He that hath my commandments,
and keepeth, them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." That
is the order; we must love him before he will manifest to us the, love of the Bridegroom. This is clearly revealed
throughout the "Song" of Solomon," where the King
repeatedly manifests himself to the espoused one after her expressions
of desire and longing for him. Finally, Jesus said: "If a man love
me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come
unto him and make our abode with him." - John 14:15, 21, 23.
Why
did Jesus ask this question of Peter: "Lovest thou me more than
these?" It was not to satisfy him elf concerning Peter's love --
"Lord, thou knowest all things." No, it was in order to reveal
Peter to himself, and we trust that this may be the result of this
meditation together-to reveal us to ourselves! May the thoughts we have
expressed lead us to a fuller consecration; a more complete "setting
apart," and a strengthening of our love for the heavenly Bridegroom.
We
would conclude with the words of Psalm 45: 10, 11: 'Hearken, O daughter,
and consider, and incline thine ear; forget, also thine own people, and
thy father's home; so shall the King greatly desire thy beauty: for he
is thy Lord; and worship thou him."
-
Edwin Allbon, Eng.
"How
good it is when, weaned from all beside,
With Christ alone the heart is satisfied!
How good the heart's still chamber thus to close
On all but Christ alone!
This
article is contributed by Brother William Hollister and is an excerpt from
the biography of George Muller by William Harding. Brother Hollister calls
attention to points of interest, as follows:
GEORGE
MULLER (1805-1898) lived and engaged in a world-wide ministry in the last
and perhaps one of the greatest "sowing" periods of the
Christian Church -- just prior to the "harvest." His
counsel was revered and quoted by his associates much as Brother Russell's
is by Bible students today.
The
value of his life story is not in the elucidation of Bible truths of a
doctrinal character, for, while he had much light on the Lord's Word, we
have been blessed with a still clearer view of the Divine program. But
Brother Muller's contribution is a demonstration of the certainty of
God's answers to the prayers of faith which are based upon and
authorized by His promises. He desired to be used to inspire faith in his
fellow-Christians that God hears and delights to answer the prayers of his
children; and at the end of his life he humbly testifies that he had
himself been the recipient of thousands of such answers. This inspiring
faith was the result of constant and systematic reading of the Bible. He
lived in the Word, reading the Bible through twice each year.
In
this excerpt we have first, a brief introduction to. Brother George
Muller, his character and consecration to God and his service, of whom his
biographer records that "he took everything to God, and took God into
everything." Incidentally, the gifts he mentions were his personal
donations out of funds given to him for his personal needs. He was a
careful recorder of income and disbursement; and, by the end of his life
these gifts reached a total of approximately £90,000, used for home and
foreign missions, etc.
For
these activities, including the care of about 10,000 orphans during his
lifetime, he organized the "Scriptural Knowledge Institution,"
of which he was the director. During his lifetime, funds amounting to
approximately $7,000,000 were voluntarily contributed and disbursed in
the care of the orphans; supporting some and assisting other
missionaries; and distributing copies and portions of the Bible, tracts
and booklets in various languages.
A
second point of interest is Brother. Muller's suggestions as to the
preparation of edifying discourses.
A
third is his views on Christian Unity on the basis of commonly held
Fundamental Truths, appropriately emphasized and enjoyed.
And
fourth, his counsel ai to firmly holding to all other subsidiary truths
which the Lord reveals to the individual Christian; but not requiring that
these must likewise be discerned by fellow-Christians who are justified
and consecrated, in order to have and enjoy full fellowship with them as
members of God's family, brethren in Christ.
Bible
students of our day who are familiar with his writings, have noted with
profound interest the similar advice and views in articles from Brother
Russell's pen, for example:
"Doctrines
More or Less Important" - Reprints, page R5284 - Z-1913, 231.
"The
Epistle of Christ"-Reprints, page R5967 - Z1916, 301..
Following
is the quotation from "The Life of George Muller":
In
the Conference of 1879, Muller gives, in his own sunny, some very
practical hints to Christians, in which he traces much of the joylessness
of professors to their refusal to act simply as stewards instead of
"proprietors": "They act as if it were all their own,
forgetting that they have nothing whatever which is their own, that they
are bought by the precious blood of Christ, and that all they possess
their bodily strength, their talents, their business, their profession,
their eyes, their hands, their feet -- belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ:
because he has sought them with his precious blood. They are not their own
they belong to the Lord, with all they have and are. Now, beloved saints,
I am persuaded many are depriving themselves of great spiritual blessing,
because they act as if they were owners instead of stewards."
Not
only that the work of God at large may prosper increasingly, but that
they themselves may richly partake of his blessing, Muller proceeds to
urge: "I affectionately beseech and entreat my beloved Christian
friends to
take
this
blessing, and. consider that they have been depriving themselves of vast
spiritual blessings, because they have not followed the principle of
giving systematically, giving as God prospers them and, according to a
plan: not as they are moved by a missionary or charity sermon, but systematically
and habitually, on principle, just as God enables them. If he entrusts to
them a sovereign, to give a proportion accordingly, if he entrusts them
with £10,000, or whatever it may be, still to give accordingly. I believe
if we realized the blessing, we should give thus on principle."
But
is this a mere matter of "paying out"? Not at all: "We
give, just as we are constrained by the love of Christ," and he gives
his own experience: "for your comfort and encouragement, to stir up
your hearts that you may consider yourselves henceforth as stewards and
not as owners. See the blessedness, the privilege, the wondrous honor,
that a poor man, as I am, should thus be entrusted by him. By the grace of
God I desire to, be nothing but poor. I wish to be nothing but a poor man,
having nothing, no house of my own, no money in the Funds, not an acre of land -- a poor man altogether; day by day waiting upon God for all I
need, for the very clothes I wear. I wait on God for everything, and yet,
he has
allowed me the great honor and blessed privilege, of giving more than £40,000 within the last fifty years.
I began in the year 1830 to live thus as steward for the Lord.* In the
little way I could, I gave, but God increased my ability more and more.
Why do I say it? To encourage the hearts of
my beloved
brethren to seek to give systematically." . . .----------------------------
*
This passage beautifully harmonizes with Muller's words years before, of
the light which came to him at Teignmouth: "The Lord . . . . led me,
in a measure, to see what is my true glory in this world, even to be
despised, and to be poor and mean with Christ. I saw then, in a measure,
though I have seen it more fully since, that it ill becomes the servant to
seek to be rich, and great, and honored, in that world where his Lord was
poor, and mean, and despised."
From
this great subject he turns to that of the Christian ministry. Standing
upon that high platform at Mildmay he looks upon a throng of Christian
workers, many of them young and eager souls, all around him, and to them
he turns: "I have been engaged for fifty years in pastoral labors,
and there-. fore I would say a word of encouragement to younger brethren.
The 'first -thing I have to say is: See that the truth is enjoyed in your
own soul, and that it is a reality to you, so that, with the Apostle Paul,
you can say: 'We speak because we believe.' Another point of great
importance is to wait upon God for the right message. We may suppose a
certain subject will do, but perhaps another would be more profitable,
and our business is to wait 'upon God for the right message, for he alone
knows who will come to hear, and he alone knows the state of heart in
which they come, and what word is suited to their need. Another deeply
important point is the opening up of Scripture and exposition of the
Word. When I first began to preach, in my own country, I used to write out
my sermons and then deliver them from memory. I learned the truth more
clearly when I came to England; and then from principle I began an
expository ministry. One verse; two or three verses, or more-a short
Psalm, or half a Psalm, or sometimes a chapter or a whole Epistle, I went
through, and obtained great blessing to my own soul; but the greatest
blessing came to those to whom I ministered. When I first began my
ministry in England, fifty years ago, I came to. a congregation where
scarcely any had Bibles in their hands; but four weeks after, when the
text was announced, hundreds of Bibles were opened; and that was not
all-it created a love
of the Word in the hearts of the hearers."
Finally:
"The grand point is this: Are we preaching Christ? When the
crucified and glorified Christ is preached, there is a blessing: it is
always the experience of ministers of the Word, wherever Christ is
preached. This should be done with the greatest simplicity; as Luther used
to say: I preach every Sunday before doctors of divinity and professors,
and learned men, but I preach every time so that the maid-servant behind
the door, who brings her master's children, may, together with the
little children, understand me; and if they can understand, those great
and learned men will also be able to understand. I know this is very
simple, but there is a vast deal in it, for if you will make inquiry you
will always find there are numbers of persons unable to take in that
which is not in the most simple way expressed, therefore this cannot be
a matter of little account. Christ as the Savior is to The
preached,
and, whether it is liked or not liked, we are, here to be faithful to
our
Master." . . .
Since
Muller's influence was so unifying, it may well lie asked: "What had
he to say upon the subject of Christian Unity?" Speaking upon the
"'Closer Union and Fuller Co-operation of Believers in Christ,"
he sensibly and pointedly said: "What will help us, who believe in
Christ, to be more united together? One might say: 'Oh, we must give up
our differences.' Allow me affectionately and humbly to say: '1 do not think so.' According to my judgment, a closer union would not be brought about by our giving up
our own views of what we consider to be taught us by God and the
Scriptures. Not thus, but the great point is to let the foundation truths
of our holy Faith have their proper place. We have, not to say: 'Now I
will put away for the time being all that I hold distinctively from my brethren.' No; nor do I expect this from other brethren. With great diligence
and prayerfulness, and, if necessary, great sacrifice, ought we to 'buy
the truth'; but, having obtained it, for no price whatever is it to be
sold.
"This
is one side
of the truth; the other side
is this: The foundations of our holy Faith are so great, so momentous, and
so precious, so altogether super abounding in comparison with anything
else, that, if we lived more under their influence, and more valued and
enjoyed them, we should be constrained to love one another, to be knit together in love. We have the one, selfsame
Savior; by faith in the Lord Jesus we are all introduced into the same
family; through believing the Gospel we become the children of God, and
members of the same heavenly family. Now, if this were present to our
hearts, that we all have one Father in heaven; one Savior; are all bought
by the same precious blood, and baptized by the Holy Spirit, into one
Body; are all
walking
the same road to heaven, and ere long shall all reach the same Home if all
this were present to our hearts, I say, this or that difference of opinion
would not separate or alienate us. There is a blessedness and sweetness connected with really
holding the membership of the Body and loving our fellow-believers, though we differ from them, that
brings unspeakable joy to the soul."
Amid
such glorious thoughts of true unity in Christian love, he never loses
sight of the blessedness of single-handed conflict for God: "Let no
man say: 'I an single-handed; what can I do? If there were a hundred
others with me, I might accomplish something!' Never say this. Think
what Hezekiah accomplished single-handed, and Josiah, and Martin Luther:
see what such men did. 'Oh, if we cry mightily to God, and expect great
things from him, what may not be accomplished through us. Look at our
beloved Wesley, and Whitefield, too; they were comparatively
single-handed, and yet what great things were accomplished through their
instrumentality. But there must be a right beginning, and the right beginning
is at home with ourselves. Let us, then, 'expect great things,' and ask them of God, who delights
in bestowing abundant blessings."
If,
however, we are to think of all that Muller teaches, we must take into
consideration the man himself and the whole of his work. When he appears
upon the platform, every eye is turned: "That is Mr. Muller;" When
he speaks, it is impossible to think of him only as a Christian brother
who expounds Scripture with reverence and insight and holy ardor. He is
the apostle of faith, the man of Ashley Down. Moreover, his Annual
Reports, apart even from the triumphs of faith of which they consistently
tell, contain numerous digressions, in
which Divine principles are applied, to the glory of God. All of it,
assuredly, is sound teaching, so that we cannot easily take George
Muller's various spheres of labor, and treat them in "watertight
compartments" under this or that heading. What he is appears in
every activity of his life: the unifying golden twin-thread of faith and
consecration runs through all.
It
is possible for a godly and gifted man to pass a long and useful life,
preaching and exhorting among the saints, and yet to be little known
outside his own circle; but George Muller's name becomes a household word,
and a subject for much marveling. Wherefore we judge that George Muller's
teaching derives intensive force from the facts of what George Muller is
and of what George Muller does. Clearly, it exercises a powerful formative
influence upon Christian life and thought throughout the world,
particularly as Muller is truly "a catholic Christian. At Plymouth,
in the early days of the Brethren Movement, a certain official, preparing
statistical returns, is in doubt as to "what Denomination these
people belong," and can obtain no definite information; finally he
enters them as: "Catholic, Non-Roman." A particularly shrewd
statistician was this, or he wrote better than he realized. This is
assuredly George Muller's "Denomination": he is essentially
Catholic, and by all means holding to the Book and to the Revelation of
the One Mediator between God and men -- Non-Roman.
"Now
all this
was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the
Prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring
forth a o n, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being
interpreted is, God with us." - Matt. 1:22, 23.
Question:
In
the March and April issues you considered Isa. 7:14. It has been suggested
that, in view of the importance of the subject, the related New Testament
passage, above quoted, might well be discussed at this time. Will you
please do this for us?
Answer:
On
page 47 of the March "Herald" I said that in this passage St.
Matthew, under the guidance of the holy spirit, made application of Isaiah
7:14 to our Lord Jesus as the fulfillment of the Prophecy.* In the April issue, page 60, in referring to St.
Matthew's application of the prophecy, I again put this word
"fulfillment" -in italics. Let us look at it for a moment.
-------------------------------
*
Some scholars believe that these are not the words of Matthew, but of the
angel.
THE WORD "FULFILLED"
Some
translators employ the word "verified" in place of the word
"fulfilled" in verse 22. Wilson, in the Emphatic Diaglott, gives
"fulfilled" in the "word for word" translation, but
uses "verified" in his version (right hand column). Morrison
observes that while "verified" is, in some respects, a good
translation, it deviates widely from the etymological and distinctive
import of the Greek word used by Matthew, which, he says, is a word
"that is beautifully significant." Amplifying this remark,
Morrison goes on to say: "Words of themselves are empty. They
need things
to fill
them.
They are useful only as vessels to convey things from mind to mind. Histories
of themselves are words; and therefore, they are empty, unless there be
veritable facts to fill the void. Prophecies, too, consist of words; but,
from their peculiar predictive character, the words continue, as it were,
empty, till the facts come to pass. Then the emptiness is filled to the full. The
facts, says the Evangelist (Matthew), came to pass that what was spoken by the Lord might be fulfilled."
DUAL FULFILLMENTS
Some
prophecies, however, have more than one fulfillment. Isaiah 7:14 is one
such. Failure to recognize this constitutes one of the main difficulties
confronting the student of prophecy. One school of thought notes an early
application, but is not able to see a later (usually higher)
fulfillment. This is particularly true of orthodox Jews-and perhaps
especially in their understanding of Isaiah 7:14. Another school of
thought, Christian in concept, sees the higher fulfillment, but is not always
able to recognize any earlier application.
In
the study of any prophecy having, or which appears to possess, a
predictive character, it is important to obtain first an understanding
of its immediate application; in other words, it is necessary to ascertain
what it meant to the writer and those to whom he wrote. What was its
meaning to them?
Only
after this
question
has been satisfactorily answered are we in a position to properly
grasp the later application (or applications).Let us look at a few
illustrations of this. Consider, for example, Hosea 11:1. There we read:
"When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out
of Egypt." Quite obviously, this has reference to the infant nation
of Israel and its deliverance from the hand of Pharaoh. No orthodox Jew
could fail to recognize this. Yet Christians, under the guidance of the
New Testament, see that it has reference not only to the coming of
Israel out of Egypt, but also to the coming of Jesus out of Egypt
centuries later. (Matt. 2:15, 19, 20.) Moreover, guided by the holy
spirit, the passage is seen by Christians to have yet another
significance -the coming of spiritual Israel (the Gospel-Age Church) out
of that which Egypt typifies, namely, the world (its aims, ambitions,
associations, spirit).
Again,
when David, in Psalm 22, wrote: "My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?" he was without doubt writing concerning himself'. Most
people, unacquainted with the New Testament, could come to no other
conclusion. Yet we
know
that the Lord was overruling David's choice of words so as to make him
speak prophetically of the Messiah who was to come. - Matt. 27:46.Take the
words of Isaiah 61:1:
"The
spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to
preach good tidings." Here Isaiah, of course, could have reference
only to himself and his ministry. But he was a prophet through whom God
spoke. (2 Pet. 1:21.) Consequently his words were such that they could be
predictive. Jesus himself shows that they were, when in Luke 4:21, he
applied them to himself and his ministry: "This day is this Scripture
fulfilled in your ears." While, therefore, we know that there was a measure of fulfilment in Isaiah and his ministry, it is not
difficult for us to recognize that only in Jesus are the words filled to
the full.
JESUS BORN OF A VIRGIN
Returning
now to Isaiah 7:14: As already noted, this prophecy appears to have had
a dual fulfillment. It foretold an event shortly to occur, namely the
birth of a son to a woman who was then a virgin, and the birth of whose
son, therefore, could be known only to God; hence an event which could be
recognized by King Ahaz as a sign that God would be with him and with the
nation. The words employed in the prophecy, however, were such that they
described also a future glorious event, even the birth of Jesus of a
woman who should appropriately be called the
virgin,
and who should remain so at the time of his birth. If the name Immanuel
(God with us) was appropriately given to the boy in Isaiah's day, how much
more fittingly might it be given to Jesus! He filled the prediction full.
At the time of his birth, Mary, his mother, was a virgin, and he had no
earthly father -- Joseph being his foster father. As the angel Gabriel,
in answer to Mary's question as to how it could be that she should have
a son in view of the fact that she was a virgin, replied (RSV): "The
holy spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will over
shadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of
God." - Luke 1:35.
All
this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the Prophet:
"Behold,
a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel, (which means, God with
us)."
The
Rev. Dr. Luther A. Weigle, chairman of the Revised Standard Version committee,
in an interview reported by Peter Chew in "Look" magazine of
Feb. 10, 1953, is careful to stress this fact. After pointing out that the
Hebrew text of Isaiah 7:14 uses the word "almah," which means
"a young woman of marriageable age," and after observing that
this word "does not assert or deny the virginity of the young
woman," he goes on to say: "Moreover, the Scriptural grounds for
the virgin birth (of Jesus) are stated clearly and unequivocally by the
RSV at those points where the original Greek states them."
CORROBORATIVE SCRIPTURE
When
we meditate for a moment on the virgin birth of Jesus, many corroborative
Scriptures come rushing to mind. We recall, for example, the Baptist's
testimony recorded in John 3:31: "He that cometh, from above is above
all; he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth; he
that cometh from heaven is above all." Here the Baptist is
contrasting himself with Jesus. How shall he find appropriate words?
"After the flesh" he was his cousin, yet it is evident that he
regards Jesus as a being of another order, as standing on quite a
different platform from his own. He can find no words strong enough to
mark the difference between himself and Jesus. Jesus is "from
above" -- "from heaven." I am "of the earth," and
"speak of the earth." Jesus said of him that he was a burning
and a shining light; John, however, knew himself to be unworthy to loose
the Lord's shoe-latchet. While the Baptist is not discussing the
"virgin birth," his words certainly do not conflict with that
doctrine.
Let
us look next at the disciples' words found in John 16:19, 30: "Lo,
now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb [parable] . . . now we
are sure that thou camest forth from God."
These
words were the response of the disciples to a very clear utterance of
our Lord, to which he had given expression in the immediately preceding
verse: "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world;
again I leave the world and go to the Father." Of what other member
of the human race could these words be truthfully spoken?
But
"the time would fail me" to list all the Scriptures which come
to mind. Peter's reference to "a lamb without blemish and without
spot" (1 Pet. 1:19) -- surely this would require a virgin birth!
Job's inquiry: "Who can bring a clean thing out of an
unclean?" (Job 14: 4)-a question which had only a negative answer in
his day. The description of our Lord given by the writer of the Epistle
to the Hebrews, that Jesus was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners"; the Apostle John's reference to Jesus as the
"only begotten of the Father" (John 1:14); as the "Word
of God" (John 1:1); the "Word made flesh" (John 1:14); St.
Paul telling us of one who "though being in God's form yet did not
meditate a usurpation to be like God" (Phil. 2:6); who "was
rich, but for our sakes became poor" (2 Cor. 8:9)these all mark
Jesus as one apart, who though he took our human nature, and though he
was in all points tempted as we (his brethren) are tempted, was "yet
without sin." - Heb. 4:15.
In
writing a biography, it is customary to trace a man's career "from
the cradle to the grave." In the case of Jesus one must go back
further than the cradle and continue on beyond the grave. One must go
back "to the beginning of the creation of God" (Rev. 3:14) to
find the origin of the "Only Begotten One," (John 1:14) the
"Firstborn of all creation." (Col. 1:15.) Only from that beginning
may we trace the circumstances whereby a clean thing was brought out of an
unclean -- a root out of a dry ground; a perfect man out of the imperfect,
contaminate race. This was accomplished by a miracle. The mighty Logos
became flesh -- being born of a virgin.
WHY IS THE DOCTRINE OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH IMPORTANT?
The
doctrine that Jesus was born of a virgin, rightly understood, is of great
importance to both the Church and the world. Had Jesus derived his life
from an earthly father, the quality of that life would have been no
different from ours. Ours was contaminated at the fountainhead, in Father
Adam. So also would have been the life of Jesus. It would have been a
dying one, just as ours. Receiving only such a life, he would have been
on his way, willy-nilly, to the grave -- just as we are. His death would
not have been a voluntary one, but one from which he could not escape.
He would thus have been without power to save us; he would not have had
the wherewithal to save even himself.
But
when, in the fulness of the time, God sent forth his Son made of a woman
(Gal. 4:4), it was not a case of an earthly father passing on to him a
spark of a dying life. No, indeed! It was as Jesus himself declared:
"I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but
he sent me." - John 8:42.
An
inspired writer puts the matter succinctly: "Such an high priest became
us"; that is to say, such an high priest was appropriate to the
necessities of our case; namely, one who was "holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26). Only such an one as he
could have saved us. Praise God that he and his Father had the heart to do
so.
EMMANUEL - GOD WITH US
This
is the great message of the New Testament to the Church, and eventually to
the world: Emmanuel, God with us. God was with his ancient people, and
spoke to them often and unmistakably by the mouth of his Prophets. He
was there in the burning bush, in the Shekinah of the tabernacle, and in
the pillar of cloud and of fire, as well as in the Angel of Jehovah, whom
many believe was the pre-human Logos. But he came into new and closer
relationship when he sent his Son, and when he, the mighty Logos, became
flesh. Jesus Christ was "God made manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim.
3:16); he was so true and adequate a manifestation of God; so at one with
the Father (in purpose and in spirit-not in person) that he could
truthfully say: "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father."
(John 14:9.) This was a fulfillment of the prophecy, "God with
us," indeed -- nay, it was the fulfillment, before which the
earlier one fades into relative insignificance.
"God
is with us" in the life of the Church, for Jesus laid its foundations
in his blood, and became himself its cornerstone and the bishop of our
souls. "God is with us" in our personal experiences, for Christ
Jesus is our Brother and Savior, our refuge under the consciousness of
sin, our strength in temptations, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore, with the Psalmist we say "We will not fear," whatever
may be our present lot, and whatever may befall us. "God is with
us" under our present burden, and in the unknown events of the
future. "God is with us" in life, in death, in time, and
in eternity. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me." "Thou shalt
guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." -
Psalms 23, 46, 73.
- P. L. Read
1953 Index |