GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

The Breath of God
Part 1 of 2
by Pastor James R. Gray


Learn more reverence, not for rank and wealth that needs no learning, That comes quickly, quick as sin dies, aye and culminates in sin; But for Adam's seed, man, trust me 'this a clay above your scorning, With God's image stamped upon him, and God's kindling breath within.
--Elizabeth Barrett Browning


God's breath! What a concept! One that is completely Biblical. The Bible clearly speaks of the breath of God. God's breath is an indispensable part of man. We cannot escape it. The Bible reveals there are distinct times that the breath of God is related to man:

* IN CREATION

When God created man, we are expressly told that He "formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7). This verse is revealing about the creation of man. We see man was "formed" by God. The Hebrew is yatsar. It is an artisan word. It means to mold or form, and describes the activity of a potter forming or molding the clay on the potters' wheel. It carries the idea of molding the day with particular care and personal attention. Here God is seen as the potter. He fashioned us out of the clay of the earth with minute and precise detail. Interestingly, the word for dust here is not a clot of dirt, but the finest part of the material of the earth. No wonder the writer of the Psalms declares that he was "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14).

Not only was man made by the artistic hands of God, but God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life." The word translated "breathed" is interesting. It is the Hebrew word napah, the root meaning of which is to puff, as one puffs to forcefully ventilate a fire, thus to blow, to exhale. It is used of the giving up of life (Job 31:39, Jer. 15:9), as well as giving of life. In this passage the meaning of giving of life is dear, God exhaled or blew life into man. God formed man from the dust of the earth after His own likeness, and into this mold of dust, breathed or exhaled into it His own immortal breath. Of all creation, God did this only to man. As Leupold in his comments on Genesis notes; "A personal, vitalizing act of the Creator imparts life to man-- an honor bestowed upon none of the lesser creatures" (Exposition of Genesis, 116).

The result of this act was that "man became a living soul," The student of the word should be careful here.

While the act of imparting life to man was unique, the result does not seem to be. The phrase does not seen to point to a distinguishing aspect of man. In Genesis 1:24, we see that the same Hebrew word, here translated soul, is translated "living creature" and it refers to animal life. The Scofield Bible notes that the Hebrew word nephesh (soul), "implies self-conscious life, as distinguished from plants, which have unconscious life" (p. 5). A study of the phrase "living soul" shows it refers to both man and animals (Gen. 1 :24; 2:7; I Cor.15:45; Rev. 16:3). By the act of God exhaling into man the breath of life, man became animated, a living soul.

Because both man and animals are living souls, that does not mean that this event was not unique. God's breath animating man does have a special significance. It does place man on a higher plane, and a special place in relationship to God that is higher than the beasts of the field. It directly links man with God, a link formed by God Himself at the time of creation, a link that was marred and corrupted by an act of sin. Man will not be able to escape the responsibility before God for breaking that link.

* IN CONVERSION

The breath of God is active not only in creation, but conversion. Not unlike the work of creation, is the miracle of regeneration where the breath of God is a quickening breath. It quickens and converts dead sinners into living saints. This quickening is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is significant that the New Testament word translated spirit is pneuma, like its Hebrew counterpart ruach, means both "breath" and "spirit." It is a form of the Greek word, pneo, which means a current of air, to blow upon.

The word pneuma is translated both "wind" and "spirit" in John 3:8. Christ is making a comparison here between wind and the Spirit. Both are sovereign in their activities and mysterious in their operations. Both are sovereign in their actions, beyond all human control. Both are irresistible in their power and invisible, for who has seen the wind or the Spirit? Both are invigorating, refreshing us from the heat of the day and life.

There are those, however, who would argue that this verse needs to be better translated. As we have already pointed out, the word wind and spirit are the Greek word pneuma. This is the only verse were the word is translated wind. Some suggest that a better translation would be: "The Spirit breatheth where He willeth, and His voice thou hearest; but thou knowest not whence He cometh and whither He goeth. Thus it is (with) everyone who has been begotten by the Spirit. " Their points for this are well taken. They point out that if wind was meant, that the normal word would have been used (anemos). In fact, John uses the word anemos to express wind in John 6:18. It is also pointed out that it is not correct to say that the wind cannot be traced. Scripture itself affirms that comings and goings of the wind can be known and traced (Eccles. 1:6). It seems that this view deserves consideration by the student of the Word.

There can be little doubt that breath is the emblem of the Holy Spirit. To become a child of God one must be "born from above" which is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, the breath of God. It is He who breathes life into those who are spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. Just as God breathed into man at creation to animate physical life, so the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, animates man's spiritual life, and the sinner becomes a new creation in Christ. The Apostle Paul reminds us that "if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. 8:11). Quicken means to be made alive. Thus, we are born again from above "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13), the breath of God, the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that gives life eternal (II Cor. 3:6)

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

The Breath of God
Part 2 of 2
by Pastor James R. Gray



* IN JUDGMENT

The third place that the Breath of God will meet man is in judgment. Scripture is clear. Isaiah 11:4 declares that God "shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked." The very breath of God is the rod with which He will chastise and smite the wicked. The return of the our Lord Jesus Christ to set up His kingdom will be accompanied and accomplished by the outpouring of His breath of judgment.

The Apostle Paul uses this phrase regarding the judgment of the Antichrist. Notice II Thessalonians 2:8 where Paul declares that this one will be consumed "with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming." Again the word pneuma in the King James Version is translated "spirit," however, it can be equally and better translated "breath" as in the New King James Version. The Antichrist will be consumed "with the breath of His mouth."

A parallel to these events is seen in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 19 the breath of judgment is symbolized by the sword proceeding out of Christ's mouth, which shall consume the wicked (Rev. 19:15, 20-21). At the second coming of our Lord, He will not return in a lowly procession upon a colt, but upon a white horse, as the great conqueror over the Antichrist and His forces. The manifestation of Christ at Armageddon will be a time of dire judgment, out of His mouth will come the breath of judgment, symbolized by the sword. The wicked will be judged.

Paul describes this outworking of God's judgment in 2  Thessalonians 1:7-9. Even as Antichrist and His army are destroyed and consumed with the breath of the Lord's mouth, so also will two classes of people be punished in that judgment. Two groups or classes are clearly intended in the text by the repeated articles in the original Greek. They are those who "know not God" and those who "obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." The first class, those who "know not God" are what we would refer to as heathen, those who have refused such knowledge of God to be had from the light of nature (Acts 10:34, Rom. 2: 1 0-15). The second class are those who have heard the gospel and rejected it. Their guilt is even greater. In disobedience they turned their back upon God and the gospel. Scripture indicates that those of this class, who have lived in this dispensation of grace, refuse the message of grace, and are alive after the rapture will still not believe. They will be duped by the Antichrist, "because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth; but had pleasure in unrighteousness (II Thessalonians 2:10-12).

Do you have "God's kindling breath within?" Have you been born from above, animated by the breath of God spiritually? If not, He who breathed life into man, will come with the breath of judgment. You are under that condemnation already, for "He that believeth not is condemned already" (John 3:18.). You cannot escape the breath of God. But be assured, those who accept His provision of salvation by faith will pass from spiritual death into eternal life (John 5:24). The breath of God will quicken you spiritually, and you will be a new creation in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

"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).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

Paul's Two Roman Imprisonments
by Paul M. Sadler,


Scripture Reading:

"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." -- II Timothy 4:6-8

Approximately two years after being delivered into the hands of Roman authorities things had apparently gone well for the apostle, therefore he anticipated his soon release from prison. Thus he writes to the church at Philippi: "For I know that this [their prayer for his release] shall turn to my salvation [deliverance from prison]" (Phil. 1:9).

We believe that Paul did in fact enjoy a short period of freedom which enabled him to continue his apostolic journeys. We know, for example, that according to the Acts record the apostle never visited Crete on any of his previous apostolic journeys. Paul did sail around the island on his way to Rome as a prisoner, but it was not until his release from his first Roman imprisonment that he actually visited Crete. The apostle's brief stay on the island was long enough to see that the churches there were in a state of chaos (Titus 1:10-16). Consequently, Paul leaves Titus behind, his companion in travel, "to set in order the things that were wanting" (Titus 1:5).

Probably from Crete Paul made his way to Corinth where he writes to Titus to inform him that he planned to winter in Nicopolis (Titus 3:12). It could well be that the apostle was apprehended at Nicopolis and taken again to Rome for preaching Christ. This time however, the sentence would go against him. So without hesitation he writes to Timothy, since it was nearing winter, to bring his cloak and also the Parchments (II Tim. 4:13).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

ASLEEP IN A STORM
by C. R. Stam




What a disappointing scene! A terrifying storm, souls in danger of death, but Jonah, the man of God, fast asleep.

Sailors are not soon frightened in a storm, but this time the fury of the gale was so great that “the ship was like to be broken” and even the sailors were driven to their knees “and cried every man unto his god” (Jonah 1:4,5).

Can it be that Jonah, the only man aboard who knew the true God, was sleeping? Sleeping while souls were perishing? This was the shameful truth, and not one of us would blame the terrified captain for rudely awakening him and crying: “What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God!” (Verse 6).

But let us not be too ready to condemn Jonah, for we may be more guilty than he. Surely the world today is passing through a fearful storm and souls all about us are in peril of their lives. If they do not accept God’s way of salvation; if they do not trust in Christ, they will perish. And what are we doing about it? Are we pleading for them in prayer? Are we doing what we can to reach them for Christ? Or are we fast asleep?

“What meanest thou O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God!” And when you have cried to God in behalf of your unsaved relatives, friends, and business associates, He will send you to witness to them of Christ and His love. Not until you have talked to God about them will you be ready to talk to them about God.

Politically, morally, spiritually, the night is dark, the storm is raging and souls are perishing, but “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts” (II Cor. 4:6). “…We are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others” (I Thess. 5:5,6).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

LEGAL CONFLICT
By Miles Stanford



"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).

If we are weak in understanding the principle of complete justification by faith, we will be strong in seeking to produce our own sanctification.

"In Romans Seven Paul is describing the inevitable conflict that every believer knows when he undertakes to lead a holy life on the principle of legality. He feels instinctively that the law is spiritual, but that he himself, for some unexplained reason, is fleshly, carnal, and in bondage to sin. This discovery is one of the most heart-breaking a Christian ever made. Yet each one must and does make it for himself at some time in his pilgrimage.

"The believer finds himself doing things he knows to be wrong, and which his inmost desires are opposed to; while what he yearns to do he fails to accomplish, and does, instead, what he hates. But this is the first part of a great lesson which all must learn who would matriculate in God's school. It is the lesson of no confidence in 'the flesh'; and until it is learned there can be no true progress in growth. The incorrigibility of the flesh must be realized before one is ready to turn altogether from self to Christ for sanctification, as he has already done for justification." --- H.A.I.

"As conviction of guilt goes before known justification, so the experiential knowledge of self before sanctification. No effort clears the guilt; no effort effects the growth."

"That they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith" (Acts 26:18.).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

Disappointment
By Steve McVey



Dr. Lenore Campbell wrote, “Early in my career as a doctor I went to see a patient who was coming out of anesthesia. Far off church chimes sounded and the patient murmured, ‘I must be in heaven.’ Then she saw me. ‘No, I can't be,’ she said. ‘There's Dr. Campbell.’"

Disappointment – we’ve all had to deal with it at times, haven’t we? Even people who have been known as successes in life have faced disappointment. Alexander the Great conquered Persia, but broke down and wept because his troops were too exhausted to push on to India. John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the U.S. wrote in his diary: "My life has been spent in vain and idle aspirations, and in ceaseless rejected prayers that something would be the result of my existence beneficial to my species." Robert Louis Stevenson wrote words that continue to delight and enrich our lives, and yet what did he write for his epitaph? "Here lies one who meant well, who tried a little, and failed much."

Everybody faces disappointment, but how are Christians to deal with it? The answer boils down to trust in Jesus Christ. That means not just professing our trust, but practicing it. When we know that He is Life, the sting of disappointment finds a healing salve in the truth of His Word.

I have found a particular verse in the Bible to be a good antidote to disappointment in my circumstances. It is found in Philippians 1:6, where Paul wrote: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” This verse is a reminder that the flow of our lives isn’t up to us, but rests on the shoulders of God Himself. This verse promises that He started His work in you and He will be the one to sustain it. At the risk of oversimplifying the matter, “God’s going to do what God’s going to do.”

We get into trouble when we think that our agenda has to be fulfilled in life. It isn’t up to us to fulfill our plans. That’s God’s business. Our role is simply to trust Him in every circumstance.

Are there disappointments you face in your own life today? Place them into the hands of a sovereign God who loves you and already has the details of life worked out for you. It’s okay to feel disappointment. That’s normal, but don’t be dominated by it. Instead, acknowledge your feelings to the Lord and then lay your expectations at His feet. Then move forward, being assured that He has your best interest at heart and will work out all things for your ultimate good and His highest glory.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE NAMES in the Book of Life
Part 1 of 4
by Dee L. McCroskey


When Were They Written? Can They Be Blotted Out?

"And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Rev. 21:27.)

THERE are two indisputable facts about the Lamb's Book of Life, which all believers know and understand: (1) that every saved person has his name written in the Book, and (2) that whosoever is not found written in the Book is to be cast into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:15.) But beyond these two cardinal facts we find ourselves confronted with questions which often affect our joy, and sometimes even threaten to undermine our assurance of everlasting security in Christ.

The traditional teaching among informed believers has been that our names were written in the Book when we got saved, and that they can never be blotted out again. But there are at least two scriptures which plainly show that some names can be blotted out of the Book, and several others which show it by implication. We have often failed to find a satisfying explanation of such scriptures, until a few years ago when we began to see that there is a great deal more to this wonderful Book of Life than we ever suspected.

Names Blotted Out

The two scriptures referred to are Exodus 32:32-33 and Psalm 69:28. In the first one, Moses asked the Lord to either forgive Israel or blot him out of the Book. Moses and the Apostle Paul are two men who so loved the people of Israel that they were both willing to be eternally cursed if it would save Israel. (Rom. 9:3.) But no mere human, no matter how godly he might be, is able to make his soul an offering for the sins of another. And so the Lord replied to Moses: "Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my Book." In the other scripture, the 69th Psalm, the inspired writer is describing the sufferings to be inflicted upon the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Referring to His persecutors, the 28th verse says: "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous."

In Rev. 3:5, the Lord says about the overcoming believer: "I will not blot out his name out of the book of life." The implication here is that some names can be blotted out.

Already we are beginning to see the possibility of names being blotted out. This information is further augmented when we come to some scriptures where the same truth is meant, although the exact words "blotted out of the book" are not given, For instance, in Deut. 9:14, the Lord is angry with Israel and says: "Let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven." This same blotting out is suggested in Ex. 17:14, where God says: "I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven." Also see Deut. 25:19. Concerning the breaker of God's covenant in Deut. 29:20, "the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven." Also we find the wicked spoken of in Psalm 9:5, and it says, "thou hast put out their name for ever and ever."

Now let us notice the kind of people who get their names blotted out of the Book, or "out from under heaven." The list takes in those who have sinned against the Lord, those who persecuted Him and crucified Him, wicked Amalek and others called "the wicked," and if we turn to the last few verses in the last book of the Bible, we could add to the list the mutilators of the Word of God. Also there are the worshipers of the Beast in Rev. 13:8 and 17:8, whose names are not found in the Book. It becomes plain that these are all unsaved folks, whose names are either stricken out or at least not to be found in the Book when their final day comes.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE NAMES in the Book of Life
Part 2 of 4
by Dee L. McCroskey


Names Not Blotted Out

God refused to blot out Moses from the Book. The Tribulation saints shall be delivered, "everyone that shall be found written in the book." (Dan. 12:1.) The disciples were written in heaven. (Luke 10 :20.) Present-age saints, members of His body, all have their names in the Book. (Phil. 4:3 and Heb. 12: 23.) And in Rev. 3:5 God says He will not blot out their names.

These scriptures, together with the statement in Rev. 20:15, that "whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire," show that the saved of all ages have their names written permanently in the Book of Life. There is not the slightest intimation anywhere that any truly saved person ever had his name blotted out.

When Are The Names Written?

All this raises a perplexing question, if we cling to the traditional teaching that our names were added the moment we were saved. In that case, how did wicked Amalek get his name in the Book? And how did the crucifyers of the Lord, "the wicked," and other unsaved men get their names written in? Their names were blotted out, and the fact is inescapable that they must first have been in the Book in order to be blotted out.

There appears to be only one reasonable answer, and we are of the earnest belief that it is the right one: that every human being has his name written in the Book of Life when he comes into the world! This is so completely revolutionary to our traditional thinking that it startles us at first. But as we examine the matter farther, we will see that this only magnifies the great work done by our Lord on the cross of Calvary. It involves two essential laws with both God and man, the law of legal right and the law of appropriation. To have his name in the Book of Life is the legal right of every human, a right that was purchased for him by the precious blood of Christ, and a right which is in no way dependent upon the human himself. But as to the appropriation of that blood-bought right---that is another thing. It is this appropriation that spells heaven or hell to the sinner.

It is right here that the Universalists make their most terrible error, in not recognizing the difference between the scope, or legal right, of Christ's redemptive work, and its application    Strangely enough, "scope" is a favorite word in their literature, but they seem to miss the scriptures dealing with its conditional application. In its scope, the redemptive work of Christ does take in the whole fallen creation. This is seen in such scriptures as First John 2:2, "for the sins of the whole world," and John 3:17, "that the world through Him might be saved." Yes, He died for ALL. And so the Universalist jumps to the conclusion that ALL will be saved in the end, even the devil himself. Such a heaven, with saint and sinner, murderer and his victim, Hitler and Luther, Satan and Christ, all there together, is repulsive and unthinkable to both justice and reason.

It takes only one scripture to put all Universalism, Reconciliationism, Annihilationism etc., to flight. That is John 3:36, about the rejector of Christ. "The wrath of God abideth on him!" We know from other scriptures that although Christ died for the sins of the whole world, most of the world is not saved, and will not be. It is because they refuse to appropriate the privilege that is legally open to them before God, and their names must be stricken from His Book.

For a simple illustration of the law of legal right, we have only to glance at the first paragraph of the American Declaration of Independence. Here we find three wonderful things: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. They are legal rights, guaranteed to every citizen of the United States. But has every American possessed these wonderful things? No, thousands have had to forfeit their lives because of violence. Other thousands have had their liberty taken away, and millions have failed to pursue happiness. They failed to appropriate the legal right to life, liberty, and happiness. So it is with the redemption work of Christ. Those who appropriate their legal right to eternal life through Him are saved, and those who despise this legal right are eternally lost.

We realize in writing this, that the legal right to salvation, all purchased and paid for as it is by the blood of our blessed Saviour, and just waiting for applicants to come up and claim it, is a hard blow to professional emotionalists. It is a blow to those who teach that you must "pray through" to get saved, must agonize, tarry and all the other forms of pleading to God to get Him to relinquish His gift of eternal life to the sinner. An applicant for naturalization gets a notice that he has qualified to become a citizen of the United States. He goes to the proper office, takes the oath and signs the papers--and he is a citizen. There is no reason for pleading with Uncle Sam, for sentiment is ruled out. Either the applicant qualifies or he doesn't, and no amount of tears or pleading will change things. And a holy and just God could not base His dealings on so discriminating a thing as sentiment.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE NAMES in the Book of Life
Part 3 of 4
by Dee L. McCroskey



When Are Names Blotted Out?

From the many blood offerings in the Old Testament we learn that God dealt with humans on the basis of the price He was going to pay for their redemption. The blood of His Son was sufficient to put the name of every son of Adam in His Book of Life. He is said to be the Saviour of ALL men, but "especially of those that believe." (I Tim. 4:10.) That is, those who appropriate His redemption. That everyone has his name written in the Book to begin with, is the real reason that children who die in infancy, and imbeciles from birth, all go to heaven. But all normal, rational humans come to an age known as the age of accountability. They must then declare themselves, whether they will be a citizen of heaven or of the world, a subject of Christ by receiving Him, or a subject of fallen Adam, in whom all perish.

When does the unsaved man get his name blotted out? The answer to this question lies in what we might term "the final answer." Some men harden their hearts and give God a positive "No" early in life. Others linger in a state of indecision, keeping the door of negotiations open, until either they accept Him or they put it off and death finally closes the door and blots out their names. Most of us have seen people who were under conviction for a while, and then a cloud seemed to pass over their souls, and they became hard and unreachable. God had heard their final answer and blotted out their names, we believe. (John 12:39.) God had heard Amalek's final answer, also that of Esau and Pharaoh. They were blotted out of the Book of Life.

There are two scriptures which at first glance would appear to say that some have never had their names in the Book of Life since the foundation of the world. They are Rev. 13:8 and 17:8. The first one speaks of the worshipers of the beast in the Tribulation time, "whose names are not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb slain." (Margin.) The other one speaks of these same beast worshipers, "whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world." There is a strong suggestion here that the Holy Spirit is trying to show us the origin of the Book of Life, that it was begun with the foundation of the world, or when the present creation was introduced upon this earth. In 13:8 it is the foundation of the kosmos, or present world-system, and not the earth proper. It was then that men's names began to be recorded, and it was then that man fell and God began to look upon His Son as if He were already slain for man's sins. This was the only basis upon which He could offer pardon, through the symbolic blood offerings.

But no matter how we take the term "foundation of the world," it does not actually say that these worshipers of the beast never at any time had their names in the Book of life. These scriptures do tell us, however, that their names are not to be found in the Book at the time they worship and wonder after the beast. These people will all have made their final choice by then. They will have rejected God's way and will have received the mark of the beast. Nowhere in the Book of Life, from the foundation of the world system on down, can their names be found.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE NAMES in the Book of Life
Part 4 of 4
by Dee L. McCroskey

Seed of The Serpent

In dealing with the status of unsaved human beings, we must recognize that there are two kinds of them. There are the multitudes who have not yet received Christ and are lost; they are the sons of Adam. And there are a few here and there who are cursed of God in a special way, and have become the seed of the Serpent, who is Satan. In Gen. 3:15 the seed of the woman is mentioned, who is Christ, and also the seed of the Serpent is mentioned. The seed of the Serpent, that is, wicked and Satan-inspired humans, are referred to here as those who would bruise our Lord's heel, a picture of the cross of Calvary. Cain was the first of this line of humans who became Satan's seed, as we find in I John 3:12. The Pharisees were others, said in John 8:44 to be "of your father the devil." These men were not born in that cursed position, but they came into it the day they made their final decision and God removed their names from His Book.

Let us take the case of Cain as a sample. In Genesis 4:5 he brings the wrong offering and gets mad at God. In verses 6 and 7 the Lord graciously pleads with him, offering him once more the way of eternal life through the blood of a sin offering. A sin offering was there at Cain's door and he had only to lay hold upon it. But at this point Cain makes his fatal decision. He goes out from this scene of grace, murders his brother and becomes a fugitive from God. God heard Cain's final answer and blotted him out of the Book of Life. It was then that he became the seed of the serpent.

We have known many in our days who came to the meetings for a while, but never really surrendered to the Lord nor fully accepted Him. They hoped to "grow into" salvation. Some hoped that it might come to them through study of the Word. But this finally comes to an end and they go out from the presence of the Lord like Cain, having made their final decision.

Names Eternally Written

How different with a sinner who comes to the Lord just as he is and receives Him as the only hope, the only Saviour. Such a one gets his name traced over, as it were, with the blood of the Lamb, never to be erased from the Book of Life. The Lord says He knoweth His own sheep by name, and they shall never perish. (John 10:3, 28.) They are forever written in His Book of Life.

How amazingly wonderful is the perfection of God's Word from beginning to end! In the first book of the Bible, man's history begins with the tree of life. In the last book of the Bible, it is the book of life. (Rev. 22:19.) In Gen. 3:24 man is driven from the garden, banished from God's presence because of his rebellion, and a flaming sword turned every way, "to keep the way of the tree of life." Until then, man had a legal right to the tree of life by virtue of creation, But he forfeited that creative right to the tree of life, and it was then that his wise and loving God set about to purchase for him a legal right to the book of life by virtue of redemption. "0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!"

Our Lord referred to this great work of redemption when He said: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." (John 5:17.) The Father had worked for four thousand years on His great plan of redemption. He had carefully guided human affairs so as to lay down type after type of Calvary's cross, clothing Adam and Eve with blood-bought skins, displaying Abel's blood offering on the altar, Abraham and Isaac on the mountain top, the blood on the door posts in Egypt, and hundreds of other rehearsals of the cross-work of His Son. It was all worked out so plainly on the stage of time that no one in any age need be ignorant of His plan of redemption. All are without excuse. And the Son said He worked also. He finished the work, paying for our sins with His own blood, and shouted triumphantly: "It is finished." He had purchased for every human the right to have a "part" in the book of life forever.

But He will not force His salvation upon anyone. His invitation is: "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely:" It is His gracious offer and He bids every sinner to come and accept it.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

CONTINUE THOU
by C. R. Stam



“Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse…but continue thou” (II Tim. 3:13,14).

These were among the last words of the great Apostle Paul, written in view of his approaching martyrdom, to Timothy, his beloved son in the faith.

Circumstances, outwardly, were anything but encouraging. It seemed that the last days of the dispensation of grace were indeed at hand. The apostle had borne many “persecutions” and “afflictions” and now “suffered trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds”. There were those who, like Jannes and Jambres, had “resisted the truth” (Verse 8.). “Alexander the coppersmith” had done him “much evil” and had “greatly withstood his words” (4:14,15). “Evil men and seducers” had risen on every hand and were to “wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (II Tim.3:13).

There was even defection among his own brethren in the faith, so that now, from his Roman prison, he had to report: “All they which are in Asia have turned away from me…Demas hath forsaken me…only Luke is with me” (II Tim. 1:15; 4:10,11).

And what, now, is his parting advice to young Timothy? Does he say: “Perhaps I have been too intense. My methods have made many enemies. I advise you to be more diplomatic and tolerant than I have been”. Hardly, for the records show Paul to have been of all men most tactful and considerate. His sufferings were not the result of a contentious spirit, but of his faithfulness in proclaiming that message which so embarrasses and enrages “our adversary, the devil”, that message which is God’s gracious response to man’s need and His answer to Satan’s slander — “the gospel of the grace of God”.

Thus it is that the Apostle urges Timothy: “Continue thou…be not ashamed…be strong”. He well knew that in this sin-cursed world the only hope for the individual is to be found in God’s offer of salvation through faith in the redemption wrought by Christ at Calvary.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

WORKMEN - APPROVED
Scripture Reading: II Timothy 2: 15-18



What will happen if we do not try hard to please God in correctly handling His Word? We will no doubt be disapproved. " ... the fire shall try every man's work ... " What we do is based upon what we believe the Bible teaches. If we have a careless or mistaken approach to Holy Scripture, it can ruin our works. This is why we must strive diligently In our study of the Word. Our careful study will give us the full knowledge of the right divisions of the Bible that will enable us to handle every detail properly. First, must be the overall approach, then will come the interpretation of the details. Surely we have known people who understood the exact particulars of the Old Testament sacrificial system, or the words of Christ in the Gospels, or the New Jerusalem, yet did not know where they fit in the overall program and purposes of God. Let us be better students than that!

Our text presents some possibilities of danger if we do not diligently study God's Word. First, profane and vain babblings can come in. Second, ungodly conduct can result. Third, the word of error can produce decay in someone's life. Fourth, faith can be overthrown by mishandling the Bible.

Bad doctrine and its companion, evil conduct, combine to produce shame. The worker that produces this cannot be approved.

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth." Will you he that workman?  Are you that workman today? Can you say that you are correctly understanding and explaining God's Word? If so, you are a worker, approved now and hereafter.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE WILFUL "SIN" OF HEBREWS 10:26
BY RUSSELL S. MILLER



It is asserted that the "wilful sin", here, does not apply to this dispensation because, as members of the Body of Christ, God has already given us eternal security in Christ as Paul declares in his epistle to the Romans:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... NAY, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that [nothing] shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord"  (Rom. 8:35-39) .

Please note that the Hebrews also have "eternal salvation" (5:9), "eternal redemption" (9:12), and "eternal inheritance" (9:15).

So today, those who trust in His finished work of redemption, whether Hebrews or Gentiles, have "eternal salvation", "eternal redemption", and "eternal inheritance":

"FOR EVEN CHRIST OUR PASSOVER IS SACRIFICED FOR US" (I Cor. 5: 7) .

"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).

Now, on the other hand, those who reject His all-sufficient sacrifice for sins, whether Hebrews or Gentiles, reject "eternal salvation", "eternal redemption", and "eternal inheritance", and do so, "wilfully", as those who rejected Christ on the day of Pentecost, for the simple reason that there is "no more sacrifice for sins". There is no other sacrifice in the sight of God. If you miss Christ, the only thing left is "eternal judgment" (Heb. 6:2), because God has made no other provision for sin:

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.

But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries" (Heb. 10:26,27).

Therefore I implore you, do not tread "under foot the Son of God", nor count "the blood of the covenant" an unholy thing, and do not despise "the Spirit of grace" (Ver. 29) .

"VENGEANCE IS MINE; I WILL REPAY, SAITH THE LORD" (Rom. 12:19).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

PEACE ON EARTH
Part 1 of 2
by Gregg Bing




During the Christmas holidays, we often hear the expressions "peace on earth" and "good will toward men." Many think of this holiday season as a time of peace, but there is very little peace on earth. Politically, we see nations, races, even religions at war with one another. Economically, we see turmoil and uncertainty day after day. Even in our personal lives, many have such hectic schedules that peace and rest is only a dream for many. This is especially true during the holidays with family gatherings, school and office parties, and the madness of Christmas shopping at the malls.

When the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, some 2000 years ago, the angels announced His birth to the shepherds. A multitude of the heavenly host praised God saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14).

Jesus' birth was the coming of Israel's long awaited Messiah; the One whom God anointed to be Israel's King; the One whom Isaiah called the "Prince of peace" (Isa. 9:6); the One whose government and peace would be unending (Isa. 9:7).

Peace on earth was certainly what God's chosen people, Israel, longed for. At the time of Jesus' birth, they had been under Gentile dominion for over 600 years, beginning with the Babylonians, who destroyed the city of Jerusalem and their temple, and continuing to that present day with the cruel Romans (Luke 2:1). Israel longed to be free from Roman taxes, Roman governors, Roman soldiers, and Roman laws - they longed for peace.

When the angels announced to the shepherds the birth of Israel's Savior and Deliverer, it must have seemed that peace was about to be a reality in their lives. But the birth of Jesus did not bring peace on earth. We read in John 1:11 that, "He came unto His own, but His own did not receive Him." How could this have happened? The many Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah's coming were all fulfilled in the Lord Jesus (Micah 5:2, Isa. 7:14, etc.), and the proofs of His identity and His authority as their King were clearly demonstrated through His teaching (Matt. 5-7) and His miracles (Matt. 8-9), yet the Jewish leaders "plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him" (Matt. 12:14).

Israel's own expectations had blinded their minds to what God's Word taught concerning. the Messiah (Christ). The problem began with Israel's leaders. They had corrupted God's Word by their traditions and interpretations of the law (Matt. 15), and when God spoke to them "in His Son" (Heb. 1:1-2), they did not hear Him (John 8:47). These men honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him (Matt. 15:8.). They were "blind leaders of the blind" (Matt. 15:14), and so Israel rejected the One who was their peace, the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem, He said of them, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42). The prophet Isaiah said of Israel, "The way of peace they have not known" (Isa. 59:8.).