GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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THE ADAMIC HERITAGE
By Pastor Bob Hanna

"There is none righteous, no, not one. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10,23). Most believers think of these statements in the sense that because we have committed many sins, we must confess them and repent of them in order to attain salvation. In actuality, however, even if it were possible for one never to have sinned at all (which it is not) he would nevertheless be guilty and under condemnation, separated from God and in need of salvation. Most evangelical teaching is geared to pleading with God to forgive us for sins that we have committed. But the most important factor is either misunderstood or overlooked. The fact is that our condemnation is inherited from Adam.

"Wherefore as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: For until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of Him that was to come" (Romans 5:12-14). King David had knowledge of this condition. He said, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5). As for the plea for forgiveness, this too is misunderstood by the majority of teachers, pastors and evangelists. To beg God for forgiveness is in fact a denial of His finished work of redemption on Calvary's cross. He has already forgiven; we have but to thank Him for it in order to claim it for ourselves.

Our apostle's message is clear: "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians1:12-14). "For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many" (Romans 5:15). "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift" ( II Corinthians 9:5).

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The God of Peace - Part 1 of 7
By K. Blades




Peace. Even the sound of the word has something soothing and pleasant about it. Though not strictly classified as an onomatopoetic word, it  possesses the essential quality of such, both in English as well as in other languages. It has no sharpness in sound nor in appearance; no jarring impact occurs when it is spoken, heard, or read. Rather in accordance with its meaning it possesses the exact opposite features, being quiet in sound and gentle on contact.

Hence in meaning and in sound the word "peace" is welcomed by our inner man. It is no intruder or unwanted guest. Of all the visitors that come 'knocking on the door of our mind,' peace is one that we long to see and readily receive. It is the most welcome of guests. Moreover we want it to reside with us; to make itself at home with us. It can never overstay its welcome, for it is always welcome. Because of this we are grieved whenever peace takes its leave, and when unwanted guests arrive to take its place in our minds. We are not at ease and relaxed when we are intruded upon by such characters as stress, distress, grief, sorrow, perplexity, anxiety; carefulness, worry, fear, dread, despair, and the like. Their visits are always unsettling and upsetting. Hence we long to see them leave, and for peace to pay us a visit again.

Peace, therefore, is something we much desire. We also view it as a most precious commodity. For often we will seek it at great cost; sometimes even at all costs. This is because there is little that compares with 'being at peace,' both in our inner man and in our relationships with others. In view of this, being 'at peace' is often the consummate expression used by psychologists and the like when referring to what best characterizes 'good mental health.'

Now peace in its various forms and occurrences is not only something that we naturally desire in the details of our lives, it is also something that God Himself wants us to possess. Hence He has fully provided for us to have it, and as such He both deliberately and constantly extends it to us. In fact understanding and appreciating the reality of this is so fundamental to our relationship with God, and to our fellowship with Him in our daily lives, that He has Paul preface each of his epistles to us with this very offering by saying,..

"Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ:"

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The God of Peace - Part  2 of 7
By K. Blade



Moreover in the outworking of our sonship edification, (as we progress through its curriculum for our godly edifying, processing its numerous forms of doctrine and so growing and maturing), we encounter God presenting Himself to us as "the God of peace" in various contexts and for various reasons. For example,...

     "Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. (Romans 15:33)

      "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  Amen. (Romans 16:20)

       "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. (II Corinthians 13:11 )

         "Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 6:23)

          "Those things, which ye have both learned,and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. (Philippians 4:9)

           "Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. (II Thessalonians 3:16)

God is indeed "the God of peace." And though realizing this is not something that is exclusive to us in this present dispensation of God's grace, there is a real sense in which we today are to have a special understanding and appreciation for God as such. For the fact is that knowing God as "the God of peace," deeply appreciating Him as such, and hence loving Him as such, is a definite and preplanned objective in our sonship education and edification. It is not only one of the specific ways in which we as "sons" have intimacy of fellowship with God our Father, it is also one of the primary ways in which we learn about the excellency of the power of God's word operating within us. Moreover this particular aspect of our education and edification provides for the development within us of an increasing ability to trust in, and operate upon, the power of the effectual working of God's word within us no matter what.

Wherefore our God and Father presents Himself to us as "the God of peace" a number of times and in several different contexts. With this being so, as we proceed through the curriculum for our sonship edification we are taught to understand and appreciate the issue of "peace" in a number of different ways, ranging from the fundamental issue of having "peace with God" being justified in His sight, to the issue of possessing complete inner peace,  along with joy, even when encountering the most extreme adversities from the Satanic policy of evil against us.

Therefore the "peace" that God extends to us is manifold and varied, existing in many forms. Yet of all its forms and occurrences, one of the most fundamental is the Godly peace for our inner man that our Father wants us to possess when we experience disquieting, disturbing, and trying circumstances in the details of our lives. And though this is a fundamental matter, and we are taught about it right from the outset of our sonship edification, it is also something that God has designed for us to benefit from throughout the growth and maturing of our Christian lives. In view of this the Godly peace that our Father extends to us is far-reaching and mighty in its capacity, being able to deal effectually with whatsoever may come our way as we progress through our sonship edification.

Wherefore it behooves us to be certain that we understand and appreciate the issue of possessing such Godly peace. Especially the particular mechanism by which God has purposed for us to acquire it and enjoy it, and also through which we are to grow to love Him as "the God of peace." And the mechanism for all of this is the direct communion and fellowship we are able to have, and should have, with our Father through prayer.

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The God of Peace - Part 3 of 7
By K. Blades




Peace and the Role of Prayer

Prayer truly is designed to be an integral component of our peace. For this reason when we are in the initial stage of our sonship edification and the apostle Paul deals with us about properly responding to tribulation in our lives, he teaches us to be,...

     Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; (Romans 12:12)

Likewise in God's program with Israel is this so. Hence, for example, as James says to the members of the remnant of Israel,. . .

     Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. (James 5:13a)

Prayer, therefore, is a pivotal mechanism for producing peace when needed. It is designed to have a tranquilizing ministry to it. And as we partake of its tranquilizing ministry, and benefit from it amid the details of our lives, we come to know, understand, appreciate, and love our God and Father as "the God of peace" that He is.

Now before considering this any further, there is an important matter that needs to be addressed regarding prayer itself.

An Intelligent Communion; Not an Abstract or Mystical Experience

Unfortunately a lot of Christians lack a real solid and clear understanding of what prayer is. Hence their ability to appreciate its tranquilizing ministry, and fully benefit from it, is hindered. Moreover there is also much misunderstanding, misinformation, and erroneous teaching about prayer today, which contributes to a lack of proper understanding and so compounds the problem all the more. Because of this a lot of Christians actually look upon prayer as something different from what it really is. Likewise many seek to obtain benefits from it that either do not exist, or that do not pertain to what God is doing today.

Now when Christians learn the need to be "rightly dividing the word of truth" in accordance with the great dispensational change that God has made, this certainly goes a long way towards rectifying the problem. For at least they are no longer trying to operate upon doctrines and promises about prayer, and examples of it, that pertain to God's program and dealings with Israel, and not to us in this present dispensation of His grace.

Yet this does not clear up all the misunderstanding and misinformation about prayer. For often times the very nature of prayer itself is either not clearly understood, or it is badly misunderstood. And sadly this seems to be on the rise today, with prayer more frequently being taught and described as something other than what it really is. Consequently instead of prayer being understood to be an intelligent, thoughtful activity that we participate in with God, in which we have heart-to-heart fellowship based upon specific knowledge that God has given to us in His word, Christians are given to understand it to be something other than this; something more lofty and transcendental in nature; something more experiential.

Hence increasingly prayer is being looked upon, and actually taught to be, 'an incomprehensible experience that transcends our knowing,' through which one 'feels God's presence' or 'experiences contact with God' in an inscrutable way and on a 'higher or different level of consciousness.' Though expressions and descriptions like these are normally encountered in mysticism, idolatry, the occult, and mystical forms of men's religions, such ideas and thinking about prayer also exist 'under the umbrella of Christianity.' Sometimes even among ones known for being 'Bible-believing' and 'fundamentalists.'

However neither the tranquilizing ministry of prayer, nor prayer itself, is some unintelligent or abstract or inscrutable experience. It is not some mindless, or mind-emptying experience by which one achieves a state of mental relaxation and inner peace. Hence it is not a yoga-like exercise or practice. Nor is it a transcendental meditation of any kind. Neither is it some process for the abstraction, or the distraction, of the mind; nor a practice involving the concentration of the mind by which a mind-over-matter state is reached, through which our disquieting thoughts and overwrought emotions are mastered. Nor is it a relaxation technique; or a calming exercise.

The tranquilizing ministry of prayer is also not some mystical, mysterious, and unexplainable experience. It is not an ethereal thing, which is beyond comprehension; or something that takes place unconsciously, passively, magically, or subliminally. Hence it is not an experience in which you just let the Spirit of God infuse you with a calming sensation, as you shut out all outside distractions and concerns by focusing upon God in prayer; intoning His holy name, letting go, and feeling the Spirit take control.

Instead the tranquilizing ministry of prayer is a function of what prayer itself is: i.e. intelligent, communicative communion and fellowship with God based upon specific knowledge that God has given to us in His word. There is nothing abstract, inscrutable, or mystical about it. In accordance with this, the tranquilizing ministry of prayer is the product of intelligent, thoughtful communion with God, by which our minds are actively occupied with knowledge, understanding, and thoughts that God has designed to produce peace. To put it more pointedly, the tranquilizing ministry of prayer is the product of specifically designed living words of the living God effectually working within us to displace what is disturbing our inner man and replacing it with intelligent Godly thinking that produces peace.

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The God of Peace - Part 4 of 7
By K. Blades



Once again, there is nothing abstract, mystical, or mysterious to this. Instead both prayer itself and its tranquilizing ministry are functions of the intelligent, information-based functioning of our inner man, which God has designed to be both the source and the foundation for the Godly lives that He has purposed us to live with Him.

Accordingly, therefore, prayer and its tranquilizing ministry are functions of Godly thinking. With this being so, the mechanics of prayer's tranquility are easily described. Indeed they are just what Isaiah declared to Israel in Isaiah 26:3 regarding God's provision for the peace of their inner man, ...

      Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
      whose mind is stayed on thee: because he
      trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:3)

So it is then that as we intelligently and doctrinally commune with our Father in prayer, it functions to keep our minds and hearts sober and sound in godliness, instead of the opposite. Through prayer we deliberately and pointedly hold ourselves accountable to sound doctrine that we have learned as "sons." In so doing "the doctrine which is according to godliness" controls and governs our thinking; stabilizing it, adjusting it, and thereby settling our minds and hearts.

Moreover this is something that prayer does especially when our minds and hearts have become unsettled by some situation, circumstance, or event with the result that we are upset, disturbed, distressed, and lacking inner peace. This, once again, is prayer's tranquilizing ministry. And it is something that we should deeply appreciate and enjoy when we are experiencing any of the afflictions belonging to "the sufferings of this present time" and/or any of "the sufferings of Christ."

Godly Peace

Now as was previously stated, specific living words of the living God are designed by God to effectually work within us to displace what is disturbing our inner man and replace it with Godly thinking that produces peace. And indeed this is accomplished by specific living words of the living God. In fact they are the very same words that live and operate in God's own mind. They are the very words that form and comprise His thinking about us and about our situation, which in turn has Him in a state of peace and contentment regarding us.

It may seem almost silly to put it this way, but the truth of the matter is that neither God our Father, nor the Lord Jesus Christ, nor the Spirit of God within us, become distressed when we encounter and experience disturbing situations. With God there is no onset of anxiety or worry; no racing of the mind; no 'fight or flight response'; no wringing of the hands, pacing of the floor, sleepless nights, or any other product of distress and uneasiness of mind. Instead our Father, our Lord, and the Spirit within us, are at peace within themselves regarding us.

Yet this is not simply because God is God, and anything but contentment is impossible for Him. For though God is God, He is not a detached, impersonal, or unaffected God, as He clearly testifies. Rather He has a direct, interactive and personal relationship with His creation as a whole, and more specifically with His people. Because of this God is personally affected by what occurs, having not only purposed and designed for this to be so, but also having enabled it to be so. And this is true both in His program with Israel and with us in this present dispensation of His grace. With this being so God acts and reacts with real actions and reactions; not merely with sentiments that are anthropopathisms in description, but not true sentiments in nature. For God is not only the "true" God, He is also the "living God." As such God lives and has a living, involved relationship both to us and with us. So much so that He is neither a casual, nor detached, nor unaffected observer of us or of what occurs with us. Instead God is genuinely touched by us and by what occurs with us; and this is true and real with God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Ghost that dwells in us.

So it is, therefore, that God is genuinely touched by any and all of the disturbing and distressing things that we may encounter in our lives.

Now though God is genuinely affected by them, He is not disturbed and distressed by them. For operating within Him is some particular peace-producing and peace-maintaining knowledge, which is the product of His own counsel and purpose regarding us as His "sons." And on the basis of this particular knowledge God thinks differently about our situations and circumstances than we do. Hence His mind generates responses to our situations that differ from those that are typically generated by our natural minds. Consequently with this particular knowledge operating within Him, God is not distressed regarding us. Instead, He is at peace and content.


==================
...neither God our Father, nor the Lord Jesus Christ, nor the Spirit of God within us, become distressed when we encounter and experience disturbing situations.
==================

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The God of Peace - Part 5 of 7
By K. Blades



Godly Peace from "The God of Peace"

Now it is God's own brand of peace that He not only offers to us, but expects us to receive and operate upon in our lives. In connection with this, what the Lord said to His disciples in the climactic stage in Israel's program is also true regarding us in this present dispensation.

                        Peace I leave with you, my
                        peace I give unto you: not as
                        the world giveth, give I unto
                        you. Let not your heart be
                        troubled, neither let it be
                        afraid. (John 14:27)

The peace that God provides for us to have in this present dispensation is also "not as the world giveth." It too is "my peace"; i.e. God's own peace.

Furthermore just as the peace that the Lord gave to the remnant of Israel comes from specific information and knowledge about God's counsel and purpose with them in the climactic stage of their program, so too does our peace come from specific knowledge and information regarding God's counsel and purpose with us as His "sons" in this present dispensation. Through both general and specific information thereon God provides us with the ability to possess the very thinking and understanding that He operates upon regarding us. This makes it so that when we likewise think what He thinks, and understand what He understands, it effectually produces within us the same peace and contentment that it produces in Him.

Therefore when this is the case with us we not only have peace from "the God of peace," but we truly have Godly peace. That is, we have the very same peace that God Himself possesses.

Let's appreciate the reality of this by briefly considering some examples of it. First in God's program with Israel. Then we will deal with our Godly peace today.

Godly Peace in God's Program with Israel

The book of Psalms deals with many of the distressing, worrisome, and dreadful situations that the remnant of Israel will experience throughout the climactic stage in Israel's program. In particular, as their program enters its final installment, the intense afflictions that will come upon them will have the tendency to easily overwhelm them and drive them to despair. Indeed, this will be one of the objectives of the Adversary's persecution as he works to 'wear them out' and have their hearts fail them in their stand for the truth.

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The God of Peace - Part 6 of 7
By K. Blades



However they will not be 'in a lurch.' For they will have much knowledge from God's word upon which to operate at  that time. Knowledge that is specifically designed to produce peace and stability within them in the very situations they find themselves, and knowledge that does this by being specifically about God's counsel and purpose with them during that time. Hence, as the following examples show, it will be by having their minds occupied with this specific knowledge, and communing with God about it in prayer, that they will have the peace that the Lord promised them when He said to them,...

     In your patience possess ye
     your souls. (Luke 21 :19)


God has given them specific knowledge and information for 'their patience.' And when they operate upon it, and hold themselves accountable to it in prayer, they will be able to 'possess their souls' and be at peace within.

Note the reality of this, for example, in Psalm 94.


       17 Unless the LORD had been
     my help, my soul had almost
     dwelt in silence.
       18 When I said, My foot
      slippeth; thy mercy, a LORD,
      held me up.
       19 In the multitude of my
      thoughts within me thy com-
      forts delight my soul. (Psalm
      94:17-19)

This Psalm has the final installment in God's program with Israel in view. In that time the remnant of Israel will be experiencing the temporary 'triumphing of the wicked' described in the beginning of the Psalm, along with all of the afflictions that they will experience as that apparent 'triumphing' takes place. However during that time there is a specific doctrine that God expects the remnant to have learned, and hence to have operating within them. This is the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ functioning as Israel's Avenger, fulfilling the third mandate of the Davidic Covenant. By its effectual working within them it is designed to give them the clear understanding of what is happening at that time and why. It teaches them about God's counsel and specific purpose with them during that time, including why the wicked are allowed to triumph to the extent they will and the wisdom of God in connection with it. As such this specific knowledge is designed to be  the subject of their prayers and their cries to God for vengeance, as the 'triumphing' is underway and the afflictions are experienced.

Wherefore as this specific knowledge of God's counsel works effectually within them, the Psalmist declares,.. .

      12 Blessed is the man whom
     thou chastenest, 0 LORD,
     and teachest him out of thy
     law;
      13 That thou mayest give him
     rest from the days of adver-
     sity, until the pit be digged for
     the wicked. (Psalm 94:12-13)

So then when the distress of this particular situation becomes overwhelming for the believing remnant during that time, as the Psalmist says there is tranquility, rest, and even delight for their souls as their prayers hold them accountable to the specific doctrine that God has given to them for this situation and it effectually works within them.

Hence as the Psalmist says, "In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul"; with those "comforts" being the specific knowledge from the law about the Lord being their Avenger at that time.

A similar type testimony is found earlier on in Psalm 55 and Psalm 61 in connection with some different afflictions.

      16 As for me, I will call upon
     God; and the LORD shall save
     me.
       17 Evening, and morning, and
     at noon, will I pray, and cry
     aloud: and he shall hear my
     voice.
       18 He hath delivered my soul
     in peace from the battle that
     was against me: for there
     were many with me. (Psalm
     55:16-18 )

      1 Hear my cry, a God; attend
     unto my prayer.
      2 From the end of the earth will
     I cry unto thee, when my heart
     is overwhelmed: lead me to
     the rock that is higher than I.
    (Psalm 61 :1-2)

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The God of Peace - Part Seven Conclusion
By K. Blades



Our Godly Peace Today

The Godly peace is true and with us today. When we too through prayer intelligently commune with our Father about specific matters of His counsel and purpose with us as His "sons," it effectually works within us to displace disturbing thoughts about what may be happening to us and have them replaced with the Godly thinking that produces peace.

For this reason after our sonship edification gets underway in Romans 8:14ff, and we are taught the fundamentals of God's specific counsel and purpose with us as His "sons" in this present dispensation, we are then immediately exhorted to make use of that knowledge as we encounter the inevitable "sufferings of this present time" and tribulations of this life. Hence, for example, in Romans 12:12 we are told to be,...


12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in
tribulation; continuing instant
in prayer; (Romans 12:12)


Through what we are taught regarding God's counsel and purpose with us in this present dispensation we learn about the particular "hope" in which we should be "rejoicing." We also are taught to understand and appreciate a number of specific, fundamental reasons why we should be "patient in tribulation" when it occurs in our lives. Hence when such tribulation does occur, the issue for us is to think on the things that we are taught regarding God's counsel and purpose with us, and to commune with our Father about them by being "instant in prayer" in connection with them.

Now when we do occupy our minds with this information, and do intelligently commune with our Father about our tribulation specifically in the light of this information, it effectually works to produce within us the Godly peace that our Father Himself has regarding our situation. The tranquilizing ministry of prayer occurs within us as the disturbing and distressing thoughts that we have in response to the tribulation are displaced by the effectual working of God's word regarding us, making it so that our thoughts become the same as our Father's thoughts, and thereby producing Godly peace within us.

And not only so, but Godly peace is able to be effectually produced within us throughout the entire range of sufferings, afflictions, tribulations, and trouble to which we can be subject in this present dispensation. Nothing is outside its range, or beyond its capacity. For it is produced within us by the excellency of the power of God's word to us, which in perfect accordance with God's counsel and purpose regarding us has been specifically written to address and deal with every form of suffering to which we are subject as His "sons."

Wherefore even when it comes to facing the extreme tribulations belonging to the policy of evil against us, as was the case when Paul wrote to the saints in Philippi, the tranquilizing ministry of prayer is effectual. Hence as they faced death and were being 'terrified by their adversaries,' Paul said to them,...

     4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
      5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
      6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
     7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

Indeed our Father is "the God of peace." He truly has provided for us to have His peace - Godly peace - in all areas of our lives. Both within and without; from mild disturbances to the most extreme occurrences of carefulness, anxiety, or distress.

May it be that through our sonship edification and sonship prayer, as we learn both general and specific matters regarding God's counsel and purpose with us and commune with Him about them in prayer, that we truly learn to know our Father and love Him as "the God of peace" that He is, and thereby possess peace "always by all means." Especially may this be so as we frequently encounter and experience any of the common "sufferings of this present time," but more so as we are privileged to bear any of "the sufferings of Christ." - K.R. Blades

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REST, AND REJOICE!
By Miles Stanford



"Rejoice in the Lord always!" (Phil. 4:4).


Exhaustive effort brings home the necessity of strengthening rest. The believer will not be ready to enter into his spiritual rest until he is utterly worn out by his unsuccessful efforts to conquer sin and the old man. There is no rest for the "wretched man" of Romans 7--that struggle must lead to the rest of Romans 8.

"Grace is sufficient for favorable circumstances, but they are by far the most trying (spiritually) to the believer. There is an easy way of going on in worldliness, and there is nothing more sad than the quiet comfortable Christian going on day by day, apart from dependence upon the Lord.

"It must be as with Israel and the manna; there must be the daily gathering and daily dependence upon God. If circumstances come between our hearts and God, we are powerless. If the Lord Jesus is nearer, circumstances will not hinder our joy in God."

"The heart of man naturally seeks rest, and seeks it here. Now, there is no rest to be found here for the believer; but it is written, 'There remaineth, therefore, a rest to the people of God' (Heb. 4:9).

"To know this is both full of blessing and full of sorrow: sorrow to the flesh; because it is always seeking its rest here, it has always to be disappointed; blessing to the spirit, because the spirit, being born of God, can only rest in God's rest, as it is said, 'If they shall enter into My rest' (Heb. 4:5). What God desires for us is to bring us into the enjoyment of all that which He Himself enjoys."-J.N.D.

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Ps. 37:7).

Him we preach, admonishing every one and instructing every one, with all possible wisdom, so that we may bring every one into God's presence, made perfect through Christ. To this end, like an earnest wrestler, I exert all my strength in reliance  upon the power of Him who is mightily at work within me. (Colossians 1 :28, 29, Plymouth's)
... Christ is all and in all! (Colossians 3: 11)

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THE DEATH OF THE CROSS
by C. R. Stam



There are four words which every one of us should consider in connection with Christ's death at Calvary if we would fully appreciate what our Savior did for us there.

CRUCIFIXION

It is doubtful whether man has ever conceived a more cruel and humiliating way to execute even the vilest criminals. The physical agony alone must have been horrible beyond comprehension. The criminal was nailed to a tree and left to hang there, writhing in the most intense pain until, fevers wracking his body, he died. And then think of the humiliation as he hung there, stripped and naked, to suffer shame and disgrace before the public gaze. Little wonder Phil. 2:8 says that Christ humbled Himself to become obedient "unto death, even the death of the cross."

SUBSTITUTION

 We have not even begun to understand the cross if we do not understand that Christ died there as our Substitute, paying for our sins.

 "Christ died for our sins" (I Cor. 15:3). "His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24).

REPRESENTATION

 But Christ was more than our Substitute; He was our voluntary Representative at Calvary.  He had taken on Himself human form that He might represent man before God and die as Man for men.

"As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many..." (Heb. 9:27, 28 ).

"[He] was made... lower than the angels... that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man" (Heb. 2:9).

IDENTIFICATION

It follows from this that if Christ represented me at Calvary, He became identified with me there, and I am identified with Him as I accept this by faith. Hence Paul exclaims:

 "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

Be much with the solid teachings of God's word, and you will become solid and substantial men and women: drink them in, and feed upon them, and they shall produce in you a Christ-likeness, at which the world shall stand astonished. C. H. Spurgeon

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FULNESS OF JOY
by C. R. Stam


About 3,000 years ago David wrote in Psalm 16:11: "...In Thy presence is fulness of joy...."  He was right, for there is no greater joy than personal fellowship with God.  Yet David could not know the fulness of joy now spoken of in Paul's epistles, for he did not know Christ, who later came into the world as God, manifested in the flesh, to die for our sins.  He did not know that Christ would make full satisfaction for sin and be raised from the dead to confirm our justification. Nor did David know that believers would be given Christ's resurrection life, and a position, and "all spiritual blessings IN THE HEAVENLIES in Christ" (Eph. 2:4-6; 1:3).

When Paul wrote that God has called believers "unto the fellowship of His Son", he referred to a spiritual, heavenly fellowship, far more intimate and precious than any previously enjoyed by mortal man. This fellowship is to be enjoyed by faith, but it is faith based on fact, the fact that Christ indeed died our death and rose again from the dead that we might partake of His life and enjoy a position at God's right hand in Christ. This is why the Apostle Paul urges believers of this dispensation of grace to "seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" (Col. 3:1).

Peter and John both came to know much of this fellowship through Paul, who was sent to Jerusalem "by revelation" to make known to the leaders there "THAT GOSPEL WHICH I PREACH AMONG THE GENTILES" (See Galatians 2:2-9; II Peter 3:15-18 ). This is why John writes in I John 1:3,4: "Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL".

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How Much More
By Dr. Bill Gillham



Consider Paul's statement, "For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Romans 5:10).

There was a time in my pilgrimage when I breezed by this verse, assuming that it referred to my future in heaven. You see, I concentrated solely on the death of Jesus as the payment for my sins, never realizing that He accomplished much more for me than that glorious act. The phrase I just used-"much more"-came right out of the verse. I was unintentionally minimizing a significant part of Jesus' finished work. I believed that the reference to His life related only to a future heaven instead of our life on earth as well. I put all my doctrinal weight on His death and none on His life, and I believe that many Christians are making that same mistake.

You'll agree that the first half of this verse-"reconciled to God through the death of His Son"-references Christ's death as the way God saved you from everlasting hell. Then Paul writes, "much more . . ." You've gotta love those two words. God is not given to superlatives. After all, if you've never told a lie and you're incapable of ever doing so (Titus 1:2), your yes means yes and your no means no. So when God uses words or phrases like "much more," we ought to get ready for an important announcement. Here it is: "Much more, having been reconciled [a guarantee of heaven], we shall be saved by His life." Saved by His life? Saved from what? We are already saved from hell by the death of Christ in the first part of the verse, so what is this "much more" we get saved from by the life of Christ?

His life through you saved you from bearing the circumstances of living on earth! That's right. Christ's death saved you from hell below the earth; Christ's life saves you from hell upon the earth.

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Philippians 4:19 - "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

OUR ASSURANCES UNDER GRACE



From infancy, the mortal soul cries out for assurance The yearning is often satisfied by parent, pastor, patron or peer. But these are frequently misguided and temporary consolations. But any assurance received from God may be relied upon without reservation. Knowing that we are impotent to generate our own motivations to the uttermost, we find confidence in the assurance that "The love of Christ constraineth us..." (2 Corinthians 5:14).

To the faithful, there is no restriction of encouragement and fortification from on high. The apostle attests that to those saints who prayerfully submit themselves to His watchcare and preservation, "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7), "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you" (2 Corinthians 9:8 ).

But the most stimulating of all assurances is the affirmation of our condition as members of the Body of Christ. "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. AND YE ARE COMPLETE IN HIM, which is the Head of all principality and power" (Colossians 9:10). In the light of our heavenly position, the apostle exclaims, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). Close fellowship with God is the secret to our enjoyment of maximum assurance. How true the words of the prophet, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee" (Isaiah 26:3). "My God shall supply all you need according to His riches in glory.."

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THE GOSPEL OF GOD
by Russell S. Miller


This phrase, the gospel of God, found seven times in the New Testament, is mainly used by the Apostle Paul (Rom. 1:1; 15:16; II Cor. 11:7; I Thes. 2:2,8,9), though it is also found in I Peter 4:17. But the Apostle Paul says that the gospel of God was promised afore by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures. So the question, What is this gospel of God, is worthy of our inquiry and finds its answer in the fact that God has always had good news for Adam and his sinful, sorry, helpless sons and daughters in whatever the prophets and Moses did say should come. And this is now revealed in the Pauline revelation:

That Christ should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles? (Acts 26:22,23).

This is why Paul tells us in Galatians 1:16 that God's Son is revealed IN him, NOT in the prophets, and this is confirmed in I Peter 1:12. Paul's gospel is therefore the revelation of Jesus Christ? in all that God had promised and in all that God kept secret regarding the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is, of course, blessedly true where the Lord Jesus Christ is concerned that all the types and shadows of the Mosaic sacrificial system (Heb. 10:1-4) mysteriously pointed forward to Christ and Calvary's cross. Thus we can see the importance of I Corinthians 15:3,4:

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES.

Here Paul incorporates that which God had promised afore with that which he had received and delivered to the Corinthians, and to us. And this he calls the gospel which I preached unto you? (I Cor. 1:1-3). Isn't this the very key that unlocks our understanding here? It was not CONTRARY to the Scriptures that Christ died for our sins, but rather it is in ACCORDANCE with the Scriptures.

IN WHOM WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE (Eph. 1:7).

Now it becomes clear that the saints of old were not saved on the basis of the Mosaic Law. Rather their atonement awaited the merits of Christ's propitiatory sacrifice on Calvary's cross as revealed though Paul:

NEITHER BY THE BLOOD OF GOATS AND CALVES, BUT BY HIS OWN BLOOD HE ENTERED IN ONCE INTO THE HOLY PLACE, HAVING OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR US? (Heb. 9:12).

BUT THIS MAN, AFTER HE HAD OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR EVER, SAT DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD (Heb. 10:12).

It is faith in the blood of Christ that saves us today. No longer does the Mosaic Law, or water baptism, nor Peter's call to repentance in Acts 2:38, have any merit, but faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ:

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

Even the righteousness of God which is BY [FAITHFULNESS] OF JESUS CHRIST unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference? (Rom. 3:21,22).

And who, but the Apostle Paul, could write more appropriately concerning God's Son Jesus Christ our Lord and the Good News that awaits believers!

Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus (Rom. 3:24-26).

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UNSEARCHABLE RICHES
By Pastor Joel Finck

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3:8

As the Apostle Paul traveled on his missionary journeys, his procedure was to go fist into the synagogue of the Jews and reason with them out of the Scriptures, "Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ" (Acts 17:3). When the noble Bereans heard Paul's preaching, they "searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). Of course, these were the Old Testament Scriptures, for the New Testament was not yet written at that time.

However, God was in the process of giving further revelation to Paul, and these new truths could not be traced back to the Old Testament. This is why Paul calls them "the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3:8 ). The word "unsearchable" is a hunting term meaning, "unable to be tracked or traced." This describes the nature of the great mystery revealed to Paul for the Gentiles. It was hidden from ages and generations (Col. 1:26; Eph. 3:5), but now has been made known for all to see in the epistles of Paul.

What are these unsearchable riches? They are too numerous to mention in this short article, but they include the catching away (rapture) of the Body of Christ (I Cor. 15:51), the joining of Jew and Gentile in one body (Eph. 3:6), the unique Gentile program of God during the time of Israel's blindness (Rom. 11:25) and many more blessed truths. These things were simply not revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures; search and see. But thank God they are now made known to the saints!