VOL.
LIII. November/December 1970 No. 6
A "Faithful Saying" for the Christmas Season
The Prayer of Faith Shall Save
PASTOR RUSSELL'S OUT-OF-PRINT WRITINGS A "Faithful Saying" for the Christmas Season"This is a faithful
saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners." - 1 Timothy 1:15. AT
THIS season of the year it is our custom to meditate on the story of the Advent,
to let our thoughts linger either on our Lord's birth itself, or on some of the
remarkable incidents which attended it. While we may, and do, question the
accuracy of the date, December 25, believing rather that his birth occurred in
the autumn at the beginning of the Jewish year, yet as has been truly observed,
since our Lord did not anywhere indicate his wish that we should celebrate his
birthday at all, and since the general celebration takes place at this season,
we may appropriately enough join with all whose hearts are in the attitude of
love and appreciation toward God and his dear Son, our Redeemer. In
our meditations, however, while we invariably derive much spiritual profit as
in spirit we accompany the shepherds to Bethlehem (Luke 2:15), it is not
because we dwell only or mainly on our Lord's birth, or on any of the
circumstances attending it, but rather because we endeavor, under the guidance
of the Spirit, to penetrate to its inner significance -to the mind of
Christ Jesus, rather than to his birth, to the motives which prompted
him to lay aside the glory which he had with the Father before the world was
(John 17:5), to the purpose for which he emptied himself of that glory and took
on him the form of a servant. For the mind of Christ must certainly be much
more to us than any event in his history, however great. That may be the
glory of an age: but this is for all time, for all eternity. And we know
of no passage of Scripture which throws a clearer, stronger, light on the mind
of Christ, on the inward significance, on the motive and purpose, whether of
the Advent or of the Atonement, than the "faithful saying" we have
quoted at the head of this article. And how suitable a "saying" it is
for the Christmas season, for it exactly expresses the purpose of our Lord's
advent -- the salvation of our lost and dying race. OUR LORD'S PREEXISTENCE IMPLIEDThat
"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" is still one of
the grandest sayings in the world, for all so simple as it sounds; and there
must in very deed have been a divine grace and inspiration on the lips which
first uttered it. It is only by a sustained effort of imagination that we can
in any measure conceive what it was to those on whose waiting and prepared ears
it originally fell. But even to us, whose ears are dulled by long use of the
words, they grow impressive as we ponder them, taking on added meaning. Is
there nothing strange, nothing startling, in the phrase, "Christ Jesus
came -- Christ Jesus advented -- into the world"? That could be
said of none but him. For it implies that his coming, his advent, was a
conscious and voluntary act, a self-determining effort of his will. It implies
his preexistence on some other plane; it implies that he did not begin to be
when he came into this world; nor come, as we come, apart from his own
knowledge and choice. Nothing less than the great secret of godliness is in
these words, or in the New Testament use of them; the change of nature from
spirit to human of the mighty Logos, who at all times was so completely one
with the Father, in aim, in thought, in purpose, that when he was here he could
truthfully say, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father," and of
whom an Apostle could write he was "God manifest in flesh" (John
14:9; 1 Tim. 3:16). No
doubt this saying won wide acceptance in the Church, and was commended as a
faithful saying by St. Paul, partly because it contained the confession that
Christ Jesus had come in flesh; for thus it met and satisfied the test by which
the Apostles had demanded that all spiritual utterances should be tried. Yet
surely it was not this alone, nor this mainly, which commended it to the
general heart. Even we value the doctrine of the pre-human existence of
Christ, and of his virgin birth, mainly because, holding those truths, we can
see and believe that he possessed the ability to become our Savior if he
would; mainly because, his willingness being also abundantly attested, we can
and do rejoice in him as our Savior indeed.. And therefore we may well believe
that the early Church loved and adopted this prophetic saying, not so much for
its opening as for its closing words. That "Christ Jesus came into the
world" was much; but that he "came into the world to save
sinners" -- this was the pathetic surprise, this the mystery of
grace, which broke men down into tears of penitence and love and rapture,
before which Jew and Gentile fell on their faces and worshiped him. HE CAME TO SAVEThat
Jehovah would eventually, "in due time," send a Mighty One into the world
to bless, to reward his loyal and obedient servants, was no more than a pious Hebrew would have expected of him.
The great promise to Abraham that in his seed should all the families of the
earth be blessed - a promise reiterated and amplified by all the Prophets who
followed -- assured him of this. That a god, a mighty one, should come into
the world to aid and protect those who were specially devoted to his service,
or even to gratify his own lust and caprice, was what any Greek would be prepared to expect;
for had not his ears buzzed with such fables ever since he had seen the stately
forms of his gods towering, in their white marble loveliness, above the altars
in street and temple, or listened to the wandering rhapsodists reciting the
Homeric strains? But that God in Christ, should come down into the world not to
indulge his preferences and lusts, not to aid and protect his devotees, not
even to succor and reward the righteous men who walked in all his ordinances
and commandments blameless, but to save sinners, to bless his enemies, to redeem those whom the
pious Jew denounced as "this people that is accursed," and the
cultivated Greek scorned as "the fooish and wretched herd, debarred from
wisdom" -- O, this was a marvel beyond all marvels; it was a truth, if
indeed it could be true, to break and win all hearts, and to revolutionize the
whole structure of human life and thought! In
the early Church, too, not many wise, not many "righteous," were
called. It was the foolish and the wicked, the peasant and the slave, sinners
of the Jews and sinners of the Gentiles, to whom, for the most part, the Gospel
was preached, or preached with vital and saving effect. And what a Gospel it
must have been to them, shut
out as they had been from all self-respect and hope; held incapable of wisdom
or of goodness, banned and scorned from the cradle to the grave! What a Gospel
to learn that the very Son of God had pitied them whom no man pitied, loved
them whom all men hated and despised; that he had emptied himself of his
glory, and come down into their low and sorrowful conditions, not to judge and
condemn them, but to save them from their sins, infirmities, sorrows, to give
them wisdom, to make them righteous, and to restore them to self-respect, to
kindle in their hearts the cleansing and illuminating fires of an eternal hope!
In a Church composed of men who had been lost but were found, who had been
dead in trespasses and sins, but were now alive unto righteousness, and who
felt that they owed this wondrous change and transformation, this new life, to
Christ alone, is it any marvel that the saying, "Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners," was held to be a faithful saying, and worthy
of all acceptation; a saying more precious than all the sentences of the wise
or all the ethical maxims of the good; a saying which set itself to the music
of the joy it inspired, and which deserved to be had in everlasting
remembrance? "THE CHIEF OF SINNERS -- WE"Nay,
though it be so simple and familiar, is it not most precious even to us, full
of a divine consolation, an unfailing spring of hope? Which of us has not
sinned, try ourselves by what standard we will? Which of us, despite our
penitence and faith, does not at this moment sorrowfully confess that he is
still a sinner, most unworthy of the mercy of God? If any man think otherwise,
what need we further proof that he is the most hopeless of sinners? If any man
think otherwise, let him listen to one, even St. Paul, whom even he will
confess to possess a better title to saintship than himself. Even in St. Paul's
writings there is no more humbling and pathetic stroke than the words he
appends to this "faithful saying." Although for more than twenty
years he had endured the loss of all things for Christ's sake; although he had
been, and knew that he had been, more abundant both in labor and in suffering
than any other of the Apostles, he cannot say, "Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners," without adding, "of whom I am
chief"! Nay, without going on to explain that he, the chief of sinners,
has obtained mercy, not for his own sake, not simply that he might be recovered to life
and hope, but also that in him, as the greatest of transgressors, "Christ
Jesus might show forth the whole of his longsuffering as a pattern for those
who should afterward believe on him unto life eternal"! And if such a one
as Paul--the apostle, the prisoner, the martyr--held himself to be "chief of
sinners," which of us must not account himself more sinful than he, and
less worthy of eternal life? SALVATION FROM DEATHBut
what is the extent of the salvation which our Lord came to achieve, and how
far has his mission been successful? Ah! it is in the answer to these
questions that we see the superiority of the Gospel over all the various plans
and devices of men for the uplift of our race. Not that we would be understood
as speaking against any of these. No doubt many, if not all of them, are
laudable, at least in their intention. But they are lacking both in scope and
power. Their scope is limited to the present life. And even within this limit
they are powerless to accomplish much. None of them even pretend to point out a
way whereby we may escape death, or for those of our race who have already
entered the grave, a way whereby they may be awakened from the sleep of death;
while even if they could do this, they would be powerless to strengthen anyone
to walk in that way. And what end do such plans serve but to blind men's eyes
to the truth that they are dead, and that their only true hope lies in the
wisdom, power, and grace of that God who raiseth the dead? Man's
first need is not moral philosophy (which may indeed have its place and value
afterwards) but a pathway out of the realm of death, and power to enable him to
walk in that pathway. And the salvation Jesus came to effect includes both. He
is the "Way" out of death. He is also the "Life" which
enables those who lay hold of his salvation to walk in that way. Many are the
plans for human uplift, but there was only One who ever made or could make, in
sincerity, an offer of eternal life. None other has ever truthfully said,
"I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth on me, though he
were dead yet shall he live." But, praise be to God, these wondrous words
of life did flow from his lips, although they could be said truthfully
even by him only in contemplation of the sacrifice of his life which he was
about to make. SALVATION FROM THE POWER OF SINCommencing
then, with salvation from the depths, even from death itself, Christ Jesus
proceeds to save "to the utttermost." A work of transformation is
begun in us. This work is accomplished by a further appeal to our hearts, for
while it by no means ignores the intellect, the Gospel of God in Christ Jesus
makes its chief appeal, with all the attraction of a personal love, to the
heart -- the center of the will and affections (Prov. 4:23).
Not
content with explaining to a man what it is right to do, our Lord undertakes to
make him disposed to do it. This he accomplishes by revealing to his wondering
eyes all the beauty of his own loveliness. As the Apostle declares: "We
all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image." The poet has well expressed the heart
sentiment of those to whom the Lord is thus gracious, in those well-known
lines
That,
at least, is the first result in those who "behold" him. But we have
this treasure in an earthen vessel, and it is not long before we learn from
experience the truth of the Apostle's words: "The flesh lusteth against
the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to
the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would" (Gal. 5:17). "Here,"
as Brother Russell has observed, "is the great and continual battle, for
although the new will asserts itself and puts the body under and compels its
subjection to the new mind, nevertheless, the mortal body, not being actually
dead, is continually coming in contact with the world and the Adversary and is
continually being stimulated by these and reinvigorated with earthly cares,
ambitions, methods, strivings, conflicts, and insubordination to the new will.
No saint is without experiences of this kind -- fightings without and
within." "MY PEACE I GIVE UNTO YOU"But
while our transformation is not instantaneous, but gradual, and progresses
more or less rapidly, depending upon the degree of our consecration, and
steadfastness in "beholding" him, it is nevertheless sure, in all
whose hearts are right. Little by little, as our gaze is fixed upon him, the
old traits and dispositions which are unlike him are replaced by his own characteristics.
Thus the Living Word (Christ Jesus), operating through the written Word and the
holy spirit, becomes the Regulator and Transformer of the minds of those who
diligently seek him. Under his powerful influence confusion of thought, perplexities,
sinful propensities, self-occupation (a sure breeder of unhappiness and discontent),
morbid tendencies, craving for excitement and sensation, evil imaginations,
appetites, tastes, inclinations, and desires, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God (as he may be known in the person
of his Son) -- all these are displaced; and a new mind substituted. We come to
possess "the mind of Christ." His serene tranquility and repose of
mind are actually reproduced in those whom first he redeemed by his precious
blood. This
is peace on earth, amongst men of good will, indeed! Alas, those who share this
peace, "My peace," are few in number -- in all but a "little
flock." Yet faith's vision looks beyond the present tumult and strife with
its intermittent "Peace, peace, when there is no peace," to the time
now near at hand, when the Master shall speak with authority, rebuking the
fierce and angry passions of men as he did the winds and the waves of yore, and
bring in everlasting righteousness and peace. In that day the "government
shall be, upon his shoulder: and his Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,
The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. And of the
increase of his government and peace there shall be no end" (Isa. 9:6,
7). Among
the many helps we have consulted in the preparation of this article, we desire
to make special acknowledgment of our indebtedness to our late Pastor C. T.
Russell, Samuel Cox, and H. C. G. Moule, from all of whose expositions we have
drawn liberally. -
P. L. Read What Seek Ye?
A Thanksgiving Catechism"O give thanks unto the Lord;
for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever." WILLIAM
Shakespeare, that understanding and eloquent spokesman for fallen man, has this
to say of mercy:
Psalm
136 is a hymn of thanksgiving for mercy. The refrain of every one of the
twenty-six verses is in the words of our text: "O give thanks unto the Lord;
for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever." In
the Revised Version "mercy" is rendered "loving-kindness,"
a more awkward but perhaps a more definitive word. Yet it must be admitted
that the mercy which mitigates the punishment of the guilty, or pardons the
weak but repentant sinner, is the highest manifestation of kindness. Every
right thinking member of the race of Adam is conscious of his own imperfection
and guilt before his Creator, and of his consequent need of mercy. 'TIS MIGHTIEST IN THE MIGHTIESTMercy
is the attribute of heaven. The greatest single act of God's mercy was the
provision of a propitiation, a corresponding price, "for the sins of the
whole world." "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable Gift." But
mercy does not end with this supreme manifestation. Even those of whom it is
written: "But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified" -even those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord,
and have covenanted to walk in his footsteps-these still require mercy of their
judge. To
be sure their case has been transferred to Christ; the Father has quashed the
indictment against them, the "corruption of blood" consequent upon
the "attainder" of their father Adam for high treason against his
Lord; he "will not impute iniquity" to them. They now
"stand before the judgment seat of Christ" (2 Cor. 5:10). IT IS REQUIRED IN STEWARDS THAT THEY BE FOUND FAITHFULUpon
what basis are they now judged? As stewards and ambassadors of Christ. As
his representatives before the angels, the brethren, and the world. They are
judged as candidates for joint-heirship with Jesus Christ in the Kingdom --
this word means the Royalty -- not on the basis of those unwilling sins
of commission which are of the flesh that is "disowned and reckoned
dead," and which are all covered by the Blood-the red robe of their Sponsor's
righteousness. Rather, they are judged for their fitness for future office on
the basis of their sins of omission -- the things they should do and do
not; even as it is written: "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it
not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). Equipped
for their high ambassadorial office with power of the holy spirit; with angel
guardians and friends; with constant guidance of a living Word,
"profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto
all good works"; it would indeed appear that each one of this favored
company should be able to "keep the faith," to "fight the good
fight," to "finish the course" with the joy of accomplishment
and success. But how many can plead before their Judge, that they have done
these things, as did Paul by inspiration, speaking not his own judgment but his
judge's -- to assure the humble minded of the possibility of such a verdict. Can any
appear before that Bar of Justice and plead: "I have this day
faithfully and wholly presented thee to all observers. I have not been guilty
in any degree of unfaithfulness. There has been no variance, no weakness, no
hesitancy in my course this day. The motions of sin in my flesh have been put
to death. And as I have received mercy, so have I shown mercy to all who have
trespassed against me." Can any so plead? Verily, Nay! "Where
is boasting then? It is excluded" (Rom. 3:27). THE BOASTERSOnly
"the workers of iniquity boast themselves" (Ps. 94:4). Only
such will have the effrontery to plead before him: "Have we not prophesied
in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works?" The verdict against these boasters is already entered:
"I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matt.
7:22, 23). "I never knew you" in the intimate sense, as my
prospective Bride -- certainly he did not mean "I never knew about you."
The boasters' statements are not contradicted. They had "worked,"
and many, including themselves, had honestly thought their works
"Christian" and "wonderful." But "All the workers of
iniquity boast themselves!" On
the contrary, the daily and final justification (constituting righteous) of the
144,000 is and will be in response to their throwing themselves upon the mercy
of the Court. Their plea will ever be: "O righteous judge, thy merit and
thy mercy must still make up my imperfection. I am unworthy." WILL ALL BE JUSTIFIED?Will
this plea always avail? Will all who offer it be approved as members
of the Bride of Christ - the 144,000 of the Little Flock upon whom it is the
Father's great pleasure to bestow the Royalty? If
we accept as accurate the oft repeated refrain of Psalm 136 -- "His mercy
endureth forever" -- it would appear that the answer should be yes.
But there is no word in the Hebrew that has the precise significance of the
English word "forever." The Hebrew word so rendered here is
"olam," literally meaning an invisible and indefinite end. The
end is far off, but it is there. "Behold the goodness and the severity of
God." "He will not always [to the end] chide [mercifully contend,
rebuke, plead, chasten - Heb. 12:5-11]: neither will he keep [guard,
restrain, reserve - Jer. 3:5] his anger forever [olam]" (Psalm 103:9). There
is a limit to his long patience and mercy. With many, the final plea for mercy
will result in commutation of sentence -- the deserved extreme penalty of death
-- to loss of Kingdom honors, as it is written: "he shall suffer loss: but
he himself shall be saved" (1 Cor. 3:15). WHAT IS OUR OWN STATUS?"Examine
yourselves," urges the Apostle, "whether ye be in the faith." He
is referring to this very issue, for he continues: "Know ye not your own
selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates [literally, rejected]"
-unless you have passed the limit and have been disapproved for the Body-the
Royalty (2 Cor. 13:5). Upon
what lines shall we proceed with this most important self-examination? Shall
it be as to doctrinal conformity? Or as to "great and wonderful
works"? Or for emotional exaltation? No, we will not be so foolish! We
have a law Book to guide us, wherein we find written: "This is the
will of God, even your sanctification"-that is, setting apart for
a holy purpose (1 Thess. 4:3). "For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Rom. 8:29). What,
then, is the nature of the evidence that must be brought out, to show that we
are not rejected? The cross-examination to which we subject ourselves should be
upon these lines, our answers "Yes" or "No"; remembering
that "the thoughts and intents of our hearts" are being judged, and
that they are "naked and open before him with whom we have to do"
(Heb. 4:12, 13). And so we ask ourselves: Am I
still "seeking first the Kingdom of God and his
righteousness"? Do I
still clearly see and embrace the opportunity of sacrificing with my
Lord? Am I
really suffering with him? Do I
love all the brethren? Do I
perceive and act upon the beauty and privilege of "laying down my
life" for the brethren --particularly the often discredited ones who need
me most? Can
I claim mercy because I am consistently merciful? Am I
"diligent in business, fervent in spirit, serving the
Lord"? Am I an "overcomer," to some extent at least, in my own rebellious domain, my fleshly body? Am I "bringing it into subjection"? RELEVANT AND PROPER QUESTIONSThis
may seem a drastic examination; but does not the evidence toward which these
questions are directed vitally concern the "reasonable service"
incumbent upon a consecrated Christian, covenanted to follow in the footsteps
of his Lord? If I
can answer "Yes" to these questions - even with some hesitancy and
uncertainty and tears - is it not evidence that my Head is still dealing with
me as a prospective member of his Body: and is not this conclusion the greatest
reason for thanksgiving, that I could possibly have--not alone on an appointed
day, but every day? Shall
I not then read the Psalms of Thanksgiving and find every refrain therein has
an echo from the depths of my being: Give
thanks unto the Lord, O my soul; for he is good; for his mercy still endureth
toward me, and will endure until the
end he has appointed. Then, whatever his verdict, it shall be well with my
soul. -
H. E. Hollister (1941) Oh, For a Deeper Love
"Even at the Doors"
"What will be the sign
of
thy presence, and
of
the consummation
of the
age?" IN
our September-October issue we grouped the "signs and groanings promised
to precede a second birth" under five main captions, and briefly
considered the first of these, namely, Gentile Times. Here we discuss the
second, or signs in the ecclesiastical heavens. 2. ECCLESIASTICAL HEAVENSOne
of the signs for which the disciples were to be on the watch, as indicating
the nearness of his return, is stated by our Lord in Luke 21:26, as follows:
"The powers of heaven shall be shaken." What do these words mean and,
furthermore, has this sign been seen yet? We
answer: In our view the main reference is to the symbolic heavens - the
ecclesiastical heavens -- the powers of spiritual control, to which also St.
Peter referred (2 Pet. 3:12, 13).* Has the shaking taken place? We think so --
we think the shaking has been in progress for years and will continue until only those things which
cannot be shaken remain (Heb. 12:26-29). Let us compare Scripture with Scripture
and prophecy with history and see if these things be so. -------------------------------- *For
an interesting discussion of a possible literal fulfillment see Scripture
Studies, Vol. IV, pages D583-D590. We
turn first to the Book of Revelation, that wonderful prophecy sent and
signified (told in signs and symbols) by our risen Lord, some sixty years
after his ascension. Its theme, as we understand it, while largely future from
the date John received the vision, was not a revelation of remote events in
which the Church, from the days of the Apostles until now, has had no practical
interest, but of events which, nineteen hundred years ago, were, as to the commencement
of their fulfillment, near at hand. It was of "things which must
shortly come to pass." The commencement of their fulfillment was then,
in the first century of the Gospel Age. The time was then "at
hand" (Rev. 1:1; Rev. 1:3; Rev. 22:6). In
this Book two of the Bible's seven key prophecies are given. One of the two is
that of the Seven Candlesticks (ch. 1). The other is given in chapter 17, and
is the interpretation of the Woman, Babylon the Great, and of the seven-headed,
ten-horned Beast that carried her. The
Candlesticks are interpreted by our Lord himself and declared to be the seven
Churches (Rev. 1:20). Doubtless the vision was intended to show the wise and
loving watch-care which he himself would exercise over the one true Church
throughout the seven successive periods of its history, from the days of the
Apostles until now. Contrasted
with the history of the true Church is the history of the false. In the
seventeenth and following chapters both are doubly symbolized, as women and as
cities. The. Harlot City is arrayed in purple and scarlet color, decked with
gold and precious stones and pearls; while the Bride, the New Jerusalem, is
arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, which is the righteousness of the
saints, and has the glory of God. The one is the associate of the Beast, the
other of the Lamb. The one is drunken with the blood of saints and with the
blood of the martyrs of Jesus; the other consists of saints and includes many
of the martyrs. The one is punished with temporal and eternal judgments; the
other is rewarded with everlasting honor and felicity. THE POWER OF ANTICHRIST SHAKENDaniel,
centuries before, in his vision of Gentile dominion symbolized by four wild
beasts, had drawn attention to a little horn on the head of the fourth beast
-- a horn before whom three of the previous ten horns were plucked up by the
roots; a horn, moreover, which had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth
speaking great things (Dan. 7:8); a power, apparently, which should arise from
within the very Church itself and, while retaining the name of Christ, become
a mighty anti-Christian system and, succeeding the Pagan Caesars, rule over
all the nations of the world. This apostate church system, which from the Book
of Revelation we note is destined to be destroyed at the end of the Age (Rev.
18:8), when the marriage of the true Church is consummated (Rev. 19:7), is
shown by Daniel also to meet its destruction then (Dan. 7:11, 26). St. Paul
likewise joins in this prediction (2 Thess. 2:9, 10). Turning
to the pages of history, what do we find? The very thing predicted has
occurred. Gross corruption, worldly ambition, and carnal strife did
rapidly develop in the Church after Christianity was embraced by Constantine.
A ruling ecclesiastical system did arise at Rome on the fall of the old Roman
Empire in the fifth and sixth centuries. This system, the great Papal dynasty,
corrupted the Gospel, opposed the truth, and wore out the saints, as had been
predicted (Dan. 7:25). At long last came the Reformation, liberating many
members of the true Church. (Incidentally, millions of others, including great
numbers of the irreligious element of mankind, at that time began to throw off
the Roman yoke.) This departure from Rome has" continued since then, and
in recent times has been accelerated. How little power and influence does this system
possess in Europe today, compared with its former might! And
what of the United States? Here, too, within the Roman Catholic Church,
rebellion is fierce, with priests abandoning their calling, nuns fleeing their
convents, and bewildered laymen forming free-lance religious movements. The
power of this part of the Ecclesiastical Heavens has been shaken indeed. As
we ponder these things, the question must naturally arise: What next? If the
great apostasy has thus arisen, as was predicted, and if, after reaching the
zenith of its power, it has been on the decline since the Reformation, what is
the next thing in order? According to our understanding of the matter there is
but one more thing to occur. The apostasy of this false religious system has
run its course. Its complete destruction is due. According to the prediction
in Daniel, "They shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy
it unto the end." From St. Paul we learn that the Lord Jesus will
paralyze the Lawless one "with the forthshining of his presence" (2
Thess. 2:9, 10, Rotherham). Effects are produced only by causes.
They do not "just happen." We can see the paralyzing effect. Our
conviction is strong that the cause which produced it was none other than the
one predicted -- the forthshining of our Lord's presence. What other cause
would have been adequate? Could anything less than the "spirit of his
mouth" and the "forthshining of his presence" have done it? MOTHER OF HARLOTSMoreover,
if we turn from Papacy, the Antichrist, to the Church over which Antichrist
ruled so long, we reach the same conclusions. That Church, to our
understanding, is represented in the Book of Revelation as a Woman riding the
Beast (Rev. 17); that is to say, an ecclesiastical system is identified with
the state power of Rome, influencing and guiding the tenfold commonwealth of
nations on the one hand and, from another point of view, being upheld by it
(Rev. 17:12-14, 17). But in "the time of the end" the ten kingdoms
rebel against their would-be guide, throw off her yoke, hate her, spoil her,
and consume her (Rev. 17:16). Again
we turn to history to learn from its pages what, if any part, of this
prediction has been fulfilled. Here we find that the kingdoms of Europe that
arose on the fall of the old Roman Empire, voluntarily lent their support and
gave their allegiance to the Church of Rome for about a thousand years - a
false millennium, if you please. But history also records how, as the result of
her gross corruptions these self-same kingdoms came to loathe, despise, and
reject her teachings, her government, and her guidance; how, for the past
more than four hundred years they have thrown off her control, denied her
claims for support, and forsaken her company. Reviewing carefully the history
of Roman Catholicism, as foretold by inspired writers, we inquire: "What
next?" The answer comes again, as clearly as before -- only her final fall
under divine judgment; that final fall of Babylon which immediately precedes
the marriage of the Lamb (Rev. 18:8; 19:7). DAUGHTERS OF THE MOTHERIn
the foregoing we have identified the "Mother of Harlots" as the Roman
Catholic Church in its various aspects. Most Protestant commentators do likewise.
However, they fail to see, what to us is all too apparent, that this symbol
includes also the Protestant Church systems and all who partake of the
sectarian spirit. In this connection the following comment from the pen of
Pastor Russell is most instructive: "Names
were formerly given as expressions of character or work.... The name Babylon,
applied by the Spirit to the Church of Rome expresses her character, for
Babylon means mixture -- confusion. This union of the Woman (church) with the
Beast (empire) constitutes the spiritual harlotry of which she is guilty. "But
the name (Babylon) applies to her entire family; her daughters inherit both her
nature and name, for she is a 'mother of harlots' and her works they do." Elsewhere
he wrote: "All fallen sects, from which the inward spirit of vital
religion has departed (or is departing) bear upon their foreheads the likeness
or semblance of the 'Mother of Harlots' and of all abominations." Perhaps
as good a word as any to describe the critical unease pervading the Protestant
Churches in America today is the word "rebellion." This is
particularly true of youth. Part of this rebellion is against church bureaucracy
expressed through endless committees, commissions, and councils which appear to
youth to have little to do with the Christian faith they would like to see
practiced. Another
reason for their rebellion is Vietnam. Among young adults the tragedy of the
futile war has been heightened by the seeming identification of Christian
churches with the "establishment" that maintains it. Other
reasons that youth gives for its rebellion against the inherited church
traditions include their conviction that the church is outdated, and that it is
not relevant in today's world. Again
in the colleges and universities the "God is dead" controversy has
shaken the theological student world. Not
the least disturbing element in American churches today has been the advent of
Black Power with its demands for the Christian Churches of America to make
reparations of $500 million due to the role of the Christian and Jewish
religions in exploiting the black people in this country. Have
the powers of the Protestant part of the ecclesiastical heavens been shaken? To
us it seems so. In the Reformation days the central theme was the Gospel -faith
in the redemption accomplished by our Lord. With little or no understanding of
the philosophy underlying it, the faithful few nevertheless trusted for
salvation in the ransom sacrifice of Christ--they realized their need of a
Savior, of one who would save them from sin and death, not merely their need of
a teacher or noble example. However, in our time, the day of Protestantism's
decline, not only has the Gospel sunlight become largely darkened, and the
moon (the Mosaic foreshadowings of the Gospel) become turned into blood (the
typical sacrifices of Israel being considered a form of barbarism), not only
have the true stars (the Apostles) withdrawn their shining (their teachings
being no longer held as authoritative), but the man-ordained luminaries of
the present ecclesiastical heavens have been shaken from the spiritual
leadership formerly claimed, to the level of earthly moralists (Matt. 24:29; Isa. 13:1-10; Joel 2:10). They have not repudiated the blasphemous doctrines of
"hell," "non-elect infants," etc., but they are no longer
able to preach them if they would, for their congregations today are, for the
most part, too enlightened to listen to such monstrous absurdities. The
necessity is thus laid upon them to find another Gospel (?). However, they are
without knowledge of God's true Plan for the future of our race. Consequently
they turn to the Gospel (?) of "good works," "moral
uplift," anti-slum endeavors, Christian-citizenship movements, etc. We
have no quarrel with such attempts to ameliorate the condition of our race.
Quite to the contrary. We have every sympathy with them and, in compliance
with the Apostolic admonition to do good unto all men as we have opportunity
(Gal. 6:10), are pleased to cooperate with them in all reasonable ways, as we
are able. But such Gospels (?) have hope for this life only. They are poor
substitutes for the "everlasting Gospel" of "life
everlasting" to be enjoyed by the faithful in "the everlasting Kingdom
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Rev. 14:6; 1 Tim. 1:16; 2 Pet.
1:11). Indeed, if offered as "substitutes," they are harmful; thus
offered they are anti-Christian. By descending thus to this lower level of
teaching, do not these Protestant luminaries themselves furnish the evidence
that they have been shaken from their former exalted position as
"stars" in the ecclesiastical heaven? And if so, are we not right in
recognizing this as one of the signs predicted? WHAT SHOULD BE OUR ATTITUDE?Before
closing this, the sixth installment in the series, there is a most important
observation we should not fail to make. While, in the foregoing paragraphs, we
have interpreted the "Mother of Harlots" symbol as finding its
fulfillment in the Catholic and Protestant Ecclesiastical systems, we are not
to be understood as speaking anything whatever against godly Christians within
these systems, now or throughout their history. Even at this late date there
are doubtless still some consecrated children of God in their midst. Our
remarks have to do solely with the church systems themselves, not with the
individuals of which they are composed. In all the various church associations
of Christendom today there are doubtless some dear people whose hearts are
very much in advance of their heads, and who, up to the light they possess, are
seeking to do the will of God. Some have raised the question: Is it possible
that any of the "little flock" could today make their "calling
and election" sure, while continuing their membership in the various
church systems, such as Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, etc.? Our reply has been
that this is a question which it is not for us to answer. It is a matter for
the individual's own conscience. As the Apostle exhorts: "Let every man be
fully persuaded in his own mind" (Rom. 14:5). It would be a violation of
our own conscience for us to hold membership in any of the church systems, but
we would not presume to judge others. To his own Master each must stand or
fall. In due time the Lord will render a decision in every case and his
judgment will be unerring. He would have us, we think, very lenient in our
attitude towards any with whom we may come in touch, who, though continuing membership
in a church system, manifest a Christian spirit, and who are disposed to
fellowship with us to any extent. As systems, all denominations have been cast
off, we think; the individuals within the systems, however, are considered
apart from the denomination concerned, and only the Lord can read the heart. A
great deal will depend, in each case, upon the degree of light possessed. We,
ourselves, have been highly favored; it is for us to be on guard lest the
spirit of sectarianism creep upon us unawares. We counsel all to stand
free, not only from, church systems, but from all parties, sects, and creeds of
men -- from all "confessions of faith," as Pastor Russell once put
it. As for others, if in the Lord's providence it seems best to him to permit
some to complete their calling and election without leaving Babylon, or without
entirely abandoning all creeds of men or confessions of faith, that would be
our will for them. Generally, however, we would expect, at this late
hour in the Gospel Age, that not many who, failing to perceive Babylon's true
condition or for other reasons, remain in her will be amongst those who one day
will hear the Master's "Well done." (Continued
in next issue) -
P. L. Read God's Method With MenWe
may be very confident that we hold the truth; but the surest way to deny its
power is to be bitter and unloving toward those who differ with us. Let us
remember that Truth is Christ, and Christ is Truth; and that Christ is [the
revelation of] God, and God is Love; therefore Truth is Love, and Love is
Truth. In proportion as you may hold the Truth, you will become loving toward
those who differ with you. All the wrangling, ostensibly for the sake of Truth,
which split and divided certain sections of the Church, until men scarcely know
where they stand, is evidence that Truth has never been properly understood by
them. Truth should not be stored as a commodity or as something of which to
boast. While we feel that the teaching of the Word of God is very clear, let us
remember that we are only scholars spelling out the alphabet in the school of
Jesus Christ. We may rest assured that, in the day when we have full knowledge
granted unto us, we shall discover that the men of whom we were the most
afraid, have held Truth which we, perchance, have never known. Our duty toward
our brother and his toward us, if we be loyal to Christ, is that we love each
other still, though we may not agree in all our views. -
Selected. The Prayer of Faith Shall SaveWHILE
READING the Diaglott
it was
noticed that the word translated "sick" in James 5:14 was astheneo, a word derived from a-sthenes, meaning without strength (a, without; sthenos, strength). From this is
derived asthenia,
a word much
used in medicine. From my knowledge of medicine I knew that a person might be
asthenic without being diseased or sick, so I looked up the word rendered sick
in the 15th verse, and this I found to be kamno, a word which occurs only three times, and means,
"to labor, suffer from fatigue." The two other passages are Hebrews
12:3 and Revelation 2:3, which Young's translation renders as follows:
"For consider him who endured such gainsaying from the sinners to himself,
that ye may not be wearied [kamno] in your souls-being faint" (Heb. 12:3). "And thou didst bear
and hast endurance and because of my name hast toiled and not been weary [kamno]" (Rev. 2:3). These passages
would indicate that it was the weary and weak in faith who was told to call for
the elders and not the one suffering from disease. There are other words which
mean sick, such as nosos, meaning
sickness, unsoundness, disease; echo kakos, meaning to be ill. These
two words are never used to denote moral or spiritual sickness, while asthenos in its various forms is so
used, and while it is frequently rendered sick in the common version, it is
never rendered sick in Young's translation, and the Revised Version has the
number of times reduced. There
are three words rendered "healed," viz., (1) therapeuo, meaning to attend to, heal,
cure; sozo, to make sound or whole; iaomai, meaning to heal. This last
word is the one used by James, and has also the significance of saved, as the
following passage (Matt. 13:15) will show: "For this people's heart is
waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have
closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their
ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I
should heal [iaomai]
them."
(See also Acts 28:27, 28.) Luke 4:18: "The spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me
to heal [iaomai]
the
broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, recovering of sight to
the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." John 12:40: "He
has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart; that they should not see with
their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should
heal [iaomai]
them."
Acts 10:38: "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and
with power: who went about doing good, and healing [iaomai] all that were oppressed of
the devil." 1 Pet. 2:24: "Who his own self bare our sins in his own
body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:
by whose stripes ye were healed [iaomai]." These
passages can be applied only in a moral or spiritual sense, while therapeuo is never applied in such a
sense but always relates to a cure of a physical disease. As
examples of the use of astheneo, note the following: Matt. 8:17: "That it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities [astheneia], and bare our sicknesses [nosos]." Matt. 26:41: "Watch and
pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the
flesh is weak [astheneia]."
Rom. 4:19:
"And being not weak [astheneo] in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about
an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb." Rom. 5:6:
"For when we were yet without strength [asthenes], in due time Christ died for the ungodly."
Rom. 6:19: "I speak after the manner of men, because of the infirmity [astheneia] of your flesh: for as ye
have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity;
even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness."
Rom. 8:3: "For what the law could not do in that it was weak [astheneo] through the flesh, God
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin
in the flesh." Rom. 8:26: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities [astheneia]:
for we know
not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Rom. 14:1,
2: "Him that is weak [astheneo] in faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one
believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak [astheneo], eateth herbs." 1 Cor.
8:11, 12: "And through thy knowledge shall the weak [astheneo] brother perish, for whom
Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak [asthenes] conscience, ye sin against
Christ." Heb. 4:15: "For we have not an high priest which cannot be
touched with a feeling of our infirmities [asthenia]; but was in all points tempted like as we are,
yet without sin." Nosos
is the word
most commonly used to denote sickness or disease and occurs in the same verse
in contrast to astheneia,
viz., Matt.
8:17: "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias, the prophet,
saying, Himself took our infirmities [astheneia], and bare our sicknesses [nosos]." From
the foregoing it is concluded that James referred to Christians who had become
weak in faith, or to use a common expression, had "backslidden."
This is indicated in verse 16, the word "faults" being translated
from paraptoma,
meaning a
falling away. The
following is a more literal translation of James 5:14-16: 'Is any weak among you, let
him call for the elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the
wearied one. And the Lord shall raise him up, and though he have committed sins
they shall be forgiven him. Confess your fallings away one to another, and pray
one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much." -
J. E.
Taylor, M.D. (1907) PASTOR RUSSELL'S
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