VOL.
XXXVIII February 1955
No. 2
Half
Hour Meditations on Romans History,
Organization, and Doctrine of Associated
Bible Students Wise
Counsel from a Faithful Pastor Half Hour Meditations on Romans
No. 1
Some
of our readers will recall that a number of articles in exposition of the
Epistle to the Romans were published in this journal, during the years
1929-1933. From
time to time since, brethren in various parts of the world have urged the
resumption of this series. Only recently we were advised that some are
contemplating Class studies in this Epistle, rightly understanding
that in "The Gospel according to Paul," as the Epistle to the
Romans is justly called, the answers are to be found to the many questions
now being raised on the important doctrines of Justification and
Sanctification. These brethren urge, not only that the series be resumed,
but also that the earlier articles, many of which are out of print, be
republished for their benefit. In
adopting these suggestions, which have the unanimous approval of our Directors
and Editorial Committee, it will be the writer's thought to condense and
summarize some of the earlier articles, where this may be possible without
weakening the exposition. THERE can be no question, as an able expositor has said, that "When
the Epistle to the Romans appeared for the first time it was to the church
a word in sea son." Since that time it has played a powerful part in
every great spiritual revival the church as known. The Great Reformation
owed its birth and development to this Epistle more perhaps than to any
other portion of the Bible. "Luther, in his famous preface, says:
This Epistle is the chief book of the New Testament, the purest gospel. It
deserves not only to be known word for word by every Christian but to be
the subject of his meditation day by day, the daily bread of his soul.. .
. The more time one spends on it, the more precious it becomes and the
better it appears. Melancthon, in order to make it perfect his own, copied
it twice with his own hand. It is the book he expounded most frequently in
his lectures" (Godet). Believing that the present time is one to which the teaching of this
Epistle is peculiarly suited, this series of articles is purposed in the
prayerful hope that they too in their measure may prove to be to the
readers of this Journal a word in season. Seekers After Righteousness
Let none be discouraged from the study of this Epistle by the fact that it
contains things "hard to be understood." While it is true that
the most mature Christian minds will find themselves at times face to face
with the unfathomable (" O, the depth!" Rom. 11:33), yet there
is milk to be had here for the veriest babe in Christ. On the other hand,
let no one for a moment suppose that by intellectually grasping the
philosophy of Gods plan presented herein he will have thereby exhausted
the Apostles intention. No! The prominent idea of the Epistle is the offer
of the "righteousness of God" to one who finds himself stripped
of his own righteousness. Since this is so, it necessarily follows that
the condition of heart likely to profit most from the Apostles precepts is
that en joined by our Lord in his Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are
they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be
filled" (Matt. 5:6). Such will find themselves filled indeed by the blessed assurances found in
the Epistle to the Romans. Time, Place, and Occasion
Before considering the Epistle itself, it will be helpful in understanding
its lessons to have in mind the circumstances under which it came to be
written. Without going into disputed questions, it will be enough for our present
purpose to note that "The four books of the New Testament known as
Letters to the Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians are allowed by
practically all critics, including some of the most destructive, to be
genuine productions of the Apostle Paul. . . . The date generally assigned
to the Roman Letter is 58 A. D. (Weymouth). One expositor, H. C. G. Moule, whose scholarly writings contain a large
measure of the spirit of devotion to our Savior, has arranged such data as
are available in an interesting way and presents a beautiful word picture
of the Apostle and the con ditions under which he wrote. It cannot fail to
greatly assist us as we approach the study of this Epistle in the same
spirit. We quote: "It is the month of February in the year of Christ
58. In a room in the house of Gaius, a wealthy Corinthian Christian, Paul
the Apostle addressed himself to write to the converts of the mission at
Rome. Tertius, his amanuensis, is at his side. "The great world meanwhile is rolling on its way. It is the fourth
year of Nero. He is consul the third time, with Valerius Messala for his
colleague. Poppaea has lately caught the unworthy prince in the net of her
bad influence. Domitius Corbulo has just resumed the war with Parthia and
prepared to penetrate the highlands of Armenia. In a few weeks, in the
full spring, an Egyptian impostor is about to in flame Jerusalem with his
Messianic claim. He will lead four thousand fanatics into the desert and
return to the city with a host of thirty thousand men, only to be totally
routed by the legionaries of Felix. "The Apostle is about to close his three months stay at Corinth. He
has heard of plots against his life and will in prudence decline the more
direct route from Cenchrea by sea and strike northward for Philippi and
thence over the Aegaean to Troas. He must visit Jerusalem before June if
possible for he has by him the Greek collections to deliver to the poor
converts there. Then in the vista of his further movements he sees Rome;
with a certain apprehension yet with longing hope he thinks about life and
witness there. "Phoebe, a Greek Christian woman is about to visit the city. He must
commend this ministrant of the mission at Cenchrea to the Roman brethren.
A deli- berate letter to them is suggested by this personal need. "His thoughts have long gravitated to the City of the World. At
Ephesus not many months before he had purposed in the spirit to visit
Jerusalem; with an emphasis his biographer remembered he had said, I must
also see Rome (Acts 19:21). In the sense of a Divine decree his I must
had written this journey down in the plan of his life. He was assured too
by circumstantial and perhaps by supernatural signs that he had now no
more place in these parts (Rom. 15:23), that is in the eastern Roman world
where all his labor hitherto had been spent. The Lord in former days had
shut Paul up to a track which led him through Asia Minor to the Aegaean
and across the Aegaean to Europe (Acts 16). Now he prepared to guide him
by paths which his servant knew not: from Eastern Europe to Western, and
before all things to the City. Prayer for Others Deepens Our Interest in Them
"Amongst these providential preparations was a growing occupation of
the Apostles thought with persons and interests in the Christian circle
there. Here was Phoebe, about to take ship for Italy. In the great Capital the
beloved and faithful Aquila and Prisca were now resident again, no longer
excluded by the Claudian edict. We may fairly conclude they were already
the central influence in the mission. Their first days dated perhaps from
the Pentecost it self, when Roman strangers saw and heard the wonders and
message of that hour (Acts 2:10). At Rome other believers personally known
to Paul lived, drawn by unrecorded circumstances to the Center of the
World. His well beloved Epaenetus was there; Mary who had at time tried hard to
help him; Andronicus and Junias and Herodian, his relatives; Amphlias and
Stachys, men very dear to him; Urban us, who had worked for Christ at his
side; Rufus, no common Christian in his esteem; Rufus mother, who had once
watched over Paul with a mothers love. All these rise before him as he
thinks of Phoebe and her arrival and the faces and hands that at his
appeal would welcome her in the Lord. . . ." Besides, he has been
hearing about the actual state of that all important mission. As all roads
led to Rome, so all roads led from Rome. There were Christian travelers
everywhere who could tell him how the Gospel fared among the metropolitan
brethren (Acts 1:8). As he heard of them so he prayed for them, without
ceasing (Acts 1:9). He made request for himself too, now definitely and urgently that his way
might be opened to visit them at last. "Praying for others, if the prayer is prayer indeed and is based to
some extent on knowledge, is a sure way to deepen our interest in them and
our sympathetic insight into their hearts and conditions. From the human
side nothing more than these tidings and these prayers was needed to draw
from St. Paul a written message to be placed in Phoebes care. From this
same human side again, when he once addressed him self to write, there
were circumstances of thought and action that would naturally give
direction to his message. Sound Doctrine Important
"He stood amidst circumstances most significant and suggestive in
matter of Christian truth. Quite recently his Judaist rivals had
invaded the congregations of Galatia and had led the impulsive converts
there to quit what seemed their firm grasp on the truth of justification
by faith only. To St. Paul this was no mere battle of abstract
definitions, nor again was it a matter of merely local importance. The
success of the alien teachers in Galatia showed him that the same specious
mischiefs might win their way more or less quickly anywhere. What would
such success mean? It would mean the loss of the joy of the Lord and the
strength of that joy in the misguided churches. Justification by faith meant nothing less than Christ all in all, literally
all in all for sinful mans pardon and acceptance. It meant a profound
simplicity of personal reliance altogether upon him before the fiery
holiness of eternal Law. It meant an intense and unanxious look out and up
from the virtues and the guilt of man to the mighty merits of the Savior.
The foundation fact of salvation secured that the process should be from
its beginning not humanitarian but Divine. To discredit that would
not merely disturb the order of a missionary community. It would hurt the
vitals of the Christian soul, tingeing with impure elements the mountain
springs of the peace of God. Fresh as he was now from combating this evil in Galatia, St. Paul would be
sure to have it in his thoughts when he turned to Rome. It was only too
certain that there his active adversaries would do their worst; probably
they were at work already. Christian Conduct of Equal Importance
"Then, he had been engaged also with the problems of Christian
life in the mission at Corinth. There the main trouble was less of
creed than of conduct. In the Corinthian Epistles we find no great traces
of an energetic heretical propaganda but rather a bias in the converts
towards a strange license of temper and life. Perhaps this was even accentuated by a popular logical assent to the truth
of justification taken alone, isolated from other concurrent
truths, tempting the Corinthian to dream that he might continue in sin
that grace might abound. If such were his state of spiritual thought, he
would encounter (by his own fault) a positive moral danger in the
supernatural gifts, which at Corinth about that time seem to have appeared
with quite abnormal power. An antinonian theory in the presence of such
exaltations would lead the man easily to the conception that he was too
free and too rich in the supernatural order to be the servant of common
duties and even of common morals. Thus the Apostles soul would be full of the need of expounding to its
depths the vital harmony of the Lords work for the believer and the Lords
work in him: the coordination of a free acceptance with both the precept
and the possibility of holiness. He must show once for all how the
justified are bound to be pure and humble and how they can be so, and what
forms of practical dutifulness their life must take. He must make it clear
forever that the Ransom which re leases also purchases; that the Lords
freeman is the Lords property; that the death of the Cross, reckoned as
the death of the justified sinner, directly leads to his living union with
the Risen One, including a union of will with will. Thus the Christian
life if true to itself must be a life of loyalty to every obligation,
every relation constituted in Gods providence among men. The Christian who is not attentive to others, even where their mere
prejudices and mistakes are in question, is a Christian who is not a
scrupulously loyal citizen recognizing civil order as the will of God. So is the Christian who in any respect claims to live as he pleases
instead of as the bond servant of his Redeemer should live. The Mystery of Jewish Unbelief
"Another question had been pressing the Apostles mind for years and
recently with a special weight. It was the mystery of Jewish unbelief. Who
can estimate the pain and greatness of that mystery in the mind of St.
Paul. His own conversion taught him patience with his old associates while
it must have filled him also with some eager hopes for them. Every deep
and self evidencing manifestation of God in a mans soul suggests to him
naturally the thought of the glorious things possible in the souls of
others. Why should not the leading Pharisee, now converted, be the signal and the
means of the conversion of the Sanhedrin and of the people? But the hard
mystery of sin crossed such paths of expectation, and more and more so as
the years went on. Judaism outside the church was stubborn and
energetically hostile. And within the church, sad and ominous fact, it
crept in underground and sprung up in an embittered op position to the
central truths. What did all this mean? Where would it end? Had collective
Israel sinned beyond pardon and repentance? Had God cast off his people?
Did the conduct of these troublers of Galatia, these fiery rioters before
the tribunal of Gallio at Corinth mean that all was over for the race of
Abraham? The question was agony to Paul; he sought his Lords answer as a
thing without which he could not live. That answer was full in his soul
when he meditated his letter to Rome and thought of the Judaists there,
and also of the loving Jewish friends of his heart there who would read
his message when it came. The Apostle Was Gods Pen
"Thus we venture to describe the possible outward and inward
conditions under which the Epistle to the Romans was conceived and
written. Well do we recollect that our account is conjectural. But the
Epistles wonderful fullness of outline and detail gives such conjectures
more than a shadow for basis. Whatever the Writer saw around him or felt within him, we do not forget
that the Epistle was infinitely more than the result of Paul's mind and
life; it was and is an oracle of God, a scripture, a revelation of eternal
facts and principles by which to live and die. As such we approach it . . . not only to analyze or explain but to submit
and to believe, taking it as not Pauline only but Divine. But then, it is
not the less therefore Pauline. This means that both the thought and the
circumstances of St. Paul are to be traced and felt in it as truly and as
naturally as if we had before us the letter of an Augustine or a Luther or
a Pascal. He who chose the writers of the Holy Scriptures, many men scattered over
many ages, used them each in his surroundings and in his character, yet so
as to harmonize them all in the Book that while many is one. He used them
with the sovereign skill of Deity. And that skillful use meant that he used their whole circumstances, which
he had ordered. They were in deed his amanuenses; nay, I fear not to say
they were his pens. But he is such that he can manipulate as his facile
implement no mere piece of mechanism, which however subtle and powerful is
mechanism still and can never truly cause anything. He can take a human
personality made in his own image pregnant, formative, causative in all
its living thought, sensibility, and will and can throw it freely upon its
task of thinking and expression. And behold! The product will be His: his
matter, his thought, his exposition, his Word, living and abiding for
ever. "Thus we enter in spirit the Corinthian citizens house in . . .
the early Greek spring and find our way invisible, unheard to where
Tertius sits with his reed pen and strips of papyrus. Paul is prepared to
give him word by word, sentence by sentence this immortal message. Perhaps
the corner of the room is heaped with . . . the implements of the
tentmaker. But the Apostle is now the guest of Gaius, . . . the host of
the whole church, so we may rather think that for the time this manual
toil is intermitted. Do we seem to see the form and face of him who is
about to dictate? The mist of time is in our eyes; but we may credibly
report that we find a small and much emaciated frame, a face remarkable
for its arched brows, wide forehead, and the expressive mobility of the
lips. We trace in looks, in manner and tone of utterance, and even in
unconscious attitude and action tokens of a mind rich in every faculty; a
nature equally strong in energy and in sympathy, made to govern and to
win, to will and to love. The man is great and wonderful; a master soul:
subtle, wise, and strong. Yet he draws us with pathetic force to his
heart, as one who asks and will repay affection. "As we look on his face we think with awe and gladness that with
those same thought tired eyes . . . he has literally seen only twenty
years ago, so he will quietly assure us, the risen and glorified JESUS.
His work during those twenty years, his innumerable sufferings, above all
his spirit of perfect mental and moral sanity (yet of supernatural peace
and love) all make his assurance absolutely trustworthy. He is a
transfigured man since that sight of Jesus Christ who now dwells in his
heart by faith and uses him as the vehicle of his will and work. And now
listen. The Lord is speaking through his servant. The scribe is busy with
his pen as the message of Christ is uttered through the soul and from the
lips of Paul." - P. L. Read Has Judgment Day Begun?
"God
hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness
by that Man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto
all men,
in that he
hath raised him from the dead." - Acts 17:31. BEFORE
We attempt any answer to the question, "Has Judgment Day
begun?" we wish to Offer a few remarks on the general subject of
Judgment Day. A
very vague and indefinite idea prevails in regard to the Day of Judgment.
The view generally held is that Christ will come to earth seated upon a
great white throne, and that he will summon saint and sinner in rank and
file before him, to be judged, amidst great convulsions of nature
--earthquakes, opening graves, rending rocks, and falling mountains;
that the trembling sinners will be brought from the depths of everlasting
woe to hear their sins rehearsed, only to be returned to an eternal and
merciless doom; and that the saints will be brought from heaven to witness
the misery and despair of the condemned, to hear again the decision in
their, own case, and to return. The entire time supposed to be assigned to
this stupendous work of judging billions is a twenty-four hour day. This
is a very crude conception, and is entirely out of harmony with the
inspired Word of God. Let us look at a more Scriptural as well as a more
reasonable view of the work and the result of the great Judgment Day
which, according to our text, God hath appointed. The
term "judgment" signifies more than merely the rendering of a
verdict. It includes the idea of a trial, as well as a decision based upon
that trial. And this is true not only of the English word judgment but
also of the Greek word which it translates. The
term "day," both in the Scriptures and in common usage, though
most frequently used to represent a period of twelve or twenty four
hours, really specifies any definite or special period of time. Thus,
for instance, we speak of Noah's day, Luther's day, Washington's day; and
thus in the Bible the entire time of creation is called a day, where we
read of "the day that Jehovah God made the earth and the
heavens" (Gen. 2:4) -- a long, definite period. Then we read of
"the day of temptation in the wilderness" -- forty years (Heb.
3:8, 9); also of the "day of Christ," the "day of
judgment," and "His day"; terms applicable to the
Millennial Age, in which Messiah will reign over, rule, and judge the
world in righteousness,
granting trial as well as rendering sentence. Those who will carefully
consult a complete concordance of the Bible with reference to the Day of
Judgment, and note the kind and amount of work to be accomplished within
that period, will soon see the absurdity of the common view of a twelve or
twenty-four hour day, and the necessity for giving to the term
"day" its wider significance. The
Scriptures make mention of a number of judgment days. Two of these relate
to the human race as a whole. Between these two, several others are stated
as taking place. The
first of the world's two judgment days was at the beginning, in the
Garden of Eden, when the whole human race was judged representatively in
Adam, its head. Some have been disposed to resent this judgment,
insisting that Adam misrepresented rather than represented them, but
God, whose wisdom is infinite, states the contrary to be true. THE WORLD'S SECOND JUDGMENT DAY
But
according to our text, God has appointed a day in the which he
"will" judge the world. How can this be? Has God changed his
mind? Has he concluded that his decision in the trial of the first man and
the general sentence were unjust, too severe, that he now concludes to
judge the world individually? No; were such the case, we should have no
better guarantee of a just decision in the future trial than in the past.
It is not that God considers his decision in the first judgment unjust but
that he has provided a redemption from the penalty of the first judgment
in order that he may grant another judgment-trial, under more
favorable conditions, to the entire race; all having then had experience
with sin and its results. WHO WILL BE THE JUDGE?We
are further informed that when God gives the world this individual trial,
it will be under Christ as judge, whom God will thus honor because of his
obedience even unto death for our redemption. God has highly exalted him,
even to the divine nature, that he may be a Prince and a Savior (Acts
5:31), that he may be able to recover from death and grant judgment (including
trial) to all whom he purchased with his own precious blood. Since it is
the plain declaration of Scripture that "God has committed all
judgment unto the Son," and has given him "all power in heaven
and in earth," there is nothing to dread, but on the contrary, there
is great cause for rejoicing on the part of all, in looking forward to the
judgment Day. The character of the judge is a sufficient guarantee that
the judgment will be just and merciful, with due consideration for the
infirmities of all, until the willing and obedient are brought back to the
original perfection lost in Eden. With this conclusion all the
prophetic declarations agree. It is written: "With righteousness
shall he judge the world, and the people with equity." - Psa. 98:9. BY WHAT LAW WILL THE WORLD BE JUDGED?
This
coming judgment will be on exactly the same principles as the first. The
same law of obedience will be presented, with the same reward of life and
the same penalty of death. And as the first trial had a beginning,
progressed, and culminated in a verdict and sentence, so also will the
second; and the sentence will be life to the righteous and death to the
unrighteous. The second trial will be more favorable than the first
because of the experience gained under the results of the first trial.
Unlike the first trial, the second trial will be one in which every man
will stand the test for himself alone and not for another. None will then
die because of Adam's sin or because of inherited imperfections. It
shall no more be said, "The fathers have eaten a sour grape and the
children's teeth are set on edge; but he that eateth the sour grape, his
teeth shall be set on edge." "The soul that sinneth, it [and not
its children] shall die." - Jer. 31:29, 30; Ezek. 18:4. Under
the reign of Christ, mankind will be gradually educated, trained,
disciplined, until they reach perfection. And when they have reached
perfection, perfect harmony with God will be required, and any who then
fall short of perfect obedience will be cut off, being judged unworthy of
life. God had a right to demand perfect obedience of Adam, since he was
created perfect; and he will demand the same of all men when the great
work of restoring them is complete. None will be permitted to have everlasting
life who then in the slightest degree fall short of perfection. To fall
short of perfection, then, will be to sin willfully against full light and
perfect ability. We
do not wish to be understood as ignoring the present responsibility of the
world, which every man has, according to the measure of light enjoyed,
whether it be much or little, whether it be the light of nature or of
revelation. "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the
evil and the good," and "God shall bring every work into
judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be
evil" (Prov. 15:3; Eccles. 12:14). The good and evil deeds of the
present time will receive a just recompense of reward either now or
hereafter. JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS
Between
the world's two judgment days discussed foregoing, a period of about six
thousand years intervenes. During this long period, God has been selecting
two special classes from among men, and specially trying, testing,
disciplining, and training them to be his honored instruments during the
second of the world's judgment days. These
two classes are respectively designated, by St. Paul as the "house of
sons" and the "house of servants" (Heb. 3:5, 6), the former
being composed of those overcomers tried and found faithful during the
Christian dispensation (the Gospel Age), and the latter being composed of
the faithful overcomers who lived before the Christian dispensation.
Those who successfully pass the trial for either of these special classes
will not come into judgment (including trial) with the world, but will
enter upon their reward when the world is coming into its second
judgment day. They will be God's agents in the blessing of the
world; in giving to men the instruction and training necessary for their
final testing and judgment. "Do ye not know that the saints shall
judge the world?" - 1 Cor. 6:2. The
world's second judgment day is immediately preceded by a judgment of the
nations, as such. They are to be judged politically, ecclesiastically, and
socially. Many Scriptures make this clear. However, while noting these, it
is important to bear in mind the difference between national judgment
and individual judgment. While the nation is composed of individuals, and
individuals are largely responsible for the courses of nations, and must
and do suffer greatly in the calamities which befall them; nevertheless
the judgment of the world, as individuals, will be distinct from its
judgment as nations. The day of individual judgment for the world will
be the Millennial Age, as previously noted. Then, under the favorable
conditions of the New Covenant, and granted a clear knowledge of the truth
and every possible assistance and incentive to righteousness, all men
individually, and not collectively as nations, will be on trial, or judgment,
for eternal life. The
judgment of the nations which precedes this individual trial is a judgment
of men in their collective capacities. The civil institutions of the
world, social, political, religious, have had a long lease of power. And
now, as the "Times of the Gentiles" come to a close, they must
render up their accounts. And the Lord's judgment, expressed beforehand by
the Prophets, is that not one of them will be found worthy of a renewal of
that lease or a continuance of life. The decree is that the dominion shall
be taken from them and that he whose right it is shall
take the Kingdom, and the nations shall be given to him for an inheritance.
- Ezek. 21:27; Dan. 7:27; Psa. 2:8; Rev. 2:26, 27. Let
us listen to a few passages from the pen of other Prophets which bear
directly on this subject: "Come near, ye nations, to hear, and
hearken, ye people . . . for the indignation of the Lord is upon all
nations, and his fury upon all their armies" (Isa. 34:1, 2). Again:
"The Lord . . . is an everlasting King; at his wrath the earth
shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his
indignation" (Jer. 10:10). "A noise shall come even to the ends
of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations. Thus saith
the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation,
and a great whirlwind [that is, intense and complicated trouble and
commotion] shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain
of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the
other end of the earth." - Jer. 25:31-33. In
calling attention to this subject, it is not our intention to arouse a
mere sensation or to seek to gratify idle curiosity. Nor can we hope to
produce in the minds and hearts of men such a condition of repentance as
would work a change in the present social, political, and religious
order of society, and thus avert the calamity. All the powerful causes
which produce the trouble have been long at work; and no human power is
able to arrest their operation and progress toward their certain end. No
hand but the hand of the Lord could stay the progress of the present
current of events, and his hand will not do so until the bitter experiences
of this conflict shall have sealed their instruction upon the hearts of
men. Our only object, therefore, in mentioning the subject at all, is to
forewarn, forearm, comfort, encourage, and strengthen the
"household of faith," so that they may not be dismayed but be
enabled to look beyond the severest measures of divine disciplining in
the chastening experiences of the world and see by faith the glorious
outcome in the precious fruits of righteousness and enduring peace. HAS THE JUDGMENT DAY OF THE NATIONS BEGUN?As
we look about us and note the conditions in the world today, it is
difficult to escape the conclusion, especially when these conditions are
considered in connection with time prophecies, that the nations have already
entered their judgment day, that they are even now being weighed in
the
balances and found wanting. Indeed, for years it has been seen that the
gathering of the nations and assembling of the kingdoms, preparatory to
pouring upon them his indignation, "even all his fierce anger,"
as yet another Prophet (Zephaniah 3:8, 9) graphically describes it, has
been in process. Modern
discovery and invention have made the remotest ends of the earth neighbors
to each other. Travel, mailing facilities, the telegraph, the telephone,
the radio and television have brought all the world into a community of
thought and action hitherto unknown. Truly, the nations are
"assembled" in a manner not expected, yet in the only manner in which they could be assembled, namely, in common interest and
activity; but alas, not in brotherly love, for selfishness marks every
step of this progress.
The spirit of enterprise, of which selfishness is the motive power, has
prompted the construction of the railways, the steamships, the airplanes,
the telegraphs, the cables, the telephones, the radios, the television
sets. Selfishness regulates commerce and international relationships, and
every other energy and enterprise except the preaching of the Gospel and
the establishment of benevolent institutions; and even in these it is to
be feared that much that is done is inspired by motives other than pure
love for God and humanity. Selfishness has gathered the nations and has
been steadily preparing them for the predicted, and now fast approaching,
retribution which is so graphically described by the Prophet as the
"fire of God's jealousy," or anger, which is about to consume
utterly the present social order. Yet this is speaking only from the
human standpoint. From the standpoint of the Prophet, this gathering of
the nations is ascribed, not to man's own efforts, but to God. Both standpoints
are true; for while man is permitted the exercise of his free agency,
God, by his overruling providence, is shaping human affairs for the accomplishment
of his own wise purposes. And therefore, while men and their works and
ways are the agents and agencies, God is the great Commander who now
gathers the nations and assembles the kingdoms from one end of the earth
to the other, preparatory to the transfer of earth's dominion to him
"whose right it is" -- Immanuel. The
Prophet tells us why the Lord thus gathers the nations, saying, "That
I may pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger."
This message would bring us sorrow and anguish only, were it not for the
assurance that the results shall work good to the world, overthrowing
the reign of selfishness and establishing, through Christ's Millennial
Kingdom, the reign of righteousness referred to in the words of the
Prophet: "Then will I turn unto the people a pure language [their
communications with each other shall no longer be selfish but pure,
truthful, and loving, to the intent] that they may all call upon the name
of the Lord, to serve him with one consent." CLOSING THOUGHTS
W
e see the deepening clouds of trouble. We hear the thunder tones of
judgment that "call the earth from the rising of the sun unto the
going down thereof" (Psa. 50:1) -- from the east to the west. We see
the lightning flashes of truth and righteousness, and observe how the
whole earth is now in the shaking process which will eventuate in the
complete overthrow of all existing institutions, systems, and governments.
Present events indeed speak in trumpet-tones. Even as these words are
being set up in type, a military expert (note-not a preacher but an army
general) ends his radio news broadcast with a quotation from the Bible:
"A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction" (Jer.
50:22). How shall we regard these things? Surely, dear reader, it will be
with thoughtful and reverent hearts! In this eventful period everything
that can be shaken will be shaken, that only the unshakeable things of
truth and righteousness may remain (Heb. 12:25-29). Everyone called to a
share in the coming Kingdom must be a lover of righteousness, one who will
courageously and loyally exercise an influence which is always favorable
to righteousness, justice, mercy, and peace. All others will be shaken
out. In the end only the true will remain. "Seeing that we look for
these things, [let us] be diligent, that we may be found of Him in
[inward] peace, without spot, and blameless," as the Apostle exhorts.
- 2 Pet. 3:14. When
our Lord was here in the flesh, the destruction of Jerusalem and the utter
ruin of Palestine were close at hand. In those days our Savior forewarned
his disciples against laying up treasures for themselves on earth. His
counsel and advice to them was to lay up their treasures in heaven, and in
the end they would find them there. The Lord's true people of today occupy
a similar position. The great, symbolic-burning day is near. Christendom
is about to be destroyed. In this great symbolic conflagration the
possessions of earth will be valueless. The opportunities for laying up
treasures in heaven will soon be overpast. Let us, therefore, brethren,
heed the Master's words, dedicating, or rededicating, as the case may be,
our all of earthly life and fortune upon his altar and seek to employ
time, talent, and ability in the service of him who hath called us from
darkness to light; of him who will at last welcome the faithful to the
place that he has gone to prepare, in the Father's house of many mansions;
for there we shall find the heavenly treasures that can never fade, never
tarnish, never rust, and the glory and luster of which will abide
throughout all time. Amen. - Reprinted from "The Herald," August,
1940. The Return to Our FatherA story for children young and old.
"I
will arise and go to my Father." - Luke 15:18. IN
a gallery of fine arts, two men. stood before a painting that: made a very
strong appeal to one of them. The scene it depicted was that of an ivy
mantled cottage, festooned with great trees, and in the background, cattle
and sheep grazing on a hillside pasture. At the gate there stood a woman
whose gaze was fixed upon a lad that was looking up at her with the light
of love and joy shining in his eyes. It was a delightful, wholesome scene,
one calculated to bring back sweet memories to many a man who might pause
to view it. At length, one of the two who had been gazing at it very
intently, turned to his companion and said: "Will, when you look
upon that picture, you behold something of my own early home life. My
mother was just such a woman as that, and I myself somewhat like the boy
you see there. I had a good mother and a wonderful childhood at the old
home place. But I left it while still in my teens and have never gone back
since. I don't know if my folks are living or dead. But somehow that
picture tells me to go back home and look them up." And back he went. The
power of suggestion contained in the painting broke through the
sin-hardened encrustment of that man's mind and heart, and caused him to
think of those who had loved and nurtured him, keenly enough to send him
back to do the right thing, and to bring relief to hearts that had never
ceased to mourn his loss. It was indeed a good picture that could work so
effectively upon his memory. Would God there were more pictures like that
in the world, and more artists who painted them, said his friend. Well,
thanks be to God, we do have pictures, even more heart searching than
this. They are not painted on canvas with a brush, but are depicted with
words-words which, like living things, leap out from the printed pages of
our Bibles, and lay hold upon the hearts and minds of all who, gifted with
the power of faith in God, forsake the beggarly elements of this world and
return to their Father in heaven. THE PRODIGAL SON
Jesus
was the unexcelled artist in the painting of word pictures; and in the
Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, verses 12 to 32 (Luke 15:12-32), we find one
of these pictures that has been the means of influencing many a wanderer,
out in the world of sin, to return home. The
story begins with the usual round of life in an old home of
a father who has two sons. As we look at the picture, we are given the
impression that all is harmonious and serene. It is a well ordered home,
and all things seem to run smoothly. The father is thoughtful and kind,
and there is an abundance of everything necessary to their comfort and
well-being. Doubtless, as in nearly all such places, the birds and the
flowers enhanced the joys of their surroundings. But, for no apparent
reason, there comes a time
when the younger son becomes restless; he is not happy and content with
his lot. From out the great world, of which he knows little, a voice seems
to be calling him. This voice is the lure of the unknown quantity, and of
freedom from the home restraints. And the more he thinks of it, the
greater becomes his desire to explore this great unknown. So,
under this urge, he musters up courage to go to his father and ask for the
portion of goods that would eventually be his, in order that he might have
the means to journey hither and yon, and pay his way without having to
work for his sustenance. We can imagine the father's feelings, for he had
lived long enough to know something of the dangers and temptations a young
man would encounter away from the home environment. He could have easily
refused to comply with his son's request, but, being a wise father, he
realized that the boy would not be content at home, and that he evidently
needed to have the experience that such a journey would bring to him; so
he gives him money to the value of his goods so that he can conveniently
carry it on his person, and he lets him go, but, if we know good
fathers, not without many admonitions. REDUCED TO FEEDING SWINE
The school of -experience soon begins the instruction
of this young man. He learns that while it is easy to go downhill, it is
hard to go uphill; easy to drift with the current, but difficult to
progress against it. Being swept out into the tide of human life, he
wastes his substance in riotous living, and his money is soon
dissipated. Having youth and money to spend, he is of course popular, and
is bon comrade to others who go in for what the world calls a good time in
the swirl of life. But how different everything is when this way of life
has taken its toll. The physical powers begin to go down along with the
moral qualities that were all but swept away in licentious living. The
complete process of decline sets in, and he goes down, down, down to
depths of degradation he never dreamed were possible.
And
then a famine comes upon the land. His money is all gone, and he is now in
dire need. What shall he do? The decision he makes shows that there is
still some good in him, for he determines to go to work. But what can he
do? The famine in the land has made it difficult to find work, so he is
reduced to hiring himself out to a citizen of the country to feed swine.
He is fully aware of the disgrace he has brought upon himself and his people,
for such an occupation was an abomination in their eyes. But he must feed
the swine or starve, so he does it. He feels that he is at the bottom of
the scale of degradation; and being threadbare and hungry, he is glad
to eat even a portion of the swine's husks. What a terrible experience the
far country has been to him! How indeed will it all end? One
day as he stands feeding the swine, no one near, no sound even save that
which the swine make as they devour their husks, a thought comes to him.
It is the evening hour, and the sun, like a great ball of fire, is sinking
in the west. One shaft of that yellow, golden light falls near the pigsty,
and it arouses a longing in the young man's heart. The light is so
beautiful and pure, and reminds him so poignantly of his old home and
kindred. Oh, what a wonderful home! Was there ever a homelike it? Did any
one ever have such a good father? Why, even the servants had plenty and to
spare, and here was he, a son, dying with hunger. As he thinks on these
things, there comes the resolve into his mind to go home. THE RETURN HOME
But
how can one who has been so utterly foolish as to descend to the utmost
depths of degradation, expect to be received back into a godly home?
Nevertheless, lie is resolved to go, and to cast himself upon the mercy
of a father whose righteousness and love could not be questioned. So to
himself he said: "I will arise and go to- my father, and will say
unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am
no more worthy to be called thy
son make
me as one
of thy
hired servants." It
was a great
resolve he
had made,
and now he would lose no time about carrying it into effect. Some one else
could feed these swine; he would start on his homeward journey. He had
wandered far, but he knew the way back. The trail lay just over yonder
under the brow of that hill where the scrub juniper grew; then over the
mountain side and down into the valley beyond. He had no way of getting
there but to walk, and the trail was rough and stony, but he knew it would
lead him back home. He
trudged on and on, until finally he began to recognize certain
landmarks. Once he had come this way with his father, who had brought some
goats to the town he had just passed. Yes, there was that old olive tree
under which they had stopped to eat and refresh themselves. And this
intermittently running stream-he knew it well. He was in his home land,
but would have to spend another night, perhaps two, in this wilderness
country. Another day's journey brought him to the summit of a hill where
he could see, on a far distant rise, an outlying shelter for his father's
sheep. It was still too far to reach home before his father's retiring
time, so he decided to wait until morning, a much more favorable time
for his arrival. The question is, how will he be received? THE HOME IN EDEN
The
next morning he is not far from the old homestead, when he sees an old man
coming toward him along the road. It does not take long for these two to
come together, for the father recognizes his son's Walk and hastens to
meet his long lost boy and embrace him and bring him home. What a wonderful
reunion it was to that boy, and how grateful he felt for his father's
love, a hove that his own unworthiness had not diminished. This
beautiful story was told by the Master to show how precious in the sight
of God is the sinner's return unto him. And who is the sinner? The
question carries us back to Eden land, where the old home of the
human family was located.
That this home
was
perfect, cannot be
doubted,
for it was prepared by God. It was an environment that wanted no good
thing. The tree of life was there to sustain its inhabitants. Birds and
flowers made the place beautiful, and sparkling waters flashed by in the
sunshine. All went well for a time. Then
there came the call of the far country, the lure of the unknown quantity.
The very thing they were told not to touch, was the one thing that would
make them wise. The woman was captivated by the thought. To be sure,
God could
have prevented their wrong-doing: he could
have hidden the forbidden tree in the background, or have placed an angel
there to guard it; but in his great wisdom, he permitted the infraction
of his law. They could not longer remain in that perfect home, but
wandered forth into the far country of sin, where, with all their
children, they have lived in degradation and want. WASTING ITS SUBSTANCE
Like
the prodigal son, the world has wasted its substance with riotous
living. It has wasted its eye-substance, by gazing on things not good for
the eye to see. Likewise, its ear-substance, its heart-substance, its
'brain-substance, and all the priceless wealth that God gave man at the
beginning. The halls of pleasure and reckless living have engulfed many
millions. The world has been going down the long incline for 6,000
years. There has been a great famine in the land. "Not a famine of
bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord."
- Amos 8:11. Therefore,
we find the world feeding the swine, the unclean things of darkness; for
surely the things that people do today, nourish the unclean things of the
flesh and spirit. We cannot pick up a newspaper without having these
things flaunted in -our faces. Murders, robberies, domestic broils,
strikes, killings, turmoils, wars, governmental sins, community sins,
individual sins, political corruption, bribery, and a host of other
violations of the moral code of God. It is a time when, as prophesied, men
are "covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers,
false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of
God; having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof." - 2
Tim. 3:1-5. Yet
men are not wholly bad. There is still some spark of goodness left. And
in "a time of trouble such as never was since there was a
nation," the world will come to itself. Men will come to see that
they have failed in all they have attempted to do; and that the reason
therefore is, they have eliminated God from the problems of human life. He
is not in all their thoughts; his laws have been utterly repudiated and
cast aside. His authority has been supplanted by the great usurper, the
mighty prince of darkness who took control of men's minds a long time
ago. The world has sown to the wind, and now must reap the whirlwind, and
"Except those days [of trouble] be shortened," said Jesus,
"no flesh would be saved." When
the world comes to itself, men will want to go home again. They will
desire to return ~to pristine conditions. This crowding into great
cities is not natural;, people need to get back to the soil, and enjoy
the beauty and freedom of God's earth, its fields, meadows, and hills.
There is nothing degenerative or cramping in God's great out-of-doors. So in
due time, the world will start on its journey back home to God. THE RECEPTION
The
striking beauty in. the story of the Prodigal Son, however, is in the
father's reception of his erring child. To the father, this tatterdemalion
was still his son, and was dear to his heart. In the story of the lost
sheep, that sheep still belonged to the shepherd. Others might say:
"Lord, here are thy ninety and nine; are they not enough for
thee?" but the shepherd- makes answer: "This of MINE has wandered
away from me." Ah, yes, the fact of ownership makes all the difference.
"And although the road be rough and steep, I go to the desert to find
my sheep." So,
we will kill the fatted calf, if you please. And then we'll put a fine
robe on this boy, and we'll put a ring on his finger, and shoes on his
feet, and a staff in his hand; "For this my son was dead, and is
alive again. He was lost and is found." There was rejoicing in the
old home; but there will be a much greater time of rejoicing when the
world comes home. But will there be the killing of the fatted calf? Yes,
God through the Prophet says: "In this mountain [home] shall the Lord
of Hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on
the lees, well refined." "He will swallow up death in victory.
And the people will say: Lo, this is our
God;
we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord; we have
waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." - Isa.
25:6-9. What
a grand family reunion there will be when "all that are in their
graves hear the voice of the Son of Man and come forth." The great
tree of life will then be here with its leaves for the healing of the
nations. The law of love will supplant selfishness and competition. The
finer qualities of the human heart and mind will take precedence; and
people will say: "Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the
house of the God of Jacob; and he will
teach us
of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth
the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." - Isa. 2:3. SPIRITUAL SONSHIP
In
the meantime, some, having beheld a still more marvelous picture in the
invitational promises of God's Word, and having realized their
sin-degraded state; have turned their steps toward home in this Age, the
one in which the Father is pleased to accept sacrifice and offering,
acts which are prerequisite to a heavenly inheritance. They realize, of
course, the utter poverty of their condition, but in their case, the Elder Brother is possessed of
a very
different character from the one
in the
parable. Their
Elder
Brother, sharing his Father's love and sympathy, joins with him in
covering their rags and filthiness with a pure linen garment of
righteousness, that they may be acceptable as a sacrifice, and enter the
school where they will be fitted for the position of spiritual sons. The
realization of sonship is a most precious thing to the heart of the
Christian. "I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor. 6:17, 18.) The Apostle
reaffirms this when he says: "That ye may be blameless and harmless,
the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a faithless and perverse
generation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world, holding forth the
word of life." - Phil. 2:15, 16. As
the Prodigal Son was given new shoes on his feet, so the Christian is
given the sandals of peace, to enable him to walk in newness of life, and
to endeavor to follow in the footsteps of his Lord. Also he is provided
with the robe of righteousness, to cover the unsightly qualities of his
fallen flesh. Consequently, "There is no condemnation to them
that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the
spirit." (Rom. 8:1.) "Being justified by faith, these have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom. 5:1.) Indeed,
"old things have passed away, all things have become new." The
ring placed on the finger, is the symbol of a covenant or promise. These
have entered into, a covenant of sacrifice with the Lord; they are
embraced in the great, everlasting covenant, for through them as the
seed of Abraham, God will bless all the families of the earth. They can
hold up this ring and look at it whenever they choose, and see there a
brilliant gem -- the wondrous star of divine hope and promise for the
world. Then
the Christian has a staff to lean on. "Thy rod and thy staff, they
comfort me," wrote David. And what can this be but the Word of God?
We remember that at the time of the Passover, the Israelites were to have
their loins girded, their shoes on their feet, and their staff in their
hand. In olden times, the staff was used as a means of protection.
Joseph, Jacob, Moses, and other servants of God all used this staff of
defense. The Christian is also dependent upon it. When Jesus worsted the
great Adversary, he did it by three sharp 'blows ' from the Word of God,
saying, "It is written." The Apostle Paul compares the Word to
a sword, saying, "Take the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of
God." Thus the Christian warrior is in all points well equipped. As
a Christian stands in the light of God's great sanctuary of peace and
praise, into which he was led bay the hand divine; and as he thinks of his
former wanderings, he is very thankful to the God of all mercies for his
inestimable gifts. He is glad that he was enabled by the grace of God to
come to himself; to realize his condition of poverty in his pitiful
failures of the past, and that now, in the joy of the Lord which is his
strength; he can press onward toward the attainment of all that he desires
in the Kingdom above. There the little rivers of our present lives will
merge into the boundless ocean of eternal light and joy. - W. Sargeant. History, Organization, and Doctrine of
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