VOL.
LVI. November/December 1973 No. 6
Touched With the Feeling of Our Infirmities Shalom -- Peace on Earth "The people that walked
in darkness have seen a great light: As noted on the second page
of our last issue, our beloved Brother Paul E. Thomson ended his earthly
pilgrimage August 17, 1973. Brother Paul had served the
brethren for more than sixty years as a Pilgrim in the United States, Canada,
and the British Isles. In addition to service as Secretary of the Institute, he
contributed many articles to our Herald pages. In this issue we are
publishing one as a special tribute to his memory. "BLESSED
BE the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, and has
raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David." -
Luke 1:68, 69, R.S.V. It
seems most fitting that the Evangel story should begin within the Sanctuary,
and at the time, as is supposed, of the Morning Sacrifice. One day, while the
priest, Zacharias (the name signifying "he who remembers Jehovah"),
was burning incense in the temple, "the angel of the Lord" appeared
to him, "And when he came out he could not speak to the people: and they
perceived that he had seen a vision." Four hundred years Israel had
waited for a message from heaven, every true Israelite eager that it should
announce a king to deliver them from bondage, and eager that they should be
among those to welcome the king. In quick succession there followed the angel
visit to Mary, the prophecies of Elizabeth, Zacharias, and Mary, the heavenly
messengers to the shepherds on the fields near Bethlehem, and prophecies of
Simeon and Anna, then silence for about thirty years. To
Zacharias the angel revealed that, his son, though great, was only a messenger
to go before the face of the Lord to convert the hearts of the people,
"to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:12-17.) That
this greater One should sit on the throne of his father David was revealed by
Gabriel in his visit six months later to Mary. (Luke 1:28-33.) The mother of
our Lord then hastened to the home of Zacharias and Elizabeth, and
"Elizabeth filled with the holy spirit lifted up her voice with a loud cry
and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
And blessed is she that believed that there shall be a fulfillment of the things
which have been spoken to her from the Lord." The almost tumultuous speed
of Elizabeth's message vividly contrasts with Mary's equally inspired one that
immediately followed, given calmly and in great simplicity. Hers is an echo of
the lyrical poetry of the Old Testament, evidencing a mind that had absorbed and
retained the phraseology of the sacred Scriptures as heard in the synagogue service
since the days of her youth--or is it merely that the same spirit that inspired
the messengers of old was moving her. The latter is the more likely explanation,
for even the poetic form of
their utterances was followed:
Two
minds given over to the influence of the holy spirit as were the minds of these
two mothers must have had precious communion in the three months that
followed a three months during which their meditation and conversation
doubtless were of the hope of Israel and of the part their two lads might play
in it, a three months that must have accomplished much in preparing them to
efficiently mother the two infants. Just as Zacharias may be described
as the representative of the good and true in the priesthood at that time,
"righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless,
so the holy family of Nazareth may be considered as a typical Israelitish
household. The scantiness of particulars supplied by the :Gospels was intended,
we believe, to prevent the human interest from overshadowing the grand central
fact, to which alone attention was to be directed. "The design of the
Gospels was manifestly not to furnish a biography of Jesus the Messiah, but, in
organic connection with the Old Testament, to tell the history of the long
promised establishment of the Kingdom of God upon earth." The object was
as indicated by St. Luke (Luke 1:4): "That thou mightest know the
certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed," and by St.
John (John 20:31): "These things are written that ye might believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life
through his name." May there not be a lesson here for us in our
inclination to give details that merely satisfy human interest and add nothing
to the spiritual. Eight
days after the birth of John the rite of circumcision introduced him into
Jewish citizenship, a rite without which no one has ever been accepted of the
Lord as a member of that favored people. On this occasion a miracle advertised to the
populace that God was dealing with their nation. It is recorded of Zacharias,
who had been dumb since his vision of nine months before, that "his mouth
was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, "blessing
God." The holy spirit that loosed the tongue also used it for a message of
assurance to the people, telling them as the spirit had, done through Mary,
that now at last the blessings of the covenant with Abraham would be realized:
Six
months passed, and the One whom the closing lines of this inspired message
described, visited them, Jesus of Nazareth, by the Lord's providence born in
Bethlehem, the city of David, only six miles from their beloved Jerusalem. "And
it came to pass, while Mary and Joseph were there, the days were fulfilled that
she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she
wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was
no room for them in the inn" (translated "Guest chamber" in Luke
22:11). This lowly entrance into life, was not inappropriate to one whose
dwelling place and labor were to be of the humblest for thirty years; one who
for his closing-years was to have "no place to lay his head," and whose
end was to be a thousand times more pitiable than this beginning. In
the same country where Abraham had ranged with his flocks and David had tended
his sheep, "there were shepherds in the field, keeping watch by night over
their flock. And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto
them, Be not afraid; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which
shall be to all people: for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this its the
sign unto you; Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in
a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God, and saying,
"NOT MANY GREAT, NOT MANY WISE" With
haste the shepherds came to "the City of David" and "found Mary
and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger" and "returned, glorifying
God." "The associations of our Lord's nativity were all of the
humblest character, and the very scenery of his birthplace was connected with
memories of poverty and toil. On that night, indeed, it seemed as though the
heavens must burst to disclose their radiant minstrelsies; and the stars, and
the feeding sheep, and the 'light and sound in the darkness and stillness,' and
the rapture of faithful hearts, combine to furnish us with a picture painted
in the colors of heaven. But in the brief and thrilling verses of the Evangelist
we are not told that those angel songs were heard by any except the wakeful
shepherds of an obscure village." Then,
Forty-eight days later this babe with a name somewhat common among the Jews,
but a name now "above every name that is named" because it is his name, was presented in the
temple for the. required purifying rites, probably with two pigeons or doves,
the offering permitted to those too poor to bring a lamb. The Law also required
that at this time five shekels should be paid into the temple treasury that
that firstborn son might be redeemed from the Aaronic priesthood -- in this
instance that he might become the High Priest of God for all mankind on the
higher Melchisedec plane. "When
the parents brought in the child Jesus, . . . Simeon received him in his arms,
and blessed God, and said,
And
then directing his prophecy to Mary, he continued: "Behold,
this child is set for, the falling and the rising of many in Israel; and for a
sign which is spoken against; yea and a sword shall pierce through thine own
soul; that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." - A. R. V. Once
more, this time through Anna, a prophetess, the spirit spoke "to all them
that were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem," "the consolation
of Israel," and the thirty years of silence began. Then again Jesus came
to them, but now a man, legally and actually, offering to remove the desolation
that had fallen centuries before upon that nation. Short-sighted,
unappreciative, a type of the spiritual Israel that began there, they
nationally rejected him; and Mary, after three and a half years of ministry at
his hand, learned the full force of what it meant to have a "sword pierce
her soul." Jerusalem was "left desolate," without a king, as it
is to this day. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and
stonest them that are sent unto her" "if thou hadst . known in this
day, even thou the things which belong unto thy Shalom," thy peace. - A.
R. V. Again
peace, the Christmas message, must wait; this time while the Prince of Peace
lies three days in the tomb. Darkness covered the earth as he entered death's
portals, but
The
first word on the lips of the risen Savior when he came into the upper room in
the evening of that eventful day was the Christmas message, "Shalom,"
Peace. The fulfilment of the angelic prophecy that the shepherds heard, there
began; not the peace of earthly prosperity, taxes paid, food and clothing provided;
but the peace that nothing can disturb, the peace of One who had not where to
lay his head, the peace of the One who promised, "My peace I give unto
you. Not as the world giveth give I unto you." "Peace on earth, good
will toward men." The
following paragraphs from the pen of our late beloved Pastor will meet a
response in the hearts of all who have learned the true meaning of the
"Good tidings of Great Joy": "LET HEAVEN AND EARTH REJOICE" "The Message of the
angels to the shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem becomes more and more
precious to each child of God in proportion as he grows in grace and knowledge.
As his ears and eyes of understanding open more widely to the lengths and
breadths of God's great Plan of the Ages, that prophetic Message is the more
highly esteemed as an epitome of the entire Gospel. Nor can our attention be
called too frequently to the great event which lies at the foundation of that
Message -- the Savior's birth . . . "The angelic Message was
a prophecy of good things to be accomplished for the Church and the world
during the Millennial Age. The Church is to have the first blessing. The First
Resurrection is to be composed only of the blessed and holy who shall live and
reign with Christ during the thousand years. Then Satan shall be bound, and the
good influences of truth and righteousness shall enlighten the whole earth.
(Rev. 20:1-6.) The declaration of the Scriptures is that the deliverance of the
Church will come early in the morning of the Millennial day. As the Prophet
declares, 'God will help her early in the morning.' -- Psalm 46:5, margin.... "But much as we rejoice
in the glorious hopes of the' Gospel set before us who now see, who now rejoice
with joy unspeakable, we are glad that the divine mercy and love are of such
lengths and breadths and heights and depths as to encompass the whole world of
mankind, and provide a blessing for every member of Adam's race through him who
loved us and bought us with his own precious blood... . "Truly, the more we see
of the Divine Plan for our salvation, which began to take shape in the birth of
Jesus, the more we feel like shouting with the angelic choir praises to the
God of heaven, thankfulness for his mercy to the children of men! It mattered
not that the babe born in Bethlehem was the Savior only in prospect, that he
could not even be anointed to do his work until he reached manhood's estate
thirty years later. It mattered not that even then it would be necessary for
him to lay down his life gradually during the three and a half years of his
earthly ministry, to be finished at Calvary. Nor did it matter that his
resurrection was still three days after his death, and his ascension forty days
later; and that the blessing in general would be deferred for nearly nineteen
centuries thereafter. As the angels could sing and rejoice at the first budding
of the Divine Plan of Salvation, so also can all who have faith in the,
ultimate outcome rejoice with joy unspeakable and give praise to God in the
highest and to his Son our Lord."
-
P. E. Thomson.
Giving Thanks Always
"Be not
drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, THERE
SHOULD be a very close relationship between heart and lips when offering praise
and thanks unto God; for true thanksgiving must spring from the inner grace of
heartfelt appreciation. The words of Paul in Romans 10:10 find application
here, in that they set forth a principle which is true in all our relationships to God: "With the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation." As
we grow in appreciation of the
character and attributes of God, we will feel constrained to give expression to
His goodness, not only in words, but in acts and mode of life. This attitude on
our part is pleasing unto the Father and is necessary to our own spiritual well
being. There
can be no true praise and thanks apart from heart appreciation; and so, if this
inner grace is lacking, all outward expression becomes mere idle service and
mockery, and as such, is an abomination. God hates hypocrisy, and His Word
expresses condemnation of those who draw near with their lips only. To some
such Jesus said, "Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
This people honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in
vain do they worship Me, teaching as their
doctrines the precepts of men." (Matt. 15:7-9.) Both the houses of
Israel are declared to be guilty of this abomination, and lest we partake of
"the leaven of the Pharisees," we should continually join with David
in the prayer that we may so live that "The words of our mouths, and the
meditation of our hearts may be acceptable unto the Lord." -Psa. 19:14. When
we come to Jesus as our Savior and are accepted of Him as 'probationary members
-of His Body, a great change takes place in us, but this change does not at
once do away with our natural tendencies; consequently, these are carried over
into the new life, where we undergo the refining process, the transformation
into the image of our Lord and Master. Some
of us in our natural tendencies are too much under the control of sentiment and
impulse; others too coldly intellectual and phlegmatic; and so 'the Word
furnishes us with mental and spiritual tonics and exercises to build. up that which
is lacking, for the well developed Christian must have both. 'And who is that Christian' that does not, especially when he makes an honest
comparison between himself and the
perfect pattern of our Lord, find himself lacking? Most of us find that we are
deficient both in understanding and feeling as respects worship of the heavenly
Father. WINE-DRUNK VERSUS SPIRIT-FILLED Seemingly
there was need for admonition respecting the unrestrained use of wine among'
the early Christians, for we find
warnings concerning it in a number of places. (Luke 21:34; Rom. 13:13; 14:21;Gal. 5:21; 1 Tim. 3:8; Titus 2:3.) Palestine was
a grape
producing region, and wine was in general use. John the Baptist was peculiar in that he did not drink wine; but Jesus
evidently did partake thereof on occasion,
for the hypocritical Pharisees, who accused John of having a demon because of
his abstemiousness, reversed their criticism of Jesus and called him a
"wine bibber and a friend of publicans and sinners." - Luke 1:15;
Matt. 11:18, 19. John
2:1-11 tells us that the first sign wrought
by Jesus was in Cana of Galilee when' he turned water into wine at a
wedding feast; and so common was its
use even among Christians that the Apostle felt it necessary to advise that
only those brethren who were moderate in their
drinking be considered for the position
of Eldership. (1 Tim. 3:8.) Some in the
Corinthian Church even went to the extreme of getting drunk at the Memorial
observance. (1 Cor. 11:21.) Therefore, in our text, the Apostle again warns
against the tendency to intemperance, but urges the unrestrained filling with
the Spirit. In this respect it is impossible to go to excess. In
much of his writings Paul stresses
the importance of a correct understanding of truth, but here in our text he is
emphasizing the need for emotional release by the expression of the heart's
gratitude in psalms; hymns, and songs of thanksgiving. A person who is drunk
with wine, is often sentimentally foolish and not rational in giving vent to
the emotions; but one "filled with the Spirit" is keenly aware of
what he does, and so benefits in the stirring of his emotions through the
beauties of verse and melody, which, in turn help to deepen the sense of
appreciation. PRAISE IN PSALMS AND HYMNS We
all know by experience how this emotional release, through the expressing of
gratitude and praise in songs and. testimonies of thanksgiving, brings an
uplift that causes us to forget the difficulties and trials that attend our
way. How much good we derive therefrom, we have no way of determining, but we
know that it must be great else the Lord would not have provided so many psalms
and hymns of praise, and admonished us in their frequent use. When
King Saul was low in spirit and could not rest, he would call for David and his
harp, and the music eased his troubled mind and enabled him to rest. When the
Apostles were chained in prison and were in pain and misery from being beaten,
they sang songs and forgot their troubles. Many-hospitals and curative
institutions, especially those for the insane, now use music as a therapeutic
in the healing of mind and body and have found that its soothing strains are
often efficacious when nothing else seems to help. We
have observed that drunkards have a tendency to talk to themselves and to sing
maudlin songs. Paul suggests that, being filled with the Spirit, we speak to
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, and that we not only make
melody with our lips, but in our hearts. Some singers are so able in their art
that they can convey sentiments with their lips that give impression to the
listener of deep feeling, when in reality there is no real sentiment there.
God, however, is not deceived by mere lip service, no matter how real it may
seem to us, for He looketh upon the heart and judges not by the seeing of the
eye or hearing of the ear. When
the Church was established on the day of Pentecost, and God's Holy Spirit came
upon the waiting disciples, the record is that "They were all filled with
the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance." This was evidently a loud sound and quite a demonstration, for
we read that "When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and
were confounded, because that every man ["devout Jews from every nation
under heaven"] heard them speaking in his own tongue, and they were amazed
and marveled, saying, Behold, are not all these that speak Galileans? . . But
others mocking said, They are filled with new wine." - Acts 2:5-13. These
who were filled with the Spirit rather than with new wine, as Peter points out,
were not speaking to one another so much as they were unto the multitude, for
the context shows that it was in witness of the fulfillment of the prophecy of
Joel, and of the power of God through Jesus Christ to give salvation by faith
rather than through works of the Law that they spoke. This witness of the
Spirit through the disciples was very effective in convincing these devout Jews
that the Christ of whom they were in expectation had indeed come, for about
three thousand were added to the Church that day. The gifts of the Spirit
granted to the early Church, did much toward its establishment, but were not
intended to aid much toward its growth in character-likeness unto the Lord, for
as gifts, they were bestowed apart from any effort toward Christlikeness. THANKS FOR ALL THINGS In
the last verse of our text, the Apostle admonishes us to "Give thanks
always for all things unto God, even the Father [R. V.], in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ." To be able to do this indicates a well developed
Christian-one who has really come to know that "All things work together
for good to them that love God." Only those who actually believe that
God's providences are over all their ways-that He directs their path, and
withholds no good thing from them that walk uprightly, can thus give thanks. But
what does the Apostle mean by "all things"? Naturally, there would be
no question about the things we consider to be good-our daily bread, our
comforts of home, the bed upon which we ease our tired bodies at night,
pleasant surroundings and associations, time for study, opportunity for
fellowship, and a thousand other things we could name-we would readily agree
that we should give thanks for these. But how about the multitude of things
that are hard, unpleasant, monotonous, disagreeable, disquieting, trying,
painful, dishonoring, unjust, inhuman and even detestable: must we give thanks for these? No,
God will not compel us to give thanks, not even for those things for which we
ask; nor will He force us to make our calling and election sure. But, if the
question be asked, Should we give thanks for these things? then the answer is,
Yes. Have we not made a covenant under which these bodies, reckoned holy
through Christ, are committed to sacrifice, even unto death? Have we not placed
ourselves under the control of the Father's will in order that His wisdom and
power may be exercised on our behalf to perfect us as New Creatures? And has He
not told us that through much tribulation lies the way into the Kingdom, and
that He scourgeth every son He receiveth? And
so the multitude of things which are to try us, call for our thanks just as
sincerely as do the things we enjoy, for "all things work together for
good to them that love God." If the "all things" work for our
good, then we should give thanks for the "all things. But
how about the weaknesses and tendencies of our own fleshly minds and bodies-do
not these often, cause, us to stumble? And how about Satan and the
principalities and powers arrayed against us to entrap us and bring to naught
God's purpose concerning us? Are we to give thanks for these? Yes, we can even
be thankful for these; not because they have become what they are, but
because, under God's overruling providence, -they become invaluable in
our-development. If the deed of Joseph's brethren,- which they meant for evil,
could become (under the providence of God) an' experience for good, (Gen.
45:5-8) , and if all of Satan's power and cunning, exercised directly and
indirectly,, against Jesus could become the cup poured out by His, Father, is
it too much to believe that God scan work the same wonders for us? "Moab
is my washpot." - Psa. 108:9. The
text concludes with a statement most important to us, a statement which, if it
always continues the expression of our hearts, will make all our efforts and
prayers and thanksgiving acceptable unto God; but if rejected, nothing we can
do will be acceptable. May God help us always to recognize and remember, that
only "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the merit of His, blood
is there any possibility of salvation or reward for our endeavors -to serve and
praise Him. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all
His benefits." - J. T. Read. What Say the Scriptures?Basic Bible Studies No. 3 - The First Man, Adam"God
made from one every nation of men." - Acts 17:26, R. S. V. THE
Bible declares itself as the only revealed religion, and sets itself as such
over against all other religions, which are represented as all products of the
art and device of man. Its great
theme is the eventual mental, moral, and physical regeneration of the human
race through the beneficent arrangement of an intelligent Creator, with a view
to their eternal blessing. This magnificent purpose is delineated in a Plan of
the Ages traceable through all of its sixty-six books -- a fact indicative of
divine supervision in its compilation. Its pages embrace the creation of
original man perfect; the entrance of disobedience, sin, and death; the
temporary permission of evil; the restorative reign of a Messiah, and the Ages
of Glory to follow. To authenticate the certainty of this purpose, the
introductory chapter of the first book, Genesis, is devoted to a most
remarkable account of the Creative steps -- phenomena to which no human mind
was witness. The record of later events named in the Bible might have
been handed down without divine inspiration by the ordinary processes of human
tradition. Here alone such a tradition was plainly impossible unless (as seems
to be the fashion today) the record be degraded from a Divine message into mere
human speculation. One
recalls Leonardo da Vinci's words: "Let there be no interference with the
Holy Scriptures, for they are the supreme truth." THE GREAT CONTROVERSY What
are some of the viewpoints regarding this creative record? The
past century, with the rise of evolutionary biology and geology, has witnessed
a seemingly irreconcilable conflict between Genesis and science. We have
statements such as Jean Paul Richter's: "The first leaf of the Mosaic
record has more weight than all the folios of men of science and
philosophers." This noble tribute is in direct contrast with Herbert
Spencer's harsh words: "The belief in special creations of organisms [as
taught in Genesis] is a belief that arose among men during the era of
profoundest darkness, and belongs to a family of beliefs which have nearly all
died out, as enlightenment has increased'... . The hypothesis of special
creations turns out to be worthless; worthless by its derivation, worthless in
its intrinsic incoherence, worthless as absolutely without evidence, worthless
as not supplying an intellectual need, worthless as not satisfying a moral
want." Consider
on the other hand the words of one of the greatest geologists, Professor J. D.
Dana, and written shortly before his death: "Geologists
vary much as to their views on this chapter [Gen. 1]; and some will take it
literally, affirming that it is a mere fable, no better than other fables in
ancient history. We would ask of all such (as well as of the nature-doubting
exegete) a reconsideration of the question; and if they have doubts with
regard to the authenticity of the Bible itself, they may perhaps be held,
after a fair examination of the narrative, and a consideration of the
coincidences between its history and the history of the earth derived from
nature, to acknowledge a divine origin for both; and to recognize the fact
that in this introductory chapter its divine Author gives the fullest
endorsement of the Book which is so prefaced. It is his own inscription on the
title-page." So
bitter was the controversy that in 1865, at a meeting of the British
Association of Science, a manifesto was drawn up and signed by 617 scientists
who felt impelled to declare their belief in the ultimate harmony of Scripture
and natural science. A copy was deposited in the Bodleian Library of Oxford.
The text reads as follows: "We,
the undersigned students of the Natural Sciences, desire to express our sincere
regret that researches into scientific truth are perverted by some in our own
times into occasions for casting doubts upon the truth and authenticity of the
Holy Scriptures. "We
conceive that it is impossible for the Word of God as written in the Book of
Nature, and God's Word written in Holy Scripture to contradict one another,
however much they may appear to differ. "We
are not forgetful that physical science is not complete, but is only in a condition of progress, and that at present our finite reason enables
us only to see as through a glass darkly, and we confidently believe that a
time will come when the two records will be seen to agree in every particular. "We
cannot but deplore that Natural Science should be looked upon with suspicion
by many who do not make a study of it, merely on account of the unadvised
manner in which some are placing it in opposition to Holy Writ. "We
believe that it is the duty of every scientific student to investigate Nature simply
for the purpose of elucidating truth, and that if he finds that some of his
results appear to be in contradiction to the written Word, or rather to his own
interpretation of it, which may be erroneous, he should not presumptuously
affirm that his own conclusions must be right, and the statements of Scriptures
wrong. Rather leave the two side by side until it shall please God to allow us
to see the manner in which they may be reconciled; and instead of insisting
upon the seeming differences between Science and the Scriptures, it would be as
well to rest in faith upon the points in which they agree." Unfortunately,
these salutary words are largely lost to the Science of our generation. An age
which has seen amazing progress in the knowledge of the physical universe is
also an age of increasing disbelief in God,, and in the Bible as his revealed
Word. To confess an intelligent Creator as the Cause of the wonders about us is
seemingly anathema to our learned men. Strange hypotheses of every sort are
substituted for the honest confession a child can make. It is written:
"Great men are not always wise." Nevertheless here and there can yet
be found a statement from some deep student of the sciences which is in
refreshing contrast to the prevalent infidelity. One such is that of W. M.
Smart, Regius Professor of astronomy in the University of Glasgow, who closes
his learned recent volume, "The Origin of the Earth," with these
words "Our
study in this book has been concerned with inanimate matters ranging from the
nimble electron to galaxies of unimagined grandeur. The achievements recorded
in the previous chapters have been many and even, on occasions, spectacular and
certainly beyond disparagement; nowhere, however, have we touched the greatest
topic of all -- man's place and destiny in this marvelous creation. Our study
has been one of the stage only, and we have learned much about its
construction, properties, lighting, and so on, but we have been in no position
to investigate the characters, the aspirations or even the foibles of the
actors, and, most important of all, the mind of the Author, in the background,
who has created the play. "When
we study the universe and appreciate its grandeur and orderliness, it seems to
me that we are led to the recognition of a Creative Power and Cosmic Purpose
that transcends all that our limited minds can comprehend. In one of his
essays, Lord Bacon expressed this belief picturesquely as follows: 'I had
rather believe all the Fables in the Legend and the Talmud and the Alcoran
than that this Universal Frame is without a Mind.' Today we have learned very
much more about the 'Universal Frame' than was known in Bacon's time;
nevertheless, to many of us, scientific and non-scientific alike, the belief
in a Divine Creator is as necessary now as ever it was. To one astronomer at
least 'The Heavens are telling the Glory of God and the Wonder of His
Works."' THE CREATION DOCUMENT Let
us consider for ourselves this highly controversial first chapter of the Bible.
We need not be concerned with its biological and geological teachings, resting
assured that the wonderful simplicity and grandeur of its words have a meaning
in advance of science and independent of it, running, as it were, round the
outer margin of all possible discovery. Science may pursue her boundless
course and multiply her discoveries in the heavens and the earth, but it can
never "do anything against the truth, but for the truth." Let us
briefly linger over some of the separate jewels of truth in this chapter,
considering first its opening words "In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Thus
with majestic abruptness, the Bible, in contrast to the reasonings of men,
directs us to the primal Cause. We turn back the pages of time to search out the
origin of the world and of our race only to meet this sublime declaration, In
the beginning, God. We may wander through the interminable ages of geology
but will come at length to this terminus, In the beginning, God. We may roam the whole field
of speculative philosophy but shall reach only this same sublime result, In
the beginning,God. This sentence denies atheism, denies polytheism,
denies materialism, denies pantheism, denies fatalism. Instead, it declares the
being of God, it confesses the one eternal Creator, it asserts the creation of
matter, it announces the existence of God before all things and apart from
them, and reveals the freedom of action of the Eternal Being. All the
subsequent communications of this grand chapter do not outweigh the great
introductory sentence of the Word of God. Within
the sentence itself are two words of singular significance. The first,
"God," translates the Hebrew word "elohim, which is a plural
noun, though followed by a verb in the singular. Various have been the
explanations advanced. The Rabbis look upon it as an intensive to
express the majesty of Him to whom it is applied. Other scholars see in it a
proof that Monotheism rose on the ruins of a polytheistic faith which worshiped
the true God under many names. Thus "elohim" comprehending by one
name everything called divine, a plural conceived and construed as a singular,
became the name by which the monotheistic age of Abraham was inaugurated.
Another suggestion, that the word signifies a plurality of persons in a unity
of substance, is inadmissible. Such an interpretation does violence to
reason, and furthermore, is at variance with the philosophy of the
ransom-sacrifice expounded in the New Testament. The word "elohim"
actually signifies mighty, and like the English word "sheep,"
is used either in the singular or plural as occasion may require. In the Bible
it is applied to the Deity, to angels, and to great men. Of this latter class
two examples may suffice. In Genesis 23:6, in reference to Abraham we read:
"Thou art a mighty [elohim] prince among us." In Exodus 7:1,
Moses is also thus called: "I have made thee a god [elohim] to
Pharaoh." The
second remarkable word in the opening sentence of Genesis is the Hebrew word
"bara," translated "created." This word occurs over forty
times in the Old Testament. It is never used as the word for human creations
(for which three other words are reserved) but in each case defines a creative
act, a distinctive power of God, which man cannot even approach. Man can make,
form, or build, but only God can bring into existence what had no existence before.
This stupendous thought -- that God created the universe from nothing, and
not out of formless matter coeval with himself -- was considered
"unscientific" until recently; for to science, matter was uncreatable and indestructible. The advance of theoretical physics has
disproved this long accepted hypothesis and unwittingly corroborated the lone
witness for thousands of years of this Hebrew word "bara," that
creation is a Divine act -- the evidence of God! The
next two verses reveal additional gems of truth. We read that "the spirit
of God moved [literally "brooded" or "hovered"]
upon the face of the waters. And God said, Light, be." Two
phenomena resulted from these earliest Divine acts following the
Creation-matter was energized and light was manifested (not created). These two
simple statements are exactly in accord with the scientifically recognized
basic steps for the formation of all things. Nuclear studies have revealed the
astounding fact that subatomic entities when acted upon by electrical forces
can be transmuted into any of the ninety-two chemical elements which compose
all matter. Light is simply matter in its freest form. Powerful radiation of
various kinds is now known to exist. The familiar X rays used in medical photography
easily pass through flesh and bone, though they cannot penetrate one-sixteenth
inch of lead plate. On the other hand the amazing cosmic rays, which reach the
earth from interstellar space, penetrate six feet of lead! The action of such forces on the material
world is still a large mystery. The power (spirit) which "brooded"
upon the face of the waters emanated from God and was consequently of an
infinitely higher order. There is an awesome quality in the brevity of Biblical
statements which encompass such vast fields of scientific and philosophic
thought. Considering
the chapter as a whole we note that the work of ordering and filling the earth
in preparation for man was subdivided into six "days." The Bible does
not say how long a period elapsed between the beginning, when God
created the heaven and the earth, and the beginning of the creative
week. This we may leave to be determined by geologists, with however the sincere
wish that before their conclusions they would more seriously contemplate the
physical effects resulting from a cataclysm of the Cyclopean proportions of
the Biblical Flood, evidence for which is continually being uncovered by their
own researches in earth's crust. As regards these six "days,"
inasmuch as they are nowhere declared to be twenty-four hours long and the word
is used in the Bible to describe periods of various length, we may reasonably
conclude that in this creative week they represent epochs. Gladstone called
them "chapters in the history of the creation." Attempts have been
made to correspond them to the "Ages" of modern geology, but with
limited success. A suggestion of some merit, based on the Jewish Jubilee Cycle
instituted by Moses (who is believed also to have written Genesis), considers
these "days" as each seven thousand years long. On this theory, the
six creative days, would cover a period of forty-two thousand years, closing
with the creation of man. The seventh day of seven thousand years, God
"rests" -- rests in the sense of ceasing to create. The period of
Divine cessation from creative and energizing activity in connection with the
earth, measures also man's "week"; six "days" of labor in
the experience of sin, each a thousand years long, terminating in a seventh
day, a Millennium of rest. This Millennial period of restitution under the
beneficent reign of Christ, will uplift mankind to mental, moral, and physical
perfection. Thus will close man's week of seven thousand years and God's week
of forty-nine thousand years, ushering in the grand jubilee epoch of eternity,
when there shall be no more sighing, no more crying, no more pain, and no more
dying, because God's work of creation shall then have been completed so far as
this earth is concerned. Significantly, under the Mosaic Law, all male children
were circumcised (the mark of separation to God) on the eighth day. God's great
eighth "day" will find humanity completely devoted to the doing of
his will in conformity to the first and greatest commandment: "Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind, and with all thy strength." Passing
on, we note the Scripture language in reference to the creation of organic life: "And
the earth brought forth grass," etc. "Let
the waters bring forth the creeping creature," etc. "Let
the earth bring forth the living creature," etc. Such
language does not forbid the possibility that plants, water and land creatures
were more or less developed or evolved, but only to the point where the species
was fixed, each "after his kind" by God. Note the Bible
record: "The
earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after its kind, and
the tree yielding fruit, whose seed is in itself, after his kind." "God
created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, with which the
waters swarm, after their kind, and every winged fowl after its kind." "God
made the beast of the earth after its kind, and cattle after their kind
and earth-reptiles after their kind." These
phrases involve the doctrine of the invariability of species; a fixation which
is the stamp of the intelligent Creator upon his handiwork. The ingenuity of
the human mind has never been able to pass this barrier. Argyll said: "The
founding of new forms by the union of different species, even when standing in
close natural relation to each other, is absolutely forbidden by the sentence
of sterility which Nature pronounces and enforces upon all hybrid offspring. And
so it results that man has never seen the origin of any species. Creation by
birth is the only kind of creation he has ever seen; and from this kind of
creation he has never seen a new species come." In which Agassiz concurs
in briefer words: "Breeds (i.e., varieties) among animals are the work of
man; species were created by God." THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE We
consider finally the grandest work of the creative week -- the last act of the
sixth day -- the creation of man. The sacred record reads: "And God said,
We will make man in our image, and after our likeness; let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle,
and over all the earth, and over every reptile that creeps upon the earth. So
God created man in his image, in the image of God created he him; male and female
created he them, and God blessed them, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue and control it, and have dominion over
the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the heavens, and over every living thing
that moveth upon the earth." It
becomes at once evident that there is a clearly drawn issue between the Bible's
account of man's origin and that of the Evolution theory. The Bible knows of no
pre-Adamite race. It presents the first man as created perfect; the moral and
mental image of his Creator; as dominant over the lesser creatures, and
so in miniature, a likeness
of God in
his universal rulership. Originally a being of dignity, created to glorify his
Maker, his subsequent disobedience brought forth sin and its penalty death
upon himself, and by their imperfect generation, upon his posterity.
"For all," says St. Paul, "have sinned and come short of the
glory of God." In consequence, (the Bible relates) the course of humanity
has been downward, away from original perfection. But from this, as the result
of divine redemptive love, they will be eventually rescued to a glorious and
eternal destiny through the restitution processes of Messiah's Kingdom. This
doctrine of the original creation is no "crude fancy of ignorant
peasants," but has prevailed for thousands of years. Among its firm
believers are listed all the Prophets, the Apostles, and a host of
philosophers, scientists, intellectual lights and standard-bearers of the
leading nations of earth. It is bound up with the teaching of the Scriptures
from Genesis to Revelation, and the repudiation of it is a repudiation of the
Bible as the inspired Revelation of God. This
simple narrative of Scripture is rejected with scorn by the theory of
Evolution, which, denying the fall of man and, by consequence, his need of a
Divine redemption, dispenses wholly with the Creator in the formation of the
world. Laying hold of the partial variation which, by different means, can be
produced within the same species, it erects this into a fundamental law, by which specific distinctions
may be disregarded and the whole world of living things fortuitously developed
from obscure protoplasm. But all direct evidence of transmutation of species
is wanting, and this assumed explanation of the origin of the human race
remains a vague hypothesis beset by countless questions and immense
difficulties. These however are brushed aside by a "faith" almost
exceeding that required to move mountains, and which has now exalted the
Evolution theory into a dogma of science not to be questioned. Such
is the great controversy, of our day -- one not to be resolved until the
manifestation of Him who is to "restore all things." St. Paul
testifies that "there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and
one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom
are all things," who, as the active agent of God created all things
"that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers." The Genesis
record: "Let us make
man in our image," reveals his presence with God in the creative
operations. Later, in obedience to his Father's will he came in human form
into the world, a world made by him, a world which recognized him not.
Subsequent to his crucifixion as the world's redemptive sacrifice, a ransom or
corresponding price for Adam (and in him the human race), he returned to his
Father. Once again, but now in glorious majesty and power, shall he be
manifested to an astounded world, to complete the wondrous work of redemption
begun at Calvary. In
the words of the inspired Apostle: "The
first man was from the earth, a man of dust; The second man is from heaven. The
first man Adam became a living being; The last Adam became a life-giving
spirit." - W.
J. Siekman (The subject of the fourth
article in this series will be: "The Wages of Sin.")
The Seed of the Woman "I will put enmity
between thee and the woman, IN
LUKE 1:26-38 we read of the visit of the angel to Mary with the announcement of
the selection of herself to be the mother of the long expected Messiah. As
there have been many claims by men, women, and children of having had visions
of angels, of Mary, and even of Jesus, we must test this account of the
angelic visit, and the subsequent birth of Jesus to a virgin, by the
consistent testimony of Scripture. In doing so we will find that there is a
line of prophecy which terminates in the virgin birth of Jesus to a descendant
of the lineage of David. Our
faith, as Christians, in great measure is based on this testimony to the virgin
birth. If God is not directly the father of Jesus, then we have a weak link in
our chain of theological reasoning, for this affects the value of the sacrifice
of Jesus as "a ransom for all" and as an offering for sin. Had Jesus
been a wonder worker, but still of Adamic stock (and therefore under condemnation),
his life given in sacrifice would have had no justifying, sanctifying, redemptive
value, and so would have vitiated the central doctrine of the New Testament:
"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son," and also
that Jesus was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners." It
would have made void the declaration of Paul in Romans 1:3, 4 and Romans 4:25
that Jesus "was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and
declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness,
by the resurrection from the dead . . . " "He was delivered for our
offences, and raised again for our justification." THE SEED OF THE WOMAN The
first statement of Scripture which has reference to a possible virgin birth is
in Genesis 3:15. After the transgression in Eden, in connection with the
judgment put upon the Serpent, the Lord God spoke these prophetic words:
"I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and
her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
Notice that it is "her seed." Further we read in Gen. 3:20:
"Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all
living." Adam's confession of faith in this promise is manifested in so
naming her; for when she was first brought to him he called her, simply, Woman.
At that time she was already the potential mother of the race according to
Genesis 1:27, 28: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue
it." But, now, Adam not being deceived as to the death consequence for
disobedience (1 Tim. 2:14), and believing that life would be restored through
the seed of the woman, calls his wife's name Eve, which in the marginal reading
is "living." He evidently understood that he could bequeath only
dying to his offspring (how few or many he could not know), whereas the woman
was to be the mother of "all living." The word living is to be
understood as being a substantive, not an adjective, -- not all living people,
not just the mother of the race, but the mother of "living," or
"life giver." That God accepted or honored this faith of Adam is
seen in his providing skins of animals as a covering for their nakedness, as
we read: "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of
skins, and clothed them"; thus setting forth the great fundamental truth
of Scripture that "without shedding of blood [life poured out in
sacrifice] there is no remission" of sins. - Hebrews 9:22. THE SEED OF ABRAHAM Prior
to the call of Abram to leave Ur of the Chaldees there was no such division of
people as we now know as Jew and Gentile, for the word gentile (Hebrew Goyim)
simply means non-covenant people. But when God called Abram and gave a promise
to him, Abram by this very call was set apart from all others of the race; he
only was in covenant relationship with Deity, all others now became
non-covenant, Gentiles. And, further, when the covenant was confirmed to
Abraham and his seed (Gen. 22:15-18), from henceforth his descendants became a
covenant people, all others Gentiles. This distinction is noted by Paul in
Ephesians 2:11-19; "Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past
Gentiles . . . That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no
hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes
were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." That is, brought into
covenant relationship as the Seed of Abraham to bring blessings to "all
the nations of the earth." - Genesis 22:18. THE SON OF DAVID By a
covenant with David as recorded in 2 Samuel 7:1-16, the promise of a Messiah
was limited to the family of David together with this strange, enigmatical
statement: "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy
fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee . . . I will be his father, and he shall
be my son." We
can detect the puzzlement of the author of Psalm 89, when, after prophetically
writing that David's Seed and throne would continue forever, he muses:
"What man liveth and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from
the hand of the grave?" - Psa. 89:48. A VIRGIN BIRTH IN THE HOUSE OF DAVID In
the days of Samuel, when the demand was made for a visible king and a king was
given to Israel, Jehovah did in no sense abdicate his right to rule over them.
By the covenant at Sinai they were joined to him as his peculiar people,
subject to his laws and rule (Ex. 24:8; Heb. 9:20). All the kings of Israel sat
on the throne which was in reality Jehovah's throne, as we read: "Solomon
sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father" - 1
Chron. 29: 23. But
though sitting on the throne of the Lord, there were but few kings of whom it
is written: "he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord."
Many were unbelievers, and scoffed at the messages of the prophets that
delivered to them God's instructions. In the days of Ahaz, when he refused to
ask a sign of Jehovah (see Isa. 7:1-14) with no limit attached ("ask it
either in the depth, or in the height above," which means that he could
ask what was to him humanly impossible), Isaiah was instructed to give a sign:
"Hear ye now, O house of David ... therefore the LORD himself shall give you a
sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name
Immanuel." We note that the prophecy was not given to Ahaz as a person,
but to the "house of David." It was a continuing prophecy until the
literal fulfillment. The "us" of Isaiah 9:6, 7 refers to the house of
David: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder" - a government that would result in
lasting peace; "of the increase of his government and peace there shall be
no end ... to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from
henceforth, even for ever." SOLOMON'S LINE ELIMINATED After
the removal of the ten-tribe kingdom by the Assyrians, the Davidic house
continued to reign over Judah until the final overthrow of Jerusalem by
Nebuchadnezzar. There the line of David as descended from Solomon ceased
forever (Ezek. 21:18-27). It happened this way: Nebuchadnezzar had removed
Jehoiakin after only three months' reign, and had established his uncle
Zedekiah on the throne of Judah. But when doing so, the Chaldean king made
Zedekiah swear by Jehovah that he would not rebel, but would render such yearly
tribute as was specified (2 Chron. 36: 13). Zedekiah violated that oath, and
Jehovah considered that violation as compromising himself. For this Zedekiah
is called "thou profane and wicked prince," as we read: "As I
live, surely mine oath that he has despised, and my covenant that he hath
broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head." "Thou profane
and wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an
end, thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this
shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I
will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more, until he come
whose right it is; and I will give it him. " - Ezekiel 17:19; Eze.
21:25-27. Efforts
have been made by the Anglo-Israelite theory to connect the royal house of
Britain with a supposed daughter of Zedekiah, claiming that Jeremiah had taken
this supposed daughter to Ireland where she was married to an Irish prince, and
that from them descended the royal family of England. But nowhere in Scripture
is the genealogy reckoned through mothers; always it is thus: "Abraham
begat Isaac"; "Isaac begat Jacob"; "Jesse begat
David"; etc., until we come to Matthew 1:16 where we read: "Jacob
begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called
Christ." In the line of kings given in the third chapter of 1 Chronicles
no women are found. In the genealogical table of Jesus, Luke does not mention
any women, although Matthew lists four: Thamar, Rachab, Ruth, and the wife of
Urias, evidently for a special reason, but they are not in the line of
descent. In all cases the generation is attributed to men. As we understand
the matter, the life principle is passed from father to child, so that the life
force flowing in the veins of the whole race is the same life force that was in
Adam. It is of importance to grasp this fact in order to appreciate the relationship
of Jesus to both God and man. THE TESTIMONY OF MATTHEW AND LUKE It
was necessary for the salvation of the race of Adam that one should appear who
had a life not derived from Adam, not under condemnation, one who was
"holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners," that he might
lay down this life for us. That Jesus perfectly fulfilled this necessity is the
clear testimony of the New Testament writers. Actually,
the Gospels were not written until some years after the death of Christ. This
was due to the expectation of the soon return of Jesus, according to his own
words, "I will come again and receive you unto myself"; and the
words of the angel in Acts 1:11: "This same Jesus, which is taken up from
you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into
heaven." As time went on without the expected return, many began to commit
to writing what was remembered of Jesus -- his life, his works, his teachings.
It is very evident that the synoptic writers had recourse to such material in
compiling their testimony of Jesus. But they selected and arranged their findings
according to whom they were writing and the purpose they had in mind. Thus
Matthew, writing for Jewish readers, sees Jesus as the King of the Jews, the
long promised Messiah; Luke presented Jesus to the Greek mind as the ideal
man, the universal Savior. Matthew
1:18-25: "Now the birth of Jesus was on this wise: When as his mother Mary
was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of
the holy spirit." Joseph, being minded to put her away privately, was
visited by an angel in a dream, and was told "Fear not to take unto thee
Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the holy spirit . . .
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord
by the prophet, saying, Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a
son . . . Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had
bidden him . . . and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son;
and he called his name Jesus." This information, which Matthew records,
could only have been supplied by Joseph, for only he could have known the
intimate details revealed here. Luke,
writing to a "most excellent
Theophilus," says that he had investigated from their source all things
accurately in order that Theophilus might know the reliability concerning the
things in which he had been instructed (Luke 1:1-4). If a report of a virgin
birth were circulated today, we dare say that there would be hardly a
scientist, or physician that would not be deeply interested in it, and follow
the investigation of the report. So
Luke, himself being a physician, naturally would be sure to make careful
inquiry and investigation before giving an account of the birth of Jesus to a
virgin. The information which he gives could have come from no one else but
Mary, for, as in the case of Matthew's account, it contains much of private
thoughts and reactions which would have been unknown to others. Mary being
"troubled at the angel's saying"; and how "she cast in her mind
what manner of salutation this should be"; and her questioning "how
shall this be?" Then, further, Mary's acquiescence: "Behold the
handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." And then the
incident of the visit of Mary to Elizabeth, and Elizabeth's testimony that
"as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe
[John] leaped in my womb for joy." Century
after century had passed, civilizations had risen and fallen, until "when
the fullness of the time was come God sent forth his Son, made of a woman"
in fulfillment of the Edenic promise of a life-giver who is to bruise the
Serpent's head. No wonder the heavenly host sang "Glory to God in the
highest; and on earth peace, good will toward men. For unto you is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Many
questions, and claims, and objections have been advanced seeking to nullify
the virgin birth. They are but schemes of the Serpent, working through
deceived ones (2 Cor. 4:4) as he carries on the conflict of enmity prophesied
in Genesis 3:15. As Paul warns: "Satan himself is transformed into an
angel of light." This is a favorite role of the Serpent, beginning in
Eden. "The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe
not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them." John,
in his first epistle, testifies "He that believeth not God hath made him a
liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is
the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his
Son." - 1 John 5:10, 11. - F. A. Essler Touched With the Feeling of Our Infirmities "For we have not an high
priest which cannot be touched WHILE
in this our judgment day we find great comfort in this blessed assurance,
realizing as we do our own weaknesses and shortcomings and manifold
temptations, we call to mind this statement now for another purpose; viz., to remind the members of the elect Church of God who
are to constitute the Royal Priesthood of the new dispensation, that they, like
their Lord and Head, must also be touched with the feeling of the world's
infirmities, else they would be totally unfit for so exalted and responsible a
position. In
the Royal Priesthood of that Age, the world is to have the same comfort in its
priesthood that we in our present infirmities find in Christ. For this cause,
chiefly, we apprehend that the priesthood is chosen from among men -that
redeemed men who were once in the same plight with all the rest of humanity,
being thus exalted to the divine nature with all its power to bless, might
also, from their past experience and observations while they were men amongst
men, be qualified to be very wise and merciful priests, knowing well how to
deal with the poor sin-sick world; and that the world might find comfort and
consolation in the realization of such sympathy. Such
being the mission of the Church in the not far distant future, all who expect
to be of its approved membership in glory should now be cultivating a broad and
generous sympathy for all their fellows of the "groaning creation" --
a sympathy which considers the weaknesses and temptations, mental, moral, and
physical -- of fallen men, and which is ready to forgive and to help the repentant
erring; a sympathy illustrated by the verse --
It
is not enough that we know the truth and rejoice in hope of a future personal
exaltation: we must not forget the very object of that exaltation -- the
blessing of all the families of the earth -- and the present duty of conformity
to the word and example of our Lord, that thus by his Word and Providence he
may fit us for the duties and honors to which he has called us. Only by so
doing can we make our calling and election sure. If
we turn our eyes to the Pattern, we see in our Lord Jesus one who was deeply
moved at the sight of human degradation, moral and physical. So must it be
with all his followers. We must be in sympathy with every impulse of the world
which is toward righteousness and reformation of character and life; we must
rejoice at every movement that is made in this direction; and our sympathies
should go out toward all who are laboring for the common uplifting as well as
for all the oppressed everywhere. And so we trust they do. We sympathize with
the temperance work and would not have one abandon the ranks of its laborers,
except to engage in the higher work of this harvest time, to which the elect,
consecrated sons of God are now specially called. And we say, God bless every
truly philanthropic heart and hand that is trying to rescue the unfortunate victims
of strong drink! We would have all such go on until the Master, noting their
zeal, where it springs from love to him, shall say, "It is enough; come up
higher"--to the higher work, the harvesting or gathering together of his
elect from the four winds" (Matt. 24:31).... Dearly
beloved of the consecrated household, let us not forget to keep in touch with
the groaning creation; to sympathize with its sorrows and its woes; to realize
its deep degradation and misery; to remember its frailties, its awful burden
of hereditary taints and consequent weaknesses; its present environments of
ignorance and superstition; and its long established errors of public
sentiment; remembering that we too are still in the sinful flesh, and that the
motions of sin are still often painfully manifest in us, in some directions, at
least, if not in many. And as the cries of the groaning creation come up into
the ears of the Lord of hosts (James 5:4) with strong and pathetic pleading to
his loving heart, so let them come into our ears and gain our sympathies, and
quicken our zeal to cooperate with our Heavenly Father's plan for the
establishment of his Kingdom of righteousness and peace. But
let us bear in mind that a real pity for the world, a full sympathy with every
good work of reform, and an active cooperation with God in the necessary
preparation for our great future work, imply also that we have no fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness and that our lives be a standing rebuke
to them. "How," says the Apostle, "shall we that are dead to sin
live any longer therein?" . . . It
should be our constant effort, therefore, to seek to discern the course of
righteousness on every question of moral obligation, and to see to it that our
conduct, our sympathies and our influence, however small, are on the side of
righteousness. In this day of searching judgment it should be observed that
every principle of moral obligation is being brought forward for searching
examination... . But
right and truth must and shall prevail when the Kingdom has been established
(Matt. 6:10; Luke 12:32; Luke 22:29), however feeble now may be the voices
lifted in their defense. Let our sentiments and our course of action always be
noble and pure, and on the right side of every subject that comes forward for
ventilation and investigation; for we should be "a peculiar people,
zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). - C. T. Russell True Worshipers
"But the hour cometh,
and now is, when the true worshippers PAUL
prayed for the Philippians that their love might "abound yet more and more
in knowledge and all judgment; that ye may approve the things that are
excellent; that ye may be sincere and void of offence ... bing filled with
the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and
praise of God" (Phil. 1:9-11). In
religion the natural tendency of man is to go beyond the bounds of moderation
and right judgment and what is written, and to fall into extravagances,
unbalanced views and wrong conceptions in all directions. Hence the religion of
some is nothing but exterior performances, rites, ceremonies, churchgoing,
reading prayers, or other mere routine formalities. With others it is a mere
intellectual affair, a cold mental knowing, learning, and understanding
without regard to anything further. To be able to talk theology, and to be
ready with arguments to defend their faith against skepticism or criticism or
heresy, is their ideal of a Christian. With some it is a simple morality which
makes nothing of creeds or churches, too weak to hold convictions in any
definite shape. People of inquisitive or speculative turn of mind are in great
danger of taking theology for faith and of substituting doctrines, inferences,
theoretical subtleties, Pharisaic niceties for Christian purity. Others of
dominating inclination transform the Christian life into pretentious
activities, arrogant assertions, malignant faultfinding, heresy-hunting. All
these are systems of acknowledging truths and opinions that play about the
head but impart no warmth to the region of the heart. When
we consider that an important part of our constitution inheres in our
affections and how powerful they are in determining our course of life, it is
absurd to suppose that God has given us a faith capable of saving us and making
us his true children, in which the affections are not at least as much
concerned as the intellect. There
is no right or saving Christianity into which the warm and, living affections
do not enter. If God is to be loved, he must be loved ardently, supremely. If
Jesus is the friend, which the Scriptures represent him to be, there is due him
an attachment stronger than death. If the soul is worth anything, it is above
all valuation, and no earnestness for its security and salvation can be too
great. If the interests of man stretch beyond the present life and through an
eternity of existence, it is impossible to be too much moved, anxious and alive
in all the springs and impulses in looking after and taking care of those
interests. If
you have no heart, no relish, no pleasure, no satisfaction in devotion, prayer
and the worship of God, then question your piety and consider your faith a
failure. If you have never felt the luxury of doing good, of being loving,
kind, and true, and if your soul never warms to the Savior who died for you,
and your nature never kindles and thrills, and your heart never glows with
joyous, living gratitude, admiration and love towards him who so loved us,
then conclude that you know nothing yet aright of the "glorious
Gospel." Men
have warmth, zeal, hope, intense desire for everything else. How can it be
possible to be genuine Christians without these for the Lord Jesus Christ and
his service, for truth and good, for perishing souls, for fellow believers, for
the favor of God, and for the blessed things of an eternal heaven? Only when these, through earnest, persistent supplication and by the mighty power of God, the holy spirit, are burned in our inmost heart and welded to our deepest being as part and parcel of ourselves, can we attain to that which the Scriptures so much desire us to attain, "to abound in," to be "rooted and grounded" in Christ. - Joseph Seiss Entered Into Rest
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