GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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WALKING BY FAITH - THE BELIEVER'S WALK

This chapter concerns the character of the believer's walk. This is a very important subject, especially since many of 'Our antagonists contend that too much grace leads to a life of indulgence, and that dispensationalism is a mere mental exercise that produces intellectualism instead of spirituality. We do emphasize the gospel of the grace of God and the dispensation of the mystery, but we also emphasize the fact that this truth brings with it the responsibility of the believer to live on the very highest spiritual plane. Our doctrinal statement sums up this belief in these words: "By reason of Christ victory over sin and of His indwelling Spirit, all of the saved may and should experience deliverance from the power of sin by obedience to Rom. 6:11, but we deny that man's nature of sin is ever eradicated during this life (Rom. 6:6-14; Gal. 5:16-25; Rom. 8:37; 2 Cor. 2: 14; 10:2-5)."

Grace Defined

Before we can understand one another we must define our terms. Apparently many people think 'Of grace as simply a means of getting off easily, 'Of sliding through on the generosity of another, of absolving self of all responsibility while expecting another to assume it. To such, of course, grace is a dangerous principle. They would say that a man who takes too much grace is taking too much license; grace must lead to indulgence; liberties must be curbed; man must be placed under a strict law if any obedience is to be expected.

How different from all of this is grace in its Scriptural sense. It is so different that Rom. 6:14 declares: "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." This passage says at least the following things: the believer is not under the law; he is under grace; not 'only does grace not give any liberty to sin, but being under grace is the only condition under which the believer can be delivered from the dominion of sin; and finally to be under the law means also to be under the dominion of sin.

Grace begins at Calvary, where Jesus died for sin. Grace does not overlook sin; it judges sin and righteously pays the price of sin and puts sin out of the way. The believer's life under grace is founded upon the fact that he died unto sin in the Person of a Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that he was raised up with Christ to walk in newness of life. God would never call upon a natural man to live under grace, for he would do nothing but frustrate that grace and use that grace as a means of indulging the flesh. But the believer's old man has been crucified with Christ and he thus reckons himself to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God. In other words the life of grace is a life upon resurrection ground. Believers will always misuse grace when they fail to reckon themselves dead to sin. Merely writing these facts down in a doctrinal statement does not assure the believer of victory through grace--there must be the personal reckoning of our identification with Christ to be true--but grace is the only means of victory. It should be evident from all of this that even the thought of sin being granted any permission in our lives is completely foreign to the teachings of grace.

Grace-walk Is Superhuman

We believe that under grace we are expected to live, superhuman kind of life, far higher than was ever demanded by the law. But we do not believe that every Christian lives that kind of life, merely by subscribing to our doctrinal statement or that of any other group. We believe that there must be constant study of and meditation on the Word of God and constant, conscious dependence upon the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit in order to realize the victory that grace can give. We are fully aware of the dangers that beset the believer because of his old nature of sin (which is dead only by the reckoning of faith). We know that it is possible to become heady and high-minded, and to be puffed up in knowledge, but this is no peculiar trait of dispensationalists. Many who never heard of that word have become cold intellectuals in their handling of the Word of God. We know also that it is possible to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness, but that is no reason for minimizing the grace of God. We all know the dangers of counterfeiting the currency of our country, but we do not therefore. destroy our money. We rather caution one another to be observant lest we be deceived by the counterfeit. And so we believe that it is our duty constantly to teach and preach the grace of God, to so indoctrinate believers with the true meaning and the full responsibility of a life under grace that they will be enabled to discern that which is contrary and to live a positive life of godliness.

So far from grace leading to carelessness and sinfulness, Titus 2:12 states that grace disciplines us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age. This discipline continues throughout life. Never does the time come this side of heaven that we do not need it. God has made it possible for us not to sin, but He has not made it impossible for us to sin. As long as we are in this body the Spirit will lust against the flesh and the flesh against the Spirit. But if we walk by means of the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

Grace-walk Is Spiritual

Our walk is to be a spiritual one, which is just another way of saying that it is to be controlled by the Spirit. Many suppose that spirituality consists in being sweet and kind, in praying much, and in engaging in certain pious acts. As a matter of fact, a person may do all of these things and not be spiritual at all. Spirituality consists in being filled with the Holy Spirit, so that He produces the life of Christ within us. To be sure, true spirituality will produce the fruit of the Spirit in the life, but we believe that it is impossible to have true spirituality apart from the knowledge of the Word of truth, rightly divided. God's Spirit always works through His revealed Word, and if we are to walk circumspectly, as wise men (Eph.5: 15), it will be necessary for us to know the will of God, as revealed in His Word. Merely knowing the Bible as such is not enough; we must know it rightly divided. That is, we must know what God's particular will and instructions are for the Body of Christ in this present dispensation. We believe that particular will of God and instruction for our walk is to be found in the Pauline epistles, even as we have quoted Dr. C. 1. Scofield before on Ephesians 3:6, "In his [Paul's] writings alone we find the doctrine, position, walk and destiny of the church" (Scofield Reference Bible, p. 1252). The worthy, well-balanced walk of the believer in this present dispensation is therefore dependent upon a knowledge of the revelation which Christ gave from the glory to Paul. In his epistles we are carried to the highest spiritual heights in the Bible.

Grace-walk Is Scriptural

Here are some of Paul's references to our walk: "we also should walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4); "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" ( Rom. 8:4); "Let us walk honestly, as in the day" (Rom. 13: 13);

"Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh" (GaI. 5:16); "that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called (Eph. 4:1); "walk not as other Gentiles walk (Eph. 4:17); "And walk in love as Christ also hath loved us" (Eph.5:2); "walk as children of light" (Eph. 5:8 ); See then that ye walk circumspectly" (Eph. 5:15); "That ye might; walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing" (Col. 1:10); and it is interesting here to note that this is said to be the result of being filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him" (Col. 2:6); "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without" (Col.4:5); "as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more" (I Thess.4:1); ''not walking in craftiness, or handling the word of God deceitfully (2 Cor. 4:2). When We consider that almost half of the occurrences of the word walk in the New Testament are found in Paul's epistles, and that practically all references to the actual character of the believer's walk are Pauline, we should be convinced of the necessity of being Pauline if our walk is to be worthy of the Lord. We are saved wholly by grace; our walk is entirely in the sphere of grace, and our service is the manifestation of that same grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 8:7-9).

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SATAN AND THE TRUTH
by C. R. Stam



"If any man be in Christ he is a new creation..." (II Cor. 5:17).

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus..." (Eph.2:10).

"And ye are complete in Him..." (Col. 2:10).

"In Christ!" What a glorious truth! What a high and holy position! No religious ceremony, neither circumcision nor baptism, needed to make us spiritually complete. God only asks now: "Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" (Eph. 4:1).

Many Christians are satisfied with salvation through the blood of Christ, but God wants us to have much more than this. He wants us to have "the full assurance of understanding" (Col. 2:2), to know the security, the blessedness, the glory of a position in Christ. He wants us to know "the exceeding riches of His grace" (Eph. 2:7), and to enjoy "all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3).

But Satan does not!

For proclaiming these glorious truths the Apostle Paul was bitterly opposed on every hand, even by some saved religious leaders of his day.

And Satan has not changed!

Proclaim this message today and "your adversary the devil" will soon be roused to action. He hates this message of grace which the glorified Lord revealed through Paul (Eph. 3:1-3) and let us not be asleep to the fact that, as in Paul's day, he will again seek to use even saved religious leaders, evangelical "big guns," if he can, to oppose it, thus robbing Christ of His glory and believers of their blessings.

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ANALYSIS OF PHILEMON
By REV. ARTHUR T. PIERSON, D.D.


THE KEY WORD: RECEIVE (Intercession)
THE KEY VERSE: 17

If "Ephesians IS the Lyric," Philemon is "the Idyll of the New Testament," combining beauty with brevity. Onesimus was a slave who had stolen, and then run away, from Philemon. Converted and cherished by Paul, he was by him sent back to his master, whom the Apostle besought to receive him no longer as a slave, but a brother, and to put to Paul's account any wrong he had done him as master.

Philemon seems to have been affluent in circumstances, and hospitable toward saints. Onesimus means PROFITABLE. Paul plays on the name, acknowledging that he had been very unprofitable, but was now profitable to them both, as a renewed man, and had, by ministering to Paul in his bonds, endeared himself to him so as to become as his own vital organs. He therefore becomes intercessor for the slave and thief, and beseeches Philemon for his sake to receive him, counting him no longer either a bondservant or a transgressor; and the Epistle is especially rich in expression of PAUL'S IDENTIFICATION with this converted slave, who was to him his SON, his own bowels, his brother beloved, his second self.

No epistle is richer in TYPICAL TEACHING. We have here In profile an illustration of the WHOLE SCHEME OF REDEMPTION: "I BESEECH THEE RECEIVE HIM." Roman law gave the slave no right of asylum, but conceded one right, that of appeal. He might flee to his master's friend, not for concealment, but for intercession. The owner was absolute, but might be BESOUGHT through a friend whom he counted as a PARTNER, and the slave who fled thus to an intercessor did not incur the guilt and penalty of a fugitive. Again, the Roman law provided for a slave's MANUMISSION: he might be adopted by his master as a son and so be freed. This short Epistle is full of references to these facts which conditioned Roman slaves.

The illustration becomes almost an analogy when applied to the sinner. He is God's property, but he has not only run away from his Master, but robbed Him. The Law affords him no right of asylum, but grace concedes him the right of appeal. He flees for refuge to Christ, whom God counts a partner. IN HIM he is begotten anew as a son, and finds both PRECATOR, an intercessor, and GENITOR, a begetting father; FROM HIM he returns to God, and is received not as a runaway slave and thief, but as a brother beloved, as Christ himself, and all the debt that he owes to God is put to Christ's account. Here is both intercession and manumission.

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FULNESS OF LIFE
By Miles Stanford


"To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Eph. 3:19).

Our Father's fulness of supply infinitely exceeds the sum of our needs. Positionally it is so: "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him." Conditionally it is so: "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Col. 2:9,10; Rom. 8.32).

"As to the Gospel and the work of the Lord Jesus, I do not find that it is adequately apprehended that the benefit conferred by the Father is far beyond the need of the sinner. You cannot measure the benefit by the need. You may ask, 'Does it not cover the need?' It does; but you get no clue to the benefit from the measure of the need. You cannot find it in your own thoughts or expectations; it cannot be found anywhere save in our Father's heart. It is 'above all that we ask or think.....'

"How little, indeed, do we enter into the fulness of the benefits of the Gospel! The elder brother in Luke 15 did not object to his brother being forgiven, but it was unwelcome to him to see the wonderful excess of grace bestowed on him by the Father. 'Thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.' Many have the sense of forgiveness without the knowledge of His abundance."----J.B.S.

"We shall never be able to glorify God, if we only take what we need."

"Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory" (Eph. 3:20, 21).

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WHAT IS GRACE?
Part One


Of all words used in the Scriptures, the most wondrous is the word "Grace," for it sounds out the well-springs within the Being of God and re-echoes throughout the Heavens and earth all that is meaningful in the knowledge of God, His essential character, His motivation, and His glorious goals. Although not always apparent in the King James version, it brings to us from God all that we shall ever know of joy, of gladness, of giving, of forgiveness, of acceptance, of divine favor to the sinner and to the saved child of God. This word "Grace" has within its meaning the breath of far-off glories and all the nearness that God alone can bring of Himself to us, and of us to Him in the Beloved.

The Greek word "Charis" (grace) is derived from the verbal form "Chario" (to rejoice). This basic concept, that the super-abundant, exceeding abounding joy in the heart of the Divine Giver is the motivating factor by which God the Father deals with His elect today, has been lost sight of. Man has been led to look to so-called "means of grace" rather than the God of Grace. This grace offers to mankind a free salvation, redemption, position, and hope completely unfettered by good or bad deeds. Thus God, through His "joy" brought about by the complete work of Christ at Calvary, has laid the foundation within each believer for a similar "rejoicing" in the realization of the perfections of Christ and His complete free gift.

Of all words in Scripture it is involved with and/or embraces the greatest joy, the greatest beauty, the greatest hope, the greatest giving, the greatest gains, and the greatest glory. Unless one sees the grace of God, one is poor indeed and the great central truths that were meant to strengthen, gladden and enrich our lives have been "hidden from us." Oh, believer, read your legacy!

This root word "Chairo" is translated "rejoiced" in Matthew 2:10, "When they saw the star (over where the young child was) they rejoiced (chairo) with exceeding great joy (chairo )." That this root word should be first used in the New Testament in connection with the Gift of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, was cause for great joy then - and should be to us now. It is also interesting that the word "grace" (charis) in the noun form does not occur in Matthew's or Mark's Gospel. In looking over the lists of the various derivatives of the Greek root in the New Testament one is immediately struck by the frequency with which these different words are used in the same context, as rejoicing (chairo) with great joy (chara).

This verbal root "chairo" is translated "joy" in Philippians 2:17,18: "I joy and rejoice with you all," "do ye joy and rejoice with me." The context of this amazing "joy" is that neither Paul's activities, labors or soon execution were in vain if the "Word of Life" were held forth ... a joy more vast and outweighing the toils of life, a prisoner's chain, an executioner's sword. Could it be that if one has the plentitude of the Grace of God in Christ that all else is dwarfed beside it? Let us then pursue this treasure and with Paul say, "Rejoice (chairo) in the Lord always and again I say rejoice (chairo)" (Philippians 4:4).

That this root word should be translated "glad" should come as no surprise. "And when the Gentiles heard this they, were glad" (Acts 13:48 ). This usage is in keeping with "joy and rejoicing." Frequently the Authorized Version uses this verbal form as the salutation, "Hail," a very poor translation indeed, for if the Israelite could greet his fellow with, "Shalom," peace, and the Apostle Paul his fellow believers with, "Grace be unto you" (Ephesians 1:2), etc. , so the translators could have come up with something better than "Hail, i.e. good luck. Rotherharm uses "joy," cf. "rejoice."

CHARIN

Next in our search to discover "What is Grace" we want to explore briefly "Charin," the accusative case (also a participle governing the genitive case). It is used in Scripture as a prepositional phrase and translated in the A. V. , "because of, for this cause" (Eph. 3: 1,14; Gal. 3:19), etc., This concept of "for another, on behalf of another," brings to mind the noble note Paul unconsciously strikes in the Philemon epistle when he writes, "If he owes thee ought, be charging this to my account" (vs. 18 ). We are reminded, too, in II Cor. 5:19, "Not imputing their trespasses unto them." This imputation to another aspect of "grace" will be enlarged upon later under "Charis" grace.

Thus far we have seen that in the building up of this word "grace" we have "joy," "rejoicing" and "in behalf of." To this we would add still another building block.

CHARA (NOUN)

Almost without exception chara is translated "joy" in the A. V., a few times "gladness" and once "joyfully." The "cause of joy, the occasion of rejoicing, that which would bring forth gladness," as in Luke 2:10, "Bring you tidings of great joy." This was regarding the Saviour's birth, or His resurrection (Matt. 28:8 ), or again as in John 15:11 where Christ seeks to make His disciples partakers of His joy as He had of His peace (John 14:27). The term "my joy" is emphatic and should convey the thought of ''the joy that is mine." This is mentioned again in John 3:29 and 17: 13, and this "joy" having its basis in the grace of God should be shared! How often we share our troubles but not our joys! The one requires a "lift," the other gives a "lift." Paul's prayers were "buoyed" up by this joy (Phil. 1:4). In the 25th verse of Philippians 1 we again encounter this word as "joy of the faith." Might it not be that Paul has handed us a veritable treasure here? Like a voyager desiring to "return home," like a weary traveler departing, so Paul desired "to be with Christ," where He is, and, to accomplish this, "power" was available (see Phil. 3:20-21). It is a hope each of us shares - but for two reasons Paul was willing to forego this: (1) their furtherance in the faith and (2) the "joy" of faith. Have any of us so great a price been willing to pay (to forego being with Christ)? Paul nearly dismissed it, as if to say the "joy" of faith, the joy "revealed," the grace for the advancement of believers in this is to cause more abundant "rejoicing," (boasting, in Christ, verse 26). Is not this the goal of grace - to boast in Christ, His merit, not ours, His truth, not our tradition, His revelation of grace., etc., through the Scriptures, not our reasonings?

CHARISMA (NOUN)

When we first encounter this word in Romans 1:11 Paul is anticipating a "prosperous journey" to the Roman saints in order to impart some spiritual gift, i. e. spiritual, ''free gift," a grace-gift. This was used of Paul in order to establish them. It is used within the context, not of sign gifts (though so used in Romans 12:6) but of the basic foundational truths of "the righteousness of God" (verse 17). In the Corinthian letter it is used of sign gifts (I Cor. 12:4, 9, 28, 30, 31). The great tragedy associated with confounding "this free gift" with the Giver Himself accounts for the great distress in the holiness movements past and present.

In Scripture when dealing with the Holy Spirit or His gifts the grammar always distinguishes between the "Giver" and the "gift." Those who seek the sign - gifts when the purpose and need for signs has ceased seek to "energize up" by the flesh what God had given previously as a "free gift." Now they strain, mutter and pray. Not even the great Apostle enjoined sign gifts after the testimony to Israel ceased, for the Jews required a sign (I Cor. 1:22) and had been promised signs (Psalms 72:18 ). The "tongue" gifts of Acts 2:6-11 are vastly different from the useless, false, so-called sign gifts that produce only "confusion." No healing "aprons" to Timothy (I Tim. 5:22) but a "no water, little wine prescription." The free-gift aspect of Grace is further seen in Romans 5:15-16. Mankind has been acquitted! Sin is no longer the issue between God and man. A free gift has been imposed between God and man's guilt. Religious, natural man will not have this "gift of Grace." He will not believe that the only issue between God and mankind today is one of ''the Son," not sins. THE ONLY ISSUE BETWEEN GOD AND MANKIND TODAY IS ONE OF "THE SON," NOT SINS. DO YOU HAVE THE SON?

Right here confusion arises. Man has not been under the judicial judgment of God these many, weary centuries, so he wonders if God speaks at all. If he "acts" - not seeking an answer in the Scriptures - he draws conclusions from natural religion. That God should deal in free grace alone NOW (in view of Israel's complete deflection at the end of the Acts period) comes as a complete surprise to many! To those who would dictate "how" God must act. it comes with dismay and, needless to say, hatred to the dispensationalist! Have you "amened" the "free-gift" of God's grace? Have you taken God at His word when He states so clearly that "Christ died for your sins?" God has fully accepted the work He gave His Son to do. He desires to accept (en-grace) you with all the acceptableness of "the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6).

Romans 6:23 is a very fitting place to close this portion of this study. "The wages of sin is death - but the Free gift (charisma) of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

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"GOOD GROUND"
By Miles Stanford



"Jesus answered and said unto him, Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee" (John 1:48 ).

"And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bore fruit an hundred-fold" (Luke 8:8 ). The more fully and thoroughly hearts are cultivated before conversion the more healthy and fruitful they will be after conversion. Many Christians hurriedly seek to plant the seed in unprepared soil, and then wonder why it is so soon withered, choked, or snatched away. "Good ground are they who ... having heard the Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15).

"I believe that a work of God sometimes goes on behind a particular man or family, village or district before the knowledge of the truth ever reaches them. It is a silent, unsuspected work, not in mind and heart, but in the unseen realm behind these. Then, when the light of the Gospel is brought, there is no difficulty, no conflict. The battle has been won.

"It is, then, simply a case of 'stand still and see the salvation of God.' This should give us confidence in praying intelligently for those who are far from Gospel light. The longer the preparation, the deeper the work. The deeper the root, the firmer the plant when once it springs above the ground. I do not believe that any deep work of God takes root without long preparation somewhere." - J.O.F.

"Concentrate your prayers on behalf of some soul or souls and pray for such, night and day, until they come to Christ. Then continue to pray for them until Christ is formed in them!" (Phil. 4:19).

"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me" (Mal. 3:1).

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Know to grow


"KNOWING THIS .... RECKON"
by Jack Roddy

Frequently an honest inquirer will ask, "But how may I know that I am saved?" This is the same as to ask, "How may I know that I am in Christ? How may I know that the question of sin (and sins) has been settled? How may I know that God accepts me in His Son?" Obviously, this is not the sort of question which God would leave unanswered. Again, obviously, God would not have one be in doubt at this point.

This kind of inquiry is usually made with the expectation, perhaps the hope, that one may be pointed to a specific facet of experience--some feeling, some mystic moving within--upon which one may lean for the coveted assurance. We believe that such a basis for assurance would never be of abiding satisfaction. Experience, especially the complex maze of religious feelings, is not constant because we are not emotionally constant. One who has assurance today because of some feeling--however tender, however profound, however sweet, however "religious"--will feel depressed, forsaken, or even "lost again" tomorrow if the feeling is missing. The support gone, so is the assurance.

Many wander their forty years in this wilderness when they might have entered into rest long since if they had done the very simple (but highly God-honoring) thing of taking God at His word; of finding day-by-day support in the same source, at the same spring from which was drunk the initial draught of Biblical knowledge. The spoken word of God which gave the first insight into truth, the first awareness of spiritual need, the first sight of the provision of deliverance, provides the unchanging basis for an abiding assurance of the experience of truth. In a word, our assurance of salvation and our belief on, trust in, or dependence upon the revealed Word of God stand or fail together.

Salvation itself is a fact dependent upon the finished work of Christ. To readers such as peruse these pages, this does not need argument or illustration. Salvation and the completed work of Christ stand or fall together. Our salvation is first and last the work of God-in-Christ. You have it--if you have it--because you reckoned as true the claims of God in His Word concerning the efficacy of Christ's work in reconciliation and justification. You have it--if you have it--not because of any specific emotional experience (though you may have been moved emotionally by the sudden burst of glory as the truth unfolded before you), but because you saw the revealed truth of God, you believed it, you acted in accordance with it, and God honored it. To use Paul's language from Romans, "knowing this" that God had done, you "reckoned yourself' an object of the love and grace which did it, while it was God who made you that object.

Why, then, turn elsewhere for additional or different knowledge or assurance? Let the faith which accepted God's fact initially be the faith which accepts God's fact abidingly. Faith which brings abiding assurance merely accepts God's fact. God's fact is stated in His Word. This faith does not say, "Who will bring Christ down ... or up?" or even, "God will." but rather, "God has done it."

When the Word exhorts, "Reckon ye yourselves dead with respect to sin," it is surely because God has already accomplished the execution. He has told us that we were crucified with Christ (historically, when Christ was crucified). This we may know. The knowledge comes from the Word. Personal enlightenment regarding this knowledge is the work of the Spirit, who opens the eyes of our understanding. Knowing the truth by means of the Word, let us reckon it true (real) in experience. Would God ask us to reckon as true that which is not true?

This is not to suggest that the knowledge of salvation is a purely intellectual matter. This knowing is, indeed, an inner seeing. This knowledge comes by God's revelation. It is from the Lord Himself. That blessed fact is written down in the Word, the fact of forgiven sins. But, as To-sheng Nee says, in order for the written Word of God to become a living Word from God to you, He had to give you "a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him" (Ephesians 1:17). When that light shines in your inner being, there comes an apprehension of truth, an apprehension of Christ, a seeing of yourself in Christ. This you may know because God has let you see it by His Spirit. You may feel it. You may not feel it. You mayor may not understand it. But you know it because you have seen it, in the written Word and in the living Word. Once you have seen yourself in Christ, nothing can rob you of the vision.

If you would have an abiding assurance that you are His, have an abiding trust in that expressed word of His on the subject. He says that we have redemption in Christ through His blood. He says that we are accepted in the Beloved. He says that we have jointly died, been jointly buried, and have jointly risen with Christ. He says that we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies. He says that we are complete in Him, and in all these facets of our relationship to Him, the work has been done by God in Christ. We are not required to exert ourselves in any way--only believe what He has said about our salvation, position, and hope.

May God answer for you, earnest inquirer, Paul's prayers for the Ephesians (1:15-23; 3:14-19), that "the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, you may know .... "

This is the dispensation when faith depends not upon outward signs but upon the naked Word of God. Teach the Word! Teach!! and TEACH!!!

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ALL GLORY TO GOD
By Miles Stanford


"Whether, therefore, ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31).

The present and eternal ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Son; the past, present, and future ministry of the Son is to glorify the Father. Our life and ministry will bring glory to our Father to the extent that we abide in the Son, and are controlled by the Holy Spirit.

"When one's ministry or outreach flows from close communion with the Father, one's influence and moral authority will be recognized. Moreover, such a workman is not carried beyond what he has received from the Lord, so that his ministry finds sanction in hearts without any pressure." -J.N.D.

"The object of all Christian life and ministry, of whatever kind, must surely be to bring glory to God. Any lesser motive is inferior. If this were kept in the forefront of our thinking and praying, it would have two beneficial results. The hectic strain would be taken out of our lives and service, and spontaneous fruitfulness would follow.

"We can aim to meet the needs of people as a primary objective, and fret because so many of our efforts prove abortive. We may secretly pride ourselves on our ability to minister, or on our efficient service, and reap nothing but frustration. It is only when our whole outlook is made radiant by His glory, because we are hungry to do His will and that only, that our activities will be quickened into new life, and others be truly blessed." -J.C.M.

"He [Abraham] ... was strong in faith, giving glory to God" (Rom. 4:20).

[nChrist]

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"Be Strong In the Lord"
Part  1 of 6
BY RICHARD JORDAN


   Paul introduces his charge to "put on the whole armour of God" with the exhortation:

   "Finally, my brethren, BE STRONG IN THE LORD, and IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT" (Eph. 6:10).

   The warfare we face cannot be waged in anything less than His strength. We certainly need to understand this issue fully.

   In Ephesians we are told in detail what it means to be "in Christ." In fact, Ephesians 1 divides into two sections which answer to the twofold source of strength set forth in Eph. 6:10. "Be strong in the Lord" aptly summarizes the truths set forth in Ephesians 1:3-14, while "the power of His might" looks back in similar fashion to Ephesians 1:15-23.

STRONG IN THE LORD

   "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord." This is a great statement, although often only partially understood. To be "strong in the Lord" does not simply mean to be strong "by His help" .. by the Lord coming along side to aid us. Rather, it is being strong in Him. We have been given a standing in Christ and we are to find our strength in the position and blessing God has given us there. Our strength is in who God has made us in Christ; we are to "stand fast in the Lord."

   "Be strong in the Lord." God always sees us in the spiritual accomplishments of His Son. This is His view of us. We are standing in the glorious victory won at Calvary and which the finished work of Christ accomplished. Be strong in His work for us. Consider Paul's declaration in Ephesians 1:3,

   "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath BLESSED US WITH ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS in heavenly places IN CHRIST."

[nChrist]

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"Be Strong In the Lord"
Part  2 of 6
BY RICHARD JORDAN


   Paul goes on in Ephesians 1 to list a sampling of these spiritual blessings, demonstrating that the answer to all our real needs are found in Christ.

   Chosen: Because of sin, mankind struggles with a devastating sense of alienation. All of us have a basic need to be loved and to be important to someone .. to belong, as it were. Thus it is of great encouragement to learn that God has chosen us for Himself and set His love upon us in a special way:

   "According as HE HATH CHOSEN US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love" (Eph. 1 :4).

   Notice when this choice was made: "before the foundation of the world." II Tim. 1:9,10 puts it this way:

   "[God] hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

"But is now made manifest.. .. "

   Before the foundation of the world the triune Godhead established a purpose ---an "eternal purpose" in Christ Jesus ---to form the Body of Christ. Although this purpose was "kept secret since the world began" (Rom. 16:25), it has now been revealed through the ministry committed to the Apostle Paul (Eph. 3: 1-11). Thus Paul tells how we became a part of God's great plan: "He hath chosen us in Him. "It is because we are in Christ that we are part of this "eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 3:11).

   Eph.1:4 should not be misread. It does not say that we were chosen to be in Christ. Rather, we were "chosen in Him. "It is because we are in Christ that we are a part of the purpose and plan God established before the foundation of the world.

[nChrist]

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"Be Strong In the Lord"
Part  3 of 6
BY RICHARD JORDAN



   What this all means to us is set forth in the words, "that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. " This is our new identity in Christ. The next verse goes on to declare what we have been chosen to:

   "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will" (Eph. 1 :5).

   Adoption is a wonderful thing. God knows everything about us and still He has adopted us -- giving us a place in His family so that we sit at His table as full grown adults. We are somebody -- in Christ! In ourselves we are not much. In Christ we have everything! We are to be strong in our identity in Him. That is where our blessings and privileges are -- that is where our strength is. Worthlessness is no longer an issue -- we are in Christ Jesus.

   Acceptance: Because of sin we all struggle with the trauma of rejection. We feel angry and estranged; we need peace and approval. To this end, Paul proclaims:

   "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein HE HATH MADE US ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED" (Eph.1:6).

   Yes, we deserve to be rejected; no doubt about it. But the Lord Jesus Christ has taken away the barriers. God made Him to be sin for us that we might me made the righteousness of God in Him (II Cor. 5:21). It's wonderful to know that we are "accepted in the Beloved!"

   It is a fact of life that no one -- not our spouse, nor parents, children, friends, nor even fellow believers -- will ever accept us completely and unconditionally. But thanks be to God! He accepts us unconditionally and completely in Christ. We have peace. We do not have to be angry anymore; we do not have to be at war with God, with the world, with our family, with our neighbors, with ourself -- the struggle is over. We are accepted. Where? In Christ. We are to be strong there -- in who God has made us in Him. We can rest confidently in our acceptance in Him.

Redemption: Because of the fall, mankind is enslaved to sin. This is why the struggle for independence is so deeply seated in the human heart. We want to be free because we sense that we are trapped. We feel boxed in, imprisoned, enslaved--we want to be liberated. Hence everyone wants to "come out of the closet" and do their own thing; hang it all out on the line, as it were.

   It is to this need that the Bible speaks when it says, "In whom we have redemption through His blood" (Eph. 1:7). Redemption means liberty -- to be set free.

   Oh, we thought we were free before we trusted Christ; but we weren't. We were the servants of sin and we couldn't help ourselves. John 8:34 records, "Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, WHOSOEVER COMMITTETH SIN IS THE SERVANT OF SIN" (John 8:34).

   Although we thought we had it made, doing what we wanted to do, we were blind to reality. But Christ has paid the ransom and redeemed us, set us free. Now we don't have to live under the bondage of sin, enslaved to it. We don't have to sin anymore! We are free to serve Him by His grace; motivated out of a heart of love and gratitude for Him; not on the basis of a performance system but "according to the riches of His grace."

[nChrist]

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"Be Strong In the Lord"
Part   4 of  6
BY RICHARD JORDAN



Forgiveness: Without question we are guilty. Spend time talking with people regarding their soul you will discover that unresolved guilt is one of the greatest heartaches of our time. It hangs like an albatross around the neck of humanity. But there is good news. Where? In Christ!

   "Christ died for our sins," the gospel declares, and thus we have the forgiveness of sins because Jesus Christ has fully paid the sin debt at Calvary. Eph. 1:7 declares,

   "In [Christ] we have ... the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace."

   Forgiveness is not something we might have or that we have on some days and not on others, or when we do certain things and don't do other things. Forgiveness is something "we have" in the present tense. It is something every believer lives in continually; it is a present reality in our lives.

   And how forgiven are we? Col. 2:13 answers

   "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having FORGIVEN YOU ALL TRESPASSES."

   Total forgiveness is the present reality for every believer -- in Christ. God has no more accusations against us. He has finished dealing with our sin. For us to live under the pangs of guilt for past sins or in fear of future failures is to live in bondage to error. It is to occupy ourselves with the things that God is finished dealing with -- our sins -- and results in our neglecting what God is trying to do with us today -- teach us about Christ living in and through us.

   We have been forgiven. We don't have to be guilty anymore. We don't have to have the hounds of guilt dog our heels day after day. Dear friend, if you are plagued by a sense of guilt, take you stand in Christ-- "Be strong in the Lord."

[nChrist]

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"Be Strong In the Lord"
Part  5 of 6
BY RICHARD JORDAN



Instruction: Sin has robbed life of its true meaning and purpose. "Man at his best state is altogether vanity" (Psa. 39:5). Consequently humanity drifts aimlessly from event to event seeking some lasting, permanent meaning.

   "Give me exposure to enough people and things, and I will find a meaning and purpose for my life," man's heart cries. A frantic search for meaning and happiness abounds.

   But for the believer, God has again supplied the answer in Christ. Eph. 1:8,9 is one of those passages we should read thoughtfully:

   "Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
"Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself."

   In the riches of His grace God has furnished us with an understanding of "the mystery of His will." In other words, we are privileged to have an understanding of God's purpose in Christ which He planned before the world began. Such insight allows us to understand our part in what God is doing for Himself through the ages.

   God the Father intends to center everything in the universe in His Son (Eph. 1:10). As members of the Body of Christ we will have an integral part in making this a reality. He wants us to understand that our lives are therefore far from insignificant and meaningless. Even the simplest believer is part of what God is doing -- because we are all in Christ.

[nChrist]

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"Be Strong In the Lord"
Part  6 of 6
BY RICHARD JORDAN



Security: Worry, doubts and fear cause our hearts to be filled with turmoil. The insecurities of life haunt us all. Eph. 1:13, 14 informs us:

   "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, YE WERE SEALED WITH THAT HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE,
   "WHICH IS THE EARNEST OF OUR INHERITANCE until the redemption of the purchase possession, unto the praise of his glory."

   This sealing with the Holy Spirit provides complete and total security for every believer. We are placed into the spiritually protected environment of the Holy Spirit's presence securely sealing us in Christ and providing the "earnest" of our salvation "until the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30)--that is, until we receive our glorified bodies at the resurrection (cf. Rom. 8:23,29, Phil. 3:20,21). We are secure because we are in Christ.

CONCLUSION

   When Paul says, "Be strong in the Lord, "he is exhorting us to be strong in who God has made us in Christ. We are to find our strength there. It is because we are in Christ that there is any opportunity and privilege for us to be strong.

   You see, no matter how long we have been saved; no matter how advanced we are in understanding the truths of the Bible -- even the book of Ephesians; no matter how faithfully we have served the Lord -- we still have no strength in ourselves upon which we can rely. We must live in the strength of the Lord. II Tim. 2:1 puts it this way:

   "Thou therefore, my son, BE STRONG IN THE GRACE THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS."

   It is an understanding of God's grace to us in Christ that builds us up and makes us strong. Paul says,

   "But BY THE GRACE OF GOD I AM WHAT I AM: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: YET NOT I, BUT THE GRACE OF GOD WHICH WAS WITH ME" (I Cor. 15: 10).

   It was the grace of God that was Paul's strength -- and so it is with us. When we are allured or opposed by the world, the flesh and/or the devil, like Paul, let's be strong in the Lord, by faith taking our stand in what Scripture declares to be the present reality of our identity in Christ. This is where our strength lies. May we live commensurate with the way God sees us in Christ. That is why Paul says, "Be strong in the Lord." Be strong in the identity God has given us in Christ Jesus!

[nChrist]

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The purpose of this ministry "Grace and the Truth" is to be a positive force in winning lost souls to Christ; and to enhance fellowship, to encourage, to strengthen, and to establish Christians who are committed to the truths in the Word of God. It is not the purpose of this ministry to rule over any local church or to establish a denomination, to be sectarian, or to be competitive with any organization. We promote personal Bible study for faith practice, and fellowship.
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(Colossians 1:27  ......... which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.)