[loan]

BL;
Can you give us a short (or long) biography on C.R. Stam?
I can't find anything on the link you posted.  I know you paste in a lot of his stuff, and I like to "know" my teachers.
Thanks!
JN

JudgeNot:
As one that has gotten to know Pastor C.R.Stam personally, I felt a great loss at his passing last year at the age of 94.

At the time of his passing his hearing was almost completely gone as well as his eyesight. However, his mind remained clear to the end.

I met him in late 1964 when he was the president of the Berean Bible Society; which he founded.

At the time I met him he was filling in at a small Church in Riverdale, Ill that did not have a pastor at that time. Also, I had gone unchruched for many years the first time I attended that church.At the time I attended that church Pastor Stam started a series on the book of the Acts. In one sermon, he caused me to become a dispensationalist. I had never even recall hearing that word before.

This series lasted several Sundays, in that time I did get to know him personally. Also, later I had moved to Sioux Falls, S.D and we would make yearly visits to our church. It was always a joy to see and hear him.

I do have, and read all of his writings. Many of them several times. Everytime I do read his books I keep seeing more and more of God's Grace. Also, when I read his books; I can almost hear him speak the words, because he wrote and spoke in the same manner.

Pastor Stam did not have any college or seminary training. He aquired his writing skills as a result of his father incouraging him to read quality literature, and his father had him write "thank you" notes to the contributos of the Star of Hope Mission, which his father started in Patterson, NJ.

His father was born in Holland and was a comedian by trade, and not a Christian.

At the Star of Hope Mission, Pastor Stam was able to hear the great pastors of that day preach at the mission. He listened in on many of the discussions that his father held with those men.

Whether I give you a long or short history of Pastor Stam, I could never do him justise.

The Berean Bible Society published a 131 page book "The Memoirs of Pastor Cornelius R. Stam". It was published last year as a one time publication. It is an inspiring read, and I am willing to loan it to you or anyone else who would like to read it. It is a remarkable story. I will mail it to you at my expense and trust you to return it.

In order to be able to mail it to you, or anyone, I would need to know your mailing address. I [PROMISE I will not mail any other literature that is not requestd.

My e-mail address is: jellema@alliancecom.net

God Bless.
Live Well, Laugh Often and Love the Lord.

Sorry Big D...As good as anyone's intentions are, you may never get that book back. If it means something to you...do not loan it out. Things happen sometimes Big D...you could lose it, so if you are going to loan it out...loan it out with the attitude you are actually giving it away so that you will not be disappointed if it is not returned.

I am not a pessimist ...but a realist.

You are certainly a good hearted man!

The ten commandments are not multiple choice

Sure they are...I will check off Remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy. This certainly was for the Jews who were under the law. Judaism.

We are no longer under the law. Does this mean I should chose to sin? By no means...but I live by grace and not by the law. We are not to mix the law with grace.

orcalover said:

Anyway, I do not think any animal has a soul. Your very thoughts are just electrical impulses in the brain. Once your brains gone your gone, your thoughts memories and personality. gone.

That would simply be your opinion. AND, man is not an animal. Man was created by Almighty God in HIS image with body, soul, and spirit.

That's right Blackeyeyedpeas!

Powerful stuff! Very challenging and gives much to ponder and pray about.

I am recently born-again and the one the thing I am struggling with is the need to be re-baptized (I was baptized as an infant). I always thought that it would be a fitting touch to my being re-born but now I am wondering if it may be an empty form and not a necessary aspect of the dispensation of grace.

Regards,
Henry

"It is also significant that Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles and minister of the body of Christ NEVER ONCE, IN ANY OF HIS LETTERS, COMMANDS OR EVEN EXHORTS US TO BE BAPTIZED WITH WATER." - From C.R. Stam's Things That Differ

Thanks for that link BrotherLove. Chapter XII blew my mind.

I am also reading The Mystery: The Key to the Bible by Joel Finck (thanks a million BigD!) and that book covers some of the same ground.
Warm regards,
Henry

Took me 44 years to find out its all about GRACE.


Goosebumps again Henry!    Your're a miracle Henry...most people are very set in their ways by the time they have spent that many years in the world.

["Grace & Peace"]

Thanks BigD and Berean, you both have made my day.

"Grace & Peace"

Brother Love

<))><

Brother Love..I have been reading your posts for some
time...Awesome!

Good to see Big D here with his very imfomative posts. More people are needed like this man! Hope to see more of him.

I was here a few months ago...I will be back now more often.

God bless!

[you believe it is all right to have some coins in your pocket, an extra pair of shoes, and another garment;]

Big D, Ambassador4Christ, and Brother Love...Great to see your posts! I am an Acts 9/mid-Acts dispy. Always good to meet others who know the Word rightly divided. Makes all the difference doesn't it?!!!

Some words in Ambassador4Christ's posts that give me a chuckle...all truth just good wording!

You are a Dispensationalist if you believe salvation is by grace completely apart from any works; if you believe the Nation Israel did not accept their Messiah; if you believe salvation is offered to Gentiles and Jews; if you believe it is all right to have some coins in your pocket, an extra pair of shoes, and another garment; and if you believe each man is to provide for his own household, instead of "all things common."

How many people do not realize this part of the kingdom gospel! This was for Israel. But knowing what dispensation we are in...clears this up.  We should still be doing this if we see no difference.

here was another part:

At Israel's rejection of the Offer, that Kingdom was postponed, delayed. However, as those words seem to imply imperfect planning (of which God is not guilty), I cast about in my mind for a better word. And I thought: the Kingdom is being held up like "in a trust" at a bank until certain conditions are met, and Israel cannot have it until then-finally, Oh! "put in escrow"-that is the word I want. At Israel's "fall," the prophecy clock stopped, and Israel became in the same class as the Gentile nations, alienated from God.

I like the style of this writer...

And the truth he brings out. At Israel's fall Israel became in the same class as those Gentiles nations ALIENATED FROM GOD.

Keep up the great posts you guys...I love reading them...get out the truth, so all men may see the Mystery and the message Paul brought to us, the Body of Christ.


Oh to know Paul's message...

Isn't this truly awesome! Everytime I read these verses I am just awestruck....

Thank you for posting this, may every believer come to realize the significance of these verses. What comfort, what joy. What a Savior we have.

And then to know...

"THAT IN THE AGES TO COME HE MIGHT SHOW THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE IN HIS KINDNESS TOWARD US THROUGH CHRIST JESUS" (Eph. 2:4-7).

Just look at what Christ is going to do...for all eternity...for us. Overwhelmingly Awesome!

If it weren't for Purgatory...you would never make it to heaven...as your faith in Jesus Christ is not enough to save you from your sins says Rome. Jesus Christ says otherwise...

not true. if it weren't for jesus christ you wouldn't even make it to purgatory. again get your facts straight. purgatory doesn't save from sin. it purges one of the temporal effects of sins that have already been forgiven.

mike

it purges one of the temporal effects of sins that have already been forgiven.

I forgot to ask you in my above post and I was interested in this statement by you, can you please explain what "the temporal effects of sins " are?

Thanks...

[is made present]

By the way you posted this above, take a good look:

15 The second part of the Catechism explains how God's salvation, accomplished once for all through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, is made present in the sacred actions of the Church's liturgy (Section One), especially in the seven sacraments (Section Two

This is not just faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins because of His shed blood for salvation. Salvation according to Rome is in the sacraments and actions of the church's liturgy. Without that...you are lost if you believe in Roman Catholisim.

it absolutely is faith in jesus christ. what you don't understand aparently about the sacraments is that these are all grace gifts to the church. we cannot boast about the eucharist or baptism when the only reason we do them is because christ provided such things by his death and resurrection.

You said it yourself, you must "DO THEM". This is not just faith in Jesus Christ. You can argue all day if you like. This is faith plus works. And it is faith FIRST in the Roman Catholic Church...then that you will have the faith to find salvation of Christ in the sacraments of the Church. Without the RCC, none of these sacraments...and it is more than baptism and your eucharist and you know it, there are 7 total...not all 7 are required, but most are. Then we have Purgatory, which comes after a lifetime of many many works and prayers and counting beads. Friends and family members can pay to have masses said...that will cut down on your time in Pugatory some...yes, sacrificing Jesus afresh for your sins on that alter will cut down on your time in Purgatory...but masses must be paid for.

So we see here that more than Christ is needed...First you have to get in the door to even get to Jesus...via the RCC.

It reads salvation is made present in the sacraments. Not what God's Word teaches. Salvation is made present ONLY in believing upon Jesus Christ as Savior and that He shed His blood for your sins. Period...faith. That is faith. Anything more and you have added works.

Then there is Purgatory...maybe for millions of years...in firey flames of torture according to Rome...to take care of the sins that Jesus could never, ever purify you of or take from you. Read this please...Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

actually according to rome purgatory doesn't forgive sins at all. you need to get your facts straight before you start making these ridiculous statements.


Ahh, where did I say Purgatory forgave sins??? Get your facts straight.

If it weren't for Purgatory...you would never make it to heaven...as your faith in Jesus Christ is not enough to save you from your sins says Rome. Jesus Christ says otherwise...

not true. if it weren't for jesus christ you wouldn't even make it to purgatory. again get your facts straight. purgatory doesn't save from sin. it purges one of the temporal effects of sins that have already been forgiven.

According to God's Word we are already sitting in heavenly places IN CHRIST! Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

I never said Purgatory saved one from their sins...I said that the Catholic Church said it is to take care of the sins that Jesus could never, ever purify you of or take from you.

If there were a Pugatory...surely Paul would have had something to say about this. But he never, ever, ever did.

Let's say you are a good-hearted Catholic, and you do all the things required of your church throughout life. You regularly attend Mass, you work hard to maintain sanctifying grace in your soul by being faithful, and you confess your sins to a priest when you do wrong. You are always careful to participate in the sacrament of penance after committing what you think may be a mortal sin. You do all this AND MORE, in keeping with what your church tells you. When you die, you will likely STILL have to go to purgatory before being granted entrance into heaven.

not true. a person is to be judged by god and god alone, there is not likely about it. if you need it you need it if not then you don't. if you properly understand the doctrine i think you will understand what paul means when he says "he will still be saved as through fire"

Throughout one's lifetime one could attend over a thousand Masses, and STILL die not fully purified from sin. Protestants respond that this hardly seems like the "good news" of the gospel (Ephesians 2:8-9). The doctrine of purgatory is an outgrowth of the insufficient Roman Catholic view of justification. Since only perfectly righteous people get into heaven, and since in the Roman Catholic view of justification one IS NOT absolutely and once-for-all declared righteous by God, then somehow one must BECOME perfectly righteous before entrance into heaven is granted. This happens via purgatory (among other things). From a scriptural perspective, when Jesus died on the cross He said, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Jesus completed the work of redemption AT THE CROSS. No purgatory is needed for those who trust in Christ. In His high priestly prayer to the Father, Jesus said, "I have brought you glory on earth by COMPLETING the work you gave me to do" (John 17:4). First John 1:7 says, "The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from ALL sin." Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore, there is NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." We are cleansed not by some alleged fire of purgatory but by the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:14). Jesus "Himself is the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 2:2). It is through Jesus' work on the cross that we are made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). The apostle Paul spoke of his life as "not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith" (Philippians 3:7-9). It is through this wonderful work of Christ on the cross that believers are "blameless," and hence are in no need of some alleged purgatory (Jude 1:24; see also Ephesians 1:4). A key verse you will want to share with the Roman Catholic is Hebrews 10:14: "For by one offering He has PERFECTED FOR ALL TIME those who are sanctified." In other words, no further purging is necessary because Christ has perfected "for all time" those who have believed in Him. THAT WHICH IS ALREADY PERFECT "FOR ALL TIME" NEEDS NO FURTHER PURGING. There is no need for purgatory for those who have truly trusted in Christ as Savior.

 

Col 1:24   Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.

why is paul saying christs afflictions were not enough?

1Cr 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;  
1Cr 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.  
 1Cr 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  
 1Cr 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.  

apparently that which has been perfected for all time may find that perfecting through the grace of purgatory.


mike

I will get to the rest of this later...I have work to do...

Good post, Berean! I have quoted contradictions between  Jesus's words and the catholic doctrine many times, yet am told I have not. Since satan is the father of lies, this does not surprise me. Say, are you the Berean who writes the "Berean Call"?

____________________________________________________

Thank you, and Heidi I love Dave Hunt! No I am not that Berean. But I do recieve "Berean Call" every month. Good publication.

Another great publication is Berean Searchlight...I get that also. Look it up on the web...it is free. It is from Berean Bible Society.

Pilgrim, if you understood church history you would not view the RCC as a cult, So, which cult do you belong to, Pilgrim?

________________________________________________

I have to say...and not out of meanness, I do not belong to the largest cult in the world.

[accomplished once for all through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit]

Right on, Bunyan! Catholics don't believe Christ's death is enough! They want to glorify themselves as the way to holiness!

You continue to make claims and spread lies about the Catholic Church and never once let it bother your mind that you cannot support these claims with any proof.  All this does is show your ignorance and prejudice which you have obviously learned from others and not from your own study (no matter how much you claim not to follow men).

Please provide a reference from and official teaching source of the Catholic Church that says "Catholics don't believe Christ's death is enough!"  You can't provide one because one does not exist.  This is a strawman made up by those who hate Catholics in order to more easily attack them.  The truth is that the Catholic Church teaches that salvation is a gift made available only through the sacrifice of Christ.

The following are paragraphs for the Catechism which say just that:

15 The second part of the Catechism explains how God's salvation, accomplished once for all through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, is made present in the sacred actions of the Church's liturgy (Section One), especially in the seven sacraments (Section Two).

124 "The Word of God, which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, is set forth and displays its power in a most wonderful way in the writings of the New Testament" which hand on the ultimate truth of God's Revelation. Their central object is Jesus Christ, God's incarnate Son: his acts, teachings, Passion and glorification, and his Church's beginnings under the Spirit's guidance.

161 Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation. "Since "without faith it is impossible to please [God]" and to attain to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life 'But he who endures to the end.'"

620 Our salvation flows from God's initiative of love for us, because "he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins" (I Jn 4:10). "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself" (2 Cor 5:19).

_______________________________________________

By the way you posted this above, take a good look:

15 The second part of the Catechism explains how God's salvation, accomplished once for all through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, is made present in the sacred actions of the Church's liturgy (Section One), especially in the seven sacraments (Section Two).

This is not just faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins because of His shed blood for salvation. Salvation according to Rome is in the sacraments and actions of the church's liturgy. Without that...you are lost if you believe in Roman Catholisim.

Then there is Purgatory...maybe for millions of years...in firey flames of torture according to Rome...to take care of the sins that Jesus could never, ever purify you of or take from you. Read this please...Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

If it weren't for Purgatory...you would never make it to heaven...as your faith in Jesus Christ is not enough to save you from your sins says Rome. Jesus Christ says otherwise...

Let's say you are a good-hearted Catholic, and you do all the things required of your church throughout life. You regularly attend Mass, you work hard to maintain sanctifying grace in your soul by being faithful, and you confess your sins to a priest when you do wrong. You are always careful to participate in the sacrament of penance after committing what you think may be a mortal sin. You do all this AND MORE, in keeping with what your church tells you. When you die, you will likely STILL have to go to purgatory before being granted entrance into heaven. Throughout one's lifetime one could attend over a thousand Masses, and STILL die not fully purified from sin. Protestants respond that this hardly seems like the "good news" of the gospel (Ephesians 2:8-9). The doctrine of purgatory is an outgrowth of the insufficient Roman Catholic view of justification. Since only perfectly righteous people get into heaven, and since in the Roman Catholic view of justification one IS NOT absolutely and once-for-all declared righteous by God, then somehow one must BECOME perfectly righteous before entrance into heaven is granted. This happens via purgatory (among other things). From a scriptural perspective, when Jesus died on the cross He said, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Jesus completed the work of redemption AT THE CROSS. No purgatory is needed for those who trust in Christ. In His high priestly prayer to the Father, Jesus said, "I have brought you glory on earth by COMPLETING the work you gave me to do" (John 17:4). First John 1:7 says, "The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from ALL sin." Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore, there is NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." We are cleansed not by some alleged fire of purgatory but by the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:14). Jesus "Himself is the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 2:2). It is through Jesus' work on the cross that we are made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). The apostle Paul spoke of his life as "not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith" (Philippians 3:7-9). It is through this wonderful work of Christ on the cross that believers are "blameless," and hence are in no need of some alleged purgatory (Jude 1:24; see also Ephesians 1:4). A key verse you will want to share with the Roman Catholic is Hebrews 10:14: "For by one offering He has PERFECTED FOR ALL TIME those who are sanctified." In other words, no further purging is necessary because Christ has perfected "for all time" those who have believed in Him. THAT WHICH IS ALREADY PERFECT "FOR ALL TIME" NEEDS NO FURTHER PURGING. There is no need for purgatory for those who have truly trusted in Christ as Savior.

[If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary for salvation]

My last post came out very small print...don't know what I did wrong...so I will post again.  

This is from the Council of Trent...I know you know what that is. Can't get much more authoratative than that for the RCC.  I think the first one takes care of your statement ...I didn't have to go to the second one. There is so much in Catholicism that isn't Scriptual. I really hope you will look at God's Word and use that as your measuring stick for truth. Paul has the doctrine for the Body of Christ today.

Canon 4. If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary for salvation but are superfluous, and that without them or without the desire of them men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification,2 though all are not necessary for each one, let him be anathema.



Canon 5. If anyone says that baptism is optional, that is, not necessary for salvation,13 let him be anathema.

[If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary for salvation]

Right on, Bunyan! Catholics don't believe Christ's death is enough! They want to glorify themselves as the way to holiness!

You continue to make claims and spread lies about the Catholic Church and never once let it bother your mind that you cannot support these claims with any proof.  All this does is show your ignorance and prejudice which you have obviously learned from others and not from your own study (no matter how much you claim not to follow men).

Please provide a reference from and official teaching source of the Catholic Church that says "Catholics don't believe Christ's death is enough!"  You can't provide one because one does not exist.  This is a strawman made up by those who hate Catholics in order to more easily attack them.  The truth is that the Catholic Church teaches that salvation is a gift made available only through the sacrifice of Christ.


________________________________________________

This is from the Council of Trent...I know you know what that is. Can't get much more authoratative than that for the RCC.  I think the first one takes care of your statement ...I didn't have to go to the second one. There is so much in Catholicism that isn't Scriptual. I really hope you will look at God's Word and use that as your measuring stick for truth. Paul has the doctrine for the Body of Christ today.

Canon 4. If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary for salvation but are superfluous, and that without them or without the desire of them men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification,[2] though all are not necessary for each one, let him be anathema.



Canon 5. If anyone says that baptism is optional, that is, not necessary for salvation,[13] let him be anathema.

[I declare unto you the gospel]

[quote author=AVBunyan

Characteristics:
1. Generally there is a lack of Bible understanding of the foundational doctrines of the faith, especially justification for they generally believe you can lose your salvation.
7. Generally they focus their Bible reading and study on Jewish books instead of the Pauline epistles (except, of course, for I Cor 12-14).
8. Generally they have little understanding of Paul’s prison epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I and II Timothy, Titus and Philemon).

Now why do these characteristics follow this group?  I believe it is because most of them could possibly be lost.  They may be nice, sincere, and friendly people (unless provoked).  They may be able to quote many Bible verses, search Google for numerable articles for debate, build big churches, and generally follow basic Christian teachings but they are still lost for the most part.  Why are they lost?  God has not called many of them to salvation so they’ve called themselves.  Also, see point 1 above.


This may sound hard and judgmental but we are living in the last days and perilous times are here.  It is easy to say a Muslim, Hindu, or an atheist is not saved and spend much wasted time debating them but the truth of the matter is we, as Bible believing saints, must be able to discern who among “professing” Christians are really saved for two reasons:  
1. To protect ourselves, family, and churches from their errors.  
2. To be able to pray for them that God might open their eyes to the true gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ taught by the apostle Paul.

May God bless

______________________________________________

I agreed with your post AV I just picked out these few items to say that I know a woman who was in the Charismatic movement. The church loved her, had meetings in her home. Always tried to teach her how to speak in tongues. I met this woman on a Christian board and through the months was presenting to her Paul and how he is the Apostle to the Gentiles and that Church doctrine is in his Epistles, not all through the Bible. She was taught that the Old Testament and the Gospels are meant for the church just as Paul's Epistles were. So what she ended up with is Judaism/law mixed with grace.. It is very confusing and one can not know what God's will is for the Body of Christ by doing this.

She began studying God's Word and saw that what Paul was saying was the truth. That it was 7-10 years after Pentacost that Paul was saved in Acts 9, and that Jesus from heaven revealed to him that he was the Apostle to the Gentiles and the dispenser of the age of grace. He was to reveal the Mystery which was kept secret since the world began, the Body of Christ, Jew and Gentile together on equal footing. Before Paul was saved there was no Body of Christ...for the Body of Christ is Jew and Gentile together on equal footing.  

God doesn't tell Peter until Acts 10 that Gentiles are now no longer unclean.

So when this person learned how to rightly divide the Word of God she came out of the Charismatic movement and soon after found the Gospel that is for today, guess what...she got saved. Now she thought she was saved before...but all she had were the things listed by AV in his post, and when these were out of her life and the Word of God rightly divided in her life...this is what changed her life, this is when she was saved.

I am still in touch with this person...and she is still forever grateful, and knows that there are so many others left behind in churches like the one she was in, where they are not saved, only trying to speak in tongues and unable to know God's Word for us today, because they do not know where to look for it.

The Gospel for today I Corinthians 15:1-4

 1: Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2: By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4: And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: