THE HERALD
of Christ's Kingdom
VOL.
XLVIII March/April 1965 No. 2
Table of Contents
"This Do in Remembrance of Me"
"UNTIL HE COME"
RESURRECTION
Praise Is Comely
The Ecumenical Movement Threatens Protestantism
Faith's Foundation
Ministry of the
Word
The Question Box
Notice of Postponement of Annual Meeting
RECENTLY DECEASED
Pastor Russell's Out-of-Print Writings
"For as often
as ye eat this Bread, and drink this Cup,
ye do show the Lord's death till He
come." - 1 Cor. 11:26
CHRIST
OUR Passover is sacrificed for us; therefore
let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice
and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1
Cor. 5:7, 8.) Here, in one sentence, brief, but pregnant with meaning, the beloved
Apostle Paul, writing as always under the guidance and in the power of the Holy
Spirit, draws our attention to the great Antitype, the Lamb of God, who taketh
away the sin of the world, of whom the Jewish Passover lamb was but a type.
How
well the type prefigured our Lord! To begin with, the lamb selected was to be without
blemish,
reminding us
of the fact that our Lord Jesus had no blemish of sin in himself, and that he
did not contract any stain or spot of sin by his contacts with the world. As the
Apostle Peter reminds us: "We were not redeemed with corruptible things,
as silver and gold, . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot." - l Pet. 1:19.
The
blood of the typical
lamb was
sprinkled on the doorposts and lintels of the Israelite's house, but the
blood of Jesus, the unforfeited life which was made available to us by the
shedding of his blood, has been graciously applied to our hearts, removing
from us the burden of unforgiven sin, setting us free from all consciousness of
evil.
Again,
in instituting the typical Passover, we read in the 12th chapter of Exodus that
the Lord said unto Moses: "This month shall be unto you the beginning of
months; it shall be the first month of the year to you." How truly this
feature is fulfilled in the experience of a consecrated believer of this Gospel
Age! Everything in his life dates from the time when he came "under the
blood." Before that, all is
darkness; before that, all is death. He does not care to even think of the
darkness of his unconverted days, and when he does occasionally mention them,
it is only that his Savior may be the more magnified in the hearts and minds of
those to whom he speaks; and that the contrast of that past with his present
happy state may awaken in him a still greater sense of gratitude and devotion.
JESUS OUR PASSOVER LAMB
As
the Jews fed on the literal lamb, so we are to feed on Christ; that is to say,
we are to appropriate to ourselves, by faith, his merit, the value of his sacrifice.
Not only so, but if we would be strong spiritually, and prepared for the
deliverance in the morning of the new dispensation, we must eat of the unleavened
bread of sincerity and truth. What is it to "eat" of the unleavened
bread of sincerity and truth? Ah! this means much more than might at first be
supposed. It involves not merely a belief in the truth concerning Christ and
his atonement -- it goes beyond even a confession of that belief. It includes a loving surrender to this and
related truths, so that they are grasped by the moral, no less than by the
intellectual side of our complex nature. Thus partaken of, the truth will
accomplish our sanctification; day by day, the renewing of our minds with his
precious Word will gradually transform us into his likeness.
In
the typical arrangements bitter herbs were included, which aided and whetted
the Israelites' appetite for the lamb and unleavened bread. Commenting on this
feature, Brother Russell has observed that instead of these, "we have
bitter experiences and trials which the
Lord prepares for us, and which help to wean our affections from earthly things
and to give us increased appetite to feed upon the Lamb and the unleavened
Bread of Truth. We, too, are to remember that we have here no continuing city;
but as pilgrims, strangers, staff in hand, we are to gird ourselves for our
journey to the Heavenly Canaan, to all the glorious things which God has in
reservation for the Church of the First-borns, in association with our
Redeemer, as kings and priests unto God."
On
the night of his betrayal, just before his crucifixion, our Lord Jesus clearly
identified himself as the antitypical Passover Lamb. Peter and John had been sent ahead, and
in the "upper room" to which they had been led, they had "made
ready the Passover." At the appointed time, "when the hour was
come," he gathered his Apostles round him and said: "With desire have
I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." "It was
necessary that as Jews they should celebrate the Passover Supper on that night
-- the night of the anniversary of the slaying of the Passover lamb in Egypt,
of the saving of the typical first-borns from the typical
'prince of this world' -- Pharaoh -- the same date on which the real Passover
Lamb was to be slain. But as soon as the requirements of the type had been
fulfilled, our Lord Jesus instituted a new Memorial upon the old foundation,
saying, 'Do this in remembrance of me.'" *
----------------------------
* As
noted on the back page of this issue, the appropriate time, this year, to
commemorate the death of the antitypical Lamb, will be after sundown, Thursday,
April 15.
"THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME"
We recall the circumstances
of the first Memorial -- the blessing of the Bread and the Cup, the fruit of
the vine, and of our Lord's words in connection therewith. Year by year, as we
"keep the feast," and the time of our departure draws nigh, the
appropriateness of the symbol's, and the humility and love of our Lord are
more deeply impressed on our hearts, and the longing desire within us grows
more earnest that we, too, though imperfect, may faithfully follow in his
steps.
Quoting
again from our dear Brother Russell: "In presenting to the disciples the
unleavened bread as a memorial, Jesus said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' The
evident meaning of his words is, This symbolizes, or represents, my body. The
bread was not actually his body; for in no sense 'had
his body yet been broken. In no sense would it then have been possible for
them to have partaken of him actually or antitypically, the sacrifice not being
as yet finished. But the picture is complete when we recognize that the
unleavened (pure, unfermented) bread represented our Lord's sinless flesh,
leaven being a symbol of sin under the Law, and especially commanded to be put
away at the Passover season. On another occasion Jesus gave a lesson which
interprets to us this symbol. He said, 'The Bread of God is he which cometh
down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.' 'I am the Bread of Life.' 'I
am the living Bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this Bread,
he shall live forever; and the Bread that I will give is my
flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.' - John 6:33, 35, 51.
"In
order to appreciate how we are to eat, or appropriate, this living Bread, it
is necessary for us to understand just what the bread signifies. According to
our Lord's explanation of the matter, it was his flesh which he sacrificed for
us. It was not his pre-human existence as a spirit being that was sacrificed,
although that was laid down and its glory laid aside, in order that he might take our human nature.
It was the fact that our Lord Jesus was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate
from sinners -- without any contamination from Father Adam, and hence free
from sin -- that enabled him to become the Redeemer of Adam and his race, that
permitted him to give his life 'a Ransom for all, to be testified in due
time.'-1 Tim. 2:3-6.
"When
we see that it was the pure, spotless nature of our Lord Jesus that was laid
down on behalf of sinners, we see what it is that we are privileged to
appropriate. The very thing that he laid down for us we are to 'eat,'
appropriate to ourselves; that is to say, his perfect human life was
given to redeem all the race of man from condemnation to death, to enable them
to return to human perfection and everlasting life, if they would; and we are
to realize this and accept him as our Savior from death."
The
unforfeited life of Jesus, laid down in sacrifice for us in obedience to the
Father's will, is thus seen to be that which alone has value in the Father's
sight. As the Apostle declares: "the Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a
ransom for all." (1 Tim. 2:6.) It is important to observe, however, that
the work of recovering Adam and his race from the power of sin and death,
while based on that ransom price, goes beyond the mere provision of the
ransom. While the provision was made now nearly two thousand years ago, it is
manifest that the work of recovering Adam and his race from the power of sin
and death has not yet been accomplished; indeed it has scarcely begun. The only
disposition thus far of that ransom has been to make it available for the
Church, and this only by faith. Only by faith has even the Church passed
"from death unto life"; not even this little flock has been
fully recovered from the power of sin and death; still less has the rest of the
race. Manifestly, then, it will require a considerable time (the Scriptures
indicate the entire thousand years of Messiah's Kingdom), to restore, to
deliver, to set free, from the power of sin and death, Adam and his children.
Evident it is, that the work of restoration, for which the foundation was laid
nearly two thousand years ago, is still to be accomplished. To quote once
again from Brother Russell:
"In
order that any of the race of Adam might profit by the sacrifice of Jesus, it
was necessary that be should rise from the tomb on the divine plane of
life, that he should ascend to the Father and deposit the sacrificial merit of
his death in the hands of justice, and receive from the Father 'all power in
heaven and in earth.' As relates to the world, it was necessary also that in
the Father's due time he should come again to earth a glorious divine Being,
then to be to the whole world a Mediator, Prophet, Priest, and King, to assist
back to perfection and to harmony with God all who will avail themselves of
the wonderful privileges then to be offered."
This
blessing, restoration to human perfection (not perfection on the spirit
plane, but on the human plane) which will be the happy portion of the entire
race (all the willing and obedient), the Church of this Gospel Age receive now, by faith; that is to say, human
perfection is reckoned to them by God. And the partaking of the
unleavened bread at the Memorial season means to us, primarily, the
appropriation, by faith, of this right to perfect human life, with all
its privileges, the blessing which, at the cost of his own life, our Lord
procured for us. Likewise the fruit of the vine symbolizes our Savior's life
given for us, his human life, his being, poured out unto death on our
behalf; and the appropriation of this by us also signifies, primarily, our
acceptance of restitution rights and privileges secured by our Lord's
sacrifice of these.
TWO ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICATIONS
In
our showing forth the Lord's death in this, the way appointed (1 Cor. 11:26),
we may not improperly associate in our minds two additional thoughts of great
beauty and solemnity: (1) Our consecration to be "dead with him"
(Col. 2:20), even as we remember the Apostle's words, "If we be dead with
him, we shall also live with him (2 Tim. 2:11), and (2) the oneness of spirit
which obtains between fellow-members of the Christ company.
The
fruit of the vine fitly represents the life given by Jesus, the sacrifice-the
death-"this is my blood [symbol of life given up in death] of the New Covenant,
shed for many for the remission of sins"; "Drink ye all of it."
(Matt. 26:27, 28.) It is by the giving up of his life as a ransom for the life
of the Adamic race, which sin had forfeited, that a right to life comes to man.
(Ram. 5:18, 19.) Jesus' shed blood is the "ransom for all"; and the
dominant idea of our "feast" is this fact and the benefits which as
consecrated believers we derive therefrom; but in addition we may remember also
and rejoice in the fact that we may (indeed we have covenanted, have we not?
to) drink of his cup, even as (though beyond their then understanding) he
spake to his close disciples: "Ye shall indeed drink of my cup."
(Matt. 20:23.) Verily this is a "high calling" (Phil. 3:14), and well
might we question our ability to drink (unaided) of his cup. But our
sufficiency is of God, and so with the Apostle we too count all things loss,
that we may know the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his
sufferings (Phil. 3:10), not repining, but all the more rejoicing at any
evidence which may come to us that the sufferings of Christ may be abounding in
us. - 2 Cor. 1:5.
With
regard to our second additional thought that of the oneness of spirit
possessed by fellow members of "his body," the Church (Eph. 1:23),
how close to the heart of our Lord does this thought bring us when we recall
that it was just about the time when he instituted this
"remembrancer" that he offered that matchless intercessory prayer on
our behalf, that is recorded in the 17th chapter of John: "That they all
may be one." (Not his close disciples only, but us also, who have since
believed.) "As thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may
be one in us." (John 17:20, 21.) What thoughts are these, which just
before his passion our Lord entertained
with regard to his consecrated followers! What grand and noble hopes respecting
the mutual love, the sympathy, affection, and interest which should prevail
amongst the members of this "one Body" of our Lord!
WHO MAY PARTICIPATE?
Just
one word more. Who may participate in this memorial? To this question we would
reply: No one should join in this celebration who does not trust in Christ as
his or her personal Savior from sin and death, and who does not purpose to walk
worthy of the Name of Jesus, in his footsteps wherever they may lead, to the
best of his or her ability. No one should come to the Lord's table
lightly, carelessly, but, as the Apostle exhorts: "Let a man examine
himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup." (1 Cor.
11:27-29.) But on the other hand none should absent himself or refrain from
this communion from a sense of unworthiness. Thank God for a sense of sin, for
a keen conscience about it, but let not that keep any away. "If any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." -
(1 John 2:1; 1:9.) Thus cleansed, let us draw near, gladly confessing our love
for our Lord, rejoicing in the pleasure and privilege of remembering him in
this, the way appointed. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink
this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come." -1 Cor. 11:26.
-
P. L. Read
'Till
He come!' -- Oh, let the words
Linger
on the trembling chords;
Let
the little while between,
In
their golden light be seen;
Let
us think how heaven and home
Lie
beyond that 'Till He come.'
"When
the weary ones we love
Enter
on their rest above,
Seems
the earth so poor and vast,
All
our life -- joy overcast?
Hush!
be every murmur dumb;
It
is only 'Till He come.'
"Clouds
and conflicts 'round us press;
Would
we have one sorrow less?
All
the sharpness of the cross,
All
that tells the world is loss,
Death
and darkness and the tomb
Only
whisper, 'Till He come.'
"See,
the feast of love is spread.
Drink
the wine and break the bread;
Sweet
memorials! -- till the Lord
Call
us 'round His
heavenly board;
Some from earth, from heaven some,
Severed only -- till He come!"
"There shall be a
resurrection of the dead,
both of the just and unjust." - Acts 24:15.
RESURRECTION!
What a word! What a power of suggestion it contains! It has the aroma of
spring. It tells us that the winter is gone; the cold snows have melted away,
the time for the singing of birds has come, and the flowers appear in the
land.-- Resurrection! The trees seem to whisper it, the streams to be purring it,
the sun to be smiling it, and the world to be welcoming it. Everything
appears to be rejoicing in the power of returning life.
God
need not have made the spring-time, but in his loving kindness he has given it
once a year. We know it is coming. How eagerly we look for the first robin. Ah,
there he is, just as joy--giving as ever. He is reconnoitering -- just taking a
look over the land. He will be settling down to the business of house keeping
ere long. And there is the purple violet nodding its head. Everywhere nature
is waking up from its long sleep. The world is enjoying its awakening to life.
And it is all due to the fact that the sun is higher in the sky. Its rays are
coming more directly, less obliquely, and they gain power as it mounts still
higher. Trees, grass, flowers, and the brown earth itself, are all bathed in
the ardent, bountiful, life-giving solar light and warmth. Germination is going
on. There is a mighty process of transformation taking place on every hand.
This all preaches the yearly sermon of the world's great need, for above all
else men need the great Sun of Righteousness to arise with healing in his
beams. Nor shall they seek him in vain, for in due time he will disperse the
long night of sin, sorrow, and death, and death shall be no more.
THE EVER-REPEATED QUESTION
"If
a man die, shall he live again?" is a question asked by Job a long time
ago, and has been asked many times since. Science has no answer for this
question. The Platonic philosophy claims that man does not actually die, but is
immortal, and that death is but a semblance of dissolution, or a something
that affects merely the body, while an ethereal part called the spirit lives
on. In the words of the poet it says, "There is no death; what seems so is
transition. This life of mortal breath is but a portal of the life Elysian,
whose portal we call death." Much of the world's theology runs in this
same channel. But God's Word states: "They are all of the dust, and all
return to dust again." It is very important to see death to be what it is, and
then we are prepared to consider the great change that is to come to a dying
world.
When
Jesus was on earth, Israelites of Pharisaic persuasion believed in a
resurrection. Referring to her brother Lazarus, Martha said, "I know that
he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said unto
her, "I am the resurrection and the life [it is through me that the
resurrection will come]. He that believeth in me, though he were dead [in the
past] yet shall he live [in the future], and whosoever liveth [at that time]
and believeth in me shall never die." Thus the Master directed attention
to the one means of gaining life.
In
order to secure for the world a resurrection, Jesus had to die and rise again.
His own resurrection was the first great requirement. While his death seemed to
be the greatest possible overthrow of a cause, his resurrection revealed the
greatest triumph. He had promised to rise again, but in the main this had gone
over the heads of the disciples. So he convinced them by appearing to them. It
was an amazing revelation. He was alive. Death had no more dominion over him,
and now he possessed the power to open the tomb and to release from death; he
had the keys. So the Apostle wrote "Now is Christ risen from the dead, and
become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man
came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order; Christ the
firstfruits afterward they that are Christ's at his coming [presence]. Then cometh
the end, . . . when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and
power; for he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last
enemy that shall be destroyed is death." (1 Cor. 15:20-26.) In the
glorious hope of a resurrection, millions have lived and died.
"Why
seek ye the living among the dead?" said the angel at the tomb. Why,
indeed? And as the Master of life is not numbered among the dead, neither is
the doctrine of the resurrection, in its full scope and power, to be found in
the tomb of musty and stale theological treatises, or in creed graves. Yet it
lives in all its strength and beauty in the Word of God. But the smoke of false
creeds has obscured it from the eyes of the great majority, for they have failed
to see that the mighty promises of Holy Writ apply to all mankind. "I
will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O
death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction." - Hosea
13:14.
"And
it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the Lord, I will hear the
heavens, and they [the heavens] shall hear [have communication with] the earth
[the earthly representatives of the heavenly Kingdom]; and the earth shall
bear the corn, and the wine, and the oil [the people symbolized by corn, wine
and oil]; and they shall bear Jezreel [the lowest part of the world's
inhabitants, who so greatly need the uplifting influences of the
Kingdom]." - Hosea 2:21, 22.
IF YE THEN BE RISEN WITH CHRIST
During
the present Age some have been regarded as already risen with the Master.
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." (Col. 3:1.) To be risen with
Christ means to have an entirely new viewpoint of life and its affairs. The
great struggle for existence on earth encourages the growth of human ambition.
It is a saying that "there is always room at the top." Young people
are encouraged to acquire knowledge that they may thus rise to the summit; of human
achievement, and perchance have their names on the world's roll of fame. But
Christ calls to something very different, something higher. It is to have our
names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. And so we are to seek the things
above. Then on the other side of the veil we shall have fellowship with God's
people throughout eternity. All the things for which our hearts yearn are
stored up for us in that celestial realm, and some day we stall, if faithful,
share in the first resurrection. - See Phil. 3:10, 11.
ALL IN THEIR GRAVES SHALL ARISE
When
all in their graves shall arise, then comes the process of the general
resurrection for the members of the human race; and what this will mean for
the hundreds of millions who have died, no words can express. It will be the
regaining of life under entirely new conditions. We recall a great writer's description
of the death of a young girl, little Nell, who was taken from her friends and
borne to the cold tomb. Now, because of the redemption in Christ, we can
visualize little Nell alive once more. It is the great morning of the
resurrection. The world's long night is gone. The effulgent Sun of Peace is
risen and his glory is diffused upon human hearts and minds.
And
where are those who formerly traveled over life's wintry way? And where is
Nell? She is alive. No mere semblance of life is that, but life itself. It
shows in her sprightly step and in her sparkling eye. The rose has come back to
her cheeks and buoyancy to her form. The grave which held her for a season, has
no more claim upon her. She carries not the slightest suggestion of death's
power. She is the same sweet Nell as of old, but with added grace and freshness
due to recently imparted vigor of life and joy. Her former companions are there
too, and she finds her friends of former days. Trees, flowers, and grass clothe
the earth that was parched, and the warbling birds sang never so blithely as
now.
The
great congested cities are gone. The hovels of poverty are no more. People have
congenial employment. No one is in want. The earth is bringing forth its
increase, and injurious insects and weeds have been destroyed. Forces of nature
no longer run riot, and the air is balmy and invigorating. Men and women --
thousands of them -- have already come back from the tomb and millions more
will return in due time as the redeemed earth is made ready to receive them.
Social inequalities have melted away, for the only aristocracy is that of
character. There are no extremes of riches and poverty; money is a thing of the
past. There is no racial friction or strife, no war in all the world. The
people are characterized by a wonderful simplicity of manner and of dress;
their faces bear the stamp of honesty of purpose. Everything speaks of life and
testifies to the operation of a power hitherto unknown.
It
is the evening hour. The declining sun tints the cloud-flecked sky with a
glory past description, and a few birds are giving out their farewell notes to
the departing day. Here we sit in a kind of natural amphitheatre, formed by
gigantic trees. It is a goodly place, affording a grand, panoramic view of
earth and sky. All is quiet, and the gentle murmuring of some meandering stream
is a delight to the ear. It is a ,spot that invites us to tarry, while the magic
of approaching darkness weaves deeper shadows under the umbrageous branches of
the monarchs of the wood. And while the silken fingers of the softly vagrant
breeze fondles our cheek, we listen to the "stilly sounds that come with
eve" that whisper of a world at peace.
"Groves
were God's first temples," and men and women are coming to join in the
evening hour of worship. Joy is on every countenance. And over there where a
strata of protruding rock forms a natural rostrum, one of venerable aspect
speaks to the assembled participants. He discourses on the goodness of God,
and tells us that he lived on earth a long time ago, and we learn that his name
is Daniel, the beloved Prophet to whom the promise was made that in the end of
the days, he would come forth to stand among his people; and we remember him
as one who was faithful to the Lord in a wicked and idolatrous world.
We
listen as Daniel reminds his hearers that their presence there evidences the
fact that the promises of God are sure. It has all come to pass because God so
loved the world that he sent his Son from heavenly glory to a sin-cursed earth
to die on man's behalf. By the resurrection of Jesus he gave assurance that
some day the power of death would be broken, and now that glorious time has
come at last. He further reminds them that their present blessings are but a
foretaste of the blessings held out in the prospect of everlasting life,
promised to those who learn to know their God. And having concluded his
discourse, he mingles with the throng.
While
the shades of night gather round, and the great stars come out one by one in
the firmament above, let us also listen to our old friend, little Nell, as she
sings:
"There
is gladness in earth's morning,
For
the weary night is over;
Joy
and gladness in the morning,
With
earth now decked in Eden's prime.
All
the birds at last are singing,
And
love's music grandly ringing,
Oh
the glory of the morning time.
"A
great highway now is here,
For
the power of death is broken,
A
way for men to walk in freely,
Bright
with fragrant blossoms gay.
All
the rhapsodies of glory
Now
attend salvation's story,
Oh
the blessings of this happy day.
"Hearts
and minds unite in kindness,
And
there are no mists of blindness,
And
there flows truth's mighty river
From
God's throne all white and pure;
And
the happiness forth winging
Its
glad way around with singing,
Earth
shall smile and evermore endure."
A
closing hymn is announced, and the mighty throng sing as one person a great
"Jubilate Deo," to the Everlasting Father in Heaven, from whom all
blessings flow.
The
wonderful resurrection work goes on. The Son of love gives the fullness of his
splendor to mankind. And the divine music of peace, joy, kindness and
good-will, coming down to earth from above, will flow on and on in a mighty
tide of benediction to the hearts and minds of uncounted millions of the
human race. So let it be, O, Lord: Thy Kingdom come, and thy will be done on
earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.
-
Walter Sargeant.
"Bless Jehovah, O my soul, and all within me
bless his holy name: bless Jehovah, O my soul, and forget not any of his
dealings: who pardoneth all thine iniquities, and who healeth all thy diseases,
who redeemeth from the pit thy life, who crowneth thee with kindness and
compassions, who satisfieth with good thy desire, thy youth reneweth itself
like an eagle." - Psalm 103:1-5,
Rotherham.
DANGER
HAS threatened the life, or sorrows have engulfed the one who could write or
sing with the understanding such a Psalm as this one hundred and third. Perhaps
it was inspired by the experience from which the Psalmist had prayed in the
previous Psalm to be delivered. All who have their senses exercised by reason
of righteous use to discern the contrast between the evil that is in themselves
and the good that is in our Great Provider, in everything, at all times, will
give thanks to the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Such outpouring of
gratitude may be made on bended knee or standing in the public market place,
seated at the table furnished by his wisdom with natural or spiritual food,
lying on the bed to rest from a day of weary toil or for hours of restlessness,
or going about in the performance of the daily task.
We
need not concern ourselves with the critics' contention that David did not
write this Psalm. Whoever wrote it, the divine spirit was dictating phrases to
fit the need of every suffering and repentant son of Adam, whether living in
David's troubled age or in the age of grace. In this Age one of the manifestations
of that grace is the permitting of Satan and his cohorts to turn the wheels
that polish God's chosen ones, preparing them for the time of the greater
grace, the time when true praise will be rendered to his holy name. That
inestimable privilege is reserved for those who value the polishing enough to
sing Psalms of praise while they daily submit to the grinding experiences
without which the perfections of that reflected glory could never be
manifested.
"Bless
the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his dealings." To bless him for all that is
apparent to the flesh as benefits, as the King James version renders it, is
fairly easy; but blessing him for all his dealings, as Brother Rotherham has
rendered it, takes us far down into the Christian life, takes us to the point
where the Christian not merely quotes, "All things work together for
good," but really believes it, and believing to that point where he can
"in everything
give
thanks." To give thanks in everything without having faith to believe that
God's hand is guiding in everything is a vapid substitute for the sparkling
faith that "renews itself like the eagle. " - Psalm 103:5.
To
bless Jehovah implies affection as well as praise, all that is within one
recognizing the holiness of his name, and giving the reverence that can never
be satisfied with lip service, or even the giving of hours of one's time to
the passing on to others that which delights us so. All that is within me is
not enough to Praise his holiness as it deserves. To refrain from giving that
much is robbery of the basest sort. Rotherham comments: "Forget not any of his dealings: his benefits,
if thou
wilt-but have not all his 'dealings' been 'benefits,' though sometimes in
disguise? Forget not any of his dealings, for whereas it would be difficult
to forget them 'all,' be it thy care, as far as may be, that thou forget none,
since the forgotten mercy or chastisement may be that which thou dost now
most need to recall."
Though
we multiply a hundred times the list of reasons for gratitude which the
Psalmist gives in verses three to five, and who could not, our feeble
appreciation would probably have left out more than it has added. Not until
life's end has been reached will any of us be conscious of all the reasons for
gratitude. Not until the grass has faded, the flower of the field has
withered, the wind has passed over it and it is gone, its place knoweth it no
more (Psa. 103:15-16), and the new place Jesus went to prepare for those thus
represented is entered upon-not until then will that praise appropriately
sound forth.
The
Psalmist's praise flows on in unbroken phrase. No minor strain is dwelt upon.
The fading flower is introduced only to make more vivid the "loving
kindness of Jehovah from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear
him." The stream broadens as it flows on, the benefits of the individual
widening into gifts which are to fill the universe, "all places of his
dominion."
The
fallen human flesh, or even the new creature that dwells in this imperfect flesh,
cannot be depended upon to be properly grateful for its experiences, but must
be urged to "Bless the Lord." The Hebrew method of repetition
indicates the urgency of the necessity of that plea for thanksgiving, and
therefore the depravity, the natural ingratitude of the creature. Some limited
gratitude there might be where there is any nobility of soul, but if all that
is within us is to be marshaled for our Psalm of praise, it must be urged to
it. Memory must be trained to retain the innumerable evidences of God's grace,
the senses must be devoted to the proposition of discerning the kindness of
the Hand that often seems rough. A few moments listening to the complaining
tongue controlled by the flesh, makes painfully apparent the woeful habit of
retaining in the memory all the disagreeable details of life with little or no
attention to the benefits derived. These "light afflictions," not
worthy to be compared with the glory to follow, are the least of experiences
crowded into the life of any Christian. Until the experience comes, it is easy
to speak thus about it, but let tomorrow see the hand of our dearest friend
turned against us, or perhaps even that of a brother in the Lord, and if there
is not the faith to be assured that all is of the Lord's permission, and
essential for our eternal good, the lips that should be praising God, the life
that should rise as sweetest of incense before him, will indicate that self
has been exalted as a hideous idol occupying the niche that once we consecrated
as devoted to the Lord, a hallowed dwelling place for him alone.
LIFE'S BLESSINGS CATALOGUED
Twice
the name of Jehovah has been mentioned in our text. Now in listing some of his
"benefits," the pronoun "who" carries us back five times to
that name, the name of the Giver of every good and perfect gift. The supreme
Gift of gifts is implied in the first benefit mentioned, the forgiveness of all
our iniquities, It is no more possible for our feeble intellects to cope
with the enormity of our transgressions than with the breadth, length, height,
and depth of God's generosity. Since we are "born in sin, and shapen in
iniquity," it is too familiar a companion for us to rightly appraise it.
Hence the justification that covers all, cannot possibly be fully appreciated
by us. Neither the blackness of the sin nor the purity of that white covering
can be comprehended. It is Christ's righteousness that the Father sees when he
looks at us. We therefore appear to him as white, as pure, as lovely as Jesus
was when he walked this earth in his per section. Without his revelation such a
claim would be blasphemous.
"God's
work is perfect and not done by halves," so Matthew Henry comments in
introducing the phrase, "Who healeth all our diseases." Sad indeed
would be the state of one whose sins were covered, but he himself left with
soul-sickness, the putrefying power of sin still working in him. That our God
could not do. Yea, further yet, the life that is redeemed from the pit is
crowned with daily loving-kindness and compassion. The brow of every Christian
is thus garlanded every blessing, every compassion is a leaf resting there as
an advance token of the victory to be theirs if their Thanksgiving Day can be
extended to reach to the day of their change. "We are made partakers of
Christ [Greek: "sharers in, partners of" Christ] if we hold the
beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end," "if we hold the
confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. " -
Heb. 3:14.
This
crown and "its adornment is not only a result of the divine attributes of
loving-kindness and compassions, but the very things themselves, so that an
effulgence from God beautifies the soul. Nor is even this all, for the same
gifts which are beauty are also sustenance, and God satisfies the soul with
good, especially with the only real good, himself. " (A. Maclaren.) "Delight
thyself in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart,"
he will give thee himself, if he is the desire of thy heart. Without
thankfulness for all that comes from his hand, there can be no evidence
of delighting ourselves in him.
SATISFACTION THAT SATISFIES
"Who
satisfies thy mouth with good." The natural mouth, like the grave, is
never satisfied; but he who feeds on God, he who eats the flesh of his Son,
finds a nourishment that results in a growth into his likeness, and those who
now feed on him alone must be made partakers of the divine nature; perpetual
youth is his portion, and only the bird that makes its nest on the highest
crags of the eternal mountains can be a fit symbol of the one who gives all
that is within him to the praising of Jehovah, the one whose rejoicing is not
slacked by "infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions,
distresses for Christ's sake," but whose praise of Jehovah rings
only the louder as he realizes that in these things he is "filling up that
which is [for his sake] left behind of the afflictions of Christ."
-
P. E. Thomson.
In the current attempts at
church unity, two Baptist ministers see a rising,
frightening new bigotry that endangers religious freedom.
This article by Henry A.
Buchanan (chaplain of the Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington, Ky.) and Bob
W. Brown (pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Lexington) appeared in the
October 24, 1964, issue of "The Saturday Evening Post" and is used by special
permission of "The
Saturday Evening Post"; copyright 1964 by The Curtis Publishing
Company.
THE
AMERICAN religious system is under fire today. A legacy of the Protestant
Reformation, the system that provides us such a variety of churches is being
challenged and questioned by the suddenly popular ecumenical movement.
Launching a zealous crusade to unite Christendom, the ecumenists have declared
that a divided Body of Christ is a sin and a scandal. In fact, however, it is
the ecumenical movement that presents the real danger. It could lead to creation
of an ecclesiastical power structure that bears no resemblance to anything
envisioned by Jesus of Nazareth. What is worse, in striving after a super
church, we may destroy the heritage of diversity that has enriched our
spiritual life. And still worse, Protestants may be pressured or lured into
creeds and positions that will compromise their religious beliefs.
The
ecumenical movement has been given a tremendous thrust by the Second Vatican
Council and by Rome's overtures to the Orthodox and Protestant communions. Following
the lead of John XXIII, the Vaticn Council has held out to the "separated
brethren" a tentative offer of "reunion." An equally powerful
thrust has come from non-Catholic leaders, who entertain the hope that the
church may achieve the unity which would lend authority to their
pronouncements on social issues. Inside American Protestantism, meanwhile,
machinery has been set in motion to unite four major Protestant bodies in this
country -- the Episcopalians, the Presbyterians, the Methodists and the United
Church of Christ. (The last already represents a union of two churches.) At
the same time a "climate" is being created, through
Protestant-Catholic "dialogue," in which it is hoped that an
agreement can be reached.
With
so much pressure behind the ecumenical movement, one may wonder why the walls
of denominationalism do not crumble into dust immediately. The truth is that
the doctrinal differences represent the honest convictions of sincere men who
do not see alike on basic issues. To expect these men to dissolve their
differences in the heady elixir of church union is to assume that the issues
for which men have suffered and died are not really important, that Luther and
Calvin and Knox and Wesley, and all their spiritual descendants down to this
day, have been haggling over nonessentials. Are we not witnessing in the ecumenical
movement the birth of a new and frightening form of religious bigotry-the
assumption that anyone who holds out for his views is guilty of a perversely
obstinate and un-Christian attitude?
What
about these doctrinal differences that divide Christendom? Can honest men cast
them on the refuse heap for the sake of unity? Does church union really tower
like a Mount Everest over all other doctrines? Will "dialogue"
dissolve disagreement on such basic doctrines as baptism, Lord's Supper,
religious liberty, church government, and the role of the Virgin Mary?
To
illustrate the dilemma, take the Marian controversy. The bishops at the Vatican
Council can divide over such a technicality as whether the mother of Jesus
should be included in the schema on the church or whether she should have a
separate schema of her own. But this does not touch the essential fact that the
Roman Catholic Church has already issued two dogmas concerning Mary which are
rejected by Protestants. In 1854 Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of
Mary's freedom
from original sin the Immaculate Conception -- and in 1950
Pius XII decreed
that Mary had ascended bodily into heaven-the dogma of Assumption.
Will
the Catholic Church decide now that Mary was born, died and was buried like
other women, in order to make Marian dogma acceptable to Protestants? Very
unlikely. Then will Protestants accept Immaculate Conception and Bodily assumption
in order to get back into the church? Apparently they must, if reunion is to
be accomplished. Catholic leaders have implied a willingness on Rome's part to
soften Catholic views on some of the more controversial differences -- but
the more conservative Vatican spokesmen are quick to point out that while new
and more acceptable explanations will be given for the church's positions,
there will be no surrender of what the church has proclaimed as dogma.
Will
"dialogue" dissolve the difference on the meaning, purpose and
method of baptism? Presbyterians and Methodists baptize by sprinkling;
Nazarenes and the Church of Christ baptize by immersion; Roman Catholics
baptize babies for salvation, the Christian churches baptize adults for
salvation, and Baptists do not believe that baptism saves anyone. Can the
various views of the Lord's Supper somehow be reconciled by discussion? To
Lutherans the Communion represents the real presence of Christ, the Baptists
see it as a memorial service and the Roman Catholics believe that it is a means
of acquiring saving grace.
And
what about some of the differences in the way men live? Take birth control,
for instance. The population explosion is a moral issue. Without some sort of
birth control, the increase in population will continue to exceed the increase
in production of food for the already starving millions on the earth. Birth
control is an issue which must be seen in theological perspective. The Roman
Catholic Church has taken the position that the use of artificial means of
contraception is contrary to natural law and is immoral. Many Protestant
theologians hold that the concern for partners in marriage and for the children
must take precedence over concern for the methods used in limiting the size
of the family. The complexity of the population problem indicates the need for
more than one view of the issue. We must not let one church's views dominate.
We need many creative approaches to solve a problem as massive as
overpopulation.
Take
another practical matter: religious liberty. This is a principle for which men
have suffered imprisonment and even death. When the Roman Catholic Church
talks about religious liberty, it is talking about the right to preach and
practice Catholicism in Communist countries such as Poland. But when Baptists
talk about religious freedom, they are talking about equal rights with
Catholics in Spain and Portugal.
What
is the aim of the ecumenists? Protestant ecumenists talk about Catholics and
Protestants reaching out toward each other, and meeting on ground which neither
Catholic nor Protestant can now envision. But let us look at the facts. The Vatican
Council is actually aimed at updating the Roman Catholic Church to meet the
challenges of the present and the future. Roman Catholic theologians are not
talking about a compromise with Protestants. They are talking about
"the return to the one church under the one pontiff" -- the words of
the theological adviser to the Dutch hierarchy at the Second Vatican Council.
Some Catholic theologians do recognize the necessity for changes in the
structure and outward appearance of the church, as is evidenced by the changes
the Vatican Council has approved for the Catholic liturgy. But they solemnly
warn Protestants against hoping for any kind of compromise. Liberal and
conservative Catholic spokesmen disagree as to whether doctrine and teaching authority
can change significantly in the interest of ecumenism, but they agree
completely that reunion could come about only one way: The separated brethren
would have to return to the "one true church" under the successor of
Peter. In the schema on ecumenism offered to the Vatican Council, the
Protestant churches are not recognized as churches at all, but as
"communities." Obviously, to dissolve and absorb these
"Protestant communities" is the aim of Catholic ecumenists.
Many
churchmen who favor a Protestant-Catholic dialogue are deceiving themselves.
Through a dialogue, they seem to believe, differences can be discussed
dispassionately, a common heritage can be shared, and the voice of Christendom
can be heard on current social and moral issues. Advocates of dialogue seem to
feel that the very fact that Protestants and Catholics -- and Jews -- have
communicated is just as significant as any conclusions they might reach. This
may be due to the fact that when they are honest they do not come to much
agreement. We must ask whether this is a harmless flirtation which is attest
a waste of time, and at worst an indulgence in self-deception by which the
"broadminded" are being led to accept the basic tenets of ecumenism.
Suppose
that the ecumenical movement should succeed. Suppose that all the churches
unite into one, and that this one church becomes the sole repository of
religious doctrine, the sole arbiter of man's spiritual. destiny. Where will
the discerner, the nonconformist, the individualist go? Where will a man go if
he finds himself at variance with a doctrine or, worse still, the governing
authority of that one church? The ultimate theological implications of the one
church concept are obvious. There would be only one place for the dissenter.
The one church would say he must go to hell.
If
this sounds extreme, then look again at the church in Europe in the years
before the Protestant Reformation, when Christendom was cloaked in a seamless
robe. The pride of the papacy reached its zenith when Hildebrand (Pope Gregory
VII) forced the Emperor Henry IV to stand bare-footed in the snow at Canossa on
17 consecutive days before he would permit him to resume his reign. Rome was
sometimes dissolute, as in the reign of the Borgins, while priests who held a
monopoly on heaven dispensed indulgences for a price. And hanging like a pall
over the whole scene was the stench of human flesh burning, grim reminder of
the heretic's fate.
We
are afraid of a super church, just as we are afraid of a super state, and not
because of a lack of faith in God. What we recognize is the fact that man
cannot be trusted without checks and balances upon his power and authority --
not even in the church. The various branches of Christendom now act as checks
and balances, one upon the other, and they have a purifying effect on each
other. Remove this tension, and we could be back to the pre-Reformation
struggle between church and state with the individual man caught in the middle.
Moreover, each of the branches -- Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Nazarene,
Adventist, whatever it may be -- throws a different ray of light on the Christ
figure in our midst. Each one has a special emphasis and consequently shows our
world another facet of the glory of God who, in His creativity, apparently set
a high value on diversity.
There
are indeed some things that all Christians hold in common. There are also some
essential differences that divide us, and the differences are as important as
those things we hold in common, for they enrich the common heritage. We can see
no valid reason why agreement on the significance of Mary, for example, should
be a test of whether a man is a Christian.
We
must ask ourselves the searching question: What is the real purpose of the
church in the world? Is the church union the goal? Is bigness the end in
itself? Is power the purpose? No, the church is here so that lonely, frightened
men may find a refuge and a friend, that sinful men may find forgiveness and
acceptance, that bruised and crippled men may find healing and strength, that
men who hunger for righteousness may band together to form a more righteous
society, and that men who thirst after godliness may dedicate themselves to a
life of service. If church union would contribute to the achievement of these
ends, then we would be for it. But history teaches us that "the one
church" soon becomes the repository of pride and power and gives very
little attention to the real needs of man.
True,
the Roman Catholic Church is seeking, through the Vatican Council, to reform,
renew and bring itself up to date. But it is questionable whether the reform
movement would happen now if it were not for the "separated brethren"
who have helped to make Rome aware of her own needs. If the "separated
brethren" reunite with Rome, this influence for reform will be
eliminated.
Was
the Protestant Reformation a great mistake? Is the big task before us now the
undoing of the Reformation? What we need to do is not to annul the Reformation
but to complete it.
The
American religious community, in an atmosphere of freedom not experienced
anywhere else in the world, has created a multitude of sects, denominations and
churches. In the struggle for acceptance on the part of the newer sects, and
for continued support on the part of the older, more "respectable"
churches, bitterness and acrimony have often erupted. But the churches have
grown strong in this atmosphere. They have won the loyalty and support of
their adherents, as they have given to individuals something distinctive with
which they could identify themselves. The churches have spurred one another by
criticizing, one another. And they have helped to deliver society itself from
the leveling, deadening effect of a trend'. toward conformity. In offering mar.
a choice, a choice between Catholic and Protestant, between Baptist and.
Methodist, between Presbyterial and Pentecostal, between an organized church
and free thought, our pluralistic religious community halt given the individual
man the opportunity and the challenge to follow the Christ who cannot be
confined to any one church nor yet to all
the
churches.
What
we need is not more uniformity but more diversity in which the unlimited grace
of God can find additional channels to reach the needs of men. Instead of one
church under one human and mortal head, we need many churches. We do, indeed,
worship one God, but it is highly unlikely that any one church will exhaust
the wisdom and the wonder of His revelation of Himself to the world.
If
we had no choice? It must never come to that. We must retain the right of
choice. We will not accept the judgment of the ecumenists upon the churches.
"Breathe
on us, Lord; Thy radiance pour
On
all the wonders of the page
Where
hidden lies the heavenly lore
That
blessed our youth and guides our age.
"Give
strength, blest Savior, in Thy might;
Illuminate
our hearts, and we,
Transformed
into Thine image bright,
Shall
teach, and love, and live, like Thee! "
The
Christian faith does not center in a Dogma, or in a Book, but in a Person, and
this the cause and pledge of its essential unity. Its one answer to all who,
with the Philippian jailer, ask "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
is the answer of Paul and Silas, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved, and thy house." That truth was clearly seen by the
writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, when he began his magnificent sketch of
Christian theology with the pregnant words, "God, who fragmentarily and
multifariously of old spake to our fathers by the prophets, at the end of these
days spake unto us by his Son.
But
unity does not exclude diversity -- nay, more, without diversity there can be
no true and perfect unity. Where there is no unity, there is distraction, but
where there is no diversity there is death. Where the spirits of the prophets
are not subject to the prophets -- where every man is conscious only of his own
invisible consecration -- where, as in the Church of Corinth every one in his
fanatical egotism is anxious to shout down the truths revealed to others, that he may absorb the attention of
all by his own "tongue," however barbarous, however dissonant,
however unintelligible -- where it is ignored that, amid the diversities of
gifts and ministrations there is yet the translucent energy of one and the same
spirit -- there is confusion, and railing, and irreligious strife. And where,
on the other hand, all lips mechanically repeat the same shibboleth for
centuries after its significance has been worn away-where the dullness of a self-styled
"orthodoxy" has obliterated the many hues of the wisdom of God --
where inquiry is pressed under the heel of authority where, in fact, there can
be no independent inquiry because all conclusions are dictated beforehand by
the tyranny of an usurped infallibility
-- there is uniformity indeed, but therewith corruption and decay. When it is persecution to
alter the perspective of a doctrine, and death to leave the cart-rut of a
system -- when they who question the misinterpretations of Scripture which
have been pressed into the service of popular errors, must face the anger of startled ignorance --
when there is no life save, the spark which glows in the ashes of the Martyr, or the lamp which
flickers in the Reformer's cell -- then the caste which has seized the keys of the
Kingdom of heaven may boast of unity, but it is the unity produced by selfishness in the few, and,
serfdom in the many. The unity so secured is but the stagnancy of the unrippled
water, the monotony of the
barren sands. It is the unity of the
dead plain, "where every molehill is a mountain, and every thistle is a
forest tree." In this latter condition there is a deadlier peril than in
the former. Even discords can be inwrought
into the vast sequences of some mighty
harmony, but what great music can be achieved with but a single note? Unbroken
unanimity may be the boast of a deadening
Buddhism, a withered Confucianism, a mechanical Islam; it cannot exist in a
free and living Christianity. If it exists at
all, it can oily be as a uniformity
of indifference and ignorance --
a uniformity of winter and of night. The uniformity of the noonday is only for the
infinite. For finite beings, if there be any light at all, there must be the colors of
the sunset, land the sevenfold luster of the, rainbow, which is only seen when
there is rain as well as sun.
--
"The Early Days of Christianity," by F. W. Farrar.
"Great peace have they which love thy law:
and
nothing shall offend [stumble] them." -
Psalm 119:165.
NOTWITHSTANDING
many discouraging circumstances and the severe trial of faith which has been
and still is testing the Lord's dear people, the year 1964 has brought a
deepening assurance of the promise that "The Lord knoweth them that are
his." (2 Tim. 2:19). Again, St. Paul has put into words the assurance of
our confidence as in Romans 8:28: "We know that all things work together
for good" for those called into the secret things of our God. The Bible
repeatedly assures us that in the days of the Son of Man we must expect that
he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver to purge away the dross of the
old nature.
In
the transition period in which we are living and which closes the Gospel Age,
should we be surprised at these tests of the Refiner? "Beloved, think it
not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of
Christ's sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also
with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye,
for the spirit of glory and of God resteth on you." (1 Pet. 4:12-14).
Contributing
to our sense of rejoicing is the manner in which the curtain of darkness and
superstition is being lifted all around the earth, in harmony with the words of
the Revelator (Rev. 8:5) "and there were voices [proclamation of ideas]
and thunderings [resulting tumults and controversies] and lightnings [general
enlightenment] and an earthquake [social revolution]." The world today is
a living panorama of these conditions and daily news reports confirm incipient
anarchy. world-wide.
These
developments in this evil day are full of special danger to the Lord's people
because of increase of temptation on every point of weakness to every member
of Christ's Body. The besetments of the world, the flesh and the devil are more
subtle and deceptive and more powerful than ever before. To be forewarned is
useless unless it leads to action, the laying aside of every weight and hindrance
which impedes our growth in grace, hindering sacrifice and the fulfillment of
our covenant by sacrifice.
We
must remove from our pathway at once every hindrance and stumblingblock which
the adversary may put in our way and keep on running for the mark at which the
prize will be given. To parley with besetments is to fail; to endeavor to
carry them along on the way is impossible-the way is too narrow. All possessing
such glorious hopes should display confidence therein; let the light of our lives
shine to the glory of our Heavenly Father.
These
thoughts are prompted by experiences amongst the friends across this great
country during the year 1964. The benediction of pence is a blessing sought and
eulogized wherever man is known, but experienced by a surprisingly small number.
Careworn souls, turning away from the vision of weary years of trial and
suffering and seeing same friends upon whom sorrows press lightly, wonder at
the beauties of life which seem to be withheld from them, and yearn for peace.
Disappointed hearts, finding earthly joys so often turn to ashes, implore for
rest and peace. Bereavement breaks up the closely knit family and individuals
therein seek for that hour of forgetfulness in which they may find quietness
and courage.
The
cause of unrest amongst the Lord's people is not the excessive weight of
burdens, not the severity of trial, for often those who enjoy the sweetest rest
have material surroundings of the most distressing nature. Rather the cause
lies within the individual and consists in only a partial reception of the
grace which would free them from this unrest. There must be the concurrence of
our wills with God's will, necessitating an unreserved surrender to him. The
principle seems to be stated by St. Paul (2 Cor. 13:5): "Examine
yourselves . . . prove your own selves."
While
the surface of our lives may sometimes show agitation, the peaceful currents
of the soul will move onward to God himself, whence came this wondrous grace.
His love will overwhelm the little disappointments of an hour, drowning our
sorrows and washing away the stains of our tears. There will come to such the
beautiful words of St. Paul, so thrilling in the expression of confidence that
they should ever be before us: "Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all
the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these
things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor
things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 8:35-39). Do these words mean anything to us? Do we
face life each day in this spirit of victory ? May our daily complaints about a wise providence not indicate a
failure on our part to have on our heads at all times the helmet of salvation,
or a failure to properly use the shield of faith?
The
year just ended brings to view the imperfections of even our best efforts, for
which we make humble acknowledgment, but looking to the future there are many
difficulties to obstruct our onward course. It will be necessary to reinforce
our waning courage with the spiritual promises of divine grace given to help in
every time of need. We are forewarned of all the snares and dangers that beset
our onward way, so that we may avoid and overcome them. We are fully informed
as to the policy
and course of
the Captain under whose banner we have enlisted. We have his constant presence,
and his inspiring voice may always be heard above the clash and din of battle.
If we are weak and inclined to be fainthearted we have only to remember the
blessed promise: "The Lord will give strength unto his people. "
(Psa. 29:11) And again, " God is our refuge and strength." (Psa.
46:1)
This
past year has also witnessed the further shaking of the heavens and the earth,
the spiritual and earthly kingdom of Satan. It has afforded an opportunity for
some ecclesiastical leaders to manifest their unfaithfulness to the dogmas
hitherto confessed, but it has also indirectly done some good in awakening
thought and bursting some of the fetters of superstition which will never be
refastened. The way has been opened for the spread of general infidelity under
the guise of modern man's achievements, which spreads faster and farther than
the truth--the Divine Plan of the Ages. May not this condition possibly account
for the peculiar lack of interest quite evident everywhere in this country in
the Divine plan of salvation? To combat this assault on Christendom,
conservative men of all denominations are being forced by circumstances beyond
their control into a church union, now in the discussion stage.
Since
the Scriptures have foretold this present shaking and indicate that many will
fall into doubt and infidelity, let us remember that God is at the helm; we
need not fear. We see that in the midst of the great confusion everywhere, God
is surely and steadily working out his deep designs for the final and complete
overthrow of false doctrine, superstition, hypocrisy, injustice, and every
iniquitous device which seeks to hide truth and establish and maintain
oppression. He shakes and sifts because he would separate the many who have
assumed the name of Christ but who are not truly his people. The genuine
saints will not fall, even though some of them may for a time stumble; for the
Lord will uphold such with the right hand of his righteousness. (See Isa.
41:10; Psa. 91:11-12)
The
present world-wide commotion, not only upon religious but also social
questions, is the result of the lifting of the veil of ignorance. The sudden
enlightenment of the masses through education, the public press and other
sources, has considerably reversed previous practices, as predicted in Daniel
12:1-4.
The
trouble and shaking of the professed Church is because the selection of the
true Church member, is almost complete. The trouble upon society in general
will not reach its intensity until the shaking of the ecclesiastical heavens
has broken the fetters of superstition and plunged the masses into skepticism
and open unbelief. Then the many kingdom, and religions will pass away to make
room for the one true kingdom of Christ under the whole heavens. I t will take
the place of power as represented by Satan's kingdom, and the Mediatorial
blessing of mankind will begin-first with those who pass through this great
time of trouble, as did Noah and his family a t the time of the flood, and
afterward extending to all that are in their graves, who shall be awakened and
come forth to a full knowledge and to a full opportunity of reaching perfection
and everlasting life, secured for them by the cross of Calvary.
In
the midst of the shaking going on around us, there are some lesson, that we
must always remember. In the Church we must recognize individual rights and
responsibilities, and also the fact that the accountability of each member is
to our Father alone. Our dear Redeemer, who is able to read the heart, to
measure the circumstances, and to judge righteous judgment, is the one before
whom we must severally stand or fall. Our consecration include, the effort to
build one another up in faith, hope, and love, and to encourage the spirit of
self-sacrifice and o .r patient
endurance as good soldier, of Christ.
The
manner in which each of us uses consecrated talents entrusted to our care is
left by the Lord with each individual. Either good or bad judgment may be used,
but the Lord will commend and reward according to the motives involved and not
according to actual results. In these days of manifold problems we must
endeavor to use our talents properly with a single eye to the glory of God, and
without reference to the spirit of the world, and then will we find confidence
before the Lord.
There
are many ways in which we can display to all that we are true disciples of
Christ. He himself told us that the hallmark of real Christianity is the
quality of love. (John 1.3:35) In the first place, this love will work no ill
to his brother; it will neither slander his character, nor cheat, nor envy, nor
in any way wrong him. On the other hand, love will be active in the service of
the brethren. It will think as favorably of their motives of action as possible
and decline to pronounce judgment against them. It will speak kindly and
cordially to them and of them. It will sympathize in their afflictions and
rejoice in their prosperity; it will, when necessary, counsel with them in
perplexity and assist them when possible and when needed in adversity; it will
rejoice with them in the blessing of Divine truth and engage heartily with them
in its service. Indeed, all those who thus love each other will stand shoulder
to shoulder in the great work to which their united talents are consecrated,
not hiding the talents of any, but anxious to see as much as possible directed
in the service of the Lord. So the Lord loved his disciples, and so they loved
each other and worked together in the common cause.
These
observations reflect lessons noted during this pilgrimage, which stretched from
the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, an
automobile trip of some 25,000 miles. Once again our gratitude to all the dear
friends for their hospitality and generous affection in the Lord. As with the
other pilgrim brothers with whom we are associated, the goodly result of this
ministry is made possible only by the grace and blessing of our Lord. Let us
rejoice, dear brethren, in our common heritage and in our soon gathering
together with Christ in his kingdom. The words of the prophet Isaiah come to
mind "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors
about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation
be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. " (Isa. 26:20-21.) Surely
today we verily need this abiding place where we may rest in quietness and
confidence!
-
A. L. Muir.
Romans 3:28; 5:1
Question:
The
Scriptures make it clear that we are justified by faith. (Rom. 3:28; Romans
5:1.) Why does God set such a premium on faith? Why does he reckon us righteous
on account of our faith? Why does he justify by faith rather than by one of the
other graces? Why not by fortitude, patience, meekness, gentleness, humility;
above all, why not by love? What is there in faith that gives it such value in
God's sight?
Answer:
Faith
is the root of all the other graces; it is in faith that they have their
origin.
If
in our hearts we have true faith, the manifestation of all the other graces
will appear in our conduct. Our lives will be, or will become, characterized by
fortitude, patience, meekness, gentleness, humility, and love. If we have in
our hearts not a dead, but a living faith, we have in us the root of all the other
graces; we have in us that which is already pregnant with them and which, in
due time, under the guidance of and by the power of the holy spirit, will
produce them all; whereas, if it were possible for our Christian life to begin
with any one of them, even love, or with all of them put together, without
faith, their root, being in us, they would be without hope of reaching
maturity, but must inevitably wither, when subjected to a sufficiently strong
test.
The
Apostle Peter brings this strikingly to our attention in his second Epistle,
(2 Peter 1:1-8). There he shows the rounded-out, well-balanced condition in
which a true Christian character matures. The picture he draws is somewhat
obscured in our Authorized Version by a mistranslation, so that in that Version
the passage reads: "Add to your faith, virtue, and to your virtue,
knowledge," etc. A better translation appears in the Revised Version. We
are not to first mature faith and then to our matured faith add virtue
(or fortitude) and then to our matured fortitude add knowledge, etc.
The word is much more vital than "add." The faith that we bring to
the Christian life is to contain in itself the seeds which will produce all
these graces. As faith grows, they will grow.
In
your faith supply virtue (or fortitude) reads the Revised Version, and
in your fortitude knowledge, and in your knowledge self-control;
and in your self-control, patience, or steadfastness, or endurance;
and in your steadfastness, godliness, and in your godliness,
brotherly-kindness; and in your brotherly-kindness, supply love.
As
further bearing on the fact that faith is the root of the other graces, we note
the fine touch of spiritual wisdom which appears in the disciples' answer to
the Lord when he instructed them in regard to the duty of forgiveness: "If
thy brother trespass against thee seven time& in a day, and seven times in
a day turn again unto thee, saying, 'I repent,' thou shalt forgive him." -
Luke 17:4.
Exceeding
strain is this to put upon our patience, and to put upon our love-offense
crowding upon offense and injury upon injury till it has grown to a seven-fold
affront. But the point of special interest just now is how the disciples
received this instruction. Did they say: Lord, it will take a great deal of
patience before we shall have developed characters which will be able to do
this. Train us in the secret of forbearance? Or did they say: Lord, it is only
when we greatly love, that we can forgive to such an extent. Increase in us
therefore, this grace of love?
No!
-- the Apostles did not thus reply. Instead they besought the Lord to increase
their faith. (Luke 17:5.) They asked that the root might be strengthened, to
brace the tree for such trial and resistance.
So
must it be with us. When a great trial comes into our lives, or when we are taxed with some unusual
service, or called upon to take a larger share of fellowship in the burdens and
sufferings of Christ, we may be as certain as were these disciples, that the
surest way for us
to be fit for
the strain, is to have our faith strengthened; that we must believe more,
if we would do more; that our rest in him must be in a deeper repose, a calmer and
more sure trust, ere we can be greatly used in his dear service.
-
P. L. Read.
The
Annual Meeting of the Pastoral Bible Institute, due to be scheduled for
Saturday, June 5, has been postponed to Saturday, September 18. Plans are now
under way to hold it in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
We
are making this early announcement so that Institute members, who might wish
to participate in conventions now being planned by Associated Bible Students in
various parts of the country to be held during the summer will know that they
need not reserve the June date for the Institute's Annual Meeting.
Further
particulars as to the hour and place of meeting will be announced later.
David
A. Allen, Seattle, Wash.
Fred
Anderson, Williams Bay, Wis.
Frank
Bartowski, Chicago, Ill.
Millie
Blackburn, Orillia, Ont.
William
Chrzanowski, Chicago, Ill.
Willie
Dhein, Seattle, Wash.
Lavergne
R. Gaven, Chicago, Ill
Helen
Karalow, Chicago, Ill.
Eva
Konrad, Seattle, Wash.
Anna
Kuybida, Chicago, Ill.
Leila
Olsen, Esopus, N.Y
C.
Florence Parker, St. Louis, Mo.
Charles
F. Plath, Rexford, N.Y.
Vivian
Reeves, Snoqualmie, Wash.
Elisabeth
K. Schelter, Green Brae, Cal.
Hattie
Stark, Seattle, Wash.
Harry
Surry, Barking, Essex, Eng.
George
H. Vining, Channte, Kans.
Helen
White, Longview, Wash.
SISTER EDITH HOSKINS
Just
as we are going to press, the news reaches us that Sister Edith Hoskins (who
had charge of the Institute's Correspondence Dept. from its beginning, in
1918, until her retirement in 1960), ended her earthly pilgrimage February 22,
1965, in her eighty-third year.
"Precious in the sight
of the Lord is the death of his saints."
A
group of brethren are making a survey to determine the probable demand if the
Watch Tower Reprints for the years 1879-1916, or any of Brother Russell's other
works, were made available.
To
facilitate their survey, they have prepared a questionnaire, a copy of which
will be sent to any of our readers, on request. Write for same direct to:
Chicago
Bible Students Book Survey Committee 11000 S. Mansfield Ave. Chicago Ridge,
Ill. 60415
1965
Index
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